Phlagaea keeps behind Ravenia, who keeps next to Arkold. "What … what do you want me to do?" the green Yodhgorphat asks the Jupani. "I can subdue one person if I can touch them."

"Just stay back with me and Raven, eh? I'll need your advice more than your magic," Arkold replies. He strides in to the room, the clank of archaic chitin armor echoing as he moves. "We'll clear this area, an' begin our search room to room, headin' down."

The pikemen fan out from behind, and take up positions at the hall entrances. Those followers that haven't been driven out by the Yodhblakat are fleeing from the blood-spider now, and the pike bearers let them through, but aren't about to let anyone back in.

"Except for that creature, I think we have the room secured," Grey reports, not taking his eyes off of the blood-spider.

Arkold watches the followers flee the blood-spider, then laughs grimly. "I guess 'Dagh' didn't inform them of all the benefits of their loyalty," he asides to Ravenia. Walking further in, he proceeds towards the blood spider and instructs, "Get that amulet away from it. Be aware it's merely animated blood – anything that will dilute or clot blood will effect it."

"I knew I should have prepared an anemia blessing," Phlagaea mutters, while Lucy just pads around the perimeter of the hall, watching the monster but not getting closer to it.

"Stand aside, I've dealt with these before," Arkold commands. he holds a hand to urge the two women to hold their ground as he approaches the blood spider.

"Dragoons!" Grey calls, and the elite soldiers uncork their water skins and move to surround the blood monster in preparation.

Arkold steps in among the Eeee, sheathing his sword and pulling his gauntlet tight. With a grunt, he aims for the amulet and, after holding his breath, dives in to grab it!

The monster lunges at Arkold with its limbs, only to be rebuffed as the Dragoons start splashing water onto its spindly legs. It's support weakened, the creature hits the floor, making the glittery amulet rise to the surface of its skin.

The runny blood from the creatures wounds make the surface of the dais treacherous, and combined with the monster's sudden fall cause Arkold to miss on his first try. The gauntlet sinks up the wrist in the bloody goo of the creature's body.

The wolf grunts again, but decides he must at least be making an interesting impression on the blood-crazed women. He backs off, pulling his arm out. After another moment to carefully gauge his strike, he thrusts his arm out again.

This time Arkold makes contact, and yanks away the amulet. The spider shudders once and then splashes to the floor. Even through the gauntlet, the amulet pulses like a heart in the wolf's grip, and the gore coating his armor starts to crawl towards his hand.

Arkold steps back, holding the amulet where anyone looking can clearly see it. "This," he tells everyone, crushing the amulet with his hand, "is how you kill a blood spider."

The blood on Arkold's armor stops its migration with the destruction of the amulet, and just… drips. "That looks disgusting, Arkold," Ravenia notes. The Dragoons continue to pour out water into the blood puddle, just to be certain.

Arkold just grins, turning his hand over and letting the broken amulet fall to the floor. "Monster huntin' is rarely a clean business," he tells Ravenia, before reaching over and squeezing her shoulder. "Alright, we're headin' in. Grey, assign two of your men and five of the pikemen to hold the exit – the rest is coming with us."

"We'll route the remaining minions," Barba says. Grey nods and points to those who will stay. The rest line up behind Arkold. "Ugh, now you've got it on me," Ravenia complains, but is grinning madly all the same.

"I'll make it up to you later," Arkold promises Ravenia. He then nods to his men, and points deeper in to the castle. "We're headed down. Ravenia, you know the way. Let'sget goin'. Lucy and I'll take point. Raven, get behind me. Pikemen rear, Grey and the remaining dragoons center. Let'sget going."

With Lucy carrying a torch, the group marches on without resistance, until they get to the blockage where the old trap spell was triggered. A rough passage has been dug through it, barely wide enough for a single person to squeeze through. Quite a bit of noise comes through though; the sounds of tearing and the high-pitched squeaks of Eeee.

"Hail there," Arkold calls through the hole, "identify yourselves!"

"Slakash!" one of the Eeee replies, sticking its head far enough into the tunnel to be seen by torchlight. "I you know! Others went ahead!"

"Show us which way, we're coming through," Arkold tells the bat. He heads through first, urging the others to follow him in marching order.

It's a tight squeeze for Arkold. The Jupani has to turn sideways, slouch his head onto his shoulder and hold is breath to fit through. The women and soldiers have an easier time of it, although Lucy has not choice but to stay behind. Three of the Yodhblakat wait at the other end, already covered with bits of clothing and other 'souvenirs' taken from the guards that lay fallen at their feet.

"Lucy, head back to the entrance with the others and hold it in case we need to leave quickly," Arkold calls back to the woman. Satisfied, Arkold turns to the Yogh and asks, "Show us which way the others went."

The hall suddenly fills with golden light, and a stream of glowing motes blasts up the hall and out through the cut. It parts around the people as it floods past, but still causes the fur to stand on end. Once it's past, one of the Yodh point back in the direction it came from, saying, "They went… that… way… "

"So they did." Arkold nods the way the light came from, and begins marching after it. "Let'smove quickly. If they're using that, then we haven't much time." He breaks in to a job, and urges the others to follow suite.

"That looked like the fire when Alptraum killed Hekatt," Phlagaea says as she and Ravenia hurry after Arkold. The other soldiers clatter behind, a little shaken up by the whole thing, and a few may not have followed at all if not for the raving bats behind them.

"Explain," Arkold urges the bat as he jogs along, glancing at the green Eeee. He also unsheathes his sword, expecting whatever caused that explosion of light is likely to mean combat.

"It's the dragon-dagger," Phlagaea gasps, trying to keep her breath. "He used it on Hekatt back at the tower of the Forsaken Ones when he killed Smashengrab… the blast was a lot bigger that time though, and burned right up the tower! It collapsed shortly afterwards."

The end of the hall come quickly, with the stairs to the lower chamber branching off to the side. Once Arkold arrives, he finds Tulani in dragon form facing a goat-headed demon, while Alptraum (looking literally like Death – tattered wings and pale blind eyes included) stalking towards two identical Dacks that are behind the sarcophagus. Two slakash stand over the remains of a pair of guards, and look a bit stunned.

"Alp's sure got some ace up his sleeve," Arkold considers aloud. "But, that means he's fighting and has abandoned stealth – which means he's in for it."