Ch. 3, Page 12

"It looks like we've found the food supplier for this level," Tenser said to Yrag and Robilar.

"Or just purchased their supplies before they heard us coming," Yrag suggested.

"We should have all that moved back to the baggage camp," Robilar said.  "The orcs can have however much of the fish isn't edible to us.  I'll go see if I can find a volunteer to head back up and get Quij and our porters."

Tenser moved to follow him, but then...

 

Ch. 3, Page 11

Robilar murmured something about magical intuition and animal feces.

Terik was more gracious.  "Is that the same magical intuition that told you it was safe to drink from that well on the second level?"

Murlynd bristled.  "Intuition does not detect traps. And how was I to know the water would turn into snakes?"

"Can we discuss this later?" Yrag interjected. "Help search the rest of these eigers."

Mordenkainen was already poking around.  "If you find one still alive, keep it for a prisoner. We need to find out if they have a lair nearby..."

Ch. 3, Page 10

One by one, the eigers were falling dead within the deadly magical cloud.  Yet one remained in melee with Terik and, realizing it was fighting its final battle, the eiger fought with a terrible ferocity. Terik half-heard the yells for him to fall back, and made some effort at a fighting withdrawal, but not as fast as the spell-cloud was moving towards him.  In the last instance, Tenser and Robilar had to come up behind their friend, grab him by the arms, and haul him backwards as fast as they could. The spell-cloud enveloped the last eiger and then...

Ch. 3, Page 9

Terik shoved past the phantasmal elven archers, as it was easier than taking the time to disbelieve in them.  Robilar raised his voice in a battle cry and Terik added his voice just as he lent his sword to the melee.  The eiger was thrown off-balance by being double-teamed.  Their magic swords pierced its hide armor and the living hide beneath, but not deeply before the eiger managed to push them both back. With a roar, the eiger brought its remaining companions' attention away from the distraction of Tenser's illusion and towards the real threat.

The eigers had reach and strength on their side, as everyone expected, but also some measure of skill, making the battle last longer than anyone expected. Yrag hung back, keeping his bow in reserve, just as the three magic-users kept their spells in reserve. Robilar and Terik's swords flashed back and forth stabbing and slashing until one of the eigers finally went down. As the battle raged, the two fighting men were protected from serious injury by their platemail armor, but were being buffeted mercilessly nonetheless...

Ch. 3, Page 8

Some of the eigers were down, but the rest charged forward to fight -- either driven by battle lust or simple desperation, having the death-dealing cloud swirling closely behind their heels.  Indeed, they were charging too fast -- the front line archers fell back, but the eigers would be upon them in moments, regardless.  Tenser saw a delaying tactic was needed to slow them down, so that the fighting men could switch to melee weapons, and he knew just which spell to cast...

Ch. 3, Page 7

The eigers entered the cavern two abreast, but were spreading out now into wider ranks. As the eigers moved, they were met by the first volley of arrows. The first volley had been fired aimlessly, hoping to score one or two lucky hits. There were exactly two lucky hits and the eigers grunted from the impact, but kept coming, the arrows bobbing up and down like ornaments stuck in their heavy hide armor. None of these monsters were genuises, but they still knew an arrow or two were not going to stop them.

The Adventures of the Citadel did know, from experience, that concentrated fire could bring these monsters down. Yrag's arrow had struck first and he shouted "Right!" -- understood by the other archers that they should concentrate firing on the eiger that was struck on the right. That one took another arrow on the other side of its chest, but kept coming, as did those behind it.

The archers were not worried, as behind them were the most powerful spell-casters they knew. "Ah, I know just want we need!" Murlynd shouted, excitedly. He produced a scrollcase and held it out towards Mordenkainen. "Help me with this...?"

Mordenkainen helped Murlynd remove and unfurl the contents, but the eigers were getting closer...

Ch. 3, Page 6

Now everyone could hear them -- heavy footfalls echoing from the back of the chamber.  There could be any number of entrances to this cavern from its shadowy recesses, but Yrag had seemed confident from the start what direction the sound was coming from.  Silently, the archers formed up into a forward line, with the three magic-users protected behind them.

"This chamber is too wide," Yrag whispered.  "If they try to outflank us, fall back."

"Are you ready?" Robilar whispered; it was directed at Serten.

Serten was already re-wrapping his enchanted coin in the strip of cloth he kept it hidden in when not in use.  The spell of light cast on it would never fade, but it did shrink as the coin was hidden by more folds of fabric and darkness fell over more of the cavern.

Bowstrings were pulled back in readiness.  More footsteps.  Whatever was there was trying, badly, to sneak up and ambush them.

Serten tossed the bundled coin, while a ring at the end of the strip remained on his finger.  The bundle flew through the air, unwrapping as it arced upwards...