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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 1660562" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #276] The Second Test, Part III[/PLAIN]Feln could do little to avoid the bear's charge. During his time at the monastery he'd trained extensively to dodge attacks, but he was caught so completely by surprise that he just stared in horror as the half-ton animal thundered down on him. It's paw slashed outward almost contemptuously and raked across the half-orc's torso, shredding his tunic as easily as it did the flesh beneath."Vade! Get out of here!" Feln blindly warned his companion even as he rained a flurry of blows on the bear with his quarterstaff. They may as well have been actual rain for all the effect it seemed to have on the animal.The bear reared up onto its hind legs, poised for another slap from its paw and then faltered. A bellow of pain ripped its way out of the great beast's gullet and Vade suddenly appeared on the bear's flank, his invisibility spoiled by his sneak attack. A bloody shortsword was clutched in his hand. He grinned fearfully at the half-orc.At the treeline, Karak shook his shaggy head and took off for the trench at a full run. Morier was at his heels, and his greatsword flashed like blue lightning in the early morning light.Ledare stood her ground and drew her repeating hand crossbow. She squeezed off two quick shots at the bear, but only one bolt found its mark. The other cut a bloody groove in Feln's shoulder before shattering against the cliff wall."Dammit!" the Janissary cursed her fumbling attack.Beside her Ixin moved her hands through the gestures of a spell before intoning the words, "Magicus telum!" She pointed at the bear and two crimson-tailed missiles of pure force lept from her fingertips and sizzled into the animal's ribs, drawing forth another yelp of pain from the beast. Grinning with satisfaction, the sorcerer moved forward toward the lip of the trench.Karak reached the trench and jumped. Now, dwarves, as a rule, are not known for their tremendous jumping skills, and Karak was no exception. He reached the midway point of his leap and seemed to hang there for a moment while his short legs paddled uselessly against the air. Then he drifted down into the pit, saved from a sharp and painful landing by his Ring of Feather Falling. He landed atop the stakes at the bottom and cursed venomously at the trench, its diggers, and the diggers' mothers.Seeing the dwarf's spectacular failure to make the leap across brought Morier up short. He lingered on the far side, his greatsword in one hand, and drew the Wand of Burning Hands from its wrist sheathe. He pointed it at the bear, being particularly careful not to catch either Feln or Vade in the area of effect and spoke the command word: "Irakulos!" A cone of fire erupted from the wand, catching the bear broadsides and narrowly missing both of the eldritch warrior's companions. The bear roared in frustration and pain.Whisps of smoke rose from its hide as it struck at the two attackers within reach. It's jaws snapped shut on Feln's arm and narrowly missed getting a firm grip on the half-orc. But Feln's instinctive training had kicked in by now and he twisted out of the beast's grasp, leaving a scrap of bloody fabric in its jaws. It back-handed Vade with its paw, sending the halfling staggering back with a burning pain in his chest. He could taste blood in his mouth as he regained his footing.Feln saw the blow Vade had taken and realized that the halfling could stand little more of this punishment. Drawing back his quarterstaff, he delivered a resounding two-handed blow to the bear's right foreleg. The impact was tremendous, and the sound of breaking bones was audible for the brief moment before the bear roared in agony.Ledare trotted forward toward the trench, her crossbow levelled at the bear as she came. Reaching the edge, she fired point blank into the beast's shoulder, drawing blood. Overwhelmed by the pain in its foreleg, the bear seemed no to notice the tiny quarrel in its side.Karak, cursing and sputtering in dwarvish struggled without success to climb out of the steep-walled trench.Morier and Ixin repeated their magical assaults on the bear, searing the creature with Burning Hands and Magic Missiles, and by now the beast's injuries were beginning to tell. It moved with slightly less speed and strength than it did at the beginning of the melee, but it clearly wasn't done yet. And it directed its fury at the two tormentors who were within reach.It took another swipe at Feln that the martial artist couldn't avoid in time and the impact lifted the half-orc off his feet and slammed him against the cliff wall with bone-jarring force. Feln slid limply to the ground, knocked senseless by the blow.Vade fared less well.The bear whirled around and snatched the halfling up in its slavering jaws before he could reactivate his Ring of Invisibility. Vade screamed weakly and writhed about like a mouse caught in the jaws of a hungry tomcat. The bear shook him viciously, sending droplets of blood spraying onto the stones before casually tossing the little Rogue aside. Vade thudded to the ground in a broken heap and did not stir.</blockquote>

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