Muraisa's natural inclination was to move in and destroy the undead. But rushing in wasn't the wisest choice. So instead, she tried to work out what the clanking noise was, and what the released chain was doing.
Hunching down at Titan's call, sidereal light begins to flare on Ysildaë's brow before limning her with all the colors of the aurora.
Gritting her teeth, she forces out: "Shine still the stars!"
Muraisa looks confused and looks around for the metal clanging sound. Where is that coming from? She thinks. And why are those zombies wearing metal collars? She stares a little closer. Are those chains hanging from the collars?
Without hesitation, Titan draws the full length of his bow and fires an arorw over Ysildaë's head. Narrowly missing her, it finds it mark, embedding itself deep within the brigand's forehead. His head snaps back as he collapses. The elven woman's eyes grow large as she glares at the hunter.
She clenches her jaw, gnashing her teeth and calls upon Dasyra to bless her.
Entering the lower level via the secret door, Kayin peers around with a cautious expression, his crossbow carefully raised to keep it from lining up with the backs of his companions. Unfortunately, his readiness isn't nearly enough for a quick reaction on his part as an arrow suddenly rattles off of the wall to land on the ground. He's in no position to see clearly what's going on up ahead, and not terribly eager to rush in either. In any case, however, the matter becomes moot once Ysildaë charges forward.
With the narrow confines of the corridor making it impossible for the oracle to contribute meaningfully to the confrontation currently involving Muraisa and Ysildaë, Kayin carefully drops the cocked and loaded crossbow at his feet before drawing his rapier with his left hand and, after a bit of consideration, the small flanged mace hanging off of his harness. Taking a moment to check that cord binding the rapier to his left wrist is firmly in place, the oracle then settles his back against the rough wall behind him and nervously watches the opening at the far side of the chamber.
Considering the options for a moment, Muraisa moved with moderate hesitancy to the gap left and took a swing with one of the zombies with her axe. Hopefully these weren't the kind with grunk in them, or some other problem.
Maria will hang back, a little leery of more exploding Zombies.
Muraisa rushes forward past Titan swinging her axe. The head of the axe crushes in the chest of the nearest zombie. It staggers back a half-step then lurches forward at the barbarian, slamming into her. Muraisa grasps for breath as the zombie's arms wrap around her.
The other zombie pins Ysildaë down and tries to bite her face. She fights off the attack but cannot move. As she struggles, movement catches her eye, She looks down the passageway and sees another figure standing over the dead brigand. It turns and runs away, disappearing into the darkness.
Swift Action: Smite Evil on the undead monstrosity that has her grappled. She gains a +4 Deflection bonus to its attacks and combat maneuvers. AC: 23 / CMD: 24
By the grace of the Shining Star, the elven warrior breaks the zombie's hold on her sliding from one kata form to the next.
"Spy the runner, Titan!"
Maria move back.
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Hearing Ysildaë's warning, Titan nocks another arrow and peers down the way for a second runner.
"I've got him! Watch out, there's another arrow coming your way!" he barks before firing again.
"I don't see him. He can wait. Let's deal with the undead first."
Titan leans hard against the cavern wall to this left in an effort to line up an awkward shot on the zombies battling Ysildaë and Muraisa.
Muraisa shrugs off the disease from the zombie as Ysildaë is able to break the grip of the zombie holding her. She points down the hallway and calls out to Titan, but the hunter sees nothing in the darkness. He turns and fires an arrow at the nearest zombie. The arrow sinks into the zombie's skull. It quivers for a moment then bursts with black energy that overwhelms the tunnel.
Hands shifting nervously on his weapons, the oracle keeps his eyes trained firmly on the far opening, but his ears bring him the events happening down the corridor at his side and he can't help but shake his head. "Gods, how many more of those disgusting corpses must we deal with," he asks in a tone of complaint shortly before the distinctive sound--and it's one he's grown horribly familiar with by now--of a corpse bursting reaches him and causes him to wince in sympathy for those undoubtedly caught in the shower of tainted gore.
Shuddering in revulsion as the creature burst once again - she'd truly hoped to be done with these things for a while - Muraisa took advantage of its shattered remains to step into the space where it had been, and attack the last of the creatures.
Muraisa steps forward swinging her axe. Although she slips on the gore spread across the tunnel floor from the exploded undead, her axe finds the back of the remaining zombie. It wildly swung an arm at the barbarian, then turned and slammed into her.
Freed from the zombie's grasp and trusting in the guidance of three goddesses, Ysildaë let's herself use all of her strength as she attacks first with a fist to the zombies' head and then with a kick intended to knock the zombie back when it inevitably explodes.
Unfortunately, she mistimes her kick, missing its chest.
Muraisa grunted as yet another of the things grappled her. She hated the thought, but they were going to have to slow down, use ranged weapons, blocked doors and some other tactics to slowly grind through the rest of this place. It frustrated her, which was perhaps why her mouth wasn't closed enough when the zombie got her in the face.
Cursing inventively in Elven, she tried to keep the thing grappled but harmless. Another dose of its infection was doubtless coming. The work she'd had with the antiplague was certainly undone, and probably more. But if she was going to die to these things it could at least wait until she has got the children out.
With rapid precision, Ysildaë strikes at the remaining zombie with her first blow landing. Reacting to the monk, the creature loses its grip on Muraisa who wraps her muscled arms around it in a massive bear hug. Hearing Titan's yell, she spins around giving the hunter a clean shot. The arrow sinks deep into the zombies neck, coming inches from striking the barbarian as well.
It begins to convulse, and Murasia drops it quickly dodging into the alcove to the south. She avoids most of the creatures energy.
A blackened lump of energy forms from the fumes of the vanquished zombie.
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Seeing the essence form from the remains of the undead remains, Titan is reminded of the crystalline stowed in his own pack.
"If we're going to be continue contending with the undead, we should take every advantage we can get our hands on. It's about time we figure out how to use these things?" the hunter mutters aloud as he retrieves the crystal.
The zombie slamming her in the bosom leaves Ysildaë catching her breath. Replaying the last few moments in her head.
Formless? Called what Titan?
"Is there healing or succor?"
Hearing the sounds of battle come to a stop shortly after the distinct *pop* of another corpse bursting, Kayin shifts to the left and peers cautiously down the corridor for a moment. Seeing that there are, for now, no further threats facing them, the oracle tucks away his drawn weapons and squeezes down the passage to where Muraisa and Ysildaë stand.
The latter barely has time to finish her question before Kayin's left hand comes to rest on her back, the other going through the little motions required to channel the spirits of mending and aid. The instant that the spell's power takes hold in the monk, knitting her wounded flesh back together, he shifts his hand to rest against the barbarian's back and repeats the process.
After the second spell is finished, the young man casts a critical gaze over the wounded duo, a frown slowly growing as he does so. Then, with a shake of his head and a mutter too low to be made out, he invokes the spirits a third time, his left hand coming back to Ysildaë.
Afterward, he smiles slightly as he addresses the duo. "Right then, that's you two back to something a little further from dead. But do try to avoid letting them beat on you like that again today, because the spirits won't be answering too many more calls for aid like that." With that, he slips back the way he came to retrieve the dropped crossbow.
As Kayin works his magic and partially restores the health of the Muraisa and Ysildaë, Titan draws the deathly essence from beneath his cloak. The crystalline structure begins to pulse with an audible beat. Thump-thump... thump-thump. The essence turns to a black, molten substance and spreads across the hunter's bow. The essence penetrates the wood turning the dark brown grains to midnight with the slightest hint of purple. As it spreads, the bow begins to beat as well, the violet hues growing brighter with every pulse. With a final pulse, the string darkens to match the bow and the transformation is complete.
Titan stares at the bow, its wood hardened and smooth. The wood is entirely black with faint grains of deep violet. Testing the string, the bow pulls back easily but it feels as though the string is slightly animated and pulls against his motion, beckoning him to release it. Ysildaë blankly watches the Titan test the bow. The weapon seems to shift its form as it bends from the tension. Something is elusive to her senses but she cannot place it.
Ysildaë cocks her head in confusion. But, she is more concerned for the missing children. "Ready?"
Ysildaë moves forward read to body more traps.
Once the nervous energy of the brief fight comes to an end, the oracle slumps against the rough wall for a moment, feeling a momentary desire to do nothing but sleep. Shaking off the urge, he sighs and trudges along behind the others with a weary step.