The sweet iron perfume of the terrorbird's blood fills Tak's nostrils, and there's the sound of a muffled cry from the direction of the house.  There's also the vigorous of feet in his direction-- he whirls in that direction, and sees a terror bird streak through the cane a few yards away-- but not towards him.  Though he readies his defenses, he is overrun by another of the terror birds from his left flank.  Had it struck with its axe-like beak or even bitten at him, it might have ended the goblin, but though several hundred pounds of bird come crashing into him, the agile goblin manages to roll with the blow and find his stance, his feet squelching in the mud at the bank of the drainage trench.<br/><br/>Inside the simple house, there is mayhem.  Fiera's botched spell splashes a hissing gob of acid into the floor beams, and an acrid smoke begins to rise from the beams below before fizzling out.  ((I won't press about the fumble))  The motion leaves her unwounded flank exposed, but thanks to the pressing diversion of Quinta and Alphonse, the mage is spared a second attack.  Alphonse is not so lucky... his blades sink into the neck and breast of the terror bird, and its sickly yellow eyes swell as it snarls in rage, its conical tongue flailing in the horrid cry.  It strikes at him fiercely, splinters and a hollow crack of fractured bamboo pealing out as its beak finds the floorboards.  The force of the blow is sufficient that it jostles the beams under their feet.  The massive thing seems frustrated, almost... the doorway darkens, then, with the hulking form of another of the carnivorous beasts.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">  TB vs. Tak: Surprise attack: misses.<br/>TB vs. Alphonse: Attack: misses (large creature vs. small)  Takes 6 damage from Alphonse.  HP: <del>26 </del><del>22 </del><del>19 </del>16.<br/></div></div>