General disclaimer: I own nothing, even Maiyn generally decides her own path.
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The Battle
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Xzar followed Montaron, prancing about and humming fairly loudly; doing everything he could to further antagonise the short-tempered halfling without actually meaning to. The thief was almost ready to murder the necromancer when he heard shouting coming from the open doors of the temple, and his eyes widened with interest. He glared at the mage, and continued walking towards the building; a movement to his right distracted him however, and he pushed Xzar into the ruins of a house, forcing the mage to stay ducked behind the wall and covering his mouth with his gloved hand. Montaron hadn't dared try to gag the mage with an ungloved hand since the time Xzar had almost bit completely through his fingers.
Montaron peered over the wall, spotting the four men as they cautiously approached the outside of the temple. They stood with their backs to the Zhents, and seemed to be discussing in hushed tones whether or not they should go in. Montaron frowned slightly and removed his hand from Xzar's mouth carefully.
"There's sumthin' ye need ta do, mage," he whispered roughly. Xzar beamed with delight, listening as Montaron gave him careful instructions. The halfling then let go of the necromancer, watching him as he slowly sat up. I hope he bloody does wha' he's told this time, he thought to himself grumpily.
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Alora was shaking. She'd known it would come to this, and had plenty of opportunity to get out of it, but she'd stuck by them, and they'd drawn her into their group with affection and kindness. She'd not felt so welcomed since she left home, and if she left their party she knew it'd only be a few days until she was back to petty thieving, trying to snatch a crust to get her through the day.
This was beyond her though. She watched the two strong fighters with their huge swords take on the armoured man, and he battled them with apparent ease despite their exertion. The two half-elves also seemed to be struggling against Angelo, but determination shone on their faces as they smoothly worked alongside each other, years of practice shining through.
Imoen stood between Dynaheir and Xan, the three of them murmuring their spells. Xan stayed with his tried and tested spell of haste, lifting the spirits of the fighting companions, while Dynaheir and Imoen targeted their missiles at the opposing mage. Maiyn was frantically trying to take out the mirrors; she had looked scared, and Alora had felt less bad about her own nerves. The ranger had been nothing but kind to her since their initial meeting, and Alora had looked to repay her at every opportunity.
Now she was shooting arrows at the ogre, having already injured him in the arm, causing him to struggle with his weapon. Despite this, his strength was still far superior to Kivan's, and the battle remained close and ferocious. She fired arrow after arrow, hoping one would pierce through the leather armour, and winced as she saw Tazok's vicious halberd slash across Kivan's torso.
The elf staggered slightly, but pressed himself forward as she shot arrow after arrow, piercing the ogre in the legs, causing a slight limp. Kivan's spear eventually managed to push through, piercing into Tazok's shoulder and causing the creature to cry out in fury. He beat Kivan away with his injured arm, knocking the elf to the ground as he pulled the spear out from his body, throwing it to the ground. Kivan rolled over quickly to retrieve it, but had no time to get to his feet as Tazok closed in on him.
Alora cried out as she watched the ogre raise his halberd, and she let go of her arrow, willing it to strike true. It landed squarely on the nape of Tazok's neck, causing the ogre to freeze in horror as the pain ripped through his body. Kivan took his chance, lunging his spear up and into the front of Tazok's throat, pulling it back out quickly so he could push it firmly back into the ogre's stomach.
Tazok looked at him in confusion, then swung his halberd brutally at the ranger, toppling over with the exertion, dead when he hit the ground. Alora shifted slightly, trying to see Kivan, wondering if Tazok's last move had injured him further. She didn't notice Semaj casting his spell, or pointing at her as she stood on tiptoes, trying to peer over the other battles. The first thing she noticed was her the fact that her breathing appeared to have stopped. This caused her to panic, and she dropped her bow as her hands instinctively went to her throat; but she was not suffocating due to constriction. She saw Semaj watching her, a wicked smile on his face and within a second she knew what was happening. She was dying.
She fell to her knees, her strength sapping away as she died, her world having slowed into a crawl. The surroundings grew dimmer and dimmer, the noises began to fade into nothingness. She heard Imoen's voice before her world went silent: "Alora!" She tried to call back; tried to tell them it was okay, but nothing came. Then she was gone.
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Montaron swore as he charged the four men. A bleedin' fireball! That's all he'd asked for! But instead Xzar had randomly decided to cast a spell of chaos, an enchantment Montaron had been led to believe was still beyond the necromancer's ability.
Still, at least two of them were fighting each other, and one had decided to sit down and admire the scenery. Montaron finally reached the remaining one, bringing him down with a few wild slashes while he regarded the halfling with confusion. Xzar managed to cast magic missile at the fighting pair, killing off the weaker, and Montaron quickly stabbed the survivor as he passed, rushing over to last one, who was still taking in the surroundings.
Tha's far too easy, Montaron grunted to himself, easily beheading the stranger and turning his attention to the necromancer. He was dancing his way over, singing 'Monty is jaunty' over and over again. The halfling took a deep breath, then plundered the pockets of the dead men, glaring at the necromancer viciously until he stopped in his tracks and stood perfectly still.
Satisfied, Montaron crept into the grounds of the temple, edging his way to the still open door. He peered in cautiously, his eyes widening at the carnage that lay before him. He pulled himself away, and tried to think quickly. He had an important decision to make.
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Maiyn's frustration was growing larger at the same rate as her temper was growing shorter. She could see the mage preparing his spell, but no matter what target she hit, it was never enough to distract him. Yeslick appeared by her side soon enough, much to her relief, but even their combined force wasn't enough to penetrate his defences, as more illusions sprang back up on a trigger as soon as they knocked out the last one.
Maiyn screamed, the noise drowned out by the sounds of battle, and she threw herself back into hacking down the illusions surrounding the mage, Yeslick doing likewise. The mage stopped, and looked over to the shadowy wall behind the dwarf. He murmured the last words of his conjuration, and pointed to the figure hiding there. Alora! Maiyn tried to concentrate on her attacks, but she could see the halfling girl drop her bow, then sink to her knees. Within a minute she was lying on the ground, her life force taken from her with one swift cantrip.
The ranger heard Imoen's pained cry to her friend, and she looked over to the thief. Imoen had dropped her guard, completely unaware of the danger she was in as Sarevok came up behind her, having dodged from Coran and Minsc's efforts, and pushed them both aside with a careless swipe of his arm.
"Imoen!" she cried, causing Yeslick to also look over. Without a word, the dwarf sprang from his location, racing over to behind the young human, and taking the full force of Sarevok's blade as it swung into his side. The dwarf was knocked several feet away with the power, and Imoen turned to witness the cleric landing, his armour completely devastated by the hit, and his flesh torn and mangled. The thief screamed, and ran; Sarevok's follow up blow crunching into her as she moved, causing her to stumble to the ground just out of his reach. Minsc and Coran arrived just in time to hold him up a little longer, allowing the thief to crawl away, the blood pouring from her injuries.
Maiyn looked at Yeslick in horror, and realised he wasn't moving. "No!" she cried, launching herself back at the mage, who was murmuring again. A white flash of light engulfed him as Xan's dispel hit him, and the tendrils reached out to remove Maiyn's haste as well. Instantly, the mage's mirrors were down, and for a split second he was defenceless, and mid-conjuration. He either had to halt his spell, or risk being brought down.
Maiyn didn't leave him with an option as she drove her sword into him, her eyes full of anger as she watched him sink to the ground, blood frothing from his mouth. "For Alora," she hissed, turning away to help the others.
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Jaheira could sense every move Khalid was about to move, and she worked her own attacks around these, the rhythm of the Harpers fighting meaning that neither was ever defenceless. She closed her eyes slightly as they moved, calling to Silvanus, and receiving the blessing of nature's defensive harmony. Their movements together became more fluid, already enhanced by the haste spell Xan had cast. Angelo was a skilled fighter however, and he managed to face off both of them with relative ease, only occasionally allowing them to find a hole in his defence.
A call from the other side of the room managed to pierce the noise of the battle; Jaheira heard Imoen calling Alora's name, and instinctively the druid knew that their companion had fallen. She professionally battled on, but the thoughts of the youthfulness of the halfling played on her mind, and she was unable to ignore them.
Distracted, she stumbled; losing her footing as she fell onto the symbol of Bhaal. An ominous click signalled a trap, and she tried to pull herself up quickly, looking around for danger. Angelo saw his chance, striking out at the druid and ripping open her armour with his vicious longsword. Jaheira cried out as an acid arrow flew from the darkness, hitting her firmly on the shoulder, its poisonous effects working its way straight into her system.
Angelo noticed her flinch, and parried Khalid long enough to get another chance at a lunge. This time his sword went straight through Jaheira's chest, causing her to choke and pale instantly. As he moved backwards, removing his sword, he grinned evilly, watching her fight for breath, knowing she'd fail. With a cold look, he turned to face Khalid. The druid's husband was furious, and he roared as he launched into a crazed attack on the mercenary, both warriors matching the other at defence and attack, no openings becoming visible for some time.
It was only when Khalid managed to force the fighter back towards the altar, that Angelo lost his footing as he stumbled against the raised platform. Khalid seized the change, slashing his offhand weapon at Angelo's arm, severing his hand, rendering him weaponless. Angelo stared in shock, then laughed a maniacal laugh as Khalid closed in for the kill. It came swiftly.
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Coran was spending most of his time parrying. Sarevok was displaying every sign that he'd been trained extensively in the arts of fighting, and Minsc was having enough trouble trying to penetrate his defences at all - even when he managed it, Sarevok's armour easily absorbed the slashes and lunges. Coran however seemed to the focus of Sarevok's initial attacks, until his attention was taken elsewhere. With a careless swipe of his hand, both Coran and Minsc were pushed aside as if they were nothing more than annoying children, and the fighter marched off towards an unsuspecting Imoen.
Coran darted after him, ducking past the Harpers as they continued their battle with Angelo, and saw Kivan's body lying prone under the corpse of Tazok. Minsc was close behind him, but Sarevok was almost at Imoen; then Yeslick appeared from nowhere, throwing himself in the way of Sarevok's sword, and being thrown in return by the force of it. It was enough to get Imoen's attention, and the girl tried to run, Sarevok's second swing making contact with her.
Coran immediately went into offensive mode, and Minsc roared as his berserker fury kicked in by his side. Together they rained blows down upon the armoured man, having no visible effect at all. Coran felt his morale slipping, but then he saw Maiyn plunge her sword into the mage, causing him to slump to the ground dead. He smiled over to her encouragingly, his guard dropped for a split second.
A split second was all it took as Sarevok's sword knocked into him, slicing through his armour, and knocking him to the ground. He felt the pain, an excruciating pain as the blood seeped out from his wound. His word began to darken, and he frantically looked for Maiyn, seeing her racing towards him.
He tried to shake his head, tried to tell her to be careful, but his strength had gone. It all went dark.
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Maiyn screamed as she ran over, but Coran's eyes had closed. She knelt by him, the tears running down her face as she called his name over and over again. A hand fell on her shoulder and she was roughly hauled to her feet. She tried to resist, but Khalid forced her to turn and look at him.
"Later," was all he said, and as she looked past him, she saw Jaheira's body lying still on Bhaal's sigil. Instantly she composed herself, nodding grimly, and following him as he entered the melee with Sarevok, alongside the raging Minsc. Dynaheir and Xan had cast spell after spell at the warrior, none having any effect, and Sarevok slashed at the witch as he bore down on her, causing Minsc's fury to accelerate even further. Dynaheir topped to the ground, and Sarevok's attention turned to Xan. He just grinned evilly as he pointed to the enchanter, and Xan crumpled in agony although no physical contact was made. Sarevok laughed at the pitiful display, and fought off Minsc, Khalid and Maiyn, disarming the berserker easily in the process.
His overconfidence was his downfall however, and Khalid's two swords managed to penetrate the joins in his armour, catching him in the side and the shoulder. Sarevok roared with surprise, pushing the Harper away from him, his arm too weak to wield his sword. He turned and punched Maiyn viciously, knocking her to the ground in a daze, then stood to face off Minsc, dropping his sword. The Rashemani rushed at his foe, his strength taking Sarevok by surprise as they tumbled to the ground, wrestling through the suppressions of their platemail armours. Minsc punched the Bhaalspawn repeatedly in the face, only half of his hits managing to bypass the elaborate helm Sarevok wore, but Minsc's rage making him numb to any pain he was subjected to. Eventually, the berserker managed to knock the helmet off completely, and he stood up, looking around desperately for his weapon. He started with surprise despite his rage when he saw the figure before him.
"Eh, thank you," he managed, accepting the two maces that Montaron had salvaged from the fallen skeletons. Montaron just raised his fingers to his head, as if tipping an invisible cap, and backed away, intent on watching the rest of the show.
Minsc turned back to find Sarevok on his feet, having drawn a dagger from somewhere. He threw it at Minsc, but the Rashemani ducked it, and a pained yell from behind him suggested that the knife had hit Khalid. Minsc swung the maces above his head, and charged at Sarevok, bringing the weapons together around the fighter's head. There was a sickening noise as the skull was crushed with the force, and Sarevok fell to the ground, cursing in his last breaths. Minsc followed up the blows, slowing as his rage wore off; the pain from his amassed injuries immediately hitting home, causing him to fall to the floor in agony.
Montaron stood next to Xzar in silence for several moments. Sarevok's corpse slowly crumbled before their eyes, turning to dust as they watched, the particles rising into the air as they sparkled. Slowly they formed a trail that seemed to disappear into the altar itself, then there was nothing left but his armour and sword.
A flicker of light caused Montaron to usher the necromancer outside. He took one look back, and saw Duke Belt appear from a shimmering portal, several clerics following him, immediately rushing to tend the fallen and the wounded. Montaron was unsure what he had just witnessed, but he was fairly certain he'd find out. First though, he had to make that damn mage cast a teleportation spell to get them out of this place.
