Day Three of the Odinsleep (The Plains of Vígríðr - Ride of the Dark Elf Cavalry Part 4)

Day Three of the Odinsleep – 9:40 am

Raven raises his bow and continues to fire arrows into the crowd of Svartálfar.  His first strikes the swordsman facing Niklas in the back of the thigh.  His next two shots hit each of the dark riders facing off against Shadow and his last one pierces the shoulder of the one fighting Hansuke.  Raven slings his bow back into his quiver and starts toward one of the horses turned loose from its rider during the earthquake.

Arthur rushes the closest of the Svartálfar and shoulders him back with his shield.  The dark rider shuffles his feet to regain his balance but the First Paladin of Malazzarr strikes with his fiery holy blade, slashing him across the chest.  There is a brilliant flash of light as the silvered sword blasts open the Svartálfar’s chest.  Two more quick slashes send Arthur’s opponent crashing down into the cold embrace of Hela.

Ra’ziir races over to Shadow and plows into the rider to the drow’s left.  The Svartálfar slashes at him with his sword but the bladesinger parries the blow and returns a lightning-fast riposte that slips beneath the rider’s guard and opens a long cut along its ribs.

As the rolls Drax over to check on his, the assassin surprises the Svartálfar and stabs him in the face with his shortsword.  The wound fountains blood all down Drax’s arm as the assassin’s second sword opens the rider’s throat.  Drax rises to his feet as the Svartálfar falls and looks around, searching for his next target.

Kysek dashes forward, his swords still held at the ready as Niklas drops his bow and pulls his sword from its sheath.  The Svartálfar facing the woodsman doesn’t hear the arrival of the invisible thief and is taken unawares when Blackflame sinks deeply into his kidney.

Korbin cuts a tight loop and angles in after Kysek and plunges the blade of his dagger into the back of the same Svartálfar.  The frost-enchanted blade freezes the lifeblood of the pale-skinned horseman and, combined with the other wounds already received sends him tumbling down into the darkness of death.

Grotto, realizing that all of the enemies will likely be dea by the time his short legs carry him across the battlefield, calls upon Hanseath for the gift of flight.  The war god responds, granting his priest’s prayer and the dwarf lifts into the air and swoops toward the trio of Svartálfar hemmed in by Ra’ziir’s summoned elementals.

Niklas, sword in hand, looks around, seeking enemies to fight as his attacker has already been slain by Kysek and Korbin.  The woodsman has no one in reach so he grabs up Blaze once more and fires a single arrow across the field into the rider between Arthur and the Elder Elemental.  His shot is true and the rider stumbles, clutching at the shaft as it sprouts from the back of his leg.

 

Hansuke steps in toward his foe, a barrage of deadly fists and kicks raining down all over the Svartálfar’s body.  Bones break beneath each punishing fist as the tattooed monk hammers the pale rider down into oblivion.

The Svartálfar fighting off Cedron’s magically animated staff calls out, “Fall back!  Fall back!” to the cavalrymen surrounded by the elementals.  He starts backing away, carefully reversing his course across the broken uneven ground until he has room to turn and break into a run.

The three hear the order and turn to join him, leaving their backs exposed to Asgard’s defenders.  Grotto sinks his axe into back of the nearest and unleashes the spell stored within the blade.  The blade sheers through armor and bone, splitting open the rider’s back and his spell pours into the wound, amplifying the effect as boils grow and burst into huge weeping sores.  The Svartálfar falls killed by the combination of blood loss and magic.  The final two are both clipped in passing by the two elementals nearest them but manage to slip free of the fighting and flee.

The two left fighting Ra’ziir and Shadow begin to fall back in hopes of escaping the two deadly elves and start to run.

Cedron’s summoned staff of force pursues its target but the rider is too fleet of foot and soon leaves the weapon floating far behind him.  Cedron has the weapon take a single swipe at the nearest Svartálfar fleeing from the elementals.  The blow is glancing and while the rider stumbles a step or two, isn’t enough to keep him from continuing to run.

Shadow takes off in pursuit of the fleeing riders.  He catches the one wounded by Ra’ziir and Raven and brings him down with a blinding thrust from Swiftwind.  The rapier punches in through the back of the fighter’s calf and out through the shin, sending him into a fall.  The dark elf finishes him off with a well-placed cut from Nasty Surprise

Grog sends his boar forth to harass one of the riderless mounts.  The horse’s eyes roll back with fear and it backs away, trying to keep some distance between itself and the glowing pig.  Meanwhile, shaggy-haired man goes into another dance and fat buzzing bees begin to appear around him.  He points and hoots and the swarm flies off toward the closest of the dark riders.  The bees fly straight toward the rider caught between Arthur and Elder Elemental and begin buzzing all around him.  The Svartálfar ducks and covers his face, swiping at the bees with his sword to keep from getting stung only to be shot in the back by Desmond and three of his massive arrows.  Each thick feathered shaft punches through the Svartálfar’s back with the force of a ballista bolt, pinioning him to the chest of the massive elemental.

The elementals chase the fleeing Svartálfar but the dark riders easily outpace the larger slower opponents as the four survivors run across the field.

= = = = = =

• Everyone: Prayer from Cedron: (8 rounds remaining, +1hit/dmg/skill/save, enemies -1 hit/dmg/skill/save)

• Arthur: 94% health;
• Bubo: 100% health;
• Cedron: 93% health; Spiritual Weapon (9 rounds remaining)
• Desmond: 100% health;
• Drax: 100% health; Alter Self (99 minutes, 9 rounds remaining)
• Grog: 100% health; Summon Monster III (10 rounds remaining, Celestial Boar 100% health)
• Grotto: 100% health; Divine Favor (7 rounds remaining, +2 hit/dmg); Fly (9 minutes, 0 rounds remaining)
• Hansuke: 94% health;
• Korbin: 100% health;
• Kysek: 100% health; Stoneskin (77 minutes, 5 rounds remaining)
• Morn: 100% health;
• Niklas: 100% health;
• Raven: 86% health;
• Ra’ziir: 100% health; Stoneskin (157 minutes, 5 rounds remaining); Elemental Swarm (8 Large Earth Elementals, 1 Huge Earth Elemental, 1 Elder Earth Elemental – by the time the Elder arrives, 139 minutes, 4 rounds remaining)
• Shadow: 100% health; Overland Flight (14 hours, 38 minutes, 6 rounds remaining); Iron Body (DR15/adam, immune to blindness/critical hit/deafness/disease/drowning/electricity/poison/stunning and effects that affect physiology or respiration, Str 21 (+5)/Dex 16 (+3) attack bonus/penalty cancel out, gains +3 damage, ASF 50%, -8ACP, 12 minutes, 5 rounds remaining);
• Spewer: 100% health;