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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4509939" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 11 - Restless Guardians (Part 3)Lavren felt real fear well up within him as the zombie drove him back into the western tunnel. He loosed more crackling black energy from his wand and felt momentary relief as the bolt struck the shambling undead creature but the zombie was unfazed and kept coming at him. He ducked under the next clumsy swing and retreated further from the rotting creature. He was alone in the darkness now, the light of Thira’s staff a distant beacon in the chamber from which he had been driven. His only hope lay in defeating his relentless foe and returning to his companions. Once again, he hoped that no other horrors lurked behind him. He saw flashing lights, crimson, mauve and the deep red of flame burst in the chamber and hoped his companions fared well in their terrible battle there. Lavren lowered his wand again and loosed more crackling black energy that struck the zombie in the chest but still it came on. The elf felt, rather than saw the passage widen into a chamber at his back and thanked his fey patrons for this boon. He could dodge the zombie and evade its blows far better in a bigger space and felt hope returning. He retreated again, stepping into the passageway’s mouth at the edge of the room and the zombie followed him. He took another step back and the floor gave way beneath him, wooden planks, painted to resemble stone swung away and revealed the pit that filled the room behind the elf. He swayed, regained his balance and shoved his wand into his belt. With a grim sense of resignation, he drew his sword.Dulvarna dived forwards, leading with her blade but the robed creature leapt back into the western corridor unexpectedly quickly. A zombie wheeled around as it sensed her and brought two clubbed fists of rotting flesh down on the back of her neck. She staggered and saw blinding light before her eyes before trying desperately to stand back up. She rose briefly, long enough to see the robed figure chanting again and extending its hand towards her. The mauve and crimson lightning struck her a moment later and brought searing pain as it lanced over her torso and then there was dizziness as blackness as she collapsed to the floor of the crypt. Thira glanced to her right as Dulvarna fell and was met with a zombie fist that sent her reeling back towards the wall. One of the robed creatures loosed a mauve bolt of lightning that struck Enlishia and sent her twisting painfully into the stone bier behind her. She pushed herself to her feet but was dazed and dizzy as she tried to raise her bow. To Enlishia’s right, Erlmoor stepped back as a zombie struck his shoulder and between them, a bolt of mauve lightning struck the wall of the crypt. Thira unleashed flame from her staff then that filled half of the crypt and a screech from one of the robed creatures greeted it. A zombie reeled towards the tiefling and struck her on the side of the head with a flailing fist, sending her reeling against the wall again. She saw a flash of light from the left and ducked left behind the bier as a bolt of mauve lightning struck the wall where she had been standing. Thira cursed under her breath and surveyed the chamber, desperately seeking a way to turn the tide of the battle. Another bolt of lightning struck the wall above her head and she cursed again. The guardians of the fiendish foot protected it well which meant it must truly be powerful. With a roar she rose from behind the bier and struck out with her stave, crushing the skull of a zombie. It dropped to the floor next to Dulvarna and with a wild grin on her face, Thira turned on the other zombie.Erlmoor roared his own anger in response to Thira’s cry and plunged his blade into the belly of the zombie before him. He slashed the blade back hand across the throat of the creature and stepped over its body as it fell. He strode into the chamber at last, his way finally clear and saw the robed creatures across from him. His battle rage fully upon him now and made stronger by the sight of more undead abominations, he roared again and this time he spewed acid from his mouth that drew more screeches from the robed creatures and sprayed down the western corridor into which Lavren had disappeared. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Kel kneel beside Dulvarna. He wanted to stop the drow and heal the fallen warrior woman himself but he knew he could not and so instead he cursed under his breath before turning back to his cowed enemies.Dulvarna rose unsteadily and nodded her thanks to the drow who had healed her. She turned towards the nearest of the robed undead and charged at the creature. Her blade slashed across its rotten chest, drawing forth dust and black blood but hardly even halting the creature. The other robed creature retreated before Erlmoor into the darkness of the south western passage and then unleashed another bolt of mauve lightning. It struck the dragonborn in the chest and sent him reeling around and down to his knees. Enlishia fired an arrow across the front of the dragonborn towards the other robed undead but it clattered instead against the stone above the monster’s head. Enlishia cursed silently and took aim with another arrow.Lavren looked back over his shoulder to the drop behind him and desperately swung his blade out before him to keep his enemy at bay. Searching for some way out of his predicament he decided on something suitably daring and drew the zombie towards him by relaxing his guard a little. He stepped back to the edge of the pit trap and then twisted aside as the zombie came on at him. He slashed his blade down across the back of the neck of the undead creature and as it pitched forward, he brought its down with two hands as though it were a dagger, plunging it into the creature’s spine. The zombie pitched forward and fell into the pit. The elf smiled for the first time since the battle had begun and uttered a phrase in elven as he glanced down towards the enemy he had cursed. A cloud of white mist rose from the floor and again he felt the compression of his body. He concentrated on the other end of the passage and in a heartbeat, he stood there, blade in hand and one of the robed undead before him battling Dulvarna. The creature slashed its claws at the warrior woman who ducked and then countered with her blade. Kel moved to join the battle and the undead creature turned its glowing eyes upon her for a moment. Dulvarna plunged her blade into the creature’s belly. It shrieked again and more black blood issued forth  Lavren cursed the creature in elven then before plunging his blade into the creature’s back. It screeched again and then slumped to the floor, a lifeless corpse at last. Lavren uttered a phrase in elven once again, more mist rose and moments later he stood beside Erlmoor, in the crypt again finally.Thira rushed down the southern passage, frantically seeking a way to outflank her enemies but she had gone barely twenty feet when the floor gave way beneath her leading foot and she toppled forward. Arms flailing, and the light form her staff casting jumping shadows on the wall of the chamber, she stopped herself from falling into the pit trap and cursed under her breath.“No way through there,” she muttered and turned back to the main chamber.She emerged into the chamber to find the her companions fighting only one of the robed creatures but it had retreated down the south-western hallway that seemed to be the only way forward. Thira desperately sought a way to bring her staff and the spells that she could hurl from it to bear but Enlishia fought the creature now and blocked the tiefling’s view. She moved into the crypt anyway and awaited a chance to strike at the undead creature.Beside Thira, Erlmoor was praying as he laid a hand on Lavren’s shoulder. Bright radiance coursed down the dragonborn’s arm and infused the elf with new strength. Kel began to pray while resting a hand on Dulvarna’s arm and a dark blue glow flowed into the warrior woman, restoring her strength in turn. Dulvarna raised her blade and waited for the undead creature to come to her. She did not have long to wait for a moment later, Enlishia reeled out of the passage, bleeding from a wound in her arm and behind her came the rotting creature. Lavren lowered his wand and loosed black, crackling energy at the undead monster and Erlmoor raised his sword against his shoulder and brought forth the holy symbol that hung at his neck. Searing ribbons of radiant fire tore at the undead creature and it shrieked and shrank back as Erlmoor roared his triumph. Dulvarna charged at the creature then and slashed her blade into its shoulder splitting open rotten flesh and bone. It sank to its knees and she swept her blade out wide, taking its skeletal head from its shoulders. The headless corpse pitched forward at the woman’s feet and silence descended upon the chamber.</blockquote>

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