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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 2881019" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 601As Graz’zt tormented his foes with promises of destruction, a tiny figure slid across the ground, coming up alongside Beorna.  The dying templar’s struggles were growing weaker, and her entire left side was covered in the blood that continued to flow from the terrible wound in her shoulder.  Mole had a tiny vial in her hand, which she upended into the dwarf’s mouth.  “I kept a little holdout for emergencies, don’t tell the others,” she whispered.  Graz’zt detected Mole, of course, but as he turned to deal with her an arrow caromed hard off his forehead.  The shot had penetrated his unholy aura, and as the arrow clattered to the floor a few paces away—its head seemingly melted—a small gash could be seen trailing ichor from the good half of the demon’s face.  The demon snarled, as more arrows pinged off of his armored body.  Callendes and Dannel were firing arrows as quickly as they could fit them to their strings, and while the avariel had yet to penetrate the Prince’s defenses, Dannel’s fiendbane bow gave his shots enough added potency to do at least some damage.  A second arrow thudded into Graz’zt’s arm, penetrating a fraction of an inch through his tough hide.  The demon’s malevolent gaze shifted slightly.  A gray beam erupted from the Heart of Axion, splashing over the body of one of the iron balors, the last one in the line of Graz’zt’s honor guard.  The ray lasted only a fraction of a second, but the result was immediate, as the huge construct shuddered and came to life, its metallic body creaking as it turned and slowly, ponderously started toward the archers. Beorna returned to consciousness, groaning as she tried to lever herself up.  The wound in her shoulder had stopped bleeding, but it was clear that she was not far from death’s door.  “Heal yourself first,” Mole whispered.  “You can’t face him now.”But Beorna shook her head; she had no healing magic left to her, no spells at all, safe for a few weak orisons.  Ignoring the gnome, she reached out and closed her hand upon the hilt of Aludrial’s Shard.  She knew that Mole was right, but Duty held her in an iron grip as she pulled herself slowly up into a crouch.  A familiar roar sounded from the far side of the demon, as Arun returned to the fray.  Behind him, the statues of Graz’zt’s harem lie in an unidentifiable wreckage.  The paladin sported a few new wounds; some of the animated statues had jabbed him with sharp edges of metal left from sundered arms and legs.  But that didn’t stop him from charging headlong at their enemy, sheer will driving him forward against seemingly impossible odds. Graz’zt turned to meet him, but before either could strike, Beorna thrust Aludrial’s Shard deep into the demon’s back.  A scream of utter horror erupted from the demon as the blade sank a full foot into his body.  As he stood there, transfixed, Arun leapt forward, with his hammer sweeping before him toward the center of the Prince’s head.  Despite his horrible injury, Graz’zt managed to intercept the paladin’s swing with his blade, deflecting it.  Graz’zt drove the sword down into Arun’s shield, hitting it hard enough to leave a deep dent in the metal.  Arun grimaced as his arm absorbed the force of the impact, but he refused to give ground. Another arrow sliced past the demon’s head, clipping his ear, but doing no real damage. Cal knew that they were fast running out of options.  He had tried to dispel the magical fear affecting Lok, but his spell had failed against the potency of the Prince’s magic.  The demon was insanely powerful, and augmented by at least one artifact.  With his arcane sight, Cal could see the true power of the artificial eye in the demon’s right socket, and he recognized the shifting suit of armor he wore as the former possession of the tiefling sorcerer that had participated in the assault upon the Bastion.  The archers continued their fire against Graz’zt, calmly shooting even as the animated statue drew close enough to strike.  The statue creaked loudly as its massive sword came down at them.  At the last instant Dannel leapt aside, and the weapon slammed hard into the iron floor, opening a six-foot gash in the plating.  Callendes went the other way, falling back, flapping his wings to help give him clearance. The balor loomed over Cal as it lifted its sword ponderously from the damaged floor, preparing to strike again. Graz’zt stared down at Arun, who met that cold gaze through the slits of his helmet.  Amusement flickered through the anger that shone in his one living eye.  “Say goodbye to your love, Arun Goldenshield.”Arun’s eyes widened, and he lunged forward, his hammer coming down into the demon’s body.   But while his shot connected, he could not stop the Prince from pivoting his upper body almost full around, his sword continuing where his torso had to stop.  Beorna was still trying to thrust the Shard deeper into the demon’s back, and while she saw the swing coming, she could not get out of the way quickly enough.  “NO!” Arun screamed, as the blade of the Prince smote the templar on the side of her head, just above her left ear.  Her head came apart in an explosion of blood and bone, and after hanging for a split second in lifeless animation, her body collapsed upon the cold iron floor of the chamber.</blockquote>

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