Chapter 21 - Part 10

The 2nd of Aryth, 993 Y.K., early morning, on the northwestern coast of the Demon Wastes

Delegado recovered first, slashing at the babau and scoring a hit along its side. He could have pressed in deeper, but he knew to pull away before the acid jelly pitted his blade. Orphan reacted next, punching the demon in its back. Neither attack had much effect, although Orphan’s hands smoked from the acid. “Back to Khyber with you!” the half-orc yelled. For once he envied his many relatives who found strength in their rage.

Thomas gripped his greataxe, then stepped back, doing nothing.

“Thomas!” yelled Delegado, jerking back to avoid claws heading for his throat. “Get in here!”

“Let the Silver Flame help her,” sneered the half-daelkyr.

“Dissension,” giggled the demon, slashing a line on Orphan’s shoulder. “Chaos. Beautiful.”

“The Flame will help me,” Ois said, holding her jaw as she stood. A glow came from her hands, a silvery glow that closed her wounds and made her face whole again, save for the scar that the ogre magus in Droaam had given her. The blood that had fallen was slowly absorbed into the snow on the beach.

“So tasty she smells!” the demon said, whirling to attack her again.

Orphan jumped the demon, grappling with him, but this time he had no protection from the acid. He managed to keep the thing still, but his body smoked painfully. With a shudder, the warforged went limp, falling off of the demon and lying still on the beach. Fluid and oil leaked from the warforged’s cracked and smoking frame. Unlike Ois’ blood, it did not mix with the snow. Instead it ran over it, leaving a dark line that slowly snaked to the water’s edge.

Orphan’s sacrifice was not in vain, as it had bought Ois time to recover. The changeling paladin took her longsword in both hands and cried, “I smite thee with the Silver Flame!” Unlike Delegado’s sword and Orphan’s fists, her sword went all the way through the creature, making it gape at the sword point that poked through its chest. Silvery fire spread out from the wound, making the demon howl.

Delegado’s sword opened the demon’s guts, and Thomas’ greataxe finally spoke, cutting it in the head. The demon staggered, trying to slash and bite, but it failed to do so. Ois shifted her stance, and cut her sword free.

The babau collapsed like a sack of wet meat, its acid smoking against the snow. Ois and Delegado both cleaned their swords on the snow in the same motion, and then turned to point them at Thomas.

“Come at me then,” Thomas said, the head of his greataxe smelling of ozone as the demon’s acid sizzled on it. “Let’s finish this, eh?”

“I am going to kill you,” Delegado said, snarling.

“No, you won’t,” Ois said. “Thomas, you hate me, but do you want Orphan to die? Or your horse? Or Feather?”

“Listen to the lady or we’ll finish what we started in Merylsward, freak,” Delegado said with menace. He wanted to tear Thomas limb from limb, but he was not like his relatives. He comprehended her plan, and he knew that brain would be better than brawn right now.

Thomas stepped back and circled a bit. “You think I trust either of you? Orphan’s dead.”

“Look at him, look at his eyes!” Delegado said. “He’s not dead, he’s inert, just like that time in the caves south of the Holt! Now are you really his friend or was that just the Mockery’s flattery?”

“I am his friend!” Thomas thundered. “I’m not some changeling liar! But I have no more scrolls, I can’t repair him!”

“You can conjure up a storm,” Ois said. “Impair visibility and movement. It will stop any more teleporters, and it will buy is time to try and fix him.”

Thomas considered this. “Fine,” he said. “But step away from me while I do it, I don’t trust you.”

“Mind if I get the last of the caltrops from your horse?” Delegado asked.

“Like they’ll help,” snorted the half-daelkyr. But he sheathed his greataxe handle and pulled the staff off of his back.

Delegado got the caltrops and scattered them as best as he could while Thomas called on the power of the staff. The half-orc also gave Feather the ‘home’ command so that the hawk settled back down on his armored shoulder.

The sky was turning a leaden gray, and rain began to fall as lightning bolts danced between the clouds. Thomas gripped the staff and stared. The rain was a shower of icy darts at first, then a drizzle. Soon it would be a maelstrom.

Ois was trying to prop up Orphan’s body to see what she could do, but she had no training as a craftsman or blacksmith. “I don’t know what to do!” she said. “I used the last of my laying on hands ability on him, but it was only a trickle, and his construction wouldn’t take it properly.” Tears ran down her face as she held the warforged. “Delegado, I don’t know what to do for your friend. I’m sorry.”

“We’re all sorry,” Thomas said, his voice becoming faint. “But what good does sorry are? There is no forgiveness. There is no peace. There is only death.” Above them all thunder boomed, and the storm picked up.

“I thought it took you ten minutes to get the staff to work!” Delegado yelled, rain running down his face.

“Something is pushing it!” Thomas said. “Something is accelerating the weather!”

Thunder boomed, and freezing rain soaked them all. Vision was reduced significantly, and the angry howls of hundreds of fiends could be heard as their prey winked out of sight due to the sudden downpour.

“The idea was to hide us, not pin us down,” Delegado shouted. His heart was not in it, however. He was more concerned with Ois and Orphan.

“What do I do, Delegado?” she asked. Her tears were washed away by the pouring rain as she gripped Orphan. He body was no longer smoking from the acid, but the leaking fluid was now touching water’s edge, and floating on the water. “I have no more spell power to help him! What do I do?”

Delegado looked around, watching the cold rain cut everything off from view, watching Orphan’s fluid mix with the cold sea, hearing the snarls and gibbering of the approaching fiend army. He crouched next to her and helped her hold his friend.

“Pray,” he said.

“What?” she asked.

“Pray,” he said again. “It couldn’t hurt, right?”

She stared at him incredulously, and then began her low chanting. “Silver Flame attend to us, Silver Flame protect us, Silver Flame warm us. Here your servants need you, here your servants beseech you…”

I don’t have her pretty words, Delegado thought. And I don’t know who or what is out there. Maybe the Sovereign Host, maybe the Silver Flame, maybe the nature force the druids worship. Maybe even this logical hidden abstract idea Orphan believes in. But whatever you are, help him! Help Orphan, because I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more!

Thomas came over, dropping to his knees. “Silver Flame protect us, Silver Flame warm us…” Ois was so shocked she paused for a second, but then she grabbed his hand and they continued to recite the catechism together.

“You want words, I’ll give you words,” Delegado said in a soft voice. “You show me there is something watching over this world, you help this man – this warforged – my friend!”

Thunder boomed, and the demons howled, their clawed feet scratching as they broke out of the snow-choked defile. To the northeast and southwest the heavy thudding of great feet continued to grow.

The three of them prayed for the warforged as death approached from three sides.


END BOOK ONE


TO BE CONTINUED