Shackled City Epic: "Vengeance" (story concluded)

[Lazybones]

Chapter 419

“Keep firing!” Cal enjoined, his own magic temporarily neutralized by the beholder’s gaze. “Once your missiles pass out of the cone, the enchantments on them will return!” And indeed, the barrage was having an effect, with both Lok and Arun scoring additional hits that appeared to penetrate the beholder’s hide. Fat gobs of blood fell from its body now, splattering with a hiss on the ground below.

A scuffling noise from a nearby ally between two damaged buildings drew Cal’s attention around. A mad-eyed dwarf appeared and rushed at him, his intent clear even before he leapt at the gnome, hands outstretched. Cal quickly sidestepped the charmed commoner’s rush, unwilling to injure this hapless pawn of the beholder’s will. Lok glanced his way, but Cal only pointed up at their foe, a grim look on his face.

A rush of air atop the battlements announced Dana’s summoning of a huge air elemental. She instructed it in Auran, and the creature darted almost straight up into the air. Vhalantru could temporarily banish it simply by lifting its gaze, she knew, but that would reopen it to magical attack from the enemies below.

The beholder, meanwhile, had ceased its approach, slowly gaining more altitude as it settled into an ideal range for its own attacks. Whatever its rebirth had done to its mind, it seemed no less canny an adversary than when it had fought them before, in the dark undertunnels of Oblivion. But one thing was clear; it had come back far tougher than it had been before. Already it had absorbed more damage than had killed it in their first confrontation, and it only seemed to get more enraged with each arrow or spell that drove through its defenses.

Its approach had brought the enemies on the battlements within the range of its eye-rays. It blasted Arun the blue ray that it had used against Morgan a moment ago, lifting the dwarf from his feet and hurling him back roughly over the battlements. It was a long fall to the ground below, and an even longer walk to the nearest opening in the wall; for the moment Arun was out of the fight.

“Try that with me, you bastard!” Beorna said, firing another arrow. But Beorna had yet to injure the beholder, and it focused its attention upon more dangerous foes.

It found one of those in Dana, who stood her ground as Arun was blasted away just a few feet from where she stood. She called upon the goddess, summoning a column of flame down from the sky that descended onto the body of the beholder. Her spell overcame its spell resistance, and while it was resistant to fire, it could not absorb the divine energies infused in the flame strike. Snarling in pain, it blasted Dana with a pair of beams, but the priestess was strong in both mind and body, and she resisted both effects.

Mole had come into the battle knowing that mere invisibility wasn’t going to help her remain unseen against this adversary. Thus, as soon as they’d appeared she darted around the edge of the nearest building, moving closer to the beholder while staying out of its direct line of sight. It had taken her about twenty seconds to get to where she was now, crouched under a water trough almost directly under the creature. Silent as a mouse, she cocked her crossbow, and took aim.

The beholder shuddered as Dana’s air elemental slammed into it from above, blasting it with solid blows of ultraconcentrated air. The elemental was a powerful creature, but unfortunately it lacked the resistances of the adventurers, and it could not resist as Vhalantru almost casually disintegrated it.

The beholder roared in pain as it took another pair of hits; another powerful shot from Lok’s longbow, accompanied in the same instant from a shocking bolt from Mole’s crossbow. It spun its body, lifting the gaze of its central eye higher, settling it purposefully upon Dana, who was forced to abort a second flame strike. As Dana set out in a run along the wall, trying to get out of the radius of its antimagic cone, the beholder fired its eye-beams at Lok and Mole. Lok was struck by its fear ray, and despite his considerable mental strength he could not overcome Vhalantru’s power. Even as the genasi fled the beholder fired another pair of rays down at Mole. The gnome darted behind the cover of the water trough as the first ray struck it, disintegrating it. As she was revealed she leapt back, avoiding a second ray that blasted a long scorch across the muddy ground where she’d been standing an instant before.

“Nyah, nyah!” she shouted up at it, firing another bolt from her crossbow before tumbling into the cover of a nearby doorway.

Saureya, meanwhile, had reappeared, covered in dust from his forced landing. His expression was strangely detached as he leapt again into the air, but he’d gained barely thirty feet of altitude before several of eye-beams lanced into him. One cut a swath of rent flesh across his shoulders, inflicting a painful wound. The second was the fear ray that had already taken two of the beholder’s enemies out of the fight. The deva was likewise affected, and it aborted its attack to fly off, departing the battlefield.

“Run, little angel!” the beholder chortled.

Cal had been grappled by the charmed dwarf, but as soon as Vhalantru’s gaze had shifted upward his protections returned, making the commoner’s efforts significantly more difficult. The gnome immediately teleported out of his adversary’s grasp, leaving the dwarf looking around in confusion. The gnome didn’t go far, reappearing under a porch he’d spotted a short distance down the street, out of the immediate view of the beholder.

Once there, he made himself invisible before sidling carefully into position, slowly moving forward until he could just see the lower half of the beholder’s body—without it being able to spot him.

Morgan had been stunned but not seriously hurt by his fall, and once the beholder lifted his gaze he was quickly leap into the air, carried aloft once more by the power of his celestial armor. But once again the beholder seemed to be waiting for this, blasting the cleric with a black beam that slammed into his chest with dark finality. With a scream Morgan barely overcame the fell power of the finger of death, and he flew up below it, his sword lancing out in a brilliant arc that opened a gash several feet long in its gruesome hide.

Now truly feeling the pain of the many attacks it had absorbed, Vhalantru spat a violent gibberish of curses and insane promises of wrath. It spun again, catching up Morgan in the effect of its central eye as the cleric turned for another attack. Once more he was helpless to stop it as the power of his armor faltered, and again he fell to the ground, landing hard on top of an overhanging porch attached to the front of a nearby house, crashing through it to land in a clatter of broken wood and clay tiles.

Meanwhile lancing rays of energy continued to blast out from the beholder in all directions. Beorna, frustrated at her inability to score a hit with her bow, had finally unleashed a searing light that had managed to overcome its spell resistance, but her reward was a barrage of beams that tore mercilessly into her. Bolstered by the mettle granted by her service to Helm, she was able to avoid being killed outright by its finger of death, but its sleep ray overcame her, and she slumped down behind the battlements, blissfully unconscious.

Dana had moved into position for another flame strike, but she’d barely managed the first syllable of her invocation when Vhalantru found her with another beam, turning her to stone.

Mole had moved into position behind the building where she’d taken cover, and appeared just long enough to shoot the beholder with another shocking bolt, the missile disappearing into its body with a fizzing pop. The gnome stepped back into cover almost in the same instant, but Vhalantru had apparently been expecting this as well. Its disintegration ray sliced into the corner of the house, vaporizing a good portion of the surrounding wall. A moment later the blue telekinesis ray impacted the roof, directing the inevitable collapse of the building onto the spot where the gnome had just vanished.

Vhalantru’s laughter redoubled, reeking with its madness, the sound a terrible echo across the town as the beholder continued unleashing destruction all around it. It kept laughing until the moment when Cal blasted it with an empowered distintegrate, transforming the monstrous creature into a plume of fine dust that drifted down onto the ruins of Redgorge.

 

[Polynike]

woah what a fight...feel the tension, the fury, the horror the sheer powers involved
good writing

 

[Lazybones]

Hey, I saw that this thread just passed 50,000 views! Thanks to all my readers for making this the #6 story in terms of currently-active threads in this forum.

Watch out, (contact) and jonrog1!

Update tomorrow...

 

[Solarious]

Casualty reports!

Less than expected... Val took out a lot of his opposition by diving and conquering with fear and telekenesis rays. Such characters include Saureya, Dannel, Aurn ( ), Lok, and Morgan (who was also effectively neutralized with antimagic). Deaths include the Avoral, Dana (sorta), and possibly Mole, although her nigh-supernatural Reflex saves might get her out of that paricular mess. A moment of silence in advance if that was not the case.

...

Alright, we now need to rest up, recover from the -massive- beatings administered by Vhalantru, and move on the Carceri. Where much fun will be had by all.

I look forward to such fun, Lazy.

 

[Lazybones]

Chapter 420

Dana’s first words on being restored to living flesh were to the point.

“How many days?”

She was in a small, nearly empty room with wood paneling covering most of the stone walls. Other than a few mostly unpopulated bookshelves and a couple of well-worn armchairs, the room was empty. Cal and Lok were the only other ones there.

“Two days,” the gnome replied.

“Two days? Why so long?”

The gnome sighed, and sank back into one of the smaller chairs, designed for folk of his size. “Because that’s how long it took,” he said. “The power of the beholder’s magic was considerable, and I suspect significantly augmented since our friends last tussled with it. I was able to restore Arlintal and a few of the commoners who’d been petrified, but with you… it was as if some of the beholder’s essence lived on, fighting me. To be honest, I’d considered teleporting you to Waterdeep, to seek help from one of the Guild mages, or perhaps the Blackstaff himself.”

The priestess stretched her muscles, grimacing as her body experienced the strains of recovering from the transformation. “I’m sorry, Cal,” she said. “I just cannot help but think of what’s happening to Benzan, with each moment we spend here, delayed.”

The gnome nodded. “We do not help him by rushing blindly to our doom.”

“My mind recognizes the wisdom of your words, even as my heart rails against them,” Dana admitted. She sighed. “What else has transpired?”

“Morgan and Saureya have returned to Occipitus. The knight of Helm left this for you.” He handed her a small, thin metal device about six inches long, shaped like a dagger shorn of its hilt and crossguard. It was actually a slender fork, the two tines separated only by the barest of spaces.

“A focus for the plane shift spell,” Dana said.

Cal nodded. “It will allow you to take us to Occipitus, should the need arise.”

“From what the others have said about the place, it does not sound like a pleasant locale,” Lok said.

“The fallen deva believes that the power of the plane may revive the beholder again at some point, so long as Adimarchus continues to exert his madness beyond the confines of his prison,” Cal said.

“Wonderful,” Dana noted dryly.

“Arun and Beorna have been helping the people of Redgorge,” Cal said. “Nine people lost their lives in the attack, while over fifty were injured, some seriously.”

“It could have been much worse, had we not intervened,” Lok said.

“Is everyone else all right?” Dana asked. “Dannel, Mole?”

“Mole had a house dropped on her,” Cal said. “She broke a few ribs, but she healed up all right.”

“Then we are ready.”

“It would be better if we regained our spells, first. My higher valences have been focused upon the task of restoring you, and your spells are heavily depleted from the encounter with the beholder.”

“My plane shift is ready,” Dana insisted. “I had prepared two, so that we can return to the Prime if necessary.”

Cal met her eyes for several long seconds, then nodded. “Let us go get the others.”

 

[Solarious]

“Mole had a house dropped on her. She broke a few ribs, but she healed up all right.”

Best. Line. Ever.

Now what shall out heroes find out when they begin their visit to Carceri? I shall be waiting... eagerly waiting...

 

[Lazybones]

Chapter 421

Carceri.

Everywhere was devastation, from one horizon to the next, alternating between marshes fetid with the stench of rot, to blasted hills covered with razor-sharp black weeds that oozed poison from their tips, to cracked flatlands where wisps of toxic vapors swelled unpredictably from the ground. Above it all was the unchanging sky, its colors a mélange of blood and mud and foulness. In whole the place was unwelcoming, unpleasant, and inimical to long life.

But life did exist here. Demodands, the masters of the plane, tormenters and wardens and guardians of those condemned to this place. Other races of fiends were common, and even some other outsiders could be found, pursuing their own business. There were very few other indigenous species, most of which eked out a hard existence preying upon members of those other categories.

There were settlements scattered across the plane. Most were prisons, fortresses tall or squat, but alike in the cries of agony and madness that filled the air around them. There were no cities per se, but one could find the occasional safehold, a place where visitors and residents of the plane could meet to trade and deal, using any of the varied currencies of the planes where souls and magic were as important as coins and gemstones.

It was toward one of these sites that the companions from Faerûn traveled. Their conveyance was the large magical carpet that Cal had acquired, flying low over the ground, just high enough to avoid the obstacles of terrain that occasionally rose out of the blasted landscape. The carpet was loaded down almost to its maximum capacity, and it traveled barely further than a man’s brisk walk, but it did not cease, and they made good time toward the destination. Dana had cast her find the path spell shortly after their arrival; while the spell had since faded, they continued in the direction that it had indicated, toward the hold that the Harper researches had indicated might hold some answers for them.

“The Bastion of Lost Hope,” Dannel said, breaking a silence that had lasted for almost an hour. “It does not sound like a pleasant place.”

“Let Dana and myself do the talking,” Cal said. “I will see that we are all veiled to disguise our true natures, and my tongues spell will ease communication, if necessary. We’ve dealt with these sorts of creatures on their home planes before.”

“Arun, will you be okay with this?” Mole asked. “I mean, there’s bound to be a lot of nasty folks there who won’t like bumping elbows with a paladin.”

“I can… restrain myself,” he said, though his hand drifted to the hilt of his holy sword as he spoke.

“Even so, you may wish to wear that extra ring of mind shielding that we took from the Cagewrights after their little ambush,” Cal pointed out, holding up his own hand to indicate the silver ring there.

“What of Beorna?” Arun asked.

“I can ward myself,” the templar said. “Do not worry about my presence or actions spoiling your schemes; if necessary you can have we warriors represent ourselves as your bodyguards.”

“An excellent suggestion, and in line with my own thoughts,” Cal said.

“We’ve got company,” Dannel said, drawing their attention ahead and to the left, where a small speck was visible in the distance, flying at what looked to be a few hundred feet off the ground. The companions readied weapons and spells, and looked warily in that direction.

“What is it?” Beorna asked, stringing her bow. She’d replaced the compact weapon that had been so ineffective against Vhalantru with a full-sized longbow she’d purchased in the village. It was a bit crowded on the carpet, and Dana had to dodge back to avoid being poked in the eye with the weapon.

“Too far to tell,” Dannel said.

“Time to put on our disguises,” Cal said, casting his veil spell. “Remember your roles.”

“It just got a lot closer… I think we’ve been spotted,” Dannel said. And indeed it had suddenly just… shifted closer, maybe a thousand yards out, now, close enough to identify it.

“Vrock demon,” Dana said, somberly.

“Should we land and dismount?” Lok asked.

“Wait, let’s see if we can bluff past a confrontation,” Cal suggested.

“If it comes to a fight, we’ll be at a disadvantage, all squeezed together here,” Beorna pointed out.

“If need be, you and I can dismount,” Dana said to the genasi, casting her fly spell upon him. Her own magical boots offered the same means of mobility.

“I’ll take the carpet down, if it looks like trouble,” Cal insisted.

“More of them,” Dannel reported, although they could all see the two additional vrocks that had teleported in, flying now well off and above them, giving them a thorough examination from a safe distance.

Cal stood. “HINDER THE EMBASSY OF THE YUGOLOTHS AT YOUR PERIL, FIENDS!” he shouted, his voice greatly augmented by a ghost sound cantrip.

The vrocks did not appear fazed by the warning, continuing their lazy flight around them before all three teleported away.

“Think they bought it?” Mole said.

“That, or they’re getting help,” Dannel replied.

There was nothing to do but press on. Several nervous minutes passed without any sign of the demons. Finally, when they were starting to think that they’d escaped a confrontation, a massive demon nearly twenty feet in height appeared directly ahead of them, hovering in mid-air. It looked to be a humanoid cross between an ape and a boar, with tiny wings that nevertheless seemed quite able to keep it in the air. The vrocks had returned with it, six of them, now, flying a good distance above and around them. That wasn’t all; a quartet of demons had appeared on the ground below them, loping in pace with the carpet; hezrou demons with bloated bodies and toad-like visages. Cal reflexively brought the carpet to a halt, maybe thirty feet away from the demon blocking their path.

The nalfeshnee laughed. “I thought I would pay my respects personally, to the mighty ‘embassy’ of the Yugo…”

It never got a chance to finish, for Cal had quickly recognized the nature of the demon, and realizing that it possessed the ability to see right through their disguises, he shouted, “Take it!”

 

[Solarious]

Roll for initiative! For screaming awaits you.

 

[Neverwinter Knight]

Congrats on the viewcount, Lazybones. I believe your constant updates, interesting characters and good writing style are to "blame"...

This demon encounter might prove difficult - just good that they aren't on the demon's home plane!

 

[Lazybones]

Thanks, Neverwinter Knight! I appreciate the kudos. I haven't had any time to write at all the last few weeks, but luckily I still have a full backlog of chapters to post, for a while at least...

* * * * *

Chapter 422

As Cal spoke his command, his companions, ready for battle, immediately released their attacks. The demons were prepared for a confrontation as well, but in that first critical moment, the adventurers from Faerûn claimed an edge measured in fractions of a heartbeat.

Mole was by far the fastest of all of them, and even as Cal opened his mouth to shout his command the gnome had gauged the threat and lifted her small bow to fire. Her little bolts would not have done much against the huge demon, but before it could react she’d already fired a shot into its throat, the tiny missile all but vanishing into the thick folds of flesh gathered there. Clearly she’d had an effect by the way that the demon’s eyes widened and it roared in pain and outrage, but before it could counter she’d already slapped the string down and palmed a new bolt into place, lifting and firing in a motion that an ordinary crossbowman never could have managed. The second bolt struck within an inch of the first, adding to the demon’s discomfort.

But the nalfeshnee was a grandee of the Abyss, a potent beast indeed, and a few bolts, sneak attacks notwithstanding, were not going to take it out of the fight. It called upon some fell power, and an aura of multicolored beams of gyrating light sprang up around its body, rapidly building in intensity.

Cal, true to his word, commanded the carpet to descend, aware of the hezrous but knowing that their warriors would be seriously hampered in such a crowded space. As the nalfeshnee gathered its smite power the gnome used what was rapidly becoming his favorite tactic, an empowered disintegrate that lanced through the nimbus of lights into its fat form. The demon resisted being turned into ash, but even so the gnome’s ray cut an ugly black slash in its thick hide.

The vrocks screeched in anticipation of the fray, a sound echoed by the terrible croaks of the hezrou below. As the carpet descended, the hezrous leapt up in anticipation of tearing into its passengers. A few started to conjure unholy blights or chaos hammers, the better to soften up their prey.

All that ended, however, as Dana rose up above the carpet, her boots sprouting tiny magical wings, and spoke a holy word.

The four hezrous were instantly struck down, slain by the divine purity of the word. The nalfeshnee was very fortunate, its spell resistance barely holding against the power of the magic, but it swiftly draw back, quick to recognize that these foes, while not what they claimed to be, were nevertheless extremely dangerous.

Lok leapt off of the carpet a moment later, flying in a straight line toward the nalfeshnee. Arrows from Dannel’s bow sped past him, burying themselves into the demon. The elf was using the blessed white-fletched holy arrows, which struck the fiend with great effect. By the time that Lok reached it three arrows already pierced its chest, trailing ichor that ran down its body through its furry hide to fall in fat drops to the ground below.

Lok added his own voice to its troubles by swinging his axe at the creature’s head. Its reach far exceeded his, and its huge jaws snapped at him as he dove at it. Lok did not try to avoid the attack, twisting to the side as its tusks pounded his shoulder and side, and driving his axe down in a powerful arc that removed one of its ears.

The vrocks, meanwhile, had thus far avoided damage, well outside the radius of Dana’s spell. Mirror images appeared around several of them, while three dove down in a tight knot about eighty feet above them, twisting and gyrating in a complicated aerial dance that, whatever its purpose, clearly didn’t bode well for their enemies.

Arun and Beorna were the last to act. Beorna lifted her bow and took several shots at the nalfeshnee. The thing was so big that she could hardly miss, but her arrows were no longer aligned, and the shots merely stuck in its hide, doing little or no damage. Seeing that archery would not have much effect, Arun instead summoned a magic circle against evil, warding them against the dark powers wielded by the demons.

It was a timely gesture, for a moment later the rainbow hues dancing around the figure of the nalfeshnee exploded in a brilliant display of light. Each of the companions felt a sudden wave of disorientation as the lights twisted around them, creeping into them, filling them with whispers of terror and images of that which they feared most of all.

For the most part, their wills stood up to the barrage, but Dannel, Mole, and Lok all suddenly stiffened, dazed, their eyes wide with the horrors that they suddenly saw before them.

Screeching madly at the success of the nalfeshnee’s smite, the vrocks began to circle lower, claws outstretched.