Turn 41

"Hmmm," Emmett thinks, "Maybe I did manage to piss him off."
    Several things happen in very quick succession. Everyone hears the hum of a door mechanism as the invisible xixchil manipulates the control. Ibn Fadil lunges blindly and feels his blade strike *something;* there is a high, angry chittering as the wizard lapses back into his own language. Above them all a swift scuttle draws the eye as Gorn finally nerves himself to leave his hiding place and begins climbing up to the top level, his double hands finding sure grip on the seemingly smooth stone.
    "Captain, I suggest we head further away from the corpse...Back towards the others so we can help them out, or over to the tent to see if there's anything there we can use?"
    Most of the group has already either taken cover near the row of cages with Brother Pham, or is in position to do so quickly. Emmett remains nearest where they had thought the xixchil to be. Most of them are looking at him to see what they should do.
    Seeing the Zahkaran's attentions divided, Hiro moves closer to where the unseen foe is most likely to be. He rotates his wrist slightly, spinning the katana in an almost hypnotic arc. He mutters something in his native tongue about "interfering clerics" and "magic-wielding-animals-that-walk-like-men" as he strikes at a wheezing, bubbling sound near the blood that has spattered on the floor from the creature's wound. In a rare experience for the kensai, his blade touches only air.
    Emmett gives orders. "OK guys, spread out, 5 feet apart, half circle, advance on Ibn Fadil's position at a fast walk. If you feel the little booger try and get past us, give out a yell and take a swing at him. If something comes out that door, we're gonna have to have the bugger to feed to it."
    Pham follows with Emmett's plan, slowly moving forward towards ibn Fadil's position, staff held out in a defensive posture. Pham is also praying under his breath, looking for any sign of the creature's location. The intermittent drops of blood give him something to fix on, and with Hextor's blessing he begins his spell.
    The half man advances, taking the position to the far left. He figures this spread minimizes their chance of getting hit by an area attack, and still gives them a chance of finding their invisible-but-bleeding opponent.
    Pressing whatever advantage the lucky hit has given him, the half-elf pushes forward toward the door, sword-first, trying to reach the control and shut it again or somehow block its inexorable progress. Something brushes his arm and he nearly jumps out of his skin, takes a wild swing and misses as the xixchil bolts from the doorway with startling speed. Ibn Fadil looks at the wall and groans silently; of *course* it would be another key! Try to jam them? The doors are massively thick, to insulate the rest of the citadel from the noise of the forge at work. The xixchil must have the key on him.
    Meanwhile, Val races closer, spares a moment to wonder what their quasi-dwarven prisoner or fellow prisoner thinks he's doing as Gorn climbs out of sight. He readies a knife to throw, reconsiders his chances, and takes a position in the half-circle Emmett has created, closing in with determined care on their mad captor.
    The trail of blood has stopped moving, gathering instead into a still pool; did Pham's spell work? From somewhere behind the still-opening doors comes a heart-stopping scream.
    Noting the absence of a helm in the flitter, Alais makes a frustrated sound and climbs back out. At least the bird seems inclined to leave him alone... for the moment.... Where did everyone go? He spots them over by the wall and begins to walk in that direction, when something nearer at hand catches his eye, one of the tapestries on the wall fluttering oddly. Above him, a skullbird screeches.
    

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