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Out of the corner of her eye, Casina saw Maidie go down. Hard. Her vision narrowed on the chatty skeleton. On reflex, Casina swung wildly at the shambling corpse in front of her hoping to clear a path.
"I'm coming for you!" She shouted at the one in charge.
Bimbur - 8/11 HP
Orange Zombie - 7/12 HP, Prone
Dark Red Skeleton - 4/4 HP, Prone
The zombie, a surprisingly agile one, takes up the stance of the Swooping Crane before Casina, only to get poleaxed between the eyes and act as a stepping stone as the young paladin practically runs up the zombie and the side of the platform to get on top.
Taking deep, relaxed breaths like his sensei at the monastary taught him, Bimbur lets himself drift deeper into the Zen state he has trained to hard to achieve. This will be his true test.
Calm, he notices that he is in danger of being boxed in by the skeletons, which will hamper his most effective attacks.
He slides his Nunchaku from his belt and begins to spin it in slow, fluid motions. Then he takes a perfect step forwards and smashes the skull of the skeleton that cut him.
Then, hoping to lure the enemies to divide their attention and take pressure off the others, he spins and dives forward, moving through the line of skeletal attackers and out of the kill box they are trying to form.
Unfortunately, he steps on the broken bone fragments from the skeleton he just destroyed and nearly twists his ankle.
Determined, he continues, fending off the incoming sword strike as best he can.
Bimbur's slip almost proves fatal as the other skeleton takes advantage of his misstep and drives its blade deep into the dwarf's side.
Still calm, despite the massive blood loss, Bimbur turns and bows politely at the skeleton that almost killed him.
"I'm sorry, but we dwarves are notoriously hard to kill. Feel free to come closer and try to finish the job." he says before shifting into a defensive stance.
The skeleton hisses at Bimbur. It's eyeless sockets lock with the dwarf's eyes as it glares at him for daring to survive that.
Now free of the tent, Betzolte joins holds up her clan dagger defensively.
"Wounded...need some space...need protection," she says through gasping breaths. She mutters a protective spell to try and prevent another arrow from taking her down.
Gerol - 3/13 HP
Orange Zombie - 4/12 HP
Dark Red Skeleton - 4/4 HP, Prone
Gerol lets out a vile curse as he hears the skeletal captain's taunting and sees Bimbur take a nasty hit. He can tell the fight teeters on a knife's edge. "VARK! Time to by the youngin's some time," he bellows as he slashes at the zombie before him. Unfortunately, this Zombie proves to be far more agile than the previous ones, twisting and ducking under the cut before popping back on its feet and snarling at Gerol.
"S!+%." The old warhorse feels every year of his age in his bones, but he pushes the aches aside.
"If we get out of this alive, I'm going to kill the bastard that caused this!"
Roldare sees Maidie drop and for several long seconds he stares at her fallen form as he struggles to hang onto his sanity. Something deep within flares to life and showing more courage than he has so far, he steps over Maidie and goes after the prone skeleton. His knife, however, skitters off the old bones.
Anislee spins around to see Maidie fall. Moon can see the fear in her eyes, but also a determination as strong and deep as a mountain's roots. She picks up one of the tent poles after she sees Roldare's knife sliding off the thing's bones and steps forward, but her blow is off the mark and strikes the stone instead.
Meep crawls out from under the tent's remains and sees Maidie lying still and Betzolte breathing hard from the wound she took. Fear fades as she turns and glares at the undead things still up on the platform. She clutches her sword and runs for the wall, then up it. She lands at the top of the platform and glares at the skeletal captain.
"BONE MAN NO HURT NEW TRIBE! MEEP HURT BONE MAN!"
Timolt doesn't have time to admire Meep's acrobatic prowess, and is busy picking up another of the tent's poles after seeing what Anislee had. He steps up beside Anislee and thrusts the end of the pole at the skeleton. Still, the skeleton manages to move just enough to avoid any damage.
"What is this thing made of," he asks as he pulls back for another try.
The zombie before Grobradon stands up, taking the hit the half-orc druid lands to lunge at him. Grobradon is knocked back on his heels and unable to avoid the follow up that slams into his breastplate. The shattering of the zombie's fingers is a sickening crackle that cuts through the din of the fight around them.
The other zombie moves like lightning and lands a heavy slug of a punch in Gerol's gut while the old man is distracted by the breaking of the other zombies fingers on iron-hard ash. He coughs as the wind is knocked from his lungs. He looks at the zombie incredulously as it settles into a stance Bimbur knows well from his master, the Flowing Stream of Starry Nights.
meanwhile, the Skeletal Captain looks from Casina to Meep before howling with laughter.
"A goblin?! You lot are pathetic!"
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Her allies were flailing with clever, but improvised, weapons and tools. ”Roldare! At your feet, there should be a mace and two bows. There’s also a pack and pouch with healing potions. Use what you need!”
Now to the larger problem on the… no, Meep, no…
Moon wasn’t a great student and Arnama wasn’t a library of facts about the undead… but she did make one thing clear. If they’re smart, it’s BAD. If they’re smart AND well armored, it’s VERY BAD.
In this situation, Arnama probably would have advised Moon to steer clear of the very bad undead until they could bring three or four blades to bear on it. Of course, her hypothetical example didn’t have Casina wading in outnumbered – full of wrath and fury – and Meep playing back-up.
The ranger searches her memory for any useful scrap of information about talking skeleton leaders. It could be crucial because Moon was about to do something right – helping Casina – and really stupid. And all she knew for certain was that with the armor and speed of the skeletons, she might need to switch tactics from brute strength to finesse and flanking.
She lets her brain sift through what she was taught while she tries to vault onto the raised platform after Meep. She makes it, barely, and skid-rolls into a pillar, her mail clinking and sword ringing against the stone. She rolls to her feet and slashes at the archer by the pillar, forgoing strength for accuracy.
If I have to pick data points... how many HP does this guy have and how good is he with that sword?
Arrows (20): xx
Moon's mind races through everything that Arnama and Father Prasst have taught her about the undead, picking out facts and stories with ruthless efficiency.
The captain is what scholars of the undead call a skeletal champion. Like many such undead, a lot of their abilities are dependent on the creature they were in life. They are intelligent, unlike the zombies and other skeletons in this fight, and it's likely that they have been so effective with their tactics because of this one. they are fairly tough, able to shrug off blows from bladed and pointed weapons to a fair degree and even able to resist the holy powers of priests and paladins.
Looking over the captain, you see it wears a rusty breastplate, but the sword is still in good condition. The posture is like that you have seen Captain Wisslo and Sirs Dramott and Goffried use in sparring sessions. It appears that this one is not only intelligent but deadly in close quarters. His skill with the longbow has already been demonstrated on poor Maidie.
After making it, somewhat clumsily, onto the platform, she shifts her attention to the archer still up there. She swings, but it appears that even caught off guard, this skeleton isn't just any old grunt. It leans out of the path of the blade, a spark of malice glittering in its empty sockets.
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While Bimbur awaits his destiny by the river, his lifeblood flowing to stain the tall grass, the comatose Maidie finds herself adrift in a sea of memories, each echoing the resilience of her family lineage.
Maidie, a curious six-year-old, watches her mother, a bastion of strength, as she tends to her father. The lumberjack lies on the kitchen table, his leg pinned and mangled by a fallen tree earlier that day. Her mother's hands move with practiced ease, cleaning and bandaging the wound.
"Will Papa be okay?" Maidie's voice is small, tinged with worry.
Her mother looks up, her eyes reflecting a fierce determination. "Of course, my dear. The boys will be back with healer soon and your father is strong. Henrods are hard to kill." She turns to her husband, "Isn't that right, love?"
Despite his pain, her father manages a grin. "That's right. It'll take more than a falling tree to keep me down." His laughter, though strained, fills the room with an air of indomitability.
- -
At age eleven, Maidie stands in the doorway of the barn, her eyes wide as she observes her mother stitching up a deep gash on Jaden's left shin. The axe he'd been using had slipped, leaving a wound that seemed to Maidie both terrifying and fascinating.
"Does it hurt much?" Maidie asks, her voice a mix of concern and curiosity.
Jaden, trying to appear brave in front of his little sister, winces but smiles. "It's just a scratch. You know us, Maidie. Henrods are hard to kill."
Their mother ties off the last stitch and pats Jaden's shoulder. "That's right, my boy. But let's be more careful with axes in the future, shall we? If you want to become a woodcutter like your father, I recommend learning to tell the difference between your leg and a log."
--
Sixteen-year-old Maidie sits on the porch, her brother Garth beside her. He's recently returned from military service in the skirmish war with Molthune, his body bearing the scars of battle, his eyes shadowed with things he's seen.
"Garth, does it ever stop? The pain, the memories?" Maidie asks gently, sensing the depth of his unseen wounds.
Garth looks out into the distance, then back at his sister. "Some wounds linger, Maidie. But we face them head-on, just like we do everything else. Remember, Henrods are hard to kill. We're made of tough stuff, all of us."
Maidie nods, feeling a surge of pride and a newfound understanding of the resilience that runs in her family. "We are, aren't we? Tough as the oldest trees in the forest."
Grobradon feels the impact of the blow from one zombie even as he sees Bimbur go down as well.
"Someone put a potion in Maidie, I'll cover you." He ponders his strategies, but he ponders too late. Should have opened with an entangle instead of just slicing away. If i live through this, I am going to BLESS my gift givers for this armor.
Seeing no way to back up and cast without endangering those relying on him to hold his part of the line he slices again, hoping for a bit more accuracy this time
"I will piss on your bones and leave them for wild dogs!"
He ponders his strategies, but he ponders too late. Should have opened with an entangle instead of just slicing away. If i live through this, I am going to BLESS my gift givers for this armor.
Seeing no way to back up and cast without endangering those relying on him to hold his part of the line he slices again, hoping for a bit more accuracy this time
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Grobradon feels the impact of the blow from one zombie even as he sees Bimbur go down as well.
"Someone put a potion in Maidie if you can. Sorry, Maidie, I might try myself but I need to stop those archers or more of us are going down..." He ponders his strategies. While striking again is an urge, he needs to think of the pack. Maybe he can still do something. Not much plant life here, seems like the terrain has a lot of stone surely there are limits...
then it sinks into his skull. He's a DRUID, not just farmer. He can ask nature to do the impossible and maybe, maybe, seeds sleep where he does not expect anyway. I serve the Mudder Frothing God of NATURE! I'm not some hedge witch stumbling through an incantation that her hairball puking familiar makes her beg to get. My GOD has this! I am their druid!
He steps northward facing the archers, for he doesn't want to entangle others if he can help it.
The dual being that is one, the god-goddess of nature, she of the waves, he of the winds, is given their due "Gozreh, Ancient and powerful, Thorn filled and Flowerful, Wind and Storm and spikey Earth, I do invoke your might! Against abominations of death gone wrong, against the twisted unnatural sights! Send forth the green long and strong, I beg you save us from our plight! If ever I was of worth to you, bind this blight, bind this blight!"
And the ground, despite the near winter and the slumber of the season, despite stone and despite the seeming impossibility off it all, bursts forth with great green loops of weed and root, vine and catching growth to entangle.
But will it be enough?
Gerol - 3/13 HP
Timolt - 7/13 HP
Orange Zombie - 4/12 HP
Dark Red Skeleton - 2/4 HP
Dimira's strained voice, despite her attempts to make it soothing, can be heard as she tries to calm the horses. From the noise in the stable, it sounds as if she isn't having much success.
Vark, meanwhile emerges from the tent and takes the spot that Grobradon vacated, drawing his dagger as he moves. Unfortunately, he mistimes his strike and the zombie moves out of the way of his dagger.
Grobradon's spell reaches out and touches the seeds that have fallen on the rocky floor of the gorge. Gozreh's power infuses them. A warm golden glow shines from the ground. For a brief, sickening heartbeat, nothing happens. Then vines and brambles erupt from the ground, writhing like snakes. They reach and grasp, holding three of the skeletons in place while slowing the other two. One goes for the tent, only to be wrapped in vines when it stops to try cutting its way through. The other moves beside and stabs at Gerol, missing the old soldier despite the blow he took.
The skeletal archer, the one that the captain had shoved off the platform after its miserable performance, stands, taking the blows Anislee and Roldare land, but staggering a little when Timolt's strike cracks its skull. Unfortunately, it isn't enough to destroy the undead abomination, and it retaliates by swiping at Timolt and clawing deep and ragged gashes into his arm.
Meanwhile, on the platform, the captain continues to laugh.
"It doesn't matter what you do, the end is the same. You may have had some success, but your corpses will replace those that you have beaten," He taunts as he drops his bow and draws sword and shield. The deadly skeletal archer steps to put the pillar between it and Moon while pulling out its shortsword.
"And I'll start with you little pet!"
Both the captain and the archer strike at Meep. The little goblin manages to parry the archer's blow, but the captain's backhand slams her into the pillar, causing her to cry out in pain. Blood flows from the gashes the sword leaves behind.
"Squeal! Squeal little goblin! Let them hear your doom and despair!"
Snapping vines and the rattle of bones come as the three skeletons manage to break free and move in to close off any chance of escape. One of the skeletons is ensnared once more by the vines Grobradon's spell controls, but the other two remain free.
Still in a calm zen-state, Bimbur seems to sway with the entwining plants. Carefully, he reaches for his belt pouch and withdraws a healing potion.
”I am the wind, I am the flowing river, I am the stone.” he murmurs.
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Seeing Meep's bravery and then her being wounded incenses Betzolte and she points a pair of fingers at the champion's blade with one hand while pulling a small pat of butter out of her component pouch with the other.
"Let's see how easy it is to slay the mighty Meep without your sword, bonehead!" she bellows before chanting an incantation and flicking the butter towards the champion's sword. It flies through the air with uncanny accuracy to splat against the blade, quickly melting and spreading into an oily film across the whole weapon!
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The captain holds up his sword in triumph. Certainly, these fools have dealt his forces a heavy blow, but it will not be enough to save them. They are bloodied, beaten. Before he narrowed his focus to only his best archer, he saw and felt savage blow landed on the dwarf that managed to slip the noose. He would be no threat, and the other is bleeding, probably in not much better shape, and then there was the mouthy mage, judging by the book she grabbed. A shiver of ecstasy ran up his spine as he remembered her falling. There were only one or two real threats, perhaps, and he'd deal with them soon enough. First, he was going to make them suffer. It was almost too easy with bleeding hearts such as these.
Oh the dwarf b%&%& is still up. It hardly matters. The outcome is set in stone. His victory is assured. How could she take his sword from him from so far away?
The sword, his sword, his faithful partner, betrays him, slipping through his bony fingers.
===
Gerol swipes at the zombie and lets out a curse as once again he fails to connect.
"S*##! Fall back Grob! Don't let them box you," The old soldier says before trying to retreat and avoid getting swarmed. He bats away the only attack that comes at him from one of the skeletons, still showing plenty of fight despite the pain etched into his face.
===
The sword tumbles as it falls. The captain can see his shocked expression in the polished blade as it passes his face.
===
Roldare nods his head and quickly feels around for the mace. He bats a grasping claw away with his arm as he finds and grabs the mace. He swings at the skeleton, but the thing is too quick for the clumsy blow and steps back.
===
The sword rings as it hits the ground. The captain can see a nick in its once perfect blade. How? How had that dwarven whore done this?!
===
Anislee Tries to do what Roldare couldn't but her strike is jsut as ineffectual as the skeleton ducks her thrust.
===
The clattering of the blade is deafening to the captain. Though his ears long ago rotted away, he can still feel them ache as the sound of steel on stone rings out in the cold winter's night. He reaches down, but he hesitates as something moves to his right.
===
Timolt growls as he tries to land another blow on the skeleton, but his blood makes the staff slick and his grips slips as he tries. He manages to keep his hold on the weapon, but it costs him precious time.
===
The goblin?! The captain can't believe what he is seeing, a goblin risking it's miserable life to help others! Worse! That goblin b!&&& has the audacity to touch his sword! Her hands slip on the hilt, but the quick thinking green runt hooks her foot in the crook where the crossguard and blade meet and sends it skidding out of the captain's reach.
"You," he growls, his eyes blazing with yellow-green fire as he fixes his gaze on Meep. "You B$!@!! I WILL FLAY YOUR SKIN AND LISTEN TO YOUR SCREAMS!"
Casina shouted as weighed her options. Her gut told her the best course of action. She would have to open herself up to an attack from the lesser skeleton but..dammit!
Gerol - 3/13 HP
Timolt - 7/13 HP
Roldare - 5/13 HP
Orange Zombie - 4/12 HP
Dark Red Skeleton - 2/4 HP
The skeletal archer slashes at Casina as she moves past, getting through the magical ward Maidie gave her to leave a wicked gash in her side. One of the zombies, the one that had hammered Gerol, steps closer to the tent to get closer to Grobradon. The last zombie lashes out at Roldare, hammering its arms into the cobbler. Roldare cries out in pain.
"Perhaps you should see to your friends," the captain sneers at Casina.
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Moon considers their opponent. Her sword wasn’t as effective as it could be… but that couldn’t be helped. At least, it wouldn't stop Casina.
They had a chance, but Moon couldn’t afford to miss and she had to hit hard to overcome his defenses. The vitality of undeath was strong in him. Moon silently calls on Desna, as Lady Luck, to divinely guide her sword as she moves to stand with Meep to challenge the Skeletal Champion, and set a flank for Casina.
"You," he growls, his eyes blazing with yellow-green fire as he fixes his gaze on Meep. "You B@****! I WILL FLAY YOUR SKIN AND LISTEN TO YOUR SCREAMS!"
Someone else might have an elegant rebuttal. Moon didn’t have it in her. She growls, ”Not going to happen. Raise your shield, you bony fv<k. It’s about to be shattered for Betz, Maidie, and Meep.” She leaps at the monster, driving her blade down in the strongest two-handed blow she can deliver, trying to cleave him from his shield to his sternum.
Arrows (20): xx
Gerol - 3/13 HP
Timolt - 7/13 HP
Roldare - 5/13 HP
Orange Zombie - 4/12 HP
Dark Red Skeleton - 2/4 HP
The captain raises his shield, but he underestimates the strength of his opponent. Moon bashes the shield aside and cleaves through his shield arm and into his left ribs. The light in his eyes flares with surprise as he finds himself stumbling back from the blow. Casina's axe comes screaming in sidelong, crushing through the deadly skeletal archer's ribcage on its way towards the captain.
"No--" is all he says before divine radiance and Casina's wrath shatter his armor and his bones. He screams as he is burned to ashes by holy fire.
The other skeletons and zombies shudder and rattle as the malevolent mind controlling them is silenced and the captain's soul is sent to the Boneyard.
As Casina and Moon hit spectacular levels, Grobradon realizes he can't reach any of the injured to heal them. He is indeed in danger of being boxed in, but one way to solve that is to hopefully take at least one enemy down. Preferably one crowding an ally.
"Rip em, tear em apart!" He calls out to Casina and Moon more in support than any directive. After all, they're already doing it, and better than he could.
Then he sees the captain go in a burst of holy fire, and he's in awe, "Yeah, like that."
And he swings again...
Gerol - 3/13 HP
Timolt - 7/13 HP
Roldare - 5/13 HP
Dark Red Skeleton - 2/4 HP
Out in the tall grass, Bimbur calmly drops his nunchaku and draws his darkwood bow. Reaching for a blunted arrow, he takes a deep breath.
"Find peace..." he says as he releases the shaft on the exhale. The arrow flies towards the skeletal warrior who almost ended his life.
Gerol - 3/13 HP
Timolt - 7/13 HP
Roldare - 5/13 HP
Dark Red Skeleton - 2/4 HP
Yellow Zombie - 3/12 HP
Grobradon swiftly ends the zombie that had hammered Roldare before slicing into the last zombie. Vark steps up to try finishing the thing off, but his blade fails to find purchase in the tough, rotting skin of the undead creature.
Bimbur's arrow shatters one of the skeleton's skulls. It drops into the writhing mass of vines like a puppet that has just had its strings cut.
Meanwhile, Dimira manages to calm the horses. They still whinny, but they are no longer trying to bolt.
Moon breathes a sigh of relief and looks at Meep. "Are you OK? That was brave, smart, and foolish... Welcome to our tribe."
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Betzolte shakes her fist and laughs as Moon and Casina take the champion down before remembering she's still got an arrow in her side and stopping with a loud "GAH!" followed by and "Ow, ow, laughing bad idea!"
Then she surveys the battlefield for her next target
Gerol - 3/13 HP
Timolt - 7/13 HP
Roldare - 5/13 HP
Yellow Zombie - 3/12 HP
Roldare begins to lose his nerve again as he swings wildly, almost clocking Timolt in the side of the head with Moon's mace. His trousers darken around the crotch and down the inside of his legs. Anislee, frustrated more than scared, growls and lands a solid hit on the skeleton, shattering its skull.
"Roldare, stop swinging that thing around before you kill one of us with it," she snaps.
Gerol, seeing the situation and seeing Maidie down with two arrows in her, rummages around in Moon's pack before pulling out one of the potions she'd been given. He uncorks the vial and makes Maidie drink it before yanking out the two arrows.
Maidie comes back to consciousness with fire in her lungs. Thankfully, the pain subsides as the potion takes effect. The worst of her wounds close up, but they are still tender and it hurts to take in deep breathes.
Up on the platform, Meep looks up at Moon. It's clear she's in a lot of pain and her whole body trembles as she tries to move. She turns to where the others are still fighting the undead.
"M-maidie hurt. B-b-bad... things... hurt tribe. M-meep n-need t-t-to--" she mumbles as she takes a step, then another, but it seems that Meep's given all she can and passes out before she can take a third step or tell Moon what she needs to do. While there is a lot of blood from her wound, she still breathes and seems stable for the moment.
”Meep!” The brave little goblin falls before Moon can grab her. The ranger feels a moment of uselessness – she has no healing potions on hand and her best weapon against skeletons is in the hands of a man who just stained his pants. ”Anyone with healing, Meep needs help!” Moon focuses on what she can do.
Given how useless or beat up some people are, Moon decides to jump into the battle – literally. She jogs along the platform and drops onto the one blood-soaked piece of open ground she can find. She does so, with aplomb. She tries to sound positive. ”I heard there's a party here. I thought I would join, if you don’t mind?”
Arrows (20): xx
Gerol - 3/13 HP
Timolt - 7/13 HP
Roldare - 5/13 HP
Yellow Zombie - 3/12 HP
Moon calls out for help for Meep before running along the edge of the platform with grace enough to make her elven ancestors envious. She leaps in front of Vark who lets out a curse. He does seem to appreciate the help.
"Don't mind a damn bit," he says as he focuses on the last zombie.
"I'll take care of Meep, you help the others," Casina said to Moon.
Casina stepped over and placed one hand on Meep's forehead.
"If ever there was one to be judged as deserving, it is this one," Casina spoke as if in a trance. A moment passed and Casina thought that maybe she had been wrong in her judgement of the goblin.
"No, Meep has proven her moral standing. She is good," Casina decided.
As if in response to teh decision, the gifted amulet around her neck began to glow a pale white. The light entered Casina's chest and traveled down her arm to the hand on Meep's body.
Gasping in pain, Maidie returns to consciousness just in time to feel Gerol pull the two arrows from her torso.
It sounds just like it did when she witnessed Moon pluck the shafts from her body the night before, only his time, Maidie gets to experience the full sensation of shaft and fletchling tickling her from within as well.
She tries to speak, but only succeeds in coughing up a mouthful of foamy pink blood. When she inhales, the partially healed hole in her chest makes a wet sucking sound.
The agony is worse than anything she has ever experienced. Unlike her brothers, broken bones and deep cuts was never her a part of her childhood. So far, an arrow to the chest hurts more than a scraped knee. A lot more…
Still, she is still alive. And judging from the sounds of battle around her, the fight is not over yet.
Gritting her teeth, she rolls over and struggles to a kneeling position, steading herself with both hands. The stone beneath her spins, and dark blood drips from the wound in her abdomen. Reaching out, she leans on Gerol’s leg for support, then rises to stand on wobbly legs.
Another cough sends a large glob of blood flying to the ground, clearing her throat and mouth enough to mumble a few words.
“Thank you, Gerol…good thing…we..*cough*…Henrods are hard to kill.” she stammers, as she reaches for her satchel and withdraws an acid vial.
Nearly stumbling, she takes a determined step forwards to get a clear line of sight to the remaining enemies.
There is still plenty of withered bone and rotted flesh left to burn.
Gerol - 3/13 HP
Timolt - 7/13 HP
Roldare - 5/13 HP
"Easy, lass. Hard to kill ain't the same as being immortal," Gerol says as helps steady Maidie.
Meep's breathing eases, and her eyes flutter open, but it seems that the little goblin is out for duration as fatigue from lack of sleep and blood loss send her back into the realm of unconsciousness.
Timolt pushes past Roldare and stands behind Grobradon.
"Grobradon, Use this on those bony bastards," he says while holding out the tent pole cum quarterstaff for the druid.
Vark wastes no time trying to end the lest of the zombies. It seems that the skeletal captain's demise has considerably affected the rotting cadaver, and Vark's dagger takes off it's head after a brutal stab and twist in its neck.
Dimira continues to keep the horses calm, soothing them further as the band of Kasseners continue to whittle away at the undead.
The remaining skeletons recover from the destruction of their captain and try to break free of Grobradon's spell. Three manage to free themselves with some effort. One begins to cut through the half-collapsed tent. Another pulls free from the writhing vines. The third attacks Moon, but to no effect as the blade skitters off the armor she wears. The last skeleton struggles as more and more vines wrap around it. The grasping fronds try to snake around the other two that are still within their grasp, but the undead avoid the plants' attempts for now.
"If you think you'll be alright, it's time to mop up the stragglers," Casina said to Meep. "Let's see what we can do, eh?"
She gave Meep an awkward pat on the head and took off to join in the last of the fighting.
"Grobradon, Use this on those bony bastards," he says while holding out the tent pole cum quarterstaff for the druid. You can grab it as a free action.
Grobradon takes it, thoough he is forced to drop his shield. Not used to staff fighting, he wields it like a great club, and whacks at the nearest skeleton.
"I can't get clear to heal, but remember we have potions, folks."
"W-will M-maidie be alright," Meep manages to ask before Casina runs off and she loses consciousness again.
Grobradon's technique may be lacking, but there's no arguing with the results. The skeleton before him shatters as he brings the staff down in an overhand blow that he learned long ago when he first started as a woodchopper for his uncle.
With another blood-choked cough, Maidie clears her throat long enough to articulate the incarnation of what is quickly becoming her signature cantrip.
Taking aim over the destroyed tent, she sends another glob of acid flying at the skeleton furthest on the edge of the fight.
"Don't worry, Gerol. I'm not going anywhere near them. I can kill them just fine from here." she says evenly, her voice calm and steady despite her injuries.