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<blockquote data-quote="Milo Windby" data-source="post: 1695" data-attributes="member: 202"><p><strong>Keep of the Borderlands -part sixteen (session 4)</strong></p><p></p><p>Milo and the adventurers emerged from the cavern into the gloomy half-light that seemed to pervade the gorge. It was a short hike to the next cavern opening along the slope. Brigit and Mazi followed a few feet behind Milo with Jeremiah bringing up the rear. Milo approached the entrance carefully, stepping inside with a cat-like tread.</p><p></p><p>Just about five paces in he spied a thin wire suspended between the cavern walls. He motioned for everyone to stop. Following the strand with his eyes he could see it lead up the right-hand wall to the ceiling. When he looked up he saw to what the wire was attached. A large net stretched across the ceiling. It was covered with what looked like tar and spanned from two paces back to five or so paces down the tunnel. Just past where the net was hanging they could make out an intersection. The passage continued straight while two branches went off from either side. Milo and the crew slowly backed out of the cavern to regroup and plan.</p><p></p><p><em>"How about we make a lot of noise and attract whatever guards that are in there?"</em> Milo suggested. <em>"They'll come running, thinking someone is caught in their trap, then we can surprise them."</em></p><p></p><p><em>"Wi'out springin' tha trap? Don' ya think they'll be a bit suspicious if they come a'runnin' and they see that their trap ain't sprung?"</em> Brigit retorted.</p><p></p><p><em>"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well how do we spring it without getting caught? The wire is right under the net."</em> Milo said.</p><p></p><p><em>"I know a spell that would do the trick perfectly."</em> Mazi interjected. <em>"I haven't had the opportunity to use it much yet. I can spring the trap from here and we can wait for the guards to come from out here. We all have the range to hit them."</em></p><p></p><p><em>"Perfect Mazi! Any objections?"</em> Milo asked Brigit and Jeremiah, when there were none given, <em>"Ok then, everyone get your bows out and Mazi can do her stuff."</em></p><p></p><p>The group arrayed themselves right at the parameter of the net, Mazi and Brigit directly in front of it while Jeremiah and Milo waited behind them just outside of the entrance. Mazi spoke some arcane words and made a few slight gestures with her hands. A faint light emanated from her fingers before floating out away from the concentrating elf. The light slowly moved towards the tripwire. When it reached the destination the glow rested on the wire, then snapped forward. The net came down with a loud clatter, there were rocks to weigh down the edges. </p><p></p><p>Mazi brushed her hands off each other while she grinned in satisfaction. She readied her bow and crouched with Brigit, aiming down the passage. Before long stamping feet could be heard approaching from a distance. Four orcs rounded the corner, armed with swords. Brigit and Jer shot their arrows at the first orc they saw. Brigit's missile flew past its ear, but Jeremiah's sunk deep into its chest. The orc died in mid-run. Milo fired his crossbow at the other sword-bearing orc. He too sunk his missile into the beast's chest, killing it in mid-stride. </p><p></p><p>Mazi could see from her vantagepoint over half a dozen more orcs with swords approaching. She realized that the monsters would be on them in no time and put away her bow. She wanted to have her sword ready to take out the orcs at close range. </p><p></p><p>Brigit and Jeremiah began to draw their own melee weapons. The dwarf and human moved towards the intersection and the orcs, being careful not to get their feet caught in the tarred net. Ahead of them Mazi had already drawn her long sword. She slashed expertly at the first orc to approach her. Her blade cut into its throat, the wound was critical. The orc fell with a spray of blood from its neck. Milo winged one of the other orcs visible to him. His bolt barely caught the beast on the arm as it raced by. An orc made a move to attack Mazi. She parried the blow with expert skill, her hand twisted and the orc's sword clattered to the floor. The shocked orc ran for its weapon. </p><p></p><p>One other orc attacked the elf but she blocked his sword thrust as well. She began her graceful sword dance, weaving away from attacks and moving in to slash at the openings. Rather than face the willowy elf and her strange swordplay, another orc advanced on Jeremiah. The creature scored a blow with its sword, slicing a nasty gash along Jeremiah's upper arm as it bypassed his guard.</p><p></p><p>Jeremiah tried to return the blow but nearly lost his sword from his weakened grip. He held onto the hilt firmly and avoided the fumble. Brigit moved up to engage her hated enemy. The orc she attacked growled as it dodged her waraxe. It too recognized it's ancestral adversary. Another orc from the left passageway pressed in on Brigit. Neither was able to breach her defense as she wielded her shield before their blows. </p><p></p><p>The orc that dropped its sword finally recovered it and jumped back up before Mazi. She was busy attempting to dispatch the orc that Milo wounded. Her sword danced in the air but failed to make contact. The orc had no more luck hitting her. Her spins and twists made Mazi an elusive target. Milo fired his bolt at the wounded orc. The quarrel whizzed past, breaking on the cavern wall behind it. </p><p></p><p><em>"Keep moving orc, doesn't matter. You're going down."</em> Milo muttered at the beast.</p><p></p><p>Milo hurriedly reloaded his crossbow as the action continued before him.</p><p> He fired off his crossbow at the bleeding monster facing Mazi. It sunk home and the orc fell back. Brigit moved forward to engage more orcs, staying within the initial passage so none of the foe could surround them. She missed her target and snarled at the elusive orc. </p><p></p><p><em>"Move Mazi, please."</em> Jeremiah said to the elf almost impatiently. Because of their positioning he could not bring his greatsword to bear. Mazi grumbled a bit but took a step back, disengaging from the orc that tried to hit her. She sheathed her sword and drew her bow. Milo hoped that bad feelings weren't going to form between the two.</p><p></p><p>Jeremiah swung his sword in front of himself. The great blade cleaved through two orcs in one blow. Mazi nodded appreciatively as she knocked an arrow to her bow. <em> Maybe they'll be all right after all,</em> Milo thought. </p><p></p><p>Two heavy bolts flew at Jeremiah and Brigit. It seemed that they had come in range of some crossbowmen in the back. Both bolts missed the adventurers but they did serve to hasten their efforts. They needed to get to the orcs in the rear before they reloaded. A clatter came from the other passage. Four more orcs followed by two more heavy crossbowmen charged down the tunnel. The two orcs before Brigit and Jeremiah attacked. Jeremiah batted the sword away with his own weapon while Brigit fended off the attack with her shield.</p><p></p><p>Brigit followed her successful block with a doubly successful attack. Her ax hacked through the orc in front of her and continued on to the orc before Jeremiah. The second beast didn't even see the blow coming as her ax cut its spine in two. Jeremiah charged past the corpses to attack the orcs that were preparing to reload their crossbows. Milo fired off a bolt at one of the orcs from the other tunnel. The orc moved forward right before the quarrel struck and it fell to the floor.</p><p></p><p>This put him in the line of fire of the fresh crossbowmen from behind. Luckily for Jeremiah they had to shoot past their own comrades and were unable to aim accurately. The other orcs turned their crossbows around and tried to club Jeremiah with them. Jer swatted them away with his sword and stabbed at the beasts. He missed, but the barbarian did strike fear into the orc's faces. The look they gave each other hinted that they would have fled, if a barked orcish command hadn't stopped them dead in their tracks. Milo spotted a huge orc stomping down the passage straight ahead. He could also make out another guard and a female with the leader. It shouted more commands in its snarling voice and the orcs rallied against the group.</p><p></p><p>Milo fired his crossbow again, this time his shot went high. He had tried to avoid hitting Brigit who was engaged with the orc front. She heaved her ax down through the shoulder of her enemy. The ax head sliced through the orc as if it weren't there. Jeremiah swung his great sword at the two crossbow men. Splinters flew as the heavy blade bit into their weapons. The orcs were soon to follow the crossbows into oblivion, as his weapon sliced through them both in one powerful motion.</p><p></p><p>More orcs moved up to Jer and Brigit. They attacked swiftly and caught the adventurers off guard. Jeremiah was wounded in the side by one of the wicked long swords. Brigit bled profusely from a ragged wound caused by a stabbing thrust. The sword had found one of the few chinks in her armor and the orc wielding it had twisted the blade as he withdrew. </p><p></p><p>The other two crossbowmen were busy cranking their strings to fire another volley. Up the other passage the orc leader's guard moved towards the combat. Behind him the leader waited with arms folded across its chest, waiting for the outcome to be more certain before it committed itself to the battle.</p><p></p><p>In the original passage Milo and Mazi took aim separately and fired. Mazi's arrow flew down the hallway, missing the general maelstrom of the melee. It skimmed along the wall for a few moments before falling to the earth. Milo's bolt pierced his target's chest, the flight protruding from its breastbone. </p><p></p><p>Near the dying orc Brigit's ax scythed through the air. Two more orcs fell from her viscous onslaught. She vanquished many of her hated enemies that day. Jer swung his sword next to Brigit, but no orcs fell from his blow. The porcine beasts were wary after Brigit's massive attacks. After his mighty swing the beasts pounced on Jeremiah, both of them slashing at him with their long swords. He took two ugly wounds from the viscous attack. </p><p></p><p>Mazi fired her bow at the crossbowmen, which in turn fired their weapons at the hated dwarf. None of the missiles found their targets. Mazi reached back for another arrow as the orcs bent down to crank their strings back into position. </p><p></p><p>Down the main passage the leader and his female started towards the fray. The leader evidently decided that he could turn the tide of the battle. They were blocked from direct combat by the other orcs facing Brigit and Jeremiah. The leader shouted something in orcish and pointed its sword at Brigit. Apparently it wanted a chance to fight its despised foe. Milo noticed as the orc drew near that it was armored completely in plate. He grimaced before turning his attention to his friends.</p><p></p><p>Milo was concerned about Jeremiah. He noticed that the barbarian's wounds were bleeding badly and thought that Jer may not be on his feet much longer. He chanted quickly and ran up to place his hands on his companion. A powerful feeling of well being emanated from his hands into Jeremiah. His wounds closed and he drew in a deep breath, invigorated by the stronger spell. Milo was getting better at this healing thing.</p><p></p><p>Brigit brought her ax down on the last normal orc that they faced. She spit on its corpse before surveying the scene. There was still the two crossbowmen, reloading their weapons, as well as the leader, his female, and his guard. Brigit saw the leader charge at Jeremiah, its sword held high and its shield poised in front of it. The sword came down in a feint before thrusting forward past Jer's sword block. It pierced his abdomen and started another bleeding wound. Jeremiah was unable to recover in time to retaliate. His great sword swished through the air, inches from his attacker.</p><p></p><p>Mazi spied the opening left by her friends' movement. She slung her bow across her back and moved to engage the crossbowmen with her longsword. The orcs took a lesson from their compatriots just moments before. They turned their crossbows around, abandoning hope of reloading in time, and brandished the weapons as clubs. Neither was able to hit the nimble and graceful elf with their clumsy makeshift cudgels.</p><p></p><p>Before the orc leader could attack Jeremiah or Brigit again Milo began a different chant. He finished and pointed dramatically at the orc leader. The beast threw its head back in a throaty laugh at the diminutive halfling. When it tried to move forward it stopped laughing. Its limbs were frozen in place. A look of fear and terror filled its eyes. It was Milo's turn to laugh.</p><p></p><p>Three things happened in quick succession. Brigit gave a mighty heave and swung her waraxe straight down the middle of the leader's orc guard. The beast was cut in two separate pieces. A mist of blood suspended for a brief moment between them before they topple to the ground on either side. Next Jeremiah stood up straight and peered at the frozen orc. A broad smile spread across his face. He lined up his sword with the leader's unprotected face and pulled back. He thrust forward with his whole frame, splitting the orc leader's head in two. Lastly, Mazi slashed her sword past the upheld crossbow of the orc before her, slicing through the beast's armor and chest.</p><p></p><p>The orc female realized that she was out numbered and in serious trouble. She turned up the main hall and fled. The other crossbowman made a feeble stroke at Mazi. She sidestepped the crossbow as Jeremiah charged towards it. He ran the orc straight through and skidded to a halt. He pushed the orc off his sword with his boot.</p><p></p><p>Milo, Brigit, and Mazi chased the female up the passage. They caught up to it around the corner and in front of a wooden door. It stopped fumbling with the door and turned to run again. Brigit cut her down in her tracks before she could take more than a half step. </p><p></p><p><em>"Ah, nuthin like a good ole fashioned orc slaughter, eh boyos?"</em> Brigit said as she leaned on her ax.</p><p></p><p><em>"Riiiiggghhht."</em> Milo said as he breathed heavily from the run.</p><p></p><p>The four adventurers returned to the intersection, viewing the mass destruction that lay at their feet. <em>If nothing else,</em> thought Milo, <em>we're clearing these caves of the hordes of orcs, kobolds, goblins, and other assorted beasties.</em> Just as he started to think about the undead army and their contribution to its forces the past few days, Milo saw Brigit hacking away at a corpse.</p><p></p><p><em>"Just- in- case- tha'- robed- guy- tries- ta- raise- these- suckers-"</em> Brigit said in-between swings, <em>"I'm- gonna- make- it- hard- for- the- bugger- ta- get- any- satisfaction!"</em> By the time she was done talking four of the orcs were completely dismembered, head, legs, and arms. </p><p></p><p><em>"Hmm, not a bad idea. How about we check them for valuables before we hack them to pieces though?"</em> Milo replied.</p><p></p><p>They got down to the business of stripping the bodies of valuables. The leader had a silver belt with a gold buckle, Brigit stashed it in her pack for safekeeping. In the belt was a handaxe. The haft was crafted of bone and the head was exceedingly good craftsmanship. They decided to stow it for later examination, not wanting to throw something potentially valuable at a lowly enemy. The leader's sword had a beautiful gem embedded in the pommel of the hilt. Mazi snatched the sword up and examined the stone. She weighed it against her own sword, obviously considering using the new weapon for aesthetic reasons alone. Milo grinned at the vain elf.</p><p></p><p>They decided to strip the plate mail from the orc and bury it to take back to town later. Milo tossed the shield in with it. The pile of armor was left near the entrance so they could check out the rest of the cavern before heading out. Jeremiah helped Brigit finish dismembering the corpses. The grisly work took a few minutes and Milo and Mazi spent the time discussing differences in divine and arcane spells.</p><p></p><p>After the human and dwarf were finished the four traveled back up to where the female fell. Milo spotted an ivory bracelet around her thick wrist. It wouldn't fit Mazi's slender arm so he stashed it for later. </p><p></p><p>The door was unlocked, the female had almost made it in before they struck her down. Inside they found some crude furniture and a bed. On a table next to the bed a copper bowl sat filled with garbage. Milo dumped it out and looked over the bowl. It would fetch a good price for its quality. In the corner they found an untapped barrel of wine. Brigit, ever the connoisseur, recognized the vintage stamp and pronounced to be high quality wine. Good enough to haul back with them, for drinking or selling. The last thing they found was a coin bag tied with a rope. Inside were fifty platinum pieces. Milo whistled at the haul. All told he guessed they had in excess of two thousand gold pieces of money and valuables.</p><p></p><p>Before they went any further Milo decided to use one of his magic detection spells on all of the items they came across. They returned to the entrance and placed all of the new gear next to the pile of plate mail. Milo spoke the minor cantrip and gestured to the pile. Two faint glows could be detected. One came from the bone-hafted handaxe, the other from the rope that tied the coin purse. </p><p></p><p><em>"Interesting! I wonder what this rope does?"</em> Milo said as he fingered the braided rope. <em>"We need to get this stuff identified."</em> Milo considered what he said and the reason they were in the caves. <em>"But not until we find those cups."</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Milo Windby, post: 1695, member: 202"] [b]Keep of the Borderlands -part sixteen (session 4)[/b] Milo and the adventurers emerged from the cavern into the gloomy half-light that seemed to pervade the gorge. It was a short hike to the next cavern opening along the slope. Brigit and Mazi followed a few feet behind Milo with Jeremiah bringing up the rear. Milo approached the entrance carefully, stepping inside with a cat-like tread. Just about five paces in he spied a thin wire suspended between the cavern walls. He motioned for everyone to stop. Following the strand with his eyes he could see it lead up the right-hand wall to the ceiling. When he looked up he saw to what the wire was attached. A large net stretched across the ceiling. It was covered with what looked like tar and spanned from two paces back to five or so paces down the tunnel. Just past where the net was hanging they could make out an intersection. The passage continued straight while two branches went off from either side. Milo and the crew slowly backed out of the cavern to regroup and plan. [I]"How about we make a lot of noise and attract whatever guards that are in there?"[/I] Milo suggested. [I]"They'll come running, thinking someone is caught in their trap, then we can surprise them."[/I] [I]"Wi'out springin' tha trap? Don' ya think they'll be a bit suspicious if they come a'runnin' and they see that their trap ain't sprung?"[/I] Brigit retorted. [I]"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well how do we spring it without getting caught? The wire is right under the net."[/I] Milo said. [I]"I know a spell that would do the trick perfectly."[/I] Mazi interjected. [I]"I haven't had the opportunity to use it much yet. I can spring the trap from here and we can wait for the guards to come from out here. We all have the range to hit them."[/I] [I]"Perfect Mazi! Any objections?"[/I] Milo asked Brigit and Jeremiah, when there were none given, [I]"Ok then, everyone get your bows out and Mazi can do her stuff."[/I] The group arrayed themselves right at the parameter of the net, Mazi and Brigit directly in front of it while Jeremiah and Milo waited behind them just outside of the entrance. Mazi spoke some arcane words and made a few slight gestures with her hands. A faint light emanated from her fingers before floating out away from the concentrating elf. The light slowly moved towards the tripwire. When it reached the destination the glow rested on the wire, then snapped forward. The net came down with a loud clatter, there were rocks to weigh down the edges. Mazi brushed her hands off each other while she grinned in satisfaction. She readied her bow and crouched with Brigit, aiming down the passage. Before long stamping feet could be heard approaching from a distance. Four orcs rounded the corner, armed with swords. Brigit and Jer shot their arrows at the first orc they saw. Brigit's missile flew past its ear, but Jeremiah's sunk deep into its chest. The orc died in mid-run. Milo fired his crossbow at the other sword-bearing orc. He too sunk his missile into the beast's chest, killing it in mid-stride. Mazi could see from her vantagepoint over half a dozen more orcs with swords approaching. She realized that the monsters would be on them in no time and put away her bow. She wanted to have her sword ready to take out the orcs at close range. Brigit and Jeremiah began to draw their own melee weapons. The dwarf and human moved towards the intersection and the orcs, being careful not to get their feet caught in the tarred net. Ahead of them Mazi had already drawn her long sword. She slashed expertly at the first orc to approach her. Her blade cut into its throat, the wound was critical. The orc fell with a spray of blood from its neck. Milo winged one of the other orcs visible to him. His bolt barely caught the beast on the arm as it raced by. An orc made a move to attack Mazi. She parried the blow with expert skill, her hand twisted and the orc's sword clattered to the floor. The shocked orc ran for its weapon. One other orc attacked the elf but she blocked his sword thrust as well. She began her graceful sword dance, weaving away from attacks and moving in to slash at the openings. Rather than face the willowy elf and her strange swordplay, another orc advanced on Jeremiah. The creature scored a blow with its sword, slicing a nasty gash along Jeremiah's upper arm as it bypassed his guard. Jeremiah tried to return the blow but nearly lost his sword from his weakened grip. He held onto the hilt firmly and avoided the fumble. Brigit moved up to engage her hated enemy. The orc she attacked growled as it dodged her waraxe. It too recognized it's ancestral adversary. Another orc from the left passageway pressed in on Brigit. Neither was able to breach her defense as she wielded her shield before their blows. The orc that dropped its sword finally recovered it and jumped back up before Mazi. She was busy attempting to dispatch the orc that Milo wounded. Her sword danced in the air but failed to make contact. The orc had no more luck hitting her. Her spins and twists made Mazi an elusive target. Milo fired his bolt at the wounded orc. The quarrel whizzed past, breaking on the cavern wall behind it. [I]"Keep moving orc, doesn't matter. You're going down."[/I] Milo muttered at the beast. Milo hurriedly reloaded his crossbow as the action continued before him. He fired off his crossbow at the bleeding monster facing Mazi. It sunk home and the orc fell back. Brigit moved forward to engage more orcs, staying within the initial passage so none of the foe could surround them. She missed her target and snarled at the elusive orc. [I]"Move Mazi, please."[/I] Jeremiah said to the elf almost impatiently. Because of their positioning he could not bring his greatsword to bear. Mazi grumbled a bit but took a step back, disengaging from the orc that tried to hit her. She sheathed her sword and drew her bow. Milo hoped that bad feelings weren't going to form between the two. Jeremiah swung his sword in front of himself. The great blade cleaved through two orcs in one blow. Mazi nodded appreciatively as she knocked an arrow to her bow. [I] Maybe they'll be all right after all,[/i] Milo thought. Two heavy bolts flew at Jeremiah and Brigit. It seemed that they had come in range of some crossbowmen in the back. Both bolts missed the adventurers but they did serve to hasten their efforts. They needed to get to the orcs in the rear before they reloaded. A clatter came from the other passage. Four more orcs followed by two more heavy crossbowmen charged down the tunnel. The two orcs before Brigit and Jeremiah attacked. Jeremiah batted the sword away with his own weapon while Brigit fended off the attack with her shield. Brigit followed her successful block with a doubly successful attack. Her ax hacked through the orc in front of her and continued on to the orc before Jeremiah. The second beast didn't even see the blow coming as her ax cut its spine in two. Jeremiah charged past the corpses to attack the orcs that were preparing to reload their crossbows. Milo fired off a bolt at one of the orcs from the other tunnel. The orc moved forward right before the quarrel struck and it fell to the floor. This put him in the line of fire of the fresh crossbowmen from behind. Luckily for Jeremiah they had to shoot past their own comrades and were unable to aim accurately. The other orcs turned their crossbows around and tried to club Jeremiah with them. Jer swatted them away with his sword and stabbed at the beasts. He missed, but the barbarian did strike fear into the orc's faces. The look they gave each other hinted that they would have fled, if a barked orcish command hadn't stopped them dead in their tracks. Milo spotted a huge orc stomping down the passage straight ahead. He could also make out another guard and a female with the leader. It shouted more commands in its snarling voice and the orcs rallied against the group. Milo fired his crossbow again, this time his shot went high. He had tried to avoid hitting Brigit who was engaged with the orc front. She heaved her ax down through the shoulder of her enemy. The ax head sliced through the orc as if it weren't there. Jeremiah swung his great sword at the two crossbow men. Splinters flew as the heavy blade bit into their weapons. The orcs were soon to follow the crossbows into oblivion, as his weapon sliced through them both in one powerful motion. More orcs moved up to Jer and Brigit. They attacked swiftly and caught the adventurers off guard. Jeremiah was wounded in the side by one of the wicked long swords. Brigit bled profusely from a ragged wound caused by a stabbing thrust. The sword had found one of the few chinks in her armor and the orc wielding it had twisted the blade as he withdrew. The other two crossbowmen were busy cranking their strings to fire another volley. Up the other passage the orc leader's guard moved towards the combat. Behind him the leader waited with arms folded across its chest, waiting for the outcome to be more certain before it committed itself to the battle. In the original passage Milo and Mazi took aim separately and fired. Mazi's arrow flew down the hallway, missing the general maelstrom of the melee. It skimmed along the wall for a few moments before falling to the earth. Milo's bolt pierced his target's chest, the flight protruding from its breastbone. Near the dying orc Brigit's ax scythed through the air. Two more orcs fell from her viscous onslaught. She vanquished many of her hated enemies that day. Jer swung his sword next to Brigit, but no orcs fell from his blow. The porcine beasts were wary after Brigit's massive attacks. After his mighty swing the beasts pounced on Jeremiah, both of them slashing at him with their long swords. He took two ugly wounds from the viscous attack. Mazi fired her bow at the crossbowmen, which in turn fired their weapons at the hated dwarf. None of the missiles found their targets. Mazi reached back for another arrow as the orcs bent down to crank their strings back into position. Down the main passage the leader and his female started towards the fray. The leader evidently decided that he could turn the tide of the battle. They were blocked from direct combat by the other orcs facing Brigit and Jeremiah. The leader shouted something in orcish and pointed its sword at Brigit. Apparently it wanted a chance to fight its despised foe. Milo noticed as the orc drew near that it was armored completely in plate. He grimaced before turning his attention to his friends. Milo was concerned about Jeremiah. He noticed that the barbarian's wounds were bleeding badly and thought that Jer may not be on his feet much longer. He chanted quickly and ran up to place his hands on his companion. A powerful feeling of well being emanated from his hands into Jeremiah. His wounds closed and he drew in a deep breath, invigorated by the stronger spell. Milo was getting better at this healing thing. Brigit brought her ax down on the last normal orc that they faced. She spit on its corpse before surveying the scene. There was still the two crossbowmen, reloading their weapons, as well as the leader, his female, and his guard. Brigit saw the leader charge at Jeremiah, its sword held high and its shield poised in front of it. The sword came down in a feint before thrusting forward past Jer's sword block. It pierced his abdomen and started another bleeding wound. Jeremiah was unable to recover in time to retaliate. His great sword swished through the air, inches from his attacker. Mazi spied the opening left by her friends' movement. She slung her bow across her back and moved to engage the crossbowmen with her longsword. The orcs took a lesson from their compatriots just moments before. They turned their crossbows around, abandoning hope of reloading in time, and brandished the weapons as clubs. Neither was able to hit the nimble and graceful elf with their clumsy makeshift cudgels. Before the orc leader could attack Jeremiah or Brigit again Milo began a different chant. He finished and pointed dramatically at the orc leader. The beast threw its head back in a throaty laugh at the diminutive halfling. When it tried to move forward it stopped laughing. Its limbs were frozen in place. A look of fear and terror filled its eyes. It was Milo's turn to laugh. Three things happened in quick succession. Brigit gave a mighty heave and swung her waraxe straight down the middle of the leader's orc guard. The beast was cut in two separate pieces. A mist of blood suspended for a brief moment between them before they topple to the ground on either side. Next Jeremiah stood up straight and peered at the frozen orc. A broad smile spread across his face. He lined up his sword with the leader's unprotected face and pulled back. He thrust forward with his whole frame, splitting the orc leader's head in two. Lastly, Mazi slashed her sword past the upheld crossbow of the orc before her, slicing through the beast's armor and chest. The orc female realized that she was out numbered and in serious trouble. She turned up the main hall and fled. The other crossbowman made a feeble stroke at Mazi. She sidestepped the crossbow as Jeremiah charged towards it. He ran the orc straight through and skidded to a halt. He pushed the orc off his sword with his boot. Milo, Brigit, and Mazi chased the female up the passage. They caught up to it around the corner and in front of a wooden door. It stopped fumbling with the door and turned to run again. Brigit cut her down in her tracks before she could take more than a half step. [I]"Ah, nuthin like a good ole fashioned orc slaughter, eh boyos?"[/I] Brigit said as she leaned on her ax. [I]"Riiiiggghhht."[/I] Milo said as he breathed heavily from the run. The four adventurers returned to the intersection, viewing the mass destruction that lay at their feet. [I]If nothing else,[/I] thought Milo, [I]we're clearing these caves of the hordes of orcs, kobolds, goblins, and other assorted beasties.[/I] Just as he started to think about the undead army and their contribution to its forces the past few days, Milo saw Brigit hacking away at a corpse. [I]"Just- in- case- tha'- robed- guy- tries- ta- raise- these- suckers-"[/I] Brigit said in-between swings, [I]"I'm- gonna- make- it- hard- for- the- bugger- ta- get- any- satisfaction!"[/I] By the time she was done talking four of the orcs were completely dismembered, head, legs, and arms. [I]"Hmm, not a bad idea. How about we check them for valuables before we hack them to pieces though?"[/I] Milo replied. They got down to the business of stripping the bodies of valuables. The leader had a silver belt with a gold buckle, Brigit stashed it in her pack for safekeeping. In the belt was a handaxe. The haft was crafted of bone and the head was exceedingly good craftsmanship. They decided to stow it for later examination, not wanting to throw something potentially valuable at a lowly enemy. The leader's sword had a beautiful gem embedded in the pommel of the hilt. Mazi snatched the sword up and examined the stone. She weighed it against her own sword, obviously considering using the new weapon for aesthetic reasons alone. Milo grinned at the vain elf. They decided to strip the plate mail from the orc and bury it to take back to town later. Milo tossed the shield in with it. The pile of armor was left near the entrance so they could check out the rest of the cavern before heading out. Jeremiah helped Brigit finish dismembering the corpses. The grisly work took a few minutes and Milo and Mazi spent the time discussing differences in divine and arcane spells. After the human and dwarf were finished the four traveled back up to where the female fell. Milo spotted an ivory bracelet around her thick wrist. It wouldn't fit Mazi's slender arm so he stashed it for later. The door was unlocked, the female had almost made it in before they struck her down. Inside they found some crude furniture and a bed. On a table next to the bed a copper bowl sat filled with garbage. Milo dumped it out and looked over the bowl. It would fetch a good price for its quality. In the corner they found an untapped barrel of wine. Brigit, ever the connoisseur, recognized the vintage stamp and pronounced to be high quality wine. Good enough to haul back with them, for drinking or selling. The last thing they found was a coin bag tied with a rope. Inside were fifty platinum pieces. Milo whistled at the haul. All told he guessed they had in excess of two thousand gold pieces of money and valuables. Before they went any further Milo decided to use one of his magic detection spells on all of the items they came across. They returned to the entrance and placed all of the new gear next to the pile of plate mail. Milo spoke the minor cantrip and gestured to the pile. Two faint glows could be detected. One came from the bone-hafted handaxe, the other from the rope that tied the coin purse. [I]"Interesting! I wonder what this rope does?"[/I] Milo said as he fingered the braided rope. [I]"We need to get this stuff identified."[/I] Milo considered what he said and the reason they were in the caves. [I]"But not until we find those cups."[/i] [/QUOTE]
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Milo Windby's Collected Story Hour
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