Monsters

by Viktor Zólyomi

  `Just you wait and see, you bloody rockeater! I'll lop off the guy's head myself, just you mark my words!'

  `Enough, you two!' says Worriil. Then, he turns towards me.

  `Eric. Are you still here?'

  `No, Lord Worriil.' I tell him, and turn around and go to the door.

  `Let no-one in here, Eric!'

  At the door, I nod to him, then I leave and shut the door behind me.

  *

  The door is shut behind me and they prepare to welcome their nemesis. All five of them! This was not supposed to happen! Why did he call them all here?!

  Then again, what was he to do?

  He'll believe me over that fool Jenathar any day. He still thinks that Jason will be easy prey, so he thinks Jenathar is lying and is up to something. He had to call the others, so Jenathar would not be able to do anything stupid.

  Cursed Jenathar! If he hadn't found out...

  What do I do now? They'll destroy Jason Vogan for sure...

  And if not?

  He claimed to be prepared for all five of them. He did unleash Hell on Gatestown a year back... He must have come with a plan. Perhaps he is ready for them, perhaps...

  And if not? If I seal the chamber on the Council and they kill him, I'm dead. But if I don't and he proves too much for them, they will try to flee and then...

  `Commander Shyrn! You called?'

  The three young battlemages whom I earlier asked to meet me at the Summoning Chamber have arrived. I look at them for a while, and I can tell by the look on their faces that I look troubled. I shouldn't. Most of all, I shouldn't hesitate...

  The time has come to make my decision.

  `Commander? Is everything alright?'

  No... Nothing's alright...

  But soon it will be!

  I hope...

  `You're late!' I shout at them in anger. `Quickly now, seal the Chamber! Immediately!'

  They look puzzled.

  `Seal the Chamber, Commander?'

  `Yes, immediately! By order of Supreme Councilor Worriil, seal the Summoning Chamber!'

  Still, they look puzzled.

  `But... The Councilors always give this order personally, Commander...'

  `Councilor Worriil cannot spare the time now! Every second counts! Jason Vogan is laying siege to the Summoning Chamber! He means to infiltrate the city through the Elemental Plane of Fire, and he comes with an army of fire elementals. An army of several hundred! Councilor Worriil and the rest of the Council are attempting to thwart Vogan's plan as we speak, but we cannot take chances. By order of Councilor Worriil, for the safety of the people living in Re'Cas, seal the chamber! Right now!'

  `Y-yes, Commander!'

  They step to the door and prepare to conjure the seal. They look scared. Good.

  They raise their arms and make the necessary gestures, then they begin chanting. The magical seal begins to take shape on the door, and soon it shines brightly.

  As they finally finish, I step behind the nearest battlemage. Swiftly, I grab his head and twist it forcefully. His neck snaps and he drops dead. The other two, who were closer to the door and had their backs to him, turn around to the noise. I quickly step close and grasp each their necks with one of my hands, and take the risk of unleashing a powerful black magic spell on them. My hands take a purplish glow, and their life force slowly begins to abandon their bodies. They look at me in disbelief, not knowing why they have to die. I do not bother to enlighten them.

  A few moments pass, and I am only holding two lifeless carcasses. I let them drop to the ground and look around. No-one there, and Sewareld is locked into the Summoning Chamber where an angry half-demon will soon unleash all his fury.

  I had to choose the lesser of two evils here, and I can only hope, hope, that I made the right decision...

  On the edge of chaos

  Somewhere in the Elemental Plane of Fire, present day (1 year, 1 month, and 7 days before Twilightfall)

  It's been awhile that Eric Shyrn left Jason and me waiting here, in front of the Gateway leading to Re'Cas. I still don't understand why Jase bothered to trust that guy. He's a night elf, he can't be trusted...

  `He's been away for long, Jase. Maybe this is a setup. He's making us wait here, until he can ambush us.'

  `No. The wand is real. It's not a setup.'

  `But it's inactive, so it's useless.'

  `Calm down, Flora. It's no trap, I am certain.'

  `I'm calm... I just don't trust that son of a bitch!'

  `Neither do I.'

  `Then why did you go along with his plan?'

  `Because he's right, this is the quickest way to Jenathar. Even if he betrays us, he can't stop us. There is a chance that he will do what he claimed. Then, I can kill Jenathar without having to kill half of Re'Cas on the way.'

  `What's the big deal if we need to slaughter even the entire city to get to Jenathar? They all want to kill you, and besides, just think what a glorious hunt that would be!'

  He looks at me in a strange way, but doesn't say anything.

  `What?' I ask him. He sighs, and turns away.

  `I just want Jenathar. And then Th'Mesh.'

  `You will have them. We will prevail, and...'

  Suddenly the wand in his hand lights up. Jason glances at it, and then heads towards the Gateway.

  `The wand is active. It's time.'

  `Good. So let the hunt begin!'

  *

  We step through the Gateway and find ourselves in the fabled Summoning Chamber. Before us, stand five figures. A human, an orc, a dwarf, a troll, and a wretched night elf. I do not recognize them all, but I do recognize Jenathar and Sewareld Worriil. It's obvious enough who the others must be. The troll must be Councilor Lyour, the orc Councilor Khargun, and the dwarf Councilor Achmor Dahnir. So, Eric Shyrn either betrayed us, or he fucked up with his scheme. No matter. We'll just simply kill them all. Oh, what a glorious hunt this will be!

  Worriil addresses us.

  `Jason Vogan! Finally we meet face to face! I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, do you know that? And you...'

  As he turns to me, he suddenly falls silent. He stares at me like that for quite some time before he resumes.

  `You are not Flora E'Lyn. You are a night elf! Who are you?'

  `I am Flora E'Lyn.' I tell him. `You are not mistaken.'

  `I knew of you well. I heard of you. You are supposed to be a wood elf!'

  `I am no elf. Not any more.'

  Recognition finally sweeps across his face. He is shocked, surely, but he is much more disgusted. Not that I care what he thinks.

  `You... You should not even exist! What have you done to yourself? Have you no pride of the elven nation? How could you do this? Become this... this... abomination?'

  `Shut the fuck up, Worriil! Whatever I am, all you need to worry about is that I will personally rid this world of you! The elven nation will be far better off without you!'

  `We'll see about that!' he says. Then he turns back to Jason. `You did this to her, didn't you? No elf would willingly undergo such a transformation. You will pay! You will pay, for this, and everything else you've done! The murder of so many innocents in Gatestown a year ago! The murder of Councilor Jenathar's apprentices sixteen years ago! The murder of whomever else you've slain that I don't know about! You will perish, here and now!'

  Jason doesn't reply. He stares at Jenathar, and the human archmage stares back at him. No-one speaks, there is naught but silence. A minute passes like this, until Worriil finally gives in to his impatience, and addresses Jason once more.

  `Are you even listening to me?! Answer me!'

  Jason slowly turns towards Worriil.

  `I just want... him.' he says to Worriil with cold eyes, pointing at Jenathar.

  `That's a pity, Jason.' says Worriil. `He is one of the Council, you cannot have him.'

  `Hold it, Worriil!' say Khargun. `Let's give this a thought. This trade does not sound bad to me at all.'

  `Silenc
e, Khargun!' exclaims Jenathar. `I will not overlook your treachery.'

  `Oh, I think way too many lives were lost at the hands of this outlaw to just let him walk away like that...' says Achmor.

  `Indeed, Khargun. I shall pretend that I did not hear you.' says Worriil. `Need I remind you that Jason Vogan slaughtered dozens of innocents in Gatestown a year ago? He cannot leave unpunished.'

  `Then why don't we lock him and Jenathar in the Chamber? Let Councilor Jenathar clean up his own mess himself, if he can. If he fails, we can avenge his death afterwards.' says Khargun, and he moves towards the door.

  `Khargun, that's enough! Jason Vogan must be punished. As you recall, we sentenced him to death a year ago, now it is time to carry out that sentence.'

  Before he could continue, Khargun makes an attempt to open the door. He tries to push it open, but it doesn't budge.

  `Worriil...' he says. `The door is locked.' Worriil looks at him in surprise.

  `Locked?'

  Khargun then presses his palm against the door, and whispers something, possibly some magic words. Then his eyes go wide with anger.

  `The Chamber has been magically sealed... From outside!' he exclaims.

  `What?!' asks Worriil, and he rushes to the door.

  So, it would seem that Eric Shyrn was true to his word after all. Too bad for Jenathar... Too bad for the whole Council!

  `Did you do that, Jason?' asks Jenathar. `Or is there someone helping you here? Eric Shyrn was the last to leave this room. Is he helping you?'

  `Jenathar, that is ridiculous! Eric is my most faithful servant! He would never betray me!' says Worriil with anger.

  `Then was it you who ordered him to lock us in? I heard you telling him not to let anyone in. Did you mean, not to let anyone out?'

  They look at each other with anger, and I swear if looks could kill they'd both drop dead. Jason in the mean time slowly pulls out the cage stone from his pocket. He tosses it towards a large, canvas-covered object. That must be the Demon Mirror. The stone drops to the ground just in front of it, and shatters. A moment later, five skeletal creatures appear there. The liches are now released.

  All five Councilors turn towards us.

  `What is this? Do you think these pathetic undead will save you?' asks Jenathar.

  Jason turns towards the liches.

  `Begin the incantation! Now! I command you!'

  They nod, and then they stand in a small circle. They begin casting some spell.

  Jason doesn't wait for them to finish. He pulls out the two weapons he got from Aaron Chraem. Immediately he opens fire at the Councilors.

  The sight of it amazes me!

  He just holds those two black metal things, and insanely fast lead bullets spray out of them and speed towards the Councilors, accompanied by a sound that reminds me of the roar of a dragon. The magic shields around Jenathar and Worriil light up as the bullets impact into them one after the other. Achmor and Khargun stand behind the two wizards to take cover behind their shields, but the troll Councilor, Lyour, rushes forward.

  `Die!' he screams, and he lunges towards Jason with his gigantic fists raised high. Jason changes his aim, firing both of his weapons directly at Lyour. The troll is blatantly stopped by the hail of lead bullets, his body is covered full of small bleeding wounds, and he emits a scream of rage. A few moments later, he falls to the ground. Jason keeps shooting at him, until suddenly the weapons go silent.

  I realize that Jason's weapons must need to be reloaded, much as crossbows do. He pushes something on the weapons and a piece is ejected out of each of them. He reaches into his belt, I guess he wants to reload the weapons. Khargun and Achmor charge towards him, while Jenathar and Worriil both begin casting some spell. I think it's time our battle really got started!

  Without hesitation, I run towards the approaching dwarf and orc. Both of them swing their weapons towards me, but I evade them by swiftly changing into mist form as they approach. I pass them by and assume my normal shape behind them. Before they could turn around, I quickly deliver a powerful kick to Khargun's back. The orc literally flies away, and even I myself am amazed at how powerful my kick was... The orc is knocked against the wall ten feet away, and he falls to the ground. He turns around and I see that his nose is profusely bleeding. He stumbles towards me, but then he falls on one knee and shakes his head. He is visibly dazed by the impact he suffered.

  Achmor in the mean time turns around, robbing me of the chance to kick him in the back of the head as I intended. He swings his battleaxe towards me with full force. I grab it before it could cut into me, and try to force it back. Achmor is visibly surprised at my strength, and attempts to overpower me. Changing tactics, I pull the axe towards myself, but quickly lean out of the blade's way. As the blade of the axe passes me by, I move my head towards Achmor's, and headbutt him in the forehead.

  He seems to be dazed, but still he is holding on to his weapon. I headbutt him again, this time in the nose. I hear a crack, and as I pull my head back I see that I managed to break his nose. He doesn't quite seem dazed. I release his axe, and let him try to attack me again. But he just steps back, holding his nose with his left hand. He glances behind me.

  I turn around and see that Sewareld Worriil is pointing his hand towards me, and a moment later a bolt of lightning is fired at me. Before I could evade it, it strikes me in the chest and knocks me to the ground. It seems my armor's magic cannot protect me against Worriil's powerful spells...

  `Finish her!' exclaims Worriil, and Achmor moves in for the kill. He swings his battleaxe towards my neck, but despite the pain of the lightning attack, I swiftly roll out of the way and jump up. Worriil and Achmor both stare at me in disbelief.

  `Whatever magics allowed you to live, have made you strong...' says Worriil. `...but that won't save you from me!' He points at me again, and another bolt of lightning is fired at me. This time I manage to evade it. Worriil then fires a different kind of spell at me. Again, I manage to jump away in time, but as I roll aside on the floor, I see that the magic projectile he created is turning back and moving towards me again. Before I could try to evade it again, it strikes into me and I feel a sharp pain in my chest. I feel it burn my skin, and I feel the pain running through my entire body. But after this brief shock, I stand up and look towards Worriil.

  `Don't fight it! I will kill you, one way or another...' he says, and then he points at me again. Before he could cast another spell at me, Jason opens fire at him once more. It seems Jase finished reloading the weapons.

  Worriil's magic shield flashes brightly upon every impact, and seems to gradually grow thinner. He waves his hands in some complex gestures, and his shield thickens. Jase keeps firing and the shield gets thinner again. Worriil is visibly frustrated, as he realizes that Jason's weapons are rapidly weakening his shields, and that he must spend much of his power on maintaining it.

  What of Jenathar? All this time, I have not seen him make a move to stop us. I glance around and see that he is still standing where he was earlier, swiftly moving his hands in some complex way, like Worriil. Could he be trying to increase his own magical protection to an extent where Jason's weapons cannot harm him?

  Before I could contemplate this more, I hear Khargun's voice.

  `What are you waiting for, you idiot dwarf? Kill her!'

  I turn towards him and I see that he is no longer dazed and is steadily advancing on me. So is Achmor, upon having heard the orc's words. Khargun is still slower than the dwarf, so I quickly move towards Achmor to try and take him out. He swings his axe towards me, but I evade it and swiftly kick him in the groin. He bends over in pain and drops his battleaxe. Khargun in the mean time attacks me with his gigantic sword. I duck and try to kick him in the groin like I did to Achmor. He jumps back and swings the sword towards me again. His strike would cut deep into my arm, but the magics of my armor deflect the blow. This leaves Khargun confused, and I exploit this and quickly punch him in the nose with the bottom of my right palm.


  My blow staggers him, and leaves me an opening. I kick him in the stomach with a powerful spinning kick, and he flies backwards and lands on the ground. He tries to slowly stand up, but he seems dazed again. I glance towards Jase and Worriil. Jason is still shooting with his weapons at the cursed night elf wizard, and Worriil is still desperately trying to maintain his shield. Jenathar is still casting some sophisticated spell in the back, as are the liches.

  As I watch for Achmor or Khargun try to attack me again, I suddenly hear a thundering voice from behind me.

  `You... I will crush you... Slay you... Destroy you! Rip you to shreds!'

  I slowly turn around and I see Lyour, the troll Councilor slowly advancing on me. All the wounds on his body seem to have healed. Amazing, how fast he regenerates! Even for a troll.

  `Come then, try me!' I tell him, and I take up a defensive stance.

  He rushes towards me with a loud war cry. I quickly jump aside, and let him run past me. He's too big and clumsy to slow down, and so I have the chance to attack him from behind. I rush towards him and kick him in the back of the left knee. He doesn't stagger. Amazing how strong he must be, that this kick didn't even faze him...

  Still, he is too slow to turn around and retaliate. So I quickly jump up on his back, and sink my vampire claws deep into the flesh on his face. He screams, but more in anger than in pain. He grabs me and throws me off his back. I jump up and face him again.

  While we continue our fight, from the corner of my eye I see that Jason ran out of bullets again, and is reloading his weapons. Worriil is using the opportunity to fire attack spells at him. But Jason has a magical shield of his own. It seems much weaker than Worriil's, but for now it protects him.

  Jenathar calls out to Worriil.

  `Sewareld! Something is not right. The liches aren't attacking. They are up to something!'

  `Then stop them while I kill this nuisance of a man!' says Worriil.

  Jenathar begins casting some kind of spell, probably an attack spell intended to disrupt the liches. Jason finally finishes reloading his weapons, and he fires them again. But this time, he fires only one of them at Worriil, he aims the other one at Jenathar.