He was standing within arms reach of the youngest boy, now, though his pale eyes ticked from face to face of these siblings. “Your father’s name,” he asked none of them in particular, though his hand had dipped into his pouch and returned with a neatly wrapped parcel of trail rations which he offered the youngest, “what was it?”

The four boys weren’t hasty in their reply but, after a moment, the youngest’s hunger won out over trepidation. “Charles,” the kid said as he took the offered rations and hastily peeled them open, “Most folk called him Chuck, though.”

His eyes turned to the father-spirit when the name was spoken and the odd little mage nodded and quietly repeated the moniker. With any sort of luck, knowing what the man’s name was in life would help to make the spirit a little more forthcoming hereafter. “And, he is not the only one to have suffered such a fate of late, is he? There have been others,” he queried, watching the spirit float passed to hover closer to his sons.

“I dunno,” Thom shrugged, speaking around a mouthful of the rations, “we don’t see much of the other folk around here. There was this one guy, though,” the boy added after swallowing the mouthful, “some widower what Dad was friends with…”

“Velma,” Daryl offered as Thom passed the rations to him.

“Right,” Thom nodded, “Velma. Before Dad got killed, he said something about not having seen him in a while…”

Jal nodded faintly and left the boys to their devouring of the rations. He really hadn’t needed them to tell him there had been other victims of these bug attacks, he’d seen the evidence of it himself in the numerous spirits he had seen that bore the tell-tale evidence of such a passing; their father not the first among them. The mage’s gaze tracked away from the young men, swept over the faces of the others he had left Freegate with as they discussed the ramifications of the boys’ tale, and finally settled on the ghostly form of Charles. Jal smiled a bit when he noticed that the apparition seemed to have faded to a certain degree – a sign, Jal had learned over the years, that a spirit was getting closer to finally crossing over completely – but Charles hadn’t diminished enough that it appeared he would be at peace just yet.

The Spellbinder kept a mindful ear to the discussion of his compatriots as he maneuvered away from the line of farm boys, and nodded as Valentine’s description of the ankhegs struck a spark of recollection in his mind – Of course, he thought, I remember reading something about those… perhaps even the Master may have said something… or was it Gwanele? – all he could recall outside the bounds of the ex-Red’s description, though was that the bugs were big, mean, and had a habit of making lunch out of hapless unwary farmers. Jal had no idea what a Thri-kreen might be but, if the blighters rode on ankhegs, he was sure they couldn’t be good things.

“Your sons are safe, Charles,” he whispered to the spirit of the boys’ father, “Why do you linger?”

Arien’s horse shied and Talas rubbed at the back of his neck and looked around uncertainly as the ghost of Charles looked up from yet another worried glance at the earth beneath their feet. Safe from making the errors I made in my youth, sir, the ghost replied, I was once a thief, myself, you see, and I know what the ends of that profession can be. I don’t want that for my sons. That is why I stayed away from Freegate and made a home here… another concerned look at the ground before continuing… so that my boys wouldn’t be tempted by that life… so that they… we… could live free.
“But there is something else?” Jal queried as he gathered a handful of his horses reins and, once more slid his staff through the loops on the saddle provided for the thing. “Your… body, perhaps?”

Charles offered a slight smile and glanced at the Spellbinder again, but quickly returned his phantom gaze to a nervous inspection of the ground. No, sir, he answered, me body’s the least of my concerns… I just wanna be with my wife and know that my boys are safe, that’s all…
“Arien, Kilgrim,” Talas spoke up, then, his hand closing on the hilt of his sword, “all is not right. I feel that danger yet lurks close to us; be on your guard all.”

Jal’s own gaze swept across the surrounding landscape even as Char set an arrow to his bowstring and advised moving the party and the boys to rockier ground. The warriors likely had a keener sense for danger than he did, of course, but he neither saw nor sensed much of anything that alluded to any immediate danger. Arien’s warhorse nickered and whinnied again and, as Jal swung himself back up into the saddle, he saw Charles, once more anxiously, almost frantically examining the ground.

“If not your sons’ professions or the state of your body, Charles,” the spellbinder murmured to the ghost, “what still troubles you, then? Why do you keep looking at the ground as if…”

They’re coming, the ghost moaned. They’re coming! Save my sons!
Suddenly, all of the apparently nervous and instinctual reactions he had been watching play out among the party made sense to the urchin-mage and he, too, felt the same sense of urgency that the ghost most have been experiencing…

“I say we ge’ goin’ den,” Char said, “moun’ up an’ ride t’ rockier groun’. We can take da lads wit’ us, bu’ we’d be safer where it be ‘arder t’ dig.”

Jal nodded an enthusiastic agreement to that; “And we should do so now,” he added, “the ankheg of which you speak are coming and are getting very close.” A litany of spell formulae rushed through his mind… if they encountered these bugs, he hoped he would have something useful to offer.

((OOC: Jal will offer to take on a passenger if his horse can manage the load and is very eager to get the hell off of this soft ground! Just to be on the safe side he’ll also prep a Web spell…))

The boys launched into a tale that told of giant, man-eating bugs... and possibly of smaller bugs that rode them. Arien shook his head - he had fought a wide array of monsters, but nothing that fit this description. For the hundredth time since her departure, he wished tht Alloryen were here to provide insight on the matter.

But she wasn't. Other party members did have ideas, called them ankhegs and thri-kreen; the knight would have to trust that they knew what they were talking about. Not that it particularly mattered - the description the boys gave was enough. They were fearsome monsters, and they had to be killed. It was that simple.

Thom looked up at Arien with eyes filled with hope and faith, “But you are here now! That’s why you’ve come isn’t it? To slay the evil bugs? That’s what Paladins and their squires do! Save people in holy quest type thingies.”

The knight smiled grimly. The boy was right, after a fashion - this was what Arien did, and he would undoubtedly help. "Son," he spoke, "I am no paladin, but I pledge my blade to your family's assistance. We will slay these monsters, so that you may recover your supplies and give your father a proper burial." This was the only right and good thing to do; it never occured to Arien that any of his comrades might not see things the same way.

“Arien, Kilgrim,” Talas spoke up, then, his hand closing on the hilt of his sword, “all is not right. I feel that danger yet lurks close to us; be on your guard all.”

Char agreed. “I say we ge’ goin’ den,” the ranger said, “moun’ up an’ ride t’ rockier groun’. We can take da lads wit’ us, bu’ we’d be safer where it be ‘arder t’ dig.”

Winston shied again, and Arien suddenly realized that the horse had never seemed to calm. How could he have been such a fool? The animal was a trained and experienced warhorse - he had seen the chaos of battle, had even seen magical explosions. Four boys with swords would have never caused him to be nervous in the first place. No, the horse had sensed the real danger, and Arien had ignored it.

With a knot of fear forming in his stomach - fear the knight tried to tell himself was only out of concern for the others - Arien spoke urgently. "You are right, my friends. We must move, and now! Quickly! Boys, each of you share a saddle with one of us. We must leave this place now!"

“Arien, Kilgrim,” Talas spoke up, then, his hand closing on the hilt of his sword, “all is not right. I feel that danger yet lurks close to us; be on your guard all.”

Char agreed. “I say we ge’ goin’ den,” the ranger said, “moun’ up an’ ride t’ rockier groun’. We can take da lads wit’ us, bu’ we’d be safer where it be ‘arder t’ dig.”

Jal nodded an enthusiastic agreement to that; “And we should do so now,” he added, “the ankheg of which you speak are coming and are getting very close.”

"You are right, my friends. We must move, and now! Quickly! Boys, each of you share a saddle with one of us. We must leave this place now!"

The boys looked at each other in confusion. Char whistled for his mount just as it dawned upon Dapple that her mount was with Char’s horse and would not likely come with the summon.

Talas grips his sword in readiness. Adrian also has his bastard sword while Jal works the start of a spell into his mind. Kilgrim attempts to remount Grumpy but the warpony is having nothing to do with it and moves away from the cleric.

Then, the ground started to shake violently. Before you, directly in front of the party and not far from where the boys were hiding, something broke through the ground. An enormous many lagged worm with huge mandibles with a greenish shell protected its body, making it resemble an evil giant deadly shrimp. It towered eight feet out of the hole as it broke though the ground. As it did, another came out behind the party as well, cutting off Northwind’s return to its master. A third one came out to the left of the group, and the ground on the right began to cave in as well.

You are surrounded.

Jal cried out “Above! Look above!”

Arien brushed something out of the air with his shield. It shattered against the metal, as mantis like warriors began to land on the ground; about 20 feet back from the ankhegs. They all wore strange ornate armour and their four arms were clutching trianglar wedges similar to what Arien had just avoided. On their backs were viscous double bladed polearms like you had never seen before.

The Knight didn’t think, he moved on instinct, putting himself between insects and the boys. He cried out in a challenging voice, “I’ll not let you have these innocents, foul beasts! For Honour!” and with that he called out the command that ignited his sword into flames.

OOC: Welcome to combat. You are facing three ankhegs all within ten feet of you, and so far there are four Thri-Kreen warriors, at least 30 feet back with missile weapons in hands. You are not surprised (at least combat wise) and you know another ankheg will be up soon.

I will post a crude map of positions, but most of you are clustered around teh boys, Char is between mantis warriors and Ankhegs. Dapple, who never came out of the trees is actually behind the Thri-Kreen.

Please give me combat actions with main attack plan, and then the back up plan if something goes wrong.

Char, you loaded your bow before combat so you will have three attacks this round only.

Let's get buggy!

Time had an elasticity to it that never ceased to amaze Dapple: at one instance, time dragged, with everyone chatting away with the boys (Jal chattering equally away with nobody), and Dapple waiting for the opportunity to remind them all of their obligations to Dwan, then the next instant, time galloped away like a horse swarmed by hornets. People and horses starting getting jumpy, and more than one person mentioned bugs. Char whistled for his horse, and Dapple was prepared to be impressed only if the dratted beast brought her mount along, too. Yes, by all means, she thought to herself, send the greenhorn back through the woods alone to find her horse¡K

Before she could much more than turn away, the ground erupted with monsters out of the wildest nightmare. Dapple froze with atavistic fear, and that may have been the greatest piece of luck she'd ever had. While she stood immobile, all the newcomers focused on the assembled party in the center of the clearing. As Arien cried out and brandished his sword, Dapple realized she was behind two of the smaller walking bugs, and they had their backs to her. At the moment, she was completely unnoticed.

Good, child. Now edge back into the cover of the forest, slowly, then turn and run away. The others will keep them busy enough, they will never miss you. This is none of your business!
Dapple crouched slightly, centering her weight over her knees, and drew a dagger slowly from its sheath, dragging a finger along the blade's runnel to silence it. She studied the backs of the creatures before her, noting the upright, bipedal-like stance. All right, she thought to herself, no point in assuming it has heart and lungs in its chest, but any creature that has a head must find it vital.

Decision made, she silently glided toward the nearest mantis, dagger raised for a backstab. Her target was the join between head and thorax, where the carapace and skull met.

OOC: Because I will not assume a successful attack (nor a killing blow), Dapple will be prepared to switch to attacks with hands and feet (mostly feet). Gotta keep all those arms outta reach.

They were too slow! Char felt the tremors through his boots just as his whistle sounded and he immediately regretted summoning Northwind. There’d be a fight first and horsemeat was a delicious substitute for people to these creatures. Then, nearly as quickly as the beasts erupted from the ground, what Char assumed were Thri-kreen, descended from the air. I’ll b’ damned if’n day don’ take a couple-uh arrows ‘fore day toss dem tings!
Raising his bow, he quickly lined up down the length of the arrow and let fly on the Thri-kreen closest to him. He’d heard Arien’s call from behind and had to trust that the other companions would keep the ankheg occupied long enough for he and Da’ Moon to try and cut these bugs up a bit. Not knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the thri-kreen, Char sends his second and third arrows after the first, preparing to continue his pursuit of their deaths from a distance the next opportunity while moving to a position that will alleviate his current weakness to the ankheg.

The boys' story touched Kilgim for some reason. Be it his priestly training (though one couldn't exactly call Clangeddin a God of compassion) or his own youth spent mostly apart from his family, but inside the battle-hardened dwarven shell was a tiny soft spot. And sometimes the pain and suffering of others caused that little place of compassion and love to hurt too.

The bald cleric felt he had to do something to help the kids get on with their lives, and having lived inside the walls of the city all his life, he couldn't think of a better place than Freegate for them. All it would take was a letter signed by him to get the brothers within the safety of the city and under Dwan's protection. But still he could not make the decision easily. Not due to the fact that the orphans had been forced to try their luck in the precarious career of robbery, but because in Freegate some unlawful party might force them to do so again and again.

Freegate was a fine city, but it was also big enough to draw shady people who did shady things whenever Dwan isn't watching. An' if the kids get in t' trouble, me can only blame meself fer it... Still, the only option he could see was far worse. Though Kilgim had never seen these giant bugs Adrian called Ankhegs and Thri-Kreen, he could easily imagine one ripping through a fragile body of child. A cold shiver ran through the cleric's spine as he forced the picture out of his mind and made his decision.

But before the dwarf had the chance to speak out his mind, the mountain of muscle called Talas spoke in a tight voice: "Arien, Kilgim" The gladiator's hand closed around the hilt of his big sword. "All is not right. I feel that danger yet lurks close to us. Be on your guard all."

Immediately the warrior-side in the cleric took over and scanned through their surroundings, but Kilgim's green eyes could see nothing dangerous lurking amongst the trees nor could he feel anything special. But that didn't mean nothing was nearby. He'd seen enough of magic and unexplainable things not to doubt the big man's words. And when Gwanele's former pupil joined in, he had no doubt they were right. How do ye know these things so well, mage? Ye some sorta soothsayer?, he thought and drew Blackaxe to be ready for anything coming their way.

Char, the man of the woods, had an idea right away. Kilgim flashed a quick smile (which could of course be interpreted as grin too) at his friend and then cast an apologetic look at Grumpy. The pony shied in disagreement and backed away from the dwarf as he tried to mount it. At first the cleric thought the animal was even more intelligent than he had thought, but then Arien's call made him realize what the animal was really afraid of.Cursing under his breath, Kilgim drew his other axe as well and took a couple of quick steps towards the kids to be able to defend them against the monstrous bugs. So soon! Well, come on ye bastards. Taste me axe!
The dwarf thought he knew what to expect, but still the enormous worms with multiple legs took him somewhat by surprise. And if the Ankhegs weren't enough, four mantis warriors appeared seemingly from nowhere behind them with ranged weapons. Crap!
Arien did what Arien does. The knight charged. But Kilgim was not worried about his metal-covered friend. He wasn't even too much worried about Char, who was perhaps more surrounded by the monsters than anyone else. The cleric became suddenly very worried about the future of the innocent kids. Fortunately for them he was prepared.

So, instead of throwing himself into another charge, Kilgim returned one axe into its hanger and pulled out a few holly leaves from a beltpouch. He concentrated on the powers of Clangeddin and started going through the moves of a certain prayer. He knew his axes would probably be needed in combat soon enough, but he had to make sure the kids were safe. Hoping the Ankhegs were just stupid, gigantic animals, the cleric stepped beside the brothers and quickly rubbed the cheeks of each with the now magically powered leaves.

If all went as he hoped, the huge worms would have to turn to Arien and himself for dinner rather than the soft and small children. For when spell was done, the brothers would be completely invisible for all animals.

Damn it!
The attack came just a bit quicker than Jal had been prepared for and, also, from more directions than he had anticipated. As the ankhegs burst from the ground and the thri-kreen descended from the air to assist the larger bugs the urchin-mage realized that the web spell he had called to mind would be of little use. Casting it at the thri-kreen could possibly lead to Dapple getting caught up in the spell’s effect – and, at first blush, the lad seemed to have the benefit of having gone unnoticed by the mantis-men, anyway – similarly, casting that spell against the nearer ankhegs, aside from being obviously pointless against those mandibles, would risk entangling even more of the party. Several more of the more effective spells in his arsenal were also curtailed by the proximity of his companions, too, he realized… a ball of flame or a stroke of lightning could do as much harm as good, now…Damn it!
Char and Arien had responded quickly – the ranger letting arrows fly in the direction of the thri-kreen and the knight imposing himself between the ankhegs and Charles’ sons, waving his blade with deadly intent. The dwarven cleric also seemed to be at the ready and was seeing to the boys’ protection before entering the fray, himself. Abandoning his original plan, Jal’s fingers bypassed the strands of spider’s silk stored in his pouch and, instead, sought out three pinches of multi-colored sand.

Slowing or physically restraining the bugs seemed to be outside the realm of possibility at the moment but, perhaps, a disorienting spray of clashing colors would serve. The incantation spilled from Jal’s lips even as he closed his fingers over the red, yellow, and blue granules in his palm, and positioned himself to get maximum coverage from the spell. Feeling the mana he had summoned infusing the sand with power, the urchin-mage spread his fingers and thrust his hand towards the many-legged worm that had erupted from the road ahead, releasing the color spray as the last words of the spell were breathed…

((OOC: All righty, then… I guess I’m committed now, eh? Here’s hoping this works on at least a couple of these things. *crosses fingers* Once the color spray is cast, Jal’s next move will be to prep magic missile, I suppose…))

It was with a weird sense of satisfaction that Talas found that his danger sense, so far removed from the pits, was as active as ever. Though happy in that he was able to give warning before the actual attack, he just wished he had listened to it sooner.

Now they were surrounded by a number of big bugs with a foursome of boys in danger, and with only he and Arien yet mounted making a successful run for the Eastern trees or the cliff to the West was looking slim.

So the Ex-Gladiator did what he had always done best, he attacked!!!.

Kicking his heavy Warhorse “Magma” into a charge he attacked the Southern most Ankheg as this was the closet. Hoping that the size of Magma and his own large body would be able to bowl the creature over, Talas hoped for a shot at its belly as that was likely its weakest area.

Only time and his sword “Serenity” would tell if he survived.

(OOC: ok since my plan pretty much sucked I decided to keep it simple and stupid the army way. Lets hope we kick ass )

Later, Arien would mentally kick himself further for not recognizing the danger until it was upon the party, but for now, there was no time for such distractions. They were surrounded by monsters directly out of nightmares, monsters that perfectly mached the descriptons given by the boys.

And of course, it would be giant bugs. Arien hated bugs, had hated them all of his life. As a child, he had been more than a little afraid of them; handling creepy crawlies had been the sole domain of Alloryen, much to his father's amusement. Even now, the sensation of an insect's chitin cracking under his bootheel made him a touch squeamish.

But these feelings, too, were set side by the knight in the face of the danger that threatened the group and the innocents they protected. After this was all said and done, Arien could allow his skin to crawl, but not now.

Without enough room to get a proper charge in with his lance, Arien instead drew Liun'naur and shouted the sword's name, causing it to instantly ignite into blue flame. Surrounded as they were, there was no real time or means for a tactical assault on the creatures - they would simply have to fight their way out. "Keep them away from the boys!" the knight cried as he spurred Wisnton into a charge at the nearest ankheg.

OOC: For now, Arien is not overly concerned with the mantis warriors; even if he wanted to fight them, he'd have to get through an ankheg, and he trusts his armor to protect him from their missiles while he deals with the biguns. Once we drop a giant bug or two, we'll revisit the best way to continue the fight.

Arien is operating under the "best defense is a good offense" mentality right now. However, if the boys are threatened, he will break off his attack and do everything possible to interfece himself between the boys and any attackers.

As his allies reacted around him, Adrian knew he would have to stare down one of the topics of his numerous dissertations.

He would need some extra protection. With bastard sword at his side, Valentine incanted the ritual that was so rarely seen cast by the hands of a Red.

(OOC: Armor spell, please )

If for some reason his spell fizzles, he'll simply fight without it, until the next round at least.

Chaos reigns at first as the untrained horses run in a panic and the boys scream in terror. The Knights words sooth them slightly but they are frightened beyond measure at this time.

Char lines up an arrow and lets fly at the Mantis warriors. They all look the same to him, so since he can not discern a leader, he picks one. The first arrow flies true and strong directly at the target. Char has already loaded another arrow when he sees something he thought was impossible – the creature moves with lightning like reflexes and managed to dodge the arrow. Not believing his eyes, Char fires a second and then a third, placing the shots carefully. The second one is dodged again, but the third flies directly into the path of the mantis’ dodge, striking it full in the chest. The creature staggers slightly, with slimy ooze seeping from the wound – a heart shot that would have killed a man. Obviously, these things don’t keep their hearts in the same place.

Both Arien and Talas charge at the same time, though in opposite directions. Arien dodges a probing jab of the ankheg, and strikes upwards, a glancing blow that skitters across armour and not much more. Then with a twist of the reins and a follow up backhand, the flaming blade of Luin’naur cracks through the natural armour for a deep cut. The monster makes a horrible screeching in pain and agony. It strikes back with a vicious bite, but Arien bashes its jaws away with his shield, escaping wounds at the cost of the polish on his armour.

Talas’ style is that of a gladiator as he rides forward, almost daring the creature to take a bite. When it makes a move, he feints to one side and moves back. With astounding strength and agility for someone his size, he strikes with an upwards cut. The blade of Serenity passes through the armour like butter, across the neck and out through the other side. Part of the creature’s head is severed cleanly and it falls to the ground dead – the open wound spewing ooze and goo everywhere.

Adrian finishes his spell and the air around his body begins to shimmer in a reddish light. He nods his head in satisfaction and then draws his glassteel bastard sword, ready to enter the battle.

Dapple hugs the shadows, moving slowly towards this thing that resembles a bug she’d squash under her boot. Char’s arrows had distracted them, and they were focused on the ranger, not noticing the young thief moving behind them. She struck with her daggers at the one wounded by Char’s arrow. Hitting towards the neck of the creature, she was unprepared for the strength of the carapace. The blade enters lower than planned, through the shoulder and deep, hurting it greatly and rendering it unable to avoid the second dagger. It staggered at first, and then leaps high in the air to allow itself to turn and fight.

Kilgim finished his prayer just as the ankheg was moving in to grab a meal. The creature moved back again, confused by the disappearance of some of its prey, but then chose another target. The mandibles snap at Kilgim, a solid blow but the dwarf’s armour takes the brunt of the attack. Acid burns the Dwarf though but the cleric is not letting the pain stop him.

Jal steps forward and casts a spell, shooting a barrage of colourful lights into the face of the ankheg that attacked Kilgim. The creature starts to thrash around wildly, and then slowly slumps to the ground. It isn’t dead, but it appears to be knocked unconscious by the colour spray.

The uninjuried Thri-kreen leap into the air, throwing their triangular wedges as missiles as they fly over your heads. The two aimed at Arien shatter on his shield. Char manages to duplicate the reflexes of the attackers by dodging the two thrown at him. The third attacks Talas as he turns around his mount. The first wedge shatters off his shoulder guard, the other wounds him slightly on the left arm.

The injured mantis throws his wedges at Dapple. The first one goes wildly off into the trees, but the third strikes true and cuts into Dapple’s right thigh.

They land with double headed polearms ready, still at a distance from their prey, knowing they can leap in and out faster than you can move. Two more Thri-kreen land as well. One is a warrior like these ones, but the other is taller and has a deeper blue carapace. Instead of a polearm, this one has a mage’s staff.

The fourth Ankheg has emerged from its hole.

OOC: One Ankheg dead, One Unconscious. One seriously wounded. One Thri-kreen critically injured
Talas’s wounds are minor.
Dapple and Kilgim’s wounds are light. Dapple’s look bad, but isn’t. Kilgim knows he will take continuous damage if he doesn’t do something about the acid.
Arien is uninjured but the armour is dirty (Hell hath no fury than a Knight dirtied)
On the field – 6 Thri-kreen and 2 Ankhegs.

Arien wasn't sure if was was due to luck or to skill, but the party had faed very well thus far, all things considered. One mammoth bug dead, another down, a third sorely wounded. However, the smaller insectoid warriors worried the knight - thier leaping ability was a huge tactical advantage over he and his companions. The appearance of reinforcements - one of them apparently a mage, at that - did nothing to reassure Arien.

Arien felt confident that he and the gladiator would be able to handle the huge bugs, and he had seen enough of Kilgim to trust that the cleric would more than hold his own. That would free the others to deal with the mantis-folk.

"Char! Spellcasters!" he cried to his companions. "Focus your efforts on the thri-kreen!" Hopefully, the ranger's bow, combined with the magical firepower the group commanded, would offset the edge in maneuverability that their foes enjoyed.

For now, though, the knight had the more immediate concern of the giant abomination that wanted nothing more than to divest him of his hard exterior, so that it could get to the chewy knight inside.

Ignoring the bile that rose in the back of his throat at the idea that these things were, indeed, bugs, Arien redoubled his efforts to kill the beast nearest his position.

With the meatbags of the group apparently dealing with the Ankhegs (with the minor exception of an acidic burst), Adrian decided it was time to assess the situation. The carnage around him seemed to halt as the wizard's mind raced ahead at it's lightning pace.

Color spray. Touche spellbinder. You have some sense in you afterall.

Gladiator is doing things as expected. As is the Knight.

Dwarf should be able to take care of himself...

Perhaps I should turn his steel to the assistance of Dapple and Char.
The introduction of two more mantii to the battle confirmed his instincts. The arrival of an apparent tribal shamen quickly drew his attention.

Arien apparently noticed the danger as well. Upon hearing the command to attack it, Adrian winced. Just like old times. Oh well... at least this order made sense.

He gripped the hilt of his "Walking stick," as so many mages are apt to call their weapons, and lunged towards the staff-wielding mantis folk.

(OOC: If the mage dies before Adrian can get to it, he'll hit the next one available. If the mage takes flight or does something spiffy, Adrian will probably counter with some magic depending on the situation.)

Char was thinking quickly. He'd tried the obvious approach and was seriously impressed with these thri-kreen's mobility. He'd been able to gauge the motion just right to put an arrow in one, but at the price of two others... those numbers didn't add up. The ranger was considering casting his bow aside for now in favor of engaging one of them that had discarded their ranged weapons (particularly the one Dapple was engaged with) when Arien called out the warning. Casting about with his eyes, the rugged mountain man quickly registered the spellcaster amongst them.

"By da gods," he breathed at the realization of the shot. Char had already put another arrow to string and was stepping to his right, facing the thri-kreen wizard. He didn't like the odds. He'd have to shoot past Arien while the knight was dancing his horse about in combat, past one of the ankhegs who was dealing with Valentine, to finally reach the creature. That was an amazing shot no matter how one looked at it and Char wasn't so sure with the morning they were having that the Fates were with them. A curse escaped the rangers lips as he made the decision that he'd have to leave the thri-kreen wizard in Valentine's hands. Instead of firing an arrow that way, he spun about and put another in the thri-kreen he and Dapple had already struck. Should the creature survive, he'll put his second in it as well, but should it fall, the arrow will go towards the next closest thri-kreen.

Dapple had struck as she had planned, but the dagger in her left hand skittered on the edge of the carapace before sinking home. Without thinking, her reflexes adjusted the angle of the dagger in her right fist, and it, too drank deeply. The alien body bucked against her in reaction, and she pulled her knives free just in the nick of time as the bug jumped up and away from her.

Wee Jas toes! This thing is fast! Dapple thought as the thing whipped it’s arms forward. She danced around two wedges, but hissed in pain as the third sliced into her leg. Dapple shook her injured leg, fighting both fiery pain and numbness, and was reassured by the strength she still felt. She adjusted her grip on her weapons so that the blades lay flat along her inner forearms, then launched herself in a jump of her own.

Arms tight against her body, she spun with great speed, lashing out with her left foot. Her soft leather boots were of Imperial make, stitched with precision, tailored for the Green’s fighting style and juiced just enough to make a kick that much more deadly. Dapple’s heel was aimed for the bug’s head, just behind the spot a man’s ear would be, and the fighter thief waited for the cracking sound of a successful strike.