NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="ltclnlbrain" data-source="post: 2016279" data-attributes="member: 12882">Chapter 31Rhys peered at the icy monstrosities, holding forth his holy symbol. "They are constructs, not undead. May Torm's celestial flames reduce these things to water!" A roaring column of divine flame engulfed the ice golems, melting the snow at their feet. The golems, while not damaged, were slowed by the spell, and their movements turned to jerky lurching as they approached.Grundar loosened his bow and fired off an arrow toward the golems, but the projectile merely broke against its thick hide. "I hate constructs!" the rogue cursed. "Stupid boneheads.""These things are resistant to normal weapons and most magic," said Taigiel. "It will take some time to wear them down directly."Rumar leveled his blade at the creatures, backpedaling as they slowly, mindlessly advanced. He looked over his shoulder at the others, disbelief evident in his golden eyes. "We could always just walk away from them, I suppose.""I've got an idea," said Jelani, smiling thinly.  He stepped up beside the paladin and unleashed a spell, sending a cone of cold at the golems.  It did not hurt them, but that was not the plan. Rhys' flame strike had melted the snow and ice around the golems' feet, and now their legs were mired in the slush. The melted snow flash-froze again as Jelani's spell hit it, and the golems' feet were stuck fast in solid ice."Nice work!" said Grundar. "That should hold them for a while.""Let's leave them here," said Terenon. "No need to risk ourselves needlessly. They seemed to me to be attuned to Taigiel; no doubt Acessiwal sent them to track him down."Rumar stepped back, wearing an expression of worry. "I take little heart in our inability to defeat Acessiwal if we are unable to vanquish its minions," the paladin says unceertainly, turning to give the golems a second glance, "Especially if they were sent expecting to encounter only one warrior. The fact that we will now have to worry whether or not these things will free themselves and fall upon us at an inopportune time is also hardly a good thought." "If they are like most golems, they will be vulnerable to adamantine weapons," said Allanon. "We should find some before we go much further, if we wish to have a means of hurting these things later on."Taigiel nodded. "We will head north to Latona. Let us be on our way." With that, the half-dragon began leading the group across the winterlands.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Helios stood before an amethyst pedestal carved to resemble a coiled purple worm, a bright crystal orb clutched in its toothy maw. He gazed intently at the image the orb showed him: three of his ice golems buried in ice and snow, struggling to be free. The wizard grimaced as he stared at his creations' failure. He was certain Taigiel would have been captured had it not been for the resourcefulness of the band of adventurers who arrived a few minutes before his golems did, the very band of adventurers he had been keeping an eye on for over a month now. It was now quite obvious that the bribe had not been successful: Terenon and the others were coming for Acessiwal, and they would be here soon. Helios tapped a finger against his chin as he thought about what to do next, then nearly jumped as a pair of hands clasped him by the shoulders."You really are tense, little one," a sultry voice whispered in his ear. Helios looked over his shoulder to see the snake-woman Akasa standing behind him. The wizard let out a sigh and turned back to the crystal ball."Having to deal with a demon that is constantly and suddenly appearing behind me doesn't do much to alleviate that," he retorted.Akasa's upper hands begin to massage Helios' shoulders, while her middle hands kneaded his back and her lower hands wrapped around his waist. "You need not fear me, Helios. If I had wanted to kill you, I would have impaled you with my swords and crushed your puny bones with my tail weeks ago." The demon smiled coyly, eliciting a shudder from Helios.The wizard squirmed his way out of Akasa's grasp, causing a pout to spread across her beautiful features. "Look, do me a favor and get those golems out of the ground. I have business to attend you and I don't appreciate you snooping around.""Snooping?" Akasa asked, a wounded expression on her face. "Oh, how polite you are! I look out for your interests, keep Acessiwal in the dark about your plotting on the side, and you accuse me of snooping? That's no way to treat a friend.""You are not my friend," said Helios coldly, then he sighed. "Fine then, what are you doing?"The demon smiled, her eyes glittering dangerously. "Snooping," she said, then she disappeared.Helios rubbed his temples with the heels of hands. That demon-bitch was a severe risk to his operations; given the chaotic nature of demons, there was always a chance she would go straight to Acessiwal and rat him out, but as long as he kept her happy and kept the true extent of his plans unknown to her, her aid was worth it. Looking back into his crystal ball, he saw Akasa helping the golems be free of their imprisonment. He mentally commanded them to follow the group north, hoping to overrun them, but now that they were getting close, extra steps needed to be taken. It was time to call in the wild card.Helios waved his hand over the crystal ball, and the image changed to show a sparsely furnished room. A beautiful half-elf woman sat cross-legged on a plush pillow. Her eyes were closed as if in meditation, but after a few seconds they opened and stared directly at the scrying sensor. "I have been waiting for you to contact me," she said. "What would you have me do?"Helios muttered the brief words to a spell to allow him to communicate with the woman over the great distance between them. "Terenon and his friends will be in Latona in the next few days. Do not let them leave."The woman nodded. "Of course. Latona will be the end of their journey, in more ways than one."Helios waved his hand once more, and the crystal ball went dark. These adventurers were canny, but should they escape the trap, he still had one more ace in the hole. The girl...</blockquote>

Verification