by Jeff Inlo
"That is true, but it was enough for me to create the portal. That was all I needed... initially."
"You intend to do more?"
"I will have to. I couldn't just return a portion. You should know that. The process will complete itself and return his full essence, but I wanted to release him into your care. He is not my ally, not after all I've done to him. That's why I called you here. I didn't want to just let him go."
"Why would you release him at all?" Enin demanded.
"Because you're going to need him."
"Need him for what?"
"For your fight with Reiculf. Isn't it obvious? That's where all this is headed."
Perhaps the assertion was not totally unexpected, but it still stunned those gathered on the plateau. Hearing such a premonition from the ghoul did little to lift their spirits. If anything, it sparked a level of despair, especially in one individual.
"You can't fight Reiculf!" Neltus cried out.
"Then what will you do?" Baannat challenged. "Hide? You can't hide now that the demon lord has gained access into other realms. You should know that more than anyone. You were the one who went to Enin when you realized Reiculf was after you."
"But not to fight him!"
"Of course you're going to have to fight him. What did you think was going to happen? Was your guardian wizard going to give the demon master a stern lecture?"
"I wanted Enin to restore the barrier."
"An excellent plan," Baannat offered with a slight cackle, "but how was he going to do that? He can't just stuff Reiculf back in a box and close the lid."
"Let us first deal with you," Enin stated coldly as he took back the reigns of the discussion. "You were in control of Ansas' essence, which means you sent the call for help, placed the message in the magic at the sorcerer's home in the dark realm."
"Very true, and I congratulate you on your insight. You figured that out faster than I expected."
"I care little for your compliments. I would prefer an explanation."
"What confuses you? It seems very clear to me."
"Why would you call for my help?"
"Really?" the ghoul scoffed. "That's your question?"
"Why don't you try answering it?" Ryson interjected, also more than curious as to the slink ghoul's intentions. He didn't trust Baannat, or Ansas, and anything involving both of them certainly carried hidden perils... and costs.
"I'm surprised with all of you, except for maybe the behemoth. I can sense he knows what's going to happen."
All eyes turned to Dzeb, not with an expression of accusation, but with a desire for the truth. They knew they could trust the cliff behemoth far more than the ghoul.
"Reiculf has broken through the barriers that once contained him," the giant offered to those looking for an explanation. "We know that. He will try to destroy all that honors Godson. He must be stopped."
"A bit simplistic," Baannat replied with another snicker, "but basically that sums it up."
"That does not answer why you called for help," Enin reminded the slink ghoul, "or why you would want to release Ansas. You do not honor Godson."
"No, I don't," the ghoul admitted, "but do you think Reiculf will be satisfied with just destroying your realm? I don't really care what happens to any of you, but I do care about my existence, or rather nonexistence. I'm growing fond of my new realm, but that's only for as long as I'm in control. Reiculf wants to rule over everything, or destroy it. He sees me as a rival. Once he annihilates everything that honors Godson—as the giant put it—he's going to get around to me. "
"Then why don't you fight him?" Ryson challenged.
"Because I'd rather let you do it," Baannat snarled.
"And you think we'll need Ansas' help?"
"He will be a vital part."
Ryson quickly glanced at Ansas, who was still on his feet but also appeared as nothing more than a mere shell of a man. The sorcerer stood like a statue, oblivious to the conversation. The delver turned his attention back to Baannat and shook his head with disgust.
"I don't think so," the delver stated with a deepening scowl. "I think this is all a trick. I think you're taking advantage of a horrible situation. It's what you do."
"Perhaps, but why would I give up something of my own, even for a little while?"
"You're not giving anything up."
"But I am."
To substantiate his claim, Baannat took one clawed hand and reached back into the portal. He took his other arm and stretched it toward the body of the sorcerer. The unstable form of the slink ghoul appeared to solidify, but only for a single heartbeat. When the ghoul pulled his hand back from the portal, it was empty and he returned to a state of flux, a creature of incomplete substance in a physical realm.
Just as Baannat pulled out his hand, Ansas' body fell to the ground, but it did not remain motionless, or silent. Ansas screamed in pain as he struggled against a rushing return of physical agony, his body severely injured from his last encounter in the dark realm.
Enin realized that Baannat had fully restored the sorcerer's essence to his body, a body that had suffered greatly during Ansas' last battle against the delver. Although the slink ghoul seemed to enjoy the groans and cries of pain, Enin felt it was too much of a distraction. In order to alleviate Ansas' suffering, as well as bring an end to the constant screaming, the wizard cast a spell of healing that quickly ended Ansas' source of agony.
"Soft hearted," Baannat snarled in disapproval.
"I didn't need to listen to that. I'm also waiting for a better explanation from you."
"There's nothing more to explain, at least nothing more that I care to offer. I'm letting you use Ansas against Reiculf. You'll need all the help you can get. When you're done with him, I will want him back. I doubt you'll have any problem with that—considering the difficulties he has given you in the past—but if you do get soft in the heart again, you should know that you don't have a choice. When this is over, I'll come back to get him. He's mine... whether you like it or not."
Baannat turned and stepped back toward the portal. Before he pushed through the swirling shadows, he glanced back at Enin and Ryson. He cackled loudly as he recalled how the two of them had bested him in earlier battles. But fate had delivered the slink ghoul a surprising gift, one he intended to relish. The ghoul did not appreciate releasing the sorcerer of ebony energy, but it was necessary to keep Reiculf out of his own dimension.
It would also prove to be a source of retribution. Ansas would be the dagger of vengeance that stabbed at the heart of Baannat's most hated enemies. The ghoul continued to laugh with glee as he leapt through the gateway to return to the realm that was his to control.
Immediately after Baannat passed through, the portal snapped close.
"Can we get out of here now?" Neltus begged.
"This may be the safest place for you," Enin advised. "Ansas' return will cause Reiculf to reconsider his options."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I understand magic—all magic—far better than you."
Holli decided to offer her own concerns.
"That may be true," the elf stated respectfully, "but we are in a place that amplifies Ansas' strength."
"And he's dangerous no matter where he is," Ryson added.
"Not in his current state," Enin advised. "It will take a great deal of time for him to summon sufficient energy to cast any spells of significance."
"But he will get stronger, won't he?" the delver asked.
"Yes."
"Then maybe we shouldn't let him."
"Do not worry, Ryson, even at full strength, he cannot cause harm beyond what I can prevent."
Holli remained cautious regarding other perils.
"While I do not wish to validate Neltus' constant moaning, what about Reiculf? Baannat stated he was able to use Ansas as a bridge. Reiculf may achieve the same results without having direct control over the sorcerer's essence."
"Interesting," Enin allo
wed, "but what is your concern?"
"If Ansas continues to build strength, so might Reiculf."
A reply came from the sorcerer himself.
"He's not using what I am," Ansas managed through several coughs. "He's using what I was."
The response simply added to their confusion, except for Enin. The wizard considered the statement and placed it in context with the bits of information he had already obtained. He did not understand it all, but it was getting clearer.
"So Reiculf is utilizing his power over the past with your discoveries of magical transference," the wizard acknowledged. "But can I assume from what you say that he has no direct connection to you at this moment?"
"None," Ansas confirmed through another cough.
"Can we believe him?" Ryson wondered.
"I sense no external magic influencing him."
"Could he hide something like that?"
"Anything is possible, but in this case, it's not likely.
"Then how does he know what Reiculf is doing?"
"Interesting question," Enin allowed. "Ansas? Care to answer? When you're able of course."
Ansas stumbled about the barren grounds of the plateau, struggling to readapt to his body. He had experienced nonphysical existence for so long that even the simplest movements required his concentration. It was a labor just to breathe.
After long moments, he appeared to regain a small portion of his dexterity... and his confidence. He stood more erect and reviewed those before him. He recognized them all.
"You wish to know how I'm aware of Reiculf?" the sorcerer questioned in a challenging tone. "I wasn't, not fully, not until Baannat returned me here. Now that my magic is slowly returning to me, I can feel it in the memories of what I was."
"I can remember what you were," Ryson accused harshly. "You were an arrogant spell caster. You wanted to kill me... and you used my wife. Almost drove her insane!"
Ansas found the delver's accusations hollow of substance. He held to no shame for his past actions. His only regret was that he had failed to achieve greater power, an error which allowed Baannat to take him prisoner. He admitted as much with obvious scorn.
"A mistake for which I have paid a great price. It's also irrelevant to what we face."
"What is relevant?" Enin insisted.
"Baannat revealed certain things to me, told me it was necessary to return me to physical form... at least temporarily. He made it very clear he wants me back, but for now, he believes I can assist you in stopping Reiculf. He believes there will be a great cost, you might not even win, but even if you don't, you will inflict enough damage upon Reiculf so that Baannat may find a way to survive."
"So that's it?" Ryson challenged. "I don't trust Baannat any more than I trust you."
"I do not trust Baannat, either," Ansas allowed in a less confrontational tone. He continued as if stating simple facts. "But he is concerned about what is happening, even fearful. He could not hide that from me. There are very few things that Baannat is afraid of. The fact that he restored me is evidence of his concern. He took great pleasure in torturing me. I doubt he would give that up, even momentarily, unless it was absolutely necessary."
"But you seem to have more knowledge about Reiculf," Enin pointed out. "How is that possible if there is no direct connection?"
"Because I understand my own magic... pure black energy. Reiculf does not care about its purity, but he does care very much about its aspects. Ebony magic is the power of change, and change is the transition from the past to the future. Reiculf's strength comes from the past, even you will admit that."
"I will," Enin allowed.
"Then you should also be able to conceive how Reiculf is utilizing his power over the past with the echoes of my black energy. That is why I know what he is doing, but I have no direct connection to the daokiln."
"Does that mean Reiculf won't get stronger if Ansas continues to build up his strength?" Ryson demanded.
"It does," Enin responded. "He's not linked to Ansas, at least not at the moment. Reiculf is focusing completely on the decisions people have already made."
"That doesn't make any sense," the delver admitted.
"Actually, it does. Ansas took detailed notes of his observations and discoveries of magic, but the content of those notes dealt almost entirely with his unique perspective on transitional magic. Reiculf deals in consequences of past decisions. If he was able to mix his own magic with the magic of others by utilizing their past actions and the intrinsic nature of alteration, as newly defined by Ansas, then he could break the boundaries that contain him in Demonspawn."
"I still don't understand it," Ryson revealed, growing more impatient.
"Do not seek wisdom with your own eyes," Dzeb called out.
Everyone paused to look at the cliff behemoth. Even Ansas raised an eyebrow toward the titan, but it was Ryson who questioned the giant.
"What?"
"It is what I often try to tell you," the behemoth replied. "Seek wisdom beyond your own understanding. Do not attempt to clarify every deed, every action, by your own standards. Instead, let a larger understanding be a gift, grounded in the land, yet established in the heavens."
"Are you saying I'm just supposed to accept all of this?"
Dzeb did not answer directly. Instead, he looked to Linda.
"What do you think of all this?" the behemoth asked of the one whom he would die to protect.
"Me?" Linda replied. She couldn't imagine why Dzeb would question her on the matter, and she pointed out why. "None of it makes sense to me. I'm immune to the magic. I can't even feel it."
"But you can feel the truth... truth others might not see because the magic that influences them is beyond your touch. Tell your delver what you think."
She had no difficulty in voicing her opinions to her husband, but she had really not formed one regarding their current dilemma. She didn't understand half of what Enin was saying, and she trusted Ansas about as much as she would trust a goblin lurking in the weeds. With that consideration in mind, Linda took a deep look at Ansas and said the first thing that came to her mind.
"I was afraid of Baannat, but I'm not afraid of him. That's all I can think of."
"That is enough."
The gentle giant said no more.
An uneasy silence fell over the group. With indecision hanging in the air like the strands of a broken spider web, Holli tried to offer direction.
"From what Neltus has told us, Gnafil is seeking him out. If everything we have heard is true, then the half-demon will eventually locate the proper path. Do we wait for Gnafil here and try to deal with him directly?"
"You will not just be facing Gnafil," Ansas warned. "His powers are augmented by Reiculf's."
"You mean like they were once boosted by your magic?" Ryson shot back, still uneasy about taking advice from the sorcerer.
"No. My magic served as a foundation for the half-demon. It darkened his hue and allowed him to focus on the purity of his own energy. Reiculf has mixed his energy with the half-demon. I believe Reiculf can actually cast his own magic through Gnafil, reach through the infern with his own will and power. You would not be facing just a strengthened infern... but Reiculf's fury as well."
"I doubt it would be his full energy," Enin countered. "There are still certain limitations."
"Such as?" Ansas questioned, apparently not pleased with being contradicted.
"Gnafil is still a half-demon. There are constraints to the amount of energy his body could withstand before simply breaking apart."
"Perhaps, but would you really like to test those limits... here, with all of your friends so near?"
Enin considered the potential ferocity of Reiculf's energy. Even with certain limits, unleashing it could be catastrophic.
"No, I would not."
"Then I suggest you consider another plan of action."
Before anyone could offer a new suggestion, Ryson revealed the concerns that continued to plague him.
/> "Should we really take his advice? I still think it's odd that he knows so much. He could be part of this."
"Reiculf is using my notes," Ansas scoffed. "What did you expect? That I would be ignorant?"
"No, but I didn't think you'd have all the answers, either."
"Baannat believes I have critical information."
"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"
"What do I care for how you feel?"
The argument would have continued, but Holli put an end to it.
"Standing here debating these issues is not a suitable plan," the elf guard advised. "We need direction."
Direction.
The word rattled in the delver's mind. Ryson often faced situations where he found himself pulled in several directions at once. Many times he had to choose between several paths to satisfy his curiosity. It was usually a difficult decision, but there was almost always a trail to follow.
To his growing dismay, there was no trail to take. He could make very little sense out of what he had heard. He remained wary of Ansas, and he found it difficult to derive a path forward.
He was retrieved from Burbon by the cliff behemoth, but Dzeb had offered only blind faith as an explanation. The delver wasn't sure what might influence the giant beyond the will of Godson. There was little he could use in that regard to find a clear direction.
The underlying force behind all of their activities centered upon Reiculf, but the demon master remained beyond the veils of the dark realm. The delver had seen nothing to reveal the daokiln's intentions. He certainly didn't believe it was wise to try and confront Reiculf directly. He didn't even know if such a move was possible. Demonspawn was not a region where you could simply open a door and enter, he knew that much about the dark realm and its intertwined layers.
After giving one last scan of the horizon, Ryson knew Holli was correct. They should not remain at the borders of the dark realm. It was like standing at the edge of an abyss and waiting for a push.
"The only thing I'm sure of," Ryson offered, "is that we need to get out of here. Beyond that, I have no idea. Does anyone have any suggestions?"
"Ansas?" Enin asked, as he looked to the sorcerer expectantly.
The sorcerer answered without hesitancy, as if the path forward was obvious.
