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Lazybones's Keep on the Shadowfell/Thunderspire Labyrinth
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 4605951" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 61</p><p></p><p></p><p>Devrem was frozen by the sight of the huge blade coming down toward his body, but Elevaren, lying prone at his feet, grunted and thrust forward against the back of the priest’s knees. Devrem fell forward, and while the tip of the sword still clipped his torso, it was a glancing blow rather than a killing strike. Elevaren crawled forward after the priest, following him out of the killing zone around the statue. </p><p></p><p>Jaron looked up to see a surging knot of undead bearing down on him and his companions. There was no time to think about what to do; his bow was lost, carried off by the flood, and Beetle was lying at his feet, still virtually helpless. </p><p></p><p>“I’m sorry,” he said, as he grabbed Beetle’s arm and yanked hard, pulling it back into its socket. Beetle cried out in pain, but there was no time to tend to him, as Jaron stood and stepped forward to keep the oncoming zombies at bay. </p><p></p><p>There were over a dozen of the undead monsters, foul, rotting things that left bits of decaying matter behind them on the damp and slippery floor as they moved forward. But their numbers gave them strength, and even as Jaron lunged at the first, several others were reaching for him with their mangled claws. His stroke bit into the meat of one of the zombies’ thighs, but while the blade carved through the rotting flesh, it did no real harm to the creature. One of the others drew its claws across his face, and he staggered back, blood trailing from gashes above his left eye. Another seized him by the collar of his cloak, and yanked him off his feet into its violent embrace. </p><p></p><p>Mara’s battle cry echoed through the room as she leapt into the fray, bringing her longsword down in a deadly arc that reduced the skull of the zombie holding Jaron to fragments of bone and gibbets of meat. The zombies pressed on her from all sides, but she held her ground, giving Jaron a chance to regain his feet. </p><p></p><p>“Fall back!” she shouted at the halflings, as zombies clawed at her armored body. Several zombies that were more intact than the swarming rotters had appeared in the midst of the group, and were pressing forward toward her. </p><p></p><p>“We won’t leave you!” Jaron yelled, but even as he spoke, a zombie came up behind Mara and smashed her hard across the shoulder blades. The fighter staggered forward and nearly fell, stumbling away from the two halflings. Several zombies surged into the gap, and rushed toward Jaron. The halfling was nearly overwhelmed again, but a knife flew over his head and buried itself to the hilt in the eye socket of the lead zombie, and it fell, delaying the advance of its companions. </p><p></p><p>“Run, Jayse!” Beetle yelled, pulling at his cousin’s sleeve. With a reluctant look at the zombies swarming all around his companions, Jaron followed his cousin back in retreat, four zombies shuffling along behind them. </p><p></p><p>Mara was nearly overwhelmed. The fighter had taken a beating from the dragon statue, and the zombies were strong for all their decrepit condition. She tried to cut one down, but her sword got fouled in the zombie’s arms, the creature paying no heed to the gashes the weapon cut in its flesh. Three zombies came at her before she could recover, grasping at her with their probing claws, seizing hold of her cloak and the sleeves of her tunic, their nails tearing the fabric as they tried to find the vulnerable flesh beneath. Thus far her armor had kept her intact, but with the zombies pressing hard it was only a matter of time before they were able to tear her apart. </p><p></p><p>Devrem stepped boldly into the midst of the press, the tip of his staff shining with silver fire. The cleric was seriously wounded, the tear in his shoulder where the stone warrior’s sword had struck oozing blood that soaked into his tunic. But the power of his goddess was with him, and the zombies fell back from that blazon, their bodies crumbling against that radiance. Fully five zombies, including those three holding Mara, came apart before his <em>turning</em>. But the two stronger ones surged ahead, defying the will of the Raven Queen, and in the doorway a still darker shadow materialized, creeping forward with a stink of decay coming in its wake. </p><p></p><p>Jaron started to turn as the zombies began to close the distance behind him and Beetle. But his cousin grabbed him and thrust him ahead. Beetle followed almost languidly, letting the zombies close the distance behind him as he veered off to the left. </p><p></p><p>“Beetle, what are you doing?” Jaron yelled. He started to come to his cousin’s aid, but Beetle’s slight smile forestalled him. The halfling rogue came to a sudden stop; the four zombies surged forward to take him. </p><p></p><p>Even as their claws extended out to grab him, Beetle stepped slightly over to his left.</p><p></p><p>The stone warrior shifted; his blade swept around in its broad arc. Beetle slid subtly to the side; the tip of the sword sliced the air inches from his face. It continued through the zombies, cleaving the first three like a scythe cutting overripe wheat. The three zombies fell to the ground in pieces. The last one, by chance a step out of range of the trap, tried to grab Beetle, but the halfling leapt nimbly out of its reach. It was almost trivial for Jaron to lunge in and cut it down with a single stroke of his sword. </p><p></p><p>In the center of the room, the battle still raged. The weaker zombie rotters had been carved away, leaving a pair of the stronger creatures, and the last arrival to the battle, and the strongest. This new foe was a ghoul, which surged forward and leapt upon Devrem, tearing with its claws and biting with powerful jaws full of jutting yellow teeth. Devrem tried to counter, but his staff proved a hindrance in such close quarters, and the silver flashes of radiant energy flickered past the creature without harming it. Its own dire power was imparted through its attacks, and the priest began to stiffen as a magical paralysis began to creep up on him. </p><p></p><p>Mara was in no position to help. The last two zombies were much stronger than the first ones, and the fighter was grievously injured. Elevaren helped her with blasts of fey magic, but the power that animated these zombies was durable, and the shimmering colors splashed over their bodies with little effect. </p><p> </p><p>Mara fought on, delivering a heavy chop that severed one of the zombies’ arms at the elbow. That affected it, but the other one lunged forward before she could recover, dragging one arm around her neck. The other one yanked at her arm with its remaining hand, pulling her off balance. She tried to twist away, but the zombie holding her only tightened its grip, dragging her into a neck lock that she could not escape. Her struggles grew weaker as it cut off her supply of air. </p><p></p><p>Even as the fighter succumbed, Devrem found himself in increasing trouble against the ghoul. It knocked his staff aside, absorbing a surge of radiant energy that only drove it to a greater fury. Grabbing onto the priest, who was already moving stiffly because of the creeping paralysis from the ghoul’s touch, the undead monster dragged him close, seizing his neck in his jaws and biting down hard. The ghoul’s bite tore flesh even through the cleric’s coif, the thin metal links parting before the monster’s ferocious strength. Devrem issued a strangled cry of pain, one that faded as the ghoul pulled him to the ground in a thrashing pile of limbs and blood.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 4605951, member: 143"] Chapter 61 Devrem was frozen by the sight of the huge blade coming down toward his body, but Elevaren, lying prone at his feet, grunted and thrust forward against the back of the priest’s knees. Devrem fell forward, and while the tip of the sword still clipped his torso, it was a glancing blow rather than a killing strike. Elevaren crawled forward after the priest, following him out of the killing zone around the statue. Jaron looked up to see a surging knot of undead bearing down on him and his companions. There was no time to think about what to do; his bow was lost, carried off by the flood, and Beetle was lying at his feet, still virtually helpless. “I’m sorry,” he said, as he grabbed Beetle’s arm and yanked hard, pulling it back into its socket. Beetle cried out in pain, but there was no time to tend to him, as Jaron stood and stepped forward to keep the oncoming zombies at bay. There were over a dozen of the undead monsters, foul, rotting things that left bits of decaying matter behind them on the damp and slippery floor as they moved forward. But their numbers gave them strength, and even as Jaron lunged at the first, several others were reaching for him with their mangled claws. His stroke bit into the meat of one of the zombies’ thighs, but while the blade carved through the rotting flesh, it did no real harm to the creature. One of the others drew its claws across his face, and he staggered back, blood trailing from gashes above his left eye. Another seized him by the collar of his cloak, and yanked him off his feet into its violent embrace. Mara’s battle cry echoed through the room as she leapt into the fray, bringing her longsword down in a deadly arc that reduced the skull of the zombie holding Jaron to fragments of bone and gibbets of meat. The zombies pressed on her from all sides, but she held her ground, giving Jaron a chance to regain his feet. “Fall back!” she shouted at the halflings, as zombies clawed at her armored body. Several zombies that were more intact than the swarming rotters had appeared in the midst of the group, and were pressing forward toward her. “We won’t leave you!” Jaron yelled, but even as he spoke, a zombie came up behind Mara and smashed her hard across the shoulder blades. The fighter staggered forward and nearly fell, stumbling away from the two halflings. Several zombies surged into the gap, and rushed toward Jaron. The halfling was nearly overwhelmed again, but a knife flew over his head and buried itself to the hilt in the eye socket of the lead zombie, and it fell, delaying the advance of its companions. “Run, Jayse!” Beetle yelled, pulling at his cousin’s sleeve. With a reluctant look at the zombies swarming all around his companions, Jaron followed his cousin back in retreat, four zombies shuffling along behind them. Mara was nearly overwhelmed. The fighter had taken a beating from the dragon statue, and the zombies were strong for all their decrepit condition. She tried to cut one down, but her sword got fouled in the zombie’s arms, the creature paying no heed to the gashes the weapon cut in its flesh. Three zombies came at her before she could recover, grasping at her with their probing claws, seizing hold of her cloak and the sleeves of her tunic, their nails tearing the fabric as they tried to find the vulnerable flesh beneath. Thus far her armor had kept her intact, but with the zombies pressing hard it was only a matter of time before they were able to tear her apart. Devrem stepped boldly into the midst of the press, the tip of his staff shining with silver fire. The cleric was seriously wounded, the tear in his shoulder where the stone warrior’s sword had struck oozing blood that soaked into his tunic. But the power of his goddess was with him, and the zombies fell back from that blazon, their bodies crumbling against that radiance. Fully five zombies, including those three holding Mara, came apart before his [i]turning[/i]. But the two stronger ones surged ahead, defying the will of the Raven Queen, and in the doorway a still darker shadow materialized, creeping forward with a stink of decay coming in its wake. Jaron started to turn as the zombies began to close the distance behind him and Beetle. But his cousin grabbed him and thrust him ahead. Beetle followed almost languidly, letting the zombies close the distance behind him as he veered off to the left. “Beetle, what are you doing?” Jaron yelled. He started to come to his cousin’s aid, but Beetle’s slight smile forestalled him. The halfling rogue came to a sudden stop; the four zombies surged forward to take him. Even as their claws extended out to grab him, Beetle stepped slightly over to his left. The stone warrior shifted; his blade swept around in its broad arc. Beetle slid subtly to the side; the tip of the sword sliced the air inches from his face. It continued through the zombies, cleaving the first three like a scythe cutting overripe wheat. The three zombies fell to the ground in pieces. The last one, by chance a step out of range of the trap, tried to grab Beetle, but the halfling leapt nimbly out of its reach. It was almost trivial for Jaron to lunge in and cut it down with a single stroke of his sword. In the center of the room, the battle still raged. The weaker zombie rotters had been carved away, leaving a pair of the stronger creatures, and the last arrival to the battle, and the strongest. This new foe was a ghoul, which surged forward and leapt upon Devrem, tearing with its claws and biting with powerful jaws full of jutting yellow teeth. Devrem tried to counter, but his staff proved a hindrance in such close quarters, and the silver flashes of radiant energy flickered past the creature without harming it. Its own dire power was imparted through its attacks, and the priest began to stiffen as a magical paralysis began to creep up on him. Mara was in no position to help. The last two zombies were much stronger than the first ones, and the fighter was grievously injured. Elevaren helped her with blasts of fey magic, but the power that animated these zombies was durable, and the shimmering colors splashed over their bodies with little effect. Mara fought on, delivering a heavy chop that severed one of the zombies’ arms at the elbow. That affected it, but the other one lunged forward before she could recover, dragging one arm around her neck. The other one yanked at her arm with its remaining hand, pulling her off balance. She tried to twist away, but the zombie holding her only tightened its grip, dragging her into a neck lock that she could not escape. Her struggles grew weaker as it cut off her supply of air. Even as the fighter succumbed, Devrem found himself in increasing trouble against the ghoul. It knocked his staff aside, absorbing a surge of radiant energy that only drove it to a greater fury. Grabbing onto the priest, who was already moving stiffly because of the creeping paralysis from the ghoul’s touch, the undead monster dragged him close, seizing his neck in his jaws and biting down hard. The ghoul’s bite tore flesh even through the cleric’s coif, the thin metal links parting before the monster’s ferocious strength. Devrem issued a strangled cry of pain, one that faded as the ghoul pulled him to the ground in a thrashing pile of limbs and blood. [/QUOTE]
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