it continues...
22 Ches, 1373, Year of Rogue Dragons, Twillight Hollow: Redemption, part II
Benito strode from the temple without a word to the others, but this time he was beaming with confidence. His jaw was set and he headed towards the inn to confront the innkeeper...the spirit of the captured assassin had implicated him in the Lovitaran conspiracy here in the village.
Grim, Meliane, and Souliess having, snapped out of their glamour, followed the cleric of Tyr as he marched down the street. People turned and stared at the group as they went. The Heroes were refreshed and set in purpose. Today, the Painmistress would be dealt with and the soul of the paladin Shaunnara would be freed.
A little girl ran across the muddy road towards Benito.
"My brother!" she panted as Benito crouched to catch the wayward child. "My brother...he...he wanted to be just like you and ran to rescue our cousin at the Ulstan farm!"
Ulstan farm was where the assassin had indicated the entrance to catacombs lay. Benito knew there would be bandits or worse.
"Meliane, see to the girl. Secure the innkeeper. Grim, to me!"
The halfling understood instantly and climbed on the back of the Holy Justice. Benito activated his cape and flew towards the farm...
===
Meliane talked to the girl and convinced her to go home and that Benito would rescue her brother if he needed rescuing. Then she and Souliess went to confront the innkeeper.
Predictably, he was hostile when Souliess called him out. The druidess warped the bar into a cage to prevent his escape and then went after the stable boy who fled to the kitchen. Quickly, she intimidated the poor boy and dragged him back to main hall. Meanwhile, Souliess probed his mind and determined that the man was acting against his will. Souliess , recognizing the amateur attempt to control the man's will, dominated him. This caused a mental backlash that caused the owner of the Double Bolt Inn to fall unconscious. The stable boy whimpered.
Meliane sighed, "Souliess, please go and retrieve some temple guards to collect these two. We will leave them to Benito."
Souliess ran on all fours (he had begun to realize how much faster that was in his new form) out the inn and into the mud. He was startled by the whinnying of a horse and tumbled out of the way as the steed's hooves came crashing down. Souliess turned, sat on his haunces, and examined the newcomer. An elven woman sat astride a fine warhorse, a scimitar in one hand and a short sword in the other. She glared menacingly at the wild beast in front of her.
"Meliane!" yelled the psionic wolverine
Faun had arrived.....
===
Ulstan farm was quiet as Benito and Grim approached. A barn stood prominent in the area 40 or so paces from a house. Benito saw a well and a grain silo. He deposited Grim near the silo and the sneak crept towards the barn where he noticed the door slightly ajar. Benito circled the barn. Grim heard voices and guttural laughter and saw the cleric in the air above him.
Orcs! Grim sent.
Benito acted quickly. He flew into the hayloft and surprised three orc archers. Unfortunately, he too was surprised and the orcs fired a volley of arrows as the cleric flew past and down a ladder. They followed. Grim meanwhile had tried to kick open the door and instead had stubbed his toe. The door creaked open and Grim slid inside in time to see the cleric of Tyr fly among a group of over a dozen orcs, two humans wearing black robes and carrying scourges, and a huge half-orc wielding a greataxe. Grim gulped as the sound of his door mishap had alerted the half-orc. The beast spun to face him.
Benito meanwhile saw what the evil orcs and men had gathered to do. Two orcs were torturing a boy of no more than eight summers. The cleric flew down in the tight confines of the barn and scooped the lad in his arms, taking a few hits as he went. The orcs hearing the shouts of their brothers upstairs ran at the cleric and with axe, spear and sword hacked at this new adversary. Benito gave them his back, protecting the human boy, and took a beating as several weapons pierced unprotected parts of his body. Grim tumbled back out the door and ran towards the house. Benito flew and crashed through the door. The orcs gave chase.
First things, first thought Benito as he flew into the meadow surrounding the farm.
There he deposited the unconscious young boy, stablizing him with some healing. He flew back to the battle. Grim was surrounded by several orcs and was tumbling back and forth to avoid their axes and swords. Benito saw the half-orc leading some more of his underlings around the back of the house to get behind the halfling. A black ray from one of the priests hit him. His will brushed the spell aside. He returned the favor with a bolt of searing light and what he recognized as a Lovitaran priest, doubled over. Then he summoned the fire worms. In the span of less than twenty heartbeats, the barn and farmhouse where on fire, another priest of Lovitar was dead, a burning husk surrounded by Benito's summoned thoqquas, and some more were moving to engage the orcs that Grim now confronted at the back of the house.
It was there that the half-orc began to tear into the small halfling. The monster swung at Grim and finally connected, sending the rogue spinning. He quickly regained his balance, and avoided a downward chop that sent dirt flying. Benito, seeing the melee and Grim's blood flying here and there, hesitated and looked for other targets. Spying three or four orcs attempting to flank Grim, Benito called down a flamestrike. The trees smoked as the orcs were blasted into charred flesh and bone....
===
Back in town, things had become tense. However, Souliess's ability to read minds came in handy and while the elf was rude and hostile, the psion did come to the conclusion that this Faun was tracking Harular. Still, that didn't excuse the lack of manners and Souliess had a mind to scramble her brains just to teach her a lesson.
That was when he and Meliane saw and heard a ka-boom in the distance. They looked and saw smoke and fire.
"Benito and Grim are in trouble!" shouted Souliess and took off in that direction. Meliane turned into a bear and followed. Faun, seeing no other recourse did the same, passing the two talking animals in no time on her swift steed and heading towards the sounds of battle in the distance....