The Approaching Storm

Orlan draws his sword, watching his footing as he follows.

The creature had moved away from you around the next corner. As you approach that corner, weapons on the ready, you hear it scratching at rock. You don't see it yet, but the claws on stone grate at your ears.

Vaila moves along with the rest, careful to stay quiet. If they have to fight it, she is ready, but if not, well... The creatures of this world, blighted though they may be, do not deserve the same hatred as the elves. She will not strike first.

Peaking around the corner, you see a large blur against the stone, scraping as if trying to dig it's way out through stone. It's natural camouflage and large (larger than a man) and reptilian body tell Vargos that it is a marlit, a prized creature hunted by his barbarian clan whenever they can. Even dead, a cape made from its skin and scales maintains some of its adaptive camouflage properties, making it ideal for sneaking and hunting. However, Vargos also knows that they are both forest creatures, not prone to being underground, and pack hunters.

Vargos pulls back a small bit as he turns to his companions. "Marlit. Strange that it's down here. Unlikely to be alone. It is a great prize to find one. Dangerous alone, but more dangerous when alone and scared, much like a rat. Safer to take it now.

"Hear him?" Aolita says quietly to the others, carefully following along behind her protector, torch in one hand and staff in the other. "Arrows first! And be aware there may be more!"

Turning the corner, you see the marlit, a grey salamander like creature partially blending into the color of the stone. It's scratching at the wall, but the light becoming more bright behind it, the animal turns and hisses.

Archers and other ranged attacks are up first.

"It's probably losst and scared." She feels pity for the creature; it's not its own fault it's down here. "But now that we've trapped it, I suppose we have no choice. And we wonder why the elves hate us."

But she nocks an arrow anyway, and everything else disappears from her world as she pulls back the bowstring and proceeds to be that which she hates one more time.

Vaila's arrows sing in the darkness one hitting and the other missing. The arrow sticks into the creatures shoulder as it prepares to charge.The lizard like creature slams into Vargos, its powerful jaws snapping at him. Defense roll at -5 (i.e., roll a 5 or lower) or take 7 damage (reduced by an armor roll, if needed).

Then Vargos, Orlan, and Aolita are all up, followed by Vaila at the top of the next round.

As the Marlit leaps forward with its vicious fangs snapping, Vargos manages to leap partially out of the way. Instead of a large bite taken out of him, it is instead lines of blood that are drawn through the armored coat he wears. For a moment, crude and vulgar tattoos glow across his flesh, showing that he is no ordinary barbarian; it seems that these runic tattoos helped stop some of the damage.

In turn, he lashes out with his heavy axe. The blow is accurate and heavy, and Vargos knows in that instant that if it lands true it will have dealt a massive wound to the creature.

The warrior's axe bites deep into the Marlit, and he can smell the iron in the air as blood leaves its body. He yanks the weapon free and strikes yet again. But the creature, unwilling to be struck twice by the same axe, darts to the side as the blade finds nothing but empty space.

Orlan and Aolita are all up, followed by Vaila at the top of the next round.

Orlan rushes forward, swinging his giant sword in an arc, attempting to behead the creature. His sword slices deep into the creature’s neck.

Bringing the fire forward, Aolita yells at the creature before thrusting her torch forward, trying to ward the thing off, to blind, scare, or at least distract it…

Orlan sticks it, but doesn't break through its thick skin. Aolita attempts to distract it. It's fearful of fire, as any animal is, and snaps at the torch then lunges at Vargos the pain-bringer.

Vaila is up, @Falconloft.