"It could. Do you want to be the one to find out?"

Best to nip that in the bud. "He's right, we can't fight a vrolikai head on. We have to tell the mongrelfolk not to go into the maze yet, and find another route into the city - to warn them. There might be someone in Kenabres strong enough to fight a vrolikai, but with Terendelev dead we'd need everyone powerful on one page before we even think of trying."

"Wenduag, could there be another way into the city from the maze?"

"...wait, where's Wenduag?"

Shit.

In retrospect Gord blames himself, for not making them start running right away. If he calls a retreat now, he'd be leaving a comrade behind. But if the monster's already picking them off one by one from the shadows... then they're all dead men walking, so he'll just choose to assume that it isn't.

In which case: where's Wenduag?

"Did she run off to try to save the children?"

"I don't think she would. I mean, she'd at least ask me to come along."

"She didn't go past me, so she must have stepped back into the room with the stairs."

Lann goes back into the other room to look for Wenduag, and Seelah follows him.

She isn't there.

Oh for - locate object Wenduag's bow.

Yeah it's up those stairs. Moving a bit.

He's going to have to go back there, isn't he. And pull her out somehow. Except he has no idea how to convince Wenduag of anything without being overheard and he doesn't even have his invisibility left.

Gord is saved from his indecision when a woman appears in the doorway.

It's not Wenduag.

"You little rats are going to pay for breaking down my door."

Shit. (Again.)

"Everyone back to the hall and start running already!" Maybe the demon isn't right behind her and they can still escape.

"Oh, you think you little rats can run?" Hosilla taunts. "Have some quasits to play with, they seem about your speed." While she closes in with the only one in the group Wenduag said might be a problem.

He can't afford a fight of attrition, because he'd probably win it but he doesn't have the time. Gods damn it, he didn't even have the foresight to buff everyone!

A holy smite (*) at least gets rid of her summons, even if it probably doesn't affect her all that much. Now if only he can get every back through the door, he can block it with a spiritual ally and that should delay her just enough he won't die wishing he'd prepared a second stone shape today.

(*) Not really a smite, but the name's popular for obvious reasons.

Unfortunately for Gord, this party contains someone else who enthusiastically runs towards danger rather than away from it!

Gaah. Alright, how many turns can he afford to take buffing himself before Seelah commits suicide-by-cultist?

Probably... one or more? Seelah can lay on hands herself but Hosilla can deal damage faster than she can heal it, so she might not even last until she runs out. The two archers aren't making much of an impression, either, possibly because Gord didn't get around to giving them magic weapon or align weapon or something.

One it is, then. Prayer, as a compromise because he doesn't have time to debate himself while Seelah's fighting.

If he goes into melee she'll keep attacking Seelah to take the weaker enemy down first. Can he force her hand first? Searing light, and then he closes in.

Yeah, she still thinks she can win this but she also doesn't see a good reason to risk her life fighting to the bitter end when the maze is full of her people. She'll let the rats run before her for a minute while she calls her two Hands.

Hosilla tries to step back into the stairwell, so they can't both attack her at once.

"Seelah! Fall back, now!" 

Spiritual ally to box presumably-Hosilla into the stairwell, and hope like hell she doesn't have a dispel ready.

A copy of Gord made out of pure force appears, complete with greatsword. It might not have his spells and it doesn't last even a minute, but it hits even harder than he does and she'll have a hard time getting past it no matter how she buffed her glaive.

Now can they finally run away?