By Fire or Ice

[Adelay]

A grave miscalculation on the Elf's part as he forgot that with no notable impact, the spells charged in his arrow would not fire alone. After he was battered aside by the Commander and its mount, the arrows were simply left on the ground without a second thought. Adelay, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. His head was spinning, and his chest and back were an orchestra of pain. On the bright side, the ill woman and the person who was supposed to protect her managed to make their escape. Time now for Adelay to do the same if he could pull it off. He saw the Commander take his sweet time to reattach his head and gloat a bit before ordering his minions to reconstruct. Instinct drove Adelay's arm to swing over his shoulder to grab an arrow, but alas his remaining shafts had broken from the severe impact into the wall. He hated to do so, but if he could muster up a spell, he'd need to cast it the old fashioned way. Though, what could he do? Could he still even run if he managed a distraction?

"What was it you'd always say, Father? 'Hard times are when great deeds are done'?" Adelay thought as he watched the Undead saunter his way over to him, calling upon his stores of remaining strength. His foe took a moment to look Adelay over, no doubt relishing in his impending victory. The time to act was now. The Elf closed his eyes, threw out his hand, and out came a sizable sphere of pure blazing light holding as close to the Zombie's face as he could manage with intent to blind.

This spell was called "Rualar", or "Starshine"in Common, was the simplest spell he knew that could possibly aid him. It's intended use was a signal flare, shot much higher into the sky where it could be seen for many miles. This was a lesser version, but hopefully would be enough to provide a distraction. Unless his eyes were somehow immune to light. Regardless, he had to try and get as far away as he could now.

He scrabbled passionately along the ground on his hands and knees in a similar direction the other two had gone. His every move and hastened breath rang out with a pain as if he was being used as a living sword rack. Still, he forced himself up to his feet, moving at what could barely be considered a jog, holding onto his ribs in a futile attempt to ease his pain. He could make it out, he had to.

[Damian]

Damian raised his arm and prepared to stab the weakened elf through the chest. He charged the blade with dark necrotic energy much like he had with the arrow. this elf would serve as a very valuable warrior. But just as he was about to trust his hard steel blade into the elf's warm flesh, the elf seemed to have found himself some reserves of strength. Light did indeed work on Darion. light worked an most creatures of darkness and the baron was no different. Darion grabbed his eyes and jumped back as he tried tried to rub the light out of his eyes.

"You won't get away that easily, elf." He said sounding angry now. "Tim!" At the sound of its name the horse bolted into action and ran strait for the elf. Intending to trample the crawling elf while it master regained his composure.

[Tea]

And so, Ialarin and Tea escaped the ruins, leaving the hero to his demise.

[continued here]

[Shadow]

Ah, but the problem with Heroes is that they will never die. pesky mortals. It's a pity they have random strangers to help them out.

There was a roar from a nearby opening, opposite the way that had offered escape for the woman and her protector. A bright orange blur, faster than an arrow shot swept in, stopping right in front of the crawling elf, between him and the undead threat. The creature had bright golden-orange scales, a canine face, and glowing red-orange eyes.

The dragon dog was six feet tall at the shoulder, easily rivaling the height of the undead mount, but the long tail that extended back nearly doubled the length. Whiskers sprouting from the face of the dragon-dog were gently moving, akin to the eye in a terrible storm. The muscular body and sharp claws were tensed as the orange glow became more intense, and the reddish-orange mane that ran from the crest of its forehead, down the spine to the tip of its tail, ignited with a white-hot flame.



A cloaked man leaped off of the creature, covering himself and the weakened elf with his cloak as the orange glow intensified, becoming scorching hot, and charring nearby stone. The Dragon dog roared again, forming and firing two large balls of flame into the face of the charging undead horse, each one wider than a man's leg is long, and arced slightly to adjust their course towards the target. After they were fired, the orange glow reduced, but the temperature of the air started to get much hotter, and another fireball began to charge within the mouth of the creature.

While this was happening, Shadow was making sure that his cloak was shielding both himself and the disoriented elf, as it seemed to magically not catch fire- and the heat had trouble penetrating it as well.

Fire it and then let's go! Will do- I have a phase ready.[/color]

The Dragon-dog, called Chao, released the third ball of flame straight at the man who seemed to be the best dressed and bedecked undead- the one that seemed to have the most power. Even if he was resistant to flame, the concussive force alone would knock him pretty far back.

If he wasn't resistant to flame, then he'd have a fun time recovering.

[Damian]

Damian's eyes cleared just in time to see the dragon dog clear the rubble and stand in defense of the helpless elf. He growl. The hores wasn't afraid of fire and intended to run up and bash the drake's head in with his hooves. but the Drake let loose concussive blasts of fire. The fire blasted off the horse's horned skull the second blew the front half of the horse into pieces. Devils that was annoying. It was going to take him hours to put his steed back together.

"Really? Do you have any idea how long its going to take to-" oshitafireball. Charging his blade with the flames of hell he made a two handed swing at the fire ball hitting like a baseball back at the dragon who was likely immune to fire. But he really didn't care. "And you interrupt me?! Seriously the living are so rude.

"I guess its not going to help if I ask you to just submit and join the undead. It would be so much easier for all of us." He doubted it would work the living all seemed to share the absurd desire to keep living. Even with the knowledge that death was inevitable they seemed to fight for, as he had once done, but look where he was now, after serving the light for years it abandoned him and left him to rot in this shell of a body.

His minions finally pulled themselves together. "All of you charge don't let them escape." He said at that a dozen or so weapon wielding skeletons ran at the saviors and their friend, as the Baron moved with deathly speed towards the dragon.

[Adelay]

"Tim...?" Adelay said weakly as he looked over his shoulder. His distraction hadn't lasted long enough for him to get away and the Horse was barreling down upon him. "The Horse's name is Tim?" He continued before his knees gave out, causing him to fall to the ground in a heap. The Elf was sure he was done, but he was laughing. Though one could barely hear it over the thundering of hooves.

Then before he knew it, Adelay's hazy sight became washed over with the color of crimson and all he could hear was the roaring of flames. Was this the Hell those Preachers in Avaren kept going on about? No, oddly enough someone had come to save him just like he had for another. It'd be funny if a monstrous Undead Horse named "Tim" wasn't funnier. Adelay then forced himself onto his back and braced himself up with his elbows to look at what he could through his savior's cloak with a loud growl of pain. The Undead legion were being set upon them.

"Damn... If the impact hadn't broken my arrows..." Adelay lamented, as if that and not the blazing pain was his biggest problem. Then it hit him. All his arrows weren't broken! The two he tried to use to blow Damian's Horse's head off were still out there somewhere and charged. The magic within could potentially ignite when a Skeleton stomped over one, but he couldn't count on that. Adelay would need to activate them himself if at all. It wouldn't cost him anything to ignite the spells outside of breath since the spells had already been cast. "Iat!" He shouted in his native tongue. With that word of ignition, the discarded arrows burst in two mighty explosions of Arcane Energy where they lay. It could potentially take out some of the lesser undead, perhaps harm the commander, or just do nothing more but serve as a continuation of his harmless light show from before. If it did anything at all, it'd be a miracle he thought as he fell down onto his back again.

[Shadow]

The fireball sent back at the dragon-dog was simply directed into two of the skeletal minions, turning them to a pile of slag and ashes.

However, there were still plenty more, and the "baron" made his intent clear- as if it hadn't been obvious.

Shadow's response was an old curse-even though he was faced away from the initial heat, his mental link allowed him to see the situation from Chao's eyes. He was about to whirl about and throw some magic into the baker's dozen of undead charging straight for them, but an arcane explosion took out half, and Shadow implemented the second part of the escape plan without stopping to think.

There'd be time for questioning when they were back, safe in Avaren.

Not if, but when. In order to speed the process along, Shadow nodded to Chao, invoking the releasing command words; "Chao- Purgatory!"

A low rumble sounded from above the combatants, and the area was bathed in another red haze. This one, however carried an intense heat that radiated so powerfully that it blackened the very stone that the dragon-dog was standing on. The creature reared back, unleashing a vent of golden flame from it's mouth- spraying a mixture of molten lava and magical fire in an arc that separated the undead from the living. Four skeletons charged forward heedlessly, only to find their weapons melting as their bones blackened and shattered, becoming piles of ash.

Shadow, knowing the opportunity wouldn't last, grabbed the injured elf around the waist, unceremoniously hoisting him up and into a fireman's carrying position. "Estelio nin. I have a feeling we'll get out of here alive, friend! Hold out for a little longer."

The druid, with his free hand, drew a fist sized packet out of seemingly nowhere, and focused on it for a moment, until it began to glow a vibrant white.

He threw it, and magically pushed it right into the path of the charging baron- and as the flash packet exploded, it brightened the immediate area to an intensity similar to the sun. The combination of the dragon's flame wall, and the momentary shock undoubtedly created by the flash packet would be enough for Shadow to carry the wounded elf over to the still glowing and uncomfortably hot Chao. Laying a hand on the dragon-dog's flank, the druid shouted "Now!"

A baleful blue light spread out from the beast, covering it and the two living humanoids- but as the blue glow intensified, the protective wall of destructive flames dissipated.

However, before a few seconds passed by, the three 'heroes' were phased away, fading into nothingness as they were transported by the dragon dog's magic, from the ruins all the way to the outskirts of the town of Avaren.

[Damian]

Of course asking didn't work, it never worked. The ones it did work on where delusional and arrogant. Never did the good warriors that cherished humility and justice want immortality through undeath. Which Rivendare just didn't understand.

As Rivendare neared the intruders what was left of his flesh seemed to be smoking a bit too much so he stopped to see what was happening. "You think Fire is going to stop me?!" He said as once again his sword became like hell fire and in seconds the fire engulfed him as well, in a dark flame that didn't consume him. in fact it seemed to strengthen him He continued forward stalking slowly like a cleche action movie villain.

He was just about there when the sun decided to intervene. The blazing light blinded him, And he ran forward and swung his blade blindly in a powerful arc. And he swung again for good measure but when his vision cleared. He saw that his enemy was no longer there. "No, no, no NO!" He yelled. "TIM! This is all your fault." He yelled. The flames that served as eyes seemed to roll. "Don't you roll your eyes at me." He snapped as he started searching for pieces of his horse in the rubble.