“WASN’T THAT SUPPOSED TO BE A BONE DEVIL?”
Caine approached the glaring Calmus Vel, hands outstretched to show he meant no harm. “Now my friend, shall we have a little talk?” Vel continued to stare past Caine at his companions. “Why have you brought infidels and non-believers here? Don’t you know this is a holy place?”
“I do indeed,” Caine replied. “The question is…do you? We came here to see Iverson, and we are met with violence in this house of worship. Did you expect us?”
“Ike knew you would come,” Vel sneered, “He said that you meant to kill him, and defile this church. He told us that you should be stopped at all cost.”
“I see,” Caine nodded. “Tell me…what has become of Truhls, the man I left in Ike’s care for reeducation?”
“That one was sacrificed,” Vel laughed. “He was not worthy to look upon the face of our Lord.”
“And which Lord would that be?” Caine asked. “Surely not Kelemvor?”
Vel’s features twisted as he tried to fight the compulsion upon him. “No…it is not that weakling that we revere,” he said with effort, “but it is not for unbelievers such as you to know the truth of our Lord.”
“Very well,” Caine sighed, realizing he wasn’t going to get anywhere with this line of questioning, “tell us where Iverson is. That wouldn’t offend your sensibilities too much, would it?”
“Not at all,” Vel smiled. “He’s expecting you. He’s waiting in the upper cathedral.” He nodded towards the spiraling, iron staircase.
“ I thank you, friend,” Caine said, turning away, and heading towards the stair, “but I’m afraid we can’t just leave you here to continue your mischief. Gentlemen, I leave him to you, but see that he is not unduly harmed.” With that, Grimm, Rusty and Kiko moved in to surround Calmus Vel, and before he could open his mouth to protest, his vision went black…
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As the group made their way up the staircase, they passed by several rooms which seemed to be living chambers for the temple’s higher ranked clergy. In one richly appointed room they found a large desk. As Tilly was rummaging through it, he uncovered a poorly hidden false bottom in one of the drawers. Along with several mundane ledgers detailing the day-to-day operations of the church, he found one scrap of parchment addressed to the high priestess herself:
High Priestess,
As many have heard me say, the cages alone
will not afford the completion of the ritual.
What more is needed I cannot say, and so I
continue to explore the mysteries of the soul
pillars at great peril. The guardian grows
ever more restless, and the insanity that lies
frozen in Karran-Kural is beginning to stir.
My price has doubled.
F.
Not knowing what to make of the strange correspondence, they filed it away for the moment, but felt certain they had discovered an important clue.
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The winding, iron staircase finally reached a large, vaulted chamber, its ceiling reaching a peak some fifty feet above. A low dais commanded the center of the room, and a strange, silvery-gray cage hung from the domed ceiling. Grimm was the first to enter the room, and his cursory perusal of its décor was cut short by the more immediate presence of multiple creatures gathered in the chamber. Foremost were five, large gray-skinned, multi-eyed brutes. Their wickedly curved claws drug the ground as they walked. Grimm noticed that they moved with a slow, graceless lurch, and their skin seemed dry and brittle, with areas of the flesh actually missing in some places, showing desiccated muscle and bone beneath. At the center of the dais, stood a huge, insectile looking beast, wielding a cruelly barbed spear. Hovering nearby was a vaguely humanoid mass of inky blackness. One final detail caught Grimm’s notice before all Hell broke loose. Floating near the cage at ceiling level, was Ike Iverson. He was invisible, but Grimm’s keen sight picked him out immediately. Calmus Vel had been right; they were expected.
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Ike looked down at the scene below with both anticipation and trepidation. That the Bright Axes would come was a forgone conclusion. He knew, once he’d heard of the failure of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, that it would only be a matter of time before the so-called heroes would trace the attempt back to him. Still, the reality of their presence here set off a twinge of fear in his breast. The tales of their exploits were near legendary in the city, and if even half of them were true, then he was in for the fight for his life. Nevertheless, he would much rather face them than his ‘benefactor,’ the one who set this whole debacle in motion in the first place. His church had benefited greatly from recent events, and now his marker had come due, and he had been called upon to perform the required service for his master. If only Embril were here…
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Before Grimm could react to the situation, the shadow creature darted towards him like a striking cobra. A tendril of pure blackness lightly caressed his skin, and he immediately felt a soul-numbing cold penetrate into his flesh. In a split-second, the demonic insect on the dais gestured broadly, and a hail of ice and sleet engulfed the half-ogre, spilling down the stairs behind him where Tilly, Grimm and Rusty were moving up. Tilly quickly leaped and tumbled up the remaining stairs, followed by an equally nimble Kiko. The pair moved beyond the edge of the ice storm, only to find themselves face to face with two of the rotting, gray behemoths. Like dervishes, the rogue and the monk began pummeling and slashing at the brutes, but though they struck with devastating precision, the creatures seemed to shrug off the blows, and lumbered in for the kill.
Grimm could tell that the wraith was not wholly present on the material plane. His training as a planar champion had prepared him to face just such an opponent. With only an instant’s concentration, he focused his chain into a weapon capable of piercing even the fabric of the ethereal plane. Whirling it above him, he struck at the wraith, feeling solid flesh yield to his blows, instead of incorporeal shadow. The creature reeled in surprise, and then struck back, raking the half-ogre a second time with its deadly touch, draining a little more of his life force away.
The devil on the dais, a creature normally at home in only the coldest of the nine Hells, wanted nothing more than to return to its frigid abode, but it had made a bargain with the priest, and the sooner these mortals lay dead at its feet, the sooner it could depart this accursed plane. As the ice storm faded, the fiend saw that more of the pathetic creatures still remained in the stairwell. One thing it had learned from the Blood War was the benefit of tactics: divide and conquer. Summoning its innate magic once again, it conjured a wall of thick ice at the bottom of the stair, trapping several of the mortals on the other side.
“Well this ain’t no good,” Rusty growled, as the ice wall formed in front of him, leaving Caine, Dalthon and himself on this side, while Grimm, Kiko and Tilly fought for their lives on the other. Recognizing the magical effect for what it was, the dwarf quickly summoned a counter-spell, dispelling the barrier in the blink of an eye. “Now then,” he said, moving up the stair to Grimm’s side, “let’s take it to’em boys!”
Ike was momentarily hopeful when he saw the ice devil’s tactics, but Rusty’s appearance told him that he would be a fool to underestimate this group. Seeing a perfect opportunity, with Rusty and Grimm side by side, he elected to end his invisibility by flame striking the pair.
Grimm tried to shake off the painful effects of the flame blast. Even though Ike had revealed himself (though Grimm now noted that the priest had several illusionary doubles surrounding him), the more immediate threat was the wraith. The half-ogre struck it again with his enchanted flail, and as it recoiled from the blow, several fiery blue bolts streaked past him to burst deep inside its body. With an unearthly wail, it dissolved into nothingness. Grimm gave a quick salute to Dalthon, who winked back at him from the stairs below.
Tilly and Kiko continued to beat on the gray monstrosities, while at the same time trying to avoid being struck in turn. They managed to do this fairly well, but occasionally one of the massive clawed hands would penetrate their defenses, and unfortunately, the damage they dealt seemed to be much more significant than that done by the monk and the rogue. To Kiko’s dismay, a third brute had now shambled into the fray, and he had to redouble his efforts to stay alive.
The ice devil was furious that the gnats were able to escape its trap. If they would spurn its attempt at mercy, then they would have to be shown the error of their ways. The fiend stepped near the top of the stairs, and launched a cone-shaped blast of frigid air down it, catching Rusty, Grimm, Dalthon and Caine in its effect. Caine, though chilled to the marrow, seized the opportunity to charge up the stairs, darting towards the devil with his hand outstretched. If he could only touch the fiend, he could easily end its threat. However, his opponent would not be caught quite so easily. The ice devil sidestepped deftly to one side, bringing its great spear in between itself and the sorcerer.
Grimm cursed roundly. He continued to be hampered from dealing with the true foes here. As he prepared to move to Caine’s aid, one of the zombie-like gray giants moved to block him. In a rage, the planar champion launched into a flurry of attacks, hacking huge chunks from the monster’s hide, until it fell into a decaying heap at his feet.
Dalthon moved to the top of the stairs, and quickly assessed the situation. He could see Ike hovering above, and could also see the nature of the defense the priest had woven around himself with the mirror images. The sorcerer was a veteran of many magical combats, and knew just how to counter such a trick. Conjuring another volley of magic missiles, he sent one at each of the dancing illusions, obliterating them one at a time, until finally only the true Ike remained, and the last missile struck him directly.
The ice devil continued to maneuver around Caine, driving the apostle back towards the stairs and his companions. Caine realized his error a moment too late in allowing himself to be herded. He, Grimm, Rusty and Dalthon were too close together, and a second ice storm enveloped them. Though grievously injured, Caine seized the moment, knowing the devil would be momentarily distracted. He lunged again, and this time he just managed to touch one finger to the fiend’s armored carapace. The devil felt an eerie calm fall over it, and for some reason it could not fathom, all desire to kill left. It slowly lowered its spear to its side.
Ike clapped his hands in glee as he saw his devilish ally continue to wreak havoc on the so-called heroes. He decided that it was time to become more directly involved, now that his enemies were sufficiently weakened. Focusing on Rusty, for of all the sins these non-believers had committed this day, heresy was the worst, Ike called forth his most deadly spell, one that could snuff the life out of a creature in an instant. Rusty clutched at his chest as the wave of destruction passed through him. For just an instant, he literally felt his heart stop, but just as quickly it jolted back to life, leaving him with wracking pains. Ike cursed as he saw that his spell did not have the full effect. He prepared to follow-up with a coup-de-grace, when suddenly his eyes locked onto the hulking form of Grimm as the half-ogre launched himself into the air, flying straight towards the cleric.
Grimm had his quarry dead to rights, and was almost upon him, when abruptly the ice devil appeared in mid-air directly in front of him. Though it could not bring itself to physically attack the mortal, it knew of another way to protect its partner in crime. The planar champion fully intended to plow right through the fiend, but suddenly a feeling of sheer terror overcame him. He could not bring himself to face such a foul creature. In a panic, he wheeled about, and dove for the staircase, desperate to escape to safety.
“Well done, my friend!” Ike squealed in the infernal language of the Hells. He could not have planned this any better. His enemies were scattered, ripe for the picking, and he was preparing to do just that, when he suddenly found himself encased in a resilient sphere of force. Enraged, he pounded uselessly on the walls of the prison, knowing that bastard Caine was responsible for it. Not that the parlor trick would change the battle’s outcome, it would just delay the inevitable. Focusing his magic, Ike set about trying to dispel the sphere.
On the ground below, Kiko delivered one final spinning heel kick to the neck of the zombie in front of him. The brute’s spine snapped audibly, and it toppled like a felled oak. Behind him, Tilly struggled to finish off his own adversary, but Rusty saved him the trouble, recovering from his trauma enough to blast the monster with a beam of searing, radiant light. That only left two of the behemoths, and without hesitation, the monk and the rogue moved to engage them, hoping to give the spell casters breathing room to finish off the more dangerous adversaries.
Caine knew what had happened even before Grimm rocketed past him. He could see the abject terror on his friend’s face, and knew that he had succumbed to the devil’s unholy aura. However, just as Caine expected, Grimm came to an abrupt halt as he passed the sorcerer. Caine’s own aura of utter peace and calm settled over the half-ogre, and his fear left him. The apostle knew that if Grimm left his immediate presence, the panic would return, so he solved the problem permanently by laying one hand on the warrior’s shoulder, allowing his touch to pacify the planar champion. Grimm gave a wry smile to the sorcerer. The human was certainly not one to be underestimated. “My thanks, friend,” he said, “but I’m afraid I’m not much use to us if I don’t have the will to fight.” “I understand,” Caine said smiling in return, “but it is not in my nature to use violence. Jules, however, sometimes has a mind of his own.” Sensing his master’s intent, Jules hovered before Grimm, and abruptly delivered a minor jolt of electricity to the half-ogre, ending the pacification effect, and allowing him the freedom to return to the battle.
Ike finally freed himself from the imprisoning sphere, and then whirled on the ice devil, which still hovered several feet away. “What are you waiting for, fool!?” he screamed at the fiend, “Get down there and destroy them!” “I’m afraid I…can’t” the creature replied, and it was then that Ike knew what had happened. That infernal pacifist was up to his usual tricks. Well, that was certainly easily remedied. Drawing back his arm, he struck the ice devil’s face with one mailed fist, freeing it from Caine’s spell. Infuriated at how it had been duped, the fiend dove for the melee once again.
Dalthon observed that Caine’s ploy had failed to stop Iverson as hoped. In their current, disorganized state, they could not afford to allow the priest to rain spells down on them unchecked. Ike’s magical defenses appeared to be formidable, and that gave the sorcerer an idea. “Rusty,” he called to the dwarf, “follow my lead!” Dalthon wove his own dispelling field, centering it directly on Ike. To his relief, he saw several magical auras surrounding the priest wink out. “Good plan!” Rusty laughed, and then he too placed a dispelling field on Ike. Several more auras vanished. “Stop them!” Ike cried to the ice devil. He knew that his defensive spells were all that stood between him and a quick, messy death. The devil responded by blasting at Grimm, Caine, Rusty and Dalthon with a third ice storm. Simultaneously, Ike conjured a minor, but extremely effective miracle, placing Dalthon within a globe of silence, thus preventing the sorcerer from uttering any more spells. In further response to Ike’s command, the gray render zombies redoubled their attacks, with one of them smashing Tilly repeatedly, while the second broke off from Kiko, and shambled for the stairs, hammering at Rusty while he was still blinded from the sleet and ice.
As the storm faded, Grimm knew he had to do something to turn the tide. They were fighting a purely defensive battle at this point, and at this rate they would be overwhelmed all too soon. Once again he vaulted into the air, arrowing towards Ike. As the priest saw his approach, he drew forth a large bastard sword, crackling with magical energy. Grimm stopped his charge several yards away from Ike, and then snapped out his chain, wrapping it tightly around the cleric’s sword and jerking it from his hands, sending it tumbling towards the floor below. “Help me!” Ike screamed, trying to retreat from the enraged half-ogre. Unfortunately, his ability to wind walk only allowed him slow progress, while Grimm prepared a full charge attack. However, he was interrupted once more by the sudden arrival of Ike’s pet devil. The fiend soared up just beneath the half-ogre, who managed to take a minor swipe at it just as it came within range, but then suddenly, Grimm felt the fear grip him again. He could not resist, and once more, he fled the battlefield.
Now that Kiko was unengaged, he saw an opportunity. Caine had gifted him with a flight spell prior to entering the high temple, and the monk took to the air, hoping to reach Ike while the ice devil was distracted with Grimm. Ike saw his approach too late, and had no weapon with which to fend him off. The monk connected solidly with a palm-heel strike to the priest’s jaw. From the floor below, Rusty saw Kiko’s plight, and ignoring the rampaging render in front of him, the dwarf used his magic to smite at Ike with pure holy energy. Ike now found himself completely on the defensive. He could not lower his guard long enough to cast a spell against the monk, so rapid were Kiko’s attacks. Fortunately for Ike, the ice devil finally turned its full attention back to assisting him. Kiko turned, hearing the devil approach, and though his reflexes were finely honed and cat-like, he could not avoid a single one of the barrages of punishing blows the fiend layered upon him. With a final slash of its spear, the devil delivered a magical blast that made Kiko’s muscles feel sluggish, like jelly.
Once more, Caine saw Grimm’s retreat, and he prepared to intercept the half-ogre again before he could flee entirely. Distracted, he failed to notice the render that had been attacking Rusty was now coming for him. The brute slashed into Caine, leaving horrible wounds in the apostle’s flesh. Staggered, Caine nonetheless managed to step in front of Grimm as the planar champion entered the stairwell, and laid hands upon him. Again, Grimm felt the fear pass. He nodded once more to Caine, and began turning to engage the render, when a flash of light appeared on the stairs right behind the sorcerer. As it faded, Grimm saw the alien face of the ice devil standing not five feet from the apostle.
Tilly found himself in an unenviable position. One gray render stood behind him, while a second one blocked the staircase. Caine, Dalthon and Grimm were somewhere below, beyond the second render, while Rusty still remained topside, but the priest seemed preoccupied in dealing with the threat of Iverson. Tilly was on his own. He lunged at the zombie blocking the stair, slicing into its decaying flesh, but not budging it an inch. The brute whirled on him, slashing at him with its claws and forcing him back towards its brethren.
Rusty was indeed more concerned with Ike Iverson. The priest was still unscathed, and unchallenged. It was he who controlled the monstrosities in this chamber of horrors, and the dwarf was sure that if he could be taken down, the rest would follow. Summoning what was left of his offensive magic, Rusty hurled a bolt of concentrated light at the corrupt Kelemvorite, followed immediately by a righteous hammer blow of pure force. Iverson was hurled backwards, colliding with the mysterious cage dangling from the domed ceiling. While he was still reeling, Rusty charged. Dalthon and Caine had managed to confer flight magic on almost all of the company, and the dwarf made a mental note to buy them a round of ale when all this was finished. In mid-air, he drew his axe, raising it over his head. He was only two or three yards away from Ike, when the priest finally recovered his wits. In desperation, Iverson cast his most potent spell, and as Rusty closed to him, he reached out and slammed his open palm into the dwarf’s chest. Rusty’s eyes went wide in shock as he felt his heart first stutter, then stop.
Grimm slashed at the ice devil, trying to keep it off balance to prevent it from bringing its destructive magic to bear in the close confines of the stairwell. With a bellow of rage, the fiend reached out and grabbed the half-ogre, lifting all seven hundred pounds of him bodily into the air, spinning him around and then slamming him into the wall. The ice devil then began pummeling Grimm over and over, until the great warrior was barely conscious, his head whirling. He tried to raise his hands to block, but found his movements sluggish. With one final blow, the devil sent him tumbling down the stairs, crashing to the landing below. Befuddled, and only tenuously keeping himself from fainting, Grimm retreated further down the stairs. He was beaten, and knew that he could only die if he stayed in the combat, but knew also that he couldn’t abandon his friends. “Flee!” he called to them, hoping they would have the opportunity. Perhaps he could find a bolthole to catch his breath and quaff a healing elixir…if it wasn’t too late.
The ice devil turned away from the fleeing half-ogre. He knew that one wouldn’t be returning, and there were still others to deal with. The sorcerer and the monk still stood above him, but now another creature had joined them. Ahhh, the fiend smiled, an archon! This would be delicious. The other wizard was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had slipped away in the confusion, but no matter. Iverson had silenced him, and he was no threat. Shortly, these remaining three would be no threat either. The devil sent another cone of frigid air roaring up the stairs, enveloping Kiko, Caine and Jules. Caine was frozen to the bone. His breath was ragged and shallow, and he had no feeling in his extremities. He knew that he would be dead if another such blast came. They had to get out of here. Still, Kiko looked even worse off than he. The monk was still slow in his reaction time. He had been unable to dodge out of the line of the blast. Caine commanded Jules to administer what healing he could, then leaned close to the monk. “We must go now, my friend. Jules and I can get past the beast. I know you also have the ability to step between dimensions. Follow me now!” With that, Caine opened a trans-dimensional portal and stepped through, reappearing several yards further down the stairs, so that he could be sure that Kiko was coming. The monk stood shakily, closed his eyes and began concentrating. However, before he could duplicate Caine’s escape, the ice devil was upon him. The great fiend drew back its long spear, and ran it thru Kiko’s abdomen. Unable to even summon the strength to scream, the monk slid off the pike and slumped to the floor. At that moment, Caine heard a voice that was not his own speaking in his mind. “Now, my child. The time is now. The Choir awaits you. It is time to take your place among them once more.” Without a word, Caine repeated his spell, transporting himself to Kiko’s side for the last time. He knew he did not have the magic power left to perform the spell again. Once more, he commanded Jules to lend aid, and Caine used his own healing ability to seal Kiko’s wound. The monk’s eyes opened slowly. “Caine,” he whispered, climbing to his feet, “why?” Before the sorcerer could answer, a roar came from behind Kiko. The gray render at the top of the stair was now only feet away. Below them, the ice devil was poised to attack again. Caine stared calmly at Kiko and said, “Go now, my friend. It has been an honor to know you.” A final blast of freezing cold filled the stair, but this time, Kiko managed to roll beneath it. He saw Caine become engulfed, but the render behind him was also caught in the maelstrom. The undead nightmare began tumbling down the stairwell, bowling the ice devil over, and carrying it along. Kiko rushed to Caine’s side, but saw that it was too late. The apostle was dead. Then, before the monk’s eyes, Caine’s body began to fade. Slowly, it vanished. Jules hovered in the air above where Caine had been, and the light from the archon dimmed. A high-pitched keening sounded from the little celestial, and then in a burst of brightness, it too vanished. Kiko looked around in confusion. He could still hear the ice devil below him, and knew it would not be long before the fiend recovered and returned. Looking back up the stairs, he saw Tilly dashing towards him. Without a word, the monk grabbed the halfling by the hand, and then stepped between realities.
Rusty opened his mouth and gasped a great gulp of air as his heart jolted back into rhythm. The slaying spell had failed to kill him outright, but it was a very near thing. The damage had been done. He knew he couldn’t stand toe-to-toe with Iverson in his current condition. He glanced down at the floor below, and saw that all of his companions had gone. The renders all lay dead, but the ice devil was nowhere to be seen. His friends were either slain, or on the run. Either way, he had to make his own escape. Putting some distance between himself and Iverson, he uttered a quick prayer, and used the last of his divine magic to transport himself to the ethereal plane. Once in that ghostly realm, he was able to literally walk through the wall of the cathedral, and to freedom beyond.
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Ike couldn’t believe it. Was it truly possible? Had he actually managed to defeat the vaunted Bright Axes? He sank slowly to the floor as the reality set in. He’d done it. He’d actually done it. When his benefactor learned of this, Ike’s earlier failure would be forgotten. He would be rewarded beyond his wildest dreams! When Embril returned, things were going to be different. He would be the new high priest, and she would be answering to him. There would be no limit to his power! As he reveled in his victory, he saw his fiendish ally returning. The devil climbed the stairs, and came to stand before the priest, resting its spear haft on the floor. “I have done as you asked, priest,” the fiend hissed. “Your enemies are in full retreat. Victory is yours. Now, you will fulfill your part of our bargain.”
“Retreat??” Ike gasped. “What do you mean, retreat? That wasn’t our arrangement! You were supposed to kill them! If they escape, they will only regroup and return. That won’t do at all! I refuse to fulfill my part until you do yours!”
The ice devil drew itself up to its full height. “Our agreement was that your enemies be defeated, priest.” Its voice dripped venom, and promised death. “You cannot deny that they have been. I will ask you once more to fulfill our bargain.”
“Never!” Ike shrieked. If his benefactor learned of this, Ike knew he would be flayed alive. He would be given no more chances. No. The Bright axes must be dealt with decisively now. “I command you to go after them and kill them! I command you!”
“You command nothing!” the devil howled, and then lifting its pike, it swept Ike’s head from his shoulders. “Now our bargain is complete. I take your soul in payment.”
