(I/C)
“It ees better if we attack now,” Abraxas said firmly. “While we have the element of surprise. If we wait, they’ll get somewhere else and bring their amigos. Six? Ten? We can get them if we go now.”
Lannis swallowed. “I suppose we should strike while the iron is hot.” He rubbed his forearms as if cold. “Strike carefully.”
Kovid shook his head. “Look, you go, hit them if you can.” He looked at the body at the far end of the room. “I’ll go and get that whatever it is, and be right behind you guys. We dwarves are pretty resilient to burns and poisons and sulfurous ash.”
Meanwhile Brendon stripped off his backpack and laid it on the ground. “No one is going to escape us this time,” he said. “Kovid, on your way up, grab my backpack with you, ok?”
“Will do, Manling.”
“Kovid,” Lyra said as the dwarf was wrapping the end of his cloak about his face. “It’s still a bubbling pool of grey death. Let me stay, just in case something goes wrong, help if I can, and we’ll join the rest of you at the top of the steps as soon as the fight breaks out.”
Abraxas checked the edge of his sword, nodding in agreement. Wyn snatched a large rock from the floor and stood right next to the burly fighter. “I know sneaky ees not your ting, Monsieur Salazar, but try to keep it quiet to dee corner. If dey all be een dee room, den we sneak to dee room, den rush dem. If dey be outside dee room, we rush dem. Oui?”
“Si.” He looked behind him. “Cinch up, amigos, let’s go hunt some kobolds.”
The four of them went up the stairs quietly, going up into the darkness, Wyn guiding them as his infravision kicked in. They made slow and steady progress until the top of the steps when they could see a wavering light around the corner near the barrel room. “Torch,” Lannis whispered. The four of them crept closer, moving quietly as possible (no roll needed) amidst the sound of the chattering kobolds who were talking up a storm in their language. Getting low, Wyn peeked around the corner while Abraxas looked over the elf’s head.
There were 4 kobolds outside the barrel room, not more than 20’ or so away. Three were fidgeting about, one with a torch. The fourth one was at the corner of the open door, standing stoically and with a disciplined stance that was not like the others. “That one,” Abraxas said. Wyn agreed. From inside the barrel room, the group could hear MORE kobolds in there, the name Grilljax mentioned again, and the sound of the stone rasping on stone.
“Moving the stool?” Brendon whispered?
“Could be going in the barrel,” Lannis said. The Magic User pointed at the closest kobold. “Leave that one,” he said, “I’ll spellbolt it with a Pause first, allow you guys to get closer to that Ric Flair looking walking abortion.”
“Fucking Nature Boy,” Abraxas spat. “Hokay. Pause close one, arrows in the tough guy, we march forward and paterelous en el culo.” He cleared his lungs. “On three…Uno…Dos…”
Meanwhile Kovid and Lyra made their way closer to the pool again and then around it to the red sand and the body lying there. The elf had been reduced to bones long ago and had died here hunched over on his chest, arms clutching something. Under the rusty chain and crackled leather, the two of them were able to make out a wrapped stiff black leather bundle. “What do you think?” Lyra asked.
“Going to have to move the body, no way about it.” Kovid answered.
“No,” she said, “I mean, do you think the kobolds are going to come down here?” She waved her hands around the room. “Not exactly a lot of places to run to. And twice now Aine has given me some sort of warning about something ever since we faced the kobolds.”
“Relax,” the dwarf replied, shaking his head to keep the dizziness at bay. “Let’s just do this.” He reached forward and started pushing the body away from the pool, the grey water splashing all over as it burbled. As he was maneuvering the body though (<Save Petri/Poly, Yellow 6) whatever was coating the armor and bones was apparently a higher concentration than the pool and the dwarf staggered back looking at his hands and hissing as 2nd degree sulfur burns appears on them (Blue 2: Take 2 damage). “Thor’s Testicles!” He swore dancing back. Lyra took out her half empty water skin and poured the contents quickly over the dwarf, diluting the burns and helping him back (Lyra, reduce water to 1). “That fucking hurt!”
She looked over at the body, now further from the pool and lying partially on its side. After giving his hands another check over and patting them dry with the end of her tabard, she rubbed her chin and said, “Hang on.” Going into her pack she withdrew the RAWHIDE GLOVES and put them on.
“No,” Kovid said. “Too dangerous.”
Lyra shook her head and replied, “If I can do it, great. If not? Then not.” From upstairs the two of them heard the sound of sudden combat and the twanging of bows, followed by Lannis’ voice calling out arcanic words. “Time’s up!” the Cleric said. Nudging the body aside with her shield and shoulder, she reached out and grabbed the bundle the dead elf had been carrying for 30 years (>Save Petri/Poly +10 bonus gloves, White 7) and staggered back with it. “Aine’s Ruby Locks, this has got to weigh over 10 lbs.” As she brought it over, Kovid dumped half his remaining water skin on the blackened stiff leather bundle, diluting the sulfurous ash on it and making it safe to carry (Kovid, reduce water to 1).
As the sounds of the fight upstairs continued, Kovid slung Brendon’s backpack on his own back and Lyra dropped the heavy bundle into her own. “Let’s go,” they said and made to rejoin their friends upstairs.
Meanwhile, a minute earlier…
“Tres!”
(Surprise Check, Red 6, no) The 4 adventurers charged around the corner, the kobolds there their voices switching from chittering to alarm (Iniative: Party Steel 5, Kobolds Red/Black 4).
Taking aim at the stoic kobold near the door, Wyn shot (>+5 to hit, Orange 14) him in the chest, the arrow (1d6 Damage, Orange 3) hitting him there with a meaty thwock, making him rock back a step. Lannis’ fingers crackling with electric yellow lights shot a burst of pure magic at the closest kobold that was trying to launch itself at Abraxas (<Save vs spells, Red/Black 3) but seemed to stop, staring stupidly about as it paused to think about its actions. “Got you, Bug!” Lannis crowed.
“Senor,” Abraxas growled, stomping past that kobold to get further into the corridor, sword leading the way, “They are not la cucaracha!” 3’ of naked steel slammed into the closest kobold, raising sparks from its hastily drawn stone dagger. It tried to find its footing but the looming fighter and his flashing sword kept dragging its guard about until Abraxas reversed his swung and thrust down (>+5 to hit, Blue 20, Critical, Max damage: 1d8+2, 10 Damage and killed!) and drove his weapon straight through the kobold and killed it in a single stroke! “Ole!”
Lastly, seeing the distant kobold still standing by the door, Brendon who offered the fighter a hasty, “Nice swing, Doc!”, took aim and let fly (>+4 to hit, Red 19) the arrow no more than 6” from Wyn’s right in the kobold’s chest (1d6 damage, Red 4). “Take that!” he cheered.
“Um,” Lannis said as the kobolds in the room swarmed out, “how come that kobold with two arrows in its chest isn’t on the ground dead?” Indeed the stoic kobold in question was walking, striding purposefully, towards Abraxas, its eyes firmly planted on the fighter.
Of the remaining kobold in the hall, it slammed its stone dagger at the fighter’s side (<+0 to hit, Green 2) hitting armor and shield but little more. Four more kobolds came out of the room. One with a stone tipped javelin that clogged the hall in an effort to get at Abraxas. Two others were flanking the last one who was dressed wildly in old furs and skins, an animal’s skull on its head. It’s fingers were twisting wildly about as it scanned the party. The two flankers one had a javelin at the ready, the other had it on its back, was instead holding a large stoneware bowl carefully.
The skull wearing kobold finished its chanting and pointed its scaly finger at Lannis, and a massive bolt that looked like a screaming wraith streaked across the battle and hit the Magic User right in the chest (Magic Missile, no save or to hit, 1d6+1 Damage: Green 3: Take 4 Damage) causing him to howl in pain and clutch his freezing midsection in agony. “Shit!” he cursed. “I took fucking damage!”
Meanwhile the one with the pot made a questioning noise at the kobold spellcaster who pointed (Random choice – steel 5) at the area to the right of Brendon. The kobold laughed and tossed the bowl underhanded over the battle (>+1 to hit, Teal 17) where it crashed to the wall and floor, and spread green oozing slime all over the area. “Fucking hell!” Lannis swore, “That is such bullshit!”
The two guards flanking the kobold wizard quickly made their way south to the end of the hall. And by this time, the slow moving methodical kobold finally made it to the front of the battle where it turned its attention on Abraxas. The Fighter swung and his sword was turned aside by the kobold’s attack, using it’s stone javelin crudely. But the fighter was in for a surprise when the lone kobold had an opportunity for a hit and instead punched out at the fighter (<+4 to hit, Black 12, Missed by 1!) who got his shield up in time for the kobold’s blow to go “BLAM!!!” into the shield, actually denting it with its fist and causing the fighter to rock back from the blow.
55# kobold, 230# fighter. And he was driven back half a step from the blow. Giving the kobold a serious look, Abraxas noted that this foe still had a calm expression on its reptilian face, two arrows in its chest, and was stepping forward again, fist raised.
“Madre di dios!”
(Initiative: Party Blue/White 6, Kobolds Red/Black 1 – party wins!)
Time now is 3:38
(OOC)
There are 3 kobolds running south and then look like they will be turning east – 1 is the kobold in the skull mask, two others are guarding him (1 is the 1 who threw the bowl of slime). At the party is 1 kobold Paused until this round, two more kobolds at the front line, and the last terminator style kobold fighting Abraxas. There is green slime in the hall on the floor to the east of the “T” by Brendon. It is on the floor and lower NORTH wall in splattering 10’ x 5’ area. Can you jump it? Sure if you want to try and have a running start. Failure means hitting the slime.
Lyra and Kovid have the lantern, Brendon’s backpack, and the bundle from the dead elf. They are coming but moving slow so will be UP the stairs and at the group at the end of the round – no combat for either of you but you can throw something (can’t see any enemies at this time) or cast a spell. Can also hear what’s going on and offer help or something else.
Ok! You guys have initiative this round!
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