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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7619578" data-attributes="member: 143">This whole week is Cliffhanger Week. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />* * * Chapter 306Glori thought she could hear a mocking laugh from the naga as it darted back into cover, another arrow from Rodan’s bow shattering on the stone as it came just an instant too late.  The tiefling scout rushed forward toward the fallen sorceress, reaching her just a second before the bard.  Glori strummed her lyre frantically to cast a healing spell to stabilize her, sighing with relief when the glow of the magic seeped into her.  Her eyes fluttered and she let out a groan as she was drawn back to consciousness.“We need to get her to cover,” Rodan said.  Without waiting for a response, he grabbed hold of her shoulders and pulled her to the shelter of the nearest pillar.  Glori snatched up her rod and followed, scanning the rim of the dome.  She didn’t see the naga, but a loud crash drew her attention back to the battle raging on the edge of the mosaic map less than a dozen paces away.  The crash had come from one of the skeletons as it toppled to the floor in pieces.  Quellan was already engaging the second, while a few steps behind him Kosk was battering the third.  The last one, the one that had been so heavily damaged in passing through the fiery ordeals conjured by Xeeta and Glori, was already lying broken on the floor.  The two were taking hits, but between Quellan’s heavy armor and Kosk’s speed they seemed to have the matter well in hand.But even as the thought formed, Glori caught a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye.  She started to shout a warning, but it was too late as a third lightning bolt streaked out and slammed into Quellan from behind.  He staggered forward into his opponent, nearly knocking it over.  The bolt continued in the general direction of Kosk, but this time the naga didn’t have the angle and it dissipated harmlessly a few feet from the monk.  Kosk looked up as the last tendrils of electricity dissipated and met Glori’s eyes.“It’s above us!” she yelled.  She got up and started running toward Quellan, but the cleric recovered first and delivered a powerful blow from his mace that shattered one of the skeleton’s lower arms and knocked it flying in pieces from its body.Kosk’s opponent tried to take advantage of its foe’s distraction, but even as it swept out its lower arms the dwarf ducked and swept in under its reach.  He thrust up with his staff, jamming it into its hips and using it as a fulcrum to topple the creature forward.  Already off-balance from its abortive attack, the skeleton was unable to resist being flung down onto the hard tiles.  One claw happened to dislodge the piece of the mosaic that represented the general part of Weltarin where the Gull had landed, but it couldn’t get purchase before Kosk leapt onto its back and thrust his staff forward, snapping its pelvis and separating its upper body and legs into three separate pieces.  Those component parts continued to move for another second before they came apart in a clatter of bones on the floor.Kosk staggered clear of the shattered ruins of the ape skeleton and took a quick look around to see how the battle was progressing.  Quellan was still battling the last skeleton, and he nearly moved that way out of reflex before he saw Glori already heading toward the embattled cleric.  He’d only caught a glimpse of Rodan dragging Xeeta off the field of battle, but knew they had taken cover behind one of the pillars.  He knew there was a more dangerous foe nearby, a fact that was confirmed a moment later when he saw Glori come to a sudden stop.  She stood there for a moment, staring ahead vacantly, then reached down and drew her sword.  He could tell that something was wrong as she started haltingly forward toward Quellan.Kosk ran toward her.  He glanced up at the gallery that ran around the base of the dome but only caught a hint of movement.  The snake-creature apparently knew this place well, well enough to take advantage of the many potential places to hide.  A flash of fire told him that Xeeta was still fighting, but the fire bolt lacked the blasting power of her greater magics.  After hurling fireballs and scorching rays around all day yesterday, last night, and just now, she had to be running low.Glori turned as the monk ran up to her.  He barely slowed as she swung her sword at him, ducking under the stroke before he snapped his leg around and took her legs out from under her.  As she landed on her back, rapping her head solidly on the hard floor, he knocked the sword out of her grasp.“Sorry,” he said, before delivering a blow that smacked her head back once more, stunning her.He didn’t wait, knowing that the two of them together presented a tempting target for the naga.  He started sprinting forward again, picking up speed as he headed right for one of the pillars that supported the ceiling.  He could feel his ki surging within him, coursing through his body with every step he took.  He let everything else fall into the background as he focused upon it, focused upon the pillar that was rapidly coming closer as he threw everything he had into running faster and faster.From the cover of the other pillar Rodan watched in amazement as Kosk shot across the room in a blur.  The dwarf hit the pillar and kept on running, dashing up its side as if had been solid ground.  He lost momentum as he neared the top, a good thirty feet above the floor, but at the last moment he leapt up and seized hold of the decorative scrollwork that surrounded the top of the pillar, using it to fling himself up onto the gallery that ringed the base of the dome.“What’s happening?” Xeeta asked from beside him.  Glori’s healing spell had revived her, but she was still in awful shape, her usually bright skin charred black from the multiple blasts of lightning that she’d absorbed.  Her clothes, already ragged from their long trip through the jungle, were in equally bad condition.The creature had moved back further along the rim of the dome, and they could no longer see it clearly from their current position.  Hopefully that meant that it also could not see them, but Rodan was not going to make any assumptions after what they’d already seen of its tricks.  “Kosk is distracting it,” he told the sorceress.  “Stay here.”“No, we have to help Glori and Quellan.”“I’ll go,” he said, pressing her hand in his.  “You can’t take another hit.  Stay here, but be ready to blast it if it shows itself.”She reluctantly nodded as he grabbed his bow and ran back out into the room.As soon as he gained the high ground, Kosk could see the naga.  It had taken shelter amongst the stonework that supported one of the massive arches that absorbed the incredible weight of the dome.  Quellan had placed his daylight spell high enough so that it cast a distinct shadow, clearly revealing the creature’s outline against the darker stone.There was also no doubt that it had seen him.  Even as he landed onto the narrow walkway—one that lacked any kind of railing or other safety features, he noted—the head of the naga turned toward him.  It issued a hiss that the dwarf interpreted as an expression of anger.He started to rise, but staggered as he felt a massive assault upon his consciousness.  It took all of his effort just to keep from stumbling over the edge, yielding his hard-won position in a face-first plummet to the marble floor below.  All of his training and focus were barely enough to keep him from succumbing to that intense external pressure.  He knew that if he faltered it would seize control of him, turning him into the creature’s slave.With a deep growl he drove the intruder from his mind and charged.  One false step would have led to disaster, but every single step was placed flawlessly, covering the precarious distance as smoothly as he’d run across the floor earlier.  The serpent-thing saw him coming and reared up, its jaws snapping open to reveal fangs that dripped with gobs of ready venom.  It hissed at him again and Kosk found himself responding with a guttural, visceral yell.  It waited until he sprang forward then lunged, its head snapping forward like the end of a whip.  But Kosk had been ready for that, and he twisted his body in mid-air, narrowly avoiding those deadly fangs.  He came down on the hood that spread out from the sides of its head and snapped his legs around its neck, seizing hold of it.The naga reared back violently.  It snapped its head back and forth, slamming its unwelcome passenger against the surrounding stone.  Kosk’s staff was knocked from his grasp and tumbled end-over-end before hitting the floor below.  The creature drove him up against the nearby arch with enough force to knock the air from his lungs.  But still he held on, and wouldn’t yield his hold.  Even without his weapon he kept attacking it, driving his fists into the base of its skull repeatedly until its angry hisses were punctuated with gasps of pain.The naga suddenly rose up again, and Kosk tensed, expecting a renewed assault.  But instead the creature spoke a word that seeped magical potency, and in its wake the dwarf felt a fiery agony explode through his body.  He could feel his skin crinkling as the blight spell took hold, and blood began to course from his nostrils and ears as the tender flesh there dried and parted.  For a moment he couldn’t see as the spell sucked moisture from inside his eyeballs.  But still, he held on.He heard a sound of metal hitting stone close by, and knew that his companions were trying to help him.  But the angle was bad, and they would have to hold back out of fear of hitting him.  As his vision cleared, he caught a glimpse of them below.“Kosk!” Quellan yelled.  “Get out of there!”The dwarf’s eyes met the cleric’s, and in that instant of contact a silent communication passed between them.  Quellan’s expression twisted with grief, and his lips formed a single soundless word.The naga reared again, but Kosk noted that even in their deadly melee it was careful not to expose itself too much to fire from below.  That realization let him guess where it would try to take him next, and as it lunged again toward the exposed arch he made his move.As the creature struck, he abruptly released his legs.  Their shared momentum carried both of them into the arch, but he spun and absorbed the impact, while at the same time coming up under its head and delivering a bone crushing blow with his right fist.  The naga convulsed in agony, its hold on the surrounding stone loosening as it briefly lost control of its body.  Kosk didn’t give it a chance to recover.  He seized hold of it again and with a final growl of effort pulled it away from its perch.  For a last moment the two of them hung there, then gravity exerted itself and both of them plummeted to the floor of the chamber thirty-five feet below.For a moment the flat, hard surface seemed to be rushing up to greet him.  He was heading for a face-first meeting, the weight of the struggling creature thrusting him down.  With a final reflexive lung Kosk reached out and grabbed hold of the creature’s flailing body, spinning so that the monster hit first.They hit the floor with a massive thud.  A terrible sound issued from the naga, and both ends of it lashed out wildly, its tail snapping hard against the nearby pillar with enough force to leave a mark upon the stone.  Its body coiled and uncoiled as shattered bones tore open its flesh from inside, and it let out a truly awful wail.Kosk, dazed and battered, rose unsteadily to his feet.  He looked up and saw the others running over toward him.  They were shouting something, but he couldn’t quite hear what they were saying.  But he could see when their faces changed, and the warning as they pointed and lifted weapons.He started to turn around.  He knew there was danger, but his body wouldn’t quite work the way he wanted.  He had only gotten about halfway around when pain exploded in his body.  He could feel something sharp piercing him through the back of his neck.  White fire seemed to pour into his body, and he opened his mouth to cry out in pain.  But before anything could come out the pain faded.  He felt only a calm lassitude creep over him as all of his senses grew vague.  His last thought was that he had forgotten something, but it no longer seemed important as blackness enfolded him.</blockquote>

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