Chain of Bargains dm-5

by Jeff Inlo

  Ryson watched as the light burnt out. The infern was gone. Just his sword hung in the empty air, upheld by the tremendous wave of heat that erupted from the blast. After but a moment, the blade plummeted to the ground and fell into the middle of the road below. He climbed back down the side of the building, but did not dare touch the weapon's handle. The intensity of the last blast made the entire sword glow.

  He remembered a fountain in the center plaza behind him. There was plenty of water, but nothing to carry it. He ran down several side streets until he found an abandoned merchant's cart with a small pan. He grabbed it, returned to the fountain and filled it with water.

  Racing back to the sword, he threw water over the weapon. Every drop turned instantly into steam. Over and over Ryson returned to the fountain and then ran back to his blade. Eventually, the sword cooled enough for him to take hold of it.

  Before turning his attention to the western side of the city, he took stock in his surroundings. For the first time, the fires started by the infern had not all been extinguished by its demise, probably due to the larger size of the blaze and the half-demon's attempt to escape. Whatever the cause, two buildings still burned and there was little he could do about it.

  When he did look to the west, he noticed blazes spreading there as well. Time was working against him. The fires, however, would have to wait. He knew there were more inferns stalking the city, and they were his first priority. He raced on to meet every new blaze and confront the infern responsible.

  Defeating them took more time than he hoped, as the half-demons could not help but notice the bright flare in the sky and the end of the fires in the east. They knew something was working against their efforts, and they moved with greater caution.

  Ryson faced them all, and defeated them all, but several fought him or tried to escape. The delay allowed the fires to spread even further, and just as in the center of town, many of the blazes in the west survived the destruction of the last infern.

  Ensuring all the inferns had been eliminated, Ryson circled the city in a quick scout. He noted the location of each fire. The eastern section of the city remained secure, but the western portion of Ashlan suffered from scattered fires burning from north to south right to the center of town. Unchecked, the fires would eventually spread to the east as well and destroy the entire city.

  The only solace he could find was that the goblins had already forced the evacuation of the city. The residents of Ashlan had not yet returned. He noticed many of them slowly moving in from the west, but stopping well short of the city borders. Ryson knew they were all wondering the same thing. He couldn't help wonder himself. How long would it take for the city to burn completely to the ground?

  Ryson realized there was little he could do. Any attempt at bringing water to each fire would be futile. Even with his speed, he wouldn't be able to keep up. He hoped that perhaps Enin or Jure would return. They were better equipped to handle such a dilemma. Disregarding the flames, he turned his attention back to the source of the crisis.

  The draevol.

  The demon had waited for them in the basement of the town hall, but they had all left… ordered by the elf guard to deal with other distractions and calamitous diversions. He, Enin and Jure were sent away, and that was clearly the plan. Holli was left alone to face the demon, and if his assistance was needed, it would be there.

  The space within the cellar of the town hall was tall and wide. The area covered the entire expanse of the building above. It was mostly open, save for several support columns and some cabinets and shelves around the walls. The clear area would allow Holli to utilize her agility, but offered little cover, not the best circumstances for the foe she faced.

  With the demon waiting at the center of the expanse, it could spread demon fire or cast out spells with few obstacles. The elf could dodge certain blasts, but in an enclosed space with little protection, a wave of force or fire would quickly eliminate her. Holli needed to alter the battlefield if she hoped to survive and she did so by casting the first spell before the conflict began.

  Calling on trees that surrounded the town center, she cast an incantation that accelerated their growth rate and spurred both roots and stems to come to her aid. The shoots blasted through the rock floor of the cellar as well as the brick walls. They did not fill the space completely, but rather encircled the draevol, forming a cage like presence. Some branched out further and formed natural barriers. They grew thicker as they pressed through open air and created several safe havens for Holli to utilize. Those shoots that filled in the space around the initial cage did not form a maze, but scattered about to create several clear paths that extended throughout the basement. In essence, the thick branches and roots formed a mini forest within the confined space, an environment that aided an elf guard.

  "You waste my time and doom yourself to death," the draevol snarled. "This is your last chance, leave now and you will live. Continue, and you will die."

  Holli responded with another spell. She called on the surrounding ground water to swell into the roots of the trees. She knew what was coming and was already preparing for the assault.

  Realizing the elf was intent on battle, the draevol cast a spell of its own. It needed to be free of the cage of roots as well as the annoying sorceress, and it deemed to do both with one blast of fire.

  An oval of dark brown magical energy raced about the demon's body. It grew brighter as it expanded to a full wall that encircled the draevol just inside the cage of roots and branches. The brown shade faded into a burnt orange and the energy turned into a barrage of fire.

  The draevol threw out its arms and the flames of plague magic burst out in every direction. The blaze filled all of the open area within the cage and then shot out through the entire cellar. Fire consumed most of the space, but several of the thicker roots and branches blocked enough of the fire to create small breaks of safety.

  Relying on her agility as opposed to the magic, Holli leapt behind a thicket of roots and branches before the draevol completed its spell. She covered her face with her left arm as she continued to hold her bow in her right hand. She felt the heat all around her, but she was not burned.

  The results of the spell surprised the demon. It expected to see the tree shoots burned to blackened crisps that he could snap with ease, but though many were scorched, most held to their healthy vibrancy. While it did not know Holli fortified each branch and root with a deluge of ground water to resist the fire, it surmised the elf had something to do with the results.

  "Very impressive," the demon allowed, "but still pointless. I did not use my full strength for I did not wish to waste it on you. I will need it to escape."

  "You are not going to escape," Holli called out, remaining behind the thicket. "You will either crawl back to your dark realm, or you will be destroyed."

  "And what if I just teleport out of here now?"

  "I will follow you," the elf persisted.

  "But then you'll be too weak to fight me."

  "Perhaps, or perhaps I will find another way to defeat you. I told you, I am a sorceress and an elf guard. I consider all the aspects of battle. If you simply teleport out of here, you will leave a trail… a trail that Enin can follow. You will be weakened as well, and he has the power to destroy you even at full strength."

  "Then I will have to kill you quickly and rebuild my strength," the draevol announced, as if it was a verdict that could not be overturned.

  Holli wondered if she might have pushed the draevol too far. Where she believed she could emerge victorious in a battle of wills, she could not defeat the demon if it became a contest of magical power. The tactics of an elf guard were just as important as her physical attributes and both had to be used in accord with her sorceress skills. She needed to rely on everything she had become and use all of her talents together.

  Hoping to surprise the fiend with her daring, she stepped out into open space.

  "You are a demon and you are not against bargains, c
orrect?"

  The draevol withheld its attack, for the elf's words were true. Bargains were at the heart of its existence. Demons traded the decency of their souls for power. They allowed corruption into their essence in order to spread plague and famine. The fiend could not ignore the statement as it offered opportunity.

  "I've already offered you a bargain. I would have let you live. You seemed determine to fight me. Why the change?"

  "I am still determined to fight you," Holli admitted. "I have no desire to let you escape."

  Sensing a trick, a feeble attempt to waste time, the demon prepared to cast another spell that would have obliterated the elf in an instant. Before it could complete the casting, however, Holli forced the fiend to a halt.

  "The bargain has to do with victory," she called out. "If you simply destroy me, what have you gained? Nothing. No bargain has been made."

  "I get to escape," the demon countered.

  "Do you? Or is it only temporary. Enin will still hunt you down. How long can you evade him now that he knows of your existence? How vengeful will he be if he knows you killed his apprentice?"

  The demon scowled.

  "What is it you offer?"

  "Why waste your energy trying to destroy me…"

  "Because I can," the demon interrupted.

  "Whether you can or not is not the issue. You have to admit it will take time and energy."

  "You are already wasting time. Is that what you hope to do now with this false offer?"

  Holli actually stepped closer to the demon.

  "If you hear me out completely, rather than interrupting, you will see that I am offering to put time on your side instead of pitting it against you. It is Enin you fear, or perhaps the delver, you said so yourself. I am willing to make an offer that will protect you against them."

  The demon glared at the elf guard for but a moment.

  "Make your offer and make it clear."

  "I think we both agree that when Enin finishes with your brother, he will return here to deal with you. If we are both here and alive when he returns, I pledge my service to you as long as you remain alive or in this realm. When you die or exit this existence, I forfeit my life as well."

  The demon's scowl eased as it considered the full measure of the bargain. It followed the complexity of the deal to its conclusion and almost smiled.

  "I must add to it," the demon hissed. "You must vow not to attempt to leave this place until the wizard arrives."

  "I willingly agree. It is my intention to destroy you or send you back to where you belong. I will not try to flee."

  Realizing that time was, in fact, on its side, the demon paused to consider the details. It spoke of them as if trying to clarify the meaning, but it had already placed the context of the bargain in a form that it could manipulate.

  "You will try to kill me, but I can't kill you," the draevol pointed out. "Ultimately, that is what you suggest. I'm not sure I like that arrangement."

  It was a lie. The demon saw the true advantage but hoped to string out the agreement to its benefit.

  Holli responded with the logic of the bargain.

  "We both know that you do not fear me. You fear Enin. It is protection against him I offer, and my life must remain intact for the bargain to hold any sway over him. If I fail to kill you or fail to force you back to the dark realm before he returns, what can he do? If he kills you, then based on our bargain, he kills me as well. If you survive my assault, I am only to remain alive as long as I can be in your service in this land. He can not even force you back to your realm without sacrificing me. Why would you want to kill me when keeping me alive is at the heart of the agreement? All you have to do is survive the battle with me and you have the ultimate bargaining chip against Enin."

  "What of the delver?"

  "He will be busy."

  "But what if he returns. His speed and his sword make him almost as dangerous as the wizard, perhaps even more so."

  "I will direct him to stay out of the fight."

  "He may not listen. No, the battle must remain between you and I. If you gain any external assistance, you forfeit and I have your vow."

  Holli pointed to the roots and branches that filled the cellar.

  "I cannot make that pledge. I already have the assistance of the trees."

  "I'm not talking about that," the demon hissed. "I'm talking about the delver… and the other wizard who casts white magic. If they return and assist you, the bargain falls in my favor."

  "Agreed."

  "Then try to destroy me, elf, and hope your wizard master is much less efficient with his power than I expect him to be. Time is running short for you indeed."

  The bargain had been sealed and both believed they won much. The draevol wished to stay alive, and it was Enin who it feared. With Holli's life tied to its existence in Uton, the wizard's hands would be bound. The demon would not have to flee or worry about covering its escape. It could even use the elf's powers to its advantage once she was forced into its service. It would have the valleys and grow strong from making it whither and die. All it had to do was keep the meager elf at bay. An easy prospect.

  As for Holli, she placed the demon on the defensive. She removed all of its offensive advantages. She would not have to worry about survival and could place all of her efforts on attacking the draevol. With but one simple bargain, she created a battlefield where the odds were in her favor.

  It was risky. Enin could return at any time. She knew that was what the draevol was counting on. Holli, however, remained linked to the wizard in many ways. She knew where he was and what he faced. He allowed for that link when he agreed to let Holli become both his guard and his apprentice. If she kept a small part focused upon him, she would know when he was ready to return, and she would use that advantage to ensure the demon could not win, for without its knowledge, she already saw one path to guaranteed victory.

  She had to be alive when Enin returned for the draevol to win. If she failed in defeating the draevol, all she would need to do is end her own life. Not a prospect she relished, but she was an elf guard and vowed to offer her life to protect her camp. Under Enin, that camp was now the entire land of Uton.

  While she was willing to die for her duty, she did not wish for that end. She remained determined to find a way to defeat the demon, and she would attack with all her talents and all her ferocity.

  Without wasting time, she knew she had to find and exploit some weakness. She would not only be careful, but she would be deliberate. Her first assaults were not meant to obliterate the monster or to exhaust her strength and magic. She would jab first, prod and watch.

  With an elf's speed, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and fired it at the center of the draevol. She watched it slice through the air and wondered what it would do upon impact.

  The demon sneered but made no attempt to dodge or to block. It cast no spell to shield itself or to alter the path of the projectile. It allowed the arrow to fly straight and true with hardly a care toward its target.

  The arrow plunged into the demon at the center of its massive glowing chest. It did not splinter or burn into ash. It passed harmlessly through the demon and crashed into the bricks of the wall behind the monster.

  It was not a complete surprise to the elf. Demons were not made of flesh and blood. They were spawned from the entrails of beast demons. They were entities of filth and disease, glowing hatred that took the shape of a colossus to instill fear. A pure demon had no heart, no vital organs. Physical attack would be useless against such a creature.

  She would not, however, ignore her own physical abilities. She was determined to use her training as an elf guard to defeat the fiend. She no longer had to focus on defense, but she would utilize her speed and agility to confuse the monster, keep it off balance. She only had to find the proper weapon.

  Racing about the roots and branches, she moved in a haphazard, confused pattern, as if trying to avoid rain drops during a light shower. She was not con
cerned about dodging an assault, but she hoped to keep her motives as puzzling as possible. With a quick twist and then a turn, she cut around to the back of the monster. She watched it carefully to see how the fiend reacted.

  The demon did not move, made no attempt to turn. It seemed content to remain motionless. Wasting energy to face the elf was beneath it, like chasing an ant across the forest floor.

  Holli wondered if the draevol suffered from over-confidence. Perhaps it thought it had nothing to fear from the elf, and she wondered if maybe that was true. If she couldn't attack it physically, it would come down to a battle of magic. That was a fight the creature couldn't lose, not to her. Disease, rot and decay overshadowed the emerald energy of nature, and Holli's magical prowess could not stand up to the overpowering forces available to the demon.

  Not willing to give up, she returned her focus to the physical aspects of the battle. For a moment, she wished she still had Ryson's sword. She believed the enchantment might offer a way to destroy the demon, but the delver had reclaimed his weapon. She would have to rely on what was within her reach. Unfortunately, the weapons available to her couldn't harm the draevol.

  With that thought, the spark of an idea formed within her mind. If she couldn't successfully engage the fiend in its current state, then she needed to change that condition.

  The demon continued to ignore her, giving Holli time and opportunity to consider the dilemma, and she began to form a tactic of utilizing both magic and physical attack. It was clear to her that the draevol demonstrated properties of light. It glowed bright white and its form lacked true substance. Holli's skill over nature gave her enhanced command over both water and light, for it was within the power of nature to turn light into energy that would invigorate plants and trees. She wondered if she could reshape her inherent powers of the emerald magic to focus on the light and slightly alter the properties of the draevol.