Your respite from the battle is brief, and already the defenders are taking up battle positions. Archers line the balconies which overlook the hall, arrows trained on the iron double doors, which are barricaded by overturned wooden tables. The remaining warriors stand in the center of the hall, weapons in hand. 

The hall itself is a massive structure, hundreds of feet in diameter and another hundred feet from floor to ceiling. Balconies offering strategic vantage points to archers line the walls, and several trapdoors at the rear of the room lead to underground storerooms.

What final preparations do you make?

Jill notices the spellcaster's rather feeble attempt at being stealthy. "You! Horned one. Are you going to come over and join your comrades or stare at us like we are museum pieces? Decide quickly, battle is coming soon."

Aside from that, she'll get ready and take positions with the rest of her comrades, regardless of whether the spellcaster joins or not. She'll also make note of those trapdoors, just in case.

"No need to thank, sunflower, just happy you are okay!" Misha smiled. "If we are alive after this, yes, let us drink! Strike true, little one, I always near." She pinches your cheek again.

As the defenders take position, Misha kneels down, and offers a prayer to Bane.

"Oh Great Lord of War, I will never allow fear to gain mastery over myself, but drive it into hearts of my foes. I punish those whom You deem insubordinate and disordered, and will always hone my combat skills to perfection. Guide my hammer to protect friends, and eef You decide I shall die this day..Your will be done."

She stands up and nods to Jill and Kelric. "You two. Come. We face enemy up front, ya? The rest of you, take aim and strike true." She locks hands to forearm with both you, a symbol of a fellow brother in arms. "May Bane be with us, my new friends, in glory and honor."

Hearing Jill yelling at his attempt to blend in, Oni fast walks over to Jill. In a hushed tone he says, "I get that you saw me, but can you keep it down please. If we all live through this it'd be best if everyone thought I was human." Looking to the group, Oni glances over everyone's faces, noticing the relatively unfamiliar faces of the rogue and ranger. "If we take up a position, it should probably be somewhere with a quick exit. We can kill some but it's only a matter of time before they push through. I can provide some ranged attacks and I can fight if needed but I'm not very hardy. I would prefer a strategic approach but so far it seems mostly chaotic. You all fight with purpose, I believe we can stay alive if we stick together. If it matters," he sighs, "you can call me Oni."

Natasha nods at Misha's words and when the paladin turned away went ahead and rubbed her reddened cheek. After a second, she readied herself, holding her bow tightly, and looks over to Grum. "Wanna get up there with the other archers, ranger pal?" She grins at him.

Kelric readies himself pulling out his short bow waiting for the first enemy to come through the door

Misha smiles almost laughs when Oni speaks. "A qweek exit? Oh, I think understand. It's OK, you can stay back with little kittens and puppies. Just kidding, man with fashion issues. Nothing shameful if you can kill from distance. Just be careful. And don't step on kittens, ya?" 

"I am called Jill Moon. I am also keeping an eye out for methods of escape. So far, I have seen the trapdoors that lead underground. Perhaps we might be able to find something else if we both look together. If you are better from a ranged distance, you should go with the rangers. Natasha, Grum, this is Oni, he's decided to join us now. He's better from a distance, so he'll go along with you. If the battle starts to go poorly, meet up with myself, Misha, and Kelric at the trapdoors. This keep shall not be our tomb, mes amis."

"Not our tomb." Misha echos to Jill, after she spoke, noting the trapdoor positions. "Promised Natasha to have drinks and shine boots! If overwhelmed, no lost honor or glory to fight again other day. But to be coward from start..tsk tsk.."

Oni looks to Jill after hearing her talk strategy, "I agree with taking the trap doors if we are overwhelmed. I will stand back a bit and help the frontline if needed. I can be good at range but my attacks aren't effective against the strong willed." He smiles at Misha and takes out his longsword, "Watch your back, maybe I won't be there to save you this time," and gives her a wink before walking away about thirty feet. He palms the crystal from his pocket and and squeezes it in his hand, feeling the jagged edges pierce his skin and draw small amounts of blood. He concentrates on the pain and tries to calm his nerves.

"Oh, please!" Misha, says, rolling her eyes. She holds up her hand again, to Jill, this time the gap between her thumb and finger was much smaller, if that was possible, describing Oni. "We would be even in kill, if not for man with empty threats, ya? Even thinks he 'saved me'! HAW!" She laughs loudly, gripping her warhammer tightly. "Men and compensations." She shakes her head, as if that was one of the silliest things she's heard yet in this new place.

Jill chuckles a little at Misha's remark. "It would take a pretty strong warrior to save you and an even stronger beast to put you in a position where you would need the saving. I can't say that it's something I'd like to see. Kelric, mon ami. Misha and I happen to be in a contest over who can slay the most of these creatures. Were it not for our horned comrade, we would be neck and neck. In the interest of sport, I ask that you do not take her kills from her. I do not wish for my victory to be because of anyone's actions but mine. Comprenez-vous?"

Misha, unable to hold in her question, looks at Jill quizzically, "Sometimes, you say word that are not same, like deefrent language. What is that?"

"I come from a land that is very far from here. It's language is a very beautiful one. Sometimes I sprinkle in words from that language, so that I can have a part of my home, even though I am far from it and doubt that I shall ever return there again. You hail from a land far from here. Your accent tells me so. Is the language of that land not beautiful?"

Her smile fading just a bit, she looks down at her warhammer in deep contemplation. Eventually she looks back up at you. "Never gave much thought of idea to native language and it's beauty." Misha admits. "You are first person to ask me. My people mostly only think of battle, honor, and glory, and war against Asmodeeoos. We have own language back home, yes, but I learn this one to be able to... fit in."

"One day, you visit my home. I show you around. But until then, I carry memory part of home here, always." She points on her chest plate where her heart would be, and smiles. "You always should be able to go home, no matter where is." 

"Your home sounds like an interesting place. If the people there are like you, I think that I would like it there. Perhaps I will also be able to take you to mine. I simply...have a lot of things to do before then." She pauses for a moment. "Like getting past this battle and having my boots shined." She smiles warmly.

Misha pats you reassuredly. "Your boots, my polish, no worry! Deal is deal. I no break word. In fact, WANT to do!" She adjusts her shield. "Home interesting place. I take you one day. Look like many iron cubes floating in space. Very large, like small ehhhhh planets close together, but square. Hope you like endless battles, plenty of alive and dead - much practice on. War with Hell not going very well. One day, I rejoin them, but now, I am tested like student. This, second assignment for me. Very proud. First assignment, not so easy, but finish and promotion have! My people are different than others. One day I try to explain."

"You'll have to. It sounds quite complicated." Jill wasn't particularly fired up about joining into a war with Hell, but she had another reason for being interested in Misha's home. In Jill's years of solitude, she had kept herself going when she was running from place to place or going through the harsh training by the blood hunters by giving herself a goal in the future to give her a reason to not fail. Usually it was the thought of revenge or simply avoiding an end at the hands of whatever killed her parents. Sometimes she kept herself going with the thought of eating an easy meal in a tavern and locking herself in a room so that she could have an afternoon of rest without having to worry about assassins.

But now she had a motivation that made her feel like something more than an animal. She would survive this battle so that she could get her boots shined. She would survive this war so that she could one day visit her friend's home. 

"Kelric, all this time we have spoken and not said a word to you. What was your home like?"

A sharp scream splits the night as the last defender falls outside. Then an eerie silence descends over the keep, broken only by the pattering of the rain on stone.

Then the iron doors shudder under the impact of a kobold battering ram. Three more hits finish the job, and the double doors are flung open wide to accommodate a mad charge of kenku and kobolds. Gone is the fear and the doubt. Now is the time for battle.

Round 3!

Kelric fires the shot he had been waiting for shooting the nearest enemy through the door

Shortbow: To Hit 18 Damage 7