Arachne opened another of her shimmering blue portals. The group began to move through, one by one. As Arachne had said, it was very disorienting. Kaileer went through first, and before he could get his bearings, was bumped out of the way by Jana. The various bumping and jostling of getting everyone through did not turn out to be an entirely quiet or even quick task. When all was said and done, they found themselves in a dark room filled with a faint odor of human excrement.
Since she was last, Arachne discontinued the portal once she was through it.
"Well," Jana grumbled quietly, "this just gets better and better, doesn't it."
"Ewww," muttered Aloysius quietly in the darkness.
Echo whispered, "There's furniture and stuff in here. Be careful if you can't see." She moved to Jana's side once she was able to move again to act as a guide. "Now what?"
"Where be the door?" replied Aloysius quietly. "Be there a window or something there so someone could tell what is on the other side of the door?"
Someone bumped into something in the room, which in turn made a loud scraping noise across the floor.
"Damn!" muttered Aloysius under his breath. "My apologies. Couldst one of our night-eyed members help me? Perhaps those who can see could pair up with those of us who can't. Echo? Where art thou?"
"See any doors?" Jana whispered to Echo.
"There's a door over there," Echo whispered back.
"Now we go kill Ranchefus and try not Ranchefus kill us." Kaileer said as if the answer was obvious and shook his head to stop the ringing in his ears.
"Ettia... Eato... Ettin," he said, quite unable to pronounce the man's name correctly and uncomfortably referring to him as a two headed ogre, "You see in dark? We go out with bow, maybe there be more light on other side of door, if there be more light and guard, we make sure guard not call help. Arachne, Echo, you make sure others not trip on broken chair... or slip." he said, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the smell.
"Echo's keeping Jana from making any similar cacophony," Arachne said softly. "Now, hold still, Aloysius. There's nowhere interesting for you to go, anyway. Not yet. No. There's no window.
"Kaileer, the door's over there." She pointed, which was useful for Kaileer, since he could see her as well as the wall [and door] that she was pointing at. It opens into the keep courtyard. I'm not sure which way it swings; I haven't opened it yet. Considering what's in here, I see no reason why anyone would've locked it, but...Echo, if you know anything about getting difficult doors to open, I guess you should take Jana and be Kaileer's backup.
"There's an awfully good chance that the door will be squeaky, but at least there's none that opening it will attract anyone's attention with light spill -- Aloysius! Stop fidgeting!" She reached up and grabbed his hand. "Here I am. You should be able to see better shortly.
"Etienne, do you want to guide Blacky?"
Echo winced as Aloysius caused the scraping noise and listened carefully as the others began discussing what to do. "I hear something," she whispered. "I think someone's coming."
"Damn," Aloysius quietly repeated. "Move away from the door, let me cover it with a spell."
He whispered down in Arachne's direction. "Uh, which way is the door?"
Blacky tried not to move in the darkness at all. He still didn't move when Aloysius mentions covering the door with a spell having no idea where the door was in relation to himself. He gripped his two handed axe tightly and waited.
"Of course," Jana whispered quietly. She slowly, carefully pulled her mace out of her belt. She made sure Echo was on her off-hand side and whispered in a still more quiet voice, "Can you get me closer to the door without my tripping over something?"
"I can, but Etienne and Kaileer look like they're going to shoot arrows. Are you sure you want to go over there?" Echo asked.
"No," Jana whispered in reply. "I've had enough pointy things stuck in my back lately." She grinned, not sure if Echo could see her face or not.
Etienne smiled, "It's ok. Yes, I can see in this darkness."
At Echo's mention of someone coming, "Perhaps we should ready ourselves to welcome our visitor." He pulled his bow from his back and notched an arrow. He then moved to Blacky's side, "If you need direction tell me and I'll guide you."
Etienne looked over to Aloysius, "Aloysius, what sort of spell are you preparing? If it is going to flash or something the others need to turn their eyes."
"Aloysius not can see door," the ranger whispered, "Kaileer have arrow enough if danger come. Aloysius save strength for when can see, need magic for fight Ranchefus." he said, also getting ready to shoot through the doorway if it was a guard on the other side.
Accepting Kaileer's advice and Etienne's warning, Arachne whispered softly to Aloysius, "It's that way," without giving him any clue in the darkness which way "that way" was. She added, "Let's go this way," tugging him in a direction different from the one in which she'd sent Kaileer. (The direction she chose was one that seemed to her comparatively free of dangerous obstacles.)
"Excell..." began Aloysius. "But......which.....? Oh dear. Very well, small one. Lead on."
The door swung open into the room, a light from somewhere outside briefly revealing a woman in chain mail. Etienne managed to fire a shot from his bow, but the arrow hit the door frame and shattered. The woman turned her head and tossed something small into the room. Bright daylight flooded the area, blinding almost everyone until their eyes adjusted.
"Armed intruders!" bellowed the woman. "Sound the alarm!" Her voice carried through the heavy damp air, and almost immediately, the sound of a loud bell rang through the night.
Aloysius yanked his hand away from Arachne's as the light burst forth, but he still couldn't manage to shield his eyes in time. He stepped back towards the rear of his group and tried to look out the door and see what was going on.
Blacky rushed the woman at the door, hopefully pushing her outside with a blow from his axe. "Aye, you're about to find out how armed, missy!"
What with arrows flying from Kaileer and Etienne and Blacky charging, Jana held her position long enough to grab her shield off of her back. She advanced behind Blacky, mace ready.
Kaileer stood dazzled for a moment and prepared to fire in the door's general direction when he heard what he assumed was Blacky charging forward. Shouldering his bow, the elf fumbled blindly for a moment for his shield and spear, waiting for his vision to return before going for the door.
Arachne readily let Aloysius go. "So much for sneaking," she muttered, finding her sling and a stone or two in her purse (by touch). "I don't think this group goes in for subtlety, anyway." She did not attempt to move anywhere until she could see. Once she could see again, she made for whatever piece of broken furniture offered the best cover.
Echo made for the wall that the door was in. She pressed against it and inched along until she got close to the door.
Etienne cursed and shouldered his bow. "I'm already hating this woman." He drew his scimitars and steadied himself as he waited for his eyesight to return.
