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Message: <blockquote data-quote="drnuncheon" data-source="post: 350526" data-attributes="member: 96">Session Five, Part Two: Life's a Drag"How do I look?" said the girl, in a voice far too deep and masculine for her."You look perfect, boss," Jemis said dubiously. "Just...don't talk, OK?  You sound horrible.""Are you sure this is a good idea?" Katya asked him. "It's our best chance to get ahold of one of them, and the only lead we've got.  I just wish Arlan Tarjay hadn't been so frightened of them.  His help would have made this a lot easier.  Ashrem, take this scroll, just in case some of them are wandering around invisible."<img src="http://www.io.com/~jeffj/b2sep.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The girl spun and ran, but the big man was deceptively fast. His hand closed on her upper arm, and a puzzled expression crossed his face. He yanked her forward and sniffed again. "It's a trick!"Di'Fier yanked his arm free of the big man's grasp and stepped backward, reaching over his shoulder to free the disguised blade.  Pulling it from it's sheath, he struck the huge man and backed away in one smooth motion.The man shook his head to clear it, and his hands reached under his poncho to emerge with two of the largest axes the Watchman had ever seen.  With a toothy grin, the man moved forward.Behind him, a red-haired woman faded into visibility as she loosed a small leather pouch - but her aim was off, and the pouch struck the side of the building, splattering the goo harmlessly onto a wall. She grimaced, and from behind her came a voice: "Hey, girly!"Reflexively, she spun into a fighting stance, her hands coming up into a guard position - and looked straight into a scintillating dance of colors that hit her like a spectrum of rocks, sending her staggering.<img src="http://www.io.com/~jeffj/b2sep.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Two blocks away, a massively muscled man climbed to his feet, picking up the enormous hammer that rested beside him.  "I heard something.""No, you didn't!" objected the gnome, from the harness he had strapped himself into on the huge man's back. "It's much too early.""I did.""Stop! No! It's too early!"<img src="http://www.io.com/~jeffj/b2sep.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The dwarf huffed something under his breath, and leapt to the top of the iron gate blocking the alley.  behind him, Katya shook off the effect of the color spray and leapt herself, her fist slamming into his kidney. The dwarf pitched forward, his breath shoved out of him by the iron bars, then yanked a vial from his pouch and threw it to the ground.  Katya dived out of the way as it exploded in flames, and the dwarf heaved himself over the bars of the gate.Di'Fier circled warily, watching the two enormous axes weaving in tiny but hypnotic figure-eights as the huge man watched for an opening. They flashed out in a one-two combination that battered the Watchman back, but somehow he managed to intercept both blows with his blade. His thumbs ached from the force of the parried attack.Footsteps behind him, and a voice. "What's going on here?" Then more footsteps, bigger ones - and a voice, a bigger one.  "Told you I heard something."A third voice.  No footsteps.  "Turn around, you lummox, I can't see!"Di'Fier lunged forward, his blade biting into the axe-man's side as Ashrem's arrow slammed down from above.  The huge man grunted under the double impact, and stepped back, his mouth spitting a Word: "Po'caex!" A tell-tale shimmering disc formed in front of him.A shielding spell, Di'Fier thought.  What next?Suddenly, the man began to change.  His features blurred, twisted...resolving themselves into something less human.  Tusks sprouted from his lower jaw, the forehead flattened, and his ears stretched to a point.  The half-orc's eyes rolled back into his head, and spittle drooled from the corner of his mouth.  His breathing grew heavier, and he hunched forward, muscles quivering.I had to ask... Behind him, he could hear more chanting, and he risked a glance to see Quooral lumbering up the street behind him, hammer in hand - and a volley of green vitrol arcing towards him from the spellcaster behind.  Glunnyn tried desperately to counter the spell, but it was too late, and the gnome screamed as it burned into his flesh.Di'Fier fumbled with the unfamiliar clothing, pulling forth a scroll. I hope this works, he thought, letting it unroll.  He shouted forth the words on it, directing the energy towards the huge half-orc.Wisps of magic coalesced like serpents, lashing out to wriggle between the half-orc and his magical protections.  One by one they were ripped away and dissolved - the mage armor, the bull's strength...but the shield remained.And now it was the half-orc's turn.  Eyes red with rage, he stepped forward, a single axe whistling through the night air.  Di'Fier struggled to get his blade into position to block it, but with one hand holding the scroll, he couldn't manage in time. The force of the blow smashed him against the alley wall, and he could taste blood in his mouth.The half-orc grinned, and raised his other axe.Chronicler's Note: For those of you keeping track at home, that was a 41-point critical, taking Di'Fier from 'completely unwounded' to 'at death's door, knocking loudly'...</blockquote>

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