Karov's jaw dropped as he watche Dain walk to the stone hand.

He whispers loudly so Dain could hear him.

" And at least we aren't arrogant enough to think that we can take on this whole damn Ankheg horde! Isn't it obvious that stone hand thing has control over these bugs? What do you think it will do when we mess with it, let us go? We'll all die and so will the woman. Sorry to say, but it's better to let her go and find out a way to fix all this than go in and get everyone, including her killed."

He moves up behind Dain quickly, and puts a hand on his shoulder.

" You don't want to do this. Exiled or not there has to be some sense left in your mind as to what we should really do, don't go playing hero and get have everyone pay for your arrogance."

"You'll want to remove your hand from my shoulder, before I remove it from your arm. You don't know me so I'll say this once. Assumptions about me can get you killed, as can interfering."

Dain looks around at the dozens of ankhegs milling about the room.

"If you mean to stop me, then let's hear your bright idea? Hmm? Anythin'?"

Dain moves off to the side of the room so as not to be quite so blantantly obvious.

"From the look of it you've got only a moment or two before that damsel needs my help. So I'll count to three."

"One..."

"Two..."

"Listen to your self, you want to charge in there and risk all of our lives for someone who you don't even know if you can get her out of that clenched stone fist! You might just get sucked down as well. Obviously our plan has to be to 'find the other half' like they all are chanting, but we won't be able to talk amongst our selves about what exactly this over half is if we're all ankheg feed!"

Obviously his frustration is growing as Karov continues his condescension.

"No one said you had to join me. In fact, I suggested you start cutting the others free instead of leaving them to die. And here you are arguing with me. I still haven't heard your idea. And... wait for it... three. Your time is up. Now I suggest you get out of my way before I move you."

He pats his trusted axe.

Although Niaou’li had only the best intentions in mind when speaking her thoughts on what to do, Dain didn’t seem to care. He noted what she had to say, and continued his actions.

Karov shared the druid’s belief that perhaps the best course to take wasn’t rescuing the Khordaldrum woman who had been captured by the stone hand. As he tried to stop the freshly freed warrior from his quest, the stone hand closed up further. Slowly but gradually, it sank further into the ground, and Dain saw his plan go up in ruins.
Around them, the chanting still continued. It struck in their heads, as a noise that couldn’t be drowned out. Dain and Karov had so shout in the end to hear each other.

Until Dain decided it had taken to long. He feigned to pass Karov on the right side, then darted left.
He was free, and sprinted as hard as he could towards the stone hand.

“Let him go.” Thagovan said, happy to be rid of the bald Khord. “I agree. We should find out what this other half means. Besides, if we go back we can warn people about what is happening.”

While they stood conversing about what they should do, Dain had reached the stone hand. It was almost closed completely, and the back of the hand was already starting to sink into the floor.
Then he noticed two other Khords that came running towards him. They were coming from the other side of the cave, and one of them was going unnaturally fast.

(OOC: You have time to pull the woman free of the grasp of the hand, but she’s in a trancelike state, and won’t respond to anything you say.)

As quickly and quietly as possible Dain grabs the hand of the Khord maiden and drags her from the sinking hand. Without caring much for her condition he quickly secures his axe in the sling on his back and tosses her up over his shoulder before sprinting back to the rest of the party, hoping to reach them before the new Khords reach him. There was something suspicious about them, though he couldn't yet put his finger on it.

(Once he gets back to the group)

"Now, I suggest we leave, and do that whole spreading the word thing you all seem so keen on. (Assuming he reaches the group before the faster khord reaches him) And it seems we might have some more company, and not of the bug kind."

Niaou’li witnessed Dain running towards the stone hand and freeing the woman. He immediately returned. The lady was lying over his shoulder, but did not seem to care much though.

Niaou’li then noticed the two Khords that were following him. She took a closer look to see if she recognized any one of them. She wondered if maybe they had run into the other half of their search party? “Run faster, and stay low!” , she whispered to Dain ” Before the Ankheg notice you!”
“I say we wait for those other two Khords to reach us” , she said to the others. “We must continue our quest, but we cannot return the way we arrived since entering the cave was the only way to go, back there. Maybe these guys can tell us about what they know and how they came here.”
Then, she turned her head to see if the Ankheg had noticed Dain’s “damsel-in-distress” activity, and to see if there was an other way out.

"The larger the group, the harder it will be for us to escape notice. If we are trying to warn people, why are we not going back the way you all came in? It seems to be the only for sure exit. And if you want to wait on the strangers there be my guest, but don't let your guard down just because they appear to be khords."

He shifts the wait of the damsel to a slightly more comfortable position as he waits.

With the woman flung over his shoulder, Dain ran back to the group, as fast as he could. He’d rather not wait for the two Khords who were approaching. Without looking back, he reached the tunnel, while Niaou’li told him to keep stealthy. She was afraid the Ankheg would notice him if he wasn’t careful. But if the Ankheg had noticed anything, they weren’t acting on it. At least, they didn’t see any giant insects turning around the corner.

What they did notice, however, was the sudden silence that fell with the end of the chanting. The last echoes bounced around the cave, and then all was still again. In fact, after the cacophony of hundreds of Khodaldrum vocal cords urging whoever to find the Otherhalf, the lack of any sound was rather unsettling.

But they didn’t have time to linger in eeriness, for a decision had to be made. If they wanted to flee from the two Khords that were running around in the cave, they had to move fast.

But maybe, as the druid stated, they weren’t enemies. What should they do?

It was not in his nature to be trusting. He placed trust in his rescuers because they had set him free. But the two newcomers were a different story. What are the chances that so many khords would suddenly come into the ankheg den? It just didn't make sense.

"If you guys want to wait for them, feel free. But don't let your guard down. There is something about them I don't trust."

(If we are waiting...)

Dain gently places the damsel on the floor, making sure not to let her head hit the floor hard. Then he pulls his axe back out of its sling on his back. He would be ready if these dwarves were anything other than what they appeared.

(If not...)

Dain carries the girl over his shoulder, following his rescuers as they head out.

This game has stopped.