Post by spastic bard on Aug 24, 2008 18:00:16 GMT -5
It took a moment to register her inability to move. One minute she had been ready to rush at the lich’s back while Hound fought from the front, but she was stuck; unable to move from her defensive position. The bastard has stoned her! Torn between the blow to her pride and the quiet echo of fear pounding in her chest, Mauri could do nothing but watch as Del’ter’hlor laughed, turned back towards her partner and uttered triumphantly, “One down.”
Mauri cursed in her head. She cursed and ranted and screamed silently as she watched the fight continue without her. They had been doing so well until this point! How could her and Hound have overlooked something as so simple as this? And how embarrassing! She was going to have to spend the rest of the fight as a statue and watch her partner do all the work. She was never going to hear the end of it from him.
The battle continued around her. The pattern of glowing blades, spell chants, and flying energy broke suddenly with a flash of green and the materialization of a glowing hand. The clash of blades went quiet as Hound was forced to the ground by a magical hand. For a moment all Mauri could hear was the fearful echo of her heart grow stronger. The realization that the fight was lost seemed to settle over the entire swamp clearing with eerily stillness. Then Del’ter’hlor was speaking, but Mauri couldn’t register the words. She just stared ahead, frozen, and watched the lich deliver a few blows to Hound’s prone form before it turned back to face her. Her stilled eyes could only watch as it closed the distance between them and slashed at her; the blows wild and undisciplined and she could do nothing but let them fall. The blades screamed across her stoned body and left no mark, but the pain was all to clear in her head. She could feel herself start to slip, as if she were losing blood, towards comforting blackness. Somewhere in her mind a guilty voice thanked the gods. Being a statue was dull.
It was hard to tell when the lich had stopped attacking her. Somewhere in her pain-ridden haze Mauri realized there was no new pain to be had, and that she was still alive, minus being stone. Her unmoving eyes watched the lich move away from her back towards her partner. The old man was still prone, held under the magical hand’s strength. Fear gripped her heart again stronger than before. He had to get up. Hound had to get up. If he didn’t… No, there was just no other option. He would get up. That was her mantra. With every step the lich took she prayed silently. He would get up. There was no other option. Failure did not just mean death anymore - Their very souls were on the line. In her mind Mauri smirked at such an over used story line. Too bad it was true.
She heard the lich cackle as it stood over Hound; blade ready above the old man’s head. The fear pounding in her chest overwhelmed her; deafening her as she felt her pulse beat against every part of her. Hound was not going to get up. The lich was going to end this. Had they given the other group enough time? By the Gods she hoped so. The only thing she hated more than being rendered useless was failure. Gods be damned if she’d have to face both before losing her life.
Her stilled form forced her to watch as the lich brought the blade down on Hound. She didn’t hear her partner cry out, but she knew that she was alone with the lich now. The pounding of her heart slowed, creeping back to a quiet beat that hardly seemed fearful. Mauri did not know a lot about dark magic, but she had a feeling the old man’s soul was safe and sound. It did not look as if the lich had done anything elaborate or spell-like. Then again, she usually had scrolls blow up in her face, so she wouldn’t know.
The lich slowly made its way back to her stoned form. Mauri wondered how long it would take for it to finish her off. If that was the intention. Considering its targets, somehow she doubted she was a prime candidate for soul stealing. Then again, the longer she lived the better the chance to see this mission through. The lich stopped in front of her and put its blade away. It cackled again. Mauri felt a dim echo of her previous fear. “You’ll do,” It rasped as it picked her up effortlessly. “Your soul.”
As the world around her faded away, Mauri silently hoped she’d get the chance to make the lich-bastard regret not killing her.
Mauri cursed in her head. She cursed and ranted and screamed silently as she watched the fight continue without her. They had been doing so well until this point! How could her and Hound have overlooked something as so simple as this? And how embarrassing! She was going to have to spend the rest of the fight as a statue and watch her partner do all the work. She was never going to hear the end of it from him.
The battle continued around her. The pattern of glowing blades, spell chants, and flying energy broke suddenly with a flash of green and the materialization of a glowing hand. The clash of blades went quiet as Hound was forced to the ground by a magical hand. For a moment all Mauri could hear was the fearful echo of her heart grow stronger. The realization that the fight was lost seemed to settle over the entire swamp clearing with eerily stillness. Then Del’ter’hlor was speaking, but Mauri couldn’t register the words. She just stared ahead, frozen, and watched the lich deliver a few blows to Hound’s prone form before it turned back to face her. Her stilled eyes could only watch as it closed the distance between them and slashed at her; the blows wild and undisciplined and she could do nothing but let them fall. The blades screamed across her stoned body and left no mark, but the pain was all to clear in her head. She could feel herself start to slip, as if she were losing blood, towards comforting blackness. Somewhere in her mind a guilty voice thanked the gods. Being a statue was dull.
It was hard to tell when the lich had stopped attacking her. Somewhere in her pain-ridden haze Mauri realized there was no new pain to be had, and that she was still alive, minus being stone. Her unmoving eyes watched the lich move away from her back towards her partner. The old man was still prone, held under the magical hand’s strength. Fear gripped her heart again stronger than before. He had to get up. Hound had to get up. If he didn’t… No, there was just no other option. He would get up. That was her mantra. With every step the lich took she prayed silently. He would get up. There was no other option. Failure did not just mean death anymore - Their very souls were on the line. In her mind Mauri smirked at such an over used story line. Too bad it was true.
She heard the lich cackle as it stood over Hound; blade ready above the old man’s head. The fear pounding in her chest overwhelmed her; deafening her as she felt her pulse beat against every part of her. Hound was not going to get up. The lich was going to end this. Had they given the other group enough time? By the Gods she hoped so. The only thing she hated more than being rendered useless was failure. Gods be damned if she’d have to face both before losing her life.
Her stilled form forced her to watch as the lich brought the blade down on Hound. She didn’t hear her partner cry out, but she knew that she was alone with the lich now. The pounding of her heart slowed, creeping back to a quiet beat that hardly seemed fearful. Mauri did not know a lot about dark magic, but she had a feeling the old man’s soul was safe and sound. It did not look as if the lich had done anything elaborate or spell-like. Then again, she usually had scrolls blow up in her face, so she wouldn’t know.
The lich slowly made its way back to her stoned form. Mauri wondered how long it would take for it to finish her off. If that was the intention. Considering its targets, somehow she doubted she was a prime candidate for soul stealing. Then again, the longer she lived the better the chance to see this mission through. The lich stopped in front of her and put its blade away. It cackled again. Mauri felt a dim echo of her previous fear. “You’ll do,” It rasped as it picked her up effortlessly. “Your soul.”
As the world around her faded away, Mauri silently hoped she’d get the chance to make the lich-bastard regret not killing her.