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Shackled City Epic: "Vengeance" (story concluded)
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 2920069" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 610</p><p></p><p>The creature coiled to leap, but before it could resume its deadly assault Beorna roared and laid into it from the side. She had returned <em>Aludriel’s Shard</em> to Saureya before leaving Occipitus, but her new blade, a bastard sword of solid adamantine, acquitted itself well as she slammed it into its flank. The hit, backed by the templar’s considerable strength, should have crippled it, but the sword merely opened a shallow gash in the monster’s thick hide. </p><p></p><p>And what was worse, it almost immediately started healing, the edges of the wound knitting shut almost as soon as it had been opened. </p><p></p><p>But Beorna had definitely gotten its attention, as it spun and launched itself at her. </p><p></p><p>“What in the hells <em>is</em> that thing?” Dannel said, as he shook his head to clear it. He fired an arrow at it, but even though the shot was nearly perfect, it glanced off of its armored skull without any apparent effect. </p><p></p><p>“It’s a sirrush!” Dana exclaimed, having guessed the identity of the being from the brief education she’d received on Sigil. </p><p></p><p>“What?” Dannel asked, as his second arrow duplicated the ineffectiveness of the first. </p><p></p><p>“Dragonstalker! The thing <em>eats</em> dragons for lunch, very tough, Very Big Trouble!” Cal said. The gnome hit it with a <em>disintegrate</em> empowered by his rod, but was not surprised when the beam dissolved on impact. “It’s got damned good spell resistance,” he announced, in case any of them had missed the obvious. </p><p></p><p>Arun and Lok had gotten back to their feet, somewhat the worse for wear from the nasty greeting they’d gotten from the sirrush. Their armor had been dented by the force of the creature’s bite, and Lok grimaced as he put weight back on his savaged leg. But neither warrior faltered, rushing immediately back in to reinforce Beorna, and rejoin the melee. </p><p></p><p>A small figure leapt out of the shadows and appeared suddenly atop the sirrush’s back. Mole rushed along its armored spine as if she’d been strolling along a country path, smoothly adjusting to its rapid movements as it attacked Beorna. A final skip took her up to the top of its skull; the gnome’s hand darted down, and she stabbed her rapier toward its eye. </p><p></p><p>The blade nicked the bony protrusion above its eye, doing no damage. The creature reared suddenly to knock the unwelcome passenger free, but Mole merely somersaulted backward, landing perfectly balanced once again upon its back. </p><p></p><p>Beorna lifted her sword to strike again, but the sirrush slammed its head back down, smashing her in the face with its heavy chin. Beorna staggered back, followed by the creature, which reared and slashed her with first its left claw, and then its right. It claws did not penetrate her adamantine armor, but the impacts clearly had an effect, crushing the heavy plates against her ribs. The last hit knocked her clear around, and she fell to one knee. Blood splattered on her breastplate as she met the thing’s terrible stare; the bash to her face had crushed in the front of her helmet, splitting her lip. </p><p></p><p>“Come on then, you bastard!” she snarled, lifting her sword. </p><p></p><p>Arun and Lok hit it from opposite sides, slamming their weapons hard into its body. Lok’s axe, even augmented by Dana’s <em>greater magic weapon</em> spell, could not penetrate its hide, but Arun managed a solid blow that overcame its resistances. The sirrush felt that one, but it kept its attention upon Beorna, who <em>smote</em> it across the breast, to little effect. She followed with a backhand that came up at its neck, but the creature’s armored torso formed a tight seal against its throat that protected it like a gorget. Her blow clanged harmlessly off that shielded joint. The sirrush exploited the attack by twisting its head around and biting down hard on the templar’s head. Her helmet, caught in its jaws, crunched as the adamantine buckled before its incredible strength. Beorna screamed as she was yanked off her feet, before the strap gave and she was torn free. Falling to the ground, blood pouring from several gashes in her head, she was almost decapitated by a claw stroke that still grazed her head, knocking her to the ground. </p><p></p><p>The sirrush’s momentum carried it forward, and it stomped on her back with another claw, crushing her with its weight. </p><p></p><p>“Aaaah!” she screamed, blood spraying from her mouth upon the black stone floor. </p><p></p><p>Arun, driven to fury by watching Beorna’s decimation, unleashed a furious full attack upon the sirrush. As <em>order’s wrath</em> filled him with righteous power, he slammed his hammer down into it in a flurry of powerful blows. Only one really hurt it, but that one was a critical hit that shivered a rib. The sirrush snarled in pain, and turned from Beorna to surge at the paladin once again. Its movement almost, but not quite, dislodged Mole, who was still trying to find a vulnerable spot for her rapier. An arrow glanced off its head, scratching it, but Dannel’s effort failed to divert it. A clang rang off its hind quarters as something bounced off its hide, but that too did not distract it from its foe. </p><p></p><p>A shimmering in the air solidified into a trio of avorals, who turned at once to Dana.</p><p></p><p>“Distract the sirrush, but ware its attacks,” she ordered. “All others are allies; heal them if you can.”</p><p></p><p>With a joint cry of assent, the three outsiders leapt into the air. They started blasting the creature with <em>magic missiles</em>, but none of them penetrated the sirrush’s spell resistance. </p><p></p><p>The sirrush descended upon Arun like an avalanche. The dwarf raised his shield, but the sirrush’s jaws closed on it, crushing it as if it was a piece of bark, rather than a slab of magical steel. Only the fact that the straps gave way saved the paladin from losing his arm along with the shield. As he tore free from its grasp, he lifted his hammer to strike it in the head. But before the blow landed, the creature’s left foreclaw came down hard on his left knee. </p><p></p><p>Arun screamed as his leg twisted, and he went down hard. The creature clipped him with its other claw, driving him down. Arun fought to hold on to consciousness with his leg bent under him at an angle that hurt just to look at. </p><p></p><p>Cal felt a momentary thrill of anticipation as his magic penetrated the creature’s spell resistance. But he could feel his <em>baleful polymorph</em> run up against a solid wall. </p><p></p><p><em>Damn, the thing has the fortitude of a god!</em> he thought, trying to think of a way he could affect the creature. </p><p></p><p>The sirrush seemed to be gloating as its wedge-shaped head loomed over the broken body of its adversary. But before it could finish Arun, Lok drove into it from the flank, smashing it under the chin with his shield in a gesture that did not harm it, but which drew its attention. Just in case that wasn’t enough, the genasi followed that with an uppercut with his axe that did manage to cut a small notch in the side of its jaw. A sharp tooth, jarred loose from the impact, went flying, but the creature still had an ample supply of those to spare. It was continuing to regenerate. Although it had taken a serious amount of punishment from the attacks that had penetrated its armored hide thus far, the thing seemed little fazed by its wounds. </p><p></p><p>The genasi’s attack had the desired effect, drawing the creature’s attention away from the crippled paladin. But even as he established a defensive stance, the creature lifted its head, and opened its jaws to unleash another stunning roar. </p><p></p><p>A roar that none of them could withstand.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 2920069, member: 143"] Chapter 610 The creature coiled to leap, but before it could resume its deadly assault Beorna roared and laid into it from the side. She had returned [i]Aludriel’s Shard[/i] to Saureya before leaving Occipitus, but her new blade, a bastard sword of solid adamantine, acquitted itself well as she slammed it into its flank. The hit, backed by the templar’s considerable strength, should have crippled it, but the sword merely opened a shallow gash in the monster’s thick hide. And what was worse, it almost immediately started healing, the edges of the wound knitting shut almost as soon as it had been opened. But Beorna had definitely gotten its attention, as it spun and launched itself at her. “What in the hells [i]is[/i] that thing?” Dannel said, as he shook his head to clear it. He fired an arrow at it, but even though the shot was nearly perfect, it glanced off of its armored skull without any apparent effect. “It’s a sirrush!” Dana exclaimed, having guessed the identity of the being from the brief education she’d received on Sigil. “What?” Dannel asked, as his second arrow duplicated the ineffectiveness of the first. “Dragonstalker! The thing [i]eats[/i] dragons for lunch, very tough, Very Big Trouble!” Cal said. The gnome hit it with a [i]disintegrate[/i] empowered by his rod, but was not surprised when the beam dissolved on impact. “It’s got damned good spell resistance,” he announced, in case any of them had missed the obvious. Arun and Lok had gotten back to their feet, somewhat the worse for wear from the nasty greeting they’d gotten from the sirrush. Their armor had been dented by the force of the creature’s bite, and Lok grimaced as he put weight back on his savaged leg. But neither warrior faltered, rushing immediately back in to reinforce Beorna, and rejoin the melee. A small figure leapt out of the shadows and appeared suddenly atop the sirrush’s back. Mole rushed along its armored spine as if she’d been strolling along a country path, smoothly adjusting to its rapid movements as it attacked Beorna. A final skip took her up to the top of its skull; the gnome’s hand darted down, and she stabbed her rapier toward its eye. The blade nicked the bony protrusion above its eye, doing no damage. The creature reared suddenly to knock the unwelcome passenger free, but Mole merely somersaulted backward, landing perfectly balanced once again upon its back. Beorna lifted her sword to strike again, but the sirrush slammed its head back down, smashing her in the face with its heavy chin. Beorna staggered back, followed by the creature, which reared and slashed her with first its left claw, and then its right. It claws did not penetrate her adamantine armor, but the impacts clearly had an effect, crushing the heavy plates against her ribs. The last hit knocked her clear around, and she fell to one knee. Blood splattered on her breastplate as she met the thing’s terrible stare; the bash to her face had crushed in the front of her helmet, splitting her lip. “Come on then, you bastard!” she snarled, lifting her sword. Arun and Lok hit it from opposite sides, slamming their weapons hard into its body. Lok’s axe, even augmented by Dana’s [i]greater magic weapon[/i] spell, could not penetrate its hide, but Arun managed a solid blow that overcame its resistances. The sirrush felt that one, but it kept its attention upon Beorna, who [i]smote[/i] it across the breast, to little effect. She followed with a backhand that came up at its neck, but the creature’s armored torso formed a tight seal against its throat that protected it like a gorget. Her blow clanged harmlessly off that shielded joint. The sirrush exploited the attack by twisting its head around and biting down hard on the templar’s head. Her helmet, caught in its jaws, crunched as the adamantine buckled before its incredible strength. Beorna screamed as she was yanked off her feet, before the strap gave and she was torn free. Falling to the ground, blood pouring from several gashes in her head, she was almost decapitated by a claw stroke that still grazed her head, knocking her to the ground. The sirrush’s momentum carried it forward, and it stomped on her back with another claw, crushing her with its weight. “Aaaah!” she screamed, blood spraying from her mouth upon the black stone floor. Arun, driven to fury by watching Beorna’s decimation, unleashed a furious full attack upon the sirrush. As [i]order’s wrath[/i] filled him with righteous power, he slammed his hammer down into it in a flurry of powerful blows. Only one really hurt it, but that one was a critical hit that shivered a rib. The sirrush snarled in pain, and turned from Beorna to surge at the paladin once again. Its movement almost, but not quite, dislodged Mole, who was still trying to find a vulnerable spot for her rapier. An arrow glanced off its head, scratching it, but Dannel’s effort failed to divert it. A clang rang off its hind quarters as something bounced off its hide, but that too did not distract it from its foe. A shimmering in the air solidified into a trio of avorals, who turned at once to Dana. “Distract the sirrush, but ware its attacks,” she ordered. “All others are allies; heal them if you can.” With a joint cry of assent, the three outsiders leapt into the air. They started blasting the creature with [i]magic missiles[/i], but none of them penetrated the sirrush’s spell resistance. The sirrush descended upon Arun like an avalanche. The dwarf raised his shield, but the sirrush’s jaws closed on it, crushing it as if it was a piece of bark, rather than a slab of magical steel. Only the fact that the straps gave way saved the paladin from losing his arm along with the shield. As he tore free from its grasp, he lifted his hammer to strike it in the head. But before the blow landed, the creature’s left foreclaw came down hard on his left knee. Arun screamed as his leg twisted, and he went down hard. The creature clipped him with its other claw, driving him down. Arun fought to hold on to consciousness with his leg bent under him at an angle that hurt just to look at. Cal felt a momentary thrill of anticipation as his magic penetrated the creature’s spell resistance. But he could feel his [i]baleful polymorph[/i] run up against a solid wall. [i]Damn, the thing has the fortitude of a god![/i] he thought, trying to think of a way he could affect the creature. The sirrush seemed to be gloating as its wedge-shaped head loomed over the broken body of its adversary. But before it could finish Arun, Lok drove into it from the flank, smashing it under the chin with his shield in a gesture that did not harm it, but which drew its attention. Just in case that wasn’t enough, the genasi followed that with an uppercut with his axe that did manage to cut a small notch in the side of its jaw. A sharp tooth, jarred loose from the impact, went flying, but the creature still had an ample supply of those to spare. It was continuing to regenerate. Although it had taken a serious amount of punishment from the attacks that had penetrated its armored hide thus far, the thing seemed little fazed by its wounds. The genasi’s attack had the desired effect, drawing the creature’s attention away from the crippled paladin. But even as he established a defensive stance, the creature lifted its head, and opened its jaws to unleash another stunning roar. A roar that none of them could withstand. [/QUOTE]
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