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: 1323911" data-attributes="member: 143">I haven't had as much time to write lately, so updates may be a bit more sporadic for a while. * * * * * Chapter 98A few missiles shot up at the diving dragon, shafts from Dannel’s powerful longbow and the crossbows of the others.  Zenna lifted her own weapon with trembling hands, the small device of wood and metal seeming pathetic against the terrible majesty of the dragon.  It filled her vision as she aimed and fired, but the bolt, caught in the gusts of wind that swirled over the plateau, spun harmlessly astray, missing the dragon by a good ten feet.  A few of the other shots at least hit it, although the darts seemed of little use against the thick hide of the beast. Then it dove, and fire filled the world. Zenna saw Mole leaping into a roll, then everything was pain.  Her heritage provided her with some small protection against fire, but it was nothing against this heat.  As a child, she had amused herself and startled the other children by grasping burning brands from the hearth, letting the flames play harmless across her hands and forearms.  But now she burned, screaming as the hot flames crinkled her flesh and scored her body.  She was falling, falling...Dannel’s heart froze in his chest as the dragon’s breath engulfed Zenna.  He was just outside the radius of the blast, but the wave of heat from the point of impact struck him with the force of a blow.  He ignored that, however, rushing blindly into the ring of carnage where the land itself was scorched to black where the breath weapon had impacted.  She was there, still smoldering, her cloak burned back from her shoulders, her flesh blackened...He started toward her, but was jostled aside by Arun, who bent down and scooped up the unconscious tiefling.  The dwarf’s armor was likewise blasted and scorched, and wisps of steam rose from the gaps in his helm, but the dwarf ignored his own hurts and focused on the crippled woman, pouring lifesaving healing energy drawn from his sacred bond to Moradin into her.  “She lives, elf, but we’ll all die if we don’t find some shelter from that monster!”The hard words shook Dannel from his fear, and he looked up to see that the dragon was indeed turning for another pass, almost leisurely twisting around the edge of the plateau in a wide arc.  Dannel scanned the landscape, taking in their entire surroundings in a single glance, before pointing at a knobby cluster of boulders that formed a little maze of rock off to one side of the plateau.  “There!” he yelled, pointing with his bow.  Without hesitation Arun started off in that direction, Zenna’s limp form cradled against his body.  Hodge, his entire right side heavily burned as well, ran after him, and quickly passed the more burdened paladin as he ran for the promise of cover. “Go!” Dannel shouted to Mole, who was reloading her crossbow.  The dragon had now realigned its course, and was coming in again across the plateau.  “Go!”“What about you?” the gnome yelled. “I’ll draw its attention!” “But—”“GO!” the elf shouted.  Reluctantly, Mole complied, her magical boots carrying her in long strides across the barren rock.  “Fight bravely, my knights!” Jared was shouting, waving his rod as though it were indeed a kingly standard.  “Hold the line against the terror of the Beast!”Dannel ignored him, drawing the feathers of his arrow to his cheek as the dragon dove again.  The creature seemed intent on destroying the largest group of foes, ignoring both the crazy illusionist and the solitary elf apparently bent on suicide. Well.  He would have to convince the beast that he was a threat. As the dragon bore down on him, Dannel released his hold on the taut string, driving his arrow like a knife through the swirling winds.  The arrow vanished into the dragon’s maw, already open in preparation of another devastating blast of fire.  The dragon shook its head and roared in fury, the smooth arc of its dive interrupted by the stinging pain of the hit.  It broke off, its wings beating to carry it back up into the air, but as its momentum carried it over Dannel, it snapped its head back momentarily and unleashed a gout of flame.  The nimble elf launched himself to the side, but could not fully escape the force of the flames that struck him hard across the back.  Searing tongues of flame caressed his back and sent tendrils of pain across his shoulders and neck as he hurled forward and came up into a roll.  He dug at his hip quiver for another arrow, but the dragon had already drawn away, gaining altitude again.“Wonderfully done, noble archer!” Jared shouted in approval.  The madman had closed to within thirty feet, his noble raiment swirling around his body.  “That will teach yonder drake to trifle with my subjects!”  But Dannel wasn’t convinced for a moment that the dragon was finished with them.  His suspicion was confirmed a moment later when the beast began another broad turn over the edge of the plateau.  “Get to cover, old man!” Dannel said, all but driving the “king” in the direction of the boulders where the others had taken cover. “I say, this is not a way to treat your sovereign!” Jared declaimed, but he did start moving, perhaps a bit more quickly than was required by the demands of gravitas. Dannel paused to call upon the potency of a minor spell, the words of a song filling the air with the momentary tingle of magic.  The enchantment, that of expeditious retreat, added to his speed, allowing him to move with fleetness across the plateau.  He deliberately went wide of the hermit, hoping that the dragon would target the one who had caused it the most injury thus far.  The dragon’s course, however, was slow and deliberate, giving them ample time to reach the shelter of the boulder field.  The scattered boulders rose up like a dozen stubby fingers clutching skyward, with numerous cracks and crevices offering cover and concealment.  “Over here, elf!” Arun shouted, drawing Dannel around to a leaning rock that sheltered the paladin, gnome, and the ravaged form of Zenna.  To Dannel’s immense relief Zenna was moving about under her own power, although she still looked terrible, with half of her hair burned off to reveal blackened skin beneath.  She’d lost her magical hat, and Dannel could see the white of her horns jutting from the front of her skull, contrasting jarringly with the red and black of her flame-ravaged skin.“Where’s Hodge?” Dannel asked, looking around for the other dwarf.  Arun gestured with a sharp nod, and Dannel turned to see Hodge crouched under another leaning boulder about ten paces distant.  Upon meeting the elf’s gaze, the dwarf straightened some, his expression darkening.  “I’m not as ready to die as the lot o’yer,” he almost snarled, rubbing his face with his arm.  But Dannel could see that he held to his heavy crossbow as if it were a lifeline, and that the fat steel head of the bolt quivered slightly.  “Here it comes again!” Mole warned.  “That crazy fool,” Arun growled, looking around the edges of his cover to see Jared, still garbed in his illusory resplendence, approaching their bastion.  The dragon seemed to fill the sky behind him, though he was still a good distance off.  The dwarven paladin leapt out of cover long enough to grab the surprised madman, all but hurling him into a crevice in the lee of two jutting boulders.  Zenna started to get up, but Dannel quickly forestalled her.  “Stay under cover,” he ordered. “I can fight,” she said, her voice raspy.  “I know,” he said.  “But stay under cover, and let us draw its attention.  Strike when it doesn’t see you... that goes for you, too, Mole.” “Yessir, captain,” Mole said with a salute, but it was clear from her expression that her gaiety was forced.   The sound of the wind grew louder for a moment, announcing the arrival of the dragon a moment before a hot wash of heat brushed over them.  The flames struck at the front of their redoubt, licking around the stones but failing to do any real damage to the concealed adventurers.  As the dragon arced off of its dive, a few missiles shot out after it.  A throwing hammer rose up out of the cluster of boulders, but bounded off of the dragon’s chest without doing damage.  Mole’s shot stuck in its hindquarters, but Dannel’s arrow glanced off an armored scale.  Hodge didn’t even lift his bow, and Arun turned on him as he returned to where the rest of them hid.  “If you’re not even going to shoot that, give it to me,” the paladin said.  “Stay away from me,” the dwarven miner growled. “It’s coming back,” Mole’s voice rose up from somewhere.  “Looks like... uh oh, it’s going to land!”“Stand fast, my warriors—” Jared began, but Arun cut him off.  “Just shut up and stay hidden,” the dwarf commanded. The hermit stood, exposing himself alarmingly to attack.  “I’ll not be spoken to in that manner, ser,” he said, with a loud harrumph.  “But nor will I allow some... some beast to waylay my kingdom!” “Oh, for the love of...” Dannel said, darting around his covering boulder to get to the old man. Even as he caught sight of Crazy Jared, though, Dannel looked up to see the broad outline of the dragon descending upon them.  Jared saw it as well as the shadow of the creature fell over them, but instead of retreating in terror he lifted his arms dramatically, and pointed his rod at the drake.  “Be gone, foul creature!” he cried, and unleashed a loud screech that sounded like fingernails being drawn across a flat slab of slate.  The companions covered their ears at the sound, but the dragon, its claws outstretched as it descended, roared and shook its head violently.  The action caused it to miss its intended perch, and it pumped its wings to avoid an awkward landing among the uneven stones.  As it pulled around its tail lashed out at where Jared stood, but Dannel leapt at the man, dragging both of them down back into the crevice moments before the tail struck the spot he’d been standing with enough force to crack the weathered stone.  “T’would appear that the creature has a resistance to my powers,” the old man said, as he struggled feebly in Dannel’s grasp.  “You think so?” the elf opined, trying to disengage himself while keeping his grip on his bow. A few more missiles shot out at the creature from the hiding places of the companions as the dragon settled to a landing at the edge of the boulder field, again scoring minor hits at best.  The dragon let out another terrible roar as it crept forward, scanning the nooks and crannies among the stony debris for signs of its victims.  Its sibilant hiss crept over them like a promise of death, as it pulled itself up onto the nearest of the boulders with its powerful claws.  “Enough—I’m not stickin’ around here to be dragon-food!” Hodge yelled, and he broke from cover, lumbering away from the concealing boulders toward the edge of the plateau. “Hodge, no!” Zenna cried, but there was nothing that she could do to stop the dwarf.  The dragon was instantly drawn by the noise and movement, and leapt nimbly over the entire cluster of boulders, its wings pumping to help carry it over the obstacle.  Its rear claws dug in upon landing, scoring the stone as it propelled itself forward with great speed.Overtaking the fleeing dwarf in a matter of heartbeats.</blockquote>

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