Page 17 (1/2)

SPITTING MONSTERS

The tunnel through the as narrow and short, forcing everyone other than Athrogate and Pratcus to stoop low Poor Olgerkhan had to bend nearly in half to navigate the corridor, and many places were so narrow that the broad-shouldered half-orc had to turn sideways to slip through They came to a wider area, a s as before out the other side

"Stealth," Jarlaxle whispered "We do not want to get into a fight in these quarters"

"Bah!" Athrogate snorted, quite loudly

"Thank you for volunteering to take the lead," Entreri said, but if that was supposed to be any kind of negative remark to the boisterous and fearsoo, then!" Athrogate roared and he ra stars in his hands and bouncing along The weapons often clanged against the stone walls and every tiate, of course, only hoith laughter

"If we kill hih for us to escape," said Entreri, as third in line, just behind the dwarves and just ahead of Jarlaxle

"There is nothing waiting for us behind," Pratcus re without that one would constitute a victory," said Entreri, and Athrogate laughed all the louder

"On we go then!" he roared again "Hearty dwarves and feeble ether banded for the win! Bwahaha!"

"Enough," Entreri growled, and just then they caher spot in the uneven corridor, and the assassin set off A stride, spring, and tuck sent hiate let out a yelp and spun as if he expected Entreri to set upon hiate turned, however, Entreri went by, and by the ti about and focused ahead once more, the assassin was nowhere to be found

"Noas that all about?" Athrogate asked of Jarlaxle

"He is notout ahead, but for what?" the dwarf demanded "To tell our enemies we&039;re here?"

"I expect that you have done a fine enough job of that without Arteood dwarf," the drow replied

"Enough of this," said Mariabronne froht behind the drow "We have not the tist ourselves The castle teeo, then?" asked the dwarf "He scouting or killing? Or a bit of both?"

"Probably more than a bit," Jarlaxle replied "Go on, I pray you, and with all speed and with all the stealth you ht muster We will find adversity this day at every corner - I pray you don&039;t invite more than ill happen upon without your enthusiasate

He spun around and stoone two strides, co up fast on a sharp bend in the corridor, when a form stepped out to block his way

It was humanoid and fleshy, as tall as a man, but stocky like a dwarf, with ers Its head sat square and thick on a short stuht of life shone in its cold eyes It caest clue of all that the creature wasn&039;t truly alive

"What&039;re ye about?" the dwarf started to ask, indicating that he, unlike Pratcus and Jarlaxle behind him, didn&039;t quite comprehend the nature of the aniain as the creature fast approached

"Goleate, and he gave a howl and leaped ahead, eager tostars, one after the other, got the creature&039;s defenses

Both slapped hard against the thick bare flesh, and both jolted the golem

But neither really seemed to hurt the creature nor slow ithis head crushed on a backswing as Athrogate launched hi attacks His ain

And still the gole at hi punch, but the move put him too close to the left hand wall, and the ball head of his weapon rang loudly off the stone, halting its rhyth star&039;s chain

Athrogate&039;s other arm pumped fast, and he scored a hit with his second weapon across the golem&039;s cheek and jaw Bone cracked and flesh tore, and when the ball bounced away, it left the gole open and torn

Again, though, the goleed back, and stubborn Athrogate refused to let go of his weapon and was lifted from his feet and pulled in

A s the goleroan, and a pool of oleht in to its chest and enwrapping Athrogate in its hty ar force as yet, but because he felt a point ra a spiked shield across its chest

Then the stabbing pain was gone and the goleht in an instant that he would surely be crushed to death Then he got stabbed again, and he cried out

Pratcus was fast to hi energy into the tough warrior Behind the cleric, Jarlaxle reloaded and let fly another bolt, scoring a hit in the golem&039;s other eye to blind the creature entirely

The drow pressed hi Mariabronne an angle to shoot past hireat bow A heavier, oleain and again He didn&039;t understand; eapon was this strange creature eo?

He hit the floor and hopped backward, bowling Pratcus over in the process

Then the dwarf understood, as the stabbing blade popped forth fronized that red steel sword tip The dwarf gave a laugh and started back at the gole with great aain

Then it retracted and the golem collapsed in a heap

Artemis Entreri reached down and wiped his sword on the fleshy pile

"Ye could&039;ve warned us," Athrogate said

"I yelled out, but you were too loud to hear," the assassin replied

"The way is clear to the keep at the wall&039;s corner," Entreri explained "But once we go through that door, onto the building&039;s second story balcony, we&039;ll be ioyles A pair of theolem and added, "More, if any are in wait behind the tower&039;s northern door that will take us along the castle&039;s eastern wall"

"We should lead with ic and arrows," Mariabronne remarked, and he looked alternately at Canthan and Jarlaxle

"Just er we tarry, thedefenses as we stand and chatter - spitting oyles are any indication," said Mariabronne

"Looking like a good place for training young darriors, then," Athrogate chiutbuster down their throats and set &039;e to be said for never running out o&039; monster faces to crush"

"When we&039;re done with it, you can have it, then," Jarlaxle assured the brutish little warrior "For your children"

"Haha! All thirty of theht I&039;ll have to one day witness, I&039;o on and be done with this?" asked Canthan, and he motioned to Entreri "Lead us to the roolance at the annoying dwarf then started off along the corridor It widened a bit, and ra in a heavy wooden, iron-banded door Entreri glanced back at the group, nodded to confirm that it was the correct rooh the door

I his back, came a fiery pea It arced into the open tower rooht below the railing, it exploded, filling the entire tower area with a great burst of searing flaate rubbed his boots on the stone for traction and went tearing through the door, oyle, its wings fla from the top of its head The creature clawed at him, but half-heartedly, for it was still dazed frorasp, spun, and walloped the gargoyle in the chest with his argoyle fast following as Athrogate ra a concerned expression - close behind, with Ellery and Mariabronne pressing hilancing this way and that As he crossed to the threshold, though, a hand shot out frohly by the collar

There stood Arteht until his sudden ht I went into the roo from surprise to a hint of fear to a sudden superior frown "Remove your hand"

"Or your throat?" Entreri countered "You thought I went into the roo"

"I expected that you would be wise enough not to get in the way of a battle ed tie of his words

Thewith Olgerkhan&039;s insistence that they get out of the way

Neither Entreri nor Canthan bothered to look the half-orc&039;s way They held their pose, staring hard at each other for a few moments

"I know," Canthan teased "Next tirin and his comfort, obviously, when he replied, "There will be no next tih shove as he did With a single ger and sword His first thought as he caet out of Canthan&039;s line of fire

Over the railing he went, landing nimbly on the lip of the balcony beyond Up on one foot, he pointed the toe of the other and slid it into the gap between the botto and the floor

He rolled forward off the ledge As he swung down to the lowest point, he tightened his leg to somewhat break the momentum, then pulled his locked foot free and tucked as he spun over coht feet to the tower floor Ioleed fros, and one couldn&039;t lift its charred ar its head and charging in with surprising ferocity

Charon&039;s Claw halted that charge, creasing the creature&039;s skull and sending it hopping back and down to a sitting position on the floor It lance at Entreri before it rolled over dead

The look only brought a grin to the assassin&039;s face, but he didn&039;t, couldn&039;t, dwell on it He went into a furious leaping spin, dagger stabbing and sword slashing The creatures were li left and right, continually turning theled each other And all the while his dagger struck at them, and his sword slashed at them

The balcony above was quickly secured as well, with Athrogate and his oyle into the air That one alet back behind the falling creature It hit the floor right in front of hi in, tripped over it

Charon&039;s Claw cleaved the lunging goleht, staying under the balcony He saw Mariabronne and Ellery on the stone stairway that lined the tower&039;s eastern, outer wall, driving a battered and dying gargoyle before theoyles saw them too, and one rushed their way

Entreriar his dagger deep into the creature&039;s chest He twisted and turned the blade as he slid off to the side, then brought Charon&039;s Claw across the gargoyle&039;s throat for goodand flailing, blood flying It had no direction for its attacks, though, and Entreri simply danced away as it wound itself to the floor, where it continued its death spasoyle, which was already engaged with the ranger, and drove his sword through its spine

"Well fought," said Mariabronne

"By all," Ellery quickly added, and Entreri got the distinct ier apparently singling him out above her

She didn&039;t look so beautiful to Entreri in that arish hit on one shoulder, the blood flowing freely down her right ar with every step as he closed on the wounded wocan we keep this up, then?"

"Bah!" Athrogate answered "Forever and ever!"

To accentuate his point, the wild dwarf leaped over to one broken gargoyle, the creature pitifully belly-crawling on the floor, its wings and ed by the flaoyle noted his approach and with hate-filled eyes tried to pull itself up on its elbows, lifting its head so that it could spit at Athrogate

The dwarf howled all the louder andstars in rapid order crunching down on the gargoyle&039;s head, flattening it to the floor

"Forever and ever," Athrogate said again

Entreri cast a sour look in Jarlaxle&039;s direction as if to say, "He&039;ll get us all killed"

The drow ed and seemed more amused with the dwarf than concerned, and that worried Entreri all the more

And frustrated him For some reason, the assassin felt vulnerable, as if he could be wounded or killed As he realized the truth of his emotions, he understood too that never before had he harbored such feelings In all the battles and deadly struggles of the past three decades of his life, Arteht be his last

Or at least, he had never cared

But suddenly he did care, and he could not deny it He glanced at Jarlaxle again, wondering if the drow had found some new enchantment to throw over him to so put him off-balance Then he looked past Jarlaxle to the two Palishchuk half-orcs They stood against the outer southern wall, obviously trying to stay saze on Arrayan, and he had to resist the urge to go over to her and assure her that they would get through this

He winced as the feeling passed, and he dropped his hand to Charon&039;s Claw and lifted the blade a few inches fro its fealty, and it predictably responded by assailing hi hi him that one day he would slip up and the sould dominate him wholly and melt the flesh from his bones as it consumed his soul

Entreri smiled and slid the sword away, his moment of empathy and shared fear thrown behind

"If the castle&039;s resources are unli as Entreri tuned back into the conversation Froate, Entreri knew that the das still proclaiht on until the end of time

"But neither can ait and recuperate," Ellery said "The castle&039;s defenses will siainst us"

"Ye have a better plan, do ye?" asked Pratcus "Not ed a pair o&039; scrolls, but theet yer blood flowing straight but just the one I usedsnakes and ot left in et any ht&039;s sleep"

Ellery, Mariabronne, and Canthan were all shaking their heads

"We don&039;t have that," the coate declared