Jon Potter
First Post
[Realms #200] Not With a Bang...
"You've got to be kidding me," Finian muttered with a weary shake of his head. Several of the guards who had survived the temple's collapse were readying weapons and moving toward the front of the crowd.
"I will give them this," Ruze observed. "On the path of the pure they are not, but they are steadfast in their cursed belief. They are that, they are."
"Indeed," Ledare grunted then lowered her voice and added, "Perhaps we can talk our way out of this. We have crushed their plans after all."
"Might I suggest we run," Rherram said hopefully, but instead Finian handed the man his satchel of herbs.
"Ruze and Ledare would never make it," he said and drew a silver-tipped arrow from his quiver. He took a step forward saying, "Target Mom, if you can. If we kill the toughest one of the bunch, perhaps the rest will flee."
"Sound tactics," Ruze said with a nod. He readied his scimitars "Assuming we can get to her."
The ugly woman wasn't making any attempt to advance on them, seeming content, instead to let the cultists do the dangerous work. She was standing near the rear of the crowd now as the others swarmed forward like rats. Finian aimed for Mom's head and loosed his arrow, but the shot was too high and it sailed harmlessly over her.
In unison, the Archer and Rherram both said, "Sh*t!"
A particularly brave, or crazed, cultists charged forward, brandishing a dagger. He was chanting something that sounded like gibberish as he ran. His eyes were wild. He charged at Ledare, but Ruze took a single step and put himself in the man's path. Or rather, he put his scimitar in the man's path and a combination of skill, luck and the man's own momentum did the rest. With a single blow, he decapitated the cultist and sent the head tumbling horribly into the crowd. The mob split to avoid the grisly missile and several of the more weak-willed cultists ran for the main gate, screaming.
The nearest guard swung his longsword at the Battleguard, but Ruze easily dodged the clumsy blow. He retaliated with one of his own, but the man's shield deflected it harmlessly away.
Ledare sighted down the barrel of her repeating hand crossbow and squeezed off a shot at Mom. Her missile faired no better than Finian's and flew off into the night.
A pair of guards and a pair of robed cultists came at them, but their attacks were pitifully ineffective. One of the cultists somehow managed to disarm himself as he charged, nearly stabbing himself in the foot. It was almost comical.
Mom was not amused and she roared and hissed her displeasure from the rear of the dwindling mass of cultists. Kirnoth smiled at her rage and twisted the Ring of Invisibility on the unconscious baby's finger. The ring magically sized to fit the infant's digit and an instant later the baby vanished. Marking the spot where the invisible child lay, the mage moved away, drew an arrow from his quiver and fired it at Mom's back. His shot flew true, sinking deeply into the woman's back. She turned and regarded Kirnoth with her evil red eyes. Viscous drool fell from her pointed teeth as she smiled and pulled the arrow free.
The elf had forgotten that it took silver or magic to harm the wererat.
Finian saw Mom turn and spotted Kirnoth across the courtyard with his bow drawn. The Archer lined up another shot and fired, missing badly once again.
"Dammit!" he cursed and dropped his bow. As he moved toward Mom, his hands went to his longsword and dagger. One of the guards took an opportunistic swing at the ranger, but Rherram landed a glancing blow to the man's neck with Ruze's warhammer and made the blow go wide. The old healer was just barely able to avoid the enraged guard's retaliatory swing. Ledare spun, her longsword suddenly in her hand and laid open the guard's throat with a savage slice of her longsword.
Ruze traded swings with the other guard and the cultist who had managed to retain a grip on her dagger.
Kirnoth had no time to fire another arrow or draw his longsword before Mom closed with him. He managed to avoid her meaty left fist and the flashing point of her kris dagger, but her jagged yellow fangs opened a bloody rent in his leather armor. He staggered back, alive, but just barely, and gestured at the skaven. "Conturbo!" he shouted, but the pain from his chest wound made the spell fizzle ineffectually.
Mom chuckled evilly and bore down on the mage once more.
"You've got to be kidding me," Finian muttered with a weary shake of his head. Several of the guards who had survived the temple's collapse were readying weapons and moving toward the front of the crowd.
"I will give them this," Ruze observed. "On the path of the pure they are not, but they are steadfast in their cursed belief. They are that, they are."
"Indeed," Ledare grunted then lowered her voice and added, "Perhaps we can talk our way out of this. We have crushed their plans after all."
"Might I suggest we run," Rherram said hopefully, but instead Finian handed the man his satchel of herbs.
"Ruze and Ledare would never make it," he said and drew a silver-tipped arrow from his quiver. He took a step forward saying, "Target Mom, if you can. If we kill the toughest one of the bunch, perhaps the rest will flee."
"Sound tactics," Ruze said with a nod. He readied his scimitars "Assuming we can get to her."
The ugly woman wasn't making any attempt to advance on them, seeming content, instead to let the cultists do the dangerous work. She was standing near the rear of the crowd now as the others swarmed forward like rats. Finian aimed for Mom's head and loosed his arrow, but the shot was too high and it sailed harmlessly over her.
In unison, the Archer and Rherram both said, "Sh*t!"
A particularly brave, or crazed, cultists charged forward, brandishing a dagger. He was chanting something that sounded like gibberish as he ran. His eyes were wild. He charged at Ledare, but Ruze took a single step and put himself in the man's path. Or rather, he put his scimitar in the man's path and a combination of skill, luck and the man's own momentum did the rest. With a single blow, he decapitated the cultist and sent the head tumbling horribly into the crowd. The mob split to avoid the grisly missile and several of the more weak-willed cultists ran for the main gate, screaming.
The nearest guard swung his longsword at the Battleguard, but Ruze easily dodged the clumsy blow. He retaliated with one of his own, but the man's shield deflected it harmlessly away.
Ledare sighted down the barrel of her repeating hand crossbow and squeezed off a shot at Mom. Her missile faired no better than Finian's and flew off into the night.
A pair of guards and a pair of robed cultists came at them, but their attacks were pitifully ineffective. One of the cultists somehow managed to disarm himself as he charged, nearly stabbing himself in the foot. It was almost comical.
Mom was not amused and she roared and hissed her displeasure from the rear of the dwindling mass of cultists. Kirnoth smiled at her rage and twisted the Ring of Invisibility on the unconscious baby's finger. The ring magically sized to fit the infant's digit and an instant later the baby vanished. Marking the spot where the invisible child lay, the mage moved away, drew an arrow from his quiver and fired it at Mom's back. His shot flew true, sinking deeply into the woman's back. She turned and regarded Kirnoth with her evil red eyes. Viscous drool fell from her pointed teeth as she smiled and pulled the arrow free.
The elf had forgotten that it took silver or magic to harm the wererat.
Finian saw Mom turn and spotted Kirnoth across the courtyard with his bow drawn. The Archer lined up another shot and fired, missing badly once again.
"Dammit!" he cursed and dropped his bow. As he moved toward Mom, his hands went to his longsword and dagger. One of the guards took an opportunistic swing at the ranger, but Rherram landed a glancing blow to the man's neck with Ruze's warhammer and made the blow go wide. The old healer was just barely able to avoid the enraged guard's retaliatory swing. Ledare spun, her longsword suddenly in her hand and laid open the guard's throat with a savage slice of her longsword.
Ruze traded swings with the other guard and the cultist who had managed to retain a grip on her dagger.
Kirnoth had no time to fire another arrow or draw his longsword before Mom closed with him. He managed to avoid her meaty left fist and the flashing point of her kris dagger, but her jagged yellow fangs opened a bloody rent in his leather armor. He staggered back, alive, but just barely, and gestured at the skaven. "Conturbo!" he shouted, but the pain from his chest wound made the spell fizzle ineffectually.
Mom chuckled evilly and bore down on the mage once more.