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Shackled City Epic: "Vengeance" (story concluded)
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1039228" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 16</p><p></p><p>The secret door opened onto a corridor that ran ahead and to their left. To their left a set of stairs led down to the main hall where they’d fought the skulks, so they went straight, where the corridor forked again after a short distance, a side-branch heading off to their right. Reaching that intersection, they saw that to the right the corridor continued a short distance before ending in one of the gear-doors, while ahead it opened onto a room.</p><p></p><p>“What about these doors?” Zenna asked. “The skulks don’t appear to use them, and if they’re setting an ambush for us somewhere ahead, maybe we should try another route.”</p><p></p><p>“The skulk said they’re all trapped,” Arun reported. “That’s why they don’t use them.”</p><p></p><p>“<em>Beware the doors with teeth,</em>” Zenna said. “That’s was in Jenya’s divination.”</p><p></p><p>“Gnome traps can be tricky things,” Mole confirmed. So they pressed on ahead, toward the chamber. </p><p></p><p>Ruphos’s light pushed back the shadows, revealing a oval-shaped room with a vaulted ceiling a good fifteen feet above. Another passage identical to the one they entered through exited on the far side of the room, and another gear-door was visible in the wall to their right. But their attention was drawn to the center of the room, where a stone-rimmed bath easily twenty feet long took up much of the floor space in the room. A grinning stone mouth poured water into the bath from above, which in turn swirled into a drain on the far side. But that wasn’t what had caught their eye; rather, it was the network of cobwebs that cluttered the ceiling, and the man-sized husk that dangled from them just above the center of the pool. </p><p></p><p>“Ugh, spiders,” Mole said. </p><p></p><p>“I think I know the drill here,” Zenna said. “We go for the body, expecting to find some nice treasure, and then the spider—probably hiding somewhere above—goes for us. No thank you.”</p><p></p><p>“Maybe we should go back, through the main hall,” Ruphos suggested. “There were several other exits without doors that we didn’t try.”</p><p></p><p>“Bah, it’s just a bug,” Arun said, stepping into the room. They noticed that he remained near the wall, however, giving the pool a wide berth as he headed for the far exit. The others followed, all eyes on the webs above. </p><p></p><p>“Too bad,” Mole said, glancing at her soiled boots. “I could’ve used a bath, too.”</p><p></p><p>They were halfway around the room when the spider leapt out of the pool—apparently not inconvenienced in the least by all the water—and sprang at the gnome. </p><p></p><p>The thing was the size of a pony, but several times as fast, darting forward with its eight hairy legs clacking slightly on the stone floor as it moved. Its fangs were the size of daggers, and it stabbed them as Mole as the gnome shrieked and tried to get out of the way. Her crossbow went off, but in her panic the shot went wide, glancing harmlessly off of the far wall of the room. </p><p></p><p>Ruphos, just a few steps behind her, surged in, grabbing the gnome even as the spider lunged. Its fangs snapped on empty air as the cleric spun and dragged Mole out of its reach, tossing her behind him. The spider did not relent, immediately turning on the human and directing its terrible bite at this larger, juicier prey. Ruphos screamed as the vermin bit him in the leg, injecting its poison into the wound. </p><p></p><p>The cleric’s companions rushed to his aid. Zenna fired her crossbow at its fat abdomen, but the bolt merely glanced off of its leathery hide. Arun was there a moment later, charging with his heavy warhammer at the ready. His blow caught the spider solidly into the center of its torso, and there was an audible crack as the beast sagged under the force of the blow. It turned toward the dwarf—slower, this time, clearly crippled—but before it could mount a new attack, Mole darted in behind it and thrust the length of her small blade into its body. With a terrible screech, the spider crumpled, its legs twitching violently before it finally fell still. </p><p></p><p>“Ruphos, are you all right?” Mole asked, as the cleric leaned against the wall, his face a rictus of pain. He was clutching the wound with both hands, and soon they could see the glow of healing spread from his fingers into the wound. </p><p></p><p>“It... the poison... I’ll be all right, just a little weak,” he said. </p><p></p><p>Zenna, who was reloading her crossbow, glanced up and saw two more spiders descending from the webs, one crawling along the slanted wall toward them while a second dropped on a slender strand of webbing directly toward Arun. These were smaller, perhaps the size of small hounds, but still imposing as they dropped to attack. “More of them!” she shouted, quickly fumbling a bolt into place. </p><p></p><p>“Blasted bugs!” Arun shouted, as the spider dropped onto his shoulder. It tried to bite him, but its sharp fangs only glanced off of the metal plates of his armor. Arun snapped his hammer up into its face, knocking it roughly off of him to the floor a few paces away, where it skittered, dazed. </p><p></p><p>The second spider looked to be heading toward Ruphos, but Zenna’s bolt transfixed it, holding it against the wall for a moment before it fell heavily to the floor. Ruphos drew quickly back out of its way. </p><p></p><p>Mole, meanwhile, drew a bead on the spider Arun had wounded. She drew a long knife out of her boot and hurled it at the vermin, scoring a hit to the head that finished the creature. </p><p></p><p>The four companions scanned the webs, looking for more attackers, but it seems that if there were more spiders, they were content to let the adventurers be for now. “Let’s get out of here,” Zenna said, her crossbow covering the webs as she backed away. </p><p></p><p>No one disagreed, so they left via the other passage, Ruphos still limping slightly as he followed behind.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 1039228, member: 143"] Chapter 16 The secret door opened onto a corridor that ran ahead and to their left. To their left a set of stairs led down to the main hall where they’d fought the skulks, so they went straight, where the corridor forked again after a short distance, a side-branch heading off to their right. Reaching that intersection, they saw that to the right the corridor continued a short distance before ending in one of the gear-doors, while ahead it opened onto a room. “What about these doors?” Zenna asked. “The skulks don’t appear to use them, and if they’re setting an ambush for us somewhere ahead, maybe we should try another route.” “The skulk said they’re all trapped,” Arun reported. “That’s why they don’t use them.” “[I]Beware the doors with teeth,[/I]” Zenna said. “That’s was in Jenya’s divination.” “Gnome traps can be tricky things,” Mole confirmed. So they pressed on ahead, toward the chamber. Ruphos’s light pushed back the shadows, revealing a oval-shaped room with a vaulted ceiling a good fifteen feet above. Another passage identical to the one they entered through exited on the far side of the room, and another gear-door was visible in the wall to their right. But their attention was drawn to the center of the room, where a stone-rimmed bath easily twenty feet long took up much of the floor space in the room. A grinning stone mouth poured water into the bath from above, which in turn swirled into a drain on the far side. But that wasn’t what had caught their eye; rather, it was the network of cobwebs that cluttered the ceiling, and the man-sized husk that dangled from them just above the center of the pool. “Ugh, spiders,” Mole said. “I think I know the drill here,” Zenna said. “We go for the body, expecting to find some nice treasure, and then the spider—probably hiding somewhere above—goes for us. No thank you.” “Maybe we should go back, through the main hall,” Ruphos suggested. “There were several other exits without doors that we didn’t try.” “Bah, it’s just a bug,” Arun said, stepping into the room. They noticed that he remained near the wall, however, giving the pool a wide berth as he headed for the far exit. The others followed, all eyes on the webs above. “Too bad,” Mole said, glancing at her soiled boots. “I could’ve used a bath, too.” They were halfway around the room when the spider leapt out of the pool—apparently not inconvenienced in the least by all the water—and sprang at the gnome. The thing was the size of a pony, but several times as fast, darting forward with its eight hairy legs clacking slightly on the stone floor as it moved. Its fangs were the size of daggers, and it stabbed them as Mole as the gnome shrieked and tried to get out of the way. Her crossbow went off, but in her panic the shot went wide, glancing harmlessly off of the far wall of the room. Ruphos, just a few steps behind her, surged in, grabbing the gnome even as the spider lunged. Its fangs snapped on empty air as the cleric spun and dragged Mole out of its reach, tossing her behind him. The spider did not relent, immediately turning on the human and directing its terrible bite at this larger, juicier prey. Ruphos screamed as the vermin bit him in the leg, injecting its poison into the wound. The cleric’s companions rushed to his aid. Zenna fired her crossbow at its fat abdomen, but the bolt merely glanced off of its leathery hide. Arun was there a moment later, charging with his heavy warhammer at the ready. His blow caught the spider solidly into the center of its torso, and there was an audible crack as the beast sagged under the force of the blow. It turned toward the dwarf—slower, this time, clearly crippled—but before it could mount a new attack, Mole darted in behind it and thrust the length of her small blade into its body. With a terrible screech, the spider crumpled, its legs twitching violently before it finally fell still. “Ruphos, are you all right?” Mole asked, as the cleric leaned against the wall, his face a rictus of pain. He was clutching the wound with both hands, and soon they could see the glow of healing spread from his fingers into the wound. “It... the poison... I’ll be all right, just a little weak,” he said. Zenna, who was reloading her crossbow, glanced up and saw two more spiders descending from the webs, one crawling along the slanted wall toward them while a second dropped on a slender strand of webbing directly toward Arun. These were smaller, perhaps the size of small hounds, but still imposing as they dropped to attack. “More of them!” she shouted, quickly fumbling a bolt into place. “Blasted bugs!” Arun shouted, as the spider dropped onto his shoulder. It tried to bite him, but its sharp fangs only glanced off of the metal plates of his armor. Arun snapped his hammer up into its face, knocking it roughly off of him to the floor a few paces away, where it skittered, dazed. The second spider looked to be heading toward Ruphos, but Zenna’s bolt transfixed it, holding it against the wall for a moment before it fell heavily to the floor. Ruphos drew quickly back out of its way. Mole, meanwhile, drew a bead on the spider Arun had wounded. She drew a long knife out of her boot and hurled it at the vermin, scoring a hit to the head that finished the creature. The four companions scanned the webs, looking for more attackers, but it seems that if there were more spiders, they were content to let the adventurers be for now. “Let’s get out of here,” Zenna said, her crossbow covering the webs as she backed away. No one disagreed, so they left via the other passage, Ruphos still limping slightly as he followed behind. [/QUOTE]
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