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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3208968" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 52 BETRAYALVaro’s announcement was met with a moment of stunned silence, followed by an outburst of exclamations. “What?  Are you mad?” said Talen.“No, you’re wrong!”  Allera said at the same moment.  “I’ve known him for years... he presided over my initiation ceremony!”“You had better have some strong evidence for your claim, servant of the Dark Creeper,” Aelos said, his normally calm expression now tight with anger.  “I have tolerated your presence for the good of the group, despite my contempt for your foul religion and its evil god.  I was expecting something like this from you... you seek to drive a wedge between us, to weaken us before we confront the masters of this place!”Dar said nothing, only watched the scene with his arms crossed before his chest, his club leaning against his body.Allera started forward toward Varo, but Talen blocked her with a hand.  “Explain yourself, priest,” Talen said, his voice tight.  Ignoring Aelos’s taunting words, Varo continued speaking in a calm voice.  “I was suspicious at first, but I considered that perhaps I was responding to the overall ambiance of Rappan Athuk a bit too strongly.  But there were a few parts of your story that just didn’t fit.”With all eyes on him, the cleric walked slowly along the wall.  “The first was how you tracked Marshal Tiros to us.  After we made our way back toward the Well, I realized that the distance between the two parts of the dungeon were too great for a locate object spell to function.”“I cast that spell from a scroll, penned by one of the most powerful members of the Church, the Patriarch Gaius Annochus,” Aelos said.  “I suppose he is a cultist of Orcus as well?”Varo acknowledged the comment with a wave.  “Perhaps.  But it is only one item, among several.  If I could make my entire case?” he said, with a nod to Talen.  “It will only take a few moments, and then you can debunk my crazy theories with more efficiency.”Talen nodded.  “Let him speak, Aelos.”The second thing of note—which I fully admit I did not see myself—was Argus’s description of how you “turned” the black skeletons near the Well.  Admittedly the late soldier was not an initiate of the divine mysteries, but the effect resembled more what I do, which is to force the creatures to abase themselves before a greater power.”“A power of evil,” Aelos said. Varo ignored the interruption.  “Those first few examples were not enough to convict you, naturally, but they did raise my suspicions.  I watched you very closely after that, and noted each time you cast a spell.  You know, I don’t believe I have ever seen you spontaneously cast a healing spell.”“Now, wait,” Talen said.  “He healed me, and the others, several times.”“It is not the same thing,” Allera said softly, clearly troubled.“No, it is not,” Varo continued.  “In fact, against the trolls, he clearly used an inflict wounds spell.  I did not say anything at the time, as in fact it is not specifically forbidden by the dogma of the Father’s church to use such magic in times of great need.  But the priest who seeks to do so must pray for such magic in advance, petitioning the Father to grant such foul magic to His servant.  One such as myself, the soldier of an “evil” faith, can of course call upon such power whenever needed, as long as energy remains within my reservoir of divine spells.”Allera’s expression became a touch more stricken, as she remembered the battle against the ogres, and Aelos dropping one of the creatures with a mere touch.“And there was the divination,” Varo said.  “A nice touch to take yourself a bit away from the others, even using me as an excuse.  But you were well within the range of a detect magic spell, which indicated that you cast no such spell at all.  I imagine that you might have gone to your true patron, but what was the need?  You knew where you wanted to take us, from the start.”Talen looked at Aelos, whose face had changed subtly, the muscles around his jaw tightening.  “That is your proof, cleric of lies?  Everything you have said is no evidence at all, just innuendo and circumstance placed in a web to denounce me.” “I agree, taken as a whole, it was not enough evidence to convict,” Varo said.  “That was why I deliberately held back in the battle against the wights.  I had to be certain... and when you “turned” them, this time in my presence, I knew for sure.”“At least you respected me enough not to bother with flashy, false effects; you knew I would see through whatever spell you normally used to simulate the holy power of the Father.  But one thing I can tell, ‘priest’, is the difference between negative energy and positive energy.”He turned to Talen.  “Ask her,” he said, indicating Allera.  “She knows, as well.”Talen’s face was cold as he looked at the healer.  “Allera?”She nodded. “I have to admit,” Varo said, “I have to respect someone who could clearly deceive...”Aelos broke for the door.  Dar, warned by Varo earlier, was instantly there to block him, his club ready to strike.  The cleric swerved and touched the fighter, pouring an inflict critical wounds spell into him.  Dar screamed as pure agony ripped through him, but he kept on the priest, swinging an off-balance swipe of his club that smashed the cleric in the arm.  The hit was a glancing one at best, but backed by the fighter’s augmented strength and the magic of the weapon, it still broke his arm. Talen was charging after them, but Aelos was already running for the door again.  He opened his mouth to shout, but nothing came out as Varo placed an aura of silence upon Dar. Aelos reached the door and started to pull it open, but before he could get it open enough to get through, Dar collided hard into him from behind.  Their impact slammed the door shut, and Dar smashed the priest’s face into the bronze fixture, breaking his nose and jarring loose a half-dozen teeth.  Aelos tried to break free, but managed only a feeble blow that Dar ignored as he pounded his fist into the priest’s face, wreaking more havoc with his appearance.  When Talen got to him, his role was more pulling the fighter off the cleric than helping to subdue him.  Aelos was out cold, but Varo insisted using gestures that they gag him before he released the silence spell. Dar pulled open the exterior door and glanced outside briefly.  “Another hallway,” he said.  “Nothing coming that I could see.”“I can’t believe it,” Talen said.  Tears ran down Allera’s face, but she held herself steady, not looking away from the broken and bloody figure of the man she had respected, and even loved. “Regardless of whether or not they heard us, some folks are going to be coming here sooner or later,” Dar said.“We don’t know if Aelos had warned them that we were coming or not,” Varo said.  “We need to fall back to someplace secure, consider our options, recover our strength.”“What about him?” Allera asked, indicating Aelos.“Bring him along,” Varo said.  “He may be able to help us further.  Do not let him regain consciousness; he may be able to take his own life.”“I can’t believe he fooled us all, for so long,” Talen said. Varo looked at him.  “It’s not hard to fool someone who wants to believe,” he said. Dar looked at the black streaks and bloodstains on the floor, and the damaged chests.  “They’ll know we were here,” he said. “There’s nothing to be done for that now,” Talen said.  “Varo’s right; we can’t stumble blindly ahead into what might be an ambush.  We need to fall back and regroup.”“What about what’s in those chests?”“It’s not worth getting killed over.  Leave it.”“We have oil.  I say we pile it all up, make a little bonfire.  Leave a message for those demon-worshipping bastards.”Talen appeared to consider the suggestion, but then shook his head.  “I share your sentiment, but it’s too risky.  There might be other traps like that poison gas, or the fire might end up filling the entire complex with smoke.  No sense in making more trouble for ourselves than we have to.”Dar shook his head, but didn’t reply. “Don’t worry,” Talen answered.  “We’ll get them.” Dar nodded, and took up the bound and gagged body of the priest.  With Varo leading, this time, the four remaining members of the Doomed Bastards retraced their steps, retreating back into the caverns and passages of Rappan Athuk.</blockquote>

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