Chapter Seven:
20 orcs, yelling war cries, ambushed the 5 adventurers.
The first blow given by an orc hit Felosial squarely in the head and she immediately fell to the floor.
Reactions from Hrimfaxi and Rurik were immediate. The centaur grabbed Cleon by the collar and threw him against the wall, behind Felosial's limp body and then placed herself between the orcs and the boy. Her large body shielded the fallen elf and the cowering boy.
An eager orc, coming too close, had Hrimfaxi's spear thrust through his grimy leather armor. Whipping her spear out just as fast, the bard swung around so that the butt end of the spear hit another orc in the head.
Cleon was fairly paralyzed with fear...and pain. For when Hrimfaxi had thrown him his back had hit the wall...quite hard. He was unable to move; Felosial's body had fallen on him. All he could see was the four large hooves of Hrimfaxi striking out quickly against other hairy and barefooted feet belonging to the orcs.
Cleon was happy when Eldon joined him. Dodging orcs, tumbling between legs and rock formations, the halfling ran through the fight slicing with tiny daggers when he could. With a final leap he flipped over Hrimfaxi and landed nimbly beside Cleon.
"Having fun yet, kid?" he asked dryly, unslinging his crossbow.
"No-o," Cleon replied through teeth that threatened to chatter.
"Don't worry," Eldon said as he sent an arrow into a nearby orc. "These numbskull primates don't stand a chance."
"What about Felosial?"
"Is she still breathing?"
"Yes."
"Then she'll be fine," the halfling answered cheerfully, loading another bolt.
"MORADIN!" yelled Rurik. His hammer glowing with the blessing of his god, he preferred aggressiveness to skill in combat. Swinging in circles, his hammer contacted any orc skull that ventured into the reach of his arm. The bone clubs and maces banged against the dwarf's armor, but the jarring blows only served to send the battle-raged cleric wheeling into other parts of the frey deal more damage.
Hrimfaxi was getting pressed hard. Her large body was an easy target and it seemed that as soon as she bashed one orc away with her shield another was ready to stab her. Eldon was helping, sending devastatingly accurate bolts into nearby orcs, but they were whizzing dangerously close to Hrimfaxi, and though the centaur knew that Eldon was always precise they did serve as a distraction.
One arrow flew right by her head, piercing the dented helmet of an orc right beside her. The skittish instincts of the horse caused Hrimfaxi to back up, startled, right into an equally startled orc. The orc was lucky enough to have his mace before him that scratched Hrimfaxi across her back. The orc was unlucky enough to have his legs crushed by the centaur's newly sharpened horseshoes.
"You can stop firing so close to me, Eldon!" the bard yelled across to the halfling.
"Just trying to help!"
"Well you're not!" Hrimfaxi tried to wade through the orcs, back to her position in front of her servant and the rogue. With sweeping motions she cleared the area around her of orcs...only to have Rurik, moving in dizzyingly -and dangerous- circles, right by her, unaware that his warhammer nearly smashed her arm.
"Watch where you're swinging that thing!" she snapped.
"Get out of the way then!" replied the dwarf, crushing several orcs in a row and getting bashed on the head. Seemingly unaware of this injury he turned around.
"We're supposed to be working as a team here!" shouted Eldon to both of them.
"Then tell the dwarf to learn how to use that thing he's swinging around!"
"You learn to move that horse body of yours!"
To Cleon this seemed the end of the battle when the two companions starting arguing with each other. But Eldon seemed calm; for the halfling knew that this argument only served to strengthen the cleric and bard. Filled with anger at each other the centaur and dwarf would take their hate out on the orcs around them.
It seemed to work...only Hrimfaxi was surrounded, Rurik's helmet bashed over his eyes, and Eldon out of bolts to fire. It seemed bleak.
Then Cleon pushed Felosial off his legs. Not only was she cutting off his circulation, but he had decided he wanted to attempt to run off and couldn't do it with an elf on top of him. But as he did so the elf woke again, rubbing her head, her glossy hair slightly damp from water from the cave floor and blood from a lump on her head.
"Nice of you to join us," Eldon said, throwing away his empty crossbow casually and gripping his daggers. "It's your turn to save the day. Care to help?"
Cupping her hands together at the wrist she spoke some words and bright light filled them like water filled a cup. Soon the light bubbled and overflowed, filling the cave around them with brightness.
This finished the orcs. The glow streaming from Felosial's hands was too much for their nocturnal eyes. In disbelief they were forced to drop their weapons to shield their beady eyes from the painful light, that was much stronger then the sunlight they were forced to flee from.
It was easy for Hrimfaxi and Rurik, whose eyes were not affected by the brightness, to finish the blinded orcs off.
20 orcs, yelling war cries, ambushed the 5 adventurers.
The first blow given by an orc hit Felosial squarely in the head and she immediately fell to the floor.
Reactions from Hrimfaxi and Rurik were immediate. The centaur grabbed Cleon by the collar and threw him against the wall, behind Felosial's limp body and then placed herself between the orcs and the boy. Her large body shielded the fallen elf and the cowering boy.
An eager orc, coming too close, had Hrimfaxi's spear thrust through his grimy leather armor. Whipping her spear out just as fast, the bard swung around so that the butt end of the spear hit another orc in the head.
Cleon was fairly paralyzed with fear...and pain. For when Hrimfaxi had thrown him his back had hit the wall...quite hard. He was unable to move; Felosial's body had fallen on him. All he could see was the four large hooves of Hrimfaxi striking out quickly against other hairy and barefooted feet belonging to the orcs.
Cleon was happy when Eldon joined him. Dodging orcs, tumbling between legs and rock formations, the halfling ran through the fight slicing with tiny daggers when he could. With a final leap he flipped over Hrimfaxi and landed nimbly beside Cleon.
"Having fun yet, kid?" he asked dryly, unslinging his crossbow.
"No-o," Cleon replied through teeth that threatened to chatter.
"Don't worry," Eldon said as he sent an arrow into a nearby orc. "These numbskull primates don't stand a chance."
"What about Felosial?"
"Is she still breathing?"
"Yes."
"Then she'll be fine," the halfling answered cheerfully, loading another bolt.
"MORADIN!" yelled Rurik. His hammer glowing with the blessing of his god, he preferred aggressiveness to skill in combat. Swinging in circles, his hammer contacted any orc skull that ventured into the reach of his arm. The bone clubs and maces banged against the dwarf's armor, but the jarring blows only served to send the battle-raged cleric wheeling into other parts of the frey deal more damage.
Hrimfaxi was getting pressed hard. Her large body was an easy target and it seemed that as soon as she bashed one orc away with her shield another was ready to stab her. Eldon was helping, sending devastatingly accurate bolts into nearby orcs, but they were whizzing dangerously close to Hrimfaxi, and though the centaur knew that Eldon was always precise they did serve as a distraction.
One arrow flew right by her head, piercing the dented helmet of an orc right beside her. The skittish instincts of the horse caused Hrimfaxi to back up, startled, right into an equally startled orc. The orc was lucky enough to have his mace before him that scratched Hrimfaxi across her back. The orc was unlucky enough to have his legs crushed by the centaur's newly sharpened horseshoes.
"You can stop firing so close to me, Eldon!" the bard yelled across to the halfling.
"Just trying to help!"
"Well you're not!" Hrimfaxi tried to wade through the orcs, back to her position in front of her servant and the rogue. With sweeping motions she cleared the area around her of orcs...only to have Rurik, moving in dizzyingly -and dangerous- circles, right by her, unaware that his warhammer nearly smashed her arm.
"Watch where you're swinging that thing!" she snapped.
"Get out of the way then!" replied the dwarf, crushing several orcs in a row and getting bashed on the head. Seemingly unaware of this injury he turned around.
"We're supposed to be working as a team here!" shouted Eldon to both of them.
"Then tell the dwarf to learn how to use that thing he's swinging around!"
"You learn to move that horse body of yours!"
To Cleon this seemed the end of the battle when the two companions starting arguing with each other. But Eldon seemed calm; for the halfling knew that this argument only served to strengthen the cleric and bard. Filled with anger at each other the centaur and dwarf would take their hate out on the orcs around them.
It seemed to work...only Hrimfaxi was surrounded, Rurik's helmet bashed over his eyes, and Eldon out of bolts to fire. It seemed bleak.
Then Cleon pushed Felosial off his legs. Not only was she cutting off his circulation, but he had decided he wanted to attempt to run off and couldn't do it with an elf on top of him. But as he did so the elf woke again, rubbing her head, her glossy hair slightly damp from water from the cave floor and blood from a lump on her head.
"Nice of you to join us," Eldon said, throwing away his empty crossbow casually and gripping his daggers. "It's your turn to save the day. Care to help?"
Cupping her hands together at the wrist she spoke some words and bright light filled them like water filled a cup. Soon the light bubbled and overflowed, filling the cave around them with brightness.
This finished the orcs. The glow streaming from Felosial's hands was too much for their nocturnal eyes. In disbelief they were forced to drop their weapons to shield their beady eyes from the painful light, that was much stronger then the sunlight they were forced to flee from.
It was easy for Hrimfaxi and Rurik, whose eyes were not affected by the brightness, to finish the blinded orcs off.