With Etienne in the lead and Aloysius holding a torch, the group proceeded one by one down the spiral staircase. Two zombies met Etienne as he descended the stairs. He was able to hit one of them with the scimitar he already had in his hand. The two looked disturbingly familiar. A second glance by those in no position to attack verified that they were indeed some of the same group they fought just hours ago. The woman was still wearing her chain mail, and the man was still dressed only in the thin breeches he had died in. They were a gruesome sight, with the wounds that had caused their deaths only hours old. The man, whose arm had nearly been severed by Blacky's axe earlier, was particularly horrific.
From above them on the stairs, Lasiar managed to brandish his holy symbol at them, "Back, you foul abominations, by Selune's light!" Both of the zombies complied, shambling out of the nearby door and into the lit hallway.
"To arms!" bellowed a voice from somewhere outside the room.
Aloysius shuddered at the sight of the zombies. He tried to step to the side as much as possible so as to allow Lasiar to present his holy symbol. He then delayed to see what those in front of him would do before he acted himself.
The better to assist Lasiar at looking forbidding and powerful, Arachne moved behind the priest and simulated cowering behind the skirts of his robe. (She had too much faith in the prowess of Etienne and Blacky et al to cower with full sincerity.)
"Some chores are _never_ completed," the gnome muttered to herself, looking about (and up the stairs) for a suitable place to hide.
Blacky moved to the ground floor as quickly as Jana would allow and prepared for battle with his axe in hand. "Surrender now and your lives will be spared, refuse and end up dead like your fellows!" Blacky bellowed on his way. "Kaileer target the doorway. Remember the plan." He hissed to his companions and waited for the enemy.
Jana reached back and grabbed her shield. She slipped her shield on her off arm and proceeded on, sword held ready. "Somehow," she muttered in response to Blacky's yell, "I don't think they'll be impressed."
"Neither do I, but I gave them the option." Blacky replied, smiling grimly.
Etienne kept his eyes toward the voice ahead, "I wouldn't have given them the option."
Aloysius stood where he was holding the torch. He peered around behind him to make sure nothing was coming up from behind.
The group braced themselves for a fight in the tiny room. Etienne and Jana stood near the door, with Blacky behing them to give him room to wield his great axe. Kaileer, having no room to properly employ a bow, drew the black longsword that he carried and grabbed his shield, standing on the bottom step.
The sound of footsteps came from down the hallway, and after about a minute, a man with a shortsword appeared in the doorway. Jana and Etienne attacked him, with Etienne connecting solidly with his scimitar. The man fell back into the hallway.
Jana pressed the attack, continuing to use her bastard sword one-handed, shield in her other hand. "I wouldn't have given them the option either," she remarked to Etienne.
Blacky waited for an opponent to come within range of his axe. "Just trying to avoid a fight if possible." He commented from the back.
"It look too late for that now..." the ranger said, switching to his spear and stepping behind Jana and Etienne, using the weapon's longer reach between the two warriors.
Everyone continued to stand at ready in the small room while only Jana pressed her attacks against the man who had backed up into the hallway. The two of them exchanged ineffectual blows. Those looking out the door caught a flash of movement from just out of sight in the hall.
The sound of barking dogs came from down the hall. Ranchefus and another bandit came into view from somewhere down the hall. The bandit went to aid his badly injured collegue in melee with Jana while the priest began casting at the group gathered in the close quarters of the tiny room.
Upon hearing the barking sounds, Aloysius grimmaced. "Oh dear, more dogs," he muttered.
"Dammit Jana, you're supposed to let them come to us." Blacky muttered moving forward and shouldering his large axe. He pulled a hand axe from his belt and went to help Jana.
Kaileer backed out to let Blacky take his place.
