The fighter balanced precariously on his toes for a second before the weight of his armor settled, and he landed flat on his feet with a noise like a tumbling pile of cook pots.
"Thanks," he grunted.
Regdar swung up his greatsword. The blade collided with the side of the creature's face and slashed open an oval-shaped organ Regdar could only assume was the monster's eye.
"How's that feel, you ugly dung muncher," he said. At the same time he readied the sword to attack again from what he hoped was now the creature's blind side.
The umber hulk reeled, black pulp gushing from its eye. Mandibles gnashed, and the air was filled with sounds of insectoid squeeking.
Regdar's next blow landed on the beast's arm. The thick hide made a popping noise as the blade bit through, then orange ooze pumped out in short bursts.
The umber hulk hissed and bent down into a crouch. It clicked its mandibles and scratched its claws along the stone floor. With one good eye it watched Regdar.
The right claw shot out lightning-quick. Regdar shifted to his right and evaded the swipe just in time to realize it was a feint. The creature's left claw thrust forward and slammed Regdar against the stone wall. His helmet banged hard against the rock, and he slid to the floor. His sword clattered and bounced, then settled to the ground with a dull chime.
Regdar was staggered but not dazed. Rolling away from the wall, he pushed himself to his knees and faced the drooling, bug-eyed monster.
"Is that the best you can do?" he said, spitting blood on the floor. He scooped up his sword and stepped back, steadying himself for the beast's next move.
The umber hulk's head lunged forward, snapping and biting at the fighter. The tips of its mandibles closed tightly around Regdar's left forearm.
The fighter grimaced and released his trapped hand's grip on the sword. Using only his right arm to wield the weapon, he sliced it across the monster's face, hoping to cut its remaining eye.
The sword was too long and the creature too close, but the danger made the umber hulk release Regdar's arm and skitter away beyond reach. Regdar pressed forward immediately. The tip of his sword missed the creature's eye, but the blade slid up the side of its head and carved a deep gouge in the carapace before dislodging what looked like an antenna.
The hulking vermin hunched down, then launched its considerable bulk forward again. Its body filled the passageway before landing on top of Regdar and crushing him to the floor. The fighter went down again with a clang, the monster lying on his legs, frantically clawing its way up his metal-encased body.
"This is all backward," muttered Regdar, struggling to pull himself out from under the foe. "Bugs don't squash people."
Mandibles gnashed in front of the fighter's face and drool splashed through his visor. Regdar had visions of his own head being snipped off and bouncing down the corridor when the creature spun around to face toward the old bathhouse. Regdar, too, twisted his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement and the glint of steel.
"Never was any good at sneaking!" came a gravelly voice.
Whitman, thought Regdar.
The umber hulk spun around in the passage and bounded off of Regdar. The fighter launched himself to his feet. Sure enough, at the end of the passage, hammer hefted over his shoulder, stood Whitman.
"Come and get me, you overgrown weevil," shouted the dwarf.
The umber hulk jumped forward and snapped its mandibles shut around Whitman's head. Regdar cringed at the sound of grinding metal.
A cloud of dust rolled out in front of the monster, heading in a line down the hall. It stopped at the opening to the bathhouse. A long gray beard swung in the clear air, and the cloud sprouted a dwarven head. Whitman had tumbled away, managing to keep his head and his hammer while losing only his helmet. The old dwarf swung his weapon over his shoulder again and hurled it at the beast.
Regdar closed the distance behind the umber hulk in two great steps. The tip of his sword bit into chitinous hide and plunged through. The monster convulsed and jolted forward. Whitman's hammer collided with the great beast's face, and its head recoiled backward. The monster looked as if it were dancing, undulating forward and back as blows struck it from both sides.
Regdar, his greatsword buried to the hilt in the creature's body, stepped back. His left arm was still bleeding from the umber hulk's earlier attack. He watched the creature jerk and twist as it struggled with its enormous claws to reach the sword in its back.
Whitman unhooked a throwing axe from his belt and reeled back. With a guttural cry, the dwarf let the weapon fly. The head of the axe crashed with a pop into the monster's skull. Large, yellow-gray curds burst out of the wound, sloshing over Whitman's hammer resting on the floor.
The beast roared with a sound that was part hiss, part shriek, then it slumped to the ground with its head twisted at an odd angle.
Regdar reached into his backpack with his good hand and pulled out a silver flask. Uncorking it with his teeth, the fighter downed the potion inside. At once the wound on his left arm glowed, scabbed over, and diminished in size.
Whitman climbed over the fallen umber hulk to retrieve his hammer.
"Ack," he groaned. "Brain juice… all over my hammer." He pulled a cloth from his belt and cleaned the sticky liquid and yellow-gray lumps from his weapon.
Regdar let the empty flask fall to the floor and grasped his sword with both hands. Putting his foot on the dead creature's back, he heaved the blade free with a loud, squishing sound.
"Could be worse," he consoled the dwarf. "Could be zombie brain juice."
Whitman chuckled. "Here I thought zombies had no brains."
"I hate to interrupt your witty banter," came a lisping voice from inside the bathhouse.
Whitman whipped around. Regdar raised his sword and leaped over the fallen monster to stand by the dwarf's side.
A hooded, black-robed figure stepped out of the shadows into a dust-filled beam of light. "That was my umber hulk, and nobody kills my monsters except me." The stranger lowered his hood to reveal a disfigured human face. A puckered, gray scar covered the man's left eye and cheek. His upper lip was missing entirely, exposing his teeth and gums.
Extra air hissed out as he spoke words with a malformed mouth. "Now I must kill you both." With that, he waved his hands in the air and his voice rose to an unintelligible shout. Regdar didn't recognize the words, but he knew well enough that they meant magic.
Both fighters flung themselves sideways. A crackling bolt of blue-white electricity shot from the disfigured wizard's fingers. It jagged across the bathhouse and down the hallway. Despite their quick reactions, Regdar and Whitman both were caught by the snaking tendrils of electric power.
The bolt hit Regdar just below his hip. It passed right through his metal armor and spread out to scorch his entire leg. Whitman spun as he leaped for cover. That action saved his life. The bolt missed his ear by mere inches. Instead it smashed into his shoulder and knocked the stout dwarf facefirst against the wall.
Smoke rose into the air, and the smell of burned flesh wafted through the old bathhouse. The dark-robed wizard chuckled.
"Your turn," he said.
Whitman stood and hefted his hammer, shouting a single Dwarvish word-the magical command that activated his boots of speed. The old, gray-bearded dwarf bolted at the wizard. His feet moved in a blur. The alarmed wizard stumbled backward, obviously caught off guard by the dwarf's surprising speed.
Whitman's first blow landed on the wizard's chest. It was powerful enough to shatter ribs, and the man staggered back. His arms flailed at his sides as he struggled for balance. Gasping sounds filled the room as he tried desperately to fill his lungs.
The dwarf's hammer fell again, this time smashing the wizard's arm. Regdar heard bones snap under the impact. He let out a low whistle as he hobbled on his scorched leg toward the two men.