Lazybones
Adventurer
Wow, I didn't even notice that the last update was 500 chapters. How the time flies. 
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Chapter 501
Beorna and Umbar formed a dwarven wall before the menacing gap of the pit at their backs. The grimlocks formed a bloody wave that blasted against that wall, but each surge was driven back, leaving behind bits of itself as detritus that oozed blood and gore from huge gashes and crushed skulls.
Beorna could not reach her sword, but her dagger, infused with divine magic, was punching deep holes into grimlock bodies with each thrust. One grimlock already lay at her feet, its body pierced by several such thrusts, and in a momentary lull she defensively cast a quick spell, infusing herself with divine power. Thus fortified, she met the next attack with a jab that pierced a lung, followed immediately by a slash across the grimlock’s throat that sent it tumbling back into its fellows, bleeding out the last of its life upon the stones.
But even the templar’s storm of controlled violence faded in potency compared to what Umbar was doing beside her. The dwarf, now over ten feet tall, was knocking grimlocks around like straw dummies, his hammer pulverizing even the insanely tough bodies of these foes. Yet the grimlocks, driven by their insane fanaticism, refused to give way, launching attacks that could not penetrate the dwarf’s resistances.
The battle was rapidly turning into a slaughter, the dwarves’ attacks becoming a mechanical process of transforming living enemies into corpses. There was one momentary break in the melee, as a high-pitched noise, not quite human, sounded in the dark gap in the partially open double doors at the end of the corridor. That opening was limned in a soft red glow, giving it a diabolic aura. The dwarves looked up and saw a dark form moving in that opening, just for a moment; each felt a surge of something wash over them, a sick feeling of malevolence that their sturdy constitutions quickly shook off. They had not even paused in their attacks, each sending another grimlock to the ground with their next blow.
“What was that?” Beorna shouted over the din of violence.
“Evil!” Umbar returned, stepping forward, through the muck of corpses and still-struggling survivors. At least four grimlocks that could still stand threw themselves at him, but the cleric ignored them, pushing forward to the doors.
There was nothing there; the chamber beyond was huge, but no enemies presented themselves within. His motion had opened himself to a cunning attack, however, and a pain erupted in his leg as a grimlock cut into his hamstring with its axe. His greave held and the wound wasn’t crippling, but it forced him to turn around and punish the offender with a solid two-handed blow to the chest that sent it flying backward.
“Arun!” Beorna shouted, unable to turn because of the two grimlocks that were still pressing her, unable to see through the lingering smoke that hovered above the pit in any case. “Are you all right?”
The paladin could not immediately respond. His armor had kept him alive in that initial surge, ironically the grimlock clinging doggedly to his back helping to protect him from the axes of its fellows. A second tried to yank his helmet off, but he was ready for that trick, and he knocked it back with a solid punch to the head. He heard Hodge leap over to aid him, and could hear enough of what was going on across the far pit to know that Beorna and Umbar would be too busy to help them.
So he cast out his mind, and called for aid.
He felt the familiar presence even as the cries of the grimlocks announced the arrival of the newcomer. Clinger tore into the grimlock ranks, seizing the grimlock on the paladin’s back with its powerful jaws, and yanking the pesky foe off. Grimlocks attacked the celestial lizard, tearing into its golden hide with their axes, but the loyal creature remained by its master, shielding him until he could recover.
Arun’s vision was still hindered by the stinging tears left over from the acrid smoke, but the bright glow provided enough guidance for him to find what he was looking for. Bending down to recover the holy sword cost him, as a pair of blows clanged hard into his back, one crushing a plate and opening a bloody gash just below the lowest rib on his left side.
But he had the sword.
He straightened. Both grimlocks lifted their axes to strike again.
The paladin called upon Moradin, and unleashed a red storm of death upon them.
Six seconds later, both grimlocks lay on the ground, looking like they had been dropped into a threshing machine.
Arun turned to help his companion. Clinger had the last grimlock still fighting pinned in its jaws, but that didn’t stop it from trying to hack at the lizard with its axe. However, Arun taking its head off its shoulders did put a tone of finality on its efforts.
“Hodge!” he cried, looking around for his cohort.
“Down ‘ere!” the dwarf shouted, the words followed by hacking coughs.
Arun rushed over to the edge of the pit. The fire had mostly burned out, although some of the ruined furniture still flickered with more “normal” yellow tongues of flame. The smoke cleared enough for Arun to see Hodge standing amidst the spikes. One of the grimlocks that had knocked him down was impaled on the metal stickers, while the second lay a few feet away, a round oval in the side of its skull where Hodge had chopped through with his waraxe. The dwarf looked a mess, and he pressed his hand to his side where blood continued to ooze from a shot that had gotten through his armor.
“I could use a hand up,” he managed.
Arun nodded, instructing Clinger, before turning toward the far end of the corridor. Through the gaps in the fading wall of smoke, he saw Beorna and Umbar, the cleric still empowered by righteous might, surrounded by a veritable wall of bodies. The templar’s eyes met his, and he felt a surge of relief.
But the relief also meant that the pain, pushed aside in the rush of battle, came rushing back, and he decided that it might be a very good idea to call upon Moradin’s power for healing.
* * * * *
Chapter 501
Beorna and Umbar formed a dwarven wall before the menacing gap of the pit at their backs. The grimlocks formed a bloody wave that blasted against that wall, but each surge was driven back, leaving behind bits of itself as detritus that oozed blood and gore from huge gashes and crushed skulls.
Beorna could not reach her sword, but her dagger, infused with divine magic, was punching deep holes into grimlock bodies with each thrust. One grimlock already lay at her feet, its body pierced by several such thrusts, and in a momentary lull she defensively cast a quick spell, infusing herself with divine power. Thus fortified, she met the next attack with a jab that pierced a lung, followed immediately by a slash across the grimlock’s throat that sent it tumbling back into its fellows, bleeding out the last of its life upon the stones.
But even the templar’s storm of controlled violence faded in potency compared to what Umbar was doing beside her. The dwarf, now over ten feet tall, was knocking grimlocks around like straw dummies, his hammer pulverizing even the insanely tough bodies of these foes. Yet the grimlocks, driven by their insane fanaticism, refused to give way, launching attacks that could not penetrate the dwarf’s resistances.
The battle was rapidly turning into a slaughter, the dwarves’ attacks becoming a mechanical process of transforming living enemies into corpses. There was one momentary break in the melee, as a high-pitched noise, not quite human, sounded in the dark gap in the partially open double doors at the end of the corridor. That opening was limned in a soft red glow, giving it a diabolic aura. The dwarves looked up and saw a dark form moving in that opening, just for a moment; each felt a surge of something wash over them, a sick feeling of malevolence that their sturdy constitutions quickly shook off. They had not even paused in their attacks, each sending another grimlock to the ground with their next blow.
“What was that?” Beorna shouted over the din of violence.
“Evil!” Umbar returned, stepping forward, through the muck of corpses and still-struggling survivors. At least four grimlocks that could still stand threw themselves at him, but the cleric ignored them, pushing forward to the doors.
There was nothing there; the chamber beyond was huge, but no enemies presented themselves within. His motion had opened himself to a cunning attack, however, and a pain erupted in his leg as a grimlock cut into his hamstring with its axe. His greave held and the wound wasn’t crippling, but it forced him to turn around and punish the offender with a solid two-handed blow to the chest that sent it flying backward.
“Arun!” Beorna shouted, unable to turn because of the two grimlocks that were still pressing her, unable to see through the lingering smoke that hovered above the pit in any case. “Are you all right?”
The paladin could not immediately respond. His armor had kept him alive in that initial surge, ironically the grimlock clinging doggedly to his back helping to protect him from the axes of its fellows. A second tried to yank his helmet off, but he was ready for that trick, and he knocked it back with a solid punch to the head. He heard Hodge leap over to aid him, and could hear enough of what was going on across the far pit to know that Beorna and Umbar would be too busy to help them.
So he cast out his mind, and called for aid.
He felt the familiar presence even as the cries of the grimlocks announced the arrival of the newcomer. Clinger tore into the grimlock ranks, seizing the grimlock on the paladin’s back with its powerful jaws, and yanking the pesky foe off. Grimlocks attacked the celestial lizard, tearing into its golden hide with their axes, but the loyal creature remained by its master, shielding him until he could recover.
Arun’s vision was still hindered by the stinging tears left over from the acrid smoke, but the bright glow provided enough guidance for him to find what he was looking for. Bending down to recover the holy sword cost him, as a pair of blows clanged hard into his back, one crushing a plate and opening a bloody gash just below the lowest rib on his left side.
But he had the sword.
He straightened. Both grimlocks lifted their axes to strike again.
The paladin called upon Moradin, and unleashed a red storm of death upon them.
Six seconds later, both grimlocks lay on the ground, looking like they had been dropped into a threshing machine.
Arun turned to help his companion. Clinger had the last grimlock still fighting pinned in its jaws, but that didn’t stop it from trying to hack at the lizard with its axe. However, Arun taking its head off its shoulders did put a tone of finality on its efforts.
“Hodge!” he cried, looking around for his cohort.
“Down ‘ere!” the dwarf shouted, the words followed by hacking coughs.
Arun rushed over to the edge of the pit. The fire had mostly burned out, although some of the ruined furniture still flickered with more “normal” yellow tongues of flame. The smoke cleared enough for Arun to see Hodge standing amidst the spikes. One of the grimlocks that had knocked him down was impaled on the metal stickers, while the second lay a few feet away, a round oval in the side of its skull where Hodge had chopped through with his waraxe. The dwarf looked a mess, and he pressed his hand to his side where blood continued to ooze from a shot that had gotten through his armor.
“I could use a hand up,” he managed.
Arun nodded, instructing Clinger, before turning toward the far end of the corridor. Through the gaps in the fading wall of smoke, he saw Beorna and Umbar, the cleric still empowered by righteous might, surrounded by a veritable wall of bodies. The templar’s eyes met his, and he felt a surge of relief.
But the relief also meant that the pain, pushed aside in the rush of battle, came rushing back, and he decided that it might be a very good idea to call upon Moradin’s power for healing.
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
You guys have really kept the tale going all these years, and I think we have built one of the longest threads, if not on the whole site, at least on the SH forum!
