Chapter XXX
"I very much doubt that Horazon still lives in his Arcane Sanctuary," Cain said when they were at their table at the Jewel. "He possessed great power and influence over demons, but even that may have not been enough in the end. One of his notoriety cannot easily remove himself from the vengeful reaches of Hell."
"But Drognan did say that Horazon was able to prolong his life," Talina insisted. "Perhaps there is the possibility…"
"I don't think so," Norleche disagreed. "There are of course certain spells and elixirs to extend one's life indefinitely, but demonic magic corrupts the flesh as well as the soul. He would not be still alive."
Talina and Norleche continued to banter on this point for several minutes with Barak adding things at intervals. Geldar, Cain noticed, didn't say anything.
"What's wrong, son?" the Horadric Sage asked.
"Sinclair was here," the Paladin said quietly. "He was here," he raised his voice and thumped his fist on the table. "And he didn't tell me!"
"Lord Jerryn must have reasons—" Cain said but Geldar refused to listen.
"He said he did not want to spread unrest," he snapped. "As if he couldn't trust me to keep it to myself."
"Lord Jerryn has had his share of untrustworthy people seeking boons from him if you have listened to his story as I have from Drognan," Cain said patiently.
There was a silence between them, Barak, Talina and Norleche continued to talk.
"My main purpose has been to find Sinclair and slay that fiend who took him and I have lost sight of that recently," Geldar said slowly. "Lost sight of it in the wake of some adventure that was not of my choosing."
"Fate is never of our choosing," Cain reminded him. "Neither its ends of its means are up us to decide; and in my experience what you intend to set out for is not the same as what you gain in the end."
"So you still think it's going to change?" Geldar asked him, looking up from his untouched plate. "I know you were saying to Talina not to put all her hopes on seeing her home islands again, you're saying that there is a change for me as well?"
"Perhaps," Cain said darkly. "Two of you are already on the path for the destruction of the Three, I have the feeling there will be more."
Geldar didn't answer. There were other things he wanted to say, questions about what had been revealed to him by Pentheus. But he still hadn't considered them himself yet, he had pushed them to the back of his mind with Jerryn's news taking prominence.
"An 'Arcane Sanctuary' under the palace?" Elzix almost burst out laughing. "I heard there were some underground cellars levels that Jerryn uses as chambers for his treasure and such, but no Arcane Sanctuary."
"Well, we'll have to do our best then," Norleche said as Talina came out clad in her armour. "I'll let you know if we do find anything."
"You do that," Elzix said. "And if anyone comes while you're gone with some crazy story, I'll know who to send them to."
"You would think," Talina fumed as they walked towards the palace, "that people would have more respect now for so-called myths and legends of old."
"Well it does take a lot of shake your beliefs from fiction to fact," Geldar explained. "And I seem to remember a time that you dismissed anything intangible as hogwash and nonsense."
"Watch yourself," Talina warned stalking ahead.
"Is always like this?" Barak asked Geldar.
"Yes," Geldar and Norleche answered together.
But other than that outburst Geldar was oddly quiet as they entered the palace. Talina went ahead to get an impression of what they were up against while the rest of them waited on the landing.
"So what are tomb guardians?" Barak asked Norleche.
"They're Horadric mummies that lead skeletons and other undead," Norleche told him. "They exhale poisonous gas and can raise their dead minions. But I don't think we'll be facing any here."
"What makes you think that?" Barak asked.
"This isn't a tomb," Norleche explained as if it were obvious. "Yet that doesn't mean it's going to be easy."
"Can't be worse than what I already faced on the way here," Barak said smugly.
"There's plenty of undead," Talina said as she walked back. "Mostly skeletons but I saw a few wraiths."
"Wraiths?" Barak asked.
"Skeleton ghosts," Norleche said. "They travel in groups and can drain your mana."
"Nothing I can't handle," Barak retorted, and they followed Talina towards the stairs.
"That's an impressive piece of work," Geldar said, gesturing to the axe.
"You should really hear it sing," Barak replied.
Geldar then realised that Barak held a sword in his other hand; he could attack with two weapons? Now that was impressive, but he didn't say anything.
"Any particular strategy?" Norleche asked as a horde of skeletons advanced towards them.
"Just don't get too far away from the group," Talina suggested.
"Says you," Geldar shot back, remembering the last time Talina went off by herself.
Talina didn't answer, there wasn't time to, they were upon them.
"Barak, with me," Geldar called to the Barbarian, he stepped to the front of the group and summoned Thorns. The Barbarian followed him, but was a safe distance away before he began his attack.
Geldar charged at a group of skeletons with his shield in front, stunning a few and smashing to pieces another. The rest he finished off his the flat of his sword. To his left Barak gave an unearthly yell causing Geldar to look his way and almost get his face slashed by another skeleton. He reacted in time, and stepped over to slay a skeleton archer behind Barak.
"Thanks," Barak said.
"What was that?" Geldar asked breathlessly, they were fighting side by side now, Barak's axe hewing through the undead with ease and precision.
"It's a war cry," the Barbarian said. "Scares enemies away."
Give me some warning next time, could you?" Geldar teased, as the last enemy in the room was felled by a lighting bolt.
"Is that it?" Talina asked, stepping forward to retrieve her pilum.
"For this room, yes," Norleche said, he frowned as he looked around. "This is worse than the tombs.'
It didn't take Geldar long to see why Norleche said that as they hewed their way through the three levels of the Harem, and it didn't take much longer for Geldar to agree with him. There were bodies everywhere, and it wasn't just the guards. Innocent, unarmed women, totally unprepared for such an attack from within.
Several times they stopped after the room was empty and covered the bodies with whatever they could find. Silk brocade curtains, now torn and stained with blood, fine linen and cotton draperies, again soiled.
Several times Geldar caught Talina looking at the bodies without talking, she looked rather sad.
"What?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes and scowling at him.
"No one is going to rebuke you for having emotion Talina," Geldar reminded her. "It's what makes us human, it's what keeps us sane."
"Save your platitudes for another time," Talina snapped, stalking off without a word.
Suddenly she turned to ice.
"Defence positions," shouted Geldar, he ran towards the frozen statue with his sword drawn. He passed it to his left hand and poured a yellow-coloured postion over the Amazon's icy form.
"Seven many-handed ones," Barak said, stepping back inside the room and positioning himself near the doorway. "There seems to be a leader."
"Fantastic," replied Norleche.
Talina was fast recovering her powers of animation; she fell to her knees shivering. Without another word Geldar almost carried her to a corner.
"Wait it out," he told her, "when you feel up to it give us a hand." He took his place with Barak near the doorway.
"Want me to call them over?" Barak asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Do what you like," Geldar replied, "just get them away from the leader."
The Paladin cringed as Barak let out a series of earth-splitting yells, one by one the marauders walked over, their eyes were glazed.
"Wait one moment," Norleche said, he muttered an incantation and flames appeared over their heads. "Now go," they didn't need to be told twice.
Geldar and Barak attacked together, the Paladin on the left and the Barbarian on the right. With the blade of his sword Geldar cut of their arms, the swords they held clattering to the floor, but there wasn't time for this. He pressed his attack, slitting its throat and kicking the corpse to the floor.
Just as he was about to attack again the body exploded beneath him, killing three others in the shockwave it emitted. Barak stepped slightly in front, spinning his axe in a wide arc and taking the remaining two around the middle. Geldar heard a few thumbs as the top half of the bodies continued the momentum but his sword was already in the chest of the last minion.
"That's it then," Geldar said to no one in particular, and putting his shield in front of his face he charged. At the last minute he saw two massive arms pushing the shield away and knocking him to the ground.
Slightly dazed, Geldar raised his sword and the creature stood over him, its eye flashing with fire. It knocked his sword away and grinned wickedly though a mass of pointed teeth. Geldar's gaze didn't falter, he may be unarmed but he was no defenceless.
Where was Barak? He was fighting several skeletons that had decided to pay them a call.
Where was Norleche? Geldar couldn't see him so he assumed he was somewhere nearby.
Just as the beasts rakish claws neared him and Geldar was ready to blast it with his raw will, it sank to the ground with a pilum in its chest.
"How many times have I saved your life, Geldar?" Talina asked mildly ad if she was inquiring about the weather.
"Who's counting?" Geldar asked, getting to his feet and picking up his sword and shield. "You could have arrived sooner though."
"Just be happy I didn't arrive later," she answered with a smile as she wiped the blood off the spear tip.
"I have already died once thank you very much," Geldar said. "I don't make a habit of it you know."
"A pity," Talina said cuttingly
"What was that thing guarding?" Barak asked quickly, sensing trouble brewing.
"Perhaps there was a way in," Geldar suggested.
"A way in to what?" Talina asked.
"I don't know, you figure it out," Geldar snapped as the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder.
They readied their weapons, but it was only Norleche. He looked pleased with himself, I it could be said of his very pale, skeletal-like face.
"I haven't found us a way in yet," Norleche explained. "But there is a way down."
