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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7477816" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 191</p><p></p><p>The altered Tender turned to face Kosk. The dwarf did not know whether it was undead or something else, but he had already gotten a pretty good idea that it was extremely dangerous. And from the fading echoes of Glori’s <em>thunderwave</em>, he would have given good odds that there was at least one more of them outside.</p><p></p><p>He prepared to divert its attack, but before it could lunge at him the way it had at Tenaille Majerion distracted it with a thrust from his rapier. He barely clipped it on the shoulder, but darted back quickly before it could do to him what it had done to the Ranger.</p><p></p><p>Kosk took full advantage of the distraction, charging toward the heavy door that led out of the cabin. But the creature, moving quickly, beat him to it. It slammed a hand against the wood, and Kosk could see the wood shift as it swelled in response, with sprouts of twisting brown and green erupting out of its substance. He didn’t have to try the door to know it would resist his strength as if it had been secured with a heavy lock. Whatever the thing before him was, it didn’t want any of them going anywhere.</p><p></p><p>The creature shuddered as an arrow from Darethan’s longbow slammed into it from behind. Kosk could see the point poking out slightly from its chest, but there was no blood and the wound did not seem to faze it in the least. Loriellan was next, his sword gleaming in the firelight, but once again the creature proved its speed. It carried no weapon but apparently needed none, swiping out with its arm to strike the Ranger hard in the chest. He was knocked sprawling into a table with enough force to snap off one leg and send both him and it to the floor.</p><p></p><p>Once more it turned toward Kosk, but the dwarf was ready. Even it its other arm started to reach out he leapt up and kicked off the thick threshold of the doorway, turning into a spin that drove his other foot into the thing’s chest. Strong as it was it could not resist the force of that impact, and it was knocked sprawling into the corner of the cabin. As it reached up to steady itself Kosk could see tiny sprouts extending out from its fingertips, helping it gain purchase on the uneven stone. He glanced back to see what the others were doing. Loriellan was still down but moving. Shreskra had gone to Tenaille’s aid, though it looked like the Ranger was unconscious if not worse. Darethan had fitted another arrow to his bowstring but from the look on his face he too had recognized how little an effect his first shot had had on the creature.</p><p></p><p>But Majerion had advanced to the center of the room, and as the creature began to pull itself back up he stepped forward to confront it. He carried not his rapier but his lyre, and he quickly strummed a melody that even Kosk could feel was laden with power. The magic gathered quickly, and in response the corner of the room where the creature was standing exploded into flames. They engulfed the thing, which did not cry out but struggled to get clear.</p><p></p><p>Kosk didn’t wait around to see how effective the bard’s spell was. Turning back to the door, he paused just a heartbeat to focus before spinning into another precision kick. This one struck the door at a precise point, and the thick layers of wooden planks shattered. He followed with a punch that tore the remnants out of the jam and opened a path for him to charge through. He could feel sharp splinters poking into him as he pushed out into the night. Behind him there was a heavy thud as Loriellan and Darethan thrust the damaged table into the burning creature, pushing it back into the inferno of Majerion’s <em>wall of fire</em>. One of the elves cried in pain, either from being burned or from a counterattack from the monster, but Kosk continued forward, seeking Glori and Embrae.</p><p></p><p>It only took him a moment to find them. Glori’s lyre was playing a furious melody, pulling him forward. He charged around the edge of the building to see that his earlier fear was correct; there was a second one of the Tender-creatures battling the two women. Glori was injured, one side of her face smeared with fresh blood. She turned and saw him, but to his horror that creature took advantage of that distraction to leap forward, its arms outstretched to snare her. Embrae was half a dozen paces away, too far away to immediately intervene.</p><p></p><p>He shouted a warning and sprinted forward, knowing he was too late. But to his surprise the creature passed right through her. Too late Kosk realized that the sounds of playing he had heard were being echoed by another dark figure in the shadow of the building.</p><p></p><p>The creature, having failed to catch his foe, immediately turned toward Kosk. But before it could charge again Embrae lifted her hands and unleashed a bolt of brilliant energy into the creature.</p><p></p><p>The light blinded Kosk for just a moment. The thing flinched back, and as Kosk’s vision returned he could see that the growth that covered it had been seared black. As he watched he could see its flesh crinkle and char, leaving a hole in its neck and the side of its jaw where she’d blasted it. He could also now see that there were other marks on it that suggested this wasn’t the first time she’d hit it with her power.</p><p></p><p>The creature turned toward her, but Kosk came up quickly behind it and slammed his staff hard against the backs of its knees. They buckled and the creature fell to the ground. It quickly pushed itself up again, but before it could ready another attack Embrae stepped forward and extended both hands toward the thing. She waited just a beat for Kosk to get clear, then her eyes flashed with light and a searing gout of pure fire erupted from her fingertips. The flames engulfed the creature, which struggled and flailed but could not escape. She did not cease until the thing was destroyed.</p><p></p><p>Kosk turned as Glori hurried forward to rejoin them. The wound on her face had not only been part of the illusion, he saw, but she seemed otherwise okay. “Are you all right?” she asked.</p><p></p><p>“I’m fine, but there’s another one of those things in the cabin,” Kosk said. The whole place was on fire now, with smoke pouring up from the corner where Majerion had conjured his spell.</p><p></p><p>The three of them quickly hurried back to the entrance and got there just as the elves were staggering clear of the entrance. Shreskra was carrying Tenaille, who was still unconscious, and Darethan was supporting Loriellan. Majerion turned with a look of relief as he saw Glori and the others approaching.</p><p></p><p>“Is it destroyed?” Kosk asked.</p><p></p><p>“It took some doing, but it’s not coming out of that,” Majerion said. As if in response to his words there was a loud crash as part of the damaged roof gave way, and a bright surge of fire rose up into the night sky. The four of them stared through the open doorway at the conflagration within, unwilling to leave the circle of light despite the searing heat that poured out from the dying cabin.</p><p></p><p>Shreskra staggered to her feet. “Where’s Razelle?”</p><p></p><p>Glori looked around. “We didn’t see her.”</p><p></p><p>The Ranger started to walk away from the burning cabin, but Kosk stepped forward to block her. “There might be more of those things out there. The Tender’s still missing as well, but we shouldn’t get separated.</p><p></p><p>For a moment it seemed almost as if she would ignore him, but then she glanced back at the wounded survivors of her command and nodded. Glori had already rushed over to Tenaille, while Majerion attended to Loriellan. Both Rangers responded to the healing magic that the bards commanded, and soon Tenaille was groaning as Glori eased her carefully up to a sitting position.</p><p></p><p>“Feels like… I was hit by… a battering ram,” she said.</p><p></p><p>“Whatever those things were, they were strong,” Kosk said. “What happened with you two?” he asked Glori.</p><p></p><p>“One came on me in the dark,” she said. “I thought it was Embrae at first, or maybe Razelle, but then it attacked me. It got in a good hit, but then I hit it with a <em>thunderwave</em>.”</p><p></p><p>“We heard that,” Kosk said. “But one dropped in through the roof before we could do anything.”</p><p></p><p>“Those things, they were Tenders?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>“We can’t know that for certain,” Shreskra said. “We need to find Brightbriar, and Razelle.”</p><p></p><p>“Give them a moment to recover,” Majerion said.</p><p></p><p>The Ranger leader turned toward him. “What you did in there, that was reckless. We could have all been burned to death.”</p><p></p><p>“With all due respect, Ranger, what you were doing to that point didn’t seem to be working all that well.”</p><p></p><p>Shreskra looked like she would say more, but they were interrupted as Tender Brightbriar emerged from the nearby forest and hurried toward them. “Where in all the hells have you been?” the Ranger asked, all but shouting.</p><p></p><p>“I took a walk to clear my head,” the Tender said. “What happened?”</p><p></p><p>“We were attacked,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>“By possible friends of yours,” Kosk asked.</p><p></p><p>The old elf looked confused, and after a moment Kosk said, “Let’s show him. There’s not much left of the one outside, but maybe he might have some answers.”</p><p></p><p>“I have to find Razelle,” Shreskra said. “You take him, stay here. Darethan, you’re with me. Loriellan, are you okay to scout?”</p><p></p><p>Tenaille quickly stood. “I’m all right too,” she began, but Shreskra shook her head. “Stay with them. Don’t let them out of your sight.”</p><p></p><p>To Glori it was obvious that her words had another meaning, but the Ranger leader was already heading off into the forest, flanked by her men. Kosk met her eyes and nodded in understanding. “All right, come on then,” she said to Brightbriar.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7477816, member: 143"] Chapter 191 The altered Tender turned to face Kosk. The dwarf did not know whether it was undead or something else, but he had already gotten a pretty good idea that it was extremely dangerous. And from the fading echoes of Glori’s [i]thunderwave[/i], he would have given good odds that there was at least one more of them outside. He prepared to divert its attack, but before it could lunge at him the way it had at Tenaille Majerion distracted it with a thrust from his rapier. He barely clipped it on the shoulder, but darted back quickly before it could do to him what it had done to the Ranger. Kosk took full advantage of the distraction, charging toward the heavy door that led out of the cabin. But the creature, moving quickly, beat him to it. It slammed a hand against the wood, and Kosk could see the wood shift as it swelled in response, with sprouts of twisting brown and green erupting out of its substance. He didn’t have to try the door to know it would resist his strength as if it had been secured with a heavy lock. Whatever the thing before him was, it didn’t want any of them going anywhere. The creature shuddered as an arrow from Darethan’s longbow slammed into it from behind. Kosk could see the point poking out slightly from its chest, but there was no blood and the wound did not seem to faze it in the least. Loriellan was next, his sword gleaming in the firelight, but once again the creature proved its speed. It carried no weapon but apparently needed none, swiping out with its arm to strike the Ranger hard in the chest. He was knocked sprawling into a table with enough force to snap off one leg and send both him and it to the floor. Once more it turned toward Kosk, but the dwarf was ready. Even it its other arm started to reach out he leapt up and kicked off the thick threshold of the doorway, turning into a spin that drove his other foot into the thing’s chest. Strong as it was it could not resist the force of that impact, and it was knocked sprawling into the corner of the cabin. As it reached up to steady itself Kosk could see tiny sprouts extending out from its fingertips, helping it gain purchase on the uneven stone. He glanced back to see what the others were doing. Loriellan was still down but moving. Shreskra had gone to Tenaille’s aid, though it looked like the Ranger was unconscious if not worse. Darethan had fitted another arrow to his bowstring but from the look on his face he too had recognized how little an effect his first shot had had on the creature. But Majerion had advanced to the center of the room, and as the creature began to pull itself back up he stepped forward to confront it. He carried not his rapier but his lyre, and he quickly strummed a melody that even Kosk could feel was laden with power. The magic gathered quickly, and in response the corner of the room where the creature was standing exploded into flames. They engulfed the thing, which did not cry out but struggled to get clear. Kosk didn’t wait around to see how effective the bard’s spell was. Turning back to the door, he paused just a heartbeat to focus before spinning into another precision kick. This one struck the door at a precise point, and the thick layers of wooden planks shattered. He followed with a punch that tore the remnants out of the jam and opened a path for him to charge through. He could feel sharp splinters poking into him as he pushed out into the night. Behind him there was a heavy thud as Loriellan and Darethan thrust the damaged table into the burning creature, pushing it back into the inferno of Majerion’s [i]wall of fire[/i]. One of the elves cried in pain, either from being burned or from a counterattack from the monster, but Kosk continued forward, seeking Glori and Embrae. It only took him a moment to find them. Glori’s lyre was playing a furious melody, pulling him forward. He charged around the edge of the building to see that his earlier fear was correct; there was a second one of the Tender-creatures battling the two women. Glori was injured, one side of her face smeared with fresh blood. She turned and saw him, but to his horror that creature took advantage of that distraction to leap forward, its arms outstretched to snare her. Embrae was half a dozen paces away, too far away to immediately intervene. He shouted a warning and sprinted forward, knowing he was too late. But to his surprise the creature passed right through her. Too late Kosk realized that the sounds of playing he had heard were being echoed by another dark figure in the shadow of the building. The creature, having failed to catch his foe, immediately turned toward Kosk. But before it could charge again Embrae lifted her hands and unleashed a bolt of brilliant energy into the creature. The light blinded Kosk for just a moment. The thing flinched back, and as Kosk’s vision returned he could see that the growth that covered it had been seared black. As he watched he could see its flesh crinkle and char, leaving a hole in its neck and the side of its jaw where she’d blasted it. He could also now see that there were other marks on it that suggested this wasn’t the first time she’d hit it with her power. The creature turned toward her, but Kosk came up quickly behind it and slammed his staff hard against the backs of its knees. They buckled and the creature fell to the ground. It quickly pushed itself up again, but before it could ready another attack Embrae stepped forward and extended both hands toward the thing. She waited just a beat for Kosk to get clear, then her eyes flashed with light and a searing gout of pure fire erupted from her fingertips. The flames engulfed the creature, which struggled and flailed but could not escape. She did not cease until the thing was destroyed. Kosk turned as Glori hurried forward to rejoin them. The wound on her face had not only been part of the illusion, he saw, but she seemed otherwise okay. “Are you all right?” she asked. “I’m fine, but there’s another one of those things in the cabin,” Kosk said. The whole place was on fire now, with smoke pouring up from the corner where Majerion had conjured his spell. The three of them quickly hurried back to the entrance and got there just as the elves were staggering clear of the entrance. Shreskra was carrying Tenaille, who was still unconscious, and Darethan was supporting Loriellan. Majerion turned with a look of relief as he saw Glori and the others approaching. “Is it destroyed?” Kosk asked. “It took some doing, but it’s not coming out of that,” Majerion said. As if in response to his words there was a loud crash as part of the damaged roof gave way, and a bright surge of fire rose up into the night sky. The four of them stared through the open doorway at the conflagration within, unwilling to leave the circle of light despite the searing heat that poured out from the dying cabin. Shreskra staggered to her feet. “Where’s Razelle?” Glori looked around. “We didn’t see her.” The Ranger started to walk away from the burning cabin, but Kosk stepped forward to block her. “There might be more of those things out there. The Tender’s still missing as well, but we shouldn’t get separated. For a moment it seemed almost as if she would ignore him, but then she glanced back at the wounded survivors of her command and nodded. Glori had already rushed over to Tenaille, while Majerion attended to Loriellan. Both Rangers responded to the healing magic that the bards commanded, and soon Tenaille was groaning as Glori eased her carefully up to a sitting position. “Feels like… I was hit by… a battering ram,” she said. “Whatever those things were, they were strong,” Kosk said. “What happened with you two?” he asked Glori. “One came on me in the dark,” she said. “I thought it was Embrae at first, or maybe Razelle, but then it attacked me. It got in a good hit, but then I hit it with a [i]thunderwave[/i].” “We heard that,” Kosk said. “But one dropped in through the roof before we could do anything.” “Those things, they were Tenders?” Glori asked. “We can’t know that for certain,” Shreskra said. “We need to find Brightbriar, and Razelle.” “Give them a moment to recover,” Majerion said. The Ranger leader turned toward him. “What you did in there, that was reckless. We could have all been burned to death.” “With all due respect, Ranger, what you were doing to that point didn’t seem to be working all that well.” Shreskra looked like she would say more, but they were interrupted as Tender Brightbriar emerged from the nearby forest and hurried toward them. “Where in all the hells have you been?” the Ranger asked, all but shouting. “I took a walk to clear my head,” the Tender said. “What happened?” “We were attacked,” Glori said. “By possible friends of yours,” Kosk asked. The old elf looked confused, and after a moment Kosk said, “Let’s show him. There’s not much left of the one outside, but maybe he might have some answers.” “I have to find Razelle,” Shreskra said. “You take him, stay here. Darethan, you’re with me. Loriellan, are you okay to scout?” Tenaille quickly stood. “I’m all right too,” she began, but Shreskra shook her head. “Stay with them. Don’t let them out of your sight.” To Glori it was obvious that her words had another meaning, but the Ranger leader was already heading off into the forest, flanked by her men. Kosk met her eyes and nodded in understanding. “All right, come on then,” she said to Brightbriar. [/QUOTE]
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