Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Aphonion Tales (New posts 6/13, 6/15, 6/19)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Ladybird" data-source="post: 2060498" data-attributes="member: 10689"><p><strong>Meanwhile, Part 3</strong></p><p></p><p>Kit slipped nimbly around the charging guardsman, battered rapier already in hand as she leaped down the rickety stairs to confront the half-orcs. Father Gavin trundled along behind her, with a tremulous shout of “Halt, foul miscreants!” </p><p></p><p>The basement was dark, lit only by a sputtering torch, but Kit’s sharp eyes could still spot the four children huddled on the dirt floor, chained to the wall. But between her and them was a half-orc, roaring and waving a club. She sidestepped the charging half-orc, stabbing out ineffectually. Her blade suddenly seemed very flimsy, next to the enormous mass of orc and club that was storming through the basement.</p><p></p><p>Following Kit’s example, the guardsman took a huge flying leap down the stairs…only to crash headlong into the slanted ceiling above, and crumpled to the floor at the foot of the stairs. Still quavering on about miscreants, Father Gavin started his own descent of the staircase. Before the priest could even reach the bottom, the second half-orc took a swipe at him with a massive club, connecting with the old man’s armor with a sickening crunch. </p><p></p><p>Kit gasped in shock and outrage. “You – “ Still having enough wits about her to remember that the priest and four children were within earshot, she cut herself off before she could say what she <em>really</em> wanted to call the half-orc, and settled on “ – miscreant! Beating up on an old man like that! Stop it!” she shouted, her eyes flashing with fury. If either Father Gavin or the guardsman had been in any condition to notice, they might have seen her eyes actually glow for a brief moment in the dim light. </p><p></p><p>And the half-orc stopped, club still raised, his eyes going vacant.</p><p></p><p>It was just for a moment, but that was all the time that Father Gavin needed to recover from the blow and swing his mace in a wicked downwards arc onto the half-orc’s shoulder. The half-orc roared in pain and staggered back, just as the guardsman pulled himself upright enough to swing his sword at him, catching the half-orc in the side and sending him to his knees, bleeding thickly onto the dirt floor.</p><p></p><p>Kit dodged around the struggling half-orc to intercept the other one as he charged across the basement, waving his own club so high that it nearly hit the low ceiling. “Stop!” she cried again, but to no avail this time – the half-orc kept barreling straight towards her. She frantically skipped back, thrusting out with her rapier. The half-orc let out a yell, so she must have made contact, but Kit was moving so quickly that she couldn’t tell. In and out she weaved, desperately trying to avoid the enormous club, aware at the edges of her consciousness that behind her the children were still crying. The guardsman sprang up on the other side of the half-orc, causing him to spin towards the guard in roaring confusion, and Kit seized the opportunity, slipping her thin blade straight between the half-orc’s ribs. Almost at the same time, the guardsman’s sword hacked down from above. The half-orc gave one final gurgling cry of pain, then slipped to the ground and lay silent beside his groaning companion. </p><p></p><p>Kit stood for one stunned moment, then rushed towards the sobbing children. “It’s all right – it’s all right – don’t worry – I’ll get you out – “ She kept up a steady stream of soothing chatter as her fingers worked over the locks of the children’s bonds. <em>These are awfully tough,</em> she thought, struggling to align her lockpicks in the tiny metal holes – until she realized that her hands were trembling from the excitement and fear of battle. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started again. “It’s all right,” she said again, giving the boy whose manacles she was working on a steady, reassuring look. He blinked, nodded, and instantly grew calmer. Behind her, Kit could hear the priest murmuring some prayers – whether to heal himself, give thanks for victory, or make a proper end for the dead half-orc, she couldn’t tell. </p><p></p><p>A few moments more was all it took for her to pop open the locks on the boy’s wrists, and after the first one, the other three locks were much easier for her to figure out. Between them, Kit and the priest got the children calmed down enough to get upstairs, carefully shielding their eyes from the still-bleeding corpse; the guardsman stayed behind to take the battered surviving half-orc into custody. </p><p></p><p>Kit took a deep gasping breath of fresh air as they emerged into the night. She slipped a hand into her pocket and let her lucky rock spin between her fingers. The children were safe, and the slavers were caught – sure, it had been a bit more dangerous than usual, but still, it had been, on the whole, a lucky night.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ladybird, post: 2060498, member: 10689"] [b]Meanwhile, Part 3[/b] Kit slipped nimbly around the charging guardsman, battered rapier already in hand as she leaped down the rickety stairs to confront the half-orcs. Father Gavin trundled along behind her, with a tremulous shout of “Halt, foul miscreants!” The basement was dark, lit only by a sputtering torch, but Kit’s sharp eyes could still spot the four children huddled on the dirt floor, chained to the wall. But between her and them was a half-orc, roaring and waving a club. She sidestepped the charging half-orc, stabbing out ineffectually. Her blade suddenly seemed very flimsy, next to the enormous mass of orc and club that was storming through the basement. Following Kit’s example, the guardsman took a huge flying leap down the stairs…only to crash headlong into the slanted ceiling above, and crumpled to the floor at the foot of the stairs. Still quavering on about miscreants, Father Gavin started his own descent of the staircase. Before the priest could even reach the bottom, the second half-orc took a swipe at him with a massive club, connecting with the old man’s armor with a sickening crunch. Kit gasped in shock and outrage. “You – “ Still having enough wits about her to remember that the priest and four children were within earshot, she cut herself off before she could say what she [I]really[/I] wanted to call the half-orc, and settled on “ – miscreant! Beating up on an old man like that! Stop it!” she shouted, her eyes flashing with fury. If either Father Gavin or the guardsman had been in any condition to notice, they might have seen her eyes actually glow for a brief moment in the dim light. And the half-orc stopped, club still raised, his eyes going vacant. It was just for a moment, but that was all the time that Father Gavin needed to recover from the blow and swing his mace in a wicked downwards arc onto the half-orc’s shoulder. The half-orc roared in pain and staggered back, just as the guardsman pulled himself upright enough to swing his sword at him, catching the half-orc in the side and sending him to his knees, bleeding thickly onto the dirt floor. Kit dodged around the struggling half-orc to intercept the other one as he charged across the basement, waving his own club so high that it nearly hit the low ceiling. “Stop!” she cried again, but to no avail this time – the half-orc kept barreling straight towards her. She frantically skipped back, thrusting out with her rapier. The half-orc let out a yell, so she must have made contact, but Kit was moving so quickly that she couldn’t tell. In and out she weaved, desperately trying to avoid the enormous club, aware at the edges of her consciousness that behind her the children were still crying. The guardsman sprang up on the other side of the half-orc, causing him to spin towards the guard in roaring confusion, and Kit seized the opportunity, slipping her thin blade straight between the half-orc’s ribs. Almost at the same time, the guardsman’s sword hacked down from above. The half-orc gave one final gurgling cry of pain, then slipped to the ground and lay silent beside his groaning companion. Kit stood for one stunned moment, then rushed towards the sobbing children. “It’s all right – it’s all right – don’t worry – I’ll get you out – “ She kept up a steady stream of soothing chatter as her fingers worked over the locks of the children’s bonds. [I]These are awfully tough,[/I] she thought, struggling to align her lockpicks in the tiny metal holes – until she realized that her hands were trembling from the excitement and fear of battle. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started again. “It’s all right,” she said again, giving the boy whose manacles she was working on a steady, reassuring look. He blinked, nodded, and instantly grew calmer. Behind her, Kit could hear the priest murmuring some prayers – whether to heal himself, give thanks for victory, or make a proper end for the dead half-orc, she couldn’t tell. A few moments more was all it took for her to pop open the locks on the boy’s wrists, and after the first one, the other three locks were much easier for her to figure out. Between them, Kit and the priest got the children calmed down enough to get upstairs, carefully shielding their eyes from the still-bleeding corpse; the guardsman stayed behind to take the battered surviving half-orc into custody. Kit took a deep gasping breath of fresh air as they emerged into the night. She slipped a hand into her pocket and let her lucky rock spin between her fingers. The children were safe, and the slavers were caught – sure, it had been a bit more dangerous than usual, but still, it had been, on the whole, a lucky night. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Aphonion Tales (New posts 6/13, 6/15, 6/19)
Top