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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 1666645" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #276] The Second Test, part VI[/PLAIN]Ixin unfurled her wings and floated gently down from the ledge. She moved toward Feln, Morier and Karak who were clustered together in what Drake Thuulsias would have sarcastically called "Fireball Formation". Karak was still working at clearing his eyes, while the others were prodding the dead rats."Are you all right, Karak?" the drakeling asked and the dwarf harrumphed."Nothing a dwarf can nae handle," he assured her. "The worst sting be to me pride.""We should press our advantage while-" Feln said before a dart stung his neck. Two more struck Morier, although his mail repelled one harmlessly. Another pinged off of Karak's breastplate. Feln growled as the poison dart sapped his strength, leaving his joints stiff and aching. Morier remained unaffected, however. He drew his Wand of Burning Hands and turned, pointing it in the direction that the darts had come. Four goblins stood in the mouth of the arched tunnel above the fortified ledge. He spoke a command word: "Irakulos!" and a cone of magical flames engulfed the quartet as they busily reloaded their blowguns.They were immolated at once."Wow," Vade said, as he watched the flaming goblins collapse one-by-one. He looked up at Morier and blinked. "Wow," he said again."We should press on," Feln repeated as he tossed the dart that had struck him to the floor."Perhaps we should wait here and let them come to us," Ledare countered. "We don't know how many of the creatures remain or what awaits us beyond. We're at least familiar with this area and there's only so many directions they can come at us.""An ambush?" Karak challenged, stepping in front of the Janissary. She nodded and the dwarf's bearded and slime-streaked face split into a grin. "I like the way ye think, lassie!" he laughed and pulled the Wand of Regeneration from his belt. "Now who be needin' a whack from this 'ere magic stick?"Only Feln and Vade availed themselves of the healing and while the magic did its work on them, the others spread out to examine the cave. It was mostly empty although it showed obvious signs of habitation by goblins. Their primitive "art" adorned the walls, there were a few woven straw mats on the floor amidst bits of broken crockery and carved wooden vessels. A set of large war drums dominated the area between the stagnant pool and the smaller tunnel leading deeper underground."Okay," Feln suggested once he no longer felt that he was standing on the brink of death. "I'll take Vade's Ring of Invisibility and scout ahead to see what I can see. You stay here and ready the ambush." It was decided that he would try the unfortified tunnel and Vade reluctantly handed over the ring. "I'll bring it back safely, little one," Feln said and promptly vanished.It didn't quite work out that way.Feln crept into the irregularly-shaped side tunnel and as he went he heard Vade behind him whisper, "Be careful." Then he focused all his attention on the area ahead. The tunnel was narrow and low-ceilinged so that he had to stoop his head in places, and it curved around to the left. Eventually, it worked its way around to connect with the fortified passage and at the point where it turned at a near-right angle, there was a side spur.At the intersection of the three passages skulked a solitary goblin. It was dressed in oft-patched leather armor and clutched a glassy-sharp dagger of polished obsidian in one hand. Its features were wizened, and its hair seemed to be silver or gray - although it was hard for Feln to tell with certainty using only his darkvision. The goblin seemed to be watching and listening down both of the passages.Feln clutched his nunchaku in his hand and crept in for the kill, but something betrayed his presence to his quarry. The goblin stiffened and jerked its head around nervously before creeping noiselessly down the small spur passage. There was no indication that it had pinpointed Feln's location, but it was wary.Feln went to follow and found the goblin pressed against the wall with its dagger ready to stab. It was watching the passage for any intruder prepared to plunge its knife into the interloper's back. It gave absolutely no indication that it was aware of Feln's presence although the half-orc moved within an arm's reach of the wrinkled goblin.The martial artist grinned and moved into a position to dispatch the sentry. That was when his foot snagged on a hidden trip wire and the ceiling dropped down around his ears. As he dodged falling chunks of stone he thought, "Traps! Why does it always have to be traps?!"The sound of falling rocks and a screaming half-orc alerted the others to an unravelling of their ambush plan. Cursing, Karak set off down the tunnel after Feln; Morier set out after him and quickly caught up to the dwarf. The others followed close behind.Feln dodged a slash from the goblin's hewn knife and returned a glancing blow from his nunchaku before Karak even rounded the corner. Snarling, the dwarf swung his axe at his racial enemy, slashing the goblin's shoulder. The creature doubled over in pain with blood streaming freely down its arm, but it did not fall.Morier came up behind the dwarf, but seeing that Feln and Karak seemed to have the situation in hand, he turned to look up the adjoining passage in time to spot another goblin rounding the far corner. It raised its blowgun while the eldritch warrior fumbled with his wand. The dart struck his armor and ricocheted off to strike the wall.Three of the goblin's compatriots were on its heels and they rounded the corner, raised their blowguns and sent their missiles at the albino. Morier was standing in the center of the tunnel without any cover and he made an easy target. Somehow, all three goblins managed to miss him, however.He saw that all four goblins were bunched tightly together at the corner of the tunnel and quickly assessed that he'd be able to catch them all within his wand's area of effect provided he moved a bit closer; so he did. He trotted right in front of the arrow slit carved into the side of the passage.Herruk, kublaj-zenkal of the Habozargar clan had been patiently waiting behind cover of the wall. He spoke an arcane word and fired his ray gleefully through the slit as Morier went passed.</blockquote>

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