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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7597698" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 286Xeeta recovered from the dramatic and sudden appearance of the four-armed ape-creature first, blasting it with a series of scorching rays.The girallon screamed as the first pulse of fire scorched its side, but it reacted quickly, launching itself forward over the rubble toward them.  The awkward footing appeared to give it no trouble as it landed on the sliding edge of the heap and sprang at them.  Its quick movement caused Xeeta’s second ray to miss, but the third caught it a solid blow to the belly that caused it to scream again in pain and fury.  It landed in a crouch and quickly flung itself at the startled sorcerer.But before it could get close enough to lash out with its long arms, Bredan and Quellan both rushed forward to intercept its charge.  The cleric absorbed a punishing strike on his shield that staggered him, knocking him back several steps.  But he retaliated with a guiding bolt, which blasted into the creature’s chest and surrounded it with a limning aura of sparkling motes.Bredan took full advantage of that distraction, his sword materializing in his hands as he met the creature.  Its size gave it a clear advantage, and he absorbed a solid impact from one of its lower arms that failed to gain purchase on the hard lines of his dwarf-forged armor.  But that wasn’t enough to stop him as he planted his feet and swept his sword around in a brilliant arc.  The heavy blade tore into the thing’s torso, nearly ripping one of the arms clear off its body in the process.  The creature, already bending forward in an attempt to bite its armored foe, kept going and toppled hard onto the overgrown cobbles of the street as Bredan and Quellan quickly stepped clear.  The dying ape made a few abortive attempts to rise before it slumped down, its blood forming a spreading pool beneath its massive bulk.The companions had no chance to celebrate their victory, as ferocious cries echoed from the surrounding buildings.“They’re all around us!” Malik cried.“That’s just the echo from all these ruins,” Glori said.  “They’re mostly behind us and on our flanks, I think.”Kosk quickly slid down the mound of rubble that blocked the street.  “More of those things coming fast,” he said, confirming Glori’s assessment.  Sandros slid down awkwardly after him, losing his footing and falling heavily to the ground.  Kavek quickly moved to help him up.  Quellan went to offer aid, but the sailor did not appear to be seriously hurt.“This is a bad spot for defense,” Rodan said.“Forward, then,” Bredan said.  “Quickly!”They ran down the street, glancing back frequently as the sounds of pursuit grew closer.  They came to an intersection, but before they could decide on a path the decision was made for them as more of the creatures appeared along the crossing boulevard to either side.  The girallons vaulted the scattered piles of rubble and the fragmented walls with equal facility, barely slowing as they closed upon the companions.  Rodan loosed an arrow at one of them, but while the arrow scored a direct hit it seemed to do little more than drive the creature into a further frenzy.“They’re faster than us!” Bredan yelled, turning to face the onrushing creatures.“Keep going, I’ll try to delay them!” Glori yelled.She already had her lyre in her hands as her companions rushed through the intersection, continuing forward where the street remained, for the moment at least, clear ahead.  Another of the apes appeared atop a partially-intact wall behind them, its weight causing the ancient structure to finally give way and collapse as it sprang forward.  There were now three of the apes in view, but they could all hear what sounded like a small army of them still closing out of their line-of-sight from within the ruins.The nearest girallon was only about twenty feet away when Glori summoned forth a wall of fire from her magical lyre.  The blazing flames, which rose to a full twenty feet in height, stretched across the street and extended well into the rubbled structures to each side.  She could hear a simian cry of fury from the other side, but didn’t wait to see what they would do, sprinting to rejoin the others.As she caught up to them the street opened onto a broad open square.  Weeds had filled in the gaps between the stone blocks that covered the ground, but the place remained far more open than the portions of the city that they’d explored thus far.  Huge pillars that rose as high as thirty feet studded the space, supporting nothing but adding a certain monumental flavor to the place.The buildings on the near side of the square were all in an advanced state of ruin, but on the far side to the right they could see what looked to be a mostly-intact structure.  Flanked by a portico that had collapsed partially on one side, a set of steps lead up to a dark opening that offered at least the promise of shelter.Rodan and Bredan both saw it and pointed at the same time.  “There!” the tiefling shouted, urging his flagging companions forward.  They had gotten spread out in their flight, but the scattered column turned and hurried toward the damaged building.They were maybe halfway across the plaza when a roar drew their attention.  They turned to see a girallon vault the uneven mounds of rubble that had once probably been rich houses and shops facing the square.  As it crested the top of the heap it lashed out with one of its huge arms and launched a piece of stone at the fleeing companions.  The improvised missile bounced off a pillar and unluckily caught Kavek in the left knee, knocking him off his feet.  Bredan and Kalasien happened to be the closest to the stricken sailor, and rushed to his aid.A few of the others hesitated as well, but before they could decide what to do a second creature appeared about thirty feet further along the square.  It burst through the leaning remnants of a wall, launching a spray of debris that looked dramatic but which didn’t threaten any of the adventurers.  Kosk immediately shifted course to meet it, but it focused on Sandros, who lifted his spear with hands that shook as it barreled forward toward him.Quellan started after Kosk, but even as he started running he glanced over to check on Glori.  The bard had caught up after she’d blocked the street with her wall of fire, the top of which was still visible over the ruins back the way they had come.  But she was still bringing up the rear of the column, and even as he spotted her, he saw another girallon that exploded from another street and loped toward her.“Glori, look out!” he shouted, changing course to join her.Xeeta had been pacing Rodan at the front of the column, but both tieflings came to a stop as the apes assaulted their comrades.  Rodan fired an arrow at the one rushing toward Bredan and Kalasien, scoring a hit but barely slowing it.  “If they get us with numbers in this open space, they’ll tear us to pieces,” he said.“You don’t have to tell me,” she growled back as she lifted her rod and summoned her magic.  The apes were too far apart to hit more than one with a fireball, and they were already too close to her friends to risk a wall of fire.  She quickly scanned the ruins for signs of more of them, but for the moment these three looked to be it.  Maybe, if they could defeat them quickly before reinforcements arrived, they could still make it to the cover of the far building and make a stand.But even as she started to summon her magic, movement on the far side of the square caught her eye.  She glanced that way, and her jaw dropped.Another ape rose up out of the ruins.  It had four arms like the others, but this one… this one was thirty feet tall, literally dwarfing the heaped wreckage of the surrounding buildings.  It rose up to its full height, unleashing a roar that felt like it shook the stones of the still-intact buildings nearby.  That shout drew the attention of every living creature in the square, and for a moment both the girallons and the companions could only stare, the former in awe, the latter in terror.</blockquote>

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