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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7320331" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 112</p><p></p><p>Bredan didn’t think, he just acted.</p><p></p><p>As his hand came up he drew from somewhere deep inside himself and <em>pushed</em>. The magical <em>shield</em> that appeared was smaller than the wooden ones that his uncle had forced him to train on, even after he’d decided to focus on two-handed weapons. Against the bulk and mass of the creature it was nothing, certainly not enough to stop it.</p><p></p><p>But as the giant beetle’s head slammed down, the shield stopped it… and held it.</p><p></p><p>Bredan didn’t hesitate. He shifted his stance the way he’d trained, using all of the muscles of his body to drive his sword into the creature’s body. He’d expected resistance, expected to be rebuffed by its armored shell, but the blade slid into the gap between its head and abdomen as though it was meant to be there. He buried the sword to the crossguard, and as the beetle reared back the entire weapon vanished into the interior of its body.</p><p></p><p>Bredan staggered back as the <em>shield</em> dissipated, but the giant beetle was no longer interested in attack. As the head jerked to the side Quellan caught it a glancing blow that cracked one of the huge mandibles, but before any of them could follow up the creature flung itself wildly back across the cavern, crushing another score of its tiny fellows in the process.</p><p></p><p>For a moment Bredan could only stare after it, but then renewed skittering noises warned that the smaller beetles had not fully given up their push. Glori noted the same thing, shouting, “We’d better get out of here!” She still had a grip on the end of the rope, and gave it a solid tug to verify that it was still attached to whatever anchor held it above.</p><p></p><p>“Go!” Quellan said, taking up a position to cover her retreat. The cavern shook with the angry gyrations of the injured colossus, and Bredan looked at the uncertain ceiling with worry. Quellan smashed another small beetle as it approached the top of the ledge, but the giant beetle’s aborted attack had knocked most of them back to the bottom of the rock ramp, forcing them to repeat the difficult climb. But most of them were rushing about in random directions, either confused by the chaos created by the larger monster or simply looking for someplace quiet to hide.</p><p></p><p>“Kosk?” Bredan asked as he moved back next to Quellan to guard the rope. He’d drawn his dagger, but did not look too concerned about the loss of his sword.</p><p></p><p>“He’s okay,” Quellan said. “There was an ambush, we came under attack from hidden archers right after the supply hut exploded.”</p><p></p><p>“Then this whole thing was a trap,” Bredan said. He skewered a beetle with his dagger and kicked it off the edge.</p><p></p><p>“It would appear so,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>Both men glanced up as Glori shimmied through the opening above, dislodging a fresh shower of small rocks. “You’re next,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>“I should—” Bredan began, but Quellan grabbed him and pushed him toward the rope, infusing him with the healing power of a <em>cure wounds</em> spell as he did so. “You know me better than that,” the cleric said. “Besides, I’ll need you to help pull me up.”</p><p></p><p>“Hold on then,” Bredan said, clapping him on the shoulder before he tucked his dagger away and started up. With his upper-body strength the climb was easy at first especially when he had the wall of the cavern to brace against. Getting up to the hole in the cavern ceiling was a bit more difficult, especially as he began to feel the effects of the battering his body had taken, but with a few fierce grunts of effort he reached the top and pulled himself over the lip of the sinkhole. The ground remained uncertain, forcing him to keep hold of the rope as he pulled himself up the last bit to solid ground, but he quickly reached safety and then turned back to help Quellan. He looked around to see if the archers the cleric had mentioned were still a threat, but no arrows came his way. Glori had taken cover behind the same pile of boulders where they’d anchored the rope, but she came out to help Bredan pull the half-orc up.</p><p></p><p>Even with that help, lifting Quellan’s weight was harder than pulling himself up, and Bredan’s arms were burning by the time that the priest’s arms appeared in the hole. Careful of the uncertain edges of the sinkhole, Glori leaned in to give him a hand up the least few steps, as Bredan slumped over, propping his hands on his knees to keep himself upright.</p><p></p><p>“We have to help Kosk,” Quellan said immediately.</p><p></p><p>“I think… he’s okay,” Bredan said, pointing.</p><p></p><p>Quellan and Glori turned to see the dwarf approaching through the heap of tailings on the edge of the camp. It didn’t look like he’d picked up any fresh wounds, but he looked no less furious for that.</p><p></p><p>“Everything okay?” Quellan asked as he approached.</p><p></p><p>“The bastards fled,” Kosk reported. “That probably had something to do with it.” He pointed toward where the road emerged from the forest, and they could see a large party approaching through the trees. There looked to be at least a dozen men accompanying a large cart pulled by a draft horse and laden with barrels.</p><p></p><p>“Looks like Rodan found help,” Glori said, recognizing the ranger among the new arrivals.</p><p></p><p>“Fortuitous timing,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>“Yeah,” Kosk said. He was holding something that he turned over in his hands. It was a crossbow bolt, likely one of the ones that had been shot at them during the ambush. The ground around the camp was peppered with them, along with at least a dozen arrows.</p><p></p><p>Glori turned to Bredan. “Are you okay?”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah,” he said. “Quellan healed me.”</p><p></p><p>“What about your sword?”</p><p></p><p>Bredan forced himself upright. He held out his hand and closed his eyes. This time he was not surprised when he felt the familiar weight of his father’s weapon in his hand. It felt clean, with none of the slickness of the beetle’s blood marring the grip. It felt… <em>right</em>.</p><p></p><p>He opened his eyes to find all of the others looking at him. “Looks like we’ll have something to talk about on the way back to town,” Quellan said.</p><p></p><p>“First we need to burn those bastards out,” Kosk said. He tucked the bolt into his belt and then started toward the road to greet the company from Wildrush.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7320331, member: 143"] Chapter 112 Bredan didn’t think, he just acted. As his hand came up he drew from somewhere deep inside himself and [i]pushed[/i]. The magical [i]shield[/i] that appeared was smaller than the wooden ones that his uncle had forced him to train on, even after he’d decided to focus on two-handed weapons. Against the bulk and mass of the creature it was nothing, certainly not enough to stop it. But as the giant beetle’s head slammed down, the shield stopped it… and held it. Bredan didn’t hesitate. He shifted his stance the way he’d trained, using all of the muscles of his body to drive his sword into the creature’s body. He’d expected resistance, expected to be rebuffed by its armored shell, but the blade slid into the gap between its head and abdomen as though it was meant to be there. He buried the sword to the crossguard, and as the beetle reared back the entire weapon vanished into the interior of its body. Bredan staggered back as the [i]shield[/i] dissipated, but the giant beetle was no longer interested in attack. As the head jerked to the side Quellan caught it a glancing blow that cracked one of the huge mandibles, but before any of them could follow up the creature flung itself wildly back across the cavern, crushing another score of its tiny fellows in the process. For a moment Bredan could only stare after it, but then renewed skittering noises warned that the smaller beetles had not fully given up their push. Glori noted the same thing, shouting, “We’d better get out of here!” She still had a grip on the end of the rope, and gave it a solid tug to verify that it was still attached to whatever anchor held it above. “Go!” Quellan said, taking up a position to cover her retreat. The cavern shook with the angry gyrations of the injured colossus, and Bredan looked at the uncertain ceiling with worry. Quellan smashed another small beetle as it approached the top of the ledge, but the giant beetle’s aborted attack had knocked most of them back to the bottom of the rock ramp, forcing them to repeat the difficult climb. But most of them were rushing about in random directions, either confused by the chaos created by the larger monster or simply looking for someplace quiet to hide. “Kosk?” Bredan asked as he moved back next to Quellan to guard the rope. He’d drawn his dagger, but did not look too concerned about the loss of his sword. “He’s okay,” Quellan said. “There was an ambush, we came under attack from hidden archers right after the supply hut exploded.” “Then this whole thing was a trap,” Bredan said. He skewered a beetle with his dagger and kicked it off the edge. “It would appear so,” Quellan said. Both men glanced up as Glori shimmied through the opening above, dislodging a fresh shower of small rocks. “You’re next,” Quellan said. “I should—” Bredan began, but Quellan grabbed him and pushed him toward the rope, infusing him with the healing power of a [i]cure wounds[/i] spell as he did so. “You know me better than that,” the cleric said. “Besides, I’ll need you to help pull me up.” “Hold on then,” Bredan said, clapping him on the shoulder before he tucked his dagger away and started up. With his upper-body strength the climb was easy at first especially when he had the wall of the cavern to brace against. Getting up to the hole in the cavern ceiling was a bit more difficult, especially as he began to feel the effects of the battering his body had taken, but with a few fierce grunts of effort he reached the top and pulled himself over the lip of the sinkhole. The ground remained uncertain, forcing him to keep hold of the rope as he pulled himself up the last bit to solid ground, but he quickly reached safety and then turned back to help Quellan. He looked around to see if the archers the cleric had mentioned were still a threat, but no arrows came his way. Glori had taken cover behind the same pile of boulders where they’d anchored the rope, but she came out to help Bredan pull the half-orc up. Even with that help, lifting Quellan’s weight was harder than pulling himself up, and Bredan’s arms were burning by the time that the priest’s arms appeared in the hole. Careful of the uncertain edges of the sinkhole, Glori leaned in to give him a hand up the least few steps, as Bredan slumped over, propping his hands on his knees to keep himself upright. “We have to help Kosk,” Quellan said immediately. “I think… he’s okay,” Bredan said, pointing. Quellan and Glori turned to see the dwarf approaching through the heap of tailings on the edge of the camp. It didn’t look like he’d picked up any fresh wounds, but he looked no less furious for that. “Everything okay?” Quellan asked as he approached. “The bastards fled,” Kosk reported. “That probably had something to do with it.” He pointed toward where the road emerged from the forest, and they could see a large party approaching through the trees. There looked to be at least a dozen men accompanying a large cart pulled by a draft horse and laden with barrels. “Looks like Rodan found help,” Glori said, recognizing the ranger among the new arrivals. “Fortuitous timing,” Quellan said. “Yeah,” Kosk said. He was holding something that he turned over in his hands. It was a crossbow bolt, likely one of the ones that had been shot at them during the ambush. The ground around the camp was peppered with them, along with at least a dozen arrows. Glori turned to Bredan. “Are you okay?” “Yeah,” he said. “Quellan healed me.” “What about your sword?” Bredan forced himself upright. He held out his hand and closed his eyes. This time he was not surprised when he felt the familiar weight of his father’s weapon in his hand. It felt clean, with none of the slickness of the beetle’s blood marring the grip. It felt… [i]right[/i]. He opened his eyes to find all of the others looking at him. “Looks like we’ll have something to talk about on the way back to town,” Quellan said. “First we need to burn those bastards out,” Kosk said. He tucked the bolt into his belt and then started toward the road to greet the company from Wildrush. [/QUOTE]
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