by Eden Redd
Vyle looked to the fallen party and then turned his glowing skull and blue eyes to the cloaked rogue. Deidra stood by the door, body as still as a statue. Thorrin struggled to stand up as his hit points had reached below ten percent. Even with his holy aura, the damage the dread lord inflicted was too much. Channeling wisdom into his healing, he pressed a glowing hand to his stomach, healing as much damage as he could.
Vyle kept his eyes on the rogue and took a step toward her. Across the room, Deidra let a smile slip as she stepped back and pulled back the iron bar. With one swift move, she opened the door and slipped into shadows. Vyle’s eyes searched for her until something powerful stepped toward the doorway.
A robed figure stepped across the threshold, power cascading down his form. The Dire Mage looked to the dread lord, darkness shrouding its face. It turned its attention to Thorrin as he slowly stood up. Vyle eyed the mage before chains curled up and lashed out at the entrance. Hands up, mana flared as lightning burst forth. One stream streaked toward Thorrin while the other streaked toward the dread lord. Lightning sliced through black chains and hit the dread lord square in the chest. Thorrin dove to the side as lightning struck the tower wall, sending cracks up the side and pelting Thorrin with sharp bits of stone. Vyle stumbled back, a small crack in his chest plate and smoke rising up. Turning his full attention to the dire mage, chains reformed and burst forth by the dozens.
The Dire Mage unleashed another stream of lightning. Black chains melted but others shot past, crashing into the mage’s barrier. The barrier flared as the chains snaked around and squeezed. The mage whispered incantations but stopped abruptly as the barrier shattered and chains coiled around limbs. The mage began his incantations once again and a moment later they fizzled. Pain welled up and the shadows covering the mage’s face twisted in agony. Black chains pulled in every direction and the mage’s body resisted but only for a moment.
Thorrin turned away and charged the dread lord as the mage grunted in agony. Vass sat up, watching as the dire mage was pulled in all directions before limbs pulled free from its body. The mage fell silent as mana poured from the torn limbs. The trunk fell to the tower floor, bursting into shards of light. Limbs fell away and each hit the floor with a bounce before shattering into pieces of light.
Thorrin stumbled forward, trying to get to the dread lord. Vyle turned his attention to the paladin, chains curling from his hands. A shadow clung to the inside of the tower, twenty feet above the dread lord. With a push, Deidra leapt through the air and made a flip. Thorrin raised his hammer and watched Deidra land on Vyle’s shoulders, bringing her batons hard across. The dread lord’s head bent with each strike and his thick legs stumbled to one side. Thorrin saw his chance and took it, racing toward the distracted dread lord and eyeing the crack in his chest plate.
Deidra’s eyes carried pure intent as she slammed each baton over and over against Vyle’s skull like head. The dread lord reached up and fingers curled around her thigh. The rogue tried to push off only for the dread lord to take hold and whip her around, throwing her. The rogue let out a yelp as she hit the tower wall full on, bounce and hit the floor. Vyle turned right as Thorrin was raising his hammer. The paladin brought it down hard against the dread lord’s chest plate and released his final lightning bolt. Power surged, blasting at the crack and crawling inside the black armor. Vyle’s jaw opened as he stumbled back, eyes blazing. The darkness parted but only for a moment as Thorrin looked up to see a black heart pulsating between the crack, black veins crisscrossing around something metal. The player capitalized on the attack and drove his shoulder into the distracted dread lord.
Vyle stepped back, falling to one knee but still upright. Ro was to her feet, watching Thorrin rear back with his hammer and bringing it down over and over again. Light burst and sparks flew with each strike. The goblin could see the crack as Thorrin pummeled the stunned dread lord. Squaring her pointed jaw, the goblin charged to Thorrin and the dread lord. Pure determination colored her fierce eyes as she ran past writhing chains, flexing her oversized mechanical gauntlets.
Vyle closed a spiked fist amid the sparks and strikes coming from Thorrin’s attacks. With one punch, the spikes penetrated Thorrin’s holy aura, his armor and pierced his side. Thorrin’s hit points dropped as he continued to land blow after blow. He could taste how close he was and death was the only way to stop him. The spiked fist reared back and punched the paladin again. This time, feeling left Thorrin’s limbs as his hit points reached zero. The paladin fell to his knees as his hammer dropped to his side. Thorrin stared helplessly as the kneeling dread lord reared back again, ready to shatter him into shards of light. Time had nearly stopped and Thorrin cursed himself for not being strong enough. He held hope that he did enough damage for the rest of the party to win but his time was drawing to a close, not willing to accept his own death.
Vyle righted his head and stared at Thorrin as his arm pulled back, spikes gleaming with the paladin’s digital blood. The paladin’s gaze shifted to Ro soaring through the air, brow forming a sharp V. The goblin’s hands were out, purple hair billowing away from her determined eyes. The goblin reached the dread lord and clamped her oversized mechanical hands at the crack in Vyle’s chest. Dark power flared as the holy gauntlets burned with power. Fingers curled around the crack. Ro screamed with defiant power as muscles worked, pulling at the edges of the crack, making them wider.
Thorrin was helpless as the beautiful goblin’s arms shook, wrenching the crack wider little by little. The goblin roared as she stared into Vyle’s glowing blue eyes, never once blinking as metal groaned from her might. The goblin poured her wisdom into her holy aura as darkness rose up from the crack and licked at her light. Thorrin watched as the dread lord reared back his arm, aiming for the goblin clamped to his chest. A staff point stabbed into the open crack in the breast plate and burned at each side of the cracked armor. Jon stood with burning determination as his holy staff braced at each side and he leveraged it open.
A light of hope filled the paladin and a hand curled around his head, bringing an open potion bottle to his lips. The paladin gulped down the healing potion as Deidra put her lips to his ear.
“Destroy him,” The rogue whispered.
Feeling returned to the paladin’s limbs as his hit points rose. Picking up his hammer, he lifted it up and brought it down again and again at the open crack. Power shook the very foundation as Ro pulled, Jon leveraged his staff and Thorrin struck down with holy light. The dread lord’s health bar turned yellow as a howling screech filled the tower chamber. The breast plate split open and a black heart-beat. Around it, a runic band lay open, dark power pulsating and black veins intertwined with metal.
Vyle’s glowing eyes stared into Ro’s eyes as darkness fueled his black heart. Ro’s eyes widened as she looked down at the black heart and then to the spikes buried in her side. The dread lord twisted his fist and the spikes shredded her side. Ro let out a moan as feeling left her limbs, shards of darkness draining her hit points. The dread lord grabbed hold of her and tossed her away like trash.
Jon looked to see Ro’s sad expression as she sailed through the air and hit the floor, rolling to a stop, her face away from them. A chain wrapped around his arms and squeezed. Jon looked down to see the end of his staff pointed at his face. Vyle sent a surge of power through the staff, launching it into Jon’s face. Hit points drained as the paladin was stunned. With a burst of power, the paladin went up and the chains uncurled, only for them to slap him mid-air and send him to the tower floor.
Thorrin seeing everything in slow motion reached into the dread lord’s chest and wrapped his fingers around the metal band of Thunn. White hot power burst as it clashed with darkness. Vass appeared behind the dread lord with two white daggers raised. She plunged the holy daggers into the dread lord’s neck again and again. Thorrin curled his fingers around the band and when he had a true hold, he pulled.
Power flared between them as Vass continued to plunge her daggers into th
e dread lord’s neck. Thorrin roared as he pulled with all his might, the white light around his hands burning away the darkness. Vyle’s glowing blue eyes widened as a sickening “rip” filled the tower. Thorrin gave one last heave and the band pulled free from the chest. Black chains faded from the air as Vyle fell back. Vass spun away, daggers flashing.
Thorrin pulled back with the momentum. Adrenalin taking over as he fell, he clamped the band to his left arm. It locked over his armor with white light before sinking below the metal and wrapping around his forearm. The paladin’s power washed away the foul corruption and once again, the Band of Thunn glowed with holy light.
Vyle landed on his back with a hard crash. Sitting up, he held out a hand and a black chain unfurled from it. Slowly standing to his feet, his body shrunk to about eight feet tall. Standing before him, Thorrin glowered with murderous intent. The paladin’s head was tilted forward, eyes on the dread lord. Left hand out, white energy spilled out into a white hammer, similar to the one in his right hand. The Band of Thunn surged with holy power, sending that energy into the white glowing hammer.
Vyle stared at the paladin. Thorrin stared back. No words were exchanged as they knew their purpose and destiny led to this very moment. Darkness verses light. Good versus evil.
Thorrin checked his stats in the right side of his vision. He was at a negative modifier since he didn’t have duel wield. It would have to be a skill he picked up but he knew he still had enough bonuses to close the gap. Hands tight on each hammer, the paladin burst forth with hope in his eyes.
The dread lord whipped his chain around as the paladin closed the distance in mere moments. Black chain whipping about, it came hard across. Thorrin smacked it away and leaned in. Vass stepped back as she cheered her brother on. Renner stirred from the floor, looking to Thorrin and a smirk appearing. Deidra stood at the ready, eyes drinking in the clashing paladin and dread lord. Jon sat up slowly, hand clutching his side and sending healing energy into it.
Ro rolled onto her side and watched as Thorrin became a storm of hammers. The paladin let go of everything expect for a need to smite darkness from the lands. Vyle Rath whipped the chain around only for it to be smacked away again and again. When Thorrin stepped closer, a glowing hammer struck the dread lord’s chest while another struck his leg. Vyle fell to one knee as Thorrin whipped both hammers up and brought them hard across. Sparks and shreds of darkness burst outward from each strike. The dread lord struggled to stand only to have each hammer rain down on him. The blue fire surrounding his head dimmed and the points of light for eyes flared with concern. Thorrin had become unchained, striking down over and over as the dread lord feebly tried to fend off his attacks. Aura blazing, the hammer in Thorrin’s right hand struck at the dread lord’s shoulder while the white one came across the monster’s skull like head. Teeth flew off as the dread lord tried to regain his balance. Thorrin grunted and finally yelled with all his might as he drove each hammer again and again into the thing of darkness.
Vyle Rath fell onto all fours, the flames surrounding his head dimming. Thorrin stood over him, cut and bruised but with still plenty of fight left. Vyle looked up as Thorrin raised both hammers.
“Tonight, a dread lord dies,” Thorrin spat and brought both hammers down.
Vyle’s skull like head shattered into pieces and sprayed across the floor. The body collapsed onto the stone floor, dark strands rising up from the corpse. Thorrin dropped his normal hammer and took hold of the dread lord. Lifting up, he turned the headless corpse onto its back, breast plate cracked open. Vyle’s black heart was still beating and Thorrin reached down. Fingers curled around the organ and pulled. The party was to their feet and stepping closer. A ripping sound filled the air as Thorrin pulled back with the dread lord’s heart in his hand. Casting it down, it hit the floor with a wet “slop”. Thorrin reared back his holy hammer of light and brought it down with full force.
The party watched as the heart was obliterated. Thorrin pulled back his hammer to see a small smoking crater and nothing else. Vyle’s body melted away into a hissing pool of slime and then cracked into light, shattering away.
The party crowded around the paladin. Arms moved up and hugged him as he stood, shoulders heaving. The paladin leaned his head forward, touching it to Deidra’s forehead. Renner was first to break the hug and step away. Soon everyone peeled away, the glow of victory in their hearts. The party moved to the entrance of the tower and stepped out.
The cemetery was still, not a corpse, ghost or spirit to be seen. Thorrin stepped out first, breathing in a soul cleansing inhale before letting out a deep exhale. The stars shined like diamonds in the sky and Thorrin never remembered them being so beautiful ever before.
The night stretched on as the party walked down the path, their hearts a little brighter.
Fourteen
The ocean crawled onto the midnight beach with white foaming waves. Thorrin stared as the party walked along the grassy strip of land between the beach and the forests. No animal stirred and only the soothing song of the sleepy ocean caressed calm nerves. The paladin felt light as a feather and still had plenty of energy. The player figured it was because of the victory but he mentally shrugged it away, enjoying the precious moment.
Thoughts spilled into the paladin’s mind as he walked. Now that one of the eight dread lords were truly dead, he could finally begin his true quest of destroying the remaining seven. It felt good to have a fighting chance against such a tide of darkness. The paladin faintly remembered the +25 points to his Sphere of Light. No act had ever given so many points to the sphere. The paladin’s stats increased to an almost scary level. New passive abilities appeared in his ability list. His presence would turn low level undead away and his detect undead grew to a degree where he could pin point the undead within a few hundred feet. No undead could sneak up on him ever again and the player smiled to himself. The Sphere of Light was nearly maxed out and he knew if he did reach the top, evil and darkness would fear his very name.
“We should camp for the evening. I’m sure we all have celebrating to do,” Jon said and reached into his pack.
The party turned their heads to see the tall paladin pull out two bottles of wine. Smiles bloomed and they turned their attention to Thorrin as he stood with a grin on his lips.
“I don’t see why not. It’s a beautiful night by the ocean and I could use a drink,” the paladin smiled.
Packs were dropped and tents were set up. Ro created a fire pit by moving small stones into a circle. Renner stepped to the woods and picked up thick branches for firewood. Coming back, he dumped them in the pit and Ro knocked flint and stone together to send sparks into the kindling. A moment later, the fire smoked and then glowed to life. Soon the camp was finished and Vass pulled out goblets and handed them out. Wine was poured and quickly sipped after a quick toast.
Thorrin watched as Ro and Deidra talked, eyes turning to him and small smiles appearing. The player figured it was only a matter of time before they attacked him but he was feeling so good that he basked in the imagery. The goblin was beaming and could not hide her affections. Eyes turning from the beautiful women, Thorrin looked to Renner as he stood at the beach edge, his back to the group and sipping wine. Jon sang a song with quick pauses as he sipped his wine. Vass looked to the fire before turning her glance to Thorrin.
The paladin watched as the elf stood up and walked over to him. Looking down, her eyes filled with pride as her brother couldn’t hide how good he felt.
“Let’s take a walk,” Vass smiled.
Thorrin nodded and stood up. The paladin and rogue stepped from the campsite and walked toward the nearby woods. Eyes had adjusted to the gloom as they moved through the brush until they reached a small clearing.
Thorrin eyed his sister who looked down as if choosing what she was going to say, “Are you okay?”
The elf looked up at her handsome brother in the moonlight, “I’m…..happy. I’m happy for you. I’m happy because….I think I’
m in love.”
Thorrin’s smile faded as he watched the elf’s eyes glisten.
Vass continued, “I wanted to surprise you but I just can’t wait anymore. I’m meeting with Renner before I come back to New York. After that, he is coming with me to meet the family.”
Thorrin’s smile returned, “I’m really happy for you Vanessa. He seems like a good man.”
A tear streaked down Vass’s cheek, “He is. He plays the dashing rogue but he is the kindness, strongest man I have even known, second only to you. I feel like he might be the one.”
The paladin stepped closer, taking the elf’s hands into his, “If he makes you happy then he must be a good guy.”
Vass nodded and gazed into her brother’s eyes, “With dad gone, I need to know it’s okay. I need to have your blessing because mom said you’re the man of the house. I know me, Lisa and Sarah are always protective of you but…..this is important and I need to know my family agrees.”
Thorrin pulled his sister close and hugged her, “Vanessa, you have my blessing.”
Tears streamed down the elf’s cheeks as she pressed her head to his chest, “Thank you, Luis. Thank you, my brother.”
The two players held each other in the dim moonlight, hearts beating pure.
***
Wine flowed as Deidra and Ro continued to talk about their plans to please a certain paladin. Jon watched them for a long moment before he stood with wine bottle in hand. Deidra glanced over as Jon gave her a rosy smile. The paladin turned and began walking toward the beach without a word.
