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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1757995" data-attributes="member: 143">Boy, I had no idea there was such Zenna-hate out there. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown    :("  data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" />* * * * * Chapter 221The sight of the giant slamming his huge sword through her shook Zenna into action.  Even as the mirror image of herself vanished, she staggered back, trying to grab the trigger words to the spells bouncing about in her startled mind.  Her allies were already attacking the giant, trying to draw its attention from her.  Dannel drove Alakast into the base of its spine, but the giant was not an outsider, and the impact did not seem to faze it through the thick layers of plate and leather covering its body.  But it could ignore Arun so carelessly, as the dwarf hewed at a massive leg like a lumberjack assaulting a stubborn bole.  His holy sword shone brightly as his stroke rang off the giant’s greave, splitting the black iron and slicing open a foot-long gash in the meaty thigh underneath.  The giant roared in pain, and turned from the shifting images that remained around Zenna to sweep his massive sword around toward Arun.  The sword caught Arun in the side, and while the mithral armor held, saving the paladin from being hewn in twain, it was clear from the way he favored his side that ribs had been bruised if not broken by the terrible impact.  The giant did not hesitate to follow up his advantage, lifting his sword for another powerful overhead strike, and it was only by throwing himself to the side at the last minute that Arun avoided a second hit that might have taken him out of the fight for good.  Again the sword ripped into the ground, and a tremor shook the tunnel, ignored by the combatants intent upon the desperate melee. Let alone for a handful of seconds, Zenna’s mental discipline reasserted itself and she completed her spell.  “Drop!” she commanded it, the word echoing off the narrow confines of the tunnel, worming into the subconscious of the giant.  It had a strong will, Zenna could feel, but her magical studies had focused upon enchantments, and her own strength of mind was not inconsiderable.  The giant shook his head, but his fist loosened its grip, and the heavy sword clattered to the ground.  A small form darted into the melee, unnoticed by almost everyone until it hopped up onto the giant’s knee, balancing for a moment upon his kneeplate before lunging up and grabbing onto one of the thin plates that surrounded his hips in a broad skirt.  Mole hung onto the plate with one hand, her knife bare in the other as she swung up into the crevice between its legs, disappearing from view for a moment as she darted in between the long slats. The giant roared, a fierce, angry sound that filled the corridor.  It slapped down violently at the gnome as she reappeared from between vertical plates of armor, her knife dripping blood drawn from a quite private location on the giant’s anatomy.  Mole went flying, impacted roughly by the edge of the giant’s palm, but she was able to roll with the impact and tumbled in a series of somersaults that carried her almost to the side of the tunnel fifteen feet away. Morgan had pulled himself to his feet, and now ran at the giant, drawing its attention with a loud cry of battle.  It grunted as the knight’s sword drove through its armor and tore into its gut, the glowing steel flaring sparks as it tore the black steel of its mail.  The giant drew back a step, freeing itself from the sword, but instead of bending to recover his weapon he simply reached out and closed his fist over the knight’s arm, crushing it in his incredible grip and lifting him off his feet.  Arun was already maneuvering for another attack, but with a snap of his wrist the giant hurled his captive roughly to the side, slamming Morgan into the dwarven paladin and knocking them both down in a sprawl of arms and legs.  Zenna saw the giant’s movements subtly accelerate, and realized that the rakshasa had replaced his magical enhancement upon the seemingly invincible ebon warrior.  The feline humanoid had not yet shown himself, and Zenna assumed that he, too, was likely nearby, cloaked in invisibility.  She was about to belatedly follow the same course herself when a rumbling noise from behind drew her attention around.  Her eyes widened as she saw a massive wave coming toward them; the stone floor, walls, and even ceiling were... flowing toward them in a potent pulse, like ripples in a rug that someone had grasped at the end and roughly shaken.Then the wave struck, and all conscious thought was replaced by chaos as everything was flying out of control all around her.</blockquote>

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