The members of the MRS gathered outside of the cave. According to the intel this was supposed to be where the bandit group which had been harasing the nearby villages were located. Sitting at the base of the canyon, the MRS entered the eroded cavern in search of their quarry.

Kitty followed Alberio silently, "So what's the plan?" She asked.

Larita was the last in line of the group, she wasn't sure what to do either, nor has she met the new members of the Magic Research Society, so she found this a great opportunity. "Hmm..." She mumbles to herself, looking at the rather morbid cavern. "I don't know, maybe a planned full-front attack?" She questions.

"These guys have been camped out in this cave for almost a week so odds are they'll have set up some pretty wicked traps by then. Watch your step and if you see any leaves or areas with uneven coloring from the rest of the floor, don't step on it." Twisting the waxing waning ring,the inside of the cave appeared brighter, at least as good as a torch but not nearly enough to cause unwarrented attention. Hopefully they could make it to the bandits camp and surprise them before anything unexpected happened...

Just as he says this Mortimer walks onto an oddly discolored patch of dirt, falling down twenty feet before realizing he can fly just above a cluster of bamboo spikes. Shouting up at his team mates he yells "where the hell do they get bamboo around here".

Kitty smiled down at him and shrugged, "You don't supposed that they stole them?" she asked. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, I can hover but can't fly, so if I fall in a trap I might not be able to get out."

"Hovering, that's lucky! I can't do anything of the sort...... Ah! I might be able to redirect any ranged based traps with my wind current magic..." Larita raises the idea, though she wouldn't use it just yet no point in wasting magic, as it is a pretty consuming magic.

Unfortunately the groups stealth didn't last for long. As the party rounded a bend in the cavern they were shocked to see the tunnel which they had just come from slide shut by some kind of mechanical door. Although they couldn't see anything the party heard muffled voices from the shadows ahead. Suddenly from out of the darkness a volley of magical projectiles emerged. Mortimer could spot at least 4 different saggita magica spells, and two different jaqulatio spells. %*@! Mortimer thought as he threw up an unincanted deflexio spell. Unfortunately the spell wasn't nearly powerful enough and he felt it almost break immediately. From what he could tell there were at least seven mages. Two for the magical javelins, four casters for the myriad of arrows and one of them creating some form of magical darkness concealing them in the tunnels. "****" saying the explative aloud this time. His barrier was broken and he was being pumled by the barrage of spells. The enemies were throwing their spells in volleys so that when one of them finished casting their multiple magic arrows, another would fire off their round. This meant there would be no cease fire.

Mortimer only hoped that he could stay conscious long enough for the enemy to exhaust their magic and let him counterattack. While he was being pummled, he couldn't help but wonder how the rest of the team was handling their impending demise...

Kitty looked at the earth walls around them, these are breakable, she thought. "Kittal-latic tartarus e calcitrare." Kitty chanted and immediately felt magic running down to her right leg. She struck out, as soon as contact was made, the dirt and debris fell away leaving a small cave like hole in the wall. "C'mon!" Kitty shouted before dragging Larita and Mortimer in the smal cave.

OOC: Sorry that I haven't posted in ages- been really busy

Bump for you guys.

Mortimer gasped for breath in the enclosed area. They didn't have long to mount a counter attack before those guys began blasting again. Kitty had dragged them all to "safety" in what seemed like an enclosed alcove of some kind. Fairly circular with stalagmites and tites frequentaround it. Mortimer tried to find some kind of tactical advantage. They could try and knock the spikes down from the cieling, the cavern was certainly unstable enough to do that, but that could trigger a cave in or worse, hit one of the team instead of the enemy. Going back out there might mean another barrage of ranged magic falling into more traps, but staying in there would mean they couldn't retreat.

They could try breaking through with raw power but Mortimer wasn't comfortable with that. They may have set traps but that didn't mean they were weak and they could easily out last them with shear numbers... no the MRS had to be smart for once. "Kitty, do you think you can take them out if they decide to come in here? I need time to figure a way out of this."

She nodded.

OOC: Nothing much to say

Summoning up two shadow men, Mortimer hoped they could help support Kitty, "these things should help when they start coming in here, just tell them what to do and they should obey".

Mortimer could hear at least three sets of footsteps coming down the hall and could only guess that each of them had power on par with himself or Kitty. Trying to see if there was a way out of this place as he began knocking on the cave walls to see if there was another thin area they could break through.

The first of the three men stood in the doorway, he carried a magical javelin, clearly ready to cast it at the first thing that moved, while two mousey looking men each armed with a dagger stood on either side of him.

OOC; lets see how well you fight against a big burley fighter armed with a magical javelin and two rat-like twins who work together using knives xD

Larita sat behind Mortimer, feeling completely useless that she couldn't do anything. She wanted to help, but didn't know how. "W-what could I do...?" She mutters, holding her flute Sai had made for her tightly. Enemies approached, but she assumed she should leave it to Kitty. She was completely unsure what or how to take handle of the situation, it wasn't Larita's thing to take control of situations nor think cool-headed.

OOC; good to see you aria, rmember to re-submit your character for submission under the new rules xD)

"Play your flute, help Kitty, Bang on the walls or help me figure out how to get out of this corner!!!" Mortimer shouts more angrily than he means as he continues to knock on the walls for a thin spot.

As he bangs them the two rat like men dart around to either side of kitty attacking both her left and right flank as the man with the jaqullatio in hand threw it at here.

Larita nodded unconfident, as she played her flute, "La la la... Decem Spiritus Aeriales, Vinculum Facti Inimicum Captent, Sagitta Magica, Aer Capturae!" She chants, sending five wind arrows at each of the two miniature twins. She planned to wrap them up and keep them immobile while Kitty would be able to fight them. They acted pretty fast, but she wasn't sure if it'd hit.

Larita herself, casted 'Liberatio' a spell that transforms the flute Sai made for her into a staff. Using that, she whacks the walls profusely hoping to aid Mortimer in some way.

Kitty nodded in gratitude at Larita before turning to the javelin man. "See how you like this, kittal-latic tartarus e calcitrare." and kicked him between the legs.

OOC:

OOC; Cruel... but effective

The man collapsed at Kitty's kick however the magical javelin still flew at her, piercing her through the stomach and knocking her down. The rat twins were immobilizedbut that wouldn't last much longer. The combined force of Mortimers and larita's blows began to rattle the cave walls, causing several stalagtites to fall.


"LOOKOUT" he shouted as they fell around the enterance and right where kitty lay sprawled.

Combining all her will power, Kitty pulled the javelin out with a sickeningly sucking sound. "Uhh." she moaned in agony. Blood oozed out of the wound and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

Larita couldn't pull off a Limes Aeriales in time to move the stalactites out of the way, so she decided to help Kitty's wound. Playing a cute, yet upbeat melody on her skull staff flute, "La la la, Flowing Symbols...!" She finishes casting the spell, raising her arms and swinging them, directing the holy notes at Kitty's stomach, attempting to heal her. However, the spell is a low level healing spell, so it wouldn't do much.

She looked at Mortimer, she was pretty helpless right now, so it was up to the shadow mage...

It was at this moment that all hell broke loose. Or at the very least, the cieling did. As soon as the mouse twins broke free of Larita's binding spell the careaned into the walls at opposite sides. This wouldn't have been nearly so bad had a fourth bandit note chosen to show up at this exact moment. This one looked big, tall and heavily muscled, with a cigar on one side of his mouth and a shaved head. His appearence would not have been so terrible had the two mousy twins from earlier not shundo'd off of the already tenuous walls meaning to go for Kitty again, only to meet with empty air and, after traveling a few more feet than they intended smashing into the bald body builder.

The body builder in turn took both of the rat men, threw one at Larita and the other at Mortimer. The one aiming for the wounded Larita and the badly damaged Kitty (both from the javelin and the fallen stalagtites) thankfully missed instead breaking through several layers of column like stalagmites. The one heading for Mortimer however hit him squarely in the chest forcing his back against the wall and knocking the air out of him.

Thankfully the rat man was more dazed than Mortimer, allowing the shadow mage a chance to stand up again and get his bearings. And they were not good. All the slamming and banging on the walls and columns had caused the already fragile cave to collapse even further. Moving as fast as he could shadows trailing in his hands behind him, Mortimer wove as he ran, desperately trying to reach his comrades in time. Just as the cieling collapsed, Mortimer completed his shield, creating a protective egg-like sphere of magical darkness around himself and his two party members.

Sitting in a lotus position Mortimer concentrated on the shadow shaped material. trying to keep it from giving in under the massive strain of the cave roof. They were safe inside the magic bubble, but Mortimers magic reserves were far from infinite, and if they didn't figure a way out of the collapsed room soon, they would all be crushed.

"So... H-how are we g-going to escape?" Kitty whispered, her breath started coming in short gasps.

(I love the new layout!)

"I-I'm not sure either...! Not even my wind spells could blow away the walls... If someone like that ninja girl, Rita was here... maybe she could get us out of here, but..." Larita mumbles out loud, unsure of the current predicament. She was wondering if Kitty will be alright and Mortimer is using a lot of magic, she has to do something...

(Same!)
Kitty laid on the ground, so far she hadn't done anything apart from getting injured. "I-I'm not sure if this will work but I can l-lend my magic to someone."

Panting slightly Mortimer tried to swallow, but his mouth was far too dry for it. "No Kitty, save your strength, you're hurt pretty bad, just try not to move for right now.

Mortimer paused for a second before he started up again. Speaking slowly and deliberately he said; "I think I can get us out of here... but once I do I'm probably going to be out of magic."

Wetting his throat he tried to swallow again. Larita, I won't be able to move while I'm doing this so I'm gong to need you to take Kitty out of here while you have the chance. Just be careful,there are at least four other bandits out there so you need to be the one to take care of them. Do you understand what I'm saying Larita?"