Lazybones? You still out there?
I'm missing my updates...
You've been an ongoing source of entertainment for a very long time, more regular than any other story hour author. I'd love to see more of this story, even if it's just enough to close out this module.
Heh, I'm still here. I do intend to finish this story, but I just haven't had much time to write of late. I did have most of two updates after this one just about ready, so here's one, and I'll see if I can get the other finished next week. I do have the second module and a few notes for continuing the story but I'm not going to commit to it at this point. If I do, there are some new character ideas I'd like to work on.
Having written a good chunk of this story in the 4e system, I think that the round-by-round style I typically use may have to give way to more summative posts. The combats drag way out by comparison with 3.xe, and while that works okay in a game environment, it makes the story drag somewhat (IMO).
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Chapter 43
Glowing fey lights passed through the curtain in the back of the storeroom. The flickered in the air and took on solid form, coalescing into the form of Elevaren. The warlock lifted a hand and invoked
witchfire, drawing a scream from the goblin sharpshooter as white flames streaked from his eyes and ears.
Despite his grievous wounds, Beetle shot up and lunged at the goblin as he turned to face the new threat. Drawing out his last dagger, he stabbed wildly at the goblin, piercing its side and back. The goblin swung the bow in his off-hand like a club, smashing Beetle across the brow and knocking him onto his back. But Elevaren followed up with an
eldritch blast that drove the goblin to his knees, and a moment later he toppled over, unconscious.
The warlock moved forward to come to Jaron’s aid, but his opponent had already seen the way that the battle was going. As Jaron parried another swing of his sword, the goblin reached out and grabbed the bolt jutting from the halfling’s chest, twisting it in the wound. Jaron cried out and fell back, nearly losing his footing altogether. The goblin took advantage of the distraction to disengage, falling back toward the door before Elevaren could hit him with another blast of fey magic.
He would have gotten away had it not been for Mara, who stepped into view in the open doorway just a second before the goblin got there. Seeing that his escape was blocked, the goblin still tried to push past, yelling a challenge as he lunged at the fighter. Mara blocked his thrust easily, and responded with a blow that sent the goblin reeling. He fell back into the room, where he found few good options facing him. He started toward Elevaren, perhaps intending to try to get around him and past the curtain, but the warlock hexed him with an
eyebite, and he was unable to protect himself as Mara came up behind him and delivered a smash to the back of his head with the hilt of her longsword that laid him out, unconscious.
Jaron had immediately rushed to Beetle’s side, and was cradling in his arms, trying to staunch the flow of blood from his scalp with a pad of cloth. “Devrem! We need you in here!” Mara yelled, coming over to help him. Jaron looked little better than his cousin, with the crossbow bolt still jutting from his chest. “Here, let me,” Mara said, sheathing her swords. She took the crude bandage and lifted the crippled halfling in the crook of her arm, laying him carefully atop a row of crates. Beetle groaned, but otherwise did not stir.
Jaron tried to follow them, but with the rush of battle fading his own injuries caught up to him, and he slumped against a barrel, clinging to it to keep from falling to the ground. Elevaren went to him, kneeling in the sticky mess of ale and blood spread across the floor. “Try not to move. This will need to come out, but Devrem should be here when it happens, to heal you.”
“Did you get the others? The goblins, I mean.”
“Yes. They had us outnumbered, but the cleric summoned his shadow-raven again, and it threw the enemy line into chaos at the door.”
“The
guardian of faith is a potent ally,” Devrem said as he entered the room. He took in the scene in a single sweeping glance. To Jaron, the cleric’s expression seemed unchanged when he shifted his eyes from the corpses splayed out across the floor to his companions. To a priest of death, life probably had little meaning, he thought.
In fact, it was the opposite, but he could not know that.
“Beetle... needs help...” Jaron said. He tried to get up, but his limbs failed to obey his commands, and Elevaren had to hold him to keep him from tumbling over.
“I can see that,” Devrem said, crossing quickly to where Mara held the dying halfling. “Do not move; that bolt will kill you if you let it. I will get to you as soon as I can.”
The death-priest moved swiftly. He pulled away the bandage, laying the terrible gash bare. Fresh blood spurted from the wound, and stained his fingers as he laid his hands upon Beetle’s head. The cleric summoned the blessed divine power of his patron. The silver fire flashed around the brooch of the silver raven at his breast, and between his fingers. The flow of blood coming from Beetle’s head eased, and the skin knit shut under Devrem’s touch. The cleric sagged slightly as the magic faded. Beetle lay quietly, but his sleep was natural now, almost peaceful.
Devrem turned to Jaron. “The goblin?” Mara asked.
“Escaped to the south, via the double doors,” Devrem said. His cold blue eyes held Jaron’s. “I will not be able to use my magic again for a few minutes,” he said. “It is important that you remain still until I can extract the bolt.” Elevaren made sure that he wasn’t going to fall when he released him, then the warlock moved to the door, to keep watch.
Jaron nodded slightly. “The goblin that escaped, was it the leader?”
“Who knows,” Mara said. “He was a fat bastard, though, even for a goblin. All he did during the battle was shoot off a few bolts; once things started to turn, he took off fast enough.”
“Do you think...” Jaron began, breaking off as he coughed. When he wiped his mouth, blood stained the cuff, but he shook his head at Devrem’s offered hand. “Do you think there are more of them?”
“We haven’t faced Kalarel yet,” Devrem said. “And I suspect there is more to this complex than what we have seen thus far.”
“We are in no shape to face additional foes at this point,” Mara said. “We must withdraw.”
Jaron watched Devrem’s face. For a moment he thought that the priest would argue, but finally he nodded.