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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 2241443" data-attributes="member: 143">I do; it was hard, really hard to kill her in the Moltenwing scene, but it just fit too well with the arc her character had taken. Of all my characters, Mole is the one I imagine most looking over my shoulder when I write, occasionally pointing out, "Oh, have me do that, it would be soooo cool...  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /> Thanks!  Glad you enjoyed the earlier story, it was a lot of fun to write. I spent a lot of thought on this scene, and the ones coming up. Sketching out battles is much easier that scenes like this, but it's worth it for the depth they add to the characters. I'm glad you guys enjoy them, since we have another character development post today:* * * * * Chapter 389“All right, HEAVE!” Arun enjoined, punctuating his words as he put his own back into the effort of lifting a thirty-foot segment of roughly shaped wood, easily about two feet thick, into place along the central axis of one of the new barracks buildings.  This segment was going to serve as the basis for most of the structure’s slanted roof, which would be a simple but functional affair that would hopefully keep the people sleeping beneath it dry and warm.  Two pulleys attached to nearby trees provided the leverage that lifted the heavy log into the air, with another pair of ropes attached directly to the log guiding it gradually into its proper place.  Two young humans assisted Arun on one lifting rope, while another pair worked with Hodge on the other.  Two more men were on the guide ropes, while two others waited on narrow platforms near where the log would rest, ready to fix it into place.  “A little more, a little more… okay, that’s it!” The men on the pulleys released their thick ropes, letting out groans from the concerted effort.  On the far side of the building, Hodge walked stiffly over to a nearby barrel, taking a dipperful of water that ended up more in his beard than his throat.  Arun paused to verify that the log had settled properly in its place, nodding to the carpenters before moving to join his friend. “They should ‘ave somethin’ real to drink,” the dwarf groused, splashing another dipperful of water into his face.  “A man drinkin’ water while buildin’… ain’t natural.”Arun smiled.  The two dwarves saw Lok walking by carrying a log not all that much smaller than the one they’d just spent work and sweat lifting into place.  Arun was strong, but the genasi’s strength, augmented by the powerful magical belt he wore, was something phenomenal. Hodge winced.  “Now that ain’t right,” he said.  “Bloomin’ showoff.”  He straightened, cracking his back, muttering something unpleasant about age and hard labor.“You all right?” Arun asked.  The other dwarf straightened, and bristled.  “Course I’m all right!  Take off all those damned magical doo-dads yer wearin’, and I’ll still thrash yer from ‘ere to tenthday!  Bah!  They may not ‘ave a drop o’ anythin’ worth drinkin’ in this godsforsaken hole, but damned if a workin’ man ain’ goin’ to get a bite o’ somepin’ hot to put in his gullet.”“We were going to help putting up the base logs for the new watchtower.”“I won’ be long,” Hodge grumbled, not turning as he trudged through the muddy mess that was the open clearing that now stretched for about a hundred yards between the front of the Lucky Monkey and the edge of the forest, newly retreated.  “Your friend is quite… interesting.”Arun turned to see Dana Ilgarten, walking through the mud toward him.  The paladin bowed his head in respect, a gesture that was warmly reciprocated.  “Hodge is a loyal friend,” Arun said.  “Too loyal, perhaps.”“How many times has he been raised since he took service with you?”  Arun raised an eyebrow.  “Twice in the last year,” he said.  “Been a lot of close calls, besides.”The priestess nodded.  “His soul is tired.  Being brought back from beyond the veil is a… difficult experience.”  She passed her hand through the air, and a blue glow briefly outlined her fingers.  “We clerics can restore the body, heal the mind.  You can rush into battle, get beaten down to within an instant of death, then get healed back to full health in a heartbeat, ready to rush into the fray once more.”  She snapped her fingers.  “The gods grant us great power, but that does not remove the fact that we are mortal.  We can only be stretched so far before we break… that is true for the strongest among us, as well as the weakest.”Arun nodded, watching as Hodge walked up the steps into the front door of the Monkey, not bothering to wipe his feet on the mat laid out before the door to catch the mud.  “I’ve asked him to remain behind several times now, but he’s stubborn.  A common trait among our kind, I’m told,” he added with a smile. “The people here will need defenders, when we go,” Dana said.  Arun shook his head.  “I’ve tried that tack.  Like I said, stubborn.”“I could try to convince him, if you wish.”Arun looked at her, confirming for himself just what she was offering.  She met his gaze squarely, hiding nothing. “I don’t know if he’d forgive me, for that.”Dana put her hand on his shoulder.  “I suppose it comes down to what you believe, paladin.  Do you feel that every adult should have the ability to choose for themselves, knowing the risks of what course they would undertake, or is it necessary sometimes to protect them from the consequences of those choices?”The priestess nodded in respect and walked on, leaving Arun behind with a troubled look on his face.</blockquote>

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