~ Dire Struggle for Dillend: [Archive] [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~

Storm holds the body of the guard in front of him and begins to drag it toward the corner of the room. He pauses and looks over his shoulder as Edryd has his encounter with Lt. Pinker. When the soldier identifies himself, Storm hurriedly drags the man into the corner. Once there he takes a quick glance over his shoulder toward the rest of Rinder's Six, and then proceeds to grab the dagger, still in the man's back, and yank it hard toward the man's heart, killing him. He keeps his free hand over the guard's mouth to stifle any last yelp.

He then searches the man for any weapons. The dead soldier has, at his side, a long sword, standard-issue. Storm grabs this in his bloody hand. He drops the dead soldier's head on the hard floor with a "thunk!" and walks toward Lieutenant Pinker. He places the sword in Pinker's hand with a toothy smile. "Arr, ye be needin' this!"

For a moment, Emma simply stares around the room at the empty faces and the poor conditions. "So this is what being a prisoner is like," she thinks, "I've read the scrolls of Anhur and the stories of Saint D'Estrude's suffering at the hands of his captors, but only now do I begin to understand what it must have been really like. What a sheltered life I've led..."

"We are Rinder's Six and we intend to take you from this place," Emma announces, speaking to the lieutenant as well as the rest of the people, "Please gather yourselves quietly. Prepare to move your wounded." She looks at Pinker directly and asks, "Who among you is the most in need of healing? I may be able to help them."

She allows the lieutenant to take her among the wounded, doing what she can to ease their pain. She withholds casting her only curative spell, but simply uses whatever mundane healing methods she can to prepare them for escape. As she works, she asks the lieutenant, "So you are from Seden? What brought you to Dillend, if I might ask?" Inwardly, she wonders what connection the man might have to Lady Hannah and the treachery proposed by General Wade to the Duke of Seden.

"I'm from a small hamlet on the Northern Sea. My father used to help haul in fish from the boats and I'd cut off their heads," Pinker explains with an air of nostalgia. He watches Emma as she does her best to comfort the wouded. "My older brother inherited the family business, so I joined the Duke's army. One time we were defending against an Orcish raid and an officer from Merriam saw me on the battlefield. He promoted me to the King's army and sent me down here."

Emma listens carefully to the man as she continues working with the wounded. She binds them as best she can and calmly reassures everyone that they can make it to freedom. After finishing that task, she returns to speak with the others to discuss their exit strategy.

Storm says "Eh, can we get these folks out that secret way ye got in here? What's that like?" Otherwise he stands and listens to the conversation, only turning his head to give the prisons a quick look-over.

"We can do it," Cy says, nodding to Storm. "If the invisibility holds."

Edryd contributes, "Let us hope Hannibal found himself a good spot."

Emma nods, saying, "Yes, I think that will be our best opportunity. The exit is a trap door in the stables and there is one guard that remains there, though he is not aware that we passed through."

She then looks at Dire and asks, "Your invisibility spell? How long will it last? Can we take these people out in groups of nine or ten with it? We may be able to get them to the stable quietly that way, instead of in one mad rush. It would also go easier on them, I think. Many of them probably cannot run. So, the wounded should be moved that way first..."

Dire nods. "My spell will hold for hours still. But beware: if we are discovered and attacked, or begin an attack ourselves, the spell will dissipate. Woe he who forgets that."

Emma speaks to Lieutenant Pinker then, saying, "Even if we do take you out in groups, the rest of you must be prepared to exit on a moment's notice. We're ready to cover your escape, but if the alarm is raised, we'll have to go all at once or not at all. Are there any other prisoners being kept inside the fort that we should know about? Our forces outside are ready to begin their assault once we get all of you free. So, if there's someone else that needs rescuing, we need to know that now or they'll miss their chance before the battle begins."

Pinker nods, listening to the plan with a growing smile. "They took the rest of the officers and tortured them one by one. They're all dead; the bodies were returned here to rot with the rest of us. Only one officer is still missing: Captain Sanford."

"Sanford!" Crayne says, furious, "that traitor!"

"The captain?" Pinker asks, confused.

"We have reason to believe..." Canter begins, trying to calm the lieutenant.

"Never!"

"...that he was, indeed, a traitor. Did he not halt the patrols just before you came under attack?"

Pinker looks to his feet. "Perhaps you are right. If I see him, I will wring his neck." There is fire, determination, in the officer's eyes.

"Very well, then," Cy says, refocussing the conversation, "let us begin the first trip."

Some canvas strips are torn from the bunks and used for stretchers. Fifteen stretchers are needed in all. Many other soldiers are hurt, but the rest can walk. Edryd gathers three stretchers and some other prisoners to carry them, directing them to stay close to Emma. "You must stay close to her spear or you will become visible." The men nod in understanding, their weakened muscles bulging and stretching under the load of their wounded.

Emma, Dire, Storm and Edryd accompany the first trip. Crayne, Cy, Hannibal, and Kel remain to guard the fort. Carefully the door is opened and checked to make sure the path is clear. It is a straight trip across the open parade ground, almost diagonally across the fort, to the stables. Emma hefts her spear and soon the first convoy disappears into the night, closing the door quietly behind them.

Waiting. It seems to last forever. Crayne paces the room. Kel bites his nails. After what seems like hours, the door once again opens, and soon Emma, Dire, Storm, and Edryd reappear.

"It's okay," Emma says, comforting those who remain. "We can do it."

Another group is gathered quickly. Then a third. The worst prisoners are freed, being carried out the secret tunnel by their fellow soldiers.

Thinking for a moment, Hannibal stood outside the tower for what seemed an eternity, then an idea hit him. He knew if Emma were here she would not approve but it was the best he could come up with on short notice.

Drawing his dagger, he crouched down a bit to hide himself from any onlookers below. Then, with one quick and decisive blow, he drove the pommel of the dagger hard into his forehead, just above his right eye. A sharp pain hit him instantly and for a moment he feared he may black out, but he held his footing. Soon, by design, a slight trickle of blood could be felt seeping down his forehead. He didn't relish the headache he now enjoyed but the results were what he had hoped for.

Allowing the blood to run for just a moment, he then took his sleave and wiped off the excess, returned his dagger to it's sheath, and headed for the guard house. Upon entering, he headed straight for the ladder, nodding at the guards en route but saying nothing.

"What you doin'?" one of the guards said, eyeing Hannibal as he placed a hand on the ladder.

Stopping in his tracks, Hannibal allowed his shoulders to slump and his face to drop in frustration. Looking the two guards evenly in the face, and then spoke in his best accent. "Look, I've had it with being pushed around! If you guys have a problem with me retuning to my post then you can just take it up with the Captain! I try and take a little nap after lunch and he gives me this to show for it!" He pointed to his head to emphasize.

Continuing before the guards can make issue of it, "So the Captain says 'Hey boy, get over there and unload that cart!!!' and I say yes sir and then they tell me they have enough men and to get lost so Im going back up to my post so as I'm out of everybody's way." He lets the frustration show not only in his face but in his posture. "Look guys, I've been kicked around enough already, don't make it worse than it already is."

"Err...whatever," the guard said in reply. "Keep an eye out, I'm gonna close me eyes."

Shaking his head, Hannibal continued the climb. He let out a sigh of relief at the top and then gave the place a quick look-over. The latter came up precisely in the corner of the fort. A small wooded room surrounded him, with what looked like barrells of arrow and a few extra bows. There was also a large fireplace and two caldrons of cold, black oil. "That could be lethal..." Hannibal thought, looking at the oil.

Hannibal could see two openings to the room, along the two outer walls of the fort. Through those doors the wooden sentry-walk continued around, about five feet wide. On one side was the outer fort wall, with archer's slits between each of the planks of wood making up the outer wall. On the other side there was a little railing, though it didn't look particularly steady.

Peering out of these two doorways, Hannibal could see a lookout along the western wall of the fort. Decided not to make enemies until he had to, he proceeds outside into the night air along the southern wall. As he walks east along the wall, he can see over the wall to the front of the fort below. On his left side he has a clear, unobstructed view of the parade ground and buildings below, including the prisoner's barracks.

"Excellent," Hannibals says, taking in the view and his vantage point. He quickly stops, remembering the top of the ladder. "Must secure my position," he tells himself. Quickly moving back into the tower, he quietly lowers the hatch in the floor, covering up the ladder and preventing the guards below from coming up. He drags a caldron of oil on top of the hatch to prevent them from opening it from below.

Hannibal soon reassumes a position along the southern wall, watching for a signal from below. He scans the walkway for a coil of rope to aid him in an escape, but finds none. Peering back over the wall, he can see the two storey drop to the ground below. "I could make it, but it wouldn't be pretty..."

Emma, Storm, Dire, and Edyrd return to the barracks. So far so good. There remained about twenty prisoners, plus Rinder's Six.

"Come, time is running out!" Edryd says to those remaining. "We must go!"

Just then a new voice, not whispering, is heard outside the barracks. "What in the gods? Where are the guards I had posted?!"

Cy cocks his head to the side. "I recognize that voice," he whispers.

"It be close..." Storm hoarsely whispers.

Suddenly Pinker cannot contain himself. He wraps his hand tightly around the sword Storm gave him and runs, full speed, at the door. "Sanford! You traitor!!!"

"Stop him!!" Emma yells.

Crayne dives, Kel lunges, but they are too late. Pinker bursts through the door, surprising Captain Sanford on the other side. Sanford spins around, his chain mail shining in the starlight. He narrows his eyes as he perceives Pinker charging him and unsheathes his blade.

"Go! Go!" Cy urges, grabbing Emma's spear and tossing it through the air to the priestess. He reaches out and begins pushing the remaining prisoners toward Emma and the door.

"But they can't all fit near the spear!" Kel says quickly, drawing his short sword.

"Never mind that now. We must move!" Crayne answers, giving the trusty scout a shove toward the door.

Sanford's eyes widen as he looks behind the approaching Lieutentant Pinker to see the jailbreak behind. "GUARDS!!" he calls out at the top of his voice. "Raise the alarm! Where is Gaven?!?"

"Gaven?" Dire perks up, watching prisoners run toward the door in front of him. "He's a mage...a Red Dragon Mage!"

"Anhur be merciful," Cy says, followed by a dwarven curse.

LT. PINKER is about to engage Captain SANFORD, about five yards in front of the prisoners' barracks. EMMA is leading the remaining prisoners toward the stable, but is only about a quarter of the way across the parade ground. She is invisible, along with eight prisoners.

That leaves STORM, EDRYD, CRAYBE, CY, DIRE, KEL, and TWELVE UNARMED PRISONERS visible, and in need of escape. HANNIBAL is safely (for now) perched on the sentry walk, along the southern wall (up and to the right for Emma, et al, as they cross the fort heading east).

WHAT ARE YOUR ACTIONS?!?

Do you want DIRE to cast his fireball now? CRAYNE, will you invoke some magic? What about PINKER? Will you let him fight Captain SANFORD (without any armor!)? What about the troops that are sure to arrive now that Sanford has raised the alarm? What about GAVEN, the Red Dragon Mage, who is sure to arrive at any moment? When should HANNIBAL begin to fire some arrows, and what will he do once it is discovered by the other sentries that he is really one of Rinder's Six?

"Edryd! See if you can save Pinker!" Cy calls out as the battle gets underway, albeit sooner than any tactician would have planned. Edryd gives the warrior a quick nod and bolts out the door in pursuit of the lieutenant.

He then turns to the remaining prisoners. "You will be more effective fighters once your are armed..."

Storm only pauses a second as he gauges what's going on. He decides quickly to leave the planning to the others and get to less enclosed ground; he figures his expertise is better used elsewhere. First, though, he quickly draws the bastard sword from his back and tosses it on the ground toward Cy. "Use that!!" he gruffly yells, adding his contribution to the 'arm the weary' fund.

Cy nods to his Dwarven friend and wordlessly picks up the sword, handing it to the closest prisoner. The prisoner nods, cracking his knuckles and clutching the weapon.

Then, before anyone can stop him, Storm unsheathes a long sword in his left hand and a dagger in his right, and slips through the door. He takes a quick peek around, and then attempts to meld into the shadows as he creeps around the northern corner of the barracks and along the wall of the fort. All the while he keeps his eye on Sanford and Pinker, trying his hardest not to be seen or detected. Using the cover of the night and the shadows it must bring, he tries to remain silent and hidden as the events unfold.

Emma huddles close to as many prisoners as she can, urging them to follow her to the stables. She increases the pace from her previous trips, knowing that these men are still healthy and capable of keeping up with her. Besides, she needs to return to the aid of Rinder's Six as soon as she can. "Anhur watch over them," she prays.

Hefting her spear and fading into the night, she departs with her group in the direction of the stables.

Hannibal watches helplessly as Rinder's plans unfold before his eyes. The shouting was sure to attract more guards and he knew once he let loose an arrow, more would come his way. He had spent the last few moments bundling some of his arrows in oil soaked rags but needed to make a bigger statement than just some burning hay.

Crayne looks out from the doorway into the main fort area. He narrows his eyes as he sees the reaction of Pinker to the treachery that Sanford had inflicted upon him and his colleagues. Crayne's stomach turns with the sight of Sanford yelling for his guards. This was the moment. Now Rinder's Six were in the greatest of dangers. To get out of this one in one piece would be the making of a hero. It was just a shame that Guilliam wasn't here to tell the story!

Pinker arrives at Sanford, sword raised and poised for the attack. He brings it down hard, but Sanford blocks it, the sound of clashing swords echoing through the fort. The sound seems to procure a reply: the footsteps of Caerloon soldiers running into the parade ground from seemingly all directions!

Immediately Crayne shoots off a charm person at Sanford. Crayne then steps through the threshold of the barracks and shouts in a commanding manner, "Sanford! Calm yourself and stand away from this fool! For I'll take pleasure in dealing with him!"

Sanford lowers his sword, looking to Crayne. The entire expression on his face changes to one of confusion, not agressiveness. He does not sheathe his weapon, but instead holds it at his side. "Fine then, I'll see to the rest of this mess..." he calls to the mage.

Pinker spins around, glaring at Crayne. "WHAT?!?" He yells at Crayne. "Have I been betrayed again?!?"

Canter, seeing the Caerloon soldiers approaching, rushes out into the field of battle, hoping to keep them distracted long enough for Emma to get out with her group. He runs up to the nearest soldier, launching an attack with his sword, which is ultimately unsuccessful.

Canter quickly comes under attack by the soldier opposite him. He blocks the blow effectively, smiling as he feels he has finally become accustomed to his new sword.

Edryd finds a Caerloon soldier in his path between him and Pinker. He is slightly frustrated, but doesn't have time to complain: he quickly blocks an attack by the soldier.

Storm, quietly creeping along the wall of the barracks, keeps an eye on the action in the field. Unfortunately, a Caerloon soldier comes barrelling around the corner of the barracks, summoned by Sanford's alarm. He immediately see's Storm, who is just about right next to him as he rounds the corner! He lets off an attack, which catches the Dwarf slightly off guard. (4 hp damage)

Crayne makes his way up to Pinker, unsheathing his sword, and spots Storm begin to sneak off to the left in an obvious attempt to attack him from the rear. With Crayne's distraction of Sanford with his charm person he hopes that it provides enough time for Storm to approach from the rear and backstab Sanford.

The mage notices out of the corner of his eye, however, as Storm comes under attack. He bites his lip, knowing he might have to do this without Storm's help. He smiles to Sanford and winks to Pinker, trying to allay the lieutenant's concerns. "Don't worry..." he whispers as he passes Pinker and nears Sanford.

"I...uh...want to show you something inside the barracks," Crayne mutters to Sanford, trying to get him to follow him into the barracks and expose his back to Pinker.

Deciding that one burnt out building was better than losing his friends in battle, Hannibal quickly sprints back to the tower and retrieves the other cauldron of oil. Pushing and carrying it along the catwalk, he gets to the area just above the barracks and pushes the cauldron over. Watching for just a moment as the oil seeps into the barracks, he lights his torch and readies the first arrow.

As soon as the first guard is in sight, he launches his first flaming arrow into the cart that just came in. The arrow flies straight and true at the unmoving target. It lands on the cart's cloth covering, immediately setting the canopy on fire. He then kneels so as to narrow his profile to enemies below and watches.

Cy motions for the twelve men with him (only one armed) to follow. "Let us try to get to the armory!" he says while leading them out of the barracks. He sees a Caerloon soldier coming at him and executes a quick attack, but it is blocked. The armed soldier with him tries, too, but is also blocked.

Edryd attacks his opponent, striking the soldier solidly. Canter faces his opponent, scoring a successful hit, as well. Storm, angry that his plan to backstab Sanford was disrupted, lashes out at the soldier who discovered him. He strikes hard with his sword, which hits with a spectacular force. He then follows it up with a swipe with his dagger, which opens up a long wound in the soldier's cheek.

Emma continues leading her troops toward the stable. They arrive at the entrance successfully, but as she begins to head in, the one remaining guard comes running out to join the fight! He runs right into Emma, knocking the priestess over and dispelling the veil of invisibility. "Wha?" he says, regaining his balance.

Emma scrambles back to her feet and jabs at the startled soldier with her spear, catching him in the stomach. "Go!" she yells to the freed prisoners behind her. They begin to run past the bleeding enemy into the stable. "Tell Captain Wheeler to begin his assault!" she calls as she secures her footing and prepares to battle the soldier in front of her.

Dire peeks out of the barracks at the scene unfolding before him. "Not enough..." he mutters, hoping that more Caerloon troops will fill the area before he unleashes his fireball.

Then Canter is attacked again. This time, however, he cannot avoid the blow, catching the enemy's blade with his arm. (4 hp damage) Edryd sucessfully blocks an attack by his opponent, narrowing his eyes and whispering a quiet prayer. Storm blocks an attack with his sword, preparing himself for another offensive move.

The armed Rinder soldier then finds himself under attack by the soldier he and Cy tried to hit. He is struck, not deeply, but enough to remind him of the true nature of battle. Emma keeps herself light on her feet, maintaining enough distance between her and her enemy to avoid his attack.

Crayne continues to lead the calmer, but still confused, Sanford toward the barraks. Kel quickly emerges behind Crayne, short sword in hand, moving into the battle. As Crayne leads Sanford, Pinker makes his moving, driving his sword into his former Captain's back. Sanford is stopped in his tracks, wrenching with the impact. That is Crayne's cue. He lunges forward with his sword, stiking Sanford in the front for a good hit.

Kel quickly engages the nearest enemy, the soldier who was attacking the first freed Rinder soldier. He finds his attack thwarted, but the Rinder soldier takes advantage of Kel's move to attack as well. His attack is successful, striking the enemy hard.

Storm then launches an attack, striking his enemy a solid blow. The soldier spits out a mouthful of blood and buckles at the knees--dead. Storm lets out a loud battle cry and turns on the rest of the scene, looking for more prey. He is definitely in his element.

Edryd attacks his enemy, striking the man hard. He can feel the strength of Anhur in his veins. Canter continues his duel, unable to strike his adversary.

Cy is thankful that Kel and the first Rinder soldier have taken care of the Caerloon soldier. "Come on!" he orders, continuing to lead the remaining eleven Rinder soldiers northward to the armory. He breaks into a run, hearing his entourage running after him.

Emma recites the mantras of her past instructors and jabs her spear at her opponent again, catching him in the shoulder. He growls with the hit but is not swayed. The rest of her group, however, have by now all made it down into the tunnel. For that Emma thanks her god.

Hannibal trains his bow on the battlefield below. One eye closed, the other focussed down the shaft of his arrow, he settles on the relatively stable target of Canter's opponent. He lets the bowstring go and the arrow cuts through the cold night air. It strikes the soldier in the back, a sure hit. He quickly launches another shot, which misses.

Then Dire Luthor decides that the time has arrived. He begins casting his powerful incindiary spell, Fireball. Like the crackle of lightening, a jagged amber ray of light emits from his pointed finger at a tightly packed group of Caerloon soldiers crossing the parade ground. The ray is spectacular as it blossoms into a large ball of fire. The heat is felt across the battlefield, the sound fills the night.

The fireball strikes the group of soldiers head-on. They scream and cover their faces, turning to run, but cannot avoid the awesome magical power of the great Dire Luthor. Some of the soldiers are immediately killed, others sink to the ground, the fabrics of their clothing and the padding under their armor aflame.

Emma turns her head at the effect of the fireball. "By Anhur, what destructive power!" she thinks.

Hannibal sees the fireball and his eyes widen at the spectacle. "Wow..." he mutters. Then something else catches his attention: the presence of one of the other sentries on the catwalk. He is standing along the same wall, closer to the main gate. He doesn't move as he tries to make out in the dim light who exactly Hannibal is.

Following a brief pause on the part of everyone in the fort, the soldier opposite Canter presses his attack. Canter is skilled in defence, though, and manages to parry and block the blow. Edryd, too, manages to block an attack and stay on the move.

Kel, however, is not so lucky. He catches a hard hit at the hands of a Caerloon soldier. He is visibly shakes and stumbles backwards. "Uh, guys..." the scouts says, raising his short sword again so as to defend against the next blow.

Emma's opponent, with an unexpected burst of energy, sidesteps her spear, ducks an attack, and slashes at the priestess with his blade. He hits her, slicing into her skin around the base of her neck. (7 hp damage)

"Who's there?!" the sentry calls to Hannibal. "I said who's there?!"

Another Caerloon soldier then arrives, stepping in the way of Cy's party on their way to the armory. Cy is not close enough to stop it--the enemy soldier manages to catch a Rinder soldier completely defenseless. With one fell swoop he strikes the Rinder soldier hard. The Rinder soldier falls to the cold earth, dead. "Curses!" Cy thinks. "Must get to those weapons before more of my men fall!"

Sanford, reeling from the repeated attacks, suddenly snaps his head up, new determination in his eyes. "Captain?" Crayne asks kindly.

"I am not your captain, you swine!" Sanford responds, raising his sword again.

"Someone must have dispelled my charm!" Crayne thinks. "Gaven must be near!"

Storm takes a quick step out toward the parade ground, but quickly steps back against the wall, kicking the dead Caerloon soldier hard out of the way. He looks down at his soft leather armor, and realizes he made the wise decision not to plow headlong into battle. "Aye, this would be a good time ta test ut me new dwarven chain! Too bad I's can't right now!" He thinks to himslef. Instead, he decides to make use of the advantages his leather armor gives him and he again tries to blend into the shadows, making himself nearly invisible.

Next he must decide where to go. He looks around and sees two things happen. He sees Cy leading the group of Rinder soldiers toward the armory near him, and he sees Crayne lead Sanford into the barracks. Guessing the traitor must be charmed (and unaware that, seconds later, he wasn't any more), he decides to creep in the shadows toward the armory and dispatch anyone in Cy's path with a nice double backstab.

The Dwarf manages to make it to the door of the armory without closely encountering any Caerloon soldiers; most of the enemy soldiers seem to be pouring into the parade ground from other buildings in the fort, namely the main hall and other barracks buildings. The door to the armory is shut and doesn't easily budge. Not deterred, Storm takes a quick step back and then slams his shoulder into the door with all his strength.

The door bursts open and is immediately followed by a quick scream! But not just any scream--a woman's scream. Storm peers into the armory to see a Caerloon soldier leaning over another figure. Then he realizes, the figure is the priestess of Anhur who was stationed at Dillend! The same one who healed him so many weeks ago!

The Caerloon soldier slaps the priestess hard across the face with the back of his hand, cursing at her, "shut up! I told you to keep quiet!" The priestess' clothing is torn and tattered, her face is scarred, bloody, and badly bruised.

Storm grinds his teeth, and after making sure that this man was the only enemy in the room, barrels forward upon him. His first strike, with his sword, is a good hit, and the soldier stumbles backwards. But Storm's second attack (with his dagger) is blocked.

Just then, Cy and his men reach the armory. Cy shoves the door open fully to allow his entourage to enter after him. He is surprised at the sight he sees: the tortured priestess, the Caerloon soldier, and Storm, ripping into the Caerloon swine.

It doesn't take more than a second for Cy to realize what must be done. He rushes forward, sword raised, to join Storm in exacting justice. With two swift blows, his sword connects with the soldier's skin, slicing him open first in a wide wound and then driving his sword into the enemy's chest, killing him.

"You damn fool," Hannibal shouts at the sentry calling to him in his best imitated accent, "we're under attack!" Pointing to the scene below, he lifts his bow and points down as if preparing to fire on Rinder's forces in the parade ground. "Get down there and help our men!"

The sentry narrows his eyes as he listens to Hannibal's speech. Something doesn't sit right with him, and he steps closer to the thief's position. "Err...wait a sec...that's not Gailec! Who are you?"

Hannibal does spend the time responding. Instead, he kicks his torch over the edge of the catwalk onto the oil-soaked barracks below, instantly igniting the roof of the building and sending a wave of flames and heat upwards toward his own position. He steps back from the edge of the catwalk and refocuses his attentions on the sentry.

He turns to face the sentry, realizing that now was the time to strike while he was still out of sword range. He lifts his bow and fires off two arrows quickly. The first is too high, but the second one connects, striking the sentry in the thigh. "Arr!" he lets out, drawing his sword and advancing toward Hannibal.

Crayne looks into Sanford's crazed eyes and quickly jumps back out of reach

of the traitor's sword. He quickly ways up his options; having never used a short sword in his life he decides that fighting Sanford would be a huge mistake. Thus, jumping back, he waits for Pinker to finish him off and prompts him by shouting, "Pinker, Kill him now!"

Jumping into the safety of the barracks, he unsheaths his dagger and hurls

it at Sanford in an attempt to finish the captain off. His dagger strikes the traitor in the leg just as Pinker attacks from the other side. Pinker's sword sinks itself into Sanford's arm, but Sanford does not stumble. He pushes the lieutenant back and refocusses himself for what he sees as a welcomed duel.

Edryd continues fighting, his eyes flashing brilliant emerald, his long black hair like the curtain of night, and his sword whirling with purpose. He wants to help Kel. He takes a swipe at his current opponent, but finds the attack blocked. He frowns, realizing that to turn his back on this enemy would just open himself up to attack.

He gives a glance in Kel's direction and sees the scout stab at an enemy soldier with his short sword. But the attack is blocked.

Edryd then shouts to the others, "We have got to close ranks and pull back to a defensible position!" He doesn't say what they know, that reinforcements are on their way. No sense in giving up a surprise element. Between swings he looks around for a rallying point for Rinder's Six, lest they, especially Emma and Hannibal, find themselves separated and surrounded.

"Anhur, hold us in your hand of Might." He lets go of any doubts and gives himself wholly to the battle in the name of Anhur, that Anhur's blade will strike true...

"Now...for you," Emma says, setting her jaw firmly to the task at hand--finishing off the Caerloon soldier in front of her in the stable. She knows that this one can't be allowed to escape or he might raise an alarm about the Rinder troops waiting outside. She spins the shaft of her spear once, then twice, to make sure she has his undivided attention.

Inwardly, she frets over the loss of the invisibility, but Dire's spell had certainly served its purpose, and that's all she could ask of Anhur.

Emma grunts and staggers with the impact of the soldier's last attack, but lets the momentum of her swing and her opponent's maneuver bring her back to the stable doors again. She turns and hefts her spear, somewhat confident now that she is between the Caerloon soldier and his only route of escape. She takes a brief moment to feel the garish wound at her neck. The gash is slick with blood...something she can ill afford to lose if she expects to survive the battle.

Knowing that she's hurt, the priestess grits her teeth in anger and begins a series of sharp jabs with her spear, designed to drive the soldier back into the stable. She presses the attack until she can bring him into some of the heavier hay, hoping to put him on bad footing and trip him up. All she needs is an opening, just a single opening, to put him down...

The soldier follows her in. A small opening appears and she jabs him, catching him in the chest. He spits out a mouthful of blood in her direction. He is obviously hurting now, but not finished yet.

Dire Luthor then takes a step away from the action, pleased with the manner in which his Fireball rolled over a number of Caerloon troops in the center of the parade ground. He begins chanting again, but this time seems a bit more focussed on himself. After a few moments, his image begins to become faint--not invisible, but shifty, blurry.

The armed Rinder soldier then attacks the Caerloon soldier with whom he has been duelling. He strikes the enemy, but does not slay him. Canter, too, attacks his enemy, but his attack falls short as well.

Canter is then attacked by his adversary. The blow catches him in the arm, cutting into his skin. Canter grunts with the impact, feeling the warmth of blood rushing to the surface. (5 hp damage)

Edryd, too, comes under attack. He manages to block the blow, however, smiling as he knows the might of Anhur is with him. The Rinder soldier is attacked, but manages to parry and block the offensive move.

Emma grins as she observes the hit she just scored. The soldier was definitely getting a good beating here. He moves toward the priestess in an attack, but she easily jumps aside, evading the blow.

Another Caerloon soldier, new to the scene, moves to attack Dire, but is fooled by the illusionists blurry image, and so misses badly. In the meantime, another soldier begins to make his way toward the armory, while the sentry steps a little closer to Hannibal on the catwalk.

Sanford growls with Pinker's hit but lunges toward Crayne with narrowed eyes. His sword grazes the mage on the arm. Crayne inhales quickly with the impact, but then catches himself--no pain! "That Armor spell must have really worked!" he exclaims before scrambling to move back, farther from the crazed Sanford.

Storm smiles as Cy removes his blade from the dead torturer's body. He then gives a quick glance to the priestess, whose eyes are open just slightly. "She be needin' some healin'!" He exclaims. Then the Dwarf takes off for the armory door, running outside into the night.

He stops just outside the armory and looks over the battlefield in front of him. He can see the Caerloon soldiers pouring into the parade ground and his own friends fighting for their lives. His eyes focus on one of those friends: Edryd of Kalt.

"EDRYD!!!!!"

The sound echoes through the fort. As if the whole field were empty, Edryd's eyes turn toward the sound. Their green emerald pupils focus on the Dwarf, hearing in that voice the pain of the priestess, beaten and tortured, inside the armory. The wind whips through his hair and with one fell swoop he slams his sword down into the soldier attacking him, killing the soldier straight away.

Then without a second though, he turns toward the armory and runs, his tall body charging through the battlefield, knocking down any enemy soldier in its path.

Cy grinds his teeth, knowing that Storm did the right thing, yet frustrated at the attention it will bring to their position. "All right! One chance to be heroes! You men, grab a weapon and a war-shield. There! on the wall! You there, pole arms! The nastiest ones you can find! You, you and you: Whatever you can shoot or throw."

The soldiers scramble around the room, pulling swords and shields off the walls, grabbing pole-arms and bows from work tables and bins.

"Okay, we're in a wedge, like this!" Cy holds his hands in a wedge. "Form up and stay tight. Poles, work over the sides of the shields. Shields, stay alive! Listen close and follow me. We're not getting paid enough to die here!"

Hannibal lets loose two more arrows from his bow at the approaching sentry. The first strikes the guard in the shoulder. The guard yanks the shaft from his armor and tosses it aside, but Hannibal can see the blood begin to seep from the wound. The other shot sails wide. Then, Hannibal slings his bow across his back and draws his sword. "Must get him to fall off..." the thief thinks.

Crayne continues to backpedal inside the prison-barracks as Sanford inches closer. But Pinker strikes the Captain again from behind with a crushing blow. Sanford reels with the impact, turning around to face his old officer. "Fine then!" he growls, "I'll kill YOU first!"

"Go!" Pinker shouts to Crayne, "I'll take care of him! You get that mage!"

Crayne nods to Pinker as Kel rounds the corner and enters the barracks, his eyes focussed on Sanford. He runs next to Pinker and attacks the Captain, stabbing him with the point of his short sword.

"Finish him off!" Crayne shouts to the two Rinder soldiers.

Emma continues to scrutinize her adversary's moves. She finds a new opening and this time, capitalizes on it. With a strong thrust, she slams her spear into the man's neck, piercing the skin with force. A strong stream of blood spurs forth from the wound, landing on Emma's chest, and then the soldier's knees buckle and he sinks into the hay below. Dead.

Dire smiles as he sees how easily he can evade his attacker. He tighens his grip on his quarterstaff and raises it, slamming it hard across the soldier's face with a loud crack! Canter, too, attacks, but his move is blocked. And the Rinder soldier fighting alongside him finds his moves frustrated as well.

Then there is a small explosion as the burning canopy on the wagon (thanks to Hannibal) allows its flames to eat through barrells of ale inside. The explosion is enough to send some burning potatoes flying in all directions, which actually hit one or two Caerloon soldiers as they make their way toward the battle!

But all are not pleased: "My staff!!" Crayne yells, though nobody is in a position to answer. He tightens his jaw as he casts a glance across the battlefield, knowing that he had secured his staff underneath the wagon--the very same one which was now burning to a crisp.

Canter's adversary then presses his attack. But the leatherman's son is well positioned for the defense, and parries effectively. The Rinder soldier beside him, however, is struck by his enemy.

The Caerloon soldier rushing toward the armory reaches Storm, throwing himself at the Dwarf and successfully attacking, grazing the Dwarf's hairy skin. (3 hp damage) At the same time, the sentry approaching Hannibal finally arrives and attacks the thief, striking him hard. (6 hp damage) "Must keep it together..." Hannibal assures himself.

The soldier unsuccessfully attacking Dire tries again, but the Blur spell once again comes to Dire's aid. But the illusionist is not so lucky a few moments later. Out of what appears to be thin air, two small balls of fire, the size of crossbow quarrels, suddenly appear, hurling themselves at the wizard Dire Luthor. The first one misses, striking the prison-barracks behind (and setting a few of those wooden planks on fire). The second, however, strikes the mage, how lets out a howl and stumbles backwards with the impact, which pieres his stomach and sends fire-hot, shooting pains throughout his body. "Gaven!!" Dire shouts through the pain.

There, about ten yards away, he stands. His image fading back into visibility from its invisible origins. He laughs, a bellowing sound, enjoying the hit he has scored against Dire Luthor. "You knew this was going to happen, Dire," Gaven says loudly. "This is the way it had to be..."

Storm grunts with the impact of the hit he has just taken. He retaliates with his sword and dagger, but both weapons fail to hit their mark.

Edryd, at the same time, comes rushing into the armory like the wind. His eyes widen as the group of soldiers, now armed and arranging their formation, part to reveal the priestess.

"No!" he shouts, shoving men out of the way to get to her. Tears are forming in her eyes as he unties the ropes that bind her and inspect the wounds that cover her cheeks and neck. He lays his hands on her, one at the base of her neck and the other on her forehead, and closes his eyes, calling on the healing power of Anhur.

"Anhur, god of Justice, grant me the power to heal in your name..." he begins as his tears mix with the blood and dirt on his face. His hand grow warm and he can feel the pure power of his god flowing into the priestess in front of him. She is still unconcious, but Edryd is satisfied that she can be saved with more time and healing. "But not here," he assures himself.

The paladin then collects his thoughts. He lifts the priestess up with his arms, slinging her limp body over his shoulders and turning to face Cy at the head of the formation. "I will bring her to safety."

Cy looks to Edryd with the understanding of two warriors between them. But there is something more--a bond, indescribable but strong. Cyveiliog McKinely nods to Edryd, looking into the paladin's eyes, and answers: "I will clear the way."

Then he turns to face the door and breaks into a jog. The ten Rinder soldiers behind him follow, now armed and a few even armored. The sport swords, pole arms, and bows in their formation. Cy leads them into the battlefield, past Storm and his enemy, and into the column of Caerloon soldiers forming in the center of the parade ground. "We should be able to make it through that group without too many losses," he tells himself while picturing the battle tactics.

Then it happens, just as Cy's men begins to meet with the front line of Caerloon soldiers, there is a loud BOOM! as the main gate of Fort Dillend is forced open. Its two sides part and in comes Captain Wheeler and the army of Rinder, like water pouring in as floodgates are opened.

Cy and his men pass through the first column of Caerloon soldiers: they manage to strike many of the enemy; none are killed, but quite a few are struck and injured. Cy is struck by an enemy blade during the melee (4 hp damage), as are a few of the Rinder soldiers, but none are seriously hurt or too badly injured.

Kel launches an attack on Sanford, but his attack is blocked. It causes enough of a distraction, however, and Pinker manages to strike the Captain, quite hard. Sanford falls to the floor of the prison-barracks, bleeding badly but not dead. "You can kill me--but you will never win!" he spits at Kel and Pinker.

Crayne, meanwhile, stands in the doorway of the prison-barracks, his cloak blowing in the cold wind. He finally sees the form of Gaven, taunting and wounding his mentor, Dire Luthor. With a look of determination, Crayne begins to intone the words of magic, casting a veil of invisibility on himself. Within moments, he blends in with the night and disappears.

Dire, meanwhile, reels with the searing pain of the fire bolts. "Your Flame Arrows are not enough, Gaven!" Dire shouts. Then, suddenly, he turns on his heels, drawing his cloak high over his head. He runs directly at the wall of the prison-barracks behind him, appearing to disappear right through the wall. His body is, for the moment, nowhere to be found.

Canter attacks his adversary, growing tired of the ongoing duel. He strikes hard and fast, and finally his blade connects. The fells the Caerloon soldier, watching the dying man's body fall to the cold ground at his feet.

Hannibal lurches with the impact of the hit he has taken, but swings with his own sword in retailiation. His attack, however, is evaded as the sentry steps aside with impressive agility.

Emma emerges from the stables, spear in hand, blood drying on her skin, and feeling the power in her veins. She steps into the open air as Wheeler and his men succeed at bursting into the fort. She quickly runs over to the Captain from her nearby position. "What is your status?" Wheeler asks her, shouting over the battle-cries of his men as they wade into the chaos that is the Battle of Dillend.

~ Dire Struggle for Dillend: [Archive] [Home] [Previous Turn] [Next Turn] ~