Rumble at the Sawmill - Pt2

The remaining cultists, now split up by the pit, hesitated...

Then lept to attack whichever invader was nearest at hand.  Any organized defense they may have had disappeared into a snarling flurry of knives.

Sasha side-stepped another swipe from the cultist in front of her, then punched him in the face with the pommel of her rapier.  While he was stunned she planted one foot behind him and hip tossed him away from her. He landed on the edge of the pit and slipped down its side, landing with a crunch twenty feet below.  Sasha brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and looked around for the next cultist. 

She saw Yola a short way off cut down another cultist with brutal efficiency and step over his body, placing a wall to one side of her and the magical pit to the other, forming an effective barrier between Sasha and any other attackers.  Finding herself momentarily alone, she risked a peek over the edge of the pit.  She saw the four cultists below.  They looked up and started to curse her - the ways in which they planned to punish her were many and inventive, and unfortunately for them, washed any thoughts of mercy from Sasha's mind.  She removed a glass flask from her belt, removed the stopper, and with a flick of her wrist sent it spinning into the pit.  The cultists shouts of anger and revenge turned into screams of panic and pain as the acid in the flask sprayed out.

On the other side of the room, Xer took advantage of Ironbriar's choking fit to try and cut free Malvick, but the two cultists that had followed her here jumped to intercede.  Xer weaves between the two attackers artfully and manages to cut free one of Malvick's arms.  She hands him the knife to free himself, ducks yet another blow and turns her attention back to Ironbriar, who has started to chant another spell.  Xer's mind is assaulted with strange images as Ironbriar tries to seize control of her actions, but Xer's years of training and meditation at the monastery protect her mind from the divine assault and she shrugs off its affects.  She winks at the frustrated elf and then launches into a flurry of kicks and punches.  But Ironbriar is quick on his feet too and manages to evade or parry all of her attacks.

A third cultist, not willing to brave the whirling web of steel that is Yola doubles back and tries to finish Malvick before he can free himself, but the ranger frees his last limb just in time and rolls away as a war razor cuts into the wooden bench where his neck had been only a split second ago.

Now trapped near the stairwell on the far side of the pit, Ariva barks in frustration,  Li Kao pulls the agitated dog away from the treacherous adge and contemplates his next move.  The pit would only stay in existence for another few moments, and he could hear at least two cultists still concsious down there.  He could see Yola on the far side of the pit fighting with two other cultists, but could not get a clear view of Malvick, Ironbriar or Xer.   Reaching a conclusion, Li cast a sleep spell across the pit at the two cultists facing Yola, hoping to free the shoanti up to help Xer and Malvick.  His tactic was partially successful - the cultist directly in front of Yola dropped his blade and tumbled sideways in a deep slumber.  Yola never missed a beat, and calmly  ( as calmly as a shoanti in a battle rage can be at any rate) stepped forward and gutted the surprised cultist behind him.

Seeing her way now clear, Sasha dances along the edge of the pit past Yola to join the fray at the other end of the room.  She catches one of the cultists intent on Malvick, stabbing him in the back.  The man straightens up in pain and tries to turn, but Malvick leaps up from the other side of the bench and finishes him off with a dagger thrust, then rolls the other way as his second attacker grazes him with his razor.

Recognizing that Xer's will is too strong for him to break with magic, Ironbriar switches to his war razor and joins Xer in deadly melee, but niether are able to land a blow on the other.  So focused is Xer on her foe, that she fails to see the last cultist work his way behind her until it is too late.  His thin blade cuts a deep line across her back.  Her guard falters, legs going weak as metal scrapes over bone, and Ironbriar readies for the kill . . .

* * *



This concludes round 2 & 3.  Malvick took a grazing hit for 3 HP.  After avoiding something like six attacks from the cultists and Ironbriar's suggestion spell, one of the cultists finally landed a sneak attack on Xer for 11 hp.  She is now flanked by a cultist and Ironbriar ( both have levels in rogue so inflict sneak damage when flanking an enemy just like Sasha).  The pit expired at the end of round four, depositing two wounded cultists  ( and three corpses) back where they were originally.