A lightning bolt thundered out of the darkness, its hungry branches striking at both Valen and Yasha as it roared past. Yasha was ready however, and dove away at the first tell tale prickly of the oncoming electricity. Still, blue fire played along her skin, followed by a blast of pain and the smell of ozone. She had just enough time to verify that Valen had missed the worst of it as well, before turning to face the creature that plowed through the darkness, charging after its lightning bolt into the fray. She struggled back to her feet, body aching, and prepared to face the next incarnation of the horrid beast.
Once more, Vix'thra had taken the chance to prepare defensive spells before entering the fray with them. Duty rang powerfully as it slid through the magical outer protections and sliced into the creature's ankle. The sword reverberated in her hands as it met with the stony shell, and cracks appeared that spread the full length of the creature's leg, but the spell persisted, and her attack earned her a powerful blow from the creature that sent her sprawling. She used the momentum to push herself back to her feet, and backed away from the creature enough to avoid its second follow up blow.
Powerful claws raked against the ground, gouging the stone floor and causing Yasha to skitter back once again to avoid them. She retreated steadily as show avoided a flurry of blows, from one side and then the other. She avoided the claws, but was also unable to get in a strike in response.
Of course, she hardly needed to, with Valen pounding on the creature's flank. His weapon didn't have the ability to simply dispel the protective magics. He just took the longer but more direct route to getting rid of it – he pounded the rocky surface of the creature's spell until the rocky covering was little more than a vast array of enchanted fractures, and followed through with another blow so hard that a shin bone shattered.
Vix'thra turned with a speed that belied his size. Valen jumped back from the great snapping jaws, only to be smacked in the back by its sinewy tail whipping in the other direction. Quicker than it took for Yasha to charge forward, the creature had snapped its head forward again, catching Valen while he was still off balance. Horror swept through Yasha and she staggered to a numb stop as she saw the tiefling disappear into the creature's maw. It snarled once in her direction, and chuckled triumphantly. Tossing its head back, it launched the tiefling into the air. Valen twisted, attempting to control his fall, which meant that instead of biting into the tiefling's stomach, the great creature caught only his legs as he came back down.
Valen's cry sparked Yasha back into action. She lowered her head, puller her shield close and Duty up, and charged. The dragon had reared up so that only its hind legs were within her reach, so she dashed under the creature's rib cage, and leapt up to onto one of the dracolich's back claws. Duty bit deeply into the huge shin bone opposite the one Valen had destroyed. Threads of divine fire roared up its leg, spreading over its hip and biting deeply into the dark magic. The mighty thing staggered, falling to all fours to keep from falling. It twisted to peer underneath it body at her, snarling. Valen hung upside down within the creatures jaws, his right leg wedged painfully between to saber-like teeth. He growled back at the creature, braced himself briefly with his other foot, and brought his weapon up to impact loudly against the roof of the dragon's mouth. Its jaws opened wide as it roared in pain, and Yasha knew that in a moment it would snap its jaws closed once more on the prone tiefling. The paladin did the only thing she could do.
She dashed forward into the mighty maw.
Duty skittered across the uneven roof of the dragon's mouth, finally catching on a crack made by Valen's attack. Yasha had moments to braced herself as best as she could as the jaws began to close on them both. The head jerked in surprise and pain as the blade sunk deeply into the bone and enchantment of the creature's skull. Valen was finally thrown free, but the sudden motion made Yasha lose her footing on the uneven jaw. She fell to her knees, calling on every bit of magic left in her enchanted gauntlets for the strength to keep Duty's hilt in her grasp. With a stomach dropping rush, Vix'thra pulled his head back around and up. An outraged roar exploded from the enchantment around her. Letting loose of her shield to brace Duty with both hands, Yasha closed her eyes against the stomach churning motion as the whole head tossed back and forth. With a sudden lurch, Duty moved once more. Magic and bone pulled away from the blade as it sunk deeper. The teeth around her snapped closed violently even as Duty burned its way through the enchanted bone and into its skull.
If it had been a living creature, the blow would have been a death knell. Of course, the dracolich had no soft tissue in its skull to harm. All around her the undead dragon shudder, and a howl of pain thundered in her ears. It tossed back its head once more, opening its jaws wide. Yasha hung suspended a moment from Duty before the blade slipped out. Thinking only to keep the jaws from closing once more and crushing her, she lurched forward and hacked at the hinge where the upper and lower jaws met.
Her strike was too true. Its lower jaw gave way beneath her feet as the holding magics melted under Duty's fierce blaze. Momentum took her onto the creatures bone neck, and Yasha scrambled for purchase on the spine of the flailing dragon as it bellowed in anger and pain once more. Distantly, she heard her abandoned shield bounce on the floor below, even as she managed to hook one hand on a spiny vertebra. The dragon twisted and writhed beneath her, but she managed to keep a grip on it and Duty while she wrapped her legs around the bone.
For an exhilarating moment, she rode on the back of the powerful creature as it bucked and twisted in pain and frustration. It stopped then, and twisted its head to glare at her in hellish red hatred. Despite the loosely dangling lower jaw, Yasha had no doubt of the creature's intent and ability to kill her even now. With a desperate prayer to Torm, she lifted Duty again, and brought it down with all of her strength against the spine beneath her.
Duty flared brightly as it sunk into the creature once more. Power as she'd rarely felt before thundered through her, using her as a conduit between Torm's power and the blade she gripped in her hands. Her vision dimmed, her exhausted spirit unable to do anything but try not to lose herself in the flood of energy. The power, however, had a will of its own, and needed no guidance from her. She finally faltered, unable to hold onto the raw divinity. In the silence and cold that filled her at its lapse, she felt nothing of her body, and had a moment to wonder if it had been consumed in the holy fire. She felt her own breath, and then a heartbeat. Then she was slipping, and for a moment she hung once more, blindly suspended only by Duty's grip on the dracolich. Then even the holy sword's bite tore free, and Yasha fell heavily to the stone floor below. Her head was still ringing from the fall when something huge struck across her ribs. Pain pounding through her side, she tried to roll free through the darkness. It sounded as if the cavern were collapsing around her for a moment, and then there was silence once more.
Sharp pain stabbed through Yasha's side as she shifted under the thing that held her down. She struggled for a moment then was able to find enough traction on the floor to squirm painfully from underneath it. She blinked in disbelief for several moments as her eye sight blurrily returned. She had been trapped under the bones of Vix'thra. The thing had collapsed on top of her.
Her sigh of relief was short lived. Wisps of energy seeped up from the bones as Vix'thra's spirit freed itself from its ruined body again. Its eyes glared at her as its smoky form flowed into being. Slowly and painfully, Yasha brought the flickering fire of Duty's blade up to point at the creature.
"You," she said, though her lips still felt numb, "stay dead."
It lifted a ghostly lip in a silent snarl. Yasha held her breath as its form coalesced, but instead of sprouting transparent wings, threads of the creature pulled back from it. Slowly, as if driven by some silent wind, it flowed away from her until only its glowing eyes remained. And then, even those winked out. She watched the darkening bones for a long time, wondering what to make of this new change of events, before a grunt and a groan from Valen pulled her back to more immediate concerns. Holding her aching side with one hand and still gripping duty's hilt with the other, she limped towards where the tiefling lay. Blood covered the emerald armor on his right leg and the beginnings of dark bruises scattered across his cheek and jaw. He held the final healing potion in his hand, but paused when he saw her limping towards him.
Gently lowering herself beside him, she examined his wound. His thigh right above the knee had been sliced open on both sides, for the sharp teeth of the ancient dracolich had bypassed his armor completely. Shaking her head, she waved away the offer of the healing potion. "You are much more injured than I," she said slowly. "We'll be able to go nowhere until that leg is healed up."
He scowled briefly, acting as if he would argue, then nodded and drained the vial in several quick gulps. She watched him, concerned, as he tossed the vial aside and settled back. It seemed to her that the bleeding had died down, but the potion was not so powerful that it knitted the muscle back to bone and closed the skin.
"Is it dead?" Valen asked, his voice low and gravelly with pain.
Yasha lifted her eyes from Valen's wound, and stared out into the darkness. The dark magic no longer closed in on her like a stinking miasma, but she could still feel the evil pulse of the undead creature in the distance. It was faded, though, different from before when it had fled from body to body. She looked back at Valen. "I think we may be safe for the moment."
She frowned at his wound and back up at his face. His normally pale skin was ashen. It would take more than one simple healing vial to aid him. She could still feel Torm's power, distant and soothing, but did not have the strength of spirit to tap it to heal Valen. Perhaps if she had some time to rest, she could touch it again. Until then….
"Can you walk?" she asked quietly. "I don't want to leave the others alone in this evil place, but neither do I want to abandon you to bring them here."
He winced, looking down at his leg doubtfully. "I will try," he finally replied.
After some maneuvering, they were both able to stand. Yasha did her best to ignore the sharp pain in her ribs as she supported Valen's right side. Valen's breathing hitched with every step as they hobbled across the uneven floor, but they made slow and steady progress towards the distant corner where their comrades lay.
"Look at you two," Enserric snickered. "Hail the conquering heroes as they victoriously hobble back across the field of battle!"
Yasha opened her mouth to reply, but Valen's growl interrupted her. "Shut up, Enserric."
She laughed weakly at the sword's insulted sniff, but cut it off with a gasp as the movement caused her side to erupt in pain again. "Well, I don't believe we'd be striking fear into the hearts of evil at the moment."
Valen grunted but said nothing more. She helped him settle down beside Deekin and Nathyrra, then leaned weakly against one elbow. Vix'thra's necromantic life force pulsed faintly against her like a sullen beacon, causing the hair on her arms to rise. The powerful creature was weakened, but there was no telling what kinds of resources he had left. Did he have another body prepared? Could he summon more vampires or bone golems from the temple around them? In their current state, they would be lucky to fight off even the slowest and dimwitted of zombies.
"Yasha," Valen said, speaking slowly and painfully, "we cannot stay here. It is…too dangerous."
Valen's breathing was slowing, and he seemed unable to keep his eyes open. It was obvious that exhaustion and pain tugged at him, despite his warning that they should move. Yasha stayed silent as she considered them all.
"It will be fine, Valen." His eyes flickered open, and he looked at her doubtfully. "Rest. I will…I will make sure you are all safe for the moment." She smiled weakly at his doubting frown. "Trust me."
He shook his head weakly, but his eyelids fluttered closed once more. Yasha's smile melted, and she carefully lay Duty down to dig into her backpack. She first pulled out a small round gem from her collection of valuables. Its multicolored surface flickered in Duty's dimming light. A rogue gem, it was called, famous for its ability to fuel enchantments that opened magical doorways, but woefully rare and expensive. She closed her fingers around the gem and sighed heavily. From a side pocket of her backpack, she pulled out a small object bound in oil cloth and wrapped in a fine mithril chain and Torm's Hand in silver. She weighed it and the small gem in her hand. This was another option to staying within the dracolich's power base, of course, but she was loathed to choose it. What cost would it be to use it? She winced and frowned at her unconscious companions. What cost would it be not to?
She unwrapped the relic slowly and stared down at it. It was barely larger than her palm, shaped like a miniature door. Carved into its stony side was a twisted face, its mouth open in anger or pain. The most powerful clerics in Waterdeep had cast curse dispelling magics on it, yet it reappeared on her person no matter how many times she tried to leave it behind. She had only used it once, but that time was most certainly none of her choosing. She felt no overt evil when she looked at it, just as in the many times she had examined it before, but it still made her flesh crawl. As well it should, for it was a doorway from death, and a doorway from death could be a doorway to it as well.
Holding her side, she sighed painfully once more at her friends. Her doubts might keep her from willingly using it, but were those doubts powerful enough to risk certain death for those that traveled with her? Shaking her head, she pushed herself to her feet. She closed her eyes for a moment, then fit the gem into the open mouth of the relic, and held it up before her.
"Reaper," she said as forcefully as she could. "I bid you open your door."
The gem flashed with brilliant color, and a beam of light shot out from the relic. Then it twisted in a gut wrenching way, and turned in some strange way to widen. The beam of light became a curtain and then deepened into a doorway. Around her, the cavern remained the same, but through the veil of light she caught sight of the barren and wrenchingly unwelcome sight of a plain room to which the doorway led. She shrugged off old memories as best as she could, however, to focus purely on gathering her companions and their belongings. One by one, she struggled to drag their limp bodies as carefully as she could through the glittering doorway. Deekin and Nathyrra moved little at all when she carried them through, which caused her concern. Valen came to consciousness briefly as she struggled to drag him through, her many minor injuries screaming to life, but his eyes were unfocused and quickly closed once more as she laid him down on the smoother stone floor through the doorway. She felt hopelessly open to attack during the whole process, but her pain slowed her to a frustrating crawl. At last, however, she grabbed up the last of their packs, and entered the doorway one last time. On the other side, she knew, the door of light had snapped shut, leaving them gone as if they had never existed.
The walls in the unornamented room were lined with doors. To her eye, they all looked the same and very plain indeed, but she suspected they were far from ordinary. They entered through one such door, the shimmering light that encased it the only mark upon it to let her know it led out. She worked slowly to try to make her companions as comfortable as possible. She removed Valen's breastplate as gently as she could manage, and made makeshift pillows for all from the packs and blankets. Finally satisfied with the arrangements, she walked away from them and towards the raised dais in the center of the otherwise featureless room.
She grimly approached the black clad figure that stood there. It had stood there unmoving during the whole process of her dragging her companions in and comforting them.
Just like it had stood by, unmoved, when Yasha had lain here day after day on the painful edge of a death.
Yasha shook off the memory. More important to her was the tightly bound evil she felt as she approached the thing that called itself only The Reaper. She eyed it distastefully as she approached, though whatever expression it might have had was hidden by its shadowed hood. Red, demonic wings sprouted from its back, but she could tell nothing else about its appearance, for it clothed itself head to foot in an all concealing black robe.
Or perhaps the robe was its appearance. It was hard to tell with creatures from the lower planes.
"Reaper," she greeted it tersely.
It bowed slightly, and replied in a cavernous voice. "Sojourner."
"I need to know. Are my companions safe here?"
It was still for a moment, then bowed its head once more. "As safe as you are," it answered finally. That was hardly a comfort.
"Let me ask a different way then," she said, pain and exhaustion fraying her temper. "Can anything hostile come in to reach them while they are here?"
"Not unless you open the door for them," it replied tonelessly.
Yasha considered this answer for a moment. Did it mean literally or figuratively? Had she already opened the door by coming here at all? She would have believed that the thing took joy from giving her evasive answers if it wasn't for the fact that it apparently never felt any joy at all. "You told me I cannot die while I'm here," she said carefully, wincing from the memory. "What of them?"
"Their spirits are free to go if their bodies fail," it replied evenly.
She considered that a blessing, though she wasn't sure what her companions would think the same. "We can leave through the doorway to the place where we just left, correct?" she asked, turning back to the Reaper.
"Yes, Sojourner, as I explained before. If you have payment, you may come and go as you please," it answered evenly.
"If I leave you payment, can they leave even if I'm not here?"
It stood very still for a moment. "What do you mean?" it asked, a faint note of curiosity in its voice.
Holding her side, Yasha stepped up the final few stairs to stand on the dais even with the creature. "If I were to leave and be unable to return, would they be able to open the door and leave this place without me?" She paused, another thought occurring to her. "Or does this place even exist when I'm not here?"
"It does exist, even if you are not here. Throughout the centuries it exists. Always."
Yasha raised her eyebrows in surprise as bitterness crept into the implacable creature's voice. "I see." That was a new reaction, and very interesting. Still, she had bigger fish to fry at the moment. "What of my other question? If I leave you payment, can they leave without me?"
"I believe so, Sojourner."
"You BELIEVE so?" she replied suspiciously.
"It has never before been done," it responded, its voice once again emotionless. "But I see no reason why it cannot be done."
She frowned at it. They could wait until everyone had recovered. Even without potions and items to heal them, it would take her only a little while to rest enough to call on Torm's healing once again. Deekin also had some minor healing magics in his repertoire. It may take days, or even a week or two to regain their strength. In the time, what would happen with Vix'thra? He could escape, and their chance to destroy him utterly would be gone. Or perhaps he might gather what was left of his followers, and be prepared for them when they reappeared in his lair.
But could she trust her companions to be alone and unguarded with a creature such as this in their midst? It seemed bound to service of the one that held the relic, but would that be a guarantee of safety to her companions?
Rubbing the back of her neck, Yasha shuffled back to her backpack. She dug into it and pulled out two more of the rogue stones. Gripping them tightly in her fist, she bowed her head.
"Give me some sign, Torm. What should I do?" she whispered desperately. She listened intently, in body and mind, for as long as she could. Perhaps there was no sign, or perhaps her spirit was too tired to see it. Regardless, she was left to sit in silence and make up her own mind.
Her companions were as safe as she could make them. It was also her duty to destroy Vix'thra once and for all, if it was at all in her power to do so. Pulling Enserric from the sheath on her back, she laid the bare blade down beside Valen.
"Yell if you see anything amiss. Try to wake them."
The sword was silent for a moment. "I was kidding about the dragon horde thing, you know."
She patted the blade. "I know. Keep watch well."
She bowed her head, gave one last, heart felt plea for the safety of her friends, then she stood and approached the Reaper once more. She held the two stones before it.
"One for my passage out now. Another for their passage out when they request it." It bowed in acknowledgement and reached out a cloaked arm. She handed the rogue stones over, repressing a shiver when she felt bony claws scraped the stones from her palm. She turned back and stepped down from the dais, and the door they had come through opened when she approached. With one final look at her companions, she stepped through it, and back into Vix'thra's lair.