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Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
This is a first draft of a story set in the world of Greyhawk.
It is based on a home campaign so some of the people, places and things
may be different. Any helpful comments or suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks
Jason Zavoda
"I had hoped to save these." murmured Telenstil. He tore two more
of the fiery stones from the black chain.
A pair of elementals appeared, both identical to each other and to
the first that had risen from the enchanted stone. They were half the size
of their larger brethren, but just as wild with a vicious, blazing
madness.
The mage had thrown the dweomered gems in haste and with an
awkward cast. They landed between the giants, behind their backs, as most
fought the first elemental and the rest tried to crush the humans and the
elf. It was a lucky throw.
One fire-beast hopped onto a giant's back. The monstrous warrior
roared, and as it did, Ghibelline stabbed it with his blade, driving steel
in till the hilt was pressed into the giant's belly. The elf nearly loosed
his grip as the giant writhed, but Ghibelline had lost one sword to
Nosnra's kin already, he would not let another go.
The second of the fiery pair tore into the giants who attacked his
larger kin. Molten talons of living fire ripped across the sides of two
giants. Teeth that were hotter than the coals of a forge bit down into an
arm and took away a chunk of flesh. The wound did not bleed, burnt closed
by the elementals touch.
The club in the giants hand lashed out, but the elemental was
already gone, busy screeching in glee as it clawed and bit and blazed into
another giant. The blow thocked hard into his neighbor's skull and brought
the towering warrior down like a sapling felled with a single stroke of an
axe.
Derue moved like a leaf fluttering from a tree. The smashing fists
and lunging strikes of the giants came close, but it was as if the force
of the attacks helped to push the scout just out of reach.
The journey of the leaf is always to the ground, but it is the
wind that guides its path. What guided Derue seemed like a wind, no effort
could be seen in his motion, no force behind his hands and feet. Something
beyond his mortal frame, always spare, but now with flesh stretched
tightly across his bone, added a strength to his blows and a grace to his
movements.
As a giant to his left brought a cask-sized fist smashing down,
Derue extended his leg up to meet the giants chin. The heel of the scouts
foot met the bottom of the massive jaw and slammed it shut as if the giant
had brought his head down atop a pillar of rock. There was a crack of
breaking teeth and breaking bone. The giant's jaw hung at an angle and
blood poured from its mouth. Derue spun, bringing his raised leg down and
twisting his other leg horizontal till it met the giant's huge belly and
sunk ankle deep.
The giant sprayed out blood and bits of teeth, then gasped for
air, its face turning first red then blue. With both hands on its bruised
stomach, the giant fell and landed heavily on its side, then rolled back
and forth in pain. Each breath was a fight against injured muscles. It
coughed out the blood that poured into its lungs from its ruined mouth.
Derue faced only the one giant now. A punch strong as a battering
ram caught the scout a glancing blow. He let it send him flying through
the air, but he was on his feet before the giant could strike again.
* * *
(To Be Continued...)