D&D Tag Along
Chapter 14: Tint's Army
A/N: Ok, so here goes the second last chapter of this fic. I know that it has become a little unbelievable, but that's part of the fun of fiction. Anything can happen, believable or not. So, I dig into my hat and let's see what I come up with.
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The nearly endless tunnel echoed with the heavy footsteps of me and my followers, creating a thunderous boom as we fell into a march. I was walking in front of everyone, with Deanna the sorceress at my side. Slightly behind me, to my left, were the three archers from my time, my friends. On my shoulder was my guardian pet copper dragon, Sparks. Trailing behind were a dozen genetically altered humanoids, all boasting amazing mental and physical powers far above those of the average being. If only Gabriel was still alive…
Even in the darkness, we could see the faint outline of the end of the tunnel. The doorway was slowly falling apart, which meant that the entire tunnel would collapse in the near future. Whatever magic that created the portal between times must have known that the tunnel had served its purpose. There was no turning back anymore, even if I had the slightest desire to turn back. As it was, I knew that I was headed in the right direction.
"Let me exit the tunnel by myself first." I ordered my followers. "Only follow on my signal." It was amazing how fast I had turned into a military commander. I was nearly one hundred percent sure that I had the complete loyalty of my followers. In some strange way, I was their savior for rescuing them from Boneheimer's control. That made me responsible for their well being. I wasn't going to let another friend of mine die.
We were standing at the base of the wall that served as the end of the tunnel. I gave the exit a push, but it wouldn't budge. "Let me, sir." A huge male, about seven feet tall, four hundred plus pounds pushed past the other forces. With one sturdy push, the big guy was able to toss the door clear free of the tunnel.
I heard the stir of surprised voices on the opposite side of where the door had once been. Now was the time to make a dramatic entrance. I sauntered out into the light, proudly strutting about like I owned the place. Upon my entrance the voices stopped, as if to conceal their presence. "Don't even bother attacking me. I'll tool all of ya!" I bragged.
"Just like you, Tint. Always acting superior to everyone else." A familiar deep male voice laughed from somewhere out in the bright light. Maybe acting so powerful wasn't a good idea, because I couldn't see any further than the nice blur that clouded my vision.
"Who's there!" I demanded. "Show yourself so I can beat you all up!"
Another voice laughed from a completely different direction. "And to think that such a useless little future brat managed to kill Boneheimer. What did you do, bore him to death with talk about video games?"
"You all have it wrong. Tint actually killed Boneheimer! It turns out that Tint is the son of Ehlonna and Nerull." Sparks claimed as he flew out from the tunnel. I didn't appreciate the laughter coming from the people in front of me. I was finally able to figure out who I was talking to. "Rurik? Tagorus? Jillian? Is that you?"
"Sure is. What happened to Deanna and Gabriel? Surely if you survived, they did as well." I could make out the outline of Tagorus as the speaker.
Here came the moment that I was regretting since I had made the decision to retrieve Gabriel's body. "Tagorus, I am sorry for what I am about to do. Come on out, everyone." I called back to the tunnel.
"Boneheimer's forces!" Rurik exclaimed, charging forward to do battle.
"Halt! They are with me." I stated. I looked back over my shoulder to see the big guy exit the tunnel with Gabriel's body draped over his shoulder. "I'm sorry Tagorus. Boneheimer killed her."
The elf refused to mourn his sister, despite the obvious need to do so. Both Rurik and Jillian rushed forward, each placing a touching hand on our friends body. "How did it happen?" Jillian asked.
Deanna was just stepping forward, her head hung low. "It was my fault. I was only pretending to be under Boneheimer's control and I was fighting Tint. We launched a surprise attack against him, but he was prepared for us. Gabriel flew right into his clutches and he killed her on the spot. That was when Tint went insane. Boneheimer didn't stand a chance against him."
"Why did you bring her back if she was dead?" Tagorus demanded, a hint of anger tainting his words.
I swallowed nervously as I tried to explain myself. "Uhhh… I thought that she deserved a proper elven burial." Tagorus took a quick step forward, scaring me. I screwed my eyes shut, hoping that I wouldn't be on the receiving end of Tagorus' anger. But, nothing happened. I peeked one eye open and was relieved to see Tagorus extending an open handshake. "Thank you. Even though she was half fiend, she was also half elf, and thus deservers the same rights as her kind." I smiled in agreement as I should the ranger's hand, glad that I had done the right thing.
After paying our final respects to the great Gabriel, we set up camp for the night. The sun was getting low in the sky, casting a fiery red glow across the land. "How did that saying go? Red sky at night, take flight?" I asked.
"Close enough, Tint." Deanna chuckled. The entire group was gathered around a large bonfire where the old town's village square had been. We had swapped the complete details of our individual quests since we had lest been together. Jillian and Rurik had gone on a holy crusade to recruit more priests, clerics and paladins to replace those lost during the war against Boneheimer. Tagorus, meanwhile, had tracked down the fiend that had fathered Gabriel and slew the creature. Gabriel wouldn't have had it any different.
"We had rejoined at the Fire'n'Water Inn. Fido was there, waiting for us. Apparently, none of us were allowed back in Dondoria because we were friends of Tint's. At the time, it made no sense to us. But after learning that the king is actually Kas, Vecna's sworn enemy and that Boneheimer was just a tool for Vecna, we understand completely." Rurik explained.
"So, we figured that it would be best to follow you to your time and help you kill Boneheimer. Seems like you managed quite well on your own." Jillian finished the tale.
An awkward silence followed as if nobody had anything to talk about. Deanna finally broke the silence, by asking, "What now?"
"We kill Kas, that's what we do next." I stated, rather coldly. The others gave me a surprised look, not expecting me to be the one who stepped forward. Others were even more surprised that I was suggesting that we kill the king who "personally" saved everyone from Boneheimer.
"Why do you say that?" Tagorus inquired.
I shrugged my shoulders, "Simple really. If Kas is dead, Vecna will quit sending minions to kill him. Sooner or later, Kas will show his true colors and start killing innocent people. In a way, it's killing two birds with one stone."
"Good idea, but there are a few problems." A voice stated from outside the circle surrounding the fire. We all turned, weapons drawn, to face the new arrival. "Whoa! No need for that, friends." Fido had his hands held up in surrender as he stepped into the light.
"Weapons down!" Jillian ordered, but only Tagorus, Rurik, myself and Deanna listened. "Do as she says." I told the others, receiving instant compliance. Jillian gave me a friendly smile, "Looks like I'm no longer the leader of this group. Have fun, Tint."
Fido was overlooking everyone gathered. "A few of Boneheimer's former grunts and some more kids from the future. Is that all you have for forces? You will never be able to storm Dondoria and overthrow Kas with that force."
"And what do you suggest?" I spat back. I didn't know why, but I felt like I was starting to become a little cruel with my words. It was almost as if my father's side was winning a battle on the inside of me.
The green centaur gave me a smile that told me he had a few surprises to add to the mix. Sure enough, his next words confirmed my suspicions, "I present the combined forces of The Royal Mutineers, Forest Walkers, Displaced Inhabitants of Ecniat, SmaShitUp and the Centaur Coalition."
As soon as the words left Fido's mouth, the ground began to shake with the force of an earthquake. I looked all around me, seeing the darkness itself move as troops approached from out of the shadows. The night hid their numbers, but they easily exceeded ten thousand in total. "Wow…" Was all that I could say as a representative stepped forward from each group to be introduced.
The Royal Mutineers were made up of a large percentage of the former army of Dondoria. I had fought alongside many of these men in the first storming of Dondoria. Now, they were back, this time to reclaim their city from their former leader. I couldn't believe that so many people had figured out that the king was evil and that he needed to be removed.
Forest Walkers were exactly what their name implied. Elves, half-elves, halflings, dryads, pixies, pretty much any forest dwelling creature had stepped up to the plate. "Hello nymphs!" I warmly greeted. For my friendly welcome I received a burning log thrust against my head. "Stupid Mage Hand spell…" I grumbled as I withered under Deanna's glare. The Forest Walkers were the inhabitants of the forest on the outskirts of Dondoria, which had been burned down recently as compliance to Kas' orders.
Next came the Displaced Inhabitants of Ecniat. I was informed that Ecniat was the second largest city on the continent. A proud mountainous mining operation run by gnomes, humans, dwarves, and a few drow. The city was destroyed by Boneheimer early in his campaign of terror, before anyone realized how powerful he actually was. Luckily, the town had been evacuated long before the attack, thanks to a freak of nature heavy rainstorm that flooded the tunnels.
I loved the name of SmaShitUp. Say smashit, but stress the sh, making it into two words. Apparently, only the people from my time era and the orc clan that called themselves by this name understood its true meaning. These guys were armed from head to toe with at least three dozen weapons. That didn't include the ones I couldn't see, nor wanted to.
Finally, there was the Centaur Coalition, which Fido proudly called his family. The only reason that they were joining the fight was to see to it that they weren't the only major species to be excluded from the war. The centaurs had been playing a neutral role in the war so far, with the obvious exception of Fido.
Whispers were already flying through the ranks of troops gathered around that they were in the presence of a god. A few, obviously religious, creatures were already bowing. Soon, others began to follow their lead, until everyone was kneeling down. I had no idea how that secret had spread to them, but it was having its effect. Even Jillian and Rurik, who were strongly devoted to their own gods, knelt down towards me.
"Tint, say something! You've become the spiritual leader of our army!" Sparks hissed in my ear.
I wasn't very good at coming up with all of these damn impromptu speeches. I had used up all of my encouraging words the last time that I did this. All of my insults had been used up against Boneheimer and the Kobold king. My mind raced for something, anything really, to say. Suddenly, I had an idea. I cleared my throat and prepared myself.
"My fellow warriors! It is time for us to throw off the chains of oppression and rise up against the tyranny that we are faced with. For too long, the people of this land have been faced with great hardships. For too long, you have put up with facing that which no man should ever have to face. Boneheimer has fallen, but another has taken his place! Will we stand for this treatment for any longer?"
"NO!" Came the resounding scream from those gathered.
I was momentarily deafened by the roar, pausing for a bit before continuing. "By the time the sun has set tomorrow, you shall all be free. That, I promise!" Another roar erupted. "To war!" I yelled, pumping my fist up into the air.
"To war!" The mass repeated.
"For freedom!" I shouted, adding another fist pump to the call.
"FOR FREEDOM!" I could guarantee that if Kas was asleep, the war cry would have awakened him from his slumbers. We were coming for him and we would be there by the time the sun came up in the morning. "Forward, march!" I commanded, letting the thunderous boom of the perfect cadence echo through the night.
"You've gotten better with your motivational speeches." Deanna commented as she fell in beside me at the front of the army. Sparks quickly joined me on my shoulder, while the other leaders and special forces filled in the front rank on either side of me. Even though nobody could see it, I was smiling. I just a few short months, I had gone all the way from nerdy high school student to the general of an entire army of mythical creatures. I could only wonder what tomorrow would bring me.
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A/N: It might take me a while to get the final chapter done. I'm planning on making it the same length as the first chapter. I still hope to get it done by the end of next weekend. Hope you all like the ending, I have a few surprises that'll finish the fic off.