I spent a few hours crafting a new weapon we might need if we ended up against a gluttony of kuchrima. After that, I ran into Twilight – still in smaller pony form – in the hallway. “I need to talk to you,” she said.
What. “You can talk?”
“Of course I can,” she said.
“And you didn’t before why?”
She shrugged. Sort of. “Nothing to say, really. Anyway, I’ve been studying what is wrong with your tiefling companion. He is possessed of at least nine souls, right?”
“Right.”
“And he was able to control them before, but is now switching at random?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve confirmed that it is his proximity to Leng causing the problem. I’ve designed an enchantment that will stabilize him and allow him to control it, but I will need to channel it to keep him stable. So if you need him to do something specific, let me know. I should be able to keep it up for about a minute or so at a time.”
“Thanks. By the way, I’ve been calling you Twilight Sparkle, but what’s your real name?”
“It doesn’t translate, but your guess is strangely close.”
Of course it was. “And your familiar?”
“I LIKE the nickname Spike!” the dragon said, sticking its head from her pack.
Fair enough. “Great, we’ll stick with those, then. Have you tried the ice cream yet?” It never hurt for me to try making some friends.
“The what?” the dragon asked.
“C’mon. Something tells me you’re going to love it. Just don’t eat too much or you’ll get sick.”
The next morning, Morgiv returned, carrying a satchel filled with healing scrolls and a magic healing staff for Paulie. He also bore news. The Spared had managed to confirm the location of one of the rings. It could be found in a place called the Heptaric Locus, an ancient amphitheater to the north of our location.
The downside was that we would need to travel through the Tangle, that fungus and lichen jungle we’d seen upon flying in. Well, either that, go around or fly over, but those would take too long or risk being spotted by enemies – or Lenn spotting giants to charge – so the Tangle was probably our best of several bad options.
He told us what he knew about the Tangle. Apparently it was filled with zombies that had vines growing out of them. They sounded like yellow musk zombies to me, so that would be ‘fun’. But at least the thick jungle would hide our movement.
After breakfast, we headed out. Morgiv led us to the edge of the jungle and told us he would send word when they had located another ring. We thanked him and moved out among the lichen. For the record, I miss good old pine forests, where the only real fear is bears. I’m pretty sure I could handle a bear now. No mace required.
Twilight informed us that the jungle felt wrong, like it was a singular, malevolent entity. Great.
Not too long after that, we encountered our first zombie. And, naturally, it would have been too simple for it to be a regular one. Nope. Zombie Cloud Giant. At least it made Lenn happy.
The vegepygmies were annoying, but no more so than your average vegan back in Denver. And, much like vegans, it meant there weould be mold growths around to worry about, so we had to keep our eyes out for it. Good thing we had enough alcohol to clean it all up. Maybe we could have the Spared on mildew duty once the dangerous things were cleared out.
We reached the heart of the jungle, where we found a massive tangle of vines. It looked vaguely familiar.
“If a green asari shows up, I’m done,” Kira said.
“Yeah, and I’d give quite a bit for a crop duster filled with Round Up,” I responded.
The fight was quick and mildly brutal. It turned inexorably in our favor after the plant grabbed Lenn, burrowed its vines into his ears and then caught fire. Because apparently that’s something Lenn can do now.
Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to Lenn. But Geo gathering more samples continues to creep me out. After his last plan, I’m a bit terrified what he has planned. And I’m afraid knowing will end up being way worse than not knowing.
On the plus side, we did locate another one of those rings on the corpse of a formerly zombified lamia. Two down, five to go. Might take a bit of effort to resize one for Twilight, though.
With the jungle safe, we made our way to the Heptaric Locus. Morgiv hadn’t lied. The amphitheater was huge. Not sports stadium huge – there’s no way they had the population size to need that, even with the giants – but huge nonetheless.
In the middle of the amphitheater was an ice devil – a gelugon, insectlike and fierce – along with two strange creatures that I thought might be scarlet walkers – a type of fiend that feeds on blood. Near where they were was a rift into another plane, possibly even a direct portal into Hell itself. All I could hope was that this wasn’t about to turn into Event Horizon. I didn’t sleep for a month after seeing that movie.
“I think I can seal the rift,” I told the others. “But I’ll need to concentrate. Keep them off of me. Juiz can protect me from anything that comes through.”
Aurora nodded. “I’ll hold the devil’s attention while the rest of you bring down the others. Kill them quickly and come help me after.” Everyone agreed that this was the best course of action and we moved in. I hid myself with an invisibility spell to keep the enemy from catching me before I had done my work.
Examining the rift with my magic sight, I could see the threads of magic around it. I kenw there was one spell that would end it completely in just a few seconds, but I hadn’t mastered such magic yet – its power level was intense, just beyond the reach of my greatest efforts. Instead, I would have to unravel it carefully, a few threads at a time, using most of my remaining high level spells to fuel the unraveling.
While I worked, the party fought. Aurora was doing a great job keeping the devil at bay while the others brutally slaughtered the first scarlet walker. Another one came through the portal. Luckily, it either didn’t notice me or decided the rest of the party was a bigger priority and moved in to attack the others.
It was all going pretty well until the devil switched the script. He trapped Aurora within a dome of ice and charged at the nearest vulnerable target. His focus on a walker, Geo didn’t have time to react. It looked like he would be impaled by the monster’s spear.
At least, he would have been if Lenn hadn’t manifested a new power. In a burst of flame, Lenn teleported from where he was to put himself between Geo and the fiend. He swung mightily and sheared the spear in half. Then he and the devil locked hands in a test of strength, each trying to overpower the other.
Despite towering over the big man, the devil soon realized it was outmatched. First one knee touched the ground, then the other. It glowered at Lenn. “WHAT ARE YOU?!” it demanded as Lenn’s flaming wings unfurled above it.
“I’M THE DISTRACTION!” Lenn roared before headbutting it.
“What?” the devil asked before suddenly noticing the planar rift shuddering and beginning to close. “STOP THEM!”
“Sorry, but you aren’t going anywhere,” Geo said, suddenly shimmering into view behind the kneeling devil and slipping his blade through a crack in its chitin.
Still alive, the monster broke free and tried to rush to the portal to stop me. But Aurora and Juiz managed to get between us, tripping him as he tried to rush past them. Lenn was quickly on its back, holding it in what looked like a full nelson.
“I’m almost done!” I told the others. “Just a few moments longer.”
“Hold his head through the rift!” Aurora suggested, thinking with portals. God, I love that woman.
They did so, getting the struggling devil into position just as I slammed the rift shut. On our side remained the bulk of the creature, but its head from the eyes up was gone, severed by the closing portal.
While we had been doing that, Lenntu, Paulie, Twilight and Spike had managed to finish off the remaining scarlet walkers. Damn, but we were good.
I sat down, a laugh suddenly escaping as the tension released. The others began laughing as well. The fight had been a lot closer than I’m making it sound here, but we had won in the end. We were due a bit of relief, and the healing from Twilight was making everyone feel giddy.
“That was awesome!” Kira said to me.
“Yeah, that was one hell of a fight.”
“And the way Lenn teleported to save Geo. I didn’t know he could do that. Friendship really is magic, isn’t it?”
A chill ran down my spine. “What did you just say?”
“That it was cool how Lenn saved Geo.”
“No. The other part.”
“Oh, I was just saying that friendship is magic.”
As if on cue, Twilight called over to me. “Hey! What’s the Steward of the Skein doing here?” I looked where she had indicated and saw the winged figure I’d seen so many times before. Her use of that name made me realize what the creature was. She wasn’t an angel, as I’d thought. No, she was Pharasma’s herald. The Death Watcher who arrived to observe significant deaths.
And she was staring at Twilight Sparkle.
“We’ve missed something!” I called out. “We’re still in danger!”
I scanned the area. Geo was taking more samples. Lenn was playing with his axe. Lenntu was cleaning his gun. Twilight was looking at the Steward. Paulie was standing in a menacing pose. Spike was greedily eating something. Aurora was standing at the ready, looking for what I’d called out about. Juiz was changing the battery on the rail gun. There were no other creatures visible nearby.
“Everything seems fine,” I said, choking on the last word as realization hit. “Scatter! Now!”
Everyone did as I had commanded. “Kyle, what’s wrong?” Kira asked. And then Spike grew to massive size. No longer was he a dragonling. He was now a full grown tor linnorm, a titanic primeval dragon-like creature known for their barbarism and characterized by their insatiable gluttony. Tor linnorms in particular dwell within volcanos, completely comfortable swimming through the vast pockets of magma within. “Well, shit.”
I couldn’t have put it better myself.
“Spike, you get down here right now and turn back to normal this instant!” Twilight commanded, stomping her hoof.
The linnorm responded by exhaling a massive cone of flame and ash that engulfed the unicorn. When it cleared, she was gone. “Maybe he just teleported her somewhere? You know, that thing with the scrolls?” Kira suggested.
“Her hooves are still there,” I replied flatly.
“Well, shit.”
“A CHANCE FOR GLORY!” Paulie shouted, hitting Aurora with bolstering magic.
“In the name of the gods, we will bring you down!” Aurora crowed out in defiance as she charged.
Jack cackled. “I’m going to cut so very many pieces off of your corpse!” He actually sounded excited. Creepy.
“BAD DRAGON!” Lenn shouted, making a flying charge with his axe.
“What kind of ammo do I use?” Lenntu called out.
“Analysis of database suggests that cold iron slugs will be most effective,” Juiz responded, switching out the ammunition on the rail gun as well.
I unleashed barrage after barrage with my pistol, followed by a couple grenades and then followed up with what spells I had that would be able to aid the party despite the foe’s substantial resistance to spells. As we fought, I analyzed the fight. Using data from previous encounters and what I knew of this foe, I could surmise with moderate certainty a few things.
First of all, we were going to win. Second, it didn’t look like anyone would die. Third, there were three of our people likely to finish off this enemy. The third highest chance was Jack, with a twenty two point six three percent chance of striking the last blow. Then came Lenn, who had a thirty one point four eight percent chance. And most likely, thanks to Paulie’s spell, was Aurora, with a thirty nine point one seven percent chance. The rest of us made up the remaining six point seven two percent chance due to unfavorable conditions within the fight.
Why did this matter? Because if he had become a true linnorm, his dying breath would curse the one who slew him, causing their blood to begin boiling within their veins if they couldn’t resist it. If it were Lenn or Jack, no worries. I had a scroll in my bag that would break the curse. A little discomfort and it’d be over. Same with Aurora, normally. I wouldn’t want her to feel that pain, but it was part of adventuring. I was sure she’d be okay.
But what I was uncertain of was the effects that would have on the child within her. Would the temporary curse have long term effects on the baby? It wasn’t a risk I was willing to take. I began scanning the battlefield, looking for an alternative, a way to shift the odds.
I only found one option. Timing a shot with the rail gun just right would allow its wielder to steal the killing blow, or at least, up the odds of doing so to roughly ninety one point three two percent. I could easily have Juiz use it to do so. But that brought about another quandary. What would happen to her if she was afflicted with the curse? She had no blood. Could it cause permanent damage?
And if I were able to repair said damage, would I irrepairably alter something? Would she countinue being the same Juiz I knew? Or would she become a similar but slightly different being?
No, there was only one option, and I didn’t like it. “Juiz! Give me the gun!”
I prepared myself, even using my ring to cast one of the lowest level spells I knew, which would have normally been a waste, but would make it so this one shot would be almost impossible to miss with. “Spike,” I said softly. “I’m sorry, but you’ve been a naughty dragon and I have to spank you. If it helps, this will probably hurt me a whole lot more than it’s going to hurt you.” Then I fired, a perfect shot straight between the linnorm’s eyes.
My world erupted in a fountain of agony. I collapsed to the ground, writhing. I’ve died before, and I have to say this was so very much worse.
I don’t remember much. I recall saying, “Scroll” and “Bag” at some point, but not much else.
The pain subsided what seemed like an eternity later. Aurora was holding me tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Idiot. Why did you do that? You could have easily just used that scroll yourself to cure whoever was affected. If Paulie hadn’t gotten his transformations under control, we might not have been able to save you. Just what were you thinking?!”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I…I cast a spell to shield myself from fire before I shot it. I thought that would protect me long enough to cast the spell on myself.” It was a lie, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. It would just hurt her more.
“Don’t be stupid and make girls cry!” Lenn chided me.
I didn’t comment on the irony of him calling someone else stupid. As I looked at the others, I noticed Jack putting a vial filled with some kind of red liquid – blood? – in his pack. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know where he’d gotten it.
We tried resurrecting Twilight Sparkle, even using the True Resurrection scroll we’d gotten from Morgiv. But alas, nothing worked. She was gone, and so was the Steward of the Skein.
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