An idea starts to form in Momo's mind, which spurs her to hustle after Yume.
Shizun and Kenmei rush after the ettercap along with the others. Kenmei is slowed significantly by the webbing coating him.
================================
The ettercap continues fleeing along the wall, but pauses to spurt another glob of webbing at Yume. "Boil! Wart! Intruders in the keep, HEEELLLP!"
Kenmei struggles to escape the webbing, but remains caught in it.
Yume throws a javelin but, with all the gummy webbing covering her, it falls far short.
Now seeing few better options, Momo attempts to try helping Kenmei escape the webbing.
"Almost got him free! Shizun, help me out here!" Momo says as she steps aside to allow her sister to assist.
Shizun moves to help Kenmei, but even with all three of them trying he remains caught.
================================
New Init
Spider 18
Deformozoids 16.5
Monitor Lizard 16
Ettercap 15
Party 12.75
Two lumbering deformed seven foot giants with tiny eyes and a mouths of jagged teeth come running around the corner. They each have a crude spear clutched in their hands.
one shouts.
shouts the other.
They look so similar that they might just be twins.
The ettercap laughs as it scuttles away around the corner of the keep.
Yume sees the new, hulking foes come out and strains as best she can against the webbing that's gumming her up.
"Unnngh...almost...there..."
”Stop squirming! I can’t help if you keep wiggling!”
Kenmei finally slips free of the webbing. "Stay back from that Ettercap, he can't throw that web very far."
Kenmei flies higher up and behind Yume. "Just great...Those are Ogrekin if I don't miss the mark. Man, all those hours studying our dads' bestiaries are really paying off! Who would have thought a friendless childhood was such a great investment?" He laughs at his own joke.
Momo rushes over to help Yume break free. Alas, her efforts are in vain...
================================
The two ogrekin charge forward, roaring as they attack Yume.
The ettercap scuttles forward and flings another net of webbing, this time at Momo!
Momo decides not to waste time trying to escape from the web and instead focuses on defeating the ogrekin.
"Kenmei, Yume, attack the burned one!"
Frustrated, Yume ignores the webbing that's slowing her down, and swings. Whispering Shrike strikes true, biting into the ogrekin's cheek and barely the burnt twin's jugular.
Kenmei flies up and breathes lighting down on to the ogrekin, but they both dodge the weak blast.
He coughs a bit, looking embarrassed.
Momo manages to burn one as Yume slices into it. It roars angrily, clearly in massive pain.
================================
The ogerkin twins step to flank Yume, stabbing at her with their spears and trying to bite her.
The ettercap scuttles away around the corner, out of sight.
Kenmei hits the wounded brother with a couple of crossbow bolts while he builds his lightning breath back up for another go.
In an effort to help Yume, Momo attempts to Grease the spear of the least injured ogrekin!
Yume hisses in pain as the spears and teeth rip into her.
She does her best to cut the ogre, despite being gummed up with webbing..and concentrates, trying to recoup what strength she can.
”Yume!” Shizun cries out! She casts a spell and prepares some healing energy on her hand before she runs up and places it on Yume’s arm.
The ogrekin manages to maintain a grip on his greasy spear.
Yume just barely misses the brute thanks to the webbing gumming up her form.
=================================
Spider 18
Ogrekin 16.5
Monitor Lizard 16
Ettercap 15
Party 12.75
The twin giants continue to attack Yume, seeing that they almost had her before.
Unseen scuttlings occur.
Kenmei thinks for a second and then winces. "Sorry, Yume!" He drops down into the corner and lets loose another blast of lightning, across both giants and his sister!
The more wounded brother's skeleton lights up briefly as the electricity arcs through him, and he falls over dead.
Yume grunts as she's stabbed twice by ogres and blasted by her brother.
Seeing how effective her siblings' breath weapons were--and how ineffectual she was with her blade within this ball of webbing--she shouts a sonic scream at the last ogre standing.
Momo once again relocates and tries firing acid at the remaining Ogrekin.
Shizun heals Yume again as she breaths onto the ogrekin. It manages to absorb the worst of the blast without much harm.
=================================
*ting!* *ting!
Yume parries the ogre's spear and then ripostes into his mouth, deflecting his jagged maw.
Kenmei sinks two bolts into the ogrekin's back, leaving him swaying on his feet! "Almost there, Sisters!"
Given that she's still gummed up, she again tries to scream the ogre to death...but finds it comes out as little more than a hoarse shriek.
A hoarse shriek which shatters the bones of the ogre's face, bringing him low!
With a bit of effort, Momo manages to escape the webbing.
"Should we fall back? I mean, we've definitely got the resources to keep fighting, but that creature might bring the entire castle down on us," Momo says. She notices the doors to her immediate north. "...I imagine that we could take a look in there first, though."
"I don't know how I haven't run out of bolts yet," Kenmei comments.
He looks at the doors to the north. "It's up to you guys," he says as he flies closer to his sisters. "Maybe we should go heal up and make a plan in the room that lizard came out of? At the very least we'd have a doorway to defend if something comes looking for us."
After a brief struggle, Yume manages to rip her way out of the webbing.
She nods to her brother. "Indeed, let us at least retire to that room for the moment, while we collect ourselves."
"That sounds like a good plan to me, Kenmei," Momo agrees.
The group retires to the room where the lizard was. Once inside they see that there is an interior door in this room as well, leading further into the keep. A large number of ruined bunks have been heaped into a nest shaped mound in the center of this room, and the whole place smells of reptile.
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Yume looks the doors over. If they open in, she spikes them to keep them from being interrupted. Then, she says, "My kindred, I fear I've been so concerned with keeping us safe, that I've neglected the wisdom of a strong offense."
Yume sheaths the Whispering Shrike and stows her shield on her back. Then she draws the fine-but-nonmagical katana she'd crafted for herself and begins to do katas.
"Kiai! Kiai! Kiai!" She shouts with fierce concentration as she drills, wielding her katana in both hands.
When she's content with her practice, Yume sits down and pulls out a caligraphy brush and some rice paper. Shelyn, Lady of Chrysanthemums, may my hand help your beauty flow into this harsh world.
After sitting in silence, she writes her first haiku:
Frog relaxes in sun -
The heron strikes fast and true -
Lump in throat, no frog.
Before the group settles down to get their wind back, Kenmei suggests that they use the ruined bunks from the lizard nest to barricade the interior door.
As Yume is doing so, she hears several voices on the other side of the door. They sound like some kind of reptilians speaking draconic! She can't make out what they are saying exactly through the thick castle door, but it sounds like they are arguing. The stench of reptile is almost overbearingly strong near the door. She quietly stacks the bunks and retreats back away from the door.
A frustrated Momo spends a few minutes pacing before forcing herself to calm down. Very soon, she enters a state of deep meditation. Momo stays like this for several moments before her eyes suddenly snap open.
"I just had another breakthrough," Momo announces... without actually talking! Instead, she simply points her claws at each of her siblings, and her words seem to follow. "That new jutsu I've been working on for months. The one that blinds anything in the blast zone while damaging the wicked. I believe I can finally cast it!"