THE FOOTSTEPS OF EVIL
CHAPTER 10 CathedralMaiyan gaped. "You fools think to defeat Andariel? In the depths of her stronghold, surrounded by her fiercest warriors? Had I known you three thirst for death I wouldn't have helped you."
Telindhra gave her a withering look, "You think we mean to just waltz in and kill the demon queen? We have a plan, you know."
Maiyan snorted. "With just the three of you, your plan looks a lot like getting overwhelmed and dying, really."
Jorg let out a booming laugh. After stepping out of the Jail and into the Inner Sanctum, he had regained some of his normal vigor and composure. "Just follow along and trust us. I think we may surprise you." Jorg turned around and started towards the large Cathedral stood in the center of the large sanctum, followed by Arc and Telindhra. "Or, of course, you could turn back and go through that Jail again."
Maiyan stood still, weighing the options for a moment, before falling in step with the other three. "Glad that you decided to come. And don't worry, ours is a good plan." Jorg grinned broadly.
Maiyan shrugged, her face impassive, "Today is as good a day to die as any, barbarian," she said neutrally, clearly unconvinced.
Quickly crossing the large courtyard that was the inner sanctum of the Monastery, the four braced themselves, ready for combat, as they threw open the huge double doors of the Cathedral. Surprising a motley crew of Fallen ones and zombies, quick work from Telindhra's bow scattered the monsters as Arc led the charge into the fray. While holding superior numbers, the monsters were put off balance by the surprise attack and the sudden death wrought by Telindhra's bow destroyed any real resistance before the three warriors even lifted their blades.
Within seconds the skirmish was over and the four cautiously edged their way through the Cathedral.
Once a holy place of light and worship, the Cathedral was visibly worse for wear since the Demon Queen Andariel had taken up residence in the Catacombs beneath. The vile presence of the powerful demon permeated all through her surroundings, and the Cathedral was sullied by her presence. Now the Cathedral was unnaturally dark, having to be lit by lanterns even during the day, and the presence of the small fires burned unnaturally hot, sweltering the air, even as they chilled the soul with the too small amount of light they gave, barely fending off the darkness.
All four adventurers knew that this place, this time was the most dangerous and crucial part so far. For here, the portal lay that lead down to Andariel's lair, the Catacombs. And thus, it would be guarded by the most deadly of her minions, the Corrupted Rogues.
As they rounded the corner to the right and headed towards the stairs that lead down to the Catacombs, the stairs erupted in movement. Out burst a patrol of evil Rogues, shrieking and laughing. The flowing steps of their charge spoke of the warrior teachings they had received as Rogues, and the twisted, maniacal grins of glee betrayed the horrible rites they had endured that corrupted their souls with demonic powers. As one, they charged, the bucklers on their left arms leading to ward away strikes, and their right arms nocked behind, holding short swords, hand axes or spiked maces, ready to strike with serpent swiftness.
With only a split second to act, the party responded instantly, as though they had been fighting as one for years. The three warriors at the fore closed ranks, forming a small curved line, with Arc at the head, and Telin protected behind. Against superior numbers of skilled warriors, the four knew they needed to protect their backs. Arc cleared his mind and soul with well practiced monk trained meditative exercises, and reached into himself, harnessing his life energy, his chi, and patterning it to produce an powerful Aura, one that would enhance the speed and precision of his and his allies strikes. Immediately the other three felt the resonance of their companion's energy within themselves, their own life force weaving to copy the pattern outlined.
And not too soon as the rush of ten Corrupted Rogue hurled themselves upon the three. Arc threw up both his arms; his left arm catching an axe square on his shield, while his left deftly deflected a stabbing sword. To his left, the cool and concentrating Amazon gripped her glaive in the middle of the haft with two hands, and was spinning the weapon furiously in intricate patterns, batting away speeding attacks and even delivering back lightning fast stabs and slashes. To his right, Jorg bellowed in wild abandon, his two weapons, the flanged mage in his left, and the large Axe in his right, flailing in seemingly uncontrolled parries and strikes. Though they seemed uncontrolled, untrained, the attacks of a berzerker barbarian, Arc could see that the attacks were well trained and measured, as none of the rogues fluid attacks penetrated his defenses.
Arc returned his concentration back to the foes facing him. Telindhra's quick bowshots worked to their advantage, for though the Corrupted Rogues were skilled enough to dodge away from killing shots, Telin kept them wary and moving, not allowing them to use their superior numbers to overwhelm the three. Arc rapidly deflected two strikes with his longsword and delivered a lightning quick shield punch into the face of the left most Rogue, followed by a front kick that connected squarely in her chest, hurling her backwards and off her feet. However, another Rogue quickly took her place and again he was fending off two skilled opponents on both his sides. Though the heroes had a solid defense line, it occurred to Arc that offensively they were at an extreme disadvantage, unable to press their attacks for fear of superior numbers at their flanks.
The stalemate continued on for a long minute that felt like ten for the warriors. However, it was the teamwork of the four warriors that gave them the opening they needed. A well-placed arrow from Telindhra took a Rogue in front of Arc by surprise, burying deep into her eye and killing her instantly. In that split second that Arc had before another Rogue filled the void he pressed the attack.
His attack was not against a foe in front of him, however. To his left, Maiyan was favouring her right side, deflecting furious attacks on her left side while at the same time, spinning the blade side of her glaive in equally furious attacks on the Rogue to her right. The Corrupted Rogue was concentrating all her skill with both mace and buckler, to deflect those darting slashes from the Amazon's polearm.
The void opened by the fallen Rogue gave Arc the opening he required. Spinning quickly, he thrust his sword deep into the unsuspecting Rogues side. Completely taken off guard, the Rogue groaned and crumpled.
Completing his spin, he returned his attention to defense as once again two Rogues squared off against him. However, with the free split second that Arc had won her, Maiyan returned the favour with a powerful downwards slash that severed the shield arm of one of Arc's adversary. As he quickly dispatched the wounded Rogue, Arc found himself with another half moment's respite. Again he struck out, delivering a crippling blow to the knee of a Rogue attacking Jorg's left.
And so it went, each fighter aiding each other, back and forth down the line, until the superior numbers were lost and the four faced off with a now nervous five Corrupt Rogues.
Two of the Rogues glanced around and then spun and fled down the stairs. A shot from Telindhra caught one low in the back as the other disappeared down the winding staircase.
"Quickly, We have to be in position before she brings more or all will be lost!" Telindhra yelled, shooting again with renewed vigor. Arc charged forward to engage the last of the Rogues, Maiyan and Jorg close on his heels.
Each dispatched their adversaries quickly. Maiyan repositioned the grip of her weapon, now holding it like a light spear. With a huge range advantage and quick, precise stabs and slashes, Maiyan's adversary was the first to fall. Arc charged and engaged, his longsword and shield both darting back and forth in defense and attack, weaving a deadly dance that would only be matched by the most skilled of master swordsman. The Corrupt Rogue that faced off with him fell a close second. While the other two had felled their opponents with precision and skill, Jorg changed his tactics. While the Rogue was only slightly his superior in speed, he was by far the superior in strength. In all out attack, he concentrated his strikes on the weapon and shield of his opponent. The Rogue at first easily parried the huge attacks, but found the sheer power of the giant barbarian terrifying. Soon her small buckler shattered under the axe barrage, and her sword arm was numb deflecting the attacks of the mace. Seeing imminent destruction, she turned to flee. Her head dropped to the floor scant heartbeats after Arc's opponent, and her crumpled body soon after.
"Hurry!" Telindhra shouted as she swept by the three warriors at a run. Bounding down the stairs, she was closely followed by the paladin, barbarian and amazon.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she hurriedly pulled a scroll from her belt and said, "If that last Rogue has mustered the garrison too soon, we're finished." She thrust it into Arc's hands. "You do it. Maybe if they come I can slow them." Ripping off the ribbon on the scroll, he began chanting, and Telindhra knelt and leveled her bow.
Maiyan was carefully watching the end of the corridor. Some sixty paces until the end of the corridor, it was shrouded in darkness, the end barely visible, even to her keen eyes. She leant her glaive up against the wall and unlimbered a bundle of throwing javelins. She saw something, at the end of the corridor. Dark against the blackness, she could not tell what it was. "Movement," she warned casually, in the same instant Telindhra let fly with her first arrow. Conserving her energy, not wishing to waste all her magical strength on her first few arrow, she enchanted her arrows with fire. The fiery projectiles flew down the corridor, illuminating as they went, creating a sort of strobe as the line of fire arrows flew. The leading Rogue, charging down the corridor, took the arrow in the chest. Again and again the arrows lit the corridor in flashes, as more and more Corrupt Rogues charged towards the four. Maiyan's javelins joined the barrage, adding further confusion to the ranks of charging Rogues, some of hers enchanted with poison clouds.
"Twenty . . . twenty-four . . . thirty . . . thirty-five . . . thirty-nine" Jorg quietly counted the charging Rogues, those that still charged. Resigned, he raised his weapons, ready to receive the brunt of the attack, to give his life for a few precious more seconds.
As the Corrupt Rogues reached a mere fifteen paces, Arc's chanting reached its climax. At ten paces, a familiar glowing blue portal opened in the center of the corridor next to him. That same instant the portal began to spew forth a column of charging Rogues. Rogues dressed in the traditional red uniform, yelling welcome familiar warcries. The two columns joined in a terrific clash, the good Rogues initially outnumbered, but gaining the advantage of their hugely shocked Corrupted brethren. Maiyan tucked away her javelins and snatched up her glaive and followed as Jorg and Arc joyously joined the fray as more and more good Rogue's poured through the portal, and once more battle erupted in the Rogue's ancestral Monastery.