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Shackled City Epic: "Vengeance" (story concluded)
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1820905" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 248</p><p></p><p>Confronted with an effective ambush by skilled assassins, his friends taking a beating at their hands, Dannel reached for <em>Alakast</em>. He knew, however, that if he left Zenna, it was very likely that that woman he loved, the woman he’d been charged with protecting, would bleed to death here in the back room of an inn in Cauldron. </p><p></p><p>And then he saw a familiar face at the entrance of the room, as Annah Taskerhill stepped into view. </p><p></p><p>The noblewoman’s eyes widened in surprise, but the bard too was an experienced adventurer, and she quickly evaluated the situation. She spread her hands and opened her mouth wide, and unleashed a discordant shriek that tore through the room. </p><p></p><p>The sound was more than a scream, it contained the force of a <em>dispel magic</em> spell that pulsed through the room and warred with the spells that surrounded the assassins. Each bore many enchantments, and the spell, unfocused as it was, could not affect them all, but the results were still dramatic as the <em>silence</em> collapsed, and the sounds of battle filled the confined space. At the same instant, the air in the middle of the room shimmered and a lean, lanky man clad in a loose gray robe appeared, turning to face this new threat. </p><p></p><p>Dannel did not hesitate, unleashing his healing song, pouring magical power into Zenna’s stricken body. She jerked as the positive energy flowed into her with a torrent, dragging her back to consciousness. </p><p></p><p>“What...” she mumbled.</p><p></p><p>“You’re badly hurt,” he told her, interrupting the song only long enough to grab his wand from its pouch. “Heal yourself.”</p><p></p><p>“Take out the paladin!” the enemy wizard said, lifting his hand and firing a pair of <em>scorching rays</em> into Annah Taskerhill. The bard managed to dodge partly out of the way of the first blast, but the second caught her solidly in the torso, and she fell back out of the doorway, her fine clothes smoldering where the magical flames had struck her. </p><p></p><p>The half-orc tried to obey the command, laying into Arun with a series of potent blows. Arun deflected one stroke with his smaller blade, and grunted as a second landed heavily on his shoulder with enough force to slightly dent the mithral plate. </p><p></p><p>“Enough, assassin,” the dwarf said, gritting his teeth as he tried to fight through the magical weakness that had stolen over him. </p><p></p><p>Even as the warrior of Moradin raised his holy blade to strike, the priestess stepped back and invoked the dark power of her grim god. A storm of negative energy swept through the room, an <em>unholy blight</em> that tore mercilessly through the chamber. Two commoners who’d been hiding under their table during the violent battle had their lives snuffed out by the dark power of the spell, and the companions—particularly those whose hearts clove truest to the path of good—suffered as well as the fell wave washed over them. The assassins, dedicated to selfishness and evil, felt nothing but a fell exultation, and as the cloud dissipated they readied themselves for a final attack that would overcome their targets, and earn their pay. </p><p></p><p>They had come close. But not close enough. </p><p></p><p>Arun roared out a dwarvish cry of rage and battle as he thrust the full length of his sword into the half-orc’s chest. The warrior cried out, his huge sword falling from his suddenly limp fingers to clatter on the floor. </p><p></p><p>Belting out a loud string of profanities in both dwarvish and the common speech, Hodge pulled himself up off the floor and picked up his axe, charging toward the priestess. She dodged back out of his way, but was unable to avoid Mole, who tumbled into place behind her, stinging her with a deep thrust of her rapier into the meaty muscle of her left leg. The assassin limped back, trying to keep both of her enemies in front of her. </p><p></p><p>“Kemock! We must flee!”</p><p></p><p>Arun leapt over the body of the half-orc as he fell, and rushed toward the sorcerer. But before he could reach him, Kemock unleashed his most powerful spell. A <em>cone of cold</em> slammed into them with the force of a hundred winters, filling the room with icy death. </p><p></p><p>Dannel threw himself over Zenna’s still-ravaged body, shielding her from the worst effects of the blast. When the spell had ended, however, both were clutched together in a frozen embrace, unmoving. </p><p></p><p>Mole and her adversary had both been at the edges of the spell’s effect, and both evaded it easily. Hodge, however, lacked their speed and agility, and he staggered as frost coated his squat frame, driving through his clothes to chill his flesh. </p><p></p><p>And Arun, already heavily wounded... Arun was caught with the full force of the <em>cone</em>. For several seconds he was lost in the roiling pulse of cold, completely shrouded in its power, blasted backward by its force. </p><p></p><p>“Taste frozen death, holy warrior,” the man mocked, exulting in his power. </p><p></p><p>But his smile vanished as the storm ended... and a gleaming steel blade came crashing down, slashing through his shoulder and driving magical steel deep into his torso. Kemock staggered backward, a bright line of red gushing down over his robe. The sorcerer snarled and called upon his <em>greater invisibility</em> spell to cloak him once again, but even as he spoke the words of power a voice sounded behind him. </p><p></p><p>“A useful spell. But it will not save you now, assassin.”</p><p></p><p>He felt the touch that sent a surge through his body, countering his magic, matching the arcane currents exactly and disrupting them. He turned to see the dark-skinned woman there, and hissed, “I will destroy you, bitch!” </p><p></p><p>“I don’t think so,” Arun said, and that was the last thing that Kemoch Brage heard before the paladin’s sword ended his life. </p><p></p><p>The woman found herself hard-pressed as well. Facing both Mole and Hodge, sporting several wounds, she finally abandoned the fight, turning and running toward the exit. Hodge swung at her with his axe as she fled, but he narrowly missed. Annah, focused on the sorcerer, turned too late to be able to hinder her escape, and while Arun took a few steps after her, Mole’s voice drew him around. </p><p></p><p>“Arun! It’s Zenna and Dannel... come quickly!”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 1820905, member: 143"] Chapter 248 Confronted with an effective ambush by skilled assassins, his friends taking a beating at their hands, Dannel reached for [I]Alakast[/I]. He knew, however, that if he left Zenna, it was very likely that that woman he loved, the woman he’d been charged with protecting, would bleed to death here in the back room of an inn in Cauldron. And then he saw a familiar face at the entrance of the room, as Annah Taskerhill stepped into view. The noblewoman’s eyes widened in surprise, but the bard too was an experienced adventurer, and she quickly evaluated the situation. She spread her hands and opened her mouth wide, and unleashed a discordant shriek that tore through the room. The sound was more than a scream, it contained the force of a [I]dispel magic[/I] spell that pulsed through the room and warred with the spells that surrounded the assassins. Each bore many enchantments, and the spell, unfocused as it was, could not affect them all, but the results were still dramatic as the [I]silence[/I] collapsed, and the sounds of battle filled the confined space. At the same instant, the air in the middle of the room shimmered and a lean, lanky man clad in a loose gray robe appeared, turning to face this new threat. Dannel did not hesitate, unleashing his healing song, pouring magical power into Zenna’s stricken body. She jerked as the positive energy flowed into her with a torrent, dragging her back to consciousness. “What...” she mumbled. “You’re badly hurt,” he told her, interrupting the song only long enough to grab his wand from its pouch. “Heal yourself.” “Take out the paladin!” the enemy wizard said, lifting his hand and firing a pair of [I]scorching rays[/I] into Annah Taskerhill. The bard managed to dodge partly out of the way of the first blast, but the second caught her solidly in the torso, and she fell back out of the doorway, her fine clothes smoldering where the magical flames had struck her. The half-orc tried to obey the command, laying into Arun with a series of potent blows. Arun deflected one stroke with his smaller blade, and grunted as a second landed heavily on his shoulder with enough force to slightly dent the mithral plate. “Enough, assassin,” the dwarf said, gritting his teeth as he tried to fight through the magical weakness that had stolen over him. Even as the warrior of Moradin raised his holy blade to strike, the priestess stepped back and invoked the dark power of her grim god. A storm of negative energy swept through the room, an [I]unholy blight[/I] that tore mercilessly through the chamber. Two commoners who’d been hiding under their table during the violent battle had their lives snuffed out by the dark power of the spell, and the companions—particularly those whose hearts clove truest to the path of good—suffered as well as the fell wave washed over them. The assassins, dedicated to selfishness and evil, felt nothing but a fell exultation, and as the cloud dissipated they readied themselves for a final attack that would overcome their targets, and earn their pay. They had come close. But not close enough. Arun roared out a dwarvish cry of rage and battle as he thrust the full length of his sword into the half-orc’s chest. The warrior cried out, his huge sword falling from his suddenly limp fingers to clatter on the floor. Belting out a loud string of profanities in both dwarvish and the common speech, Hodge pulled himself up off the floor and picked up his axe, charging toward the priestess. She dodged back out of his way, but was unable to avoid Mole, who tumbled into place behind her, stinging her with a deep thrust of her rapier into the meaty muscle of her left leg. The assassin limped back, trying to keep both of her enemies in front of her. “Kemock! We must flee!” Arun leapt over the body of the half-orc as he fell, and rushed toward the sorcerer. But before he could reach him, Kemock unleashed his most powerful spell. A [I]cone of cold[/I] slammed into them with the force of a hundred winters, filling the room with icy death. Dannel threw himself over Zenna’s still-ravaged body, shielding her from the worst effects of the blast. When the spell had ended, however, both were clutched together in a frozen embrace, unmoving. Mole and her adversary had both been at the edges of the spell’s effect, and both evaded it easily. Hodge, however, lacked their speed and agility, and he staggered as frost coated his squat frame, driving through his clothes to chill his flesh. And Arun, already heavily wounded... Arun was caught with the full force of the [I]cone[/I]. For several seconds he was lost in the roiling pulse of cold, completely shrouded in its power, blasted backward by its force. “Taste frozen death, holy warrior,” the man mocked, exulting in his power. But his smile vanished as the storm ended... and a gleaming steel blade came crashing down, slashing through his shoulder and driving magical steel deep into his torso. Kemock staggered backward, a bright line of red gushing down over his robe. The sorcerer snarled and called upon his [I]greater invisibility[/I] spell to cloak him once again, but even as he spoke the words of power a voice sounded behind him. “A useful spell. But it will not save you now, assassin.” He felt the touch that sent a surge through his body, countering his magic, matching the arcane currents exactly and disrupting them. He turned to see the dark-skinned woman there, and hissed, “I will destroy you, bitch!” “I don’t think so,” Arun said, and that was the last thing that Kemoch Brage heard before the paladin’s sword ended his life. The woman found herself hard-pressed as well. Facing both Mole and Hodge, sporting several wounds, she finally abandoned the fight, turning and running toward the exit. Hodge swung at her with his axe as she fled, but he narrowly missed. Annah, focused on the sorcerer, turned too late to be able to hinder her escape, and while Arun took a few steps after her, Mole’s voice drew him around. “Arun! It’s Zenna and Dannel... come quickly!” [/QUOTE]
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