Light Wrapped in Darkness
Magicman: Thanks for the reviews, my (semi) loyal readers. ^_// I've got some interesting ideas for the future. Should I tell you? Nope, it'll be a surprise.
Taurus: Well THAT certainly sets my mind at ease.
Gemini: At least you don't have party members calling you 'God-boy'.
Magicman: Enjoy!
***
The darkness of the crypt seemed even darker for Aerie. Stuck with sentry duty, she shivered as the dead air hovered around her, betraying not a sound. Even though she was protected by her staff's invisibility charm, she was still afraid. For the third time, she wondered why she got this job.
As a child, she had been taught to fear the night and the horrors it could bring. The fact that she could see heat sources in the dark made no difference. The walking dead were cold as ice and would not glow in her sight. So she trembled as she crept through the maze, not daring to make a sound and half expecting an army of vampires to descend on her from nowhere.
As Aerie crept through the tunnel, she stopped when she came to a large room. It appeared to have been hewn from the rock bed and it contained a series of caskets lined neatly against the wall. The caskets were plain to look at it but the elf could sense evil magic oozing from them. 'Coffins?' she thought. 'Are those really coffins? I thought that was just a legend about vampires. Then again, I never really believed in vampires. Travelling is such a wake up call.'
She was about to return to camp and tell Jaheira, who was on guard duty, about the coffins when a rumble froze her in her tracks. The rocky shape loomed through the darkness, approaching Aerie. It lumbered away slowly and she nearly sighed in relief. It was a golem, one of the clay ones. It must have been stationed to watch over the coffins.
The elf was about to go off and tell Jaheira, but she hesitated. The golem lumbered around the room, its artificial eyes seeking intruders. Aerie made up her mind then. She would deal with it herself.
Creeping up behind the creation as only elves can, she waited patiently for an opportunity. It came when the golem paused to peer through another doorway. Aerie positioned her staff and jammed it into the back of its right knee. The joint shattered and the golem collapsed to the ground with a startled groan. Aerie smiled. 'Gotcha' she thought victoriously.
"Ssstupid creature! What isss the difficulty? Can you not manage one sssimple tasssk?"
Aerie froze. A female vampire slid from the shadows to regard the golem in disgust. She couldn't see the elf and the elf hadn't seen her because she was dead, and unable to show up to her infravision. Right now, the monster glared in disgust at the stumbling golem.
"I cannot underssstand what ussse the Missstresss seesss in you!" the vampire hissed scornfully. "It isss beyond me." Suddenly she frowned and looked closer. "You have damaged your leg. How?"
Aerie took that moment to get out of there. Breaking a golem was one thing, but tangling with a vampire was best left to the warriors of the party. As such, she was about to leave when her foot disturbed a loose stone. It was a tiny rasping sound that could easily be mistaken for a mouse or a cockroach or whatever. But the vampire woman instantly whirled and stared intently into the dark.
Aerie froze, not daring to breathe. Her pulse rushed and her body trembled as the monster slunk through the darkness like an evil shadow, her evil yellow eyes peering through the murk. Finally she stopped only a few feet from Aerie. Then she smiled. "I can hear your heart beating." She lashed out with a clawed hand and knocked Aerie sprawling to fast to even cry out in pain.
Aerie lost her grip on her staff as she clutched her torn shoulder, gasping for breath. The vampire watched coldly for a moment before approaching the stricken elf. Lying on her hands and knees, Aerie heard the monster's hushed footfalls and felt her presence looming above. "Any last words mortal before I feast on your sssoul?" The contemptuous tone made the elf angry.
"Just one" she grunted, hoarse from pain. "Left or right?"
The vampire cocked her head in confusion. Left or right? "What gibberish! Why do you waste-" The vampire gasped. While it had been distracted, Aerie had risen and spun in one graceful motion, hammering a stake into its chest with all the strength her slight frame possessed. The vampire disintegrated slowly until only a pile of dust remained. The elf smiled sweetly at the dust.
"Left. The heart is always on the left." She turned to watch the golem try and crawl toward her. With a stab of pity, she picked up her staff and moved forward to put it out of its misery.
***
Taurus heaved up the lid of a coffin and a rush of air wrinkled his nose. "Whew! You'd think vampires would take better care of their own beds. This thing is a mess!"
Aerie looked into the casket and paled before turning away. The contents were not pretty. Crushed skeletal remains of victims lay scattered alongside shreds of dried flesh, forming a hideous mattress. But there was no vampire.
"Seriso" Viconia called, "Over here! This one has an occupant."
Leaving the empty casket, Taurus and Aerie joined the others.
After rejoining the party, Aerie Jaheira had bandaged up Aerie's shoulder before they set out again. The druid had not had time to memorize proper healing magic, so this would have to do. Now, it ached a little at the exertion but Aerie was getting used to it. But when she looked down into the open coffin she lost control and screamed. Taurus covered her mouth, quickly strangling off the sound but her eyes still bugged wildly at the sight.
The vampire lay in its bed, bloated and grey. Its head lolled to one side in a parody of sleep with its mouth slightly open and blood drooling from the fanged orifice. Clearly, it had just eaten.
Aerie gasped for breath, hyperventilating in terror and disgust at the thing. Taurus led her away while their companions uncovered more of the beasts and summarily put them to the stake. "It's alright sweetie," he murmured soothingly. "They can't hurt you now."
Aerie shook at the sound of the wailing dead as they were destroyed once and for all. "Why am I such a coward?" she asked herself. "I killed one of those things myself. But now, I'm shaking."
Taurus wrapped his arms around her gently. "'Only fools and the dead are never afraid.' Hear my cliché and smile. Please? Come one, don't make me use another." He smiled, trying to get her to laugh.
Aerie's lips twitched and she giggled slightly. "How do you do that Taurus? How do you make me laugh like that?"
Taurus shrugged. "I guess it's just natural talent."
"Well I'm glad for it." Aerie turned in his arms and kissed his lips lightly.
Jaheira coughed, interrupting the moment. "Um, fearless leader? We still have a job to do."
They kept kissing for another few seconds just to bug the druid before parting. Then they strolled off down the labyrinth, hands clasped together. Jaheira rolled her eyes to Viconia who smirked in amusement before following. 'Kids' she thought to herself, before bringing up the rear.
***
Yoshimo worked patiently at picking the lock. While he did so, the rest of the party was arranged in varying positions of sloth. He glanced back briefly and felt a pang of guilt. They weren't bad people. They had grown on him, in fact. It was a shame that what had to be had to be.
There was a barely audible click as the lock gave way and he smiled slightly. He turned to Minsc on sentry duty and gave him the thumbs up. "The door's unlocked and the trap is disarmed. We can go right on through." He was about to add that they should be careful of more vampires when the door suddenly swung inward, slamming into the bounty hunter's head. Two vampires rushed through, howling like demons and three of the armoured ghosts fired arrows at the party, caught off guard.
Taurus took an arrow in the shoulder and was bowled over by one of the vampires. Its claws swept downward to gash his face and he caught the wrists in his hands. Jaheira kicked it in the ribs, causing it to hiss but not let go. She moved to cut off it's head and it leapt back, and then lunged at her. But in a flash Taurus rushed to his feet and caught the thing by its neck and slammed it into the ground.
Minsc bellowed in righteous fury and rushed at the phantom archers at the door. They fell back and he pursued. Aerie followed to back him up. Good thing too, because there were another three vampires in the room and another two armoured phantoms. Even Minsc had his hands slightly full.
Back in the corridor, Viconia had tackled the vampire that Taurus had thrown on the floor. The two were rolling in combat while Taurus and Jaheira stood on, unable to get a clear shot. Suddenly Taurus went stiff and his eyes widened. "Jaheira" he gasped, losing breath, "Get away from me!" The druid looked sharply at him. Then she hurled herself backward to avoid Celestial Fury's vicious arc. She stumbled, barely missing a back swing. She felt the puff of air on her cheek where the blade nearly tore her head off. One look into her friend's blank eyes told her the story.
Taurus was charmed. The second vampire was hiding by the door and controlling the crintri's movements with a cruel smile. Things would have gone very badly for Jaheira had Yoshimo not pushed out from behind the door and grabbed the vampire by the leg, jerking it off balance and breaking its concentration. The druid got away with no more than a bruise on her forehead where the be-spelled Taurus had punched her. While he shook his head, she dove for the vampire who knocked Yoshimo back. One swing of her scimitar tore through the monster's wrist, sending it reeling back in shock. Yoshimo recovered from the blow and hammered a dagger into its thigh, using it as a handhold to pull himself up while it shrieked. When he reached its face, he hammered another dagger into its eye.
By now Taurus had recovered and saw Viconia in trouble. The drow had lost her mace and was considerably weaker without its magic, though she was still filled with fight. Taurus kicked the vampire in the ribs sending it flying. Then he jumped over Viconia and thrust downward with both swords, piercing the neck and chest. He heaved and tore the blades loose, nearly cutting off its head.
Taurus bent down and caught Viconia's arm, heaving her up. After picking up her mace she followed her lover into the following chamber. 'Off to rescue the bruiser and the butterfly' she thought ironically.
As it turned out, they didn't need rescuing as badly as the drow thought. Minsc had gone berserk and was flailing wildly with Lilracor, the sword keeping up a steady stream of chatter. The vampires and phantoms had all banded together to fight the ranger, paying no attention whatsoever to Aerie. For her part the elf had cast a bunch of protective magics on Minsc, which made him nearly invulnerable to the vampires' teeth and claws. When Taurus and the rest of the party burst into the room the monsters were completely unprepared for the new attack and when they turned to fight, Minsc took them apart from behind. It was over in minutes.
Aerie was sweating profusely and blood gushed from a gash in her arm but she smiled. "Well that was fun. Anymore?"
Minsc chuckled and patted her fondly on the shoulder. "Now you are speaking the language of Minsc! Perhaps you need a hamster? Or maybe an ice weasel. Whichever your preference."
Viconia rolled her eyes. "A match made in heaven" she said, her tone sarcastic.
Ignoring the party bickering as usual, Jaheira examined their surroundings. Off to the side was a room which Yoshimo was eagerly unlocking and another door was set in the far wall, and a pool of thick wet liquid dominated the center. The half-elf narrowed her eyes at it, then shot them wide open. She crept forward and knelt by the pool. Tentatively, she removed a gauntlet and reached out and touched it with a bare finger. She shuddered at the unmistakable feel. "Nature protect us, it's blood", she proclaimed. "It's one big pool of blood."
The frivolity stopped instantly. Aerie gasped and Viconia cursed vehemently in drowish. Yoshimo, Minsc, and Taurus looked darkly grim. Into the silence a gravelly voice chuckled cruelly. As one, the party whirled to face the sound. Lassal stood in front of the door at the opposite end of the room, and his presence darkened the mood considerably.
"So you have survived one trap, hmm? Very resourceful" the vampire mocked. "Shall you survive another? Find me above in the room of blood and blades to find out." He laughed evilly, transforming into a cloud of mist and vanishing, leaving the party alone.
***
Aerie gasped in horror and clutched to Taurus' arm to keep from fainting. Her eyes dilated with terror. She had seen this room before, in her darkest nightmares.
The room was more of a cavern, stretching out over a long distance, and the floor was covered with long iron spikes. On many of these spikes the corpses of the vampires' victims lay impaled in positions of exquisite agony. Dried blood and rust stained the tools of torture, nearly making them glow red in the dark. The bodies had been thrown onto the spikes while they were still alive, and had been left to drain naturally. The blood had flowed into a massive collection in the center of the room that seemed to glow with an evil magic.
It was too much for the poor avariel, and she turned away, tears in her eyes. Viconia looked at her, not without sympathy. Then she took Aerie by the hand. "Come here."
Aerie didn't have the strength to refuse, and let the drow take her to one of the impaled corpses. It used to be a woman, and the flesh had only partially decayed. Without parasites, the eyes remained, staring in horrified silence. Trembling, Aerie started to turn away again when Viconia stopped her. "Look at it" the drow ordered. "She is dead. There is nothing left to be afraid of. Only skin, bones and what lies between. Only an empty shell that cannot hurt you. Do you understand?"
Aerie nodded slightly. Studying her, Viconia suddenly grabbed a handful of decaying flesh from the corpse and tore it off. She grabbed the avariel's hand and pushed the handful of corpse between the dainty fingers. Then she closed those fingers, burying them in the decay.
Aerie recoiled slightly in shock. Then she looked at the stuff in her hand, really looked at it. Then she smiled ruefully and shook her head. "Viconia, only you would try something like this to help out a friend. Thanks, I really do get your point now. I'll try not to be such a coward."
"Good. Cowardice is unbecoming, even for surface elves." Viconia smirked. "You don't want to be forever jumping at your own shadow like some pathetic human, do you?"
"Hey! I resent that remark." Yoshimo objected. The two women laughed and the tension eased up.
While the women were patching up their differences, Taurus was exploring the chamber, his weapons out and ready. His ice-blue eyes scanned his surroundings with care. Minsc and Jaheira were also searching for Lassal, but somehow it was Taurus who found him first.
"You hound me even here?" The vampire seemed shocked to see the crintri. "Is it courage or stupidity that drives you to hound me so?"
Taurus smirked. "Courage, stupidity, whatever gets the job done. It's all the same, really."
This seemed to enrage the vampire. "A galling response!" Lassal hissed furiously. "Cattle such as you will poison the herds!"
"Did you just call me cattle?" Taurus demanded indignantly.
"You are not worthy of feeding us!" Lassal ranted on. "For the glory of my mistress, I will remove you from existence!"
With a howling shriek, Lassal launched himself at Taurus, claws extended. The crintri raised his katana before he was struck. The blade ran the vampire through completely. Mindless of pain, Lassal bore Taurus onwards, slamming back into a wall with enough force to crack it. His claws raked Taurus' face, barely missing his eyes. Gritting his teeth against the pain, the crintri released his sword and caught the vampire's hands in a crushing grip and forced them away from his face. Furious, he hissed into Lassal's freakish face and heaved him and brought a fist crashing into his jaw, knocking him back. The vampire recovered and Taurus drew a dagger, coming together again in a flurry of fisticuffs that made even Minsc wince. The ranger and the rest of the party circled the two hesitantly, looking for an opening to help their beset leader.
The opening came when Lassal blocked a stab from Taurus and trapped his arm against his shoulder. Then the vampire heaved, throwing the crintri off balance and sprawling on the floor. That was just what the party was waiting for. Minsc, Jaheira, and Yoshimo all hit Lassal at once, while Viconia and Aerie healed Taurus together. By the time the slashes on his face closed, Lassal had vaporised with a wail.
***
"Ow!"
"Oh shut up, seriso," Viconia snarled. "You're lucky I don't collar you!"
Taurus smirked. "Is that meant to be punishment? It sounds fun."
"Wael!" Viconia whacked her lover in the shoulder. Then while he moaned in pain for dramatic effect she seized his face and kissed him fiercely, taking him by surprise. When she pulled away though, she leaned up to his ear, her dark eyes betraying a hint of concern. "I would hate to lose you," she murmured. Taurus hugged her reassuringly.
"I really hate to interrupt this picture-perfect moment" Aerie said dryly, with a hint of humour in her eyes, "But is a dungeon full of vampires really the best place to be snogging?"
"Ah, but what better place could there be? The dim light is so romantic, wouldn't you say?"
Aerie rolled her eyes as Viconia snickered. Up at the front of the party, Jaheira was also rolling her eyes. "Yoshimo, am I the last sane person in the party?"
The thief smiled charmingly. "I've always believed that to make it through life you have to be crazy. Take the three lovebirds over there. Aerie doesn't believe she's ready for the physical aspect of love, if you know what I mean, Viconia is the party sex goddess, and Taurus is adapting to each as the need arises. Does that make much sense to you?"
"I prefer to not contemplate that spider web."
Yoshimo chuckled. "Then look at it this way. Irenicus is crazy. So logically everything he's done to us has to be at least half insane. The effects of those doings, for example us chasing after him, must be tainted by his madness. You see?"
Jaheira smiled sadly. "Khalid would have had a field day with that logic, you know. He always was one for intellectual discussions, despite his military upbringing."
Seeing the druid's sad eyes, Yoshimo suddenly felt guilty for bringing up memories. "I apologise. It was not my intent to make you sad."
The druid waved a hand. "It's my fault. He would not have wanted me to dwell on his death so. Death is a part of nature. I should be used to it by now." She sighed. "Forgive me, but I do not wish to talk anymore."
The thief nodded mutely and contemplated his own inner thoughts. Thoughts of a future that left a bad taste in his mouth.
***
Magicman: Watch as I weave my web of words and metaphor, entangling the characters together in ways you cannot possibly imagine. Dance my puppets! Dance!
Taurus: Control freak.
Magicman: Hey! Establishing foundation for future acts is crucial to writing. You're a protagonist. You should know that!
Taurus: Oh I do. But you're still a control freak.
Magicman: I'm hurt. *Goes off to sulk. Smokegirl comes in*
Smokegirl: Hello boys! Miss me?
Taurus: AHHHH!
Smokegirl: I'll see you readers next time. For now...er, whatever.
Magicman: Thanks for the reviews, my (semi) loyal readers. ^_// I've got some interesting ideas for the future. Should I tell you? Nope, it'll be a surprise.
Taurus: Well THAT certainly sets my mind at ease.
Gemini: At least you don't have party members calling you 'God-boy'.
Magicman: Enjoy!
***
The darkness of the crypt seemed even darker for Aerie. Stuck with sentry duty, she shivered as the dead air hovered around her, betraying not a sound. Even though she was protected by her staff's invisibility charm, she was still afraid. For the third time, she wondered why she got this job.
As a child, she had been taught to fear the night and the horrors it could bring. The fact that she could see heat sources in the dark made no difference. The walking dead were cold as ice and would not glow in her sight. So she trembled as she crept through the maze, not daring to make a sound and half expecting an army of vampires to descend on her from nowhere.
As Aerie crept through the tunnel, she stopped when she came to a large room. It appeared to have been hewn from the rock bed and it contained a series of caskets lined neatly against the wall. The caskets were plain to look at it but the elf could sense evil magic oozing from them. 'Coffins?' she thought. 'Are those really coffins? I thought that was just a legend about vampires. Then again, I never really believed in vampires. Travelling is such a wake up call.'
She was about to return to camp and tell Jaheira, who was on guard duty, about the coffins when a rumble froze her in her tracks. The rocky shape loomed through the darkness, approaching Aerie. It lumbered away slowly and she nearly sighed in relief. It was a golem, one of the clay ones. It must have been stationed to watch over the coffins.
The elf was about to go off and tell Jaheira, but she hesitated. The golem lumbered around the room, its artificial eyes seeking intruders. Aerie made up her mind then. She would deal with it herself.
Creeping up behind the creation as only elves can, she waited patiently for an opportunity. It came when the golem paused to peer through another doorway. Aerie positioned her staff and jammed it into the back of its right knee. The joint shattered and the golem collapsed to the ground with a startled groan. Aerie smiled. 'Gotcha' she thought victoriously.
"Ssstupid creature! What isss the difficulty? Can you not manage one sssimple tasssk?"
Aerie froze. A female vampire slid from the shadows to regard the golem in disgust. She couldn't see the elf and the elf hadn't seen her because she was dead, and unable to show up to her infravision. Right now, the monster glared in disgust at the stumbling golem.
"I cannot underssstand what ussse the Missstresss seesss in you!" the vampire hissed scornfully. "It isss beyond me." Suddenly she frowned and looked closer. "You have damaged your leg. How?"
Aerie took that moment to get out of there. Breaking a golem was one thing, but tangling with a vampire was best left to the warriors of the party. As such, she was about to leave when her foot disturbed a loose stone. It was a tiny rasping sound that could easily be mistaken for a mouse or a cockroach or whatever. But the vampire woman instantly whirled and stared intently into the dark.
Aerie froze, not daring to breathe. Her pulse rushed and her body trembled as the monster slunk through the darkness like an evil shadow, her evil yellow eyes peering through the murk. Finally she stopped only a few feet from Aerie. Then she smiled. "I can hear your heart beating." She lashed out with a clawed hand and knocked Aerie sprawling to fast to even cry out in pain.
Aerie lost her grip on her staff as she clutched her torn shoulder, gasping for breath. The vampire watched coldly for a moment before approaching the stricken elf. Lying on her hands and knees, Aerie heard the monster's hushed footfalls and felt her presence looming above. "Any last words mortal before I feast on your sssoul?" The contemptuous tone made the elf angry.
"Just one" she grunted, hoarse from pain. "Left or right?"
The vampire cocked her head in confusion. Left or right? "What gibberish! Why do you waste-" The vampire gasped. While it had been distracted, Aerie had risen and spun in one graceful motion, hammering a stake into its chest with all the strength her slight frame possessed. The vampire disintegrated slowly until only a pile of dust remained. The elf smiled sweetly at the dust.
"Left. The heart is always on the left." She turned to watch the golem try and crawl toward her. With a stab of pity, she picked up her staff and moved forward to put it out of its misery.
***
Taurus heaved up the lid of a coffin and a rush of air wrinkled his nose. "Whew! You'd think vampires would take better care of their own beds. This thing is a mess!"
Aerie looked into the casket and paled before turning away. The contents were not pretty. Crushed skeletal remains of victims lay scattered alongside shreds of dried flesh, forming a hideous mattress. But there was no vampire.
"Seriso" Viconia called, "Over here! This one has an occupant."
Leaving the empty casket, Taurus and Aerie joined the others.
After rejoining the party, Aerie Jaheira had bandaged up Aerie's shoulder before they set out again. The druid had not had time to memorize proper healing magic, so this would have to do. Now, it ached a little at the exertion but Aerie was getting used to it. But when she looked down into the open coffin she lost control and screamed. Taurus covered her mouth, quickly strangling off the sound but her eyes still bugged wildly at the sight.
The vampire lay in its bed, bloated and grey. Its head lolled to one side in a parody of sleep with its mouth slightly open and blood drooling from the fanged orifice. Clearly, it had just eaten.
Aerie gasped for breath, hyperventilating in terror and disgust at the thing. Taurus led her away while their companions uncovered more of the beasts and summarily put them to the stake. "It's alright sweetie," he murmured soothingly. "They can't hurt you now."
Aerie shook at the sound of the wailing dead as they were destroyed once and for all. "Why am I such a coward?" she asked herself. "I killed one of those things myself. But now, I'm shaking."
Taurus wrapped his arms around her gently. "'Only fools and the dead are never afraid.' Hear my cliché and smile. Please? Come one, don't make me use another." He smiled, trying to get her to laugh.
Aerie's lips twitched and she giggled slightly. "How do you do that Taurus? How do you make me laugh like that?"
Taurus shrugged. "I guess it's just natural talent."
"Well I'm glad for it." Aerie turned in his arms and kissed his lips lightly.
Jaheira coughed, interrupting the moment. "Um, fearless leader? We still have a job to do."
They kept kissing for another few seconds just to bug the druid before parting. Then they strolled off down the labyrinth, hands clasped together. Jaheira rolled her eyes to Viconia who smirked in amusement before following. 'Kids' she thought to herself, before bringing up the rear.
***
Yoshimo worked patiently at picking the lock. While he did so, the rest of the party was arranged in varying positions of sloth. He glanced back briefly and felt a pang of guilt. They weren't bad people. They had grown on him, in fact. It was a shame that what had to be had to be.
There was a barely audible click as the lock gave way and he smiled slightly. He turned to Minsc on sentry duty and gave him the thumbs up. "The door's unlocked and the trap is disarmed. We can go right on through." He was about to add that they should be careful of more vampires when the door suddenly swung inward, slamming into the bounty hunter's head. Two vampires rushed through, howling like demons and three of the armoured ghosts fired arrows at the party, caught off guard.
Taurus took an arrow in the shoulder and was bowled over by one of the vampires. Its claws swept downward to gash his face and he caught the wrists in his hands. Jaheira kicked it in the ribs, causing it to hiss but not let go. She moved to cut off it's head and it leapt back, and then lunged at her. But in a flash Taurus rushed to his feet and caught the thing by its neck and slammed it into the ground.
Minsc bellowed in righteous fury and rushed at the phantom archers at the door. They fell back and he pursued. Aerie followed to back him up. Good thing too, because there were another three vampires in the room and another two armoured phantoms. Even Minsc had his hands slightly full.
Back in the corridor, Viconia had tackled the vampire that Taurus had thrown on the floor. The two were rolling in combat while Taurus and Jaheira stood on, unable to get a clear shot. Suddenly Taurus went stiff and his eyes widened. "Jaheira" he gasped, losing breath, "Get away from me!" The druid looked sharply at him. Then she hurled herself backward to avoid Celestial Fury's vicious arc. She stumbled, barely missing a back swing. She felt the puff of air on her cheek where the blade nearly tore her head off. One look into her friend's blank eyes told her the story.
Taurus was charmed. The second vampire was hiding by the door and controlling the crintri's movements with a cruel smile. Things would have gone very badly for Jaheira had Yoshimo not pushed out from behind the door and grabbed the vampire by the leg, jerking it off balance and breaking its concentration. The druid got away with no more than a bruise on her forehead where the be-spelled Taurus had punched her. While he shook his head, she dove for the vampire who knocked Yoshimo back. One swing of her scimitar tore through the monster's wrist, sending it reeling back in shock. Yoshimo recovered from the blow and hammered a dagger into its thigh, using it as a handhold to pull himself up while it shrieked. When he reached its face, he hammered another dagger into its eye.
By now Taurus had recovered and saw Viconia in trouble. The drow had lost her mace and was considerably weaker without its magic, though she was still filled with fight. Taurus kicked the vampire in the ribs sending it flying. Then he jumped over Viconia and thrust downward with both swords, piercing the neck and chest. He heaved and tore the blades loose, nearly cutting off its head.
Taurus bent down and caught Viconia's arm, heaving her up. After picking up her mace she followed her lover into the following chamber. 'Off to rescue the bruiser and the butterfly' she thought ironically.
As it turned out, they didn't need rescuing as badly as the drow thought. Minsc had gone berserk and was flailing wildly with Lilracor, the sword keeping up a steady stream of chatter. The vampires and phantoms had all banded together to fight the ranger, paying no attention whatsoever to Aerie. For her part the elf had cast a bunch of protective magics on Minsc, which made him nearly invulnerable to the vampires' teeth and claws. When Taurus and the rest of the party burst into the room the monsters were completely unprepared for the new attack and when they turned to fight, Minsc took them apart from behind. It was over in minutes.
Aerie was sweating profusely and blood gushed from a gash in her arm but she smiled. "Well that was fun. Anymore?"
Minsc chuckled and patted her fondly on the shoulder. "Now you are speaking the language of Minsc! Perhaps you need a hamster? Or maybe an ice weasel. Whichever your preference."
Viconia rolled her eyes. "A match made in heaven" she said, her tone sarcastic.
Ignoring the party bickering as usual, Jaheira examined their surroundings. Off to the side was a room which Yoshimo was eagerly unlocking and another door was set in the far wall, and a pool of thick wet liquid dominated the center. The half-elf narrowed her eyes at it, then shot them wide open. She crept forward and knelt by the pool. Tentatively, she removed a gauntlet and reached out and touched it with a bare finger. She shuddered at the unmistakable feel. "Nature protect us, it's blood", she proclaimed. "It's one big pool of blood."
The frivolity stopped instantly. Aerie gasped and Viconia cursed vehemently in drowish. Yoshimo, Minsc, and Taurus looked darkly grim. Into the silence a gravelly voice chuckled cruelly. As one, the party whirled to face the sound. Lassal stood in front of the door at the opposite end of the room, and his presence darkened the mood considerably.
"So you have survived one trap, hmm? Very resourceful" the vampire mocked. "Shall you survive another? Find me above in the room of blood and blades to find out." He laughed evilly, transforming into a cloud of mist and vanishing, leaving the party alone.
***
Aerie gasped in horror and clutched to Taurus' arm to keep from fainting. Her eyes dilated with terror. She had seen this room before, in her darkest nightmares.
The room was more of a cavern, stretching out over a long distance, and the floor was covered with long iron spikes. On many of these spikes the corpses of the vampires' victims lay impaled in positions of exquisite agony. Dried blood and rust stained the tools of torture, nearly making them glow red in the dark. The bodies had been thrown onto the spikes while they were still alive, and had been left to drain naturally. The blood had flowed into a massive collection in the center of the room that seemed to glow with an evil magic.
It was too much for the poor avariel, and she turned away, tears in her eyes. Viconia looked at her, not without sympathy. Then she took Aerie by the hand. "Come here."
Aerie didn't have the strength to refuse, and let the drow take her to one of the impaled corpses. It used to be a woman, and the flesh had only partially decayed. Without parasites, the eyes remained, staring in horrified silence. Trembling, Aerie started to turn away again when Viconia stopped her. "Look at it" the drow ordered. "She is dead. There is nothing left to be afraid of. Only skin, bones and what lies between. Only an empty shell that cannot hurt you. Do you understand?"
Aerie nodded slightly. Studying her, Viconia suddenly grabbed a handful of decaying flesh from the corpse and tore it off. She grabbed the avariel's hand and pushed the handful of corpse between the dainty fingers. Then she closed those fingers, burying them in the decay.
Aerie recoiled slightly in shock. Then she looked at the stuff in her hand, really looked at it. Then she smiled ruefully and shook her head. "Viconia, only you would try something like this to help out a friend. Thanks, I really do get your point now. I'll try not to be such a coward."
"Good. Cowardice is unbecoming, even for surface elves." Viconia smirked. "You don't want to be forever jumping at your own shadow like some pathetic human, do you?"
"Hey! I resent that remark." Yoshimo objected. The two women laughed and the tension eased up.
While the women were patching up their differences, Taurus was exploring the chamber, his weapons out and ready. His ice-blue eyes scanned his surroundings with care. Minsc and Jaheira were also searching for Lassal, but somehow it was Taurus who found him first.
"You hound me even here?" The vampire seemed shocked to see the crintri. "Is it courage or stupidity that drives you to hound me so?"
Taurus smirked. "Courage, stupidity, whatever gets the job done. It's all the same, really."
This seemed to enrage the vampire. "A galling response!" Lassal hissed furiously. "Cattle such as you will poison the herds!"
"Did you just call me cattle?" Taurus demanded indignantly.
"You are not worthy of feeding us!" Lassal ranted on. "For the glory of my mistress, I will remove you from existence!"
With a howling shriek, Lassal launched himself at Taurus, claws extended. The crintri raised his katana before he was struck. The blade ran the vampire through completely. Mindless of pain, Lassal bore Taurus onwards, slamming back into a wall with enough force to crack it. His claws raked Taurus' face, barely missing his eyes. Gritting his teeth against the pain, the crintri released his sword and caught the vampire's hands in a crushing grip and forced them away from his face. Furious, he hissed into Lassal's freakish face and heaved him and brought a fist crashing into his jaw, knocking him back. The vampire recovered and Taurus drew a dagger, coming together again in a flurry of fisticuffs that made even Minsc wince. The ranger and the rest of the party circled the two hesitantly, looking for an opening to help their beset leader.
The opening came when Lassal blocked a stab from Taurus and trapped his arm against his shoulder. Then the vampire heaved, throwing the crintri off balance and sprawling on the floor. That was just what the party was waiting for. Minsc, Jaheira, and Yoshimo all hit Lassal at once, while Viconia and Aerie healed Taurus together. By the time the slashes on his face closed, Lassal had vaporised with a wail.
***
"Ow!"
"Oh shut up, seriso," Viconia snarled. "You're lucky I don't collar you!"
Taurus smirked. "Is that meant to be punishment? It sounds fun."
"Wael!" Viconia whacked her lover in the shoulder. Then while he moaned in pain for dramatic effect she seized his face and kissed him fiercely, taking him by surprise. When she pulled away though, she leaned up to his ear, her dark eyes betraying a hint of concern. "I would hate to lose you," she murmured. Taurus hugged her reassuringly.
"I really hate to interrupt this picture-perfect moment" Aerie said dryly, with a hint of humour in her eyes, "But is a dungeon full of vampires really the best place to be snogging?"
"Ah, but what better place could there be? The dim light is so romantic, wouldn't you say?"
Aerie rolled her eyes as Viconia snickered. Up at the front of the party, Jaheira was also rolling her eyes. "Yoshimo, am I the last sane person in the party?"
The thief smiled charmingly. "I've always believed that to make it through life you have to be crazy. Take the three lovebirds over there. Aerie doesn't believe she's ready for the physical aspect of love, if you know what I mean, Viconia is the party sex goddess, and Taurus is adapting to each as the need arises. Does that make much sense to you?"
"I prefer to not contemplate that spider web."
Yoshimo chuckled. "Then look at it this way. Irenicus is crazy. So logically everything he's done to us has to be at least half insane. The effects of those doings, for example us chasing after him, must be tainted by his madness. You see?"
Jaheira smiled sadly. "Khalid would have had a field day with that logic, you know. He always was one for intellectual discussions, despite his military upbringing."
Seeing the druid's sad eyes, Yoshimo suddenly felt guilty for bringing up memories. "I apologise. It was not my intent to make you sad."
The druid waved a hand. "It's my fault. He would not have wanted me to dwell on his death so. Death is a part of nature. I should be used to it by now." She sighed. "Forgive me, but I do not wish to talk anymore."
The thief nodded mutely and contemplated his own inner thoughts. Thoughts of a future that left a bad taste in his mouth.
***
Magicman: Watch as I weave my web of words and metaphor, entangling the characters together in ways you cannot possibly imagine. Dance my puppets! Dance!
Taurus: Control freak.
Magicman: Hey! Establishing foundation for future acts is crucial to writing. You're a protagonist. You should know that!
Taurus: Oh I do. But you're still a control freak.
Magicman: I'm hurt. *Goes off to sulk. Smokegirl comes in*
Smokegirl: Hello boys! Miss me?
Taurus: AHHHH!
Smokegirl: I'll see you readers next time. For now...er, whatever.