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The Doomed Bastards: Reckoning (story complete)
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 4211066" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Glad you're enjoying the story, Vurt! </p><p></p><p>* * * * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 36</p><p></p><p>CONVICTION</p><p></p><p></p><p>The spinning pillars and their attached blades continued their constant whirr, blocking the passage as effectively as a solid stone wall. </p><p></p><p>Aerim removed his helmet. There was a long shard of stone, a part of one of the stone treants’ branches, jutting from his neck. The vicious puncture trailed a line of bright red blood down his chest. He reached up and groped at it, yanking it out as soon as he got a decent grip. His hands were slick with blood, and more oozed out of the wound as he withdrew the shard. Ghazaran started toward him, another of his healing wands in his hands, but the Duke held him at bay with a raised hand. </p><p></p><p>As they watched, the long trail of blood... <em>moved</em>, with fat drops of the red liquid flowing back up into the deep wound. The opening in his neck seemed to drink up the blood, closing as the last of it was reabsorbed back into the Duke’s body. </p><p></p><p>Aerim could not see what happened, but he could see the reaction on the faces of the others. He drew off his left glove. There was a deep cut on the back of his hand that ran from the web of flesh between his thumb and forefinger, back down almost to his wrist. Blood was smeared around it, but as he watched, all of the crimson fluid seeped back into the slash, which closed back up, leaving his skin unmarred. </p><p></p><p>“What did you do to me?” he said, staring at his hand.</p><p></p><p>“I brought you back from an eternity of torment,” Ghazaran said simply. “But the Bloodways are still a part of you. I told you that, when I brought you back to life.”</p><p></p><p>“And this,” the Duke said, clenching his fist, “This, you call <em>life</em>?”</p><p></p><p>“This is not the time to address this,” the cleric said. “But should we complete our mission, I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to purge the taint you bear from you. And then I will grant you the other reward that I promised.”</p><p></p><p>The Duke’s stare was cold and penetrating, but he said nothing. Ghazaran did not wilt under that scrutiny, and just stood there, the two connected by an invisible line. </p><p></p><p>“Um... we’ve got bigger problems here, guys,” Jasek said. The thief had moved cautiously up almost to the very edge of the reach of the spinning blades. Their passage caused his cloak to flare up around his body, and he was very careful not to let its flapping ends anywhere near to the blurring steel tips. “There is a pattern here, but the gaps are almost imperceptible. And the pillars are interconnected, and spin in different directions; one screw up and you get stuck in between them, and carved into pieces.”</p><p></p><p>Ghazaran broke the contact between him and Aerim, and looked at the Seer. “You can transport us across?”</p><p></p><p>The wizard’s expression was dubious. “I can take five, no more. The warlock can obviously handle itself, but that still leaves six.”</p><p></p><p>Ozmad started to say something, but Aerim was already walking forward. Ghazaran opened his mouth to shout something, but the words were lost as the Duke stepped into the reach of the spinning blades. For a moment, the knight moved in a blur that seemed to echo the passage of the deadly steel, and then he was through the first gap, darting ahead out of the reach of the first gauntlet of pillars. </p><p></p><p>The others watched, transfixed by the scene, as the Duke made his way to the second set of deadly blades. He slowed for the barest instant, studying the pattern of spinning blades, and then he was diving through, against twisting his armored body to avoid the slashing blades. </p><p></p><p>For a moment, it looked as though he had a chance to escape the deadly circuit unscathed. But even as he dove forward through the deadly gap between the second pair of pillars, steel flashed, slicing hard into his right shoulder. They could see droplets of blood flicker in the air as they caught the light. Aerim turned and avoided being hurled back into the deadly zone betwixt the pillars, and staggered to the side, into one of the alcoves. He was drawn up short as another blade clipped his breastplate, hard enough to hurt, but not hard enough to knock him down. He took a step back and remained there in the nook, standing perfectly still in one of the narrow gaps between the blade arcs. </p><p></p><p>Ghazaran turned to the Seer. “Aid him.”</p><p></p><p>The wizard’s lips twisted into a faint sneer. “Give me one of the Tears, and I will consider it.”</p><p></p><p>Ghazaran looked back at Ozmad, but the elf looked slightly amused, if anything. “It would seem that our Duke has plans of his own,” he said. </p><p></p><p>Aerim crouched and darted forward again. He made his way past the third set of pillars, taking another hit, but getting past. He did not pause this time, and leapt forward into the last circuit of spinning blades. </p><p></p><p>“He’s going to make it,” Jasek said. But the Duke’s luck had been used up. A blade clipped his shoulder, hard, and then another caught him solidly across the body, knocking him back. Aerim was flung roughly into the deadly matrix between the sets of pillars. He hung there in the air, caught within a flashing storm of blades that rained down on him from multiple directions, holding him in place as they slammed hard into his body, twisting him around in a violent circle like some hapless child’s toy. </p><p></p><p>“Well, so much for the Duke,” the Seer drawled.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 4211066, member: 143"] Glad you're enjoying the story, Vurt! * * * * * Chapter 36 CONVICTION The spinning pillars and their attached blades continued their constant whirr, blocking the passage as effectively as a solid stone wall. Aerim removed his helmet. There was a long shard of stone, a part of one of the stone treants’ branches, jutting from his neck. The vicious puncture trailed a line of bright red blood down his chest. He reached up and groped at it, yanking it out as soon as he got a decent grip. His hands were slick with blood, and more oozed out of the wound as he withdrew the shard. Ghazaran started toward him, another of his healing wands in his hands, but the Duke held him at bay with a raised hand. As they watched, the long trail of blood... [i]moved[/i], with fat drops of the red liquid flowing back up into the deep wound. The opening in his neck seemed to drink up the blood, closing as the last of it was reabsorbed back into the Duke’s body. Aerim could not see what happened, but he could see the reaction on the faces of the others. He drew off his left glove. There was a deep cut on the back of his hand that ran from the web of flesh between his thumb and forefinger, back down almost to his wrist. Blood was smeared around it, but as he watched, all of the crimson fluid seeped back into the slash, which closed back up, leaving his skin unmarred. “What did you do to me?” he said, staring at his hand. “I brought you back from an eternity of torment,” Ghazaran said simply. “But the Bloodways are still a part of you. I told you that, when I brought you back to life.” “And this,” the Duke said, clenching his fist, “This, you call [i]life[/i]?” “This is not the time to address this,” the cleric said. “But should we complete our mission, I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to purge the taint you bear from you. And then I will grant you the other reward that I promised.” The Duke’s stare was cold and penetrating, but he said nothing. Ghazaran did not wilt under that scrutiny, and just stood there, the two connected by an invisible line. “Um... we’ve got bigger problems here, guys,” Jasek said. The thief had moved cautiously up almost to the very edge of the reach of the spinning blades. Their passage caused his cloak to flare up around his body, and he was very careful not to let its flapping ends anywhere near to the blurring steel tips. “There is a pattern here, but the gaps are almost imperceptible. And the pillars are interconnected, and spin in different directions; one screw up and you get stuck in between them, and carved into pieces.” Ghazaran broke the contact between him and Aerim, and looked at the Seer. “You can transport us across?” The wizard’s expression was dubious. “I can take five, no more. The warlock can obviously handle itself, but that still leaves six.” Ozmad started to say something, but Aerim was already walking forward. Ghazaran opened his mouth to shout something, but the words were lost as the Duke stepped into the reach of the spinning blades. For a moment, the knight moved in a blur that seemed to echo the passage of the deadly steel, and then he was through the first gap, darting ahead out of the reach of the first gauntlet of pillars. The others watched, transfixed by the scene, as the Duke made his way to the second set of deadly blades. He slowed for the barest instant, studying the pattern of spinning blades, and then he was diving through, against twisting his armored body to avoid the slashing blades. For a moment, it looked as though he had a chance to escape the deadly circuit unscathed. But even as he dove forward through the deadly gap between the second pair of pillars, steel flashed, slicing hard into his right shoulder. They could see droplets of blood flicker in the air as they caught the light. Aerim turned and avoided being hurled back into the deadly zone betwixt the pillars, and staggered to the side, into one of the alcoves. He was drawn up short as another blade clipped his breastplate, hard enough to hurt, but not hard enough to knock him down. He took a step back and remained there in the nook, standing perfectly still in one of the narrow gaps between the blade arcs. Ghazaran turned to the Seer. “Aid him.” The wizard’s lips twisted into a faint sneer. “Give me one of the Tears, and I will consider it.” Ghazaran looked back at Ozmad, but the elf looked slightly amused, if anything. “It would seem that our Duke has plans of his own,” he said. Aerim crouched and darted forward again. He made his way past the third set of pillars, taking another hit, but getting past. He did not pause this time, and leapt forward into the last circuit of spinning blades. “He’s going to make it,” Jasek said. But the Duke’s luck had been used up. A blade clipped his shoulder, hard, and then another caught him solidly across the body, knocking him back. Aerim was flung roughly into the deadly matrix between the sets of pillars. He hung there in the air, caught within a flashing storm of blades that rained down on him from multiple directions, holding him in place as they slammed hard into his body, twisting him around in a violent circle like some hapless child’s toy. “Well, so much for the Duke,” the Seer drawled. [/QUOTE]
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