NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1270299" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 87The street scene erupted into chaos as an umber hulk made a sudden appearance, tearing apart the front of a warehouse upon Magma Avenue. The companions, no strangers to unexpected danger, were quick to react.  Arun, of course, immediately charged, despite the fact that he was unarmored.  Even without his second skin of steel, his booted feet pounded loudly on the cobbles of the street, and as he unlimbered his heavy warhammer, he made an impressive sight as he charged across the street toward the lumbering hulk.  Even as the dwarf charged forward into battle, Dannel strung his bow and drew a long steel-tipped shaft from his quiver.  In a single smooth motion he drew, aimed, and released.  The arrow sliced through the air a mere handspan above the heads of the fleeing townsfolk, clipping the umber hulk on the back of its armored skull.  The arrow glanced off of the hard chitin that comprised its shell, but clearly the creature had felt it, as it spun ponderously about, staring out into the street with bulbous, multifaced eyes.  Mole unlimbered and loaded her crossbow with quick efficiency.  But as she lifted the weapon to aim, she met the creature’s potent gaze.  Suddenly, she couldn’t remember what she was doing here... oh, the sky was such a pretty color today!  People were screaming all around her, and that sounded fun, so she started screaming too!  Such great fun!Zenna cursed inwardly—it hadn’t occurred to her to bring her own crossbow, not for a mere jaunt out into the city.  She searched her mind for a spell that might be useful against such a monstrosity, but doubted that a mere command would have any effect on such a beast.  Then she heard Mole’s screams over the noise of the crowd, and without hesitation headed in that direction. “Zenna... wait!” Dannel shouted, uselessly.  Arun felt a wash of conflicting thoughts rush over him as he met the uncanny stare of the creature, but he shrugged off the confusion as he focused on this latest in the series of deadly adversaries that he’d confronted.  The monster saw him coming, the sole individual on the street interested in approaching rather than fleeing, but it ignored him and instead started widening the hole it had made in the front wall of the warehouse, ripping boards from the building’s frame as though they were paper, and toppling most of the rest of the structure’s façade out into the street.  The roof above groaned as its supports gave way, and it sagged awkwardly, likely only moments away from a collapse. Arun let out a roar as he surged into the creature from behind, driving his hammer into its armored back.  The strike barely seemed to faze the umber hulk, but the dwarf had finally gotten its attention, as it spun and lashed out at him with its massive claws.  Arun paid the price for rushing into melee without the protection of his armor, as the claws that so easily penetrated wood and stone ripped deep gashes in his torso.  Through a haze of pain, the dwarf saw the hulk’s head dart down, its mandibles snapping to take his head from his shoulders.  The dwarf lurched backward just in time to avoid the unpleasant fate of decapitation, but could not fully avoid the jaws as one ridged mandible sliced along the side of his skull, drawing a red line that laid open his head to the bone.  Somehow the dwarf remained standing, but as blood fountained down his head and over his savaged body, it was clear that he was just about finished.  A second arrow from Dannel sliced past, narrowly missing the hulk.  The need to avoid hitting his friend had forced the elf to be conservative in his aim, and this time it had cost him. Zenna pushed her way through a screaming crowd of people—most focused simply on exiting the immediate area, but some staggered about as if dazed, and she saw one man inexplicably beating on another with furious if mostly inaccurate blows, while his target just stood there, yelling something incoherent.  Madness...She pushed past a pair of brightly dressed women who had the look of noble folk about them, and saw Mole.  Her friend was just standing there, her loaded crossbow held limply at her side, a strange look on her face.  “Mole!” Zenna said, rushing toward her friend. Mole looked up, smiled......raised her crossbow until the bolt was level with Zenna’s chest, and fired.</blockquote>

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