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Isles of the Damned: Part 1e – The Isle of Undeath
Kham appeared in a flash.
“Hey Sebastian.” He waved at the dark-kin, as if he hadn’t just walked in on a massacre. “What’s going on?”
“Shiver in fear before the frozen depths of hell!”
Sebastian didn’t have time for banter. “Look out, he’s casting a—“
Kham dove to the side as a cone of freezing wind blasted towards Sebastian. The dark-kin shrugged it off. Some of his defenses were still in place, and it was fortunately the one that protected him from cold.
“And who are you now?” asked Daen, clearly aggravated.
“Nobody important,” said Kham. He drew his pistols. “But I’m guessing you’re a bad guy.”
“Oh, I’m not so bad once you get to know me,” clacked Daen. “But I’ll like you much better dead, I think.” He pointed at Kham.
Nothing happened.
Daen looked at his pointer finger. “Hmm, that usually works.”
“Don’t let him touch you!” shouted Sebastian. “He killed Vlad!”
Kham looked around for the corpse. “Where’s his body?”
“Behind you!”
Kham ducked just as the shriveled, blood-drained corpse of Vlad swung at him.
Kham winced and closed his eyes as he pushed both pistols against the corpse’s chest. “Sorry buddy.”
The corpse bounced off of the far wall, propelled by dual blasts from Kham’s pistols. It collapsed, inanimate.
“This is becoming tiresome.” Daen shouted towards the door. “Where are my minions? Why aren’t you dead already?”
Kham reloaded his pistols. “This guy giving you a problem Sebastian?”
Sebastian ducked and weaved around the chamber, flitting like a dragonfly to avoid becoming a stationary target.
Daen sighed. “I can see I’m going to have to kill you with my bare hands. Very well.” He pushed up one sleeve on each forearm, blood spattering across the floor as he did so.
“Oh no you don’t,” said Sebastian. “Atrum pampinea!”
Black tentacles sprung up, encircling Daen. The lich sputtered in rage.
“Hey, your tentacles are black again,” said Kham. “That’s great!”
Beldin came back into the room with a roar. “This time I’m going to finish you off!”
The dwarf charged straight into the mist, only to rebound as he collided with an invisible force field. “What the…?”
“No living creature can touch me if I do not wish it so,” sneered Daen. “And I do not wish it.”
“We’ve got to make him come to us,” Sebastian whispered to Kham. “Keep him busy.”
Kham winked at Sebastian. “You know, this was too easy. I just teleported right in here. If you’re supposed to be some powerful magic-type guy, you really suck at it.”
“Did you think that your foolish plans would actually work?” Daen shrugged and the tentacles sloughed away, retreating into the ground. “You think I didn’t know what von Grebel was planning? I let him lead you to me!”
“I think you’re lying. I don’t think you have a clue what you’re doing,” said Kham. “Carthy was right—“
“CARTHY?!” shouted Daen. “You dare speak that name in my presence?”
“I dare!” shouted Kham. He pointed two pistols at Daen. “What are you gonna do about it?”
“I will flay the skin and sinew from you writhing form!” The lich advanced on Kham. “And then I will use the sextant you used to gain entry to my dominion to raise Leviathan from his slumber, and you will come to think of my ministrations as a lover’s embrace!”
The lich’s protective shell disappeared as he stepped out of it. He was within touching distance of Kham. “NOW DIE!”
Daen reached for Kham just as Sebastian landed from above. The dark-kin’s hand was outstretched, a spell charged in his palm.
Daen grabbed him by the throat. “Foolish gnat!” Sebastian’s fleshed turned blue and his eyes rolled in his head at Daen’s touch. The lich tossed him aside without effort. “Now where was I…oh that’s right…”
“NOW DIE!” shouted Beldin as his axe nearly bisected Daen, smashing into his spine. The lich went flying, screaming as he went. His body crunched into the ground.
Kham grabbed Sebastian’s body. “Time to go. Beldin, grab what’s left of Vlad!”
Daen slowly rose to the floor, arms flung out from his body as if he were being drawn and quartered. His body began to shake as a sphere of energy enveloped it.
“I’ve got him,” said von Grebel, who appeared out of nowhere. “Do you have the bell?”
Daen’s screams became more feverish and high-pitched, and it appeared that he could not possibly open his mouth wide enough to excise all the pain and suffering he experienced.
“Yes!” shouted Beldin. He rapped Windcutter against something in his backpack and it gonged in response.
The crackling sphere surrounding Daen brightened. Then it stopped. The sphere contracted, folding the shrunken corpse of Daen upon itself as it grew smaller.
“So that’s what took you so long.” Kham fingered the medallion at his throat. “Hold on to me.”
Daen’s corpse grew still smaller until it reached half its size, a quarter, and then even smaller than that…until only a sparkling circle the size of a gold piece hung suspended, spinning rapidly.
“You!” snarled von Grebel. “I thought you were dead!”
“Yeah, I thought you were dead too," said Kham with a smirk. "But now’s not the time to argue about it.”
Even the minuscule remnant that was Daen collapsed inward, warping the space around it as it disappeared.
Von Grebel set his jaw and held onto Kham’s coat. Beldin did the same.
For a moment, all was silent. They disappeared with a flash just as the world exploded.
Kham appeared in a flash.
“Hey Sebastian.” He waved at the dark-kin, as if he hadn’t just walked in on a massacre. “What’s going on?”
“Shiver in fear before the frozen depths of hell!”
Sebastian didn’t have time for banter. “Look out, he’s casting a—“
Kham dove to the side as a cone of freezing wind blasted towards Sebastian. The dark-kin shrugged it off. Some of his defenses were still in place, and it was fortunately the one that protected him from cold.
“And who are you now?” asked Daen, clearly aggravated.
“Nobody important,” said Kham. He drew his pistols. “But I’m guessing you’re a bad guy.”
“Oh, I’m not so bad once you get to know me,” clacked Daen. “But I’ll like you much better dead, I think.” He pointed at Kham.
Nothing happened.
Daen looked at his pointer finger. “Hmm, that usually works.”
“Don’t let him touch you!” shouted Sebastian. “He killed Vlad!”
Kham looked around for the corpse. “Where’s his body?”
“Behind you!”
Kham ducked just as the shriveled, blood-drained corpse of Vlad swung at him.
Kham winced and closed his eyes as he pushed both pistols against the corpse’s chest. “Sorry buddy.”
The corpse bounced off of the far wall, propelled by dual blasts from Kham’s pistols. It collapsed, inanimate.
“This is becoming tiresome.” Daen shouted towards the door. “Where are my minions? Why aren’t you dead already?”
Kham reloaded his pistols. “This guy giving you a problem Sebastian?”
Sebastian ducked and weaved around the chamber, flitting like a dragonfly to avoid becoming a stationary target.
Daen sighed. “I can see I’m going to have to kill you with my bare hands. Very well.” He pushed up one sleeve on each forearm, blood spattering across the floor as he did so.
“Oh no you don’t,” said Sebastian. “Atrum pampinea!”
Black tentacles sprung up, encircling Daen. The lich sputtered in rage.
“Hey, your tentacles are black again,” said Kham. “That’s great!”
Beldin came back into the room with a roar. “This time I’m going to finish you off!”
The dwarf charged straight into the mist, only to rebound as he collided with an invisible force field. “What the…?”
“No living creature can touch me if I do not wish it so,” sneered Daen. “And I do not wish it.”
“We’ve got to make him come to us,” Sebastian whispered to Kham. “Keep him busy.”
Kham winked at Sebastian. “You know, this was too easy. I just teleported right in here. If you’re supposed to be some powerful magic-type guy, you really suck at it.”
“Did you think that your foolish plans would actually work?” Daen shrugged and the tentacles sloughed away, retreating into the ground. “You think I didn’t know what von Grebel was planning? I let him lead you to me!”
“I think you’re lying. I don’t think you have a clue what you’re doing,” said Kham. “Carthy was right—“
“CARTHY?!” shouted Daen. “You dare speak that name in my presence?”
“I dare!” shouted Kham. He pointed two pistols at Daen. “What are you gonna do about it?”
“I will flay the skin and sinew from you writhing form!” The lich advanced on Kham. “And then I will use the sextant you used to gain entry to my dominion to raise Leviathan from his slumber, and you will come to think of my ministrations as a lover’s embrace!”
The lich’s protective shell disappeared as he stepped out of it. He was within touching distance of Kham. “NOW DIE!”
Daen reached for Kham just as Sebastian landed from above. The dark-kin’s hand was outstretched, a spell charged in his palm.
Daen grabbed him by the throat. “Foolish gnat!” Sebastian’s fleshed turned blue and his eyes rolled in his head at Daen’s touch. The lich tossed him aside without effort. “Now where was I…oh that’s right…”
“NOW DIE!” shouted Beldin as his axe nearly bisected Daen, smashing into his spine. The lich went flying, screaming as he went. His body crunched into the ground.
Kham grabbed Sebastian’s body. “Time to go. Beldin, grab what’s left of Vlad!”
Daen slowly rose to the floor, arms flung out from his body as if he were being drawn and quartered. His body began to shake as a sphere of energy enveloped it.
“I’ve got him,” said von Grebel, who appeared out of nowhere. “Do you have the bell?”
Daen’s screams became more feverish and high-pitched, and it appeared that he could not possibly open his mouth wide enough to excise all the pain and suffering he experienced.
“Yes!” shouted Beldin. He rapped Windcutter against something in his backpack and it gonged in response.
The crackling sphere surrounding Daen brightened. Then it stopped. The sphere contracted, folding the shrunken corpse of Daen upon itself as it grew smaller.
“So that’s what took you so long.” Kham fingered the medallion at his throat. “Hold on to me.”
Daen’s corpse grew still smaller until it reached half its size, a quarter, and then even smaller than that…until only a sparkling circle the size of a gold piece hung suspended, spinning rapidly.
“You!” snarled von Grebel. “I thought you were dead!”
“Yeah, I thought you were dead too," said Kham with a smirk. "But now’s not the time to argue about it.”
Even the minuscule remnant that was Daen collapsed inward, warping the space around it as it disappeared.
Von Grebel set his jaw and held onto Kham’s coat. Beldin did the same.
For a moment, all was silent. They disappeared with a flash just as the world exploded.