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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Medriev" data-source="post: 4700389" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 18 - The Face of Baphomet (Part 5)Litiraan looked over at his sister with pride and then looked down at his right arm as the pain of the acid lanced through him again. He thought he could see the white of bone through his ruined flesh and almost swooned at the prospect. Deciding to concentrate on his enemies, he looked up, just as the archer that his flames had seared advanced around the nearest pillar. The gnoll raised his black bow and fired leaving Litiraan no chance. The arrow drove into his left leg and threw him back against the wall as red blood flowed all too swiftly from this new wound. Another archer appeared around the other side of the pillar, raised his bow and loosed an arrow. Litiraan dodged to the left but the arrow drove into his right shoulder, sending more waved of pain through the limb. Nausea and dizziness assailed the elf as he fell back against the wall. As blackness took him, he hoped with all his heart that Telkya and Lavren would be happy together.Erlmoor roared his defiance and thrust out with his blade, driving it into the thigh of the gnoll before him and forcing the creature back. From his left, more gnolls and a huge, black hyena were coming and he knew he had little time to defeat this first enemy. He saw the headdress-wearing priest rush at Telkya and land a glancing blow on her shoulder that drove her back. They did not have much time, the dragonborn decided. This gnoll had to fall quickly or they would all be overwhelmed by these newcomers. Lavren ducked away from the priest and loosed more black energy from his left hand that seared into the gnoll to drive it away from Telkya for a moment. It was a reprieve, Erlmoor knew, but it would not be a long one. He looked back to the foe before him and as he did, an arrow from Enlishia’s bow drove into the creature’s side. A second arrow flew between the dragonborn and his foe but Dulvarna was already advancing again. She came forward fiercely, feinted left and then brought her blade across high from the right. Aecris clove through the gnoll’s neck and sent its head spilling to the floor while its body collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Erlmoor had no chance to acknowledge his companion’s success as the hyena leapt at him and seized his left arm.As the gnoll priest came forward again, Telkya jabbed her blade out into its shoulder and then leapt back along the wall beside Lavren. The remaining unarmed gnoll leapt towards Dulvarna but she was ready for it and ducked back beyond the reach of its vicious claws. Telkya looked for her brother beyond her companions but Erlmoor’s huge form blocked her view of her brother. She prayed to Corellon that he faught on and would survive the battle.Erlmoor shook the hyena from his arm by slamming it against the wall beside him and as he did so, he looked down and saw Litiraan half-sitting, slumped against the wall. The elf’s eyes were closed and from the terrible wound in his arm and the bloodstain spreading from the wound in his leg, he knew that the elf was sorely wounded. Beyond him, Erlmoor saw an gnoll archer creeping into the corner of the chamber and raising his bow. The gnoll loosed the shaft and Erlmoor tried to duck back into the entryway of the chamber but still the shaft drove into his calf as he did so. The dragonborn roared his defiance and began a prayer to Lathander that he hoped might still save Litiraan. His blade glowed brightly for a moment and as it did so, Erlmoor brought it down on the hyena’s back. As the huge beast yelped and leapt away, white light burst out and touched Litiraan’s arm. The wound there seemed to close a little and the white bone was covered by new flesh. Slowly, without moving lest his enemies see, Litiraan opened his eyes and looked up at Erlmoor, smiling weakly. The dragonborn smiled back for a moment but then a second arrow drove into his side and he fell back into the entryway.Telkya raised her sword and parried the huge flail of the priest as it came down towards her head. Lavren hurled more searing black energy into the gnoll’s side and drove it back from Telkya then, allowing her to retreat towards the eastern wall of the chamber where he now stood. The gnoll snarled its anger but even as it did so, an arrow and then a second drove into its chest from Enlishia’s bow. Dulvarna saw her chance and darted forward, swinging Aecris in a wide arc and cleaving the head from the gnoll priest as she had done with the first gnoll to fall. The priest fell in a crumpled heap beside its companion and Dulvarna turned on this new enemy. Her blade lashed out low and cut into the side of the gnoll’s leg drawing a yelp of pain forcing it to back away from the warrior woman. The hyena came forward then, cackling terribly and Dulvarna stopped her advance as fear took her for a moment. Telkya and Enlishia felt it too but Erlmoor roared his defiance and as the beast came at him, he dodged backward and evaded its terrible jaws. He looked down to smile at Litiraan but the elf’s eyes were closed again and smoke rose from the wound on his arm as the acid continued to sear his flesh.“Telkya,” Erlmoor cried out. “Your brother needs your aid!”</blockquote>

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