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Shackled City Epic: "Vengeance" (story concluded)
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1816406" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 247</p><p></p><p>A clinical part of Zenna’s mind recorded the details, even as her spell dissipated and her heart pounded in her chest at the brutish hulk charging them. He was moving incredibly fast, too fast, and a faint glow surrounded him. She suspected that at least one enhancing spell, and probably more, had been placed upon him. </p><p></p><p>The plates and mugs on the table started sliding downward as Arun lifted the table. Hodge’s exclamation was silent, the dwarf’s mouth moving soundlessly, Mole leaping back to hit the floor with a roll, Dannel lifting <em>Alakast</em>...</p><p></p><p>The sword came crashing down, and with horror Zenna realized that it was coming for her. She tried to duck down beneath the edge of the booth, but the blade tore into the seat behind her and kept going, and she felt pain explode in her back as it slashed through her clothes and bit deep into her flesh. She tried to roll with the hit, but only staggered awkwardly from the booth, trying to get away, but there was nowhere to go. </p><p></p><p>She looked up and saw the woman pointing at her. Her eyes fixed on a silver icon that she’d worn concealed under her cloak, visible now that she was moving quickly. A silver skull...</p><p></p><p>Pain struck her again like a wave as a bolt of searing, white-hot light erupted from the woman’s outstretched hand, slamming into her with the force of a hurled brick. She staggered back against the adjacent booth, knocking the table ajar, her thoughts jumbled with the ferocity of the attacks against her. </p><p></p><p>But she was sufficiently aware to see the streak of red flame that appeared from thin air, flashing across the room to strike her in the shoulder. Her cloak helped deflect the <em>scorching ray</em>, but even as her mind registered the attack from an <em>invisible</em> mage, a second bolt shot solidly into her chest, and she fell back into the booth, consciousness fleeing from her in a torrent. </p><p></p><p>Dannel watched with horror as the assassins—three, he realized, reaching the same conclusion as Zenna about the hidden mage—focused their attacks on Zenna, taking her down with a combination of powerful attacks. These foes were powerful and well-prepared, but he and his friends were experienced veterans, and they were quick to respond. </p><p></p><p>Even as the elf vaulted the sundered partition that separated their booth from the adjacent one, leaping to Zenna’s aid, Arun hurled their table into the attacking half-orc. The huge sword struck the table solidly, smashing it with a single blow, but behind it came the dwarves, lashing out with their weapons. Arun’s sword slammed into the torso of the half-orc, cutting through the chain links of the mailshirt he wore, the holy power of the sword flaring as it found evil to destroy. The warrior dodged back, but only a step as he sought to recover for another attack, but that maneuver did not foil Hodge, whose axe burst into eager flame as he brought it around in a wide arc, catching the would-be slayer solidly in the side. </p><p></p><p>But the half-orc seemed possessed of a considerable fortitude, and he lifted the sword with incredible quickness, ready to fight on. </p><p></p><p>A slight form darted under Hodge’s swing and rolled between the half-orc’s legs, coming up out of her tumble with her rapier already darting into the warrior’s back. The half-orc stiffened and let out a silent cry as the length of Mole’s new weapon vanished under the trailing edge of his mailshirt, reappearing a moment later drenched in his blood. </p><p></p><p>Dannel bent over Zenna’s blasted and bleeding form. He was frustrated by his inability to magically heal her wounds, as neither his bardic powers nor his healing wand would function in the area of magical <em>silence</em>. He had to rely on basic first aid, tearing a strip from Zenna’s torn shirt and using it an attempt to staunch the bleeding from the deep gash that the half-orc had torn in her back with his sword. </p><p></p><p>The enemy spellcasters, on the other hand, did not appear to be hindered by the magical silence in the least. The woman, holding a slender black wand in her left hand, darted nimbly forward toward Mole. The gnome saw her coming and turned to face her, but the woman was faster, extending a slender hand to touch the rogue lightly on the shoulder. </p><p></p><p>Mole stiffened and staggered back, her mouth opening to release a spray of blood as the <em>inflict serious wounds</em> spell from the priestess tore mercilessly through her insides.</p><p></p><p>Even as the gnome suffered, a pale violet ray appeared out of thin air, narrowly missing the injured half-orc before it struck Arun. The <em>ray of enfeeblement</em> poured dark energies into the paladin, and his movements became leaden, the very weight of his armor and weapons bearing him down as his strength faded. </p><p></p><p>Despite being weakened, Arun continued to press his attacks. But with his strength drained from him, his attacks were far less effective, and he managed only one glancing impact that barely cut through the warrior’s armor. </p><p></p><p>Seeing the paladin’s difficulty, Hodge surged forward with an all-out attack intended to take out this foe once and for all. As he shifted his position, however, he trod heavily upon one of the large metal steins that had been upon their table. Losing his balance, he fell heavily to the side, his axe falling from his hands as he splayed across the hardwood floor. </p><p></p><p>Dannel looked across the crowded battleground and felt a cold chill. These enemies fought together with a grim precision, and they seemed to know exactly how to counter their own tactics. He felt rather than heard Zenna cough as blood from her wound fouled her insides, and fear gripped his heart as he felt her slipping away from him, despite his efforts to stabilize her. </p><p></p><p>Together, they had faced dragons, demons, and terrible foes. But he could not escape a grim, unmistakable fact. </p><p></p><p>They were being beaten.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 1816406, member: 143"] Chapter 247 A clinical part of Zenna’s mind recorded the details, even as her spell dissipated and her heart pounded in her chest at the brutish hulk charging them. He was moving incredibly fast, too fast, and a faint glow surrounded him. She suspected that at least one enhancing spell, and probably more, had been placed upon him. The plates and mugs on the table started sliding downward as Arun lifted the table. Hodge’s exclamation was silent, the dwarf’s mouth moving soundlessly, Mole leaping back to hit the floor with a roll, Dannel lifting [I]Alakast[/I]... The sword came crashing down, and with horror Zenna realized that it was coming for her. She tried to duck down beneath the edge of the booth, but the blade tore into the seat behind her and kept going, and she felt pain explode in her back as it slashed through her clothes and bit deep into her flesh. She tried to roll with the hit, but only staggered awkwardly from the booth, trying to get away, but there was nowhere to go. She looked up and saw the woman pointing at her. Her eyes fixed on a silver icon that she’d worn concealed under her cloak, visible now that she was moving quickly. A silver skull... Pain struck her again like a wave as a bolt of searing, white-hot light erupted from the woman’s outstretched hand, slamming into her with the force of a hurled brick. She staggered back against the adjacent booth, knocking the table ajar, her thoughts jumbled with the ferocity of the attacks against her. But she was sufficiently aware to see the streak of red flame that appeared from thin air, flashing across the room to strike her in the shoulder. Her cloak helped deflect the [I]scorching ray[/I], but even as her mind registered the attack from an [I]invisible[/I] mage, a second bolt shot solidly into her chest, and she fell back into the booth, consciousness fleeing from her in a torrent. Dannel watched with horror as the assassins—three, he realized, reaching the same conclusion as Zenna about the hidden mage—focused their attacks on Zenna, taking her down with a combination of powerful attacks. These foes were powerful and well-prepared, but he and his friends were experienced veterans, and they were quick to respond. Even as the elf vaulted the sundered partition that separated their booth from the adjacent one, leaping to Zenna’s aid, Arun hurled their table into the attacking half-orc. The huge sword struck the table solidly, smashing it with a single blow, but behind it came the dwarves, lashing out with their weapons. Arun’s sword slammed into the torso of the half-orc, cutting through the chain links of the mailshirt he wore, the holy power of the sword flaring as it found evil to destroy. The warrior dodged back, but only a step as he sought to recover for another attack, but that maneuver did not foil Hodge, whose axe burst into eager flame as he brought it around in a wide arc, catching the would-be slayer solidly in the side. But the half-orc seemed possessed of a considerable fortitude, and he lifted the sword with incredible quickness, ready to fight on. A slight form darted under Hodge’s swing and rolled between the half-orc’s legs, coming up out of her tumble with her rapier already darting into the warrior’s back. The half-orc stiffened and let out a silent cry as the length of Mole’s new weapon vanished under the trailing edge of his mailshirt, reappearing a moment later drenched in his blood. Dannel bent over Zenna’s blasted and bleeding form. He was frustrated by his inability to magically heal her wounds, as neither his bardic powers nor his healing wand would function in the area of magical [I]silence[/I]. He had to rely on basic first aid, tearing a strip from Zenna’s torn shirt and using it an attempt to staunch the bleeding from the deep gash that the half-orc had torn in her back with his sword. The enemy spellcasters, on the other hand, did not appear to be hindered by the magical silence in the least. The woman, holding a slender black wand in her left hand, darted nimbly forward toward Mole. The gnome saw her coming and turned to face her, but the woman was faster, extending a slender hand to touch the rogue lightly on the shoulder. Mole stiffened and staggered back, her mouth opening to release a spray of blood as the [I]inflict serious wounds[/I] spell from the priestess tore mercilessly through her insides. Even as the gnome suffered, a pale violet ray appeared out of thin air, narrowly missing the injured half-orc before it struck Arun. The [I]ray of enfeeblement[/I] poured dark energies into the paladin, and his movements became leaden, the very weight of his armor and weapons bearing him down as his strength faded. Despite being weakened, Arun continued to press his attacks. But with his strength drained from him, his attacks were far less effective, and he managed only one glancing impact that barely cut through the warrior’s armor. Seeing the paladin’s difficulty, Hodge surged forward with an all-out attack intended to take out this foe once and for all. As he shifted his position, however, he trod heavily upon one of the large metal steins that had been upon their table. Losing his balance, he fell heavily to the side, his axe falling from his hands as he splayed across the hardwood floor. Dannel looked across the crowded battleground and felt a cold chill. These enemies fought together with a grim precision, and they seemed to know exactly how to counter their own tactics. He felt rather than heard Zenna cough as blood from her wound fouled her insides, and fear gripped his heart as he felt her slipping away from him, despite his efforts to stabilize her. Together, they had faced dragons, demons, and terrible foes. But he could not escape a grim, unmistakable fact. They were being beaten. [/QUOTE]
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