Retaliation
Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 8:49 am
**********
09-17-2003
**********
I'm writing this on the fly during a short break at work. This means the final copy I post will be somewhat different, to an unknown degree. BUT, here's a taste of a tale tentatively titled "Retaliation"
**As always, I reserve the right of artistic license when referring to somebody's weapon(s) of choice and all things Dereth. <<chuckle>> Well, here goes a sneak peek:**
******
******
Heart racing out of control, Panzerfaust, monarch of the Last Dynasty, sheathed his wand with a sigh of relief. Sinking to his knees, he leaned against the wall of the dungeon, letting his mind drift back 90 minutes.
While loafing on the plateau of ML, the war mage had discovered a strange portal. Unlike the normal colored portals, this one had a sickly khaki color to it. Not able to identify it, the Sho spell slinger accepted it as a challenge and entered.
Surprisingly, when he had cleared portal space, Panzer had found himself in the center of a small room with 4 ramps sloping upward. After a rather hasty application of life and creature buffs, he chose one at random and loped easily up the steep incline.
Flicking his wrist mounted radar to scan, he was delighted to find a half dozen foes within range of his drain spells. However, he was frustrated when the panel came back with a no information available message.
Shrugging it off, the monarch tossed a 7th level imperil spell at the closest target, and was resisted!
"That shouldn't be happening," he muttered darkly. "Not with a buffed skill of 600." Several failures later, Panz reluctantly conceded the creature was too magically resistant.
The only result out of the monarch's spellcasting attempts was to see one of the orange dots moving his way. Feeling vibrations through the soles of his Covenant sollerets, he knew it was something big. As the creature rounded a corner in the hall, Panzerfaust immediately knew why the ceiling was virtually invisible, even in the torchlight corridor.
"Oh my God," he gasped. "That son of a gun is at least forty feet tall, and its fist is about the size of an engine block!" Hastily he ducked as the monster swung its fist, wincing as debris showered down when the beast's fist went completely through the wall.
*****
*****
There ya have it ladies and gents. Just enough to whet your appetite for more.
**********
09-26-2003
**********
Unaware of what their monarch was going through, Opti Silmara and Ranger Du'Moss were experiencing a very bad time in the Valley of Death.
For some unknown reason, the entire fellowship's magic abilities were being more fickle than usual. As a result, Opti and Ranger were the only two members of the nine man group standing.
Given that the 'weakest' of them was a 'mere' level one thirty, this swiftly brought about an epidemic of lifestone hugging. Drudge Cabalists, Virindi Profatrix, even the adolescent gromnies were able to land either physical or magical blows with impunity.
The flip side of things was that Ranger's fellowship spent more time trying to heal than they did counter attacking. Ultimately, Olo'rin, a powerful level one sixty-two mage was the first to fall.
Though the survivors immediately scrambled to relative safety, it did little good. Showing an unnatural tenacity, the creatures did not return to their spawn point, instead showering the Isparians with an intense barrage of arcane and thrown assault.
After the second fatality, Ranger bellowed "Everyone, head for the trees and use them for cover. Zig zag as you run." Waiting until his comrades had turned, the crossbow wielder began his own turn when disaster struck even further.
A phenomenon unique to Dereth yet completely unexplainable, chose that moment to strike. Commonly called "lag" by inhabitants this event caused a person (or monster) to abruptly go into a slow motion style of movement.
Allana the Bringer, an archer of the one hundred thritieth rank was the first casualty. While appearing to run through glue, the young lady was blasted with several de-buff spells, then sliced to ribbons from a Virindi Whirling Blades spell.
Caught in the grip of this menace and helpless to intervene, Ranger and Opti could only watch a combination of "lag" and beast cut their friends down, like chaff in a windstorm.
Apparently satisfied witha the carnage they had wreaked, the beasts then left the area. Stunned by the slaughter they had witnessed, the two survivors at first didn't see the strange portal materialize behind them.
Their awareness of the khaki looking gateway coincided with a massive spawn of at least fifty different types of creature. Glancing at each other in dismay, Opti was the first to speak. "Even with a pair of full fellows, our chances would be minimal at best. In this case, though we still could die, I suggest the unknown."
Spinning on her heel, the warrior dived into the portal, Du'moss right on her heels.
**********
10-05-2003
**********
Olo and Allana had just completed the torturous 'reassembly' of life after death at their Hebian-To lifestone after their untimely demise. To their astonishment, none of their "death items" had been lost. In fact their pack contents were indicative of a voluntary recall, rather than a death spawned one.
Glancing at each other, the two were taken off-guard by the sudden appearance of several khaki colored portals. Instinctively, the pair readied their weapon of choice and awaited what was to happen next. Instead of expelling a monster of some kind, the half dozen gateways circled the pair of Last Dynasty warriors until the Isparian duo was completely surrounded.
With a grim chuckle, Allana turned to her companion and said, "I think our little playmates are inviting us to join their festivites. In fact, I think they are being downright rude and insistent."
"Not only that," her companion dryly replied, "It's not going to be easy for us to refuse their hospitality. Look there," Olo'rin said, gesturing above with his left thumb.
A quick glance was all the archer needed to see what her companion meant. At least five more portals had appeared overhead. In effect, the warriors were effectively imprisoned with only one means to be free of the immediate threat.
Then, even that choice was taken away. As if on some unseen or heard signal, the entire grouping of miscolored portals swiftly closed in smothering their vicitms with portal space energy.
As she whirled through the nexus of portal space, Allana couldn't help but think one thought over and over:
Where the hell are we going to drop out?
************
09-17-2003
**********
I'm writing this on the fly during a short break at work. This means the final copy I post will be somewhat different, to an unknown degree. BUT, here's a taste of a tale tentatively titled "Retaliation"
**As always, I reserve the right of artistic license when referring to somebody's weapon(s) of choice and all things Dereth. <<chuckle>> Well, here goes a sneak peek:**
******
******
Heart racing out of control, Panzerfaust, monarch of the Last Dynasty, sheathed his wand with a sigh of relief. Sinking to his knees, he leaned against the wall of the dungeon, letting his mind drift back 90 minutes.
While loafing on the plateau of ML, the war mage had discovered a strange portal. Unlike the normal colored portals, this one had a sickly khaki color to it. Not able to identify it, the Sho spell slinger accepted it as a challenge and entered.
Surprisingly, when he had cleared portal space, Panzer had found himself in the center of a small room with 4 ramps sloping upward. After a rather hasty application of life and creature buffs, he chose one at random and loped easily up the steep incline.
Flicking his wrist mounted radar to scan, he was delighted to find a half dozen foes within range of his drain spells. However, he was frustrated when the panel came back with a no information available message.
Shrugging it off, the monarch tossed a 7th level imperil spell at the closest target, and was resisted!
"That shouldn't be happening," he muttered darkly. "Not with a buffed skill of 600." Several failures later, Panz reluctantly conceded the creature was too magically resistant.
The only result out of the monarch's spellcasting attempts was to see one of the orange dots moving his way. Feeling vibrations through the soles of his Covenant sollerets, he knew it was something big. As the creature rounded a corner in the hall, Panzerfaust immediately knew why the ceiling was virtually invisible, even in the torchlight corridor.
"Oh my God," he gasped. "That son of a gun is at least forty feet tall, and its fist is about the size of an engine block!" Hastily he ducked as the monster swung its fist, wincing as debris showered down when the beast's fist went completely through the wall.
*****
*****
There ya have it ladies and gents. Just enough to whet your appetite for more.
**********
09-26-2003
**********
Unaware of what their monarch was going through, Opti Silmara and Ranger Du'Moss were experiencing a very bad time in the Valley of Death.
For some unknown reason, the entire fellowship's magic abilities were being more fickle than usual. As a result, Opti and Ranger were the only two members of the nine man group standing.
Given that the 'weakest' of them was a 'mere' level one thirty, this swiftly brought about an epidemic of lifestone hugging. Drudge Cabalists, Virindi Profatrix, even the adolescent gromnies were able to land either physical or magical blows with impunity.
The flip side of things was that Ranger's fellowship spent more time trying to heal than they did counter attacking. Ultimately, Olo'rin, a powerful level one sixty-two mage was the first to fall.
Though the survivors immediately scrambled to relative safety, it did little good. Showing an unnatural tenacity, the creatures did not return to their spawn point, instead showering the Isparians with an intense barrage of arcane and thrown assault.
After the second fatality, Ranger bellowed "Everyone, head for the trees and use them for cover. Zig zag as you run." Waiting until his comrades had turned, the crossbow wielder began his own turn when disaster struck even further.
A phenomenon unique to Dereth yet completely unexplainable, chose that moment to strike. Commonly called "lag" by inhabitants this event caused a person (or monster) to abruptly go into a slow motion style of movement.
Allana the Bringer, an archer of the one hundred thritieth rank was the first casualty. While appearing to run through glue, the young lady was blasted with several de-buff spells, then sliced to ribbons from a Virindi Whirling Blades spell.
Caught in the grip of this menace and helpless to intervene, Ranger and Opti could only watch a combination of "lag" and beast cut their friends down, like chaff in a windstorm.
Apparently satisfied witha the carnage they had wreaked, the beasts then left the area. Stunned by the slaughter they had witnessed, the two survivors at first didn't see the strange portal materialize behind them.
Their awareness of the khaki looking gateway coincided with a massive spawn of at least fifty different types of creature. Glancing at each other in dismay, Opti was the first to speak. "Even with a pair of full fellows, our chances would be minimal at best. In this case, though we still could die, I suggest the unknown."
Spinning on her heel, the warrior dived into the portal, Du'moss right on her heels.
**********
10-05-2003
**********
Olo and Allana had just completed the torturous 'reassembly' of life after death at their Hebian-To lifestone after their untimely demise. To their astonishment, none of their "death items" had been lost. In fact their pack contents were indicative of a voluntary recall, rather than a death spawned one.
Glancing at each other, the two were taken off-guard by the sudden appearance of several khaki colored portals. Instinctively, the pair readied their weapon of choice and awaited what was to happen next. Instead of expelling a monster of some kind, the half dozen gateways circled the pair of Last Dynasty warriors until the Isparian duo was completely surrounded.
With a grim chuckle, Allana turned to her companion and said, "I think our little playmates are inviting us to join their festivites. In fact, I think they are being downright rude and insistent."
"Not only that," her companion dryly replied, "It's not going to be easy for us to refuse their hospitality. Look there," Olo'rin said, gesturing above with his left thumb.
A quick glance was all the archer needed to see what her companion meant. At least five more portals had appeared overhead. In effect, the warriors were effectively imprisoned with only one means to be free of the immediate threat.
Then, even that choice was taken away. As if on some unseen or heard signal, the entire grouping of miscolored portals swiftly closed in smothering their vicitms with portal space energy.
As she whirled through the nexus of portal space, Allana couldn't help but think one thought over and over:
Where the hell are we going to drop out?
************
