[Realms #199] And The Walls Came Tumbling Down
Kirnoth activated the Ring of Invisibility again and repositioned himself to make another attempt to liberate the infant. The pain in his flayed hand made his grab weak and ineffectual. He became visible again in the process.
"Once the Binding is complete," Elgoth hissed at the elf, "you will die as none has died since the time of the Godwars. It will be glorious," he asserted and grinned evilly. When the Plaguebringer smiled, Kirnoth saw that the man's gums were bleeding rather profusely and his teeth were slick and red.
The mendicant looked up at Finian and crossed the distance to the wall in two strides. "Let's see what we've got here," it burbled as it gripped the tapestry then and pulled.
The iron rings that were holding it to the ceiling burst from the strain, pelting the Archer with tiny bits of metal. He retained his balance on the wall with little difficulty, but his return shot with the bow was horribly off. His arrow shattered against the stone dais at the mendicant's taloned feet. And, of course, Finian's concealment was now gone.
The tapestry fell in a drift against the rear of the stage, revealing a door set into the wall there.
The wererat was pushing her way through the chaotic mass of cultists and it would take her some time to make it within striking distance. Ledare hoped that they'd have the baby and be making a hasty retreat by that time. She had to do something to make the priest - if that's what he was - release his hold of the infant.
Ruze was keeping occupied the guard he'd wounded with one scimitar and the guard who had wounded Ledare with the other. He couldn't land a blow, but the blades danced in a flashing display that kept his opponents from wounding him either. Draelond took a step up the stairs and brought Ravager around in a vast sweeping motion.The blade severed one guard's leg just below the right knee and caught the other man in the right thigh. The guard was swept off his feet and fell on his back; his head made a sickening cracking sound as it struck the stone stairs.
"Can you hold the stairs, Ruze?" Draelond asked hastily.
The Battleguard turned, his eyes falling upon the two dagger-wielding cultists who were approaching. "If Shaharizod wills it," he growled.
Ledare made a partial charge across the dais toward Elgoth. Her sword flashed out, aiming low as she'd seen Draelond do, in the hopes that she'd have similar success. The silver-iron longsword sliced through the man's robe, connecting with the meat of his right calf. He cried out, but didn't fall. Neither did he remove the blasphemous symbol of Aphyx from the infant's chest. Ledare could see now that the air around the symbol seemed to be wavering, as if reality itself were running like candle wax.
Elgoth turned to regard the Janissary with unflinching hatred. His eyes were lit with madness and pierced Ledare despite the rheumy film that covered his pupils and the disgusting crust of dried puss that ringed their lids.
With the robed man momentarily distracted, Kirnoth made another grab for the infant and failed. "You'll never take her from us!" the baby's mother spat at the elf, her breathing ragged and wet. "She is the Chosen One! Lady Pestilence incarnate! A Goddess to walk Oerune!"
At the sound of Elgoth's cry, the mendicant turned and groaned in frustration. It glanced up at Finian and made a casual gesture. Instantly, the Archer was blinded as darkness blossomed around him.
"I'll deal with you later, sweetmeat," the mendicant chuckled and closed with Ledare. Its claws whistled through the air above the Janissary's head, narrowly missing her.
Finian moved carefully out of the darkness and fired another arrow at the mendicant, but this one was easily turned aside by the creature's thick, black scales.
At the stairs, Ruze's scimitars enacted a dance of death on the robed cultists. He had the advantage of higher ground and greater skill and he cut down with ease the first two to reach the stairs. The robed assailants were lined up four deep behind them, however and behind them were several armed and armored guards. Beyond that, Ruze couldn't see and didn't care; he was at peace with his goddess and would guard this stair with his life if that's what it took to stop the spread of Evil.
Draelond saw the huge mendicant close with Ledare and slash at her ineffectually. While its attention was focused on the Janissary, he charged into a flanking position and laid open its back with his bastard sword. Ravager parted the creature's scales hungrily and bit into the flesh beneath. The mendicant jerked in pain even as vile yellow ichor began to paint its black scales. It slashed at Draelond, but its claws were turned aside by the man's chainmail.
Ledare ignored the mendicant for the moment, trusting her companion to keep the creature occupied. Her target was Elgoth; if she could distract him, perhaps Kirnoth could finally grab the baby and they could quit this place. Her sword came up and then down in a vicious arc, slashing across Elgoth's left forearm. The man's chainmail absorbed the worst of the damage, but Ledare's longsword still managed to taste his blood a second time. Again, he gritted his teeth against the pain and maintained his grip on his concentration. "Rake!" he hissed up at the huge mendicant. "Protect me, damn you!"
As Elgoth's eyes turned up to the foul creature, Kirnoth again grabbed for the baby and this time, he succeeded. The infant slid greasily out of its mother's arms and out from beneath the dark symbol of Aphyx. In one graceful motion, the elf swooped the limp baby up into his arms and activated the Ring of Invisibility.
"Nooo!!!" Elgoth screamed as Kirnoth vanished. The hand holding the unholy symbol swished through empty air where the elf had stood moments before.
The mendicant slashed with its claws, splitting its attention between Ledare and Draelond. It ripped open the Janissary's swordarm at the elbow, sending her to the floor and her protective couter ricocheting off the stone altar. Draelond felt the thing's talons rake across his abdomen, parting his chainmail like parchment. He was within precious few steps of death, but he retained his feet.
"Ledare?" he groaned, but there was no response.
Again, Finian fired an arrow at the mendicant, and again he missed. Cursing, he moved along the wall to get a closer shot.
Ruze heard Draelond's cry and glanced back to see the Janissary lying very still beside the unhallowed altar. The Battleguard swung the scimitar in his right hand, spilling a cultist's guts before he turned to head for Ledare's side. Daggers came at him out of the crowd as he exposed his flank, but none managed to connect and he was able to scramble quickly out of their reach. He saw an old man creep out from the shadow of the altar stone and hunch over Ledare's body.
Staggering with pain, Draelond roared and brought Ravager to bear on the mendicant. Again the saw-toothed weapon chewed through Rake's scales, this time opening a wound on the creature's left forearm that went clear to the bone. It bellowed in pain and then glowered down at the man.
"I'm going to decorate my throneroom with your entrails, insect," Rake gurgled, phlegm drooling from its scabbrous mouth. It clutched its injured arm with its other hand and Draelond saw the wound heal at its touch.
That was when Elgoth smashed the black symbol on the altar in impotent rage. The device shattered, causing a wave of black energy to roar through the temple, shaking the stone to its foundations. Finian was knocked off his perch as the walls convulsed like a living thing beneath him. He landed well, suffering only a few minor bumps and bruises. Suddenly, large chunks of the ceiling began raining down on the congregation. The cultists screamed as the jagged shards sheared flesh and shattered bone.
A chunk of the ceiling fell onto the stage, inches from Kirnoth's head. He dodged out of the way at the last moment, shielding the still unmoving infant with his body. The others likewise narrowly avoided scraps of falling stone that came thundering down onto the dais. A sizable chunk struck Elgoth in the left arm. He fell forward across the altar, pinning the baby's mother to its surface.
The cultists were making a mad dash for the exit. Some of them seemed to make it, but it was obvious that the temple would become a grave for any who didn't quickly escape. Rake clearly saw that was the case and produced a small potion from its belt. "Another time, perhaps," it mused, bringing the bottle to its lips.
Draelond, seizing the distraction, swung Ravager and connected with the mendicant's right foot. But Rake managed to down the elixir despite the attack and instantly assumed a gaseous form.
Beside the altar, Ruze saw that the old man had bound Ledare's elbow with a scrap of his own tattered robe. Her bleeding had stopped and her condition stabilized.
"Who are you?" the Battleguard demanded and the old man looked up fearfully.
"My name is Rherram," he managed to say through lips swollen from a severe beating. "I'm a healer. We must get out of here."
As the ceiling and walls continued to crumble, Elgoth stirred atop the altar, rising unnaturally to a standing position. He threw back his head, his battered and bloodied arms spread wide and roared with a voice that was not his own. The voice was amplified far beyond what a mortal's could ever attain and it sent waves of dread through each of the Companions.
"I AM MADE FLESH!!!"
