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: 1705473" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 198The fireball lasted only an instant, but when the roaring flames faded, the devastating effects of the blast became evident. Zenna lay on her side, pain flashing through her body.  She forced herself to move, even though every slight adjustment sent fresh jolts from her blackened flesh through her already savaged nerves.  She’d been at the center of the blast, and this time her natural protection had availed her little against the power of the flames. She drew herself up and looked for the others.  Morgan was lying on his face, the armor across the back of his body scorched terribly, as she knew was the flesh beneath.  But the knight drew himself up in what had to be agony, reaching out, taking his staff into his hands.  Rushing into battle like that was suicide, she knew... but he went anyway, limping slightly. Hodge was little better off; the dwarf’s beard had been partially burned away, along with his thick brows.  But he too was already stumbling forward, and for a moment Zenna felt a stab of pride, that these men were her companions, men who would simply not accept defeat.  Mole and Dannel looked far better off, having rolled with the force of the blast, although Dannel too looked more than a bit scorched, his fair features marked with the red glow of fresh burns.  She glanced up and saw that Kaurophon had drawn back; his robes were not marked, but she could see the slight blackening of his exposed hand, a sign that he had not escaped the flames unscathed earlier. Okay, the battle’s not over, girl! she thought, drawing herself up.  She was not going to rush into battle tottering on the brink of consciousness, though, and paused to call upon a potent healing spell, letting the positive energy wash away some of the pain of her wounds.  She was far from “okay,” but it would have to do for now.  She hurried after Hodge and Morgan, hoping to do some good before they got themselves killed. Arun’s charge had carried him beyond the radius of the fireball.  But the salamander, seeing him coming, calmly set its spear to receive his charge, the steel head of the weapon, glowing red with heat, pointed unerringly at the dwarf’s chest.  Arun was too experienced to rush blindly in and impale himself on that deadly point, so he drew up, lifting his shield and moving in cautiously.  The salamander was fast, though.  It adjusted to his shift in speed and approach, and the paladin felt an explosion of pain as the spearhead drove into his shoulder, penetrating his armor and searing through him like a wedge of liquid flame.  He tore himself away from the spear before the salamander could drive it through him, knocking the shaft of the weapon aside with his sword.  Damn, that thing’s strong! he thought, realizing grimly that he was outmatched by this foe.   But he’d seen the fireball that had streaked past him to blast into his companions, had felt the fierce roar of its burst, and he knew enough about magic to know that his friends would not be able to take another shot like that one.  He knew also that the other warriors, Morgan and Hodge, were behind him, wounded.  The salamander would tear them to pieces, he thought, even without having to resort to another magical attack. And so the dwarf lunged forward, feeling the heat radiating from the salamander scorch his face.  The creature seemed taken aback by the ferocity of his assault, and it hissed in pain as Arun’s holy sword clove into its torso, release a steaming cloud of ichor that filled the air with a sickly stench.  It drew back slightly, to give it room to wield its huge spear, shifting its grip before driving it down into the dwarf. And as it tore into him with a violent storm of blows, tearing through his defenses as if they were nothing, he knew he’d been right.</blockquote>

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