Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7081867" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 20The demon only came to half the cleric’s height, but what it lacked in size it made up for in ferocity.  It had a hideous appearance, its form roughly humanoid but bloated and bulbous with a sickly gray hide that was covered in oozing sores.  Its face was dominated by sagging jaws, and its arms ended in oversized claws that tore into the cleric’s legs before he could get his shield around in defense.Quellan reflexively smacked it with the torch, but the flames were about as effective as they had been against the fiendish badger earlier.  He tried to pull free, but despite his considerable strength the demon held on with a furious will, burying its claws deeper into the cleric’s legs.With a roar of challenge Kosk leapt off the stairs to come to his friend’s aid.  His foot sank deep into the demon’s spongy flesh, but the impact finally knocked it clear of its victim.  The fiend flailed for balance before striking the wall of the room, where it stuck there for a moment before it pulled itself free and started forward again.Quellan tossed his shield down and pulled out his mace, but even as he turned toward the demon their situation grew more difficult.  As soon as Kosk’s feet touched the floor a second demon identical to the first appeared in a puff of black smoke right in front of the dwarf.  It too immediately attacked.  Kosk drove his staff into its belly, but it simply absorbed the impact and lashed out with a claw that drew bloody gashes across the monk’s forearm.Glori had her bow out but couldn’t get a clear shot with the bulk of the cleric blocking the bottom of the staircase.  Bredan pushed past her, his sword in his hand, but even as he started down the last few steps Quellan yelled, “Don’t leave the stairs!  More of them may appear!”  Bredan caught himself just in time, grabbing hold of the adjacent wall for balance.  His boot swung out over the last step before it found stable purchase again on the bottom step.  With both demons out of reach he retreated back a few steps before reaching for his crossbow.Quellan met the first demon’s renewed charge, smashing it in the head.  The blow would have crushed the skull of a normal creature, and it did stagger the demon, but somehow it still clung to life.  It lunged at him again, its claws scraping on the iron scales protecting the cleric’s torso.Kosk grimaced as blood seeped into the sleeve of his robe.  The demon kept pressing him, trying to drag the monk into an embrace where its oversized claws could shred his unarmored body to ribbons.  Having learned that its bloated body could absorb impacts he used his staff to keep it at bay, delivering sharp cracks to its face that soon left its already sagging features shattered.  For a moment it seemed to fall back, but that was only to collect itself for another leap.  With a corner of the room at his back it didn’t look like there was anywhere for the monk to go.But even as Kosk planted his feet there was a sharp thwip as an arrow from Glori’s bow sank into the demon’s throat.  The creature let out an ugly hiss, which became a squeal as Kosk knocked its stubby legs out from under it and drove his staff down into its face with enough force to crush what was left of its brains.  The demon’s limbs twitched and then it fell still.A pace away Quellan had likewise gained the advantage over his adversary.  The demon kept attacking despite its injuries, but it just couldn’t overcome the discrepancies of size and strength.  Even as it came in again, trying to get a fresh hold on its opponent’s leg the cleric kicked it hard, lifting it into the air and driving it to the hard ground.  The demon sprang up quickly from even that rough treatment, but it was only to take a truly crushing blow from Quellan’s mace that relocated its head to roughly the center of its torso.  With a final hissing sound it crumpled to the floor.Bredan raised his bow, having finally gotten the weapon loaded, only to see that the fight was over.“You’re bleeding,” Glori said as Quellan turned around.  Instinct had her reaching for her lyre and starting down the steps before both Bredan caught her.  “It’s still dangerous,” he said.“I will be fine,” Quellan said, invoking another cure wounds spell.  As the healing energies flowed through him the bleeding stopped and he let out a steadying breath; the demon’s claws had bitten deep.The cleric went over to Kosk, who was staring down at the demon he’d slain.  The creature was deflating like a waterskin with a deep puncture, and as they watched the thing dissolved into black wisps that quickly faded into nothing.  “You should get that treated,” Quellan said, indicating the dwarf’s bloody arm.  “My ability to channel the god’s power to heal is spent for the day, but you have the potion, or maybe Glori can—”“It can wait until you figure out what caused those demons to appear, and whether more of them will pop in when those two come off those steps,” the dwarf said.Quellan nodded.  He tucked his mace back into his belt and held out the torch to play the light out over the floor and walls.  He didn’t see anything at first, but after a moment he lifted his free hand and invoked the power of his patron.  At his call a cool, steady light erupted from the palm of his hand.  When he lowered his hand and that glow shone upon the floor faint silvery runes became visible, a spiral pattern of them that covered most of the surface of the room.“What is that, some sort of spell diagram?” Glori asked.“I would presume so,” the cleric said.“Can you dispel it?” Kosk asked.Quellan studied the runes for a long moment, then shook his head.  “I don’t have that kind of power.  But maybe if we disrupt the pattern…”Kosk nodded.  “Your tools, boy.  Mind you, stay up there, just toss them to me.”It only took a few moments for Bredan to get out his hammer and chisel, and a moment later the dwarf was kneeling on the floor where the first demon had appeared.  He picked out a spot and random and delivered a hard blow that sent a tiny chip of stone flying.  Focusing on the task, Kosk went to work methodically widening the mark.“What were those things?” Glori asked while they waited.“Manes,” Quellan said.  “The least among demon-kind.”“Those were the weakest?” Bredan asked with incredulity.  “If that’s true, I hope we don’t run into any stronger ones.”After a moment Kosk got up and started to wipe his brow before remembering that his sleeve was still soaked with blood.  He’d cut six gouges in the floor, ruining the spiral pattern of the runes.  “Do you think that did it?” he asked the cleric.“I have no way of knowing,” Quellan said.“Only one way to find out,” Glori said, but even as she started forward Bredan interjected, “No, let me go.”  The bard frowned at his back but didn’t challenge him as he drew his sword and descended to the last step of the staircase.  Quellan and Kosk each readied their weapons and stepped back to give the young smith room as he took a deep breath and stepped forward onto the edge of the pattern.  When nothing happened they all let out a breath.“Well, that’s a relief,” Glori said.“Good thing to keep in mind, though, that a stray step in this place could mean death,” Kosk pointed out.  He turned to Quellan as the cleric recovered his shield.  The light still shone from his hand, though it dimmed as he closed his fist around the grip of the shield.  “If you’re going to stay in the lead, you should give that torch to someone else.”“I’ll take it,” Glori said.“I should take it, it’s for my benefit,” Bredan said.  “The rest of you don’t have any trouble seeing in the dark.”“You need your hands free to swing that huge chopper of yours,” Glori said.“I haven’t had much chance to swing it yet.”“You killed the badger,” Glori said.“I hate to interrupt this scintillating conversation, but we do have a cursed, trap-filled dungeon to clear out,” Kosk said.  “Take the damn torch and let’s keep moving.”Glori took the torch and stuck her tongue out at the dwarf’s back as he turned, drawing a grin from Bredan.  With the burning brand holding the enveloping darkness tentatively at bay the companions set out again to confront whatever other surprises the long-dead architects of this place had created for them.</blockquote>

Verification