Turn 43

Waking up a little groggy, Jeremy is surprised to see Darenna standing above him with a finger to her lips. As he hears the creaking of the floor above him he realizes that their trap has not worked the way that they had intended. Thinking that the intruders are probably not aware of their presence in this house, Jeremy goes over the mental inventory of spells that he can use in their defense,and decides that he will attempt to put the assailants to sleep first and if that does not work he will cast his light spell at the eyes of one of them to blind him while Darenna attacks the other. That will give him a chance to open the portal in the wall and get the others in here for some help.Thinking to himself,  "I guess I could just open the portal, but then the others coming through it would make enough noise to scare off the ones who would like to think they are going to surprise us. With any luck, they will be asleep and tied up before anyone gets hurt, and we can get the others in here to start the interogation." With that thought, Jeremy reaches into his pouch for the components needed tocast his sleep spell and waits next to Toby and his mother. Placing his hands together and leaning his head over onto them then gesturing upstairs to Darenna, Jeremy hopes that she understands what he intends to do and does not get caught in the spell. Darenna nods to Jeremy, stepping aside to let the young mage work his magic. Whispering softly, he tosses a pinch of sand up the stairs completing the spell, smiling as he awaits the telltale "thump" of a body dropping to the floor. The seconds pass 'til he hears another creaking floorboard, this one further towards the wall to Toby's house. With a shrug, he motions Darenna to follow, then moves up the stairway. When he gains the second floor, he motions to Darenna to watch her eyes, then looks across the small hallway. At the end is an open door, and the two approach cautiously. From inside, they can hear the sound of a hinge creaking ever so slightly. At the door, Jeremy peeks around the corner. Silhouetted before an open window, Jeremy sees a man, wrapped in a cloak, dark as the night. As Jeremy prepares his light spell, the figure reached up to the window frame, about to step into the space when it turned its head to glance behind. With a snarl almost inhuman, the figure spun around, drawing a short blade from beneath it's cloak. Before it could take a step forwards, Jeremy opened his palm, revealing a small piece of phosphorescent moss. As he and Darenna closed their eyes, he called forth a magical light which immediately engulfed the entire room. The figure before them howled as if in pain, throwing it's hands before it's face. As Jeremy and Darenna opened their eyes, they could see the thing swinging wildly before it with its blade. With one hand it ripped back its hood, revealing the face of man, but hideously scarred, as if by fire. "You'll pay for that, wizard," he growled as he attempted to blink away the light. Before Jeremy could respond, Darenna stepped before him, blade in hand. "Not lest you get by me, fiend," she replied venemously, her pent up anger finally allowed to surface. "And I wouldn't wager on that happening." As Darenna steps in front of Jeremy to fight the now blind assailant,Jeremy pulls his dagger and goes flat against the wall. Trying to stay out of reach, Jeremy attempts to move around behind the attacker, hoping that Darenna's voice will distract him.

Unaware of what is happening in the house next door, Floyd remains watchful at his position in Toby's house. Harlan finds a comfortable wall to lean back against and tries to sort outwhat they've learned this confusing day. He double checks his reagents and holy symbol. Something tells him that they might be needed before the nightis over. As the hours wore on, Dayte rubbed his eyes and took a drink of water from his flask. He was tired and got to his feet, stretching to help him stay awake. He sat back down again, holding his axe upright so that if he fell asleep it would clatter to the floor. Finlly hearing the cry from next door, Floyd instantly became worried for Toby's safety. Hoping that the ambush had not been discovered, and that the murderer had no idea that Toby's location had been switched. Floyd concentrated on what the sound could mean. Realizing the sound could be a diversion, Floyd became visible and moved over to Harlan to discuss things. Keeping his voice low he said to Harlan. "That sound next door will have to be investigated and Toby's safety checked on. Do you think I should slip next door and find out what is happening?" Harlan agrees with Floyd: "Yes, . . . I suppose you're right. I'd go with you, but I'm sure I would give us away. You can move about quieter than I can stand still. Be careful and be sure not to alarm Darenna and Jeremy.Wouldn't want to see a fight break out among friends."If Floyd departs for next door, Harlan will rise from his comfortable spotagainst the wall and become a bit more alert to cover for Floyd's absence

Back next door, Jeremy begins to move slowly along the wall, in an attempt to move behind the assassin, when the man glances towards him, obviously still able to see. "You missed," he hisses angrily, whipping a dart a pair of darts towards Jeremy with his right hand. One slaps harmlessly against the wall, inches from the mage's face, but the other bites painfully into his right arm.[* 2]

"Stand back," cried Darenna as she stepped forwards, her longsword slashing out before her in a viscious downward stroke. The assassin caught her swing at the last instant, barely moving out of the way as the sword flashed harmlessly by. "You'll have to do better than that," he said, bring his short sword up to the ready. The dart hitting Jeremy in the shoulder before he has time to react to the surprise at the attacker being able to see, takes him offguard. Regaining his composure, Jeremy runs out of the room and downstairs to open the portal between the two houses. Once the portal is opened, Jeremy sticks his head through and motions for the others that are awake to follow him. "We have an intruder upstairs in thishouse. Some of you come help Darenna, while the rest go outside to flank him before he can get away." With that Jeremy returns to Toby and his mother and reaches for a dagger when he realizes that he has not yet taken the dart out of his shoulder. Pulling the dart free,Jeremy stands next to them with a dagger drawn as a last line ofdefense.

Outside, Kep'e took up his hiding place among the foliage and waited.He had moved across the pathway nearer to the house and settled down,motionless but prepared to spring out at the first sign of an intruder. The cry from the house did not surprise him, he was used to such sounds in the night while hunting on the plains, but he did react.With his saber drawn, he glanced first away from the house and then(if no one or thing was approaching or standing to that side) turned and raced foreward. Having received Harlan's approval to investigate the cry from next door,Floyd made his way down stairs. On reaching the ground floor, Jeremy madehis appearance through the wall calling for assistance. Floyd quickly called back upstairs to Harlan. "Quick Harlan, we are needed next door, the plan has worked." Floyd made himself invisible again before going through the magic portal Jeremy created. Harlan hears Jeremy's call and is moving before Floyd relays the urgent message. He keeps his staff at the ready as he proceeds down the stairs and follows Floyd into the neighboring house. Harlan tries to remain calm and move carefully, but his heart is racing and his feet are moving faster than his sense of caution tells him is safe. Almost as an afterthought in the excitement, Harlan asks of Jeremy: "Are Toby and his mother safe? Is the murderer by himself?" With a speed of urgency and composure Graeneth draws his sword and heads straight through the portal where Jeremy has beckoned. Big strides coverthe distance up the steps in a few bounds, and very quickly the paladindashes over to where Darenna and the assailant are."Foul assassin! May justice be served." Graeneth salutes with his sword and attacks. Seeing that Graeneth and Darenna are dealing with the attacker directly,Harlan opts for the "outside flank" role. He surveys the yard looking for other signs of trouble or other party members that might not have been alerted and then returns his attention to the doorway. If the murderer tries to flee, Harlan will try to trip him up with his staff by hitting him in thelower legs.

Jeremy steps aside to let the others pass, watching as they rush by him and up the stairs. In the commotion, Toby's mother has awakened, and she now moves over towards Harlan, holding Toby tight to her side. "What is happening?" she asks, as the others pass by. Before Harlan can answer, he hears a groan from behind him, followed by a load thud. Spinning around, he sees Jeremy sprawled out on the floor.[*5]

Moving over to him, he sees that the mage is still alive, although very weak. As he's kneeling above the nearly unconscious mage, Kep'e rushes into the room, nearly tripping over the two of them. Meanwhile, the battle upstairs continued to rage. When Jeremy fled from the room, the assassin turned his attention to Darenna, who swung her sword wildly at his head. He leaned back just in time, her blade barely nicking face and drawing a thin line of blood across his scared cheek. "You'll pay for that, wench," he hissed, stabbing ahead with his short sword. Off balance by her swing, Darenna could not evade the deft stab of the assassin, who's blade easily pierced her leather armor. She groaned loudly as the sword dug deep into the right side of her abdomen.[* 6]   Falling backwards, the sword made an eerie sucking sound as pulled out of her wound, blood dripping freely to the wooden floorboards. "First blood was yours," he goaded, watching her bite back the pain, "but mine bit deeper." Knowing her wound was serious, though not life threatening, Darenna stepped back, bringing her sword into a defensive position. She would have to hold him here until the others arrived, she thought quickly. As the assassin moved in for the kill, she could here Jeremy's voice below, hopefully having opened the portal once again. With one hand holding her side, she parried a succession of blows from the assassin, who grinned with evil excitement. His blows rained on her quickly, nearly connecting a couple of times, but she was able to deflect them harmlessly at the last moment. Her breathing became more labored, and Darenna feared that she could not keep up her defense much longer when she heard the pounding of mailed feet on wood, swiftly approaching. The assassin must have heard too, as he glanced towards the doorway. Cursing, he backed away from Darenna, who held her sword before her, fearing a trick. Suddenly, Graeneth burst into the room with a flourish, with Dayte and Cord close behind. With her friends between her and the assassin, Darenna slumped back against the wall breathed a sigh of relief. The assassin saw the three warriors enter the room, and he immediately knew he was outmatched. He spun around, his cloak waving behind him, and rushed towards the window dove out.  

There was no need of thought for Cord to get a grip on the situation at hand.As soon as he broke into the room along with Graeneth and Dayte and saw the attacker trying to leave the scene, he instantly knew the best way of action, his training and warrior instincts, guiding him unnerringly...With one fluid motion Cord sends his hand axe flying against the fleeing assassin and at the same time tumbles out of his comrades way trying to ready bow and arrow, just in case...

Dayte ran into the room, short sword drawn - he had felt sure there would be no room here to swing his axe.He chased after the assassin - if he made it to the window, Dayte jumped out after him [OOC: yikes, talk about hot-blooded foolishness!] trying to makesure that, wherever they landed, he fell on top of the assassin. At the first opportunity he would attack the man with his sword.

Harlan quickly calls to Kep'e: "Outside! I'll make sure Jeremy is O.K., then I'll be right behind you." Harlan then applies immediate first aid and moveJeremy to a comfortable position. He doesn't like the fact that he's so weak, so Harlan whispers a prayer and places his hand over Jeremy's most serious wound. [ooc: Cure Light Wounds]  Smiling, Harlan reassures him:"Jeremy, my friend, it looks like you're going to make it."  If Jeremy is much better, Harlan will help him to his feet.If he's still weak, he will advise him to rest a bit longer. Turning toToby's mother: "He'll be fine, just keep an eye on him and call for me if his condition turns."Harlan stands and heads toward the door, but after a few steps realizes that Toby, his mother and Jeremy are probably in no condition to defend themselves should the assassin enter the room. Not quite sure what's going on upstairs,he takes a position by the bottom of the stairs and calls up for information. Harlan sees little improvement in Jeremy after the spell and decides to stay by his side. "Not so fast, my friend! The others will take care of the murderer. You just lay back and relax. How does that shoulder feel? Any numbness?" If it looks like Jeremy is holding his own, Harlan will not cast another spell just yet. If Jeremy takes a turn for the worse, Harlan will cast another cure. He examines the wound for signs of poison (esp. the yellowish color!). If it does in fact look like poison, Harlan will cast slow poison and let the rest of the party know that we'll need to find a healer.

Upstairs, Cord’s axe tumbled end over end, whipping by the assassin and sailing harmlessly out the window. As he moved to the side and readied his bow, the killer continued his flight, leaping to the window sill and, in one fluid motion, flung himself into the night. Sword in hand, Dayte rushed through the window himself. As he lept through it, he saw the falling assassin reach up for a tree limb. He grabbed it deftly, intent on swinging easily to the ground, but the limb proved too brittle and snapped in twain, dropping the would-be acrobat to the hard ground with a thud. Unfortunately, Dayte too now found himself in a similar predicament. Desperately, he tried to stop himself, grabbing onto the window shutter with his free hand. He swung around, slammed into the wall with a crash, then fell to the ground as the shutter ripped from its wooden hinge. [*3 damage total] He got to his feet with a quickness born as much by embarassment as excitement, spinning around to face the killer. He too was on his feet, his eyes locking on Dayte's with such intense loathing and hatred that even Dayte felt the terrible coldness of it.

Meanwhile, Harlan continued to administer to Jeremy and prayed that the poison, for that is what is seemed, would work it evil slowly. Confident that the mage would be alright, for Jeremy already began to rise, albeit slowly and with effort, Harlan stood up, gripping his staff tightly, prepared to defend his charges. Feeling the poison work its way through his system, Jeremy attemptsto rise again, thinking of the safety of the boy, but is too weak todo so. Letting the exhaustion come over him he gives in to it andlays back down next to Toby's bed and drifts off to sleep, trusting in his companions to help him when the opportunity presents itself.  Smiling as he drifts off into poison induced slumber, Jeremy dreams of the day when he is a powerful mage and commands respect from all those around him. With Harlan taking care of Jeremy's wounds, and with three other members of the group joining Darenna upstairs, Floyd takes the only option open to him and makes his way outside to prevent any attempt at escape. Remaining invisible, he makes his way to below the window in which the fighting is taking place. Should he come across the murderer, Floyd intends to silently move up behind him and strike him down with his trusty short sword. Knowing that defending against an arrow is much more difficult than against a blade - especially when you are already defending against a skilled swordsman - Cord decides to strike the assassin from afar. After all the assassin is alone, facing half a dozen experienced adventurers.No matter how good he may be, he is bound to fall under the group's onslaught... Having the assassin's chest in sight, Cord draws the bowstring and is about to send an arrow flying against him, then a thought strikes his mind..."his only chance is to flee"...and then grinning Cord changes his target to the assassin's leg and readies himself for the shot. The assassin,dancing around while sword-playing against Dayte is no easy target, but then again Cord is no amateur bowman - he knows that he can cripple the man!

Unaware of the peril from Cord's arrow, Dayte attacked the assassin with his shortsword. He wished he had his trusted battle axe to hand, but did not feel he could afford the luxury of the time it would take to get it to hand.  Above all, he needed to delay this man until the others arrived, whateverthe costs. He tried, during the fight, to maneuver himself between the assassin and any quick means of escape. Floyd was just slipping outside when the assassin leapt from the window, followed immediately by Dayte. He continued around behind him, preparing to strike from behind as the killer turned his cold gaze on Dayte. Suddenly, an arrow streaked from the window where Cord was taking careful aim at the killer's leg. The missle whipped through the air with a frightful whistle, striking the man squarely in the left knee. It blasted clear through the joint, protruding three-quarters through the backside, bringing bits of bone and tissue with it. With a scream of pain, the assassin dropped to the ground, grabbing his knee with his left hand. Dayte continued to advance on the assassin, his face red with an intent anger.

Meanwhile, Kep'e made his way outside as well, circling around to the rear to cut off any possible escape. As he came up behind the assassin, he could see the horrible wound inflicted by Cord's arrow. Dayte pulled back his shortsword to give a hefty swing, and brought down theflat of the blade on his prone opponent. Much as the man deserved to die,and undoubtedly he would in the long run, he thought the others would not forgive him if he let the opportunity to capture him alive go by.Whoever had fired that arrow had now made that hope a sincere possibility. With the assassin seemingly surrounded, Graeneth decides to dash back down the stairs to have one quick check on Toby and his mother, and Darenna as well, before swinging out of the house to where the confrontation was. Harlan keeps watch over the three inside the house. He is particularly interested in the poison that has inflicted Jeremy. Harlan wants to learn as much as possible about the poison, its symptoms and effects and, possibly, a cure. If Jeremy permits him, and if he is coherent, Harlan will further examine and question him about the poison. "I'm afraid all I was able to do was slow the poison's effects. Now, does it hurt when I do... this...?" Looking up into Harlan's eyes, unable to speak due to the intense pain and dryness in his mouth, Jeremy's body jerks from the pain and he clinches his eyes shut. Trying to ignore the pain, Jeremy slowlystarts to go over his spells in his mind. Drifting off into a tranceto avoid the pain, Jeremy's eyes loosen up, but stay closed, and his breathing slows down to a slow shallow pattern. As his chest barely moves up and down to show that he is still breathing, although not much, Jeremy forgets the ordeal that his body is going through. "Rest my friend," Harlan tries to comfort Jeremy, knowing that unfortunately words do little to ease intense pain. He wets a piece of clean cloth and places it up to Jeremy's mouth in an attempt to soothe someof the dryness. When that is done, he looks around for materials he can use to make a litter. Harlan asks Toby's mother: "Have you two poles and a bedsheet that we might use to transport my friend to a healer?"When the fighting outside is finished, Harlan will call: "Folks, Jeremy needs the care of a healer more skilled than I. I'll need someone to help carry him and I'd like a strong sword to accompany us. We cannot afford to waste much time with curious onlookers."

When Graeneth comes downstairs, he too checks the condition of the others. Darenna would seem to be the most grievously wounded; nevertheless, she stands leaning against the wall, her sword almost dangling from her hand. Harlan has Jeremy under control; in fact, the color is slowly beginning to return to the young mage's cheeks. With a smile to the rest, he shows that he is feeling better, bringing a sigh to Harlan's nervous visage. Cord barely pauses a second to survey the scene as he rushes past everyone, nearly slamming into the wall where the portal once was. He jerks to a halt, glancing back at Jeremy as if to ask him to reopen it, then spins around and runs for the back door. Without a word, he swings it open and exits the house, leaving the door open behind him. A groan from Darenna and a gasp from Graeneth alert Harlan that he has focused completely on Jeremy to the exclusion of the needs of the rest ofthe party. "It's been a long night, Darenna, I seem to have overlooked your injuries." Noticing that she still clutches her sword, Harlan adds, "I'm impressed by your dicipline, but I don't think you'll need your weapon for a while." With Darrenna's permission, Harlan attempts to get her in to a comfortable position and administer first aid. He looks carefully for signs of poison and finding none, places his hands over the most serious wounds and whispers the now all too familair prayer to Celestian, "Through the power of the stars the heavens. . . may your body be healed."

Graeneth gives himself a moment's pause to survey the situation in the house. Looking at Jeremy being tended by Harlan allows him the assurance that the mage is not doing too badly. "Protection. Valour. Life." The tenets of the paladin's faith prevented him from dashing out after the assassin, as Cord had done. Graeneth trusted that the others outside would handle the killer. He was needed here, to see to Toby and his mother, to see to Darenna, and Jeremy if need be. Slowly he sheathed his sword, and approached Harlan who was at that moment invoking Celestian's grace over the female warrior. "Does she need more attention?" Graeneth will lay on hands if necessary for Darenna or Jeremy.

Seeing the assassin disabled by Cord's arrow, Floyd silently moved in for the telling blow. With Dayte attempting to capture the assassin, Floyd follows suit and uses the flat of his short sword.

Kep'e ran from the doorway with his Saber in his hand. So the assassin had not entered from the front or decided to leave the way he had the last time. As he turned the corner of the house he heard the piercing sound of a missle flying through the air then the merged sounds of a meaty thunk and a scream of pain. Ahead of him he could see a man rolling in agony, his hands gripped around his leg and nearby both Floyd and another of his new companions. Kep'e raced forward to join the pair and hopefully help in the capture of this wounded tiger. As the three heroes advanced on the fallen assailant, Cord and Graeneth disappeared from the window, quickly making their way downstairs. Just as they turned away, the killer pulled a small glass vial from out of his pocket, popping the top with his thumb. "You'll never capture me alive," he croaks hoarsely, staring ahead at Dayte as he advanced. Knowing he would be able to easily quaff the potion before the big man could reach him, he grinned wickedly, emitting a throaty cough as he raised the vial to his bloated lips.

Seeing the killer pulling a small glass vial from out of his pocket, Floyd realises his intentions before he declares them out loud to everyone. Not being confident that he would be able to wrestle the small glass vial from the killers grasp. Floyd attempts to smash the vial with his short sword, before it reaches the killers lips. He appears out of thin air, his short sword whipping towards the vial in a downward arc, but the assassin, though caught unawares, somehow managed to avoid the blade. As Floyd fought to ready his weapon for another strike, all could see it was too late. In a swift motion, the man threw back his head, downing the vial's contents in a single gulp. A choice swear word escapes from Floyd's mouth as his short sword misses the vial in the killers hand. Seeing the killer drink its contents he looksat Dayte hopelessly. "I think we're going to need a Cleric!" Dayte carried on with his blow, striking him as hard as he could - he may have quaffed the poison but that did not mean he was dead yet, and he wasn't taking any chances. "When his heart stops beating, I stop fighting!" he announced. Floyd shouted a protest at Dayte's attack. "No we must take him alive. Beat him unconscious if you have to. But keep him alive. I'm sure Harlan can do something about the poison." Floyd then attempts to put his own advise into practice, and tries to strike the killer with the flat of his sword.

While Harlan is busy inside, he is mostly oblivious to the events outside-- only that the fight is dying down. However, hearing his name and the word "poison" in the same sentence has him more than a bit concerned. After things have stabilized inside, Harlan moves to the doorway to try and get an idea of what has transpired. Upon seeing the injuries and the vial, Harlan calls out, "Careful! Don't assume that's poison. A potion that quickly heals serious wounds might alter the equation a bit." [If the situation permits -- i.e. the baddie is completely subdued]  Harlan moves over and examines the assassin and his vial. He's become all too familiar with poison lately, and looks for the usual signs. Before anyone could react, however, the man began to fade, bits of his clothing and body dissolving before their eyes in whisps of fog. Within seconds, there was nothing left except an insubstantial cloud which hovered above the ground where the man had lain.Seeing the man disappear, Harlan says, "That's no poison I've ever seen. Dayte, I hope your blow got him. I'd hate to have some etheral form following us. Who knows when the effect of his potion might wear off." Harlan then moves to the members of the party and tends to their wounds and adds, "Jeremy's stable, but needs a healer to purge the poison from his system. I'd like to take him as soon as possible."

Floyd stood over the cloud of gas where the man had lain. A confused look onhis face. Seeing Harlan approach he asks. "Is the killer dead or has he just transformed himself to escape." Thinking for a moment Floyd adds. "Can we dispel the magic of the potion he swallowed?" "Mage!" Dayte yelled at the top of his voice. "He then remembered that Jeremy had been injured upstairs." Dayte's face was not a happy one and he strutted about the cloud like afather waiting for an errant daughter's return. "I have seen this before," he said to Harlan in explanation. "A man turning to gas to escape, then reforming once the danger is gone. Of course he cannot go anywhere as he is unconscious, but he will perhaps come to before the potion wears off, and I'd prefer if we could return him to his solid state before that." He looked up at the others."Have any of you any powers to dispel this magic, or can we quickly get someone who can?" he asked.

Harlan gives it serious thought for a minute, believing that noone in the party has anything remotely close to a "dispell cloud" spell. "I'm afraid I won't be of much help here. Under different circumstances I would say that Jeremy's wild magic would be our best bet. I'm not sure what good it would do, but without outside help about all we can do is detect whether or not the cloud is evil. If our assailant in gaseous from is truly unconscious, he may drift with the breeze until the potion wears off. I've heard that these effects will sometimes last for more than an hour. If only we had a way of keeping the gas right here where we can keep an eye on it...."

"Then we fighters should remain here while the rest take Jeremy and the boy to safety," Dayte declared. "You should return as soon as you can, and sendany assistance that might help us. We will await his return to solid state, or attempt to follow him if he regains consciousness."

"I go with Boy, Tiger no more, maybe more Tigers wait for boy."Kep'e said gesturing toward the surrounding town with his saber. Feeling better, Jeremy gets to his feet, although still very sluggish, his desire to know what has become of the attacker drives him outside and along the house to where everyone else is standing looking at the mist hovering above the ground. Hearing the others talking about the attacker in mist form, Jeremy comes up with anidea. "Why don't we find something to put him in, like a largecanteen, waterpot or something else that is air tight so that he cannot escape until we wish him to, or the potion wears off and hereverts back to his original form? That way we can place him in a secure area and when the potion wears off, he is already contained."Feeling very dizzy from the walk around the house, Jeremy sits down against the side of the house and places his head between his legs. Beginning to breath a little easier, Jeremy looks up at the group and adds, "There should be something in the house that would work to hold him until the potion wears off." A mischievous grin spread across Dayte's features." My friend, you inspire me! I wonder if we could find a set of bellows that might be used to capture our gaseous opponent, then put him into a nice big bottle or jar!" Dayte set about trying to find such a thing - if the houses did not have one for tending their fires, a sure bet would be a blacksmith's shop nearby. He set about his task with a sense of urgency, for the assassin might awaken at any moment.

Harlan sees what Jeremy and Dayte are contemplating. "I'd hate to think what would happen if you didn't get all of the cloud into the container. Even if he were able to reform in body, he might be short a vital organ ortwo." He doesn't verbalize the bizzare thought he just had about what would happen if they had to use multiple jars, or a container that is smaller than a human form... Seeing Jeremy on his feet gives causes Harlan to give a silent prayer of thanks to Celestain. "Looks like we won't need that stretcher after all. Jermey, if you think you have the strength, we'd best be going to the healer's soon." Harlan observes and inquires among the other members ofthe party if anyone else has injuries that are beyond the group's capabilities to heal. Agreeing with Harlan that a trip to the healer would be the right choice to make at this time, Jeremy pulls himself up the wall and prepares himself for the trip. Bending over and resting with his hands on his knees, Jeremy looks up and smiles at Harlan to let him know that he is ready to start when ever he is. Looking to the others around the floating mist, "If you find acontainer to hold him, place a small sponge or something of thatnature in it before you close it up. When he reforms, he will reform with that inside of him most likely. It won't be a serious injury ifthe sponge is small enough, but it will be painful and make questioning him a little easier, I think." Looking away from the group and back to Harlan, Jeremy feels the pain and unease in his own insides from the poison and smiles at the thought of returning the favor. After standing over the cloud as Jeremy explained his idea, Floyd's curiosity finally got the better of him. Using his hand Floyd separated asmall amount of the gas from the cloud and then released it to see if it would reform. "If the cloud stays together I think the bellows idea will work Dayte." The gaseous cloud parts easily as Floyd waves his hand through it, then flouts softly back together.

Jeremy looks up and smiles, as Dayte returns with a bellows, appropriated from a nearby smithy. Using a large water jug from inside, Dayte begins to suck up the cloud and pump it into the jug. Harlan notices Jeremy is putting forth a lot of effort just to stand, let alone walk a short distance. "Perhaps you'd better rest a few more minutes before we depart? You certainly have regained much strength. A few more moments may mean the difference between you making it under your own power and one of us having to carry you." After thinking about the prospects ofhaving to carry Jeremy, Harlan turns to the others and requests, "Would oneof you be so kind as to accompany Jeremy and me to the healer's?" While Harlan waits for an answer, he checks on Darenna's wounds. [If she is doing fine] Finding her to be healing nicely and not suffering from the effects of any poison, he returns to Jeremy.[If she is still badly wounded] "Your wounds were a bit more serious than we thought at first. Let me help..." Once again, Harlan offers a prayer to Celestian, seeking his help in curing some of Darenna's wounds.

Cord gives the assassin-turned-to-mist a quite astonished look, probing it with his quarterstaff, as if testing its reaction. "What i don't understand is how did this guy thought to escape by turning into stationary mist! I mean, surely the potion's magic will expire at some point! Maybe the magic is such that it permits him to change between mist and human form at will? Mage, is this possible? Have you ever heard of such magic?" Then turning to face Jeremy he realises that he's sorely wounded, a fact that had been impressed in his mind but the fury of battle had brushed aside upto this point. Cord feels his companion's eyes fall upon him questioningly...maybe even disapprovingly? Hell, he wouldn't expect less from the likes of Graeneth, but Harlan? Anyway...so, what was Harlan saying...about a healer...or something? Cord smiles as he realises that even without actually paying attention to what the man has said, his "sixth" sense has accepted the input and made it available to him when he needed it...it seems that a warrior's training affects in more than one way after all! Then as a thought struck his mind, Cord frownsand turning his vision to heat-seeking, he quickly scans the surroundings. "People, don't i recall that the last assassination attempt was staged by*two* assassins? It *is* quite possible that while we're out here, toying withthis...mist, somebody is making his way to the boy! Harlan, i don't think thatyou should leave, neither of you. If you think that Jeremy might be in danger,we should probably shout an alarm - a patrol is bound to hear as soon enough..." "Graeneth, will you check the boy? Meanwhile, have we tried, *hurting*this thing? Weapons, magic, anything?" Cord moves inside the house and quickly scans all rooms for possible signsof intrusion. He will not use light, instead relying in his infravision to give him an edge against any possible foe. In the process he recovers his handaxe and if nothing special happens, as soon as he moves back outside, he shall test the weapons magic against the assassin-mist; if it's still there that is!

Dayte shook his head at Harlan's question. "Ch'an Kiddour," he said, almost spitting the name out, "was a necromancer from the Deep Suss who at one time plagued our area, stealing children in the dead of night. When I was a boy,so I have been told, my father and some other rangers cornered him in a barn on one of his raids. Before their eyes he turned to mist and escaped as they watched helplessly as he floated off into the woods. It would be my bet thatif he were not conscious he would have left by now." At mention of the second assassin, Dayte took fright. "Maybe the Friar was the other one! However, better safe than sorry!" he said, running back in to check on the boy. If the boy was still safe, he would leave him in the capable hands of his colleagues and quickly begin the search for a pair of bellows. As Cord finished speaking, Dayte blew the last bits of gas into the jug, with Harlan capping it off quickly. That accomplished, Graeneth emerged from the house with Darenna, Toby, and his mother.

Together, they made their way across the park to where the rest stood around the jug. Kicking it lightly with her toe, Darenna smiled at the thought of the viscious assassin imprisoned by his own magics. “We ought to bring him to Publius right now,” she said, glancing at the others. “It looks like the trap worked this time, but I still don’t trust that priest. I say we bring Toby and his mother along, for safety’s sake.” With the others agreeing that there was little to be gained there, they gathered up their possessions, Dayte hefting the jug in his arms, and made off for the Constabulary. It would be light soon, and the brisk fight had begun to attract onlookers from around the park. As they left, a couple of watchmen showed up. As they escorted the group back to the Constabulary, they also informed you that Publius, under orders from the Viscount himself, had dispatched a squad to arrest Friar Warren as well. Arriving at the Constabulary, you find Publius waiting in the front office. After filling him in, he takes the jug from Dayte. “A light bastard, isn’t he?” he remarked with a wry smile. “Well, we’ll make room for him.” Turning to another watchman, he ordered him to fetch a priest. “We may have need of one shortly,” said, handing the jug to another guard. “Who knows what we’ll find when he reforms. And we don’t want to let him slip through our fingers.” You follow the guard into the cells, where he deposits the jug in a corner of one. Looking around, Publius nodds that there are no windows. “The only entrance is this gate, and we’re guarding it. So, do we uncork the bottle?”

Meanwhile, Kagan had sought an audience with his superior, Canon Helver. It was well into the night when Canon Helver returned to the church. Impatient with the manner in which things had been going, Kagan had waited by the door to ensure he would see him. The priest seemed quite tired when he entered, and Kagan quickly recognized the look of concern on his face. After a quick greeting, the Canon requested that Kagan join him in prayer in the chapel. The tidings must have been grim indeed, and Kagan followed without question. The customarily plain and unadorned chapel instantly brough Kagan at ease, and he settled in next to Canon Helver as the two knelt in silent prayer. Kagan prayed his heart out, asking for guidance, patience, even assistance in the finding of this killer. Eventually, after what seemed an hour of silent prayer, he looked over to Canon Helver who had not visibly moved the whole time. Respectfully, Kagan waited for his superior to finish, pondering what could have shaken the man so much. After nearly another hour, the Canon finally completed his prayer, looking up to the ceiling with tired, pleading eyes. With an audible sigh, he stood up, glancing at Kagan as he followed him out of the chapel and to his office. There, Canon Helver explained the cause of his distress. A bandit was caught that morning, he told Kagan, slain in the market by a Gnarley Forest Ranger. A rather unimportant event, or so it seemed. However, what the guards found on the man had shocked even the Viscount. The man had worn what seemed an ordinary cloak of black cloth, nothing to be noticed. One of the watchmen removed the garment, thinking to sell it for a few coins when he noticed a strange design sewed on the inside, a large yellow eye, surrounded by fire. The cloak had been worn inside out to hide the design, and the watchman thought it may be important so he brought it to Publius. Recognizing it, Publius quickly brought it to the Viscount who immediately summoned the heads of the most important churches to him. “You see,” said Canon Helver, grimly locking his gaze on Kagan, “the flaming eye was the symbol of the Demon Queen of Fungus and her Elemental Cult.” Kagan stepped back stunned by the revelation. If this was who Cord was attacked by then that would explain that flash of yellow that was seen. But if that were true then perhaps Friar Warren was innocent.... Kagan looked to Canon Helver for guidance. "How do we combat this evil? I mind a battle very little but alas I am hard beset when the opponent hides himself in darkness. "Was there something to give them away when this happened before? I will do anything you suggest to help solve this and banish this blight from the land." Kagan hesitated a moment before continuing, "Sir do you believe that the friar is innocent? Try as I might I cannot believe after what I saw that he isn't involved. I know you said he spoke truth, but something is amiss there." I cannot believe in his innocence but I do not wish to lose sight of the target chasing shadows. I feel that something is being hidden but I am not sure that I should pursue it without the church's sanction. What can you suggest?" "You were not here during our great conflict with the Fungus Queen," said Canon Helver plainly. "You did not see the great destruction which her armies wrought in the Viscounty and beyond. For years a cult of evil had existed in the wooded hills bordering the Gnarley Forest. Merely a haven for bandits and evildoers, it was of minor consequence. But that all changed with the coming of the demoness. She played on the cults belief in elemental forces, supposedly bargaining with the powers of elemental evil themselves in order to gain control of the temple. Soon, the cult grew rich and powerful, its forces began to rob, pillage, and lay waste the countryside. Eventually, its army grew so strong, its depradations so wicked, that the neighboring peoples all banded together to stop the foul one and her followers. Men from Verbobonc and Furyondy, Gnomes from the Kron Hills, Elves from Celene, even bands of Dwarves from the Lortmils, all came together to confront the evil armies. On the banks of the Velverdyva, at Emridy Meadows, the two armies met. Led by Crown Prince Thromell himself, our forces won the day, slaughtering thousands of humanoids and evil men, driving the wretched survivors back to their temple which we then besieged. It fell in a fortnight, and the entire place was sacked with great magics placed upon it to keep it from ever again rising to cause havoc. But alas, now it seems as if our worst fears may be coming true." Canon Helver listens to your questions, but his mind is clearly occupied. As you finish, he snaps out of his musings, looking at you directly. "Hm, you have indeed raised good points, young Kagan. In light of this new information, I believe the friar may have quite easily been able to block our attempts to divine information from him. He is clearly quilty of something, that much is sure. We've caught him in a lie regarding his travels, he magically evaded our questioning, and now, now..." His voice trails away, lost in thought again. With a deep sigh, Canon Helver slumped back in his chair, raising his hand to his chin and stroking it pensively. "It is possible this bandit was once a member of the temple, or that he came across the cloak somehow, but his appearance could also mean the temple has begun to rebuild. If this is so, then we must know, immediately. This whole affair even has the viscount on edge, and he wants results quickly. Thus, he has ordered the arrest of Friar Warren. One way or another, the Viscount means to have his answers, and he cares not for procedures. Publius is seeing to the Friar's arrest as we speak. We will soon have our answers, of that you can be certain."

Publius grins at Kagan, understanding the priest's idea perfectly. "What caught the Tiger," and he glances at Kep'e as he uses the nomad's term, "may indeed catch the lion. Let us see what Friar Warren has to say about that. My men should be arriving any moment with him, as I ordered his arrest first thing in the morning. In the mean time, it's probably best to get some rest."

Darenna offers to take Toby and his mother home, and see to their safety, to which Publius nods, adding that he'll send a couple watchmen along shortly as well.

As you leave the constabulary, you nearly bump into Frair Warren, accompanied by two watchmen. Before anyone can speak, a shrill cry resounds from immediately inside the door. All heads turn quickly to see Toby, grabbing his mother's side with one hand while pointing at Friar Warren, a ghastly scream escaping his open mouth and a look of terror etched in his face.

Whirling around to face the priest, you see him take his hand from the arm of one of the guards who turns away, running in fear down the street.

"I supppose it is time for this farce to end," he says in another voice, much deeper than before, and more sinister as well. "Behold, the true form of Helltrax, Cleaver of Souls."

As he says this, his body begins to morph, slowly at first, then more quickly. The other guard backs away hurriedly as Friar Warren's robs begin to change into strange, scaley hide, his arms elongate and his hands twist into hideous claws. His legs snap at the knees, bending backwards and stretching simultaneously as his feet grow long toes ending in curving claws as well. His head bulges outwards, turning in on itself as well, then pulsing back out into a vaguely catlike form, though cruelly twisted and deformed. Great fangs spring from a now gaping maw, black ooze dripping from them. Finally, two large batlike wings emerge from the thing's now-barbed back, spreading out to either side.

With a hiss, it generates a disgusting spittle which strikes the other watchmen in the chest. As he screams and falls to the ground, the thing flaps it great wings and leaps backward to the middle of the street, its red eyes aflame with and evil anger.

#############

"Big Tiger" Kep'e laughs. He had kept his hand on his saber andhis eyes on the surroundings while they left the building. He had been nearby the boy Toby and his mother and caught sight of Friar Warren assoon as the boy had. At Tobys scream he drew his Saber and as the hellishtransformation began he rushed foreward. "Szel venni tegged vadallat!" he cried out (Wind take you beast!in his native tongue) and ran to strike it down.

Harlan readies his staff, and then realizes that if it comes to his staff,the battle is lost. He moves aside and prays for Celestian's protectionand is thankful that they are fighting outside. Further praying thatCelestian will help him blind the foul creature, he casts a light spellcentered on the demon's eyes. He points his finger at the beast, but all that results is a small fizzle from his fingertip. The casting being somehow blocked, Harlan brieflychecks on Toby's safety and says, "I've never seen a creature so foul! Kagan, it looks like you were right -- so much for my wishful thinking. Doany of you have other 'bright' ideas on how to dispatch this beast?"

Kagan stares in horror at the fiend before him that was Warren. Quickly, hecomes back to his senses and immediately throws his cudgel at the foulmonsters head and without looking for the results lunges at Toby and hismother pushing them back inside the Constabulary. "Close the door and leave it closed!"Out of the corner of his eye he is aware that Dayte and Kep`e have attacked and he turns to see how they fare. He begans an earnest prayer to Cuthbertasking for his blessing and support in this upcoming battle. Even as heprays a savage grin begins to form on his lips as he slowly realizes he wasright about that bastard all along.

Dayte's eyes were wide in horror - perhaps the city-dwellers were used tothis, but he had neve seen such things. The sooner he returned to theGnarley, the better- but for now, there was chopping to be done.Dayte's left hand came up, as though forming some feeble barrier between himand this thing, but his right hand dropped behind, undoing the tie whichheld his battle-axe to his back, and swinging the axe round to the front inone deft and oft-practiced move. His other hand joined the right at the haftof the weapon and he stepped forward as he swung it wide, striking at thehorror that had momentarily stunned him with its ghastly form.

"TO ARMS!" Graeneth's bellow could be surely be heard across the blocks of thecity. He had physically stepped forward to stand between this pseudo-Friar andToby and his mother, but seeing that Kagan had taken the action of dashing themto safety, Graeneth saw no need to manoeuver defensively any longer.In three strides he had moved himself forward to stand in front of the entiregroup, pausing no longer than to pick up a fallen shield from one of the watchmen, drawing his sword simultaneously from his scabbard.His lips formed a silent prayer to his goddess even as he felt his protectiveaura tingle with intensity at the evil before him."I am Graeneth, paladin of the Order of Mayaheine, the church of Pelor!"Graeneth boomed. "May Pelor's light and Mayaheine's sword send you back to theAbyss where you came from!" And with that Graeneth charged at the foul beastbefore him.

Kagan stares in horror at the fiend before him that was Warren. Slowly hecomes back to his senses and immediately throws his cudgel at the foulmonsters head and without looking for the results lunges at Toby and hismother pushing them back inside the Constabulary."Close the door and leave it closed!"Out of the corner of his eye he is aware that Dayte and Kep`e have attacked and he turns to see how they fare. He begans an earnest prayer to Cuthbertasking for his blessing and support in this upcoming battle. Even as heprays a savage grin begins to form on his lips as he slowly realizes he wasright about that bastard all along........OOC Jeff,Kagan will throw the spell PRAYER as soon as possible. I wasnt sure how tohandle this in terms of initiative and what not, so I will leave it up to youWHEN the spell takes effect. Things are certainly heating up now! AND ITOLD YA HE WAS BAD ;-)

Floyd is taken aback when the first sound heard from Toby is a cry of alarm. After a moment of uncertainty it becomes obvious what has terrified theyoung boy. A little frightened himself, Floyd steels himself for theconfrontation ahead. On seeing the completed transformation of Friar Warren,Floyd becomes invisible, draws his short sword and makes his way behind thecreature. Trying to remain as silent as possible Floyd moves into positionto strike at the creatures wings, in an attempt to foil any attempt atescape.

It took just a split second for Cord to realise that they were facing a beast the likes of which he had never encountered before...oh, it's true, he hadheard of demons and their spawn, in those foolish stories told byyoungsters to scare the girls and prove their courage, but nothingwould be able to prepare him for what he saw before his very eyes...Cord gripped his staff and raised it in a feeble attempt of defense...itlooked pitifully small compared to the size of the creature...How couldthey fight it? Maybe with numbers? He glanced at the writhing guard,his chest dissolving under the demon's acidic spit and he istantly knewthat this would probably be his last battle...hell, who wants to liveforever anyway? Maybe bards would sing of his his death - of *their*death! - in epic songs, praising how valiantly he fought till his lastdrop of blood... Gripping his staff tighter, Cord moved to engage the demon.

Seeing the transformation of the Friar into the winged beast, Jeremyis stunned and unable to move for what seemed like an eternity tohim. Getting his wits about him, he gets his dagger ready toattack/defend himself. Wishing that he had a few useful spellsmemorized, Jeremy attempts to sneak around the side of the creature,hoping for one good blow before it crushes him and the others.

As the warriors charge the beast, it streaches out a taloned hand towards them. Waves of force assail them like thick ropes holding them in their place. As quickly as they charged, Dayte and Cord stop, held dead in their tracks by the mystical forces. Kep’e and Graeneth, however, somehow push forwards as they fight off the effects and close with the creature. Reaching the creature, they quickly attack. Kep’e swings at the creature but misses as it lifts away from him. Graeneth, too, missed the beast as he lunges after it, nearly falling over in the process. As they ready their weapons, the beast flew further into the air, just out of reach of their swords.

Cord then cries out to Kagan, ""If you're on good terms with your god priest, now is the timeto prove it!", "Strike the beast with his fury and you have won me!".How strange life can be...never before had he thought of death, not like thisanyway! He always thought that life is a game, to be played and won maybe,but defeat was an option as well, as long as you were satisfied with thegame! He had never backed up from a fight, even though there were timeswhere the odds were quite against him...but then again, at that time therewas nobody he actually cared for...nobody to wait up for him, to worryabout him and love him...nobody to actually live for. But now, oh, now there was Miriam. Sweet, innocent Miriam...his mind was filled with hervisage, smiling, looking at him with those eyes of hers, melting his verysoul with their warmth...DAMN, snap away boy! You have a fight on yourhands! The warrior instict...i CANNOT die! I MUST LIVE! For her...And then a flash! A thought surfaces on his mind, dealing a blow, such aswhich no weapon could have dealt! Cord actually staggered as ifphysically stricken, his eyes betraying unimaginable horror! If "FriarWarren" has actually been this beast and Miriam was around him,asking questions..."IF YOU HAVE HURT HER, NOT EVEN DEATH WOULD BE ENOUGHTO STOP ME FROM HUNTING YOU!"

"Hurt her?" the thing cried, a sinister and sarcastic call. "I’ve already feasted upon her suculent soul," it added. "The poor thing found out my secret, seeking answers to your questions." It then laughed, a vile, mocking sound knowing how Cord had begun to love the girl, and knowing how the guilt would eat him.

###############

"NO! YOU'RE LYING!!!! THIS CAN'T BE TRUE!!!!!!!!"

Cord's heart denies the demon's words but deep inside he knows them to be true.Tears stream from his eyes and soon his shouting ceases...had it not been forthe magic's power to hold him standing, he would have probably crumbledto the earth...

"Miriam...how could i have done this to you..."Had it been split seconds, minutes or eons maybe? Cord wouldn't know...He just knew that he could not bear to to see the demon laughing at them,mocking their inability to hurt him...a look of determination replaces theanguish in his face as he gradually tests his strength against the magicalbonds...his muscles bulge as he's exerting as much force as he can muster,then realising that as much as he tries he cannot break free of the spell,he cries out "SET ME FREEEEEE!!!!", in a desperate voice.

Seeing Graeneths quick movement Kep'e copied him and while thebeast flew out of swords reach he bent and hefted the other watchmansshield, the memory of the beasts foul spittle fresh in his mind. "Little Tiger!" he called to it " Come play!" and he backedslowly away so that it would have to turn away from the rest of thegroup if it wanted to face him.

Kep'e taunts the beast and try to force it to turn and face himhopefully coming within swordsreach. He thrusts at it with the pointof his blade, holding back so that the blade is a half foot short of wherehe could actually reach with a full lunge and if it comes close enoughwill strike.

For all his taunting, the beast seems to ignore Kep’e, turning its attention to Graeneth.  "Soldier of that impotent  Goddess," it laughes, hovering above him.  "She shall not save the Flanaess, nor shall see protect you."  As it speaks, Graeneth notices a black ooze drip from its taloned hands, striking the earth of the road with a burning hiss.

Kagan murmured prayers, even while watching the hellspawn rise into the air mocking them.  He felt so very helpless!   If there was something he could do, even at a cost to himself...

"Lord Cuthbert, may I feel your blessings upon me in this ordeal."  His hands  began making an intricate sign as he continues to pray.  Suddenly he begins  to smile as the results formed before him.  Taking a deep breath, Kagan 
begins moving forward unarmed as if in despair.  Suddenly, he brings his hands down in a chopping motion, almost as if there were a large weapon in his hand.  He Immediately swings his hands back in the opposite direction 
hoping he has surprised the beast.  He watches hoping to see effective results........

Before the thing could strike at Graeneth, Kagan’s invocation took effect, and the Cudgel of Cuthbert struck the beast in the head. The blow completely surprised it, knocking it backwards and down, a very human sounding grunt escaping its deformed maw.

As it closes to the ground Kep’e closed himself, trying tokeep his shield up to block any spittle and makes slashing attacks at its arms hoping to cripple a limb or lop off a hand or finger. The beast recovered, but not in time, and Kep’e’s blade bit hard into its arm, bringing another gasp of pain.

Unsure if such a powerful creature could see him even though he isinvisible. Floyd stays on his toes ready to react to any attack. Movingaround in an attempt to stay out of everyone's way. Floyd waits hisopportunity to strike, should the creature come within reach.

Harlan looks around to see if any of the guards have sounded an alarm. "Publius, I suggest that this beast might require a bit more firepower that we brough with us today. I don't suppose the city guard has a 'Ballista ofDemon Slaying' that isn't being used at the moment? Perhaps the morningwatch's reaction force could help."

Publius ignores Harlan, eying the beast as he moves up to stand beside Graeneth. Seeing a handful of people appear down the street, he calls out to them to run for safety, hoping the good people of town will listen to him, for once.

"Harlan," he yells, glancing back over his shoulder. "Summon more guards, quickly."

Seeing his light spell fizzle, Harlan decides upon a more conventionalattack. He pulls out his sling and launches a bullet at the beast. Seeing his bullet fly harmlessly by the beast, now locked in combat with Kep’e, Harlan decides to fetch a rope for a lasso (those years on the farm pay off!) in an attempt to snare the beast. He runs inside, ordering a couple of guards to watch after Toby while calling the others.

The thing rises back into the air, out of reach of the warriors around it, stretching its taloned claw towards them as it did before. The same forces coalesce around them, denying movement and action to Darenna and Publius. Once again, Kep’e and Graeneth are able to resist the foul power.

Kagan, meanwhile, strikes at the thing again with his spiritual cudgel, this time missing the beast. It turns its attention, then, to him, snearing at the priest. "Your soul shall be my plaything," it hisses, floating closer to Kagan, "and I shall so enjoy watching your agony as all you hold dear and true is revealed in its deficiency."

As it approaches, it tosses a handful of small objects behind it, into the street. Kep’e and Graeneth both stop abruptly, unsure of what fane magics this may be. The beast doesn’t even turn, as it continues towards Kagan, ignoring Jeremy too, who steps to the side as it approaches. Behind it, the small items strike the ground and Graeneth sees them for what they are, small bones, as if from a person’s finger. He puts a hand out to Kep’e, warning him to be wary as the two move forwards. Suddenly, bony hands break through the dirt, clawing their way up. In the blink of an eye, more than a half-dozen skeletons burst from the earth between the wariors and the beast, blocking their way. They stand emotionless, shields in their left hands and wicked serrated blades in the other.

"Kill them," calls the beast from behind the skeletons, without even glancing at them. As suddenly as they appeared, they shift into combat positions, fanning out before Kep’e and Graeneth.

"Now priest of a false God," it hisses, settling to the ground before Kagan, "it is time for you to feel the wrath of Oerth’s true master, Iuz."

#############

Kep'e gives a shout filled with laughter as he cuts into the foul creatures hide. But barks out a cry of anger as it once more ascends out of swords reach.

Stopped by Graeneths warning gesture he watches as the totem bones of some cursed shamans magic touch the ground. The very oerth errupts and the bones of the accursed dead rise to face them.

"Mennie vissa ba az on alvaashbol halal!" he yells ('Go back to your sleep of death' in his own tongue) and as he yells this he attacks punctuating his words with sweeping blows of his saber, the thick and slightly curved blade designed for the seperating of limbs from bodies and heads from their bony necks. Kep'e will edge to the right hoping to have Graeneth on his right flank and his shield on his left arm.  His first blow connects solidly with the center skeleton, the wide blade of his scimitar slicing easily through the thing’s neckbones, severing its head and leaving the body to teter around aimlessly before dropping to the ground.

Kep'e! Help Kagan!" With a sweep of his arm indicating that Kep'e should chargethrough the skeletons and assist the lone priest, Graeneth hoped the barbarianwould understand what Graeneth was about to do next and leave him to deal withthe skeletons.

Kep'e hears Graeneths shout and though committed to his firststrike the turns and with a shout of his own 'Szel adni nekem ero'(Wind give me strength) and turns to the lone skeleton on his rightsmashing into it with his shield hoping to shove it aside and attack thedemon from behind. Leaving his flank unprotected, he knocks it off its feet, clearing a way through he will charge the demonfrom behind, shouting loudly to turn the beast away from Kagan.

"Harlan! Shake the rest! Maybe you can release them from the spell! Floyd! Weneed you now!" Graeneth did not want to give away the thief's location, butattacking from the back was his forte after all, and now was the time to do so."And now," Graeneth turned so that he could face as many of the skeletons aspossible, shield hand over the holy symbol on his tabard, sword leveled at theundead, "By the protection of Our Lady Mayaheine, defender of the trodden,shield of the faithful, and by the holy light of Pelor the sun, I command youfoul skeletons to begone once and for all!"

The skeleton’s seem unaffected by Graeneth’s chant, however, and close in around him. He parrys the centermost blow with his sword, ignoring the two flanking skeletons whose blows land harmlessly against his armor. With that Graeneth continued tochant his prayer of turning while swinging his sword in broad strokes to engageas many of the skeletons as possible, wanting for himself to reach Helltrax as quickly as he could.

Seeing the beast land on the ground before Kagan and knowing that unless something is done, he will perish, Jeremy goes over the few spells he hasleft in his mind. Feeling that the creature is too big to try and put himto sleep, Jeremy opts for the only choice he has left. Whispering wordspower Jeremy's hands begin to glow as he advance on the beast that isfocusing on Kagan and attempts to lay his hands on its side. As his hand begins to glow with magical energy, Jeremy feels a strange sensation in it, unlike anything he’s ever felt. His hand continues to glow, brighter and brighter, forcing everyone to look away as if it were a miniature sun. Even the beast turns away, shielding its eyes with its forelimb. Suddenly, a blast of power erupts from Jeremy’s hand and arcs across the street to Kep’e’s scimitar, exploding in a burst of energy.

The event knocks Kep’e backwards about 5 feet, and he stumbles to the ground awkwardly. His body tingles wildly, as he gets to his feet but that is nothing compared to the sense of power now emanating from his scimitar. The entire blade is engulfed in the same light blue glow which began in Jeremy’s hand and which he recognizes as the effect of his Chill Touch spell, somehow transferred to Kep’e’s blade by a wild surge. As he looked at his sword, he caught movement from the corner of his eye. Spinning around, he saw one of the skeletons swinging it blade at him. Kep’e brought his sword up just in time to save his skull, but the skeleton yet managed to open a wicked gash on Kep’e’s arm.* [4 Damage]

Kagan felt a sense of elation as he saw that his strike had connected with  the foul beast, but as even as he murmered a prayer of thanks, he saw the  beast advancing upon him again, apparently uninjured.  Deep down in his gut 
Kagan knew this was probably the end.  He had used his best trick and all it appeared to have done was to arouse the beast.  Depsite this he refused to go down without a fight.  At the worst his companions could tell his father he 
died well.  

He could still feel the spells power in the air but he dropped his arms to  his sides and hung his head, as if in defeat.  As the beast landed and approached though, Kagan let his arms shoot up again one last time, praying 
that the godly weapon connected when it most mattered.   "Foul Demon of a broken god!   I am not afraid of your so-called master!  I spit on the old one!  Lord Cuthbert, Lend me your strength!"

With a gleam in his eye and grim smile playing about his lips, Kagan begins sing a battle hymn.  He might die, but he would at least buy the others a few more precious moments in which to save Toby and his mother and even possibly 
take down this abomination. Despite the odds against him Kagan begans to advance, singing and swinging as 
he goes.

When Jeremy’s weird spellcasting distracted the beast, Kagan saw his chance. Stepping forwards, he attacked the thing again with his spiritual hammer, this time hitting it on the side of its head as it hid its eyes from the magical energies unleashed by the young mage. Again, the beast cursed in an all-too-human voice as it was knocked to the ground by Kagan’s blow.

Harlan quickly finishes the lasso and turns to the guards inside the Constabulary, "Don't stand there -- sound the general alarm! Fetch your best bowmen without delay!" He then moves outside, ties the free end ofthe rope to a sturdy corner post and tries to lasso a wing or otheravailable appendage of the beast. Before he can act, the bizarre result of Jeremy’s spell stops him, forcing him to cover his eyes as well. When he opens them, he finds the beast on the ground, with Kagan standing above it chanting and waving his arms as if swinging a hammer.

Quickly, he casts his prepared Jump spell, leaping to the rear of the beast and attempting to placet his around thedemon's neck or a wing. Unfortunately, the thing turned at the last instance, knocking Harlan away with its wing.

Simultaneaously, a handful of watchmen emerge from the Constabulary. Two flank Kagan to either side, weapons ready while the others rush to aid the rest of the companions leaving one standing, slackjawed, in the doorway.

'Kutya!' Kep'e yells out at the skeleton, (Dog!, the worstcurse that a Tiger Nomad can call down). Wanting to smash the cursedthing but mindful that it was the demon that needed his strongest blows,Kep'e jumps foreward with his shield in front of him into the skeleton.ooc- Kep'e first tried to just knock over the skeleton with his shield, but the skeleton easily dodged the blow, weaving to the side. Left with no other choice he struck it with his saber, the glowing blade blasting through the things ribs like they were made of prairie grass. With a quick kick, he then knocked it over and immediately turned back to the Constabulary, rushing inside to attack the demon.

"Summon a priest for the paralysed!" Graeneth bellowed at the general directionof anyone within earshot. He knew that both his friends and the newly arrivedwatchmen had their hands full already with the beast and the skeletons, but herealised that they could do with the help of the four of his paralysed companions.Grateful that the two watchmen had arrived to engage the skeletons blocking hisway, but having no time to even thank or acknowledge their help, Graeneth tookhis best shot at breaking free from the cluster of the undead, mustering up acharge and chopping through any skeleton that stood in the way of himself at theConstabulary. "By Mayaheine!" Graeneth declared, and barreled the full weight ofhis body towards the entrance of the building, ignoring the attacks of theskeletons, letting the momentum carry him through all the way, hoping that thatwill be enough. As he rushed past, he felt the sting of a skeleton’s blade against his side* [2 Damage] but realized that it was just a flesh wound and continued to the building, just behind the wildly charging nomad who’s blade now glowed with a strange bluish-white aura.

Seeing that Kagan is severly wounded, and taking the brunt of the beast's attack, Harlan drops the lasso and moves into the doorway. He removes a small strip of white linen from his pouch and applies a bit of tree sap from a vial to each end. Harlan carefully moves up behind Kagan, "Kagan,hold still for a sec." Harlan places the small bandage over one of Kagan'swounds, passes his holy symbol across the wound and quickly prays that Celestian aid his friend [OOC casts Aid spell, giving Kagan benefit of Bless plus 6 hp]. With Kagan, somewhat rejuvinated, Harlan backs out of the doorway. "Kagan, see if you can gethim to follow you to the door -- if we can keep him inside he can't fly,and if he's by the door, more of us attack. Remembering the skeletons, Harlan again draws his holy symbol and jumps magically to the animated bones and attempts to turn them. Holding his holy symbol before him, he calls down the blessings of Celestian in his attempt to keep the creatures at bay. Immediately, the skeletons which had begun to follow Kep’e and Graeneth stop and begin to back away, keeping a wary eye-socket on Harlan. Even the two fighting guardsmen begin to back away, much to the watchmens’ relief.

Kagan groaned as he fell inside the Constabulary from the horrific stingingin his arm. He had never felt anything like it. He refused to show thebeast his weakness though! He refused to give up! He had seen the Hammer ofhis Lord injure this demonspawn bastard and he prayed it would do it again.But even as he prepared for what might be his last go at this creature hecouldn't help but look for Toby and his mother. If they were close to thiscreature his last breath would be drawn trying to save them.He prepared to meet his god and swung a horrific blow at the creature. As hedid he yelled for Toby and his mother to flee towards the back away from thebeast. Feeling the spell begin to ebb, he then did the one last thing thathe hoped the demon would not be expecting... He drew a thin dagger with hisother hand from the folds of his robe and attempted to bury it to the hilt inthe beast, diverting its attention away from his wards.

"This beast must have a charmed life to avoid my blade." Floyd thought as hefollowed Helltrax into the Constabulary. With half the party held and most of the others engaged by the skeletons, Floyd realised it was up to him tooccupy Helltrax until help arrives. Although the situation is dire, Floydtakes his time making his attack, determined to make his invisibility count.

He noticed Kagain stealthily draw his thin dagger as he moved behind Hellthrax, now in the misdst of another casting. As he approached the seemingly defenseless priest, Floyd struck again. Just as he made his lunge at Helltrax’s back, however, the usually deft thief tripped over an overturned footstool which he must have missed, paying such close attention to Helltrax and Kagan. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Floyd narrowly avoid falling, but his action had also made him visible once again. He attempted to tumble away from and barely slipped under it’s arm, the envenomed claw passing a hair’s width above his head. Rolling across the room, Floyd turned back towards Helltrax just in time to see Kagan, doing his best impression of an apprentice backstabber in the Greyhawk slums, plunge his dagger into the beast’s back.

With a roar of rage, Helltrax lurched forwards, spinning around so suddenly and violently that he tore the dagger from Kagan’s hand, though it remained imbedded in its back. As he tried to reach behind him to pull the blade out, Floyd struck again. This time his blade found home, and he drove it through the thing’s shoulder blades. A scream of agony escaped Hellthrax’s lips as he spun around again, waving wildly before him. Floyd again tried to leap away, but this time Helltrax, urged on by pain and rage, raked the side of Floyd’s face with his clawed hand. The pain Floyd felt was immense, unlike anything he had ever felt, as the poisoned talons tore his flesh, the vile fluid quickly burning its way through his system.* [8 Damage] Worse still was the terrible cold which spread through the young thief’s body. Beginning from his bloodied cheek, it quickly spread to his head, neck and arms. His hands went numb and he dropped his sword as his fingers lost their strength. The cold penetrated clear to his insides which seemed to freeze into oblivion, and as it reached his legs and feet, Floyd fell helpless to the ground, lapsing into unconsiousness.*[14 Damage]

The horror Floyd felt as the poisoned talons tore his flesh was nothingcompared to the cold that penetrated clear to his insides. Just as helapsed into unconsciousness his last thought was for his companions, hishope that his death was not in vain and the beast could be destroyed

As Helltrax turned to attack Floyd, Kagan had quickly readied his morning star, hoping to gain another shot at the creature’s backside. Now, he watched in horror as it seemed to grow stronger after hitting Floyd. The dagger slipped out of its back almost as if forced, and the wound closed magically, as did the wound inflicted by Floyd’s sword. As Helltrax wheeled to face Kagan once again, a fiendish grin across its face, the priest prepared to meet his deity, sure he would not survive the next attack. His only solace was the fact that Toby and his mother were nowhere in sight and had hopefully been able to flee the building from another exit.

Brandishing his morningstar before him, Kagan locked his gaze on Hellthrax, grimmly awaiting it attack, but instead, the beast took a step back, looking past Kagan to the entrane. Risking a glance, Kagan saw Kep’e, his sabre glowing blue-white running through the entrance, followed closely by the armored paladin, Graeneth.

#############

"Kagan, Floyd needs us. See if you can get to him." Graeneth spoke in a low butfirm voice, as if he would brook no disagreement. He did not want to see amember of the party die, no matter how perilous the situation. He hoped thatwhile Kep'e and himself took care of Helltrax, the priest would be able to getto the thief."Harlan! We need you back in here!" Graeneth's voice carried outside the house.The skeletons outside could be taken care of by watchmen. And Jeremy could lookinto the well-being of their paralysed companions. The Celestian priest might beneeded to heal Floyd, or simply to support the rest of them."Mayaheine protect us!" Graeneth saluted, and once again squared off with thedemon before him, hoping that his sword would have as much efficacy as Kep'emagicked blade.

"Your false godling is no match for the..." began Hellthrax, taunting the brave paladin, but before the beast could finish his sentence, he was interupted by a wild cry from Kep’e.

"Yeee-aaaah!" Kep'e yelled out (Yeee-aaaah! in his native tongue)and charged for the demon. While he attacked on its left he hoped Graenethwould be able to atack its right or make his way safely to help theirfallen companion. ooc- Kep'e is making a headlong attack but keeping on the left sideto give room for Graeneth and Kagan to act as well.

As Kep’e rushed the demon, it opened it’s mouth and spewed forth a stream of spittle at the running nomad. Wary of theDemons spittle and reach. Kep’e easily dodged the wicked fluid, aiming a strike at the thing’s body. His blade slashed by the thing’s chest, opening a slight wound in the scaley hide. As it struck, the demon howled in pain much greater than would seem normal for such a slight wound, and to Kep’e’s trained eye, it seemed to sag a bit after the blow.

Seeing Kep’e charge, Graeneth also rushed the beast, slicing at its left side. Wincing from the pain of Kep’e’s cut, Hellthrax never had a chance to avoid Graeneth’s sword which sliced through its hide deep into the tissue and bone below. The thing realed back and went on the defensive, doing its best to avoid the attacks of the two assailants, dodging blows and using its claws to drive them back. As the three fought their dance of death, Kagan made his way around behind Hellthrax to where Floyd lay helpless. The brave thief was still alive, but only barely; had Kagan not reached him, he may have surely died so greivous was his wound. He was quickly joined by Harlan, who also had slipped around the combat, which had now moved towards the left side of the room, and the two quickly said prayers of healing for Floyd. They was thankful to see Floyd's prone figure begin to move, and looking at each other, the two breathed sighs of relief. Grinning in spite of himself, Kagan then turned back to Helltrax's unguarded back, but found that he had moved away from the center of the room, backing up towards the left-hand wall. Kagan had hoped tobring the morningstar crashing down as hard as he could on the beast’s skull, hoping to injur the beast in away that would distract him long enough for Kep'e to attack. He didnt know what magic was on Kep'es blade but it looked powerful. If only theycould last a little longer.

"Good work guardsmen!" With the skeletons under control, Harlan turns hisattention back toward the Contabulary. "Jeremy, can you find a priest whocan release the spell over our friends? I sense serious injuries inside." As he moves toward the door, and the dark creature on the other side,Harlan realized he is sweating profusely and he can almost hear his heart pounding and feel adrenalin flowing. Although the distance to the buidingis short, Harlan conveys an eternity's worth of prayers to Celetian. Hefeels a strong channel between him and his god -- stronger than he has feltin a long, long time. Bolstered with confidence, Harlan enters the fray,pausing only briefly on the front step of the Constabulary to repositionthe noose he had dropped earlier. "Not sure if we'll need that, but younever know..." he thinks to himself as moves inside.Once inside, Harlan is somewhat surprised to see Kagan still moving andFloyd's body on the floor. Harlan joined Kagan over Floyd’s body and treats the mostserious of the wounds, using both bandages and prayers [OOC Cure LightWounds]. As Kagan turned to face the demon, Harlan continued to observe Floydlong enough to make sure his condition does not worsen. He then readieshis staff, storing his holy symbol for what he is afraid will be too shortof a time. Although he knows his limitations, if the opportunity to strikea blow presents itself, Harlan will take it.

Meanwhile outside, turning to see his companions still frozen, Jeremy wishes that he had adispel magic spell that would free them from the immobile state thatHelltrax has left them in. Seeing Harlan run into the Constabulary, Jeremyruns in after him. Catching up to him, Jeremy places a hand on his shoulderas he works on Floyd and whispers something while sprinkling pieces of metalover his back. (Jeremy is using his Shield spell to give Harlan moreprotection.)Not waiting around for Helltrax to notice him inside, Jeremy quickly returnsthrough the door into the street and runs past the frozen members of thegroup. "I shall return as soon as I find some one that can remove this spellfrom you and gather some more priests to heal our wounded." Not slowingdown as he runs past them, Jeremy heads for the Silver Consortium. Placinghis friends before his pride, he knows that he will have to get one of theother wizards there to dispel the magic that holds the others in place.(OOC: After the Consortium, Jeremy plans on going to the nearest temple forfurther assistance from the priesthood.)

Back inside, the battle continued between the three combattants. As Hellthrax backed up against the wall defensively, it suddenly lunged forwards, surprising Graeneth and grabbing at his chest and arms. It was now the young paladin’s turn to feel the sting of Hellthrax’s poisonous claws, and Graeneth winced as they found the gaps in his armor, the poison burning his skin like acid.*[11 Damage] As the two tumbled to the ground, Kep’e stabed at Hellthrax’s unprotected back. [ooc: first fumble of the game!] Just as he jabbed at the beast, it rolled over, off the now prone paladin. Unable to stop in time, the momentum of Kep’e’s thrust carried his blade lightly into Graeneth’s stomach.*[3 damage] But worse than the blow, which Graeneth could have easily shrugged off without hardly noticing, was the intense chill which emanated from the nomad’s blade. It flowed right through Graeneth’s armor, piercing his abdomen with a numbing cold unlike anything he’d ever felt.* [4 Damage and -1 to Strength].

Graeneth groaned as Kep’e hesitated for a moment, giving Hellthrax the time it needed to leap to its feet. The great beast rose, turning towards the door in an effort to go outside when Kagan brought his morning star crashing down on the back of its skull. A great thud echoed through the room as the weapon whipped into its head, knocking Hellthrax towards the door seemingly dazed. Though the blow was indeed strongly felt, Hellthrax maintained its footing, stumbling towards the door on wobbly legs which seemed on the verge of buckling.

[You all know the layout, so here’s what’s up. Hellthrax is in the doorway, trying to get outside, obviously weakened by the drawn-out fight. Behind it is Kagan, while to Kagan’s right are Kep’e and Graeneth, also badly hurt. Still further behind Kagan is Harlan, standing protectively above Floyd. Jeremy has left and is heading down the street as fast as his legs can carry him, and outside a dozen watchmen are dealing with the remaining skeletons across the street. The held party members are still where they were.]

Current Damage:

Kep'e: 4

Graeneth: 20 and -1 to strength

Floyd: 22

Jeremy:

Darenna: 4

Dayte: 3

#############

With an embarassed grimace on his face Kep'e turns his thoughtsaway from Graeneths and springs after the beast. His saber drawn backfor a powerful swing he hopes to split its spine as it retreats for the door, but still he is wary of its uncanny agility.ooc- OOPS! sorry Graeneth. Kep'e will run after the beast hoping to strikeit from behind, but is mindful of both its spittle and its reach andspeed.

[OOC: Haha! Ouch! Kep'e did nearly as much damage as the demon! But do we get a free hit at the monster's back since it's retreating? Let's hope so.]Graeneth was used to the pain of physical injury, but the magical cold fromKep'e clearly sapped his energy and it seemed as if he was weaker than before.Even his sword felt heavier to swing. Another brutal attack from the demon wouldfinish him off, he suspected.Contemplating between healing himself and letting Hellthrax escape, Graenethknew it was no option at all and barely gave the thought a moment's pause. Theback of the monster presented himself - Graeneth rose, painfully, to his fullheight, and with all his leverage plunged his sword deep into the demon's back,intending to bury it all the way to the hilt.

Seeing Graeneth's intent, Kagan nods at Graeneth and then moves forward and strikes. Knowing that once the demon was outside, he could kill the party athis leisure, Kagan leaps forward and attempts to smash his morningstar downacross the demon's knee. Hopefully, Once again. this would slow the beastenough for any reinforcements to come. Even as his swing occurs, Kagan yellsfor Harlan. "Throw that rope around this bastard's neck!" One way or theother Kagan wanted to keep that thing trapped while it was off balancesomewhat. Surely, reinforcements would arrive soon......?

"I'm one step ahead of you!" Harlan replies as he is already moving towardthe door. He grabs the noose which he had previously readied by the door and waits only a moment until the beast presents its head. Getting closerto the monster than he knew was reasonably safe, Harlan tries to land asure ringer to snare the beast. As soon as the noose is around Hellthrax'sneck, Harlan cinches up the knot by giving a quick sharp tug on the rope. Realizing that the rope wouldn't hold him down forever, Harlan warns,"Quickly! While we've got him, let's finish him! He'll break free all toosoon!"With the rope still in his hand, Harlan works his way toward the door. Hefastens the rope to the door post to put the beast on a 'short leash' andreadies his satff again. Harlan takes a stance in the doorway and strikesat Hellthrax with his staff. Knowing that the staff is not the mosteffective weapon to use against demons, Harlan tries to hit a sensitivearea such as the wound caused by Ke'pe's knife, but the beast is too fast and whirls around, knocking him backwards into Graeneth, both tumbling to the ground.

Kagan and Kep’e both step up into the doorway, Hellthrax having just stepped through it, and make viscious attacks with their weapons. Kagan missed by a large margin as Hellthrax seemed ready for the blow, pehaps wary of another hit like the last. Kep’e too, missed, but more because he had to avoid slicing through Harlan’s rope. The two prepared for another strike, when Hellthrax flew into the air again, fighting the rope with all his fane strength. Unable to break free, he turned and cast another handfull of bones on the ground before them, summoning a half-dozen skeletons from the earth.

Kep’e immediately swung at one, smashing it asunder with a shuddering blow, but another just as quickly took its place. Kagan raised his holy symbol, cursing the unnatural creations away, forcing three to back away slowly, but another two, unaffected by the warding, stepped forwards to confront him. Behind the skeleons, Hellthrax began another transformation. It was difficult for Kep’e and Kagan to watch, but Harlan and Graeneth, running up behind the two but unable to pass by them through the doorway saw it all. Hellthrax’s form again began to change, writhing and mutating. As his wings pulled back into his body, the rope fell useless to the ground, pulling with it a piece of Hellthrax’s transformation. As he finished the change, all could see him once again as Friar Warren, though this time his robe had been pulled off by rope which was entangled around it.

Kep’e swung again at the skeleton in front of him, knocking it out of the way and barely avoiding it’s sword thrust. Howling another foreign curse, he charged at Helltrax again, only to be cut off by the remaining skeleton. Harlan, in the mean time traded blows, but the skeleton he fought blocked each swing with its shield. He seemed to get nowhere, when of a sudden, Graeneth appeared at his side, slamming his blade into the skeleton’s head and shattering it into pieces.

Acold sweat broke out on Dayte's brow as he stood there helpless, rigid and frozen like a man they had once found that had fallen in a winter's stream.He almost wished for that man's fate now as, from the snatched glimpses hesaw when his colleagues darted to and fro in within his field of vision hecould see they were badly losing this fight.He was glad that the demon and its offspring had not yet turned theirattentions to him or the others who were paralysed, but he knew that wasonly a matter of time - ocne his new friends were killed he would be next.And the thought occurred to him of a long, slow death as Helltrax chewed upon his flesh, ripped him apart bit by bit, and all the while he wasconscious but unable to mvoe or do anything about it.Dayte's fear raged within him, and he felt a new rage surface - such as heonly felt infrequently, a dull fury that had nowhere to g owithin hisparalysed body but around and around the confines of his tortured mind.

Then, just as quickly as the paralysis had come, he and Cord both lurched forwards as the spell lifted. Pulling themselves to their feet, they turned towards Helltrax, now transformed back into the form of Friar Warren. Seeing them, Friar Warren turned and ran down the street towards the Civic Center as fast as his legs could carry him. Behind him, Graeneth and Kagan finished off the remaining skeleton, the others having turned and fled, pursued by watchmen. Friar Warren stopped just passed the Constabulary as he saw Jeremy approaching, followed closely by what appeared to be a couple wizards from the Academy. Looking around quickly, he turned and ducked down an alley to the right, heading towards the Cathedral of Trithereon.

The others followed as fast as possible, and entering the square, they could see Friar Warren running off to the left, chased closely by a half-dozen priests of Trithereon with their weapons drawn. He ran down the steps past the guildhouses, and into the Civic Center Square where his retreat was again cut off by a handful of city watch, spears ready. Thinking quickly, Friar Warren ducked into the nearest building to him, the Bankers and Lapidary Guild which he had just run by. Just after he entered, area around the entrance was plunged into deepest blackness, as if from an absolutely lightless night.

A large crowd gathered around the building, and Publius arrived from the opposite side of the building as well. One of the mages threw an incantation at the entrance, dispelling the darkness, just as Publius reached the front of the building. The group was about to enter when a couple dozen men rushed out the door screaming something about demons. They rushed by, scattering across the plaza, causing the rest of the group to delay entering. When they did, they saw a back window wide open and beyond it, the demonic form of Helltrax flying off across the square.

[ooc: need I say something corny like, "I’ll be back" or "You haven’t seen the last of Helltrax?" Anyway, he’s gone, flying away and out of reach. Since nobody has the power of flight, not even the wizards accompanying Jeremy, there’s little you can do. Basically, he was beaten, and he knew it--so did I. But, the story doesn’t end here for those who would pursue it....]

As he was released, Dayte lurched forward, carrying out his swing and barely regaining his balance. As Helltrax fled he let out a horrendous roar, likesome great beast would unleash in fury, and his companions glanced inastonishment at the sound that came from him. In an instant though all wasforgotten and Dayte ran like a man possessed [OOC: woops, better watch whatI say, eh? ;-)] after the Friar.Furiously he pursued him along with the others, desperate to lay his mightyaxe upon his dark flesh. As the Friar changed back to Helltrax and flew off,Dayte watched in astonishment - never had he seen such things as he had in the last few days.With the fear and adrenalin gone, a stillness came over Dayte, and he almostfelt like crying. Like a rag doll he crumpled to the Plaza floor and sat,cross-legged with his axe across his lap, his head lowered. His breast heaved as he tried to regain his breath after the exertion, and he continuedto stare at the ground, speechless.

Seeing the beast known as Hellthrax flying off in the distance, Jeremycurses himself for not being able to go after him. Thinking to himself thatif he was any kind of wizard, he would have torn that foul best apart whenhe first surfaced, or at the very least been able to follow him now.Walking over to where the rest of the group is standing, "What now? I havethis sick feeling in my stomach as though we failed, even if we did help touncover the fiend before he could do more damage to this city." Waiting onthe others to come to grips with the situation, Jeremy stands there with hisarms folded.

"Where flying Tiger from?" Kep'e asked speaking to Jeremy and therest of the companions gathered in the square. "Shaman, where he sleep,find Tiger lair?"

Graeneth seemed to be chanting under his breath as he saw Helltrax fly away, although not even the nearest person could hear what he was saying. It was no magical spell, but more like prayer. What was remarkable for anyone watching him was the way his face turned hard, unforgiving and expressionless. He seemed to hold that stony demeanour for the longest time, before relaxing his posture, and letting the weight of his injuries sag his body a little.

Kagan pulled alongside Graeneth and stared after the demon grimly. He turnedand glanced at Graeneth and was surprised to see the same look on thewarriors face. Nodding in recognition of the fact, he said to Graenethcalmy, "We both know were not gonna be happy til we take that foul wretchdown. Differing churches or not, that Bastard is OURS..." Kagan then turnsand begins checking Graeneths wounds and begins murmuring a prayer over theworst of these. Kagan ponders about all that has transpired and aboutGraeneth. It seems that behind the stiffness facade of the warrior, He andKagan, had much in common.

"Thank you. May Mayaheine keep and protect you my friend." Graeneth acknowledgedthe priest and his aid."Lives have been wasted. Evil has succeeded in some measure. Let us makerestoration in whatever way we can and aid the people of this fair city. Andthen, as Kep'e pointed out, maybe we can track the foul demon down."

Harlan is as stunned as the rest of the party by the surreal events thathave transpired. "Kagan's right... again. This isn't over." Harlan moves to the doorway of the Constabulary and examines the robes and 'piece' ofthe transformation left behind, looking for anything that might helpexplain the day's events. He quietly asks Celestian to clear his thoughtsand allow him to better understand their enemy. He holds his hands stillover the robe and any remains of the beast and closes his eyes. Havingspoken the words he closes his mouth and slows his breathing until heappears almost lifeless. Harlan mentally forces himself to block out thevarious sounds of the square one at a time until he hears nothing. Withhis mind as the only remaining sense, Harlan draws in the thoughts ofHellthrax that remain in the area of the violent battle. [OOC casts thought capture]The battle and capturing the thoughts of Hellthrax leaves Harlan bothphysically and mentally exhausted. However, the fact that battle is only paused, and not yet completed, gives him purpose.

The jumble of thoughts in the square were almost impossible to sort, and Harlan can make little sense out of what he feels. However, one name stuck in his mind, Hedrack. Looking back through the robe, he found a small talisman. It was a ring of adamantium, no more than two inches wide, was a copper staff bisecting it vertically with an obsidian spider at its apex. He held it up by its silver chain, and examined it uneasily, finally deciding to give it to Publius.

He uses remaining spellsto heal the most severly injured of the party [OOC Not sure who needs itthe most after last round hits, Kagan's spell, laying on of hands, etc.] After seeing to his friends' immediate needs, Harlan moves to the guardsmenwho were in the fight and tends to their wounds, if no one else has yetdone so. As a precaution, he examines the piles of bones that used to be skeletonsto make sure they are still lifeless. Addressing the senior guard,"Sergeant, I recommend that you separate the skulls from the rest of thebones when you clean up this mess. You never know..." Harlan bends downand retrieves a rib bone from one of the skeletons and places it in anempty belt pouch. "We may need to track Hellthrax, and I don't see himleaving any footprints. I'm not sure how, but this bone may help."

With the healing provided by his companions and being vaguely aware ofevents going on around him. Floyd realised he would not be joiningTrithereon quite yet. But it would be quite a while before he couldcelebrate that fact. Falling into a deep and peaceful sleep, Floyd dreams ofthe rewards the Harvester Heroes would have heaped upon them.

Harlan sees that his friends' loyalty runs deep as they signal, one afterthe other, that they will continue with the quest. Harlan had thoughtbriefly about returning to Celestian's temple for an extended period ofprayer followed by a visit to the old farmstead. There are, after all,many stories to tell and Harlan feels that some prayerful solitude wouldleave him much stronger in the end. He realizes, however, that it would beimpossible to leave the party now. He offers a quick prayer to Celestianfor understanding and promises to return to his needed studies anddevotions as soon as possible. With that decision made, he joins hisfriends as they head off (presumably to the pub, for a "strategy session.")

##############

With Hellthrax/Warren’s escape, everyone is left a little drained. They had dealt a blow to evil, to be sure, but complete victory flew away on a demon’s wings. The night had been exhausting, both physically as well as mentally, and everyone retired to rest. Those wounded were immediately treated by the priests who had arrived on the scene, including a handful of priests of Zodal, including the high priest of the church, Patriarch Marlex

himself. A short, round little man, the patriarch had a charming, cherubic face which immediately brought everyone at ease. As he apologized for Friar Warren’s deception, it became obvious to all that the man was truly sorry. Not only had he been duped by the man, if that is what he was, but innocent people had died on account of it, including the beloved priestess, Miriam. He offered to all the services of his hospital, whenever they had need of rest or healing, even promising a letter of recommendation should they ever be of need wherever their travels would take them. Thanking the priest, the party departed the scene, each returning to his/her room for much needed rest.

As they left, a third wizard approached the two whom Jeremy had summoned, then he walked over to Jeremy and took the young lad aside. "Perhaps there is hope for you after all,"he remarked with a laugh. He stood almost a foot taller than Jeremy though skinny as a beanpole, with mousey brown hair, lank and uncombed, brown eyes and rather plain features. Placing a gangly hand on the mage’s back, he continued with a smile. "I see in you great potential, if you can stay alive, that is. If you can contain the caos in your veins, you may indeed grow in wisdom and power."

Jeremy blushed a bit at the wizard’s praise as the other laughed. "Ease up on the lad, Nystul," replied the other. "You’ll give the boy a big head."

"True, true," he answered, "but a big head is better than no head, woudn’t you say boy?" Jeremy had heard the name of Nystul, spoken with high regard in the Free City, and he wasn’t sure what to say to such a personage. As he stood dumbfounded, the skinny mage laughed again. "Ah, worry not, you’ll make a fine wizard, if you can just keep your head." Then, scratching his chin in though, he continued. "Perhaps this shall help you do just that," and he reached into his robe. Pulling out an ivory tube, he handed it to Jeremy. "Study this, lad, and keep your head down."

The three then turned away, heading back to the Silver Consortium leaving Jeremy alone in the square. Opening the tube, he took out the soft pages and inspected them. Written in beautiful ink, the intricate characters were clearly magical, and he quickly put them away, his had shaking in anticipation of learning the secrets therein.

The rest of the day was spent in quiet rest for the Harvester’s Heroes, well-earned and needed. Over the next couple of days, they met with Publius who kept them informed of what had been discovered. In a pocket of Friar Warren’s robe was a strange talisman, unlike anything ever seen by anyone in Verbobonc. Even the sages of the Consortium were perplexed by it. The thing smacked of evil, but exactly what it signified was impossible to tell. Further, the name Hedrack meant nothing to anyone, but it sounded menacing nonetheless.

The heroes spent the days recovering from their wounds and seeing to their normal affairs. Toby and his mother seemed safe, and Darenna had moved in with them where she could watch over them better. For those staying at the inn, their tabs were picked up by the Viscount himself, who "arranged" for them to stay ‘til the end of the month. Dayte, too, was offered lodging, and he accepted while he mulled over what to do now.