NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY: The Adventures of the Creeping Bam (BOOK 4: The Hunt)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: SHAYLINE

When Thel shoves Darwyn into my arms I almost just fall back on my arse, she takes me so much by surprise, but I rally myself quick enough to grab hold of her and plant her on her feet as I watch the dwarf start her clumsy run around the corner. Honestly, I can't quite believe what I'm watching, but quickly enough the halfling starting to squirm in my grip brings my attention to bear and I remember what she just said. I give her a squeeze now, hissing in her ear as I try my best not to just crush her. "Darwyn, chill! Just wait!"

I'm almost surprised again when she actually does it, going slack in my arms as I shift my weight back onto my knees so I can be ready to spring forward again soon as it's safe. Just as I hear the first arrow strike Thel and she stumbles, but doesn't go down, instead just fighting to right herself as she keeps going, before another one hits her and it's clear enough she's taking all the fire now. So I just shove Darwyn behind me now and dive forward, scrabbling almost on hands and knees to reach Zuldrad's prone form and expecting with every inch to get an arrow between my ribs for my troubles after all.

Nothing hits me before I reach him, so I just grab hold of his nearest arm and start dragging him. He starts to squirm almost immediately, letting out a winded but hearty enough scream that's surprisingly high-pitched to let me know he's still with us. I don't stop, instead doubling my efforts as I grab hold of his shoulder with my other hand, not really registering how warmly wet it is until he cries out again. I just dig my fingers into the leather of his pauldron and start tugging, pulling him out of the line of fire now as I see Darwyn dropping to her knees in front of us. Looking more stricken than ever now as she takes in his wretched state.

He's bleeding like a stuck pig, his armour slick wet with blood that makes the leather even more black, and it's clear enough that whoever shot him was paying close attention and aiming with an expert eye to be able to get around the scattering of plate steel in his gear. As Darwyn starts to cry harder again I probe at the wounds, seeing his shoulder's good and torn under the armour much like when Art got hit the other night, while the other three are ... oh fuck, these are serious wounds. No wonder what little breath he's getting in is so ragged and wet sounding, both of these are in his lungs, and the other one, lower down in his back ... gods, that is his liver ...

Before I can say anything to Darwyn, even though I don't have the first clue what to say as I realise her friend's probably going to die from these wounds, something barrels hard round the corner to smash into the wall next to us. Something big, I realise now, impossibly big, as big as Driver 8, in fact. Certainly so massive that the wall, which was already subtly dented with broken, spiderwebbed cracks through the pale plaster from what must have been the termination of Lady Naru's blast, completely craters under the impact. I grab hold of Darwyn as broken shards of plaster and stone rain down around us, along with a thin haze of billowing dust, and just bear her down against the floor again.

Whatever it is grunts loud as it flounders, and when I chance a look my blood runs cold as I realise I've seen this before – I remember the armoured ogre from the other night, but it's no less terrifying now, and right now it's the worst thing we could possibly have run into. I almost grab firmer hold of Darwyn and start to drag her away, hoping it's busy enough with extracting itself from the broken stone of the wall it won't notice us, but remembering Zuldrad stops me. He's not dead yet, I still have a responsibility for him ...

Then the ogre rolls back and lands on its backside heavily enough to shake the whole place, and when it sits up I swear it's looking right at me with bright eyes that seem far too intelligent. For a moment it just blinks back at me, seeming more surprised than we are as it just takes us both in ... then its eyes narrow and it lowers its helmed head as it bares its oversized teeth and starts to growl. Still a genuine threat then.