Chapter 62: Final Blow
The two druids faced each other across the tiny arena. They both carried hefty oak quarterstaffs, completely without enchantments and, in the eyes of druids, weapons of nature. They were perfectly even.
Apparently. For, even with these rudimentary weapons, they were far more dangerous than anyone could have guessed. Jaheira might not have necessarily been able to invoke as much of nature's power as Faldorn, but she had learnt to protect her beliefs with her own strength as well, so they were overall well-matched.
With a cry, the Shadow Druid lunged forwards, swinging her staff in a blow that Jaheira blocked easily. The half-elf then returned with a flick of her weapon which caught Faldorn in the stomach, causing her to double over with pain. The quarterstaff twirled dangerously, hitting her in the face and sending her sprawling to the floor.
Now she had some breathing space, Jaheira raised her eyes heavenwards, seeing the sky through the hole in the caverns above her, and murmured some words under her breath. As Faldorn clambered to her feet, she saw her opponent commence the transformation to black bear.
The Shadow Druid swore loudly, before commencing her own chanting. Even as the bear lunged at her to sink its teeth in her neck, her skin hardened and solidified, becoming as sturdy as the bark of trees.
Jaheira, still in bear form, let out a grunt as her teeth were proven useless against the magical protection, and she drew back, hitting Faldorn with her clawed paw. The strength of the blow was enough to knock her opponent sideways, but did no lasting damage. The Shadow Druid was now impervious to her attacks.
She prepared to switch back into humanoid form so she could combat Faldorn with spells of her own, but even as she changed, the Shadow Druid raised her hands and started chanting loudly and swiftly.
The hole in the caverns helped both druids in their connecting to nature, but it also gave Faldorn a particularly great advantage as the light from the sun was snuffed out by black clouds hovering over their location.
Still changing back to her natural form, Jaheira looked up…
…and immediately fell back to the floor as a bolt of lightning hit her straight on, setting her nerves alight with pain and rendering her limbs inoperative. She slumped to the floor, darkness starting to fill her vision.
Faldorn let out a cry of delight and leaped forwards, quarterstaff in hand. She swung it at Jaheira's unprotected head in a blow that was obviously not designed to kill, but punish. Though it never reached its target, for the half-elf's hand snapped up and grabbed the staff in mid-swing, pulling it and twisting Faldorn's arm as she easily disarmed the Shadow Druid with the skill of one who does not solely rely on nature in their quest to defend it.
Faldorn's barkskin had, by now, worn off, so she was left quite defenceless when Jaheira punched her in the face. The half-elf druid clambered to her feet unsteadily, but still very much fighting, before starting her own incantations.
A club of pure energy and power formed itself in her hand, and she struck Faldorn with it, knocking the Shadow Druid even further to the floor. She, unlike her opponent, was not going to punish – merely end the fight.
Or, at least, that was what she wished to do. Even as she raised her Shillelagh to beat Faldorn, the Shadow Druid reached out for her in one final, desperate tactic to avoid losing everything she had fought for.
Jaheira had not been anticipating a last retaliation, and failed to defend herself as the poison seeped from Faldorn's hands where it had been conjured up and into her body, into her bloodstream.
With a yelp of surprise and pain, Jaheira drew back, dropping the Shillelagh. She let out a shudder as the poison ran through her veins, and sank to her knees. She heard a distant yell, but as the world drifted away from her, couldn't identify it. Her eyes closed tight and she bowed her head, murmuring under her breath as fast as she could manage, knowing she would have to end the poison now.
Even as relief came, neutralising the killer substance within her and she dared open her eyes, stars exploded in front of them as she was hit across the head with the quarterstaff in a killer swipe from Faldorn.
Having taken a massive beating already, Jaheira fell to the floor heavily, barely managing to roll over to face Faldorn as the Shadow Druid approached, staff upraised, the light of battle and bloodlust in her eyes.
"So your weak mate fell before you, did he?" she sneered, having to get the last word in. "Well, now I do you a favour! Here you go to join him!" the Shadow Druid bellowed, swinging the staff down with all her strength.
Although Jaheira was tired and hurt, Imoen would never have thought that she would be incapable of dodging this lazy yet powerful blow. But, even as they watched, gathered high above them around the arena, Jaheira offered no resistance, made no move to save herself. Something about her seemed to be accepting what was coming. She was accepting Faldorn's favour.
But the staff never hit her, although not by lack of trying. The source of strength that made it a weapon about to relieve someone of their life was suddenly and violently removed as Faldorn fell to the floor, a throwing knife in her eye, piercing her brain.
Even as everyone around leapt to their feet, shouting all at once, the thrower of the knife leapt down the large drop and landed beside Jaheira, ignoring the outrage and surprise of the druids and his companions.
Harrian drew Jaheira to him, resting her head on his lap as she looked weakly up at him. "Easy, now," he murmured, scrabbling in his bandolier to come up with a healing potion, instead coming up with a bottle of ale.
The druid let out a low, weak and unconvincing chuckle. "I don't think that will do the trick," she murmured feebly, looking up at him. "But what… what are you doing? The fight… the challenge…"
"Cernd's taking care of it," Corias murmured absently, finding a healing potion. It was a small one, and would hardly do the job needed, but it should relieve some of the pain. "Don't worry about anything. Drink," he instructed, uncorking the small flask and lifting the light blue liquid to her lips.
She complied in one gulp, and let out a sigh that seemed to be full of a bit more strength. "Thank you…" Jaheira groaned, grasping his hand and the flask in one grip. "Thank you for saving me…"
"Don't pretend you're glad," Harrian said curtly. Imoen was not the only one to see her willingness to die. "Despite what you want, or what Faldorn wants, I'm not letting you slip away from me."
Ignoring her protests, he secured his grip on her and lifted her up from the ground, holding her in his arms. "We have to get you out of here. I'm not sure you're safe… I'll let Anomen tend to you."
It was hard to clamber up the walls of the arena when carrying her, but as the aforementioned Anomen and Imoen reached down to help him climb up, Harrian emerged in the grove, still clasping Jaheira, who had slid off into unconsciousness.
An older druid, as ragged as the others in the grove, was arguing furiously with Cernd. "It doesn't matter what Faldorn did or believed in!" he snapped angrily. "The fact is, the challenge was not fought out properly. The tradition was not observed! This interloper –" he pointed at Harrian "-intervened! You know what the price for this is."
"I would assume death?" Corias asked, his expression mild but his voice so cold it could chill even the glaciers of Icewind Dale. He raised an eyebrow at the man. "Do not tire me, presume to command me or deign yourself suitable to judge me. The Shadow Druid is dead, your precious land shall fix itself. I am now leaving to heal her."
With that, he turned on his heel and stalked towards the entrance, head held high, clasping Jaheira's unconscious form as tightly as he dared. He threw them no backwards glanced, and did not even notice Anomen and Imoen step up beside him.
"Why did you do this?" the older druid bellowed after him. "Who is she to you to make you defy the oldest laws of nature?" Cernd placed a hand on his arm to try and calm him, but he shrugged it off.
Harrian halted at the entrance to the caverns. He paused a long moment, silhouetted against the bright sunlight of outside, before turning and facing the ageing druid, fixing him with a piercing look. "The woman I love." Then he looked at Cernd. "Do what you will with this place – the threat to Trademeet is gone. Do your druidic things, but don't bother me again with them. I have officially stopped caring."
Anomen and Imoen had failed to look surprised at his first declaration, and from the looks they gave him he wondered how long they had known this 'news'. But he didn't think for too long as he turned once more and strode off, away from the grove and onwards… to whatever there was.