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The Realms of Enlightenment: The Grey Companions
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<blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 868754" data-attributes="member: 2323"><p><strong>[PLAIN][Realms #218a] Counterattack II[/PLAIN]</strong></p><p></p><p>"Ledare is down! We have to get out of here," Ixin shouted and Martivir took to the air at the sound of her voice. The owl flapped his wings twice and spiraled upward toward the ceiling. The carrion crawler that hadn't been affected by Ixin's spell turned its head toward the familiar and reared up to clutch the bird with its tentacles. Martivir was out of its reach, but he continued to draw the worm's attention away from Ixin.</p><p></p><p>"Good boy," Ixin whispered and began to draw on the manna in her blood.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Lant squeezed off a deadly accurate shot with his crossbow. The bolt perforated his flaming target's guts, sinking up to the fletchings a thumb's width below the creature's ribs. It wailed in agony and Lant hooted and cast the crossbow aside. Before he could snatch up his quarterstaff and charge into melee, however, the winged rat man convulsed once and expelled his arrow whole from its body.</p><p></p><p>"Myrkul's bones," Lant gasped, his eyes going wide at the sight. "What manner of pit-spawned beast is this?"</p><p></p><p>It was a happy coincidence of pure chance and poor aim that that allowed him to avoid the bolt that was fired at him from the darkness.</p><p></p><p>"Drae, I have to say your aim has finally paid off, now go off and take care of that thing before it puts itself out," Ruze intoned, nodding once across the chamber where the burning creature continued to beat at its flames. "Den, follow Drae and dispatch the front. I will to the rear and check on the ladies who I now notice aren't with us. Go, quickly while we have the element of surprise!"</p><p></p><p>Draelond nodded, feeling the power of Ruze's words as they inspired in him a confidence that he hadn't felt a moment before. He had nobility of purpose and the moral conviction of a god's blessing on his actions. How could he fail?</p><p></p><p>"Drae. Dent. Know that I have faith in you both," the Battleguard added, further fueling the warrior's swell of morale as Ruze made a gesture of benediction. "I know you wilt not let the front crumble."</p><p></p><p>With a bellow of confidence, Draelond turned and charged into the chamber with Ravager held high. The firelight glittered wickedly along the bastard sword's jagged edge.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Ixin gestured with both hands, urging the magic toward the carrion crawler and shouted the word that would activate the spell,<em> "Sopio!"</em> The crawler fell forward unceremoniously and began to snore loudly into the mud and Ixin slumped back briefly against the cave wall.</p><p></p><p>Martivir hooted softly and fluttered down onto the mage's outstretched hand. "Thank you, my good boy," Ixin cooed to the owl. "I know the smell is awful. Can you tell what it is?" The owl hooted back to her and she frowned. "Oh well. No matter. I need you to stay calm. Are those two carrion crawler things the only ones around?" Again Martivir hooted into her ear. "Well, that's some good news for a change."</p><p></p><p>Ixin sighed and stood up, holding open her cloak with her free hand. "Time for you to get back into your pocket," she urged. "It's too dangerous out here and I won't risk losing you." The owl hooted his relief and vanished into the folds of her Cloak of Many Pockets. Ixin frowned then at the two carrion crawlers - one blinded and the other asleep - and grimly readied her morningstar for the messy work ahead.</p><p></p><p>"I knew no good would come of these caves," she grumbled.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The winged skaven had just about extinguished the alchemists fire when Draelond reached it. Ravager descended in a vicious arc that entered the creature on the right shoulder and exited above its left hip. The two halves of its smoldering torso slid wetly apart from each other and fell to the ground at the big warrior's feet. The sound of a crossbow firing somewhere very close reached Draelond's ears over the pounding rush of his own blood, but with the echoes and the clinking of Den Lant behind him he couldn't tell for certain from which direction it came. Draelond turned to see Lant approaching with Finian's glowing sword in his hand.</p><p></p><p>"Our chance at surprise is ruined," Lant said with a tone of annoyance as he held up the sword. "I thought that we might as well see the... Sweet Flor!" The man came up short when he saw the remains of Draelond's opponent. What had looked like a hairy winged rat man before now appeared to be a naked man with swarthy skin and a number of intricate tattoos across his chest and along his arms.</p><p></p><p>Before they could reflect more on this, the sound of rushing footsteps reached their ears.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"Hmm. This is quite the situation," Ruze said as he mounted the last step and entered the earthen-floored upper cave. He looked first at the paralyzed Janissary, and the blind carrion crawler mewling on the ground beside her and then at Ixin's bloodied morningstar and the dead crawler she stood over. "Ixin, good work," he said, even as he clutched his holy symbol in one hand and knelt beside Ledare. He touched her on the elbow and muttered, "Shaharizod, your strength of will I need to borrow. Lend it to my lady."</p><p></p><p>All at once, Ledare felt sensation return to her body and she quickly rolled away from the worm rooting around beside her. Ruze helped her to her feet and showed her his flask of alchemists fire. "This should do the trick," he said with a grin but Ledare shook her head.</p><p></p><p>"Save it," she told him, holstering her hand crossbow and drawing her silver-iron longsword in one fluid motion. "The thing's practically helpless." To illustrate her point, she stabbed her sword into its side and the aberration squealed in agony and flailed its tentacles impotently. Two more quick hacks ended its blind torment.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Lant turned toward the sound of approaching feet just in time to catch a crossbow bolt in the side. He started to cry out in pain, but the envenomed arrow quickly cut off control of his lungs. He stood frozen at the tunnel mouth - clutching the glowing longsword in an ironic parody of Finian before him. Draelond rushed around him and stabbed Ravager into the chest or the crossbowman - or woman, in this case - who stood in the chamber beyond.</p><p></p><p>She let out a wheezing hiss that would have been a scream if her furry chest hadn't been bisected by four feet of saw-toothed steel. The crossbow fell from her nerveless talons and she clutched weakly at Ravager's bone inlays for a moment before the breath of Flor left her and she fell to the ground. Draelond had only a moment to gape in wonder as her inhuman flesh twisted and ran into a very human - and very dead - shape. The woman was dirty and battered, but her features were delicate, almost elven; her bright green eyes stared blindly at the wall.</p><p></p><p>Another crossbow bolt whistled from the dark tunnel behind him, narrowly missing Draelond's head. He whirled to see another of the winged skaven standing at the curve of the tunnel, but this one wore a sickly green robe trimmed in filthy brown. A bilious yellow belt cinched its waist where was hung a sheathed shortsword. It regarded Draelond briefly with its inscrutable black eyes and bared its fangs before turning and scuttling off into the shadows that clotted beyond the light from Finian's sword.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jon Potter, post: 868754, member: 2323"] [b][PLAIN][Realms #218a] Counterattack II[/PLAIN][/b] "Ledare is down! We have to get out of here," Ixin shouted and Martivir took to the air at the sound of her voice. The owl flapped his wings twice and spiraled upward toward the ceiling. The carrion crawler that hadn't been affected by Ixin's spell turned its head toward the familiar and reared up to clutch the bird with its tentacles. Martivir was out of its reach, but he continued to draw the worm's attention away from Ixin. "Good boy," Ixin whispered and began to draw on the manna in her blood. Lant squeezed off a deadly accurate shot with his crossbow. The bolt perforated his flaming target's guts, sinking up to the fletchings a thumb's width below the creature's ribs. It wailed in agony and Lant hooted and cast the crossbow aside. Before he could snatch up his quarterstaff and charge into melee, however, the winged rat man convulsed once and expelled his arrow whole from its body. "Myrkul's bones," Lant gasped, his eyes going wide at the sight. "What manner of pit-spawned beast is this?" It was a happy coincidence of pure chance and poor aim that that allowed him to avoid the bolt that was fired at him from the darkness. "Drae, I have to say your aim has finally paid off, now go off and take care of that thing before it puts itself out," Ruze intoned, nodding once across the chamber where the burning creature continued to beat at its flames. "Den, follow Drae and dispatch the front. I will to the rear and check on the ladies who I now notice aren't with us. Go, quickly while we have the element of surprise!" Draelond nodded, feeling the power of Ruze's words as they inspired in him a confidence that he hadn't felt a moment before. He had nobility of purpose and the moral conviction of a god's blessing on his actions. How could he fail? "Drae. Dent. Know that I have faith in you both," the Battleguard added, further fueling the warrior's swell of morale as Ruze made a gesture of benediction. "I know you wilt not let the front crumble." With a bellow of confidence, Draelond turned and charged into the chamber with Ravager held high. The firelight glittered wickedly along the bastard sword's jagged edge. Ixin gestured with both hands, urging the magic toward the carrion crawler and shouted the word that would activate the spell,[i] "Sopio!"[/i] The crawler fell forward unceremoniously and began to snore loudly into the mud and Ixin slumped back briefly against the cave wall. Martivir hooted softly and fluttered down onto the mage's outstretched hand. "Thank you, my good boy," Ixin cooed to the owl. "I know the smell is awful. Can you tell what it is?" The owl hooted back to her and she frowned. "Oh well. No matter. I need you to stay calm. Are those two carrion crawler things the only ones around?" Again Martivir hooted into her ear. "Well, that's some good news for a change." Ixin sighed and stood up, holding open her cloak with her free hand. "Time for you to get back into your pocket," she urged. "It's too dangerous out here and I won't risk losing you." The owl hooted his relief and vanished into the folds of her Cloak of Many Pockets. Ixin frowned then at the two carrion crawlers - one blinded and the other asleep - and grimly readied her morningstar for the messy work ahead. "I knew no good would come of these caves," she grumbled. The winged skaven had just about extinguished the alchemists fire when Draelond reached it. Ravager descended in a vicious arc that entered the creature on the right shoulder and exited above its left hip. The two halves of its smoldering torso slid wetly apart from each other and fell to the ground at the big warrior's feet. The sound of a crossbow firing somewhere very close reached Draelond's ears over the pounding rush of his own blood, but with the echoes and the clinking of Den Lant behind him he couldn't tell for certain from which direction it came. Draelond turned to see Lant approaching with Finian's glowing sword in his hand. "Our chance at surprise is ruined," Lant said with a tone of annoyance as he held up the sword. "I thought that we might as well see the... Sweet Flor!" The man came up short when he saw the remains of Draelond's opponent. What had looked like a hairy winged rat man before now appeared to be a naked man with swarthy skin and a number of intricate tattoos across his chest and along his arms. Before they could reflect more on this, the sound of rushing footsteps reached their ears. "Hmm. This is quite the situation," Ruze said as he mounted the last step and entered the earthen-floored upper cave. He looked first at the paralyzed Janissary, and the blind carrion crawler mewling on the ground beside her and then at Ixin's bloodied morningstar and the dead crawler she stood over. "Ixin, good work," he said, even as he clutched his holy symbol in one hand and knelt beside Ledare. He touched her on the elbow and muttered, "Shaharizod, your strength of will I need to borrow. Lend it to my lady." All at once, Ledare felt sensation return to her body and she quickly rolled away from the worm rooting around beside her. Ruze helped her to her feet and showed her his flask of alchemists fire. "This should do the trick," he said with a grin but Ledare shook her head. "Save it," she told him, holstering her hand crossbow and drawing her silver-iron longsword in one fluid motion. "The thing's practically helpless." To illustrate her point, she stabbed her sword into its side and the aberration squealed in agony and flailed its tentacles impotently. Two more quick hacks ended its blind torment. Lant turned toward the sound of approaching feet just in time to catch a crossbow bolt in the side. He started to cry out in pain, but the envenomed arrow quickly cut off control of his lungs. He stood frozen at the tunnel mouth - clutching the glowing longsword in an ironic parody of Finian before him. Draelond rushed around him and stabbed Ravager into the chest or the crossbowman - or woman, in this case - who stood in the chamber beyond. She let out a wheezing hiss that would have been a scream if her furry chest hadn't been bisected by four feet of saw-toothed steel. The crossbow fell from her nerveless talons and she clutched weakly at Ravager's bone inlays for a moment before the breath of Flor left her and she fell to the ground. Draelond had only a moment to gape in wonder as her inhuman flesh twisted and ran into a very human - and very dead - shape. The woman was dirty and battered, but her features were delicate, almost elven; her bright green eyes stared blindly at the wall. Another crossbow bolt whistled from the dark tunnel behind him, narrowly missing Draelond's head. He whirled to see another of the winged skaven standing at the curve of the tunnel, but this one wore a sickly green robe trimmed in filthy brown. A bilious yellow belt cinched its waist where was hung a sheathed shortsword. It regarded Draelond briefly with its inscrutable black eyes and bared its fangs before turning and scuttling off into the shadows that clotted beyond the light from Finian's sword. [/QUOTE]
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