Matthew Nesheim
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Chapter 75: Eldritch Blast
🕑 Added 2023-08-29 17:00:01 +0000 UTCThey watched the little dragon as she flew away and then landed in the cave where they had entered. The dog-sized serpent then disappeared into the rock as Calista turned to Lefty.
“How are you doing on mana?”
“I lifted a few potions off the medusa along with the rest of her loot. I should have plenty to last until we either get out or I die horribly.”
“That’s … encouraging,” she replied.
“Yeah, problem is I only have the one healing potion left. So I doubt I’m getting out of this alive.”
“That makes two of us,” she said.
A roar then announced that Vevic was near. As they looked up to the third level, they saw the dragon entangled with not one, but two knights as it tumbled off the ledge, rolling through the air as it fought, tooth and claw against the warriors’ blades. The three of them landed on the very edge of the second level where Vevic’s bulk crushed one knight while she bit through the helm of the second. However, the dragon still could not fly and so she struck the ledge, bounced, fell, twisted herself like a cat in mid-air, and then landed on the bottom level on all fours. Vevic then drew her head around as two glowing, golden eyes fixed themselves on Lefty and Calista.
“Run,” Calista said.
“No. You run. I’ll fly.” Lefty then took off into the air as Calista sprinted toward the sarcophagus. She knew her own fly spell was still active, but she wasn’t ready to put herself up in the air again where Severin might find her. Behind her, she could hear the dragon’s claws scraping over the stone as Vevic followed. Then she heard a sharp intake of breath and just as the dragon spat forth her flame, Calista ducked and rolled to her left. A torrent of blue fire washed over the stone as she rolled and came to a stop next to one of the stone pillars. Then, hearing the dragon draw her breath in again, Calista sprang to her feet and sprinted toward the sarcophagus. There was a roar of flame just as she dove. The wave of flame struck the side of the tomb just as she landed. Rolling onto her back, she watched as the flame billowed over the side of the black onyx.
Well this sucks, she thought as the dragonfire faded. Where the hell is my ex? I’d rather not die fighting a dragon when there’s a perfectly good wizard here to kill. The dragon was maneuvering. She could hear its tail dragging as its claws clicked and tapped against the stone. Okay, time to move.
Hearing Vevic moving to the left side of the sarcophagus, she ran out and around the right side. Vevic’s eyes grew wide as Calista sprinted out. She was halfway between the sarcophagus and a pillar when Vevic lunged, her claws outstretched. However, Calista was too fast. Anticipating the attack, she ducked and rolled beneath the dragon’s claws and tumbled out between the dragon’s forelegs and neck. As Calista bounded to her feet, Vevic spun and swiped with her tail. However, Calista was ready for that as she jumped and dove over the dragon’s spines. Now Calista landed, rolled again, and bounced to her feet. Then, before the dragon could turn around, she jumped and, taking advantage of what remained of Lefty’s [fly] spell, flew off into the air.
She landed on the second level a half second before a beam of dragonfire splashed off the edge of the stone behind her. Cinders fell all around her as she ran. Then, as two trolls spotted her from atop a stairway, she tried to take off and fly again, but when she jumped, her feet simply landed back on the ground. Shit, the fly spell wore off. Instead, she ducked behind a pillar and pulled out her crossbow. Aiming, she dropped the first troll with a well placed quarrel to his eye socket. The second troll ducked behind the railing for cover. She reloaded, took aim, and fired again, but this time her quarrel bounced harmlessly off the top of the stone railing. The troll then returned fire with his short bow and she had to duck behind the pillar as the arrow whizzed past her ear.
I have to keep moving or …
She had an instant to react as her [danger sense] highlighted itself, and she dove into a defensive roll as a blast of fire struck the pillar. Rolling to her feet, she looked up to see a thousand shards of flaming stone shrapnel falling toward her. She had dodged the fireball, but not this. Curling herself into a ball, she covered her hands over her head and waited for the pain.
But it never came.
“Get up!”
Lifting her head, she looked to see Lefty standing over her, a shield of blue energy emanating from his hands.
“Come on! Severin is up there!” The mage pointed to where a black robed figure was floating high above the fray. Green flame glowed off Severin’s hands as he began to weave another spell. Lefty, seeing the danger, grabbed Calista by the arm and dragged her to her feet. “Come on, let’s go!”
More trolls had appeared near the stairway. Armed with axes, swords, and spears, the crooked monsters cackled as they shouted their challenges to Calista and Lefty as the two adventurers ran toward the fray. High above them, the air around Severin began to glow as the emerald spell energy began to grow around him.
“We need to find cover,” Calista said as she ran.
Looking, Lefty grasped his staff in one hand as he reached into his belt. “I only have one of these left.” The mage then produced a scroll that he unrolled and began to read. When he was done, the parchment disintegrated in his hand. Just as the ground around them began to swell and swirl like water, a blast of green energy flew from Severin’s floating form in a torrent of death. However, in the half-second it took for the blast to reach them, Lefty’s wall of stone burst from the floor and wrapped itself around them in a protective cocoon of rock and mortar. The stone shuddered as the blast struck the stone shell and as the blast washed over them, most of the stone was disintegrated and turned to dust. However, the blast never hit them.
