by C. M. Carney
That is where Raathiel came in. Now, Gryph sent. But be careful. She sent a playful snort through the link and dove towards the ground. He focused on her POV.
They’d encountered a host of odd and dangerous creatures since entering Cerrunos’ Realm and some, like the horned beast Raathiel was swooping down upon now, made a lot of racket as well. Gryph watched as she dive bombed one such beast. She buzzed by the creature, slapping her tail across the back of its head and flying low.
The beast bellowed in rage, and a sound best described as a Kodiak bear roaring through a tuba filled the forest. The creature rumbled after the rainbow feathered coatl, smashing trees and casting plumes of rock and mud behind its six hooved feet.
Aluran’s head snapped back at the sound and his hand eased to the hilt of his blade. The beast bellowed again, and the High God took an involuntary step forward, before his gaze snapped back to the small canyon before him.
Come on, Gryph urged. Just a few more steps.
The horned beast’s raucous approach riled up a whole slew of other animals and the silence that had gripped the forest these last few minutes disappeared. Birds, small mammals and other unidentified things exploded from the bushes, scattering in all directions.
Gryph cringed as several of the creatures ran through the dry stream bed. If one of them triggered the trap he’d laid, then their advantage would disappear like a puff of smoke in a thunderstorm. But their luck held and a moment later, Aluran took several more steps into the chasm.
Gryph’s hands moved in a series of subtle movements and blue-white mana danced across them. Aluran’s gaze snapped to Gryph’s hiding spot. Can he detect magic? Gryph wondered, but he had no time to devote to the question for the High God’s legs bent, ready to dive aside. As quick as the High God was, the Air Magic spell Animated Rope was quicker.
All three of the spider silk glands they’d harvested from Agarathon exploded, casting a hundred strands of sticky, steel hard webbing towards Aluran. The webbing enveloped him and despite his roar of anger and surprise, held him fast.
Go now, Gryph sent and leapt to his feet. The others all scrambled from their hiding spots as Raathiel peeled off, drawing the horned beast away. Gryph had considered stampeding the monster into Aluran but did not want his plan to be reliant on the whims of an animal of questionable intelligence.
The High’s God’s eyes widened as Gryph came into full view, for he thought Gryph was dead by Brynn’s hand. Gryph hoped the shock would gain him some advantage, but he wouldn’t count on it. Gryph tossed a pair of bandersnatch quills. The perfectly balanced darts zipped towards Aluran.
After seeing the pack of bandersnatch, Gryph and the gang had hunted down a straggler and harvested its quills. He was delighted at how well balanced the quills were, but he supposed he shouldn’t have been. After all, they filled the same role for the bandersnatch as Gryph’s own throwing knives.
Aluran’s eyes filled with solid black, and both quills altered course. They zipped to the left and right, each finding their mark. The quills hit Ovrym and Vonn, looks of shock painting their faces before they disappeared, leaving behind a pop of rushing air and an inky black cloud.
Shit, some kind of telekinesis? Gryph thought and reached to his bandolier for another pair of quills. A howl of anger drew the High God’s gaze and Errat flew towards him, axe raised high. The High God wrenched upwards with incredible strength, ripping his right arm free from the webbing.
Errat’s axe slammed into the golden bracer protecting the High God’s arm with a gong-like clang, stopping the attack short. Pulses of energy flowed around the golden armor and into Aluran. Errat leaned into his axe, pushing down on the High God with his weight and strength.
The pulse of energy moved around Aluran’s other arm, and with a mighty heave he tore that arm free. His hand snatched up, grabbing Errat by the throat. Though warborn did not need to breathe, a snapped neck would still kill him.
Having no time for such a slow method, Aluran pulled Errat towards him with incredible force and smashed his armored helm into the warborn. Errat went limp and Aluran continued to squeeze. He looked right at Gryph and his white teeth grinned at him through thin lips.
“I did not expect to see you again Gryph.” The High God flexed, and a wave of energy poured from him. The wave hit Gryph, ripping the quills from his grasp and tossing him head over feet into a tree. It knocked the wind from his lungs, and he fell in a heap.
What the hell was that? Gryph sent to nobody in particular.
Kinetic Redistribution, Lex said. A Heavy Armor Perk that allows him to absorb and redirect the energy from a physical attack. The shock wave had also caught Lex unaware, and he stumbled unsteadily to his feet.
This is not going to plan, Eris sent and fired her carbine. Gryph had kept her back a safe distance, ready to snipe Aluran if the opportunity presented itself. The magnetically accelerated round hit Aluran in the chest but did not penetrate the breastplate.
With his free hand the High God summoned a shimmering shield of air that turned Eris’ next few shots aside. Eris swore and stood, running towards the battle.
Aluran turned his attention back to Gryph. “Things didn’t have to be this way, Gryph. We could have worked together. Now your odd friend here will pay the price for your foolishness.” He began to squeeze, slowly crushing Errat’s neck.
“No!” Gryph roared, stumbling to his feet, but it was Lex who got there first. The NPC swung underhand with his Spirit enhanced maul and activated Crushing Blow. His shimmering hammer smashed into Aluran’s elbow.
The High God grunted and Errat fell from his grasp, landing in a tangle of arms and legs. Lex spun and swung again, a wild whooping war cry bellowing from him. The hammer hit Aluran across the face and dislodged the man’s helmet.
Aluran punched Lex hard in the chest and the NPC disappeared into a copse of bushes. The god tore his left leg free of the webbing and started working on his right. Gryph extended his spear and jumped activating Penetrating Strike and Impale. He used Perk Surety, one of the few apprentice tier abilities he still possessed, to guarantee Impale, hoping the debuffs associated with the Perk would keep Aluran from freeing himself.
The spear tip sank into Aluran’s chest, through the weak spot in his armpit where the armor, needing to provide mobility, gave way to chain. The High God grimaced in pain, but Gryph was far from finished. He activated Yrriel’s Maelstrom and lighting exploded from the tip of the spear, tearing at Aluran’s insides.
The High God screamed as the electricity raged through his body and Gryph leaned into the spear. The lightning flashed across Aluran’s face, transforming it into a mask of pain and anger, but still he managed to grab ahold of Gryph’s spear.
Aluran held the shaft, right behind the blade and slowly pulled it from his body. Despite Gryph’s better position, the spear eased steadily from Aluran’s chest. Aluran pulled it free and twisted it, turning the blade towards Gryph. Gryph scrambled to adjust his grip, pushing with all his might.
“We could have remade the Realms together, but you chose to oppose me.” The spear turned fully, pulling from Gryph’s grasp and before he grabbed it again, Aluran shoved it upward.
If there had ever been a time when Gryph wanted to use Refraction, it was now. The tier ability allowed him to turn all the damage of a successful attack back on the attacker, but like many of his other powers, he’d lost Refraction when his Godhead powers disappeared. Unable to stop it, Gryph watched as the spear bit into his side and he yowled in pain. He brought both fists down, punching the High God’s face. Aluran grunted, but then grinned and shoved the spear harder.
Though no expert in anatomy, Gryph knew that if he didn’t stop the upward trajectory, the spear’s blade would puncture his heart. Then he would die. The question was, would he be reborn? His Godhead had been deactivated, so there was no guarantee that his player ability to respawn hadn’t been as well.
Black dots began to fill his vision, and he grew weak. The
pain is too great, I’m going into shock, Gryph realized. The pain grew distant as if it were someone else’s burden to bear and he felt odd, at peace. Then a voice filled his mind.
This is not the day you die, Menaaire.
A triple size Raathiel descended from the sky and entwined herself about Aluran’s shoulders and arms. She constricted and the progress of the spear slowed and then stopped altogether. She squeezed harder and Aluran grunted and lost his grip on both Gryph and the spear.
Gryph fell to the ground and Raathiel trilled in triumph. She slammed her jaws down into the side of Aluran’s face and neck, injecting him with her Slow venom. For a moment the High God slowed, but then the sluggishness disappeared as he somehow flushed the venom from his system.
Gryph pulled the spear from his side and tried to stand. He watched Lex stumble unsteadily to his feet and roar. The NPC activated his racial gift Ordonian Bloodlust and rushed towards Aluran. The High God locked his gaze on Lex and his eyes swam with black once again. A spike of alarm shot through Gryph.
Lex, he sent helplessly as Lex’s mind, already off kilter because of the blood rage, came under Aluran’s sway.
“Hit him,” Aluran grunted, and then reached up and grabbed Raathiel’s coiled body.
Lex rushed towards Gryph, his hammer raised above his head. Gryph tried to scramble back, but the wound in his side stole his mobility. He watched helplessly as his mad-eyed NPC drew his hammer high over his head.
Before Lex brought the hammer down the boom of a gunshot rang out, followed by the sound of a metal on metal ricochet. The shot deflected the hammer just enough and it sunk into the muck near Gryph’s head.
Lex grunted in annoyance and turned to see the butt of Eris’ rifle expanding into his vision. The hard ebonwood cracked the NPC in the temple and he crumpled into a heap. “Sorry bud,” Eris said and turned on Aluran. She took careful aim and fired several quick shots from her rifle, each aimed perfectly to ensure she did not hit Raathiel.
Unfortunately, it also meant she’d given Aluran enough time to raise an Air Shield. He used it to turn the bullets off target, and then with a flex of his fist, as a weapon. A wall of air slammed into Eris and she flew backwards into a tree. The base of her neck cracked into a thick branch and she fell to the ground, unconscious.
Raathiel unleashed Flame Breath on Aluran. The High God grunted in pain, and Gryph smiled as the man’s eyebrows turn to ash, but his joy didn’t last long. Aluran punched upwards, dislodging the coatl and ending the flame attack.
Before she regained her composure Aluran raised his gauntleted hand. Silver gray light spun around the mailed fingers and Gryph panicked, for he recognized the signature color of Soul Magic. Aluran closed his hand into a fist and bands, like unspooling rolls of duct tape, erupted from his fist, enveloping both Raathiel and Gryph.
The bands immobilized them and Aluran stood tall, tearing his last limb free from the spider webbing trap. He drew Gryph close and looked him up and down, gaze settling on the bandersnatch quills. His eyes blackened again and with a flick of his head, Aluran directed three of Gryph’s remaining four quills aloft. They flew up, separated like fighter jets at an airshow and zipped downwards. Each one found its mark, and with flashes of light and a puff of grimy smoke, Errat, Eris and Lex all disappeared.
“Now that it's just the three of us, I think it's time we had a chat,” Aluran said, drawing Gryph to his face. “Who are you? And where did you get your Godhead?”
36
Lex woke to find he was face down on a dingy dirt floor. His mouth hung open and his tongue lolled out collecting dust. He sputtered, inhaling dirt and other detritus that made him cough. He stood on unsteady feet and dug his knuckles into his eyes, clearing away the sticky gunk that had accumulated during his unintentional slumber.
“Gurgle murgle I feel like crap,” Lex muttered and nearly lost his balance. He put a hand out to steady himself and was not surprised that hand closed around a cool metal bar. He squinted his eyes open to confirm his fear. “Great, I’m in jail again.”
“Would think you’d feel right at home,” the voice of Vonn said from the darkness beyond the bars. “After all you’ve spent your fair share of time in cells.” Lex jumped in surprise and a moment later the wiry half-elf’s face appeared on the other side.
“Where the hell are we?” Lex asked, ignoring Vonn’s jest about his criminal past.
“It appears we are in a prison,” Vonn said, adding a bit of zest to the obviousness.
“Ya think,” Lex grumbled and walked to the opposite side of his cell. He tripped over a rib cage and fell forward onto his face. Something hard and round knocked the wind from him. He reached down and pulled the offending item free and glared down. Staring at him was a human skull, bits of hair still clinging to the yellowed bone. Lex screeched, dropped the skull and jumped to his feet. In a rage he grabbed the bars and yanked for all he was worth. They did not budge.
“You can stop wasting your energy,” Ovrym said from another cell opposite Lex. “The bars are laced with adamant and bleed metal. It would take far more strength than any of us possess to break them.”
Once again Lex squealed in surprise and jumped back. He smacked into the back wall of the cell. It was solid stone with a slight curve to it. “We’re inside the tower.”
“It appears so,” Vonn greed. “And we have no idea how to get out.”
Lex walked to the bars at the front of the cell and looked down at an endless drop into nothingness. He swayed, his balance knocked off kilter, and gripped the bars tight as a twinge of vertigo flashed upwards, spinning around his knees and shooting up his spine. It settled into the back of his head forcing him to blink and stare straight ahead at the bars of another cell ten feet across the void.
“Errat cannot smash!” came a throaty yell from across the gap and Errat appeared from nowhere, massive hands gripping the bars. The warborn shook the bars with all his might, but they did not move.
“Will all of you stop being creepy darkness lurkers?” Lex demanded in a shrill voice.
“Only if you agree to stop yelping like a party girl,” Eris said. “My head is pounding as it is.”
Lex’s eyes finally adjusted to the dim light to find Eris staring at him from the gloom. Her cell appeared to be identical to Lex’s own, an irregular five by five foot cage, with only one solid wall at the back. Panic surged inside Lex, when he realized they were a man, and a reptile down. “Where’s Gryph?” Lex demanded, his need to protect his player surging inside him. “Where’s Raathiel?”
“Not here,” Ovrym said. “What is the last thing all of you remember?”
“I remember Eris trying to shoot me,” Lex said, annoyance in his tone.
“First of all, I shot the hammer out of your hands. Second, you were about to crush Gryph’s skull. So, you’re welcome.”
“Shit,” Lex muttered, eyes wide in remembrance. “That fucker Aluran used some kinda Jedi mind trick on me. How’d he do that?”
“He’s a god with powerful mental abilities, and you’re you,” Vonn said. Despite wanting to scowl and make some snarky comment, Lex had to agree.
“Errat remembers the High Douche smashing his head into Errat’s head. It hurt and then Errat took a nap and then woke up here.”
“So, nobody knows anything useful?” Lex grumbled, the edginess in his voice a mere fraction of what burned inside him. “I must protect Gryph. I must protect Gryph,” he muttered in a low voice. He grabbed the bars and moved back and forth, trying to find calm.
“Does anyone have anything that can help us escape?” Ovrym asked.
“I’ve got nothing,” Lex said, his hand rummaging around in his bag. His hands found The Writ of Cerrunos and pulled it free and scowled at it. “What the hell am I supposed to do with this?”
“Read it,” Vonn suggested. “Or is that still not your thing?”
“I’d rather have a lock pick, or maybe a key,” Lex sputtered.
“What good would th
at do us?” Ovrym asked.
“Um, duh, Kreskin, we could use it to pick the locks and get out of here.”
“What locks?” Vonn asked.
Lex rushed to the bars, where he found neither lock nor door nor hinge. The bars were solid, with no obvious way in or out. “Who? What? Huh?” He kicked the bars which remained unmoved by his ire.
“Who is friend Lex yelling at? Errat cannot see anyone and Errat has very good eyes.”
“We’re in jail, so we have to have a jailer, right?” Lex asked, ignoring Errat’s query.
“Not necessarily,” Ovrym said, holding a human leg bone, complete with dangling foot in the air. “We may be on our own.”
“Well this is just perfect,” Lex whined. “Here I’d hoped to meet my maker and maybe have a nice chat. But no, we’re in a damn jail with no doors, no food and no jailer.” He sat, back to the bars and crossed his arms in a pout. “This place sucks.” Lex opened his mouth, ready to blab more useless complaints.
“Quiet,” Eris hissed. “We’re not alone.”
All eyes snapped across the void to Eris’ cell. She turned her head and looked diagonally across to the cell next to Errat’s. Lex followed her gaze to see a tall, shadowy form rise from a seated position against the back wall of the cell. It moved towards the bars.
“Gryph?” Lex whispered, hope and doubt in his voice. Long, skeletal hands grabbed the bars and then a thin, scraggly bearded face appeared in the dim light. He idly scratched at a beard that most resembled a filthy old mop-head that had gone stiff as it dried. He looked at Lex and grinned.
“Hellooooo, new friends, have you angered the Great God Cerrunos as well?” The man asked in a crazed voice that made it seem that angering Cerrunos was a great idea, lots of fun and that everyone should do the same.
