A Time To Talk, A Time To Fight

Shadow of Zero XLI

I called to shadows and moved at a quick jog, my cloak eating the sound of my steps alongside the light that would reveal me, unseen and unheard, I ghosted to my target location at a speed that while not superhuman was setting a rather harsh pace.

I was tempted to burn more magic for a small speed boost. With the ring doubling the efficiency of my lower powered spells I could do so easy, it wouldn't cost me much at all.

Except one more shield spell, one more volley of 'magic missiles', or more importantly, one more 'cure minor wounds' spell that could mean the difference between life or death.

Healer be stingy…

I upped my pace further, it wasn't like I hadn't been more active in the past. Damned lazy bones.

I came to the bluenet's door and knocked thrice, tapping my foot impatiently as I waited for her to reach it.

Half a minute passed and I reached out to knock again when it opened. Revealing Tabitha standing there in a familiar night dress, her expression it's normal emotionless mask, but the red hints to her eyes and dryness to her lips hinting that she had been sleeping only moments before.

Why would she be resting now? The sun was still out… I shelved the thought, no time. I gave a nod. "Miss Tabitha." I stated.

She looked at me wordlessly.

"I need to speak with you, it's something important." I tacked on quickly.

She considered it a moment, giving no outward sign. Her poker mask had oddly only improved given her condition, and then she moved to the side, allowing me to enter.

I exhaled. "Thanks." Then entered, eyes scouting for signs of Irukuku for a moment, finding none I turned around to face her. "A local lord has pacted with infernal powers. Literal ones, not metaphorical."

That… was not what she had been expecting. Her eyes widened a fraction, then a flash of disbelief, before all became unreadable once more.

I don't know why that surprised me, really it shouldn't none else here seemed to know of outsiders outside of their mythology. I shook my head, and brought a hand to my temple, trying to relive some of the sudden pressure that came out of nowhere. "I don't know how, but I know it, I've seen it before, as it is unfortunately a much more common thing in my home realm. And no I do not think I could mistake something else for it, there are certain… aspects, that are almost impossible to mimic." The thing about his eyes, the chilling burn on my supernatural senses, the traces of sulfur and elder stuff on his skin. How had I missed them before? It was all so obvious looking back.

She blinked, and opened her lips for a moment.

I cut her off. "I'm not sure how I'm going about this but I have to do something, this is dangerous in ways I can't properly explain. I'm not sure about getting you involved at all, but I needed to warn you because odds are Irukuku could sense something's off with him as easily as I could. I doubt she'll react well though, I don't think she's encounters fiends before." I clenched my fists, and actually tore out a hair or two from the hand by my head.

I stopped at that, the sudden pain of it, and paused, looking down at my hand and the few silver strands now in it, for a second.

"I'm acting like I've gone mad aren't I?" I questioned.

She looked at me, not at chest level, not at some random object, or through me, she actually met my eyes. "Yes." She toned seriously.

I exhaled again, taking a calming breath. "I'm sorry, I… don't react well to fiends. Demons, in particular. I…" I stopped and shook my head. "Alright, first things first, let's lay down the facts a bit, alright?"

She nodded, and her gaze seemed to fall through me, hand tensing as if wishing for something. It was the first tell I had seen on her… well ever.

"This noble. A 'Lord Mott' You know him?" I questioned

She gave a slight sake of her head, nothing you'd notice unless looking for it. "Reputation." She managed out.

I nodded. "Yes well I don't have the big details there, but I'll be getting them shortly. He's pacted with something. There are… side effects, signs, that mark one who makes one too many bargains with such creatures. I have no idea how he's managed to come into contact with them though, through my admittedly limited search of the local history there has been no record of ever encountering such creatures like true outsiders. And trust me they'd have left a mark. But then again Louise summoned me and there's nothing suggesting if I could be called something-"

She cut me off, "Elf." She pointed out.

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I look like an elf, but trust me, if-"

She did it again. "Elves." She stated more firmly, again not really looking at me.

I stopped, at that. "Elves? Wha…" I considered it. "Elves." The local elves were not the elves of my homeland.

The local elves were immortals, true ones, terrifying creatures both beautiful and fierce, a single one of them worth a score of trained veteran soldiers, presumably with a high percentage of them being magi.

Terrible beautiful creatures, who wielded equally terrible magics. Why would they have such power? Nature doesn't just spit out a super predator like that for just any reason. You needed something to force growth, to demand more strength in the face of it.

It had held interest to me as I was currently guising myself as a sub race of the species. I made a quick coloration of the historical accounts, taking in reported tactics (well as much as such reports spoke), numbers observed, and general individual strengths. I had discovered at the time, that while not a major threat to the local branch of humanity, the elven population was actually on the increase. Every hundred years or so there was a notable increase in numbers and skill among there soldiers. Back in Brimir's time, one elf was worth ten solid men in a scrape, by the most recent account, one elf could force even a battalion to retreat if encountered.

So what were the elves fighting to make them like that? It wasn't raw numbers of humans, the elf population was growing slowly over the ages, and the number of wars between them and men shrinking.

Some of it could be dictated by the old teaching the young, but there modius operendi hadn't shifted much, still swords and sorcery, still the same old tactics, or new ones lifted from human opponents. It was simply that the quality of their soldiers were outright better, they cast the same old spells, but with greater power, and skill, there swordsmanship shifted from the peak of human ability to well into the superhuman range.

Only one thing could cause that kind of growth. War. Simple Darwinian selection. The same thing that had forced the magus of my homeland to produce quicker more powerful spells then what the nobles here used.

But with who? Demons? Surely there would be some bleed over, infernals were not typically picky about who they preyed upon.

Could the 'elves' themselves be demons? Possible, but unlikely. If the abyss was spitting out creatures like that, the best of them would have drawn the attention of far more obviously infernal rivals.

Maybe… the elves were simply learning from summoned servitors? No again, not obvious enough. Well this was going to drive me mad for a time.

I shook my head at her. "Maybe there involved hire up, but I don't think they are involved with Mott personally. And regardless finding the details I suppose isn't that vital for the short term ether. Mott identified me, I don't think he knew what I was, but he knows I knew him, or something of that like. I drew his interest." I grimaced.

"Danger?" She questioned.

"Minimal. Keep Irukuku out in the woods until I've dealt with him." I responded quickly. "Try… not to get involved." I decided at once. "Just keep at range, and be ready if I fail."

She looked me in the eyes again, intense, that was the best way to describe the tiny mage. So much was locked away within her, the moments when something managed to burn through…

Well it took a certain power to punch through barriers like that. Power that didn't let up an inch the moment it got through them.

I met her eyes, and for a moment wavered under that strength. Mortals… humans in particular. Say what you will about a dragons power. Those few men and women who took it upon themselves to truly test their capacity, to throw themselves entirely to their discipline. No immortal's might could match that burning energy when it was properly directed.

I could only thank the taste of it I still bore to my own relative prodigious growth. Though at nights I still wondered what I could have accomplished if I had been reborn in that world as a man, and not a monster.

This time however, my steel proved strong enough. I held her look. "Just… be ready." I stated, "If you need to seek me out, you know how to find me." At least I trusted she did.

My business done here, I broke the look and started back to my master's room. I felt a bit relieved oddly, despite the new questions in my head. Maybe it was because I didn't need to look after at least one of my allies? I could trust Tabitha to look after Irukuku and herself. There was steel in her, strength. She would survive.

Now all I had to do is insure everyone else I cared for did.

Shadow of Zero XLII

I used my time in returning to plan a general course of action. A binder. I freaking hated binders, it was a number of things, from the taint they built up and spread, to the shear difficulty of facing one. They were easily the most annoying kind of mage to face by their own terms.

I had no idea what this Mott had in and along the lines of an arsenal, what abilities he'd earned, traded for, and were gifted. I had no idea how many creatures he had bound to his service, how powerful they were, or the significant details of their nature beyond being at least in part, abyssal.

I needed more information, and I needed to guard my apprentices. Like hell I was dragging them straight into a potential fight when they currently barely had the fighting ability of a frightened child holding his parent's hunting crossbow.

So I needed ether a guard or a scout. Preferably more than one. Tabitha was out, she was needed to protect Irukuku, or at least that's what I told myself.

That left fighting fire with fire… or rather summons with summons.

I entered the room and did a quick survey, Siesta was tidying up the room and my master was… currently phasing in and out of view. Huh, odd, I'd have figured Siesta to be the one experimenting with her new item imbued superpowers. Telekinesis took a bit more time to get the hang of after all.

But then again both also seemed stress, maybe they had regressed to their personal happy places?

"Right then, cleared one thing… next thing's up, were going to call up a little help." I stated a slight light of amusement to my voice.

In truth I was feeling more than a bit of nervous and paranoid as hell. I didn't have that many close allies I could call up that would be willing to face demons.

Though I did have at least one who would only show up to help me fight ones.

Damn it, this was going to suck, did I have any other options? Well I could always call on… No, bad idea. If I summoned up a few of my own infernal allies, I both held risk of drawing an entire aspect of the blood war here in escalation, and hammering out the details in contract would take far too long. To say nothing of how poorly my apprentices might act.

No I had only one real option for a good bodyguard. A binder was too likely to sense anything from the outside, and I hadn't gotten good contacts with the local powers yet.

I blinked as I realized my master was trying to get my attention. "What?"

"What help?" She demanded of me looking more than a little cross.

I blinked. "Oh, I'm going to summon up an outsider of my own. I know a guy who's very good at fighting demons, sort of a specialist. But I might need to clear up a few things on both ends when I do." I explained.

"I thought we were going to get information on Lord Mott?" she asked looking crossed at my apparent spontaneous change of plans.

I nodded. "We are. Fidelis going to help us out on it. Like I said, he's very good with demons, and knows a lot more about them and their mortal agents then I ever will." I explained.

Siesta blinked. "Fidelis?" she asked, and I snorted. Sure she gets his name right on the first try.

"An old… acquaintance I suppose is the best way to put it. He'll jump on a chance like this, even if it means working with me." I explained.

"Wait, you said there had to be some sort of payment to call outsiders." Louise broke in.

I started over the room, clearing out a large enough space. "This is the payment. Fidelis hates demons, we don't always get along, but letting him in on a group of abyssals trying to get a foothold on a free world will be the favor of a lifetime to him." Maybe even enough to get him to forget that little incident in Nesme… not likely, but then again that would be a side benefit at most.

"Abyssals?" Siesta asked for clarification.

"Demons." I explained quickly. "Give me a bit of room, this ritual takes a few minutes." Well technically it was a spell, just one that took around ten minutes to cast. A lot of large scale or long term magic did.

My master didn't seem to want to give me that time however. "Wait what exactly are you summoning?" She demanded, "And what do you mean a long time? It took you seconds to call up those monkey things."

I grunted in frustration. "That was a short term contract, spirits popping in and out animating conjured simulacrum, this is longer term true summoning. Sort of like what you did with me, only that I'm not bothering with any sort of binding, and Fidelis is likely to leave the moment the jobs done." Or possibly turn on me, depending on exactly what measures I had to resort to in this little escapade. I could take the old mutt with one arm and blindfolded, but he knew enough to make my life hell, and had enough spite in him to do it.

"You didn't tell me what your summoning." She reminded me warningly.

"A celestial." I stated. "Look, I know you guys want to know what's going on, but just give me a few minutes to get this done first alright."

Finally given the space and quite I needed, I started into the very long and arduous incantation.

Magic is a tricky thing, full of ritual and mystery, but it's also a science. Move your hand here, while channeling power, and you leave a wake, add in another poke, reshaped through your will and mind by a mantra, then sweep it in to combine with another construct through a wide circular motion, careful not to disturb.

Symbols, chants, motions, and emotions, all were just, little pieces crafted, reshaped, and put into motion just like anything else you made. There were ways to cut corners, to bypass the need of motion or word with shear will, to put together a jumbled together mess in a rush, but they all cost you, you needed to push tremendously more power into it to get the same result. I knew the tricks, but I didn't like using them, it always felt sloppy.

With power like this, I couldn't afford to be sloppy.

The world seemed to almost wink out of view, my focus totally on the spell, paying no mind to the visual effects outside. I'd been told they were suitably theatrical, but hadn't ever had a chance to actually see what my take on calling out to the void looked like from the outside.

Namely as I was trying my hardest not to let my brain explode.

"Fidelis!" I roared suddenly finding myself facing a open rift to the planes, the chaotic whirls and flowing energies surging and wisping, a brilliant divine light leaking through. "Fidelis! Nomeno ir relgric ekess wux!" Fidelis. this one calls to you. I called out in a guttural tongue, then added to the plea. "Fidelis! Nomeno ir cotui di korth ekess wer vanti! Nomeno ir relgric ihk aso!" Fidelis. this one warns of danger to the innocent. this one calls for aid. I roared out again, my voice carried though ethereal wind to their name's owner.

The spell worked.

I knew this because before I could add a third verse, a large, red, fur covered, hand lashed out and belted me across the face.

White ethereal eyes flared with divine power, "Speak quickly snake, or so help me I'll finish what I started back in Silverydale."

Shadow of Zero XLIII

Sitting up I rubbed my jaw, well that stung. "Nice to see you too old mutt." I didn't bother with a healing cantrip. "There's a binder in the area. I have no support, and this is apparently a free world. Nothing capable of stopping them once they pick up inertia." I explained.

He snorted. "And you expect me to come bail you out? Do I look like a fool to you boy?" he growled out.

"I'll fight my own battles." I growled warningly. "But I've got dependents here, defenseless, and nothing local knows even a wit about Tanar'ri." I explained.

He spared a glance at the two now openly gocking girls, then raised an eyebrow at me. "Mages?" he asked in deadpan.

"Untrained ones." I explained. "It's a school full of them, but not a man here could cast anything above forth circle to save their life. But these are the only two he'll likely associate with me. He's not gone rampaging warlord on anyone yet, so ether he's still building his forces, or going the subtle root. I'll find out once I've managed to pin him down."

Dog like features grimaced in a distinctly human like way. "You plan on interrogating him?"

I snorted. "The magic here has a lot of interesting uses, but it's not war magery. It's not the binder himself I'm worried about. It's his retainers." Well to be honest I was worried a little. I hadn't seen how the locals fought yet, I'd read plenty yes, but not actually seen it. And that wasn't even taking into account what kind of ability's he'd managed to acquire from his 'associates.'

"Liar. Your shaking in your boots lizard." The Archon snorted.

I narrowed my eyes. "Does it really matter? All I need you to do is watch over these ones while I scout him out. We both know which of us is better suited to protecting the innocent, and which of us is better suited to actually finding out what's going on."

"Yeah, me, and me." He replied, locking eyes with me. "You're a coward. You always have been you blasted reptile, and now that you've involved innocents, you think you can just call me up and hope I'll make it all go away?" he asked provokingly.

I nibbled the bait. Red eyes flashed dangerously and I growled. "I didn't call you here for that and you know it!" I clenched fists. "We don't have time for this. Will you watch them or not?" I demanded more then asked.

He snorted. "Your new form suits you snake. Fine I'll watch them, but I want to know everything you know."

The sudden ease off left me off balance, though I recovered. "I'm not using it exactly by choice. I showed up in this world while I was using it down in the underdark. Spontaneously changing would have made things… complicated."

He snorted again. "Deceiver." He hissed the word like a curse.

Oh this was most definitely a mistake. I shook my head. "Right, whatever, I'm going."

"Wait!" Siesta interrupted. "Mr. Moxt isn't an elf?" she asked.

The old dog grinned at me. I swore he got off on things like this. Then again maybe it was just me. When I and Fidelis first met it had been far from the most pleasant of circumstances, and we'd never really managed to bury the hatchet in the brief times we'd worked together since then. Mostly due to being damned near polar opposites in methodology. I was man enough to admit he was normally a very pleasant person to anyone who wasn't a evil SOB, but the two of us had rubbed each other the wrong way ever since a rather large mess involving the riders of Nesme, a homicidal gnome, and an unusually intelligent troll.

"Elf?" he asked. "He's said he's an elf?" he asked, looking over at me.

"Like I said complicated." I sighed. "And technically right now I am an elf, one that doesn't have much time to waste." I reminded.

"Now now! If you called me up, then you must be pretty desperate." He commented with a smirk, blatantly head on his earlier insults. "Don't you think we should all know what kind of resources we have to work with? Being able to move openly as a fully grown dragon would really help things don't you think?" he asked.

My face was painfully stoic. "Yes it would, unfortunately I cannot, given that it'd also detract a good bit away from my ability to actually move around covertly. And the ability to do that, is worth more than a little extra supernatural muscle as things are."

She snorted. Always with the gods damned snorting, couldn't he verbalize his distaste in another way? "Sneaking around, hiding, lying about every single thing." He shook his head. "I swear."

"Enough!" Louise's voice called out braking up things. "Familiar!" she barked looking at me. "Is what he says true? Are you not fully an elf?"

I looked at her for a moment then sighed. "No. Not entirely. Right now I am drow in body however." Noting the look I backtracked. "I wasn't born an elf, though I don't spend much time in the shape I came into my world." I stated.

"Then you're a shape shifter." She asked, wanting more detail.

"Through practice… I told you, I'm good at transfiguration magic." I said with a shrug. "Does it really matter?"

The hound made a sound again, and rolled his eyes. "A freaking dragon, acting like a rogue. You were born in the wrong body boy."

I muscled through the antagonism. "I don't feel that one should be limited to their biology."

He muttered again.

"Wait dragons… like those ones in the pictures?" she asked, recalling an illusionary display I had made some time ago.

I shrugged. "Yes and no. I'm not as old or powerful as the ones I showed you. I'm only about a hundred and thirty, not much older then you in equivalence." Though as the expression said, it wasn't the age, but the mileage. I knew ten year olds with older eyes than me, and centuries ancient creatures who acted like children. I let out a sound of annoyance and shook my head. "Look were wasting time. I'm heading out now, unless anyone else has any points to raise?" I asked eyebrow up pointedly.

Fidelis smirked. "Go ahead boy. We'll be waiting when the realfight begins."

This was definitely a mistake. I growled at myself, and then turned back into the shadows, starting out back towards town full tilt. This whole affair had taken far too long. I needed to scout the area now before Mott had a chance to shore up any defenses, or send any probing attacks. I got my bodyguard, and as much as he might like to add his own spin to things, there was nothing so bad that the old mutt could tell them that ether girl would not forgive me in time. He was worth the hassle to recruit into this. No other celestial I was on summoning terms with could do as much damage to abyssal attackers.

That thought helped relieve me of a lot of the stress that had just built up. Fidelis was not nice, but he was a good man, reliable, and strong. I could count on him to defend them. And that left me for the first time since I had arrived, completely hands free to deal with something.

Best make the most of it.

Shadow of Zero XLIV

"A dragon eh?" A hollow metallic voice called over my shoulder and I nearly missed my next step, I shot a glance over at the swords hilt.

I looked back ahead, I was making good time back to the town, holding at a brisk jog right through the woods. "Scales wings and everything." I replied. "Though my kin apparently haven't seen this land in a good bit of time."

"Ah, a Rhyme dragon. I haven't seen one of those in centuries." I got the impression of a nod. "Well it explains why you're so good with magic at least. And that girl is your master?" It asked.

I gave a nod. "She summoned me. I actually was kinda looking forward to it. Nice cushy job as a familiar, guess the dice just weren't in it for me." I mused. Then glanced back at him. "You've been rather quite until now."

"Ha." It laughed. "Just seeing what kind of man I signed on with. You had me thinking you were just some pencil pushing scholar."

I grunted. "I'd like to be." I weaved around a tree, and found myself in front of a good forty foot drop.

Too wide, it has to extend half a mile to either side. I wasn't about to waste that much time. "Featherfall" I cast out using the momentum I had built up to make the jump.

"Well you certainly don't act like one partner! Racing off to hunt demons." The sword countered as I landed on the other side.

"Scout." I replied, "We're scouting… for now. I need to know what were walking into. I figure at least a couple mid weights, likely Galbrezu, the feel of this reeks of one of their plots. There dangerous things, but he might have anything up to a Balor on retainer." I grimaced. "I'm not sure my odds against something like that."

"And you're charging in anyway? Doesn't sound like a very scholarly move to me." The sword countered amused.

"Scouting." I responded again, firmly. "I'm not going there to fight yet."

"Yet." The sword picked up. "So you are planning on fighting them!" it confirmed.

I didn't waste a breath on replying. "They'd take over this place like a plague. No way the locals could stop them once they get a foothold."

"Sound dangerous." He mused.

"Think elves, now image endless millions of them, and that they are all hyper aggressive, and complete sociopaths who need to destroy, maim, and kill like a man needs to eat, drink, and breath, image them being damn near impossible to kill, able to shrug off blows that would shatter reinforced walls to dust, and heal from most wounds, including dismembering, and having no need for sleep, breath, or food. That's what higher ranking demons are like. The weaker ones are just insanely powerful beasts with human level intelligence, and a number of supernatural tricks." I mused.

"Ouch." The sword stated. "So we better go stop them then."

"That's the plan." I replied, and then broke pace going much slower, I drew my shadow cloak around me. "Quite." I whispered, and rested a hand on Delfinger's hilt, as I darted into the shadows of an old fallen tree.

It was big… very big. About eight feet at its hunched over shoulders, at least that again wide and long, build like a great big silverback and one of those monster toads, pumped with enough steroids to give it arms the width of a man's chest. Brown, leathery skin, the kind that looked like a thick wall of rawhide that had been left to rot a few weeks, chewed up by the elements and passing creatures. Brass… components peaked out from areas the skin was stretched a bit too thin, or overlapped in small random patches of its skin, there shape so natural, so organic, or rather so twisted and warped, that you couldn't help but know them to be natural parts of the creature, and not prosthetics. Perhaps some sort of masochistic jewelry, embedding and replacing flesh just for the sake of it.

And the stench… the thing reeked like a half rotten corpse covered in sewage and lit on fire, only magnified a hundred times over. All things considered, that could very well be the inspiration of the odor.

It's mouth war open, thick human like tongue flicking up at its many rows of shark like teeth, it's impossibly huge forearms knuckling through the foliage, leaving imprints a grown man could curl up comfortably in.

Hezrou. Basic demonic muscle. The thug of the infinite abyss. It was just as strong as it looked, but that ratty hide was tougher then structural steel, and impressively magic resistant. Despite it being 'stupid' by the standards of most demons they averaged out an IQ around a hundred and twenty, and had all the cunning and experience countless millennia of constant torment and war could give. Mystically it could sling two good attack spells like they were going out of style, one I was immune to, one not so much, it could also teleport any time it felt like, anywhere it felt like, something I felt just plan wasn't fair. It could also potentially summon allies if I got it in a jam, and had two other tricks just in case, one was turning into a immaterial gas, the other an attack that would stun the strong, and kill the weak of any who heard it.

And it was trudging along right to the school.

By the god's I thought this guy was going to be subtle! How the hells did he manage to remain unknown if he was using things like this for a probing strike?

Was it a trap? Maybe a sentry? Even with its ability to teleport there was no way it was going to manage to do anything all that subtle. Maybe it would turn around, some sort of patrol, or it was hunting for something to brutalize. Heck maybe Mott had one of his friends scry me, and this thing had been sent to intercept.

I remained still and hidden, waiting.

The demon just continued its pace, a wandering gate, in no particular rush.

I wasn't going to just let that thing get near anything I held in value. I didn't sense any trap, the creature didn't seem to be holding to any particular area…

Damn it, Fidelis could take that thing any day of the week, easier then I could likely. Logically I should just continue on, and avoid the potential trap, while trusting in my current ally to watch over my charges.

My hand tensed around the hilt, memories coming to me about these things, the horrors I had seen them do to their victims, the knowledge of what it [i]might[/i] do before the old mutt encountered it. It wasn't reasonable, Fidelis was no pup, he'd smell the thing coming a mile away, and he'd be ready for it. The whole thing screamed trap. It wasn't logical to engage now, when I should be getting information on the real threat, Mott.

I looked at the back of the creature still ambling by, the stench of its rot carrying over strongly, and watched it finally pick free whatever was sticking in its teeth, reaching up and plucking it from its mouth, a tiny bone, with elven eyes I could even make out it was a finger bone… just a very small one.

I clenched Delfinger harder. Fuck logic.

Shadow of Zero XLV

I called to shadows, I called deep, the cloak stole the sound from my feet, the light that would bring me to view, but I was still hidden only by the shadows cast by the tree line. It was roughly six o'clock, the shadows were cast long and deep, but the canopy wasn't as full as it could be, a lot of light was let through, enough that I had those cast by the trunks, and that was about it for reliability.

I had maybe one good shot before it was on me. Best make that one the one that counted.

"Dimensional Anchor" I intoned as a pale green beam lashed out from my outstretched fingers and struck the toad like creature square in the back. It let out a cry of surprise, as a shimmering green field formed out around it, and then whipped around to look for its attacker.

I shivered as its eyes sweeped right through me. I tapped Delfinger's hilt, once, twice, three times… it's eyes shifted off to the distance, far to the left…

I sprung.

Delfinger left his hilt in heartbeat as I began charging, "Shield!" I roared out a transparent plain of force forming.

The creature had all of a second before I was on it, and the ancient longsword lashed out and cut down its face, bursting its left eye, and opening a second set of lips crossing the first.

I almost blinked in shock. I was not that fast, or that strong. I mean heck, Delfinger might glow like a nova under detect magic, but he was still covered hilt to tip in rust.

A fist came in at me, and I found myself twisting out of its path on pure instinct.

Not my own mind you. I'm not stranger to a sword, but my style of combat revolved more around hacking violently for vital locations while tanking hits vea ether magic or draconic resilience.

You would be remarkably surprised exactly how many people are sufficiently surprised that a 'squishy mage' actually managed to survive the heavy blow they just landed on him, for me to get in a quick blow to the inner thigh, side, or knee.

Of course all this was typically more a side strategy to just staying at a range and bombarding the bastard with enough arcane firepower to level a good sized building.

But like it or not this guy was most certainly going to be the 'small fry' of what I was likely to fight. I needed the big stuff for later, and the little stuff wasn't going to get through this hide.

But Delfinger certainly seemed to be doing the job.

The fist clipped me and I spun with the blow, landing on my side with a grunt, and then pushing myself back up in a flash. The fallow up punch crashed into my shield, and I lashed out, cutting into its wrist, and severing the connecting tendons to its hand.

Not that that'd slow it down long.

I diverted the shield up furiously as that shark like maul came crashing down at my face, and the other fist came out at me in time.

Frankly I rated my luck better with the treestumps it called arms, rather than a set of teeth the size of cutting knives, in a mouth big enough to envelop the entirety of my upper torso.

Delf came up and caught the fist with the edge of his blade, cutting halfway into his fingers as it shoved me back.

I felt the shadows slide back over me, and dove to the side.

A thunderous crash echoed out as both fists came crashing right down were I was moments later, leaving a set of foot deep dents.

To the nine hells with draconic durability, if I took one of those directly, I'd be feeling it for weeks. Healing magic factored in.

I dove forward into the next shadow three feet in front of me, while it was distracted, and spent a second feeling my side… still to numb with adrenaline to actually tell the damage, but I was breathing relatively fine, so I figured I could work on patchwork later. I moved, holding breath slow with a surge of effort.

It was pissed. For some reason or another, its injuries were not regenerating. I spared a glance at Delfinger… and noticed how the runes on my hand were glowing bright neon green.

Ok, strength and speed question solved… but I was shining a light when my stealth was built entirely on shadows.

Note to self, invest in gloves.

Its eyes turned on me, and I wondered how the hell it had missed me before. Maybe the runes had lined up with a bright patch behind them?

No time for thought. It came at me, and I burnt another spell on a gamble. "Mirror image."

I split to five, and jumped in different directions, looking to flank it with… well myself. Three to my left, one to my right.

I lucked out. It crushed the two closest to my left, while I circled.

A lot of outsiders could see through illusions like they weren't even there, it's why I went with the sure thing on my first charge. But it looked like this one didn't, well that was a relief, still I couldn't afford to waste too much power on this guy.

My doubles didn't dispel when they took the hit, they split up and one charged to me, the other I directed to the furthest left flanker, we remerged, and split again, even as all five of us in synch hacked for its throat at two points.

It raised both hands to block and Delfinger dug into its mangled wrist, hacking deeper in from the other side. My other hand pointing down at his legs.

But that wasn't what I had been after. Both its arms were now up by its head, and while this guy could stand on two legs, I was willing to bet he wasn't to stable on them. He was built like a silverback, all leaned over, and cubed. It was more efficient for distributing all that muscle. But not all that good when you had to work outside of that bent over posture.

Now the guy weighted a solid eight hundred pounds or so. No way in hell I could trip him normally, spiffy magic boost or not.

But as it stood, his left foot was on a good child sized stone.

And I had a hand free.

I gave five identical very evil smirks as I called formed and cast right in time with my strike. "Shatter"

The stone exploded, and the Hezrou toppled to its side.

It caught itself fast, but as its arms lashed down, Delfinger slid free, and I twisted around with grace not my own, building momentum in a flash, and striking down in a cut that was overly flashy, slow, and left my wide open.

Frankly in any other circumstance I'd never use it, spiffy magic boot or no. But as it stood I needed the momentum, and the bastard was wide open.

Delfinger rusty edge cut deep into its throat, lodging in place halfway into the front of its spine.

A hand flew up and knocked me flying, further messing up it's almost entirely severed neck. I groaned, and my head rung.

I heard a thump, and rolled to the side.

A fist crashed down right where I was moments before. The creature letting out a gurgling cry that was not quite roar, not quite death rattle.

Right… demon. Why did I think something like the severing of a good four fifths of its neck would slow it down at all?

I was in shadows, and I hurt, a lot. Definitely hurt some ribs by this point. If I really was an elf I would have been paste a few times over.

As it was, I was seriously considering just defaulting to the old teleport away and firebomb strategy. As it stood, I was going to have to dump a lot of power into fixing myself up after this mess.

Hells with it. I pointed a finger. "Fireball."

A glowing bead of power lashed out, burning bright white with heat, before it impacted into its side.

A hell storm kicked up right around it, a perfect twenty foot sphere of completely contained flames, burning hotter than napalm could ever hope to.

It lasted only a moment, a heartbeat, barely even a full second, but the results spoke for themselves.

The ground was glass, raw and molten, and right in the middle sinking into it was the Hezrou letting out a gurgling cry all its own. Large arms, half burnt through, lashed out to either side, trying to pull itself free.

It's legs were pretty much gone, they had been smaller, thinner, and hadn't had the raw mass need to survive the sudden burst of heat.

It's chest was a mess, the outer layer of skin singed free by the heat, and those fancy brass bits were now melting their way down it's ruined form.

It let out another sound more of rage then pain. Oddly the searing heat seemed to actually improve it's ability to vocalize, and eyeless sockets locked down at me.

I fought down the urge to shiver. I freaking hate demons. I don't think I can really say that enough. Nothing else pulls messed up crap like this on you.

Well except the undead, but you kinda expected things like that from animated corpses.

It was on its last legs, lame, and in a rapidly cooling pool of molten glass.

Only one thing left to do really. I waited a few moments, and then held out my hand.

"Shatter."

Shadow of Zero XLVI

I confirmed the thing was well and truly dead, finished, cutting its head off, and watched the blasted thing dissolve back into the ether. Now that it was well and done, I set back on the path to town, getting maybe ten good paces until I damned near puked my guts out.

I kept my breakfast down, but it wasn't an easy thing.

I've said before that I'm not really a fighter. I'm not. I hate fighting to a degree that's hard to explain. The fear of it, the brutal way it shifts from one side to another. There is no beauty in real combat, no grace, glory, or nobility. It's a savage ugly thing that scars you up something deep, until you just couldn't feel it anymore. People love to watch violence, but no were near as many actually enjoyed participating, not when they really knew what was happening.

I had dominated that fight from start to finish, and as I worked a basic healing cantrip over time and time again, I noted I had walked away from it relatively unscathed. Almost all my big spells were still ready to draw, I had only a few aches and pains to worry over, but was still mostly combat effective, and had now tested Delfinger in combat to remarkable success.

It was sickening on a level I can't properly explain. Being in a one sided fight is terrifying if you're the guy being ripped to shreds, but it'll cut you up in an entirely different way if you're the guy who's dealing the hurt.

I didn't want to do this. I never did, I knew that thing was pure evil in a very literal sense. I knew what it would have done, could have done if I had left it alone, but that didn't change the fact I had just destroyed another creature in a hideously brutal, messy, and painful manner.

I shivered openly, shakes of shock both physical and mental, and then pulled myself back together before I descended any further. No time to angst on stuff as petty as banishing a demon. It's not like it was even really dead. When you killed outsiders, they had a remarkable tendency to just go home, no matter the method of their calling. This was especially true with both demons and devils.

I shook my head again, and drug the rest of my head into the game. The town wasn't far now. There I could pick up the trail and track it to Mott's place.

"You alright there partner?" the sword asked from across my back. I had made sure to wipe it clean, using my own shirt sleeve, most of the rust had come away with the blood, revealing perfect, gleaming steel. Even the sheath now looked in better repair.

I gave it a glance. "Fine… Just hate dealing with blasted demons… bastards never drop."

"Don't have much a stomach for it?" the blade questioned, almost disappointedly.

"Getting one… don't exactly want one though." I admitted with a grunt. I didn't like violence, but everywhere I went I seemed to find it. "I ever tell you about my homeland?" I questioned.

"No." came the simple answer, no real curiosity, but not in a tone that told me to 'shut up' ether. I still had a good ten minutes before I hit the town front, might as well play story teller for a bit. "Right, I spent the basic majority of my time there un a place known as 'The underdark.' It's where I was born; it's where I was before I got summoned here…"

I talked for pretty much the rest of the trip, still keeping pace. Spell slingers typically did not have the best constitutions out there, but part of the basics was learning how to vocalize on the move. Once you've gotten down the right breathing techniques, it really doesn't burn much more energy then moving normally.

We were almost halfway there when I smelt something strong. Smoke… burning wood… and flesh.

I knew that smell. I had put it off to the demon's stench before now, but we were far clear of where it was, and this was so much stronger. I felt a ping within me, and my eyes widened.

"Expeditious Retreat!" I barked at once, my land speed doubling as I surged towards the hillside, looking up I saw trails of smoke, and a dread pit formed in my stomach. "No." I muttered through a hurried breath. "No no no!"

I cleared the tree line… and saw hell.

The smoke was rising from dozens of buildings, bodies all shredded and maimed were hewn across the street. Not many, not enough, I strained my ears to listen beyond the crackling of the fires.

There… voices, screams, and yells, roars and bellows. The fight wasn't over!

To the nine hells with it. I released the spell holding me in human form and roared out an echoing challenge. Billowing wings wide as they clapped down full force. Derringer slipped from my shoulder, and I caught him in my foreclaw, runes burning to life once more, I burst over the roof tops in a surge of speed.

Clearing a billow of smoke, I saw the battlefield. Hot ash searing against the membrane of my wings in a painful, but tolerable manner.

Large stone walls formed barriers, humans, both noble and commoner. Some of the defending nobles were lashing out with wind and fire, golems of a dozen makes fought a desperate battle to keep the hordes back, while plain clothed men and women fired suspiciously similar bows into their ranks.

The demons were crushing through all of it. There was a Glabrezu at the fore, it's body a twisted amalgamation of man, wolf, and crab, directing forces. Half a dozen more Hezrou were holding as a living wall of flesh and blood, shielding a trio of dancing vulture like Vrock circles, a forth in the middle of forming up, while more Dretches then I could make out though the smoke and fire, crashed with the defending forces. I caught a glimpse of a Babau running across a rooftop, moving to flank.

I didn't have any time to think, only react.

I gripped Delfinger as best as I could with a dragon's hand. Somehow I held him in a firm grasp. The other hand lashed out. "Fireball!"

Shadow of Zero XLVII

I dove down hard and fast, the speed spell I had cast in elven form magnifying my already impressive rate of movement to downright insane levels. Swinging low I opened my maul, sucked in a breath, and breathed ash like smoke surging out in a strafing strike, the potent negative energy sweeping down over the first two groups of vrocks, even as the fireball slammed into the third, clipping the last, exploding with a bright nova of power.

I succeeded in shattering pretty much all of them.

Unleashing my aura of terror full force I roared challenge, swinging lower and lashing out with Delfinger to cut one of the Hezrou's heads in half.

The Glabrezu uttered a word, and I felt my muscles freeze in place, crashing down into the ground. Good thing I was already so low or that would have hurt a lot more. As it stood the speed of the crash resulted in a broken right wing, and a scream of pain from me.

Righting myself, I lashed out and disarmed the other Hezrou that came into range, Delfinger's blade, backed by my now unrestrained strength and the power of the runes on my hand, more than sufficient to cleave right through the blocky limb.

It lunged with its teeth, and I struck fast and low, my own fangs digging into its throat and rending, my other hand lashing into its armpit and ripping to rend the other limb useless.

A wing lashed out and crashed into the now disabled toad beast to the ground like a warhammer, knocking it on its back.

My tail sweeped, and knocked a approaching Vrock prone, and I roared another challenge loud and clear.

The Dretches, miserable things that they were, were fleeing now. Unfortunately it seemed most of the humans were equally stunned. Good, that'd keep the attention down on me.

No less than three bolts of darkened mist lashed out for me, asynchronies firing, most of the creatures were still shaken. Unfortunately for me that only made it harder to avoid.

Wiping my tail back around I threw the captured Vrock into one of the bolts, it let out a squawk of surprise, but wasn't really harmed at all by the attack. My good wing pumped and I swung to the side, avoiding the other, the third clipped me, and I was forced to fight down a surge of nausea as the 'unholy blight' worked its way through my system.

I spewed, but not vomit. Another wave of draining ash crashed out and enveloped the two other Hezrou, and several other Vrock, all gathering around the big wolfen form of the Glabrezu. The commander still standing untouched by all the chaos. It looked at me spitefully, and then spat another word, and I felt my speed spell shatter.

"Hey hey Partner!" Delfinger called out. "We should take out that big thing before it can rally up the troops!"

I agreed, though I didn't verbalize it. I couldn't waste a breath here; I needed every one as a weapon.

I cut out a returning vrock and eyed the creature. It had shifted its front amicably, and now had a wall of meat between us. It and the two remaining toads began a random bombardment of more 'blight' spells, keeping me from charging.

Damn it I couldn't lose momentum! I charged, crashing through the spells, fighting them off with a mix of spell resistant scales, and toughened constitution, shoring it up with a spell of my own. "Bear's Endurance!"

I barely felt the next hit, and they seemed to realize that the tactic wasn't going to work anymore. I crushed right through the foot shoulders on three legs, Delfinger striking at everything in range.

A sudden sharp pain stabbed into my side, and I twisted to look.

One of the Babau had just shot me with a freaking bow. One of the ones the defenders were using.

Though fortunately for me, that same act seemed to kick a few of the humans back into action, as it was promptly pincushioned.

I roared again, and the Glabrezu spat something in its own foul tongue.

There was a ripple, and then every demon seemed to implode on themselves. Realizing they were pulling a retreat, I went for the wounded, and made to finish off everything I could.

I didn't get the chance.

Two weights crashed down onto my back. One hacking at my damaged wing with scythe like claws, the other going for my neck.

I screamed in indignation, pain, and rage, flailing hard and whipping around to tear off the babau on my lower back's head off. I earned a cut to my face for the trouble. The long scalpel sharp blades barely missing my face.

I surged and bit regardless, ridding me of one unwanted passenger, The other was knocked lose when my good wing battered him off.

A sharp pain struck me in the chest, and I jumped back, only to feel anchored in placed by two strong arms, and two stronger claws. One crab like pincer doing its best to dig its way into my chest.

I heard more than felt one of my ribs snap, then roared as I brought Delfinger down hard on the offending limb, rending it off its owner in a brutal strike.

Damned dog fainted me out! The back swing of the sword was strong, but not fast enough. The wolf like demon teleported before the potent blade had a chance to taste more of its flesh.

"Deeper Darkness!" I roared, and at once the wide dome of absolute shadow enveloped me, my innate affinity for darkness, allowing me to blend further in concealing me from even the trueseeing eyes of my current foe.

Judging by the sound on the other side of the barrier most of the demons had teleported behind the barricade. The reason they hadn't done it in the beginning escaped me.

I charged, jumped and pumped my good wing, landing mostly up on the high wall, then over it with a kick.

Damned thing I need to buy a moment to fix it, but by the looks of things I wasn't going to get that any time soon.

They had mixed in with the defending forces, clever; it prevented me from braking out my more potent area of effect attacks.

Well two could play at that game. "Major image!" I called out.

The number of defenders doubled, and then tripled, each visibly as real as the next. Yeah the big guy could see through them, but I was willing to bet most of his mooks couldn't. And he'd ether be tied up telling them what was real, or…

I felt the spell fall as the Glabrezu dispelled it again, and used the effect to lock onto its location. I shifted through the darkness, teleporting the gap into the shadows beside him.

The demon was quick to put its head on the swivel. It was nursing its ruined pincer with one claw, likely wondering why exactly the wound wasn't healing yet. He'd noticed I had disappeared alongside the illusion.

He didn't notice me on time. I brought Delfinger right down on his head, cutting into his jaw, and digging a diagonal cut right through his neck, finally wedging the potent blade down around half way through his left shoulder blade.

Not wasting time I punched it with my free claw into the open, the body already dissolving, then stepped forth and let out another roar.

It drew attention, always did, and once the main force noted that there leader was in the moment of returning home, most of them decided that digression might be the better part of valor.

Those that didn't, didn't last long after.

Shadow of Zero XLVIII

Owe. Ok that was basically the best way to sum up how I was feeling at the moment. Broken wing, minor singing all over, jagged hole halfway dug into my chest that was bleeding rather badly, and varying depth lacerations across by back and neck.

I twisted around and went into the painful process of setting my own wing. Dragging the thing halfway across the battlefield had not done it any favors, and moving it was pure agony. Ever dislocate your knee all on your lonesome, and had to pop the thing back into place? Same basic idea, only with more blood.

I dumped a cure critical on myself and felt the bone nit back together. Not exactly perfect, but close enough that I could fly a short distance if I absolutely had to… also my chest stopped bleeding. I debated hiding before changing back, but went against it. This secret was as good as blown the next time someone saw me use Delfinger. He was rather distinctive after all.

"[b]Polymorph self.[/b]" I muttered and grimaced as my body bargain to shift. I used the brief opportunity to force closed a few injuries, not much, but it helped. I grimaced as I looked at the still cheering townsfolk. There were a lot of wounded here… and a lot of dead.

Better see to lessening one number and keeping the other from growing.

I used drow form, fortunately the shadow cloak kept most people from noticing… the few that did, well a sharp look, and the fact I ripped through the demons that were beating them like a heated knife through butter aided them in keeping their mouths shut.

At least for now.

I had no doubt that news would travel, and rumors would include my point eared persona. In truth I wanted it to happen… eventfully.

I worked mostly on curing disease and poison, the local water mages did more of the muscle in healing actual injuries. There wasn't a lot that could be done, most who had taken a blow fell to it, the 'lucky' ones to only be grazed tended to have ether lost a limb, or become infected by the blasted spores that the vrocks had been throwing around like they were running out of style. There had been some poison from the babau's but mostly the assassins had struck ether a lethal blow or not attacked at all, typical tactics for the slender fiends.

A noble came up to me, I noted he was one of the ones to take a wound, his hand a bloody stump. Blond and gray hair, hard brown eyes, and deep worry lines, alongside laugh lines. I pegged him as former military, maybe late fifties. He carried himself well for someone missing there left hand. The pain bugged him, but he was doing his best not to show it.

I looked to him, well up at him, the man was over six feet high, "Do you think you'll be alright on your own?" I questioned quickly. I still had a job to do.

It caught him off guard. "You aren't staying?" he questioned.

I shook my head. "They might come back if they have time to recover. Need to cut them off at the source."

His eyes narrowed. "You know what those were." He stated at once bringing his already present guard up to full strength.

I gave a nod. "Tanar'ri. Demons." I stated concisely. "Keep range, don't assume there dead until the body starts to fade, and strike with concentrated force, it takes a lot of power to brute force through there hide." I summarized.

"I gathered." He stated dryly. "What the hell is an elf doing out here?" He asked.

I gave a nod to the academy. "My master." I stated in as vague and mysterious a voice as I could. "I need to go. Assistance would be welcome, but not needed." Most of my lower level magic was spent, and my higher ranking charges were down to roughly a third of a tank.

"Cut the shit." He said sharply. "What the hell is going on?"

Inwardly I grinned; I could definitely work with this, not give away much, and still possibly get some fire support out of this.

Outwardly I gave a small slight frown. "A local mage, Mott, has pacted with outsiders, creatures from beyond this world. The demons." I explained crisply. "I sensed their taint on him earlier and moved to investigate, I found one of their scouts outside, and then found you." I explained simply. "Now that I'm here, finding him shouldn't be much of a problem."

"You're going to attack?" he asked a bit dubious.

"The demons are the weapon, but it's wiser to attack the archer, not the arrow, is it not?" I asked slipping in false amusement. "If we take out the binder, the remaining fiends might disperse back to the abyss. Even if they don't they'll become less coordinated, easier to sweep up."

He clenched his fist. "You need help?"

"Maybe." I looked out at the people. "This is likely the best chance to take the offensive. Even if he was holding back his main force, he'll have lost resources. Depending on what he has at home I might be able to deal with them on my own." Then again I might not… I didn't let that show. I'd let him make the choice unbiased. "It will be dangerous, anyone who comes with me faces significant risk."

"But you might need the help." He muttered in the exact same tone.

I was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You held them off. Earth mages in particular could be used to call up walls, box them off for me to round up and take off. Keep them from outmaneuvering me.

He clenched his fist again, and then looked at me. "We need men to protect everyone here."

I considered it, and then decided to kill two birds with one stone. "Take them to the Academy. Seek my master, Louise de La Vallière, she can send me aid, provided someone can act as guide."

This it seemed was much more acceptable for the man. He gave a nod. "Good idea, the Academy's a fortress. We can get much better shelter there."

I considered something. "Wait… don't send help for me." I corrected at once. That first demon had been headed to the academy. Maybe…

I felt for the alarm spell, still untouched. It hadn't sent any signals, and seemed intact, still I tensed.

He shot me a look.

"They might go for it. Better force was there to hold the line while I'm away." I realized something. "I just realized I don't even know your name." I mused, a slight smirk of bitter amusement.

He offered a look at that.

"Levethix'moxt." I stated holding out a hand.

He eyed it for a moment, and then took it, firm grip on him. "Jean de Gramont." He informed me. Then gave another nod. "And I think I should come with you."

I shot him a look, eyebrow raised.

He shrugged his good shoulder, and gave a real lady-killer smile. Guy must have been swimming in women when he was younger. "You need the help right? I can't in good conscious let a man who helped us in time of need, go wanting in his own." He raised an eyebrow. "Besides. You could use a skilled earth mage, you said so yourself."

I thought on it, and then nodded. "You sure your people will not need you?" I questioned.

He looked out at them. "Maybe, but where they will need me I feel is the more important question." He gave me a strong look. "I think that might be with you."

I considered it… I did need the help…

I gave the nod. "Alright… tell me Gramont, are you any good at riding?"

He grinned in response.

Shadow of Zero XLXI

I lent Gramont my 'ring of bone' explaining that'd render him immune to some of my nastier area of effect attacks, while I slipped my own ring of regeneration in place.

Honestly I really should have done that before I charged the demonic hordes. Fighting really was not my strong suite.

Though apparently it was something I was good enough at to try this.

What the hell was I thinking? I should just call Fidelis in, and get the old Mutt to help me sweep the place.

But what if something else arrived to attack the academy…

I eyed the sky, darkness was nearly on us. "Right, here's the plan, we're going to take our time getting there, I can use shadows to blend into my surroundings, once it hits night, the two of us can sweep in unseen, and get a read on their numbers. If there are too many, we'll pull a raid and then head back to the others. If I think we can take them, we'll go right for Mott before he has a chance to pull anything else."

He nodded, "I like it, nice and simple." He was acting a lot better now that I had dumped a cure light wounds into him, sealing up his hand. Honestly if I found the time I'd have to see about crafting a prosthesis or maybe just fixing it if I managed to figure out sixth circle spells in time. Maybe if he allowed it, I could turn him into a starfish for a short stay, I had yet to find an injury that that form couldn't recover from. I'd be using it myself later to heal up the little things.

I considered something, and then shrugged of my coat. "And wear this. It'll help you blend in around you. Keep you hidden.

He eyed me curiously, taking in my features, before accepting it. "Bit creepy of a thing isn't it?" he questioned, never the less sliding it on.

I rolled my eyes. "It's effective. And the enchantments on it damned near cost me an ar-" Woh back up there, bad taste in that. "-a small fortune." I substituted.

He eyed the cloth with slightly more respect. "Truly?"

I gave a nod, "It'll also blunt an incoming strike a bit, not as good as real armor, but better then riding leathers. It'll help you move silently as well."

He eyed it speculatively again. "Rather useful for an assassin." He mused.

"Or just someone looking to hide." I countered. "It should serve you well for making a nuisance of yourself from cover."

He gave that quick tight grin of his again. "That it will. Let us play at being assassins then."

"Oh I like him partner." Delfinger commented.

I shot the blade a look.

"Hold on tight." I informed him. "Don't worry about choking me, or tugging out my hair, I'm tougher than any horse you've ever ridden." Turning to face the direction the earth magus had pointed, I released the spells hold, and were once was a short Drow man, now stood a serpentine dragon.

I turned a crimson eye to him, and noted again he was apprising me, noting my claws and tail more than anything.

"I've never seen a dragon like that." He mused.

I snorted. "Local breed to my homeland. I find the breath weapon useful, and as I said, very hard to see at night."

"I can imagine." He mused again, noting that I was mildly transparent.

He holstered himself up with minimal assistance, and once I felt he had a good hold, I unveiled my wings. Catching Delfinger in hand, I gave a quick downbeat, and lifted myself up. The runes glowed, and again I reminded myself I needed to get a glove of some sort as soon as possible, likely should have back at town, blast it.

We hit a mild cursing speed, right over the tree line, I kept low, and for the most part silent, the main road to Mott's manor was in sight… well my sight. A dragon's eyes are more akin to a bird's then a mans, we can see fourfold further then most humans, and pick out fine details more easily as well, though that part has more to do with our brain structure I wager. It might explain why we tended to over obsess on the fine points of everything so much.

The sun was nearly down. "How far?" I asked aloud, angling my head back to catch Gramont's view.

"Half a mile!" he yelled back.

I bit out a curse, and then swung around to circle a bit, eyeing the sky again. Wasting time… I hated wasting time.

Best find use for it then. Alright, let's get Fidelis up to date. I called power and shaped it. "Whispering Winds: Ocuira'slathalina kothar persvek taoul, gahri shafaer ossalur'ekess'wux, irlym jedarkic jikmadator, si'ossalur ekess lowd irlym, jilg wyogale, nomagqe lowd ossalur'ekess'wux." Engaged demons in town, survivors on route, enemy forces badly depleted, I am moving to attack, hold ground, potential attack headed your way.

The spell discharged, and I felt it brake out towards the academy. The road to Mott's manor moved closer to the Academy then had me comfortable, but it did bring me in under twelve miles, the maximum range I could stretch out that spell without burning much more magic then I could likely afford to.

I'm not sure if it reached or not. This was the very edge of my range, but I couldn't risk firing it off any closer, the demons might sense it.

I felt a familiar sensation flush over my skin. The sun had fallen. "Alright." I called back. "Were going in."

"About time." He called ahead; I don't think flying agreed with him much.

I pumped my wings harder, and raced down the road, gaining a bit more air so I could glide the majority of the distance, this needed to be as silent an approach as possible after all.

The stench hit me as we got within a quarter mile. The same blasted thing, rotting human flesh, and burnt skin and hair. I got a bit more air, a lot more, and then went into my shallow dive.

I could see Mott's manor, still intact, and pristine, but out front of it stood two large pyres, a mess of burning wood, flesh, and bone. I heard screams and saw a young man dragged to the one on the left, before he was thrown in by a gleeful Babau.

Damn it! I knew there hadn't been enough survivors or dead! Why didn't I factor in prisoners?

"My god." Gramont uttered a quick prayer. "We have to stop them." I urged.

I grit my teeth; this would ruin any semblance of stealth. We'd have to fight our way all the way to Mott himself.

But the man was right. I couldn't let this happen.

"I'll land to the side, once I do, close off the fires, and set up basic walls around the prisoners, leave them room to run, otherwise the demons will just teleport into them and turn them into carnal houses." I eyed the forced. "If you have anything left, send golems to retrieve the prisoners, and get them out of there, but do not lead them directly to you. No matter what keep some juice in you. You can't afford to be helpless out there. I'll scatter the fiends, as best as I can, and keep them from perusing."

"I understand! Get us to ground!" he barked agreement as quietly as he could.

I swung low, and hit the ground running. Twisting to the side and slowing down for a moment. The moment I felting Gramont slide off my back, I charged again at full speed, coming in from the side, and waiting for a signal.

Large fences of earth shot up around both pyres right before the sadistic creatures threw in another one.

That was it. Wasting no more time I charged, roaring out challenge, Delfinger's sheath thrown across my back as I wielded naked steel.

The demons froze, almost universally, and I took the opportunity to cut the babau's head off.

The fight of Mott's manor was on.

Shadow of Zero L

I turned one of the Hezrou into a newt, and called up a quartet of illusionary doubles.

Then I added a bit more chaos to the mix. "Summon Monster V" I roared, as I began strobing both myself and my copies in and out of the visual spectrum and a trio of bright glowing orbs formed around me, before they spiraled up and started laying down divine suppression fire.

Some of the fiends were shaking off the effects of my aura; I hit them with a breath attack, careful to keep the blanket effect from falling onto the huddled groups of prisoners.

Walls surged up around them, and I grinned a wide draconic grin. Good, time to cut lose. I phased into view and spat a spell "Fireball!" I shouted turning one wall half molten and badly roasting the demons to the side of it, I crashed through into it in a flurry of claws, fangs, wings, blade and tail.

Something scratched my back, I knocked it into the slowly resolidifying wall, with a tail sweep, then bit the head off a dretch, Delfinger parried a huge toad like fist, and I backhanded the demonic thug hard enough to knock lost a bunch of its dagger like teeth.

Flaring wings I gave a sharp down thrust, kicking the face in of something that tried to grab my lower leg.

I let shadows embrace me, my doubles flickering in and out of view giving phantom attacks alongside my real ones. A mess of absolute chaos surging up as the demons desperately sot to determine which was the real dragon and which was the fake, they lashed through copies, and flinched from phantom blades, FUD taking its full ugly hold.

I felt it time to add a bit more chaos to the pot. "Mirage Arcana" more walls surged up, in and out of view, forming a massive labyrinth, of immaterial barriers, the Lantern Archons still dancing about, shooting there little deadly rays.

I called up two more, then dove into my maze and began cutting into the disoriented and agitated demons.

Some began running through the walls, realizing they weren't real, only to run head first into material ones, as Gramont seemed to take this as cue to ad real walls to my false ones.

I heard a clanking of armored feat, and grinned. We were actually doing it!

Then my illusion failed, and I felt my throat go dry.

A Glabrezu marched ahead, flanked by two more Hezrou. But that's not what had me worried.

A short distance behind the approaching beasts was another fiend, waiting in the threshold of the manor with Mott, it was long, red, serpentine form, terminating in the form of an unearthly beautiful woman with six arms. She was clad only in a brief weapons harness formed of jagged chain, and every one of her sensually clawed hands held a heavy brutal, weapon.

A Marilith.

I noted her armament, heavy flail, heavy pick, scimitar, a warhammer, and this small odd curved blade, a kukri knife if I recalled the name right.

But it was the last one that made my heart damn near skip a beat. The sword looked like a bolt of fire forged to a blade, larger than the rest, oversized for the comparatively slight form of the high demoness holding it.

A balor's vorpal sword.

I did not want to consider how she got her hands on such a weapon. Hell I didn't want to get near that thing period.

Dragons like me have a bad history with such blades. Just ask the Jabberwocky.

I reacted on instinct, pointing my hand out at her. "Dimensional Anchor!"

The glabrezu counterspelled it just like my illusion, and I suddenly had both hezrou charging right down at me. I flipped Delfinger into a knife grip, the blade feeling much more natural held in that manner, given the size difference, and prepared to hold my ground.

A wall shot up between us, and both toads crashed into it, there momentum ruined by the impact.

Blight spells, and earthen projectiles were launched out at me from both higher ranking demons, as I stabbed the first of the hezrou in the face, rending him out through the top of its head, giving a full strike into the other.

That was all the glabrezu needed as an opening to port in right behind me and bring both pincers down on my wings.

The bones snapped, and I let out a cry of pain, tail sweeping him off his feat. He struck at my hind legs, and I barely jumped the swipe.

The Marilith appeared flanking me, just as I twisted to face the wolf like beast, and only a timely bombardment by my summons saved me from a quick beheading. She lashed out again with it in a quick cross cut, the heated edge going right for my long venerable throat.

I lashed out with Delfinger, the speed of the runes all that kept me from the closest shave of my life. His edge struck the vorpal blade in a violent shower of sparks, and he let out a cry of rage.

The flail hit me out of nowhere, crashing down on my sword arm's shoulder. The limb went numb, but somehow, I jumped to the side, avoiding the rest of the strikes. Damn it!

The glabrezu got back to its feet. It unleashed another blight on me, and unbalanced as I was, I was forced to take it.

The sickening effects of the magic blurred my vision, and the Marilith didn't hesitate to take the opening, her scimitar slicing out my right eye, as both pick and knife dug into my side and chest.

I let out a bellow and kicked her off me.

The glabrezu rushed me and knocked me to the side, one pincer going for my throat, the other pinning my good arm. Both squeezed.

I tried to let out a scream, tried namely as I was being choked to death at the moment.

The Marilith came over, and brought her sword high, three of her other weapons sheathed so she could hold the weapon in four hands.

The sword came down on my neck.

And bounced off it.

There was a moment of confusion, on all parts, then my tail lashed out and sweeped the glabrezu of it's feet again. Its pincers drew jagged lines on both limb and neck but I was lose. I dug deep in my will and teleported again, appearing by where I left Gramont. He had most of the prisoners with him, there was only seven of them, three children.

I couldn't carry that many in a teleport.

I looked Gramont with my eye. "I can only carry take one with the kids. Two if they're small" I uttered, throat ragged.

He shoved the youngest two onto me, alongside the kids. "Go!" he ordered.

"I'll be back!" I told him, calling more power. "Just hold on a few seconds!" and then triggered the spell. "Teleport!" I growled out.

I flashed into place back in Louise's room. Still in dragon form, still mangled by the fight.

Everyone screamed, the children were crying. The small woman and teenage boy, who I had brought with them, were swaying on their feet from teleport nausea.

Siesta screamed.

"Fidelis!" I called out, throat still raw. I had to have nicked it. "Fidelis get over here now!"

A large dog surged into view; it's all to intelligent eyes locked with my remaining one. "I left some behind! We have to go now."

It's back hunched and it ran into my reach.

I touched it, and pulled to the majority of my remaining magic. "Teleport!"

I heard a voice call out in panicked recondition "Famil-!"

And then the world disappeared.

And we reappeared in the middle of a nightmare.