NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arkyst" data-source="post: 1317315" data-attributes="member: 14820">The Defenders of Tronus – One Shall Not Return:After the better part of a days travel the Defenders reached the base of the Dragonclaw Mountains.  Twizle and Rayna surveyed the area and found the only path up the mountain that was headed in the right direction.  It was clear which peak was the whitest, and Twizle was beside himself that it happened to be the highest one.  Beneath his breath he mumbled, “These hands were made for music, not climbing.”They had all decided it best to make an early camp and rest the night before trying to reach the summit of the mountain.  Rayna took advantage of having the shelter of the carriage while Azerot and Cinder huddled around a fire outside.  About ten or so feet away, Twizle and Storm laid out their magical sleeping bags, which were standard issues to the Defenders.“You’ll roast us with that fire,” commented Storm as he sprawled his massive half-Ogre Magi body on the ground.Azerot calmly replied, “Well you see, my friend Cinder here is not actually a gnome…”Cinder interrupted with, “I’m a gnome.”“No Cinder, it is safe to tell them,” said Azerot as he motioned for Cinder to set down the lantern that he was always carrying.  “Cinder is actually a fire mephit, and he uses this lantern of disguise to appear as a gnome.”The difference in appearance was striking, but it was apparent that Cinder kept many of his features in gnome guise, not to mention his twitchiness.“Sure,” was about all of the interest Storm could feign before passing into unconsciousness.  He, being a monster himself was not entirely impressed.Rayna peered out of the cart to get a good look at the mephit, nodded her head and returned to sleep as well.During second watch Twizle hummed himself a tune.  He could control the pitch as to not wake the others.  “What a great chorus that would make,” he mused to himself, until he heard two gruff voices quickly approaching.“I tell you, there be plenty of pins around here somewhere.  I saw them walk’n about earlier,” said one of the voices.  “In fact, one of them would make an even better ball!”Twizle instantly changed the pitch of his song to that of a whistling alarm.  Everyone struggled to free themselves of their sleeping bags, which were notorious for being hard to slip out of in a hurry.  By the time the party was up, two giants with bluish skin were upon them.“Knock their heads off,” yelled one as he came in for the charge.Yet Storm had moved up first, and as he loosened the chain that he wore as a bandoleer, he found that he would be the one to strike first.  With one brutal lash, Storm had struck the closest giant in the eye with his chain.  In a burst of blood and octal fluid, the first hit had been scored and it was a good one!The battle raged on while the crazed giants made swing after swing at Storm.  Yet for every step closer, he would back up another step, using his chain for distance and Azerot’s positioning to make it dangerous proposition for the Frost giants to advance further.  It wasn’t until Azerot put up a wall of fire though, did the heroes feel like they were getting closer to ending the fight.Cinder moved forward to flank one of the giants while standing in the fire to heal the damage he had sustained.  Twizle and Rayna hung back towards the carriage.  Neither was well suited to engage in this type of battle, so Twizle fired his crossbow while Rayna took advantage of their enemies’ apparent weakness to fire and burned them with several scorching rays.However, after the wall of fire went up, the giants had a new target…Azerot.  He had received several bad hits, and it was only through the relentless attacks of Storm and Cinder did the giants once again change their focus.  Yet the onslaught was weighing heavily on Storm.  The behemoth was a monster among men, but with these giants he had found his equal.Azerot healed Storm several times but finally the hulk slumped to the ground unconscious.  Seeing that Cinder was now left to fight both of the remaining giants alone, Azerot fell to his knees and called upon Kabod to heal his friend with his most potent spell available.  Moments later Storm was back on his feet.  “Quickly, protect Cinder, he is about to die,” shouted the cleric in desperation.Cinder’s limp body lay on the ground, but the imp-like creature was not yet dead.  One of the giants was standing over him about to correct that problem when a large fist of the half-Ogre Magi monk broke his lower jaw.  That one hit was enough to drop the giant and Storm turned to face the other and growled, “I really don’t think you want to know what I’m going to do to you!”Storm proceeded to charge forward and pummel the remaining giant while the others blasted it with spells.  Yet, even missing one eye, the giant was a formidable foe.  With one gruesome swing of his greataxe, he dislodged Storm’s arm and shoulder.  The other Defenders watched in disbelief as their friend crumpled to the ground in pieces.  Although, Rayna’s tears weren’t enough to stop that final ray that burned deep into the giant’s hide. Azerot ran forward to help his fallen comrade, but the sight was grisly.  Suddenly Storm’s eyes shot open and he jerked Azerot closer with his remaining hand.  “Did Cinder make it,” whispered Storm as if trying not to waken a sleeping child.  “Did he make it?”“Yes, he was just feigning,” explained Azerot with a meager smile, but it was too late.  Storm had already gone to join his father in Titanos’ hall.  Tonight he would feast at a table with his ancestors.</blockquote>

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