Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Forgotten Lore (Updated M-W-F)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7543054" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Happy New Year!</p><p></p><p>I will be traveling for the rest of this week. I will bring my flash drive, but if I am unable to find a computer I may not be able to post until Monday.</p><p></p><p>Today's post marks the end of Book 9 of the story. Book 10 is entitled, "Adventures on the High Seas." The story will conclude with Book 11, "A New World."</p><p></p><p>* * * * *</p><p></p><p>Chapter 239</p><p></p><p>Xeeta screamed as the intensity of the ritual shredded her senses. She could feel the Demon twisting inside her, both attracted to and fleeing from that raw energy. But bound and gagged as she was there was nothing she could do.</p><p></p><p>The blood from the bowls had risen again, forming columns of mist that were now coalescing within the circle. But instead of collapsing into a point, as it had with the ritual that had brought Rodan here, it was spiraling out into a circle. That circle was rotating, faster now as Kalev’s chant intensified. Sparks of lightning flashed within it, and for a moment Xeeta’s vision blurred. There was <em>something</em> beyond that circle, something that she knew and feared.</p><p></p><p>Then everything snapped back to clarity and a figure stepped through the circle into the chamber.</p><p></p><p>It was huge, standing twice the height of a man, looming over both the prisoners and the wizard. The link of heritage that it shared with the captives was obvious in the massive horns that jutted from its head, the sharp teeth that filled its jaws, the fiery cast to its mottled flesh. But other than those similarities in form was utterly alien in form and demeanor. Vast wings spread out from its back as it emerged from the portal, and a tail tipped with a vicious stinger curled up over its shoulder. Its legs were backwards-jointed, and ended in gnarled pads tipped with twin claws.</p><p></p><p>It brought with it a massive fork with tines that glowed cherry-red. A scent of brimstone swirled around it as it looked down at the man who had summoned it.</p><p></p><p>The devil spoke. Xeeta could hear its voice not as sound but as a reverberation within her skull. She looked over at Rodan, but he still had not stirred.</p><p></p><p><em>You step above yourself, mortal,</em> it said.</p><p></p><p>“Mighty Calaxthes, I have summoned you to fulfill our compact and restore our alliance,” Kalev said. He looked a little ragged around the edges, Xeeta thought, but his eyes burned with fevered intensity as he stared up at the huge fiend.</p><p></p><p><em>You have supremely bad timing, foolish wizard. You threaten a precarious equilibrium with your actions.</em></p><p></p><p>Kalev blinked. He seemed a bit taken aback, but he quickly rallied and said, “I have prepared an offering…” He gestured toward Xeeta, who felt a sudden cold chill pierce to the core of her being.</p><p></p><p>That cold was replaced by an intense wave of heat as the devil shifted its attention to peer down at her. The creature barked an audible laugh. <em>The fate of worlds hangs in the balance, and you have brought me here to </em>rut?</p><p></p><p>A flutter of wings drew Xeeta’s attention up in time to see the wizard’s imp materialize out of thin air. “Master!” the noxious thing screeched. As it noticed the devil it stopped suddenly and prostrated itself in mid-air. “Great One! Apologies for interrupting! The twins are defeated, and the enemy approaches!”</p><p></p><p>“You must protect me!” Kalev said.</p><p></p><p>Calaxthes fixed the full might of his presence upon the wizard. <em>Must?</em></p><p></p><p>“You must complete a service before you return to your home plane!” the wizard said. His voice sounded tinny and weak against the sheer might of the devil, but Xeeta could feel the power that radiated from his diminutive form. That power, augmented by the circle, was clearly holding the fiend in check. Bound to the ritual, she felt like she was witnessing a silent but no less violent battle being fought.</p><p></p><p>With that context, she didn’t immediately notice the other new arrival, not until a familiar voice called out, “Xeeta!”</p><p></p><p>A few minutes ago, that shout would have unleashed a flood of relief, but now she only felt terror on his behalf. She twisted her head as far as her bonds permitted, but could only catch a glimpse of Bredan out of the corner of her eye, partially obstructed by the shimmering outline of the circle and its massive occupant. But there was no mistaking him, not with that shimmering sword that seemed to glow in the wan light of the ritual chamber. She tried to move, to warn him, but the chains barely let her shift her limbs, and her gag only allowed a sad sound that she doubted was even enough to let him know she was there. Inwardly she was shouting, <em>You cannot defeat this foe! Stay back, don’t enter the circle!”</em></p><p></p><p>But she knew her friend, and was not surprised when he lifted his sword and charged.</p><p></p><p>What did surprise her was when the devil retreated against that rush, recoiling against the far side of the circle. At first, she though it was just luring him in, giving him room to seal his fate, but when Bredan swung his sword it actually tore a shallow gash in the infernal monstrosity’s leg. A thin trickle of black ichor fell from the wound to sizzle and hiss against the floor of the chamber.</p><p></p><p>Bredan lifted his sword to strike again, but the devil caught his swing on its fork, trapping the steel between the thick tines. It spoke to him, and again Xeeta could hear its words in her mind. <em>I do not seek war with your master, mortal</em>.</p><p></p><p>Bredan snarled. “I am my own master!” He tried to free his trapped blade but could not overcome the leverage granted by the fiend’s size and strength.</p><p></p><p>The devil’s expression changed. <em>So be it</em>, it said. It reared up, knocking Bredan’s sword from his grasp. It flew across the room, clattering into one of the open pipes. The devil bent low, its tail flicking up toward the warrior’s face. But Bredan merely lifted a hand and summoned a <em>shield</em> that intercepted the deadly spike.</p><p></p><p>Calaxthes didn’t give him a chance to recover, sweeping his fork back around to come under his guard. Bredan tried to dodge, but the devil’s weapon caught him a solid blow to the side, one of the tines penetrating through his armor to savage his flesh. The sheer force of the impact drove him back several paces.</p><p></p><p><em>Flee while you can, mortal</em>, the devil’s voice intoned.</p><p></p><p>In that moment, Bredan’s gaze shifted. He met Xeeta’s eyes. She’d been wrong; he’d known she was there all along. She shook her head, tried to send a message, but he only nodded. He understood, but he wasn’t going to stop.</p><p></p><p>He extended his hand, and his sword appeared once more in his grasp. “This isn’t your realm,” he said to the devil. “<em>You</em> flee, and you may yet live.”</p><p></p><p>Xeeta didn’t get a chance to see Calaxthes’s response. As she shifted in her bonds again, she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. At first, she thought it was Rodan, but when she turned her head she saw that it was Kalev. The wizard, staying to the shadows around the edge of the room, was circling around for a more advantageous angle toward Bredan. His hand came up, and his mouth began to move.</p><p></p><p>Trapped by her bonds, Xeeta could do nothing to stop him. Gagged as she was, her wrists manacled tightly together, she could not even summon a cantrip. But she could feel the Demon within her, awakened by the ritual. Held at bay, a prisoner just like her.</p><p></p><p>Or perhaps…</p><p></p><p>For once she didn’t stop to think. Bredan had seconds at best; if the devil didn’t kill him, then the wizard would. She cast her awareness inward, and embraced the Demon.</p><p></p><p>All of sudden her perceptions changed. She could still make out the outlines of the devil, the wizard, and her friend, but they were all vague and indistinct. A bright mist surrounded her, filling her vision with diffuse light.</p><p></p><p>She rose to her feet, the belatedly realized that this <em>should not be possible</em>. She looked down at her hands. They seemed solid enough, but the manacles that had held her now seemed hazy, as if they weren’t really there. She quickly reached up and tore the gag from her mouth.</p><p></p><p>Xeeta did not get a chance to explore this strange new reality, for just as suddenly as she’d been cast into it, she was thrust back into her own world. Her surroundings took on solidity again, and she looked over just as Calaxthes hurled a bolt of fire at Bredan. The warrior met it with his sword and it shattered, spraying him with tongues of flame. But as he swung the sword the fire clung to it, forming a blazing arc as he swept it toward the devil.</p><p></p><p>Xeeta did not hesitate. She was free, and her magic surged at her command. She didn’t try anything fancy, just unleashed a stream of flames at the wizard. It was obvious that Kalev’s focus on the ritual did not give him the luxury of maintaining his ward against magic, for the <em>burning hands</em> scorched his robes and seared his flesh. The wizard let out a scream but disappeared in a flash of silver light before Xeeta could follow up with a second attack. She looked up at the devil. Calaxthes was turned away from her, but she instinctively knew that her fire would have no effect against it. Instead she ran toward the limp form of Rodan.</p><p></p><p>Glori, Quellan, and Kosk reached the ritual chamber to see a scene of utter chaos before them. Bredan was standing on a raised platform in the center of the floor, battling a huge horned fiend that looked like it had been conjured out of a nightmare. They could just make out a smaller figure moving around the far side of the platform, and then, appearing to their right in a silver flash, a gaunt figure in a blackened robe.</p><p></p><p>“Wizard!” Glori warned.</p><p></p><p>“Help Bredan, I’ll deal with him!” Kosk said.</p><p></p><p>Xeeta collapsed next to the limp form of Rodan. She pulled hard on his shackles, but if anything, the chains were thicker than the ones they’d used to confine her. She did not know how she had managed her own escape, and doubted that she could use that power on another person in any case. She had her magic back, but anything that might have a chance of weakening the shackles would likely also kill the imprisoned tiefling.</p><p></p><p>She’d thought that he was unconscious, but when she looked down at his face, she saw him looking back up at her.</p><p></p><p>“Get out of here,” he said.</p><p></p><p>“Without you, never,” she said.</p><p></p><p>Kosk moved quickly, but the wizard saw him coming. The dwarf had covered only half of the distance that separated them when Kalev took a step to the side and lifted his hand. There was a flash, and then pain as a <em>lightning bolt</em> lanced out toward him. Kosk managed to avoid the worst of it, but even the glancing impact he absorbed was enough to overcome his battered body, and he once more collapsed to the floor. The full strategy of the wizard’s maneuver became clear as the bolt, continuing on its path, slammed into Quellan. The half-orc, too, fell, his armored body making a loud clatter as it tumbled into the shallow trench that circled the outer perimeter of the room.</p><p></p><p>Glori had been rushing to help Bredan, but on seeing her two companions taken out she turned and rushed back to aid the fallen cleric.</p><p></p><p>Bredan was finding himself hard pressed. Thus far the devil seemed to be toying with him, though he’d managed to inflict two more wounds that dripped long trails of ichor down its body. But its attacks in turn were devastating, the massive fork battering him through his armor. He could feel blood trickling out from the puncture in his side and knew that he could not stand up against this foe for much longer. He’d heard his friends come in behind him, but saw the flash of the wizard’s spell and the loud clatter that said that whatever it was, it had found a target. He tried to look past the devil to where he’d seen Xeeta earlier, but she was gone.</p><p></p><p>He looked up to meet the fiend’s awful gaze again, and saw the truth of how this would end in its eyes. It held its fork at the ready, waiting for him to make his decision.</p><p></p><p>There was a time when he would have been paralyzed with terror, facing such a thing. But the events of the last year had changed him, beyond whatever effects the Libram had stirred with its magic.</p><p></p><p>He raised his sword again and charged.</p><p></p><p>The blazing flare of the <em>lightning bolt</em> tore Xeeta’s attention back to the battle taking place in front of her. She saw the wizard, but also saw both Kosk and Quellan go down. A slight form that had to be Glori rushed toward the stricken cleric. Bredan was somehow still on his feet, but the devil looked to be hardly fazed by the scratches he’d managed to inflict upon it.</p><p></p><p>Kalev cackled at the successful effect of his spell.</p><p></p><p>The sight of that awoke a fresh fury within Xeeta. Thrusting herself up, she reached deep down once more, where her anger was answered by a blazing surge of raw power. Flames exploded from her hands, flames that she channeled into a series of <em>scorching rays</em> that she used to pummel the wizard. Empowered by the intensity of her rage, the beams washed over the already charred wizard, driving him back against the wall of the chamber. He threw up his hands and screamed as one, two, three surges of fire tore into him.</p><p></p><p>But he did not go down.</p><p></p><p>However, the glowing remnants of the rune circle in the center of the room, along with all of the candles that were still alight, abruptly winked out.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly cast into darkness, Bredan lashed out blindly at his foe. But his swing met only air. Badly off-balance, he felt an impact that launched him flying off the platform. He landed with a solid thud that knocked the air from his lungs and sent his sword clattering across the floor. He looked up into the darkness, expecting the thrust that would end his life.</p><p></p><p>That attack, however, never came. Xeeta could see what happened next clearly with her darkvision. She saw Calaxthes almost casually avoid Bredan’s swing and then kick him across the room. The devil then turned and made its way toward Kalev. The charred wizard didn’t see the fiend until it was almost on top of him, then he lifted his hands and screamed, “I only wish to serve!”</p><p></p><p>For the first time the devil spoke aloud. “And so you shall.” With a sweep of its fork it snapped up the wizard, his body pinned between the long tines. Kalev was still screaming as the devil returned to the center of the chamber, where a portal similar to the one that had conjured him suddenly swirled once more into being.</p><p></p><p>Calaxthes cast a final look around the chamber. His gaze lingered for a moment on Bredan. “Until we meet again,” he said. He started to enter the portal with his unwilling passenger, but his head pivoted one more time, looking down at Xeeta. She tensed, but the creature only inclined its head in a slight nod toward her.</p><p></p><p>Then Calaxthes stepped through the portal, and both the devil and the opening disappeared.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7543054, member: 143"] Happy New Year! I will be traveling for the rest of this week. I will bring my flash drive, but if I am unable to find a computer I may not be able to post until Monday. Today's post marks the end of Book 9 of the story. Book 10 is entitled, "Adventures on the High Seas." The story will conclude with Book 11, "A New World." * * * * * Chapter 239 Xeeta screamed as the intensity of the ritual shredded her senses. She could feel the Demon twisting inside her, both attracted to and fleeing from that raw energy. But bound and gagged as she was there was nothing she could do. The blood from the bowls had risen again, forming columns of mist that were now coalescing within the circle. But instead of collapsing into a point, as it had with the ritual that had brought Rodan here, it was spiraling out into a circle. That circle was rotating, faster now as Kalev’s chant intensified. Sparks of lightning flashed within it, and for a moment Xeeta’s vision blurred. There was [i]something[/i] beyond that circle, something that she knew and feared. Then everything snapped back to clarity and a figure stepped through the circle into the chamber. It was huge, standing twice the height of a man, looming over both the prisoners and the wizard. The link of heritage that it shared with the captives was obvious in the massive horns that jutted from its head, the sharp teeth that filled its jaws, the fiery cast to its mottled flesh. But other than those similarities in form was utterly alien in form and demeanor. Vast wings spread out from its back as it emerged from the portal, and a tail tipped with a vicious stinger curled up over its shoulder. Its legs were backwards-jointed, and ended in gnarled pads tipped with twin claws. It brought with it a massive fork with tines that glowed cherry-red. A scent of brimstone swirled around it as it looked down at the man who had summoned it. The devil spoke. Xeeta could hear its voice not as sound but as a reverberation within her skull. She looked over at Rodan, but he still had not stirred. [i]You step above yourself, mortal,[/i] it said. “Mighty Calaxthes, I have summoned you to fulfill our compact and restore our alliance,” Kalev said. He looked a little ragged around the edges, Xeeta thought, but his eyes burned with fevered intensity as he stared up at the huge fiend. [i]You have supremely bad timing, foolish wizard. You threaten a precarious equilibrium with your actions.[/i] Kalev blinked. He seemed a bit taken aback, but he quickly rallied and said, “I have prepared an offering…” He gestured toward Xeeta, who felt a sudden cold chill pierce to the core of her being. That cold was replaced by an intense wave of heat as the devil shifted its attention to peer down at her. The creature barked an audible laugh. [i]The fate of worlds hangs in the balance, and you have brought me here to [/i]rut? A flutter of wings drew Xeeta’s attention up in time to see the wizard’s imp materialize out of thin air. “Master!” the noxious thing screeched. As it noticed the devil it stopped suddenly and prostrated itself in mid-air. “Great One! Apologies for interrupting! The twins are defeated, and the enemy approaches!” “You must protect me!” Kalev said. Calaxthes fixed the full might of his presence upon the wizard. [i]Must?[/i] “You must complete a service before you return to your home plane!” the wizard said. His voice sounded tinny and weak against the sheer might of the devil, but Xeeta could feel the power that radiated from his diminutive form. That power, augmented by the circle, was clearly holding the fiend in check. Bound to the ritual, she felt like she was witnessing a silent but no less violent battle being fought. With that context, she didn’t immediately notice the other new arrival, not until a familiar voice called out, “Xeeta!” A few minutes ago, that shout would have unleashed a flood of relief, but now she only felt terror on his behalf. She twisted her head as far as her bonds permitted, but could only catch a glimpse of Bredan out of the corner of her eye, partially obstructed by the shimmering outline of the circle and its massive occupant. But there was no mistaking him, not with that shimmering sword that seemed to glow in the wan light of the ritual chamber. She tried to move, to warn him, but the chains barely let her shift her limbs, and her gag only allowed a sad sound that she doubted was even enough to let him know she was there. Inwardly she was shouting, [i]You cannot defeat this foe! Stay back, don’t enter the circle!”[/i] But she knew her friend, and was not surprised when he lifted his sword and charged. What did surprise her was when the devil retreated against that rush, recoiling against the far side of the circle. At first, she though it was just luring him in, giving him room to seal his fate, but when Bredan swung his sword it actually tore a shallow gash in the infernal monstrosity’s leg. A thin trickle of black ichor fell from the wound to sizzle and hiss against the floor of the chamber. Bredan lifted his sword to strike again, but the devil caught his swing on its fork, trapping the steel between the thick tines. It spoke to him, and again Xeeta could hear its words in her mind. [i]I do not seek war with your master, mortal[/i]. Bredan snarled. “I am my own master!” He tried to free his trapped blade but could not overcome the leverage granted by the fiend’s size and strength. The devil’s expression changed. [i]So be it[/i], it said. It reared up, knocking Bredan’s sword from his grasp. It flew across the room, clattering into one of the open pipes. The devil bent low, its tail flicking up toward the warrior’s face. But Bredan merely lifted a hand and summoned a [i]shield[/i] that intercepted the deadly spike. Calaxthes didn’t give him a chance to recover, sweeping his fork back around to come under his guard. Bredan tried to dodge, but the devil’s weapon caught him a solid blow to the side, one of the tines penetrating through his armor to savage his flesh. The sheer force of the impact drove him back several paces. [i]Flee while you can, mortal[/i], the devil’s voice intoned. In that moment, Bredan’s gaze shifted. He met Xeeta’s eyes. She’d been wrong; he’d known she was there all along. She shook her head, tried to send a message, but he only nodded. He understood, but he wasn’t going to stop. He extended his hand, and his sword appeared once more in his grasp. “This isn’t your realm,” he said to the devil. “[i]You[/i] flee, and you may yet live.” Xeeta didn’t get a chance to see Calaxthes’s response. As she shifted in her bonds again, she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. At first, she thought it was Rodan, but when she turned her head she saw that it was Kalev. The wizard, staying to the shadows around the edge of the room, was circling around for a more advantageous angle toward Bredan. His hand came up, and his mouth began to move. Trapped by her bonds, Xeeta could do nothing to stop him. Gagged as she was, her wrists manacled tightly together, she could not even summon a cantrip. But she could feel the Demon within her, awakened by the ritual. Held at bay, a prisoner just like her. Or perhaps… For once she didn’t stop to think. Bredan had seconds at best; if the devil didn’t kill him, then the wizard would. She cast her awareness inward, and embraced the Demon. All of sudden her perceptions changed. She could still make out the outlines of the devil, the wizard, and her friend, but they were all vague and indistinct. A bright mist surrounded her, filling her vision with diffuse light. She rose to her feet, the belatedly realized that this [i]should not be possible[/i]. She looked down at her hands. They seemed solid enough, but the manacles that had held her now seemed hazy, as if they weren’t really there. She quickly reached up and tore the gag from her mouth. Xeeta did not get a chance to explore this strange new reality, for just as suddenly as she’d been cast into it, she was thrust back into her own world. Her surroundings took on solidity again, and she looked over just as Calaxthes hurled a bolt of fire at Bredan. The warrior met it with his sword and it shattered, spraying him with tongues of flame. But as he swung the sword the fire clung to it, forming a blazing arc as he swept it toward the devil. Xeeta did not hesitate. She was free, and her magic surged at her command. She didn’t try anything fancy, just unleashed a stream of flames at the wizard. It was obvious that Kalev’s focus on the ritual did not give him the luxury of maintaining his ward against magic, for the [i]burning hands[/i] scorched his robes and seared his flesh. The wizard let out a scream but disappeared in a flash of silver light before Xeeta could follow up with a second attack. She looked up at the devil. Calaxthes was turned away from her, but she instinctively knew that her fire would have no effect against it. Instead she ran toward the limp form of Rodan. Glori, Quellan, and Kosk reached the ritual chamber to see a scene of utter chaos before them. Bredan was standing on a raised platform in the center of the floor, battling a huge horned fiend that looked like it had been conjured out of a nightmare. They could just make out a smaller figure moving around the far side of the platform, and then, appearing to their right in a silver flash, a gaunt figure in a blackened robe. “Wizard!” Glori warned. “Help Bredan, I’ll deal with him!” Kosk said. Xeeta collapsed next to the limp form of Rodan. She pulled hard on his shackles, but if anything, the chains were thicker than the ones they’d used to confine her. She did not know how she had managed her own escape, and doubted that she could use that power on another person in any case. She had her magic back, but anything that might have a chance of weakening the shackles would likely also kill the imprisoned tiefling. She’d thought that he was unconscious, but when she looked down at his face, she saw him looking back up at her. “Get out of here,” he said. “Without you, never,” she said. Kosk moved quickly, but the wizard saw him coming. The dwarf had covered only half of the distance that separated them when Kalev took a step to the side and lifted his hand. There was a flash, and then pain as a [i]lightning bolt[/i] lanced out toward him. Kosk managed to avoid the worst of it, but even the glancing impact he absorbed was enough to overcome his battered body, and he once more collapsed to the floor. The full strategy of the wizard’s maneuver became clear as the bolt, continuing on its path, slammed into Quellan. The half-orc, too, fell, his armored body making a loud clatter as it tumbled into the shallow trench that circled the outer perimeter of the room. Glori had been rushing to help Bredan, but on seeing her two companions taken out she turned and rushed back to aid the fallen cleric. Bredan was finding himself hard pressed. Thus far the devil seemed to be toying with him, though he’d managed to inflict two more wounds that dripped long trails of ichor down its body. But its attacks in turn were devastating, the massive fork battering him through his armor. He could feel blood trickling out from the puncture in his side and knew that he could not stand up against this foe for much longer. He’d heard his friends come in behind him, but saw the flash of the wizard’s spell and the loud clatter that said that whatever it was, it had found a target. He tried to look past the devil to where he’d seen Xeeta earlier, but she was gone. He looked up to meet the fiend’s awful gaze again, and saw the truth of how this would end in its eyes. It held its fork at the ready, waiting for him to make his decision. There was a time when he would have been paralyzed with terror, facing such a thing. But the events of the last year had changed him, beyond whatever effects the Libram had stirred with its magic. He raised his sword again and charged. The blazing flare of the [i]lightning bolt[/i] tore Xeeta’s attention back to the battle taking place in front of her. She saw the wizard, but also saw both Kosk and Quellan go down. A slight form that had to be Glori rushed toward the stricken cleric. Bredan was somehow still on his feet, but the devil looked to be hardly fazed by the scratches he’d managed to inflict upon it. Kalev cackled at the successful effect of his spell. The sight of that awoke a fresh fury within Xeeta. Thrusting herself up, she reached deep down once more, where her anger was answered by a blazing surge of raw power. Flames exploded from her hands, flames that she channeled into a series of [i]scorching rays[/i] that she used to pummel the wizard. Empowered by the intensity of her rage, the beams washed over the already charred wizard, driving him back against the wall of the chamber. He threw up his hands and screamed as one, two, three surges of fire tore into him. But he did not go down. However, the glowing remnants of the rune circle in the center of the room, along with all of the candles that were still alight, abruptly winked out. Suddenly cast into darkness, Bredan lashed out blindly at his foe. But his swing met only air. Badly off-balance, he felt an impact that launched him flying off the platform. He landed with a solid thud that knocked the air from his lungs and sent his sword clattering across the floor. He looked up into the darkness, expecting the thrust that would end his life. That attack, however, never came. Xeeta could see what happened next clearly with her darkvision. She saw Calaxthes almost casually avoid Bredan’s swing and then kick him across the room. The devil then turned and made its way toward Kalev. The charred wizard didn’t see the fiend until it was almost on top of him, then he lifted his hands and screamed, “I only wish to serve!” For the first time the devil spoke aloud. “And so you shall.” With a sweep of its fork it snapped up the wizard, his body pinned between the long tines. Kalev was still screaming as the devil returned to the center of the chamber, where a portal similar to the one that had conjured him suddenly swirled once more into being. Calaxthes cast a final look around the chamber. His gaze lingered for a moment on Bredan. “Until we meet again,” he said. He started to enter the portal with his unwilling passenger, but his head pivoted one more time, looking down at Xeeta. She tensed, but the creature only inclined its head in a slight nod toward her. Then Calaxthes stepped through the portal, and both the devil and the opening disappeared. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Forgotten Lore (Updated M-W-F)
Top