With their preparations near complete, Finn and Magnus think that their next best course of action is to secure some of the weapons left on the bottom floor from their fight with the golems. The two vault the small barricade and disappear into the stairwell beyond.
Giles's face immediately falls into a mask of guilt as the other two injured ask about the paste. He walks to the nearly empty jar over to Gustav, who reaches his fingers in to sponge out as much of the healing salve as possible, though the stuff doesn't seem to have the same effect on his burns as it did on Giles's axe wound. Rondald too, attempts to get some of the stuff on his own injuries but by this point there is so little left that his skin feebly clings together at the wound, but there does not seem to be any further aid to the damage done within.
"Don't worry." Judoc says, still sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, his face regaining some semblance of color after his many exhausting bouts of spell casting.
"We'll have you right as rain as soon as I have the energy... Just a bit longer..."
The seconds pass on into minutes, Giles trying to make up for his selfishness by adding whatever he can to their defenses. He gets one of the small seats by the tables for Gustav, setting it up behind the barricade to give him a view and a position to lob weapons from at least. He helps the soldier onto the stool, putting a shoulder underneath his bad leg, and letting Gustav hold his spear in his off hand. Then he puts a shoulder against the large table, pushing against it with all his might and moving it perhaps a few inches towards the center of the room.
"Whew!" Giles exhales, nearly collapsing as he rests an elbow on the side of the table, resting his weight on top of it.
"That is heavy!"
Rondald, meanwhile, has gotten his arm in a sling with the help of Judoc, and cocked his crossbow back, letting the sling take the weight as he tests out aiming it with his off hand, using the side of the table as a brace.
The mood breaks quickly as hasty footsteps are heard upon the stairs below and everyone scatters for cover, but it is only Magnus who pokes his head over the bulwark of deceased golems, an axe in one of his hands and a spear in the other which he lobs towards the table before jumping over.
"They are coming!" he shouts as he hurdles the pile of clay and iron, making his own way back towards the upturned table.
Finn follows shortly after, the remnants of a broken chair in his hands as he turns over the small vial of oil behind him and leaps over the golems with the clatter of wood against stone ringing out behind him, the chair left littering the floor just short of the golem wall.
Just as Finn leaps behind the table, the next form can be seen cresting over the stairs... that of a solid white skull, it's eye sockets empty, its form carrying a tatter of cloth and leather that hang about its shoulders and in it's hand a thin and browning sword. As it reaches the top stair it places a hand on the golem wall, its whole head and upper torso now now within view.
OOC: Please post 3 rounds of combat.
Ok gents, some fast forwarding done there, again apologies if anyone wanted to spend a little more time 'playing things out' but there really wasn't that much more time you had before the forces converged on you. Finn and Magnus managed to make it back from downstairs, and I figured you'd take all the weapons, spear and axe. If you wanted the shields you would have had time for that as well, though you have another one up here already that is mostly undamaged.
Gustav and Rondald, apologies, but there isn't enough salve left to heal your wounds as it is a one 'charge' item. If it makes you feel any better, it wouldn't have done anything to help your crippling wounds, which will take at least a month to heal. I had Giles use the salve, even though he was an NPC, for a couple of reasons, including that Finn gave it to him to test (no one else had figured out what it was) and that he was really the only person that could be wholly healed anyway (though at this point Giles must be fairly riddled with scars).
Finn, yes the giant sphere is up one level, though you doubt you'll have the time to try and bring it down now. You did manage to spread the oil on the stairs as well find a chair with cylindrical legs, though you only got one of them to snap off prior to the hordes starting to catch up with you. You did leave that leg on the stairs as a 'trap' along with the oil.
Please give me the description of what your character has in each hand at the start of the next post. Finn, you start with nothing in either hand because of the close proximity of your foes, but you may fast draw normally. Rondald, you have your crossbow cocked and loaded, though you find it takes much longer to recock only using your left hand. You may either shoot it yourself (offhanded) or hand it to Giles, who also has the crossbow skill.
Battlemap is below. Everyone but Magnus is behind the shelter of the overturned table, and everyone is within the protection of the pentagram.
Battle Map