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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3757720" data-attributes="member: 143">Oh, don't worry; it gets worse. * * * * * Chapter 249CARNAGETalen shouted commands to his troops, but his companions were veterans all, and they were already moving to face the new and deadly threats that confronted them. Shay split off to the left, her magical boots augmenting her own considerable speed as she charged toward Navev.  She was tensed, ready to avoid another eldritch blast, but the warlock seemed unconcerned, his expression almost bemused as she approached the far edge of the pool.  That smug expression did betray some surprise, however, as instead of heading around the font, she fell into a crouch and sprang over it.  The basin was almost thirty feet across, but Shay’s leap carried her high over it, and the point of her spear was aimed directly at the dead warlock’s heart as she reached the apogee of her leap and came diving down toward him. Mehlaraine and Selanthas went the other way, rushing to protect their fallen companions from the hezrou demon.  The elf archer fired off a barrage of shots at the goblin cleric, scoring two direct hits despite the cover provided by the stone basin.  Tribitz snarled but ignored the missiles that blasted him with electrical energy; it suffered, but its heavy armor protected it from serious damage. Mehlaraine, meanwhile, charged forward to block the hezrou, the lithe elf completely dominated by the huge, hulking figure of the toad-demon. Dar and Talen exchanged a look and formed a rough line to face the black skeleton charge.  There was no way that the two of them could stop all of the creatures, and several simply lumbered past them, turning their unprotected flanks and heading for the others behind.  But the two fighters made their presence felt, as a violent exchange of blows sounded loudly through the chamber.  Talen smashed Beatus Incendia across the body of a fire-damaged skeleton, crushing a half-dozen ribs and driving the undead monster back through the sheer ferocity of his assault.  The knight was immediately swarmed by another four skeletons, but his heavy armor, bolstered by the protective power of his magical amulet, protected him from the worst of it, and the only injury he suffered was from a goring attack that hit him on the side and dented his armor, but failed to penetrate.  Still, he knew that a bruise was likely going to be far from the worst he was going to suffer in this engagement. On the other hand, Dar, just ten paces away, was getting his ass kicked.  He stepped under the first two-handed swing of a charging skeleton, its axe slicing the air so hard that he could feel the breeze as it passed.  He drove his club down into the skeleton’s leg hard enough to shiver its massive thighbone, but the skeleton refused to go down, clinging to its unlife through sheer persistence.  Several other skeletons came at him around it.  He dodged back from the first swing, turning what would have been a terrible hit into a graze that still managed to open up a line of pain across his gut.  That moment’s distraction cost him, however, as the other skeleton brought its axe down hard across his back.  His new armor saved his life, but he could feel the hot blood splash out from the wound as the edge cut deep into his flesh.  He felt an agony stab through his left side; something important inside had been savaged by that critical hit.  “Gaarrrgh!” he yelled, spinning around to deliver a full attack upon his tormenter.  He laid two powerful blows into the skeleton’s body, sundering bones, and then as it started to topple he smote it across the pelvis, hitting it hard enough to detach both legs and knock them flying across the room.  The skeleton collapsed into a pile of ebon bones, but there was another one right behind it, and before Dar could recover from his attack it lunged forward and smashed its skull directly into the fighter’s head.  Stunned, Dar staggered back and spun around in a full circle, trying desperately to regain his bearings. Allera had gotten a moment’s forebearance by the fighters’ stand.  She hesitated for just a single heartbeat; she was needed everywhere, and there were deadly adversaries in every direction.  But that moment of doubt passed quickly, and the calm cool that came from training and conviction took over.  Even as a black skeleton came around the melee surrounding Talen and lumbered toward her she opened her mind and drew in a surge of positive energy.  That flood of holy power she cast out from her, directing it into both her companions and her foes.  The skeleton coming at her absorbed the full force of her mass cure critical wounds and was blasted into black shards of bone.  She healed Dar and Talen, and struck down several of the skeletal minotaurs, taking down four more and seriously damaging another three.  Finally, without even turning she directed the last vestige of the spell behind her, channeling it into the battered bodies of Nelan, Letellia, and Alderis, healing them of the damage they’d suffered from Navev’s eldritch blast.    Dar’s mind was cleared by the healing spell, as he turned to the two remaining skeletons facing him, he lifted his club with renewed vigor.  “Good work, angel!” he shouted, ducking back to avoid another powerfully swung axe.  Mehlaraine lunged at the hezrou, distracting its attention from the vulnerable spellcasters lying sprawled out on the floor.  Her stroke barely harmed it, but it focused its attention on her, a dark amusement flashing in its eyes.  Alderis, recovering more swiftly than Nelan and Letellia, rolled to his feet.  The abjurer used another of Banth’s transmutations, trying to petrify the demon.  The elf penetrated the hezrou’s spell resistance, but the creature’s innate fortitude enabled it to resist the spell.  Nelan and Letellia were just getting to their feet when the demon opened its jaws wide, and uttered a word of blasphemy.  At once Mehlaraine, Selanthas, and Letellia stiffened and fell to the ground, overcome by paralysis.   On the other side of the battlefield, Shay thrust her spear forward, snarling a challenge at Navev as she dropped toward the warlock.  The revenant did not try to evade, and a moment of doubt entered the scout’s mind, just a heartbeat before her momentum and arc would have resulted in a powerful impact.  But in mid-leap, there was nothing she could do except follow her attack through to the end. Blood exploded from the pool beneath her, followed by a snarling, vicious form.  The thing struck her on the left leg, interrupting her jump and knocking her flying.  Dirty claws tore long cuts in her thigh, and the spear went flying as she spun in midair, coming head over heels before she hit, hard.  She screamed as her right shoulder exploded in pain, as she caromed off the stone lip of the pool.  Dazed, she looked up to see the ghast Marthek leap at her, its garish visage soaked in blood, its long claws extended toward her throat.</blockquote>

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