Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4917968" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 25 - The Palace of Bones (Part 3)Enlishia raised her bow and aimed at Draxius again before letting fly an arrow. As the shaft drove into the tiefling’s leg, she nocked another arrow to her bow, aimed again and fired. The second arrow drove into Draxius’ hip and threw him toward the back wall of the chamber. She looked back toward Gendar who lay helpless and dying in the grasp of the bone hands. She heard more of the dark elf’s ribs crack and knew that they had to free him quickly for if he was not already dead, then he would be soon. She turned back toward the platform and drew another arrow as hands reached up from the platform to seize Lavren. The elf raised his wand anyway and called out an incantation that summoned unseen wolves to snap at Draxius. The tiefling leapt away from the snapping teeth of the creatures toward the flameskull and Enlishia saw that Rendil was also restrained by hands that had grabbed his legs. Still he lashed out with his sword and loosed a rope of lightning that lashed around the flameskull and dragged it back within reach of his blade. As the lightning dissipated, the skull drifted away and turned to loose a bolt of flame from its mouth that struck the halfling in the chest and left him reeling where he stood. Another bolt flashed across from the opposite platform and struck Lavren in the back, sending him lurching forward. At that moment, Telkya broke free of the skeletal arms that held her and rushed toward the platforms. She raised her amulet and hurled a bolt of light into the side of the flameskull that sent it reeling toward Draxius. The tiefling shrieked and then lashed out with its left hand toward Erlmoor, sending a screaming skull flashing out to strike the dragonborn in the chest. The paladin staggered back and then roared his own response as he charged the tiefling.Erlmoor felt a fierce rage within him as he started toward the tiefling but then he felt familiar, bony fingers grasp his legs and dig into his flesh. He staggered and almost fell as the hands brought him to a sudden stop but still he lashed out with his sword, shouting a prayer as he did. Ribbons of light burst from his sword and tore across the gap between the platforms to strike the flameskull. The creature reeled back in the air and then exploded into shards of bone. From his left, Erlmoor heard Enlishia’s bow sing again and again and two more arrows drove into Draxius’ wounded body. A blast of energy crackled past the dragonborn to strike the tiefling in the chest and then lightning burst from Rendil’s sword again to wrap around Draxius and drag him toward the halfling. Beside Erlmoor, Lavren lurched forward as another bolt of flame from the remaining flameskull struck him but then Erlmoor heard Telkya’s voice raised in prayer and knew that she was coming to their aid. Erlmoor roared his defiance again but as he did, Draxius turned toward him and held both hands out toward him and shouted a spell. Suddenly, a storm of freezing white engulfed Erlmoor and Lavren as howling spirits burst from the bone platform. The dragonborn felt his limbs go numb and as he looked, ice began to limn the face of the elf who stood beside him. Lavren’s knees gave way and he collapsed amongst the bones and a moment later, Erlmoor fell beside him.Rendil saw Erlmoor and Lavren fall and knew that the battle had become desperate. He lashed out with his sword, uttering a spell as he did, and a wall of fire leapt from the bone platform to engulf Draxius. A bolt fo flame flashed across from the other platform and struck him in the side, throwing him to his left into the wall of the chamber. The halfling cursed and raised his blade again, looking down at Telkya in some forlorn hope that she could provide enough help to win victory. Sure enough the elf maid was chanting a prayer, amulet and sword in hand and as it reached its end, Erlmoor seemed to stir on the central platform. The halfling looked back toward Draxius and found that the tiefling was laughing at the flames that surrounded him.“You think that fire can harm me, after all that I have suffered here,” the tiefling snarled. “They called me a tyrant and a conqueror and yet all I ever did was hold onto the throne.”“They would not have imprisoned you if you did not deserve it,” Rendil shouted back.“Oh, I did deserve it,” the tiefling answered, looking strangely sad for a moment. “For I kept the throne by killing my own sons.”At that, Draxius lashed out with his left hand and hurled a screaming skull toward Rendil. The halfling ducked to the left and the missile flew past while the tiefling renewed his mocking laughter. Behind his enemy, Rendil saw movement and with a wave of relief, he saw Erlmoor rise to his feet and rush at Draxius. The dragonborn lashed his blade across the tiefling’s back and then reversed the swing to lash it into Draxius’ side. The tiefling reeled away and as he did, an arrow drove into his chest. He gasped and staggered back and then a second arrow drove into his throat, piercing it from the front to the back. The tiefling let out a strangled gasp and then collapsed to the bone platform. The bone hands released their grasp of Lavren and Gendar in the moment that Draxius died, falling lifeless to the structures that had given them movement. Rendil rushed past Erlmoor toward the last flameskull and as he did, it unleashed fire from his mouth that struck him in the shoulder and spun him toward the wall. Telkya rushed up the steps to kneel beside Lavren and began chanting a healing prayer over his wounded body. Erlmoor, meanwhile, rushed after Rendil and Enlishia came forward across the floor, loosing arrows as she came. Moments later, Lavren rose beside his wife and began loosing bolts of black energy at the floating skull and from Rendil’s blade, lightning lashed out to drag the flameskull toward the halfling. It tried desperately to retreat, loosing flame wildly but it fell quickly to Erlmoor’s blade and Enlishia’s arrows. Enlishia rushed over to Gendar as soon as the skull shattered but as she reached the drow’s body, she knew that there was nothing she could do for him. Looking up at the others, she shook her head grimly and they bowed their in response. Together, they made a funeral pyre for the drow atop the bone platform, hoping that flames would consume the entirety of the dark place. As they set the pyre alight and made ready to leave, Lavren took Draxius’ cloak from his shoulders.“He looks younger than the image we have seen,” the elf said to the others.“He is younger,” Vyrellis said from the orb at Lavren’s belt. “Younger even than when I met him.”“Then that is why we are not free,” Telkya said. “He is not beaten.”“He is but another shard, of which there were three,” Vyrellis answered.“Then the real Draxius is…..,” Lavren said.“At the top of the stairs we passed,” Enlishia finished.Grimly, the companions left the chamber and made their way back toward the stairs.Next......The Last Stand of Draxius</blockquote>

Verification