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<blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 1118481" data-attributes="member: 5808"><p><strong>Part the Very Twenty-Fifth</strong></p><p><em>In which: Dennis borrows a blade, Essela doesn’t, and the Ferret sees some action. </em></p><p><em>(DM’s Note: <strong>I</strong> wanted to start this with “In which: The party quells the quarrel for their quarry at the quarry,” but spyscribe quashed that quip.)</em></p><p><em>(Editor’s Note: <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite11" alt=":rolleyes:" title="Roll eyes :rolleyes:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":rolleyes:" /> )</em></p><p><em>(as recorded by Fajitas)</em></p><p></p><p> “Get down!” Reyu shouts, and ducks for cover on the cart as the rest of the guards open fire. The others on the cart duck as well, just as a hail of crossbow bolts fly towards them. More bolts strike the cart than the party, who take advantage of the cover to draw their weapons.</p><p></p><p> Cyrus slides off his horse and stays near the cart, defending its flank. Reyu’s longbow sings as she returns fire at the enemy. “Anvil! Can you get to Thatch?” she calls out.</p><p></p><p> “I’ll try!” Anvil responds.</p><p></p><p> “Hey. Do you have a knife?” Dennis asks Reyu urgently, as another hail of bolts flies at the cart.</p><p></p><p> “A what?” Reyu asks.</p><p></p><p> “A knife,” Dennis repeats.</p><p></p><p> “On my belt,” Reyu answers, reloading.</p><p></p><p> Without asking permission, Dennis grabs the knife from her belt. He flips it around in his hand and, in one fluid motion, hurls it at an oblivious guard. It strikes him solidly in the arm. The guard screams, dropping his crossbow, and looks around for his assailant. His eyes fall on Dennis. “Heh,” Dennis says, nervously. “Do you have another knife?”</p><p></p><p> The guards have largely dispensed with the crossbows by now, and have pulled their swords. Essela heaves herself over the side of the cart, taking a fighting stance next to Cyrus. “Need a sword?” he asks her. She shakes her head in reply as two guards rush them. Essela moves like a blur, deftly dodging sword strikes. Her opponent is not so deft, and her hands and feet connect solidly with his face. Cyrus takes him down with a powerful blow, and continues his attack into the next guard.</p><p></p><p> Anvil, mindful of Thatch’s critical state, watches Hue’s <em>magic missile</em> find its mark on Reyes, who grunts with the impact. <em>This must be ended before it goes too far</em>, Anvil thinks, and he points his finger at Reyes. The power of Kettenek surges through him. “Surrender!” Anvil <em>commands</em>. </p><p></p><p> Reyes, to his own surprise, throws his sword to the ground and puts his hands in the air. “Surrender, boys! Give it up!” he encourages the others. A few look startled and hesitate, but most are unable to hear him over the din of combat.</p><p></p><p> “Damn,” Anvil mutters, and jumps off the cart to run to Thatch. Another crossbow bolt, from the guards at the scaffold, scores Anvil across the cheek. <em>Someone should do something about them</em>, he thinks, as he reaches Thatch’s side. </p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, another bolt from the scaffold strikes the cart, passing mere inches before the face of the mule. The mule, already unnerved by the fighting around him, now fully panics. He rears up as best he can and starts to run forward. “What the--?” Cyrus says, as the cart he is defending rolls out from behind him.</p><p></p><p> Reyu, Dennis, and Hue are caught by surprise as the mule runs off with them. Reyu realizes the terrified animal is heading straight for the edge of the quarry. <em>Have to stop the mule!</em> she thinks, and scrambles over to grab the abandoned reins. She pulls up on them as hard as she can. The mule stops. “There, there,” she mutters to it in Sylvan, knowing it can’t understand but hoping the woodland tongue will calm the creature more than Common or Elven. “It’s all right.”</p><p></p><p> Anvil, about to heal Thatch, is momentarily distracted by the moving cart. He fails to notice the guard coming towards him, who strikes him solidly across the gut. Anvil’s prayer of healing becomes a grunt of pain, and the Justicar collapses into unconsciousness.</p><p></p><p> Fortunately, Hue notices Anvil’s collapse. “Reyu!” he calls, pointing at their fallen comrades. </p><p></p><p>Reyu glances over at Anvil and Thatch, lying side by side. She swears in Elven. “Hold these,” she orders Dennis, and passes him the reins. Gripping her spear, she dashes towards Anvil and Thatch.</p><p></p><p>Dennis stares at the reins in his hand. “Sure,” he says, nervously. “Why not?” </p><p></p><p>Next to Dennis, Hue begins to cast. As he finishes, the Ferret jumps off Hue’s shoulder and charges into the fray. He leaps onto the leg of one of the guards and bites at his knee. Crackles of electricity suddenly burst from the Ferret, sending the guard into convulsions. The guard drops.</p><p></p><p> Reyu charges across the field of battle towards Thatch and Anvil, but her movement is suddenly cut off by Reyes. Anvil’s <em>command</em> seems to have worn off. Reyes twirls his sword menacingly at Reyu. “Going somewh--”</p><p></p><p>But the rest of his words are cut off as Essela flings herself at him. “Go!” she calls to Reyu. “I’ll handle him.” Reyu retreats towards Anvil and Thatch, as Essela takes Reyes on. </p><p></p><p>Essela’s feet move like lightning in a deadly series of kicks, but somehow Reyes manages to evade each one. Essela moves in closer, throwing a flurry of punches at Reyes’ face. Despite her speed and fury, Reyes blocks or dodges every blow. Essela growls in disgust. </p><p></p><p> <em>(DM’s Note: Poor, poor Essela. It was her player’s first D&D combat, and she must have just missed Reyes’s AC by 1 three or four times. We all felt awful. On the other hand, she did at least keep him occupied.)</em></p><p></p><p> Reyu dives towards Anvil’s prone body. <em>I’ve only got one </em>cure<em> spell, so I’ll have to heal Anvil first</em>, she thinks, and she speaks Elven words to invoke healing spirits. A warm blue glow spreads over Anvil’s body, and he sits up, shaking his groggy head. “Ugh,” he says, as he reaches towards Thatch, and begins chanting a healing prayer to Kettenek.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Cyrus dispatches his foe with a mighty cry, and runs to Essela’s aid. He takes up position behind Reyes, forcing the guard to split his attention. <em>That’ll do it</em>, Essela thinks, and launches yet another attack. Cyrus’s flanking effort proves effective, and Essela connects solidly with her opponent. He staggers, but does not drop, and retaliates with a brutal strike of his own.</p><p></p><p> Dennis surveys the fight. It’s not going well. Two guards are down, but most of the party is wounded, and Thatch and Anvil are still unsteady on their feet. The two guards on the scaffold are completely untouched and reloading their crossbows yet again. <em>Someone should<strong>really</strong> do something about them</em>, Dennis thinks, as he struggles to control the mule. </p><p> </p><p> And suddenly, before his eyes, the two guards drop, brained from behind by a pair of slaves.</p><p></p><p> “Uh-oh,” Dennis says.</p><p></p><p> Five slaves come charging over the ridge, taking advantage of the guards’ distraction to attempt escape. They carry picks and hammers, and they don’t seem to care who they attack. The battle-lines dissolve rapidly as the guards find themselves attacked on two fronts. Several drop as the slaves plow through them.</p><p></p><p> Two slaves reach the cart. “In here!” one shouts, as he raises his pick to strike Dennis with it…</p><p></p><p> …and he suddenly drops, a crossbow bolt right through his throat.</p><p></p><p> “NO ONE MOVES!!” a female voice shouts from behind.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="spyscribe, post: 1118481, member: 5808"] [b]Part the Very Twenty-Fifth[/b] [i]In which: Dennis borrows a blade, Essela doesn’t, and the Ferret sees some action. (DM’s Note: [b]I[/b] wanted to start this with “In which: The party quells the quarrel for their quarry at the quarry,” but spyscribe quashed that quip.) (Editor’s Note: :rolleyes: ) (as recorded by Fajitas)[/i] “Get down!” Reyu shouts, and ducks for cover on the cart as the rest of the guards open fire. The others on the cart duck as well, just as a hail of crossbow bolts fly towards them. More bolts strike the cart than the party, who take advantage of the cover to draw their weapons. Cyrus slides off his horse and stays near the cart, defending its flank. Reyu’s longbow sings as she returns fire at the enemy. “Anvil! Can you get to Thatch?” she calls out. “I’ll try!” Anvil responds. “Hey. Do you have a knife?” Dennis asks Reyu urgently, as another hail of bolts flies at the cart. “A what?” Reyu asks. “A knife,” Dennis repeats. “On my belt,” Reyu answers, reloading. Without asking permission, Dennis grabs the knife from her belt. He flips it around in his hand and, in one fluid motion, hurls it at an oblivious guard. It strikes him solidly in the arm. The guard screams, dropping his crossbow, and looks around for his assailant. His eyes fall on Dennis. “Heh,” Dennis says, nervously. “Do you have another knife?” The guards have largely dispensed with the crossbows by now, and have pulled their swords. Essela heaves herself over the side of the cart, taking a fighting stance next to Cyrus. “Need a sword?” he asks her. She shakes her head in reply as two guards rush them. Essela moves like a blur, deftly dodging sword strikes. Her opponent is not so deft, and her hands and feet connect solidly with his face. Cyrus takes him down with a powerful blow, and continues his attack into the next guard. Anvil, mindful of Thatch’s critical state, watches Hue’s [I]magic missile[/I] find its mark on Reyes, who grunts with the impact. [I]This must be ended before it goes too far[/I], Anvil thinks, and he points his finger at Reyes. The power of Kettenek surges through him. “Surrender!” Anvil [I]commands[/I]. Reyes, to his own surprise, throws his sword to the ground and puts his hands in the air. “Surrender, boys! Give it up!” he encourages the others. A few look startled and hesitate, but most are unable to hear him over the din of combat. “Damn,” Anvil mutters, and jumps off the cart to run to Thatch. Another crossbow bolt, from the guards at the scaffold, scores Anvil across the cheek. [I]Someone should do something about them[/I], he thinks, as he reaches Thatch’s side. Meanwhile, another bolt from the scaffold strikes the cart, passing mere inches before the face of the mule. The mule, already unnerved by the fighting around him, now fully panics. He rears up as best he can and starts to run forward. “What the--?” Cyrus says, as the cart he is defending rolls out from behind him. Reyu, Dennis, and Hue are caught by surprise as the mule runs off with them. Reyu realizes the terrified animal is heading straight for the edge of the quarry. [I]Have to stop the mule![/I] she thinks, and scrambles over to grab the abandoned reins. She pulls up on them as hard as she can. The mule stops. “There, there,” she mutters to it in Sylvan, knowing it can’t understand but hoping the woodland tongue will calm the creature more than Common or Elven. “It’s all right.” Anvil, about to heal Thatch, is momentarily distracted by the moving cart. He fails to notice the guard coming towards him, who strikes him solidly across the gut. Anvil’s prayer of healing becomes a grunt of pain, and the Justicar collapses into unconsciousness. Fortunately, Hue notices Anvil’s collapse. “Reyu!” he calls, pointing at their fallen comrades. Reyu glances over at Anvil and Thatch, lying side by side. She swears in Elven. “Hold these,” she orders Dennis, and passes him the reins. Gripping her spear, she dashes towards Anvil and Thatch. Dennis stares at the reins in his hand. “Sure,” he says, nervously. “Why not?” Next to Dennis, Hue begins to cast. As he finishes, the Ferret jumps off Hue’s shoulder and charges into the fray. He leaps onto the leg of one of the guards and bites at his knee. Crackles of electricity suddenly burst from the Ferret, sending the guard into convulsions. The guard drops. Reyu charges across the field of battle towards Thatch and Anvil, but her movement is suddenly cut off by Reyes. Anvil’s [I]command[/I] seems to have worn off. Reyes twirls his sword menacingly at Reyu. “Going somewh--” But the rest of his words are cut off as Essela flings herself at him. “Go!” she calls to Reyu. “I’ll handle him.” Reyu retreats towards Anvil and Thatch, as Essela takes Reyes on. Essela’s feet move like lightning in a deadly series of kicks, but somehow Reyes manages to evade each one. Essela moves in closer, throwing a flurry of punches at Reyes’ face. Despite her speed and fury, Reyes blocks or dodges every blow. Essela growls in disgust. [I](DM’s Note: Poor, poor Essela. It was her player’s first D&D combat, and she must have just missed Reyes’s AC by 1 three or four times. We all felt awful. On the other hand, she did at least keep him occupied.)[/I] Reyu dives towards Anvil’s prone body. [I]I’ve only got one [/I]cure[I] spell, so I’ll have to heal Anvil first[/I], she thinks, and she speaks Elven words to invoke healing spirits. A warm blue glow spreads over Anvil’s body, and he sits up, shaking his groggy head. “Ugh,” he says, as he reaches towards Thatch, and begins chanting a healing prayer to Kettenek. Meanwhile, Cyrus dispatches his foe with a mighty cry, and runs to Essela’s aid. He takes up position behind Reyes, forcing the guard to split his attention. [I]That’ll do it[/I], Essela thinks, and launches yet another attack. Cyrus’s flanking effort proves effective, and Essela connects solidly with her opponent. He staggers, but does not drop, and retaliates with a brutal strike of his own. Dennis surveys the fight. It’s not going well. Two guards are down, but most of the party is wounded, and Thatch and Anvil are still unsteady on their feet. The two guards on the scaffold are completely untouched and reloading their crossbows yet again. [I]Someone should[b]really[/b] do something about them[/I], Dennis thinks, as he struggles to control the mule. And suddenly, before his eyes, the two guards drop, brained from behind by a pair of slaves. “Uh-oh,” Dennis says. Five slaves come charging over the ridge, taking advantage of the guards’ distraction to attempt escape. They carry picks and hammers, and they don’t seem to care who they attack. The battle-lines dissolve rapidly as the guards find themselves attacked on two fronts. Several drop as the slaves plow through them. Two slaves reach the cart. “In here!” one shouts, as he raises his pick to strike Dennis with it… …and he suddenly drops, a crossbow bolt right through his throat. “NO ONE MOVES!!” a female voice shouts from behind. [/QUOTE]
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