8. Surprises
The group walked down the hill onto the road, and stood waiting. They knew Vaeksil had no choice but to enter Neriak, and consequently had no choice of route. They stood expectantly, weapons in hand, the two clerics and Jomen chanting protective incantations as the distant figure hobbled closer. Ganth disappeared to one side, much to the surprise of the newcomer magician, who prepared his own enchantments.
Vaeksil stopped when he saw the group on the road. They were distant and it was dark, but all five of the outlanders were there, as far as he could see. Something was amiss, though, and he couldn't quite place what it was. He glanced around, but saw no guards, no guardians and no one close enough to call to for help.
"Ah, well. It has come to this, then," he muttered, and started towards the line of enemies. As he moved closer, he realised what was wrong: the dwarf was missing. In his place stood one of the dark elf lord's own kin, a magician by the looks of him. Vaeksil felt a bitter taste in his mouth at the sight of one of his own standing by the outlanders. He called enchantments around his skeletal pet and himself, and prepared himself for the worst.
Siobhan stepped forward as the necromancer approached. She raised her father's sword in salute, striking a pose of preparedness. The dark elf bowed to her, then flicked his wrist and sent the skeleton towards the barbarian. The magician's companion met it. The two exchanged blows: the skeleton significantly taller and stronger, the earth-formed elemental more solid, unmoving.
Siobhan continued to advance on the necromancer. Surprisingly, he didn't move. He even had a twisted half-smile on his face as he watched the huge woman approached. As Siobhan raised her sword, Vaeksil quickly cast a spell, stepping into magical shadows.
"Damn!" shouted Ganth, as both Siobhan's and his blows landed in the place where the elf had been. Beside them, the elf re-emerged and began casting a second spell, laughing at the dwarf as he did so.
"Your high-elven friend won't be here to save you this time, little rogue," he sneered, launching a foul green cloud at the dwarf. Ganth felt the spell hit, sickening him to the stomach. "Ah, I feel much better now," said the dark elf, as Ganth's strength was sapped and transferred, healing the evil lord's leg a little.
Vaeksil's skeletal companion had almost killed the young mage's elemental. Significantly stronger than its opponent, it hacked mercilessly with a rusty sword, chopping pieces off the elemental and reducing it to muddy rubble. Krael desperately tried to heal his pet, but with the two clerics still concentrating on calling protections to the fighters, he was alone and his power not enough. He concentrated instead on covering the elemental with a shield of fire, conserving his spiritual energies for later attacks.
Eltheria and Gueri were ready for the skeleton. Calling upon the powers of their gods, they launched magical attacks, one after the other, pounding the beast with red-white light as it continued to its assault on the elemental. Their efforts, however, seemed futile, as the collection of bones dealt a final blow to Krael's companion, turning it to inanimate soil and bits of rock. It advanced upon the three casters, giggling hysterically, an eerie yellow glow in its eyes. Gueri switched tactics, hastily casting a spell to stun the beast, while Eltheria continued to pound it with deific wrath. Next to them, Krael began summoning, green lights collecting around him as the beginnings of an elemental formed in front of the magician.
Siobhan and Ganth were having trouble hitting Vaeksil. For a necromancer, he fought furiously and was very nimble, sweeping under their blows, flurrying his robes to trap weapons or confuse them. He also wielded a knife with a deftness that Ganth found astonishing: both he and Siobhan had suffered dozens of minor cuts as they tried to corner the dark elf. The little dwarf tried desperately to work his way round behind him, as Siobhan swore and cursed, her flashing swords missing their mark and cutting only into cloth.
Vaeksil smiled as he fought, that horrible, twisted little smile of his that enraged and disturbed the two lightbringers. He had a certain confidence, a knowledge that he was above their capabilities: he had seen the orc Chief fall to the mighty barbarian, but he did not fear her. His only concern was the rogue, who constantly kept trying to get behind him to plant that accursed dagger into his back. Summoning evil from the ground and the trees around him, Vaeksil let loose a spell. Ganth staggered beside him, clutching his hand to his heart as his head began to spin. He began to choke and splutter as his chest contracted and he heard his blood pounding in his ears.
Vaeksil took advantage of the dwarf's moment of weakness. He spun on the outlander, slashing viciously with his knife as Ganth gasped for breath. The blade connected and sliced through the dwarf's armour, embedding itself deep in his flesh. A small cloud of acrid magical gas spewed from the end of the dagger as it penetrated. Ganth's eyes opened wide and he fell forward, still clutching his now-open chest.
Siobhan loosed a great cry of anger as she swept her huge sword down upon the necromancer. Catching him off-balance after his attack on the dwarf, the sword carved through his robes and jammed itself between his shoulder and arm. The dark elf crumpled as the blade hit and he was forced down, screaming in pain as the barbarian twisted the sword in the wound. Siobhan grinned, an openly venomous smile of hatred, as she punished the slim lord with her father's heirloom. Slowly, teasingly, she dragged the weapon free, scraping its edge along the bones inside the necromancer's body. Vaeksil twitched, unable to defend himself without the use of his arm.
Suddenly, blue lights flickered around the dark elf's wounds, cauterising the joint and magically remaking the flesh. Siobhan glanced hastily to both sides, but could see no enemy. She spun round. As she turned, she felt a sharp impact on her helmet, stunning her and making her stagger, falling to her knees. Vaeksil looked up from where he lay.
"Run, my lord Vaeksil, run!" shouted Jomen, standing over Siobhan's fallen body, wielding a large rock. He raised the makeshift weapon again, and brought it down on Siobhan's helm. She groaned as her breath escaped her, and crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Vaeksil hauled himself to his feet. Quickly surveying the combat between his pet and the casters, he hobbled as quickly as he could in the direction of Neriak, with Jomen behind him, protecting his back.
Behind them, the elf's skeletal pet was causing problems for the three casters. Krael has been on the point of finishing his spell when the beast had punched him, interrupting his concentration. The bony fingers hurt as they pounded into his face, and he was angry now. Beside him, the two clerics had unsheathed their weapons and were bashing the skeleton, as it remained focussed on the young mage. Without its master, the undead monster seemed somehow weaker, but would not give up.
Eltheria had seen Ganth fall to the necromancer's blade, but had also seen that he was still moving. As Jomen revealed his treachery, she ran across to the dwarf and raised him slightly from the ground. He moaned, blood pouring down his tunic from the sickly, poisonous wound. She held him close, concentrating her inner strength to regain enough power to be able to heal him. Both she and Gueri had expended everything they had in attempts to destroy the skeleton, and she feared now that she had made the wrong decision.
"Don't die, Ganth, don't die," she whispered as she felt her power growing. "Don't leave me. Please." The dwarf's eyes flickered open for a moment, a look of disbelief and wonder spreading across his face. Eltheria continued to meditate, her eyes closed, and did not see the dwarf's smile. Ganth coughed.
"Ach. what'd he do to me, that skinny elf?" he croaked, his voice horribly weak and thin. He looked down at the wound, and poked a finger into it, wincing.
"Poison, my dear," said Eltheria. Ganth's eyes once again showed a look of wonder. Could he believe what he heard? He gazed up at the beautiful elven cleric as she rocked slightly, chanting quietly and gathering her inner energies. He had hoped so long for this moment, yet he had never believed it could come, had never been sure he really wanted it. He missed his wife terribly and loved her still, but she had gone to the halls of heroes: Eltheria was here, now, and he could not imagine his life without her by his side.
Placing the rogue gently back on the grass, Eltheria stood and summoned her newly regained energy, pumping clear, fresh blue light into the dwarf's body. Ganth sighed, and slowly sat up. He took a moment to shake his head, the memories of Eltheria's words already seeming like a dream, then noticed the skeleton still fighting his friends.
Gueri pounded on the animated bones as hard as she could, but they resisted. This thing, this companion was a living nightmare, punching and hacking at the young mage by her side. The dark elf was not taking the punishment very well. Badly equipped, he had merely a silk robe to protect him from the onslaught, and the skeleton's rusty weapon carved through it as if it were not there. Gueri regretted having used so much power on damaging the beast - she had nothing left for the magician now - but at least her spells had weakened it a little.
Krael moaned as the skeleton beat upon him, trying desperately to defend himself with his knife. It was little use: he wasn't a fighter, he was an intellectual. Suddenly, that thought came back to him, and an anger rose within him. Summoning all his powers of concentration, he began to cast a spell, ignoring the attacks of the skeleton.
As the ground under the undead warrior erupted in magical flames, Ganth arrived. Burned, beaten upon, stunned, scorched and generally abused, the skeleton flailed weakly as the dwarf planted his dagger at the top of its spine and pulled downward. It was a completely unexpected attack, and tore through the magical bindings holding the creature together. With a hollow sound, the bones fell to the ground, inanimate at last. The three friends stood over the corpse, relieved.
"Och. what hit me?" groaned Siobhan, stirring slowly.
***
As they approached the tunnel entrance to the dark elven city of Neriak, Vaeksil and Jomen paused for a moment. With a smug grin, the woodsman reached into his pack and withdrew a mask. He placed it over his face and his image shimmered: where before had been a slight, pale-skinned tree- dweller now stood a dark elf. Approaching the city, they hailed the guards, who saluted and returned to their surveillance of the approach.
"Come, Jomen, we must hurry to milord Tel'Drath's chambers and report," Vaeksil commanded. Jomen nodded and followed his liege lord into the tunnel. Inside the city, Vaeksil turned to his vassal.
"You still have the mask, I see," he noted.
"Yes, milord," replied Jomen humbly. "I have found it better to maintain the image of a dark elf within the city, for many do not know me still and would be unhappy to see the passing of a wood elf, whether a spy in your service or not." The necromancer nodded.
They made their way across the city, wending through the streets as traders hailed them, offering their wares. Ignoring the calls of the shopkeepers, they headed straight for the guildhall, standing proudly at the back of the city.
The group walked down the hill onto the road, and stood waiting. They knew Vaeksil had no choice but to enter Neriak, and consequently had no choice of route. They stood expectantly, weapons in hand, the two clerics and Jomen chanting protective incantations as the distant figure hobbled closer. Ganth disappeared to one side, much to the surprise of the newcomer magician, who prepared his own enchantments.
Vaeksil stopped when he saw the group on the road. They were distant and it was dark, but all five of the outlanders were there, as far as he could see. Something was amiss, though, and he couldn't quite place what it was. He glanced around, but saw no guards, no guardians and no one close enough to call to for help.
"Ah, well. It has come to this, then," he muttered, and started towards the line of enemies. As he moved closer, he realised what was wrong: the dwarf was missing. In his place stood one of the dark elf lord's own kin, a magician by the looks of him. Vaeksil felt a bitter taste in his mouth at the sight of one of his own standing by the outlanders. He called enchantments around his skeletal pet and himself, and prepared himself for the worst.
Siobhan stepped forward as the necromancer approached. She raised her father's sword in salute, striking a pose of preparedness. The dark elf bowed to her, then flicked his wrist and sent the skeleton towards the barbarian. The magician's companion met it. The two exchanged blows: the skeleton significantly taller and stronger, the earth-formed elemental more solid, unmoving.
Siobhan continued to advance on the necromancer. Surprisingly, he didn't move. He even had a twisted half-smile on his face as he watched the huge woman approached. As Siobhan raised her sword, Vaeksil quickly cast a spell, stepping into magical shadows.
"Damn!" shouted Ganth, as both Siobhan's and his blows landed in the place where the elf had been. Beside them, the elf re-emerged and began casting a second spell, laughing at the dwarf as he did so.
"Your high-elven friend won't be here to save you this time, little rogue," he sneered, launching a foul green cloud at the dwarf. Ganth felt the spell hit, sickening him to the stomach. "Ah, I feel much better now," said the dark elf, as Ganth's strength was sapped and transferred, healing the evil lord's leg a little.
Vaeksil's skeletal companion had almost killed the young mage's elemental. Significantly stronger than its opponent, it hacked mercilessly with a rusty sword, chopping pieces off the elemental and reducing it to muddy rubble. Krael desperately tried to heal his pet, but with the two clerics still concentrating on calling protections to the fighters, he was alone and his power not enough. He concentrated instead on covering the elemental with a shield of fire, conserving his spiritual energies for later attacks.
Eltheria and Gueri were ready for the skeleton. Calling upon the powers of their gods, they launched magical attacks, one after the other, pounding the beast with red-white light as it continued to its assault on the elemental. Their efforts, however, seemed futile, as the collection of bones dealt a final blow to Krael's companion, turning it to inanimate soil and bits of rock. It advanced upon the three casters, giggling hysterically, an eerie yellow glow in its eyes. Gueri switched tactics, hastily casting a spell to stun the beast, while Eltheria continued to pound it with deific wrath. Next to them, Krael began summoning, green lights collecting around him as the beginnings of an elemental formed in front of the magician.
Siobhan and Ganth were having trouble hitting Vaeksil. For a necromancer, he fought furiously and was very nimble, sweeping under their blows, flurrying his robes to trap weapons or confuse them. He also wielded a knife with a deftness that Ganth found astonishing: both he and Siobhan had suffered dozens of minor cuts as they tried to corner the dark elf. The little dwarf tried desperately to work his way round behind him, as Siobhan swore and cursed, her flashing swords missing their mark and cutting only into cloth.
Vaeksil smiled as he fought, that horrible, twisted little smile of his that enraged and disturbed the two lightbringers. He had a certain confidence, a knowledge that he was above their capabilities: he had seen the orc Chief fall to the mighty barbarian, but he did not fear her. His only concern was the rogue, who constantly kept trying to get behind him to plant that accursed dagger into his back. Summoning evil from the ground and the trees around him, Vaeksil let loose a spell. Ganth staggered beside him, clutching his hand to his heart as his head began to spin. He began to choke and splutter as his chest contracted and he heard his blood pounding in his ears.
Vaeksil took advantage of the dwarf's moment of weakness. He spun on the outlander, slashing viciously with his knife as Ganth gasped for breath. The blade connected and sliced through the dwarf's armour, embedding itself deep in his flesh. A small cloud of acrid magical gas spewed from the end of the dagger as it penetrated. Ganth's eyes opened wide and he fell forward, still clutching his now-open chest.
Siobhan loosed a great cry of anger as she swept her huge sword down upon the necromancer. Catching him off-balance after his attack on the dwarf, the sword carved through his robes and jammed itself between his shoulder and arm. The dark elf crumpled as the blade hit and he was forced down, screaming in pain as the barbarian twisted the sword in the wound. Siobhan grinned, an openly venomous smile of hatred, as she punished the slim lord with her father's heirloom. Slowly, teasingly, she dragged the weapon free, scraping its edge along the bones inside the necromancer's body. Vaeksil twitched, unable to defend himself without the use of his arm.
Suddenly, blue lights flickered around the dark elf's wounds, cauterising the joint and magically remaking the flesh. Siobhan glanced hastily to both sides, but could see no enemy. She spun round. As she turned, she felt a sharp impact on her helmet, stunning her and making her stagger, falling to her knees. Vaeksil looked up from where he lay.
"Run, my lord Vaeksil, run!" shouted Jomen, standing over Siobhan's fallen body, wielding a large rock. He raised the makeshift weapon again, and brought it down on Siobhan's helm. She groaned as her breath escaped her, and crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Vaeksil hauled himself to his feet. Quickly surveying the combat between his pet and the casters, he hobbled as quickly as he could in the direction of Neriak, with Jomen behind him, protecting his back.
Behind them, the elf's skeletal pet was causing problems for the three casters. Krael has been on the point of finishing his spell when the beast had punched him, interrupting his concentration. The bony fingers hurt as they pounded into his face, and he was angry now. Beside him, the two clerics had unsheathed their weapons and were bashing the skeleton, as it remained focussed on the young mage. Without its master, the undead monster seemed somehow weaker, but would not give up.
Eltheria had seen Ganth fall to the necromancer's blade, but had also seen that he was still moving. As Jomen revealed his treachery, she ran across to the dwarf and raised him slightly from the ground. He moaned, blood pouring down his tunic from the sickly, poisonous wound. She held him close, concentrating her inner strength to regain enough power to be able to heal him. Both she and Gueri had expended everything they had in attempts to destroy the skeleton, and she feared now that she had made the wrong decision.
"Don't die, Ganth, don't die," she whispered as she felt her power growing. "Don't leave me. Please." The dwarf's eyes flickered open for a moment, a look of disbelief and wonder spreading across his face. Eltheria continued to meditate, her eyes closed, and did not see the dwarf's smile. Ganth coughed.
"Ach. what'd he do to me, that skinny elf?" he croaked, his voice horribly weak and thin. He looked down at the wound, and poked a finger into it, wincing.
"Poison, my dear," said Eltheria. Ganth's eyes once again showed a look of wonder. Could he believe what he heard? He gazed up at the beautiful elven cleric as she rocked slightly, chanting quietly and gathering her inner energies. He had hoped so long for this moment, yet he had never believed it could come, had never been sure he really wanted it. He missed his wife terribly and loved her still, but she had gone to the halls of heroes: Eltheria was here, now, and he could not imagine his life without her by his side.
Placing the rogue gently back on the grass, Eltheria stood and summoned her newly regained energy, pumping clear, fresh blue light into the dwarf's body. Ganth sighed, and slowly sat up. He took a moment to shake his head, the memories of Eltheria's words already seeming like a dream, then noticed the skeleton still fighting his friends.
Gueri pounded on the animated bones as hard as she could, but they resisted. This thing, this companion was a living nightmare, punching and hacking at the young mage by her side. The dark elf was not taking the punishment very well. Badly equipped, he had merely a silk robe to protect him from the onslaught, and the skeleton's rusty weapon carved through it as if it were not there. Gueri regretted having used so much power on damaging the beast - she had nothing left for the magician now - but at least her spells had weakened it a little.
Krael moaned as the skeleton beat upon him, trying desperately to defend himself with his knife. It was little use: he wasn't a fighter, he was an intellectual. Suddenly, that thought came back to him, and an anger rose within him. Summoning all his powers of concentration, he began to cast a spell, ignoring the attacks of the skeleton.
As the ground under the undead warrior erupted in magical flames, Ganth arrived. Burned, beaten upon, stunned, scorched and generally abused, the skeleton flailed weakly as the dwarf planted his dagger at the top of its spine and pulled downward. It was a completely unexpected attack, and tore through the magical bindings holding the creature together. With a hollow sound, the bones fell to the ground, inanimate at last. The three friends stood over the corpse, relieved.
"Och. what hit me?" groaned Siobhan, stirring slowly.
***
As they approached the tunnel entrance to the dark elven city of Neriak, Vaeksil and Jomen paused for a moment. With a smug grin, the woodsman reached into his pack and withdrew a mask. He placed it over his face and his image shimmered: where before had been a slight, pale-skinned tree- dweller now stood a dark elf. Approaching the city, they hailed the guards, who saluted and returned to their surveillance of the approach.
"Come, Jomen, we must hurry to milord Tel'Drath's chambers and report," Vaeksil commanded. Jomen nodded and followed his liege lord into the tunnel. Inside the city, Vaeksil turned to his vassal.
"You still have the mask, I see," he noted.
"Yes, milord," replied Jomen humbly. "I have found it better to maintain the image of a dark elf within the city, for many do not know me still and would be unhappy to see the passing of a wood elf, whether a spy in your service or not." The necromancer nodded.
They made their way across the city, wending through the streets as traders hailed them, offering their wares. Ignoring the calls of the shopkeepers, they headed straight for the guildhall, standing proudly at the back of the city.