Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 586931" data-attributes="member: 221">Chapter 25: Elias’ FortThe night was clear and bright.  They had not yet tried to sleep, though Alairic had broached the subject of keeping watches.  Kinshag had lit a good fire and they were seated around it keeping warm.  “Mew,” whispered a white cat silkily as it crept into the firelight.  Its short fur was dirty and it looked a little thin.  Looking at the four companions cautiously it inched slowly closer to the fire.“Ahh,” said Niccolo and breaking off some of the food he was eating he tossed it to the cat.The cat looked at Niccolo for a moment and then gingerly poked at the food.  Satisfied, it then proceeded to gulp it down.  Having eaten it lay down by the warm fire for a moment.  They stared at it for a while.Suddenly the cat perked its ears up and it stood.  Then, with a look to the east it ran off to the west, passing quickly out of the firelight.  Niccolo stood and drew out his rapier.  In a minute, from the east, there came the sound of slow movement.  Shuffling footsteps indicated that something was coming their way.  Kinshag moved to the edge of the firelight and peered out.“I see nine figures,” he said, “They move slowly… They move like dead men… zombies.”“Tilliana, get over here,” said Alairic from besides Kinshag.Tilliana pulled forth her divine focus and walked near the others to call down the wrath of Naemae on the undead creatures.  The zombies moved closer and closer.  Holding her divine focus forward, Tilliana waited.  The zombie lurched closer.  With a brief prayer Tilliana called forth upon the divine power of her god and in seconds nine zombies became two as the other seven let out groans of pain and collapsed in heaps of burnt unmoving flesh.  Alairic and Kinshag rushed forward and in seconds the last two were on the ground unmoving as well.Niccolo was standing just behind Tilliana, facing Kinshag and Alairic as they mowed down the last two zombies.  A bolt of magical energy flew out of the darkness from behind him and struck him in the rear.“Ouch!” exclaimed Niccolo.  The pain was very real, though not life-threatening.  The four companions whirled around and looked out over their campfire and peered into the night.  They saw no-one to the east.“Up there!” said Alairic, pointing south.  Outlined on the hill by the light of one of the moons, a robed figure strode out of the shadow of one of the more structurally sound houses.  They could see no features, just the shape.  The robed figure must have heard them for it turned and it seemed as if they were being watched.  And then, in seconds it had disappeared, seemingly into mist.“I have first watch,” said Alairic.“I thought I called first watch,” said Niccolo.“We should sleep in pairs and watch in pairs,” said Tilliana, “This area does not seem safe.”There was some brief arguing between Niccolo and Alairic but eventually it was decided that Alairic and Niccolo would sleep first and then sometime after midnight relieve Tilliana and Kinshag to rest.  Alairic and Niccolo were soon asleep and Kinshag was watching the camp on the east side of the fire and Tilliana on the south side.  The six horses were tied to the wagon on the northwestern corner of the camp and just to the north the stream flowed busily through the night.It was about an hour after Alairic and Niccolo had gone to bed that the wolves appeared.  They crept up to the edge of the firelight and moving with an uncanny cunning, they crawled under the belled rope without ever disturbing it.  They were upon Tilliana in a flash.  One of them manages to bite Tilliana’s leg.  It was enough to make Tilliana move quickly.  In a flash Tilliana was fending them off and drawing her sword at the same time.  The wolves surged forward one more time and then Razor-tongue flashed through the air.  Three furred bodies collapsed to the ground.  Tilliana panted and examined her wound.  It was not deep, little more then a scratch.Kinshag rushed over but there was nothing for him to do.  Niccolo stirred and then resumed snoring.Tilliana sat back down, sword at the ready.  Kinshag returned to his post.The white cat returned a little thereafter and sat down again by the fire.  Tilliana watched it but did nothing else.  Three more hours passed and midnight approached.  Nothing had moved in the night.It was Kinshag’s turn to be startled.  He sat and stared out into the darkness when a voice next to him stated, “I am so thirsty.”Kinshag whirled with a start.  A pale skinned man with a drawn face and wearing shepherds clothes stood besides him.  Kinshag had heard nothing.“Give me drink,” moaned the man.“What do you wan…” Kinshag started but the man lunged at him before he could finish the question.The man was stronger than he looked and he grabbed Kinshag’s arms and bit into the half-hobgoblin’s throat.  Kinshag tried to cry out as he felt the blood flowing out of him, and with it his strength.  With a savage cry he tore loose from the fangs of the blood-sucking horror and swung his great-ax up and at the once-man.  The vampire lunged back and out of the way with the speed of a serpent.“Away fiend,” shouted Tilliana, holding forth her holy symbol.  There was a brief flash of divine energy but it was not strong enough and the thing leaped back once more at Kinshag, latching on once more to the already bleeding neck.  More of Kinshag’s life was sucked away.  Kinshag, furious and frightened once more twisted the undead creature off and swung his ax at it.  The blade struck and even though it sank in to the creature’s dead flesh, when Kinshag pulled it out, the wound looked like little more than a cat-scratch.  Tilliana, standing a little closer once more held out her divine focus at the thing and this time the energy from it was powerful.  The vampire reared back and hissed as the divine light flowed over and into it.  With a cry it was gone, vanished into a mist that flew off to the west.Tilliana ran and woke the others to tell them what had happened.  As she was shaking Alairic awake, she remembered the cat.  When she looked over by the fire, it was gone.************************************    They switched watches shortly thereafter.  Tilliana knew that she could help Kinshag heal from the foul bites he had suffered, but she would need to rest first.  Kinshag, tired and hurt took off his armor, lay down and was soon asleep.  Tilliana did likewise.  The cat returned a couple of hours later.  Niccolo rummaged in his pack a while and found some food for it.  The cat ate it once more and again lay down by the fire.  Niccolo amused himself by watching it for a while.As it had earlier, after a bit the cat perked up its ears as if it heard something.  It stood, stretched, looked east, and then ran off to the south.  Niccolo looked east and with his keen vision he could make out six white figures marching in military fashion towards their camp, skeletons.“Alairic,” said Niccolo.  “My turn,” smiled Alairic and the paladin drew forth his own divine focus.  He lacked the power of Tilliana in such matters he knew, but he also knew that skeletons would not be difficult to destroy.  As Tilliana had done he waited until they were close enough and then calling upon Naemae, he brought forth the divine power necessary to destroy the dark magic’s holding the skeletons together.The skeletons burst into dust before him.“Very good,” said a deep voice from behind the two companions.  Niccolo and Alairic whirled around.  Two tall, powerfully built men stood besides the fire, so alike in appearance they could only have been brothers.  One held a huge axe in his hand, the other a great sword.  They each wore chain shirts and sported heavy red beards.“Very good,” repeated the one with the ax, “But you will not find it so easy to deal with us puny mortals!”“Is that so!” cried Niccolo, drawing his rapier and lunging forward.  He covered the ground quickly and sank his rapier into the man with the ax.  But the powerful thrust did nothing and as he pulled the rapier out the other laughed and swung, hitting Niccolo with his ax.Alairic charged the other, his holy blade already in his hands.  “May Naemae smite your evil!” shouted the paladin and his blade struck.  There was a great flash as righteous energy flowed from both the paladin and the sword into Alairic’s opponent.  The man screamed in pain and anger as the blade pierced him deeply and burned.  Then with a cry he was gone and an unholy mist flew north, over the fire and out of sight.The cry brought Kinshag out of sleep and he jumped to his feet.  He took stock of the situation and decided to put on his armor.Niccolo meanwhile was hard pressed.  Bleeding from the sword wound, he was finding the man to be a strong and able opponent.  Alairic rushed to help him, striking the from the side.  As the holy energies of the blade flashed forth once more the undead cried and swung around to attack Alairic.  Alairic parried the ax even as Niccolo once more plunged his rapier into the creatures other side.  But again, Niccolo could have been stabbing a corpse for all the good the rapier did.  Alairic parried again and then once more swung true.  The undead fighter cried with frustration even as he and all he carried turned to mist before the eyes of Alairic and Niccolo and flew west into the darkness.  Kinshag, seeing the fighting was over, once more removed his armor and laid down.Niccolo began to worry about Two-socks.  The wolf had yet to return.  There was nothing to do but wait and hope the horrors that seemed to fill the area did not hurt the wolf.  Two more hours passed without incident and the night grew old.  But danger was not yet past.They felt the presence of the creatures before they saw them.  Two shapely and beautiful women, walking noiselessly from the south.  For a moment neither Niccolo nor Alairic felt compelled to feel frightened.  The women were alluring, seductive, magical.Both realized at the same time what was happening and fought the unnatural charm exuding from the women.  As they shook off the effects they saw the pale skin and the extended fangs.  Realizing their charm attempt had failed the women snarled like animals, now less beautiful but still powerful and deadly.  The women rushed forward, hands extended, bent on drinking blood before the night was gone.  Niccolo had exchanged his rapier for his heavier great axe and as one of the women charged him he swung it.  The blow would have killed a normal man, but it merely annoyed the undead woman.  Still it was enough to keep her away from the half-elves throat for the moment.Alairic was not so fortunate.  The woman attacking him lunged down and under his sword swing like a snake and then was at his throat.  Alairic could not force her off and she bit, drawing forth blood and life.  Niccolo swung again, his axe once more finding its target, but again doing little actual damage.  The woman was still trying to go for his throat, more intent on drinking then fighting.  Niccolo swung once more and again did little to truly hurt her.  Alairic meanwhile was fighting desperately to get the vampiress off of him.  She was latched to his throat like a leech and he could feel the life draining out of him.  Remembering his divine focus he clutched at it, but even so he could not concentrate properly to focus enough.  Finally he managed to twist her off and away from him.The other vampire woman had given up trying to drink first and was now swiping her clawed hands at Niccolo.  Back and forth they parried, axe against claw, circling each other.The one fighting Alairic wiped blood from her mouth and smiled.  Then she tried to rush Alairic once more.  Alairic was ready this time and swinging around and away from her he brought his sword in a vicious circle.  It connected and the woman cried aloud as the holy energy of the blade burned her.  Alairic, remembering his slumbering companions shouted, hoping to wake them and then swung again as the woman charged him one last time.  There was a flash of holy energy and then the woman was turning to mist.  A mist which flew north, across the stream.  Niccolo had cut the woman once more with the ax but still it did not seem to be slowing her.  Though she had suffered nearly half a dozen hits, none of them bled.  Niccolo swung once more.  The woman did not dodge this time but moved with the blow.  The ax struck her and in that instance, she swung a double fisted punch around, connecting with Niccolo’s chest.  The half’elf gasped as more than wind was knocked out of him.  The dark energy of the creature seemed to eat at his very soul.  Alairic charged in just then, hoping to distract the vampire woman away from Niccolo.  He missed.  Niccolo swung again, but his swing was weak.  It connected but did not even break the monster’s dead flesh.  The woman refused to be distracted by Alairic and moved to try and latch onto Niccolo’s throat.  As weak as he felt, Niccolo was not about to let that happened.  He struggled as hard as he could to hold her away.  Alairic stabbed forward with his sword, piercing her from behind and Niccolo used the opportunity to swing at her again, this time cutting a little deeper.  The woman snarled and Alairic swung once more.  Before their eyes the woman dissolved away into a mist which flew to the south.  Alairic and Niccolo looked over at their companions.  The fight had not awaken them in the slightest.  They were still sound asleep.</blockquote>

Verification