"Thomas! Keep going ... I'll be right behind you."
Denenor had encountered bandits before, but his ability to flicker from place to place proved difficult for them to overcome. That and the fog he conjured to follow made giving them the slip easy. Though these alleys were more confined, he hoped the same principles would apply.
A word, a wave, and a brief gust from his body invoked a faint fog throughout the area.
Periodically peering into the mouth of the well, Marcusic nervously paces back and forth, his sword and shield gripped tightly in their respective hands. There's little else the soldier can do at the moment, and the lack eats at his patience and self-control.
Back towards the shrine, a voice cries out, "I got ya! Hang on!" Thomas feels a terrible sensation as the dwarf begins to materialize right on top of him, but the feeling vanishes and the dwarf is gone.
Up top, Marcusic hears a grunt and looks southwest. His eyes match the gaze of a grizzled dwarf he remembers from the church. The dwarf, looking surprised momentarily, shrugs and charges at Marcusic. The dwarf races forward and bites the human on the lower leg.
Thomas rushes to get up the well.
Keeping the precipitation at its current level of mist, the farmer made after Thomas, meaning to depart from the rabid assailant as quickly as possible.
Maddok draws his weapon and closes on his ward. "Where is the enemy? Stay behind me!"
"The teleporting dwarf! I don't know where he is! I must get to Gunther!"
Thomas begins to ascend the walls of the well while Denenor looks up at him Unable to find a way to climb himself, he hesitates at the bottom of the well.
The soldier stares in surprise at the unexpected dwarf, though his surprise quickly turns to shock--leavened with a hefty dose of foul language--when the latter charges and bites him. "Gods, you sawed-off, filthy whoreson, did you just bite me? What is wrong with you," Marcusic exclaims angrily as he shakes the biter loose. The soldier then grips his sword and begins to sing, a glare fixed on the dwarf as the song fills the small garden and echoes off of the walls surrounding it. As the song's magic takes hold, Marcusic feels a welcome rush of strength and vigor, and a wisp in the shape of soldier slowly takes shape at his side. The spectral creature, its form and features more hinted at than defined, lashes out at the dwarf with the weapon it grips.
As the spirit strikes the dwarf, he lets out a heavy grunt, "Umphf!".
"Damn it all!" Maddok curses as he hears the battle move up above again. "Cut down that fool already Marcusic!"
The bodyguard clutches his cudgel tightly and holds his ground. "Stay down here Thomas. As long as we're split like this he can pick at our flanks."
Rolling his eyes at the dimly-heard shout from the bodyguard, the skald pauses his song long enough to yell back down the well,
The two fighters exchange niceties as one engages the enemy and the other does his best to prepare.
After turning back to the dwarf, the song resuming quite easily following the brief pause, Marcusic and the spirit simultaneously lash out with their respective weapons.
Hit
Crit?
Nope
Marcusic grimaces as he swings his sword in a powerful arc, striking the dwarf in the ribs. The audible cracking of the ribs betrays the dwarf's stoic and unyielding look. A look that is wiped from his face when the spirit slams him in the back blowiangthe air from his lungs. The dwarf recovers and assaults Marcusic. "Not bad for a dandy!" he mutters as he swipes at the skald with his claws. The first claw rakes across Marcusic's face, and he feels the warm trickle of blood down his cheeks. The second claw strikes his neck, but the gorget of his rider's plate saves his exposed arteries. The claw still lacerate him, but his life is spared. The dwarf then attempts to bite Marcusic, but misses wildly.
In the underbelly of Oldtown, Maddok hears feet suffering in the small tunnel leading out of the well shaft. Someone approaches.
Thomas hates disobeying his mother and she did put Maddok in charge when it comes to these situations but between the sound of Marcusic's pain and Gunther's release from undeath, Thomas continues to climb.
Seeing Marcusic injured he touches the man, letting some of the Mother's light pass into him. "Do not fear, courageous warrior. A wound is where the light enters. In this darkened world, the Sacred Mother still shines. She shines!"
Thomas climbs out of the well and heals the haggard skald with teeth marks on his thigh.
Warping beside Thomas, Denenor felt the worst had been avoided. Now to get us all together and out of here!
He thought about drawing his bow but then felt better of it; this was not a time to hunt game, but a time to avoid being the hunted.
Denenor pops up into the gardens to see Marcusic fighting off the dwarf.
Maddok curses and follows his ward back up to the surface.
Maddok makes his way up 20' of the well. Still 10' from the top, he hears the sounds of battle.
The vicious flurry of clawing strikes leaves the soldier reeling momentarily, though his song continues with only the faintest hitch in his voice indicating the pain he's in. So Thomas' unexpected and quite timely intervention is a welcome surprise, and he quicky sidesteps to interpose himself beteeen the healer and the dwarf.
Still, though the worst of his wounds have sealed themselves shut, Marcusic is still a bit unsteady on his feet, and his next swing of the heavy sword isn't quite as sure as the previous one was. The spirit aiding him seems likewise to falter in its own attack.
The dwarf deftly avoids Marcusic's blade, but fails to anticipate the slam from spirit. With a mighty roar the dwarf transforms. His face elongates, turning green and scaly. His arms grow thick and powerful with sharp claws. From under his chain shirt, a long tail extends. Within moments, he has become a large green dragon. His ferocious attack startles Marcusic, and Finmoc is able to bite into the skald's torso.
Below ground, the human acts with abnormal speed calling upon his powers to immediately teleport above ground. He sets his sights on Thomas and fires two arrows, both of which strike the young priest of Teysura.
The teleporting archer's arrows gravely wound Thomas, but they cannot stop him from his purpose: to save Gunther. He stumbles forward coughing blood before lifting up the crystalline cherry tree and releasing the goddess' great gift.
Thomas' eyes are closed, so he does not see great glory of the goddess, but one of the arrows falls from his side.
With a burst of light the tiny tree explodes in radiant energy. As renewed strength fills Thomas and Marcusic, the young cleric is struck with awe and reverence. A single, crystal blossom detaches itself from the tree and drifts towards Haessen and the quivering Gunther. Haessen mesmerized by the sight, reaches out a hand to take the luminous bulb.
Maddok growls in frustration as he finishes his climb.
Arriving at the top of the well, Maddok erects a barrier of churning waters. [b]"Enough![/ooc]
Happy to see his allies again, the farmer stepped next to them, then invoked the power of the earth; he summoned power in a fist, and in a stentorian syllable, crouched to the ground, opening his hand to press palm-first against it. Rumbling could be heard as a tremor traced a path to fell the foe farthest away from them.
Water erupts from the ground. Spinning around the group, the barrier rises higher and higher until fully encompasses them. The dwarf looks up and grunts something inaudible. With surprise, the Quintian human shouts, "That's not going stop us! He's going to..." He stops suddenly as the ground begins to shake violently. He stumbles, but is able to catch his balance at the last moment.
Though the dragon is a startling change of pace--and Marcusic's more scholarly side idly wonders if this is a true dragon, someone of dragon blood tapping their heritage, or just clever spellwork--the skald doesn't stop singing or attacking. With the unarmored Denenor at his back, he doesn't dare shift postion to engage more favorably with Maddock aid, so Marcusic settles his shield and prepares to receive the dwarf-dragon's answering attacks after his sword stroke.
Marcusic's sword arcs through the air and slices at the dragon's flanks. It roars in pain, but recovers in time to avoid the spirit's slam. Bloodied and beaten, the beast roars as it prepares to attack. Using that moment to attack, Vivaldo fires two arrows at Denenor. The first arrow strikes the watery barrier, bursting it, but the second arrow flies overhead.
The dragon swipes its claws at the skald. It's first blow nearly decapitates Marcusic, but he ducks and avoids it. However, the maneuver left him vulnerable to a second blow. The dragons claws rakes across his face and chest. A severe wound opens on his forehead and blood begins to wash over his face. As he shifts to clear the redness from his eyes, the dragon's bite goes wide.
Thomas spares one final desparate glance back towards Gunther. It is the sincere prayer of his heart that he had used the Sacred Mother's gift in the proper manner. He hopes that it saved the man he loves. Yet, like his goddess, Thomas' heart is capacious. He knows that Gunther is not the only person here who needs healing.
Light in the form of a cherry tree springs from the earth, healing the living who fight on the side of the living.
Maddok abandons readying his shield in favor of a more ferocious response – a swift transformation into his mighty bear form. The ursine bodyguard roars a challenge and lumbers forward to engage the dragon-dwarf.
The young half-elf had just produced a beacon of light from the small cherry tree healing himself and Marcusic when Maddok erupts into the form of a massive bear, lumbering forward at the dragon.
With a desperate glance, Thomas sees the still form of Gunther still lying at the feet of Haessen who now stands above the apprentice wizard with his back to the battle. Haessen's dark form, silhouetted by the glowing bloom. Low murmurs come from the old cleric as he chants an ancient prayer and releases the bloom. With a soft pink glow, the bloom descends upon Gunther and envelops him.
As Haessen steps back from Gunther, the wizard lets out a horrific scream and writhes upon the ground. "Thomas! Heal him again! I have no strength for it..." Haessen calls out.
With the archer momentarily stymied, and Maddok roaring--literally so--into the fight, Marcusic feels a definite sense of relief, though it's tempered by the knowledge that they still have to win, and make their way back to the Bright Tower's safety. Not to mention the situation with their nascent undead and reason for being here to begin with. But that's for later, right now there's a dragon, or dwarf, or whatever he is in need of putting down, and the soldier's blade lashes out yet again, as does that of his spectral cohort.
With a violent swing, Marcusic off-balances himself, and the skald tumbles to the ground in a cloud of dust. Denenor hollers at the fallen warrior, "Get up and fight!" Raising his hands above his head he begins to summon swirling winds about the group. The winds throw of Vivaldo's aim at first, but he adjusts to the conditions and strikes the elf with an arrow.
The dragon roars and claws at Marcusic. The skalds chestplate is ripped open as his flesh is torn. He gasps for air and drifts into unconsciousness. Spinning his head around, the dragon snaps is jaws around the giant bear's neck. It's sharp teeth penetrate deep into its hide.
Thomas continues to dispense the light of his goddess' grace, this time including Gunther in its glow.
Gunther lets out a moan as his body relaxes from the contorted anguish that has ravaged him since the group discovered the young wizard.
Bear-Maddok roars in pain and shakes himself free from his opponent's jaws.
He circles briefly looking for an opening before leaping forward to maul the dragon.
The ursine Maddok swipes a large paw at the dragon who rears up on its hind legs to avoid the blow. However, in doing so, it exposes it's large underside. Maddok doesn't fail to take advantage and gores the dragon's belly open before clamping onto the bloody flesh with its powerful jaws and tearing out several vital organs. The dragon collapses with a fading roar only to revert to the form of the grizzled, old dwarf. "Finmoc!" shouts the archer. "He's... he's dead."
Haessen places his hands on Gunther and continues to pray over the sickened wizard as Denenor brings up the winds to an even higher velocity making Vivaldo flinch as the archer's shot would surely be more difficult now. With an echoing groan, Gunter pushes himself up to a seated position. His head is bowed low.
Marcusic drops under the transformed dragon's vicious assault, the song cutting off in mid-word and taking its boons with it, the spectral soldier blinking out of sight just as it completes its own attack. He doesn't know how long he's been down and out, but Marcusic isn't at all unhappy to return to consciousness to the sight of the bear giving the dragon a mauling in turn, and as the reptile goes down in death, the soldier stumblingly gets himself back upright and resumes singing; there's still a foe remaining to see to, and he can't slack in his part.