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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 2464901" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 434Having released a huge, advanced devourer clearly set as guardian over this place, the companions wasted no time in getting down to business. “Destroy it!” Cal shouted, stating the obvious in case anyone was too overwhelmed by the creature’s sudden appearance to attack.  Cal was quick to put his own words into action, blasting it with an acid arrow from a wand.  The acid splashed over its body, doing little damage, but one look had told the gnome that this enemy would not go down easily. But the others were already adding their own attacks to the tally.  Mole darted around the edge of the threshold long enough to fire her crossbow into the creature; the tiny bolt did little damage but unleashed a jolt of electricity into its body as it sank into its thigh.  Dannel likewise was able to fire over Dana, scoring two hits that ricocheted off of the thick bones of its torso, tearing away strips of ugly green flesh.  The imprisoned being inside the devourer’s chest tried to shrink away from the impacts, shielding its head in a pathetic gesture. “Dana, clear the doorway!” Lok urged, his axe at the ready.  The priestess lifted a hand and fired a bolt of searing light into the devourer’s body, blasting away part of its substance, driving it back.  She stepped aside, deeper into the room, to let her companions enter, but the undead monster was already reaching for her.  Its claw was large enough to seize her head entire, but it merely reached out, touching her lightly with the tip of a claw, drawing a pinpoint of red blood from the center of her forehead.  Dana staggered, fighting off a cold chill that she recognized as an attempt to paralyze her.  She was made of stern stuff, however, and she was further bolstered by Arun’s still-active magic circle against the evil touch of the devourer.  But even as she regained control, she felt a wave of mental energy wash over her, forcing her to shift focus from strength of body to strength of mind.  Her will was such that this attack too slid off of her without effect. But her companions were not all equally gifted.  The confusion effect unleashed by the creature took hold of Mole and Lok, taking hold of their minds and temporarily stealing their sanity.  Lok just stood there, his axe lowered, but Mole lifted her crossbow and shot her uncle point-blank in the shoulder.  Arun turned as Cal grimaced in pain, but the gnome pointed at the creature with his wand.  “Destroy it first, then we’ll worry about them!” he urged.  The paladin nodded, and followed Beorna into the room, their weapons raised to strike down the huge undead abomination. The creature’s size and reach made just getting to it difficult; Beorna took a powerful hit that staggered her, its claw crushing into her shoulder, the brief contact draining her of a fraction of her life essence.  The templar merely grunted and shook off the monster’s claw, driving forward to rip her adamantine sword deep into its leg, shivering the bone beneath the emaciated flesh.  Arun, a step behind, rushed around the odd mushroom-shaped tables to flank the creature, coming at it from the side.  But before he could reach it, the devourer released another wave of mental power.  Again Dana and Beorna, their minds fortified by their commitment to their gods, resisted the effect, but this time Arun faltered.  The dwarf, screaming incoherently, brought his holy blade down across the table, striking the iron claws and sending them flying across the room.  The devourer followed up its advantage by blasting Beorna with a ray of enfeeblement that sapped her strength.  But the templar merely tightened her grip on her sword, and invoked Helm.  “You made your mistake by letting me get close,” she hissed, her jaw clenched.  Then, with a roar, she unleashed a full assault of power attacks against the huge undead creature.  The devourer, being undead, was not vulnerable to the critical strikes that would have disemboweled a living creature, but it was nonetheless staggered by the powerful impacts of the templar’s ultrahard bastard sword.  But Beorna found herself nearly alone against the monster, as her companions were finding their hands quite full with their confused companions.  Dana tried to release Arun from the magic holding his mind, but her attempt to dispel the devourer’s magic failed, and the paladin charged at her in a rage, swinging his holy avenger.  Dana darted back, narrowly avoiding a cut that would have impaled her, but still taking a glancing hit along the ribs that stung through her light tunic.  She leapt into the air, her magic boots carrying her out of the paladin’s reach. Back in the outer chamber, Cal and Dannel were likewise having difficulties.  The gnome had lifted his wand to fire another blast at the devourer, but he saw Lok turn to face him, madness in his eyes, and quickly aborted that plan.  Knowing that he could be diced into stew meat if he remained adjacent to the genasi, he instead fell back, out of Lok’s reach.  Predictably, the warrior followed, but Cal quickly summoned a displacement and leapt to the side.  It was a close call—close enough for him to feel the breeze caused by Lok’s axe as it whipped close by his head.  But while Cal had temporarily escaped his ally’s attack, the maneuver left Lok close by Dannel, who likewise had no choice but to withdraw, taking him out of the line of sight of the doorway, and the enemy. “We’ve got to take that thing out!” he yelled. “Working on it!” came Cal’s voice, from nearby. Beorna felt her life force ebbing as the devourer tore at her with both claws, tossing another quickened confusion at her for good measure.  Again she resisted—barely—and returned its attacks with more two-handed strikes from her sword.  But she was getting weaker, the energy drains combined with its earlier ray of enfeeblement to sap her vitality and very skill with the blade.  She had no choice but to cut back on the all-out desperate strength of her blows, as a power attack deflected harmlessly by its unnaturally durable hide.  The entity trapped in its ribs cowered, shrinking with each release of its captor’s powers.  Thus occupied, she did not see Arun turn away from Dana, and step toward her from behind, his holy sword coming up slowly above his head.</blockquote>

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