Fighting the good fight
Beobarius galloped along the abandoned path, his bony frame and angular body moving with a precision and speed which would have surprised any onlooker. Atop him, Cedric cast a look at the sun, now westering right ahead of him.
We will barely make it at this speed, he thought,
And that too if Shikuna was right.
He leaned forward and patted the horse's sweat-streaked neck softly. "I am sorry, old friend. I know you are tired, but we cannot stop." He chuckled inwardly, and then said, "So, Bob, how about
really moving that celestial ass of yours?"
There was a short whinny in reply, followed by a mental message whose emotional overtones of amused irritation did not quite hide the love and respect beneath it, and then incredibly, Beobarius actually lengthened his stride. Paladin and steed raced into the sunset, their dark shadows streaming behind them like pursuing furies.
***
The only thing in the clearing was a decrepit old temple. Despite its evident age, the walls and roof were still upright and the vegetation seemed to have spared it strangely, not even any moss or ivy wreathing its walls. Just as strange was the complete silence in the clearing. The only signs of life were half a dozen figures looking up at the building.
Greed battled with caution in the eyes and voice of Caseith, anointed high priest of the Dark Fury, as he asked the figure standing beside him, "Are you sure this is the place?"
"Yes, Caseith," came the answer in a throaty purr which made even the simple statement seem like an invitation to carnality.
"Then, dear Alecto," said Caesith, "Why don't you lead the way?"
"Coward," said his companion laconically, before walking up the two broken steps to the doorway. Caseith did not respond, but a single gesture sent the four armored figures behind him moving forward after her.
Alecto reached forward and shoved, sending the door flying open. For a split second the others saw only darkness within and then light flared.
Cedric calmly dropped the torch onto the carefully prepared pile of oil-soaked wood he had prepared and the flames leapt up instantly, illuminating the doorway and the area beyond. On and below the steps leading to the door stood four armored figures, weapons in hand. Behind them stood another figure in similar armor, a scaled helm hiding his features, a cruelly barbed spear in his hand. Cedric mentally marked down the last as the greater danger, but his attention was focused on the singular figure standing in the doorway. The figure could have been that of an incredibly beautiful woman, perhaps the most beautiful he had ever seen, raven hair curling around an exquisite figure. Except for the half-spread bat-wings, that is.
Even as the succubus snarled in surprise, Cedric smiled at her and raised his sword in a mock-salute.
Six to one, he thought.
Not good. But perhaps...
"Greetings, lady," he said companionably, "Shall we dance? Unless your chaperones mind, that is."
The answering smile from Alecto was significantly less mirthful that his. "This fool is mine!" she spoke over her shoulder to those behind her.
"How kind of you," said Cedric, still holding the smile. "I'd ask you to have a drink, but I'm almost out." With his other hand he raised a bottle to his lips, draining the remaining liquor in it, still carefully keeping an eye on her. The heat of the alcohol burned into his throat even as the magic potion he had placed within did its work, preparing him for the battle.
With a sweep of her wings, Alecto hurled herself forward through the air, claws reaching for him. Having waited for exactly this moment, Cedric responded immediately, flinging the bottle into her onrushing face and following it with his slashing blade. The demoness screamed as the holy sword laid open her arm and Cedric swayed away from her talons.
But even as he did so, a bolt of ravening dark energy came flying through the door, slamming into Cedric and momentarily draining his strength. Though he took the blast stoically, it was just the distraction Alecto needed, and she was instantly on top of him. He managed to land another shallow wound before she was inside the sweep of his sword, claws digging into his shoulders, bearing him to the ground. Cedric struggled for a few moments against her magically enhanced strength, but the claws digging into his wrist finally forced him to drop the sword.
Think fast, moron! said Cedric to himself as he looked up into the snarling face. Steeling himself, he smiled up at her and stopped struggling. "Be gentle," he said. "This is my first time - with a succubus." The comment drew first a look of surprise and then an anticipatory leer. Exactly as he had been hoping, Alecto leaned over and kissed him.
The demoness felt her captive's energy drain and flow into her and she revelled in the feeling. As they always did, he went completely limp and helpless beneath the onslaught of her unearthly allure. Raising a hand to stroke the quiescent face, Alecto slid her tongue wetly into his mouth and suggested sweetly around it, "Wouldn't it be better to help me find it, so that we could stop fighting and explore ... other possibilities?"
Fool! she thought.
Nobody can resist my suggestions.
Cedric felt the waves of magical compulsion wash over his mind and body and laughed inwardly. This was his mind and body, and for years they worked in unison, neither conflicting with the other as the average person's - and paladin's - did. No demoness of the Pit could have any hold over him. He felt her tongue probe deeper into his mouth - and bit down.
Caught completely off-guard, Alecto tried to scream. The puny human's teeth should have had no effect on her demonic flesh, but they sheared through it with the same power and painful effectiveness of a celestial blade. Though she had a host of magical abilities at her command, all she could concentrate on was the incredible pain. With a strangled shriek she tried to scramble backwards, clawing desperately at Cedric. There was a moment of exruciating pain and she was free. Blood bubbling from her ravaged mouth, the succubus looked up, just as Cedric's holy sword came around in a shining sweep.
Alecto's headless torso collapsed and Cedric looked over it into the shocked eyes of those standing beyond the door. Then he turned to spit the first half of her tongue onto the ground, before flashing a brilliant smile and tapping his teeth. "Holy teeth," he said, companionably.
A befuddled Caseith gaped at this strange enemy. "You enchanted your
teeth?!"
"Hey, if you're expecting a succubus...," said Cedric, letting the sentence trail off into the obvious. Raising his sword into a ready position, he asked "Who's next?"
"KILL HIM!" shrieked Caseith in rage, hurling another spell at the paladin which he calmly deflected. The four armored figures hefted their weapons and charged. As the first of them burst through the doorway, stepping on a piece of flooring that Alecto had flown over during her attack, Cedric took a quick couple of steps and dived through the closest window, taking the cloak he'd hung over it with him. He hit the ground outside with a painful thump, but the sound was overshadowed by the thunder of falling masonry beside him.
Rising to his feet, Cedric looked with satisfaction at the almost completely crumbled ruin, momentarily shrouded in dust. As it settled, he saw that three of the walls he had worked carefully on had collapsed completely, taking the roof and part of the fourth wall with them. Only a boot protruding from beneath tons of stone revealed where the four attackers had been.
Caseith stared in amazement at the sight and then back at Cedric. "You TRAPPED it?"
"Obviously," was the calm answer. "Care to run?"
With a snarl, Caseith swung the spear in his hand to face Cedric. "I will take your body, paladin, and Soulstealer here will feast on your spirit."
"Fair enough," said Cedric, warily noting the black and red flames that ran up and down the barbed blade of the spear. "I, on the other hand, will kick your stupid ass, cut off your
ing head, give you a bloody decent burial and say prayers for your oh-to-totally-
ed-up soul."
Without a shouted curse, Caseith charged and the battle was on. Within moments of the start, Cedric knew he was somewhat outmatched. Even though his individual skill was lower, his enemy was literally bristling with magical protections. Even so, the odds might have been on the paladin's side, but the long ride and the battle with the succubus had tired him. Most worryingly, the dark spear seemed to anticipate his moves, almost guiding its wielder's hands to the perfect position every time.
Cedric fought on, stoically taking blows that he could not avoid and looking for an opening. Finally, Caseith stumbled and Cedric managed to catch him with a sweeping blow that should have cut him in half. But at the very last moment, the priest swayed aside, turning a killing blow into merely a serious one. Unfortunately for Cedric, there was no way to halt the momentum and he felt the flames of agony as Caseith pierced him with the spear.
"The Dark Fury be praised!" screamed the priest in triumph as he saw the spearhead completely enter the paladin's stomach, fixing his eyes on his enemy's face to watch him die.
To his consternation, Cedric looked down at the spear and up at him, before painfully whispering, "The Dark Fury can kiss my ass!"
And then Cedric hurled himself up along the shaft of the spear, completely impaling himself. The last thing Caseith saw was the cold eyes of the paladin flaming in triumph, as did the holy sword which decapitated him.
Cedric collapsed on the ground, feeling the life flow out of him in a torrent, incredible agony running through his entire body. He pulled feebly at the shaft of the spear, to no avail. As his vision dimmed, for a moment he thought of simply letting go, before his natural fighting spirit reasserted itself. With a last effort and a mental prayer to the High Lord, Cedric poured all of his healing ability into himself. Energy flowed into his body, knitting rent flesh and torn organs, causing flesh and bone and sinew to reconnect itself into the form it had been before.
***
"A squad of templars has arrived, Father," said the excited youth, "And Sir Cedric too!"
Even as he spoke, there was a knock on the door behind him. "You in there, Father?" called a familiar voice.
"Cedric!" said Shikuna, rising hurriedly to his feet. "Come in!"
Cedric entered, walking in a curiously hunched over fashion, carrying a sack in one hand.
"Are you hurt?" asked Shikuna, quickly moving towards him.
"No, I'm fine - well, mostly," was the reply. Looking at the waiting acolyte, Cedric said, "I'd like to speak to the Father alone."
The acolyte quickly bowed and left, but not without a couple of backward glances. And as soon as he was gone, Cedric shut the door behind him.
"What's wrong?" asked Shikuna. "And what happened? Did they get the..."
"No. But there are two things to do," said Cedric, before opening the bag and tossing a deadly-looking barbed spear to the ground. The spear shaft, however, was hacked short.
"We need to destroy this," said Cedric.
"Sure," said Shikuna. "What is the second thing? And why are you walking like that?"
Cedric looked slightly embarrassed and said, "Well, that's the same bloody thing." He twitched away his cloak and opened the front of his shirt, to reveal a four inch wooden shaft protruding from his stomach, and then turned to reveal another few inches sticking out of his lower back. There was no sign of a wound, healthy flesh holding the wood in place.
"What...?" asked Shikuna in bafflement.
Cedric looked even more embarrassed. "Let's just say someone poked me with that spear, and I couldn't take the shaft out before I healed myself. So..."
***
) "companions."
