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Last Stand of the Dorinthians
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<blockquote data-quote="Deuce Traveler" data-source="post: 5875676" data-attributes="member: 34958"><p>Dartis and Barok</p><p></p><p><span style="color: SlateGray">"This should be fun."</span> Barok grinned, drawing his weapons. </p><p>When Dartis had engaged into the fight, Barok prepared to leap off the horse and get into a flanking position. </p><p></p><p>Dartis let Barok slide off Swift. <span style="color: RoyalBlue">"Stay close until they close, Barok. Can't lose you now,"</span> said Dartis with a grin as he brought up his bow and rapidly fired a pair of arrows at the front orc. His shooting had become deadlier over practice in battle.</p><p></p><p>Barok slipped off from Swift and readied himself for oncoming orcs. Dartis broke the silence by letting two arrows fly at the largest and meanest of the group: an orc with an old scar that had blinded the warrior in the left eye. Dartis' first shot buried itself deep into the orc's right arm, but the second shot was a critically great one, going through the humanoid's right eye and taking out parts of brain while it continued its path and exited via the back of the skull. As the large orc's body fell, the remaining orcs stood dumbfounded and shaken. Dartis heard them murmur a word amongst one another: "Dul-keyar". Finally, one gathered his courage and charged, followed by the others, but because of the delay they only made it 30 feet towards the horseman. (now within 20 feet of you) Barok decided to charge the group and attacked the lead orc, but missed with his rapier.</p><p></p><p>Three more orcs appeared from down a side street, about 60 feet to the duo's right. Two looked like young warriors, but the third was smaller and wore beads while carrying a totem staff.</p><p></p><p>.........................</p><p>.........................</p><p>.......o......o.........</p><p>...........B.o..........</p><p>.....................o..</p><p>............D.....o....</p><p>.......................o</p><p>........................</p><p></p><p>Barok suddenly noticed the odds arrayed against him and cursed. Breaking off combat he tumbled to avoid the crude orcen weapons and tried to get within the cover of a building. Then he moved stealthily to try to make surprise attacks against alone and isolated orcs, looking leaders and spellcasters. Dartis would do well enough on his own if he used his superior range and mobility, but Barok knew he could never survive alone on the front line against those odds.</p><p></p><p>Dartis gave a cry of <span style="color: RoyalBlue">"Dorinthia! The Riders Return!"</span> after the lead orc went down. </p><p></p><p>Seeing the new orcs, Dartis made a quick change and fired a pair of arrows at the new smaller orc with the totem staff. Dartis had devolped a healthy respect, fear and hatred of those who could cast spells after dealing with Morduk, Nefius, and Astraughley.</p><p></p><p>Dartis moved Swift forward while firing two arrows at the orc down the road. The first hit the orc adept's leg, although the second barely missed. The creature barked an order to his comrades and they ducked into a close alley and disappeared. Dartis brought the horse forward to flank the orc Barok was escaping from and Swift struck out next, driving a hoof into the orc's back.</p><p></p><p>The creature turned around and swung at Dartis, but missed both rider and horse badly with his axe. His companions charged, one missing, but the other leaving a bloody trail along the noble's leg with his weapon.</p><p></p><p>Barok, who was holding his action once more, attacked next, using a flanking attack and catching the wounded orc in the neck, killing him.</p><p></p><p>.........................</p><p>.............o...........</p><p>..............Do........</p><p>...........B.............</p><p>.........................</p><p>.........................</p><p>.........................</p><p>.........................</p><p></p><p>Barok moved first to flank an orc focused on Dartis, and hit him from behind with a critically successful slash, separating the creature's meaty head from his body. Dartis put away his bow and switched to a sword and shield as he urged Swift to attack the remaining orc, but the hoof missed. The orc responded with another savage strike at Dartis, but the noble was able to block with his newly-held shield.</p><p></p><p>A few feet behind Barok, in an alley, was heard someone casting a spell.</p><p></p><p>..........................</p><p>..................|.......</p><p>..................<===(alley entrance)</p><p>..................|.......</p><p>............B.............</p><p>...........................</p><p>..............Do.........</p><p>..........................</p><p></p><p>Barok turned towards the sound and smiling hid himself in the shadows of the corner outside the alleymouth before rounding the corner, crouching low with his weapons at the ready.</p><p></p><p>As Barok waited, Dartis brought his blade downwards, wounding but not killing the orc in front of him. Swift also reared up, but missed. The orc got under Dartis' defenses but the noble was able to deflect the axe strike away in the last moment with the bottom of his shield.</p><p></p><p>Down the street, three orcs came forth from out of an alley. The magic-user among them cast a spell on the axe-wielding orcs as the charged forth. None of them noticed the hidden Barok off to the side.</p><p></p><p>..........................</p><p>..................|.......</p><p>..................<===(alley entrance)</p><p>.............m.B|.......</p><p>..............o.o.........</p><p>...........................</p><p>..............Do.........</p><p>..........................</p><p></p><p>******</p><p></p><p>Ventus, Nikolos and Danica</p><p></p><p>Ventus pushed through the crowd, casting around for a glimpse of their missing companions. However, the sight of the orcs attacking the manor refocused him. He quickly took in the civilians, orcs and torch, doing quick tactical calculations in his head. He'd never make it in time. Even as his mind reached this conclusion he was drawing his blade and moving forward. He pointed the sword at the torch bearing orc, calling out to Danica and Nikolos, <span style="color: PaleTurquoise">"Stop him!"</span></p><p></p><p>He rushed forward as fast as his legs would take him, his shield raised in front of him and his sword held high in defiance. He shouted a wordless battlecry as he attempted to draw the orcs' attentions.</p><p></p><p>Nikolos considered the situation, then decided that a single thrown torch was the least of their worries, at this point. There wwre ample people in that house to deal with such a matter, so long as the heroes could deal with the orcs at hand.</p><p></p><p>He said nothing though, instead simply advancing in Ventus' wake, and calling on the Seeker's power and casting <em>Bull's Strength</em> at his ally. </p><p></p><p>On Ventus' command, Danica found herself the first to act. She raised her crossbow and fired, an incredible shot that greatly injured the torch-bearing orc with a bolt deep into the back. It dropped the torch and screamed in pain while trying to drag itself back into a side street. The other orcs moved next, advancing, but not reaching the trio. They all roared and brought themselves into a barbaric bloodlust.</p><p></p><p>Nikolos had cast <em>shield of faith</em> before, and now that the orcs were visible, he reached over and touched Ventus, who felt much stronger. <em>Bull's strength</em> was placed on Ventus.</p><p></p><p>Ventus moved forward and struck, the wound that he ended up dealing the orc would have been enough to normally injure the humanoid, but the extra strength given from Nikolos' spell drove his blade an inch deeper, slaying the creature outright as his short sword touched its heart.</p><p></p><p>......._House_..........</p><p>...........................</p><p>.......................o..</p><p>............................</p><p>............................</p><p>............o......o.......</p><p>............................</p><p>............o....o..........</p><p>.............V...............</p><p>..............N..............</p><p>...............Da...........</p><p></p><p>Nikolos frowned slightly, wishing he was back with his journals. This was no place for a simple scholar to find himself. Again calling upon the aid of the Seeker, he cast <em>Protection from Evil</em> on Ventus, careful to keep an eye for any threatening orcs. Then he readied his longspear, intending to stab past the soldier when the opportunity arose.</p><p></p><p>Ventus allowed his eyes to drift from his foe for a second as the orc slumped before him. He nodded his head tersely over his shoulder. <span style="color: PaleTurquoise">"Good work, Danica."</span></p><p></p><p>He considered the orcs now arrayed against him with a dispassionate eye, standing firm with his shield raised. Outnumbered for now, he took a cautious stance and engaged the nearest orc.</p><p></p><p>Danica fired at the nearest orc, hitting once with a hard shot once more, but not felling the creature. The orcs then moved to take on Ventus, with two hitting and both bloodying the man's shoulders. The soldier countered with an enhanced strike of his own, finishing the barbarian that Danica injured. Nikolos cast his spell, and Ventus feels as if he was protected against the remaining opponents.</p><p></p><p>......._House_...........</p><p>.............................</p><p>............................o</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>...................o........</p><p>............o.o.............</p><p>.............V...............</p><p>..............N..............</p><p>...............Da...........</p><p></p><p>Ventus winced as he felt the orcish weapons bite into his flesh, but smiled with satisfaction as another orc fell. As he was slowly surrounded by the orcs, he focused more of his efforts on staying alive. He kept his shield between himself and his foes and chose his moment to strike.</p><p></p><p>Nikolos muttered something in Craecean, seeing the injuries to Ventus, before calling upon the Seeker again, feeling the prayer for <em>Endure Elements</em> fading, replaced by a small portion of the deity's power, casting a <em>Cure Light Wounds</em> on the soldier.</p><p></p><p>Another bolt was fired by Danica at the far orc, who she had a clear shot at, but it went wide. The orcs close in on Ventus, the three of them surrounding him to get a better chance at striking at him. Amazingly, they all missed, though the Imperial felt as if a holy presence turned two of the evil creatures' blades at the last minute. His return strike barely hit, and although it wounded the enraged orc badly, it did not drop him. Ventus felt Nikolos touch his shoulder after a brief prayer and sensed his wounds mending themselves somewhat .</p><p></p><p>The orc that Danica injured before disappeared into a side street.</p><p></p><p>Ventus was grateful for the aid of Nikolos, but could not spare the time to thank the man as he found himself pressed by three orcs. His mind noted the path of the wounded orc, and he scowled as he was unable to pursue it. He could only hope that it meant to flee and not attempt to do more harm.</p><p></p><p>He continued his assault against the orcs, still wary of his enemies. He fought on with silent intensity, watching his opponents' eyes, trying to predict their attacts.</p><p></p><p>Danica fired another bolt, but missed. The young girl cursed out loud, a bad habit from the time she spent with soldiers. Although Ventus was surrounded, he was able to avoid each strike except for one slice along his thigh. His return strike dropped the injured orc, however, leaving only two. Nikolos cast another spell, and the Imperial felt his protection increased.</p><p></p><p></p><p>......._House_...........</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>.............................</p><p>............o.o.............</p><p>.............V..............</p><p>..............N.............</p><p>...............Da..........</p><p></p><p>Nikolos, for his part, stabbed forward past the soldier, using the length of the spear to keep the orc on Ventus' left off-balance. "Well, Master Ventus, it cannot be said that you and your friends lead retired lives of philosophical debate."</p><p></p><p>******</p><p></p><p>Silas and Caramip</p><p></p><p>Silas quickly thrusted his son into the arms of his wife and turned to his father. <span style="color: orange">"Keep them safe, Father, and don't fight unless you must. Keep the children together. I'll deal with this."</span> He turned to look at Carmip. <span style="color: orange">"Join me in an orcish waltz?"</span> He grinned with false bravado, winked at his wife (who likely saw through his charade), and turned to meet the onrushing orcs.</p><p></p><p>In a loud voice he called, <span style="color: orange">"Kerastes! Defend the children, destroy orcs!"</span> and threw the ornate python rod onto the ground summoning forth its magics. </p><p></p><p>“<span style="color: yellow">Shhh… its O.K. my dear. They are not going to hurt you.</span>” Caramip said soothingly to the child as she let Silas’ wife take the child away from danger. “<span style="color: Yellow">Me dance?</span>” She answered Sila in a tone mirroring his, “<span style="color: Yellow">Why I did even bring the proper attire.</span>” </p><p></p><p>Turning to face the oncoming horde she offered the orcs a grin of absolute excitement. With pure glee in her voice she said, “<span style="color: yellow">No, no, no. You have this all wrong. If we are going to play Red-Rover-Red-Rover, first you have to <em>freeze</em> before you can come over.</span>" as she cast <em>hold person</em>.</p><p></p><p>Caramip's magic spell halted the lead orc in place. The other two ran by him and were continuing towards the group in a barbaric rage when Silas' staff transformed and headed straight for them. The snake practically leapt from the ground, wrapping itself in a critically successful embrace of the lead orc, which screamed in surprise. The orc's ally yelled and attacked the snake, greatly harming but not killing it.</p><p>In the distance, the duo could see three more orcs appear. Two carried totem staffs, while another was a warrior type with a battle-axe.</p><p>.........................</p><p>..........o.............</p><p>........o.....o........</p><p>........................</p><p>........................</p><p>........................</p><p>...........o...........</p><p>........................</p><p>........................</p><p>........................</p><p>........Ko.o..........</p><p>........................</p><p>........................</p><p>..........S..C........</p><p>........................</p><p></p><p>Silas' snake squeezed the orc in its coils, causing it to scream loudly. Caramip cast another spell at the orc, and suddenly it looked at the bard as if she was his best friend. However, when the bard tried to get him to kill his ally, the orc broke out of the enchantment, picked up his axe once more, and charged the gnome. He didn't get far. Silas' ray stopped him, and the children screamed as the scorched orc took two more steps before falling into a charred heap.</p><p></p><p>Another orc ran forward and chopped at the snake constricting his friend, injuring it further.</p><p></p><p>.........................</p><p>..........o.............</p><p>........o.....o........</p><p>........................</p><p>........................</p><p>.........o..............</p><p>........Ko.............</p><p>........................</p><p>........................</p><p>..........S..C.........</p><p>.........................</p><p></p><p>“<span style="color: Yellow">See that is what happens when you don’t follow the rules. No one likes a cheater,</span>” Caramip scolded the smoldering Orc. “<span style="color: Yellow">I believe that calls for a five minute <em>silence</em> penalty to the contesting team.</span>”</p><p></p><p>“<span style="color: Yellow">Sshhh. There is no need to scream little one.</span>” She said soothingly to the little girl as she cast <em>Silence (20’ radius)</em> on the left orc shaman.</p><p> </p><p>Silas inwardly cursed as the orcs hacked at the python. <em>How much damage can that thing take?</em> he wondered. And he worried about the three orcs advancing towards them. Nevertheless, he cast <em>Extended Mage Armor</em>, dashed forward unslinging his crossbow as he went, and dropped a bolt onto the guides, cranking back the string. <span style="color: orange">"Catch me if you can!"</span> he called out to the orcs.</p><p></p><p>Kerastes squeezed once more, killing the orc in its coils. Caramip finished casting her spell at the shamans. Both the shamans looked confused, as if something had just gone wrong for them. The other orc still moved forward to strike, one injuring the constrictor snake, while the second one hits with such savagery that the snake's head was caved in. In that next second, the snake transformed back into Silas' rod.</p><p></p><p>The orc's look of satisfaction soon turned into worry as he looked down the top of Silas' drawn crossbow...</p><p></p><p>.........................</p><p>........................</p><p>........o.....o........</p><p>........................</p><p>..........o.............</p><p>.........o..............</p><p>.........................</p><p>..........S.............</p><p>.........................</p><p>..............C.........</p><p>.........................</p><p></p><p>Silas cursed yet again. <span style="color: orange">"If you can't play with my toys without breaking them, then you should just go home!"</span> <em>Mother, aid me in the defense of these children,</em> he inwardly prayed. Aiming the crossbow at the orc he squeezed the trigger...</p><p></p><p>[ooc]</p><p>Glasseye's comment <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite3" alt=":(" title="Frown :(" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":(" /> They broke my pet snake!</p><p>[/ooc]</p><p></p><p>“<span style="color: Yellow">Aim for that Shaman.</span>” Shouted Catamip to the young mage. “<span style="color: Yellow">The spell will not last for long. Plus I have something in store for this one.</span>” She finished as she eyed the frightened Orc greedily. </p><p></p><p>Completely out of the blue and with an evil grin the Gnome began one of her tell-tale signs of a really bad joke“<span style="color: yellow">You know, this one time at band camp… </span>” She let loose with <em>Tasaha's Hideous Laughter</em>.</p><p></p><p>Silas, knowing that the odds against them would be overwhelming without the python, Kerastes, turned his attention to the orc following close behind the lead two orcs. <span style="color: orange">"Ah, Caramip, you should have told me that we were playing children's games. Here I am, a tad overdressed. Ah, well. Did I tell you that one of my favorite games is Tag!?"</span> With that he fired at the orc. <span style="color: orange">"You're 'It', my orc friend,"</span> he murmured.</p><p></p><p>Caramip's spell was cast without interruption, as Silas raised his crossbow and fires. The orc was injured, but not dropped. It rushed the abjurer and attacked, slashing into Silas' robes. The second orc, an adept, moved to strike the abjurer with his totem staff, but missed badly. The second adept stepped forward, but was unable to get into striking distance.</p><p></p><p>As the round ends, the last orc was no longer held, but instead fell onto the ground laughing uncontrollably.</p><p></p><p>.........................</p><p>........................</p><p>...............o........</p><p>........................</p><p>.........................</p><p>.........a...............</p><p>..........oa............</p><p>..........S.............</p><p>.........................</p><p>..............C.........</p><p>.........................</p><p></p><p>******</p><p></p><p>Writer's note: I'll be on the road for the next few days as I return to the States from Qatar. But I will try to update soon after.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Deuce Traveler, post: 5875676, member: 34958"] Dartis and Barok [COLOR=SlateGray]"This should be fun."[/COLOR] Barok grinned, drawing his weapons. When Dartis had engaged into the fight, Barok prepared to leap off the horse and get into a flanking position. Dartis let Barok slide off Swift. [COLOR=RoyalBlue]"Stay close until they close, Barok. Can't lose you now,"[/COLOR] said Dartis with a grin as he brought up his bow and rapidly fired a pair of arrows at the front orc. His shooting had become deadlier over practice in battle. Barok slipped off from Swift and readied himself for oncoming orcs. Dartis broke the silence by letting two arrows fly at the largest and meanest of the group: an orc with an old scar that had blinded the warrior in the left eye. Dartis' first shot buried itself deep into the orc's right arm, but the second shot was a critically great one, going through the humanoid's right eye and taking out parts of brain while it continued its path and exited via the back of the skull. As the large orc's body fell, the remaining orcs stood dumbfounded and shaken. Dartis heard them murmur a word amongst one another: "Dul-keyar". Finally, one gathered his courage and charged, followed by the others, but because of the delay they only made it 30 feet towards the horseman. (now within 20 feet of you) Barok decided to charge the group and attacked the lead orc, but missed with his rapier. Three more orcs appeared from down a side street, about 60 feet to the duo's right. Two looked like young warriors, but the third was smaller and wore beads while carrying a totem staff. ......................... ......................... .......o......o......... ...........B.o.......... .....................o.. ............D.....o.... .......................o ........................ Barok suddenly noticed the odds arrayed against him and cursed. Breaking off combat he tumbled to avoid the crude orcen weapons and tried to get within the cover of a building. Then he moved stealthily to try to make surprise attacks against alone and isolated orcs, looking leaders and spellcasters. Dartis would do well enough on his own if he used his superior range and mobility, but Barok knew he could never survive alone on the front line against those odds. Dartis gave a cry of [COLOR=RoyalBlue]"Dorinthia! The Riders Return!"[/COLOR] after the lead orc went down. Seeing the new orcs, Dartis made a quick change and fired a pair of arrows at the new smaller orc with the totem staff. Dartis had devolped a healthy respect, fear and hatred of those who could cast spells after dealing with Morduk, Nefius, and Astraughley. Dartis moved Swift forward while firing two arrows at the orc down the road. The first hit the orc adept's leg, although the second barely missed. The creature barked an order to his comrades and they ducked into a close alley and disappeared. Dartis brought the horse forward to flank the orc Barok was escaping from and Swift struck out next, driving a hoof into the orc's back. The creature turned around and swung at Dartis, but missed both rider and horse badly with his axe. His companions charged, one missing, but the other leaving a bloody trail along the noble's leg with his weapon. Barok, who was holding his action once more, attacked next, using a flanking attack and catching the wounded orc in the neck, killing him. ......................... .............o........... ..............Do........ ...........B............. ......................... ......................... ......................... ......................... Barok moved first to flank an orc focused on Dartis, and hit him from behind with a critically successful slash, separating the creature's meaty head from his body. Dartis put away his bow and switched to a sword and shield as he urged Swift to attack the remaining orc, but the hoof missed. The orc responded with another savage strike at Dartis, but the noble was able to block with his newly-held shield. A few feet behind Barok, in an alley, was heard someone casting a spell. .......................... ..................|....... ..................<===(alley entrance) ..................|....... ............B............. ........................... ..............Do......... .......................... Barok turned towards the sound and smiling hid himself in the shadows of the corner outside the alleymouth before rounding the corner, crouching low with his weapons at the ready. As Barok waited, Dartis brought his blade downwards, wounding but not killing the orc in front of him. Swift also reared up, but missed. The orc got under Dartis' defenses but the noble was able to deflect the axe strike away in the last moment with the bottom of his shield. Down the street, three orcs came forth from out of an alley. The magic-user among them cast a spell on the axe-wielding orcs as the charged forth. None of them noticed the hidden Barok off to the side. .......................... ..................|....... ..................<===(alley entrance) .............m.B|....... ..............o.o......... ........................... ..............Do......... .......................... ****** Ventus, Nikolos and Danica Ventus pushed through the crowd, casting around for a glimpse of their missing companions. However, the sight of the orcs attacking the manor refocused him. He quickly took in the civilians, orcs and torch, doing quick tactical calculations in his head. He'd never make it in time. Even as his mind reached this conclusion he was drawing his blade and moving forward. He pointed the sword at the torch bearing orc, calling out to Danica and Nikolos, [COLOR=PaleTurquoise]"Stop him!"[/COLOR] He rushed forward as fast as his legs would take him, his shield raised in front of him and his sword held high in defiance. He shouted a wordless battlecry as he attempted to draw the orcs' attentions. Nikolos considered the situation, then decided that a single thrown torch was the least of their worries, at this point. There wwre ample people in that house to deal with such a matter, so long as the heroes could deal with the orcs at hand. He said nothing though, instead simply advancing in Ventus' wake, and calling on the Seeker's power and casting [i]Bull's Strength[/i] at his ally. On Ventus' command, Danica found herself the first to act. She raised her crossbow and fired, an incredible shot that greatly injured the torch-bearing orc with a bolt deep into the back. It dropped the torch and screamed in pain while trying to drag itself back into a side street. The other orcs moved next, advancing, but not reaching the trio. They all roared and brought themselves into a barbaric bloodlust. Nikolos had cast [i]shield of faith[/i] before, and now that the orcs were visible, he reached over and touched Ventus, who felt much stronger. [i]Bull's strength[/i] was placed on Ventus. Ventus moved forward and struck, the wound that he ended up dealing the orc would have been enough to normally injure the humanoid, but the extra strength given from Nikolos' spell drove his blade an inch deeper, slaying the creature outright as his short sword touched its heart. ......._House_.......... ........................... .......................o.. ............................ ............................ ............o......o....... ............................ ............o....o.......... .............V............... ..............N.............. ...............Da........... Nikolos frowned slightly, wishing he was back with his journals. This was no place for a simple scholar to find himself. Again calling upon the aid of the Seeker, he cast [i]Protection from Evil[/i] on Ventus, careful to keep an eye for any threatening orcs. Then he readied his longspear, intending to stab past the soldier when the opportunity arose. Ventus allowed his eyes to drift from his foe for a second as the orc slumped before him. He nodded his head tersely over his shoulder. [COLOR=PaleTurquoise]"Good work, Danica."[/COLOR] He considered the orcs now arrayed against him with a dispassionate eye, standing firm with his shield raised. Outnumbered for now, he took a cautious stance and engaged the nearest orc. Danica fired at the nearest orc, hitting once with a hard shot once more, but not felling the creature. The orcs then moved to take on Ventus, with two hitting and both bloodying the man's shoulders. The soldier countered with an enhanced strike of his own, finishing the barbarian that Danica injured. Nikolos cast his spell, and Ventus feels as if he was protected against the remaining opponents. ......._House_........... ............................. ............................o ............................. ............................. ............................. ...................o........ ............o.o............. .............V............... ..............N.............. ...............Da........... Ventus winced as he felt the orcish weapons bite into his flesh, but smiled with satisfaction as another orc fell. As he was slowly surrounded by the orcs, he focused more of his efforts on staying alive. He kept his shield between himself and his foes and chose his moment to strike. Nikolos muttered something in Craecean, seeing the injuries to Ventus, before calling upon the Seeker again, feeling the prayer for [i]Endure Elements[/i] fading, replaced by a small portion of the deity's power, casting a [i]Cure Light Wounds[/i] on the soldier. Another bolt was fired by Danica at the far orc, who she had a clear shot at, but it went wide. The orcs close in on Ventus, the three of them surrounding him to get a better chance at striking at him. Amazingly, they all missed, though the Imperial felt as if a holy presence turned two of the evil creatures' blades at the last minute. His return strike barely hit, and although it wounded the enraged orc badly, it did not drop him. Ventus felt Nikolos touch his shoulder after a brief prayer and sensed his wounds mending themselves somewhat . The orc that Danica injured before disappeared into a side street. Ventus was grateful for the aid of Nikolos, but could not spare the time to thank the man as he found himself pressed by three orcs. His mind noted the path of the wounded orc, and he scowled as he was unable to pursue it. He could only hope that it meant to flee and not attempt to do more harm. He continued his assault against the orcs, still wary of his enemies. He fought on with silent intensity, watching his opponents' eyes, trying to predict their attacts. Danica fired another bolt, but missed. The young girl cursed out loud, a bad habit from the time she spent with soldiers. Although Ventus was surrounded, he was able to avoid each strike except for one slice along his thigh. His return strike dropped the injured orc, however, leaving only two. Nikolos cast another spell, and the Imperial felt his protection increased. ......._House_........... ............................. ............................. ............................. ............................. ............................. ............................. ............o.o............. .............V.............. ..............N............. ...............Da.......... Nikolos, for his part, stabbed forward past the soldier, using the length of the spear to keep the orc on Ventus' left off-balance. "Well, Master Ventus, it cannot be said that you and your friends lead retired lives of philosophical debate." ****** Silas and Caramip Silas quickly thrusted his son into the arms of his wife and turned to his father. [color=orange]"Keep them safe, Father, and don't fight unless you must. Keep the children together. I'll deal with this."[/color] He turned to look at Carmip. [color=orange]"Join me in an orcish waltz?"[/color] He grinned with false bravado, winked at his wife (who likely saw through his charade), and turned to meet the onrushing orcs. In a loud voice he called, [color=orange]"Kerastes! Defend the children, destroy orcs!"[/color] and threw the ornate python rod onto the ground summoning forth its magics. “[color=yellow]Shhh… its O.K. my dear. They are not going to hurt you.[/color]” Caramip said soothingly to the child as she let Silas’ wife take the child away from danger. “[COLOR=Yellow]Me dance?[/COLOR]” She answered Sila in a tone mirroring his, “[COLOR=Yellow]Why I did even bring the proper attire.[/COLOR]” Turning to face the oncoming horde she offered the orcs a grin of absolute excitement. With pure glee in her voice she said, “[color=yellow]No, no, no. You have this all wrong. If we are going to play Red-Rover-Red-Rover, first you have to [I]freeze[/I] before you can come over.[/color]" as she cast [i]hold person[/i]. Caramip's magic spell halted the lead orc in place. The other two ran by him and were continuing towards the group in a barbaric rage when Silas' staff transformed and headed straight for them. The snake practically leapt from the ground, wrapping itself in a critically successful embrace of the lead orc, which screamed in surprise. The orc's ally yelled and attacked the snake, greatly harming but not killing it. In the distance, the duo could see three more orcs appear. Two carried totem staffs, while another was a warrior type with a battle-axe. ......................... ..........o............. ........o.....o........ ........................ ........................ ........................ ...........o........... ........................ ........................ ........................ ........Ko.o.......... ........................ ........................ ..........S..C........ ........................ Silas' snake squeezed the orc in its coils, causing it to scream loudly. Caramip cast another spell at the orc, and suddenly it looked at the bard as if she was his best friend. However, when the bard tried to get him to kill his ally, the orc broke out of the enchantment, picked up his axe once more, and charged the gnome. He didn't get far. Silas' ray stopped him, and the children screamed as the scorched orc took two more steps before falling into a charred heap. Another orc ran forward and chopped at the snake constricting his friend, injuring it further. ......................... ..........o............. ........o.....o........ ........................ ........................ .........o.............. ........Ko............. ........................ ........................ ..........S..C......... ......................... “[COLOR=Yellow]See that is what happens when you don’t follow the rules. No one likes a cheater,[/COLOR]” Caramip scolded the smoldering Orc. “[COLOR=Yellow]I believe that calls for a five minute [I]silence[/I] penalty to the contesting team.[/COLOR]” “[COLOR=Yellow]Sshhh. There is no need to scream little one.[/COLOR]” She said soothingly to the little girl as she cast [i]Silence (20’ radius)[/i] on the left orc shaman. Silas inwardly cursed as the orcs hacked at the python. [i]How much damage can that thing take?[/i] he wondered. And he worried about the three orcs advancing towards them. Nevertheless, he cast [i]Extended Mage Armor[/i], dashed forward unslinging his crossbow as he went, and dropped a bolt onto the guides, cranking back the string. [color=orange]"Catch me if you can!"[/color] he called out to the orcs. Kerastes squeezed once more, killing the orc in its coils. Caramip finished casting her spell at the shamans. Both the shamans looked confused, as if something had just gone wrong for them. The other orc still moved forward to strike, one injuring the constrictor snake, while the second one hits with such savagery that the snake's head was caved in. In that next second, the snake transformed back into Silas' rod. The orc's look of satisfaction soon turned into worry as he looked down the top of Silas' drawn crossbow... ......................... ........................ ........o.....o........ ........................ ..........o............. .........o.............. ......................... ..........S............. ......................... ..............C......... ......................... Silas cursed yet again. [color=orange]"If you can't play with my toys without breaking them, then you should just go home!"[/color] [i]Mother, aid me in the defense of these children,[/i] he inwardly prayed. Aiming the crossbow at the orc he squeezed the trigger... [ooc] Glasseye's comment :( They broke my pet snake! [/ooc] “[COLOR=Yellow]Aim for that Shaman.[/COLOR]” Shouted Catamip to the young mage. “[COLOR=Yellow]The spell will not last for long. Plus I have something in store for this one.[/COLOR]” She finished as she eyed the frightened Orc greedily. Completely out of the blue and with an evil grin the Gnome began one of her tell-tale signs of a really bad joke“[color=yellow]You know, this one time at band camp… [/color]” She let loose with [i]Tasaha's Hideous Laughter[/i]. Silas, knowing that the odds against them would be overwhelming without the python, Kerastes, turned his attention to the orc following close behind the lead two orcs. [color=orange]"Ah, Caramip, you should have told me that we were playing children's games. Here I am, a tad overdressed. Ah, well. Did I tell you that one of my favorite games is Tag!?"[/color] With that he fired at the orc. [color=orange]"You're 'It', my orc friend,"[/color] he murmured. Caramip's spell was cast without interruption, as Silas raised his crossbow and fires. The orc was injured, but not dropped. It rushed the abjurer and attacked, slashing into Silas' robes. The second orc, an adept, moved to strike the abjurer with his totem staff, but missed badly. The second adept stepped forward, but was unable to get into striking distance. As the round ends, the last orc was no longer held, but instead fell onto the ground laughing uncontrollably. ......................... ........................ ...............o........ ........................ ......................... .........a............... ..........oa............ ..........S............. ......................... ..............C......... ......................... ****** Writer's note: I'll be on the road for the next few days as I return to the States from Qatar. But I will try to update soon after. [/QUOTE]
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