Unable to control its hunger, the last remaining little ghoul bites at Stone, though he manages to knock its head harmlessly away from him.

(META: Composite 10 to hit Stone)

Stone pushes the head away at just the right angle when the ghoul tries to bite him. Orel sees the opening and slams the ball of his flail into the ghoul's exposed face. The whole side of the ghoul's face is gone in a spray of blood and bones. It falls limp. He then drops both his flail and Shield and makes his way to the remaining zombie children, pulling his Maul out as he does.

(Attack with flail - Hit - 9 Damage; drops shield and flail, pulls maul, walks to zombie children)

(Posting from just before Orel's attack above)

Despite being half eaten, this fight just felt....right. Stone pressed the attack as his comrades rushed for the kill. A short kick to the knee buckled the ghoul's leg and toppled it's balance just as the elf delivered a near-instant flurry of fists that drove the beast further to the ground.

(Unarmed Martial Arts: 24/24, (1+3)+(4+3)=11 damage. Following up with post as party moves to the room with remaining zombie children)

Stone saw that Elaine was in total shock. For one so devoted to raising the morale of others, it was clear she was not immune to fear as well. Barking orders as he moved, the elf almost seemed to have a persobality..."Air and Life are within your spirit. Do not let yourself be bound by these abominations of Death." Stone planted himself at the doorway containing the last zombie children, waiting for the first to leave and meet a quick end.

Orel moves toward the zombie children with a scowl on his face. Whatever evil created these abominations will be dealt with. As he approaches, he angles himself to the group of zombie's side, allowing them a clear path to run out of the room if they wanted. He sees an opening on the closest of the zombies and swings his massive maul. Instead of zombie head, it's met with the wall right above it. It skitters away from him quickly, fearing its second death. 

(Orel Attacked a zombie (7 to hit), and positioned himself to their side closest to the far wall. He readies a reaction to take another swing as they flee)

As they flee, Orel slams his maul into the shoulder of one of the zombie children. It turns towards him and hisses!

(5 damage to one zombie as a reaction)

The attacked zombie turns on Orel, biting at his arms with ferocious strength. It's jaws tear a long strip of flesh and clothing away from his body.

The other two exit the room, running away from Orel and into the group's trap.

(META: 17 to hit Orel, 6 total damage)

The zombies scatter, save the one still growling up at Orel. He ignores the runt for the moment, calling upon the power granted him to ignite the flames of the underworld under the zombie child closest to his allies. It had taken a few big hits, so he hoped the flames would finish it off. As the dark flames rise from the ground, skeletal arms attempt to pull the child down. It moves fast, hopping away from the flames and glaring back at Orel. 

(Sacred Flame - Zombie saved)

Elaine swung twice more, neither time hitting the zombie in front of her. The rapier held in her shaking hands passed harmlessly in front of the dead child. 

Marius blasts a chunk of flesh off of the same zombiekid into which Rey sunk an arrow.

As the first zombie ran through the door, Stone delivered a sweeping kick to its jaw, but the undead cretin just kept going...

(Attack: 8, Dmg: 5)

The zombies seem distracted by something, unable to keep their attention on their targets, their gazes constantly shooting over to the last remaining closed room on the upper landing. As a result, the zombie in the room with Orel forgets to attack entirely. The zombie outside on the landing with Stone and company bites absentmindedly at Stone, and hits, but only barely.

(META: Nat 1 to hit Orel, Composite 20 to his Stone but only 2 damage) 

Orel, seeing the others have the last ones handled, rears back his maul with both hands and slams it down atop the zombie child's small frame. The blow would have crippled any normal creature, but the zombie continues it's mindless assault on the orc. 

(23 to hit, 10 Damage)

Marius stands his ground in the middle of the upper landing, focusing his arcane power on another blast. Several attacks -- Stone's martial strikes and another nasty arrow strike from Rey -- hit the rotting undead child with deadly force, but a great evil force of will keeps it shambling forward. The warlock shoots forth another blast of eldritch power, that coruscates all around the thing's body before finally driving it to motionless oblivion.

As the second child-zombie burst from the room, Stone's frustration with the horde was finally boiling over. Grabbing the undead by the back of it's rotted clothes, he brought a foot down hard and snapped its knee (Atk 24, 7 dmg). A fist was raised, ready to cave in its skull, but the popping of the joint suddenly flooded the monk's mind (2nd Atk: Natural 1).

Screams rose and a crowd of mixed emotions flooded his ears. The room shifted out of focus and though he could perceive the worn manor, his mind was replaying a vision in a stubborn overlay. Stone looked and saw not a zombie child, but a young woman with hair wrapped in the elf's iron grip. She knelt on the ground, thrashing to get away, oblivious to the sudden, unnatural angle of her leg. Nearby, the two other bodies took new shape: another woman dragging herself in terror with legs lifeless behind, and a man trying to yell something over the din of adrenaline, one arm cradled in the other. The reverie gave the undead child an opening and it managed to slip a bite onto Stone's wrist (2 dmg).

Stone twisted from the beast's mouth and leaned against the wall, trying to steady his shaking hands.

The laughing voice stops abruptly, replaced by raspy, angered breathing, though the little girl sings on...

Oh, look what they've done to the wee child now;

Welia, welia, walia.

Look what they've done to the wee child now;

Down by the river Salia.

Now mama's awake and she's fit to be tied;

Welia, welia, walia.

Mama's awake and she's fit to be tied;

Down by the river Salia.

As Elaine lands the killing blow on his zombie child, Orel nods and says, "I assume these were not your friends." Any reply she might have had gets drowned out by the child's new song. Orel walks past Elaine and looks at the last closed door on the landing.

"I assume you're all ready for this?" He asks. He slings his maul and picks up his shield and flail once more. 

"Let's sort something out before we go any further," Marius begins as he walks toward where the half-orc is reequipping himself. His face is flushed, his blood pounding from the action and the tension. "Are you going to keep being Master 'I Fight Alone' or what? Two of us are nearly dead -- can we try a tactic called communication instead of just charging in?"