Stasolya, fighting the urge to rear up, instead swings her bagpipes under her arm and catches the mouthpiece. A drone of pipes wails out through the cavern, thundering through the twists and tunnels, the piercing melody screaming out above it as her fingers dance on the pipe holes. The Thunderwave of sound blasts out towards the pack of Kruthiks between her and Cinder and their two scouts.

The Thunderwave slams the Kruthiks hard.  Three are killed immediately, and three more tumble with the dead bodies through the air past Ereni and Malenia.  The three surviving Kruthiks panic and are really injured.  They scramble to their feet and head toward the holes in the walls, disappearing.  

Gaping at the fire and thunder magic being thrown around her, bringing back memories, both wistful and painful, of being in the thick of it with the Infantry, line mages firing sometimes indiscriminately among the ground troops, body parts flying amongst the blood-soaked mist...

Ereni grits her teeth, takes 3 steps back, and switches her hunter's focus to the last remaining creature in view, loosing another arrow at it.

The arrow finds its mark between the creature's chitinous exoskeleton, going through its body and emerging on the other side in a spray of ichor.

"Well done Ereni" Malenia remarks as she gathers her weapon, concealing it once more within her Prosthesis. "We should press forward, Im sure something would have heard our tussle." 

Ereni still holds her bow and suits Malenia's words by mirroring the monk down the passage.  A wry (though invisible) look flickers on her face.

"Aye, they may have heard.  A roar of flame and a thunderous wave.  I think my deaf uncle heard too, and he's an ocean away and twelve years dead."

She finds herself whispering, though she wonders why.  With the Kruthiks clearly aware of them and her ears still ringing from the noise of the magic.

"Still, the magic was damn effective on these young Kruthiks.  Unfortunately, their mother may be nearby.  I am interested to see what that weapon of yours does when it hits.  I think we'll get a chance again soon enough.  Continuing to the right then?  Perhaps Message or, well, at this point, just yell back to our friends behind us.  Maybe they should just come up and join so we don't get split again?  I am mirroring you to your right as we go."

The tunnels begin to quietly echo in the distance with a series of clicks and screeches.  It's clearly the Kruthiks; they're communicating something to each other after the battle in the tunnels.  

Stasolya urges Cinder up close to the scouts, staying in the center of the larger passage as they continue along. The clicks and screeches grate on her nerves, and after a couple of minutes she begins to match them, raising her voice in warbling melody, following the rhythm of the clicks.

"When all the lights have gone out,
A survivor still walks in the darkness.
When darkness surrounds all about,
We see by the love of the Childlike Empress."

As she sings, four orbs like stars, Dancing Lights, seem to coalesce from the corners of the passageway. Small and dim, they gently merge together, 60 feet ahead of the party in the passageway, into a small, unimposing humanoid form--a visage very recognizable in grace and gentle beauty of the Childlike Empress--walking serenely forward, seeming to lead the party on. Dim light gently filters from the figure onto the floor of the cavern.

As much as she had gaped at the Burning Hands and Thunderwave spells, Ereni, being a simple soul, is transfixed by the Dancing Lights in the image of the Childlike Empress.  She feels her spirit uncharacteristically bolstered.

She knuckles her brow, rousing herself, and eventually does remember to step away from the light into the darkness so she can remain invisible in case she is outside the Kruthiks' blindsight range which would make it matter...

Malenia winces as the light comes into view, stepping further to the side to allow ample room for the image crafted by Stasoyla. With her weapon in hand, ready to ignite at a moments notice she peers down the tunnel. Wary of just what situation they had found themselves in. "Let's press forward, there is no retreating now." She speaks aloud, to no one in particular. 

"Aye, into the darkness we go, for better or worse.  For the Empress... and Princess Andromeda."

With enemies forewarned and coming from unknown directions, Ereni suggests a "diamond pattern" with Malenia as the forward scout (but still close), Ereni as the rear scout (but still close), and the two primary spell-casters Stasolya and Cinder in between, ready to step forward or back as needed.

The tunnel branched again.  It seemed to turn left, and the group felt that this probably took them back toward the entrance; perhaps not the same as one of the branches they'd seen when they first entered, but weren't sure if it was connected to the earlier branches.  

There were distinct sounds now to the left, the Kruthiks, while the right branch was mostly quiet.  

"Take the fight to the Kruthiks we know are on the left or skirt into the quiet unknown on the right?"

Straining her 90' darkvision down both branches, Ereni attempts to spot any sign of movement or threat.

Perception:  26 (rolled in character sheet, visible in campaign log.)

"Ugh all this skulking around is driving me crazy!" Cinder whisper-shouts to the others around her. "We came here to kill these things. I say we take the fight to them."

"I would tend to agree with Cinder, we came here to erradicate the Kruthiks. There is no point in skirting around the goal, However we should have a plan if their forces prove to be too much for us to handle." She peers down the tunnel from which the sounds come from. 

"If the right tunnel is indeed without any sign of the enemy, we could use it to retreat to. However it would need to be scouted to be sure." 

Ereni grips her bow and stares into the darkness.

"We know the kruthiks are there to the south and they know we are here.  They are not trying to hide and their tapping has some kind of pattern to it.  Either they are welcoming us joyously with open claws by playing the music of their people, or something worse.  Probably worse... a ritual or a summoning.  Or trying to collapse the cave on us."

She takes a breath.  "Time is probably past for waiting and scouting.  Down here underground, they can catch us if we flee no matter which way we run, and they know these tunnels.  I am with Cinder.  Take them out now or die trying."

Malenia folds her arms over her chest, looking in the direction of Ereni. "But if we are overrun, we could all face our deaths due to bloodlust. A sound plan for retreat is not a waste of our time, I for one would like to exit this cave and not wind up being a pile of scat in a Kruthiks nest." She looks to Stasoyla, imploring the centaur to find reason and support the idea of a back up plan. 

Stasolya nods in agreement. Her hooves dance slightly even as she stands still in place, the reasonable half of her body leaning back to ponder even as the horse half is a bundle of nerves more flight than fight. "I agree with Malenia. Knowing the terrain we are fighting on and where we can run to if we need will be an important asset. I have songs that can deter aggressors at times... music soothes the savage beast... but it is not a guarantee and may not last long."

Ereni accedes without much further though, accustomed to taking orders.  "To the northwest then, away from the noises?"

To Malenia's comment about ending up as kruthik scat, she admits in a morose whisper, "Does indeed sound like a poor way to pass.  One of my cousins enjoyed a far happier end.  Drowned himself in a barrel of wine.  Alas, it was a poor vintage, and his corpse did not improve it."

Malenia feels a wave of relief wash over her as Stasoyla agrees and Ereni succumbs to reason, Nodding and looking to the others she crouches next to the eastern wall. "Scout out a place for retreat and then we attack, Ereni and I will stay a few feet ahead of the rest of you." 

She does stifle a chuckle at Ereni's rather grim tale. "If there is one way to go, Drowning in wine is not the worst." She moves to take lead and scout the silent tunnel. 

Stasolya stays in the rear of the scouts, but keeps herself close enough to hear any Messages or to close the gap quickly if the group is attacked. The dimly lit form of the Childlike Empress, which had stood waiting, walks serenely about 60 feet in front of the scouts into the quiet tunnel.