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

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="pogre" data-source="post: 1927076" data-attributes="member: 6588">ZandyriumEpisode 14Wassabe casually whittled a piece of river birch while the night wore on. He truly hated the night watch, and to make matters worse, tonight he was alone. The sorcerer Mercutio rarely took a late watch, the priests always wanted a morning watch, and they never let Ginny stay on watch with him. Heinrich had something about him ‘being distracted’ if Ginny shared his watch. Distracted? Wassabe thought, Hell, if that girl was around right now I could really concentrate! Wassabe chuckled, but his situation had not changed, he was still looking at another three hours of watch, alone.There was a sudden, perceptible change in the sounds of the forest surrounding the camp. Things were quieter and more foreboding. Wassabe reflexively coiled like a snake ready to strike. The stillness in the night was as loud as a warning horn to the swashbuckler. Then he spied the reason for the change in ambience.An enormous arachnid was working its way down toward the camp tents from the canopy of trees above. Wassabe slowly stepped over to the nearest tent and whispered within, “Mercutio, Heinrich, awake.”The two spell casters emerged from their slumber and joined Wassabe outside the tent. Wassabe pointed at the huge arachnid. The beast was preoccupied with moving its lengthy limbs around the other tent. Wassabe charged across the camp and planted his weapon in its abdomen. The spider was caught completely off guard and leapt back to a nearby boulder.<a href="http://www.pogre.com/1401_hunting_spider.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.pogre.com/1401_hunting_spider_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>“Take that ye’ beetch o’legs!” Wassabe screamed.Mercutio quickly loosed a volley of magic missiles into the arachnid, which were followed by Heinrich’s Holy Hammer.The spider snapped its mandibles instinctively at Wassabe, but its efforts were as pitiful as a moth trying to fly through a blazing fire. Wassabe jumped up and buried both of his blades in the arachnid’s abdomen covering himself in ichor up to the wrists.The rest of the adventurers emerged to see what the noise was all about.“That was not necessary,” Mercutio noted. “Another shot of magic missiles could have saved you the mess.”“Ye’ know what ye’ old desert lizard?” Wassabe queried with a smile. “These ole’ clerics got a place of glory waitin’ on ‘em. This is the only chance at glory I got.” Wassabe held his twin blades aloft. Justinius rolled his eyes and went back to his bedroll. Ginny smiled and did the same. Thoren was obviously pouting and dragged his great blade back to his tent. The fighter propped the two-handed sword against the tent and said, “I guess I don’t need this tonight.”*****Ginny motioned for the group to take cover. All of the adventurers scrambled to the side of the path. It was a well-practiced routine, which they performed quickly and quietly.“What is it Ginny?” Thoren asked.Ginny did not answer but pointed to two large shapes moving across the trail to the river.“Trolls,” Thoren whispered back to the rest of the group. Although by now, that was quite obvious to everyone present.<a href="http://www.pogre.com/1402_trolls.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.pogre.com/1402_trolls_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>“They will pass,” Justinius counseled.“Not if we stop ‘em,” Wassabe offered.“What?” Heinrich was truly incredulous at the implication of Wassabe’s response. “How could we possibly benefit from fighting these monstrous beasts?”“We jes’ killed a Giant. What’s a couple trolls?” Wassabe asked. “Thoren, are you in?”“I forbid it,” Justinius whispered harshly. “It is patently fool hardy.”Thoren looked confused and torn by the debate.“Can we kill a couple of Trolls Thoren ole’ boy?” Wassabe asked.Thoren nodded, maintaining a quizzical look on his face.“That is not the question,” Heinrich chided.“That’s always the question padre!” Wassabe answered. He jumped out onto the road. “Hey, ye’ green bastiches!”The trolls turned their ponderous heads to view the human in the road.“Come get some!” Wassabe gave his war cry and charged.Thoren charged right after the swashbuckler and in short order the melee was on.“My church is not raising him,” Heinrich complained to Justinius.“Do not look at me,” Justinius answered. “I am happy to perform last rites though.”Ginny had snuck around the backside of the trolls and dug her dagger deeply into the back of its neck. The troll lurched forward coughing up bile and fell dead. The other troll took a huge shot from Thoren’s weapon through the midsection and it too fell dead. The adventurers quickly began burning the foul flesh to end the threat.“Don’t thank me now Father,” Wassabe said with a smile. “Such good deeds are all in a day’s work!”Heinrich just prayed the group could make it into Zandyrium without further incident.To be continued…</blockquote>

Verification