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A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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<blockquote data-quote="Ilex" data-source="post: 4929507" data-attributes="member: 82687"><p><strong>5x03</strong></p><p></p><p>Rose screamed a warning. The two derro women were bearing down on her from the side corridor, swords at the ready. The party was now trapped between two groups of assailants. Chaos broke out as they each faced the battle in their own way:</p><p></p><p>Mena, who had been frustrated at her inability to join Kormick and Tavi at the very front of the fight near the pit, now realized that she was the only person free to come to Rose's rescue. The two men couldn't disengage from their opponents, Twiggy was concentrating hard as she cast a spell, and Arden was hurt. <em>So be it</em>, thought Mena, running toward Rose. She threw herself between the two derro women and the cowering girl. The derro were on her in a heartbeat, and she glimpsed fresh poison on their swords.</p><p></p><p>Arden had been leaning against the wall, taking a break. Her leg hurt, her arm hurt, she hadn't been so tired since the mines, and this wasn't her fight. <em>It <strong>is</strong> your fight</em>, some part of her insisted, but she ignored it. <em>Let the freepeople take the blows. It's their problem.</em> Then Rose cried out, Mena ran to her aid, and Arden remembered her words to the Defier the first time they had spoken together during the watch: "If I am allowed, I will help Signora Roseanna." It <em>was</em> her fight. She pushed off the wall and ran to join Mena near the side corridor.</p><p></p><p>Savina, her heart pounding, strained to see past Twiggy and Corani. Beyond them, Tavi was balanced on the very edge of the pit, flanked by two derro warriors, blood streaming from his wounds. Next to him, Kormick had his back to the wall; the lizard-dogs snapping at his torso were too close for the Justicar to swing his hammers effectively. The archers rained arrows into the struggling bodies, and Tavi yelled as one of them struck home. It was horrible. And Savina knew she had to get up there. <em>Mother Alirria, defend your daughter</em>, she prayed as she pushed past Corani and Twiggy. "No! Let's have no suicidal heroics from you!" Kormick yelled at her, but she was already next to him. She prayed for his health, and for Tavi's, ignoring the crossbow bolt that shot past her ear. Then one of the lizards menacing Kormick wheeled around with a growl and launched itself at her neck. Its teeth tore into her throat and shoulder. Savina felt her blood gush. </p><p></p><p>Mena was giving the two derro women a master class in advanced flail technique when the air around her rippled as a magical wave of force narrowly missed her. "Rose!" cried Mena, turning to see if the spell had impacted Rose, but Rose had dodged, Whisper herding her protectively away from danger. Mena turned back, straining her eyes to spot the spellcaster who must be farther up the side tunnel, but she could only make out a rippling in the air, a presence without a form. The two women had powerful backup. Though she struck out all the harder against them, Mena's heart sank: <em>Three against one, and a magic-user among the three.</em> Then Arden appeared out of the dimness beside her and drove her short sword with terrible accuracy straight into the second woman's shoulder joint, pulling it out again across tendons and bone to render the arm useless. Mena relaxed. Slightly.</p><p></p><p>Twiggy felt shock as Savina staggered, her hand clutching her throat, blood pouring through her fingers. <em>She was only trying to help!</em> Twiggy's mind protested, even though she immediately knew that the thought was irrational. Many things in life weren't fair, all the innocence in the world couldn't save you, and not all famous battles had been won by the good side. Still, this didn’t have to be one of <em>those</em> battles. Twiggy stepped up behind Savina and cast an <em>illusory ambush</em> on the archers across the pit. Their rain of bolts ceased for a moment as her spell hit home resoundingly, causing all three to stare around in fear at invisible foes. One of them leapt up and ran screaming straight into the pit. Kormick flashed a brief grin at her. "You terrifying, terrifying girl," he grunted approvingly. </p><p></p><p>Tavi raised his hand, summoning magic at the speed of thought, and a crossbow bolt heading straight for Savina careened off an invisible shield and fell into the pit. <em>This is my fault.</em> He spun and rained down fire from his sword on the derro in front of him, then shoved the creature backwards. It followed the crossbow bolt into the pit. <span style="color: magenta">How is it your fault!? It's not your fault!</span> Two archers were still shooting, and two lizards and a derro remained on their side of the pit. He tried to see farther down the corridor, to glimpse what had become of Mena and Rose, but he was boxed in. <em>If I'd killed those women instead of trying to lock them in. . . </em> Another arrow buried itself in his arm. In frustration, he tried to strike a lizard and missed. </p><p></p><p>Kormick followed up Tavi's missed blow with a resounding hit on the lizard, breaking its spine at last. He kicked it into the pit, out of his way. He had a bad feeling. Yes, they were grinding down their foes, but the toll was high: Savina, blood streaking her silly girlish armor, looked doomed. The remaining lizard had latched on to her leg with its fierce jaws, and Kormick whacked at the beast’s haunch with his warhammer, struggling to keep its attention on him. Until now, he'd held the thing’s attention a little too well, and was badly bloodied as a result. A crossbow bolt grazed his forehead, sending an aggravating trickle of blood into the corner of his eye. He guessed that, if he could see himself from afar, he'd have the numb, staggering look of a tough guy about to lose a street fight. Maybe <em>he</em> was the doomed one. "Get back!" he entreated Savina again, knowing that she wouldn't listen. Instead, the girl closed her eyes and then stood a little straighter as the wound on her neck closed. Having healed herself, she held out her bloody hand and called, "Alirria!" A blinding <em>lance of faith</em> killed a second archer. <em>Faith</em>, thought Kormick. <em>I don't understand faith.</em> </p><p></p><p>Mena didn’t have time to wonder how things were going on the other front: although she and Arden had injured both of the derro women, they had suffered even more injuries themselves. Arden stumbled, bleeding freely from a deep cut. "Arden?" Mena asked, checking in, and Arden surprised her by smiling grimly. "I hate this pl –" she began, just as a wave of force from the hidden spellcaster slammed into her. Arden hit the ground like a stone and lay there, senseless.</p><p></p><p>Tavi was calculating. Twiggy’s spells were taking care of the archer. Corani’s axe was taking care of – <em><strong>whack</strong></em> – correction, <em>had</em> taken care of the lizard-dog. <em>We're almost done here. Can I go help Mena yet?</em> He and Kormick were now flanking the remaining derro warrior. He sliced at it just as Kormick, blood-streaked, seemed to read his mind. "I've got this," the Justicar said. "Go help your sister." Tavi nodded his thanks and took off at once, hearing behind him the sound of the derro's death beneath Kormick's warhammer. Racing down the corridor toward his tutor, Tavi found that things were as bad as he'd feared: Mena was fending off attacks from two derro women as the slave lay crumpled limply behind her. One of the women dove in, aiming a killing strike straight at Arden's exposed throat. Heedless of the danger, Tavi threw himself over Arden's body, parrying the blow meant for the dying slave. Pain shot through his arm as the derro blade sliced his wrist. Then he lunged, plunging his blade into the derro woman's heart. </p><p></p><p>Mena pulled Arden from the fray, pressed fingers to her throat, and found a faint pulse. <em>Huff and puff, Twilight Bitch,</em> she thought with grim pride at her student’s sacrifice and Arden’s resilience, <em>but we will not break.</em> She seized Arden by the shoulders. "Not here," she commanded. "They do. Not. Win. Here. Get up.” Arden’s eyes flickered. “<em>Get--</em>."</p><p></p><p>"—<em>up</em>," Arden heard, and struggled automatically to obey despite lacking, for the moment, any sense of where she was or what had happened. She opened her eyes and saw Dame Filomena kneeling over her. "I was saying . . ." Arden groaned, and Mena nodded. "Trust me. I hate it more," she agreed, holding out her hand. Arden grabbed it and sat up. She gazed at the two battles around her: Mena rejoining Tavi in the face-off against the remaining derro woman; the Justicar and the others dodging crossbow bolts. It may have been her fight, but she wouldn’t be fighting more of it any time soon. She was too weak to stand.</p><p></p><p><em>(DM’s NOTE: And <strong>that’s</strong> what Mena’s </em>Inspiring Word<em> power looks like…)</em></p><p></p><p>Mena slammed the remaining derro woman on the back of the head with her flail. At last, the woman dropped, unconscious. Almost instantly, from up the hall, the hazy presence vanished and the door to the women's chamber slammed shut. The spellcaster had fled. Tavi raised his sword to execute the woman. "I should have killed you when I had the chance," he said. Mena stopped him. "She may know where the captives are," she explained. "We must question her."</p><p></p><p>At the pit’s edge, Savina was finally ready to stop ignoring the Justicar, who really, <em>really</em> wanted her to get off the front lines. She was exhausted, the battle was nearly won, and she was reaching the limits of her healing power. But as she moved out of the fray, she heard a trio of sounds behind her: A scream from Twiggy—"Corani!"—then gurgling—then a thud. Savina wheeled and ran back. Corani had collapsed to the ground, dying, a crossbow bolt protruding from her neck. </p><p></p><p>For Kormick, that was the last straw. Having struck down the pregnant lady dwarf with a lucky shot, the derro archer had a smug look on his face that Kormick simply didn't feel was justifiable, given that its side was clearly losing. Sure, Kormick's whole body ached, he was bleeding from multiple punctures, and everyone else was looking at least as ragged as he was feeling. But this guy looked <em>smug</em>. Kormick raised his warhammer and pointed it at the archer. "You," he said, pronouncing its death sentence. The archer's face fell. The creature squeezed off one last shot – it glanced off Kormick's leg, adding another trickle of blood to Kormick's collection – turned, and ran. Kormick jumped the pit and followed.</p><p> </p><p>Arden watched Savina and Twiggy rush to Corani's side. Savina glanced worriedly back at Arden, once, then looked away, laid her hands upon Corani, and concentrated for an unusually long time. Finally, she collapsed backward, drained, as Twiggy helped Corani sit up. Arden heard the Blessed Daughter tell Twiggy, "Give me a moment to rest… I can't do anything more right now... I'm so tired." What had happened was clear: with a choice between healing Corani or Arden, Savina had chosen Corani. Arden looked away. <em>The Blessed Daughter did the right thing</em>, she told herself firmly. <em>Corani is pregnant, even more hurt than me, and hasn't asked for any of this, either. Getting angry about it would be unreasonable.</em> Nonetheless, aware that this place would probably kill her if her mistress didn't help her, she felt her face burn with anger and shame. "Expendable," the Justicar had called her.</p><p></p><p>Kormick entered the dining hall to see the formerly smug derro archer sprinting for a spiral staircase at the far side. Kormick didn't feel like running. At all. He planted his feet, raised his sore arm, took aim, and sent a crossbow bolt with spectacular accuracy straight through the creature's leg. It yowled and fell to its knees. "Now," announced Kormick, "we can take our time." As the derro dragged itself up the first few steps, Kormick sauntered across the room. He arrived at the staircase just as the derro reached the fourth step. Kormick leisurely traded his crossbow for a warhammer and took aim at the back of the creature's skull. <em>Crack.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ilex, post: 4929507, member: 82687"] [b]5x03[/b] Rose screamed a warning. The two derro women were bearing down on her from the side corridor, swords at the ready. The party was now trapped between two groups of assailants. Chaos broke out as they each faced the battle in their own way: Mena, who had been frustrated at her inability to join Kormick and Tavi at the very front of the fight near the pit, now realized that she was the only person free to come to Rose's rescue. The two men couldn't disengage from their opponents, Twiggy was concentrating hard as she cast a spell, and Arden was hurt. [i]So be it[/i], thought Mena, running toward Rose. She threw herself between the two derro women and the cowering girl. The derro were on her in a heartbeat, and she glimpsed fresh poison on their swords. Arden had been leaning against the wall, taking a break. Her leg hurt, her arm hurt, she hadn't been so tired since the mines, and this wasn't her fight. [i]It [b]is[/b] your fight[/i], some part of her insisted, but she ignored it. [i]Let the freepeople take the blows. It's their problem.[/i] Then Rose cried out, Mena ran to her aid, and Arden remembered her words to the Defier the first time they had spoken together during the watch: "If I am allowed, I will help Signora Roseanna." It [i]was[/i] her fight. She pushed off the wall and ran to join Mena near the side corridor. Savina, her heart pounding, strained to see past Twiggy and Corani. Beyond them, Tavi was balanced on the very edge of the pit, flanked by two derro warriors, blood streaming from his wounds. Next to him, Kormick had his back to the wall; the lizard-dogs snapping at his torso were too close for the Justicar to swing his hammers effectively. The archers rained arrows into the struggling bodies, and Tavi yelled as one of them struck home. It was horrible. And Savina knew she had to get up there. [i]Mother Alirria, defend your daughter[/i], she prayed as she pushed past Corani and Twiggy. "No! Let's have no suicidal heroics from you!" Kormick yelled at her, but she was already next to him. She prayed for his health, and for Tavi's, ignoring the crossbow bolt that shot past her ear. Then one of the lizards menacing Kormick wheeled around with a growl and launched itself at her neck. Its teeth tore into her throat and shoulder. Savina felt her blood gush. Mena was giving the two derro women a master class in advanced flail technique when the air around her rippled as a magical wave of force narrowly missed her. "Rose!" cried Mena, turning to see if the spell had impacted Rose, but Rose had dodged, Whisper herding her protectively away from danger. Mena turned back, straining her eyes to spot the spellcaster who must be farther up the side tunnel, but she could only make out a rippling in the air, a presence without a form. The two women had powerful backup. Though she struck out all the harder against them, Mena's heart sank: [i]Three against one, and a magic-user among the three.[/i] Then Arden appeared out of the dimness beside her and drove her short sword with terrible accuracy straight into the second woman's shoulder joint, pulling it out again across tendons and bone to render the arm useless. Mena relaxed. Slightly. Twiggy felt shock as Savina staggered, her hand clutching her throat, blood pouring through her fingers. [i]She was only trying to help![/i] Twiggy's mind protested, even though she immediately knew that the thought was irrational. Many things in life weren't fair, all the innocence in the world couldn't save you, and not all famous battles had been won by the good side. Still, this didn’t have to be one of [i]those[/i] battles. Twiggy stepped up behind Savina and cast an [i]illusory ambush[/i] on the archers across the pit. Their rain of bolts ceased for a moment as her spell hit home resoundingly, causing all three to stare around in fear at invisible foes. One of them leapt up and ran screaming straight into the pit. Kormick flashed a brief grin at her. "You terrifying, terrifying girl," he grunted approvingly. Tavi raised his hand, summoning magic at the speed of thought, and a crossbow bolt heading straight for Savina careened off an invisible shield and fell into the pit. [i]This is my fault.[/i] He spun and rained down fire from his sword on the derro in front of him, then shoved the creature backwards. It followed the crossbow bolt into the pit. [color="magenta"]How is it your fault!? It's not your fault![/color] Two archers were still shooting, and two lizards and a derro remained on their side of the pit. He tried to see farther down the corridor, to glimpse what had become of Mena and Rose, but he was boxed in. [i]If I'd killed those women instead of trying to lock them in. . . [/i] Another arrow buried itself in his arm. In frustration, he tried to strike a lizard and missed. Kormick followed up Tavi's missed blow with a resounding hit on the lizard, breaking its spine at last. He kicked it into the pit, out of his way. He had a bad feeling. Yes, they were grinding down their foes, but the toll was high: Savina, blood streaking her silly girlish armor, looked doomed. The remaining lizard had latched on to her leg with its fierce jaws, and Kormick whacked at the beast’s haunch with his warhammer, struggling to keep its attention on him. Until now, he'd held the thing’s attention a little too well, and was badly bloodied as a result. A crossbow bolt grazed his forehead, sending an aggravating trickle of blood into the corner of his eye. He guessed that, if he could see himself from afar, he'd have the numb, staggering look of a tough guy about to lose a street fight. Maybe [i]he[/i] was the doomed one. "Get back!" he entreated Savina again, knowing that she wouldn't listen. Instead, the girl closed her eyes and then stood a little straighter as the wound on her neck closed. Having healed herself, she held out her bloody hand and called, "Alirria!" A blinding [i]lance of faith[/i] killed a second archer. [i]Faith[/i], thought Kormick. [i]I don't understand faith.[/i] Mena didn’t have time to wonder how things were going on the other front: although she and Arden had injured both of the derro women, they had suffered even more injuries themselves. Arden stumbled, bleeding freely from a deep cut. "Arden?" Mena asked, checking in, and Arden surprised her by smiling grimly. "I hate this pl –" she began, just as a wave of force from the hidden spellcaster slammed into her. Arden hit the ground like a stone and lay there, senseless. Tavi was calculating. Twiggy’s spells were taking care of the archer. Corani’s axe was taking care of – [i][b]whack[/b][/i] – correction, [i]had[/i] taken care of the lizard-dog. [i]We're almost done here. Can I go help Mena yet?[/i] He and Kormick were now flanking the remaining derro warrior. He sliced at it just as Kormick, blood-streaked, seemed to read his mind. "I've got this," the Justicar said. "Go help your sister." Tavi nodded his thanks and took off at once, hearing behind him the sound of the derro's death beneath Kormick's warhammer. Racing down the corridor toward his tutor, Tavi found that things were as bad as he'd feared: Mena was fending off attacks from two derro women as the slave lay crumpled limply behind her. One of the women dove in, aiming a killing strike straight at Arden's exposed throat. Heedless of the danger, Tavi threw himself over Arden's body, parrying the blow meant for the dying slave. Pain shot through his arm as the derro blade sliced his wrist. Then he lunged, plunging his blade into the derro woman's heart. Mena pulled Arden from the fray, pressed fingers to her throat, and found a faint pulse. [i]Huff and puff, Twilight Bitch,[/i] she thought with grim pride at her student’s sacrifice and Arden’s resilience, [i]but we will not break.[/i] She seized Arden by the shoulders. "Not here," she commanded. "They do. Not. Win. Here. Get up.” Arden’s eyes flickered. “[i]Get--[/i]." "—[i]up[/i]," Arden heard, and struggled automatically to obey despite lacking, for the moment, any sense of where she was or what had happened. She opened her eyes and saw Dame Filomena kneeling over her. "I was saying . . ." Arden groaned, and Mena nodded. "Trust me. I hate it more," she agreed, holding out her hand. Arden grabbed it and sat up. She gazed at the two battles around her: Mena rejoining Tavi in the face-off against the remaining derro woman; the Justicar and the others dodging crossbow bolts. It may have been her fight, but she wouldn’t be fighting more of it any time soon. She was too weak to stand. [i](DM’s NOTE: And [b]that’s[/b] what Mena’s [/i]Inspiring Word[i] power looks like…)[/i] Mena slammed the remaining derro woman on the back of the head with her flail. At last, the woman dropped, unconscious. Almost instantly, from up the hall, the hazy presence vanished and the door to the women's chamber slammed shut. The spellcaster had fled. Tavi raised his sword to execute the woman. "I should have killed you when I had the chance," he said. Mena stopped him. "She may know where the captives are," she explained. "We must question her." At the pit’s edge, Savina was finally ready to stop ignoring the Justicar, who really, [i]really[/i] wanted her to get off the front lines. She was exhausted, the battle was nearly won, and she was reaching the limits of her healing power. But as she moved out of the fray, she heard a trio of sounds behind her: A scream from Twiggy—"Corani!"—then gurgling—then a thud. Savina wheeled and ran back. Corani had collapsed to the ground, dying, a crossbow bolt protruding from her neck. For Kormick, that was the last straw. Having struck down the pregnant lady dwarf with a lucky shot, the derro archer had a smug look on his face that Kormick simply didn't feel was justifiable, given that its side was clearly losing. Sure, Kormick's whole body ached, he was bleeding from multiple punctures, and everyone else was looking at least as ragged as he was feeling. But this guy looked [i]smug[/i]. Kormick raised his warhammer and pointed it at the archer. "You," he said, pronouncing its death sentence. The archer's face fell. The creature squeezed off one last shot – it glanced off Kormick's leg, adding another trickle of blood to Kormick's collection – turned, and ran. Kormick jumped the pit and followed. Arden watched Savina and Twiggy rush to Corani's side. Savina glanced worriedly back at Arden, once, then looked away, laid her hands upon Corani, and concentrated for an unusually long time. Finally, she collapsed backward, drained, as Twiggy helped Corani sit up. Arden heard the Blessed Daughter tell Twiggy, "Give me a moment to rest… I can't do anything more right now... I'm so tired." What had happened was clear: with a choice between healing Corani or Arden, Savina had chosen Corani. Arden looked away. [i]The Blessed Daughter did the right thing[/i], she told herself firmly. [i]Corani is pregnant, even more hurt than me, and hasn't asked for any of this, either. Getting angry about it would be unreasonable.[/i] Nonetheless, aware that this place would probably kill her if her mistress didn't help her, she felt her face burn with anger and shame. "Expendable," the Justicar had called her. Kormick entered the dining hall to see the formerly smug derro archer sprinting for a spiral staircase at the far side. Kormick didn't feel like running. At all. He planted his feet, raised his sore arm, took aim, and sent a crossbow bolt with spectacular accuracy straight through the creature's leg. It yowled and fell to its knees. "Now," announced Kormick, "we can take our time." As the derro dragged itself up the first few steps, Kormick sauntered across the room. He arrived at the staircase just as the derro reached the fourth step. Kormick leisurely traded his crossbow for a warhammer and took aim at the back of the creature's skull. [i]Crack.[/i] [/QUOTE]
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