Dala is spun round and sees a horrible, barbed and leering face staring into his for just a moment before the creatures head twitches and a slimy, stinking beard is smeared across his face. Sickened by the chilling, disgusting feel of the slime covering his nose and mouth he staggers back as he is released and the barbed devil leaps for Arilyn.
Meanwhile, on the stairwell the fight has not been going well. Most of the hobgoblin fiends have managed to bypass the grease spell, and several flanking attacks drop Trajan bleeding to the floor. Anne-Marie is also clearly in a bad way. Then a bolt of lightning flashes from the pulsing orb of light in the centre of the room, and arcs from one to another of the fiends down the stairwell, crisping them in turn.
Arilyn cries out as the barbed devil starts to rip into her, and across the room K’tan focuses his mind, draws as much power to himself as he can and launches a stunningly effective Concussion. The Barbed devil had not been able to completely recover from Lysanders earlier attack, and the psychic hammerblow shatters its chest cavity.
The body doesn’t stop writhing until Garamon the celestial floats across and incinerates it with beams of light.
All eyes except those of Lysander are on the majestic celestial floating amidst them. It reaches out with its power and heals each in turn of their wounds, with the sole exception of Lysander – who unfazed by the tremendous presence of the creature refuses to bow his head or accept aid from any other-planar creature which is not sworn to the service of his master, Asura.
The villagers are released from the library, and the healing power of Garamon sweeps over them, cleansing them from the horrible fiendish life which had been growing within each of them. There are many tears and sobs of relief all round.
Then the awareness of the celestial turns once more towards Dala.
“YOU ARE SEALED TO ME BY BARGAIN AND BY BLOOD”
Dala waits.
“I WILL EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF MAGIC, BUT YOU WILL DO MY BIDDING WHENEVER I SEND TO YOU”
“How will I know…?” Dala begins – but the celestial presence vanishes from before his eyes. He doesn’t feel any different yet, but he is sure that something important has happened here today.
Lysander takes charge again. “right, let’s get these villagers out of here and away to safety – and lets do it smartly”
They descend from the tower together…
)
