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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7309972" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 106</p><p></p><p>Kurok lifted his hands and fired a pair of <em>eldritch blasts</em> into the elemental creature. Both hit, burrowing into the entity’s form and scattering bits of stone everywhere, but from the size of the thing it might have been able to absorb a dozen such impacts before it began to be seriously discomfited.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately for the warlock his allies were quick to join the fight. Goblins and worgs poured into the canyon, the riders launching their weapons while their beasts spread out to flank the entity. Spears and arrows shattered on its body, doing little or no damage as far as Kurok could see. As the creature shifted to face them another worg, the one whose rider lay splattered on the stone nearby, leapt up and snapped its jaws on its forearm. Those jaws had the strength to bend iron plates, but the elemental just swept its arm around and slammed its attacker hard against the canyon wall behind it. Kurok could hear the sound of bones snapping, but the worg refused to release its grip.</p><p></p><p>More riders entered the canyon, spreading out to circle those already engaged. But even as they moved to join the fight a second boulder stirred, rising up out of the ground. As it surged forward it struck a worg in the side with its knee. The impact knocked both beast and rider flying, the latter sliding to a stop almost back at the entry. Several of the goblins turned to face this new threat, including Usk, who jabbed it with his spear before it could get its arms around to attack. The impact jolted a few bits of stone free, but barely scratched the creature.</p><p></p><p>The ferocity of his allies’ assault had left Kurok alone for a moment, but the warlock hesitated. He’d initially assumed that the boulder-creatures were elementals, but he sensed no intelligence in them. But he still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else here, something watching.</p><p></p><p>The goblins continued to harry both of the creatures, firing arrows or thrusting with spears even as their mounts snapped at their legs in an effort to unbalance them. But the things were as unshakable as the boulders they had replaced, and when they met the worgs’ teeth were as likely to give way as the entities’ substance. It looked like they <em>could</em> be hurt, but at the rate they were going it might take hours to bring them down.</p><p></p><p>That was time they clearly didn’t have. Even as Kurok studied their foes the first one slammed the worg it had hurt to the ground. Before the injured beast could get away it stomped on it with one huge foot, ending its struggles. On the opposite side of the canyon the second entity smacked a goblin right off the back of its mount. The goblin went flying high into the air before colliding against the canyon wall. The warrior hung there for a moment before falling to the ground in a limp heap.</p><p></p><p>Kurok turned to the tunnel mouth behind him. “Go for the shrine!” he shouted.</p><p></p><p>He started in that direction, but the worgs were faster. Most of them could not disengage immediately, but two that still had their riders broke from the pack and ran all-out for the apparent safety of the interior passage. Kurok let them pass him, still watching the canyon walls.</p><p></p><p>Thus he was not surprised when a third boulder rose up just to the right of the passage mouth and lunged to block them. This one was different than the others; it had much the same form, but a pair of glowing yellow slits above a dark gap provided the basic outlines of a face. The controlling intelligence that Kurok hadn’t seen in the animated boulders was present in those alien features, even if it hadn’t been clear in the way it had cleverly set up this ambush.</p><p></p><p>The first worg and its rider could not react in time to avoid the creature’s attack. Its arm swept into the beast’s shoulder, knocking it roughly to the side. It remained upright, its rider clinging desperately to its back.</p><p></p><p>The other pair veered to the left, slipping past the rock-creature. It spun around to try and block them, but the worg, its speed bolstered by its panic, shot past before the thing could launch another attack. The goblin crouched low over its mount’s neck as it shot into the dark opening of the passage.</p><p></p><p>There was another loud rumble, but the goblin barely had a chance to lift his head before a massive slab of stone dropped down from above, crushing both mount and rider instantly.</p><p></p><p>Even expecting something like that, Kurok couldn’t help but flinch back at the intensity of the trap. As the rock-creature turned back to face him, he thought he saw something in its eyes, a silent challenge.</p><p></p><p><em>Your move,</em> he imagined it saying.</p><p></p><p>Kurok had mastered fear, but he was not suicidal.</p><p></p><p>“Fall back!” he yelled. The goblins needed little urging; they were already tugging on the leather throngs they used to guide their mounts even before Usk could echo his order. Even as they fled the animated boulders continued to kill; one injured goblin was crushed as it crawled toward the opening of the cleft. Kurok narrowly avoided a riderless worg that shot past him, but then he was through the gap and clear. He didn’t look back until he was a full fifty paces away, and even though there was no pursuit he did not stop running until he was all the way back to the edge of the ravine.</p><p></p><p>The survivors continued to dribble in, some of the worgs limping, others carrying two riders where one of the goblins was unable to walk or hang on unassisted. Usk and his impressive mount did not appear to be hurt, but fury burned in both sets of eyes as they regarded the blood-smeared gap in the front of the mound. That fury was not much abated as the goblin leader shifted his attention to Kurok, but he offered no comment on what had just happened.</p><p></p><p>Kurok tallied their losses: three worgs were dead, along with four goblins. Most of the survivors were wounded, some seriously. Usk’s shamans would be busy when they got back to the camp.</p><p></p><p>Kurok turned back to the cleft in the mound. There was no sign of the boulder-creatures. If the elemental thing that controlled them was clever it would have situated itself in a new hiding place, awaiting their return. The passage entry was clear again, with only a bloody heap on the ground to indicate that anything had tried to enter. He had no doubt whatsoever that the trap had reset itself in anticipation of another victim.</p><p></p><p>Usk was already issuing orders, not waiting for Kurok’s command to organize his troops for the long trek back to their camp. Kurok let that stand for the moment. He stared at the deadly entrance to the shrine for a few moments longer, then turned and followed his wounded army back into the valley.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7309972, member: 143"] Chapter 106 Kurok lifted his hands and fired a pair of [i]eldritch blasts[/i] into the elemental creature. Both hit, burrowing into the entity’s form and scattering bits of stone everywhere, but from the size of the thing it might have been able to absorb a dozen such impacts before it began to be seriously discomfited. Fortunately for the warlock his allies were quick to join the fight. Goblins and worgs poured into the canyon, the riders launching their weapons while their beasts spread out to flank the entity. Spears and arrows shattered on its body, doing little or no damage as far as Kurok could see. As the creature shifted to face them another worg, the one whose rider lay splattered on the stone nearby, leapt up and snapped its jaws on its forearm. Those jaws had the strength to bend iron plates, but the elemental just swept its arm around and slammed its attacker hard against the canyon wall behind it. Kurok could hear the sound of bones snapping, but the worg refused to release its grip. More riders entered the canyon, spreading out to circle those already engaged. But even as they moved to join the fight a second boulder stirred, rising up out of the ground. As it surged forward it struck a worg in the side with its knee. The impact knocked both beast and rider flying, the latter sliding to a stop almost back at the entry. Several of the goblins turned to face this new threat, including Usk, who jabbed it with his spear before it could get its arms around to attack. The impact jolted a few bits of stone free, but barely scratched the creature. The ferocity of his allies’ assault had left Kurok alone for a moment, but the warlock hesitated. He’d initially assumed that the boulder-creatures were elementals, but he sensed no intelligence in them. But he still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else here, something watching. The goblins continued to harry both of the creatures, firing arrows or thrusting with spears even as their mounts snapped at their legs in an effort to unbalance them. But the things were as unshakable as the boulders they had replaced, and when they met the worgs’ teeth were as likely to give way as the entities’ substance. It looked like they [i]could[/i] be hurt, but at the rate they were going it might take hours to bring them down. That was time they clearly didn’t have. Even as Kurok studied their foes the first one slammed the worg it had hurt to the ground. Before the injured beast could get away it stomped on it with one huge foot, ending its struggles. On the opposite side of the canyon the second entity smacked a goblin right off the back of its mount. The goblin went flying high into the air before colliding against the canyon wall. The warrior hung there for a moment before falling to the ground in a limp heap. Kurok turned to the tunnel mouth behind him. “Go for the shrine!” he shouted. He started in that direction, but the worgs were faster. Most of them could not disengage immediately, but two that still had their riders broke from the pack and ran all-out for the apparent safety of the interior passage. Kurok let them pass him, still watching the canyon walls. Thus he was not surprised when a third boulder rose up just to the right of the passage mouth and lunged to block them. This one was different than the others; it had much the same form, but a pair of glowing yellow slits above a dark gap provided the basic outlines of a face. The controlling intelligence that Kurok hadn’t seen in the animated boulders was present in those alien features, even if it hadn’t been clear in the way it had cleverly set up this ambush. The first worg and its rider could not react in time to avoid the creature’s attack. Its arm swept into the beast’s shoulder, knocking it roughly to the side. It remained upright, its rider clinging desperately to its back. The other pair veered to the left, slipping past the rock-creature. It spun around to try and block them, but the worg, its speed bolstered by its panic, shot past before the thing could launch another attack. The goblin crouched low over its mount’s neck as it shot into the dark opening of the passage. There was another loud rumble, but the goblin barely had a chance to lift his head before a massive slab of stone dropped down from above, crushing both mount and rider instantly. Even expecting something like that, Kurok couldn’t help but flinch back at the intensity of the trap. As the rock-creature turned back to face him, he thought he saw something in its eyes, a silent challenge. [i]Your move,[/i] he imagined it saying. Kurok had mastered fear, but he was not suicidal. “Fall back!” he yelled. The goblins needed little urging; they were already tugging on the leather throngs they used to guide their mounts even before Usk could echo his order. Even as they fled the animated boulders continued to kill; one injured goblin was crushed as it crawled toward the opening of the cleft. Kurok narrowly avoided a riderless worg that shot past him, but then he was through the gap and clear. He didn’t look back until he was a full fifty paces away, and even though there was no pursuit he did not stop running until he was all the way back to the edge of the ravine. The survivors continued to dribble in, some of the worgs limping, others carrying two riders where one of the goblins was unable to walk or hang on unassisted. Usk and his impressive mount did not appear to be hurt, but fury burned in both sets of eyes as they regarded the blood-smeared gap in the front of the mound. That fury was not much abated as the goblin leader shifted his attention to Kurok, but he offered no comment on what had just happened. Kurok tallied their losses: three worgs were dead, along with four goblins. Most of the survivors were wounded, some seriously. Usk’s shamans would be busy when they got back to the camp. Kurok turned back to the cleft in the mound. There was no sign of the boulder-creatures. If the elemental thing that controlled them was clever it would have situated itself in a new hiding place, awaiting their return. The passage entry was clear again, with only a bloody heap on the ground to indicate that anything had tried to enter. He had no doubt whatsoever that the trap had reset itself in anticipation of another victim. Usk was already issuing orders, not waiting for Kurok’s command to organize his troops for the long trek back to their camp. Kurok let that stand for the moment. He stared at the deadly entrance to the shrine for a few moments longer, then turned and followed his wounded army back into the valley. [/QUOTE]
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