The Companions of Tartiël

by Jeff Wilcox

  “Oookay,” Dingo said with a sigh. “Well, you annihilate well over three hundred of the wolf army’s soldiers without so much as breaking a sweat.” He sat back and scratched his face. “Holy cow, that was such an effective plan, you guys.”

  Xavier and I traded a high-five, since it was mostly our plan, but then we included Matt in the hand-slapping. “Thanks,” I said with a grin. “We spent like, a week planning the thing. This was actually only part two of our four-stage plan.” We had not previously told Dingo exactly what we had planned, only that we had a plan. It had taken much verbal evasion to keep his curiosity at bay, I might add.

  Our DM cocked his head in curiosity. “What was part one? And three and four, for that matter?”

  I shrugged. “Well, plan A was simply to go to the wall and see if we could get through. We were kind of counting on that being impossible, so plan B was our real focus. You saw how well that went. If that didn’t work, we were going to flood the streets with water and water elementals, and if that didn’t work, plan D involved sacrificing as much of the gold and platinum bars in the church as possible and having the clerics call down a heavenly host, complete with really pissed-off angels to kill everyone we didn’t like. But hey, I’m cool with keeping that treasure, too.” I threw him a wink.

  “Damn,” he responded succinctly. “Well… I’m going to give all of you two levels tonight. It’s been a long session, and you killed a frickin’ army, practically. Who’s up for a Sheetz run?”

  I looked over at the clock. It was only two in the morning, and tomorrow (or today, I suppose) was Saturday. “Sure, I’ll come along,” I said. “We can gush about how awesome that was on the way there… and back.”

  Xavier nodded as he pulled out his hair tie, shaking out his hair. “Yeah, I’ll come, too.”

  Matt frowned and sighed. “Sorry, guys, but I’m not gonna make it with you tonight. I’ve got some Kappa Sigma stuff to go to tomorrow.”

  We all gave him some (mostly) good-natured boos and hisses as he packed up and left for his own dorm room, and Dingo, Xavier, and I headed out our door and began the 20-minute walk to our favorite late-night snack fix, complete with the aforementioned gushing about the D&D session.

  XL.

  Having gotten the ball rolling, the four of us met the next night, only a week before final exams began.

  “So,” Dingo said to us when we had settled into our usual places around the room. I was noisily chowing down on a Quiznos sub as I listened. “We’re getting close to the end of the year, so it’s going to be time to draw this campaign to a close. Luckily, you guys are right about where I wanted you to be, so that we can bring the story to an end without me having to narrate too much of it.”

  “Is this going to be the last session?” I asked.

  “Probably not. We can play for as long as you guys want tonight, but I don’t think we’ll get to everything,” Dingo said. “When can we meet again?” We all checked our schedules and agreed to meet up Friday and maybe spill into Saturday if we still weren’t finished.

  “So,” Dingo said once all had been determined, “what’s the plan? We left off last time with you guys killing that whole army.”

  I looked at Xavier, my eyebrows raised. “Well, after that kind of day, I know Kaiyr’s exhausted, and I’m willing to bet Caineye’s out of spells. I vote we all rest for the night and then move out on the morrow. I’m thinking we should investigate the giant castle in the distance and see what we have to do to get rid of it.”

  “I like that plan,” Matt agreed. “Maybe if we defeat whatever’s inside, the golden sphere will go away, and we can leave.”

  “I’ve had enough of this city,” Xavier grumbled, and we all knew he was sympathizing with his character, who had been in emotional turmoil at having to slaughter so many lupine creatures.

  “All right,” our Dungeon Master said, “well, the night goes by smoothly, and while you all have troubled dreams of the day’s events, everyone awakens rested and ready to go. Kaiyr, you are the first to rise, as usual. What are you doing with the four hours before everyone else gets up?”

  *

  Kaiyr let his consciousness rise slowly from the land of his dreams, letting in his senses one at a time; he had not cut off his hearing or his sight, preferring to be aware of his surroundings even while he rested. The first thing he noticed was the gentle weight of Solaria’s head on his lap. She had taken to using his leg for a pillow, since such luxuries were in short supply. It was a testament to his discipline that, although her weight caused his leg to tingle from a restricted blood vessel, he did not complain; nor did he move until she, too, stirred.

  The hours passed him by sluggishly, as though each second had to be stretched into a minute for the blademaster to contemplate the dangerous predicament in which he and his companions found themselves. True, they had defeated an impressive number of enemies yesterday. In whatever legends would be told about the battle, he did not doubt that bards would make the task sound impossible despite the ease with which five people—only three of whom were skilled in battle—vanquished a foe a hundred times stronger than they.

  It was not these legends that worried Kaiyr, but what would come on the morrow. What if the rest of the wolf army descended upon this place during the night, or even under the midday sun? Kaiyr, his companions, and the refugees in the temple of Alduros Hol were not at all prepared to face such an assault.

  Solaria moved in her sleep, sighing and shifting slightly, and the tingle in the elf’s leg slowly began to subside. Casting his quiet gaze upon her features full of nature’s beauty, Kaiyr’s worries suddenly shifted toward the young nymph. Part of him regretted having asked if she wished to be raised from the dead; she should not have to ponder her own mortality.

  Her answer had unsettled the blue-haired elf. On the surface, he could tell that she had not yet decided, but the perceptive blademaster also sensed that she was leaning toward staying away from this world, this life, should she be freed of it. Worse, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that she might even seek a way to be released from life.

  “Mm…” Kaiyr? Solaria asked abruptly, and Kaiyr blinked, realizing he had been staring at her for more than an hour. Is everything all right?

  Straightening, the blademaster glanced about. When he had last paid attention to his surroundings, it had still been night. Now, predawn light filtered in through the shuttered windows. Brushing a few stray hairs from his face, he replied softly, “Yes. My apologies, Lady Solaria. I did not mean to stare.”

  Rolling onto her back, she looked up at him until he returned her gaze, and when he did, she fixed him with a brilliant smile. You think I’m pretty. Go ahead, Kaiyr. Stare at me as long as you want, she said, her mental voice filled with a teasing chuckle. Then she sobered, her smile fading to a concerned frown. Also, you’re a terrible liar.

  “I know,” Kaiyr responded, his voice deep as ever, but tinged with a profound sadness. “But… I beg of you to accept this lie, for now.” As I have accepted yours, he added mentally, though he did not send it through the amulet, keeping his feelings to himself.

  Solaria did not reply, but when Vinto appeared in the doorway, wagging the stump of his tail, the nymph let out an exuberant squeal and darted over to greet the wolf with a hug, letting him lick her face and hands in return. When Caineye followed on the heels of his animal companion, she nodded amicably to the druid.

  “Good morning, Master Caineye.” Rising, Kaiyr bowed at the waist in his companion’s direction.

  “And a good morning to you, Master Kaiyr. I… suppose everything is ready for our mission today, isn’t it?” The golden-armor-clad druid’s voice was light with anxiety.

  “It is,” Kaiyr replied as they followed Solaria and Vinto down the hall, to where several of the clergy were busy preparing breakfast for the twoscore other refugees who had filtered into the temple over the weeks. Such preparation entailed little more than a brief purify food and drink blessing, so that th
e food was palatable, if cold and sometimes bland.

  The companions seated themselves at the long table set up in the sanctuary where Wild had narrowly avoided becoming a werewolf. There was not enough room at the tables for all forty refugees, so many of them leaned against pillars or merely ate sitting on the ground.

  I’m going with you, Solaria said suddenly in Kaiyr’s mind as the four of them ate in silence.

  Kaiyr frowned thoughtfully in her direction, and Caineye, having picked up on the blademaster’s mannerisms during their time together, asked, “What did she say?”

  After a momentary pause, Kaiyr turned back toward the group at large. “She wishes to accompany us today.”

  Caineye’s features scrunched up into a look of blatant incredulity. “What? That’s impossible! It’s dangerous.”

  “I know,” Kaiyr said calmly. “But it is also something we cannot prevent. Lady Solaria… I will tell you now that I do not wish for you to come with us. We shall explore a dangerous place today, and I have no desire to put you in such jeopardy. However, you are an individual capable of making your own decisions, Lady Solaria. While I advise against this course of action, we have not the power to stop you.”

  Slapping one hand lightly on the table and then lacing her fingers in front of her plate, Solaria communicated her resolve to the others as she told Kaiyr, Then it’s settled. I’m coming.

  Taking a deep breath, the blademaster responded through the amulet, My lady… I do not wish to see you come to more harm. When she did not reply, Kaiyr understood the discussion to be closed. Rising from the table, he looked at everyone present. “Let us go and see what this castle has to offer.”

  The streets of Ik’durel echoed only with the footsteps of the companions. Solaria had received a spare longsword from one of the refugees, a wounded soldier, and the weapon clanked slightly at her side. Kaiyr had said nothing, but he made a mental note when the nymph had hesitantly pulled the sword from its scabbard. The blade had wobbled in her frail hand, and it took her three tries to sheathe the blade. Yet again, he wondered exactly why she had demanded to join them in this venture.

  “Would you look at that?” Wild said as they neared the black castle. Pointing, he led the others’ gazes to a group of enemy soldiers: patterned Terth’Kaftineya and humans. Upon sighting the four adventurers, the Terth’Kaftineyas’ ears flattened, and they tucked their tails low. The humans regarded the group with visible respect and fear; some even went as far as to drop weapons and shields at their feet. None, however, intercepted the group or tried to start a parley, and whenever the companions advanced on the patrols, the fearful enemies would back away and retreat into alleys. Caineye bid Vinto stay close to his side, not wanting his companion to dash away in chase of the surrendering foes.

  “We cannot pursue them,” Kaiyr said, keeping his path set on the castle but his eyes and ears open and roving. “The alleys are too narrow and will restrict our mobility. It is also likely that the enemies still lie in ambush.”

  All too soon, the group arrived at the castle. Made seemingly of a single spire of black rock, the structure loomed over the companions like a shadowy claw.

  “There’s no door,” Caineye muttered in wonder, staring into the gaping maw that seemingly served as an entrance to the castle. From within, wispy strands of darkness undulated and swirled, recoiling each time they neared the sunlight streaming in from overhead.

  “Well, my curiosity’s piqued,” Wild said, wriggling his eyebrows and winking at the others. “Then again, you already knew that. I’m going in.”

  “Wait, Master Wild,” Kaiyr said quietly, but he was too late. The halfling was already darting from cover to cover as he approached the castle. Shaking his head, the blademaster followed suit, hoping that his lack of stealth ability would draw any enemies’ attention toward him and away from Wild.

  With Caineye and Solaria in tow, Kaiyr watched, expressionless, as Wild scampered into the castle’s foreboding foyer and disappeared into the roiling shadows. The blademaster sincerely hoped that he had not just watched the halfling run headlong to his doom.

  “Hey… it’s really dark in here!” came the rogue’s voice a few seconds later. “I can’t even see my damn torch, but I think I almost lit my hair on fire with it!”

  From within the whorls of shadow, Wild emerged bearing a flaming torch. The blackness seemed to cling to the halfling and to the torch, dulling the light of the flame and the vibrancy of Wild’s features until the halfling was several paces away from the entrance. “That was so weird,” he said, glancing about. Then, the halfling stopped in his tracks, staring dead ahead.

  Kaiyr turned to see what had so unsettled the ever-curious Wild and nearly jumped back himself. Beside him, Caineye swore, and Solaria suddenly began rattling her longsword as she vainly tried to pull it from its sheath.

  “You are foolish to have come here,” said the elf-like creature at the edge of the rubble displaced by the castle. “You will only find your deaths at the end of Warteär Nomen’s blade.”

  With a shriek of rage, Solaria finally managed to wrench her sword free, and she leaped over several large fragments of stone, charging straight for Warteär Nomen.

  “Lady Solaria, no!” both Kaiyr and Caineye shouted as one. Kaiyr jumped out to stop her, but she evaded his grasp and continued running.

  Pausing just long enough to concentrate and manifest his soulblade, Kaiyr called back to the druid. “Master Caineye—”

  “I know,” responded the druid, pulling out spell components from his belt pouch. “Vinto, go!”

  The blademaster sprinted after Solaria, and Vinto bounded after him as Wild took cover behind what remained of a house’s wall, winding up his crossbow and clamping a dagger between his teeth. “She’s going to get herself killed,” he muttered to nobody as he popped out from his hiding place just long enough to line up a shot—and to have it foiled by Solaria. “Tch.” Holding his fire, he ducked back behind piles of rubble to move to a better location.

  Solaria and Warteär Nomen clashed a moment later, and the result was similar to a butterfly attacking a tiger. The elven swordsman intercepted Solaria’s blade with his own, eyes full of disdain for the feeble attack.

  Then Kaiyr and Vinto joined the fray, taking up flanking positions around Warteär Nomen, so as to force him to react to both of them simultaneously. “Lady Solaria!” Kaiyr grunted under the weight of parrying an attack aimed for the nymph. “Please fall back! Let us fight this battle!” He fell silent momentarily, forced to concentrate on his opponent’s moves as Warteär Nomen retaliated with a flurry of rapier strikes, finally managing, “He is a strong opponent, even for us!”

  Warteär Nomen hopped back, out of the way of the blademaster’s seeking soulblade. Then, with a quick succession of somatic gestures, the elf-creature launched a bolt of lightning that crackled through the air and scorched a path across the ground.

  Kaiyr dodged out of the way of the blast that would surely have killed him, but as he looked back up at the foe, he realized the lightning had been but a diversion so Warteär Nomen could engage Solaria again. “No! I am your opponent, Warteär Nomen!” He rushed back into the battle, but it was already too late.

  *

  Dingo dropped his d20 on his little table. “Oh, shit, guys,” he said, sitting back and nonverbally inviting us to take a look at the die result. “Rolled a twenty.”

  I slapped my palm to my face. “Damn it,” I cursed, throwing an annoyed glance at Matt and Xavier, who both knew where my irritation was aimed—at Solaria. “Well, I’ve been hit, and as long as Solaria’s got the normal hit points for a nymph, she should be able to survive. Xavier, are you in a position to heal her next round?”

  He flipped to his spell sheet. “Well, uh, I’ve got a few healing spells memorized. Cure serious?” he asked, referring to the 4th-level druid spell.

  I frowned in thought. “Let’s wait and see how much damage is done.”

  Dingo, who had been wait
ing, his d20 rolling in his palm, nodded. He let the die drop again—although we didn’t confirm critical hits in his game (all crits were automatically confirmed, making for a much deadlier game), on a roll of a natural 20, we rolled again to see if we threatened an instant kill. This is a variant rule that requires two consecutive 20s, followed by an attack roll that hits the victim’s armor class.

  I looked at his second roll and shook my head, unwilling to believe how well Dingo always managed to roll. And by “well,” I mean high in number, not necessarily how well in our favor.

  “Never mind, Xavier,” I said as Dingo rolled a third time, easily confirming the instant kill. “We’re going to need an undertaker instead.”

  *

  Kaiyr’s sprint ground to a halt as Warteär Nomen slid his rapier from Solaria’s breast and flicked the blood from the blade’s edge, drawing a red line on the street that dared Kaiyr to cross it.

  “Solaria!” Caineye cried when Kaiyr could not find the breath to do so. The battle stopped as the three companions stared in shock at the fallen nymph’s body, blood blossoming around her on the cobblestones.

  Warteär Nomen straightened mechanically and met Kaiyr’s shocked stare. “I will destroy everything that is dear to you, elf, just as I have destroyed this creature,” the swordsman intoned in a perfectly calm voice.

  “Bastard!” Wild shouted, rising from a crouch behind a boulder and pulling the trigger on his crossbow. The quarrel flew true, connecting at the base of Warteär Nomen’s skull. But it didn’t penetrate the elf-like creature’s skin in the least, instead shattering on impact. “What in the name of the gods…?” the halfling swore, dropping back behind cover as the swordsman turned to glare at him, ignoring the wolf chewing on his arm as though Vinto was not even there.