Between a Dwarf And a Hard Place

Back in the shadows of the trees, Ivan and Pikel hardly had trouble finding enemies. Goblins and orcs popped up from the undergrowth all about them, drooling and hungry for battle. True to their dwarven heritage, the Bouldershoulder brothers promptly went berserk, clubbing and slicing, and though they had been fighting steadily for many minutes, neither showed any signs of weariness. Goblins flew every which way, launched by Pikel's heavy club, and Ivan, with a mighty overhead chop, sliced one orc nearly in half.

Through all the fury of that initial skirmish, Danica rested back behind the brothers, gathering her energy for when she would inevitably be needed. Cadderly dominated the young woman's thoughts in that lull. Danica had found no time before this to consider where the young scholar might be and she feared that he had met a gruesome end. Her duty was clear to her, though, and she would not sway from it. This time, unlike any other, Danica had to trust in Cadderly to take care of himself, had to focus on the desperate battle.

No matter how many times Danica reminded herself of that fact, her heart longed to find Cadderly.

The last orc's head flew off into the bushes. In the respite, Ivan turned about and noticed the despair in Danica's almond eyes.

"Don't ye worry, lass," the dwarf comforted. "We'll save ye a few in the next fight."

Danica's face crinkled at the words, revealing to the dwarf that he had misjudged the source of her sadness.

"It's yer Cadderly, then," Ivan guessed, remembering the young scholar himself. "Where'd that one get himself off to, anyhow?"

"I left him," Danica admitted, looking back over her shoulder to the west, toward Syldritch Trea.

A boulder plummeted through the tree branches, narrowly missing the three companions. In response, one arrow after another flew out from the side, zipping back in the direction of the berry bushes.

"Giant!" Shayleigh called, appearing from her hiding spot and stringing yet another arrow. "I have hit it three times, but still it comes on!" She drew back and fired, and the companions watched the arrow fly through the leafy tangle to thud into what seemed like a moving mountain. Another huge form shifted beside the first.

"Two giants!" Ivan bellowed hopefully.

Danica grabbed him, and Pikel, as they started past her on their way to the newest foes. "No doubt with a host of escorts beside them," the fiery young woman explained. "Do not be so foolish," she scolded. "You are much to valuable to us to me."

"Oh," Pikel replied rather sadly.

Shayleigh popped another arrow into the approaching monsters, then caught up with Danica and the dwarves.

"We must be gone quickly," Shayleigh said.

"You three go on," Danica bade them. "I will search for Cadderly."

"The priest is with Tintagel," Shayleigh replied. "Fear not, for if any can keep him safe in the fight, it is the wizard."

The news did brighten Danica's mood. Knowing that Cadderly was beside one as seasoned and wise as Tintagel eased her fears that her love had been abandoned to make his way alone in this forest of horrors. "The four of us, then," Danica offered determinedly.

"Oo oi!" was Pikel's reply.

"Woe to any monsters that cross our path!" Shayleigh vowed. She spun about and launched another arrow at the mass of approaching giants, just for good luck, and together the fighting foursome sprinted off into the shadows, formulating plans as they went.

*****

Without his shield, Elbereth could only grasp his sword hilt in both hands to deflect Ragnor's mighty blows. The ogrillon was finished with his defensive tactics now, determined to end this fight and move on to new battles. He cut a two-handed swipe straight across at Elbereth's chest, stepping into the blow so that the elf could not back away and would have to use his sword to parry.

Elbereth's weapon rang loudly under the force of the blow, vibrating for many moments. Elbereth's arms went numb, and he had to struggle just to hold his grip on the sword. Ragnor launched a second strike, identical to the first.

Elbereth knew that to similarly block this blow would tear the sword from his hands. He threw himself straight back instead, tumbling to the ground.

Ragnor attacked furiously, thinking that the fight was won.

Elbereth's agility and speed crossed the ogrillon up, though, for the elf suddenly twisted about and whipped his sword across, swift and low, stinging Ragnor's shins and abruptly halting the ogrillon's charge.

Elbereth was back up again, wary and keeping his distance as Ragnor, spitting curses and limping only slightly, steadily advanced.

Cadderly groaned and forced himself up to his elbows, knowing that he, and especially Elbereth, could not afford any delays. The young scholar had landed hard from Ragnor's throw, and had lost his breath in the tumble.

He looked now at Elbereth, weary and sorely outmatched, and knew that Ragnor would soon win.

"Back to the fight," Cadderly vowed, but he didn't even manage to get to his feet before he felt the wetness along the back of his neck. Thinking it blood, Cadderly put a hand over it and scrambled to remove his pack.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the moisture came from his pack, not his own body, but then he nearly swooned when he realized the only possible source.

Slowly, carefully, the young scholar untied and opened the pack and removed the cracked flask. He shuddered to think of what might have happened if his landing had shattered, and not just cracked, the container of volatile Oil of Impact. He looked up to the high branches of the beech trees and imagined himself hanging up there, twisted and broken from the horrendous blast.

Cadderly glanced suddenly at Ragnor, then back to the flask. A wicked smile found its way across his face. He carefully removed the top half of the cracked container, then scooped his spindle-disks inside, cupping his hand to get as much of the remaining liquid as he could.

When Elbereth's back went against a tree, both the elf and the ogrillon realized that the running game had ended. Bravely, Elbereth launched a series of vicious thrusts, a few getting through to poke at Ragnor, but none solidly enough to keep the huge monster at bay.

Elbereth barely ducked in time as the ogrillon's sword smashed in, chopping a sizable chunk from the tree. Elbereth managed yet another hit as Ragnor tore his blade free. The ogrillon winced and swung again, this time shortening up on his stroke so that he would connect on the elf, or on nothing at all.

His blade flew freely as Elbereth dove to the ground, the overmatched elf's only retreat.

"Now it is done!" Ragnor proclaimed, and Elbereth, cornered and on the ground, could hardly argue.

Ragnor saw Cadderly coming in fast from the side, the young scholar's arm cocked and the curious (and useless) weapon readied for a throw. The ogrillon, sword high for a killing strike, paid the young scholar no heed, didn't even lower one arm to block the attack.

Cadderly growled and threw all of his weight and strength into the throw. The spindle-disks slammed against the side of Ragnor's barrellike chest, and the force of the explosion spun the ogrillon about to face Cadderly squarely.

For a moment, Cadderly thought that Ragnor was running backward, away from him, but then the young scholar realized that Ragnor's feet, pumping helplessly, were several inches off the ground.

Ragnor's arms and legs continued to flail wildly as the ogrillon tried to slow his flight. A branch bent then cracked behind him, and he came to a sudden stop, impaled through the backbone against the tree. Ragnor hung there, a foot from the ground, a scorched hole in one side of his furry leather tunic (and in the skin underneath), and his legs lifeless below him. He felt no pain in those lower limbs, felt nothing at all. He tried to plant his feet against the tree, that he might push himself free, but alas, his legs would not heed his call.

Stunned beyond words, Cadderly looked down to his weapon hand. There hung the cord, shortened by half and its end blackened. Of the rock crystal disks, there was nothing to be found except a single scorched flake on the ground where Ragnor had been standing.

Similarly amazed, Elbereth rose to his feet. He looked at Cadderly curiously for a moment, then took up his sword and stomped over to Ragnor.

The world was a blur to the burly leader of the invading forces. Ragnor had to forcibly thrust out his chest just to draw breath. Still, the stubborn creature had held fast to his sword, and he managed to raise it in a semblance of defense against Elbereth's determined approach.

Elbereth swatted the blade once, then again, driving it aside. The elf's sword slashed across the ogrillon's eyes, blinding Ragnor. Wisely, Elbereth stepped back as Ragnor's fury played itself out in a series of vicious cuts.

Cadderly thought Ragnor a pitiful thing as the blinded ogrillon continued to slice wildly at the empty air. Ragnor began to tire, and Cadderly looked away as Elbereth stepped back in. He heard a growl, then a groan.

When he looked back, Elbereth was wiping his crimson-stained blade and Ragnor hung near death, one hand twitching pitifully at the hole Elbereth had cut through his throat.

*****

"Stupid things," Ivan whispered, looking ahead across a small clearing to the group of mixed monsters. The dwarf and his three companions had easily backtracked to get behind the two giants, several orogs, and numerous goblins that had been pursuing them. One of the giant's movements appeared strained, the creature having caught several of Shayleigh's arrows.

"Bring them in," Ivan said with a wink to the elf maiden. He and Pikel slipped out of the tree line into the thick and deep grass of the lea.

Shayleigh looked to Danica. The elf was not timid by anyone's standards, but this group of monsters seemed a bit too powerful for the small band to handle.

Danica, similarly concerned but better understanding the dwarves' prowess, nodded grimly and motioned for Shayleigh to continue.

Shayleigh raised her great bow and took aim for the already wounded giant. She put a second and third arrow into the air before the first ever struck the mark.

The first hit the giant at the base of its thick neck. The monster howled and grasped at the quivering shaft, and the second arrow whipped in beside the first, pinning the giant's hand in place. By the time the third arrow hit, just below the first two, the giant was on its way down. It fell to its knees and held unsteadily there for a few moments, then dropped into the grass.

The rest of the monstrous band let out a common shout of outrage and spun about, charging wildly back across the lea. Shayleigh promptly dropped one ferocious orog, putting an arrow between its bulbous eyes.

"Take to the trees," Danica instructed her. "Shoot for the lesser monsters. Be confident that the dwarves have a plan in mind for the giant." Shayleigh looked to the grass where Ivan and Pikel had disappeared, then she smiled, surprised to learn that she, too, had come to trust a couple of dwarves. With agility befitting an elf, Shayleigh found a handhold and pulled herself into the branches of the nearest tree with remarkable ease.

With its great strides, the remaining giant came ahead of its smaller companions. It heaved a boulder Danica's way, and the nimble monk barely dodged it as the rock took down a small sapling.

An arrow from above cut down a goblin.

Danica looked up and winked her appreciation to Shayleigh. Then, to the elf maiden's amazement, Danica stormed ahead, right at the approaching giant.

As the lumbering creature raised its huge club, Danica whipped her two already bloodied daggers into its face. The giant roared in outrage, dropped its club, and grabbed at the stuck weapons. Danica veered, smiling as Ivan and Pikel popped up from the grass, hacking and bashing at the monster's thick legs.

The confused giant didn't know which way to turn. Ivan chopped at one of its legs, cutting out wedges as though he were felling a tree, but the pain in the monster's face demanded its attention. Finally, the giant mustered the courage to tear out one of the stubborn daggers, but by then it was too late for the leg, and the creature toppled to the side.

Ivan rushed past the monster toward the oncoming orogs; Pikel headed for the giant's head to finish the job. The giant got a hand on Pikel as he neared its face, and started to squeeze. Pikel wasn't overly concerned, though, for he was close enough for a strike and Danica's remaining dagger, deep in the monster's cheek, offered a positively marvelous target.

As Danica broke to the side, so, too, did a group of three orogs. Danica continued to veer, allowing the monsters to stay close enough so that they would not give up the chase. Soon, the monk had nearly completed a full circuit, heading back for the same trees she had just exited. Orog swords nipped at her heels, but Danica was confident that she could keep just ahead of the stupid things. She heard a yowl of pain and surprise behind her, and a gasp after that, and knew that Shayleigh had begun her work.

Danica dove headlong, twisting as she rolled, to come up facing the charging orogs. The closest beast, glancing back at its companion, who had taken two arrows, turned back just in time to catch Danica's fist on the chin. A sickening crack resounded above the din of battle, and the orog's jaw broke apart. When the creature at last settled on the ground, the bottom half of its jaw was aligned more with its left ear than with the upper half of its mouth.

The remaining orog immediately spun about and took flight. It managed to get a few strides away before Shayleigh's next arrow pierced its thigh, slowing it enough for Danica to rush up and bury it.

Ivan waded into the horde of goblins and orogs with typical dwarven finesse. The dwarf butted with his horned helmet, bit where he could, kicked with both feet, and generally whipped his axe to and fro with such ferocity that the entire band of monsters had to give ground steadily. Those that could not retreat, caught between the dwarf and their own companions, most often hit the ground at about the same time as their severed extremities.

The downside to Ivan's tactics, in addition to the weariness that inevitably would accompany such a wild display, was that Ivan was all but blind to the events around him. And so the dwarf was off his guard as one orog managed to slip in behind his tirade. The creature, timing its attack between axe swipes so as not to get caught in a follow-through, stepped right up to the dwarf and let loose a wicked downward cut with its heavy club that Ivan couldn't begin to dodge or deflect.

"Yuck," Pikel remarked as soon as he realized that his head-bashing had become rather redundant. The giant's grip had become quite relaxed by that point, and Pikel stepped purposely away from the gruesome thing that had once been the creature's head. The dwarf considered retrieving Danica's dagger, which was buried in giant flesh with the tip of its point poking out the other side of the huge head, but Pikel quickly decided that if Danica wanted it back, she would have to get it herself.

That business done, Pikel crawled over the giant's chest to join his brother, and let out a squeaky warning just as the orog's club descended on Ivan's head.

"Ye called?" Ivan replied, then he added, "Ouch!" almost as an afterthought. He spun about to clobber the orog, but kept on spinning, around and around, finding no bearings until his cheek came to rest on the cool grass.

The orog howled in victory, a cry of glee cut short by Shayleigh's next arrow and even more so by Pikel's fury. The dwarf imitated the orog's own tactics, but while the orog's clubbing had sent Ivan in a spin, Pikel's bash dropped the monster straight down in a heap, weirdly, with its legs straight out to the sides and its head lolling about on a useless neck.

Pikel wanted to hit the thing again, and again after that, but he had no time, for the remaining monsters had descended over helpless Ivan.

"Ooooo!" the dwarf bellowed, following yet another arrow into the throng. Goblins flew every which way even powerful orogs prudently leaped aside and in mere moments, Pikel straddled Ivan's prone form.

Danica hit the group from the side a moment later, with equal fury; Shayleigh dropped another orog, sinking an arrow right through its eye.

The monsters broke ranks and scattered.

Pikel remained defensively over his brother while Danica took up the pursuit, tackling an orog and rolling over it in the grass. Shayleigh fired off several shots, but realized to her dismay that she could not down all of the monsters before they found the safety of the trees.

The monsters' hoots of relief as they made the tree line were short-lived indeed, though, for out of those same shadows came a host of elves. In a few seconds, not a goblin or orog remained alive on that blood-soaked field.

*****

Cadderly stood staring as Elbereth came over to join him. The world had gone crazy, Cadderly decided, and he had been fully caught up in that insanity. Just a few weeks before, the young scholar had known nothing but peace and security, had never even seen a living monster. But everything was upside down now, with Cadderly almost by accident playing the role of hero and with monsters, so many monsters, suddenly very real in the young scholar's life.

The world had gone crazy, and Elbereth's forthcoming congratulations, the mighty elf's thanks for a blow that had defeated a monster beyond innocent Cadderly's wildest nightmares, only confirmed the young scholar's suspicions. Imagine, Cadderly winning where Elbereth could not, where King Galladel, lying dead at their feet, could not!

There was no pride in the young scholar's thoughts, just blank amazement. What cruel trick fate had played him, to drop him so terribly unprepared into such a role, and into such chaos. Was this what Deneir had in store for him? If so, did Cadderly really want to remain his disciple?

Elbereth's startled look turned the young scholar about. Ragnor's remaining elite guard, half a dozen mighty bugbears wielding tridents dripping with a substance the two companions could only assume was poison, charged at the two, not so far away, certainly not far enough for Cadderly to escape.

"And so we die," he heard Elbereth mutter as the elf lifted his stained sword, and the young scholar, weaponless and weary, had no words to deny the proclamation.

A blast of lightning abruptly ended the threat. Four of the bugbears died on the spot; the other two rolled about in the dirt, scorched and crippled.

Cadderly looked to the side, to Tintagel, bravely propped against a tree, wearing a smile only occasionally diminished by throbs of pain. Cadderly and Elbereth ran to their friend. Elbereth started to tend the wound, but Cadderly shoved the elf aside.

"Damn you, Deneir, if you do not help me now!" the young scholar growled.

It didn't take someone knowledgeable in the healing arts to see that Tintagel's wound would soon prove fatal. Where the elf had found the strength and presence of mind to release the magical strike, Cadderly would never guess, but he knew that such courage could not be a prelude to death.

Not if he had anything to say about it.

Elbereth put a hand on his shoulder, but Cadderly muttered and slapped it away. The young scholar grasped the spear shaft, still deep in Tintagel's side. He looked up to the blue-eyed elf, who understood and nodded.

Cadderly tore the spear out.

Blood gushed from the wound Cadderly's fingers could not begin to hold it in and Tintagel swooned and stumbled to the side.

"Hold him steady!" Cadderly cried, and Elbereth, a helpless observer in the spectacle, did as he was told.

Cadderly futilely slapped at the pouring blood, actually held in Tintagel's spilling guts.

"Deneir!" the young priest cried, more in rage than reverence. "Deneir!"

Then something marvelous happened.

Cadderly felt the power surge through him, though he did not understand it and hardly expected it. It came on the notes of a distant, melodious song. Too surprised to react, the young priest simply hung on desperately.

He watched in amazement as Tintagel's wound began to mend. The blood flow lessened, then stopped altogether; Cadderly's hands were forced aside by the magically binding skin.

A minute passed, then another.

"Get me to the fight," a rejuvenated Tintagel bade them. Elbereth threw a hug on his elven friend; Cadderly fell to the ground.

The world had gone crazy.