Lady Ruin lr-1

by Tim Waggoner

  “What’s the Overmantle doing, Uncle?” she asked.

  “I’m so glad you asked,” Elidyr said, smiling. “It was too damaged for me to restore it to full functionality-not with the tools and equipment currently in my possession-so it’s unable to open a portal to Xoriat. However, I was able to make some alterations so that it can do the next best thing. Here, in this cave, our plane of existence and Xoriat’s intersect. A permanent crossing cannot take place, but within the confines of this cave denizens of both dimensions can coexist and interact, for as long as the Overmantle is active, that is. Not exactly what I’d hoped for, but then it should prove sufficient.”

  “Sufficient for what?” Lirra asked.

  Elidyr’s smile turned into a grin. “To see all of you dealt with. Then, with no one hounding me any longer, I’ll have the time I need to completely repair the Overmantle so that it can open a true portal to Xoriat.”

  The sensation of approaching aberrations grew stronger, and Lirra looked about the cave, searching for any sign that something was coming. There could be other ways in and out the cave that were hidden from her eyes. With the strange visual effect caused by the Overmantle’s light, it was so difficult to tell … Then she noticed a pair of large round shadows on the walls on opposite sides of the cave. Shadows that were cast by nothing she could see … shadows that grew larger with every passing second.

  Lirra shouted a warning but it was too late. A pair of large floating orbs emerged from the walls as they crossed over from Xoriat to this in-between place that Elidyr had created, stone walls parting for them as if they were nothing more than curtains of cloth easily brushed aside. The creatures were eight feet wide, with a single central eye and a large tooth-filled maw. Ten stalks emerged from the top of the orb in a hideous parody of hair, and atop each of the stalks was a smaller eye. Lirra recognized the monsters from Elidyr’s briefings in the early days of the symbiont project-beholders.

  The creatures knocked down a handful of soldiers as they entered the cave, and they immediately spun around to begin attacking those members of the Outguard stationed around the cave’s walls. Rays of energy lanced forth from the beholders’ eyes, the beams striking a different soldier before they could mount a defense. Lirra remembered that each of a beholder’s eyestalks was capable of casting a separate spell. One soldier fell to the cave floor, asleep, while another collapsed, dead. One turned to stone, while another disintegrated, leaving no trace that he had ever existed. To her left, a few doubled over, bleeding from wounds that magically appeared on their bodies, while beyond him, a woman suddenly turned on her comrades, plunging her sword into her companions’ flesh before turning her blade against herself. Two were tossed high in the air by an unseen force to be impaled on the stalactites above, while others moved slowly, as if time had suddenly frozen to a near stop for them.

  The beholders’ attack took only seconds, but in that time they managed to take out almost every soldier that ringed the cave walls.

  “Shatterfist, Longstrider!” Lirra shouted, and the warforged needed no more encouragement than that. Each of the constructs selected a beholder and charged forward to meet it.

  “Stay out of their main line of sight!” Lirra called out. She remembered that the gaze of a beholder could create an antimagic effect if trained upon an enemy, and while she had no idea whether that could affect warforged, she didn’t want to find out.

  Shatterfist and Longstrider approached the aberrations from the side. The beholders began to swivel toward the attacking warforged, but they were too late. Longstrider leaped into the air and slammed a kick into the side of a beholder’s head, sending it spinning. A second leap, and Longstrider landed atop the beholder, his weight dragging it toward the ground. Once on the floor, Longstrider began kicking the creature to death with his spiked feet. Shatterfist reached up to grab his beholder by the jaw, then slammed the aberration face first against the cave floor. He then started using his hammer-hands to pummel the creature to a pulp. Within seconds it was over. The beholders were dead, and the two warforged were covered with gore.

  Elidyr clapped. “Well done! Though quite frankly, given how ugly the damned things are, it’s not much of a loss.”

  “Enough talk,” Vaddon growled. “Longstrider, Shatterfist, destroy the Overmantle!”

  If Lirra understood what Elidyr had said, the Overmantle’s power made this cave an in-between place where two dimensions overlapped. If the Overmantle was destroyed, the two dimensions would become separate once more, and no further aberrations would be able to cross over from Xoriat to attack them.

  The warforged didn’t hesitate. The two constructs turned toward Elidyr and charged. Elidyr watched them come, seemingly unconcerned. Lirra wondered if it was because her uncle was too mad to fear them, but an instant later she saw the true reason why he wasn’t afraid. Another figure stepped through the cave wall, this one roughly the size and shape of a human, though its rubbery greenish-mauve flesh glistened with slime. The creature’s head looked like a four-tentacled octopus that possessed a pair of bloated white eyes. It wore a black robe that was tattered in places, and it moved with sinuous, inhuman grace.

  Fear gripped Lirra as she recognized this creature. It was an illithid, sometimes called a mind flayer. Its sobriquet was well-earned, for according to what Elidyr had told the members of the symbiont project, the creatures possessed highly developed psychic abilities and could shatter minds.

  The illithid stretched out a four-clawed hand toward the warforged, and its eyes glowed bright as it unleashed its power at the charging constructs. Warforged might have been created magically, but they were still living beings with minds of their own-minds that were vulnerable to psychic attack. Realizing the illithid was a more immediate threat than Elidyr, Shatterfist and Longstrider turned toward the loathsome creature, but it was too late. The illithid’s mind blast struck them full on, and the two constructs stumbled and crashed to the cave floor, stunned. With a single move, two of the Outguard’s most powerful members had been neutralized.

  Elidyr smiled and gestured toward the surviving members of the Outguard. “Feel free to attack whoever you like next.”

  But before the illithid could select another target, crisscrossing trails of long wounds appeared on its chest, running from shoulder to waist. Black blood gushed from the injuries, and the illithid let out an ear-splitting eerie screech, its mouth tentacles writhing in agony. Its eyes glowed once more before the creature turned and fled toward the cave wall, back the way it had come, and it passed through the stone as if it wasn’t there, returning to Xoriat. An instant later, Ranja appeared on the floor, lying unconscious where she’d fallen after the illithid had managed to stun her.

  Elidyr gazed upon the fallen shifter and shook his head in mock sympathy. “It must be so frustrating for you all, to come this far and to feel victory in your grasp, only to have it slip away in the end.”

  “Don’t start celebrating your victory just yet, Uncle,” Lirra said. She, Vaddon, Ksana, and Osten-the last of the Outguard-closed ranks and stood with weapons ready. Vaddon spun his sword into attack position, Ksana gripped her halberd with both hands, Osten held the handle of his sword in a white-knuckled grip, and Lirra grasped her own sword tight in one hand while she used the other to lash her tentacle whip in the air.

  “Yes, yes, you are all impressive warriors,” Elidyr said. “Especially you, my dear niece. But you don’t seriously think you have a chance of winning, do you? From the moment I activated the Overmantle, you were defeated. All we’ve been doing here these last few moments is putting on a show for the amusement of my master.”

  At first Lirra didn’t understand what Elidyr was talking about, but then she recalled what he’d told them when they’d first entered the cave.

  “The Overmantle has turned this cave into a place where our world and Xoriat overlap,” she said. “Here-and only here-creatures from both realms can meet. And that means the daelkyr lord you’re trying to release �
��”

  “Is on his way,” Elidyr said, grinning.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Lirra started to reply but stopped when a fresh wave of nausea gripped her, accompanied by tingling at the back of her skull so strong it felt as if her head might split open. She sensed the same malignant presence she’d experiencd at the lodge, when Elidyr had managed to temporarily open a portal to Xoriat, and she recognized it as that of a daelkyr lord. She sensed the presence originating from a spot on the cave wall behind Elidyr and trained her gaze upon it. Through the rippling gray stone that served as a demarcation line between the in-between zone and Xoriat, she saw a sour yellow-green light off in the distance. As she watched, the light slowly grew larger, and she knew that she was seeing the daelkyr approaching, striding through his dimension as he headed for the in-between zone. On one level, the light offended her senses. There was a wrongness to it, as if it weren’t truly light at all but rather some corruption of it. But on another level, she felt an attraction to the foul light, as if part of her was being drawn to the daelkyr, and despite herself, she took a half step forward.

  Elidyr saw and smiled.

  “You have Xoriat in your soul now,” her uncle said, “and that part of you recognizes the approach of your lord.”

  His words revolted Lirra, especially because she knew them to be true. She could feel the tentacle whip’s growing eagerness as the daelkyr drew closer to the in-between zone, as if the symbiont were a dog awaiting the return of a beloved master.

  “You said the Overmantle hasn’t opened a true portal between dimensions this time,” Lirra said to her uncle. “That means the daelkyr won’t be able to permanently cross over to our world.”

  “True,” Elidyr admitted. “But that’s unimportant right now. Once Ysgithyrwyn has dealt with all of you, I’ll be able to finish properly repairing the Overmantle. Then I can truly free him once and for all.”

  “So you plan to have the daelkyr kill us,” Vaddon said.

  Elidyr laughed. “Why would my master wish to kill you, when with a single touch he can open your eyes as he opened mine? I’ll enjoy watching you experience a changed perspective, Brother!” He chuckled before turning his gaze on Lirra. “You mostly belong to Ysgithyrwyn as it is, my niece, but I’m looking forward to your transformation becoming complete.”

  Lirra would die before she allowed that to happen.

  She leaned over and whispered in Vaddon’s ear. “I’ll take his left, you take his right.”

  “Agreed. Watch out for that crawling gauntlet of his. It’s a weapon in and of itself.”

  Lirra nodded and then father and daughter rushed forward to attack the man that was brother to one, uncle to the other. Lirra felt a rush of excited bloodlust from her tentacle whip, and she fought to ignore it. With a foe as powerful and deadly as Elidyr, she’d need all of her training and battle experience along with a clear head to prevail.

  At first it seemed as if Elidyr intended to do nothing as his brother and niece attacked, and given his insane state of mind, Lirra wouldn’t have been entirely surprised if her uncle had simply stood there and let the two of them carve him up. But when Vaddon and Lirra came within five feet, Elidyr opened his mouth and extended his tongueworm toward Vaddon, while the stormstalk oriented its milky white orb on Lirra and unleashed a bolt of lightning.

  Lirra dived to the side to avoid the blast of energy, did a shoulder roll, and came up on her feet running. Vaddon swung his sword at the tongueworm, but the rubbery hide of the aberration was tougher and more durable than normal flesh, and while the general’s blade cut into the creature, the wound it inflicted wasn’t very deep. Still, it hurt enough for the tongueworm to jerk back in pain, allowing Vaddon to get closer to his brother.

  Lirra was within striking range of her sword, but as she raised it, the stormstalk’s eye began to glow once more. She commanded her tentacle whip to reach up and grab hold of the aberration just below the eye and pull it sideways, spoiling its aim. Elidyr’s symbiont unleashed its lightning, but the bolt flew well wide of its mark.

  Lirra thrust her sword at Elidyr’s unprotected abdomen, but before she could ram her blade home, Elidyr deflected it with a quick swipe of his crawling gauntlet, the chitinous claw scraping loudly against Lirra’s steel. The blow was backed by more than human strength-another of Ysgithyrwyn’s gifts to her uncle? she wondered-and Lirra was knocked backward. She stumbled and nearly fell, but managed to stay on her feet.

  While Elidyr was busy dealing with Lirra, Vaddon moved in and thrust his sword into his brother’s side. Blood gushed from the wound, but instead of crying out in pain, Elidyr laughed. He whirled to his brother and jammed his fingers into Vaddon’s right cheek. Elidyr’s fingertips sank into Vaddon’s flesh as if it were made of putty, and then the artificer made a fist and yanked. Vaddon cried out in agony as his cheek was torn from his face and he drew away from Elidyr, blood pouring from his ruined face onto the cave floor. Elidyr tossed his brother’s flesh aside, and then pressed his hand to his wound and massaged it with blood-slick fingers. Lirra understood what her uncle was doing-he was using his flesh-molding abilities to repair his injury-and she’d wager he was able to repair both the skin and the organs within. Was there no end to the man’s unnatural powers?

  She rushed to her father, tore a strip from her uniform sleeve and used it in a futile attempt to staunch his horrible facial wound. Elidyr broke off his attack and watched Lirra’s inadequate ministrations with amusement, mad delight dancing in his eyes. Vaddon was breathing harshly and his wound was bleeding profusely, but his eyes were narrow and focused on Elidyr. She knew Vaddon was using every ounce of his ferocious will to concentrate past the pain, but she also knew that at the rate he was losing blood, he would rapidly weaken and lose consciousness. He needed Ksana’s healing touch, and he needed it now. But though Elidyr seemed content for the moment to watch his brother bleed, Lirra knew the crazed artificer could resume attacking them any second. As much as she hated it, she had to face facts. She couldn’t stand against Elidyr alone. She guided Vaddon’s hand to the blood-soaked cloth so he could continue applying pressure on the wound himself. He pressed his hand against ragged, raw meat and exposed bone, and despite his years on the battlefield and the number of times he’d been wounded in combat, the old soldier shuddered. But he gave Lirra a nod to show that he’d manage, so she turned away and shot a quick glance to check on Ranja and the warforged.

  Longstrider and Shatterfist had recovered from the illithid’s mind blast enough to get on their knees, but it looked as if it was going to take several more minutes before the warforged were ready to rejoin the battle. By then, it would all be over, one way or another. Ranja was faring a bit better. She attempted to stand, wobbled, and then slumped into a sitting position. The shifter would recover before the warforged, Lirra judged, but again, she feared it wouldn’t be in time to help.

  When Lirra’s attention was on Ranja, the shifter flicked her hand outward, and a small object flew through the air toward Lirra. The shifter was still weak and her aim was off, but Lirra commanded her tentacle whip to intercept the object, and the symbiont snatched it out of the air with ease and dropped it into Lirra’s open palm, the flesh wet with her father’s blood. The object was a small copper ball the size of a child’s marble. The metal felt warm against Lirra’s flesh, but she had no idea what the object was or what it could do. She knew one thing though-this was one of Ranja’s toys, and that meant whatever it was, it packed a punch.

  Lirra turned toward Elidyr. She ordered the tentacle whip to sting his face, and as he blocked the strike with his crawling gauntlet, she hurled the copper ball at him.

  The object hit Elidyr on the chest and flattened against his tunic as if it were made of copper-colored mud. He looked down at the splattered object on his chest quizzically, but before he could react, the copper began to spread like liquid, rapidly covering his torso, trunk, arms, legs, and finally his head. His entire body, symbionts included, was encase
d in the copperlike substance, rendering him immobile. Elidyr didn’t seem particularly disturbed by his sudden confinement. He looked down upon his copper prison and murmured, “Interesting,” as if his only concern was professional, an artificer admiring a work of thaumaturgical engineering.

  Lirra grinned. Thanks, Ranja, she thought. With Elidyr incapacitated, she could get Vaddon to Ksana. But a quick glance showed Lirra that the cleric had problems of her own.

  Sinnoch hissed like an angry reptile and charged Ksana, hands out and claws bared, shoulder tentacles whipping the air as he went, eager to grab hold of the half-elf and begin rending her flesh. The cleric stepped forward to meet the dolgaunt’s attack, holding her halberd like a staff. When Sinnoch came within range, Ksana swept the butt of the halberd upward and connected solidly with the dolgaunt’s chin. Sinnoch’s head snapped back, but instead of grunting with pain, the aberration laughed maniacally as both of his shoulder tentacles wrapped around the halberd and yanked, tearing the weapon free from Ksana’s hands. Sinnoch then swung the halberd around and smashed the flat of the axe head against the cleric’s temple, knocking her to the cave floor. Ksana rolled as she hit the ground and came up on her feet, her hands blazing with orange-yellow light. She released twin blasts of sun energy at Sinnoch, and the dolgaunt staggered backward, his chest aflame. He shrieked in agony and dropped the halberd, and Ksana darted forward to snatch the weapon off the ground as Sinnoch franctically attempted to extinguish the flames by slapping his shoulder tentacles against his chest.

  Up to this point, Osten had stood and watched the fighting, but he let out a war cry and charged Rhedyn, the latter so completely covered in shadow that it was difficult to determine exactly where he stood. Rhedyn raised his sword, the weapon also cloaked in shadow, and waited for Osten to come to him. Osten-no stranger to dealing with symbionts-made his best guess as to Rhedyn’s location and swung his sword in a wide arc, the strike designed to hit Rhedyn regardless of where he was actually standing. Unfortunately, Rhedyn dodged at the last instant and Osten’s strike missed. The shadow-shrouded warrior’s return blow didn’t miss, however. His black blade nicked Osten’s forearm, and blood welled forth from the wound.