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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 1359783" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #255] The One Left Behind[/PLAIN]"What the hell kind of freak are you?" the half-orc taunted even as Ledare fired another shot from her hand crossbow. This time the Janissary's bolt stuck solidly in the first joint of the thing's foreleg and the creature let out a thin squeal. As Feln moved forward, his hands worked at his quarterstaff. He gave it a twist and it split into two clubs; he dropped one and gave the remaining piece another twist. It separated into two lengths of wood connected in the middle by a short chain. He got it spinning in one hand, jumped up, planted his foot on the wall and jumped again until he was eye level with the scorpion-thing for a moment. In that split second, he slammed the nunchaku in its face and the weapon clanked against the armor protecting the creature's brain.From his vantage point near the machine, Vade watched Feln's acrobatic display with a grin. When he saw the thing's armor repel his companion's assault he looked at the sling in his own little hands and gave an inadequate sigh. He moved along the wall using the Slippers of Spider Climbing, loaded the weapon and sent a bullet at the aberration. It rattled across the monster's back without striking solidly and the halfling cursed as he became visible.Ledare fired a third shot from her repeating crossbow, missing again while Windstryder sank a pair of closely spaced arrows into the creature's enormous metal forelimbs. It writhed in pain and let out another piercing wail."It's coming out of it," Ixin warned before she drew mana from the invisible web of magic that surrounded her, directing it through word and gesture into a pair of fiery missiles. They slammed into the creature's back, raising to four the number of scorched craters in its exoskeleton."No. It's not!" Morier told the sorcerer and activated his wand of Color Spray again. The patchwork scorpion had enough time to move forward half-a-step before the prismatic cone washed over the creature and it grew still once more. Feln shook his head in disbelief."This thing is no challenge!" the martial artist growled. "No wonder they left it behind!" He repeated his earlier feat of acrobatics - made easier now that the monstrosity had lurched forward before succumbing to Morier's Color Spray once more - and slammed his nunchaku against the thing's left pincer. A crack appeared in what was apparently a weakened section of its armor. Green-black ichor began to spill from the wound."Keep your mind on the battle," Ledare suggested as she fired another errant bolt from her crossbow."I seem to be doing alright," Feln grinned back. His nunchaku traced a dangerous pattern around his body as it spun."Are we going to use more spells because I want to stay out of the way!" Vade called from up on the wall. He whirled his sling around and sent a bullet into the aberration's tail at the base. There was a sputtering sound and a thin streamer of smoke rose from the impact site."Stay back for now, Vade!" Ledare advised as she sank another quarrel into the scorpion's forelimb. "Our tactics seem sound. Don't get in the way of Morier's magic!""Or my arrows!" Windstryder barked sending two more shafts at the thing in rapid succession. The first sank into its head a hand's width from its glowing red eye. The second struck the think armor at an odd angle and ricocheted off into the shadows."Telum magica!" Ixin shouted for the third time, sending another pair of sizzling force bolts into the scorpion's back. Morier grinned, his teeth merely a paler shade of white, in the semi-darkness as he raised his wand again."Contuliath!" he intoned and a disorienting burst of color slammed into the creature. When it cleared, the eldritch warrior's field of vision was filled with metallic death as a pincer as large as a good-sized chest came at him, propelled forward by six, rapidly pistoning legs. It was a clumsy attack, to be sure, but Morier was ill-prepared to avoid it. The claw snapped down, vise-like over his right forearm. Metal serrations on the pincer's inner surfaces bit into his bleached flesh and pain exploded up Morier's arm as he felt himself lifted easily off the ground. Feln moved forward, putting himself right in front of the thing and slammed his nunchaku against its arm in an effort to get it to release the elf, but it did no good.Vade took careful aim and sent a bullet at the creature, striking the side of the crossbow-like device on its back. It appeared to do no damage.Ledare fired the last shot from her repeating hand crossbow at the thing only to have it turned aside by its armor. She dropped the spent weapon and drew her silver-iron longsword. It cut a vicious arc through the air and drew sparks and a shriek of pain from the monster as it bit into its shoulder.Windstryder switched to firing only a single arrow to increase her accuracy now that Morier was in the way of her target. She focused all of her concentration into aiming her arrow... and nearly fell as she stumbled on some loose rocks. Her arrow shattered against the chamber wall.Ixin took a step back so as to not immediately draw the monster's attacks and cast Magic Missile a fourth time. The bolts of energy leapt from her fingertips, swerved to avoid Morier's flailing legs, and sizzled into the scorpion's armor. It squealed and turned to fix her with its glowing eye.Morier, for his part, could think of little to do to save himself. The hand holding his wand was pointed at the ceiling and separated from him by the wall of metal that was the scorpion's pincer. He needed both hands to cast any spells or to wield his sword. The elemental powers of the storm raged within him, but he needed the cold steel of his sword to release them. He needed to free himself! He swung his feet around and braced them against one side of the scorpion's claw while he gripped the other side with his left hand.And then he strained.The scorpion gave him a contemptuous shake and dropped his limp body as it turned on Ixin and Ledare. Its other pincer licked outward and clamped down savagely on Ixin's right shin. Its needle-tipped tail arced down over its back and came at Ledare, but the Janissary was able to turn aside the javelin-sized stinger with a swipe of her shield. She could do nothing about the pale ray that came at her from the device mounted on the scorpion's back. It struck her full in the chest, with such force that it seemed to take her breath away.It was only after a moment that she realized that it had taken away more than that. She was completely paralyzed.Feln saw the Janissary halt in mid stride and he let out a battle shout that rang off the walls as he jumped up onto the scorpion's back and drove his fist down through the armor on top of its head. His arm sank into the thing's brain up to the elbow and for a moment he remained there - fist buried in his enemy, every muscle in his body standing out in harsh relief, his face a contorted mask of fury - with the last echoes of his ululating battle cry reverberating in everyone's ears.The scorpion collapsed and there was silence for a moment before Feln rose to his feet, his arm dripping with oily gore. He sneered at the dead thing and growled, "They didn't build you so good, did they... freak?"</blockquote>

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