The lizard creatures were running in fast on hugely powerful back legs. They covered the open ground in great strides. The large heads thrusting forwards as the beasts closed in on their target, the line of elven archers. The half-dozen goblins riding each lizard screeched and shouted, waving their weapons. The lizards roared with open mouths showing the rows of jagged back teeth. The four daggerlike front teeth, two pointing up, two pointing down, were each almost as long as Max’s arm. The long front arms with vicious talons were gripping at the air, eager to tear into their targets.
Max tried to remain calm, but he could feel a primitive fear growing inside him. The huge beast triggered a primeval instinct to run and hide, but Max was intelligent enough to know that the only way to survive the incoming attack was to stand against it and defeat it. It took bravery to stand.
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> Max casts Web.
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The Web spell rolled across the battlefield to the right flank and erupted at the feet of the giant lizard. Anita saw the plan in action and cast Root Tangle on the same beast.
The giant lizard reared upward as the roots began to reach up out of the ground. The web erupted and trapped the beast. The goblins on its back were unaffected by the spell that trapped the beast and started shooting their crossbows, the bolts falling short of the elven line.
“We need to take this beast down fast,” Max said, walking towards the lizard on the left flank as it thundered in.
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> Max casts Fireball.
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The fireball burst in the chest of the lizard, engulfing the beast and the riders, heating the damp meadow grass and sending a plume of steam into the air.
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> Giant Lizard takes heavy damage.
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> Goblin Riders take minor damage.
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The lizard came running out of the fireball and the cloud of steam, shrieking its pain and frustration. Max let rip with his magic missile, the orange magic orb slamming into the lizard, each spell delivering minor damage to the huge beast. But the damage did not slow the beast, and it came on at the same pace. The ground started to shake as the giant lizard came closer, its huge feet hammering the ground, tearing up chunks of meadowland as it charged in.
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> Goblin Riders attack Max.
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The goblin riders shot a volley of crossbow bolts. They thudded into the ground just in front of Max, the closest an inch from Max’s feet.
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> Attack dodged; no damage done.
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Anita and Jahrod shot bullets and bolts at the riders on top of the giant lizard, defeating four of the goblins at a distance before they could reload their crossbows.
“Concentrate on the lizard,” Max said.
Elderon cast a huge elemental spell, and a shaft of brilliant white light struck down from overhead into the beast. The last of the goblin riders fell defeated, but the lizard continued on.
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> Max casts Magic Missile.
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> Giant Lizard takes minor damage.
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The lizard closed in, Anita and Jahrod peppering the beast’s maw with ranged attacks. And then, when the beast was right on top of them, its huge head towering over them, Jahrod swapped crossbow for axe and stepped forward.
The beast reached out for Jahrod, its huge fingers and talons ready to crush the life from the dwarf. Jahrod swung his axe around above his head and struck a heavy blow on the lizard’s talons. The axe bounced off with a ringing sound like steel on rock.
Max drew his Shortsword of Lightning and pointed it at the giant lizard.
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> Max casts Sword Lightning.
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The bolt of lightning leapt away from the sword and wrapped around the lizard.
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> Giant Lizard takes minor Lightning damage.
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The beast shuddered, saliva dripping, its eyes rolling back in its head. Anita and Jahrod ran in and attacked with a flurry of blows.
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> Max casts Strength.
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> Max’s Strength increased to 18
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Max ran in and attacked with his Shortsword, stabbing upwards.
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> Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
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> Max attacks Giant Lizard.
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> Giant Lizard takes minor damage.
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> Bonus Lightning damage.
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> Bonus Strength damage.
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Magic missiles cast by Elderon raced overhead and slammed into the beast. The beast roared as the six orange magic orbs delivered their damage, and then it fixed Max with a stare from its black eyes.
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> Giant Lizard attacks Max.
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A huge taloned hand swept across the ground, tearing up the grass. The talons caught Max as he was attempting to leap aside and avoid the attack.
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> Max takes heavy damage.
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Max was batted aside by the huge hand, the talons scraping three wide gashes in his Padded Leather Tunic. A little higher and the talon would have struck his neck, and Max could have taken critical damage. As it was, he was already low on Health. He couldn’t take another hit like that.
“Stay back, Max,” Jahrod said as the lizard swept its hand back and struck Jahrod, sending him tumbling sideways before coming to a halt some twenty feet away. He was on his feet and running back to the fray just as the lizard was about to bite down on Anita.
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> Max casts Magic Missile.
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> Giant Lizard takes minor damage.
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The magic missile hardly scratched the beast, but it did distract it from its biting attack on Anita. It shook its head as the magic missile stung. Anita jabbed up with her spear, causing physical damage and bonus Fire damage, flames flickering briefly over the huge head.
Max used up the last of his Magic Missiles in quick succession. The beast attacked Anita with its talons. She was scooped up and flung several feet into the air. Anita took heavy damage as she landed hard and then struggled to get back to her feet.
Jahrod was back in the face of the beast and delivered a heavy upwards blow with his axe that dealt critical damage. The beast roared. It stamped down on Jahrod, but the Dwarf rolled aside. The lizard lashed out with a backhanded slap and struck the Dwarf as he got to his feet, flinging him aside. Then the dark eyes turned on Max.
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> Giant Lizard attacks Max.
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It came forward, its heavy footfalls shaking the ground. Max made ready. He knew one more hit from the lizard would in all likelihood defeat him, and his adventures would end here on the meadowlands outside Ralynn Castle.
Max ran forward. He avoided the swinging talons, skidded over the ground, and slashed upwards.
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> Max attacks Giant Lizard.
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> Giant Lizard takes moderate damage.
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> Bonus Lightning damage.
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> Bonus Strength damage.
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> Giant Lizard has been defeated.
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The lizard fell forwards onto the ground. Max rolled aside to avoid becoming trapped. Jahrod helped him to his feet. Max looked over to the second lizard. It was tearing at the web and the roots with its jaws. The web reformed, the roots held its feet. Then it picked up one foot and stepped forward.
“It’s breaking free,” Elderon shouted over to Max and the others.
Elderon cast a Fireball. It was no bigger than Max’s and did no more damage. But then Elderon cast another. The fireballs reduced the beast’s Health by half and defeated the goblin riders before they could get into crossbow range. And then the Web and Root Tangle spells failed, and the beast came running forward.
A dark spell formed in Elderon’s hands. The spell drifted forward and struck the lizard. Instantly, the lizard slowed as if frozen, its eyes still moving quickly but its limbs slowed to a crawl. But even at a crawl, this beast was deadly.
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> Max activates Dark Movement.
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Max rushed at the beast. He climbed up its hind legs and onto its back, clambering over the cargo netting the goblins had used to hold onto the beast. The scales were thick, but Max found a weak spot at the base of the huge skull. He held his sword like a dagger, two-handed with the blade pointing downwards.
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> Max attacks Giant Lizard.
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> Giant Lizard takes heavy damage.
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> Bonus Lightning damage.
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> Bonus Strength damage.
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Jahrod and Anita rushed in and attacked the legs. The beast roaring in frustration. It moved as if trapped in thick syrup. Its talons closed around Jahrod and raised him ever so slowly to its mouth, its gaping jaws open and ready to bite down on its prey.
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> Max attacks Giant Lizard.
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> Giant Lizard takes heavy damage.
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> Bonus Lightning damage.
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> Bonus Strength damage.
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Jahrod hacked at the beast’s huge fingers with his axe as he was lifted slowly to the giant mouth.
Max called down to Anita. “Your spear, throw it to me!”
Anita tossed the spear toward Max. The tip stuck in the shoulder of the beast, dealing minor damage and bonus Fire damage. Max reached down and plucked the spear free. He used the cargo net to climb down next to the open mouth with Jahrod only a couple of feet away from becoming a snack. Max jammed the spear in the beast’s mouth. As it slowly closed its mouth, the spear tip stuck in the roof of the lizard’s mouth. The stench in that mouth was terrible, rotten flesh hanging between huge pointed teeth.
The beast dropped Jahrod. Max jumped down to the ground. Anita was hurling a steady stream of bullets at the beast. The spear tip flaming as it drove deeper into the lizard’s mouth. It hooked a talon around the spear and tried to tug it free.
Max, Anita, and Jahrod stepped back, each armed with their ranged weapons. Max loaded a bullet of random effect and took aim at the open mouth.
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> Max attacks Lizard.
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> Giant Lizard takes minor damage.
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> Random effect: Smoke
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The head of the beast was suddenly obscured by a thick pall of gray smoke. The smoke didn’t do any extra damage, and it just made it more difficult to target the beast. Jahrod shot bolt after bolt into the cloud, loading and shooting rapidly. The bolts found their target in the smoke.
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> Max attacks Giant Lizard.
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> Giant Lizard takes minor damage.
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> Random effect: Sparkle Disorientation
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The gray smoke was filled with flashes of bright color, red-and-purple flashes along with glittering silver and gold. The beast was utterly disoriented and staggered sideways, still under the effects of Elderon’s slow spell.
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> Max attacks Lizard.
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> Giant Lizard takes minor damage.
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> Random effect: Explosion
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> Bonus Explosion damage.
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> Giant Lizard has been defeated.
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> Max gains experience points.
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Anita stepped into the smoke that still shrouded the lizard’s head. She emerged with her spear. She was inspecting the weapon.
“Quick thinking, Max,” she said. “And the spear looks no worse for wear.”
Darius Fineblade saluted Max from the elven lines. They were holding their ground and delivering terrible damage to the Deadtide army, who were trapped between the city wall and a skillful company of elves.
A detachment of goblins ran from the rear of the Deadtide army towards the elves in a rearguard action to disrupt the company of elves. The elven archers picked their targets and dropped the whole attacking force before they could engage.
The city walls were swarming with goblins. Deadtide soldiers were on the high walk too. The gates still held, although Max could hear the rhythmic thumping from a half league away.
Fineblade ran over to Max and Elderon.
“I will advance my company in closer. We are on the limit of our range.”
Max noticed the elven captain’s gaze drift to the tree line behind him. Max turned to see a massive, dark shape emerging from the East Ridge Forest in the far distance.
“What is that?” Fineblade said.
Elderon cast a spell of Far Sight and zoomed in on the shape, but Max recognized it instantly.
“It’s a dark slug. It has caught up with me fast.”
The sound of wood splintering was followed by a huge cheer from the Deadtide army. Fineblade looked to the city.
“The gates are failing. I must move in with my company.”
Max looked at the dark slug. “I will have to defeat this beast once and for all.”
“Not alone, you won’t,” Anita said. She cast a spell of Heal Major Wounds on Max.
Max felt recovered. But the giant dark slug was a hard beast to defeat. And he’d used all his spells except for Summon Fog. He wasn’t sure how that was going to be of use. He readied his catapult and walked towards the dark slug.