Gallanur's Children
an excerpt

“Look out!” Chris heard a shout from above him. Chris looked up just in time to see two dark shapes at the top of a cliff side struggling with a third shape falling towards him. Throwing himself up the mountain he dodged out of the way just in time as the falling shape landed with a loud thump and some cracking sounds where he had just been standing. Slowly the figure stood up and Chris’ mouth went dry.
Standing infront of him, shaking it’s head stood what looked like a human, or rather, what looked like it used to be a human. The monstrosity wore a black, shiny suit with tubes sticking out of various places. The suit was torn in several places and a dark liquid was slowly dripping out of cuts in the creature’s dark blueish skin. Several black tubes hung from the creature’s hip and the thing’s head seemed somehow elongated, with four tentacles drooping down from where the mouth of a person was supposed to be.
Looking around the creature fixed it’s yellow and black eyes on Chris who felt his blood run cold. It took two full steps towards Chris as he struggled for the sword his father had given him just days ago. Suddenly though another body landed on the ground between Chris and the monster. Chris saw that this one was human.
He stood about the same height as Chris but his presence was far greater. In either hand the man weilded a long sword, each as big as him. His shaggy black hair flung dust as the man shook his head and glanced backward over his scale mail to cast a glance at Chris. Just as soon as he had seen Chris though, he returned his attention to the creature infront of him.
“You okay?” Came the man’s rough voice.
“Y-yeah,” Chris replied meekly.
“Then get out of here, I can only hold off the two of them from killing you for so long.” The man ran at the creature with both swords ready to swing.

Chapter 2: Molly

“Then get out of here, I can only hold off the two of them from killing you for so long,” Molly yelled back at the scared looking boy behind him. Then, not wasting another moment, he rushed at the Illithid infront of him which had begun to mutter and incantation and move its hands in ways that Molly recognized as arcane symbols. Well, well, Molly thought to himself, I can stop that now can’t I?
Molly ducked down, lowering his body closer to the ground as he ran and swung his right sword upwards, that was papa’s sword, the one that always swung first. The Illithid was caught by surprise and couldn’t keep his concentration or jump back in time. The blade caught the creature’s arms just below the elbow joint and dug into the flesh, stopping on the bone before sliding away and grinding against the creature. Before the creature could open it’s mouth to howl in pain, Molly was twisting his body, letting momentum carry his other arm towards the creature. When his arm was nearly vertical, Molly summoned the stregnth of his muscles and snapped his arm the rest of the way towards the illithid. The creature was retracting it’s arms in an attempt to avoid the attack but it was just moments too late. Molly’s second greatsword, his mother’s sword, sliced through the illithid’s spidery fingers.
The creature howled an unearthly scream as pain lanced up its arms and into its shoulders. Molly spread out his feet and dug them into the ground to stop his spinning momentum. Still crouched from his run earlier he hazarded a glance backwards to look at the scared young boy who, he was glad to see, was now running further and further away from the fight. Innocent bystanders would just be more of a hazard and a distraction for Molly. It was easier to fight when you didn’t have someone to protect. Molly had learned that lesson the hard way.
Rising to his feet, Molly took a single stride forward to continue his attack with his oversized swords. Swinging his father’s sword back around at the creature, Molly sliced through the creature’s arms when it raised them to block the attack. The useless hands and wrists fell to the ground with a sickening splatter and thick black blood began to pool out around them. That same black blood was flying out of the creature’s new stumps as it flailed around wildly trying to get away from it’s assailant.