NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Funeris" data-source="post: 2813531" data-attributes="member: 22792">Chapter 12: Bloodshed (Concluded)Tobias felt another attack pound into his back as he dove.  The cloud of vapor opened up as the pain exploded through his body and wrenched his eyes open.  The ground appeared, filling his vision, and attempted to embrace the paladin’s consciousness in a smothering darkness.Somehow, Tobias managed to fold his armored body as he fell, allowing the metal to take the brunt of force and shift his momentum into a half-tumble-half-fall forward.It did not save his battered body from the ogre’s complete attention and full attack.The other ogre had fallen back, Motega tearing ferociously at its arm.  Muscle and flesh were shredded by his razor fangs.  Blood gathered in a puddle on the floor.The ogre shook his arm back and forth, easily—but painfully—flinging the Rorn’s increased weight around.  It was rewarded and punished for the act as the lycanthrope hurled through the air, along with all of the fleshy substance of its meaty arm.  It bellowed in pain.Tobias stood as his ogre backed off slightly.  A shadow crept across his back.  The paladin let nothing distract him as he channeled all of his healing energies into his own body, spending the daily boon from Reddel.  He felt the air shudder as another meaty arm pummeled toward his back.The paladin stepped toward the first ogre, bringing his blade up in an arc that severed its arm at the elbow.  Pivoting, the blade was brought back down and into the arm of the largest of the ogres, the one that had crept—if such a word could describe an oversized, lumbering oaf—up behind the holy warrior.  It screamed in rage even though the wound was only glancing.“Fungum!” screeched a nasal voice from along the wall.  The yell had issued from a wiry human clad only in a robe.  Tobias’ eyes quickly darted back to his new target, the obvious leader of this band.  Fungum cringed as if slapped, knowing the mage had just damned him to death first.“Shut up, Milk!” He barked, spittle foaming from his mouth.  “Just do yer’ damn job, mage!”  The beast grinned, content in knowing that Milk’s life was now forfeit.  And live or die, Fungum would not have to pay the ruthless mercenary.That grin was wiped from the ogre’s face as Tobias’ blade punched into his stomach.Fitz and Magnus struggled through the remaining few feet of the poisonous cloud.  But the air did clear, leaving the pair to watch as Motega flew through the air.  They watched Tobias—surrounded now by three ogres—fight for his life.  They even heard the exchange between the largest ogre and the human.Angrily, their heads darted toward the human.  His hands were beginning to weave a familiar arcane pattern.“Allow me,” Magnus grunted as he extricated himself from against Fitz.  The mage rattled off a magic missile spell, his last for the day.  The bolts flew true; they always did.  With a sickening plop, they singed the flesh of the other mage.Milk’s eyes crossed as his spell died.  A few, faint tendrils of poisonous vapors had stretched from his hand but with the arcane magic shattered along with his consciousness, they drifted aimlessly and faded to nothing.  His eyes narrowed on the two newcomers.  His fingers and arms began to weave another spell.“Motega!” Shouted Fitz.The lycanthrope’s ears perked up, but his head, claws and teeth kept their attention on the ogre he was shredding.  Both his claws ripped hungrily into the slow beast’s sides as he tilted his head downward and sunk his fangs into the brute’s knee.  It squealed in pain.The Rorn pushed forward with his claws and jerked away with his snout.  The lumbering ogre fell to the ground, a bony piece of its knee tumbled across the floor.“RORN!  THE CASTER!!”The ogre was not quite dead yet.  Disabled, but not dead.  Motega started toward it but shuddered as he asserted his will upon his inner demon.  The lycanthrope spun, sighted the caster, and charged.Tobias ducked barely away from Fungum’s swing.  Unfortunately the ogre behind him brought its remaining fist into the back of the warrior’s head.  Stars erupted in his sight.Milk was forced to change the aim of his spell, centering it upon the beast that was now hurtling toward him.  A beautiful explosion of fire filled Motega’s path, engulfing the lycanthrope in fire.  Milk cackled.Magnus smirked as his own fireball swallowed the other mage.  He saw the dark form jerking and twisting in the dancing flames.  Milk rolled around as the flames died.  Leaping up onto his feet, he began another spell, centering it again on Magnus.  He felt the arcane energies bend to his will, felt them stretching out, forming another cloud of noxious fumes.Until a lupine snout clenched down around his arm like a steel bear trap.  His forearm snapped.  His mind shrieked.  And then a claw tore into his throat and heaved him backward.  Milk felt the cold, stone wall rape the back of his head as life fled his body.Fitz’s scythe slid into the fallen ogre’s throat, into Motega’s prey.  The beast had been flailing about, grasping for the paladin.  Well, the cleric ended that weak threat.  He turned to watch Tobias spin and gut the one-armed ogre.  Fitz smiled.Then Fungum’s meaty hands closed around Tobias’ throat.  The paladin struggled, his legs flailed as his face flushed red.  Fitz stepped in…“You will die puny man,” the ogre spit as the paladin’s heavy blade swung ineffectively at its meaty arms.  “Fer killing my brother.  Then your friends will die.”  Fungum’s grip tightened.…and Motega slammed into the creature.  Tobias fell, crumpling against the earth as the ogre shifted to attack the new threat.  The Rorn exploded into motion, a furious storm of pain, a maelstrom of teeth and claws against Fungum’s side and back.The ogre backpedaled, trying to gather a little breathing space to rally an attack.Fitz turned his attention to the fallen paladin.  His wand leapt into his hand and he knelt over his friend.  A diffuse blue glow spread into the paladin.  Tobias still didn’t stir.  Fitz concentrated and sent another shock of energy into Tobias.  The paladin’s eyes flickered and he sucked in a sharp intake of air.  Immediately, Tobias grabbed his sword and stood.“Wait, you need more healing,” Fitz commanded.“Heal me while I move then.  This isn’t over yet.”A flush of red fell across all their faces as another of Magnus’ fireballs burst.  He had aimed it carefully, enveloping half of the ogre but avoiding his compatriot.Motega was beginning to wear.  He was holding his position, toe to toe, with Fungum.  Despite his supernatural reservoirs of strength, the Rorn still was not a front-line fighter.  He was wearing down.Tobias stepped in to flank, Fitz slightly behind, pumping another charge into the stubborn warrior.  His blade bit deep into Fungum’s side, causing the ogre to grumble and curse.  Blood flowed in torrents down the side of the blade, covering Tobias’ hands with a fetid scent.Fungum allowed the paladin only the one swing.  His arm jerked and pummeled into the holy warrior’s already broken nose.  Tobias staggered back, Fitz catching him.Motega’s jaws shut down on Fungum’s throat.  A jet of blood spurted from between his jagged fangs.  Some of the rank blood poured down the werewolf’s throat.  He intensified his grip.Fitz applied another of the wand’s spells into Tobias.  The paladin’s eyes snapped open yet again, just in time to watch as Fungum grasped Motega’s throat with his meaty hands.Each tightened their grips.  Both of their eyes opened wide in fury and pain.Each pulled away.Fungum’s throat splayed open, spilling the remaining life-fluid into the air and onto the floor.Motega’s throat also was torn open.  Even in his death throes, the ogre would not release his grip.They both collapsed throat-less and lifeless to the earth, the other’s body part entwined tightly with their hands or claws.“MOTEGA!!!”  Magnus shouted as he rushed to his friend.  He was the first there, the first to watch the final processes of the Rorn’s body.  The lupine hide fell from the lifeless body, leaving a pile of hair under the cooling corpse.  His cold, brown eyes were locked in a ferocious stare that now engulfed the ceiling of the mine.  His mouth too, covered with blood and gore, was frozen in a bestial grimace.Fitz knelt against the body, knowing what he would find.  He tried the wand anyway.  The blue energy touched the body but seemed to evaporate.  He shook his head.A jarring sound snapped Fitz’s and Magnus’ eyes from the scene.  Tobias’ blade pierced Fungum’s skull and several inches of the rock floor beneath.  The paladin wore a storm upon his brow, a fury that longed to be released.  He shoved against the blade again, impaling it several more inches into the floor.The ogre’s brain matter leaked from the wound, seeping slowly across the floor.Without a sound, Tobias moved away from the body of Motega toward a door in the far end of the chamber.“Motega would want to know what was behind this door,” he murmured as he kicked the locked door open.     *     *     *     Magnus, Fitz and Tobias quietly set about their work.  Each body, except Motega’s, was stripped of its gear and accoutrements.  They quickly inventoried the items and stuffed them in their satchels.  Even one of the mushrooms from the rear room had been added to the inventory.  The mushroom, a strange brown growth with black splotches, had to be what the Culites were after.There was nothing else in the damned room aside from a small body of water.Hefting the weight onto their shoulders, they next bent to retrieve their fallen friend.  Carefully wrapped and carefully carried, they made their way toward the outside world.Darkness had claimed the heavens by the time they had finished the ascent.  A bright, full moon was accented by the soft twinkle of distant stars.  The stagnant heat of the rainless summer was suppressed by a cooling breeze.They stepped out and were engulfed in the cacophonous howls of a chorus of wolves.  A dozen—at least!—werewolves stepped from the brush surrounding the mine.  They were hybrids, bordering on nine feet tall and laden with corded muscles covered by dark furs.Each held their head up, allowing their music to soar up into the heavens.The last to step forward was the largest at nearly ten and a half feet in height.  He moved slowly, purposefully toward the heroes.  With each step, the beast receded revealing more of the man beneath.  His fur and then hair held a silver sheen—showing both his age and rank among the pack.  Even as the beast faded within the human flesh that was its prison, the Heroes thought the man appeared supernaturally large and fit.  His sheer girth did not diminish.  His fierce eyes demanded a fearful respect.His face was Motega’s.  “Kun,” he stated regally, his head lifted proudly.“Kun,” Magnus returned.  He allowed his shield to turn, revealing Motega’s mark.The regal man-wolf nodded.  “That symbol is not given lightly.  You are marked as a Rorn-friend.  Remember what that means.”  Then, he snapped his fingers.The two lycanthropes behind him tossed two corpses, horadrel archers, to the earth.  “You should be more thorough.”  He motioned at Motega’s body.  “We will take my son.”They all nodded as several of the lycanthropes moved to grab the dead body.  They set him upon the earth and stripped the leather from his body.  With inhuman speed, Motega’s gear was set into neat piles until only a naked, destroyed body rested on the earth. “Death is birth, birth is death,” Motega’s father spoke enigmatically.  “He will have no need of this gear.”  One of the werewolves beside Motega slit open his own vein, allowing the fresh blood to mingle with the earth beneath.  Using the dirt and blood mixture, a symbol was etched onto Motega’s pallid flesh.“Your path to the city is clear,” the Rorn’s father spoke.  “Do not wander from the trail tonight.”  As the last word faded, the lycanthropes vanished back into the brush, into the shadows silently.  They became the night.Magnus shed a tear.They all did as they walked slowly, stubbornly south back to Minetown.</blockquote>

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