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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 2137842" data-attributes="member: 2012">Melee in the Tangles:“Hurry, they don’t have much time.” Garth deftly jumped the last 5 feet to the uneven avenue of cobblestones below. He drew his blade a moment later and then charged across the avenue towards the ogres. Thessa hit the ground hard, as she fell more than she jumped, but managed to tumble away some of the pain. She reached for her mace hanging at her belt, once her head stopped swimming.She felt like she was going to be sick, as the smell of the large ogres hit her nostrils. These ones smelled even worse than the last ones they’d faced. Anger took her to a place she rarely went and she charged over the broken cobblestones, over a dozen feet between her and Garth.The Justiciar of the Eastern Shores bellowed a warcry just before jumping over a fallen pillar. The two ogre archers turned to fire their enlarged bows as this new threat jumped through the air towards them. Garth swung his sword just as the first ogre fired his bow. The large arrow impacted the pillar, digging in and cracking the stone.Garth’s sword struck home a moment later on the giant’s hand where it held the bow. The creature screamed in pain and dropped its weapon as Garth’s strike severed three fingers. The second ogre archer took aim and fired towards Thessa but misjudged the distance and the shot went wide into an adjacent building. The stone crumbled as the arrow ripped through it and Thessa thanked Baervan silently that that hadn’t been her chest.The third ogre, poking the hanging bridge with its sword, quickly swung around to face the ranger and priestess, swinging its enlarged blade in a vicious downward strike. The blade clipped Garth’s armor near the shoulder, which sent him spinning to the ground. Thessa arrived a moment later to hit the ogre in the ankle with her mace. The man beast’s heavy boots took most of the damage but it did flinch before trying to skewer the Justiciar into the ground.Garth moved just in time, diving behind several large rocks just before the ogre’s blade scraped the ground where he’d been lying seconds before.“That was too close.” Garth held his shoulder and closed his eyes. The wound knit together as the ranger healed himself. “Can’t let them recover.”Garth steeled his resolve, unstrapped his spare light shield from his back, moved out from behind the rocks, and charged towards the giant archers. The one closest took aim and fired, while the other held its ruined hand in the other. The enlarged arrow flew true, slamming into the Justiciar throwing him back into the rocks he’d just been hiding behind.“Garth! No!” Thessa dodged to one side as the ogre she’d hurt tried to kick her like a child’s ball. “Damn brutes!”She swung her mace again and this time she found bone. The beast howled as the blow sent a wave of numbing pain up its leg. The beast hopped on one foot, backing away from the gnome priestess. It struck out with its sword but only managed to slice stone and mortar, as Thessa danced away.Garth’s head swam and he was sure he saw two more ogres standing next to the archers. His head cleared in time to realize he was seeing double and that the ogre archer was taking aim once more. The other ogre moved to flank Thessa, after wrapping its ruined hand and then drawing a large flail in the other. The Justiciar looked at the huge arrow that had ripped through his shield and punctured his armor near the shoulder he’d just healed.“Well, that’s not good at all.” Garth tried to stand but his legs failed him. He heard a loud warcry just as he passed out.*                                        *                                        *Dabuk watched as his father charged the ogres a second time with both pride and fear. Then the giant’s arrow had slammed into the Justiciar and the half-elf’s calm exterior shattered.“Damn them to Hades’ Underrealm!” He looked at Bactra with anger and sadness in his eyes.“I’ll be fine,” Bactra waved him away. Go get them, cousin!”Dabuk’s anger turned to a wicked grin and he began climbing up towards the edge of the building. Moments later he took a running jump off the building towards the ogre archer lining up his father for the killing shot. A cry of anger and sorrow escaped his lips as he drew his dagger in mid flight and threw it at the brute’s throat. The dagger struck armor only nicking the beast’s think hide. However, the dagger ruined the beast’s aim and the arrow slammed into the rocks behind Garth’s unconscious form.Dabuk slammed into the beast’s elbow with his boots. A large crack issued from the ogre’s arm and it howled in pain. Dabuk laughed wickedly as he fell to the ground. A jut of stone penetrated his shoulder and his laughter turned into a scream. The ogre man growled and raised its foot to step on Dabuk’s prone form.Thessa tried to move towards Garth’s lifeless form but the flail-wielding ogre blocked her path. She gritted her teeth as the beast swung in a downward stroke that nearly crushed her. She teetered back and forth and didn’t see the other ogre strike at her with the flat of his blade. Her head snapped back and she fell unconscious.“Oh crap,” Bactra watched helplessly as his family and friends fell one after another. Mesik, we have to do something!Bactra scanned the upper reaches of the broken, hanging bridge for the halfling rogue. “Mesik, where in the Nine Hells are you?”Bactra’s answer came in the form of the blade-wielding ogre turning back towards the ruined bridge and swinging his sword at the bridge’s remaining creaking supports.“Uh oh!” Bactra tried desperately to cut away the vines holding his tattered leg, as the giant’s sword shattered the wooden supports.*                                        *                                        *</blockquote>

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