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The knives of the savages glittered in the torch light illuminating the cavern, weaving deadly patterns in the air that the adventurers were hard pressed to avoid, and many of their attacks drew blood. Despite attacking with the same ferocity and passion for battle as before, they seemed to be more careful, utilizing complex attacks and feints with a savage cunning.
Gortek deflected a thrust from a Rhûnian's knife with a sweep of his short sword, and doing the unexpected he stepped closer, passing within the man's guard. Before the Rhûnian could react the dwarf jabbed his knee into his groin. As his adversary doubled up with a rictus of pain contorting his face Gortek slit the savage's throat with the long dagger he held in his left hand. A battle was no place for chivalry.
He had been lucky with his easy success, and his luck it seemed was about to turn. One of the savage's companions came for him, and even with several years of fighting experience under his belt Gortek was sorely pressed to avoid having one of the man's blades burry themselves into his eye or breast. It was like trying to combat shadows. His opponent swirled and ducked, avoiding all of Gortek's blows and lashing out viciously with his own weapons, leaving the dwarf dancing in a flurry of blades. Miraculously he emerged from the storm of attacks unscathed, but he had no time to marvel at his fortune before the Rhûnian released another torrent of blistering blows, forcing Gortek to drop to one knee to dodge the blade aimed for his face.
Gortek understood that he could not be the victor in this fight. His favored method had always been speed and skill, and here was an opponent who was his master in both fields. Because of his chosen vocation of fighting, Gortek wore no armour so as to not encumber himself needlessly, a fact which he severely regretted now.
As the savage loomed over him, preparing to administer the killing blow, the dwarf realized that his only chance was to resort to another skill in which he excelled at; fighting dirty. He scooped up a handful of gravel from the cave floor, and as his enemy stepped in with his blades screaming through the air towards his head, Gortek leapt into action. He caught the Rhûnian's knives with his sword, and as the man withdrew his weapons for a renewed attack Gortek cast the small pebbles and rough sand into his face. The moment of blindness this caused to the man was enough, and soon he crashed to the rough stone floor with a short sword sized hole through his breast.
Suddenly a roar from the other side of the cavern captivated his attention, and he saw Bali barge through the enemy like a ship through a storm-tossed sea, slaying left and right and killing anything that dared stand in his path. Even as Gortek watched, their leader crashed into the middle of a group of their enemies, who set upon him with such force that not even the battle-frenzied Bali was able to resist it. He was clobbered unconscious, and the beasts let out a howl of glee, withdrawing from the chamber with their companion. Any chance of pursuit was stemmed by a clever rearguard action their enemies executed at the narrow doorway leading out of the chamber. Their leader was in enemy hands.
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