Chapter Nine: Winged Peril, the Arch Fiend and Artea's Premonition
Guy and Artea's newly acquired sneak thief moved with the graceful, fluid motions of shadow. Soundless and swift, she scouted the path ahead for monsters and traps until - "Agh! Oof!" M'hana's fall broke the silence of the corridor with an ungraceful thud. The rather large pack she usually wore strapped to her back worked itself loose and flew across the chamber with a clatter. "Dammit!" M'hana growled from the ground, adding a string of colorful muttered oaths. With whip-like movements, she snatched at her fallen items, stuffing them frantically into her pack. She did not finish before Guy and Artea caught up to her.
"It sounded like a peddler wrecked his wagon over here. Are you okay?" Artea asked her.
"Quite alright," M'hana insisted, even though her shins were stinging. She slung the pack over her back and looked back crossly. "I'm going to speak to that old coot about lighting in this dungeon."
"How could you miss that treasure chest?" Guy asked, looking behind M'hana.
"I was thinking of a way to steal the Iris ring without the elf noticing," M'hana replied with a sneer. "I should have watched where I was going."
"Let's see what's inside," Guy suggested. "It is a blue chest, after all."
"You don't need any more weight, you know," M'hana remarked. "We're already moving as slow as a snail dipped in molasses."
Guy shrugged. "Oh well. If it's a crummy item, we can always leave it, right?" He bent over the treasure chest.
M'hana sighed irritably and reached into her pack. "One, two…" she counted softly. "Seven," she finished with a sigh of relief. "Phew. They're all here."
"Your Iris treasures?" Artea questioned.
M'hana nodded curtly. "Four years of my life are in this burlap sack, elf. Don't be thinking that any of these will make a good addition to your ring."
"Don't worry about it," Artea said wryly. "I'm not like you, after all."
"Feh." M'hana was cut off in mid-smirk by Guy's shout of surprise.
"Artea!" Guy yelled. "It's alive!"
For a moment, Artea had no idea just what Guy meant. Then the blue treasure chest reared back on its haunches. A high-pitched shriek emitted from the opening. M'hana's mouth dropped in an O of surprise. Artea nocked his bow and swiftly sent an arrow into the bucking chest. More from surprise than anything else, the chest fell back from the warrior.
"Guy, get away from there!" the elf shouted.
Guy needed no urging. He dashed back to Artea and M'hana, his eyes wild. "I'm starting to think I'm damned to have chests come to life when I open them."
While the party watched it suspiciously, the chest remained still, despite the arrow that had pierced it.
At length, M'hana tossed her head impatiently. "It's no use just standing here," she said. "That chest is standing right on the stairs. If we can't defeat it, or at least get it to move, we won't be able to move on."
Guy groaned. Artea leaned on his bow pondering their perplexing problem. Back in the tower when he and Guy had encountered the red mimic, he had not actually slain the creature. He had only wounded it sufficiently so that it would release Guy's hand. How then, was one to fight a treasure chest? He supposed that distance attacks would be the party's best bet, since it would be perilous to stand in the way of the chest's strong jaws.
"Guy, cast fireball on the chest," Artea, the strategic mind of most of their battles, told him.
"What? Me, cast a spell?" Guy said, incredulous. "I'm a warrior, Artea!"
"Guy," Artea grumbled with exaggerated patience. "Remember that orange ring you found yesterday? It will let you cast fireball. Just let your fighting energies flow through it. The ring will do the rest."
Guy scratched his head. "Okay, Artea."
"M'hana, can you shoot a bow?" Artea asked her.
The thief shook her head vehemently. "I don't mess with elven weapons. We have plenty of fry pans and daggers that we don't need anymore. I'll throw those at the chest."
"Suit yourself," Artea said, though he doubted that her doing so would have any effect in the least. Stubborn human. He then began to chant the incantation for Ice Valk. It was a long, drawn out spell entreating the Ice Queen to appear in the midst of the party despite the squalor of the dungeon. However, it drained less magical energy than Zap, and the elf wanted to be certain to have some energy left over to cure wounds. Though he and Guy had wandered almost the entire scope of floors in the dungeon, they had found few potions and only one miracle. Most of their treasures consisted of equipment. Artea did not want to risk his or Guy's becoming wounded.
M'hana rifled through Artea's pack with a practiced eye. Artea suddenly felt glad that all his precious items were on his person. The thief withdrew three fry pans and launched them at the blue chest. They hit with ringing clangs. Nonetheless, the chest did not budge from the stairs. "Stubborn little bastard isn't it?" M'hana muttered.
"Fireball!" Guy shouted. Flames erupted from his ring and spread over the distance to the chest in a fiery arc. In the damp cave air, the fire hissed like an angry cat. As it rained upon the chest, the hissing grew to a roar. The chest screeched and shuffled to avoid the flames. It managed to escape the brunt of the fire, but not before singing itself considerably.
Finally Artea concluded his incantation. His staff lit with a bluish silver aura. The temperature in the cave lowered several degrees. Guy shivered as the exquisite Ice Queen materialized. Proud and tall, she smiled benevolently at Artea. Her hair shone silver, and her radiant skin seemed alight with a mysterious blue aura. Shining ice diamonds, her eyes gleamed with wisdom accrued over many years. She stretched out her hand to the treasure chest. As she did so, several snowflakes drifted from her palm. They flew on unseen wind currents and brushed against Artea's cheek, bringing with them the taste of the outside air. Countless memories pierced Artea's chest with longing that he could scarcely have articulated had he tried. The Ice Queen wove her spell and sent it at the treasure chest. She spoke in a voice that was as fierce as a blizzard. Frost appeared on the treasure chest's lid. As the queen's voice grew in intensity, the frost spread. Before long, the entire chest was enclosed in a block of silvery-blue ice. The Ice Queen, her business complete, bowed to Artea. He returned the bow. Then the Ice Queen vanished, leaving behind her a blast of chilly air that made the party's capes flap about like the wings of birds in flight.
"That was impressive, elf," M'hana piped up. "Almost as spectacular as that spell you nearly killed me with."
Artea ignored her and walked to the treasure chest to inspect the Ice Queen's handiwork. Once there, the elf gasped. The treasure chest was completely encased in enchanted ice. Crisp mountain air still emitted from the ice block.
Guy laughed at the fate his great enemy, the living treasure chest, had met. "That'll teach you to snap at me," he gloated. He drew back his foot and gave the frozen chest a swift kick. Much to Artea's surprise, the ice did not shatter at the impact of Guy's booted foot. Instead, the chunk of ice – treasure chest and all – slid across the packed dirt floor like a glob of melting butter. The ice did not break until it smashed into the wall with a sound like shattering glass. Artea smiled. The way to the stairs was clear now!
Suddenly Guy cried out with dismay. When the ice had broken, the evil blue treasure chest had indeed fallen to ruin. Its heavy wood was in splinters, and even its lacquer had undergone considerable chipping. The lid was completely detached from the box. However, thick black smoke was pouring from the chest and gathering in the center of the room.
"What is that thing?" Guy gasped. The warrior unsheathed his sword.
"I don't know yet," Artea remarked. "But I'd rather not find out. Hurry!" The elf dashed to the stairs. However, the smoke drifted to the stairs as if it could understand the elf's intentions. Artea jumped back from the cloud as if it posed as great a danger as the live treasure chests.
"Since when are you so jumpy?" M'hana scoffed.
"Get down!" Artea shouted, waving his arms wildly. The elf flung himself to the ground and covered his head with both hands. Guy looked at the elf as if he had gone completely mad but followed his example. M'hana, however, remained standing as the cloud solidified.
Out of the roiling black depths stepped a monster that easily stood as tall as Guy. Gold-trimmed blue robes tied with a red sash wound around its considerable girth. Despite its size, the creature carried a magical staff that blazed with yellow fire. Its eyes, the hue of fresh-spilt blood, gleamed from the recesses of its cavernous eye sockets. Now that the fiend had fully materialized, M'hana could see that it was chanting the last of a spell. At the last possible second, the thief dropped to the ground, landing on her back. With a hiss, the robed monster slammed its staff into the ground. Violent wind set the creature's thick robes billowing. The flames on its staff hissed and snapped. M'hana screamed when she saw what the fiend had summoned forth.
{****}
Dekar stared at the splintered handle which he still gripped tightly in his hand. His mouth opened in dismay.
"Step back, Dekar" Lexis called to him. "Hurry! Their counterattack will be swift!"
Numbed, weaponless, Dekar returned to his companions.
"Tia," Lexis said, "prepare a Stronger spell. I, too, will cast one. We must keep up our strength."
Blocking the rather true thoughts that even Lexis's new plan was futile, Tia did as he commanded.
"Dekar, check for smoke bombs," Lexis told him, handing him their item bag. "Look for any daggers or knives, even dirks and short swords too."
"You have a plan?"
Lexis nodded sagely. "If we can put it into motion…"
The dragons did not, as the party had feared, launch a deadly offensive attack. Instead, the copper dragons cast Courage. The silver dragons healed the copper whom the party had targeted. Meanwhile, the gold dragons lounged in the shadows, not contributing anything to the fight. If anything, the golden dragons seemed more interested in leering at the humans and in laughing at them through their teeth.
"Why aren't they attacking?" Tia whispered to Lexis. She could not remember feeling more alive, even though her life hovered on the brink of ending.
"I suppose the dragons have been in here for millennia, to judge from the dust. Apparently they wish to toy with us before they obliterate us…and return to their monotonous vigil in the dark."
Suddenly the hordes of dragons' attacks came to a halt. An eerie silence filled the vast chamber.
"Now Tia!" Lexis shouted.
"Stronger!" She had specifically targeted Dekar. The spell restored some of the color to his face.
"Stronger!" Lexis cast his spell and healed the entire party.
Dekar, filled with renewed vigor, rose with a dagger between every finger of his hand. "I'll teach you to break my sword," he muttered. He hurled the knives at the copper dragon on whose armor his sword had broken. Like spinning pinwheels, the knives shot through the air with a hum. Just before they struck, they erupted in golden fire. Dekar lunged to one side, thinking the golden flames were part of the dragon's counterstroke. When he looked up, however, the copper's screams made the ground quaver. Black blood gushed from the wyrm's eye sockets.
Dekar met Lexis's unbelieving eyes with his own. "What happened?" he mouthed.
"Tia," Lexis said.
Dekar glanced at the blue-haired woman just in time to glimpse the fading shine about her hands, both of which were cupped around her precious jewel.
"Get ready for the next wave!" Lexis shouted. "I'll cast Stronger! Dekar, work with Tia's magic! We may break free of this chamber yet!"
{****}
Twin thunder beasts appeared simultaneously. They circled the ceiling of the small room, popping and sizzling like the embers of a fire. When they caught sight of the party, their growls shook the walls and floors. A blue lightning ball formed in the mouth of one. In the other's maw, the electric orb had a green cast to it. With an explosion that flung Artea, Guy, and M'hana against the wall, the lightning barrage smashed home.
Artea was the first to rise. "Hurry!" he urged Guy. "We must make haste before they attack again! I've heard legends of this monster before," the elf added. "It's an archfiend, one of the strongest magic-users we'll encounter in the entire cave!"
"Oh great," Guy said. "I think I'm going to have a few bruises before this is over!"
"You're going to have a few bruises," M'hana muttered from the floor. She blinked warily, still seeing flashbulb explosions against her eyelids. She pulled the pot that served as her helmet over her eyes as if to block the light.
"I'll cast Stronger; it looks like we'll need it," Artea said. He eyed the Thunder Beasts warily. They were circling again. The archfiend was once more bent over his staff. His chanting was almost inaudible. Nonetheless, his aura was palpable, for his robes had started to flutter again. The spiky tufts of hair atop his head, too, swayed as if pushed by a gentle breeze. "Guy, you should attack."
Guy bit his lip. "But Artea… If I'm right there when he unleashes his spell…"
"Don't worry about it," Artea said. "I won't let anything happen to you. We have a miracle. I will use it if need be. We're all going to make it to the bottom of this! I promise you!"
Guy smiled uncertainly. "Okay, Artea," he said. "I'm going to trust in you for this one." The blonde warrior gripped his sword a little tighter, focusing power into both the blade and the thrust with which he would propel it.
"M'hana, get up," Artea urged her.
M'hana raised an eyebrow. "I think I'll sit this one out," she said with a self-satisfied smirk. "We'll see how the two of you fare against the legendary archfiend."
Artea muttered an elven oath under his breath before he began the incantation for Stronger.
Because of the delay, Guy charged the magician before Artea completed his spell. As he approached, it appeared that he would strike the monster head-on. However, by some devilry of the archfiend, his blade flew too far to the left. Guy only grazed the mage's arm and sliced through his fine robes. The mage drew back his staff, which flared with bright flames. Guy gasped and attempted to scramble out of the way. However, the fiend's red eyes held him fast. Motionless, Guy could only watch in horror until the flaming staff struck him. He fell to his knees, barely able to remain upright, even leaning on his sword. The monster resumed chanting his spell in his low voice. Artea, his sharp elven ears still managing to pick up the sound, shouted for Guy to look out. Guy, however, was still reeling from the magician's previous attack. This next spell, too, caught him head-on. Guy screamed as he was launched backwards on a wave of gray fire.
"Guy!" Artea shouted, his incantation both interrupted and forgotten. With great effort, Artea helped his fallen comrade to his feet. Guy swayed a little bit, his skin raw from the burning he had received. In certain patches of his armor that had borne the brunt of the mage's attack, the steel rings had melted. The elf glared at M'hana with near hatred in his eyes. Before M'hana could say anything to him, the two Thunder Beasts in the air trumpeted their challenge. Lightning razed the ground. Artea wondered briefly if the thunder beasts would smash all the way through and enable party to simply drop through to the next floor.
Artea was about to scald M'hana with an elven tirade – how could the thief be so useless at such an important time? – when she tossed a vial at him. Artea recognized it as a potion that would restore his magical energies. He gulped it and flung the bottle away. With renewed energies, the words to every spell came to him faster. He quickly cast a curative spell that restored the color to Guy's cheeks. "I want you to attack the arch fiend again," Artea said to Guy. Guy opened his mouth to protest, but Artea's iron tone left no room for argument.
The warrior once again focused his attack and charged at his opponent. This time, Artea sent the zap spell into Guy's sword. A blinding flash lit the chamber, sending the Thunder Beasts screeching and flapping frantically. Beneath the arch fiend, a circle opened that would chain him to one spot. Sparks cascaded from Guy's sword as he clove through the monster's tough skin. As the warrior's sword split through the mage's skin, dazzling white light erupted from the blade. When he had completed his swing, Guy sprang nimbly backwards. The arch fiend gurgled, and the fire that surrounded its staff dimmed. Kneeling, the monster began yet another incantation. The Thunder Beasts growled and hovered protectively over their caller.
"I think this is as close as we're going to get to victory," M'hana remarked from her almost relaxed position on the ground.
As much as he disliked admitting it, Artea had to agree with her. He motioned to Guy, and the three of them hurried down the stairs, Guy first, Artea second, and M'hana bringing up the rear.
{****}
Another round of battle passed much in the same fashion as before. The only difference was in the copper dragon, which did not attack, but spent the duration of the round furiously clawing at his eyes. This time when Dekar flung his shower of daggers, he aimed for the wyrm's breast, Tia's spell turning the wheeling daggers into blue circles of fire in midair. These were able to pierce the dragon's armor, though not very deeply. They continued to burn, even after they had lodged themselves into the beast's chest.
"We need a smoke bomb!" Lexis said anxiously.
"Too bad," Dekar said. "We don't have one. I've looked twice."
Lexis closed his eyes as if offering a final prayer to a deity unknown. "I have a bad feeling about this battle though."
"Why? They're not doing anything differently," Dekar pointed out.
Lexis paused, listening to the familiar strains of Dread and Courage chanted by innumerable dragon tongues. "We must cast some defensive spells now!"
"We'll forfeit our chance to attack if we do that now!" Dekar said. "Think about it, Lexis!"
"No! Do it! Tia, cast courage!" Lexis directed.
Tia did so, wondering like Dekar if the strain of battle had clouded Lexis's mind.
No sooner had Tia and Lexis wrapped the party in courage than the blinded copper dragon counterattacked. In a single breath, he unleashed his fury at those who dared to hurt him, to blind him! White fire leaped from his great maw. Despite his lack of eyes, the dragon had no difficulty in targeting. The man-stink of the daggers was cue enough to direct his ire straight at Dekar!
"Dekar!" Lexis shouted his warning too late.
A white pillar of billowing heat and light engulfed the warrior, drowning even his scream. The blaze was so intense that it illumined the four corners of the vast chamber. From Dekar the dragon fire jumped back to swallow the copper himself.
{****}
Before M'hana could reach the bottom, she stumbled and fell down the remaining stairs. Her sack flew through the air, sending Iris treasures bouncing and clattering down the stairs. "Ugh," M'hana muttered, managing, with some effort, to pick herself up. She scrambled to retrieve her precious treasures, scuttling about like an over-sized crab that gotten a cook pot stuck on its head.
Suddenly color blazed from the Iris treasures. The famed relics of the rainbow had always ensnared what light there was to be caught, glimmering and shining like fiery new stars. Always this beauty was intrinsic, trapped within each treasure like a flower under glass. Now, however, this interred radiance seeped forth and overflowed. M'hana's eyes, long accustomed to glittery baubles and bejeweled objects, actually smarted if she tried to stare at them for too long. It was like looking at a rainbow cloaked in sunlight. Shielding her eyes, M'hana gasped and dug into her pack. The treasures there were also caught in the enchantment as it seemed. They were blinding to behold.
"What's happening?" she whispered. "Elf, is this your doing?" she snapped.
"Of course not!" Artea shouted back, wondering for the umpteenth time why he had ever proposed that this thief come with him and Guy. "Look!" The elf shaded his eyes and raised his ring hand. The Iris ring glistened, illuminating the stairwell as if the sun itself had descended.
"What does it mean?" Guy wondered aloud. Suddenly the warrior's eyes grew wide. Sweat beaded on Guy's forehead. A similarly mysterious lapse of strength seemed to take place in Artea.
M'hana watched in puzzlement as Artea and Guy looked at one another. They both looked as stricken as if they had learned that Doomsday would ensue in an hour.
"Artea, did you feel it too?" Guy asked. His hands were shaking; he gripped his sword to steady them.
"Yes, I did." Artea closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "…Something has happened…to someone…"
"What?" M'hana scowled, squinting against the vibrant light of the Iris treasures.
Artea opened his eyes, speaking with undeniable conviction. "One of our comrades in the other party has fallen."
{**********************************************************************************************************}
Sorry for the long wait, everyone. I do hope no one strangled while hanging from that nasty ole cliff…
This time's cliff: Let's see if I can overcome my procrastinating nature and update in a decent amount of time…consistently!!! (Just kidding…this really is something I'm going to strive for…as best as I can…around relatives…and vacations…and hurricanes…and the earth spinning…'nuff said.)