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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1840289" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Got the day off work today, so I'll put up two posts: one now and one this afternoon. Gotta have a proper Friday cliffhanger... <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> </p><p></p><p>* * * * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 256 </p><p></p><p>Although they had not come seeking a fight, the companions found one nonetheless as the great domed cathedral of Kelemvor exploded into the chaos of battle. </p><p></p><p>The boulders thrown by the giants hurtled into the companions like balls fired at a line of waiting tenpins. One narrowly missed Beorna, who had calmly lowered the tip of her blade to the marble floor, sinking to one knee as she pressed her forehead against the crossguard. The boulder caromed off of the ground and nearly took Hodge’s head off, the dwarf’s curses resounding loudly in the chamber as the miner-turned-warrior fumbled with his spear. </p><p></p><p>The second boulder struck Dannel in the hip, the glancing impact still enough to knock the elf backward, spinning full around before he was able to stabilize. Gritting his teeth against the pain, the Harper arcane archer said, “So be it,” and lifted his bow, opening his mind to the song of power that bound him to the weapon, and the long shafts that carried death to his enemies. </p><p></p><p>The half-orcs rushed forward, moving together like veterans, their ferocious cries of battle filling the cathedral more strongly than any choral hymn could have done. That song was a melody of violence, and the half-man, half-orc brutes slavered at the anticipation of it, the clash of blades and the screams of pain that were part and parcel of the dirge of war. </p><p></p><p>That song was interrupted briefly by a roar of flame as Zenna hurled a <em>fireball</em> into their midst, the brilliant orange burst engulfing the giants, the cleric, and most of the warriors. When the flames had faded none of them had gone down, but all sported burns, many of which were serious. </p><p></p><p>“Destroy the wizard!” the cleric commanded the giants, followed by the mystic words that invoked a divine spell. But even as his protective ward settled about him, the robed priest staggered back as an arrow slammed deep into his shoulder. He barely managed to lift his shield to deflect the second shot from Dannel’s bow. The giants each withdrew a second boulder from the huge sacks slung across their hips, and lifting them in both hands hurled them at Zenna. The tiefling did not have time to cast another spell or dodge, and both boulders struck her. Fortunately both hits were just glancing impacts, one grazing her left shoulder, and the other smashing her leg, but the impacts were still devastating, and she was knocked roughly prone. </p><p></p><p>Their damage done, the giants lifted their clubs and followed in the wake of the half-orc warriors. </p><p></p><p>Arun and Hodge moved forward to intercept the charge of the half-orc veterans. Hodge set his spear, and looked over his shoulder at Beorna, who had not moved from her position of devotion. “Yer want to join the battle or not, woman!” he yelled, but he then had to turn his attention to the enemy as the half-orcs rushed into them. The lead warrior tried to turn aside the point of Hodge’s spear with his shield, but the canny dwarf eased the spearhead under the half-orc’s guard, the warrior’s own momentum driving him against the enchanted steel. The half-orc screamed in pain, but Hodge had to drop the weapon and unlimber his axe as another pair of warriors leapt in and attacked him, forcing him back before the ferocity of their assault. Fortunately his new heavy armor protected him from the worst of the initial attacks, although one blow managed to crush his left wrist painfully even through the protective bracer he wore. </p><p></p><p>Just a few paces away, guarding his friend’s flank, Arun met several other warriors. The dwarf took the first stroke from a waraxe on his shield, but even as the second glanced off the edge of the barrier, striking his breastplate, the third was moving to flank him, abandoning his charge to gain the advantage of position. </p><p></p><p>Zenna pulled herself painfully to her feet in time to see the last pair of warriors moving around the flank of the bulwark formed by Hodge and Arun. Seeing a relatively soft target in front of them, one gestured to his fellow, and both ignored Beorna to come running at her. </p><p></p><p>Swallowing back her fear, she waited until they were nearly on top of her, before unleashing a <em>color spray</em>. For a moment she feared that they would resist the spell overcoming her with their axes before she could escape... but then the blazing lights faded enough for her to see both warriors, stunned by the blast. </p><p></p><p>But the respite would only be momentary, she knew, already retreating to give her more room. </p><p></p><p>Mole had been darting to help Arun and Hodge, but when she saw Zenna threatened she changed her course to aid her friend. Knowing Zenna’s tactics, she recognized her preparations and waited for the <em>color spray</em> to temporarily incapacitate her enemies before she rushed in. The stunned half-orc could not defend himself as she slid her rapier into his body through a tiny gap in his armor. The brute groaned as blood fountained out of the deep thrust, but as his head cleared he turned on her, his ferocious expression promising revenge for the injury. His fellow recovered a moment later, and took a step after Zenna, before his attention was drawn by a sudden movement to his left. </p><p></p><p>That movement came from Beorna. Lost in the devotions to her god, she now drew upon the power of Helm to aid her. First, she began to grow, her body expanding under the familiar effects of an <em>enlarge person</em> spell. Then, even as she reached a height of ten feet, looming over even the considerable bulk of the half-orcs, she drew the <em>divine power</em> of her patron into her. For a moment she seemed to glow, the bright light of Helm shining about her. </p><p></p><p>She moved straight forward, toward the embattled dwarves and the warriors facing them, and behind them, the approaching giants.</p><p></p><p>Hodge and Arun laid about them with their weapons, returning the assaults of the mercenaries with deadly force. Hodge delivered a crushing blow with his flaming axe that drove one of his enemies back two steps, but the half-orcs were as heavily armored as the two dwarves, and appeared to be possessed of an equal stamina. Arun seemed intent on countering with a sheer volume of attacks, his holy sword slashing about him as though it was a light dagger, and while the half-orcs tried to deflect those strokes with their shields, the paladin seemed to find the smallest gaps in their defenses more often than not. </p><p></p><p>Both dwarves fought with bravery and tenacity, but outnumbered six to two, it seemed as though even that might not be enough. </p><p></p><p>The cleric, meanwhile, was finding it difficult to conjure up his spells. Every time he launched into a new incantation, arrows struck, punching through his heavy armor as if it were cheap leather. He’d managed a potent curative that had eased the burning pains from the <em>fireball</em>, but as another arrow sank into his thigh, he began to fear that this confrontation might prove disastrous.</p><p></p><p>Darting back into the shelter of the doorway, he pulled a scroll from his pouch and began to read. </p><p></p><p>Pursued by one of the half-orcs, Zenna was quickly running out of room to retreat. But she was not lacking for options, conjuring up a spell that struck just as the half-orc was lifting his axe to cut her down. The <em>hold</em> took effect, freezing him with a ferocious look on his face that was belied by the fear that suddenly shone in his eyes as she calmly stepped forward, sparks already starting to dance around her outstretched hand. </p><p></p><p>Mole, meanwhile, found herself outmatched by her foe. Rolling with a cut from his axe that she wasn’t quite fast enough to dodge, she shifted from an attack posture—her rapier wasn’t likely to hurt him much, now that the advantage of surprise was lost—and started a twisting, tumbling defense. The half-orc swung at her again, narrowly missing, and a counter a few moments later came nowhere near her as she tumbled around him in a tight loop, feinting with her rapier in attacks designed to confound rather than to harm. </p><p></p><p>Buying her time. </p><p></p><p>Beorna arrived at the line of battle at the same time as the giants, the three huge foes standing over the melee between the other two dwarves and the half-orcs, the latter groups like children in contrast to the titans behind. The giants lashed at her with their clubs. The templar dodged the first stroke, but the second landed heavily on her arm, drawing a grunt of pain from her. </p><p></p><p>Then she lifted her sword, and returned the favor. Her blade came crashing down onto the first giant’s chest, slicing through the thick, oily hides he wore easily, digging a deep furrow in his torso. Even as the giant staggered, blood pouring from the violent wound, she shifted from her backswing and stepped in again, driving the length of the blade into the giant’s body, sliding it into the narrow gap between two of his ribs. The giant gurgled in pain and fell backward... and collapsed onto the polished marble, pouring out the last of its life through the two huge holes in its body. </p><p></p><p>For a moment, the intensity of the melee eased, as both sides sensed that the battle had taken a decisive turn. But the half-orcs continued to press the assault even in the face of this deadly new adversary, redoubling their efforts to cut through the armor of the dwarven defenders. </p><p></p><p>Arun took hits that drew blood even through his magical armor, but the only result seemed to be to drive the paladin into a greater fury of battle. He sliced out with his sword, cutting under a half-orc’s helm to sever the throat beneath, and even as the warrior fell he continued his swing into the next one, crushing his side in a blaze of holy light that drove him back, whimpering. Hodge, too, finally took down one of his enemies, his flaming axe sundering his breastplate and smiting him down to the ground. </p><p></p><p>“Stand still!” Mole’s opponent growled in frustration, as the gnome nimbly avoided another attack. The half-orc was a skilled combatant, though, and he adjusted, stepping to the side just as Mole tumbled into reach. Lifting his axe to strike, he suddenly staggered, turning to reveal a long arrow stuck deep into his back. A moment later a second shaft hit, burying itself in the half-orc’s throat, and the warrior crumpled. Mole saluted Dannel, and after a quick look to confirm that Zenna’s adversary was down, leapt into a somersault that carried her quickly toward the rapidly-diminishing line of foes facing the dwarves. </p><p></p><p>The half-orcs had been paid well, but never had they faced a trio of foes like this. Hodge was hurting now, his breath coming in gasps as blood trickled out from the gaps in his armor where half-orc axes had struck. But as Beorna dispatched the second giant much as she had the first, and turned her attentions to the remaining warriors, their heart for the fight evaporated. The survivors drew back, another falling as Arun’s blade crushed armor plate, and finally turned to all-out flight. </p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, the cleric emerged from his position of cover, his wounds mostly healed, now surrounded by a shifting field of <em>mirror images</em>. He’d readied a <em>dispel</em> to remove the enchantments boosting Beorna, but as he saw his second giant go down, and his hired warriors fleeing, he abandoned that tactic. Instead, he started running toward the stairs. </p><p></p><p>“Escaping cleric!” Mole shouted. </p><p></p><p>“I see him,” Dannel said, lifting his bow and taking aim.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 1840289, member: 143"] Got the day off work today, so I'll put up two posts: one now and one this afternoon. Gotta have a proper Friday cliffhanger... ;) * * * * * Chapter 256 Although they had not come seeking a fight, the companions found one nonetheless as the great domed cathedral of Kelemvor exploded into the chaos of battle. The boulders thrown by the giants hurtled into the companions like balls fired at a line of waiting tenpins. One narrowly missed Beorna, who had calmly lowered the tip of her blade to the marble floor, sinking to one knee as she pressed her forehead against the crossguard. The boulder caromed off of the ground and nearly took Hodge’s head off, the dwarf’s curses resounding loudly in the chamber as the miner-turned-warrior fumbled with his spear. The second boulder struck Dannel in the hip, the glancing impact still enough to knock the elf backward, spinning full around before he was able to stabilize. Gritting his teeth against the pain, the Harper arcane archer said, “So be it,” and lifted his bow, opening his mind to the song of power that bound him to the weapon, and the long shafts that carried death to his enemies. The half-orcs rushed forward, moving together like veterans, their ferocious cries of battle filling the cathedral more strongly than any choral hymn could have done. That song was a melody of violence, and the half-man, half-orc brutes slavered at the anticipation of it, the clash of blades and the screams of pain that were part and parcel of the dirge of war. That song was interrupted briefly by a roar of flame as Zenna hurled a [I]fireball[/I] into their midst, the brilliant orange burst engulfing the giants, the cleric, and most of the warriors. When the flames had faded none of them had gone down, but all sported burns, many of which were serious. “Destroy the wizard!” the cleric commanded the giants, followed by the mystic words that invoked a divine spell. But even as his protective ward settled about him, the robed priest staggered back as an arrow slammed deep into his shoulder. He barely managed to lift his shield to deflect the second shot from Dannel’s bow. The giants each withdrew a second boulder from the huge sacks slung across their hips, and lifting them in both hands hurled them at Zenna. The tiefling did not have time to cast another spell or dodge, and both boulders struck her. Fortunately both hits were just glancing impacts, one grazing her left shoulder, and the other smashing her leg, but the impacts were still devastating, and she was knocked roughly prone. Their damage done, the giants lifted their clubs and followed in the wake of the half-orc warriors. Arun and Hodge moved forward to intercept the charge of the half-orc veterans. Hodge set his spear, and looked over his shoulder at Beorna, who had not moved from her position of devotion. “Yer want to join the battle or not, woman!” he yelled, but he then had to turn his attention to the enemy as the half-orcs rushed into them. The lead warrior tried to turn aside the point of Hodge’s spear with his shield, but the canny dwarf eased the spearhead under the half-orc’s guard, the warrior’s own momentum driving him against the enchanted steel. The half-orc screamed in pain, but Hodge had to drop the weapon and unlimber his axe as another pair of warriors leapt in and attacked him, forcing him back before the ferocity of their assault. Fortunately his new heavy armor protected him from the worst of the initial attacks, although one blow managed to crush his left wrist painfully even through the protective bracer he wore. Just a few paces away, guarding his friend’s flank, Arun met several other warriors. The dwarf took the first stroke from a waraxe on his shield, but even as the second glanced off the edge of the barrier, striking his breastplate, the third was moving to flank him, abandoning his charge to gain the advantage of position. Zenna pulled herself painfully to her feet in time to see the last pair of warriors moving around the flank of the bulwark formed by Hodge and Arun. Seeing a relatively soft target in front of them, one gestured to his fellow, and both ignored Beorna to come running at her. Swallowing back her fear, she waited until they were nearly on top of her, before unleashing a [I]color spray[/I]. For a moment she feared that they would resist the spell overcoming her with their axes before she could escape... but then the blazing lights faded enough for her to see both warriors, stunned by the blast. But the respite would only be momentary, she knew, already retreating to give her more room. Mole had been darting to help Arun and Hodge, but when she saw Zenna threatened she changed her course to aid her friend. Knowing Zenna’s tactics, she recognized her preparations and waited for the [I]color spray[/I] to temporarily incapacitate her enemies before she rushed in. The stunned half-orc could not defend himself as she slid her rapier into his body through a tiny gap in his armor. The brute groaned as blood fountained out of the deep thrust, but as his head cleared he turned on her, his ferocious expression promising revenge for the injury. His fellow recovered a moment later, and took a step after Zenna, before his attention was drawn by a sudden movement to his left. That movement came from Beorna. Lost in the devotions to her god, she now drew upon the power of Helm to aid her. First, she began to grow, her body expanding under the familiar effects of an [I]enlarge person[/I] spell. Then, even as she reached a height of ten feet, looming over even the considerable bulk of the half-orcs, she drew the [I]divine power[/I] of her patron into her. For a moment she seemed to glow, the bright light of Helm shining about her. She moved straight forward, toward the embattled dwarves and the warriors facing them, and behind them, the approaching giants. Hodge and Arun laid about them with their weapons, returning the assaults of the mercenaries with deadly force. Hodge delivered a crushing blow with his flaming axe that drove one of his enemies back two steps, but the half-orcs were as heavily armored as the two dwarves, and appeared to be possessed of an equal stamina. Arun seemed intent on countering with a sheer volume of attacks, his holy sword slashing about him as though it was a light dagger, and while the half-orcs tried to deflect those strokes with their shields, the paladin seemed to find the smallest gaps in their defenses more often than not. Both dwarves fought with bravery and tenacity, but outnumbered six to two, it seemed as though even that might not be enough. The cleric, meanwhile, was finding it difficult to conjure up his spells. Every time he launched into a new incantation, arrows struck, punching through his heavy armor as if it were cheap leather. He’d managed a potent curative that had eased the burning pains from the [I]fireball[/I], but as another arrow sank into his thigh, he began to fear that this confrontation might prove disastrous. Darting back into the shelter of the doorway, he pulled a scroll from his pouch and began to read. Pursued by one of the half-orcs, Zenna was quickly running out of room to retreat. But she was not lacking for options, conjuring up a spell that struck just as the half-orc was lifting his axe to cut her down. The [I]hold[/I] took effect, freezing him with a ferocious look on his face that was belied by the fear that suddenly shone in his eyes as she calmly stepped forward, sparks already starting to dance around her outstretched hand. Mole, meanwhile, found herself outmatched by her foe. Rolling with a cut from his axe that she wasn’t quite fast enough to dodge, she shifted from an attack posture—her rapier wasn’t likely to hurt him much, now that the advantage of surprise was lost—and started a twisting, tumbling defense. The half-orc swung at her again, narrowly missing, and a counter a few moments later came nowhere near her as she tumbled around him in a tight loop, feinting with her rapier in attacks designed to confound rather than to harm. Buying her time. Beorna arrived at the line of battle at the same time as the giants, the three huge foes standing over the melee between the other two dwarves and the half-orcs, the latter groups like children in contrast to the titans behind. The giants lashed at her with their clubs. The templar dodged the first stroke, but the second landed heavily on her arm, drawing a grunt of pain from her. Then she lifted her sword, and returned the favor. Her blade came crashing down onto the first giant’s chest, slicing through the thick, oily hides he wore easily, digging a deep furrow in his torso. Even as the giant staggered, blood pouring from the violent wound, she shifted from her backswing and stepped in again, driving the length of the blade into the giant’s body, sliding it into the narrow gap between two of his ribs. The giant gurgled in pain and fell backward... and collapsed onto the polished marble, pouring out the last of its life through the two huge holes in its body. For a moment, the intensity of the melee eased, as both sides sensed that the battle had taken a decisive turn. But the half-orcs continued to press the assault even in the face of this deadly new adversary, redoubling their efforts to cut through the armor of the dwarven defenders. Arun took hits that drew blood even through his magical armor, but the only result seemed to be to drive the paladin into a greater fury of battle. He sliced out with his sword, cutting under a half-orc’s helm to sever the throat beneath, and even as the warrior fell he continued his swing into the next one, crushing his side in a blaze of holy light that drove him back, whimpering. Hodge, too, finally took down one of his enemies, his flaming axe sundering his breastplate and smiting him down to the ground. “Stand still!” Mole’s opponent growled in frustration, as the gnome nimbly avoided another attack. The half-orc was a skilled combatant, though, and he adjusted, stepping to the side just as Mole tumbled into reach. Lifting his axe to strike, he suddenly staggered, turning to reveal a long arrow stuck deep into his back. A moment later a second shaft hit, burying itself in the half-orc’s throat, and the warrior crumpled. Mole saluted Dannel, and after a quick look to confirm that Zenna’s adversary was down, leapt into a somersault that carried her quickly toward the rapidly-diminishing line of foes facing the dwarves. The half-orcs had been paid well, but never had they faced a trio of foes like this. Hodge was hurting now, his breath coming in gasps as blood trickled out from the gaps in his armor where half-orc axes had struck. But as Beorna dispatched the second giant much as she had the first, and turned her attentions to the remaining warriors, their heart for the fight evaporated. The survivors drew back, another falling as Arun’s blade crushed armor plate, and finally turned to all-out flight. Meanwhile, the cleric emerged from his position of cover, his wounds mostly healed, now surrounded by a shifting field of [I]mirror images[/I]. He’d readied a [I]dispel[/I] to remove the enchantments boosting Beorna, but as he saw his second giant go down, and his hired warriors fleeing, he abandoned that tactic. Instead, he started running toward the stairs. “Escaping cleric!” Mole shouted. “I see him,” Dannel said, lifting his bow and taking aim. [/QUOTE]
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