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Message: <blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 3925337" data-attributes="member: 812">Frying Pan, Fire: 4Arrafin didn't wait for Shang's minions to reach her; she closed her eyes and with her sorcerous senses took hold of Kani, shuddering as Shadow's dark power flooded into her, kissing up her spine with its cold fury. It was so easy, now, with Madame Yuek's bizarre "gift" of her former apprentice to provide her with the energy her spell needed.Her eyes snapped open and she pointed. Flagstones ripped upwards in deafening explosions and minions pinwheeled into the walls."I guess we're fighting this guy."Isaac sighed as he drew his heavy blade. Etienne tumbled by, knives flashing, with Zuleika charging behind him. Elena's crossbow went off and he heard a sharp twang as the bolt deflected away from Matai Shang's head.The ancient sorcerer didn't seem to notice; he was too engrossed in demolishing walls back there. Isaac shrugged and moved forward.*****Nevid huddled against a cell wall, once again hoping with little hope that he would not be found. He heard explosions and screams from out in the hall, and a hideous snarling that had to be Shang himself.Searching for him.For his brain.Nevid shook with terror and hugged himself, leaning against stone and trying to keep his breathing quiet, even though the cellblock echoed with screams and the ring of steel. He heard Isaac cursing the way he always did in battle, and a shrieking warcry he had come to recognize as Zuleika's, and he knew his friends were out there fighting a sorcerer who could at least hold his own against the vampire Madame Yuek.They weren't going to last twelve seconds. They were his friends.Nevid took a deep breath and stepped out into the hall.*****At first Isaac figured they had a chance. Guys in funny robes and funny hats came at them with a lot of enthusiasm, but not much skill and two were writhing at his feet before he'd even had time to get worried.Matai Shang, his sprawling mechanical legs clattering, seemed engrossed in whatever he was up to back there, and unconcerned with his servants' inability to fight. Isaac stepped around twitching bodies and confronted yet another minion.This fellow stood notably taller than the others, nearly as tall as Isaac himself, and he sneered as the Saijadani approached.Isaac saw Etienne leaping in from behind and raised his sword."I don't know if you understand me, but you better get going if you don't want to end up like your friends."The minion laughed. Isaac frowned.Etienne saw his opening and darted forward, reaching in with one of his long knives for the kidney.Isaac was watching carefully and he still had trouble seeing it happen. Etienne, overconfident and already thinking about the kill after this one, never saw it coming.Feet planted, the Lohanese man twisted with one arm outstretched and backhanded Etienne across the face. The half-Kishak's legs flew out from under him and he sailed backwards. Before he'd struck the flagstones, the Lohanese man thrust a hand out palmfirst and caught Zuleika as she was charging from the other side and she, too, sprawled back. A knife, curved and nasty, appeared in the man's hand and Isaac had to stumble backwards from a sudden thrust."Whoa."The knife came at him, above, below, looping around his guard, and Isaac scrambled to defend himself. He managed a parry on the outside edge of his sword and quickly reversed his blade, slamming the big hilt into his opponent's face. Blood sprayed and the man snarled.And changed. Isaac leapt back as the man's snarl dropped an octave and became the bestial roar of an angry beast. Skin darkened, toughened and fingers lengthened into talons. A Lohanese face distorted, fangs and horns and long, reptilian jaws thrusting out. And he got bigger. A lot bigger, especially when leathery wings burst from his shoulders.Etienne stumbled over to where Isaac was still staring."It's possible we underestimated this one."*****Elena growled with frustration at her own uselessness as she watched her friends struggle against the sudden appearance of some sort of dragon."Great."She gritted her teeth against the sudden surge of stabbing pain in her skull and pushed her will at the creature now looming over Isaac. Something inside her bowed and gave way and she reeled as a wave of formless energy leapt at the draconic figure, lighting the entire prison hall in sudden cold illumination.It roared and gave back a step or two. Isaac, Etienne and Zuleika scrambled back to where Arrafin and Elena stood, all of them wide-eyed with restrained panic. Arrafin hurled her arms outwards and another blast of stone and dust exploded the length of the hall. She sagged and only Isaac's strong arm kept her from collapsing to the floor."I'm real sorry about Nevid, but we have to get out of here. Oh, look, there's another one turning into a monster."Zuleika tugged at Etienne, trying to convince the half-Kishak to leave. Etienne pointed."Look. It's Nevid."At the far end of the hall a solitary figure stood in slumped surrender.They heard Shang laugh, a brutal, mocking sound, as his mechanical legs skittered and clanked and carried him towards the Saijadani youth. The two dragon-things faced the small group at the opposite end of the hall, taloned feet thumping heavily on the torn flagstones.Arrafin drew more power from Kani, this time channelling it into a spell that threw flashes of black energy at their foes. To no effect. She tried again. Still they came forward.Once more Arrafin drew on the store of Shadow in Kani's mutilated body, but to her surprise there was no more. Frowning, the Naridic girl turned to look at Kani.Where the bizarre undead-or-whatever-it-was version of Kani had stood there was only a smouldering pile of ashes. Horror filled Arrafin's wide eyes as she realised she'd killed the girl. Or whatever it was."Oh, God. Oh, God. What have I done?""Put an end to her suffering, most like," growled Isaac, "which puts her ahead of us, it would seem."Arrafin shook her head, fluffy curls bouncing, and fell to her knees."Oh, God."She twitched as sudden explosions told of Isaac abandoning the need to be quiet and firing his pistols at their approaching foes. His curses made it clear they'd had little effect."Damnit. Elena, can you help Nevid?""I'll try. I'm going to need. Some time."Arrafin looked up to see Isaac nod, grim and resolute. The big Saijadani chewed at his cigar and turned to face the draconic monsters with his sword held low at one side."We'll do what we can."*****Nevid looked up as Shang neared him. The ancient figure in the midst of the bizarre apparatus sneered and cackled and spoke in some language Nevid didn't understand.The Saijadani held up his hands."Please don't hurt my friends."The hall filled with black swirling tendrils that he recognized as sorcery unleashed. At first he thought Shang had begun whatever terrible spell was going to devour his brain, but the look of shock and dismay on the wizened Tianese man's face made him reconsider.*****"Keyad'ar. Now we see you."Elena, Isaac, Etienne and Zuleika all stepped back as black forms rose out of the blasted floor. Tall black-skinned men of immense physiques, with equally huge scimitars in their hands.The dragons reacted with confusion and dismay, rearing back and snarling at the three newcomers. Who wasted no time but raised their weapons and walked forward.Talons and blades met and flesh tore. Blood hissed on the shattered stones of the hall's floor.Isaac spoke for the rest."Huh?"*****Nevid stared as Shang whirled and shrieked at the sight of the three black men attacking his dragon-people. Another wave of sorcerous energy erupted and Shang disappeared even as his monstrous minions fell back, their bodies torn and hacked to pieces by their implacable enemies.For a moment the hall shook with screams and terrible butcher noises as those heavy blades sank again and again into draconic flesh. At last those came to an end.Elena gestured and scowled and Nevid scrambled past the end of the slaughter to where his friends stood.They remained standing as those dark figures turned. All three seemed identical. Elena coughed."Laughter of Stones? Is that you?"One of the figures bowed. Zuleika frowned at her friends. Etienne whispered a quick explanation."We met him earlier. He's an undead warrior who kills dragons.""Oh, well, that explains everything."The man who had bowed stepped forward. Elena was surprised to see him smile."I am pleased to see you again, friends. It seems we share an enemy.""Yeah. What?""Matai Shang hides the Keyad'ar from us. Until they leave his fortresses we cannot sense them.""Oh."In the silence that had suddenly fallen across the hall, distant alarms became audible.Elena smiled back at Laughter."Do you think you could, uh, get us out of here? Like last time?"He bowed again."It would be my honour. Where do you wish to go?"Arrafin came forward and waved."Hi, Laughter. Can you take us to my house? It's not far.""Of course. Step nearer."*****Dark swirling tendrils filled the empty parlour for a moment, and then figures emerged from the floor. One bowed and disappeared. The others looked around, and started at the sight of a tall Lohanese woman in a forbidding crimson gown."Sister Torokan. Hi."The Lohanese woman bowed."We have to talk."</blockquote>

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