First Casualty
Elune was the first to react, an arrow was set loose by keen elf. It whistled through the air straight at the head of the creature closest to him, only to be batted aside by a monstrous hand.
Before he could nock another, the creature's razor-sharp claws raked across his chest, sending him crashing to the floor. His arm was twisted at an unnatural angle.
Chaos erupted amongst the remaining seven. Susan in a panic and with fear in her eyes immediately ducked behind the lectern.
Tommy the swordsman, his eyes blazing with defiance, roared a challenge and charged at one of the creatures. The creature swiped its hand at him, but he deflected it's claws with his sword.
A flurry of bone-chattering thwacks filled the air as Chad, swung his massive mace at the creature, the earth trembling under his attack.
Beside him, Alarynn traced her finger in the air, drawing a shimmering circle, and from it leapt out a pangolin cased in armor made of stone.
The pangolin, Alarynn's earth-bound companion, charged at the creature, launching fist sized rocks with sharpened edges at it.
They engaged the creature in a brutal ballet of steel, stone, and gnashing teeth.
Across the hall, a whirlwind of motion unfolded. Silax launched himself at another one of the creatures, his blade flashing like a silver serpent., but the creature's relentless assault forced him back.
Suddenly, a flaming arrow whistled past his ear, burying itself deep into the creature's shoulder.
The creature snarled and spun, only to be met with another arrow of flame bursting onto its face.
Elara had found her mark, forcing the creature to roar in pain and momentarily falter.
With renewed vigor, Silax lunged, his blade finding purchase in the creature's exposed flank. The two of them, a whirlwind of steel and fire, attacked the enraged creature.
The final creature locked eyes with the lone figure remaining, Kal.
His face remained impassive, but a flicker of excitement burned in his eyes. They circled each other, a predator sizing up its prey.
The creature lunged, its fetid breath washing over him. Kal sidestepped the attack dodging the creature's lunges and swipes. The creature swiped a claw at him, but Kal ducked under it, rolling with surprising speed and then with a lightning-fast strike, slammed his elbow into the creature's exposed jaw.
The creature stumbled back, momentarily stunned. Kal seized the opportunity, closing the distance with a burst of speed. A flurry of punches and kicks connected, each blow aimed at vital points on its body.
The creature roared in pain, its attacks becoming increasingly erratic.
The battle in the hall raged in a cacophony of clashing steel, bone-crushing blows, and guttural growls.
Tommy's blade met the creature's claws in a shower of sparks, Chad's mace smashed into its side, sending it reeling back, and Alarynn's pangolin created spikes made of earth and shot it at the disoriented creature.
The creature charged at them again, catching Chad off guard, he let out a choked cry as a creature's claws ripped through his stomach. Chad crumpled to the floor, his mace clattering uselessly beside him.
The creature moved to deal the finishing blow but was quickly overwhelmed by the combined assault of Tommy and Alarynn's pangolin. It let out an ear-splitting shriek before leaping over them.
It landed across the room behind the lectern where Susan was hiding, it grabbed her and squeezed her head, crushing it with a sickening crunch.
Alarynn screamed out in anguish, she sent a final surge of energy into the pangolin, the pangolin burrowed into the ground and appeared next to the creature, then it created an eruption of earth around the creature, effectively ensnaring the ghoul in a tomb of rock and soil.
On the other side of the hall, Silax and Elara worked in a deadly rhythm, his daggers and her arrows whittling down the second creature's defenses.
Elara peppered their opponent with arrows that burned it from the inside out, and Silax slashed at it with is blade, creating wounds that drained it of its stamina.
With a final, brutal thrust of his blade, Silax sent the creature sprawling to the ground, before silencing its shrieks with a well-placed shot to the head.
The last ghoul, battered by Kal's relentless assault, finally faltered, and with a loud crack, he delivered a powerful knee strike to its chest, sending it crashing to the floor, unmoving.
The air hung heavy with the stench of blood and sweat, the surviving members of the group were left panting, their bodies battered but unbroken.
A grim silence descended upon the hall, they had won, but the victory tasted bitter with the loss of Elune and Susan.
The bodies of the creature began dissolving into blood and seeping into the patterns that were on the floor of the hall, but this went unnoticed by the group.
A solemn mood settled upon the group as they regrouped.
Chad's fate hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the brutality they had just faced.
"Were those ghouls?" Silax asked, his question directed at no one in particular.
Kal was the one to give a reply to his question.
"Yes, but they were unlike any ghoul I've ever come across. Ghouls are not that powerful; you could probably handle three of them with ease on your own."
Kal's confirmation did nothing to explain their encounter with the creatures.
"How long have they been here? Ghouls can't survive without a source of blood to consume. Also, what would ghouls be doing here? This place should have nothing to do with vampyres."
Before anyone could answer Elara's question, a wave of energy swept across the room, that's when they all noticed the intricate pattern created by the blood of the ghouls in the center of the hall.
Light flashed from the pattern on the floor, shining on all of them, it stayed for a few seconds then went out, except for the light that shined on Silax.
Another wave of energy went through the room again, this one more forceful than the previous one. It blew them all out of the room, but Silax remained, frozen as an effect of the light.
The rest of the group fell with a crash outside the room, the massive doors of the hall slammed shut.
Elara got up immediately and ran to the door, banging on it. She called out to the others for assistance.
"Come on guys, help me get it open."
Kal stood from where he was and dusted himself off.
"How are we supposed to that?"
"I don't know, but we have to try something at least." Elara responded, panic evident in her voice.
Kal didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that they had just being thrown out of the hall by a mysterious force.
"There's no point, the doors, will open eventually."
"How can you be sure?" Elara shouted.
"I'm not, but its either it opens, or it doesn't. We just have to wait and see."
"Just wait? Are you serious?" Elara screamed at him.
Then she turned to the rest of the group.
"Alarynn, Tommy, come help me with the door."
Alarynn didn't respond to her, she was crouched on the floor, the death of Elune and Susan had left her devastated.
Tommy was the one to respond to her.
"We just got out of a terrible battle where we lost two people, Chad's injuries need immediate attention. I think you should relax, take some time to regain your strength and think of a way to open that door, because none of us are in the condition to do anything."
Elara didn't know what to say, she had a dazed look on her face, then she slumped onto the floor with her back leaning against the doors to the hall.