Bob’s eyes opened and seemed to burn with an internal fire that mimicked the flames in the Brazier above their heads. The creature stood up, half again as tall as a man and bellowed with a sound that made Kreet put her hands to the sides of her head. When she looked back up, it was charging. The Paladin and the Knight drew their blades and looked hopelessly small.

Karl dropped to one knee and cast a spell on both Mekelson and Quint. Kreet didn’t recognize it, but she was sure it was some sort of protection spell. She considered what she should do, then noticed Mekelson stepping away from Quint, forcing the charging monster to choose. It continued directly towards the Paladin and Kreet made her decision. She cast Shield of Faith on her old Master.

As it neared, and she looked up from her casting, Kreet saw the thing wielded a wicked, gigantic chain-linked flail. As it neared, it swung the thing in a horizontal arc, the spikes on the end-ball sparking across the floor and impossible to avoid for the Paladin. However, instead of backing away, Quint ran towards the charging demon at the last minute, his sword poised to impale. The arc of the flail was such that Quint was inside it and he jumped over the rushing chain as if it were a child’s play-rope.

Meanwhile, Mekelson was circling around the thing. Kreet was preparing another spell when she heard something sharp next to her. She looked that direction and saw an arrow skittering away.

“Karl! Archers on the left!” she cried, just in time to see another arrow fly between the two of them. She could no longer watch what was happening to the demon as she ran to the side to avoid the arrows and cast another spell at the two archers that stood upon a ledge some 20 feet off the ground but quite some distance from where they stood. She randomized her direction, but kept coming at the archers as she heard Karl yell something behind her, but she didn’t stop to see what he was yelling about. Finally she felt she was in range and she dropped sliding headfirst to the ground, her hands outstretched in front of her as she cast Sacred Flame at the archer nearest.

He went down with a yell, but the other fired an arrow straight at her. She ducked her head down, hoping it would fly over. In that moment a flash lit up the world. Had she not had her head down, she would have been blinded. But the arrow did not pass over her head - it struck her squarely on one horn, twisting her head around hard. She instinctively felt the horn where the arrow had connected and noticed the notch there, but she had no time to care. Her horns weren’t important, but her position prone on the floor provided a perfect target. She looked up to see there was only one archer now, and he was just now staggering back to his feet and drawing his bow again. The other had been incinerated by Karl’s Bolt.

She felt like she was moving in molasses as she struggled to her feet, but the archer was faster and she knew she was a sitting duck. But he didn’t aim at her. He was aiming at a spot behind her and he loosed the arrow before she could even think about casting any further spells. She heard the impact behind her, a soft, sickening THWACK that was metal-on-meat. She spun around and saw the shaft protruding from Karl’s chest as he dropped to his knees.

She ran back towards him, not neglecting to dodge randomly to the sides as the remaining archer was surely drawing his bow again. She stole a glance toward the armored figures and Bob the Demon. She saw only a flash but it looked like a figure in steel - Mekelson surely - was actually hanging onto it’s back, his arms around it’s neck while a figure in chrome lay underneath it as it’s flail swung around wildly.

She looked back to Karl and another arrow appeared like magic in his leg. “Karl!” she cried as he screamed again, the pain of the new arrow too much to bear. But she realized she couldn’t do anything for him while the archer remained. In one movement, she stopped her dash for her friend, now bleeding on the ground. Her momentum on the smooth stone surface kept her moving while one hand pressed hard against the floor to spin her back around to face the archer. With the other hand she put her sunglasses over her own eyes. She stood from her spin and saw the archer draw his bow back, aiming directly at her. She raised her hands, not to defend, but to attack. She wielded the forbidden spell. If ever there was a time to use it, it was now.

She wasn’t sure if the sunglasses would be enough, but she had no choice. She had to get rid of that archer. As she felt the power of Pelor surge through her and out of her hands, she closed her eyes only at the last possible second. She couldn’t afford to miss. It would be better to be blind that to miss. She saw the archer’s eyes go wide just before she closed hers.

The power was more than she had ever summoned in her life and she felt it must burn her to the core, but then a pain like a thousand hammers struck her right hand. She screamed and fell back, opening her eyes to see the arrow head protruding an inch away from her face from through her palm. She passed out momentarily.