Session #26 - A Transformation
The angel calmly issued orders, her voice conveying a confident authority that brokered no discussion, no disagreement. Not that anyone would want to question her. The paladins and men-at-arms who moved through the town all looked at her with an awe bordering on reverence.
A trio of paladins rode to where the party stood with the angel. “M’lady,” said the leader, bringing his mount to a halt, “there is a portal not far from here. The demons are retreating through it. Our wizards tell is it leads to Avernus.”
“Avernus,” she said, not even the remotest inkling of fear or even wonder in her voice. “Then that is where we go as well, Olanthius.”
Kent and Donyxn snuck glances at one another. “Olanthius?” mouthed Kent, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
“I would risk everything to protect the people of the material plane. Gather the men, general, and head to the portal. We ride on hell. Tonight.” Olanthius nodded then looked over his shoulder and shouted some orders before putting heels into his horse’s flank and racing back toward the portal.
“You’re Zariel,” Donyxn said, his words half statement, half question.
The angel turned to face Donyxn. She wore a cloth band over her eyes, but despite the blindfold it was clear she could see, at least in manner. The effect was disconcerting. Almost as disconcerting as the mammoth-sized Lola walking around the square casually stopping on injured demons, crushing their bodies and sending their life forces back to the abyss.
Zariel nodded. “I am. But I do not believe we have met before.”
Kent removed his hat and affected a graceful bow. “Kent Karrus at your service m’lady,” he said with a flourish.
Katla’s hands were clasped together inside the sleeves of her robe. “I am the sorceress Katla.” Zariel gave the elf a slight but respectful nod.
“And I am Almont Bonecrusher, priest of Kiri-Jolith,” said Almont, with his typical complete and utter lack of charm. To be fair, the cleric was trying to exhibit a confidence that he didn’t feel in the presence of Zariel. The angel radiated barely contained power, like a compressed spring right before it is released. It was like being in the presence of the divine, but instead of in a vision, this felt like reality.
“And I am the ranger Donyxn.”
Zariel turned to Donyxn and cocked her head to one side. “Ranger, you say?”
The tiefling nodded. The others wondered why that was significant to Zariel. If Donyxn harbored similar thoughts, his mercurial eyes gave nothing a way as he met the angel’s blindfolded stare.
“I can see into your soul, tiefling. It is the soul of a paladin.” The pair continued to regard one another in silence as the sounds of fire and shouting and horses swirled around them.
A paladin approached on foot, taking a knee and bowing her head. Zariel turned to new arrival. “Stand, Yael.”
The paladin stood, removing her helmet and holding it at her side. “The army is gathering on the outskirts of town. We will ready to ride out to the portal in five minutes.”
Zariel nodded. “You fought well today, Yael. We are blessed to have your sword with us.”
Yael’s cheeks were already red from the exertion of the battle, but their color deepened as she swelled with a mixture of embarrassment and pride. She looked down. “It is my honor to serve, m’lady.”
Lola stomped over to where the group stood, her feet leaving a trail of ichor-outlined prints as she walked. Upon reaching Zariel she lowered her head, and the angel absently stroked the fur on the hollyphant’s trunk. “Go to your men. I will be along shortly.”
Yael strode off and Zariel turned back to the party. “I’m sorry I do not have more time to spend with you, my friends. But Avernus awaits. We will bring this fight to hell itself and end the threat once and for all, slaying demons and devils alike.”
“What year is it?” Donyxn asked.
If Zariel was surprised by the question she didn’t show it. “I do not live within time the same way these people do, so I am unsure how to answer your question other than to say, it is now.”
“What if we were to tell you that we are from a different time,” Almont said. Zariel turned to the cleric. He swallowed hard before continuing. “You might not like the rest of the story.”
Zariel considered this for a moment. “We must leave soon. Tell my your truth, priest of Kiri-Jolith.”
“In our time you lead your army through the portal, starting off a chain of events that resulted in Elturel being ripped from the material plane and transported to Avernus. As we speak, in our time it is being slowly pulled down toward the river Styx. It is our quest to stop this from happening.” Everyone was surprised that Almont was somewhat diplomatic in his telling of the tale, though in reality he feared how Zariel would react if he told her that not only would she fall, but she would swear her loyalty to Asmodeus himself. She could destroy them all with a simple flick of her wrist.
“Would you not risk everything to save these people, priest?” There was no accusation in Zariel’s voice, but Almont felt the weight of the question.
“But what if your actions contributed to their destruction?”
Zariel’s voice took on a harder edge. “I will ask you one more time. Would you not risk everything to save these people?” She let the question hang in the air for a few seconds before placing a foot on Lola’s trunk. The hollyphant lifted Zariel up and the angel climbed upon her mount. She turned back to the party. “I thank you again for what you did here today. I hope that our paths will cross again.”
As Lola headed to the outskirt of town where the army waited, the scene began to close in around the party. Their tunnel vision darkened until everything went black.
With a flash they were back inside the blinding whiteness of the temple. They now recognized that the spectral female warrior here was in fact Yael. “I knew it when I saw you then,” she said with tears in her yes, “that you were from our future. We should have listened to you. The hero who was one with this blade is no longer.”
Kent wandered over to the blade and poked at it. “So, who is going to take the sword? Looks a bit big for me,” he said as he tested its grip in his hand.
“Ilmater’s presence is strong here,” replied Yael. “If you ask for his guidance, he will provide it. However, know that as soon as the sword is drawn, this place will disappear.”
It fell to Almont to pray to Ilmater. At the end of his devotional he asked, “Ilmater, which of us should draw the sword, and how should we use it?”
The answer came immediately. “It is Donyxn’s destiny to wield the sword. They were wrong to pass him over as a paladin all those years ago. Zariel could see that in his soul, as can I.”
Everyone, including Yael and Lola, turned to look at the tiefling. “That’s great, Donyxn,” sang Lola, her tail wagging wildly. “I think you’ll like the sword.”
“As for your other question, use it however you need to. But just know that to free Elturel you will need to sever at least half the chains anchoring it to Avernus, as well as free the Solar Insidiator.”
“Oh, is that all?” muttered Kent. Katla backhanded his shoulder.
The room was silent after that, all eyes following Donyxn as he walked to the sword. He gripped the handle with his right hand, the intensity of the blade’s bluish glow increasing as he touched it. The tiefling inhaled deeply, and as he exhaled pulled the sword smoothly from the stone, holding it aloft.
With a thunderclap the blue field burst, shattering the stained glass windows surrounding the room. Everyone shielded their eyes to protect them from the brightness of the light as well as the flying shards of glass. When they once again looked at Donyxn, they saw he was… transformed. The tiefling’s silvery eyes radiated blue light. To look directly into them was to see the depth of the entire universe in an instant. But even more notable were the angelic wings that unfolded from his back as he slowly extended them to their full width. Even Donyxn looked at them with surprise, though after a few moments he used them to lift himself into the air. His face broke out into a grin.
The room collapsed around them, the pieces falling outward and disappearing as they reached the ground. The sky of Avernus opened above them, the fetid air filling the void and covering them in a blanket of stifling heat. After about 30 seconds nothing remained of the citadel, not even the smallest piece of debris. The scab too was gone, and the party found themselves standing on firm ground, their vehicles a few hundred feet away. To the north stood the volcano that was Bel’s forge. To the west the Styx flowed past.
Kent walked over to Donyxn, poking his friend in the ribs. “Seems real enough.”
“Indeed my friend,” said Donyxn. “But definitely… changed.”
“Really?” Kent asked in mock disbelief. “Do tell.”
Donyxn smiled at his friend and shrugged, his wings rising and falling along with his shoulders.
“So what’s our next move?” Katla asked as she approached. All eyes turned to Donyxn.
“A moment please,” he replied, then beat his wings and launched himself straight upward. He hovered a few hundred feet above them before returning to the ground. “Elturel continues to be pulled lower. Soon it will be close enough to the surface that demons and devils will be able to easily climb the chains and enter the city. And then it will be too late.”
“I’ll bet that sword can cut through the chains,” Almont said. “Perhaps we’re ready.”
“We still have time,” Donyxn said. “And before we deal with Elturel, I would have words with Madhi.”
Kent grinned and put his hand on his scimitar’s pommel. “Now you’re speaking my language.”
“But how are we going to cross the Styx?” Almont asked. “Not all of us have new sets of fancy wings.”
“You gentlemen prep the vehicles and drive them to the river,” Katla said with a slight smirk. “Let me worry about the rest.”
Katla was as good as her word, the sorceress having gained even more control over her wild magic while inside the chapel. They sat upon the Demon Grinder, its engine idling with a low growl as they looked at the river’s near bank fifty yards away. The elf hopped off and walked a few paces in front of the vehicle. Her hands traced intricate patterns in front of her, and as she did so a disturbance in the air began to occur, the effect slowly coalescing into something resembling a window of green stained glass. It was just slightly larger than the Demon Grinder.
“A portal?” Kent asked, lifting the goggles off his eyes.
Katla looked back over her shoulder and gave the dwarf a nodding grin. Before anyone could say or do anything else Lola flew into the portal and disappeared, emerging again a few seconds later. “That was fun!” she sang. “It leads to the other side of the river!”
“We only have a minute,” Katla said climbing back aboard. “So make it count.”
“You could have made it a bit bigger,” Kent grumbled as he put the big rig into gear. He carefully drove the Grinder forward, entering the portal with just inches to spare in every direction. They emerged on the west side of the river and the portal collapsed upon itself.
Donyxn circled in the air above, enjoying the freedom offered by his new wings. “I can sense both where and what Madhi is,” he called down. “He is a thoroughly evil being, and a crafty one. We won’t be able to surprise or trick him, so we’ll just need to go in through the front door.” The tiefling flashed a smile. “Follow me.”
The journey north took a few hours but was uneventful. It was as if the denizens of the plain were intentionally avoiding them. And perhaps they were, sensing the power of Zariel’s sword as it approached. A rocky outcrop was their destination, the horseshoe shape of the Wandering Emporium emerging from the heat waves rising off the horizon.
Instead of the usual vehicles parked and circling, this time the Emporium was eerily still. The Demon Grinder stopped a few dozen yards from the entrance and the party dismounted, Donyxn continuing to hover above. The head of Almont’s warhammer glowed with the power of the magic he imparted upon it during the drive. When he saw Madhi approaching, a half dozen mezzoloths acting as his infernal honor guard, the cleric called forth his spectral spirit guardians, a trio of sword-wielding angels that would follow him into the battle to come.
Madhi looked quite serious for a change. “It was a mistake for you to come here. I will overlook this insult if you turn and depart. Now.” The last word was said insistently.
“Now indeed,” Katla whispered as she conjured force a field of psychic energy that draped over Madhi and two of his companions like a blanket of anguish. The devils screamed in anger. Madhi simply clenched his jaw more tightly than should be possible, a bead of sweat escaping his hairline and rolling down his forhead.
“You will rue the day you brought this fight to me,” he said. “Tilga, arise!” Madhi raised his hands and a blue portal sprung to life in front of him. From it emerged a blue, centipede-like beast with a trident, the cold radiating from it reaching all the way to the Demon Grinder.
The battle began in earnest, Almont charging forward to the left and Kent to the right as Katla rained down chromatic orbs on Madhi. Donyxn remained airborne, lightning arrows crackling forth from his bow. The devils responded in kind with claws and teeth and barbed spears.
Madhi uttered a word of power and cast forth his hand at Kent, who was battling a pair of devils. The spell caught and entranced him, Madhi taking control of the dwarf’s mind and body. He grinned. “Leave the dwarf. Attack the cleric!” he shouted.
Katla turned back to Almont. The cleric’s warhammer and mace traced glowing arcs in the air as he faced off against a pair of mezzoloths and the recently arrived ice devil. Another pair was racing toward him from his right, though Donyxn picked one off with a lightning bolt. Kent too was rushing toward the priest, his scimitar held back and ready to strike. She was relieved to see the dwarf headed over to help.
That relief turned to despair as Kent slashed his scimitar across Almont’s back, the cleric caught completely off guard by his friend’s attack. A pained look crossed Kent’s face as he raced by, his friend’s blood flying in a wide arc in front of him as he struggled to regain control over himself.
Katla looked back at Madhi, who winked and her and withdrew a small silver tuning fork from his belt. Madhi tapped the fork and he and three of the mezzoloths disappeared.
Madhi’s disappearance broke the charm controlling Kent, but it was too late for Almont. The blow from behind dropped him to one knee, leaving him open to attacks from the devils. Donyxn scorched another with a bolt of lightning, but it was too little too late. Almont watched the barbed spears as they approached in slow motion. It was their hubris that led to this. They should have gone straight to Elturel with the sword, but instead they sought their revenge. It’s not that killing Madhi wasn’t a righteous thing to do – it was. But it wasn’t the greater good. As the points of the spears pierced his armor Almont wondered if he would be welcomed into the hall of Kiri-Jolith, or shunned. As the tips found the gaps between his ribs the pain flared in his chest like branding irons.
He’d find out soon enough.
Comments
Post a Comment