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Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
"Fotia-ena" Talberth said and threw the small pellet from his
hand. It flew like a crossbow bolt and erupted into flame, then burst
amidst the onrushing giants in a ball of magic fire.
Telenstil did the same, "Tuli-pal" he said and another line
of fire swept up the hill and slammed into a giants chest, he blazed
like a man of straw, a wick for the burning flame. Around him other giants
danced and rolled, but still two made it through and charged with
smouldering hair and clothes.
A pair of arrows shot out and struck each giant and then again,
the mercenary pair, Edouard and Derue, they'd used their bows to good
effect, but such pin pricks did not even slow the giants down.
As they neared, Ivo the wizened gnome, unnoticed amongst his
companions, tossed a sparkling handful of colored sand into the air, it
turned into a rainbow fan that dazzled the eye, it struck like a boxers
fist and stunned one giant who stumbled and fell. The other giant simply
shrugged it away and came on, bellowing a challenge all the way.
Harald had unsheathed his sword, a great claymore, he wielded it
in two hands, but it looked oddly small in his huge ham-like fists, and
against this foe it seemed no more than a knife. The old hero ran to meet
the giants charge and struck first as they met upon the sloping hill. The
long two-hand sword passed completely through the giants side, opening a
gash waist high, a rush of blood and ale poured out and the giant howled.
Its own swing went wide and twisted it around. An arrow sunk into its
neck, another glanced from off its slab like brow.
The halfing Harold ran to aid his friend but was nearly crushed
beneath the other giants rolling body, he leapt aside, then when it came
to rest, face down upon the oerth, he drew his long bladed knife and
stabbed it in the back. It groaned but did not move, its shoulders
shrugged, he stabbed again, then it shook and a wave of fear struck Harold
as this mountain rose with him atop. With desperate strokes he stabbed it
again and again.
The crystal rod glowed with light, Telenstil could feel the heat
beneath the snip of fur he held it in, and with a word, "Sa-la-ma" it
flashed out, a bolt of lightning that might streak across a stormy sky.
It touched on three giants, rising from their bath of flames. Their hair
shot out and for a moment they were linked in a nimbus of pale blue
glowing light. They shook like those fevered with a blistering plague
and smouldered anew from this electric flame.
The ranger struck again, this time low, across the giants huge
and bony knee. He could feel the bone split beneath his blade and then
lock down tight pulling it away. The giant fell, not dead, not yet, but
with mortal wounds of bowel and a crippled leg. Harald grabbed the
twisting hilt, the giant rocked in pain, he pulled but the blade was
firmly stuck and then a flailing arm lashed out and knocked him down
the hill.
The mountain rose upon its hands and knees, the halfing whined
a wordless fearful plea, and struck a final killing blow, his knife
slipped in above the neck and deep into the brain, a quick and painless
death released the giant from its life. It thudded to the ground, Harold
bounced and fell off still clutching the deadly blade.
"Lets be off!" called Telenstil. "There will be more to follow
these."
"Stand still all," yelled Ivo, shouting to be heard. "I will
hide us from their eyes, and our own, close together now." and then
he said some words, masked in the gnomish tongue or hidden by the
illusions art, a glob of some sticky gum he tossed into the air and when
he did it came apart then disappeared. One moment all nine stood almost
hand in hand and then in a wave of the gnomes old hand they vanished all
at once.
A bodiless voice called out, "My sword!"
"Leave it!" Telenstil commanding voice rang out from nowhere, "We
have no time."
"My sword!" Harald called again, but above the hilltops edge a
wild baying pack was heard, the wolves unleashed, no sprinkling of a
pepper bag would halt these. The ranger turned his unseen head and ran.
* * *
(To Be Continued)