Alara readies herself for a fight.
Sharrd moves up next to Ash and readies a Disrupt Undead Spell to toss at the first skeleton that moves.
Masamune nods at Ash and when Ash rushes forwards so does Masamune ready to cover his brother from any of these undead creatures.
Piper is still ready for the assault.
The skeletons don't react at all to Ash's movements, but when a flash of primal positive energy scorches them all, they start to move.
Initiatives
The skeletons, in fact, start to get up very quickly. But Masamune is faster and is able to act first. Since he was more or less holding an action from the "surprise round," Sharrd may also act to cast his disrupt undead cantrip.
Sharrd says a few words in draconic and reaches his hand past Ash's shoulder.
A bolt of blue white energy flies from his fingers and slams into one of the skeletons.
Masamune keeps his blade ready and prepares for the first skeleton to attack.
The skeleton struck by Sharrd's blast is, in fact, disrupted and its bones crash to the ground. Masamune's blade also finds a home hitting a skeleton but to less effect. The skeleton seems unfazed by the blow from the sharp blade.
The skeletons complete their rise and move in on Ash and Masamune, coming in from the front and right side. Fortunately, only one, the one struck by Masamune, is close enough to actually attack. It scrabbles at Masamune and his armor with boney hands but fails to gain any purchase.
When the skeletons rise, Alara springs into action. She runs up, nunchaku readied, and nimbly flips past 2 skeletons facing Masamune & Ash.
Landing in the sand with a soft *thud*, she turns on her heel, her nunchaku lashing out at the skeleton to the northeast of Masamune, aiming for its lower back in an effort to smash it.
Piper begins to play his tune.
Hoping this is his chance to shine in combat, he lets free another channel.
The hard bones of the skeleton mitigate some of the mayhem created by Masamune's blade, but the blow is so well placed that it absolutely wrecks the skeleton's main central structure - its spine. The bones clatter to the cavern floor.
Alara's nimble skill take her to the far side of the skeletons and puts her in position to land a blow that the skeleton is in no position to evade. The skeleton's skull is crushed and it too drops.
But it's Ash's second attempt at channeling positive energy that lights up the chamber and blasts apart the remaining skeletons (even a successful save would put them down after the first channel). Once again, the chamber returns to the quiet of a damp cave, the only sounds being the drop of water, a bit of lapping of water on the edge of the pool, and your own panting breaths.
Alara arches an eyebrow in surprise when the skeleton turns and gets his head smashed in by her nunchaku.
"I was aiming for your butt, but that'll work too."
Then Ash lights the cavern up with holy power, causing the skeletons to crumble before him. Alara jumps for joy!
"YEAH! Nice one, Ash!" She bounces from foot to foot.
"I was aiming for your butt, but that'll work too."
Piper stops playing after seeing Ash destroy the rest of them, his jaw dropping. Shaking himself out of the shock, he walks up and pats Ash on the shoulder. He looks at his flute. 'I haven't even casted a spell yet. I have to step it up.' He looks around the cavern.
Alara wanders over to the only way deeper into the cavern and peeks down the passage. She tries to be as quiet as possible.
Masamune claps Jacen on the back.
"There you go again showing everybody why three brothers is better than one."
"Wow Ash, that was amazing!" Sharrd exclaims.
"I am not meant to fight much, but if the undead stand in our way, I will be able to harm them as much as I heal you," looking over to Masamune, "It is clear that we compliment each other quite well, brother."
As Alara's elven vision penetrates into the gloom, she sees what appears to be the final cavern. Near the center of the chamber sits a motionless figure in tattered armor. His visage, barely visible under his helmet, is skeletal yet you can sense this is not simple skeleton like the ones you just faced. His position may seem at rest, yet he gives the impression he is ready to strike, like a live warrior might. He sits upon an object that appears to be a chest, though little detail can be made out from this distance and in this lighting.
Alara immediately pulls away from the opening and returns to the team.
"We've got one more skeleton in there. Lotta armour. Sharp sword. Looks like a samurai. I think that might be the... leader? I suppose?"
"Well, sounds like he has our stuff." Sharrd says with a smile.
Piper strokes his chin. He writes: 'We need to think about this. If this was or is a samurai, then it could give us trouble. So, how do we fight it?'
"I'll zap it with my new spell, Masamune and Alara will smash it to pieces and Ash will keep us alive while you inspire us." Sharrd replies. "Simple!"
Piper rolls his eyes. He writes: 'Never assume that it's so simple, Sharrd. We don't know how powerful of a samurai it is. Nor do we know if there are any other skeletons nearby or underground. We need to be prepared. Though, that does sounds like the usual plan for us.'
"What do you think we should do different?" Sharrd asks.
"Absolutely nothing. Jacen already detected for undead and if there are no other undead then we can just swarm him with attacks. Remember that facing a samurai alone is a bad idea. Flank him and then take him down without warning if he's alone if not then lure the other skeletons out first and then attack him."
Alara nods. "Sounds like a plan."
Piper thinks about it before he sighs and nods.
Alara nods and hurries off to scout the last chamber again, making an effort to stay out of sight.
Sharrd follows close behind Alara but doesn't enter the new passageway. Instead he presses up against the wall and recasts his message spell on the ninja just to be sure. He uses the message and his lights to provide just the right amount of illumination for Alara.
Then as an afterthought he finally succumbs to Koya's plea to use defensive magic and casts Shield on himself.
Piper brings out his flute, ready for the fight.
Alara opts to wait until Ash detects undead again.
A recasting of Ash's detect undead spell reveals, after a few moments of concentration, that there is a single undead aura in that chamber. It is of moderate strength and is centered directly on the figure seated on the trunk.
"Well? Is he alone?" Alara whispers to Ash.
"It is only him. Much stronger than the previous lot." Ash almost shivers at that.
Sharrd brings the light up so they shine down the corridor. Then he moves forward, ready to run back, until he is within range of the skeleton (30')
If he gets there without a reponse then he Disrupts Undead on the fiend and dashes back down into the main cavern yelling "Tag!"
Alara readies her nunchaku as Sharrd moves up.
I'd have let Masamune go first, but alright...
Piper readies his flute as Sharrd goes on, his hands shaking. 'It's okay. We can do this. We can do this.'
Sharrd's ray goes wide left, but it does attract the seated figure's attention. He stands and directs a hateful look in the sorcerer's direction.
Initiatives
The skeletal figure reacts quickly but his pursuit is slow. The remnants of his suit of armor, now largely destroyed by corrosion, hang off him but are still bulky enough that Sharrd easily stays out of reach for now. His manner of equipment appears to follow Tian styles. The sword he brandishes is relatively short - a wakizashi, like the ones wielded by the skeletons at the shipwreck.
"Time for you to fall."
Masamune makes his challenge to the undead skeleton clear, and then moves up to the fiend and attacks.
Alara recoils from the undead warrior, hastily putting away her nunchaku and drawing her shortbow in its stead. She aims and fires...
Her arrow flies over the combatants' heads, skipping off of the cave wall behind them.
Piper moves closer and begins playing, bring that same awareness and energy into everyone.
Huffing at the massive movement he feels that he is taking, he moves forward until he can see the undead clearly and then he lets loose another blast of holy energy.
Alara's shot goes high but Masamune's strike finds home. The skeletal form of the target does not, however, respond as satisfyingly as a regular body would. There is some crack of bone but you can't help but feel that would have affected a fleshy opponent more.
The skeleton also seems to have the strength of will to resist some of Ash's positive energy boost.
Sharrd backs out of the skeletal samurai's reach and boosts his defenses by casting shield.
The skeletal creature's aggression is undeterred by the attacks leveled at him. In fact, it seems to goad him on. He rasps, "No more thieves in the night wielding blades above their honor! You will not have my master's treasures!" His ire seems focused mostly on Masamune and the rest of you feel an additional intensity between the two of them.
He lashes out with his own wakizashi and it bites deep (11 points of damage).
Alara desperately shoots another arrow at the skeleton, hoping to draw its attention to her.
With exactly the same results as before.
She promptly ditches her shortbow and draws her nunchaku instead.
Ash moves up quickly and places a hand on his brother's back to attempt to heal him now.