--Suddenly, the door burst open, and several city guards, looking a bit drunk, rushed in. Actually only two rushed in, though more could be seen outside, jockeying for position. Facing the beasts back, they swung with heavy staves, at the now thrashing creature.
--At that very moment Moruz and the Xaren were engaged in a dance of death. The Xaren, blinded and raged, whipped and flailed about. Moruz was doing some hopping and jumping of his own, attemtpting to avoid a deathblow from one of the creature's swinging appendages. Ripping his spear free, causing the creature more anguish, Moruz manuevered himself to face the last remaining good eye...and once more plunged his spear into the creature's pulpy goo. He connected again, and this time the creature erupted with an undescribable cry of pain. As Moruz leapt onto the table however to attack again, the creature whirled and smashed the table legs beneath him, sending him crashing to the floor, with a hard thud. I am still alive, Moruz thought, before his ribs, began barking with pain.
--Meanwhile the guards finished off the dying Xaren. As another of Vee's bolts careened off the creature, causing pebbles to fly, the guards pounded the beast with their staves. And in a few moments, the Xaren lunged at his new attackers, but ended up crashing to the floor instead. Two more guards ran in, and headed directly toward the other Xaren staves in hand. This one looked about ready to swallow the brave priest.
--Aerex crawled and cursed. The passage was dank and foul smelling...eventually, after about fifty feet, he reached what looked like another trap door above, and a dead end. Trying the latch, it opened easily enough, and suddenly Aerex found his head sticking up out of the tunnel. He was outside, in some alley, he thought, from the direction he was crawling. The fresh air felt good as he inhaled it, but he was now convinced he'd be to late to help anyone back in the inn. Instead he spied some old man, running down the street, screaming for the city guard. "Someone Help! Some kid just stole my pony! Where are the d**n guards!?"
--Aethelstan made peace with St. Senren and plunged the tray and pewter tankards into the Xaren's mouth, laughing maniacally as he did so. The Xaren, suddenly seemed to pause in its attempt at swallowing or chomping down on the priest, as mugs gurgled down its throat. Pewter, Aethelstan thought...a metallic alloy, as he was helplessly flung twenty feet, by the suddenly disinterested beast, which was now seemingly munching away on the mugs. Crashing loudly into a shelf of bottles and mugs behind the bar, Aethelstan's last thought was...that really hurt, before he passed out, and slid helplessly down, disappearing from view.
--At that very moment, a gleaming fan went whizzing through the air, missing the beast completely. Talia's throw was not intended to strike the creature however. Instead she had spied a hanging barrel on the ceiling, suspended by a chain. The fan struck the chain in a shower of sparks, and it broke, sending the barrel crashing down, smashing a side of the Xaren's torso, and breaking upon impact, some rancid ale bursting forth. One slat went flying at Dujek, striking him square on his forehead. Dujek looked dazed for a second, then slid to the ground, unconscious, a huge bloody welt, appearring on his head, as he lay there twitching.
--The guards began pummeling the last standing Xaren with their staves. It managed to skewer one of the men, as a guard's cry of pain rang out through the taproom. But in a few moments, the creature was on the ground, twitching its gangly limbs uncontrollably, much like Dujek was....and dying, unlike Dujek.
--As suddenly as it all began, it was now over. Silence reigned, as all present looked around in confusion, almost anticipating another beast to burst through the floor at any moment. No more Xarens came.
