03 - Collaboration - The Key
In the total absence of light, the mirror revealed nothing. Suddenly, it began to shimmer and flicker, glowing and pulsating. An eerie light emanated from it, and the reflection in it showed a murky, gloomy hallway. The reflection began to distort and twist, a living, writing, angry thing. A second later, it went dark.
Silence.
A thump.
"It sure is dark in here." a voice said.
"I'm working on it... " another called.
"Stupid humans... " another muttered.
"Look whose talking about stupid, you oaf" snickered another.
Light broke out, tiny flickerings, as fireflies filled the room. They began to multiply, and spread, filling it with a soft glow. The party was revealed in the entry hall of the frozen tower: Hiemer, the wanderer, still casting a spell, fireflies alighting from his fingertips. Kapena, the ever-tranquil monk stood, his robe fluttering in the icy wind. Ezmrella, the cleric, stood ready, tome of healing spells at the ready. Standing further in the darkness stood the rest of the party: Ouze, the shadowknight, a dull aura glowing from his hand. Xoriz stood behind him, muttering incantations, and spreading small bones on the floor. In the very back, completing the party, stood Rashindo, the rogue. His black cloak obscured his frame, although the breeze parted it every so often, revealing wicked, glittering blades.
Ezmrella spoke. "We need to get the key. Legend has it, there is a creature on this floor that drops it, but no one knows which. The key will allow us to get to the next floor. The further up we go, so it is told, the greater the treasure to be found is. The thing is..."
"Yeah, yeah", Ouze interrupted. "Let's get this show on the road."
"Patience is a virtue, my massive friend. Let's be careful here... this is a place of great danger." Kapena said.
Hiemer nodded, and pulled his small, ever present flask, taking a deep swig. He passed it to Ouze, who also took a swig, passing it back. He grunted in appreciation. "Vodka?" he asked.
"Kromrif spit, fermented by the Coldain" Hiemer said.
A second later, there was a whoosh of air, as Xoriz lifted off the ground, hovering just above the frozen floor. Sickly green light surrounded him, and with a groan, the earth began to split in front of him, as a skeletal hand began to claw it's way up.
"By Brell, that's disgusting" Ezmrella muttered, as the huge skeleton stood before them, graveyard dirt and maggots falling from it. Xoriz shot her an evil grin.
"Let's get going" Kapena said, leading the way. No sooner did they get halfway down the hall when a huge, undead gnoll appeared to block their way, snarling and spitting.
Kapena leapt to the attack, opening with a thunderious kick that resounded through the tower. Ouze launched a massive attack with his Ykeshan Throneblade, stunning it and knocking it back. Xoriz's pet leapt forward, punching and kicking, cackling with glee. Rashindo squinted with concentration, and disappeared... only to reappear a moment later, spearing the creatures spine with his deadly blades. It gasped once, fell to the floor, dead.
The gloom cleared. The ceiling, a giant, frost-covered mirror, began to emit an eerie blue light, reavealing a group of undead before them. The savage frozen gnolls stared at them in rage, drool dripping from their maws. They leapt forward, fangs gleaming.
Kapena and Ouze leapt forward as one, fighting with tight discipline. Xoriz snapped his fingers, and his pet leapt forward, attacking another, even as Xoriz stared at the 4th. It stopped a moment, and began to stand still, screaming in utter terror, helplessly. Rashindo ducked and weaved in between them all, spiking undead left and right.
Hiemer was irked highly. While this expedition to the tower had his full support... rumor had it many spell scrolls were in the tower that a druid could use... he was of limited function inside. While druids had almost no compare out of doors, inside, in a dungeon, Hiemer was out of his element. The sun would not blind his enemies here, Karana would not heed his call and bring cleansing lightning. Hiemer sighed, took another swig of liquor, and continued to call snaring roots to slow the speed of the undead. He consoled himself with the fact that while he was of limited usefulness at the moment... if they had to leave on short notice, he would suddenly become the most important member of the group, with his spells of evacuation.
A gnoll leapt toward him, screaming in rage. Hiemer's brow furrowed, and he concentrated. The sparse wind in the chamber kicked up... began to freeze. The gnoll stopped... turned his next... and stopped completely, frozen solid. Hiemer laughed, and pulled his small mace, shattering it easily. "Limited use inside, eh?" he thought aloud, twirling his mustache.
The last of the gnolls fell, dead. The raiders stood in the pile of corpses, listening to the creaking noise.
Kapena told the group, "Ok.. here it comes... there is supposed to be one more. This is the one with the key... we must kill it, if we are to go any further. If it comes down... touch the mirror, and we will escape. Don't do it unless... well, I'm sure you know."
The creaking stopped, and the floor shook. A massive undead gnoll stood before them, easily twice as large as the others. He snarled at them, and charged....
The group stood ready...
It ran. It turned, and ran where it came from.
"What the hell...?" Hiemer asked aloud.
He was soon answered. It returned, a moment later... but this time, with a solid wall of creatures... the denizens of the tower. Clanking suits of armor, with no one inside. Undead kitchen help... zombies in the garb of butlers and maids. The denizens were awoken.
Kapena shouted "Ok, we can do this! Form on me! Assist on my call, keep it tight! watch those corners, people... Ouze... keep frosty... Xoriz, try and turn some of them... Ez, we will need stuns..."
It's fucked now, Rashindo thought. While he could be a fierce fighter... why, for all of Ouze and Kapena's showy attacks, Rashindo far outdid all of them in pure damage.. Rashindo did not like fighting head on. It was no cowardice, more a matter of pragmatics. Rashindo had worked part time as an assassin for the notorius Bubu crime family, and he knew that it was better to strike when the enemy was weak. When it was strong, they should bide their time. Nonetheless, this was the card they were dealt, the halfling thought, and we will play it to the end. Besides, we can always have Hiemer get us out if it gets REALLY bad...
It's fucked now, Ouze thought. We good, but we not this good. We take 5, no problem. We take 7, 8 maybe. But we got 10, we got problem. Big gnoll big problem, too. He look tough... tougher then others. Me take him first... then try keep others on me. They hit hard, but not too hard... me can take. First big one... and me knows just how to get him attention... Ouze lowered his blade, and thought a moment. His hand began to glow...
Suddenly, they all looked up. The mirror shattered, disgorging an enormous spectre, wielding a wicked, frozen blade. It shrieked, and howled with unholy might. The raiders stopped... the world seemed to be moving very slowly now. Kapena thought.... this is not happening.. as a giant chunk of frozen mirror fell from the ceiling.. directly into the raiding party. Hiemer looked up just in time to see it crash into his head. He crumpled to the floor.
Ouze took one look at the fallen halfling, and roared, the walls shaking. The raiders shrunk within themself a little at the ferocity. Ouze leapt forward, and stood near where Hiemer had fallen. His blade shone and glowed with a fierce aura as the undead fell before him. Greenish skulls flickered everywhere, the spell effect of his Ykeshan blade as it cast again and again. He leapt forward, with no fear.
"Ouze, come back in!" Kapena called.
There's no point in calling Ouze, Ezmrella thought to herself, as she watched the massive, plate-clad being swing his massive blade around, reveling in the swipes of his blade through the undead. He's clearly snapped... during the heat of battle, the massive troll could frenzy sometimes, losing himself to the hate flowing within. Must be the touch of warrior in his schooling... Well, up to me to save the big lummox from himself again, Ezmrella sighed as she pulled a small stone from a pouch. Holding it, she began to chant quietly. Ouze looking up for a second, in a moment of clarity, as tranlucent mystical symbols glittered around him, and faded. He drew back, slightly closer to the group, and concentrated. His attacks were none the less deadly, or vicious. The light still glittered in his eyes crazily, as the undead limbs fell to the floor around him, still clawing and grasping.
Kapena was every bit the opposite of Ouze's berserk attacks... poetry in motion. His kata was in full swing, and he flowed like water through the mobs, legs stiking surely and swiftly. He dove in between a pair, sweeping the legs out from one, even as his left hand swept out, shattering the skull of another undead gnoll. He glided up, kicking a gnoll 3 times in succession, dropping one back, dead. He reached out to throw an ashen hand at one, and stopped for a moment, as it stood, transfixed, and exploded, showering the group with rotting flesh.
Xoriz cackled, and began to cast another spell.
"Is he..." Kapena asked Ezmrella, who was attending to Hiemer.
"No", she responded, "But we have to get out of here. I don't have it in me to heal him, and keep up with healing you all... we have to go, now.
Kapena nodded, and shouted "Get to the mirror... WE ARE LEAVING!" to the group. Ouze grabbed Hiemer's collar, and they ran back down the hall.. only to face another pack of gnolls. No evaccing now... thought Kapena... he stopped, and looked around. Ouze, fighting fiercely, though blood ran freely on his armor. Rashindo, standing toe-to toe with a pair. Xoriz's mezzes were breaking.. the creatures were waking back up, and were angry. Ezmrella, in the center of it all, wracked with exhaustion, trying to keep up with the heals... I knew it would come to this some day, Kapena thought. He swept to the front, sweeping the gnolls, ducking and weaving until they were all facing him. He relaxed, and became serene once more, one with The Tranquil. He called gently to her in his mind. A moment later, his feet began to glow with a mystical power, as he stood his ground against the horde. He looked over his back, motioning to Xoriz. Kapena reached into his robe, and brought forth a small wooden box, inlaid with ornately carved jade. He flipped it overhand to the Iksar, and nodded at him. Xoriz looked down, and looked back at him. He snarled in acknowledgement, and sent forth his pet... commanded it to stand with Kapena. He didn't look back, and walked down the hall rapidly, with Rashindo.
Ezmrella screamed as she saw Kapena stand with them. "NOOOOOOO!!!! DON'T DO THIS!" She began to cast a spell of healing, as the horde descended on Kapena. She was interrupted by a enormous gauntlet clamping on her shoulder, and Ouze pulled her to face him. "Leave him! He's gone!" he scowled. He dragged her with him down the hall. Ezmrella fought him all the way, tears forming in her eyes, but her tiny frame was ineffective against the heavily-armored troll.
The group reached the mirror... and stopped.
Where the mirror was, was a shattered frame. There were small glitter all over the floor, shards of broken destiny for the raid.
Rashindo looked at Ouze. "Now what?" he asked.
"We die" Ouze said simply, his face resigned. He unshouldered Hiemer's unconcious frame, and placed him gently behind him. He took his massive blade in both hands, and stared forward grimly.
Xoriz reached to his side, and pulled forth a staff, adorned with a human skull. He utterer a small prayer to Thule, and with the last of his mystical energy, channeled it into his staff.
Ezmrella stood forward, her mace at the ready, her prayer books back in her backpacks.
Rashindo stood in the back, twin blades flashing dangerously.
The hall darkened. They raiders tensed up... it was time. Kapena had used the last of his time well... there were only 7 or 8 left, but with the massive gnoll leading them. They leaped at them, eyes gleaming with victory... and paused, as the air shimmered in front of the raiders.
A figure appeared... tall, thin, with flowing crimson and gold robes. He took in the masses around him, and he looked at the bloody, beaten raiders. A scowl passed across his fine elven features, like a cloud across a pond on a clear summer day, and he turned towards the hordes, who were momentarily paused with uncertainty at the new arrival. He glared, and pointed one blue finger towards them. He uttered a word... it hung in the frozen, still air a moment.
"Burn."
Then, the fabric of reality ripped around the undead, as flames burst everywhere. It was as if a pocket of hell had opened amound them... wicked flames at at them, and the screaming gnolls ran everywhere, falling in smoking corpses to the floor. The hall blackened and singed. At the end of the hall, the remaining gnolls looked on in fear, out of the range of the rain of deadly fire.
Rohm looked towards them. "That won't last... let's go." He began to cast a spell, as reality once more began to warp around them... They shimmered, and faded from view. The massive gnoll looked forward in hate at the rapidly disappearing forms.
The stone edifices of the Dreadlands stood towering above them. They stood a second, gasping with breath at the switftness of their change in fortunes. Rohm gazed at them.
"Sorry I was late... you shouldn't have started without me. Where's Kapena?"
Ouze shrugged. "He didn't make it".
Ezmrella snarled at his indifference. "How could you be so cold? He saved our lives!"
Ouze looked at her, and sighed. "Me knows that. He did what he had to do. Now Xoriz do what he have to do." He looked over at the Iksar.
Xoriz spat at the ground, and nodded, pulling the small coffin out of his pocket. "It will be some time before I can summon his corpse" he rasped. Ezmrella nodded, as she realized what he meant to do, and visibly calmed. "I'll prepare a spell of resurrection, but it will also take some time... I can heal Hiemer now, though." She laid her hands on Hiemer's prone form, and whispered a few words. Blue light pumped into his body, and he immediately started coughing and spitting. His eyes fluttered open, even as his hand reached to his belt, and his flask. She smiled at the ground, and the gifts of Brell.
Hiemer took a swig, smacked his lips, and stood up and looked around. He saw Xoriz meditating with the small coffin before him, and realized why Kapena was not with them. He lookedd at them, saddened. "Did we get it? Did we win?"
"Was it worth it?"
Ouze and Ezmrella looked at him, balefully, shaking their heads. Xoriz could be heard to spit a curse behind them, and return to his meditating. Hiemer's shoulders sagged, and he turned his flask.. and poured some on the ground. "To Kapena" he whispered, and took a swig.
He thought a moment, and took another, bigger swig. FOR Kapena, he thought. He'll be back soon, anyways.
"You know, guys..."
They turned around. Rashindo stood there, smiling.
"In all the rush... and the heat of the moment and all... well, I couldn't kill that big gnoll... I tried... he was a tough one. Anyways, I figured we would be leaving soon... it looked like it was going bad.. "
Hiemer motioned for him to continue.
Rashindo giggled. "It made no sense to leave what was in it's belt pouch when we left. Leave perfectly good coins on a monster, with nothing for it to buy anyway? That's just not, you know, good financial planning? I was rummaging in his pockets, and thinking of what I could bu... " he stopped, and looked at Ezmrella's raised eyebrow. "Well, I was thinking we could SPLIT this money afterwards... and... damndest thing... look what I found?" He held his outstretched hand.
Parrotman Political Piranha
Posts: 333
(3/15/02 1:30 pm)
Re: The Key
***** You must read the stories in "The Hunted" thread before you will understand this addition. This story is a continuation from my last post on that thread. *****
The two figures stood silently in front of the mirror and watched the battle that raged below them. One was a woman, dressed completely in white. The other, a human male draped in dark green robes. They stood in a room full of mirrors, all of them shifting and shimmering, but only this one showing any images.
Parrotman stared at the images in the mirror, particularly at the troll shadowknight. Ouze stood at the head of the group, surrounded by undead and swinging furiously. Hiemer lay against a wail, crumpled and bloody. Ezmrella stood behind the troll, surrounded in blue light and casting her spells of healing. Kapena stood beside Ouze, landing blow after blow upon his enemies. Every so often Parrotman caught a glimpse of Rashindo darting in and out behind his enemies, and slashing wickedly. Behind them all, further back in the room and casting, stood Xoriz.
"He has brought them to us..." said Parrotman. "Yes..." hissed Tserrina. "Now they die."
As she spoke the tide of battle turned. The undead minions pressed in upon the group and they were forced back. Ouze snatched up Hiemer and shouted to the group. They began to fall back toward the exit mirror. Parrotman cackled with glee...."Kill them!"
In the next instant the group was surrounded. Kapena rushed to the forefront and held back the horde while the rest of the group continued to retreat. In mere moments, he was overwhelmed and fell to the ground lifeless. Parrotman shouted in joy, but the woman remained silent, merely watching. The horde pressed in again, upon the remaining members of the group. Suddenly, the air near the group shimmerred and a figure appearded next to them. Parrotman's face distorted in anger. "Rohm." he yelled.
Parrotman watched as Rohm rained fire down upon the undead and dropped them one by one. His anger turned to rage a moment later as portals appeared around each of the group members and they disappeared from the tower as quickly as they had come. "No!" "It cant be!" "We had them!"
"Patience Parrotman, we will have them again, they will return," stated Tserrina. "All is not lost however, one of them has fallen." "Quickly, let us see if we can't make use of him before they can revive him." Both then turned and stepped through a different mirror, a mirror to the entry level of the tower.... to the waiting corpse of Kapena.
Edited by: Parrotman at: 3/15/02 10:36:27 am
Mr. Saturday Night Fever
Posts: 899
(3/15/02 7:52 pm)
Re: The Key
AWWWWW YEEEAAAHHHH, Awesome story Ouze and Ezm....I can't wait to see what comes next!!!
I may be drunk off my ass but I sure have been taken in by this story! Do I become zombie kick ass monk? Am I reunited with the "companions"? I must know!!
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