Move 417: Playing With FireTunnels--Late, Day 41 (Marpenoth 24)
Dalgaer and Jana met the charge of the two quaggoths. Dalgaer finished off the one that had been injured by Aloysius' lightning bolt, but not before the enraged creature smacked him with its stone axe. Jana cut into the other one deeply, but it did not fall. It swung at her and missed. Kanon's dust devil spun around the quaggoth, but it did not seem to harm it.
Echo cast a spell and hit one of the fleeing quaggoths with three magic missiles. Azrun put two arrows into the retreating back of the other one. Both creatures stubbornly refused to die and ran out of sight into the darkness of the tunnel.
Blacky gave warning that something was going on back near the web just as the whole thing burst into flame, pouring acrid smoke into the tunnels. The small tornado under the Lathanderite's control in the other part of the tunnel seemed to be pulling at least some of the smoke into itself, clearing the air immediately around it.
Jana continued to battle the quaggoth on her.
Blacky backed away from the smoking web a bit so he could breath and see more clearly.
Dalgaer quickly ran over next to Blacky, axe at the ready. "I'm sure they'll be coming through with the web down!"
"Janathell," said the Aloysiuses, "this tunnel essentially goes in a circle, or more like an ellipse actually . . . .but, should we go around and attempt to flank or stay here and back Eric and the others directly?"
Azrun looked back at the smoke and then up ahead, "Where are we going? Someone pick a direction and go."
Kanon looked in the direction of each tunnel and then towards the fleeing quaggoths, "This way. We'll ply our way through their weakness." Kanon then started to make his way down the tunnel with his shield and mace drawn.
Echo moved up to the spot Kanon left, looking at Jana and Aloysius uncertainly.
"I think we oughta all stay together," Jana said. "Might be twenty of 'em own down the tunnel."
"If what Aloysius says is true, we can take them on two fronts. Sandwich them between us, I know I wouldn't want to be in that position." Blacky yelled behind him and prepared to charge forward with Dalgaer as soon as the smoke cleared enough to see.
The Aloysiuses watched as Kanon and the dust devil dashed down the passage. "We can't just leave him there alone," he said finally. "And Stargazer's spells will not be as effective from the rear. I'll go with Kanon, and if I see a large number of quaggoth, I shall retreat posthaste." He headed off after the Morninglord and his mini-tornado.
Dalgaer moved to the back of the group, where Blacky stood in the smoke filled tunnel. Kanon and his dust devil started down the tunnel that the two retreating quaggoths had gone down. Jana took a bruising from a quaggoth axe before she finished off the one she was facing. Echo moved up to Kanon's former position. Aloysius let everyone know that the tunnels were connected.
The smoke in the area where Blacky and Dalgaer spread itself out slowly; there was almost nothing in the way of air currents to move it around. Within the smoky area, there was noise of something approaching.
Behind him, Arachne's voice shouted, "Blacky, Dal ... there's ten of the -- ten of them coming toward you --"
"Thanks, Mi' Love!" Dalgaer shouted as he too charged forward in the attack. His battle cry echoed in the tunnels as he slashed with his ax at quaggoths, "FAERADD!" After he shouted his ax began to glow with a soft, cold blue radiance.
Aloysius headed off after Kanon.
Azrun nocked another arrow, "Oh well, guess we're going on in...." With that he headed off after the priest and mage.
Echo looked at Jana, still uncertain. "After them?" she asked, nodding in the direction Azrun was going. "I might be able to cast one spell that'll take out a handful," she offered. "Then I don't know how much good I'll be."
"Yeah," Jana replied to Echo, sounding annoyed. "We need to all stay together. Stay right behind me, 'kay?" She took off after them.
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