D&D Tag Along

Chapter 12: Avenger Via Destiny

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to get this out. I had diploma exams this week and I needed to study. Plus, it's hard to write these chapters without my books. I try to keep things regarding the D&D world as close to accurate as possible. There's a section in this chapter that I had trouble figuring out because I lent my manuals out to a friend. Here's hopes I did it right.

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Boneheimer started chuckling slightly as he tossed Gabriel's body aside. I watched, hoping that somehow Gabriel's folded wings would unfurl and let her fly away to safety. "No…" Deanna whispered, her voice quivering as Gabriel crashed into the ground. It was all a nightmare; a horrible nightmare that would end at any second. I closed my eyes, thinking that when I opened them I would be back in the hospital, recovering from my injuries.

Instead, my eyes opened to reveal Boneheimer descending towards us. His tentacles were covered with a thick red layer of blood. His hollow eyes were focused on us, bent on claiming another victim. "Can we run now?" Joey asked, already backing away from the evil creature.

"Go ahead and run, fools! You are all going to die!" Boneheimer gloated, taking off after Joey. Joey heard Boneheimer's evil laughter approaching him from behind and began to load his bow. Suddenly he stopped, turned, and fired the arrow straight into an eye socket of Boneheimer. Two more arrows from Ashley and Wesley imbedded themselves into the lich's body. Boneheimer didn't even react to the piercing arrows in his decaying flesh, closing the distance on the fleeing Joey.

I found myself in a position between Boneheimer and Joey. Boneheimer didn't even seem to acknowledge my presence as he approached. I held my katana ready, swinging with everything that I had as he passed. The blade cut cleanly through the creature's arm, much to my surprise. Boneheimer came to a halt, stopping to examine the wound. He looked down only momentarily before addressing me, "That was foolish, Tint. I can regenerate myself at will. Now, you are going to be the next to die."

Boneheimer held out the severed stump of his limb, concentrating deeply. Nothing happened. A confused look crossed his decrepit face, almost as if something had gone wrong. I found myself gloating, despite the knowledge that it would anger the mindflayer lich, "What is it? Did the insignificant, weak human manage to do something amazing?"

The face of Boneheimer now showed fear. He raised his remaining arm, pointing towards my sword. I looked down and gasped. My sword was surrounded by a glowing white aura. "No way!" I exclaimed. I locked my eyes with the scared sockets of Boneheimer, pointing my katana directly at my enemy. "It looks like Gabriel is going to be avenged." A smile slowly grew on my lips as I charged Boneheimer.

I could only wonder as to what was running through the mind of Boneheimer. There he was, one of the most powerful creatures ever created. The nearly immortal resilience of being an undead creature. The sheer destructive power granted to him from his mindflayer background. An impressive assortment of spells to bring death to his enemies. All of this power and somehow, a teenage human had managed to cut through this protective image using a seemingly enchanted weapon. It really wasn't fair, but neither was the murder of Gabriel.

The five spectators had gathered together, huddling beneath a partial wall. Judging from the looks on their faces, they were just as surprised as everyone else. It had never crossed any of our minds that it was possible to defeat Boneheimer, and yet, here I was charging at the horrible beast. I reached out with a broad slash, hoping to catch hold of any part of him. I found myself pushing forward, stepping over the chunk of facial tentacle that had jus been severed from its owner.

Boneheimer was reverting to pure reflexes and determination to survive. He knew that he had to think of something very soon if he hoped to emerge victorious. I was trying my hardest to upset his thought process by overriding his senses with pain. Another cut, another prize piece. Victory was near, or so I thought.

I lunged forward and was amazed when Boneheimer easily dodged the attack. Now, I found myself pressed up against a wall. "It hadn't been there before." I thought as I turned around to face Boneheimer. Between us was a glowing multi-colored light wall. I was trapped between the two walls, both of which were of a surprise location to me.

"Tint! Those are both Boneheimer's spells!" Deanna yelled.

Boneheimer glared over at Deanna and the others, who all quickly dove for cover. I couldn't blame them; I would've done the same thing if I was in their shoes. As it was, I was fighting against the epitome of evil creatures. The aforementioned creature seemed to have lost interest in me, as he was now plundering the bodies of his own fallen troops. One soldier's spear seemed to have met the high standards that he had. Boneheimer picked up the spear and jabbed it into leg.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I insulted.

Another mistake. Boneheimer removed the weapon from his leg and examined the end. The tip was now coated with an unsightly green muck. I could only guess as to what it did, but I had a feeling that I would find out soon. Villains always have a habit of revealing what their plans and weapons did just in time for the hero to find a way out of the situation. Of course, my logic was flawed. Boneheimer thrust the spear through his own barrier and into my chest.

Boneheimer decided to leave the spear where it was stuck. By this point, I had almost grown accustomed to the pain from getting stabbed by swords and spears. This time there was a burning sensation caused by the stuff that Boneheimer had added to the spear. "What… what was that stuff?" I demanded through gritted teeth.

The glowing light screen fell away in shatters. Lot of good it had done me. Boneheimer mustered what could have been equivalent to a smile. "One of the first things that I did when I arrived in your time era was travel to a library to study. Whilst there were no spell books, I did find the writings of Shakespeare fairly entertaining. I stole the idea of stabbing you with a poisoned weapon from Hamlet. Now, you have but half an hour of life in you." Boneheimer bragged. So much for my theory of braggart villains giving away their plans beforehand.

I felt myself becoming weaker with every passing second. The only thing holding me on my feet was the spear stuck in the wall through me. A thin cloud of purple smoke was forming from the point where the spear entered my chest. "That… can't be right." I mused as everything around me turned to black.

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My eyes fluttered open, revealing completely new surroundings. Gone was the battle on the streets. Now, I found myself in the midst of a serene forest. Birds happily sang their songs while woodland creatures scampered across the forest floor. The natural beauty of the scene left me breathless, yet confused. What had happened to Boneheimer?

The pain in my chest had subsided. I looked down and found that the spear and its wound had disapeared. I quickly felt myself over just to make sure that I was still alive. My mind was racing in an attempt to figure out what had happened. I began muttering some strange explanations as I took wild guesses as to my current situation.

The sound of laughter behind me caused me to jump. Sitting on a throne made of a hollowed out stump, was a gorgeous female elf. She was surrounded by an unearthly glow that radiated brilliance. "Come." The elf beckoned for me to approach her throne. Her voice echoed with a graceful whisper of godliness.

I figured that it would be smartest if I knelt before this elf. There was something about her that set her above everyone else. The elf smiled in response to my gesture and bid me to return to my feet. I quickly complied to her order and was about to ask her some pressing questions, when she held up a finger to stop me. "I am Ehlonna." She stated. "Do you know who I am?"

My mouth nearly dropped at the mention of the elf's name. I nodded my head eagerly as I recited some of my limited knowledge. "Yes, you are Ehlonna, goddess of the woodlands. Worshipped by elves, gnomes, halflings, rangers and druids. Which makes me ask: Why did you call me here? I am not one of your followers."

Ehlonna chuckled at my question. "I have been waiting to speak with you for quite some time now. It was me who enchanted your sword. Boneheimer is the creation of Nerull and is upsetting the balance between evil and good. I am just doing my part in evening out the game."

"But why?" I couldn't help but asking.

Another enchanting chuckle from the goddess. "I have two reasons. Firstly, it was a favor to one of my followers, who just recently joined me here. You can reveal yourself now." Ehlonna called out into the trees.

I looked over in the direction the goddess called in. I could see the trees parting as another beautiful elf approached the tiny clearing where Ehlonna and I were conversing. This elf had an odd, yet familiar appearance, almost as if I had seen her before. The elf saw me and smiled brightly. She ran up to me and embraced me in a huge hug. A very odd action coming from an elf.

"Duh…" Was all I could think of saying.

This new elf laughed. "You sure are one of a kind, Tint. You can insult an enemy right in their face, yet you cannot speak with a girl without blushing. So honest, yet too shy. I can see what Deanna sees in you."

"Huh?"

"Incredible, Tint. You do not recognize me? I guess that can be expected. Nobody would. They never saw me except for my half-fiend form."

"Gabriel?" I exclaimed. The elf nodded, her smile growing wider. Ehlonna was deeply enjoying this happy reunion that she had created. "Wow! You're an elf!"

"Of course, I am an elf! I have always been an elf, just not a full one." Gabriel growled. I immediately recognized the pissed off emotion that she was oft of showing. You can change someone on the outside, but you can't change them on the inside.

I felt a sudden twinge of remorse. "It's my fault that you got killed. It was because of me that you came to my time era. If I hadn't dragged you into this, you might still…"

Gabriel quickly cut me off. "Do not blame yourself. I followed you because you are my friend and I could not stand by idly as you valiantly fought for a friend of ours. My only regret was that I failed to kill Boneheimer."

"Well, I was trying to. I was doing a good job until he did that wall trick." I explained.

Ehlonna cut into our reunion. "I am sorry, but if I may? Tint, you must return to your time and defeat Boneheimer. Do not ask how, just attack him. Time has been paused, so you will return to the exact moment that you left. Goodbye, and good luck."

Once again everything turned dark. I felt my body begin to twinge as my body began to vanish and reappear in two separate realms. A very disturbing feeling, one which was quickly replaced by the returned pain of the replaced spear. Just as I vanished from Ehlonna's court, I overheard a fading conversation between the goddess and Gabriel. "You forgot the second reason." Gabriel commented.

Ehlonna chuckled once again. "So I did. His father would not appreciate it if I revealed my son's destiny. He has his heart set on being the one to reveal it."

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A/N: Gabriel's in a happy place! I hadn't originally planned on putting her in there, but the reaction from her death convinced me to give her a last hurrah. Plus, Tint's the son of an elven goddess! I wonder who the father's going to be. Guarantee that the fight between Boneheimer and Tint, the part elf (weird to say, I admit), will finish next chapter. Left you with enough thoughts, eh?