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<blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 4421348" data-attributes="member: 2323"><p><strong>The Vanishing Staircase, part 2</strong></p><p></p><p>Ahlear tried to make himself small and quiet as the two dwarves stabbed at the empty air he had lately occupied. He got awkwardly to his feet and pressed himself against the wall in the darkened hallway, hoping that Huzair had some sort of "big boom" up his sleeve.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Huzair, of course, had no idea where Ahlear was, so rather than risk hurting his ally with a <em>Fireball</em>, he settled on hurting his enemies with a flash pellet. He produced a small ceramic bead from his pouch and hurled it behind the <em>Veiled</em> dwarf nearest him, hoping to catch the two in the doorway as well.</p><p></p><p>It arced up and over the lead dwarf and struck the hard stone tiles behind her, shattering and flashing with dazzling brilliance once the alchemical mixture within contacted the air. Of course, Huzair didn't see that part as he was already turning away and shielding his eyes. But he heard three gratifying cries of startled pain.</p><p></p><p>"Ahlear, get out of there!" the wizard shouted in common as he slipped through the doorway and headed for the stairs.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The dwarf that had been completely entangled by Huzair's <em>Web</em> spell was the first to recover and it cloaked itself in a <em>Veil of Shadows</em> like its fellow. Then it scrambled backward, picking up its fallen crossbow as it went.</p><p></p><p>Anania stepped forward and struck at the creature with her bow. The weapon had been made using an ancient elvencrafting process and served equally well in ranged or melee combat. The dwarf, of course, did not know this and so it was confused by her attack, taking the blow squarely in the chest. It cried out in pain.</p><p></p><p>Morier dropped his torch and speaking the words of a spell brought Stoneblade to bear on the other dwarf. As he swung, his muscles swelled with the power of a <em>Bull's Strength</em> spell, and the greatsword struck with enough force to split the hapless dwarf from skull to pelvis. It never even had a chance to cry out as it very nearly exploded beneath the power of the eldritch warrior's blow.</p><p></p><p>Shamalin was disturbed by the profusion of gore, but not disturbed enough that it kept her from invoking a <em>Magic Circle against Evil</em>. She centered it on herself, which put the last dwarf just within its area of effect.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Huzair had somehow managed to blind all three of the dwarf things, and Ahlear seized the opportunity to creep toward the exit as quietly as he could. It wasn't easy as clumsy as he was and with the only illumination from Huzair's rapidly retreating light source. But he made it to the landing of the stairwell before any of the dwarfs recovered enough to chase him.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Huzair, himself had made it two turns of the staircase before his second <em>Improved Invisibility</em> spell gave out, leaving him with only his <em>Ring of Blinking</em> and his <em>False Life</em> spell protecting him. There was still another of the dwarfs - the one he'd fought earlier after casting his <em>Web</em> spell - somewhere on these stairs, and he didn't fancy meeting the thing with so few protections in place.</p><p></p><p>As it turned out, however, he needn't have worried about it. He had already run heedless passed the dwarf who was hiding in the shadows on the stairs above. Having seen the wizard's flickering light approaching from above the dwarf had hidden himself ready to attack with surprise. However, upon seeing that Huzair was <em>Blinking</em> in and out of existence it realized that it would be difficult if not impossible to land a well placed blow on the mage and so it had let him run passed unmolested.</p><p></p><p>Huzair had never even looked twice at the dark shape crouched against the wall.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The dwarf that Anania had injured scuttled backwards up the stairs, working the crank on its crossbow. As soon as it was out of her reach it raised the weapon and fired, a curse on its lips. It managed to nick the elf maid's left thigh with the bolt, drawing blood but little more.</p><p></p><p>Anania stepped in close again and struck out with her bow, but as she swung she felt a searing burn in the wound on her leg and she stumbled, missing badly. As she staggered, her leg crumpled under her weight and she fell to one knee on the stairs.</p><p></p><p>The dwarf had one second to gloat before Morier stepped up and cut its right arm off close to its torso. The thing looked horrorstruck at the fountaining amputation and then fell dead, tumbling down the stairs.</p><p></p><p>"Are you alright?" Morier asked as he stopped to help Anania to her feet. She grimaced, her face dripping suddenly with sweat.</p><p></p><p>"Posion!" she hissed, gripping Morier's arm in pain. Shamalin stepped forward and offered her support on the other side.</p><p></p><p>"Let me have a look," she offered and Morier nodded.</p><p></p><p>"Look after Anania," he said turning to head up the stairs. "I'm going to find the others!"</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Ahlear stepped quickly aside as another of the albino dwarf creatures came trotting up the stairs, its lips pulled back from its cracked yellow teeth in a lunatic rictus. It was actually giggling to itself as it ran and Ahlear once again smelled that rank unwashed stench that he had smelled before in the darkened stairwell.</p><p></p><p>He was glad to let the noxious thing passed... until he saw what it was going for: the lever!</p><p></p><p>It leapt up, seizing the device with both hands and lifted its feet off the floor so that its weight pulled the lever down. There was a CLICK! and then the stairs were disappearing back into the central column.</p><p></p><p>He tried for the landing, but it was too far and his reflexes had suffered too much from the other dwarves' magic. He wasn't even close.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Clinging to the side of the staircase, Huzair watched him shoot passed, his arms flailing in the dark. The wizard whipped out a hand and managed to snag the druid's wrist and hold it for a heartbeat before he <em>Blinked</em> and Ahlear was falling again.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The stairs retracted beneath Morier's feet and he seemed to hang in space, mid-stride before he tipped and plummeted down, his hands swimming uselessly against the air.</p><p></p><p>Anania did actually hover for a moment as the stairs disappeared, buoyed up by the magic of Windblade.</p><p></p><p>Shamalin looked up and tried desperately to grab Anania's arm, but the elf jerked her hand away and reached instead for Morier. But she was too slow.</p><p></p><p>Both cleric and eldritch warrior shot downward toward the bottom of the staircase while Anania Feather Fell after them.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Shamalin struck first, clanging against the stone floor with a sound like a rung gong.</p><p></p><p>The three dead dwarves landed next, bursting horribly upon impact.</p><p></p><p>Then Morier hit the bottom, trying uselessly to land on his feet. The sound of breaking bones competed with his screams in the stone chamber.</p><p></p><p>An instant later, Ahlear hit the ground with a wet cracking sound. He did not cry out.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jon Potter, post: 4421348, member: 2323"] [b]The Vanishing Staircase, part 2[/b] Ahlear tried to make himself small and quiet as the two dwarves stabbed at the empty air he had lately occupied. He got awkwardly to his feet and pressed himself against the wall in the darkened hallway, hoping that Huzair had some sort of "big boom" up his sleeve. Huzair, of course, had no idea where Ahlear was, so rather than risk hurting his ally with a [i]Fireball[/i], he settled on hurting his enemies with a flash pellet. He produced a small ceramic bead from his pouch and hurled it behind the [i]Veiled[/i] dwarf nearest him, hoping to catch the two in the doorway as well. It arced up and over the lead dwarf and struck the hard stone tiles behind her, shattering and flashing with dazzling brilliance once the alchemical mixture within contacted the air. Of course, Huzair didn't see that part as he was already turning away and shielding his eyes. But he heard three gratifying cries of startled pain. "Ahlear, get out of there!" the wizard shouted in common as he slipped through the doorway and headed for the stairs. The dwarf that had been completely entangled by Huzair's [i]Web[/i] spell was the first to recover and it cloaked itself in a [i]Veil of Shadows[/i] like its fellow. Then it scrambled backward, picking up its fallen crossbow as it went. Anania stepped forward and struck at the creature with her bow. The weapon had been made using an ancient elvencrafting process and served equally well in ranged or melee combat. The dwarf, of course, did not know this and so it was confused by her attack, taking the blow squarely in the chest. It cried out in pain. Morier dropped his torch and speaking the words of a spell brought Stoneblade to bear on the other dwarf. As he swung, his muscles swelled with the power of a [i]Bull's Strength[/i] spell, and the greatsword struck with enough force to split the hapless dwarf from skull to pelvis. It never even had a chance to cry out as it very nearly exploded beneath the power of the eldritch warrior's blow. Shamalin was disturbed by the profusion of gore, but not disturbed enough that it kept her from invoking a [i]Magic Circle against Evil[/i]. She centered it on herself, which put the last dwarf just within its area of effect. Huzair had somehow managed to blind all three of the dwarf things, and Ahlear seized the opportunity to creep toward the exit as quietly as he could. It wasn't easy as clumsy as he was and with the only illumination from Huzair's rapidly retreating light source. But he made it to the landing of the stairwell before any of the dwarfs recovered enough to chase him. Huzair, himself had made it two turns of the staircase before his second [i]Improved Invisibility[/i] spell gave out, leaving him with only his [i]Ring of Blinking[/i] and his [i]False Life[/i] spell protecting him. There was still another of the dwarfs - the one he'd fought earlier after casting his [i]Web[/i] spell - somewhere on these stairs, and he didn't fancy meeting the thing with so few protections in place. As it turned out, however, he needn't have worried about it. He had already run heedless passed the dwarf who was hiding in the shadows on the stairs above. Having seen the wizard's flickering light approaching from above the dwarf had hidden himself ready to attack with surprise. However, upon seeing that Huzair was [i]Blinking[/i] in and out of existence it realized that it would be difficult if not impossible to land a well placed blow on the mage and so it had let him run passed unmolested. Huzair had never even looked twice at the dark shape crouched against the wall. The dwarf that Anania had injured scuttled backwards up the stairs, working the crank on its crossbow. As soon as it was out of her reach it raised the weapon and fired, a curse on its lips. It managed to nick the elf maid's left thigh with the bolt, drawing blood but little more. Anania stepped in close again and struck out with her bow, but as she swung she felt a searing burn in the wound on her leg and she stumbled, missing badly. As she staggered, her leg crumpled under her weight and she fell to one knee on the stairs. The dwarf had one second to gloat before Morier stepped up and cut its right arm off close to its torso. The thing looked horrorstruck at the fountaining amputation and then fell dead, tumbling down the stairs. "Are you alright?" Morier asked as he stopped to help Anania to her feet. She grimaced, her face dripping suddenly with sweat. "Posion!" she hissed, gripping Morier's arm in pain. Shamalin stepped forward and offered her support on the other side. "Let me have a look," she offered and Morier nodded. "Look after Anania," he said turning to head up the stairs. "I'm going to find the others!" Ahlear stepped quickly aside as another of the albino dwarf creatures came trotting up the stairs, its lips pulled back from its cracked yellow teeth in a lunatic rictus. It was actually giggling to itself as it ran and Ahlear once again smelled that rank unwashed stench that he had smelled before in the darkened stairwell. He was glad to let the noxious thing passed... until he saw what it was going for: the lever! It leapt up, seizing the device with both hands and lifted its feet off the floor so that its weight pulled the lever down. There was a CLICK! and then the stairs were disappearing back into the central column. He tried for the landing, but it was too far and his reflexes had suffered too much from the other dwarves' magic. He wasn't even close. Clinging to the side of the staircase, Huzair watched him shoot passed, his arms flailing in the dark. The wizard whipped out a hand and managed to snag the druid's wrist and hold it for a heartbeat before he [i]Blinked[/i] and Ahlear was falling again. The stairs retracted beneath Morier's feet and he seemed to hang in space, mid-stride before he tipped and plummeted down, his hands swimming uselessly against the air. Anania did actually hover for a moment as the stairs disappeared, buoyed up by the magic of Windblade. Shamalin looked up and tried desperately to grab Anania's arm, but the elf jerked her hand away and reached instead for Morier. But she was too slow. Both cleric and eldritch warrior shot downward toward the bottom of the staircase while Anania Feather Fell after them. Shamalin struck first, clanging against the stone floor with a sound like a rung gong. The three dead dwarves landed next, bursting horribly upon impact. Then Morier hit the bottom, trying uselessly to land on his feet. The sound of breaking bones competed with his screams in the stone chamber. An instant later, Ahlear hit the ground with a wet cracking sound. He did not cry out. [/QUOTE]
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