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!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1737963" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 213Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the giant mutant ape, Zenna screamed.  “Back, monster!” Morgan yelled, stepping in between her and the creature, driving his sword down into its chest.  The fiendish nature of the ape was revealed in the way that the holy sword blazed as it struck, opening a massive gash in its torso, black blood pouring down its body.  The ape, critically wounded, nonetheless reached for the knight with all four of its claws, only to stagger to the ground as one of its legs crumpled under its weight.  As it fell, it revealed Mole standing behind it.  The gnome casually flicked her mace end over end, the hilt snapping with a satisfying crack into her palm. “The bigger they are,” she said, with a smirk.  They drew back from the still-thrashing ape, only to hear loud roars from deeper in the thicket, from where the creature had appeared.  “More of them!” Dannel said. “Again with the obvious!” Hodge said, trying with some difficulty to set his spear with all of the intervening strands rising up around them.    “Battle-wedge!” Morgan cried.  “Spellcasters in the rear, warriors to the front!” They barely had time to shift their formation when two more of the huge girallons appeared, charging full-on toward them.  A bright scorching ray of flames exploded over the chest of the first creature.  The girallon’s fiendish resistances absorbed some of the force of the blast, but only some, and it roared in pain as it rushed toward her.  But Arun and Morgan were in its path.  The ape’s long reach gave it first stroke, and it pounded Morgan with enough force to stagger the knight.  But then the two warriors were surging forward to attack, their holy blades tearing into it with violent force.  The creature wailed as blood exploded from the violent rents in its torso, and when a series of magical bolts seared into it from an invisible Kaurophon, it fell. The second girallon all but impaled itself on Hodge’s spear.  Still it managed to stagger forward, smashing the dwarf across the temple with a claw.  The dwarf’s helm saved him from a crushed skull, but as he spun around, unsteady, blood was visible trailing down the side of his head.  He released the spear and drew out his heavy axe, leaping forward to drive the weapon into its left knee.  The axe bit deep, and the girallon went down, screaming.  Before it could rise Dannel was there, driving Alakast into its face, and with a sickening crack the creature fell back, still. “Quite a welcome,” came the sorcerer’s voice from nearby.“We got lucky, that they attacked so readily, and without any benefit of tactics,” Arun said.  “If they’d survived long enough to get those claws into us...”He didn’t have to finish his thought.  Morgan cleaned his blade on one of the girallon’s hides, before slipping it back into its scabbard.  Dannel came over to him, holding up his wand, and after a brief hesitation the knight nodded, accepting the healing energy.  After that, he treated Hodge.  “That’s it for the wand,” he said when he was done, tossing the depleted device into his pack.  “How are we set for potions?” Zenna asked.  A quick survey found that they only had a pair of healing draughts left to them.  The companions shared a grim look, but their faces also revealed hard lines of determination.  Zenna thought of the scroll in her pouch, the option out that she’d carried since they’d agreed to come here.  But they had come this far, and she knew that her friends would stay the course until there was no other alternative but to retreat.  “Here, Dannel,” she said, unslinging her crossbow and quiver.  “You’re far more effective than I am with these.”The elf accepted the weapons silently. “Ew, look!” Mole said, drawing their attention back to the slain apes. They turned to see that several of the fibrous tendrils had snaked around the corpses of the apes, slowly tightening their grasp upon them.  The companions drew back in alarm, but none of the tendrils seemed to be approaching them.  “I hate this place,” Hodge said.  “Let’s get out of here,” Arun said gruffly. Turning, they started walking in the direction indicated by the lantern.</blockquote>

Verification