Evelin’s horror-stricken face nearly hit the stone floor of the passageway as she threw herself down under the bolt of lighting that impacted the tunnel wall behind her. Even though she tightly closed her eyes the flash of the lighting was incredibly painful to the nerves behind her eyes that normally peered through darkness easily. Besides being blinded she suspected that the thunderous boom of the spell and the resulting explosion of stone may leave her bleeding from her ears and deaf. That is of course if she survives this attack by the gods only know what the patrol encountered. With her mussels twitching uncontrollably from the so very close impact site, she hoped that her death would be quick because it would take some time to get herself back into the fight.  Covered with rock chips and dust, Evelin tried to blink away the pain and after images of the lighting. Not being able to see, hear, or even move properly, Evelin was in more fear of her life ending now than any other time she could remember. Around her other muted shouts, spellfire, and flashes continued for what seemed to be an eternity. Deciding to remain still until she recovered, she lay there on the cold stone waiting. Once Evelin began to hear moans and began to see the debris that lay around her on the floor, she felt like she might even be able to sit up. Rising slowly while looking for danger in the aftermath of the battle proved how fickle fate is. Evelin’s sister Cathern had not ducked in time to avoid the powerful lighting spell. Her half-chard face stared at nothing and her raw meaty shoulder slowly dripped blood as only the dead can. One of the guardsmen was kneeling beside another and after finding no life began to strip the body of useful weapons and items. Beyond him, the ice-pierced body of a great centipede lay with the upper torso of another guard slumped against the creature’s face while the guard’s hips and legs were sprawled on the floor underneath the great mandibles. Sierra was sitting with her back to the opposite wall holding her frost-covered staff with a death grip while one of her legs was broken. Pushing herself up to her hands and knees, Evelin noticed a tiny bit of crystal with a very dim blue light between her and the wall among the other debris. When she inspected the wall, she found a larger, now dull, crystal that had been shattered by the bolt of lightning. Evelin could not help but wonder if that crystal had drawn the lighting to itself. Picking up the small bit of crystal that still had a dim blue glow she put it in her pocket without further thought. Barking at Sierra to heal her leg, Evelin began to strip any usable gear and valuables from her dead sister. Evelin had somewhat liked this sister a bit more than her other siblings, but it was always going to be one or the other someday. This battle just made it easier. With barely a shrug of her shoulders as Sierra continued to sit dazed, Evelin rolled the body of Cathern over to strip the rest of its belongings.