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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Carnifex" data-source="post: 898483" data-attributes="member: 227">Back down below ground...As the line of gnashing teeth and flashing claws burst forth from beyond the light, Wolf stepped forward to meet them, and Sebastion instinctively did the same. Leading with his sheild he pressed forward to stay at the older man's shoulder, then struck over the top of his shield with the dark steeled blade. Time to see how good this stuff really is... he managed to think before the blade connected with something, and the battle was joined.Growling and springing into the closer light, Kale's opponents came into sight- residual anger from the beholder encounter lent extra force to his attack against the foul beasts. Drawing his weapons a moment later, his lip curled in disgust at the coordinated line that crashed against Wolf. The scene now a jumble of erie light and shadow, Kale resisted his deep urge to break off and flank the ghulish beasts. Instead, he stuck to Wolf's right, making sure that the things didn't flank them. After the withering helplessness before the beholder minutes before, the chaos and energy of battle was to Kale a welcome terror- finally, a putrid opponent he could attack and destroy. Without even a chance to shake his head at his indecision, Burl finished what he started moments before when Sebastian’s words stayed his voice. “Agemon” Not knowing the power unleashed by the wand, Burl could only hope that it would at the least cause a distraction to the ghouls. As the others closed ranks, Burl moved close behind Wolf seeking some protection behind his bulk.As the tide of ghoulish flesh flowed towards them, Kale just had time to hurl the dart he had readied into the mass; ichor spattered as it bit deep into festering flesh. Then vicious teeth bit back, fangs rending into his arm, and at the same time a deathly chill spreading from the wound and threatening to sieze up his muscles even as warm blood flowed from the open wound inflicted on him. The ghoul wouldn't let go, worrying his arm like a rabid dog, its eyes alight with some inner excitement or hunger. On the slippery, sloping floor he very nearly lost his balance, keeping on his feet more by luck than anything else. Another of the ghul-pack leapt at the struggling Kale, attempting to pile him down by force of numbers; but as it flanked him Sebastion saw a window of opportunity and his black steel blade slashed out. The fine metal was excellently balanced and wonderfully light, and took the ghoul's head clean off. The corpse collapsed at Kale's feet, dark blood dribbling onto the sloping floor. The frenzied ghouls struck out and bit again and again, each wound causing that same deathly chill as they savagely attacked. Wolf was covered in scratches and bites from the undead monsters assailing him, and with flailing arms lost his balance on the uneven floor. Sebastion took a claw strike that gouged down one arm but managed to fend off the worst of both the assault and the cold that threatened to paralyse him. Then suddenly from behind another ghoul reached round with vile talons to grab and tear at him, grappling him and pulling him down onto the ground. He saw the flicker of another ghoul bounding past to throw itself at Cord as the dwarf began to move to Sebastion's aid, launching into a furious flurry of strikes in an attempt to delay the monk. With a sickening tearing sound it bit out a chunk of the dwarf's shoulder. The dwarf stood unyielding in his martial stance, face impassive before such a fearsome foe. As the ghoul reached out for another slash he suddenly moved, faster than seemed possible for one of his age, and with a gristly crack caught the blow and broke the undead monster's arm, before following up with an open palm to the centre of its ribcage. Tossing the broken thing aside like a ragdoll he continued towards Sebastion. Kale, struggling around with a hungry ghoul savaging one arm, stabbed at the thing with his one free limb and plunged the brine blade deep into the abdomen of the beast. The smell of corroding corpse-flesh rose up in whispy smok from the gouge but despite the grevious damage the accursed thing just wouldn't let go and continued to try and tear his arm off. Burl then activated Melisande's rod, and with a fiery crackle a coiling serpent of flame and ash arose in the midst of the confused melee, sending the combatants struggling away from it. The head rose up, ember eyes glowing brightly as it lashed out at a ghoul that was barreling towards Burl. It's fangs bit into undead flesh and fire leapt up from the wound, causing the angry undead to whirl round and start attacking the fire serpent instead. As the serpent rose its head up to strike out again, it hissed something out, words in the common tongue, to Burl. "Hail Bloodkin, I serve and obey," it spoke sibilantly before once again focusing on the undead ghoul before it. Sebastion, caught on the ground by one ghoul and seeing more rushing to pile on, managed to frantically throw off the one trying to tear his throat open and picked himself up off the ground just in time to fend off another of the beasts with his blacksteel sword. He saw movement as Ebri stepped up by him, whispering a prayer and brandishing something in the air, and with a surge of positive energy in the air a number of the fell beasts simply howled and scattered into the darkness, the priestess turning them from the battle. Wolf too managed to pull himself back up on his feet, the pressure on him alleviated by Ebri's turning, and buried his heavy mace in the back of the ghoul still trying to gnaw through Kale's arm.</blockquote>

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