Gulo roared back, filling the great hall with his voice to warn off any challenger that would trespass on his ground.
"So much for our chances of parlay," grumbled Devis.
A great shadow slouched into the frame of one of the grand arches, even blacker than the gloom behind it. At its shoulder it stood taller than Tordek. Its long body crouched low, and its bushy-tipped tail switched back and forth on the floor with a sound of rushes.
"Fire!" cried Tordek. His bow sang in chorus with his companions', and four missiles flew at the intruder.
The monster shrugged and coughed like a leopard. Two great dark wings rose up from its back then folded down again as its tail flicked scorpionlike over its back, flinging its own barrage back at its foes.
A needle-sharp spike shot through Tordek's chest, punching through his armor as if it were foil. It lodged deep in his body, just below his heart. Beside him, Vadania shouted in surprise as another spike slammed through her shield and into her shoulder, spinning her around. Devis cursed and clutched his thigh, but luckily for him the wound was only a graze.
Gulo rushed forward. He reared up to fall upon the foe, but the enemy beast also rose up on its hind legs and locked the wolverine in a vicious embrace. Claws cut deep as both animals twisted their heads to bite at an unprotected flank while simultaneously turning away to avoid the other's fangs.
Tordek dropped his bow and unslung his war axe. The motion was agony as it tugged at the long spike imbedded in his lung. He coughed painfully and tasted blood in his mouth, but still he lumbered forward to help Gulo against the monster.
Vadania's sweet voice rose in an elvish hymn to Obad-Hai. A flickering, purple aura appeared around the foe.
It had the body of a gigantic cat, spotted like a leopard but with the powerful haunches of a desert lion. Great umber wings spread from behind its shoulders to beat furiously at Gulo's face. A ragged line of thick, black spines ran down its sinuous back. The spines tapered away at the base of its long, twitching tail to reappear in a thick cluster at its clublike tip. The thing's face was round and manlike, with a huge maw far out of proportion with the flat-faced head. A beard of black spikes bristled from its chin, reinforcing the monstrous resemblance to a man.
"Manticore!" shouted Devis, running up with his longsword in hand. "It's a manticore!"
Another spike seemed to spring suddenly from the monster's chin, but it was a dagger, not a spike. Lidda whooped in triumph. The creature screamed in annoyance and jerked back its head. The involuntary gesture gave Gulo the opening he needed to sink his fangs into the beast's shoulder.
Tordek swung his axe at the manticore's haunch. The beast shifted backward in Gulo's deadly embrace just before the blow fell, sparing it a crippling wound.
Devis lunged in to thrust at the thing's side, now high above his head. The point of his blade sank a few inches between the manticore's ribs, earning him a furious roar and the beast's full attention. He muttered an unintelligible oath while ducking to avoid a wing buffet.
Gulo continued pushing hard against the manticore, but the foe had the advantage of greater mass. It was cunning, too. When Gulo released his grip and hunched low to bite the manticore's exposed belly, the monster leaped upward, pushed off against the wolverine's broad back, and took to the air with a harsh snap of its leathery wings.
"Look out for its tail!" cried Devis, running for cover. The others scattered in four directions, wary of being caught together in a barrage of spikes.
While its flightless foes fumbled to change weapons yet again, the manticore wheeled around in the relative confines of the great hall, searching for a high perch. Spotting none, it dived straight toward Devis.
The bard's face paled as he hurriedly sang another spell. Wheezing, struggling to breathe, Tordek stumbled to help him. He released his bow and reached for the axe that he realized too late wasn't there-he had dropped it only a moment before in favor of the bow. There was no time to turn back for it. His hand touched Andaron's Hammer, and a furious surge of power pulsed up through his arm and across his chest. Filled with its hot strength, he ripped the manticore's spike from his ribs and kept running with renewed strength.
Lidda's bow twanged. The arrow disappeared into the flapping wings of the manticore as the monster flicked its tail. A black hail of spikes fell around Devis just as he vanished from sight. A moment later, the manticore landed directly on the spot where Devis had stood. Blindingly fast paws slapped the area until the creature felt something and scooped it toward snapping fangs. Daggerlike teeth slashed and tore blindly, and blood splashed across the horrible jaws.
The unseen victim's screams were hideous.
Lidda sent arrow after green-fletched arrow slapping into the monster's flank.
Tordek ran hard. The surge from the hammer gave him strength even though it did nothing to quench his agony. He covered the last six feet in a flying leap. The mallet head crashed down like a landslide. The massive impact severed the manticore's spine just above its haunches.
The monster wailed its ear-splitting anguish and twitched spasmodically. The tail, decked with deadly spikes, lashed to and fro reflexively but there was no control behind it. The manticore's legs collapsed and dropped it to the floor in a heap.
Gulo was upon the crippled beast in a flash, and his sharp fangs found its soft throat. With three wicked shakes of the wide-eyed head, the manticore's screams were silenced forever.
Lidda raced around the monster's body, shouting Devis's name and feeling along the blood-slicked floor for the invisible bard. Vadania did the same, circling the other way. Tordek pushed against the manticore's body, trying to roll it over to see whether it might have fallen on its last prey.
"Answer us, Devis!" called Vadania urgently. "We can't see you."
"No no no," muttered Lidda quietly as her hands brushed against a body. She drew one away. It was covered in blood.
The druid joined her, and together they gently rolled him onto his back and felt for his throat and his chest.
"Is he alive?" demanded Tordek.
"I can't feel a pulse," sobbed Lidda. "His face is all…torn up."
"Get back," said Vadania. She filled her hands with mistletoe and called on the powers of the world. Pale, green luminescence flared, then faded on her fingers, and she called again. By the third time, she had only an orison to offer, and then her powers of curing were depleted.
"Is that it?" shouted Lidda. "Is that all you can do?"
Vadania whipped her head around to face the angry halfling. "Shut your mouth, you stupid little clown!"
Lidda's face turned red, and her lean body quivered in rage. For a long, long second, Tordek feared she would stab the elf in the throat. The tensions was broken by a sound from the floor.
Devis gurgled weakly. An instant later, he reappeared. Neither the elf nor the halfling could disguise their shock at the terrible wounds on his face and neck, as well as his bare and bloody arm.
With his other hand, he groped weakly for his pack.
Sensing his desire, Lidda and Vadania peeled the pack from Devis's back and plucked out everything they could lay hands on: torches, a waterskin, what was left of his trail rations, a scroll, a potion, and finally a wand which he grasped and held to his chest. Bubbles formed on his mouth as he gagged out a few words in a thick, unmusical voice and touched the wand to his throat. It emitted a milky light that soothed and knit the torn flesh it illuminated.
Tordek watched as the women competed with each other to fuss over the wounded half-elf. Vadania held up his head while Lidda washed away the blood on his face with her own waterskin. The elf snatched away the waterskin to bathe his arm, then Lidda took to stroking his uninjured hand and telling him that everything would be all right.