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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4726630" data-attributes="member: 3285">Sibling Rivalry: Part 16 – Singarthan OutpostIlmarė hopped down from the cavern ceiling.  She nodded at Quintus.  “It’s ready.”Vlad and Beldin took up a position in front of the tunnel.  Beldin held only his axe Windcutter in both hands, glowing with magical a force field that illuminated him. He almost looked like a celestial giant of old…only smaller. Sebastian stood behind them. “Ready?” asked Quintus. He sat behind Sebastian on the cold ice floor. “Ready,” they said in unison.“Ilmarė, go.”Ilmarė took a deep breath and sang.  She sang one long, pure note and held it.  It reverberated throughout the chamber.A few seconds later, the shadows of the Singarthans were visible in the tunnel.  Hear song was audible even through the roaring of the waterfall. The first troll rounded the corner. Ilmarė raised her voice to a higher pitch.  The huge weakened stalactite above the troll cracked from the note.The Singarthan looked up just in time to be skewered by the stalactite.  It was buried under the rubble.“Got it!” cheered Vlad.  “That’ll teach—“His celebration was cut short by a massive sharpened spike that pierced his shoulder, pinning Vlad to the wall ten feet behind him.  He gasped in pain. “It’s got a crossbow!” shouted Quintus, stating the obvious. “Beldin, stop him!”Flames spiraled towards Sebastian.  He dove to the side.  “And a sorcerer!”“That’s a Singarthan of the Arcane Caste,” said Ilmarė. “Sebastian, don’t let him cast another spell!”The second Singarthan troll barreled forward. It dropped a huge crossbow and drew a massive axe.  Beldin looked tiny in comparison. The dwarf ducked low and rolled as the axe swipe missed him.  He hacked at the Singarthan’s heel, then dove to the side again.Sebastian lifted his arms.  “Multimodis Oris!”Three ghostly pairs of jaws shot out from the folds of his robes.  The arcane Singarthan roared in pain.Beldin dug in as the second troll’s blow came.  The field of force around him dissipated, but the dwarf held his ground.  “My turn!”He hacked again hard at the troll’s foot.  It skipped backwards to avoid the attack. Ilmarė fired two arrows.  One of them struck true, spinning the arcane troll from the force of the attack.  That was all Sebastian’s ghostly jaws needed; they were on the troll like wolves on a carcass, biting and gnawing even as it thrashed helplessly beneath them. Then it lay still.“Truce!” shouted the remaining troll.Sebastian paused.  Vlad yanked the crossbow bolt out of his chest.  He slid to the ground.Ilmarė knocked two more arrows. “Don’t trust it.  It will turn on us later.”“Truce,” it bellowed again.  The Singarthan dropped its axe to the ground.  Beldin looked back at Quintus. He was busy healing Vlad.“Let us hear what it has to say,” said Quintus.“You may take this outpost and anything else in it.  I only ask for free passage from here and the heart of my brother of the Arcane Caste.”Sebastian’s hands were still up, ready to cast a spell.  “Why do you want the heart?”It looked at Sebastian curiously. “How else may I ascend to the next Caste?”“I’ve got a better idea,” said Quintus.</blockquote>

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