Welcome to Gaia! ::

William stepped forward and took the torch from Kiro when he offered it to Mathias. Will was the only one using a single one handed weapon, so he had a free hand. He followed behind Mathias and Kiro as they continued into the cavern.
The cavern was dank and musty. The walls were rough stone, coated over with condensation and moss. The floor, such as it was, was also stone littered with loose pebbles and the occasional patch of mushrooms.
As they continued further into the cave Will began to notice a slight light emanating from deeper in. When they came closer to the light's source the passageway they had been traveling down suddenly expanded into a large chamber. Sitting on the opposite side of the chamber was what seemed to be a statue. It was shaped in such a way to appear mostly man shaped. It rested on the ground with crossed legs. It was made as if it had a cloth about its waist, but was nude otherwise. Six arms protruded from its shoulders, each holding a sword with no two of them the same style. Its head seemed to have three separate face, each carved with a different expression on it. One was smiling, one crying, and one angry and scowling.
As the three Hunters stepped into the chamber the statues eye's opened, revealing solid red orbs behind the stone like lids set into the scowling face. The statue suddenly rose to its feet, unfolding its legs beneath itself. Its six arms began to move, repositioning its blades into a variety of positions suitable for attack and defense. It looked directly at them and its head spun about on its shoulders so that it looked at them with the red eyes of both the sad and the happy faces before the scowling face settled looking at them again.
"Told you it wasn't nothing." William said as he tossed the torch to one side and took his blade in both hands.

William began to stalk slowly to the fiends left. He kept his blade held across his body, ready to parry any incoming attacks. He moved slowly, unobtrusively, hoping to keep the statue monster's attention off of him until he could get into position. He was hoping that Kiro and Mathias could keep its attention forward so that he could get in some clean strikes on its back.

((Grr, short post. Adam, some input please.))

Mathias rushed in on the statue's opposite side as Kiro began the assault. Where Kiro seemed more nimble, Mathias chose to be stalwart. The statue swung three of it's swords at Mathias simultaniously from different directions. Mathias parried one blade with his own, caught another on his shield and gritted his teeth when the force of the impact nearly tore it from his arm, and barely managed to duck the third blade, feeling the wind and hearing it sing as the blade cut the air above his head. He saw Kiro engaging in a most unorthodox fashion and smiled. Inside his heart pounded with adrenaline and nervousness. He hoped that they could hold it's attention long enough for William to gain his position.

An irritated "teh" sound escaped Kiro's lips as he noticed the swinging speed of the fiend's attack increased and began to counter attack him before he was able to even leave the air and escape. Always complications...

The two blades coming at Kiro weren't a problem. Kiro quickly positioned both of his katanas in between the oncoming blades and swung them in opposite directions, parrying the two attacks to both sides far off from his body. The third attack which was a stabbing one was more of a problem. Stabbing forward is usually a quicker attack so regaining his defense after parrying would be difficult before the blade would reach Kiro. Kiro twisted his body in mid-air in attempt to dodge the stab as much as possible, but it skinned his right side about a third of an inch deep before Kiro's two combining blades flashed back around and slashed them at the enemy sword and at the same time used it to push himself away from the fiend and back on the ground.

It was all Mathias could do to keep the blade from him as the fiend began it's spinning and slashing attacks. His shield absorbed many hits, as well as his blade when he managed to intercept a thrust or cut. Even so he felt numerous hits score along his armored arms and breastplate, making him cringe. All at once the onslaught stopped and completely focused onto William instead. Mathias thought he saw and chance and mentally prepared himself to do something that might be incredibly stupid. He raised his shield before him, bent behind it, and rushed forward as fast as his armored body could go. His intention was to ram shield first into the creature and hopefully knock it off balance. He squeezed his eyes shut just before impact. Please oh please oh please...

William caught onto his partners' plan only just before they finished executing it. The two of them slammed into the beast from behind rocking it forward on its feet. The beast quickly diverted five of its arms towards the two of them. Four blades scythed around Mathias's shield aiming to impale him from four directions simultaneously. The fifth blade stabbed straight at Kiro.
The sixth and final blade remained focused on William. The beast held it in a guard position as it struggled to counterattack and regain its balance at the same time. William rushed forward and engaged the blade against his own. He pushed against the opposing weapon then stepped back quickly. The monster was not able to compensate for the lack of pressure so quickly and extended its arm into the gap. William repositioned his feet, pivoted fully around and brought his blade up, around, and back down with the full weight of his momentum on the beast's wrist.
The blade half sliced half broke its way through the stone that comprised the creatures body. The stone hand and blade hit the ground with a sharp thunk and resounding clang.
William's mismatched eyes narrowed in satisfied determination.
Advantage Hunters.

Despite gaining the advantage, Kiro was against caught in a vulnerable position, but we able to block the oncoming attack from the single blade by blocked with both his katanas crossed together before he landed.

Kiro then figured he would end this annoyance fast. Sprinting forth, his feet slid past the stone fiend as his two blades slashed deep at it's right side and the other at the upper shoulder of the fiend where it's arms were connected. "Just because you're stone, don't think I can't cut you." Kiro muttered as his attack passed through. These swords are made of an extremely dense alloy. The only thing I can thank my creator for.

Mathias was glad of the respite his friends gave him, drawing most of the blades away. He caught the single blade that slashed at him on his shield and countered with a thrust of his own. The fiend had no trouble parrying Mathias sword, but as the metal blades kissed, Mathias brought his shield up to attack instead of defend, and punched at the fiends head, aiming the rim of his shield as if it were his own fist.