Champions of Mythology

Glaukon raised his shield up, entering a defensive stance and keeping the trident poised and ready. When the guard approached, he thrust the trident forward suddenly, grunting as he did so. These men would pay. He then attempted to bash the guard back with his shield, before making another stabbing motion, the trident crackling and glowing with electrical power. The tines of the trident stabbed into the guard, charging him with electrical energy. Thus, the second guard fell. He lowered his shield. "We need to get back out there and save those newcomers. We can come back and get your sword after that," he assured his friend.

edited 21st May '14 9:20:14 AM by AllHailThrall

I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.

"Take that!" Ishaq called when he managed to take the shield away from the cyclops. He reached down with his left hand and grabbed the thing, shifting it around so that he held it in front of him. The shield weighed a ton, but he thanked Hephaestus for giving him enough strength and size to not be totally staggered by it. Still, considering how much it weighed, there went his plan of handing them to the others. But... he figured that if none of the other guys would be able to defend with it, there was still some utility to having a heavy wood and metal brick.

As he continued to get higher, he changed his flight path to come up behind the three cyclopes maintaining the shield wall, and dropped/threw the shield on the center one.

Reinvigorated by Solhildr's healing, Buliwyf wound up with Judgement and struck the nearest Cyclops with the Might of the Æsir, which was followed by a blow from the remaining Draugr warrior.

edited 20th May '14 11:22:27 PM by Eachiunn

Melqarth studied the situation outside, before looking back inside the temple.

He was wary that there was no Draclius to be found, and thought that he couldn't have killed everyone inside the temple.

He decided to make sure that there would be no flanking force coming from inside the temple, and headed in.

1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post

Cursing, as the cyclopes somehow saw through her illusions, Roxane played her last card before she would realize that she was beat and start running. Getting into the cyclopes's head she would shriek, in a deafening tone that was also quite suggestive and would hopefully shock the cyclopes' into obeying her, "Drop the shield!! Kill Yourself!! I, servant of Parlat and his spokeswoman DEMAND it on behalf of him! DO IT!"

While she was doing that, she would also throw her axes at him n an attempt to distract the giant, and also simply scream at him in his mind if her words had no effect.

If you're reading this you have 5 seconds to...

The prone cyclops grunted as it struggled with Xyka, trying to use his shield to protect his body like a coffin lid. The lizardman was persistent, however, and his free hand made a gap between the shield and the giant's helmet. Xyka's spear found his throat, and with a thrust, severed his jugular. Despite his amazing resilience to pain, the diseased cyclops seemed to die the same as any creature. In that moment, the lizard man's scales lost their metallic luster, returning to their normal, milky gray.

Roxane was not ten feet away, dealing with the other one. His defense seemed impenetrable until she began to use her sorcery. The cyclops dropped his long cleaver-sword, clutching his helmet,

"No! Liar! Get out of my head! Auuughhh!"

So distracted, and now unarmed, the harpy was able to better maneuver around his shield. Her weapons began to score deep wounds where they hit flesh between the plates of his ill-fitting armor.

Melqarth left the two champions to finish their foes, and walked through the huge main doorway, left ajar by the last wave of cultists. He felt, more than heard the gasp of his goddess as her gift of invincibility suddenly left him. Inside, he was stunned at the enormity of the building; the roof was well higher than he could leap, and scores of statues to minor gods stood between the countless columns, each a meter wide.

Each statue was defaced, covered in black gore and their faces crudely chiseled into ruin. He recognized Lady Styx among them, her countenance reduced to an ill-defined marble lump. Some distance away, he could see the entrance to what must have been the Grand Chamber of the Seers, which he knew only from tales he'd heard from his mentor. He could hear loud banging and shouting coming from an antechamber to his right.

On the other side of the battlefield, Solhildr launched an arrow that seemed to be made from pure sunlight. Just as it passed above the cyclopes' advancing shield wall, it burst in a blinding flash. The giants seemed especially affected by the holy light, and their march halted immediately. Another moment and Ishaq assaulted their rear flank with his own stolen shield, tossing it from his talons and striking the middle of the formation.

The giant was knocked forward onto the ground, where Buliwyf was winding up for a massive strike. The Einherjar came down with his axe, hard into the cyclops' golden helmet. The enchanted metal split apart and Judgment cleaved the monster's head in two. Blood and brains spattered across the ground.

Then came a shout from behind, "Rear attack!"

The infected, bloated things that were once men were nearly upon Chereen, holding their sharpened implements aloft over their own soft flesh. An adrenaline rush came over him, and through either willpower or sheer panic he found himself painfully scrambling to his feet.

---

Nyarthek seemed pleased with their work on the armory guards, and nodded in agreement to Glaukon as he bent over to relieve one of his golden shield. Just then a sudden crash issued from down the corridor they came,

"They've knocked long enough. Let's answer the door, shall we?"

edited 21st May '14 2:25:36 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Melqarth heard the noises from the chamber, and decided to head that way, spear readied. He knew that noise could only mean more cultists or, he almost hoped, an enemy of theirs that could be made into an ally. But he thought this unlikely, as the number of cultists seemed to defy the suspicion that there could be resistance within their own stronghold.

He could barely hold his growl upon seeing the defacement of the minor gods, he would have to remind himself later to pay his respects to the victims of this sacrilege.

1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post

Keeping up her telepathic screaming, Roxane took the opportunity to become airborne once more, kicking off from the ground and assaulting the cyclops from the air, once she had made the cyclopes especially vulnerable. Once in the air, she would continue her assault, and also try to snatch away her adversary's helmet or shield, whichever one was the easier target, with her talons.

Although she heard the command of rear attack, Roxane concentrated first and fore-mostly on the cyclopes, choosing to worry about the second attack later.

If you're reading this you have 5 seconds to...

Satisfied with her handiwork Solhildr turned her attention to Chereen.

"Aethondaughter!"

Flames launched out of her shield and formed into her stead. The horse galloped towards Chereen and the oncoming bloated enemies.

"Hop on!" Solhildr yelled from her position.

GIVE ME YOUR FACE

Still weak Chereen dragged himself onto the flying horse. "Thank you," he muttered.

Trump delenda est

Ishaq dived down towards another of the (former) trio of cyclopes, trying to land on his shoulders with his sharp talons to both weigh him down, and cut apart the muscles in his arms. He also made a hammerfist with his functioning hand and, for good measure, tried to hit it in the eye.

"Guys!" he yelped at the other nearby champions. "Hurry up and finish these guys off! I think those are bees!"

Chreen, put his arms around the Valkyries waist, leaned his head against her back and croaked. "Healing?"

edited 23rd May '14 6:37:47 PM by tricksterson

Trump delenda est

Solhildr's shield glowed and a ray of light cast down on Chereen. She flew Aethondaughter up above Buliwyf.

"Better?"

GIVE ME YOUR FACE

"Much," the elf added, gratefully as he unslung his bow and looked for targets.

Trump delenda est

Glaukon heard the noise as well, and glanced towards the door of the catacombs. Warily, he headed over to the door, brandishing his trident and keeping a sharp eye on Nyarthek. Then, carefully, he swung the door open, keeping the trident pointed towards the door in case there was danger. When he saw there was no one at the catacomb door, he exited, heading out towards the scene of the battle.

edited 25th May '14 12:32:17 PM by AllHailThrall

I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.

Xyka looked to the shambling, bloated horrors heading for the rest of the group. With no time to reach them, he let out a mighty roar, inspiring his allies as the monstrosities advanced forward.

grup we please

The lizardman's reptilian cry could be heard across the battleground. The champions were beginning to realize that the enemy was nearly defeated; with victory at hand, their assault was unstoppable.

Nearby, Roxane leapt into the air, talons grasping at her disoriented foe. Her strength bolstered, the golden helmet came off easily. She pressed her advantage, and sent two daggers deep into his exposed head and neck from behind, finishing him off.

There were only three cyclops "Myrmidons" left on the field, one robbed of his shield and the other two distracted by Ishaq's pestering, as well as the minor annoyance of the remaining ethereal hoplites. Their shieldless brother advanced upon Ishaq from behind, his heavy blade held in both hands.

Chereen and Solhildr hovered just above Buliwyf and Sethos. The two grounded champions were no longer pressed by the cyclopes' advance, though they were faced with the imminent threat of the three bloated horrors.

The creatures began to bring down their twisted knives to their flesh in a horrific act of self-sacrifice. Solhildr reflexively brought her shield before her face in anticipation of being caught in an explosion of gore three times that of before - even with Xyka's shout bolstering her fortitude, the sheer force would be more than enough to tear all four Champions apart.

A thunderous bang sounded, and the two atop Aethondaughter flinched. A few seconds passed before they realized they were not dead. The horrors were stumbling, they had dropped their knives at the sudden crack of Sethos' whip. Then another sound, the terrifying bray of the Einherjar's Doom Horn resounded across the field.

The fly-covered, seeping monstrosities began to fall back, even their fell dedication to Parlat was not enough to keep morale in the face of divine retribution.

---

Doros and Lynfos, slavemasters of the temple, finally had brought the door down with a crash. A growl from behind the four cultists they had called to assist them made them turn from their work. There, a light brown Jackalman was menacing them with an engraved spear.

"They've broken through!" Lynfos shouted, readying his shortsword.

Doros's attention was taken instead by the sound of a pair of footsteps dashing up the stairs beyond the broken door. Nyarthek and Glaukon, their former prisoners, stopped just behind the threshold, holding weapons and armor of their own.

The cultists' enemies advanced on both flanks, slowly - the sight of the dead and dying prisoners at their feet fueling the champions' desire for vengeance.

edited 27th May '14 8:45:43 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Immediately after stunning the horrors, Sethos lashed out once more with his whip, sending it sailing towards the leftmost of the monstrosities. Hopefully, the blunt impact would knock the twisted cultist away whilst not releasing the disease tainted flesh.

／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Will you make a contract with me?

Chereen put an arrow to his bow and fired at the rightmost of the monstrosities aiming for the torso.

Trump delenda est

"Why won't you go down?" Ishaq mumbled to himself more than to the cyclops he was on. He dug his talons harder into the cyclops's shoulders, and started to flap his wings in order to take off with the cyclops in tow.

Thrilled to have finally gotten rid of her nemesis, Roxane surveyed the situation from the air managing to get a good view of everything. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the cyclopes behind Ishaq. Seeing no way of warning him from normal means, she telepathically told him, BEHIND YOU! CYCLOPES! And duck too.

Hoping that he heeded her warning, Roxane went on an elliptical loop around Ishaq while throwing her axes at the cyclopes with the brandished sword behind him. She also sent an axe at the remaining cyclopes that wasn't being menaced by her and Ishaq.

If you're reading this you have 5 seconds to...

Glaukon pointed his trident at the approaching slavemasters. "You will pay for your atrocities," he told them, brandishing the trident dangerously. The trident crackled with energy, and he stood in a defensive stance, ready to come and stab them if they so much as dared to approach.

I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.

Melqarth nodded as he advanced on them.

Snarling, as he raised his spear up, in a balanced pose.

1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post

Ishaq wasn't quite able to lift the cyclops, and only succeeded in tearing deep gouges in the giant's shoulders as he took off inelegantly. Not a moment too soon, he realized; as he felt, more than heard, Roxane's voice warning him of the danger from behind.

The two-handed swing found only air between Ishaq's bloodied talons and the cyclopes' helmet, and the harpy herself was right behind him, tossing her weapons with great rapidity. Where they bypassed armor they bit deep, injuring both of her targets. The shieldless giant's left arm was badly crippled, forcing him to return to a one-handed grip of his heavy weapon. The other wheeled around with his shield, his upper back bleeding badly.

The remaining ethereal hoplites were dispersed with a swing of the last cyclops's blade, their pestering having made several small gouges in his flank.

The bloated creatures that were once men were fleeing from the other four as best they could. Sethos sent them on their way with a snap of his whip, drawing blood from a horror but not penetrating deep. Chereen was not content to let them get too far, however, and loosed an arrow after them. Soft, pale flesh parted easily, and the creature roared inhumanly for a fraction of a second before bursting violently. The explosion of heat and gore caught the other two, creating a chain reaction that tore at the very earth. The force of the blast staggered the champions on the ground, stumbling as blackened meat was thrown in every direction.

A crater and a horrible smell was all that remained. For a few seconds, the battlefield was eerily quiet as everyone recovered from the shock of the noise. Then from the forest, a low, terrible scream sounded. His fattened form moving surprisingly quickly upon eight arachnid legs, Draclius shot forth from the cover of the trees at the party.

---

A loud explosion rocked the temple, and the standoff within the antechamber was broken. Nyarthek jumped upon Doros, smashing his face with the hoplon and riding his falling body to the floor, following through with a swift series of swings from the shortsword to brutally finish him. The other five slavers began to react, uncoordinatedly trying to respond to all three targets.

edited 9th Jun '14 12:42:08 PM by StygianEmperor

Flesh is a design flaw.

Glaukon glared, swinging and stabbing furiously at the attackers, holy trident crackling with divine lightning. Every contact with the slavers' skin sounded horrific cracks of thunder, punctuated with Glaukon's grunts. "You have defiled the gods! You have defiled... Orichalcos! You..! Shall... Pay...!" he shouted, his words synching with every stabbing motion. He was getting so worked up that even his skin started to tingle with divine lightning.

I can still hail the Horde even though the company has shamed us. Strength and Honor even if Blizzard has neither.