Neverwinter Knight said:
So far, I like it very much! Any updates for this story?
Yes. In fact, here's an update now! I'm trying to stick to a once-a-week posting schedule, but it may vary a bit due to laziness.
Chapter 5
As the wolves lunged forward, an orb of pure force tore through the air and slammed into the large wolf in the back. It yelped in pain and turned toward the source of the attack: Davi, Tash, and Sardonic had been coming up the corridor when the wolves emerged, and Tash had seized the initiative to blast the wolf with a
magic missile.
The growl of the wolf. Keira's reaction was delayed by the sound, a fleeting moment of horror passing through the confident woman. Some of her people had been killed by wolves passing near the borders of the swamps. She spun around to face the creatures, snarling in savage challenge to the wolves. Almost without thinking she swapped weapons in her hands, hurling the throwing axe at the large, scarred wolf, before gripping the remaining curved glaive with both hands to await the charge of the wolves, only for a moment stepping in front of these new people she found herself with, instinctlively protecting them. The axe clanged into the rubble-filled area, sounding hollow on the ground.
"Stay together. Fight as a tribe, not a man. Live longer." She'd seen too many people that threw away common sense in the face of danger. It was much more effective against natural creatures to await them and use your superior intellect to deal with them. A group fought more effectively than a man, and a smart man more effectively than an animal.
The others nodded, drawing weapons and awaiting the animals. Unfortunately, Carpal wasn't listening. He was silently cursing himself for letting the three weakest members of the group go off without an armed escort, especially now that the wolves were eyeing the smaller halfling and gnome. Pushing past Keira, the paladin set off at a full run, charging the beasts with no heed to his personal safety. In the dark, however, and with his mind on the safety of the others, he made a poor showing. Something caught his foot in the darkness and the man stumbled, nearly falling face-first.
Taking advantage of the paladin's clumsiness, the wolves ganged up on Carpal and snapped at him with their jaws. The first starving canine clamped solidly onto his leg and drags him to the ground.
Ju'lindra watched with alarm as the paladin fell. "Look alive! I'll watch Carpal's back until he regains his feet." The monk darted forward, tumbling past the fallen knight to come between him and the other wolves. Despite this, the other two animals avoided the half-elf in favor of the easier target. They clamped onto Carpal's arms and worry their heads, opening up terrible wounds in the poor man's body. Blood leaked freely from Carpal as he wavered on the edge of consciousness.
Sardonic was surprised at the wolves’ viciousness. This was his first time seeing such violence first hand. Carpal was a silly sod. Sardonic did not want to see harm come to him. Carpal was the only one in the group with a sense of humor. He knew what to do. The wolves would be no match for his magic. The two emaciated wolves paid no attention as Sardonic weaved through the throng of adventurers. As soon as the wizard was within range, he deftly retrieves something from a small pouch. With harsh reverberating words and a flick of his wrist, a shower of twisting colored lights shot out from his palm engulfing Carpal and the two wolves. The two smaller wolves' eyes rolled back into their heads as they fell to floor, unconscious. Carpal too stopped moving, though whether he had passed out from the pain or fallen victim to the spell was unclear. The large wolf shook its head vigorously to clear it, releasing its grip on Carpal's arm and staring menacingly at the skinny spellcaster.
A dagger whizzed by the wolf's head, followed quickly by a curse as Ezreal reached for another blade at his belt. Tash nodded at the effectiveness of Sardonic's spell as he set the lantern down and retrieved his crossbow from his belt.
Horror crossed Pyrius' face. Horror at seeing the paladin Carpal bravely throwing himself into the midst of the wolves, and being savaged by them. And horror at seeing the woman who had so recently been standing next to him, Ju'lindra, leap in to fight the beasts! Pyrius was torn between his urge to try and protect her, and his instinctive concern for the fallen warrior. Seeing the way she and some of the others were handling the wolves, he made his decision. Pyrius ran up to the edge of the fight.
Grasping briefly at a medallion tucked under his shirt, he laid his hand on Carpal, while also trying to drag him to safety and avoid the fighting. Unfortunately he tried to do to much at once, and his healing spell fizzled. Still he managed to pull Carpal away from the remaining wolf, glancing anxiously at the other combatants.
Ju'lindra squared off against the large wolf, holding her siangham up by her shoulder. She feinted a strike before lashing out with a kick, but the animal was quicker as it dodged aside and made a dash at Sardonic. A dart suddenly stuck into its side, hurled by Davi, but the beast didn't even seem to notice.
"Aargh!" Keira bellowed, gripping the glaive in both her hands, the tingling sensation of power and destruction burning her hands to the hilt. Ju'lindra was facing the large wolf and while her fighting styles betrayed her intelligence in Keira's esteem, she would not let somebody die to something as foul as wolves. The glaive moved upward in an arc, raising the blackened blade above the tall woman's head, dark and menacing.
Keira charged, her feet surprisingly light on the stone floor of the tomb, silent death moving towards the remaining wolf. Her anger burst in the excitement and terror of her charge and fear of her foe, and her blood boiled. She reached the wolf in no time, intercepting its dash and leaping into the air to give her strike some extra force. The blade cut cleanly across the wolf's exposed side, a deep gash drawing a spurt of blood, a few drops splattering on her face and clothes. "Pthrari!" she exclaimed as she raised the glaive back again, her eyes meeting those of the wolf, challenging it.
The wolf howled in pain and staggered, but just as quickly turns its ire on the raging barbarian. It snapped at her legs, but she was able to quickly bring the glaive down and bat its slavering maw aside, deflecting the blow.
Another dagger sailed past the wolf, and another curse followed from Ezreal. The animal prepared to lunge again, but it was stopped short as Tash fired a bolt into the melee with great accuracy, striking it deep in its flank. Ju'lindra took a deep breath to focus herself, then struck out with her siangham again--right between the wolf's legs as it stumbled away, its movements beginning to slow now from blood loss.
The raging and powerful Keira slammed the glaive's blade in the path of the wolf's maw, and grimaced a half-smile, nervousness being overcome by adrenaline. She shoved the blade into the wolf's face, keeping it at bay while trying to get into a better position against the wolf. She'd been taught by experience that fighting in a group was the only way to overcome foes more powerful than you, and this is what she tried to achieve. Her eyes only momentarily floated to Ju'lindra, and then she pulled the blade back.
The wolf dove forward and she spun the glaive to the left, bringing it across in a low sweeping arc, catching the wolf on its side, a blow augmented by her raw power and fury, and the swinging pendulum of a blade. Thick blood splattered all over the place as the wolf fell silent and limp, dead on the end of the weapon.
Davi scurried forward once the last wolf had fallen. She drew her dagger and cleanly glided it over the throat of one of the wolves that had previously terrorized Carpal but was now in a magically conjured stupor. The cleric, one used to death--though not on such a visceral level--still had to avert her eyes as she did this.
Still, it has to be done, she acknowledged.