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Authors: Michael Reynolds
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with all of his strength and slammed down in an overhead arc.
Jaxius dove to the side, toward
Bergar and away from the table, just as Morgrys crashed recklessly into the
table covered with the witch's magical and alchemical mixtures. A loud hiss-pop
crackled behind him. The barbarian's screams confirmed that the accidental
explosion struck something sensitive.
"Ah! My face!" Morgrys
screamed. "It burns. It burns! I will kill you, mongrel!"
Jaxius ignored the barbarian and
followed through with his plan of rescue.
Finally within reach of Bergar,
Jaxius leaped for the crouching hag, slicing with his viortassi at her
exposed back. She whirled away just before his strike landed home. One hand
raised, she sent a bolt of white light crashing into Jaxius' face. The magical
attack flung him across the room, smashing him into the wall. His elven blade
was torn from his powerless hand, clattering away across the stone-floored
room. The half-elf crumpled weakly to the floor, smoking like a spent ember.
His vision reeled, the room spinning out of control. The witch, satisfied with
her temporary reprieve, quickly turned back to her dark work on the young
barbarian's flesh.
In his delirium Jaxius heard the
witch chanting softly to herself. He realized at length what the witch was about.
She wasn't simply torturing the boy. She was using his pain and anger. Bergar
was the centerpiece of whatever appalling spell she was casting. Jaxius had
encountered such infernal magic before, but he wasn't sure where. He did
remember that the stronger the spell the more anguish the caster had to cause
or take upon herself. The latter, Jaxius was all too glad to grant her. He just
had to find his missing blade.
He opened his swollen eyelids as far
as they would go, only to see the menacing barbarian standing over him. Jaxius'
sigh was immediately followed by a cough. A fine mist of crimson sprayed from
his mouth to the already blood-stained floor. Jaxius pushed up onto his hands
and knees, attempting to stand up. He was cut short by the searing pain of
Morgrys's boot kicking his ribs. He felt the bones crunch and collapsed back to
the floor.
Morgrys raised his warhammer high
into the air.
Jaxius knew he was finished; the
witch's magical bolt had taken too much out of him. His vision was coming and
going, blurring with every slight, pain wracking movement he made.
The huge barbarian's muscles tensed,
and Morgrys struck. He stopped mid-swing, grasping at his side. He felt the
handle of a throwing knife jutting from between his ribs and angrily ripped it out.
Tolian stood in the doorway looking
little better than Jaxius. One of his eyes had swollen completely shut and his
lip was split and bulging as well. Numerous small scrapes and nicks covered his
fine-fingered hands. Both his hair and cloak were caked with clotted blood, and
there was a large tear in his shirt that exposed a deep gash in his side.
"Hey," Tolian said. He
pointed at Morgrys. "I don't believe you want to do that."
"Oh? And who are you to stop me,
runt?"
"Funny you should ask,"
Tolian answered with a lopsided smile. "I am Tolia..."
That was all that Tolian could say
before Morgrys flung the knife back at him. The nimble song master caught the
blood-covered blade inches in front of his face. "Now, that wasn't very
nice at all. Was it? Quite rude, I should say. I shall most assuredly repay the
favor."
Tolian stepped into the room, focused
on helping his friends.
Jaxius looked up at Tolian and
mouthed, "Run." He stretched a hand out to drag himself toward the
bard.
Tolian pulled back into a defensive
stance and taunted the barbarian again. "What? You can't beat a man who is
standing at the ready? Pity, really. Of course, everyone knows that the
Nordrasians are the greater warriors, anyway."
"You shut your mouth. Better, I
will shut it for you." Morgrys stepped across the room, readying his
warhammer to strike down the mouthy bard.
Jaxius capitalized on the distraction
Tolian
Jaxius dove to the side, toward
Bergar and away from the table, just as Morgrys crashed recklessly into the
table covered with the witch's magical and alchemical mixtures. A loud hiss-pop
crackled behind him. The barbarian's screams confirmed that the accidental
explosion struck something sensitive.
"Ah! My face!" Morgrys
screamed. "It burns. It burns! I will kill you, mongrel!"
Jaxius ignored the barbarian and
followed through with his plan of rescue.
Finally within reach of Bergar,
Jaxius leaped for the crouching hag, slicing with his viortassi at her
exposed back. She whirled away just before his strike landed home. One hand
raised, she sent a bolt of white light crashing into Jaxius' face. The magical
attack flung him across the room, smashing him into the wall. His elven blade
was torn from his powerless hand, clattering away across the stone-floored
room. The half-elf crumpled weakly to the floor, smoking like a spent ember.
His vision reeled, the room spinning out of control. The witch, satisfied with
her temporary reprieve, quickly turned back to her dark work on the young
barbarian's flesh.
In his delirium Jaxius heard the
witch chanting softly to herself. He realized at length what the witch was about.
She wasn't simply torturing the boy. She was using his pain and anger. Bergar
was the centerpiece of whatever appalling spell she was casting. Jaxius had
encountered such infernal magic before, but he wasn't sure where. He did
remember that the stronger the spell the more anguish the caster had to cause
or take upon herself. The latter, Jaxius was all too glad to grant her. He just
had to find his missing blade.
He opened his swollen eyelids as far
as they would go, only to see the menacing barbarian standing over him. Jaxius'
sigh was immediately followed by a cough. A fine mist of crimson sprayed from
his mouth to the already blood-stained floor. Jaxius pushed up onto his hands
and knees, attempting to stand up. He was cut short by the searing pain of
Morgrys's boot kicking his ribs. He felt the bones crunch and collapsed back to
the floor.
Morgrys raised his warhammer high
into the air.
Jaxius knew he was finished; the
witch's magical bolt had taken too much out of him. His vision was coming and
going, blurring with every slight, pain wracking movement he made.
The huge barbarian's muscles tensed,
and Morgrys struck. He stopped mid-swing, grasping at his side. He felt the
handle of a throwing knife jutting from between his ribs and angrily ripped it out.
Tolian stood in the doorway looking
little better than Jaxius. One of his eyes had swollen completely shut and his
lip was split and bulging as well. Numerous small scrapes and nicks covered his
fine-fingered hands. Both his hair and cloak were caked with clotted blood, and
there was a large tear in his shirt that exposed a deep gash in his side.
"Hey," Tolian said. He
pointed at Morgrys. "I don't believe you want to do that."
"Oh? And who are you to stop me,
runt?"
"Funny you should ask,"
Tolian answered with a lopsided smile. "I am Tolia..."
That was all that Tolian could say
before Morgrys flung the knife back at him. The nimble song master caught the
blood-covered blade inches in front of his face. "Now, that wasn't very
nice at all. Was it? Quite rude, I should say. I shall most assuredly repay the
favor."
Tolian stepped into the room, focused
on helping his friends.
Jaxius looked up at Tolian and
mouthed, "Run." He stretched a hand out to drag himself toward the
bard.
Tolian pulled back into a defensive
stance and taunted the barbarian again. "What? You can't beat a man who is
standing at the ready? Pity, really. Of course, everyone knows that the
Nordrasians are the greater warriors, anyway."
"You shut your mouth. Better, I
will shut it for you." Morgrys stepped across the room, readying his
warhammer to strike down the mouthy bard.
Jaxius capitalized on the distraction
Tolian
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