Both of them grinned back at her and the older one replied first. “When Blaze showed me the River, I came out of it wanting to rule the world. Conquering it would be easy enough. I was lucky though. The Kell Conflict had just started and my family had already sided with Kell. Instead of ruling the world, I threw myself into the fighting with all my heart and soul. I had a fever for blood and it never ended. There was always someone else I needed to attack, to defeat. After several weeks, it gradually faded away.”
The other paladin had a similar story except his experience had happened after the Kell Conflict. “I was mediating at the Temple when the dread lord came and sat by me in the Great Hall. I had visions. I was told we meditated for almost two days. When I stood up, I knew that I was destined to be King. So, I set off to challenge Dar Rojo to a duel for control of the empire.” Seeing the look on her face, he quickly added, “I’m not joking!”
“So, what happened? With the king I mean.”
“I caught up to him during a public assembly. I called him out. While he did not appreciate it, he enjoys a good fight. I fought him with every ounce of training and skill I had. I think he sparred with me. At one point, I grew so enraged with my inability to kill him, I went berserk. When I came to, Dar Niss was tending to me. She told me that Rojo had allowed me to put on a good show for the sake of public morale and that if I wanted to fight again, to meet him here at the Fort in two days’ time at dawn. I did. He had a line of challengers and sparring partners. I watched him beat knights and officers far exceeding my own skill and still went at him with everything I had. Unlike the others, he beat me within an inch of my life and left the healers instructions to let me heal naturally until the madness had passed.” Both of them laughed heartily. “We have a good king.”
“I would have thought the king would kill you for embarrassing him in public,” Seline wondered.
“No, not our king. You’ll probably meet him soon. Beneath his dark mood, he is just another citizen of the empire who wants the Queen’s glory for everyone. He always takes challenges and even loses some of them. He always makes it a point that the king does not have to be the best or the strongest. We aren’t some pagan empire that way. As Dar Rojo would say, “I am king because the emperor required it. It could have been any of you. When I am gone, it will be one of you.” Lady Seline, I believe Dar Rojo would say that even you could be King.”
Seeing her beginning to sweat, the older paladin asked her, “What now my lady?”
“I think I’m going to try running.”
They set off on a jog. Their valley encampment sat in the center of a roadway that made a half circle to the trails leading the mountain’s summit. Seline asked what the Order’s best time for summiting was. “Four hours? We got this!” and she took off at a sprint.
Chapter Fifty Five - Hellhounds in Khasra
Executioner and Mauler walked out of the ocean onto a beach. The beach lay several hundred miles east of Ori on the island of Khasra. They sniffed the air looking for the scent of undeath, or necromancy, or living flesh. Any would work and the blood of a Tehran, of any Tehran, would feed them deliciously. Unlike their master’s throneplane where everything that happened did so by the master’s command, Tehran life had a wildness to it. That sweet taste infused with free will and different powers flavored Tehran life and enhanced the hounds’ powers. “This place is blank. It is clear. Only random death lurks here. There is nothing for us,” Mauler whimpered. He knew what would come next.
Executioner nodded and turned to him with an evil grin. “I see what you are thinking younger brother but worry not. This time we will hunt together. I do not need food. Perhaps Orcus will bless us before then. Remember, he did say his wand had been placed here in readiness. Lets hunt.”
Both of them leapt forward headfirst. Their human, if somewhat alien forms, stretched and then grew into the limbs of giant dire wolves. Both put their heads back and howled enjoying the startled flight of coastal birds as they fled in primal terror. Somewhere, their now keen ears picked up the sound of something large running away. The hellhounds leapt after it and soon scented the cloying smell of fear.
They tore through the jungle after their prey. Their hunger driving them forward and the sweet terror teasing them. Jungle trees blurred past the hounds and they burst out into a clear space bordered by a torrential river and littered with rocks. A herd of elephants stood in a ring, the bulls with their white tusks facing the hounds. The bleating cries of their innocent young sounded from the center of the ring. The hounds split in opposite directions and circled the group. They relished the fear almost as much as they would enjoy the coming bloodbath.
As they circled, the elephants backed towards the river. More importantly, the hounds failed to notice the boulders scattered around the field moving behind them. At last, the hounds had reached the end of their patience and they attacked the elephants. Their attack would tear into the strongest and leave the weak and most fearful for last. From the carcasses, they would construct an undead abomination as their first of many more to come.
That is what should have happened. Instead, the herd of elephants burst apart as dragonfire speared through into Mauler’s face mid-pounce. The fire tore the illusion apart and Mauler, through burning and charred eye sockets fell into the ether where he realized his dire mistake. The herd of elephants was one of those cursed Tanian dragons. From the taste of the flames killing his mortal body, Mauler recognized it as the one commonly-called Blade. True to his name, the fire flowed like a cutting and slashing waterfall of sword-like talons that shredded Mauler to bloody froth.
Executioner fared better. At the last second before he jumped, he sensed something wrong and veered to the side. The bull elephant he almost jumped on unleashed a series of magical and divine attacks and that also shredded its illusion. More importantly, he noted the tiny paladins hurtling through the air at him. As they came close, their holy avengers ignited with dragon flames and columns of the Dragon Queen’s fury and fire ignited around them. They smashed into the area where Executioner would have been had he not changed direction. Three paladins, and he noted each wore the emblem of that accursed Bloodstone valley, wheeled to face him, and then tortured agony tore through his side as their dragon priests – how did he always forget that Tanians never fought alone? – approached him with the many dragon-headed symbols of their Goddess calling for his banishment.
His head twisted into two heads with one confronting and snapping at the priests while the other turned baleful eyes on the three paladins. He noted Mauler’s death as the dragon burnt away flesh and then even the skeleton cindered away. The dragon continued to breathe flame on Mauler as its talons tore into the corpse’s bones. Mauler’s death cry sounded exactly as bad as Executioner’s would if he failed. Orcus did not appreciate failure on this level. He screamed out, "How?! How did you find us?"
The three paladins charged and Executioner tried to jump back and keep space. The damned priests continued their advance calling for his banishment. He bumped into something though and only his Master’s blessings saved him from a wall of earth elementals rearing up behind him. Completely cut off and trapped, Executioner did the only thing he could do, he called for his brothers. Each hellhound’s instinctive ability to summon the others had saved them time and again. He felt the gate between Tehra and his own realm tear open. Instead of his fellow hounds appearing though, seven humanoids came through the gate. He howled in frustration. Normally his howl would drive any humans insane but he had fought all of these before. Still, howling made him feel better. They must have been waiting at the abyssal gate. Somehow, his brothers had been delayed. How? HOW? He raged and fed his rage into strengthening his attack and defenses.
Daryx led the charge through the gate as the other six paladins ignited their holy avengers. The three paladins augmented their speed with magic and closed the gap. The dragon leapt into the sky to ensure there would be no escape. The cries for banishment grew louder. To be slain h
ere, by these, would banish him from this place for a hundred Tehran years. He looked at the gate longingly, if only he could jump through it. The dread lord Blade, as if to mock him, breathed fire at the gate and kept it drenched in killing flames that would do to him what had been done to Mauler.
Daryx hit his back and though the cut did not feel deep, he felt something pressed into his back. It worried him and he spun trying to dislodge one of their greatest enemies. Daryx was known and sat almost at the top of the Master’s death list. And then the other paladins landed on him, cutting and chopping. A serpentine cord wrapped around one of his heads and another top of the death listed person held the other end, Dar Kendra. She twisted the whip of her sword along the bladed coils wrapping his second head, and it decapitated. But at last, he had recovered from his surprise. The priests would be the easier foe and he charged at them, spraying hellfire from his remaining head as he screamed Orcus’ name for aid. No doubt his master watched and may come to his aid.
His attack smashed into a force wall and there behind the priests, at last visible stood the one called Apprentice. Had they brought all of the death listers here to stop him? How? The dragon pushed his mouth of fire into the gate continuing to expel fire while the gate closed. Executioner was cut off. The earth elementals enclosed his only path of retreat and freed of the gate, the dragon circled overhead with a smug air. Daryx and the other paladins jumped off Executioner’s back and they encircled him. He tried to claw at one and while he succeeded in scoring a bloody wound, that snake-like sword found its way around his remaining head. Dar Kendra commanded, “Stop.”
His body quivered aching to attack but fear of failure and his Master’s wrath made him listen. Daryx stood next to Dar Kendra and ever so slowly, Executioner felt razor spikes extrude along the coil around his neck. Daryx bowed with a flourish. “Hellhound, it has been a while since we have seen one of you outside of the Valley. I am Dar Malyx, of Morbatten. I believe you know us, my comrades, and what will happen to you should you die here. What name do you go by?”
“I,” his voice seethed with rage and hatred. “I am Executioner. Humble servant of Orcus the all-powerful.”
Kendra twisted her wrist and the spikes dug into his throat. “Speak that name again and you die permanently.”
“What do you want of me drow?” Venomous spit drooled from his mouth as his other head began regenerating.
Daryx replied, “The same thing you do. To accomplish our mission. Of course, right now our missions are at odds with each other. You are here to first recover your master’s wand yes? We will make a trade. In exchange for telling us where it is, we will let you return alive to your master.”
The hound looked at the dark elf and saw the gleam in his eyes. “You enjoy this drow. Too much.”
Daryx shrugged, “You know, I really do. The pleasure of well-laid plans and to bring one such as you down, fills me with delight. I live for your humiliations.” He laughed. “If I still served Lolth, no doubt she would enjoy this as much as do I. Tell us where the wand is, or die. Takhissis will be just as pleased with the death of you and your brother as She will be with the wand.”
Executioner seethed. He looked around noting that, even if he could escape death by Kendra’s sword, there were at least ten paladins, thirty priests, and that mage. Clearly, the mage would be key as he controlled the several hundred earth elementals cutting him off. And then he would have to deal with the dragon. That one, Blade, would make a mighty dracolich someday. Even if he cut down the mage, he would still die. Even if he destroyed the dragon, he would still die. Even if he, and herein he knew he had lost, while he might slay one, the others would end him.
“Orc-, my master, said the wand waited for us here. You interrupted our feeding. From there we would seek out the wand. It is here somewhere.” His second head had started to recover. He sniffed the wind, “It is over there,” he looked out towards where the lich’s mountain lay. Besides his head, which could see now, the wounds on his back and flanks had healed and he felt itchy bumps there.
Daryx demanded, “Has the wand been activated? Is it possessed?”
Executioner sniffed the wind, “No, not yet. But it has identified its prey and lays plans for possession.”
Daryx made a hand sign and the group backed away. The dragon pulled back from where the gate had been. “We honor our agreement. You may return to your master.”
Executioner growled snapping at the paladins as they backed up. He re-opened the gate. For a just a moment, he considered calling his brothers through. As if reading his thoughts, the dragon’s maw began dripping fire. Kendra, who had yet to release her sword’s razor grip, whispered, “Permanent death hound. Go home.”
He released his tension and her sword uncoiled leaving a necklace of bloody gashes. Executioner snapped at Kendra, who did not flinch, and then jumped up to the gate. It opened just in time and closed behind him. Blade landed on the ground, shaking it with his dragon form. Daryx signaled the Apprentice who nodded and began casting a spell.
Executioner landed in the abyss by the gate and wheeled looking for his brothers. The entire area around the gate had been scorched by Blade’s breath weapon. On the portal’s stand, the charred skeletons of three of his brothers slowly reknit, mending from the terrible damage they had suffered. His back grew even more itchy and he lengthened his second head to look back. Seven bloody gashes along his back from Daryx’s charge slowly mended but the wounds looked wrong, bumpy. Across the wispy plain of chaos and soul worms, a distant figure walked towards them. Their Master came. This would be bad. He could feel Orcus’ wrath and curious anger from even this distance.
His brothers had regenerated enough that they began moving, testing out their claws and legs. Their master drew near and his terrible voice demanded report. “Master, the dragon humans, they ambushed us before we even had started. They…”
“Filth. Worm. You are my greatest general and you were ambushed by food? Your brother Mauler is slain and I have cast him back into the muck. Your fate will be…”
“Lord, hear me. The dragon humans they do not know, they asked where your sceptre lay and I lied to them. All is not lost.”
Orcus grabbed Execution by one of his heads and slammed him down on the steps, breaking bones and shattering his body. The dread god’s power held the hound alive and those healing began howling with pleasure as their most powerful brother suffered. One stood up on reforming legs and demanded to know how failure felt, when the bumps on Executioner’s back exploded. Each exploded in perfect sequence igniting and feeding the growing ball of fire. Executioner’s life burned away and Orcus fell back from the blast. Even the god had to shield himself from the might of Tanian magic exploding in this place. Worse, the power of its destruction caught the attention of the sometimes master of this place.
His hounds dead and burnt to ashes, Orcus took one last glance at the portal closed to him and longed for his own portal to the Tehran world. He noted his enemy would soon arrive and howled fury and hate at the Tehran gate. "Bomoki, my gate! I want it now!" he screamed over and again as he punched the pulped mess of the hellhounds barely alive by Orcus' will. He wanted them dead but he wanted them to suffer and so they lived and they suffered. Another punch and they fell through the ground to Orcus' throneplane.
In the realm of the abyss controlled by Orcus, Executioner and Mauler writhed and twisted in the grip of their brothers. Orcus squatted before them his titanic ram’s head leering at them as he studied their agony. “Mauler, you were my fifth. You are now last. That you died at the hands of a stupid dragon, you’re pathetic. A worm. And you are of no use to me until you can return to Tehra. Yes, you shall start anew. Bury him in stone and let the ghouls feast on him until his time has passed.”
Vampires grabbed Mauler who seized in divine terror and a rapture of agony. Because it is what his creator decreed. He could already feel the ghouls tearing through the stone. At first, only dirty fingernails would scratch him and then the h
oles would widen and fists would tear into his starving flesh. No food. Hunger. He would be eaten and would heal and would feel everything. Because his master punished him so.
“Master, I’m sorry! Forgive me! It was Executioner’s fault!”
Orcus watched the vampires pull Mauler away and then turned his omnipotent gaze on Executioner. The universe of universes that made up Orcus’ domain turned to watch as one of the mighty went calm and fell silent. “Executioner, you failed. Your hunger for Tehran blood and ambition betrayed you. To have fallen so easily to the dragon people.” Orcus looked up at himself in the sun washing over this world with his pale green rays and roared. “You had one job, one task. Retrieve my wand and open my door. Though you have failed me before, you have never failed in such an easy job.” He roared again, its roar echoing out into space and everywhere his creations fell to the ground and covered their ears, or hid from the suns shining the light and fury of their god. “Yet, you did not die and instead brought dragon fire back with you and killed your brothers here. They hunger for your flesh, for your blessings. You who are my mightiest creation, tell me. How is it that you failed and yet did not die at Tehra?”
Executioner drew a careful breath and groveled at his master’s gaze. “Divine Father, the dragon humans KNEW, somehow. Daryx and those damned fighters tricked us! I know how to defeat them, allow me to go back. They seek your mighty wand. Forgive me, allow atonement. I am still worthy and will not…”
“Enough!” Orcus roared. “You dare counsel me on strategy?!” He huffed and roared and commanded Executioner, “Down and beg!”
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