PART II
Jamison now stood with a cold blade pressing against his throat. He had no spells, no plan, and no defense. Most especially, he had no excuse for Dartan to not murder him right there. He’d certainly earned anything the fallen paladin could do to him. He’d murdered their friends, along with Erasmus. Just turned and killed them in cold blood.
The power of the Temple of Elemental Evil had warped them both to its will and made them murderers. He and Erasmus fled, attacking each other as they did. In the years after that, he hid from the light and did horrible things. A tear squeezed from one of his terrified eyes and rolled over Dartan’s hand.
“Now you’ve come to kill me. Brought some little friends to do it, I see. Well, your friends are well taken care of… so I’m free to relish this. I’ve been looking forward to it long enough,” Jamison squealed as Dartan put the knife to his jugular. Dartan’s whisper was like old leather being stretched. “Goodbye, murderous traitor. I’ll see you in Hell.”
“NAN-NY!!!” The construct’s enraged buzzing distracted Dartan from his work. The others were on the ground, wheezing from the blow of the swinging log. Nanny had no lungs to knock the breath from, and he was the first to recover. He sat up. His eyes blazed bright orange. The swinging log lazily came back towards him, slowing as it swung freely back and forth. Nanny stood up into it, spreading his arms out, smashing it to a million tumbling toothpicks. “NAN-NY SMAAAAASH!!!” He turned to Dartan and began stomping towards him. “MAN HURT KIZZ-LORN! MAN DIE! NAN-NY DESTROY!!!”
Not much scared Dartan. He’d faced down Imix, prince of the elemental plane of fire. He’d met his own father in mortal combat. He looked at Nanny and cursed, then ducked as an enormous metal fist flew at him. It bashed Jamison aside and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
Dartan rolled to his feet and stood, pulling his longsword and swinging it in a gleaming arc to meet Nanny’s next attack. CLANGG!! Dartan pivoted, jumped off a tree, and bashed Nanny in the face with his pommel. The blow would have killed an ordinary man. He landed and clashed two cuts against Nanny’s arms that were swinging in to meet him. The cuts were so powerful that chips of metal flew from the construct’s body. Nanny caught the next blow in his hand and held the sword, then flicked his wrist. Dartan’s own wrist broke from the strain with an audible crack. Nanny grabbed him and held him a massive bear hug. “Nan-ny CRUSH!!!” Dartan bared his teeth, arched his back, and whipped his head forward. It smashed into Nanny’s own head- KUNG! Again. KUNG!! Again. KUNG!! KUNG!!!
“Enough, Nanny, stop! Hold him!” Kizzlorn was shakily standing up. Nanny turned to look at her. His head was dented inwards, slightly, by the incredible power behind Dartan’s headbutts. One of his eyepieces was shattered and unlit. Dartan looked at her too. Blood cascaded down his brow, but he looked like he could easily go for more. “Whoever you are, we have you.” Her companions were picking themselves up behind her and readying for battle. “It’s five against one.”
He smiled at Kizzlorn, like a wolf. “No you haven’t.” He whistled, loudly and shrilly. Whistles returned to his from the woods around them. Kizzlorn and the others glanced about, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. “I don’t know where you and the wizard got Nanny,” he grunted, “but this scrap heap used to belong to a couple of friends of mine. If you’ve killed them, I’ll see to it that you die REAL slow.”
Kizzlorn kept her eyes to the woods and replied “I didn’t kill them.”
“If they aren’t dead, then why is a group led by Jamison Crow traveling with Nanny,” he asked with disdain.
“I didn’t say they weren’t dead- I said I didn’t kill them. They are dead. Nanny is mine. As for ‘Jamison Crow’, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you WILL give my friend a chance to speak in his defense before sentencing him to death, am I clear?”
He looked at her, really looked for the first time. “Kat. You’re… I mean… you must be… Damn me for a fool. What’s your name?”
She looked at him warily. “Kizzlorn.”
“Kizzlorn Spellforge.”
“That’s correct. You are Sir Dartan?”
“I am no ‘Sir’,” he spat. “I am Dartan.”
“We’ve been looking for you. First, I have to know you won’t attack Garren… or whoever you say he is.”
“He’ll kill us all,” Dartan said. “He’s a traitor.”
“No, he won’t. We’ll tie him up and watch him. Are you willing to cooperate?”
He grimaced and nodded. “I suppose so.”
“Nanny, put him down.”
Nanny lowered Dartan to the ground. He picked his sword up with his left hand and sheathed it. “Nova! Blaze! We’re going to the house on peaceful terms- remain alert!”
Kizzlorn tied “Garren” up and bound his mouth. Nanny carried him as they all walked towards the darkened cabin in the woods. As they got closer, they saw that it was adorned in the holy symbol of Pelor- fiery sun medallions. Orthos remarked “Religious man, huh?” Dartan chuckled and lit a torch as they got closer. Cobwebs and rust clung to each holy symbol, and were in grave disrepair.
“No,” Dartan the Godless replied with a growl.
More to come…