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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7541875" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 238</p><p></p><p>Kosk launched himself at the huge tiefling, spinning in mid-air to deliver a powerful kick. But Toros pivoted smoothly out of the way, chopping out with a meaty fist to catch the dwarf in the back. Somehow Kosk intercepted the blow, deflecting the strike with his own hand, then using the momentum of the impact to pivot to another kick as he landed. Again Toros dodged, and took only a glancing hit to the meat of his thigh instead of the bone-snapping strike that the monk had planned.</p><p></p><p>Respectful now of each other’s talents, the two foes circled each other for a moment before they simultaneously launched another series of attacks.</p><p></p><p>“Quellan, lean down!” Glori yelled, strumming her lyre to summon her magic as she rushed forward. The cleric obeyed, dropping to one knee while he raised his shield toward the dark niche where he assumed the attack that had wounded him had originated. Glori yanked the knife out and dropped it to the floor, where it bounced with a loud clank. Even as blood spurted out from the nasty wound, she pressed her hand against it and poured the healing energy of a potent <em>cure wounds</em> spell into him.</p><p></p><p>But before they could search out Quellan’s attacker, they were engulfed in a globe of magical <em>darkness</em>.</p><p></p><p>Toros was clearly expecting that development, for as the light vanished he sprang forward, arms sweeping out toward his foe. One beefy hand closed on Kosk’s arm, and he grunted in pain as jolts of searing necrotic energy shot up the limb. But as Toros tried to pull him into a grapple the monk twisted his body and drove a powerful punch into his opponent’s gut. The tiefling released his grip and staggered back.</p><p></p><p>Wary of the nearby pit and careful of blundering into the adjacent melee, Glori and Quellan remained where they were. “Can you dispel this?” Glori asked.</p><p></p><p>“I could, but I did not prepare the necessary spells today,” Quellan returned. “Hold a moment, and I will heal your injury.” A moment later she felt his touch, and the reassuring potency of another <em>cure wounds</em>.</p><p></p><p>“We have to help Kosk and Bredan,” she said.</p><p></p><p>“We won’t help them by getting ourselves…”</p><p></p><p>He didn’t get a chance to finish his statement. The cleric cried out in pain.</p><p></p><p>“Quellan!” Glori cried.</p><p></p><p>The <em>darkness</em> abruptly vanished, leaving behind a more normal darkness that both Glori and Quellan could defeat with the special vision granted by their racial heritage. But neither had time to look around before Quellan was hit again, this time by another blade that found the gap in his armor under his shield arm and plunged deep into his side. He staggered and dropped to one knee, only the relentless endurance of his orcish blood keeping him upright at all.</p><p></p><p>Glori immediately turned to his aid, but as she came around him she saw a repulsive, bulbous spider clinging to the side of his helmet. She let out a reflexive shriek but quickly slashed out with her sword, knocking the creature clear. It dropped heavily to the floor a foot away. She tried to stab it again, but it managed to dodge and skitter awkwardly away, even though it seemed to be missing a few limbs.</p><p></p><p>A hiss of steel on leather drew her attention around. She turned to see a second tiefling, a bent, wiry figure of a man whose grin revealed a mess of uneven yellow teeth. “Your friend, he no look so good,” he hissed, as he lifted a slender shortsword with a curved blade.</p><p></p><p>While his companions battled Vesca and Zuvox, Kosk was having his own troubles against Toros. Their fight continued as the <em>darkness</em> lifted, the dwarf’s staff proving to be little advantage against his foe’s raw strength and stamina. The hulking bruiser absorbed blows that would have crippled a normal man, while his own counters had left the monk’s skin blackened and oozing. Thus far Kosk had avoided being caught in a bear-hug that might have snapped even his sturdy bones, but he knew that even one misstep might be enough to cost him this battle.</p><p></p><p>Finally, Kosk ducked under another powerful swing and jammed his staff hard into his adversary’s solar plexus. Toros grunted in pain, but his eyes flashed red and a moment later the monk was engulfed in the searing flames of a <em>hellish rebuke</em>. The unholy fire overcame his already ravaged body, and he slumped to the ground, dazed.</p><p></p><p>Glori, battling Vesca on the other side of the chamber, was finding out that the smaller tiefling had tricks of his own. He rushed at her, moving in an odd, halting motion that had the sharp edge of his steel darting at her from unexpected angles. She took a glancing hit to her shoulder that drew blood through her mail shirt. She gave ground, retreating almost to the edge of the pit in the center of the room.</p><p></p><p>The tiefling sprang at her, intent on pushing her over, but she met his rush with a sharp parry that had the ring of steel on steel bouncing off the walls. With her free hand she suddenly lashed at her lyre, unleashing a <em>thunderwave</em> that drove her foe back several steps. It was clear then that her retreat had not been an accident, but had allowed her to get clear of the still-dazed Quellan. Vesca drew back his teeth to reveal his awful smile. “Tricksy, tricksy,” he said. He reached behind his back with his free hand to draw a slender blade from a hidden scabbard, while waving his sword to draw his opponent’s eye.</p><p></p><p>But even as the assassin unleashed his surprise attack, a beam of radiant energy slashed into him. Quellan’s <em>guiding bolt</em> did not hurt the tiefling seriously, but the sparkling motes of holy light threw off his aim, and his knife flashed harmlessly past Glori’s head. Vesca’s eyes flashed red as he fixed his stare upon the cleric. Quellan could tell what was coming and raised his shield, but even magically enhanced wood and steel could not protect him from the tiefling’s <em>hellish rebuke</em>. Much as his brother had taken out Kosk with that fiery pulse, the flames overwhelmed Quellan and drove him to the ground, unconscious and dying.</p><p></p><p>The odds had shifted back to the tieflings’ favor, but Quellan’s distraction had left an opening that Glori was quick to exploit. As the cleric fell, she lunged and drove her sword deep into Vesca’s body. The tiefling hissed and retreated, pulling himself off her blade, but before he could get clear she followed with a sharp slice that blurred through the air. It looked as though she had missed, and for a moment the two adversaries faced off. Then Vesca reached up to his throat, where a torrent of fresh red suddenly poured down over his coat.</p><p></p><p>Even as Glori turned the tables on her foe, Toros was stepping forward to finish his. Kosk tried to get up, but only managed to stagger and fall back to his knees. But even as the tiefling’s massive hands came up a figure erupted out of the pit. Bredan’s magically-enhanced <em>jump</em> barely cleared the edge of the pit, but he grabbed hold of the edge and pulled himself over the rim. As he rolled into a crouch, he extended his hand and summoned his sword into his grasp.</p><p></p><p>“We have unfinished business, you and I,” he said to Toros.</p><p></p><p>The tiefling turned from his fallen foe and rushed him, intent on driving him back into the pit through sheer strength. But this time Bredan was ready, and summoned a magical <em>shield</em> that absorbed the force of the tiefling’s strike. Toros quickly darted back, but the barrier dissolved as Bredan swept through it, his sword carving the air between them. The steel clove through the giant’s torso, laying out a slash of blood and viscera that formed a six-foot arc upon the stone floor. For a moment it looked as though even that would not stop the barbarian warrior, but then he suddenly wavered and then collapsed.</p><p></p><p>Bredan quickly knelt at Kosk’s side. He kept an eye on the fallen tiefling, but Toros did not stir as his blood poured out from the terrible wound in his side. On the other side of the room, Glori was already helping Quellan with a healing spell.</p><p></p><p>Bredan did not have any magical healing, but he felt a surge of relief as he saw that the dwarf was still breathing. He turned toward Glori, but before he could say anything a terrible and familiar scream sounded through the same passageway that Toros had emerged from.</p><p></p><p>“Take care of them,” Bredan said to Glori as he started toward the passage.</p><p></p><p>“Bredan, wait,” she said. Quellan groaned as her <em>cure wounds</em> spell took effect, drawing him slowly back to consciousness. “Wait!”</p><p></p><p>But he was already gone. Biting back a curse, she hurried over to Kosk, preparing another spell to pull the dwarf back from death’s door.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7541875, member: 143"] Chapter 238 Kosk launched himself at the huge tiefling, spinning in mid-air to deliver a powerful kick. But Toros pivoted smoothly out of the way, chopping out with a meaty fist to catch the dwarf in the back. Somehow Kosk intercepted the blow, deflecting the strike with his own hand, then using the momentum of the impact to pivot to another kick as he landed. Again Toros dodged, and took only a glancing hit to the meat of his thigh instead of the bone-snapping strike that the monk had planned. Respectful now of each other’s talents, the two foes circled each other for a moment before they simultaneously launched another series of attacks. “Quellan, lean down!” Glori yelled, strumming her lyre to summon her magic as she rushed forward. The cleric obeyed, dropping to one knee while he raised his shield toward the dark niche where he assumed the attack that had wounded him had originated. Glori yanked the knife out and dropped it to the floor, where it bounced with a loud clank. Even as blood spurted out from the nasty wound, she pressed her hand against it and poured the healing energy of a potent [i]cure wounds[/i] spell into him. But before they could search out Quellan’s attacker, they were engulfed in a globe of magical [i]darkness[/i]. Toros was clearly expecting that development, for as the light vanished he sprang forward, arms sweeping out toward his foe. One beefy hand closed on Kosk’s arm, and he grunted in pain as jolts of searing necrotic energy shot up the limb. But as Toros tried to pull him into a grapple the monk twisted his body and drove a powerful punch into his opponent’s gut. The tiefling released his grip and staggered back. Wary of the nearby pit and careful of blundering into the adjacent melee, Glori and Quellan remained where they were. “Can you dispel this?” Glori asked. “I could, but I did not prepare the necessary spells today,” Quellan returned. “Hold a moment, and I will heal your injury.” A moment later she felt his touch, and the reassuring potency of another [i]cure wounds[/i]. “We have to help Kosk and Bredan,” she said. “We won’t help them by getting ourselves…” He didn’t get a chance to finish his statement. The cleric cried out in pain. “Quellan!” Glori cried. The [i]darkness[/i] abruptly vanished, leaving behind a more normal darkness that both Glori and Quellan could defeat with the special vision granted by their racial heritage. But neither had time to look around before Quellan was hit again, this time by another blade that found the gap in his armor under his shield arm and plunged deep into his side. He staggered and dropped to one knee, only the relentless endurance of his orcish blood keeping him upright at all. Glori immediately turned to his aid, but as she came around him she saw a repulsive, bulbous spider clinging to the side of his helmet. She let out a reflexive shriek but quickly slashed out with her sword, knocking the creature clear. It dropped heavily to the floor a foot away. She tried to stab it again, but it managed to dodge and skitter awkwardly away, even though it seemed to be missing a few limbs. A hiss of steel on leather drew her attention around. She turned to see a second tiefling, a bent, wiry figure of a man whose grin revealed a mess of uneven yellow teeth. “Your friend, he no look so good,” he hissed, as he lifted a slender shortsword with a curved blade. While his companions battled Vesca and Zuvox, Kosk was having his own troubles against Toros. Their fight continued as the [i]darkness[/i] lifted, the dwarf’s staff proving to be little advantage against his foe’s raw strength and stamina. The hulking bruiser absorbed blows that would have crippled a normal man, while his own counters had left the monk’s skin blackened and oozing. Thus far Kosk had avoided being caught in a bear-hug that might have snapped even his sturdy bones, but he knew that even one misstep might be enough to cost him this battle. Finally, Kosk ducked under another powerful swing and jammed his staff hard into his adversary’s solar plexus. Toros grunted in pain, but his eyes flashed red and a moment later the monk was engulfed in the searing flames of a [i]hellish rebuke[/i]. The unholy fire overcame his already ravaged body, and he slumped to the ground, dazed. Glori, battling Vesca on the other side of the chamber, was finding out that the smaller tiefling had tricks of his own. He rushed at her, moving in an odd, halting motion that had the sharp edge of his steel darting at her from unexpected angles. She took a glancing hit to her shoulder that drew blood through her mail shirt. She gave ground, retreating almost to the edge of the pit in the center of the room. The tiefling sprang at her, intent on pushing her over, but she met his rush with a sharp parry that had the ring of steel on steel bouncing off the walls. With her free hand she suddenly lashed at her lyre, unleashing a [i]thunderwave[/i] that drove her foe back several steps. It was clear then that her retreat had not been an accident, but had allowed her to get clear of the still-dazed Quellan. Vesca drew back his teeth to reveal his awful smile. “Tricksy, tricksy,” he said. He reached behind his back with his free hand to draw a slender blade from a hidden scabbard, while waving his sword to draw his opponent’s eye. But even as the assassin unleashed his surprise attack, a beam of radiant energy slashed into him. Quellan’s [i]guiding bolt[/i] did not hurt the tiefling seriously, but the sparkling motes of holy light threw off his aim, and his knife flashed harmlessly past Glori’s head. Vesca’s eyes flashed red as he fixed his stare upon the cleric. Quellan could tell what was coming and raised his shield, but even magically enhanced wood and steel could not protect him from the tiefling’s [i]hellish rebuke[/i]. Much as his brother had taken out Kosk with that fiery pulse, the flames overwhelmed Quellan and drove him to the ground, unconscious and dying. The odds had shifted back to the tieflings’ favor, but Quellan’s distraction had left an opening that Glori was quick to exploit. As the cleric fell, she lunged and drove her sword deep into Vesca’s body. The tiefling hissed and retreated, pulling himself off her blade, but before he could get clear she followed with a sharp slice that blurred through the air. It looked as though she had missed, and for a moment the two adversaries faced off. Then Vesca reached up to his throat, where a torrent of fresh red suddenly poured down over his coat. Even as Glori turned the tables on her foe, Toros was stepping forward to finish his. Kosk tried to get up, but only managed to stagger and fall back to his knees. But even as the tiefling’s massive hands came up a figure erupted out of the pit. Bredan’s magically-enhanced [i]jump[/i] barely cleared the edge of the pit, but he grabbed hold of the edge and pulled himself over the rim. As he rolled into a crouch, he extended his hand and summoned his sword into his grasp. “We have unfinished business, you and I,” he said to Toros. The tiefling turned from his fallen foe and rushed him, intent on driving him back into the pit through sheer strength. But this time Bredan was ready, and summoned a magical [i]shield[/i] that absorbed the force of the tiefling’s strike. Toros quickly darted back, but the barrier dissolved as Bredan swept through it, his sword carving the air between them. The steel clove through the giant’s torso, laying out a slash of blood and viscera that formed a six-foot arc upon the stone floor. For a moment it looked as though even that would not stop the barbarian warrior, but then he suddenly wavered and then collapsed. Bredan quickly knelt at Kosk’s side. He kept an eye on the fallen tiefling, but Toros did not stir as his blood poured out from the terrible wound in his side. On the other side of the room, Glori was already helping Quellan with a healing spell. Bredan did not have any magical healing, but he felt a surge of relief as he saw that the dwarf was still breathing. He turned toward Glori, but before he could say anything a terrible and familiar scream sounded through the same passageway that Toros had emerged from. “Take care of them,” Bredan said to Glori as he started toward the passage. “Bredan, wait,” she said. Quellan groaned as her [i]cure wounds[/i] spell took effect, drawing him slowly back to consciousness. “Wait!” But he was already gone. Biting back a curse, she hurried over to Kosk, preparing another spell to pull the dwarf back from death’s door. [/QUOTE]
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