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Bhaal's Youngest: Chapter 71


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#1 Guest_Dadri_*

Posted 24 January 2008 - 12:22 AM

Caution: Bhaal's POV.

They continue to trudge through grass and brush in the early morning light. Phoenix hates every second of it; the burning sunlight, the sticky wet grass, the noisy bugs, the scurrying sounds that make her think of the wildly twitching monsters she's had to dispatch recently. At least the two wizards are not out of spells right now. That proves to be an important factor right away.

A hobgoblin stands up out of the grass behind Phoenix and grabs Jhendle, pulling him off his feet and putting a short sword to his throat. Phoenix stares. She knows that hobgoblins are smarter and more organized than their smaller goblin kin, but she had no idea that they were six and a half feet tall. She was sure that should have been the first thing the books and drawings about them should have mentioned- they had mentioned taller than other goblins, but other goblins were about three feet tall. There are three, all of them with light red orange skin, all of them wearing chainmail, all of them sporting short swords. Phoenix spares a thought to wonder how a six and a half foot tall hobgoblin in shiny steel chainmail managed to sneak behind her, but it only strengthens the feeling that Montaron would have given them warning if he weren't dead at the moment.

"Your money, all your iron and steel or your lives, starting with the little squealer there." The lead hobgoblin smirks. He has a braid of red brown hair banded with gold dwarf beard clasps.

Phoenix wonders how many people they've rendered helpless for predators further on with this tactic. As she looks at the yellow in the leader's eye, the part of her that is my daughter is hungry for combat. She resists the temptation to just attack. She decides to give them an out.

"You know, you still haven't hurt the cursed child, you can still make it out of this alive..." She offers them generously. "Though I don't think you should have touched him...you may wish to see a priest as soon as possible, just to be certain." She says to the one that is holding Jhendle. She knows that curses are not contagious, she is just using their lack of knowledge on the subject to generate doubt. After all, curses are fairly rare, and she wouldn't know about them at all if she hadn't learned about them in her study of necromancy.

"You lie!" Growls the leader, though the way his eyes dart around indicates that he's not as sure about that as he'd like to be.

Xzar is already speaking the words for pulling out life energy and gesturing. That decides her course for her.

"Well, if you are determined to die, it might as well be fast." She says, shrugging. She turns, says her own words and takes hold of the life energy of the hobgoblin holding Jhendle. It ripples and bleeds away towards Xzar, who has just completed this same spell. Phoenix takes the rest of it, and the corpse falls. Jhendle sobs from the grass. She tries not to let her relief show. She doesn't want a repeat of the Bassilus fight.

"Hide." Phoenix orders, brandishing the lightning wand on the hobgoblin that is currently charging towards her. She doesn't spare a thought to how she is able to operate the wand, she simply knows she can.

She speaks the word, and nearly blinding white lighting pours from the wand at the hobgoblin, hitting him and pushing him back, until thirty feet from where she directed it, the smoking corpse falls to the ground, reeking of suddenly burnt hair, skin, organs and bones. The smell is so bad it's putting a nauseating taste in her mouth. Now, Jhendle could be anywhere in this grass, it is too risky to use the lightning wand again. She puts it away.

"I don't think we'd like the taste of them, Xelda." Xzar says,"Not even stewed, not even with cinnamon and honey!" He says, emphatically.

"Xzar, I don't ever eat anything that can demand my money or my life." Phoenix says, eying the last hobgoblin. He appears to be in shock that his two underlings are, in fact, dead. In seconds. Without anyone even drawing steel. She hopes he'll take the moment while they are supposedly distracted to run away.

"But you ate the stew, even while it was screaming in agony the entire time." He pointed out, as if that had really happened. "And that was after you boiled the beans alive while they were begging for mercy." He assures her.

Phoenix doesn't answer. If the lead hobgoblin were going to run away, it would have happened. If the hobgoblin goes for Jhendle, she'll have to cast a spell. Will sleep work? But she is out of sleep sand. It took two drains to kill the underling hobgoblin, it will doubtlessly take more for the leader. She can't use the wand because that would kill Jhendle too. She has to use her dagger, and she has to use my training.

"Stand and fight, you sorcerous beasts!" Demands the leader hobgoblin, fury flickering in his yellow eyes. His stare passes over Xzar and back to Phoenix, possibly deciding that she's the leader, despite her much smaller size.

Xzar looks back at him. "Sorcerous beasts? Where? Have the ants brought reinforcements?!" Xzar starts looking around wildly. He suddenly dives into the grass. "Bees! They ride bees into battle!"

Phoenix takes off her pack, takes out her dagger and Bassilus' chainmail shirt with its oiled leather under padding in hand, as though it were a leather and metal net. She stands four and a half feet tall, scowling up at a hobgoblin who is six and a half feet tall, muscular and clad in chainmail of his own. It is almost a complete likeness as to what her lessons were last night in the dream.

"Last chance to surrender." Phoenix says, looking up at the hobgoblin, who is looking down at her incredulously. "I don't want to have to kill you." She says, adding mentally, I like it too much.

"You're a bloody runt." The hobgoblin scoffs. "Won't last two seconds against a short sword."

"That's why I can't let you touch me with it." She says. He charges, she tosses down the chainmail shirt into the wet grass. It isn't a grease spell, but it will still work. She sidesteps as the charging hobgoblin loses his footing, slides and hits the ground, rolling over quickly to face his enemy. She pounces, dagger out and stabs up into his underarm as he brings his short sword up to protect himself. His arm deadens and falls useless. She pulls the dagger out immediately to allow the blood to run out, so he can start bleeding to death- it allows his over all strength to sap away so he can't grab her with the other hand with any force at all- certainly not enough to break her neck or strangle her. I want to smile. She really was paying attention last night. I couldn't be sure, but just as she used Jaheira's overheard advice when she needed it, she just used mine.

The first rune is disabled.

#2 Guest_Cel_*

Posted 24 January 2008 - 08:09 PM

A hobgoblin stands up out of the grass behind Phoenix and grabs Jhendle, pulling him off his feet and putting a short sword to his throat. Phoenix stares. She knows that hobgoblins are smarter and more organized than their smaller goblin kin, but she had no idea that they were six and a half feet tall. She was sure that should have been the first thing the books and drawings about them should have mentioned- they had mentioned taller than other goblins, but other goblins were about three feet tall. There are three, all of them with light red orange skin, all of them wearing chainmail, all of them sporting short swords. Phoenix spares a thought to wonder how a six and a half foot tall hobgoblin in shiny steel chainmail managed to sneak behind her, but it only strengthens the feeling that Montaron would have given them warning if he weren't dead at the moment.


I like that she notices how extremely different the hobgoblins are from the other goblins you encounter :D

"You know, you still haven't hurt the cursed child, you can still make it out of this alive..." She offers them generously. "Though I don't think you should have touched him...you may wish to see a priest as soon as possible, just to be certain." She says to the one that is holding Jhendle. She knows that curses are not contagious, she is just using their lack of knowledge on the subject to generate doubt. After all, curses are fairly rare, and she wouldn't know about them at all if she hadn't learned about them in her study of necromancy.


Oooh, clever!

"Well, if you are determined to die, it might as well be fast." She says, shrugging. She turns, says her own words and takes hold of the life energy of the hobgoblin holding Jhendle. It ripples and bleeds away towards Xzar, who has just completed this same spell. Phoenix takes the rest of it, and the corpse falls. Jhendle sobs from the grass. She tries not to let her relief show. She doesn't want a repeat of the Bassilus fight.


It's not often that larloch's minor drain can kill, but at this stage...

Xzar looks back at him. "Sorcerous beasts? Where? Have the ants brought reinforcements?!" Xzar starts looking around wildly. He suddenly dives into the grass. "Bees! They ride bees into battle!"


I so love your Xzar. He's got the perfect amount of utter insanity!

#3 Guest_Dadri_*

Posted 25 January 2008 - 02:30 AM

I like that she notices how extremely different the hobgoblins are from the other goblins you encounter


Well, she's read about them, but this is the first time she's seen a hobgoblin.

Oooh, clever!


It almost worked. :shock:

It's not often that larloch's minor drain can kill, but at this stage...


Yeah, this is the time when such a drain performed twice can do so. Not for very much longer, however... Which is why Bhaal was so desperate to teach her some more of using a dagger and where to put it. After all, it just allowed her to not blow all of her spells in one encounter.

I so love your Xzar. He's got the perfect amount of utter insanity!


Thank you. I have an awful lot of fun with him. :shock:

#4 Guest_Ananke_*

Posted 25 January 2008 - 07:34 AM

Phoenix spares a thought to wonder how a six and a half foot tall hobgoblin in shiny steel chainmail managed to sneak behind her, but it only strengthens the feeling that Montaron would have given them warning if he weren't dead at the moment.

I don't think I would miss him that much, to tell the truth... Phoenix has a better assassin teacher, and Xzar's the fun part of the duo, anyway.

I love that Phoenix, even attacked by a hobgoblin, can measure it/him up to half a feet. :)

"Your money, all your iron and steel or your lives, starting with the little squealer there." The lead hobgoblin smirks. He has a braid of red brown hair banded with gold dwarf beard clasps.

Good for scalping, I guess... especially the gold.

"You know, you still haven't hurt the cursed child, you can still make it out of this alive..." She offers them generously. "Though I don't think you should have touched him...you may wish to see a priest as soon as possible, just to be certain."


Clever!

"Stand and fight, you sorcerous beasts!" Demands the leader hobgoblin, fury flickering in his yellow eyes. His stare passes over Xzar and back to Phoenix, possibly deciding that she's the leader, despite her size.

So, they have been bantering while... Oh, Xzar. :shock:

Seriously, though: between the present tense, which slows everything down, and the banter - less because Xzar is talking than because Phoenix is - and Bhaal's lack of anger at that she's doing banter instead of fighting... I was completely convinced the fight was over.

Xzar looks back at him. "Sorcerous beasts? Where? Have the ants brought reinforcements?!" Xzar starts looking around wildly. He suddenly dives into the grass. "Bees! They ride bees into battle!"

:shock: Not the best of comments, but :)

"That's why I can't let you touch me with it." She says. He charges, she tosses down the chainmail shirt into the wet grass.

...now this is really clever! :shock:

#5 Guest_Dadri_*

Posted 25 January 2008 - 04:06 PM

I don't think I would miss him that much, to tell the truth... Phoenix has a better assassin teacher, and Xzar's the fun part of the duo, anyway.


Well, she's about to find out how good a teacher she has...

I love that Phoenix, even attacked by a hobgoblin, can measure it/him up to half a feet.


That half a foot really matters when you're four and a half feet tall. :shock:

Good for scalping, I guess... especially the gold.


Well, Phoenix isn't yet into scalping- no one has offered her reward money for it yet... but she has no qualms about taking the gold and items from the corpses after they die.

Clever!


Can't say she didn't try to give them an excuse to run away, they just didn't fall for it.

So, they have been bantering while... Oh, Xzar.

Seriously, though: between the present tense, which slows everything down, and the banter - less because Xzar is talking than because Phoenix is - and Bhaal's lack of anger at that she's doing banter instead of fighting... I was completely convinced the fight was over.


Good point, I'll work on that. :shock:

Not the best of comments, but


It's always fun to see what reaction he's going to have to something.

...now this is really clever!


I wanted to make sure you knew that Phoenix had gained some extra understanding from Bhaal's instruction. :shock:

#6 Guest_Tyriel_*

Posted 29 January 2008 - 02:45 AM

Well, the first rune has been disabled indeed. It is nice to see that Bhaal is making some progress with Phoenix. Slow and steady is the way to go for this one.

As Phoenix grows as a mage, will Bhaal be teaching her even further in the ways of assassination as well? By the way, when Montaron is revived, won't he notice that it's strange how Phoenix seems to be progressing in such matters? If he presses the issue, I wonder how Phoenix and Bhaal will deal with the problem.

#7 Guest_Dadri_*

Posted 29 January 2008 - 07:23 AM

Well, the first rune has been disabled indeed. It is nice to see that Bhaal is making some progress with Phoenix. Slow and steady is the way to go for this one.


True enough. But does Bhaal really have the patience? Hehehe. :)

As Phoenix grows as a mage, will Bhaal be teaching her even further in the ways of assassination as well?


Well, he can certainly try. :evil:

By the way, when Montaron is revived, won't he notice that it's strange how Phoenix seems to be progressing in such matters?



He'll have to add it to the growing list of her oddities. :)

If he presses the issue, I wonder how Phoenix and Bhaal will deal with the problem.


Pressing the issue involves being up front about it, and Monty is far too crafty for that. :)

#8 Laufey

Posted 06 February 2008 - 05:37 PM

A hobgoblin stands up out of the grass behind Phoenix and grabs Jhendle, pulling him off his feet and putting a short sword to his throat. Phoenix stares. She knows that hobgoblins are smarter and more organized than their smaller goblin kin, but she had no idea that they were six and a half feet tall. She was sure that should have been the first thing the books and drawings about them should have mentioned- they had mentioned taller than other goblins, but other goblins were about three feet tall. There are three, all of them with light red orange skin, all of them wearing chainmail, all of them sporting short swords. Phoenix spares a thought to wonder how a six and a half foot tall hobgoblin in shiny steel chainmail managed to sneak behind her, but it only strengthens the feeling that Montaron would have given them warning if he weren't dead at the moment.


That's a very big hobgoblin! Good at sneaking too.


She speaks the word, and nearly blinding white lighting pours from the wand at the hobgoblin, hitting him and pushing him back, until thirty feet from where she directed it, the smoking corpse falls to the ground, reeking of suddenly burnt hair, skin, organs and bones. The smell is so bad it's putting a nauseating taste in her mouth. Now, Jhendle could be anywhere in this grass, it is too risky to use the lightning wand again. She puts it away.


Mmm nice. That wand always was very handy at the start of the game.

"I don't think we'd like the taste of them, Xelda." Xzar says,"Not even stewed, not even with cinnamon and honey!" He says, emphatically.


"Xzar, I don't ever eat anything that can demand my money or my life." Phoenix says, eying the last hobgoblin. He appears to be in shock that his two underlings are, in fact, dead. In seconds. Without anyone even drawing steel. She hopes he'll take the moment while they are supposedly distracted to run away.


Now that, I'd say, is a very wise philosophy.

"But you ate the stew, even while it was screaming in agony the entire time." He pointed out, as if that had really happened. "And that was after you boiled the beans alive while they were begging for mercy." He assures her.


I love Xzar. :lol:

Phoenix doesn't answer. If the lead hobgoblin were going to run away, it would have happened. If the hobgoblin goes for Jhendle, she'll have to cast a spell. Will sleep work? But she is out of sleep sand. It took two drains to kill the underling hobgoblin, it will doubtlessly take more for the leader. She can't use the wand because that would kill Jhendle too. She has to use her dagger, and she has to use my training.


And I just bet you love the thought of that, you smug git. :wink:


"That's why I can't let you touch me with it." She says. He charges, she tosses down the chainmail shirt into the wet grass. It isn't a grease spell, but it will still work. She sidesteps as the charging hobgoblin loses his footing, slides and hits the ground, rolling over quickly to face his enemy. She pounces, dagger out and stabs up into his underarm as he brings his short sword up to protect himself. His arm deadens and falls useless. She pulls the dagger out immediately to allow the blood to run out, so he can start bleeding to death- it allows his over all strength to sap away so he can't grab her with the other hand with any force at all- certainly not enough to break her neck or strangle her. I want to smile. She really was paying attention last night. I couldn't be sure, but just as she used Jaheira's overheard advice when she needed it, she just used mine.


She's taking nicely to her training. Do I sense a bit of multi/dual classing coming up?
Rogues do it from behind.

#9 Guest_Dadri_*

Posted 06 February 2008 - 08:30 PM

That's a very big hobgoblin! Good at sneaking too.


I thought I'd look up the hobgoblins in the monsters manual so I had a good idea of what Phoenix was seeing...I was completely shocked that they were that tall. But the Jhendle grabber is the one wearing the boots of stealth. :wink:

Mmm nice. That wand always was very handy at the start of the game.


Yeah. I love wands. :lol: That was the other reason for giving Phoenix a level of sorceress. So she could use all the fun wands, despite evocation being a barred school for her. :lol:

Now that, I'd say, is a very wise philosophy.


Yeah. Hobgoblin casserole? Stew? Pie? No, definitely not. :lol:

I love Xzar.



Me too. :lol:

And I just bet you love the thought of that, you smug git.



Bhaal: What? It's about time something went my way! Now, I have to remember what my damned name was before it was Bhaal. I'm sure it started with a B...

She's taking nicely to her training. Do I sense a bit of multi/dual classing coming up?


Yes. Yes, you do. :lol:




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