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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 4294425" data-attributes="member: 9546">There was no exit from the refugee cave, so the companions were forced to backtrack to the chamber where they had found the sea cave hole.  From there, the small tunnel branching east was their only option.  This time Dexter took point, being somewhat subtler in his approach than Skud.  No sooner had he rounded the first turn in the constricting tunnel, however, than he was brought up short.  Ahead, the tunnel widened, though the ceiling of thorns above remained low.  Filling the passage was a snarling pack of the mangy, disease-ridden goblin dogs Dex had first encountered during the Sandpoint raid.  Their eyes gleamed in the semi-dark, and their lips peeled away from their ragged, yellow teeth.  Their naked, rat-like tails twitched in anticipation of the kill.  Slowly, they began to advance.  Dex quickly began to crab-walk backwards, sliding his rapier from its sheath as he went.  The others had remained in the small chamber behind, waiting for him to signal them forward.  As they saw him reemerge from the tunnel, all of them tensed.“What is it?”  Wesh asked, but then he heard the low growls and snarls of the approaching pack.  Suddenly, before Dex realized what was happening, Luther shoved him roughly aside and blocked the tunnel with his own body.“Get ready!” the priest shouted to his allies.  “I won’t be able to hold them for long!”“Ware!”  Rico abruptly shouted, and in that moment the attention of the heroes was divided.  To the east, Luther stood alone before the advancing pack, while to the south, Rico stared at a spot on the wall of briars, Garm snarling and bristling at his feet.  Suddenly, something moved furtively within the briars, a small, skulking figure.  It spoke, but the words were in a language none of them were familiar with…none except Rico.  The words were in the secret language of the druids, and he knew what they portended.  “Get back!” he shouted, but it was too late.  The vines and brambles that comprised the walls and ceiling of the room began to writhe.  Tendrils shot out from all directions, wrapping around the feet and legs of the companions.  Several jerked free before the plants could completely entangle them, but others were rooted to the spot, including Wesh and Luther.  At that moment, the goblin dogs attacked.Though most people who encountered Skud immediately assumed him to be dimwitted, the hulking barbarian’s mind worked just fine when it came to killing and self-preservation.  He judged the situation in an instant, and he knew Luther would be dead in a matter of seconds.  Like a charging bull, he slammed into the priest, ripping him free from the grasping vines and hurling him into the nearby wall.  In the process, though Luther would not realize it until he had time to reflect, the half-orc no doubt saved his life, interposing his own bulk before the goblin dogs.  The cramped quarters did not allow Skud to bring his greatsword fully to bear, but a vicious jab stopped the first of the curs in its tracks, and its pack mates instinctively fell upon it in a feeding frenzy.Meanwhile, Adso and Randall were in motion as well, rushing towards the place where they saw the figure crouching.  Ignoring the sharp thorns which tore at his flesh, Adso reached into the briars and felt his fist connect solidly with flesh.  A high-pitched yelp and a sharp bite to the hand confirmed the fact the he had guessed rightly about the location of their hidden enemy.  Randall, following the monk’s lead, brought his hammer crashing down into briar wall, and the creature screamed in pain and began hustling back deeper into the foliage.  Just before it vanished from sight, however, Wesh, though still struggling with the vines, sent a barrage of streaking missiles after it.  Then, before anyone could stop him, Rico disappeared into the brambles in pursuit.Skud had only a moment to catch his breath before the rabid pack remembered their true prey and rushed forward en masse.  The barbarian struck again, felling another of the beasts before the rest were upon him.  Snarling and howling, Skud flung the beasts from him, but no sooner did they hit the ground than they sprang again.  Then, a long, low howl filled the air and the savage dogs paused, heads turning and ears lifting.  A shaggy, gray blur hurtled through the air towards them as Garm bowled into the mass.  He landed atop one of the dogs and savagely ripped its throat out.  Though he momentarily surprised the vermin dogs, they were quick to respond, ripping and mauling at the wolf with abandon.  In seconds, Garm was buried beneath a mass of yapping bodies.  “Noooo!”  The cry was not Rico’s, for the druid was nowhere to be seen.  Instead Skud, a look of anguish on his face, lunged into the dog pile, hurling bodies left and right.  When he caught a glimpse of Garm’s fur, he reached in, ignoring the numerous bites he suffered and grabbed the wolf, lifting him clear of the pile.  “Help him!” he bellowed, tossing Garm towards Luther.  Then, using both blade and his ham-sized fist, he waded into the fray once more.As Luther bent to tend to the dying wolf, Adso and Randall rushed to Skud’s aid.  The ex-soldier stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the half-orc, while the monk took a running dive, clearing the melee and rolling to his feet on the far side.  He turned, ready to attack the dogs from the rear, when he heard a low, coughing growl from behind him.  Turning his head, he saw two figures emerge from the gloom of the tunnel.  The first was a great cat, like a cougar, except its pelt was deep red with black stripes.  Behind the animal stood a goblin.  He was dressed in worn leathers and wore a headdress and necklace of fetishes.  At first, Adso thought he held a torch in his right hand, but when he looked closer he saw that it appeared to be a sword made entirely of fire.  It was the druid.  The wizened creature gestured sharply and the cougar leapt into motion, its claws churning up clods of dirt as it accelerated towards the monk.  While it was still several yards away, it launched itself into the air, hurtling into Adso with its full weight, its claws ripping and raking at his flesh.  The half-orc rolled with the impact, allowing the cat’s momentum to carry them both to the ground.  As he hit, he gathered his feet to his chest and thrust upward, kicking the cougar over his head.  It landed gracefully and turned to charge again, but by that time, Adso to was on his feet, pelting down the cramped tunnel on all-fours towards the druid.  The creature barked something in its native tongue, and a pair of the goblin dogs broke from the main pack, pursuing Adso, the cougar leading them.  As the monk reached the goblin, he planted his hands on the ground, swinging his legs around in a circle in front of him, sweeping the druid from his feet.  Before he could follow-up on his attack, however, the dogs were on him.  One bit deeply into his shoulder, and as it did so a cloud of dander from its mangy hide filled the air around his face.  He coughed and sneezed violently, then began scratching madly at his skin where it had broken out in an angry red rash.  Above him, the goblin druid climbed to his feet, drew back his fiery blade and thrust it deep into Adso’s belly.Skud and Randall fought like a well-oiled machine.  The half-orc’s brutality, coupled with the warrior’s precision made them a viciously effective killing team.  One after another, the dogs fell beneath sword and hammer, and gradually the pair pushed forward, driving the curs back into the tunnel.  Dexter came behind them, having abandoned his rapier for his bow once more.  Once inside the passage, he saw Adso’s plight.  Drawing his string to his ear, he let fly one of his deadly shafts, catching the cougar in the flank as it leaped again.  Yowling and spitting it hit the floor well short of the monk, biting and tearing at the arrow protruding from its leg.  Still, Adso was surrounded, and sorely wounded.  The two dogs continued to snap and bite at him, as the goblin raised his blade to strike again.  Suddenly, a large shape erupted from the briars behind the goblin.  It was Rico, his hands once more transformed into those of some wild beast, both of them wreathed in fire.  He cursed the goblin in the Druidic tongue and the creature hissed as he realized he faced one of his own.  Charging at Rico, the little druid slashed with his flaming blade, driving the larger druid back.  Both of them vanished into the briars once more.Skud and Randall continued to hew through the goblin dogs, until finally they cut their way clear to Adso only to find the cougar crouched over the bleeding monk.  Its ears back, it spat at the pair, its claws resting on Adso’s throat.  Suddenly, something whickered past Skud’s head, and he drew back reflexively.  When he turned back again, he saw the cougar slumped across Adso, one of Dex’s shafts through its throat.  Adso moaned weakly, dragging himself from beneath the big cat’s weight.  In an instant, Luther was by his side, holding his hands over the monk’s hideous wound and murmuring a prayer.  Luther’s hands glowed and the blood flow stopped, the cauterized hole slowly shrinking closed.  For a moment, the area was strangely quiet.  All of the goblin dogs were dead or dying, but the two druids were nowhere to be found.  Then, from the briars several yards further down the tunnel, the pair exploded, locked in mortal combat.  The goblin slashed violently with his blade while Rico fought back with equal ferocity, his fire-shrouded claws matching the goblin blow for blow.  Yet even from that distance, Luther could see that his comrade was overmatched.  Apparently his companions knew it too, for Skud, Randall and Dex quickly started down the tunnel.  Before Luther could stop him, Adso was on his feet as well, giving chase.  Rico saw his friends coming and knew that he just had to hold the goblin off a moment longer, but at that moment, his opponent saw the oncoming longshanks as well.  Breaking off the attack, the goblin druid turned and fled up the tunnel.  In the distance, Rico could just make out an opening and sunlight beyond.  Shouting for his companions to follow, he began to run.  Unhindered by the briars, he quickly gained ground on his quarry, and broke free of the nettles only a few paces behind the goblin.  He found himself on a high cliff overlooking the sea.  A rope bridge spanned the gulf between the ledge and a roundish, flat-topped island to the north.  Thick patches of nettles and briars grew atop the island, but its most impressive feature was a wooden one-story stockade.  Two tall watchtowers guarded the fort’s southern façade.  The rope bridge itself was made of hairy rope and thick wooden planks.  The whole thing creaked and swayed in the wind above the churning surf below.  On the far side of the bridge, Rico could see eight goblins mounted on goblin dogs patrolling the open area before the stockade.  When they saw pursuer and pursued exit the briar warren, they began to scream and hoot hysterically, motioning their shaman towards them.  Rico put on a last burst of speed, and skidded to a halt in front of the bridge, blocking the goblin’s way.  Snarling, the vile creature swung its fiery sword, opening a vicious wound across Rico’s belly.  His vision swam and darkness threatened to engulf him.  He felt the ground rush up to meet him.  The little goblin danced triumphantly around him, and then started for the bridge.  At that moment, however, both Adso and Skud exited the tunnel, and when Adso saw the druid’s imminent escape, he sprang.  As his feet left the ground, however, he felt one of them catch on something.  Glancing down, he saw Skud’s boot.  The barbarian had intentionally tripped him!  As he tried to regain his balance, he slammed into the goblin druid from behind.  The creature shrieked as he was shoved off the edge of the cliff, his arms pinwheeling helplessly as he plummeted towards the churning sea and the rocks below.Adso looked up at Skud, spitting dirt out of his mouth.“That for calling Skud oaf,” the barbarian said calmly, folding his arms across his chest.</blockquote>

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