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

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 205746" data-attributes="member: 99">The answer can be found within...The Overlord (continued)Thanks to their combined efforts, Speaks and Raven had destroyed most of the skeletons on the balcony area.  Their thoughts were just starting to turn to how Scar was doing when a voice boomed from the far side of the Chamber of Bone:"Come and fight me or your friend dies!"Speaks' shillelaigh smashed the last of the skeletons to the ground and he summoned his sternest tone for his reply, "Why don't you quit hiding and come out to fight us face to face!" (a fairly unimpressive Intimidation check followed)A sinister chuckle drifted out of the darkness, "Sorry, it doesn't work like that."  A moment later, another cluster of skeletons rose up from the Bone Pit and started up the stairs.Knowing that Scar was in trouble and that he and Raven would never be able to fight through the tide of skeletons in time, Speaks transformed into hawk form and soared into the air.  His flight took him above the various Ice Walls that now divided the Bone Pit into sections.  He dove down into the entrance to the arched passageway.  He arrived at the stairway in short order but knew that it would be suicide to try and face the enemy in hawk form.  He concentrated and resumed his human form.Meanwhile, Raven was alone atop the balcony smashing away at the skeletons there.  Although he would not have traded the protection his armor afforded for anything, he was often frustrated at the way it limited his mobility.  For all he knew, Speaks and Scar were about to be butchered and there was nothing he could do about it.  He took out his frustration on the skeletons.Speaks crept up the stairs until his eyes were level with the floor of the room above.  He saw Scar's prone but still breathing form lying on the floor.  Across the room he saw a robed figure peering through a narrow hole in the wall.  The figure seemed to be muttering to himself and watching something through the hole with great interest. (sound familiar?)Speaks had almost no spells left.  He reached into his pocket and his fingers found the familiar shape of a Pearl he had purchased from Tadius Silvanus back during the Winter War.  Gripping it tightly, he felt the power of the Flaming Sphere spell he had cast earlier reform in his mind.  Then, speaking the words to the spell as quickly and quietly as possible, he called the ball of fire back into being and sent it rolling into the back of the robed villain.Raven continued to bring low the undead warriors he fought but not without receiving a few wounds himself.  He didn't know how many of the skeletal warriors he had fought personally, but it had to be nearing a score.  He was slowly being worn down and he hoped beyond hope that Speaks and Scar were putting an end to whoever was responsible for this unending tide of undeath.Speaks didn't wait for the reaction of the figure but instead charged right after the Flaming Sphere to attack.  But he noticed before he even got there that the ball of fire passed right through the legs of the robed image.  A voice quietly whispered, "Pity about that." He whirled about trying to locate the actual villain and was greeted by a surprise attack.A hideous monster appeared before him out of thin air.  It stood some 8 feet tall and strongly resembled the skeletons they had been fighting.  But a long, barbed tail loomed over the creature's head, supported on a tail of vertebrae.  It struck without warning but Speaks' Barkskin kept the attack from being lethal.  Speaks struck back and brought his shillelagh crashing into the creature's ribcage.The demon staggered back and smiled.  "Did I underestimate you?  Perhaps you'll do the job after all."  It flexed its claws and lunged to attack.For Speaks, the world dissolved into a mindless flurry of battle.  He brought the Flaming Sphere to bear on the creature but it seemed to ignore if not actually enjoy the flames.  He did his best to stay away from the vicious tail of the creature.  The times when it managed to strike him, he felt it pump poison into his body.  But he trusted in his inner strength to combat that.  He had to remain focused on his attacks.  He ducked and dodged and launched swing after swing at the beast with his enchanted club.Raven smashed the final skeleton from the balcony.  He bled from a dozen wounds but he still stood.  He prepared to go to the aid of his companions and started to descend into the Pit of Bone when suddenly a peal of maniacal laughter rang out from ahead of him.Speaks heard the same laughter as he smote the creature back to oblivion.  He smelled an acrid burning smell on the air.  The Druid didn't know what damnable depth of hell he had sent the creature back to and hoped never to find out.  He knelt to check on Scar.The Half-Orc still lived.  Speaks drew out his healing wand and began to apply it to both Scar and himself.  Just as Scar's eyelids fluttered open, Raven appeared on the staircase.  "Damned lot of skeletons, wasn't it?"NEXT:  The OublietteFor bonus points, can you tell what just happened?</blockquote>

Verification