As he returned to where Calla comforted Elor, the pink lotus eyed Theophilus curiously. "Do you think you were being a little harsh to Mondoor?" she asked.
The little weed shrugged. "Perhaps," he replied. "But this is not his element, Calla. And we have lost enough on this day. I am not leaving any more lives to chance, and that includes everyone here, even Mondoor. If that makes me harsh in this moment, then harsh is what I must be. I would rather get you through this alive and ask for your forgiveness later." To this, Calla said nothing before helping Elor to his feet. The group soon followed Theophilus further into the caverns and the unknown.
Only scant murmurs filled the caverns to accompany the sound of footfalls. There was little the group wished to discuss, between the perils behind them and the unknown before them. Theophilus lead the group forward, keeping his eyes ever darting about the mysterious caverns. He had no idea what to expect, yet he placed his trust in his fallen friend. Marin held wisdom and compassion, two of many traits that allowed more pain through her absence.
It was after several minutes of travel that Elor broke the relative silence. "What do we do, Patch? How do we fight such an evil? Look what it has cost us already," he said, despair heavy upon his voice.
As Calla squeezed to the imp's hand, Theophilus replied. "We press on, Elor. Darkness wins when we allow ourselves to shy away from the light. Evil triumphs only when the good choose to do nothing. It is not stronger than the light. It is not better than the light. And if we push forward and do what its right, then we shall prove that," he said.
"Noble and misguided to the very last," said an ominous voice that gave everyone pause as the cavern trembled.
Removing Digus from his back, Theophilus rushed toward the sound of the voice. Coming from behind them, the voice was followed by a wake of tremors. The group watched in disbelief as a figure pulled himself through and into the cavern. Theophilus's eyes narrowed as he instantly recognized the shaman orc from before. Standing fully now with scepter in hand, the orc did not brush himself off as he set his eyes on Theophilus and the others.
“Dobah!” said Elor with a growl. For the moment, the imp’s grief was gone, replaced now with anger.
Dobah looked upon the group with grim indifference before his interest set fully upon Theophilus. “I must admit, I had my doubts that one so small could conjure such trouble. But Norrex did not exaggerate your abilities, little one,” said the orc before his eyes narrowed into vengeful slits. “It is for this reason that I must defy my master and slay you, for a trouble as meddlesome as you cannot be left unchecked.”
Theophilus nodded darkly to the orc. “It is in this we have common ground, orc, for I fear I cannot let your evil be left unchecked as well,” he said.
The orc barked a grunting laugh. “Evil. Such thoughts are so limiting. Like your Captain Shael, you have failed to see the grander scheme. You focus on one corner of a canvas beautifully painted with the truth. Even now, you only delay the utter inevitability of what will come to pass. But for my master and our true master, I will end such a delay here and now,” he said.
“We shall see,” said Theophilus.
“And how, dare I ask, little weed, do you intend on stopping me, one whose power is well beyond you,” countered the orc.
“Any way I can,” said Theophilus as he trained Digus on the ceiling above Dobah and fired.
As rock and dirt came crashing down on the orc shaman, Theophilus pointed further into the caverns. “Hurry! That will not hold him for long!” the weed exclaimed as he urged his friends into a retreat.
As the group fled, the anger of Dobah could be heard, as well as felt. A great surge of tangible energy was sensed as the orc freed himself. Theophilus willed his friends to be faster, hoping he had bought enough time for his next move. As the group rounded a corner, the cavern widened, offering ample space to maneuver. The little weed knew this was exactly what he needed.
Still watching for the approaching enemy, Theophilus called out to the kelpie. “Kelisay, I need you to take Captain Shael and the others onward. I will stay here and buy you whatever time I can,” said the weed. At this, Kelisay nodded.
Calla gasped as she grabbed hold of the little weed. “No, Theophilus, you can’t! We must stay together,” she cried.
The little weed shook his head. “If I don’t, then we all will face the Dream. Alethia and the Rangers must hear of this treachery. Now please, for me and the greater good, do this for me, Calla,” he pleaded.
“I cannot leave you, Patch,” countered the flower.
“But you must,” said Theophilus. “Mondoor, please keep her safe!”
The diplomat nodded as he placed his hands upon Calla’s shoulders. “You have my word,” he replied before coaxing Calla. “We must keep moving,” he added.
“No!” Calla threw her hands around Theophilus. “I won’t lose you now. We have suffered enough!”
Theophilus hugged her fiercely. “I don’t plan on dying today. But if I am to fight this battle, I need to know you are safe,” he said.
Calla pulled her head back, looking at the little weed with great intensity. “Then you win this fight, Theophilus Thistle. You win, and you come back to me,” she commanded. “Swear on it.”
“I will do what I can,” said the weed.
“Promise!” exclaimed Calla. Theophilus could see she would not budge without his word.
At last, the little weed nodded. “Very well, Calla. I promise to see you again. Now please, go and know that my heart goes with you!”
Calla kissed Theophilus on his head before she painfully pulled free of him. “Fight well, Theophilus Thistle,” she said.
“As you wish, milady,” replied Theophilus, feeling the pain of her departure.
As Theophilus prepared for the fury approaching him, he took relief in knowing his friends were distancing themselves from the peril. He also quickly discovered that one such friend had remained. As Theophilus readied his wand, Elor came to stand beside him, drawing magical orbs from the pouch he had reclaimed.
“I wanted you to join the others in safety,” said Theophilus to the imp.
Elor shook his head. “The cost of this day is high enough already. Victory or defeat, you and I will share the same fate, be it glory or the Dream,” said the imp. The determination of his words halted any further protest from Theophilus.
“Regardless of my protest, Elor, I am glad you are here with me,” said the weed.
“Till the end,” said Elor as the two friends readied for battle.
Both weed and imp waited as Dobah approached with sureness in his steps. The orc looked relaxed, as if life or death battles were normalcy or perhaps even something he relished. To Theophilus his eyes looked hungry, craving challenge to the powers he possessed. The two friends looked at one another as they prepared for the skirmish ahead.
“Surely you must know the futility you offer with this challenge to me,” said the orc.
"All I know is my mother is gone because of you," said Elor as he clenched the magic orbs in his hands more tightly. "I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure you don't harm anyone else ever again."
Dobah shook his head casually, and the darkness rose in his grin. "A weed and an imp seek to stop the unstoppable. You are driftwood before a raging ocean. But let us be done with banter and finish this once and for all," said the orc.
"Yes, let's," said Theophilus as the tip of Digus slowly shimmered with magical light.
Dobah nodded. "Show me your worth then, so that you may face the Dream with honor," he said.
Theophilus fired a magical blast from Digus, yet the orc proved swift in his defenses. Using his scepter, Dobah raised a green tinted barrier of energy which deflected the assault. The orc then sent a surge of magic toward his enemies. A wave of power rippled across the floor, forcing the weed and imp to leap out of the way. Elor cast an entrapment orb at Dobah, to which the orc sent several shards of rock and soil, shredding the orb completely. In response
to the assault, the orc shook his head.
"I had hoped for more," said Dobah as he prepared his counterattack.
Waving his scepter, the cavern trembled again as rock and soil spat from all around like jagged daggers. Theophilus and Elor were forced to keep moving, avoiding these daggers as the space filled further and further. The two friends soon realized they were becoming boxed in methodically, taking scratches and cuts as they were. The orc then brought a great stone up to hover next to him as he prepared for a killing stroke.
"Farewell, young fools," said Dobah as he hurled the stone at them.
Dodging another rising shard, Theophilus fired Digus at the stone. The stone burst into several pieces, casting their efforts upon Dobah. The orc shielded himself, growling at the little weed's defiance. Theophilus then fired again at the cavern ceiling before Dobah, causing stone and soil to separate the orc from his prey. Theophilus then checked on Elor, as both were relieved to see the distraction stopped the growing daggers upon them.
"This is not going well, Elor," said Theophilus before he spoke to his wand. "Do you have any worthwhile advice for this situation, Digus?"
This foe is well beyond you, replied Digus.
"You say that about every foe I face," said Theophilus.
I suggest you run, said Digus.
Theophilus looked toward Elor. "The wand says we should flee," he said.
"He may very well be right," said Elor as he searched about. "Let us at least draw him away from our friends!"
"A fair point," said Theophilus as he fired Digus again, offering the two friends a clearing from the encasing shards around them. "Let's hop to it!"
Now freed, the two friends rushed further into the caverns as Dobah burst through the cave in. By the sounds coming from the orc now, a fury had gripped their enemy completely. As they retreated, they could hear his anger as he set his intentness upon them. Shards of discourse rose in the path as the cavern itself tried to assault the two friends. Both of them used their size and speed to avoid the attacks, abeit barely. With every step, the anger of Dobah rose, increasing the intensity of his attacks and diminishing the integrity of the cave.
Theophilus and Elor shielded their eyes as they continued their escape, yet each moment proved more harrowing than the next. They could feel Dobah's intentness upon them, feel the cavern trying to claim them. Dust and debris filled their eyes and lungs. The carnage revealed no sign of ending, with the caverns threatening to collapse on them at any moment.
"We can't keep this up much longer, Patch!" Elor cried out over the chaos.
"Agreed," said Patch through gritted teeth. "There's no telling if our friends are through these caverns yet. We'll have to make our stand."
"Understood," said Elor softly, realizing the gravity of what such a stand could entail.
Theophilus pointed up ahead. "There is another clearing! Let's regroup there!"
This is a bad idea, said Digus.
"Hush, you insufferable twig!" yelled the weed.
Reaching the clearing, the two friends caught their breath as they ceased their running. The very act subsided the assaults as Dobah rushed to them, riding upon stone and soil like waves on the water. Seeing them waiting pleased the orc as he welcomed fully his lust for battle. Theophilus and Elor prepared themselves once more as Dobah readied for another bout.
"At last, you see the folly of cowardice and make your stand," said Dobah triumphantly.
Theophilus shook his head at him. "What we see is an orc consumed by evil, one that can see no further than his blinded, bitter eyes," he said as he aimed Digus again. "Do what you will, and we will do what we must."
Dobah nodded to this. “I will see that your ends are glorious,” he said.
Theophilus fired a steady stream of magic from Digus as Elor rushed to the left, throwing enchanted orbs as he did. Raising his scepter, Dobah erected a magical shield to block the little weed’s attack as he used swirling stones to bat away Elor’s assaults. Theophilus increased his attack, putting strain on himself as he did so. Elor tried to rush at Dobah, using the last of his enchanted orbs.
At this Dobah grinned. Casually he increased his defense against Theophilus as he raised his other hand. Clustering his gathered stones, the shaman hurled them at Elor, striking the imp fiercely. Elor was knocked backwards, striking the cavern walls before falling to the ground motionless. Dobah barked a harsh laugh at this as he set his full attention upon Theophilus.
“It is just us now, weed,” he said before pressing his magic barrier outward to assault Theophilus’s magic.
Straining further, Theophilus could see that he and Digus were going to lose the power struggle. Ceasing his assault, the little weed deftly leaped from the approaching energy. As the magical assault tore into the cavern behind him, Theophilus tossed some of his thorns at Dobah before firing multiple shots from Digus. Dobah brushed these assaults off as if they were nothing before launching his counterattacks. Theophilus found himself jumping and dodging through a hail of green energy, flying stones, and ground surging beneath him.
“Hold still, pest,” said Dobah as he continued his attacks.
“Not likely,” countered Theophilus as he leaped off a flying stone while firing Digus to swiftly land on Dobah.
Landing upon Dobah’s shoulder, Theophilus struck the orc with Digus. Both the orc and the wand expressed their anger toward the assault. Theophilus continued to move and attack Dobah as the orc tried to grab him. Theophilus lashed out with his thorns, trying to get another blast of magic from the wand upon his enemy. The struggle lasted until Dobah finally grabbed hold of the little weed and threw him savagely upon the ground.
As Theophilus landed violently upon the floor, he had little time to recover or reclaim his breath. Dobah kicked him with his foot, sending the little weed crashing against the wall like his friend. Theophilus lost hold of Digus as he collapsed upon the ground, breathless and in pain. At this, Dobah smiled, walking confidently over to his adversary and picking him up with his free hand.
Still grinning triumphantly, Dobah held Theophilus before him. “You are fierce beyond your size, weed, but you are still limited by it,” he said. “But we cannot have you meddling anymore, and so your time is now at end.”
“This fight isn’t over yet,” said Theophilus in defiance. Using what strength he had left, the weed struggled against his tormentor.
Dobah shook his head at him. “I admire spirit, even when it is misguided. You will go with honor into the Dream,” he said before he squeeze his enemy.
Theophilus felt the air pushed from his chest as he endured the full strength of Dobah’s clutching hand. He struck at Dobah’s fingers but to no avail. Dobah grinned at him still, feeling the life slowly drain from his adversary. Theophilus narrowed his eyes, refusing to give his enemy the satisfaction of fear. The little weed’s view dimmed as his consciousness faded.
“Let him go,” said an angered voice.
Turning his head, Theophilus could just make out Elor. The imp was again on his feet, holding his hands out before him. His yellow eyes were narrowed and filled with growing intensity. The look in those eyes gave Dobah enough pause to lighten his grip upon Theophilus. The little weed took that time to garner what breaths he could.
Dobah nodded. “Ah, you are just in time to witness the end of your friend, imp. But rest assured you will join him when I am through,” he said.
A fireball slowly formed between Elor’s hands. “Not on this day,” he said before hurling it at Dobah.
The searing flame was deflected mostly by Dobah’s magic, but not entirely. The orc felt his arm burn and barked his displeasure as he released Theophilus. The little weed fell to the ground and clamored for Digus. Bringing himself to one knee, he aimed his wand again, offering a pure magical stream of intensity. Dobah raised his magical defenses again as they resumed their struggle for victory.
Straining again at the intensity, Theophilus called out to Elor. “The scepter, Elor! Focus yo
ur magic on that!”
Elor did not respond, yet he nodded absently. His eyes never left his target. Elor had just recovered himself, filled with images of Marin and her loss had given him newfound strength. With no doubts left to him, the imp drew upon his inner strength and unleashed an unrelenting flame upon Dobah. The orc used his scepter to try and stave the assault, but his attention was divided thanks to Theophilus. The flames rushed and swirled him, engulfing the scepter and causing it to glow with intense heat.
Feeling surging pain, Dobah let go of his weapon. The scepter flew into the air, hovering faintly with its own magic. Theophilus stopped his assault upon Dobah and fired upon the heated weapon. As Digus’s magic struck it, the scepter burst into several pieces. The shards littered the cavern, much to the orc’s dismay.
Seeing their enemy distracted, both Theophilus and Elor fired upon Dobah. The orc held up his hands, conjuring a defense, but it was not enough. The combined attack toppled him and sent him sailing back down the cavern where he rolled several times before coming to a stop. He laid there panting and holding his side as a weed and imp approached him.
Training his wand on Dobah, Theophilus spoke. “You are bested, orc,” he said.
“How?” Dobah crooned. “You are both beneath me! Your powers are both fractions of mine.”
Theophilus shook his head. “Not together, we’re not,” he replied.
Fire slowly filled Elor’s hands as he fixed his gaze upon Dobah. “I must finish this, Theophilus,” he said, anger rising and escaping his lips along with his words.
Theophilus shook his head. “No, Elor, not like that,” he said.
Elor shook his head. “But he has taken so much from us! He’s caused us so much pain!”
The little weed walked over to Elor, tugging at his robe. “If you walk down that path now, then you will have already forsaken the teachings of someone who loved you so very much,” he said softly. “What would Marin want of you?”
The Adventures of Theophilus Thistle Page 24