Chapter 25 Does This Seem Familiar?
Character Geyser
Kris was in pain, he could see it on her face, but she motioned for them to go to Fi and Celantra. How those two showed up right when they were needed, Geyser could only guess, but he was profoundly grateful that they were here. Geyser watched Celantra swoop down and grab up one of the statues ripping it apart as she flew back to Fi. He looked over to Kris, she looked mad now instead of just pained.
"You two look terrible," Fi said as they approached, "Geyser stop trying to get yourself and my sister killed."
"This is not the time for jokes," Kris said her agitation coming through in her voice.
Fi shadow melded into the last statue, as she came out the statue splintered into pieces.
"What were those things?" Geyser asked as Fiona flew back to them, they had landed near the river so Krista could soak her jaw in the cool water.
"Those were gargoyles," Celantra said, "Diablo's more unique minions, generally used as shock troops when initiating an invasion or constructing a foot hold."
"Where did they come from," Fi asked.
"Up in the cave," Geyser responded.
"They were accompanied by little men-like creatures, most of which were red or blue with a few black and orange," Kris said, "those are who brought the statu, er gargoyles out of the cave."
"Were the gargoyles moving before they were brought out or were they still statues," Celantra asked, "and the small ones are the Fallen lesser demons that act as a grunt force for the Primes."
"They were still statues," Geyser answered for Kris who was obviously pained by speaking.
"Then that means that they had just arrived from a portal," Celantra said, "we could take them out before their portal is strong enough to bring one of the Primes through."
"Or Malafor," Krista said.
"Right," Fiona said, "Celantra lets get into that cave."
"Not without us," Kris said getting out of the river, "I want to return the favor of a scorched jaw to these demons."
"Kris we should really get you to a healer," Geyser argued.
"I wont leave sis just because I'm a little bloody," Kris said, you aren't in such great shape either go see a healer for yourself and bring back help."
"If you won't leave Fi what makes you think that I will leave you?" Geyser stated, "I'm not leaving General you have my wings as well."
"Why did I know that you two wouldn't leave even if you were half dead," Fi said, "well if you insist come on though I will demand that you get yourselves to a healer as soon as we get back."
"You two can hide behind me if you need to," Celantra said, "but I am glad that you chose to stay."
"Then lets get to this portal and smash it," Geyser said as he was working an arrow out of Krista's knee.
Krista let out a low growl as he extracted the arrow, biting off its top and pulling it back out, then licked him and said, "Thank you."
"Celantra and I will scout the cave mouth wile you two get the arrows out of each other we'll be back in a few minutes," Fi said flying up toward the cave mouth with Celantra.
"Geyser," Kris said after a moment, "you were brilliant back there."
"I just saw you were in trouble and I figured I was too so I took a chance that maybe the Frost Nova would stop them when our normal powers didn't," Geyser said.
"Well you certainly saved me from further arrow wounds if nothing else," Krista said, "speaking of which let me get some of those out of you."
Geyser let her extract the arrows from his chest as he removed the arrows from her side. When they had finished Fi glided down from the cave mouth and they ascended the waterfall, meeting Celantra at the top.
"What have we got in here?" Geyser asked as they reached the top.
"A mostly operable portal and maybe 50 or so orcs and Fallen along with six more gargoyles," Celantra said, "you two are going to take out the orcs and Fallen leave the gargoyles to Fi and me."
"Ok," Geyser said before Kris could disagree, "we'll stay out of the way. Right Kris?"
"Yes," Kris said with a sigh, "we didn't seem able to harm those gargoyles anyway."
"Exactly my point," Fiona said, "I don't want either of you two getting killed by those monsters."
"What about you you're the general we can't have you dying out here," Geyser said worried.
"That is why I am here," Celantra said, "to keep the worst of the monsters off of you all long enough for us to get away if we have to."
"Lets get that portal closed," Fiona said as she led the way into the cave proper.
When they arrived at the entrance to the cavern that housed the portal Geyser saw a coliseum-shaped ring of seats and overlooks all centered around a square prominence on which sat the portal. The room was mostly decaying and the stone used in its construction was worn smooth over time.
Krista walked up to Fiona and Geyser heard her say, "Fi this looks like the cavern where Mother and Father first fought the golem." Fi didn't answer just nodded and continued searching the cavern for more monsters.
Geyser thought it strange that the demons would leave their portal unguarded, unless, "Fi it's a trap," he yelled as boulders came crashing down from the ceiling. Celantra flung her wings over the three of them, the light bouncing around inside her blinding Geyser for a moment. When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was that all the boulders had bounced off of Celantra's wings and body without even scratching her, the second was six gargoyles and roughly 50 orcs and Fallen pouring out of the tunnel behind them.
"To the center," Kris said as she flew onto the square prominence, "hurry."
Geyser sent Fi over while he and Celantra stalled the smaller monsters.
"Go," Celantra said, "I'm right behind you."
Geyser flew down to the prominence landing beside Kris, Celantra landed a moment after he did. "Now what?" he asked, "we have no where else to go."
"Now you die," a booming voice echoed through the cavern as a large black crystal floated up from underneath the prominence. "Your parents may have escaped this chamber but you will not, General," Malafor yelled then laughed as the crystal opened up into a massive golem, "you will die screaming."
"That is no ordinary golem," Celantra said, "it is possessed by a demon giving it far more powers than it would normally have. Keep the other minions off of me while I deal with this atrocity."
"Fi you're the only one left now who can effectively kill those gargoyles," Kris said, "send them back to hell, while Geyser and me return the others."
Fi nodded then disappeared in a blur of shadows.
"You are really out to get these things aren't you," Geyser asked as he started freezing the orcs and Fallen. Not getting an answer he looked over to see Kris readying her Frozen Vortex, she had a viciously infective grin on her face and Geyser couldn't help but smile back. When Kris unleashed her Vortex, half of the orcs died and about two-thirds of the Fallen leaving only the strongest of them still standing and able to fight. Looking up Geyser saw Celantra trading blows with the golem and Fi reeking havoc among the gargoyles. Then everything started to fall apart, literally. Celantra sent the golem into a wall of the room and it cracked, the ceiling started to slide toward the weakened wall and stalactites fell down on top of Fi and the gargoyles. Kris was flying to her sister's aid leaving him to guard against the remains of the Fallen and orcs. A piece of the wall fell inward landing on top of Celantra and knocking her from the sky even if it didn't actually harm her. The Fallen swarmed over Geyser followed by orcs he repulsed them with another Frost Nova killing more of the Fallen but just knocking down the orcs. Fi and Kris landed beside him and the three formed a circle to guard against the oncoming monsters.
"Did, you get all of the gargoyles?" Kris asked Fi.
"No there are still two left somewhere around here," Fi said as Celantra went sliding past them.
Celantra seemed to be suffering little damage from all the beating about she was taking from the golem, Fi was bleeding from a gash down her side and holes in her wings, Kris and Geyser still had arrows in them from earlier and Kris' jaw was looking worse than it did earlier, he also felt more slices on his back from where the Fallen had swarmed him. "We need to get out of here!" he shouted as the gargoyles rejoined the rest of their attackers.
"Not until that portal is destroyed," Fi said as the monsters charged the trio again.
This charge ended badly for the demons as a large section of ceiling collapsed down on top of the oncoming creatures.
"Well that is one problem taken care of," Kris said, "where is Celantra?"
Looking toward the possessed golem Geyser saw that Celantra was in its jaws and holding them open with her forelimbs. He took off and angled for the golem.
"What are you doing," he heard Kris yell at him as he flew into the golem's open mouth.
"Get ready to fly," he told Celantra, "This will really make this thing mad." He charged up a Frost Nova until he couldn't build it up any more then unleashed his full fury into the golem's head. The force of the Nova blew off the entire front of the golem's head and Geyser felt like he was in the center of a blast chamber for a minute as the golem's body exploded in a shower of crystal and fire and blood. Landing back on the prominence Geyser saw that all four of them were soaked in blood mostly from the golem's death but also from their own wounds. "I didn't think golems had blood," he said.
"The golem body didn't but the demon inside it did," Celantra said, "what prompted you to act like a living bomb anyway?"
"I just thought that since you had its mouth open then if I added a little pressure to the rest of it you could get out," Geyser said, "I didn't really think I would blow its head off."
"And what would have happened to you if its head didn't get blown off," Kris said, "it would have eaten you, I didn't save you so you could find another way to die," she continued walking up to, and wrapping her wings around, him.
"We still need to destroy that portal even if Malafor is already here," Fi said, "we don't want him bringing in more reinforcements through that thing."
"If he is already here, why did he let us know of this portal," Celantra asked.
"A diversion," Kris said alarmed, "he wanted us to be here so he could attack what we left unguarded."
"How do you figure that," Geyser asked her.
"It's a tactic that Ray uses in strategy training," Kris said, "it almost always works, draw you opponent's attention to something that they will attack but only after you have a large enough force to capture your objective."
"And Malafor's Objective would be the Temple," Fi said, "we have to get back there now."
"Wouldn't that be what he is expecting us to do," Geyser argued, "he knew that you are the General so he has some way of watching us, if we head to the Temple he more than likely has already set traps for us on our return."
"Then we could do what he doesn't expect," Celantra interrupted, "we attack his strong hold while he is attacking ours."
"We need more than the four of us," Kris said, "and three of us are not in optimal fighting condition at the moment."
"I'll head back to Warfang then," Fi interjected, "get the others, and meet you three at the Dragon Dam near the exit of the runes of Old Warfang, I can travel in shadow so will be less likely to draw attention even if I am our General."
"Sis I can't let you do that it is to dangerous," Kris said.
"Then you leave me no choice," Fiona said sadly, "Krista, as General, I am ordering you to stay with Geyser and Celantra and meet me at the Dam."
Krista looked like she had been struck by one of Volteer's lightning bolts. "But Fi I, you, … fine," she said, her tone softer than usual, "Just make sure you bring a healer back with you."
"Are you certain of this course," Celantra asked, "It will be dangerous."
"What we just went through was dangerous too," Geyser countered, "If we allow Malafor to gather more forces then it might not just be the four of us in a remote cave that will be in trouble, there are over three thousand dragons in our world now, most not too much older than 70, creatures like that golem could turn cities and villages into slaughter houses."
"And I won't see that happen," Fi said taking to the air, "See you at the Dam."
"Lets go," Celantra said, "the sooner we get to this Dam the sooner you two can nurse you wounds." Geyser led the way to the Dam with Kris and Celantra following close behind.