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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7406645" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 153</p><p></p><p>Bredan knew from the first clash of weapons that he was outmatched.</p><p></p><p>Pentar was old, and he yielded several stone to his foe. But Bredan had been weakened from his captivity, and he lacked the protection of the armor that his captor wore.</p><p></p><p>But even beyond that, the man was <em>fast</em>.</p><p></p><p>Bredan had the longer weapon, but Pentar got within his reach before he could get his sword up to block him. He did manage to meet the first swing of the mace with a reflexive parry, but as the two weapons collided there was a pulse of energy that drove Bredan back several steps. He might have fallen if he hadn’t hit the back wall of the room. Pentar was already following up with another powerful swing, but Bredan slid to the side. The head of the mace struck the wall with enough force to shatter the stone, driving a webwork of cracks through the slab.</p><p></p><p>Bredan tried to counter before he could recover, but Pentar shifted quickly and deflected the weak stroke with the shaft of his weapon. Bredan had no choice but to retreat back toward the center of the chamber, careful not to slip on blood of the jailor he’d cut down earlier.</p><p></p><p>“I regret that it had to come to this,” Pentar said. “I had hoped there was a chance that you might become one of us.”</p><p></p><p>“That hope died with Glori,” Bredan snarled. He feinted to one side and then brought his sword up in a sudden backswing. The old man was not fooled, and he easily avoided the attack. Bredan was expecting his counter, but he was caught off guard when Pentar stepped back and held his weapon upright in both hands, the flanged tip just below his face. The head of the mace seemed to shimmer and blur.</p><p></p><p>A violent clanging filled the chamber, a sound that felt like all of the bells in the world being rung at once. Bredan was caught within that pulse, and he was staggered as sonic energy ripped through his body. Blood began to seep from his nose and ears, and for a moment his vision became clouded behind a haze of red.</p><p></p><p>Instinct rather than his dazed senses warned him of the coming attack, but while he got his sword up the blow that struck him completely overwhelmed his defenses. He was knocked over onto his back, his sword flying clear to clatter halfway across the room. He looked up to see Pentar looming over him, the mace hefted in both hands like a sledgehammer.</p><p></p><p>“If you will not join us, you cannot be permitted to aid <em>them</em>,” he said as he lifted the mace to strike.</p><p></p><p>Bredan thrust out his hand and summoned a <em>shield</em>. The arcane barrier formed just as the mace struck it. Bredan had seen it hold off an ogre’s club and withstand the weight of a gigantic beetle, but against this power it cracked and shattered. But the reverberations from the collision of magics pushed Pentar back a step, giving Bredan a scant second to escape. But as he scrambled to his feet he realized that he had few options. Pentar blocked the exit through which he’d arrived, and he could easily shift to intercept Bredan if he made for the sewer pipe. He saw that recognition in his foe’s eyes as well, an awareness that this could only end one way.</p><p></p><p>With that realization came a sudden calm, and Bredan stopped his retreat. Without taking his eyes off of his enemy he held out his hand and prepared to call his father’s sword back to him.</p><p></p><p>But before he could summon his magic there was an explosion in the room behind the old man. Flames rushed out through the open doorway, briefly limning Pentar with their glow before they faded. He stepped back and to the side, giving Bredan the chance to summon his weapon but not leaving an opening for an attack. For a moment the two of them held their ground, each wary of what this new development portended.</p><p></p><p>The spell was broken when a dark form staggered through the doorway. It was a man, clad in the remnant of one of the dark robes. It was difficult to see more because he was currently on fire, the flames clinging to his ruined garments and licking at his exposed hands and face. He managed a few steps into the room before he collapsed, his struggles quickly growing feeble before they stopped altogether.</p><p></p><p>Another heartbeat passed before another form appeared in the doorway. This one was bigger than the first, so big that he had to twist sideways to make it through the gap. He was clad in heavy armor, and for an instant Bredan felt a cold feeling in his gut before he recognized the blazon on the newcomer’s shield, and the face that peered out over its edge.</p><p></p><p>“Quellan!” Bredan cried. Then, “Look out!”</p><p></p><p>Bredan lunged forward as the half-orc turned toward Pentar, but the old man’s attack was only a feint. Even as Quellan got clear of the confines of the doorway he was retreating toward the sewer pipe. Bredan ran after him, but as the old man ducked into the pipe he reached up and touched a loose brick, activating a hidden catch or trigger. A heavy iron gate slammed down from above, blocking the mouth of the pipe. Pentar turned and touched the thick bars for a moment. He met Bredan’s gaze.</p><p></p><p>“We are not done, you and I,” he said.</p><p></p><p>Bredan lunged, thrusting his sword through the bars, but Pentar was already disappearing down the pipe. He grabbed hold of the gate, tying to lift it, but it didn’t budge. He could sense the magic that the old man had infused into it, though he didn’t know the exact nature of the spell.</p><p></p><p>Quellan joined him a moment later. The half-orc’s armor was smeared with blood, but he did not look to be seriously injured. “Bredan, are you all right?”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah. Thanks for coming for me. Are Kosk and Xeeta with you?”</p><p></p><p>“We’re all here. The others are just cleaning up a few stragglers, but when I heard that blast I had a feeling you were involved. Do you need healing, are you hurt?”</p><p></p><p>Bredan started to answer, but his words faded as another figure came through the doorway into the chamber. As she turned to face him the light from the lamp behind her seemed to form a bright halo around her face. Her lips twisted into a smile, then an expression of surprise as he came forward and seized her up in a tight embrace.</p><p></p><p>“Glori,” he said. “You’re alive.”</p><p></p><p>“Of course,” she said.</p><p></p><p>“How… I saw you go down…”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah, and I had quite the headache after. Would have ended up with worse, I think, except that they didn’t gag me when they took me off. I woke up in a canal boat with two guys looming over me. Fortunately, they weren’t very bright, and proved quite susceptible to <em>suggestion</em>. Then it was just a question of finding the others, and then finding you.”</p><p></p><p>“It wasn’t easy,” Quellan said. “We must have traveled over half the city, if not more. The wizards gave us a few suggestions of places to look, but it still took a lot of luck.”</p><p></p><p>“Quellan’s being modest,” Glori said. “His magic helped us track you… we couldn’t find any trace of you specifically, but Xeeta suggested we try to locate your sword instead, and we finally got a connection.” Bredan still hadn’t released her, and she patted his arm reassuringly. “Hey, are you okay?”</p><p></p><p>Reluctantly, he let her go. “I am now,” he said. “I am now.”</p><p></p><p>“What did they do to you?” she asked.</p><p></p><p>He shook his head. “Later. Later. What about Xeeta and Kosk?”</p><p></p><p>“They’re coming,” Glori said. “They were right behind me but paused to clean up a few of those cultists we ran into. Most of them weren’t real fighters, they didn’t give us too much trouble.”</p><p></p><p>“We should make sure they’re all right,” Quellan said. “And perhaps depart before reinforcements arrive. A gentleman who I assume is one of the group’s leaders fled right as I got here.” He looked at Bredan for elaboration, but the young warrior was still distracted.</p><p></p><p>“Do you know why they wanted you?” Glori asked. “They sure went through a lot of effort to keep you hidden.”</p><p></p><p>“I got a few answers,” Bredan said. “And as soon as I get back to the Apernium, I’m going to get more.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7406645, member: 143"] Chapter 153 Bredan knew from the first clash of weapons that he was outmatched. Pentar was old, and he yielded several stone to his foe. But Bredan had been weakened from his captivity, and he lacked the protection of the armor that his captor wore. But even beyond that, the man was [i]fast[/i]. Bredan had the longer weapon, but Pentar got within his reach before he could get his sword up to block him. He did manage to meet the first swing of the mace with a reflexive parry, but as the two weapons collided there was a pulse of energy that drove Bredan back several steps. He might have fallen if he hadn’t hit the back wall of the room. Pentar was already following up with another powerful swing, but Bredan slid to the side. The head of the mace struck the wall with enough force to shatter the stone, driving a webwork of cracks through the slab. Bredan tried to counter before he could recover, but Pentar shifted quickly and deflected the weak stroke with the shaft of his weapon. Bredan had no choice but to retreat back toward the center of the chamber, careful not to slip on blood of the jailor he’d cut down earlier. “I regret that it had to come to this,” Pentar said. “I had hoped there was a chance that you might become one of us.” “That hope died with Glori,” Bredan snarled. He feinted to one side and then brought his sword up in a sudden backswing. The old man was not fooled, and he easily avoided the attack. Bredan was expecting his counter, but he was caught off guard when Pentar stepped back and held his weapon upright in both hands, the flanged tip just below his face. The head of the mace seemed to shimmer and blur. A violent clanging filled the chamber, a sound that felt like all of the bells in the world being rung at once. Bredan was caught within that pulse, and he was staggered as sonic energy ripped through his body. Blood began to seep from his nose and ears, and for a moment his vision became clouded behind a haze of red. Instinct rather than his dazed senses warned him of the coming attack, but while he got his sword up the blow that struck him completely overwhelmed his defenses. He was knocked over onto his back, his sword flying clear to clatter halfway across the room. He looked up to see Pentar looming over him, the mace hefted in both hands like a sledgehammer. “If you will not join us, you cannot be permitted to aid [i]them[/i],” he said as he lifted the mace to strike. Bredan thrust out his hand and summoned a [i]shield[/i]. The arcane barrier formed just as the mace struck it. Bredan had seen it hold off an ogre’s club and withstand the weight of a gigantic beetle, but against this power it cracked and shattered. But the reverberations from the collision of magics pushed Pentar back a step, giving Bredan a scant second to escape. But as he scrambled to his feet he realized that he had few options. Pentar blocked the exit through which he’d arrived, and he could easily shift to intercept Bredan if he made for the sewer pipe. He saw that recognition in his foe’s eyes as well, an awareness that this could only end one way. With that realization came a sudden calm, and Bredan stopped his retreat. Without taking his eyes off of his enemy he held out his hand and prepared to call his father’s sword back to him. But before he could summon his magic there was an explosion in the room behind the old man. Flames rushed out through the open doorway, briefly limning Pentar with their glow before they faded. He stepped back and to the side, giving Bredan the chance to summon his weapon but not leaving an opening for an attack. For a moment the two of them held their ground, each wary of what this new development portended. The spell was broken when a dark form staggered through the doorway. It was a man, clad in the remnant of one of the dark robes. It was difficult to see more because he was currently on fire, the flames clinging to his ruined garments and licking at his exposed hands and face. He managed a few steps into the room before he collapsed, his struggles quickly growing feeble before they stopped altogether. Another heartbeat passed before another form appeared in the doorway. This one was bigger than the first, so big that he had to twist sideways to make it through the gap. He was clad in heavy armor, and for an instant Bredan felt a cold feeling in his gut before he recognized the blazon on the newcomer’s shield, and the face that peered out over its edge. “Quellan!” Bredan cried. Then, “Look out!” Bredan lunged forward as the half-orc turned toward Pentar, but the old man’s attack was only a feint. Even as Quellan got clear of the confines of the doorway he was retreating toward the sewer pipe. Bredan ran after him, but as the old man ducked into the pipe he reached up and touched a loose brick, activating a hidden catch or trigger. A heavy iron gate slammed down from above, blocking the mouth of the pipe. Pentar turned and touched the thick bars for a moment. He met Bredan’s gaze. “We are not done, you and I,” he said. Bredan lunged, thrusting his sword through the bars, but Pentar was already disappearing down the pipe. He grabbed hold of the gate, tying to lift it, but it didn’t budge. He could sense the magic that the old man had infused into it, though he didn’t know the exact nature of the spell. Quellan joined him a moment later. The half-orc’s armor was smeared with blood, but he did not look to be seriously injured. “Bredan, are you all right?” “Yeah. Thanks for coming for me. Are Kosk and Xeeta with you?” “We’re all here. The others are just cleaning up a few stragglers, but when I heard that blast I had a feeling you were involved. Do you need healing, are you hurt?” Bredan started to answer, but his words faded as another figure came through the doorway into the chamber. As she turned to face him the light from the lamp behind her seemed to form a bright halo around her face. Her lips twisted into a smile, then an expression of surprise as he came forward and seized her up in a tight embrace. “Glori,” he said. “You’re alive.” “Of course,” she said. “How… I saw you go down…” “Yeah, and I had quite the headache after. Would have ended up with worse, I think, except that they didn’t gag me when they took me off. I woke up in a canal boat with two guys looming over me. Fortunately, they weren’t very bright, and proved quite susceptible to [i]suggestion[/i]. Then it was just a question of finding the others, and then finding you.” “It wasn’t easy,” Quellan said. “We must have traveled over half the city, if not more. The wizards gave us a few suggestions of places to look, but it still took a lot of luck.” “Quellan’s being modest,” Glori said. “His magic helped us track you… we couldn’t find any trace of you specifically, but Xeeta suggested we try to locate your sword instead, and we finally got a connection.” Bredan still hadn’t released her, and she patted his arm reassuringly. “Hey, are you okay?” Reluctantly, he let her go. “I am now,” he said. “I am now.” “What did they do to you?” she asked. He shook his head. “Later. Later. What about Xeeta and Kosk?” “They’re coming,” Glori said. “They were right behind me but paused to clean up a few of those cultists we ran into. Most of them weren’t real fighters, they didn’t give us too much trouble.” “We should make sure they’re all right,” Quellan said. “And perhaps depart before reinforcements arrive. A gentleman who I assume is one of the group’s leaders fled right as I got here.” He looked at Bredan for elaboration, but the young warrior was still distracted. “Do you know why they wanted you?” Glori asked. “They sure went through a lot of effort to keep you hidden.” “I got a few answers,” Bredan said. “And as soon as I get back to the Apernium, I’m going to get more.” [/QUOTE]
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