Kyra kept an eye out for enemies leaving the cloud of fog, but was not blinded to her other surroundings either. One of those that had dived down low was on the return, with a rather hefty rock in its clawed hands. That wouldn't do. A single shot pierced the creature's head, it soon being relieved of its burden. Back down it went, where it belonged. And as luck would have it, the stone had not hit solid floor, rather thunking itself away in the sea of mushrooms. That was the first threat down. But then they began to pour forth from the fog.

The first to arrive met a cruel surprise laid out by the druid. The flight was well overshot, its aim having been at his old location. The predator on its path bounced only a short distance into the air and nabbed the annoyance between his jaws, ripping off wing, arm and leg, not to mention a hefty chunk from the side to boot. The giant hyena spat the pieces out with a snicker, preparing to see if it could do anything about the rest. Its moves were too slow for such a thing however, and it could just barely avoid a rock falling down, crashing against the floor next to it. The predator's eyes were turned upward, and the beast grinned at its new acquired target. Only to let another pass by in the haste.

A dagger gleamed in the faint light coming in from the outside, the kobold on crash course with Orchid. The scimitar was too slow as the critter spun around the man on the opposite side, slicing a nasty wound to the half-orc's side before spinning around back to the front, the beating of its wings rising dust from the cavern floor. It shrieked a nonverbal threat, though a quick look at the situation at hand clearly had the creature contemplating an escape. This hadn't gone quite as had been planned.

The kobold seem unaffected by her taunt, but Parum remained staunch regardless. Her allies were doing a good job cutting down the enemy but when she saw Orchid take a nasty stab with a knife, her first thought was to heal him. She played a short note on her viol that would infuse him with positive energy and mend his wound, while Parum continued to spout insults at the kobold fighting Orchid. "Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" The irony wasn't lost on Parum but she said it anyways as she moved behind the northern pillar, hoping to draw the kobold away from the others and give them an opportunity to attack it.

By the time he winged, scaled vermin had managed to withdraw its frail little hand back from its slice, the hunter had emerged from the mist and was upon it. Having dispensed with his bow for the time being, drawn the great blade, and angled himself in for the attack, the next thing that followed was his step in. From behind the creature the sword fell forward in the hands of Brannor, aimed squarely at its back and with its deathly, uncanny edge leading; if the dragon's follower dared not to move or failed to do so in time, it would almost surely suffer a mortal strike. The sword was not a meager thing and by the time wilder had recovered from the swing, eyes shifting to the bloodied gash in the half-blood orc, the same that filled the air with a rich iron taste, the attention swung itself to the old man turned beast.

The roiling mist, a low flying cloud stuck now within the cave, was behind the snapping jaws of the animal who seemed to have avoided the worst of the flying monster's efforts. Brannor was not sure what exactly had happened in the interim since his first arrow, having eschewed his bow once the cloud appeared, but now it seemed in far more control than it might well have been...


@Hekazu@Ryonara@Gordian Nought@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen

Another of the flying irritants bit the dust as its evasive manoeuvres had thought the slash to come in earlier and it was still in the middle of regaining full control of its flight pattern when the sword was finally swung. The heavy weapon pushed the small monster before itself with its weight more than it cut into it at first, but soon the space where movement was free ran out. Metal didn't strike stone as loudly as it could have, thanks to both concern for the weapon's fighting shape and the now corpse that laid on the floor, leaving a pool of blood behind itself. Much like the one that had been bitten apart by Torus.

The druid leapt for the last target, hopping straight into the air… or so they'd hoped. The jump covered more horizontal ground that had been intended, leaving the transformed druid's nasty fangs snapping at empty air without there being any need for the kobold to dodge in the first place. But the sight before it certainly put concern into its expression. It saw the numbers the enemy had, as well as their size. This wasn't going to work out. If only it would still have the chance to run, it would be taken without hesitation. That much was clear from its body language alone.

"Grrr!" Orchid growled as the dagger sunk deep into his chest. While far from lethal, it certainly hurt especially without his rage to dull the pain. He was half-tempted to get angry now and show these tiny devils what real fury was, only for a combination of Parum's healing magic and Brannor's own ferocity reminding Orchid that he should not waste too much energy on these small fries. He kept his rage at bay for now, turning his eyes to the last surviving kobold. Torus had tries to attack it but failed, but this would give Orchid a moment to capitalize on the opening. He moved just at the edge of the staircase and outside of the fog cloud, taking his hatchet off of his belt as he swung twice at the kobold, the first slash with the scimitar and the second with the handaxe. One slash to slice off the left wing, the second slash to hack off the right wing.

The moment the half-blood orc warrior swung and chopped to bits the remaining threat, the hunter prowled eagerly from side to side of the cave. All seemed well, or as best it could, as the strange creature that the old man turned into snickered to itself and bristled slightly, as unnerving a sound as that was. The calm did not last all too long however, not that as much was expected even, as the shrewd little woman went about investigating on her own; the wilder in the meanwhile surveyed for a moment longer, eyes of night piercing the dark. Soon they would need added illumination for those who could not see in the darkness and that was slightly concerning, although more concerning was the last few gashes that had been partially mended upon Orchid.

Pausing for a moment, allowing the heavy weapon to rest in one hand, Brannor remarked to the other man in subdued voice, "If you feel you need further healing, I can lend some."

The roiling mist had begun to settle, its odd chill compared to the relative warmth of the cave settling, and the figure pressed past it afterward until he was left surveying the two paths ahead of them. Providing the youthful bow toting cleric a glance, then back to the halfling woman, it was clear they were inspecting something; soon it turned out to be a loose stone, as well as the fact that one path was clearly more traveled than the other through the forest of fungi. Scowling some, strong jaw gritting slightly, he surveyed a moment longer before speaking again as restrained as he could to not add to any undo noise post battle.

"The left is far more traveled and some sort of crude trap of loose stone appears to be here... I am not sure what to take from that but I suggest we go down the road more traveled."

The comment came following his scenting of the environment; the chamber was damp and drab, fungal and musty, nothing of the kind that was pleasant. No less, as he came to think of it, it would be wise to wrap himself in the emerald cloak once they ventured down into the depths; many fungi were noxious and nauseating, perhaps that was why one route was to act as pitfall? It would only make sense too given the crates he moved when the wilder feigned prisoner, as the flying kobolds reasonably could not have flown with them given their weight. The left path made the most sense, at least for the moment.


@Hekazu@Ryonara@Gordian Nought@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen

With the last kobold cut down Parum calmed down and looked for more threats. So far doesn't seem like there were any more kobolds, but she was worried if more had ran off to find help. She definitely knew that they had patrols now so everyone needed to be on guard. The kobolds might get the drop on them next time, and Parum wasn't eager to find out what sort of traps they have ready in wait for intruders. She looked around and investigated the area for any more traps or ambushes, not finding much until Brannor pointed out the loose step at the bottom of the stairs and the well-traveled path on the left side. Putting two and two together, she figured what this might've been.

"Mushrooms on the right must be poisonous. Kobolds might be growing them knowing which way is safe, but others won't know. If they spot the kobold trail they might think to go the other way believing it'll be safer with less chances of running into patrols, only to get infected by these strange mushrooms." This was mostly a guess, but she knew that mushrooms and their spores are often the source of some deadly diseases. It wouldn't be a surprise for these wily beasts to exploit that. "Watch out for that last step, I'm sure it's rigged in some way to make a noise or make you go into the poisonous mushrooms." Parum wished she knew some way to disable traps, but alas that wasn't something she learned in bard's college. She waited by the stairs to see who would go first, trying her best to remain hidden as she had before.

With the last Kobold struck down, Orchid was quick to sheer off it's remaining wing. If they had time perhaps he'll go about skinning the rest of them, but for now he'll just collect their wings for a new cape. After retrieving his other scimitar the paladin approached Orchid asking if he needed healing. The wound from the kobold was still bloody but no longer bleeding, though it stung. Nothing that Orchid felt needed attention, but if Brannor was offering he wasn't going to say no. "Orchid okay. Hurts little. Brannor want to heal, Orchid say okay." Once Brannor gave his aid, Orchid would keep an eye out as the rest of the party scouted ahead. Seemed like there was some sort of trap among the fungi or something. Brannor and Parum recommended watching out for the last step on the staircase and to take the left path. "Okay. Orchid go first? Fight bad guys?" If there was nothing else, Orchid would take the lead, noting the final step and prodding it with his scimitar to make sure whatever trap it was doesn't cause some sort of chain-reaction effect. Once it was safe he would continue on with the party's guidance.

With watchful eyes and inquisitive methods, the adventurers soon noted what was off in the area they approached. The front had been lucky to not trigger the trapped slab laid on top of the stairs rushing out from under them, but as soon as it was noted it ceased being a threat. Everyone gathered to keep on moving onward, deeper into the cave that served as the headquarters of the enemy they were now facing more directly than anyone had requested of them. But was this not the best opportunity to truly strike a blow against them? And thus far, they had only met success on their assault, putting one injury aside for the merit of seven cultists slain.

The left path was chosen as it was the well travelled one, and perhaps to the surprise of many it would turn out to be safe to wander. The mushrooms laid dormant on the sides, a soft earthen smell hanging about them with no harm coming to those that moved past them leaving them untouched. Those that had covered their faces missed this smell, but there was not much to lose there. It was nothing unusual. For a minute or so, there was nothing bu the company of the mushrooms and the other members of the party, even the snickers of the hyena silencing themselves for the time being. That was, until the druid could smell a dead animal up ahead, once the fungi began losing ground to a cavern floor composed of solid stone.

The druid stopped and looked around frantically, its lack of darkvision not allowing it to properly see. But those who had such an ability could easily tell from whence it was coming from. Several dead bats lay on the floor, and one good look upward revealed the entire ceiling to be carpeted in them. No other threat seemed to occupy the room, and it might be a stretch to call a swarm of bats a threat even if it ceased being dormant. But there was a whole lot of them.


@Ryonara@Gordian Nought@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen@The Harbinger of Ferocity

It sure was an element and fact either guided by chance or fate that they had avoided the trap and whatever potential threat the mysterious mushrooms posed, if any. The huntsman, again having taken up his bow in preparation, now with cloak draped over his face too, gave his thanks for that; thus far they had been fortunate and he hoped again they would continue to be so favored. He could only hope his bow's arrows would be guided to the hearts of the winged monsters if they encountered them again but before he could finish that thought, strange evidence appeared before him. Several bats laid cold upon the stone floor, deceased, something that prompted him to look further on and discover the bats.

Brannor knew little of bats but knew well enough that there was no hiding from them by slinking around in the dark; the soft rings and chirps in his ears was a way they navigated, even in this pitch darkness. Other than this? The man could only wonder now, were they regularly here? He assumed as much but just how did the kobolds and their wretches pass by, let alone with all the boxes? The mystery deepened and so did his concern...


@Hekazu@Ryonara@Gordian Nought@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen

Bypassing the mushrooms the party found themselves in a new predicament; a ceiling full of cave bats. While bats alone aren’t an issue, an entire agitated swarm of them could spell trouble even for their harden warriors. ”Lets just sneak pass here... Please?” Parum said quietly as she tried to sneak around the area as quietly as she could, her rapier our in preparation for the worse case scenario. This situations tend to lean that way.

The presence of the bats brought forth certain unease in the adventurers. Each and every one of them did their best to avoid rousing the ire of the animals that were numerous enough to cover the entire ceiling of the room, their uneasiness perhaps further fed into by how the number of the dead on the cavern floor was still far from zero. After all, would the kobolds and other such more bestial residents have dealt with them even if the humans had found it a bore to see to their disposal? Conscious or subconscious a bother as it may have been, it weighed on the minds of many, leading to less success in seeing them undisturbed.

The first sign of an impending disaster was Brannor's armour, something that the man could hardly help. This alone had not been enough to set the bats off, yet it brought them to alert. Orchid contributed to the blunder with a haphazardly tied axe, it scraping against the ground as the bindings got loose. And to the misfortune of all, Torus found himself unable to hold back to the more natural reactions of his wild shape, a predator's yelp escaping his maw as the axe hit the ground. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Despite it still being much too early for the departure of the swarm, they would set on wing within the cave itself in blind panic.

In but a few moments, the adventurers were surrounded by dense furry and leathery flapping. It was impossible to see much further than one's own nose for the first few seconds, thought the bats soon learnt a bit of flight pattern control and the visibility was slightly improved. The bats themselves did not pose much of a threat to the group, other than making it impossible to hear a thing and the obvious visibility hazard. But within this cover, an unseen threat approached.


@Ryonara@Gordian Nought@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen@The Harbinger of Ferocity

The swarm roused some primal awareness in many of the adventurers. Not everything was right in this. Why were there dead bats around? They wouldn't just die off for no reason, now would they? And even then, they were in hostile territory. Anything could be out there, just looking to spill their blood. However, the enemy they were facing tonight would hardly seek to spill what could be drank. The threat was comprised of vampiric little creatures, leathery as the ones they shared the cave with but only several times uglier, stirges. And they were out on a hunt.

Their sense for blood guided them to the meatier targets, those of the adventurers. The bats had kept them alive until now. But now that they were here to provide cover, the monsters took their chance to strike. The one donning heavy plates went mostly ignored in favour of easier targets like the bare chested half-orc or the too large to effectively defend itself from them hyena. Small pincered snouts penetrated skin and began sipping away at the very essence of life at many points, the swarming bats drowning the sounds of agony those that were hurt may have proclaimed. They would have to rely on visuals, and them alone in order to communicate in the midst of this concentrated threat.


@Ryonara@Gordian Nought@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen@The Harbinger of Ferocity

"Stirges!" Kyra shouted as she saw one stab her with it's proboscis. She remembered her father hunting them down a few seasons ago when a plague killed many forest animals, creating a fertile nesting grounds for these oversize misquotes. Immediately Kyra sliced at the stirge with her dagger, aiming to sever it's head from it's body. Despite their size, these things would be easily killed, this much she knew. However with this batswarm still so thick it'd be impossible for Kyra to get a clear shot at anything. So she dropped her bow and instead drew her short sword, looking out the next bloodsucker within her range. When she spotted it's telltale blood sack, Kyra emerged from the bat swarm to skewer the insect. Kyra didn't know how many of these things there were, but for now it was important to take out as many as possible.

Kyra's attack cut her free of the leeching critter, its own blood and the beginnings of the priestess's mingling together in a pool down towards the floor. The hole made by the proboscis would close itself in a matter of minutes, so that was of no concern to the adventurer. Her charge against the other attempt at her life essence would find fruit just as well, piercing the awful bloodsucking monster with a precise strike through its diminutive body. That was two, and a start.

She would not be alone in her efforts, for while it took some stretching a hyena was a fair deal more flexible than a horse. The unluckiest stirge was situated still in the reach of the druid's animal shape, the jaws of the hyena closing in on its small shape. The creature was too greedy to take wing and would find that to be its demise, for the bite reached barely far enough. And now the predator had tasted blood, working itself to a frenzy that led it to spin about until the grip of another stirge loosened enough for it to end up between the jaws of the drooling beast, the sharp teeth crushing the would-be parasite and freeing what had been stolen back to its owner with interest. That made it four, even if the cloud of bats would not let it be plain to see.

The sudden appearance of the creatures responsible for the fallen bats throughout the fleeing swarm forced the hunter's arm to shield his face as he worked to draw the great blade. By the time the weapon freed itself of the last metal ring that carried it safely in its bound scabbard, the airborne vermin had already besieged them, ignoring him for whatever reason; in that moment he made no recollection of his armor being a deterrent, rather he only knew his newfound companions were attacked. Hefting the steel, the wanderer maneuvered his way through the horde of bats, some brushing into or skirting his silhouette as he waded in and found himself nearest to the half-orc. The creatures, which he feared were a threat, had by now more than proven their overt hostility. At least two latched on to the savage fighter's flesh and were tearing into him with their pointed proboscises, making the mess all the more chaotic.

Heaving back, Brannor attempted to judge the gap and pull the swing among the sea of beating, flying bodies. He snarled softly to himself through his makeshift scarf that shrouded his face and swept right to left with the point aimed at one of the offenders. In the meanwhile the priestess, toting two blades in hand, skewered and cut down those addressing her, while the cackling hyena snapped its jaws upon another still and tore it into mashed fleshy bits. All the the man had hoped now was that he missed his strike upon Orchid's body or that he ran a keen edge across the sanguivore's figure and flayed it into two. The bats however, made that even more difficult.


@Hekazu@Ryonara@Gordian Nought@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen

Even as Parum tried to be subtle, it wasn't enough to not awaken the swarm of bats. Parum had to supress a surprised yell as she protected her face from the swarm and tried to shoo them away with her sword. But it was while she was distracted trying to fend away the bats that she was stabbed in the shoulder by a long, rapier like stinger. These blood sucking creatures stabbed her and drained vital lifeblood from her body. In a moment of panic Parum swiped her rapier through what she thought was the neck of the beast while trying to mend the fresh wound that was on her body now. She wished she knew how the others were holding up however in this thick fog of bats, the only way she'd find them is if she stumbled towards them. So that's what she did; she'd go looking for the others by the sound of combat, trying her best to stick together.

The flapping force of the blood drinkers had suddenly halved, but those that were still present were driven by their hunger to fight, even if it took them to an early grave. The predators were too stupid to realise a prolonged assault would be all too likely to lead to their deaths, and so they continued. The two that had feasted on the blood of the half-orc pulled their proboscises out and took wing once more, their diminutive frames barely avoiding the swinging blades of their prey if only thanks to the present cover of an entire swarm of bats. Truly, these critters were becoming a nuisance.

For Torus, they were more than just that. Where two had been dealt with, two more came in to claim their place. One stab again at the side of the hyena was nothing out of ordinary, the pain being but a small jolt in all this, but when the other lifedrinker struck directly to a vein in his animal form's throat things got worse. Thankfully it wasn't a complete disaster, but the hit had shaken the druid enough to have them consider reinforcing their shape at the earliest convenience.

And even then, from amid the bats, another Stirge flew forth, aiming for the left arm of the greatsword wielding man of the wilds. A quick threatening move its way was enough to make it consider again, its barely noticeably drooling snout withdrawing as it took to circling around the man instead, biding its time. It would come about again, try its luck once more. But for now it headed back to the cloud, after the two that had just detached themselves from the half-orc.

Barely into the fight and Gren took some critical damage already! He was too careless; these bloodsuckers literally started to drain the life out of him before he could even react. Fortunately they went after him and not the other, less hardy party members, but even so he was hurting. Hurting bad enough that Orchid broke into a rage and tried to go after the bugs.

First he went after the big he had missed this time his strike would be true, and this time he would cleave the insect in two. He knew there was another who had attacked him nearby and not wanting to give it a chance to harm anyone the barbarian would track down the menace and try to slice its head off, possibly winging a few bars who got in the way.

The bats were hardly clearing up but Kyra could still make out the vague shapes of her allies and her enemies. Her bextvtarget would be whatever strige was left near Orchid; no doubt the barbarian had taken many hits just to get this far. She moved towards the closest u injured one hoping to take out which ever stirge was at full strength, slicing it with her short sword. After her blade cuts through, she would spot one that seemed fairly injured, and through the haze of bats Kya would throw her dagger at the wounded strige, hopefully striking it down.

”How’s everyone looking so far? I can’t tell with all of these bats flying around!”