war of the spider queen 4 extinction-及12何蛍
梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響
gray´furred animal that walked on four spindly legs burst into sight察running full out with its tongue lolling and eyes wide。 It glanced from side to side as it ran´not with the terror of a wild creature but with a keen intelligence as if seeking somewhere to hide。 It yipped once察was answered by a panion still some distance away in the woods察then was gone。
Ryld could have shot his crossbow but had not。 He wanted to save the magical bolt for whatever was chasing the carnivore。 He didn't have long to wait。 A few moments later察he heard something big crashing through the forest with stumbling steps。 From its gait察it sounded like a human察but by the snap of branches and the huffing grunts Ryld guessed that it was much larger。 When it crashed into sight察smashing a slender tree in half with one careless swipe of its hand察Ryld saw that he'd been right。
It was a troll。
Twice the height of a drow and nearly five times as heavy察the troll had a mottled察gray´green hide covered in splotchy gray lumps。 It loped along on misshapen察three´toed feet察its rubbery arms so long that its knuckles made drag marks through the slush on the ground。 Greenish´black hair grew from its sloping forehead down its back in a tangled察dirty mane察and even in the steady rain its body emitted a foul smell somewhere between human sweat and the stench or rothe manure。
Ryld stared down at the troll as it paused察streams of drool sliding from the corners of a panting mouth filled with broken teeth。 Once again察he refrained from shooting his crossbow。 The bolt would do no more than annoy the troll and alert it to the fact that someone was there。
After a moment察having caught its breath察the troll got ready to run again。 Then its head suddenly whipped to the side察and its nostrils flared。
;Halisstra Watch out ─Ryld shouted´more to draw the troll's attention than to warn Halisstra察who was almost certainly watching the troll herself。
In that same instant察Ryld fired。 The bolt whizzed toward its target but glanced off a branch just before striking the troll。 Instead of burying itself in the monster's eye察as Ryld had intended察the bolt sliced a furrow across the top of the troll's head。 A heartbeat later察the graze mended itself。
The troll察having scented Halisstra察raked the air in front of it with long sweeps of its clawed hands。 It must have e unfortably close察for an instant later Halisstra became visible察her long sword slashing forward in an attack。 Stupidly察the troll parried with its hand察and two of its fingers went flying。 They lay on the forest floor察wriggling in the slush。
The creature struck with its other hand察raking it across Halisstra's chest。 The magical chain mail stopped the claws from penetrating察but the force of the blow sent Halisstra stumbling backward。 She slipped on the slushy ground and went down。 Sensing an easy kill察the troll lunged察and only at the last moment did Halisstra manage to bring her shield up。 The troll's teeth sank into the edge of the shield察crumpling it。 Then the troll shook its head察wrenching the shield from Halisstra's arm。 Pinned to the ground by the weight of the monster kneeling on her察she was unable to bring her sword into play。
Negating his levitation magic察Ryld plunged down through the branches。 He landed perfectly braced in a ready posture察drawing Splitter in one smooth motion from the scabbard at his back。 Putting all the force of his will into the blow察he swung the greatsword with both hands and felt it slice cleanly into the troll's neck察cleaving it instantly。 The head flew into the air察eyes blinking stupidly察then it landed and rolled away。 The headless body reared to its feet and spun around as Ryld opened its stomach with a second sword swing察spilling foul´smelling entrails。
The headless察disemboweled troll finally stumbled away into the forest。
Halisstra lay on her back on the wet ground察gasping察rain spattering her face。 Worried that she might be in immediate need of healing magic察Ryld reached down to help her´
´and was slammed to the ground by an attack he should have anticipated。 Rolling quickly away察he saw that the troll was back。 The creature stumbled toward him察one hand holding its head on the stump of its severed neck察the other attempting to rake Ryld with its claws。 Even as Ryld flipped himself up off the ground and back onto his feet察dancing out of the reach of those claws察he saw flaps of sinew burst out of the ropy muscles of the troll's neck and quest up like sentient worms to hook themselves into the head。 Swifter almost than the eye could follow察they stitched the head back onto the body察while the entrails that had spilled from the troll's slashed belly sucked back into the stomach wound。 Already the fingers that Halisstra's blow had sliced off earlier were starting to grow back。 Knobs of pinkish´gray flesh pulsed outward from the severed digits。
Leaping forward察Ryld slashed at the troll's neck a second time察but the monster察unlike him察anticipated the attack。 It ducked´startlingly fast´then lunged forward and wrapped a rubbery hand around Ryld's own。 Ryld heard a bone in his hand crack and gasped at the incredible strength of the troll。 Even with a hand that was missing two fingers察its fist was crushing his。 The troll jerked Splitter out of Ryld's hand and cast it away。
Halisstra had struggled to her feet and was slashing at the troll's broad back察her sword making strange察flutelike noises as she swung it。 The monster grunted with each stroke like a slave under the lash but otherwise ignored the deep cuts in its back。 Whirling察it backhanded her away with a blow that sent her staggering。 Ryld drew his short sword and thrust at the spot where the troll's heart should have been察but even though the blade buried itself to the hilt in the thing's rubbery chest the monster was not slowed。
A hand whipped out with the speed of one of Quenthel's whip vipers and wrapped itself around Ryld's neck。 Powerful fingers tightened against flesh察choking off his breathing。 Ryld felt a rush of magical energy flowing into his body from the dragon´shaped ring on his finger察as the ring hardened his flesh against the troll's claws´but too late。 His windpipe had already squeezed shut。 Abandoning his sword察still hilt´deep in the monster's chest察he drove stiffened fingers into what would have察on a drow察been a crippling pressure point´then he winced。 He might as well have driven his fingers into solid stone。
Halisstra charged back into the fray and managed to slice one of the troll's feet from its ankle。 It stumbled but quickly found its footing察balancing on the stump。 Halisstra was rewarded with a rake of claws that snagged her chain mail察tearing a link from it。
Ryld察unable to breathe察shouted at her the only way he could。
Flee I am finished
;No ─she gasped。 ;I won't leave you。;
She lunged forward察attacking the troll with a furious barrage of blows。 Ryld察observing with the eye of a master察saw that Halisstra had opened her stance察inadvertently exposing herself to what would be a fatal rake of the monster's claws。
Though Ryld should have been watching with the detachment of someone who knows he is about to die and can do nothing about it察he felt a strange emotion fill him in that impossibly long moment that stretched between two fading heartbeats察a deep sadness and a sense of infinite loss。 Not only because Halisstra was about to die察but because her death would mean the end of something Ryld had only just discovered此true friendship´perhaps even love。 The kind that would cause a person to willingly sacrifice herself in a hopeless attempt to save another。 As their eyes met察Ryld realized that he would have done the same for Halisstra´and he saw that she knew it。 He also saw something he'd never seen in the eyes of a drow此trust。
At that moment a drow female burst out of the forest察her silver´white hair plastered against her face by the rain。 She was naked察save for a heavy silver chain around her waist that was hung with a large silver disk and a curved hunter's horn。 She moved at a full´out sprint察holding above her head a