The Skinsaw Murders

Malvick ducked out of sight as his two companions followed Aldern into the dining room. He circled through the main floor quickly, determining that there was no one else in the house, and ended in the master’s study. A dozen or so hunting trophies adorned the walls of the room – stuffed heads of boars, deer and bears. A zebra skin rug covered most of the floor. A large fireplace, its mantle decorated with two carved roaring lions at either end, dominated the exterior wall.

“Hmm, more lion motifs” Malvick thought to himself. He fished around in his pocket for the keying again, but was interrupted by a large crash from the dining room. Yola’s battle cry echoed through the house and Malvick dashed out of the study, hand reaching for his weapons.

* * *

Li Kao followed Aldern into the dining room then stepped to the side to let Yola enter. Aldern walked over to the table and bent to kiss an attractive varisian girl who rose to meet him. She had long, pale blonde hair and blue tattoo patterns could be seen peeking out from the sleeves of her fashionable dress. A sharp intake of breath from Yola was all the confirmation Li Kao needed that this girl was how Seoni appeared in life, rather than the pale undead revenant they had encountered in the mansion.

“How lovely!” Seoni spoke. “Aldern, you didn’t tell me we were having company today – I would have tidied.”

Aldern chuckled, “but I didn’t know, my sweet. They’ve stopped by quite unexpectedly.” Gesturing to an empty chair, he addressed Li Kao, “Please won’t you have a seat and tell us why you’ve come?”

Instead, Li Kao picked up a candleholder from the shelf beside him and threw it at Aldern’s head.

Seoni yelped in surprise. Aldern’s reflexes were quick and his hand shot out and grabbed the missile from mid air. For a split second his face was a mask of twisted rage, then replaced again by an air of jovial calm.

“Interesting,” Li Kao remarked at the results of his experiment.

“That was rather rude, old chap,” Aldern countered as he rose from the chair. “Seoni, why don’t you fetch some tea for our guests. Something soothing – they seem to be rather high strung.” Aldern walked over to the shelf and calmly replaced the candleholder on the shelf. “Now, why don’t you be a civil gent, and tell me why you’ve come.”

Li Kao had found that the direct approach was often the best, so he said bluntly, “Well. We just came from your mansion on the coast, where we watched an undead version of you behead your undead wife. Then you tried to kill us, so we killed you first. Then we took the house keys off your reeking corpse (and believe me, you stank!), and came here looking for clues as to the identity of your hidden masters.”

“Ah,” Aldern said after a moment of silence. Behind Yola, Seoni had just re-entered the room and now stood frozen in the doorway, a tea tray in hand. “So seeing the two of us here – in the flesh, so to speak – was something of a shock, then?” Aldern asked.

“Quite, actually,” responded Li Kao.

“But ultimately not that convincing, on account of you having already “killed” us recently?” Aldern made little quote signs in the air with his fingers.

Li Kao shrugged apologetically, “not really, no.”

“So we should just drop the act, then.”

“I think we’d all appreciate it,” Li Kao nodded.

“Okay then.” Aldern shook himself from head to toe and his form seemed to snap like a rubber band into a thing of skin and dislocation and horror. A featureless man-shape with hairless, scaly flesh like a like a crimson snake stands where Aldern was just a moment before. A hissing pop signals a similar transformation from Seoni behind them, and both reach out with long, pliant arms and fingers that twitch and writhe.

* * *

Yola and Li Kao are standing just inside the room, with the two faceless creatures sandwhiching them like bookends.  Malvick takes 1 round to reach to comotion but will have difficulty moving into the room if Yola doesn't move.  Please give a general description of your combat tactics for this fight ( and mich, a little more than "Yola smash!" pls  :>  ), and I'll run it as one narrative rather than breaking it down round by round.