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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 460397" data-attributes="member: 143">Thank you kindly for the bump... * * * * * Book VI, Part 36Lok lumbered forward, covering the ground between the two groups of combatants quickly, his claws clicking on the ground like the knuckles of a giant ape.With a single fluid motion the elf archer drew and fired, his cloak billowing out behind him with the suddenness of his action.  The arrow lanced toward Lok, but as it struck him the arrow cut only air.  The umber hulk seemed to shimmer in the air as he moved, protected by the magic of Cal’s spell of displacement.Margas, however, called upon the power of a spell, and a trio of glowing darts erupted from his fingertips and blasted into Lok.  The magic missiles were not fooled by the protective magic, and impacted with enough force to stagger the charging genasi/hulk.Cal recognized what had happened, realized that the rod carried by the wizard had empowered the magic, given the missiles additional force beyond the normal potency of the spell.  “The wizard!” he shouted in warning.  But Benzan was already acting.  From the shelter of his invisibility he had already moved to the side, to give him a clear shot around Lok’s charging form.  An arrow appeared and sliced toward their foes, trailing a line of white frost from its magical head.  The missile sank into the wizard’s shoulder, staggering him, although he did not cry out in pain.  The hobgoblin rushed ahead to meet Lok’s charge, the wicked end of his spiked chain already whirling through the air.  Lok raised his massive claws to strike, but as he did he felt a wave of energy pass through him.  He looked up and saw the deepspawn’s eyes fixed upon him, felt the numbing effects of the monster’s mental hold as it tried to set its grasp upon him, to paralyze him and leave him helpless.  With a monstrous cry of defiance he shook off the effect, although it cost him another hit as the hobgoblin warrior slammed the heavily weighted end of its weapon into his armored torso.  Fixed on the true enemy, Lok surged ahead, knocking the hobgoblin roughly aside with a powerful blow.  The wizard and the elf archer barely got out of the way as the umber hulk barreled forward toward the treasure pile and the huge creature that lurked half-buried in its depths.  The archer spun and drew another arrow, aiming at the hulk’s back, and Margas raised his rod to cast another spell.  But before the mage could call upon his destructive magic once again, a fat glob of acid splashed onto his back, hissing at it burned through his tattered cloak and into his flesh.  Cal nodded to himself in grim satisfaction as his acid arrow wrought its damage.  One of his mirror images winked out as a missile darted down from the galleries above, and he caught a brief glimpse of a rat-like form as it ducked back into cover amidst the stone rubble.  More jermlaines, he thought to himself, but he could not spare more attention for them, knowing that their fate rested on their ability to quickly overcome the horror that was the leader of this motley group of enemies.The wizard staggered forward, somehow able to overcome the pain as the acid continued to eat into his back.  He lifted the rod again, and began speaking the words of a spell.  As he uttered the final word, however, a long arrow exploded through his throat from behind, turning it into a bloody gurgle.  Margas clutched at his belt for a healing potion, but could not overcome the inexorable, clawing hands of death in time as he slumped forward to the cold ground.  The elf archer plied his bow furiously, sending arrow after arrow at Lok’s back as the genasi rumbled forward toward the deepspawn.  One shot hit true, finding Lok’s true location through the displacement, but the arrowhead failed to penetrate the thick carapace of Lok’s borrowed form.  The second shot went wide, and narrowly missed the hulking form of the deepspawn further behind.  His features knotting in frustration, the elf spun and sought a new target in the diminutive form of Cal.  The hobgoblin, meanwhile, recovered and rushed after Lok, the deadly chain whirling once again as he readied his weapon for another attack.  He staggered, however, as an arrow slammed hard into his thigh, the missile burying itself deep in his limb with a flash of white frost.  The experienced warrior knew that his invisible adversary was nearby, had heard the twang of the bowstring just a moment before the arrow hit, but he was forced by a more basic, primordial call to aid the being that dominated his existence.  Limping badly he staggered forward toward Lok.The genasi-turned-umber hulk charged forward at the deepspawn.  Coins scattered noisily as he reached the edge of the mound of treasure, but he paid them no heed as he drove ahead to where the creature rested.  Several tentacles lashed out at him, slamming large weapons into him or snapping at him with the jaws at their ends.  He ignored the impact of a jagged-edged polearm that tore a deep gash in his side, and the tearing jaws that latched onto one of his arms.  Already severely hurt, Lok paid little heed to his battered, bloody frame, and instead planted his feet heavily amidst the shifting mass of coins and other precious objects that the deepspawn’s dedicated followers had collected for it.  Even in his current form, he was still a dwarven defender, and only death itself would move him from his chosen spot.  Cal grimaced as another of his images vanished.  An instant later a second missile narrowly missed him, glancing off of his still-potent shield.  He knew that he had only a few moments left before his foes penetrated his defenses, but instead of dealing with the jermlaines or the elf archer he lifted his wand and launched an acid arrow at the deepspawn.  The shot was true, striking one of the tentacles wrapped around the pillars, but as the magical bolt hit it seemed to fizzle and dissolve into nothingness.  Cal cursed—he’d suspected as much.  He knew little about the horrors named deepspawn, but from what he’d already witnessed he was not surprised to find that the beast possessed an innate resistance to magic.  Oh well, they’d have to do this the old-fashioned way, then.  The hobgoblin lurched up to the edge of the mound of treasure, the weighted ends of his spiked chain whistling through the air around his head.  Before he could strike, however, another arrow exploded into his back, burying itself to the feathers in the base of his spine.  The deadly weapon fell from nerveless fingers as the hobgoblin stumbled and then collapsed, scattering coins around as he thrashed painfully while blood poured from his wounds.  Still invisible, Benzan took a step closer to finish his crippled foe, but he suddenly halted as he felt something tug faintly at him.  He turned, and headed toward something he saw half-buried around the far edge of the mound of treasure.  Lok and the deepspawn traded titanic blows, the umber hulk tearing into the bulbous form of the creatures with his claws and huge mandibles, while the deepspawn countered with the weapons and snapping jaws of its numerous tentacles.  Only the lingering effects of the displacement kept the creature from tearing Lok to pieces, but even with half of the attacks striking empty air it was clear that the genasi would not be able to hold his ground much longer. Cal, meanwhile, had taken a scroll from his pouch, the last of the potent magics given him by his great-aunt.  Trusting in his defenses to hold just a moment longer, he unrolled the parchment and read the words of power scribed upon its surface.  His brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to direct the magic with precision, channeling its power into a use not intended by the original creators of the spell.  His focus narrowed until all of the distractions of battle around him faded into the background, and he was one with the words that he read from the scroll, one with the power that flared within him at his calling.  He did not see the last of his mirror images vanish, or the elf archer who continued to launch missiles at him, each barely turned by his shield or the invisible aura provided by his bracers of defense.  Nor did he see the shadowy form that crept out from behind one of the nearby pillars, and approached him from the side, a gleaming blade in his hand.  He completed his spell, and the spiraled runes written upon the parchment flared and vanished.  The result wasn’t immediately obvious, but if someone had been looking closely they would have seen the inner surface of one of the pillars adjacent to the deepspawn change color, from the cold, hard gray of solid stone to a pale, neutral hue almost like the color of clammy flesh...Cal held his breath, silently praying that his placement of the spell had been sufficiently precise.  The pillar shifted slightly, and a few small pieces of debris fell from the ceiling high above, but held.  Cal raised his hand, bearing one of his magical rings, but before he could call upon its power the dark shadow from behind rushed at him, thrusting his blade around Cal’s shield and deep into his side.  Cal staggered, and turned to face this new adversary.  His mouth dropped open in surprise as he recognized his attacker. “Nelan!”* * * * * Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion on Monday, and, as always, a twist to end Book VI (final post of B6 next Tuesday).</blockquote>

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