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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7314195" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 109</p><p></p><p>The beetle facing Kosk lunged forward, its mandibles snapping for an exposed leg. The dwarf sprang back up onto the rocks but the beetle followed, clambering up after him.</p><p></p><p>“Guess what, these ones can climb!” he warned his friends. The monk smacked the creature in the head with his staff before it could reach him, knocking it off the boulder. It landed on its back and lay there squirming.</p><p></p><p>“Good to know!” Bredan yelled back. He lifted his crossbow and fired at the closest beetle, but the bolt stabbed into the ground right in front of it. The beetle clambered over it without slowing. Quellan, lacking a missile weapon, hefted his mace and crept forward to the forward edge of their rampart. The pile of boulders that had seemed impressive when they’d been climbing up onto them now seemed rather close to the ground. After a moment’s hesitation he tucked his weapon under his arm and extended his hand in a beckoning gesture. With a soft <em>whoosh</em> his newly-won <em>sacred flame</em> enveloped one of the bugs, drawing a high-pitched shriek from it before it collapsed in a charred heap.</p><p></p><p>“That’s new,” Bredan said as he reloaded his bow.</p><p></p><p>“That’s good!” Kosk said in encouragement. “Do that thirty more times and we’re good!”</p><p></p><p>Glori started to lift her bow, but hesitated. There were plenty of targets, but it looked like she’d only get one shot before the nearest beetles reached their refuge. Instead she jumped down and sprinted into the miners’ camp.</p><p></p><p>“Glori!” Bredan shouted.</p><p></p><p>“I’ve got a plan!” she yelled back.</p><p></p><p>About half of the beetles turned to intercept her, but her intended destination wasn’t far away. On the edge of the camp there was an old cart that lay at an angle, with one wheel broken. From the rust on the axle it had been there for a while. Glori hopped up onto it, waving her arms to keep her balance as the cart swayed unsteadily with her weight.</p><p></p><p>“That won’t stop them,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>“We have to trust her,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>“There’s a few more coming up from behind,” Kosk reported as he joined the others atop the heap of boulders. “What’s she doing now?” he asked as he saw Glori.</p><p></p><p>“Something heroic and stupid, no doubt,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>Glori waved her arms and yelled, drawing even more of the beetles to her. As the first ones reached the cart they skittered up onto it, snapping at the bard’s feet. She retreated further, up onto the very edge of the still-intact wheel, balancing precariously on the narrow rim. More beetles clambered onto the cart, while two others tried to climb the wheel to get to her. One managed to scrape its mandibles on the upper rim a scant finger’s breadth from Glori’s boots.</p><p></p><p>Glori waited a heartbeat longer. Then she flashed her hands over her lyre, and her brow furrowed for a moment as she concentrated on her magic.</p><p></p><p>Bredan, who knew what was coming, tensed in anticipation, but he still flinched when the blast of Glori’s <em>thunderwave</em> reached him. The pulse of raw sonic energy couldn’t inflict any real damage from that far away, but it still felt as though someone was trying to loosen his bones from inside his body.</p><p></p><p>The beetles, on the other hand, absorbed the full force of the spell. The ones closest to Glori were shattered like eggs, flung backwards from the point of impact to lay broken on the rocks. Those a bit further back were stunned by the intensity of the pulse, and a few that had been making a beeline for the cart turned and wandered in random directions as if confused by the whole affair.</p><p></p><p>The spell also vaporized the cart, but Glori seemed ready for that, and as the wheel collapsed from under her she leapt clear and landed in a patch of dirt a few paces away, coming up into an easy roll that barely mussed her cloak. Unfortunately for her there was a beetle a few feet away that she hadn’t noticed, and as she regained her feet it let out a chirp and lunged for her exposed right ankle. Too late she turned and saw the threat.</p><p></p><p>But just before the mandibles would have snapped shut the beetle shook and came to a sudden stop. Glori could see the crossbow bolt that had impaled it right between the eyes, so deep that only the fletched end was visible. She turned and flashed a thumbs-up to Bredan, who looked just as surprised that he’d finally managed to hit something with his crossbow.</p><p></p><p>More of the beetles were recovering and coming toward her again, but Glori quickly spun and sprinted back toward the mound of boulders. Kosk flicked a beetle off with his staff, while Quellan leapt down to help clear her path, kicking a beetle that threatened to cut her off. The beetle rolled through the camp like a child’s ball, finally coming to a stop near the supply hut.</p><p></p><p>“Xeeta would have been really helpful right about now!” Kosk said as Glori sprang up onto the rocks. Bredan gave the half-orc a hand back up then drew his sword. Glori spun with her bow in hand and shot a beetle that tried to snap at the cleric’s boot. “You got another of those spells?” the dwarf asked Glori.</p><p></p><p>“Yeah, but I can’t set it off without blasting all of you,” she yelled back.</p><p></p><p>“I think we’ve got this,” Bredan said as he skewered another of the beetles. The survivors were all gathered around the base of the mound, but the need to clamber up onto the rocks was slowing them just enough to leave them open to the adventurers’ weapons. For a moment the only sound was the skittering of their feet and the clacking of their mandibles, punctuated by the louder sounds of steel and wood smashing into their bodies.</p><p></p><p>And then, so suddenly that it almost caught them off guard, it was over. Insect bodies and pieces of them were scattered all over and around the mounded boulders, but none of them were stirring.</p><p></p><p>“Is that all of them?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>“Is anyone hurt?” Quellan asked.</p><p></p><p>“It looks like we won this round,” Kosk said. He hopped down from the rocks, stepping over a partially-squished beetle. “Let’s finish this before the rest of them come. That spell-blast may draw every bug within a mile, or something worse.”</p><p></p><p>“Always seeing the bright side,” Bredan said, but he followed the dwarf as he started toward the supply hut. As he walked he took out a rag and cleaned his sword.</p><p></p><p>Quellan jumped down and then turned to help Glori. “That was a good plan,” he said.</p><p></p><p>“I am glad my master had me do balance exercises,” she said. “Comes in handy during a performance, but it’s a skill with broader application, it seems.”</p><p></p><p>Kosk kept a close eye on the dark mouth of the mine shaft as he made his way toward the hut where the miners kept their oil. The initial wave of beetles had been dealt with handily, but there was something here that didn’t sit right, something that just felt <em>off</em>. He doubted that the beetles they’d fought were the full sum of the infestation. The plan to use the oil to cleanse the mine was sound, and probably their best option since crawling down into the mine to hunt the things would be beyond risky. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something.</p><p></p><p>As he turned back to the shack he caught a hint of movement from within. The tiny building was shoddy in its construction, with gaping cracks between the boards that made up its walls and a roof that looked like it would fly off with the first strong breeze, let alone one of the storms that plagued these mountains. The door was to his left, attached to the wood on crude leather hinges. The openings in the wall weren’t quite big enough for him to clearly see in the interior, but whatever it had been was too big to have been one of the beetles. Kosk tensed and lifted his staff, ready for an attack.</p><p></p><p>There was a small flash, and something shot out from one of the larger gaps in the shack’s wall. Kosk started to dodge, but realized that the missile wasn’t coming toward him. Instead it headed for the dark opening of the mineshaft. He just barely had a chance to see that it was a pale, slightly glowing sphere the size of a fist before it vanished into the narrow tunnel.</p><p></p><p>“What was that?” Bredan asked.</p><p></p><p>Kosk didn’t get a chance to answer before a loud sound boomed out from the mine. It sounded almost as loud as Glori’s spell, the sonic pulse amplified by the tight confines of the shaft. He imagined what it would do to the beetles, but figured that was probably the point.</p><p></p><p>“Wizard!” he warned, just in case the others hadn’t made the connection. Kosk hadn’t forgotten the attack on their caravan on the road through the mountains, or the way that the lead wagon had mysteriously burst into flame in the middle of the ambush. The dwarf had faced enough spellcasters in his long and unusual career to know that the key to defeating them was not giving them time to unleash their magic. Without waiting to see what the others would do he charged forward toward the door of the shack. It had a simple embedded latch that looked like it could be worked from either side, but he didn’t bother with it. Instead he lifted his foot and delivered a snap-kick that blasted the thing open. He followed that with a lunge that brought his staff into a ready position.</p><p></p><p>He noticed two things at once. The first was that the hut, somehow, was empty. The interior was just one small room, and while there were plenty of openings in the walls, none of them were big enough for even a goblin to squeeze through.</p><p></p><p>But that realization was overpowered by the flash to his right, and he turned to see sparks from a series of flints jammed into the door as they caught on a sodden rag set on top of a broached cask. A strong scent confirmed its contents even if he hadn’t seen the warnings blazoned on the sides of the container.</p><p></p><p>Kosk opened his mouth to issue a curse, but didn’t get a chance before the shack exploded.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7314195, member: 143"] Chapter 109 The beetle facing Kosk lunged forward, its mandibles snapping for an exposed leg. The dwarf sprang back up onto the rocks but the beetle followed, clambering up after him. “Guess what, these ones can climb!” he warned his friends. The monk smacked the creature in the head with his staff before it could reach him, knocking it off the boulder. It landed on its back and lay there squirming. “Good to know!” Bredan yelled back. He lifted his crossbow and fired at the closest beetle, but the bolt stabbed into the ground right in front of it. The beetle clambered over it without slowing. Quellan, lacking a missile weapon, hefted his mace and crept forward to the forward edge of their rampart. The pile of boulders that had seemed impressive when they’d been climbing up onto them now seemed rather close to the ground. After a moment’s hesitation he tucked his weapon under his arm and extended his hand in a beckoning gesture. With a soft [i]whoosh[/i] his newly-won [i]sacred flame[/i] enveloped one of the bugs, drawing a high-pitched shriek from it before it collapsed in a charred heap. “That’s new,” Bredan said as he reloaded his bow. “That’s good!” Kosk said in encouragement. “Do that thirty more times and we’re good!” Glori started to lift her bow, but hesitated. There were plenty of targets, but it looked like she’d only get one shot before the nearest beetles reached their refuge. Instead she jumped down and sprinted into the miners’ camp. “Glori!” Bredan shouted. “I’ve got a plan!” she yelled back. About half of the beetles turned to intercept her, but her intended destination wasn’t far away. On the edge of the camp there was an old cart that lay at an angle, with one wheel broken. From the rust on the axle it had been there for a while. Glori hopped up onto it, waving her arms to keep her balance as the cart swayed unsteadily with her weight. “That won’t stop them,” Bredan said. “We have to trust her,” Quellan said. “There’s a few more coming up from behind,” Kosk reported as he joined the others atop the heap of boulders. “What’s she doing now?” he asked as he saw Glori. “Something heroic and stupid, no doubt,” Bredan said. Glori waved her arms and yelled, drawing even more of the beetles to her. As the first ones reached the cart they skittered up onto it, snapping at the bard’s feet. She retreated further, up onto the very edge of the still-intact wheel, balancing precariously on the narrow rim. More beetles clambered onto the cart, while two others tried to climb the wheel to get to her. One managed to scrape its mandibles on the upper rim a scant finger’s breadth from Glori’s boots. Glori waited a heartbeat longer. Then she flashed her hands over her lyre, and her brow furrowed for a moment as she concentrated on her magic. Bredan, who knew what was coming, tensed in anticipation, but he still flinched when the blast of Glori’s [i]thunderwave[/i] reached him. The pulse of raw sonic energy couldn’t inflict any real damage from that far away, but it still felt as though someone was trying to loosen his bones from inside his body. The beetles, on the other hand, absorbed the full force of the spell. The ones closest to Glori were shattered like eggs, flung backwards from the point of impact to lay broken on the rocks. Those a bit further back were stunned by the intensity of the pulse, and a few that had been making a beeline for the cart turned and wandered in random directions as if confused by the whole affair. The spell also vaporized the cart, but Glori seemed ready for that, and as the wheel collapsed from under her she leapt clear and landed in a patch of dirt a few paces away, coming up into an easy roll that barely mussed her cloak. Unfortunately for her there was a beetle a few feet away that she hadn’t noticed, and as she regained her feet it let out a chirp and lunged for her exposed right ankle. Too late she turned and saw the threat. But just before the mandibles would have snapped shut the beetle shook and came to a sudden stop. Glori could see the crossbow bolt that had impaled it right between the eyes, so deep that only the fletched end was visible. She turned and flashed a thumbs-up to Bredan, who looked just as surprised that he’d finally managed to hit something with his crossbow. More of the beetles were recovering and coming toward her again, but Glori quickly spun and sprinted back toward the mound of boulders. Kosk flicked a beetle off with his staff, while Quellan leapt down to help clear her path, kicking a beetle that threatened to cut her off. The beetle rolled through the camp like a child’s ball, finally coming to a stop near the supply hut. “Xeeta would have been really helpful right about now!” Kosk said as Glori sprang up onto the rocks. Bredan gave the half-orc a hand back up then drew his sword. Glori spun with her bow in hand and shot a beetle that tried to snap at the cleric’s boot. “You got another of those spells?” the dwarf asked Glori. “Yeah, but I can’t set it off without blasting all of you,” she yelled back. “I think we’ve got this,” Bredan said as he skewered another of the beetles. The survivors were all gathered around the base of the mound, but the need to clamber up onto the rocks was slowing them just enough to leave them open to the adventurers’ weapons. For a moment the only sound was the skittering of their feet and the clacking of their mandibles, punctuated by the louder sounds of steel and wood smashing into their bodies. And then, so suddenly that it almost caught them off guard, it was over. Insect bodies and pieces of them were scattered all over and around the mounded boulders, but none of them were stirring. “Is that all of them?” Glori asked. “Is anyone hurt?” Quellan asked. “It looks like we won this round,” Kosk said. He hopped down from the rocks, stepping over a partially-squished beetle. “Let’s finish this before the rest of them come. That spell-blast may draw every bug within a mile, or something worse.” “Always seeing the bright side,” Bredan said, but he followed the dwarf as he started toward the supply hut. As he walked he took out a rag and cleaned his sword. Quellan jumped down and then turned to help Glori. “That was a good plan,” he said. “I am glad my master had me do balance exercises,” she said. “Comes in handy during a performance, but it’s a skill with broader application, it seems.” Kosk kept a close eye on the dark mouth of the mine shaft as he made his way toward the hut where the miners kept their oil. The initial wave of beetles had been dealt with handily, but there was something here that didn’t sit right, something that just felt [i]off[/i]. He doubted that the beetles they’d fought were the full sum of the infestation. The plan to use the oil to cleanse the mine was sound, and probably their best option since crawling down into the mine to hunt the things would be beyond risky. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something. As he turned back to the shack he caught a hint of movement from within. The tiny building was shoddy in its construction, with gaping cracks between the boards that made up its walls and a roof that looked like it would fly off with the first strong breeze, let alone one of the storms that plagued these mountains. The door was to his left, attached to the wood on crude leather hinges. The openings in the wall weren’t quite big enough for him to clearly see in the interior, but whatever it had been was too big to have been one of the beetles. Kosk tensed and lifted his staff, ready for an attack. There was a small flash, and something shot out from one of the larger gaps in the shack’s wall. Kosk started to dodge, but realized that the missile wasn’t coming toward him. Instead it headed for the dark opening of the mineshaft. He just barely had a chance to see that it was a pale, slightly glowing sphere the size of a fist before it vanished into the narrow tunnel. “What was that?” Bredan asked. Kosk didn’t get a chance to answer before a loud sound boomed out from the mine. It sounded almost as loud as Glori’s spell, the sonic pulse amplified by the tight confines of the shaft. He imagined what it would do to the beetles, but figured that was probably the point. “Wizard!” he warned, just in case the others hadn’t made the connection. Kosk hadn’t forgotten the attack on their caravan on the road through the mountains, or the way that the lead wagon had mysteriously burst into flame in the middle of the ambush. The dwarf had faced enough spellcasters in his long and unusual career to know that the key to defeating them was not giving them time to unleash their magic. Without waiting to see what the others would do he charged forward toward the door of the shack. It had a simple embedded latch that looked like it could be worked from either side, but he didn’t bother with it. Instead he lifted his foot and delivered a snap-kick that blasted the thing open. He followed that with a lunge that brought his staff into a ready position. He noticed two things at once. The first was that the hut, somehow, was empty. The interior was just one small room, and while there were plenty of openings in the walls, none of them were big enough for even a goblin to squeeze through. But that realization was overpowered by the flash to his right, and he turned to see sparks from a series of flints jammed into the door as they caught on a sodden rag set on top of a broached cask. A strong scent confirmed its contents even if he hadn’t seen the warnings blazoned on the sides of the container. Kosk opened his mouth to issue a curse, but didn’t get a chance before the shack exploded. [/QUOTE]
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