The black katana, Marwolaeth the Death Bringer, was more than a weapon. It was an extension of her very being.
According to documents she had found in the Thayan stronghold the wizards had performed an anicent Netherese ritual on her. Her soul had been bound to the form of a sword, the dark katana that was her weapon.
This desacration of her soul was worse than anything the wizards or their lich master could have done. It was worse than the poison that the documents had so casually reported had killed her unborn child and made her sterile. Worse than the rape she had suffered in that cold tower room. Worse still, than the second rape that the lich had inflicted on her, that of her mind and memories.
She shrieked, a primordial scream wrenched deep from some subconscious place within her. And Baalzebul just smiled that slow sadistic smile.
Abruptly the archdevil was torn away from the alabastar warrior, a roar of anger on his lips. Just a little way away, stave levelled at the monster, stood Dante.
Yami sobbed in relief, hand clinging to Marwolaeth's familar hilt. She lifted her head to see Baalzebul stagger backwards towards the portal,
"Send him back! Send him back, Dante!"
At once the tiefling fired another of the glowing orbs from the stave, causing the archdevil to move back even further. Yami, seeing her chance lunged. The black katana slashed at the fiend, the warrior putting all of her tremendous strength behind the blow.
With a shriek of rage the devil vanished into the Hells from which he'd come.
"Mother?" Dante ran up to where Yami was standing, "Are you alright?"
The alabastar elf turned and embraced her son,
"Thanks to you Dante... Thank you." The planetouched human smiled deeply and hugged her back.
A swift gasp escaped him and he shoved the warrior back onto the floor. What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion.
The tentacle meant for Yami wrapped itself around Dante's waist and with a quick jerk it pulled him down into the Hells.
"No! Dante!"
The warrior scrambled to her feet and was about to leapt in after them when the portal began to fade.
Asgwrn's head was alight with pain. He swayed in his bonds, struggling to keep his concentration. His view began to fade from in front of him and his entired body spasmed. As he fell limply into unconsciousness the spell fell away from him.
When the elven archmage came to it was night time. His body was covered by two cloaks, his black one and a grey one that he reconized as belonging to...
"Yami?" The alabastar elf was sat nearby, her face turned towards the small fire. At the sound of her name she turned her head to look at him.
Asgwrn saw that her face was wet with tears.
She went to him and embraced him tightly, he could hear her sobbing against his shoulder,
"I'm sorry As... I'm so sorry," as she looked down at his face a fresh burst of tears came into existence, "I failed."
THE END