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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 2069887" data-attributes="member: 99">They flew for over an hour until their muscles and magic began to fail them.  They alighted in a clearing on the slopes of the mountains and collapsed in exhaustion.  Their bodies, minds and especially their understanding of the world had all taken a harsh beating in the last day and they were still reeling from it.Lazarius sat on a rock with his head hung down.  So tired.  Yearning for rest.  Wings fluttered before him and he looked up into the deep blue eyes of Marcus.  “What?”A piercing scream came from the Dire Eagle’s beak and it hopped from one taloned foot to the other in frustration.  Lazarius thought he understood what his companion wanted, “Sorry Marcus.  I am out of spells.  I can’t transform you back until I’ve had some rest.  Try me in the morning.”  The eagle squawked angrily at the Wizard but knew there was nothing to be done.  He alighted on a pointy rock a short distance away.All of them knew that they needed to discuss what to do next but few had truly collected their thoughts and none had the energy.  It would just have to wait until morning.They did not even consider lighting a fire.  As night fell they could hear movement all across the mountainside.  Things moved in the darkness, answering the call of Bale and they could hear them moving north toward The City of Endless Summer.  They kept watch with weary eyes and it was still hours before dawn when the bushes at the edge of their clearing snapped an crunched beneath the tread of huge feet.Marius was on watch and moved aside looking for an opportunity to flank the interloper.  Cathal stepped forward to block whatever it was from getting past him to where the others were hastily scrambling from their bedrolls.  Out of the night came the enormous form of a giant bear.  Cathal struck first and brought his blade raking down its neck and sinking into its shoulder but he did not escape a powerful swipe from the creature’s claw.Marcus shot skyward on his great wings as Rhys, barely out of his bedroll, plied his wand on those who followed in the wake of the huge bear.  The night lit up with the blast from the Fireball and revealed a pack of Ogres with eyes full of murder.  They did not seem much slowed by the blast and moved quickly to the edge of the party’s encampment.Scar charged into the foremost Ogre, earning a clouting by the creatures club but striking it in return with Raven’s Revenge.  The Dwarf-made hammer left a horrific bruise across the giant’s belly.Lazarius was filled with rage at this latest attack.  How was he supposed to regain his magic if they couldn’t get a decent night’s sleep?!  Angry and sleepy he moved out to the right flank of the engagement and used a rather precious scroll.  A Cone of Cold blasted through the ranks of the Ogres and four of the six were killed in an instant.  Despite his bad mood, Lazarius could not stifle a yell of triumph.Swirling blue light filled the night with color and filled their hearts with hope as Speaks called forth the magic of the Big Sky.  Emboldened by this boost in morale, Marius tumbled forward catching the Dire Bear in the flank.  His rapier sank deep but it would take more than that to kill the huge creature.  Cathal slashed back and forth across the forelegs of the bear and blood flowed as they strove to kill it or drive it away.  Marcus came diving down upon one of the remaining Ogres but was intercepted by its club.  Feathers flew as his claws made it through the brute’s defenses and drew bloody streaks across its arm.It seemed that the series of brutal strikes by Cathal and Marius had worked.  For a moment the great bear's eyes seemed more full of fear and pain than rage and hunger.  It bolted for escape and the two warriors hurried it on its way with a pair of sword thrusts to the rump.The Ogres had not lost their taste for blood.  One charged at Scar and was intercepted by an Acid Arrow courtesy of Rhys’ sorcery but it did not slow down.  Its club pounded into the Half-Orc who grunted with pain.  But Scar had not had enough of the battle either and he turned to smash at this latest foe with his hammer.  It struck a solid blow and was followed up by an attack by Marcus the Eagle.The other wounded Ogre, now having been burnt then frozen and then pummeled snapped out of the Bale-induced rage and made a break for it.  Lazarius fired a volley of Magic Missiles at the retreating giant and felled him in his tracks.The others converged on the final Ogre, locked in battle with Scar and Marcus.  The great eagle flapped out of reach to ready another swooping dive attack but the Ogre nearly knocked him out of the sky with a bone breaking smash of his club.  Marcus managed a half-hearted slash to the creature’s wrist in return but then fluttered away wounded, deciding to wait until he was in his normal, steel-clad form to do any more fighting.Rhys nailed the remaining Ogre with another Acid Arrow that brought it to the brink of death before Scar finished the miserable creature with a final blow from Raven’s Revenge.The night became still again as the shape of the retreating Dire Bear went crashing northward into the darkness.  The silence was broken when Lazarius let out a scream of frustration and fired another volley of Magic Missiles at the bear that proved to be the death blow.  He yelled into the night, “I WANT to GET some SLEEP!  Anybody ELSE want to WAKE ME UP?!...HUH?...I didn’t THINK SO!”He stormed back to his bedroll and lay down.  Then he lurched up again a moment later, gave the cloak-stuffed backpack that was serving as his pillow a vicious fluffing, punched an indentation for his head and lay down again, letting out a low growl.  The others looked at him, eyes wide, then at each other.  Then they followed his example and tried to get some rest as best they could.At long last dawn arrived.  The sunrise had never looked so beautiful.</blockquote>

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