Elliot moves swiftly into a position where he can see the two warpriests before unleashing a mental assault on the man, but the Deskaran cultist easily throws the cantrip off, sneering. "You’ll have to do better than that, crusader scum."
Verene, still in the shape of a svirneblin, slips past Aravashnial and fits herself into a corner, firing her crossbow at the woman… but the bolt skips off of her chain shirt and into the distance.
With the mages unable to harm their foes, Merixia rushes in, slashing with her sword at the glaive-wielding priestess, who cannot get her weapon up in time to protect herself. Despite this, the finely crafted mail foils yet another attack, and the tiefling’s blade sparks off of it. The woman staggers back, more startled than injured, before taking a measured step away from her attacker.
"Alright, that's enough out of you." She says coldly, her orange-glowing glaive arcing towards the Hellspawn. Her weapon is out of position, however, and Merixia easily deflects what few blows might prove to be threatening.
Her partner steps forwards, his cruel smile revealing terrible fangs. "Is that the best you can do, Leona?" He says, whirling his scythe in swift, curving blows that slash through Merixia's scale mail. She feels a pulse of unholy power surge through her veins, even as pain and blood burn along her flank.
Before anyone can react, he lunges forwards, his mouth distending unnaturally as he snaps his fangs at the wounded priestess of Ragathiel. Despite how unusual this attack is, she steps out of range of his jaws, slashing at him to discourage his pursuit.
Round 1
Elyda moved swiftly toward and into the other chamber upon hearing of the two enemy within. On her way past the blind Elven wizard standing by the doorway, she informed him quietly, lest she startle him, "It is I, Elyda, slipping past you, Master Aravashnial."
A follower of Deskari! The inquisitor seethed upon seeing the male cultist holding the scythe. Elyda called upon the Lady of Light, "In the name of Light and Justice, you shall be punished!"
=====
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Elyda slides past Aravashnial, who stumbles slightly out of the way, before calling upon Iomedae's just power and smashing her blade upon the blasphemous priest of demons. The weapon carves deep into his shoulder, and he flinches back, away from her, cursing foully in Abyssal.
Thesius follows, his dancing lights bobbing after him. He whirls his morningstar and smashes at the Deskaran warpriest. The scythe-wielding maniac attempts to lift his hafted weapon up to deflect the blows, but the half-elf outmaneuvers him, swinging high after feinting low. Unfortunately, the vaguely chitinous-styled armor absorbs.
Aravashnial stumbles into the corner after Anevia murmurs something to him, and the human woman slips out behind Elyda and Merixia, before aiming a shot at the Baphometi woman, only to see it bounce off of her horned helm. The Nidalese woman hisses, her features tightening.
Verene does not waste words on the cultists. In this moment they are a problem to solve, nothing more. Seeing that the scythe-wielding man is fully occupied by Elyda and Thesius, but the glaive-wielding woman is yet unhurt, she drops her crossbow to hang by her side again , draws the scroll of grease Aravashnial gave her yesterday from the scroll case at her other side , and chants the short activation phrase .
Merixia staggers at the Deskari priest's vicious blow, choking off a scream of pain. But long hours of practice keep her on her feet with her sword in hand. She bares her teeth at the Baphomet priestess in a vicious smile. "Bring it, demon-lover!" The tiefling lets her pain fuel her anger, focusing the feeling into righteous wrath. Raising her sword, Merixia strikes again!
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Elliot rushes past the cluster of melee fighters to join Anevia and Verene, before chanting a quick spell to hurl a glob of acid at the Baphometi priestess. It strikes home, chewing through her armor and burning her skin. She shrieks in pain, though there's more than a little fury in the noise, too.
Verene unleashes her scroll's spell, and a fine layer of grease appears at Leona's feet, and she wobbles, attempting to use her glaive to right herself, only to fall to the ground with a terrific crash (and a dire imprecation in Abyssal).
Meanwhile, Merixia calls upon the great power of the General of Vengeance to smite the foul demonic cultist before her. Though the might of her divine patron surges through her, the Deskaran swats her sword away with an effortless spin of his scythe.
Even as he does so, he utters a prayer of corrupt healing, and his wounds seal, before he steps back and around Merixia, keeping her between himself and the other two melee combatants. "Leona, get a grip on yourself!"
As a warpriest, the man is able to use his god's power to affect himself without the usual somatic components of the spell - and more importantly, without risking leaving himself open to attack. In this case, he used it to cast cure light wounds.
"Shut up, Turon." His female counterpart snarls, rising from the floor, using her glaive to help her stand upright again. With a battlecry, she slashes at Merixia with her weapon once more, only to find that the grease has done little to help her accuracy, as the tiefling doesn't even need to defend against the wild swings.
Round 2
Elyda heard the Deskaran's prayer and saw that some of the wounds she had inflicted on him were now healed, and, the inquisitor clenched her teeth in frustration for she could not figure out how he was doing it.
Calling upon her Lady, Elyda touched her leg, and felt the magic infuse her being somewhat, preparing herself against any impending dark magic and special abilities of the evil cultists in the chamber.
Then, Elyda side-stepped down (5ft) to get closer to the Deskaran in preparation for her next move/attack.
===
Thesius steps up with a prayer for luck on his lips...
...unsure of what the Turon invoked to heal his wounds, Thesius tries to quickly put an end to it by laying him low with his morningstar.
Elyda draws upon her celestial heritage, infusing herself with the power to resist evil. Their cursed powers would be less effective against her now. She swiftly repositions to strike at the Deskaran man.
As Thesius pulls his morningstar back to strike, he feels a burst of song resonate along the haft, through his arm and deep into blood, flesh, bone, and soul. The music swells swiftly as the weapon comes crashing down, shattering the warpriest's feeble guard and crunching heavily into his head. Turon collapses in a heap, his skull nearly caved in from the blow. Hairy, bloody flesh and brain matter sticking to the archeologist's weapon even as he feels the music fade into a quiet mournful tune before going silent entirely.
"Damn him! May his soul rot with his god eternally, the fool." Leona curses, her glaive held at the ready as her comrade falls.
"Harsh. If he hadn't been there, that blow would have come for you instead," Elliot scowls at the cultist. "I suggest surrendering. At the very least, it will be-"
He casts Daze mid-sentence.
"-less painful," he finished, hoping that sneak attack might have left her off-guard a bit.
Misdirection, the hallmark of an illusionist his gnomish troupe mentor liked to say... hopefully, she was all right. And his sister, too...
The cultist seems cornered, but even a cornered rat is dangerous, and she won't have to move through the grease to get to a target. Verene reloads her crossbow and draws a small lump of wax from her pouch, sketching a sign in the air and holding the right word on the tip of her tongue.
Merixia is about to congratulate Thesius on a good hit, but stops herself. Poor guy still hasn't come to terms with the fact that sometimes a crusader has to kill people, not just demons. She focuses on Leona instead. Ugh... here's hoping her aim is worse than the other guy's. There's no help for it; Merixia will have to brave the glaive in order to close to sword range. And she can't heal herself first without provoking another attack.
Gritting her teeth, the wounded cleric steps forward. Once more she calls upon her patron's fury as she strikes at the priestess. "Die already!"
Elliot unleashes his spell once more, trying to strike the woman's mind with a burst of dazzling magic. This time he feels his spell take effect as she staggers back, apparently less guarded against such things than her comrade had been.
Verene prepares to startle Leona with her spell, but before she has any chance to unleash it, Merixia steps forwards, deflecting a few glaive strikes before unleashing the fury of Heaven's General upon the demon cultist. The bastard sword flashes in the lights of Thesius' spell, before cutting deep into the Baphometi's neck.
Arterial spray splashes back into the priestess' face, some getting into her mouth and eyes even as Leona crashes to the ground again, her hands going reflexively up to her throat as consciousness fades from her eyes.
Anevia relaxes her hold on her bowstring slowly, and Aravashnial taps his staff against the ground in the other room. After a few seconds, he calls out in a low voice. "Is it done?"
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Merixia’s tail lashes violently as her enemy falls, the woman’s lifeblood spraying her face. She trembles slightly, fingers clenched tight around the hilt of her sword, as she fights a sudden wave of bloodlust. Father Darius’ gruff voice echoes in her mind. ”Fight it, girl! Yeah, I know the battle madness feels good. That’s your blood talking. But you have to control it, or it’ll control you.”
The tiefling takes a deep, shuddering breath, stepping back from the body. She automatically takes a rag out of her bandolier and begins cleaning her blade.
Verene releases the cantrip she'd been holding ready with a sigh of relief. "Well struck, Thesius, Merixia, Elyda." She glances curiously at Merixia's lashing tail - Is it a sign of internal agitation, as in cats? - but refrains from comment, as the cleric seems fine, aside from the visible wound left by the male cultist's scythe. Perhaps cleaning her weapon before even healing herself is a matter of religious observance for Ragathiel's followers.
She goes to the far wall to look for her crossbow bolt, finding it skidded into one of the bedrolls and stuck there. It's still usable, so she replaces it in the quiver.
Thesius sees the final foe fall and the adrenaline starts too wane. Quickly he seeks something to pull his mind from what has happened.
“The current situation has resolved,” he responds to Aravashnial before inquiring of Elliot, “Or either of these the foe you faced earlier?”
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"Ah. Very good." Aravashnial says from the other room. Anevia plods over to his side, guiding him back into the sleeping area. "Should we look over what they had? Maybe we'll find some useful information..."
Upon doing so, they discover that, in addition to their weapons and chain shirts, each also has a wooden unholy symbol, a flask of water that are marked with vile symbols , two scrolls, and a potion.
Meanwhile, Horgus scurries into the sleeping area, keeping well away from both the corpses and the door where the lizard fled to.
Gritting her teeth, the wounded cleric steps forward. Once more she calls upon her patron's fury as she strikes at the priestess. "Die already!"
*Splat*
"Wow. The warriors of Ragathiel are a sight to behold, that's for sure!" Elliot says, clearly impressed and totally unaware something was amiss. Merixia had just cleaved straight through two dangerous enemies in mere minutes, so clearly that was a good thing, right? It was probably just business as usual for the battle cleric, channeling the General of Vengeance's rage - surely that couldn't be easy.
"The current situation has resolved. Are either of these the foe you faced earlier?”
When asked by Thesius, Elliot looks up from the scrolls off of the bodies he'd been studying with a start. "Damn, almost forgot with her disappearing... but I'm afraid not. The woman, I think, who shot me was a cat crossed with a spider and a large bow. She was... um, very distinct. I'm afraid we might still run into her somewhere unless she fled."
His hand subconsciously goes back to the spot where she'd shot him, then she winces slightly and tries to refocus on the scrolls, trusting his allies to keep him safe.
"This is a low-level necromancy scroll which scares an enemy. The potions are minor healing ones, same as we've had yesterday. The other two scroll look familiar but I'm not quite sure."
Casting Read Magic, Elyda looked over the scrolls in question, having listened as Elliot described the ones he could discern. "Elliot, is correct, this scroll will fill someone with dread . The other causes fear and the last two allow someone to comprehend languages they do not know. . They will be useful to us. As will the healing potions. "
The fight was over before it had even began and Elyda felt a sense of disappointment that she had not ended the Deskaran's life (among other things). At least, my blade managed to score injury on him. She had a sense of Merixia's bloodlust, yet made no outward judgement on it. It would run its course and the priestess was already attempting to rein it in. Sometimes, it was best not to involve one's self in the inner struggles of another - especially since Merixia was trying to hide it from the group. She will speak of it in her own time. Elyda drew a rag and wiped the blood from her blade.
Verene nods at Elyda's assessment. "If no one minds, I will carry one of the healing potions to replace the one I just used, and one of the scrolls for understanding spoken and written languages. The scroll of dread is better carried by Merixia or Elyda, perhaps, since any of the rest of us will find it difficult or impossible to use. From this room, there's only one door left, besides that little closet where the lizard is—" Verene gives the lizard's door a darkling look— "so I suppose the cultists must have come through there." She goes to check that door and the room beyond it before the group moves on.
"It sounds as though the archer was a traitor, rather than a cultist... one who has so far evaded our attentions." Aravashnial says. "Perhaps we ought to follow her - or, well, you ought to follow her. Anevia and I might not have an easy time going down a ladder, especially if there's someone waiting on the other end to shoot us."
The archer woman snorts. "No kidding. The bottom of a ladder's a prime place for an ambush, and we'd like as not have our backs to her arrows."
Meanwhile, Verene cautiously circles around the doorway of the lizard's hideaway, well-aware that it might want to take another bite out of her.
Beyond the northern door, she finds what looks to be a trophy room. The worked stone walls hold a number of shelves, each of which display the preserved bodies of dire rats, bats, rock vipers, cave lizards, and other creatures that pose in eerie stillness. A pair of bedrolls have been laid out to the southeast - presumably the possessions of the two cultists.
To the east, there is another doorway, while straight ahead from the door, there's a rusty metal ladder leading upwards - presumably towards the surface, though it's hard to tell from where the wizard is.
"Anything threatening over there, Verene?" Anevia calls, an arrow still loosely held against the string, though its point is aimed at the floor now. "Or interesting?" She keeps a wary eye towards the meeting room, wary of any threats coming up.
"There's a ladder heading upward here!" Verene reports back to everyone via whispered message. "And shelves full of preserved cave creatures' bodies, like some bizarre taxidermist's shop. Giant rats, bats, snakes, lizards. Also two bedrolls, and one further door on this level, going east. Nothing alive or threatening that I can see."
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“It may be worth taking the lizard down before we proceed further. I would hate for it to come back at an inopportune time. The ladder going downward may be able to be negotiated if we make it clear we will seal it and leave them behind.”
Whew, it doesn't look like anyone noticed Merixia's little lapse of control there. She'll have to be more careful in the future. Nobody wants a fighter who can't control herself in combat, especially not a tiefling.
The cleric sheathes her sword and moves over by Thesius. "Right, time for some healing. Ragathiel, grant me your healing light!" Fiery golden light blazes forth from her holy symbol.
Anevia looks back and forth between the doors. "Which way, then? We did volunteer to get rid of the traitors, and there're still some that are down at the bottom of the ladder - at least, so far as we can tell. Going up will take us closer to Kenabres' surface, but... We'd be abandoning the traitors to continue their predations - and be leaving enemies behind us."
Horgus sniffs, but remains quiet for now.
Well, that's all the healing Merixia will get for now. She needs to save what she has left. The cleric applies a bandage to her wound while the party discusses their next move. "Elyda, if you don't want the scroll of dread, I'll take it. Not my favorite spell, but it could be useful." She begins putting her healer's kit away. "I vote we check down first. Yes, getting down the ladder could be risky, but up probably means out."
"From what I know of wild animals, the lizard's severe injuries will mean it will wish to avoid any manner of threat until it finds a safe place to heal somewhat. So, it seems unlikely that it will follow and attack us, without some external healing assistance," Elyda steadily relayed her knowledge to Thesius and the others.
"Elyda, if you don't want the scroll of dread, I'll take it. Not my favorite spell, but it could be useful."
"You take the scroll of dread. I will carry the scroll causing fear."
Anevia looks back and forth between the doors. "Which way, then?
"I agree with Merixia. My vote is for checking down the hole first. The traitors must be dealt with some certainty."
Verene sighs silently. Fighting their way out through a group of vicious demon-worshippers was one thing, but with a potential path to the surface in sight, turning away from it to hunt down and kill every member of the demon-allied group seems to her to be another. But she does not protest. Zeal in taking the fight to the allies of the Abyss is to be expected from crusaders, and the group had essentially promised Chief Sull they would fully eliminate the threat. In any case, it is poor tactics to leave an enemy behind you. She pads back to the others.
"If we are determined that we must go down the ladder, may I suggest that the first one to do so uses the cloud-pillar scale instead of climbing? Supposing Elliot is amenable to that, of course." She nods at the fire-haired aasimar. "The roiling fog it produces may help protect you from the attacks of anyone waiting at the bottom by making you harder to see."
"That is good to know," he responds to Elyda. "Unfortunately we are left with many directions to choose from. I would hate to find myself in a hole with no way out of it, but agree with Veren's assessment on the matter should we head that way."
Anevia tilts her head. "Actually, what if one of us," she gestures at herself and Aravashnial, before flushing and adding, "that's you or me, Aravashnial - hovers above the hole using the scale, and the others descend down? It'd get everyone some level of cover from arrows, and it'd make us feel somewhat more useful."
"I could also send a summoned creature of Cynosure down there as a first attacker. It would distract them - possibly long enough for the rest of you to get into the hole and prepared for combat." The Riftwarden adds. "Though Verene's suggestion is a wise one as well."
"Hey, if you need the scale, go for it! I'm sure Terendelev would want us to make the most of this, too, and the plan makes sense," Elliot holds up the silver scale to whichever NPC or party member wanted to hover over the hole first and provide the cover. "Just... be careful. Not feeling useful is a great way to get yourself shot in a hurry. Trust me, I know," he grins wryly. "If anyone goes first, make sure you have armor or a ward up too."
Thus decided, Elliot uses the scale on Anevia, who promptly leads the way over to the hole, where she promptly levitates upwards, allowing a swirling fog to lift her up from beneath the ladder. "When you're ready, go. I'll stay up here in case anyone else comes from over there." She gestures at the door to the sleeping area.
Merixia gestures to Elyda. "After you. I'll try not to charge in this time." It's so hard to resist, though. There's nothing quite like delivering a righteous smiting to demon cultists!
Elyda nodded her head in agreement and readied herself to climb down the ladder in the snug-fitting hole.
She moved with a steady motion down the ladder, wiggling a little if the hole felt somewhat restrictive.
She drew her blade and moved around the base of the ladder to make room for her companions above and stopped to gaze and listen and take in the cavern/chamber she was currently in for any impending threats; ready to give warning those above/descending.
Merixia follows Elyda down the ladder, wincing as the movement pulls at her half-healed wound. She moves aside upon reaching the ground, drawing her sword and looking around.
As Elyda descends, she doesn't hear anything that could be threatening - no scuffling of feet or hissing of breath. However, she's also somewhat distracted by her own efforts to come down subtly, which prove... mediocre, at best. Emerging from the foggy pillar proves to be a poor idea, as an arrow flies at her from the east, catching her in the shoulder and punching through her armor. Blood leaks as pain blossoms in the aasimar's side.
The arrow is swiftly followed by a pair of crossbow bolts, but even in her startled and injured state, she manages to angle herself so that they deflect off of her armor rather than into it.
In the chamber beyond, Elyda sees an array of five traitors, two of whom hold crossbows, and two of whom hold clubs. The final one grips a chitin longbow in one hand, her eyes narrowed. She shouts in Hallit.
Swiftly nocking another arrow to her bow, the archer aims down the shaft to fire at Elyda again, her lips twisting upwards in a feral grin, though the expression swiftly falters as this arrow bounces off of her armor rather than wounding her.
"Ah, that's an even better idea, Anevia. That way everyone will have the protection as they descend. I also think Master Aravashnial's idea of summoning a creature at the bottom of the shaft to go first and draw any enemies' focus is good, but I could be overruled."
Verene descends in the described order with the others. The cool mist from the cloud-pillar scale swirls and eddies around her as she climbs, making her wonder, not for the first time, whether clouds in the sky feel the same to pass through as a thick fog does on the ground. As Elyda steps from the mist into the silent corridor, however, the hair stands up on the back of her neck just before three projectiles zing toward Elyda and the harsh voice shouts in Hallit. She looks desperately for the source of the arrows, her hands already moving.
As she clings to the ladder, Vantine unleashes a snowball at the figure of the archer in the distance. Her foresight guides her hand, and the spell arcs elegantly through the dimly lit room to strike the archer, despite her attempt to duck behind the barricade. She yelps in pain, before cursing in Abyssal.
One of the two club-wielding traitors , an androgynous monster with half their face twisted in a snarl, and the other a stoic mask akin to that of an insect, charges forwards at Merixia, despite being hidden in the mist. Despite the significant force of the blow and the abnormal accuracy, the tiefling manages to avoid the blow thanks to the misty pillar surrounding her.
Another traitor , with a vestigial leg dangling behind her like a tail, rushes forwards, her club held high, but dodging around the barricades kills her momentum and she doesn't have the chance to attack.
The two crossbow-wielding traitors fire - one aiming at Elyda, and the other firing in Verene's general direction. Fortunately, the blessing of the Lady of Valor keeps Elyda from being struck by the crossbow bolt, while Verene's own small size and magical protections keep her from being injured.
The archer woman withdraws a potion from her armor, drinking deeply from it and throwing the empty flask aside. Some of the chilled flesh restores, but not all of it.
Above, Thesius' lights go out.
Hearing the sounds of battle break out, Elliot quickly follows his allies down below!
Once there and seeing his allies locked in melee with two club-wielding traitors, the novice mage assesses the situation while casting a spell on the one attacking Merixia.
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Verene flinches as a crossbow bolt is turned aside at the last second by her magic field of armor.
"Five traitor Forgotten - two clubs and three archers. Master Aravashnial, we could really use a summoned creature down here at the bottom of the ladder after all!" she whispers to him and the others. Then the dancing lights go out, and she blinks, still able to see their enemies clearly in shades of gray. In the next moment she realizes the now-human Thesius and the stubborn Anevia won't be able to see anything down here until more light is provided. Not only that, she has no cantrip for light prepared and she gave Horgus her lantern and flint and steel to hold in case of emergency, so she can't even start striking up a mundane light. I should have told him to keep it lit as a backup measure, if he was coming into the camp with us after all. Next time. If there is a next time. We need to even the odds here, and fast.
Keeping a wary eye out in readiness to spring back from any clubs or arrows that might come her way, Verene swings around to the other side of the ladder from Merixia and completes the last five feet down to solid ground, hopping into the corner to leave a space for Thesius to come down and pulling up her crossbow into position as she goes.
Whew, that was a close one! Merixia draws her sword and slashes at the traitor who just tried to bash her head in.
Elliot drops down the ladder, easily moving around his sister's reduced form before sidling around the ladder and into the back of the cave. Unfortunately, this left him open to an attack by one of the two club-wielders. However, thanks to the cloud that flows from beneath Anevia's feet, the mage manages to narrowly escape a telling blow.
Unleashing his magic, he tries to attack the mind of the woman with a vestigial leg, and she staggers, struggling to keep her balance as she loses control of her limbs momentarily.
Verene drops from her position on the ladder as well, though not before preparing herself for the oncoming attack by the other club-wielder. However, thanks to her brother's magic, the club never swings at her, allowing her to scamper back into the end of the room, her crossbow ready.
Meanwhile, their tiefling companion strikes wildly at the clubber, who deflects her blade without much effort, the snarling half of their face twisting into a further grin.
Elyda steps closer, bringing her own sword to bear and striking at the same target. Though it seems as though her blade is about to deflect off of their carapace, the shift they take to deflect Merixia's assault allows her to drive it home into their vulnerable flesh. Blood sprays as she hacks a deep gauge in the androgynous traitor's back, leaving a flap of skin flopping uselessly around as blood begins to soak the rocks beneath their feet.
Letting out a startled bellow of pain, the injured traitor launches a counterattack at the Iomedaean inquisitor. Though she manages to get her shield up to deflect a few of the strikes, one manages to get by her defense, only to be warded away by Iomedae's vigilant protection.
One of the crossbow... men? Fires a shot at Verene, attempting to arc it subtly over his dazed comrade, but the bolt deflects off the ceiling rather than anywhere close to the wizard.
His fellow crossbow-wielder squeezes off a shot at Elyda, hoping to take advantage of her distraction with the clubber. Surprisingly, it is a skilled shot, but not enough to even penetrate her armor, which deflects the bolt onto the floor.
In the room above, Anevia mutters something under her breath, and her shortbow begins to glow with a soft yellow light.
With a prayer to Desna, Thesius pulls forth his bow and takes a shot at the traitor .
Lady Luck offers her favor to the archeologist, whose arrow passes through the misty cloud to strike squarely on the injured traitor's head. They yelp in agony, staggering back before glaring up at him and snapping something in Hallit.
The archer moves swiftly behind the barricade closer to the heroes, nocking an arrow carefully and sighting down its shaft before lifting it suddenly and loosing it overhead. Though it, unbelievably, arcs towards the transformed Verene, she manages to throw herself to the side just in time to avoid the arrow.
"Nice one, Elyda!" Merixia strikes at the wounded traitor again.
Having a premonition that his only useful would not work anymore from now on out, Elliot sighs. He pulls out his crossbow and attemps to shoot one of the bow-wielders behind their cover, even though he knew chances were slim.
"They're too spread out to catch them in a cone, not without cover... have any good ideas?" he asks Verene next to him.