Chapter Five
The air reeked with the foul stench of death and decay. It filled the dungeon and seemed to swell and press against the concrete walls, assaulting the small band of adventurers within. The six stood at the door to the final room, mentally and physically preparing themselves for the final combat that awaited them in the crumbling cell.
Nyrendra made sure that all her spell protections were complete, and Anomen finished calling upon Helm to bless the actions of the party in battle. In a low voice Belgar issued instructions, ordering the spell casters, Nyrendra and Jaheira to stay back with Yoshimo, and let he, Anomen and Minsc take the front line and the brunt of whatever assault lay within.
Belgar eased the door open and stepped inside, followed closely by Minsc and Anomen. Inside, Nyrendra could hear them conversing with some other being that spoke with a deep, gravely voice. The conversation didn't last long; in a few short moments Minsc's battle cry rung throughout the air, and Yoshimo, Nyrendra and Jaheira advanced into the room.
They found their companions struggling against three massive trolls, the largest Nyrendra had ever seen. Their beady yellow eyes glinted with demented glee, pointed fangs dripped saliva, and sharp, curved claws slashed madly through the air, striking the three men. Nyrendra winced as a blow struck Belgar in the face, drawing three curved arcs across his cheeks, which immediately began oozing blood.
Jaheria and Nyrendra looked at each other and nodded. Nyrendra called out to Belgar and elfish. Belgar replied in the same language, and reached into his pocket and produced a bottle of a protection potion. He drank half of it, then tossed it to Minsc. The ranger caught the bottle in midair and quickly chugged the rest of it, then hurtled the empty glass bottle into the face of the nearest troll. Jaheira began to cast protection from fire on Anomen. A couple moments later, Nyrendra started the incantations for a fireball. The result was nearly instantaneous and quite effective. The protection spell hit Anomen seconds before Nyrendra's spell exploded in a fiery inferno that engulfed the trolls and made them scream in pain and rage.
The fighters took this opportunity to renew their efforts. Minsc cackled with glee as he swung his sword through the air, severing the arms of one of the smaller trolls. Anomen's mace hit the newly one-armed troll's head with a sickening cracking noise, and the beast finally collapsed to the floor. Yoshimo quickly fired off an acid arrow before the troll had a chance to recover. The troll screeched a dying moan that tapered off into a silent gurgle as the acid started to eat away at its flesh.
Meanwhile, the other two trolls had managed to trap Belgar in a corner of the dungeon. They ignored the repeated attacks made by Anomen and Minsc, whose blows made only minor injuries to the thick hide of the trolls' backs. Belgar was doing the best he could to fend them off, but he had little room to maneuver and had sustained many injuries that were slowly taking their toll.
Nyrendra began to gather the magical energy around her, and sent one acid arrow after another hurtling into each of the trolls. The trolls movements began to slow and become more forced, but they were not stopped entirely. It seemed as if the wounded trolls were healing as fast at the adventurers could wound them.
Finally, with a frustrated cry, Jaheira charged at one of the trolls that was blocking Belgar in against the wall. She used the momentum to her advantage, swinging her club in a fast, wide arc. She hit the side of the troll's kneecap, shattering it instantly. Stunned with pain and momentarily off balance, the troll tipped sideways and began to fall to the ground. Belgar took the opportunity to shove past the troll, and was finally free to maneuver as he pleased. He turned on the troll in a furry, only to see it slash open Jaheria's throat as it fell to the ground. Jaheira dropped her shield and club instantly, clutching at her throat with wide eyes. Even from where she was, Nyrendra could see the crimson blood flowing and pouring from the area beneath Jaheira's hands. Jaheira collapsed, and Belgar bellowed,
"Anomen, get her out of here, NOW!"
Anomen took one last swat at the troll that was still standing and then retreated back to where Jaheira lay. Uttering a battle cry in his native tongue, Yoshimo drew his katana and rushed up to the front line to take Anomen's place. Nyrendra shot a jet of flame into the troll on the ground, killing it before it had a chance to rise and attack once again.
Anomen lifted Jaheira, armour and all, as though she weighed nothing, and took her back by where Nyrendra was standing, away from the heart of the battle. He knelt beside Jaheira, the pool of blood spurting from her throat rapidly spreading across the concrete floor. Nyrendra swiftly knelt beside him, and turned Jaheria's head gently so her neck was straight and as still as possible. Anomen called upon Helm, casting the most powerful healing spell he knew. He felt the healing energies of his deity flowing through his outstretched fingers and he and Nyrendra watched as the flesh of Jaheira's throat began to knit itself back together. For a few seconds, Jaheira lay still and pale as death, but suddenly her body spasmed as a series of choking coughs wracked her frame. Anomen and Nyrendra turned her to one side as she began to spit and cough up a small stream of blood. Finally, her lungs cleared and she began to breathe normally, if shallowly. A touch of color began to return to her cheeks, though she remained unconscious.
Belgar was fighting like a madman, his swords flashed and spun through the air with incredible speed. With superhuman strength and fury he advanced upon the troll, and cut deeply into its flesh. Finally, with a howl of rage, he swung his swords at the troll's legs, cutting them off just above the knee. The troll screeched a high-pitched, ear shattering cry of rage, and fell to the ground wiggling pathetically. Before anyone else could move, Belgar grabbed an acid arrow from Yoshimo's quiver, and using it like a dagger he stabbed the troll between its beady eyes, and drove the arrow all the way through the beast's thick skull. Finally, there was silence.
"Is…is she…?" Belgar asked quietly, not turning around.
"She yet lives," Anomen replied. "She has not regained consciousness, but she should be well enough again after a weeks rest."
Belgar turned to stare at Jaheira, and Nyrendra could see the same pain in his eyes that had been there when he first laid eyes upon Khalid's mutilated body. A haunted expression lingered on his face.
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Later that night, Anomen descended the stairs of what was now Belgar's keep to the bathing room. He was wearing a loose robe, and had a towel slung over his shoulder. He was exhausted, and the prospect of a good, long soak did much to lighten his spirits.
His bare feet padded on the stone floor, echoing hollowly across the berth of the poolroom. Their were candles and lanterns strategically placed about the room, giving it a soft, warm glow with light rebounding and reflecting off the crystal clear waters of the pool.
Thinking he was alone, he set down the towel and began to remove his robe. The sound of water splashing behind him made him jump in surprise, and quickly yank his robe back up. He turned around just in time to see Nyrendra's head immerging from the pool, her eyes fixing on him with an amused glance.
Anomen jumped like a startled deer, and began to stammer,
"Ahh, er, f-forgive me, my lady. I, ah, I did not realize that you…I thought the room was vacant…"
Nyrendra snorted. "First of all, Ano dear, you can drop the 'my lady' stuff. It's me, 'Ren, remember?" she grinned and continued "Secondly, you can stop blushing. As you can see, I'm still clothed. My garments needed a wash as well, and I decided to take care of it all at once."
Anomen turned even redder than he already was, and muttered under his breath, "Hmph, I am not blushing."
Nyrendra giggled, and smacked the water hard with her fists, sending a small wave of water hurling through the air and catching Anomen full in the face. He looked startled, and spluttered, spitting out water,
"That was not funny."
Grinning impishly, Nyrendra splashed him again.
"Nyrendra…I'm warning you…" Anomen said sternly, glaring at her.
She had no choice but to send another jet of water hurling in Anomen's direction.
"That's it," Anomen flung his towel to one side, and took a flying leap into the pool. Nyrendra shrieked and started to swim away from him, but Anomen was a bit faster than she was. He caught up to her, and dunked her under the water. She grabbed hold of his tunic as she went under, and yanked him down with her. She tried to use this advantage to squirm away from him, but he held tight to her. Nyrendra kicked Anomen in the stomach, not hard, but with enough force to surprise him and cause him to release her.
Nyrendra surfaced, and swam a short distance away, over to the wall of the pool. Anomen surfaced shortly afterwards, coughing and a bit winded. He caught up with Nyrendra, and trapped her between himself and the side of the pool. His hair was askew, plastered down across his forehead and in his eyes, his face lit up in a grin that spread across his entire face.
Nyrendra giggled at the sight of him, and he raised an eyebrow and asked,
"Oh? And just what, pray-tell, is so humorous?"
Nyrendra poked him in the stomach and managed to choke out between giggles, "You are! You look so…" she raised her eyes to meet his, and froze instantly when she saw the way Anomen was looking at her. Her breath caught in her throat, and time seemed to slow to a crawl. Anomen leaded towards her, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. She felt his lips brush up to hers ever so slightly, and then she felt him abruptly pull back.
She opened her eyes in time to see him hoist himself from the pool. He glanced at her quickly, then looked away again and muttered,
"Forgive me, my la…Nyrendra. I…I do not know what came over me. I shall leave you to your swim in peace now," he hastily wrapped his towel around himself, and retreated from the room before Nyrendra could come up with anything intelligent to say.
Finally, she sank back beneath the water and let out a loud scream of frustration. She didn't know what to think about anything any more.
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Nyrendra could hear the angry shouting from the hallway, and tentatively crept up closer to the door. A few seconds later it flew open, and Jaheira stormed out, an angry look on her face.
Nyrendra slipped in through the door that Jaheria had just exited from, and quietly shut the door behind her. Belgar was seated at a table in the middle of the room, holding his head in his hands as though he had a rather painful headache.
He sensed Nyrendra's presence in the room, and looked up. She gave him sort of a sad smile, and sat down beside him, patiently waiting for him to speak.
"Jaheira was not pleased," he finally said. "I had to pull out every trick in the book…she left quite angry, as you could see. I don't believe we will be seeing her again…" he trailed off sadly, then sighed. "What else could I do? She has already suffered so much because of me, she lost Khalid…I…I couldn't allow her to stay and lose everything."
Nyrendra placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand, my friend. And perhaps one day, she shall see what it was that you did for her," at this point her voice became more stern. "But don't you ever try to pull the same stunt on me. It won't work. I pledged you my service until such time that you would no longer need my help, and nothing could make me walk away from you know."
Belgar reached up, and covered her small hand with his own. Squeezing gently, he said "I know, and I thank you for it. Come, Imoen awaits us."