by Paul Kidd
“Jus, hold on! I’m coming!”
The ranger lay trapped by the crab’s claw, his armor cut andbuckling as he slowly lost headway against the giant beast. As Escalla whirred past him, Sir Olthwaite jerked into action and smacked at the crab with his sword.
Jus gathered himself, took a hard grip on the crab’s claws,and roared like a maddened bear as he slowly forced the pincer blades apart. He flung his head sideways as the crab loomed above him with its open maw.
“Cinders!”
The hell hound blasted flame into the crab’s gaping mouth andthe giant crustacean gave a piercing scream. The Justicar heaved, wrenching the crab’s claw open and tossing the limb aside. The crab backed away, shieldingitself in panic from Cinders’ flames.
Hovering above the monster, Escalla gave a shriek of triumph and cast the oil pot down. The ceramic jug instantly rebounded from the creature’s algae-padded shell and landed safe and sound amongst the fish headson the floor.
Holding his side, the Justicar lurched backward as the crab came at him again.
“Escalla, whatever you’re doing, do it fast!”
The girl picked up the oil flask, sensed a sudden wind, and looked across her shoulder to see the giant crab’s claws blurring straighttoward her throat. She changed herself into a fish head and fell bouncing to the floor, the oil flask thudding into the trash.
The crab flailed its claw down like a club, flattening trash and smashing at the refuse. The oil jar broke with a crash, and green slime spattered up onto the monster’s arm.
A fish head rolled one big yellow eye, screamed like a frightened child, and suddenly sprouted spider’s legs. Yelping in fright, thefaerie grabbed her fallen clothes and ran between the crab’s feet, leaping ontothe Justicar as the monster slowly turned around.
The beast saw all its prey together in once place and lumbered down the corridor. Jus, Sir Olthwaite, and Escalla scrabbled frantically back as green slime spread like wildfire up the crustacean’s arm.
The slime attack finally registered somewhere in the crab’sdull brain. The creature screamed and battered its claw against the ground, slime spattering all across the stone. Jus peeled the spider-legged fish head from his back and held the faerie dangling in the air.
“Escalla! The chest! Hurry!”
Naked, the faerie popped back into her usual form, took a look at the rampaging crab, then sped like an arrow straight past the creature’sthrashing limbs. The crab had smeared slime on its face, covering its eyes with the predatory sludge. It swiped blindly at the faerie as she passed then turned to lumber after her to protect its treasure horde.
The faerie flung herself down beside the heavy treasure chest and wrenched open the lid. Inside lay a long silver trident, a beautiful magic wand inlaid with ice-worm’s shell, and a dazzling carpet of pearls.
“Pearls!” The girl jammed her fingers in among the heaps ofgems, then stared in hunger at the magic wand. “Wand!”
“The trident!” Jus bellowed as the crab bore down uponthe girl. “Hurry!”
“Pearls!” The faerie held three priceless black pearls in herhand.
The trident lay gleaming at her feet-as much as a faeriecould possibly hope to haul. Escalla rammed the big black pearls into her mouth and swallowed the things whole. She jammed the wand between her teeth, used a wad of algae to shield her hands, and took a grip upon the trident’s head. Shedragged the thing out of the chest, gave a great heave of relief, then threw herself wildly aside as a crab claw smashed the chest to flinders.
Entirely covered in pustulous green slime, the crab gave a bubbling cry of fury and pain. It smacked its claw down to try and crush the faerie. Escalla ducked as green slime spattered through the room. Sizzling gobbets missing her skull to land among the fish heads and the algae.
Lurching in a blind frenzy, the crab began slashing at the empty air with its claw. Her teeth clamped on her magic wand, Escalla ran. The trident bounced and clattered as she dragged it across the stone floors. Hearing the noise, the crab turned and whipped its dissolving claw to smash the little creature to the ground.
The claw rose high in the air, ripping a hole in the transparent membrane of the roof, and a column of boiling water thundered down onto the crab. Escalla risked one brief look across her shoulder, saw the entire ceiling rip apart behind her, and then fled before a foaming tidal wave of boiling water and steam.
Jus hung in the metal doorway, blocking it as Sir Olthwaite made to slam the huge doors shut. Escalla ran as she had never run before, her wings blurring to push her into greater speed as she clung grimly to the trident. The boiling water wall foamed and roared behind her, consuming crab, algae, fish heads, and green slime. The girl flung herself the last few yards toward the doors. She felt Jus catch her by the neck and physically fling her on into the corridor. The big man turned and shielded her from the first blast of boiling water as he lunged inward through the doors. A sizzling wall of water crashed into him from behind, splashing deadly foam across Cinders’ fur. Theforce of the water smashed the metal doors shut behind him with a thunderous clang. Water surged about the floor, steaming evilly as Jus thrashed forward into the next chamber and hauled shut the second set of doors.
The Justicar was badly burned about the legs yet never stopped moving until his companions were safe. The boiling water slammed into the outer doors, but their strong metal frames held. The ranger stared at the doors for one moment, then his knees gave way and he fell to the floor. He skin was red and already beginning to blister in several places.
Landing upon Polk’s backpack, Escalla dug out the lasthealing potion and raced it over to her friend.
“This is the last one! Do you have a healing spell?”
“I’m out!” Jus hissed, the pain of the burns making himsqueeze shut his eyes. “Give me the potion!”
She fed it to him herself, then stripped away his trousers to inspect the damage. The backs of his legs were blistered and red. Wincing, Escalla poured cool water from a canteen across the burns. The potion slowly eased the damage, making it fade before the faerie’s eyes.
With all damage gone, the girl heaved out a long-held sigh, then patted the man upon one hairy thigh.
“Well, that one must have hurt like hell.” The girltook a great deal of reassurance from the touch. “Hey Cinders, you all right?”
Fine.
“Well, at least you got a bath.”
Escalla looked down, discovered she was naked, and retrieved her clothes from a silent Polk. She picked up her new magic wand, read the runes along its side, and looked up in hostility as the paladin came near.
Sir Olthwaite cleared his throat. “Do you know how to workthe wand?”
Escalla turned away, holding her new treasure against her chest. The wand was covered with ice runes. “I might.”
A thunderous boom echoed from the boiling lake beyond as the last of the air-filled chamber collapsed under the water. “What the hell wereyou doing while Jus was fighting the crab?”
“I fought the crab!” The armored man drew himself proudlyerect. “I have already told you, the wights have diminished my fighting powers!”
“Really?”
The paladin gave a distasteful sniff.
“I hardly think this is the place for a mere faerie tocomment upon the fighting prowess of a knight of the realm.”
For once, Escalla did not deign to answer. Instead, she looked down the barrel of her wand, patted it twice, and then cradled it in her arms. Backing away in midair, she swirled over toward the gear left lying in the water on the floor.
“Well, here’s Wave. That’s two magic weapons down and one togo.” Escalla kicked at the trident with her booted foot. “Polk, you carry it.Use rags to protect your hands.” The girl lifted her chin. “Touching thesethings can cause you power burns, you know.”
Sir Olthwaite looked from the trident to the girl in puzzlement.
“Why did you take the trident? You could have had the gems!”
&n
bsp; “Jus wants the trident.”
“But you didn’t get any treasure! You’re still poor!”
The faerie shrugged and smiled wickedly. “That too shallpass.” The girl rested a hand upon the Justicar’s shoulders. “Hey J-man, you allright?”
“I’m fine.” The man rose slowly, testing his legs for burns.Battered and wet with the hell hound pelt upon his head, he looked like a wolverine that had been brushed the wrong way. “Let’s go.”
They moved down the corridor, heading for the kelpie pool. Hanging back to walk at the Justicar’s side, Sir Olthwaite tapped thoughtfullyat his own chin.
“So you have the city’s two weapons? Will you be leavingnow?”
Jus kept his head down, thinking as he walked.
“No.”
“No?”
“Blackrazor.” The Justicar settled his grip upon his blacksword. “We’ll fetch it.”
Escalla looked back at her friend and gave an enigmatic smile. Sir Olthwaite drew in a proud breath and nodded.
“Yes. Why settle for two weapons? We shall overawe the baronby retrieving all three.”
“I’m not working for the baron.” The Justicar breathed easieras the healing potion finished its work. “I like to make sure nothing ends up inthe wrong hands.”
“Wrong hands?”
“Ones I have judged and found wanting-”
The paladin heard the words, frowned, and looked at the ranger.
“I regret that I have already used up my own healing giftupon my slain companions.” The man tugged at his chin. “You still seem injured.What is this spell you are reserving? Surely it cannot be more important than your health?”
“A silence spell.” The Justicar pushed his way into thekelpie’s room and watched the two weed-women dive away in fright. “And it ismore important than my health.”
20
“Hey, Enid.”
“Oh, hello!” Enid the Sphinx sat primly upright in her placeat the dungeons main junction. “Still at it?”
“Still going.” Escalla gave a sigh. “Anyway, Enid, SirOlthwaite. Sir Olthwaite, Enid.”
Enid obviously remembered the paladin. She grumpily flexed her claws and said, “We’ve met. He guessed my riddle.”
“Ah, he’s a student of the classics. It happens-no pointgrumbling. We move on, we learn.” Escalla put a comradely arm about Enid’sshoulders then tapped Polk upon the skull. “Polk, oil flask! I’m going to go getmore slime!”
The Justicar raised one thoughtful eyebrow.
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s great stuff!” The faerie whizzed down the easterncorridor. “Back in a flash. Meanwhile, did anyone bring lunch?”
Lunch! Cinders wagged his damp tail. Burnt bones andcoal!
“And I even brought you naphtha for afterward.” Jus removedthe hell hound skin and affectionately began to tidy its fur. “Here we go. Eathearty.”
Escalla returned to find her compatriots wrestling with strips of hardened jerky. Enid delicately nibbled on a piece of bread, showering crumbs across the watery floor. The faerie descended and gave a full slime-jug to Polk, who unhappily stored the thing away. Snatching Polk’s lunch while theman’s back was turned, Escalla settled upon Enid’s furry back.
“Lunch looks… challenging.”
Jus gnawed his jerky and shrugged. Sir Olthwaite distastefully put his food away. Having grown used to the ranger’s camp cooking,Escalla happily stuffed her face and enjoyed her meal, though it didn’t lastlong.
Sitting in the midst of a shower of crumbs, she announced, “So, we ready to go?”
“Yup.” Jus passed the faerie his canteen. “Let’s move.”
The group waded off down the western tunnel. Behind them, Enid waved a cheerful paw.
“Have a nice time!”
“You too!” Escalla flew backward to wave goodbye. “We’ll playriddles tonight, but no eating people anymore, all right?”
“I’m relatively over that little phase now!” Enid gave afinal wave. “See you!”
The western tunnel’s trap provided a few minute’s pause.Walking ahead of the Justicar, Sir Olthwaite halted and flexed his fingers in frustrated indecision. After a moment, he pointed to the water-covered ground ahead.
“The floor drops away here. It is only a ten-foot of gap, butthat’s quite enough to drown in.”
The Justicar lifted his magic light and squinted at the water. Escalla popped into visibility and tried to see whether anything lurked down below.
“How did you cross last time?” she asked.
“We swam. I removed my armor and drew it across the hole witha rope.”
It seemed a simple enough plan. Jus took one pace backward, sheathed his sword, and said, “Good. You go first.”
With a sharp glance of distaste at the ranger, Sir Olthwaite unbuckled his pauldrons and let his arm pieces slide off. Chunk by chunk he divested himself of his armor, letting the metal plates collect at his feet. Dressed in a soiled blue undersuit, the man bundled up his equipment and wrapped it with a few turns of his thin rope. He tied off the scorched rope end and without a backward glance, slipped into the water and began to swim across the gap.
Jus watched carefully then jerked his chin at the water trap.
“Polk, you’re next.”
Polk swallowed, eyeing the oily, filthy pool.
“Now, son, this seems a grand place to hide a monster! Youhave to realize that evil lurks-it lurks-meanin’ it likes to hide.”
Jus kept careful eyes and ears on the passageway.
“We already dangled some bait. Nothing’s there.” The Justicarhelped Polk from his backpack. “Can you swim?”
“Well, son, now that’s another point of contention in yerplan.”
Jus leaned the trident against one wall. He helpfully stuffed Polk’s chronicles inside one of his waterproof scroll tubes and handed the manone end of his own rope.
“You don’t swim?”
“Nope, not a stroke. That’s what I’m saying!”
“Time to learn.”
Jus threw the other end of the rope to a dripping, fuming Sir Olthwaite and unceremoniously pushed Polk into the pool. The teamster squawked and thrashed like a drowning rat until the paladin hauled the rope and landed him on the far side of the pit.
Escalla hovered behind and above Sir Olthwaite, her new wand tucked under one arm and pointing at the paladin. Jus gave a nod to the faerie, then patted Cinders on the head. Sword, boots, armor, and all, he jumped into the water, swam across, and emerged dripping at the far side. The big man shook himself dry like a wolf, sending water flying out to spatter the paladin.
Sir Olthwaite grimaced angrily then turned to point down the corridor.
“We were attacked just around the corner.” Hanging his swordfrom his belt, the man shouldered his armor bundle. “There’s no pointre-armoring. I shall show you why.”
The group trudged down the corridor, their skin filthy with muck from the water. Marginally cleaner than the other adventurers, Escalla whistled a little tune between her teeth. The ranger threw a clod of algae at her invisible rear end in an effort to silence her. The faerie went into a huff, zipped around a corner, and then suddenly unveiled her magic light.
“Hey! There’s dead guys here!”
The party rounded the corner. Escalla hovered in midair above a human body that lay floating face-up in the water. Dressed in a slashed robe and hat, the corpse was clearly that of the baron’s sorcerer.
Two other corpses floated nearby. They were wights, gray skinned and leathery, and had obviously been slashed with swords. The Justicar strode forward and checked the monsters for signs of life in the simplest possible way: he hacked their heads off one by one. With that job done, he prodded at the dead sorcerer from a distance with his sword.
“Life drain. See the burns?”
Escalla hovered at her friend’s side and asked, “What doesthat?”
“Negative energy creatures, wights, vampires.” The Justi
carknelt and relieved the body of a healing potion jammed into its belt. “But thatisn’t what killed him. This man was stabbed from behind.”
Sir Olthwaite managed to appear sanctimonious as he spoke. “Acreature slain by a wight becomes a wight. I therefore performed the final office of a friend.”
The Justicar said nothing.
Escalla flew a few paces farther out of reach and said, “Allright! Let’s just remain acquaintances then, shall we?”
Jus uncorked the healing potion, sniffed at it in suspicion, and seemed satisfied enough to clip it to his own belt.
“The potion seems all right.” Jus checked the smooth slide ofhis sword inside its sheath. “Paladin, you left a perfectly good potion behind?Why?”
Sir Olthwaite seared the Justicar with a disdainful glance and replied, “Some of us have a distaste for robbing the dead.”
“The worms don’t need it. We do.” Jus rose and took a closelook at the corridor ahead. “Tell us about this passageway.”
“The tunnel up ahead is lined with copper slabs,” the paladinexplained. “A hum of power seems to ripple through the metal, making the dankair shimmer with force.” Sir Olthwaite touched the bare copper with his hand.“It’s a trap designed to strip away your weapons and armor. Metal heats as youwalk down the tunnel.”
“Getting hotter over distance or hotter over time?” asked theJusticar.
“Time.” The paladin seemed evasive. “So it seemed.”
The Justicar watched Sir Olthwaite for a moment then said, “Where’s the Geshtai priestess?”
“I sent her through the tunnel. She did not return.”
Sent her? That was interesting. The Justicar noddedslowly, then looked down the corridor.
Hovering up near the ceiling, Escalla stuck a hand into the passage and twiddled her fingertips.
“Feels all right. I can go take a look.” The girl frowned.“Cinders, what do you smell?”
Undead. Evil!
“Now that’s not good.” Lifting her magic light, Escalla gavea swirl. “Shall I go?”
“Do it.” The Justicar kept his eyes on the corridor.“Paladin, guard the rear.”