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<blockquote data-quote="LordVyreth" data-source="post: 2823031" data-attributes="member: 9626"><p><strong>The Final Battle: Warfare</strong></p><p></p><p>The party quickly moved to attack, but hesitated when he didn’t respond or try to fight back. In fact, he seemed unconcerned about the attack at all! “Ah, well done,” the ghost of Khaspar replied. “Yes, an attack on me is pointless, and you really can’t afford to waste your resources as this crucial point, now can you? My stay on this plane of existence comes from unfinished business I have. Until that business is complete, I cannot be permanently destroyed.”</p><p></p><p> “And what is your unfinished business?” Tal demanded.</p><p></p><p> Khaspar laughed. “That’s my little secret. But have no fear. I’ve washed my nonexistent hands of this entire war. You and Bas can destroy each other for all I care. I just think it would be amusing to watch this exercise.”</p><p></p><p> With that, he vanished, at least for the moment. Frustrated but aware that they had bigger concerns, the party prepared themselves for the war. After all, compared to what they expected on this day, the remains of a long defeated enemy were negligible.</p><p></p><p></p><p> Thousands of feet below, the fight had begun. So far, it was hard to determine a real winner. The Methosilang forces had the edge in numbers, but Bas’ army was more power overall with its fiendish regiments and highly trained fanatics. But Methosilang had the greatest of trump cards: its champions. Bath, Tal, Robin, Tiana, Tonaca, and Danae were among the greatest heroes this eon had ever known, and while they were mostly busy just keeping the army organized, they also took the time to wipe out entire enemy legions by themselves! Still, even they couldn’t defeat all of Bas’ specially designed minions and shock forces by themselves. The war would come down to how effective the special forces of both sides were used.</p><p></p><p> These thoughts were going through the head of the trained pilots of the aerial, mechanical battle insect (or helicopter, as we’d call it,) as they oversaw the battlefield. They were the first of the special forces Bas called, and they were currently entering the field of battle. As expected, the roar of victory could be heard from their side, and the cries of despair echoed throughout their enemies. The pilot smiled and tested some of the heli-insect’s weaponry on the massed army. The missiles launched and created dozens of gaps in the Methosilang forces where brave warriors once stood. The screams intensified, and for good reason, the pilot thought. With the press of a button, this weapon could unleash the power of countless fireballs! And that was just the test run. Once the helicopter got a little closer, it could release its bomb payload and begin to strafe the army with the Vulcan cannons.</p><p></p><p> The pilot was so engrossed in the future plans that he didn’t even notice that many of the screams of terror were much closer than the enemy soldiers. In fact, they were coming from inside the copter itself! Finally, the pilot noticed and whirled around to notice that they were under attack, in a way. More precisely, the ship was swarmed with what appeared to be dozens, if not hundreds, of fey creatures! They weren’t attacking exactly; they were just interfering with every little mechanism in the vehicle. The pilot was just about to call for help when he heard a “Hey, what does this button do?” coming from behind him at the ship’s terminal. His last thought, before he suddenly and violently reunited with his army’s ground forces, was regret that they didn’t have time to finish repairing the parachutes with the rest of the helicopter’s equipment.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> “It…can’t be!” Tal gasped. </p><p></p><p> But there could be no doubt. Lancaster Stael, the traitorous prince of Methosilang, had not only escaped. He somehow made his way back to Bas and renewed his service to his dark goddess! “Heroes of Methosilang, I’m glad we could meet again!” the warrior sneered as he and his new mount, a strange horse of ever-shifting colors and elemental properties, tore through the rows of soldiers! </p><p></p><p> Almost instantly, the knights of Methosilang, led by Amira Stael, began to move. It was clear that this time the eldest daughter of the Stael’s would waste no time in finally ending her treasonous kin. The heroes watched her ride towards the battle, seemingly without objection at first. “It does seem appropriate,” Tonaca admitted.</p><p></p><p> “I agree,” Robin replied. “If anyone deserves to finish this fight, she does.” </p><p></p><p> Suddenly, Danae, who had been watching the fight carefully, shot up. “No!” she screamed. “We can’t let her near him! We know what a monster Lancaster is when mounted. He almost killed Galeron with one strike of his lance! And besides, he’s riding a madness horse. I’ve heard about them before. They warp the very world around them with their insanity. Pillars of fire, fields of ice, clouds of death, anything is possible when fighting them.”</p><p></p><p> “What do we do, then?” Bath replied.</p><p></p><p> Thinking quickly, Tiana shouted to a messenger, “Bring the gun division on alert immediately! Shoot him down before Amira can get near him!”</p><p></p><p> The messenger quickly passed the order on, and the two enemies could meet, Lancaster was suddenly showered with a hail of bullets. His mount reared up and he Lancaster briefly hesitated. It was clear he expected to meet with his sister as well, and he wasn’t prepared for this intrusion. </p><p></p><p> “Excellent work,” Lerissa encouraged her soldiers. “Now, second team, fire!” </p><p></p><p>The second division quickly aimed in on their distracted enemy. Setisth was the first to get a perfect shot. Grinning her toothy reptilian grin, she quickly moved to pull the trigger. It would be the last thing she ever would do.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly, twin explosions appeared in the center of the rifle division. Suspecting invisible targets, Methosilang’s clerics entered the area and purged invisibility, revealing Lancaster’s two allies. One was a clearly insane mechanical halfling, and the other was a human bedecked in crystals. He appeared to be reluctant and regretful for his actions, but did not hesitate in continuing his attack. Soon, a second volley of magic left the hand of the halfling, while the human seemingly didn’t do anything, and yet strange energy still pulsed through the rifle division’s ranks.</p><p></p><p>“Talos and Palfrin?” Tal said with anger and a hint of disbelief. “But they hate each other. Are they that desperate to defend their goddess?”</p><p></p><p>The gunners desperately continued their attack, but it was too late, for the knights had reached the battle and Lancaster met Amira. The battlefield echoed with their attacks, but Talos, Palfrin, and Lerissa ignored it. Senseless with rage from the death of her soldiers, Lerissa switched targets and focused on Talos and Palfrin. When he hesitated for just a moment, Palfrin was suddenly riddled with first Lerissa’s, and then dozens of other bullets. His lifeless body crashed onto the battlefield as Lerissa rapidly reloaded and then began the attack on Talos. The evil halfling’s luck finally ran out, and he joined his former master Khaspar in death, though his journey to the afterlife proved much faster.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, just as Danae feared, Lancaster gained the advantage on his sister. After dismounting her, Lancaster, quickly turned his horse around for one last, fatal charge. However, just as he was about to start the charge, he felt a sword pierce right through his chest. He turned around in disbelief to find Hestine glaring at him with rage and regret. “You won’t hurt my family any more,” she growled.</p><p></p><p>Lancaster chuckled, “I suppose not,” before his own life faded away.</p><p></p><p>Lerissa, who had watched the fight’s final moments, cheered and fired at the madness horse, ending its chaos on the battlefield as well. She was just about to lead her survivors to the rear of the battle for medical aid when she joined the casualties of the fight. Before anyone could notice at her death, let alone react, Devlin escaped into the melee of the battle. His new master was dead, the half-vampire realized, but he did not die without being avenged.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> “What is it this time?” Tal asked in despair. A swarm of strange, beetle-like insects he didn’t recognize had suddenly dashed to the front of the Bas forces, taking a few surprised and quickly killed cultists with them.</p><p></p><p> Everyone, as if on cue, turned to Danae. “They’re…Consumers I believe. This is not good. They get stronger with every attack they absorb and more fierce with every kill. We have to destroy them, and as quickly as possible.”</p><p></p><p> “Who do we have near that side of the battlefield?” Tonaca asked.</p><p></p><p> “Our divine casters, I think,” Robin replied. “You know, Shanna, Elayna, and Thorrun?”</p><p></p><p> Tal shuddered. “We already lost friends in this fight. I don’t know if Galeron can ever forgive us if his mother and best friend die as well.”</p><p></p><p> Tonaca asked, “They’re not exactly the best fighters among us. Do they even have anything that can kill these monstrosities quickly?”</p><p></p><p> Danae shook her head. “I don’t think so. Their bodies are engines of perfect destruction. No simple death spell stands much chance of affecting them. This could take a…”</p><p></p><p> Her last word was interrupted, however, by a blast of unearthly music. The clouds above the horrible insects parted, and a single beam of light struck the lead Consumer. Moments later, a second and third bolt enveloped the remaining insects. In an instant, all of them were pulled upwards and out of the plane, never to be seen again.</p><p></p><p> “…huh,” was all Tal could get out.</p><p></p><p> “Well, it makes sense,” Tiana said with a faint smile. “If you have to fight the Termites of the Gods, it makes sense to actually use the Gods to deal with them.”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> “Things appear to be going badly for Bas, wouldn’t you say, Khaspar?” Tal casually asked their spectator.</p><p></p><p> Khaspar shrugged. “It is of no concern to me, but I wouldn’t be so quick to celebrate. Do you know where Bas found those things? They were in storage in a wooden box. So far, all that she’s sent have been failures and toys she’s salvaged, and you’ve had to waste your most powerful magic and lost some of your finest soldiers to stop them. Wait until she uses some of her more powerful soldiers. Ah, these are a fine example of what I mean…”</p><p></p><p> From far above, a flight of dark-winged creatures landed in the middle of the battlefield. Amira, who had just gotten healing and returned to the front lines, quickly saw the new enemy and charged. </p><p></p><p> “See, Khaspar? We’ll have no trouble with whatever demons Bas sent us this time.” Tal grinned.</p><p></p><p> “Don’t be so certain. These are no demons. They are…”</p><p></p><p> But Bath was already aware and screaming, “No, don’t get any closer! Those aren’t demons! They’re celestials!!”</p><p></p><p> It was too late. Amira had neared the enemies and was about to attack when she realized the same thing. The captain of this supposedly holy brigade, a planetar of great beauty and strength, held his hands out, suggesting he wanted to avoid combat.</p><p></p><p> “My good woman, why would you raise your weapon to us? Do we not share the same beliefs, the same goddesses?”</p><p></p><p> Amira, struck dumb by this shocking turn of events, could only stammer out the start of an explanation.</p><p></p><p> Bath had enough. She spread her wings and took off in the direction of the fight. “No, Bath, don’t! We need to save our strength for Bas!” Tiana protested, but she knew it was futile. </p><p></p><p> Unfortunately, Bath’s actions were too late to save Amira. Desperate to force this situation to make sense, she didn’t notice the other fallen celestials surrounding her until it was too late. As one, they descended on her, killing the shocked paladin with ease. The rest of her division, the spell of the celestials broken, engaged the rest of the dark angels just as Bath tackled the planetar captain. </p><p></p><p> “I don’t suppose you’re named Allishira?” she asked him as they fought.</p><p></p><p> The planetar, though he knew his fate was likely sealed, could only smile. “I’m afraid not. You’re thinking of my master. I believe you’ll be seeing him soon.”</p><p></p><p> “I believe I will,” Bath agreed, as she finished the traitorous representative of her own kind.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> To nearly any sane being in the universe, the next force that Bas sent against the force of Methosilang would be awe-inspiring in its power. Balors and Pit Fiends, the most powerful of the demons and devils and normally known for their seething hatred of each other, were walking side by side. Following them was a countless army of mariliths, cornugons, nalfeshenee, gelugons, and many lesser demons and devils. Scattered among them were yugoloths of all levels of strength and the more independent and unique fiends like raskshasa, night hags, and the bizarre “outsider” fiends like swift prides, lipidos, and canor factums. The army of so many united monsters appeared unstoppable, and it certainly consisted of some of the most powerful beings on the plane.</p><p></p><p> Fortunately, the Methosilang forces had an army of even more powerful beings. The sky darkened as dozens of dragons, their metallic or gem-colored scales gleaming in the liberated sun whenever it shone in the gaps of the dragon’s flight, descended on the fiends. As the largest dragons engaged in battle against dozens of fiends at once, smaller dragons like Zuriden zipped between the behemoths while repeatedly blasting the unholy spawn with their destructive breaths. On the ground, Rudious and Deladane stood back to back and fought the strongest generals of the division alone. In a matter of minutes, the dragons returned, roaring in triumph. There were casualties, and none of the dragons got away without any injuries, but the fight was easily in the dragon’s favor. If anything, it appeared that the worst injuries Rudious and Dane would suffer would come from them fighting each other over who gets to keep the head of the largest balor as a trophy.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> “Venym, what can you tell us about this threat?” Danae asked with a hint of reluctance in her voice. For the first time since the battle started, the new threat was something she couldn’t recognize. It looked vaguely technology-themed, which would explain why she didn’t know about it, but she consulted with the Dragovigis dragons, and not even they had any idea what it was. That made her feel a little better, but her pride was still hurt.</p><p></p><p> “I was with Bas when they first began to work on that project. Affliction led the work, unsurprisingly. I believe they were calling it a ‘war-mech,’ though I doubt that’s the technical term for it. It’s sort of a giant iron golem, but using technology. It’s supposed to be absolutely full of weaponry, and it came from a more advanced civilization than that helicopter you destroyed earlier. It’s also fully automated, so even if you can get your fey allies to attack it safely, there are no controls for them to tamper with.”</p><p></p><p> Danae took this information back to the party to figure out the best way to stop this monstrosity. Surprisingly, Tiana was the first to arrive at a solution. “I think we’re looking at this the wrong way. We don’t have to understand the creature’s exact weak point. I think the laws of nature have given us all the weaponry we need.” </p><p></p><p> Tiana explained her plan, and Danae happily ordered the arcane division to the battlefront.</p><p></p><p> The mech confidently continued across the battlefield, its force fields blocking most of the magic artillery its new enemies used on it. The attacks would eventually penetrate its shields, but even if the robot was capable of expressing concern, it felt no need to do so. At its rate of movement, it would be able to bring its targets in range of its many weapons in a matter of moments. From there, its attackers would be quickly destroyed. It’s only difficulty at this point was the amount of calculating effort it required to even process the physically impossible attacks. It was so caught up in understanding its enemies, in fact, that it didn’t notice its forward motion was practically nullified until it was far too late.</p><p></p><p> The wizards, seeing their plan succeed, let out an untraditional cheer. While Damien led a decoy attack at the mech, an army of slightly lesser wizards transmuted the ground under the mech into a pit of mud. The mech soon learned the problems of concentrating so much mass into so little space, and it sunk up to its waste almost instantly. Unable to move, the wizards effortlessly circled around the mech, attacking it with magic until first its force field and then its entire body were completely obliterated.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> “I don’t understand. I heard you could defeat this monstrosity by draining its strength from it,” Tiana said with frustration. She watched with apprehension as the concentrated effort by the divine and arcane division tried in vain to suck the very life force out of the notorious Tarrasque. </p><p></p><p> Danae studied the fight as well, though at a more clinical level. “Maybe that was once true, but perhaps the Tarrasque underwent mutation since then.”</p><p></p><p> Tal groaned. “Pull back our forces. There’s no sense in getting them killed out there. We need another plan.”</p><p></p><p> “Um, I don’t think we do,” Robin awkwardly added as he pointed out to the battlefield. “It looks like Galatron and the rest of the celestials are charging at the Tarrasque already.”</p><p></p><p> “Not this again,” Tonaca angrily replied. She glared at Bath, “What’s with you people and reckless charges?”</p><p> </p><p> Bath shook her head, “Well, I got back okay. I’m sure Galatron can do the same. He is a Solar after all.”</p><p></p><p> Unfortunately, her optimism was misplaced. No sooner did the group reach the Tarrasque than it charged and brutalized their most reckless member, the unfortunate Zethar. Once again, his need to prove himself was fatal, as he almost immediately fell before the monster’s claws!</p><p></p><p> As expected, Bath was again in the air and about to assist in the fight, but this time Bas was apparently ready for her. A swarm of demons rose up from secret gaps in the battlefield to swarm her. None of them were any real threat to Bath, but they kept her busy while the fight resolved itself. After Zethar’s death, the remaining three celestial warriors had more luck at the creature. On more than a half-dozen occasions, one of them was eaten alive, only to burst out of the creature’s chest moments later! But it seemed to have little effect on the beast. Finally, just as it was almost ready to collapse, it roared in fury and charged one last time at Quercus and Shekuldellstra, who were both heavily wounded at this point and retreated long enough to heal their wounds. Just before the monster reached the injured siblings and likely would have killed them, Galatron interposed himself between them and the beast. It slowed the beast, but at a heavy cost, as the enraged Tarrasque managed to bite Galatron in half! </p><p></p><p> Furious, Quercus and Shekuldellstra surged up and finally defeated the monster, and then turned to their dying father. “Why?” an anguished Quercus asked. “We were finally a family again!”</p><p></p><p> “No, Quercus,” Galatron weakly said with the last of his strength. “My sins have been too great. I never would be the solar, the paragon of virtue and mercy, that I once was again. Too much of me died the day my wife did, and my actions from then on were inexcusable. I abandoned you, Shekuldellstra, and while I am glad to see the man you have become, I had you for all the wrong reasons. It’s time for me to rest, and what better reason could I have than saving my children? Now, it’s time for the two of you to live your own lives. I know you’ll make me proud…”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> “I never thought I’d say this, but why couldn’t we be fighting undead?” General William Bullorn, the official Ruler of Armies of Delaspie, asked as he watched the next threat arriving on the battlefield. “I had my fill of dragons for a lifetime.”</p><p></p><p> Sure enough, a flight of dragons almost as large as the ones from Dragovigis had arrived, but there was something fundamentally “wrong” about these dragons. Danae realized it instantly. “Those dragons are not from our world! They’re fiendish sub-species that only originate from the lower planes. I suspect Bas recruited them making deals with the fiendish eggs we discovered, much like she did with the force dragon.”</p><p></p><p> Tal, stricken once again with regret, asks, “Can Delaspie forces fight something like this?”</p><p></p><p> Tiana was grave. “We had plenty of experts on fighting dragons in the past, but most of them were killed in the war against the orcs. Our remaining soldiers mostly hail from our anti-undead forces. The only bright side is that many of them are paladins, so they should have some leverage against fiendish dragons. But I don’t think it’s enough…”</p><p></p><p> Indeed, the fight initially looked like it would be a rout. The Delaspie forces were fierce, but they just couldn’t fight an enemy as mobile and powerful as the dragons. </p><p></p><p> “Can’t we get our dragons in their?” Tiana finally asked in desperation.</p><p></p><p> “We can bring them in, but they suffered quite a few casualties earlier. Many of the survivors are still heavily wounded,” Danae replied.</p><p></p><p> “Maybe, but even if they can’t fight, they could still be helpful. I think I have an idea…” Tiana pondered.</p><p></p><p> A few minutes later, the Delaspie warriors appeared to be in full retreat. Eager to press their advantage, the demonic dragons surged on. Suddenly, the Delaspie forces emerged again, but on the backs of their own dragons. Unable to fight the fiendish dragons directly, the Dragovigis survivors instead served as transportation as they quickly maneuvered above the charging evil dragons. Eager to press their new advantage, the Delaspie warriors (along with Dane and Rudious,) leapt straight onto the backs of the dragons. They knew their casualties would be great, either from the initial falls, the battles on top of the dragons, or the inevitable crash landings most of them would have to endure when their enemies die, but they didn’t care. If this battle meant their home would be safe, then it was worth it.</p><p></p><p> For a moment, it looked like the desperate gambit worked. And then the force dragon arrived. It was larger than any dragon on either side, and it approached the fight with little but amusement in its eyes. As it neared the fight, the remaining warriors of Delaspie, and in fact the entirety of Methosilang’s side, suddenly grew still. The sheer awe of the dragon seemed to be enough to stop Methosilang’s advancement. </p><p></p><p> And then it flew over the giants.</p><p></p><p> In a matter of seconds, hundreds of stones flew up to strike the monster. Most of them missed or simply bounced off of the creature, but a few struck true. The dragon reeled, more from surprise than pain, and then decided to deal with this threat directly. She angrily dove at the giants, but she underestimated the anger the Dragovigis natives felt for her. After all, she was the one that led all of their defenders away, letting Bas invade and nearly destroy their home. The ignored their earlier wounds and took to the air as one. Surprised by this attack, the force dragon was forced to the ground, which was exactly what the giants wanted. As dozens of dragons and scores of giants descended on the suddenly helpless-seeming beast, Danae realized something. “This being is our enemy, but we should not be her killer.”</p><p></p><p> Tal looked outraged. “Why? She’s an ally of Bas.”</p><p></p><p> Danae shook her head. “An ally of convenience and nothing more. More importantly, I fear that if we kill her, we’ll attract the ire of her species. That’s the last thing our battered world will need. I have an idea.”</p><p></p><p> She went to speak to an emissary for the Arcane Division. Moments later, Jarrle teleported into the battle. “Dragon!” he yelled in the most melodramatic way possible. “I cast thee out of our plane! I invoke the power of shadows to drive you away!”</p><p></p><p> The dragon’s eyes widened in confusion, but quickly she seemed to understand. Unsurprisingly, she was unable to resist the effects of Jarrle’s magic.</p><p></p><p> “What was that about?” Robin asked.</p><p></p><p> “I figured Jarrle’s little speech would make my plan obvious to the dragon, and apparently I was correct. I doubt such a spell would have affected a dragon of this caliber unless she wanted it to affect her.”</p><p></p><p> “So now she’s gone home?” Tonaca asked.</p><p></p><p> Danae smiled. “Now she’s gone to the Semiplanar Rift. Anything beyond that is up to her.”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> This was the last thing Hestine needed today. By her own hand, her brother had died. Sure, he was a traitor and almost killed their sister, but he was still their brother. And now she was climbing up the back of a gigantic dire leopard as it was charging headlong through her army. When the creature reached the battle, she and the rest of her rogue’s contingent was the last group, save the Heroes of Methosilang themselves, who had the ability to stop it. Even so, many fell as they surrounded the creature and began to do what they did best on a massive scale: go for the vitals. The monstrosity that Phellis gave to Methosilang was a cat of inhuman, impossible proportions, but it was still a cat, and it still bled like every ordinary animal. Dozens of skilled rogues surrounded and even climbed on the creature, and it didn’t matter how small the weapons were compared to the cat when every strike severed an artery or sliced a tendon. Finally, as the wounded cat was nearing its last moments, Hestine had begun the long and arduous journey to the very top of the creature. Finally, she reached the head, and the next time the cat was momentarily distracted by another attack, she plunged her blade through a weak point in its skull, killing it almost instantly. The horrid beast collapsed to the ground, and she left the front lines for some rest and recovery. She wasn’t the most traditional princess or servant of her nation, but she was loyal and would do anything to protect it from destruction. That didn’t mean she had to like it.</p><p></p><p></p><p> Even after the death of the last of Bas’ champions, the battle was far from over. For almost a day, the two armies continued their war before Bas’ forces were finally routed. Many of her cultists and other followers were merely captured when they tried to retreat or surrendered, especially the gray-robed ones thanks to the Heroes’ encouragement. The fiends and other more unusual monsters were killed to the last, however. As for the mechanical forces, they suddenly stopped operating near the battle’s end.</p><p></p><p> Finally, the army neared Bas’ valley, but there it stopped. Even the other champions of Methosilang and her allies would be of no use in the final battle. It was up to the Heroes from here on. As they neared the crater in the middle of the valley, and the head of Bas herself came into view, they realized they had one last guardian to get past before descending into the crater and fighting their greatest enemy. Once again, the creature once known as Grockith stood before them. </p><p></p><p> Tal looked at their former friend sadly as they drew their weapons. “Grockith, is there no other way to do this? We were allies once before. We could be so again.”</p><p></p><p> Grockith said nothing, but the strands of energy emerged from his body as he advanced on the party, giving all the answer he needed.</p><p></p><p> “Very well, then,” Tal sighed. “If it’s any consolidation, none of us wanted it to be this way.”</p><p></p><p> The party began the fight fiercely, but it was soon obvious that they were having the same trouble the orcs and dragons did. Even the strongest attack by Bath or Danae’s most devastating spell barely scratched him. Grockith, on the other hand, was easily damaging the party with seemingly living whips of pure energy and explosive blasts. Even when Danae put up her usual prismatic sphere to protect herself, Grockith was able to somehow shatter it with a few attacks! </p><p></p><p> “This is ridiculous!” Tiana panted. “It looks like it’s doing more damage to itself than we are to…” she stopped as she realized what she said. Indeed, the living energy that emerged from Grockith left horrible wounds whenever he attacked. It was as if he was using his own blood for his attacks.</p><p></p><p> The fight from here on was brutal but predictable. The party concentrated on healing and defenses while Grockith slowly destroyed himself with increasing rage and frustration. Finally, he appeared too weak to even attack, and the party put him out of his misery with a few final attacks. </p><p></p><p> “I hope you can finally return to your family,” Robin said as they party buried what little remained of their former comrade. “It wasn’t your fault you were stuck in this time.”</p><p></p><p> Finally, nothing stood in the way of the Heroes. With both fear of the upcoming battle and excitement that this would soon be finally over, they descended into the crater.</p><p></p><p> OOC Notes: Though not role-played normally, this last battle wasn’t strictly a work of fiction either. The players contributed some suggestions for the final battle’s tactics, and the other battles were largely determined by random rolling. I did occasionally made changes to those results for dramatic purposes, but you’d be surprised how often they felt right.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="LordVyreth, post: 2823031, member: 9626"] [b]The Final Battle: Warfare[/b] The party quickly moved to attack, but hesitated when he didn’t respond or try to fight back. In fact, he seemed unconcerned about the attack at all! “Ah, well done,” the ghost of Khaspar replied. “Yes, an attack on me is pointless, and you really can’t afford to waste your resources as this crucial point, now can you? My stay on this plane of existence comes from unfinished business I have. Until that business is complete, I cannot be permanently destroyed.” “And what is your unfinished business?” Tal demanded. Khaspar laughed. “That’s my little secret. But have no fear. I’ve washed my nonexistent hands of this entire war. You and Bas can destroy each other for all I care. I just think it would be amusing to watch this exercise.” With that, he vanished, at least for the moment. Frustrated but aware that they had bigger concerns, the party prepared themselves for the war. After all, compared to what they expected on this day, the remains of a long defeated enemy were negligible. Thousands of feet below, the fight had begun. So far, it was hard to determine a real winner. The Methosilang forces had the edge in numbers, but Bas’ army was more power overall with its fiendish regiments and highly trained fanatics. But Methosilang had the greatest of trump cards: its champions. Bath, Tal, Robin, Tiana, Tonaca, and Danae were among the greatest heroes this eon had ever known, and while they were mostly busy just keeping the army organized, they also took the time to wipe out entire enemy legions by themselves! Still, even they couldn’t defeat all of Bas’ specially designed minions and shock forces by themselves. The war would come down to how effective the special forces of both sides were used. These thoughts were going through the head of the trained pilots of the aerial, mechanical battle insect (or helicopter, as we’d call it,) as they oversaw the battlefield. They were the first of the special forces Bas called, and they were currently entering the field of battle. As expected, the roar of victory could be heard from their side, and the cries of despair echoed throughout their enemies. The pilot smiled and tested some of the heli-insect’s weaponry on the massed army. The missiles launched and created dozens of gaps in the Methosilang forces where brave warriors once stood. The screams intensified, and for good reason, the pilot thought. With the press of a button, this weapon could unleash the power of countless fireballs! And that was just the test run. Once the helicopter got a little closer, it could release its bomb payload and begin to strafe the army with the Vulcan cannons. The pilot was so engrossed in the future plans that he didn’t even notice that many of the screams of terror were much closer than the enemy soldiers. In fact, they were coming from inside the copter itself! Finally, the pilot noticed and whirled around to notice that they were under attack, in a way. More precisely, the ship was swarmed with what appeared to be dozens, if not hundreds, of fey creatures! They weren’t attacking exactly; they were just interfering with every little mechanism in the vehicle. The pilot was just about to call for help when he heard a “Hey, what does this button do?” coming from behind him at the ship’s terminal. His last thought, before he suddenly and violently reunited with his army’s ground forces, was regret that they didn’t have time to finish repairing the parachutes with the rest of the helicopter’s equipment. “It…can’t be!” Tal gasped. But there could be no doubt. Lancaster Stael, the traitorous prince of Methosilang, had not only escaped. He somehow made his way back to Bas and renewed his service to his dark goddess! “Heroes of Methosilang, I’m glad we could meet again!” the warrior sneered as he and his new mount, a strange horse of ever-shifting colors and elemental properties, tore through the rows of soldiers! Almost instantly, the knights of Methosilang, led by Amira Stael, began to move. It was clear that this time the eldest daughter of the Stael’s would waste no time in finally ending her treasonous kin. The heroes watched her ride towards the battle, seemingly without objection at first. “It does seem appropriate,” Tonaca admitted. “I agree,” Robin replied. “If anyone deserves to finish this fight, she does.” Suddenly, Danae, who had been watching the fight carefully, shot up. “No!” she screamed. “We can’t let her near him! We know what a monster Lancaster is when mounted. He almost killed Galeron with one strike of his lance! And besides, he’s riding a madness horse. I’ve heard about them before. They warp the very world around them with their insanity. Pillars of fire, fields of ice, clouds of death, anything is possible when fighting them.” “What do we do, then?” Bath replied. Thinking quickly, Tiana shouted to a messenger, “Bring the gun division on alert immediately! Shoot him down before Amira can get near him!” The messenger quickly passed the order on, and the two enemies could meet, Lancaster was suddenly showered with a hail of bullets. His mount reared up and he Lancaster briefly hesitated. It was clear he expected to meet with his sister as well, and he wasn’t prepared for this intrusion. “Excellent work,” Lerissa encouraged her soldiers. “Now, second team, fire!” The second division quickly aimed in on their distracted enemy. Setisth was the first to get a perfect shot. Grinning her toothy reptilian grin, she quickly moved to pull the trigger. It would be the last thing she ever would do. Suddenly, twin explosions appeared in the center of the rifle division. Suspecting invisible targets, Methosilang’s clerics entered the area and purged invisibility, revealing Lancaster’s two allies. One was a clearly insane mechanical halfling, and the other was a human bedecked in crystals. He appeared to be reluctant and regretful for his actions, but did not hesitate in continuing his attack. Soon, a second volley of magic left the hand of the halfling, while the human seemingly didn’t do anything, and yet strange energy still pulsed through the rifle division’s ranks. “Talos and Palfrin?” Tal said with anger and a hint of disbelief. “But they hate each other. Are they that desperate to defend their goddess?” The gunners desperately continued their attack, but it was too late, for the knights had reached the battle and Lancaster met Amira. The battlefield echoed with their attacks, but Talos, Palfrin, and Lerissa ignored it. Senseless with rage from the death of her soldiers, Lerissa switched targets and focused on Talos and Palfrin. When he hesitated for just a moment, Palfrin was suddenly riddled with first Lerissa’s, and then dozens of other bullets. His lifeless body crashed onto the battlefield as Lerissa rapidly reloaded and then began the attack on Talos. The evil halfling’s luck finally ran out, and he joined his former master Khaspar in death, though his journey to the afterlife proved much faster. Meanwhile, just as Danae feared, Lancaster gained the advantage on his sister. After dismounting her, Lancaster, quickly turned his horse around for one last, fatal charge. However, just as he was about to start the charge, he felt a sword pierce right through his chest. He turned around in disbelief to find Hestine glaring at him with rage and regret. “You won’t hurt my family any more,” she growled. Lancaster chuckled, “I suppose not,” before his own life faded away. Lerissa, who had watched the fight’s final moments, cheered and fired at the madness horse, ending its chaos on the battlefield as well. She was just about to lead her survivors to the rear of the battle for medical aid when she joined the casualties of the fight. Before anyone could notice at her death, let alone react, Devlin escaped into the melee of the battle. His new master was dead, the half-vampire realized, but he did not die without being avenged. “What is it this time?” Tal asked in despair. A swarm of strange, beetle-like insects he didn’t recognize had suddenly dashed to the front of the Bas forces, taking a few surprised and quickly killed cultists with them. Everyone, as if on cue, turned to Danae. “They’re…Consumers I believe. This is not good. They get stronger with every attack they absorb and more fierce with every kill. We have to destroy them, and as quickly as possible.” “Who do we have near that side of the battlefield?” Tonaca asked. “Our divine casters, I think,” Robin replied. “You know, Shanna, Elayna, and Thorrun?” Tal shuddered. “We already lost friends in this fight. I don’t know if Galeron can ever forgive us if his mother and best friend die as well.” Tonaca asked, “They’re not exactly the best fighters among us. Do they even have anything that can kill these monstrosities quickly?” Danae shook her head. “I don’t think so. Their bodies are engines of perfect destruction. No simple death spell stands much chance of affecting them. This could take a…” Her last word was interrupted, however, by a blast of unearthly music. The clouds above the horrible insects parted, and a single beam of light struck the lead Consumer. Moments later, a second and third bolt enveloped the remaining insects. In an instant, all of them were pulled upwards and out of the plane, never to be seen again. “…huh,” was all Tal could get out. “Well, it makes sense,” Tiana said with a faint smile. “If you have to fight the Termites of the Gods, it makes sense to actually use the Gods to deal with them.” “Things appear to be going badly for Bas, wouldn’t you say, Khaspar?” Tal casually asked their spectator. Khaspar shrugged. “It is of no concern to me, but I wouldn’t be so quick to celebrate. Do you know where Bas found those things? They were in storage in a wooden box. So far, all that she’s sent have been failures and toys she’s salvaged, and you’ve had to waste your most powerful magic and lost some of your finest soldiers to stop them. Wait until she uses some of her more powerful soldiers. Ah, these are a fine example of what I mean…” From far above, a flight of dark-winged creatures landed in the middle of the battlefield. Amira, who had just gotten healing and returned to the front lines, quickly saw the new enemy and charged. “See, Khaspar? We’ll have no trouble with whatever demons Bas sent us this time.” Tal grinned. “Don’t be so certain. These are no demons. They are…” But Bath was already aware and screaming, “No, don’t get any closer! Those aren’t demons! They’re celestials!!” It was too late. Amira had neared the enemies and was about to attack when she realized the same thing. The captain of this supposedly holy brigade, a planetar of great beauty and strength, held his hands out, suggesting he wanted to avoid combat. “My good woman, why would you raise your weapon to us? Do we not share the same beliefs, the same goddesses?” Amira, struck dumb by this shocking turn of events, could only stammer out the start of an explanation. Bath had enough. She spread her wings and took off in the direction of the fight. “No, Bath, don’t! We need to save our strength for Bas!” Tiana protested, but she knew it was futile. Unfortunately, Bath’s actions were too late to save Amira. Desperate to force this situation to make sense, she didn’t notice the other fallen celestials surrounding her until it was too late. As one, they descended on her, killing the shocked paladin with ease. The rest of her division, the spell of the celestials broken, engaged the rest of the dark angels just as Bath tackled the planetar captain. “I don’t suppose you’re named Allishira?” she asked him as they fought. The planetar, though he knew his fate was likely sealed, could only smile. “I’m afraid not. You’re thinking of my master. I believe you’ll be seeing him soon.” “I believe I will,” Bath agreed, as she finished the traitorous representative of her own kind. To nearly any sane being in the universe, the next force that Bas sent against the force of Methosilang would be awe-inspiring in its power. Balors and Pit Fiends, the most powerful of the demons and devils and normally known for their seething hatred of each other, were walking side by side. Following them was a countless army of mariliths, cornugons, nalfeshenee, gelugons, and many lesser demons and devils. Scattered among them were yugoloths of all levels of strength and the more independent and unique fiends like raskshasa, night hags, and the bizarre “outsider” fiends like swift prides, lipidos, and canor factums. The army of so many united monsters appeared unstoppable, and it certainly consisted of some of the most powerful beings on the plane. Fortunately, the Methosilang forces had an army of even more powerful beings. The sky darkened as dozens of dragons, their metallic or gem-colored scales gleaming in the liberated sun whenever it shone in the gaps of the dragon’s flight, descended on the fiends. As the largest dragons engaged in battle against dozens of fiends at once, smaller dragons like Zuriden zipped between the behemoths while repeatedly blasting the unholy spawn with their destructive breaths. On the ground, Rudious and Deladane stood back to back and fought the strongest generals of the division alone. In a matter of minutes, the dragons returned, roaring in triumph. There were casualties, and none of the dragons got away without any injuries, but the fight was easily in the dragon’s favor. If anything, it appeared that the worst injuries Rudious and Dane would suffer would come from them fighting each other over who gets to keep the head of the largest balor as a trophy. “Venym, what can you tell us about this threat?” Danae asked with a hint of reluctance in her voice. For the first time since the battle started, the new threat was something she couldn’t recognize. It looked vaguely technology-themed, which would explain why she didn’t know about it, but she consulted with the Dragovigis dragons, and not even they had any idea what it was. That made her feel a little better, but her pride was still hurt. “I was with Bas when they first began to work on that project. Affliction led the work, unsurprisingly. I believe they were calling it a ‘war-mech,’ though I doubt that’s the technical term for it. It’s sort of a giant iron golem, but using technology. It’s supposed to be absolutely full of weaponry, and it came from a more advanced civilization than that helicopter you destroyed earlier. It’s also fully automated, so even if you can get your fey allies to attack it safely, there are no controls for them to tamper with.” Danae took this information back to the party to figure out the best way to stop this monstrosity. Surprisingly, Tiana was the first to arrive at a solution. “I think we’re looking at this the wrong way. We don’t have to understand the creature’s exact weak point. I think the laws of nature have given us all the weaponry we need.” Tiana explained her plan, and Danae happily ordered the arcane division to the battlefront. The mech confidently continued across the battlefield, its force fields blocking most of the magic artillery its new enemies used on it. The attacks would eventually penetrate its shields, but even if the robot was capable of expressing concern, it felt no need to do so. At its rate of movement, it would be able to bring its targets in range of its many weapons in a matter of moments. From there, its attackers would be quickly destroyed. It’s only difficulty at this point was the amount of calculating effort it required to even process the physically impossible attacks. It was so caught up in understanding its enemies, in fact, that it didn’t notice its forward motion was practically nullified until it was far too late. The wizards, seeing their plan succeed, let out an untraditional cheer. While Damien led a decoy attack at the mech, an army of slightly lesser wizards transmuted the ground under the mech into a pit of mud. The mech soon learned the problems of concentrating so much mass into so little space, and it sunk up to its waste almost instantly. Unable to move, the wizards effortlessly circled around the mech, attacking it with magic until first its force field and then its entire body were completely obliterated. “I don’t understand. I heard you could defeat this monstrosity by draining its strength from it,” Tiana said with frustration. She watched with apprehension as the concentrated effort by the divine and arcane division tried in vain to suck the very life force out of the notorious Tarrasque. Danae studied the fight as well, though at a more clinical level. “Maybe that was once true, but perhaps the Tarrasque underwent mutation since then.” Tal groaned. “Pull back our forces. There’s no sense in getting them killed out there. We need another plan.” “Um, I don’t think we do,” Robin awkwardly added as he pointed out to the battlefield. “It looks like Galatron and the rest of the celestials are charging at the Tarrasque already.” “Not this again,” Tonaca angrily replied. She glared at Bath, “What’s with you people and reckless charges?” Bath shook her head, “Well, I got back okay. I’m sure Galatron can do the same. He is a Solar after all.” Unfortunately, her optimism was misplaced. No sooner did the group reach the Tarrasque than it charged and brutalized their most reckless member, the unfortunate Zethar. Once again, his need to prove himself was fatal, as he almost immediately fell before the monster’s claws! As expected, Bath was again in the air and about to assist in the fight, but this time Bas was apparently ready for her. A swarm of demons rose up from secret gaps in the battlefield to swarm her. None of them were any real threat to Bath, but they kept her busy while the fight resolved itself. After Zethar’s death, the remaining three celestial warriors had more luck at the creature. On more than a half-dozen occasions, one of them was eaten alive, only to burst out of the creature’s chest moments later! But it seemed to have little effect on the beast. Finally, just as it was almost ready to collapse, it roared in fury and charged one last time at Quercus and Shekuldellstra, who were both heavily wounded at this point and retreated long enough to heal their wounds. Just before the monster reached the injured siblings and likely would have killed them, Galatron interposed himself between them and the beast. It slowed the beast, but at a heavy cost, as the enraged Tarrasque managed to bite Galatron in half! Furious, Quercus and Shekuldellstra surged up and finally defeated the monster, and then turned to their dying father. “Why?” an anguished Quercus asked. “We were finally a family again!” “No, Quercus,” Galatron weakly said with the last of his strength. “My sins have been too great. I never would be the solar, the paragon of virtue and mercy, that I once was again. Too much of me died the day my wife did, and my actions from then on were inexcusable. I abandoned you, Shekuldellstra, and while I am glad to see the man you have become, I had you for all the wrong reasons. It’s time for me to rest, and what better reason could I have than saving my children? Now, it’s time for the two of you to live your own lives. I know you’ll make me proud…” “I never thought I’d say this, but why couldn’t we be fighting undead?” General William Bullorn, the official Ruler of Armies of Delaspie, asked as he watched the next threat arriving on the battlefield. “I had my fill of dragons for a lifetime.” Sure enough, a flight of dragons almost as large as the ones from Dragovigis had arrived, but there was something fundamentally “wrong” about these dragons. Danae realized it instantly. “Those dragons are not from our world! They’re fiendish sub-species that only originate from the lower planes. I suspect Bas recruited them making deals with the fiendish eggs we discovered, much like she did with the force dragon.” Tal, stricken once again with regret, asks, “Can Delaspie forces fight something like this?” Tiana was grave. “We had plenty of experts on fighting dragons in the past, but most of them were killed in the war against the orcs. Our remaining soldiers mostly hail from our anti-undead forces. The only bright side is that many of them are paladins, so they should have some leverage against fiendish dragons. But I don’t think it’s enough…” Indeed, the fight initially looked like it would be a rout. The Delaspie forces were fierce, but they just couldn’t fight an enemy as mobile and powerful as the dragons. “Can’t we get our dragons in their?” Tiana finally asked in desperation. “We can bring them in, but they suffered quite a few casualties earlier. Many of the survivors are still heavily wounded,” Danae replied. “Maybe, but even if they can’t fight, they could still be helpful. I think I have an idea…” Tiana pondered. A few minutes later, the Delaspie warriors appeared to be in full retreat. Eager to press their advantage, the demonic dragons surged on. Suddenly, the Delaspie forces emerged again, but on the backs of their own dragons. Unable to fight the fiendish dragons directly, the Dragovigis survivors instead served as transportation as they quickly maneuvered above the charging evil dragons. Eager to press their new advantage, the Delaspie warriors (along with Dane and Rudious,) leapt straight onto the backs of the dragons. They knew their casualties would be great, either from the initial falls, the battles on top of the dragons, or the inevitable crash landings most of them would have to endure when their enemies die, but they didn’t care. If this battle meant their home would be safe, then it was worth it. For a moment, it looked like the desperate gambit worked. And then the force dragon arrived. It was larger than any dragon on either side, and it approached the fight with little but amusement in its eyes. As it neared the fight, the remaining warriors of Delaspie, and in fact the entirety of Methosilang’s side, suddenly grew still. The sheer awe of the dragon seemed to be enough to stop Methosilang’s advancement. And then it flew over the giants. In a matter of seconds, hundreds of stones flew up to strike the monster. Most of them missed or simply bounced off of the creature, but a few struck true. The dragon reeled, more from surprise than pain, and then decided to deal with this threat directly. She angrily dove at the giants, but she underestimated the anger the Dragovigis natives felt for her. After all, she was the one that led all of their defenders away, letting Bas invade and nearly destroy their home. The ignored their earlier wounds and took to the air as one. Surprised by this attack, the force dragon was forced to the ground, which was exactly what the giants wanted. As dozens of dragons and scores of giants descended on the suddenly helpless-seeming beast, Danae realized something. “This being is our enemy, but we should not be her killer.” Tal looked outraged. “Why? She’s an ally of Bas.” Danae shook her head. “An ally of convenience and nothing more. More importantly, I fear that if we kill her, we’ll attract the ire of her species. That’s the last thing our battered world will need. I have an idea.” She went to speak to an emissary for the Arcane Division. Moments later, Jarrle teleported into the battle. “Dragon!” he yelled in the most melodramatic way possible. “I cast thee out of our plane! I invoke the power of shadows to drive you away!” The dragon’s eyes widened in confusion, but quickly she seemed to understand. Unsurprisingly, she was unable to resist the effects of Jarrle’s magic. “What was that about?” Robin asked. “I figured Jarrle’s little speech would make my plan obvious to the dragon, and apparently I was correct. I doubt such a spell would have affected a dragon of this caliber unless she wanted it to affect her.” “So now she’s gone home?” Tonaca asked. Danae smiled. “Now she’s gone to the Semiplanar Rift. Anything beyond that is up to her.” This was the last thing Hestine needed today. By her own hand, her brother had died. Sure, he was a traitor and almost killed their sister, but he was still their brother. And now she was climbing up the back of a gigantic dire leopard as it was charging headlong through her army. When the creature reached the battle, she and the rest of her rogue’s contingent was the last group, save the Heroes of Methosilang themselves, who had the ability to stop it. Even so, many fell as they surrounded the creature and began to do what they did best on a massive scale: go for the vitals. The monstrosity that Phellis gave to Methosilang was a cat of inhuman, impossible proportions, but it was still a cat, and it still bled like every ordinary animal. Dozens of skilled rogues surrounded and even climbed on the creature, and it didn’t matter how small the weapons were compared to the cat when every strike severed an artery or sliced a tendon. Finally, as the wounded cat was nearing its last moments, Hestine had begun the long and arduous journey to the very top of the creature. Finally, she reached the head, and the next time the cat was momentarily distracted by another attack, she plunged her blade through a weak point in its skull, killing it almost instantly. The horrid beast collapsed to the ground, and she left the front lines for some rest and recovery. She wasn’t the most traditional princess or servant of her nation, but she was loyal and would do anything to protect it from destruction. That didn’t mean she had to like it. Even after the death of the last of Bas’ champions, the battle was far from over. For almost a day, the two armies continued their war before Bas’ forces were finally routed. Many of her cultists and other followers were merely captured when they tried to retreat or surrendered, especially the gray-robed ones thanks to the Heroes’ encouragement. The fiends and other more unusual monsters were killed to the last, however. As for the mechanical forces, they suddenly stopped operating near the battle’s end. Finally, the army neared Bas’ valley, but there it stopped. Even the other champions of Methosilang and her allies would be of no use in the final battle. It was up to the Heroes from here on. As they neared the crater in the middle of the valley, and the head of Bas herself came into view, they realized they had one last guardian to get past before descending into the crater and fighting their greatest enemy. Once again, the creature once known as Grockith stood before them. Tal looked at their former friend sadly as they drew their weapons. “Grockith, is there no other way to do this? We were allies once before. We could be so again.” Grockith said nothing, but the strands of energy emerged from his body as he advanced on the party, giving all the answer he needed. “Very well, then,” Tal sighed. “If it’s any consolidation, none of us wanted it to be this way.” The party began the fight fiercely, but it was soon obvious that they were having the same trouble the orcs and dragons did. Even the strongest attack by Bath or Danae’s most devastating spell barely scratched him. Grockith, on the other hand, was easily damaging the party with seemingly living whips of pure energy and explosive blasts. Even when Danae put up her usual prismatic sphere to protect herself, Grockith was able to somehow shatter it with a few attacks! “This is ridiculous!” Tiana panted. “It looks like it’s doing more damage to itself than we are to…” she stopped as she realized what she said. Indeed, the living energy that emerged from Grockith left horrible wounds whenever he attacked. It was as if he was using his own blood for his attacks. The fight from here on was brutal but predictable. The party concentrated on healing and defenses while Grockith slowly destroyed himself with increasing rage and frustration. Finally, he appeared too weak to even attack, and the party put him out of his misery with a few final attacks. “I hope you can finally return to your family,” Robin said as they party buried what little remained of their former comrade. “It wasn’t your fault you were stuck in this time.” Finally, nothing stood in the way of the Heroes. With both fear of the upcoming battle and excitement that this would soon be finally over, they descended into the crater. OOC Notes: Though not role-played normally, this last battle wasn’t strictly a work of fiction either. The players contributed some suggestions for the final battle’s tactics, and the other battles were largely determined by random rolling. I did occasionally made changes to those results for dramatic purposes, but you’d be surprised how often they felt right. [/QUOTE]
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