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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 1251633" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #248a] We Are The Eggmen[/PLAIN]Windstryder gave the hand signal to move back and then crept back down the path until she was confident that they were out of earshot. "There are way too many of them to handle at our current strength," the elf whispered. "I say let's quickly go though the caves to see if there  is anything we can do to prevent them from relocating back into there."Morier shook his head."While I know very little of the nature of this group's operation, I do know that I have sat idly by and said too little for too long," the elf said. "This band of bugmen threatens Hillville Junction, and again we sit and debate the virtues of too many half-baked plans.""We cannot afford a frontal assault right now," Windstryder countered. "Let's move quickly but efficiently through the  caves, find what we can, destroy what we can, and catch up to the others.""Those of us that are able need to put an end to this menace as quickly as we can," the albino argued. "I mean no disrespect, but I cannot watch this threat to my former home continue. Those that are with me, I beg your valor. Those that are not, I beg your tolerance." Ixin nodded her agreement with Morier's words."We can take ten creatures!" she asserted. "It's a surprise attack and they're stupid! Let's get this over with. I feel certain it is for the greater good and we can explore the caves if we survive.""Agreed," Morier said and started to turn back toward the clearing."Hold!" Winstryder commanded. "As much  as I want to catch these bugmen unawares, I must stick to my mission which  is to return the Holy One to Barnacus.""The girl will get to Barnacus with or without you, Windstryder," Ixin said gravely. "I think we should flank the creatures and use ranged weapons. Then we burn the eggs. Then we explore the caves.""I am pretty badly injured," the ranger admitted."All the more reason to use distance attacks," Ixin told him and fished in her belt pouch for a vial which she handed to Windstryder. "Here. It won't heal you, but it'll make you a harder target to hit."The elf looked at the potion and slipped it away in her belt pouch for easy access. "Thank you," she said and Morier grunted."Since we are sharing," the albino said, slipping one of his wands out of his wrist sheath and handing it to Ixin. "Color Spray," he told the mage. "Command word's 'Contuliath'."Windstryder grinned. "Okay," she said. "Here's the plan..."The ranger signalled the attack by pumping two arrows into the largest creature. The first arrow nicked its right thigh and as it turned, the second slammed deeply into its chest. Obviously severely wounded, it shrieked in pain and Ixin fired her crossbow trying to drop it. Her shot flew off into the night, however and the bug creature had time to take a half step before a wolf spontaneously appeared in its path. It leapt at the bugman, sinking its fangs into the exoskeleton covering the bug man's thigh.The creature shook off the wolf and drew its sword in one motion. The blade clipped the animal's foreleg making it yelp in pain, but it stayed on its feet. Seeing three of the small, four-legged bug men moving to join the combat against the wolf, Morier dropped a globe of darkness onto the two combatants, isolating them.Isin moved out of the treeline and pointed her borrowed wand. "Contuliath!" she shouted and a cascading sheet of colors fell across the three large, scorpion men. Two of them fell immediately to the ground, dropping their glistening burden of egg sacs. The third resisted the effects of the Color Sray and turned to face Ixin with a defiant roar.Windstryder dropped it with a pair of expertly-placed arrows to the torso.The battle within the darkness continued to rage with neither side having much success landing a telling blow against the other. The three small bug men who had sought to engage in the battle now stood ringing the bubble of darkness, unwilling to enter it but ready to attack the wolf should it appear. Another of the things was hanging back near the hive, presumably guarding the eggs, while the remaining two moved to intercept Ixin, who was currently the only visible target.Morier took a few steps out of the trees, moving close enough to the hive to get it within range of his other wand. "Irakulos!" he shouted and a cone of fire erupted from the wand, bathing the hive and its single guardian in roaring death. The bug man and most of the exposed egg sacs were reduced to blackened husks in an instant while the hive itself showed signs of melting under the flaming onslaught.The two small bug men closed with Ixin and one of them managed to clamp its hooked mandibles down on her thigh. The wound itself was painful, to be sure, but it was the numbing poison that Ixin felt trying to take hold that caused her the most concern. She cried out the command word and pointed the wand again. The cone of color caught both of the closely-grouped creatures and they dropped unconscious.Windstryder pumped an arrow into one of the things clustered outside Morier's globe of darkness, dropping it before it even had time to squeal in pain. The Eldritch Warrior stepped forward and finished off the other two, as well as the two creatures within the globe of darkness with another burst from the Wand of Burning Hands.The whole battle had taken less than half a minute, and apart from Ixin's minor injury, they had emerged unscathed.With a look of grim determination, Ixin loosened her morningstar and moved up to the nearest of her unconscious foes.</blockquote>

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