by Robe
21
“Leave him alone,” Kandon said, leaning against the wall in the room where Ziem lay, the others gathered around him.
Joan had been relentlessly fussing over Ziem since she had arrived, ensuring he was comfortable, well-fed, watered, not too hot, not too cold, and in as little pain as possible. It was evident Ziem was embarrassed by all of the attention, but some part of him didn’t seem to be minding it.
“When you’re not well, isn’t it nice to have someone looking after you?” Joan asked, straightening the pillows under Ziem’s back.
“It’s nice to be looked after,” Kandon agreed, “but what you’re doing is obsessive.”
“You’re just jealous,” Joan said, smiling.
Kandon opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again and instead looked out the window. “They’re back,” he spoke and left the room to greet their allies. He returned a moment later with Auric, Dalk, Reon, and Hazzul following him.
“Ziem!” Reon exclaimed. “How are you holding up, friend? Auric told us about your mishap. You must be made of some tough stuff!”
Ziem smiled. “I’m fine, Reon. Thank you.”
“It’s good to know you’ll make a full recovery,” Dalk said. “I wouldn’t want to see our group without you.”
The room was quite crowded with a total of nine people packed tightly between the four walls.
“We need to decide who’s coming with us to find Argain,” Auric said. “Hazzul has graciously offered to help us locate him, so this time, we’ll have the drop on him. Someone needs to stay with Ziem. I, and probably all of you as well, would feel uneasy leaving him alone in his state.”
“I’ll be fine…” Ziem said quietly.
“No. I won’t take that risk,” Auric said dismissively. “Thraun, you’ve been so vigilant these past few hours, will you be watchful for a while longer?”
“But won’t you need me? I am well-rested and ready for anything that villain can throw at us,” the shield raiser replied.
“A good reason to keep you here,” Auric said. “With your power, you’ll be able to hold anyone or anything out until help arrives.”
Accepting this, Thraun nodded.
“Ziem, it’s important you focus on getting better,” Auric said. “No matter what, try not to do anything that’ll aggravate your wound.” Auric looked around at his companions, each of them standing and waiting for his command. “Is everyone ready?” he asked, and the response was a collective yes.
“Still, I feel his presence,” Hazzul said, his voice quiet and clammy. “He is closer than he has been in a long time.”
“Lead the way, Hazzul. We will follow,” Auric said, and the seven people left the room.
-
Hazzul guided them with no hesitation. If he faltered, it was only to ensure the others were still following him before quickly spinning forward again to stalk in the direction Argain’s power was pulling him. Several of the Martins watched the large party as they traveled through the streets, and it was the first time any of them had gotten to actually look at their surroundings.
Oluld was a small village with wide-open paths for carts to be pulled easily through. Few buildings rose higher than one story. The roads were not paved like in Rathelstat, and the ground was smooth beneath their feet, the dirt trampled tightly from constant use. Little tufts of grass grew in several places on either side of the street, but it was yellow and tan instead of lush green. It wasn’t long until they cleared Oluld, and the buildings behind them began to grow farther away as Hazzul led the group into the wild.
Before them stretched a vast terrain of hills, mostly covered in tall, brown grass and featuring the occasional jagged tree. Looking out into the horizon would prove ineffective as the elevated earth restricted one’s view to the nearest ascent. Hazzul pressed forward, brushing the grass away as he went.
The companions were surprised at such a terrain, so different from anything they had ever seen before. As they walked through the grass, they found it was quite soft and easy to displace, much lighter than it appeared from far away. High in the sky, the sun hung, and its warmth was prominent as it glowed down on them, a change to the much cooler climates of Lon Gairdas and Rathelstat.
“It is not far,” Hazzul said. “I feel him very strongly now.”
Veese watched the side of Auric’s face, trying to read him. It was very possible the man they followed blindly could be working for Argain himself, and that they were walking right into a trap. Veese couldn’t tell if Auric had thought about this and not acted upon it, or if it had not even occurred to him. He felt it was safe to rule out the latter.
The group skirted the side of one more hill, and as they came around, their eyes fell upon a large, very out-of-place-looking house, perfectly hidden against the hillside. It looked nothing like any of the other houses in Martin and shared many more resemblances with the northern region’s architecture.
“You have proven invaluable, Hazzul,” Auric said. “We’ll take it from here. Thank you for your guidance.” Hazzul bowed and crept away, quickly vanishing behind the uneven land.
“So, he’s in there,” Dalk said, kneeling to look at the structure ahead of them. “I wonder if he was always this close to us in Rathelstat and Lon Gairdas. Do you think he’s expecting us?”
“Can’t be. Can’t know we’re here yet,” Auric said.
“What about Balanch?” Joan asked. “Certainly he warned Argain, and I don’t think we can take both of them.”
“Alright,” Auric said, turning to his allies. “We’ll go in assuming Balanch is inside as well as Argain. Reon, I need you to hurl everything you’ve got at Argain. Keep him busy while Kandon tries to get a clean shot at him. Joan and Dalk, you two hold off Balanch if he’s inside. Make sure he doesn’t get in the way. I’ll rush Argain, and Veese, you try to get behind him. With any luck, we can end this conflict here and now.”
He turned back around and looked at the building for a moment longer before starting forward, his companions at his heels.When they reached the house, Auric leaned against the door and gently tried the knob. To little surprise, it was locked, and Auric instead turned to the window close by. Almost too easily, the glass pane was lifted up, and after glancing at his friends to reassure them, Auric climbed through.
It was strangely empty within, the only furniture resting in the immediate room being a desk with papers sprawled about it. Once the rustling of Dalk’s climb through the window had ended, the group became aware of a faint screaming nearby; the muffled sound had been easy to miss until all else was silent. Auric turned to see his allies’ faces hardened with conviction at the sound and led the way through the doorway to the next room.
The cries grew louder as they progressed around the house of empty rooms, and as they reached another door, it was evident that the person making the noise was near. Auric tried to throw the door open but found it was locked. No longer concerned with making a ruckus, he slammed his shoulder into it, trying to force past its wooden frame. As he fruitlessly crashed against the door, a man’s voice shouted back through.
“Please, hurry!” the voice cried. “You have to help! Hurry!”
Auric stood away from the door and pointed to it. “Reon, burn it.”
Stepping forward and flourishing his right hand, a fireball formed above his palm. “Step back!” he shouted to the man on the other side before hurling it at the door. The fireball exploded against the wood, leaving a blackened spot behind. Reon stepped closer for his next attempt. This time, he outstretched his hand, and a wave of flames wafted into the door. After a few moments, the wood ignited, and the door began to burn away, its body crackling and withering as the fire consumed its fuel. The group watched impatiently until the blockade looked weak enough.
“With me, Dalk!” Auric exclaimed, and together, the two men ran at the door. Just before they reached it, Reon drew the energy from the flames, starving the fire and immediately extinguishing it.
/> A man was clinging to a table at the opposite side of the room and pointing toward another door. He looked like he’d been beaten within inches of his life, and he could barely stand. Rushing toward the battered victim, Auric reached out to support him.
“Where is he?” Auric asked, and the man pointed again to the closed-off entryway. The screaming was very loud now, coming from just the other side of the heavy door. “Get him out of here,” Auric said to Veese and passed the man to his ally, leaving Veese looking confused, and then very opposed. Regardless, he swallowed his disagreement and guided the man out of the room.
“Can you burn this one?” Auric asked Reon over the agonized wailing coming from the other side.
“I can try,” Reon muttered, and he began to sear the second door. This door was made of much heavier wood, and even Reon’s best fire barely got it to light. Once the door was aflame, Reon closed his eyes and raised a hand to the fire, causing the waving flags of orange to suddenly intensify and spread destructively.
“Dalk, with me,” Auric commanded again, and they slammed into the burning door, much like they had the first, and brought it down. As the pair regained their balance, they looked up to find quite a scene. Directly before them stood Argain, looking at the intruders in surprise, and before him lay a Martin woman, vines sprouting from the ground to restrain her.
“You!” Argain snarled as he turned to face them, revealing that a knife was already embedded into his shoulder. Auric dove forward, but more vines shot from the ground and entangled him in his place. Dalk strafed the Evil God and put himself between Argain and the woman on the ground. A white blast of light from Argain’s hand sent Dalk tumbling next to her. Reon tried to throw a fireball at the Evil God, but Argain reflected it back at the hero with much greater force. The explosion was so immense it sent Reon, Joan, and Kandon tumbling backwards.
Suddenly, Balanch was in the room, the expression on his face revealing how little he expected to find his master being attacked. He raised his hands and cemented Joan and Kandon to the floor with tar. Reon rose and threw a fireball at Balanch, hitting him on the left shoulder. While Balanch beat the flames out of his clothes, Reon rushed at him and slammed into his opponent, taking them both to the ground. In an instant, Reon’s gladius was at Balanch’s throat, and for once, the villain didn’t have anything to say.
A commotion made Reon glance quickly behind to see Argain emerging from the second room with Auric entangled in vines before him, strangling the leader. Reon turned back to Balanch and punched him across the face once before rising and hurling a fireball at Argain. The Evil God snarled as the fire hit him sideways, and the vines constricting Auric instead dragged him across the room, over a table, and slammed him into the opposite wall. As the Evil God turned to Reon, the pyromancer threw another fireball at him. Argain caught the fireball in midair, and in the moment that he held it, the flames turned green. With a sneer, Argain extended his hand, the green fireball in front of it, and from the well of energy an intense barrage of green flames sprayed at Reon.
His surprise almost bought the fire enough time to reach him, but Reon raised his hands before him and willed the flames to stop. He closed his eyes and focused on the tongues of heat as they lapped at his face, the warmth not affecting him, but the malignant magic of Argain stinging his nose. The green fire grew more furious still, and it took Reon every ounce of strength he had to repel the force.
Joan saw Reon buckling under the power of the Evil God as she struggled against the adhesive tar that held her securely on the ground. Her arms were completely useless against the black substance, and she cursed to herself as she watched Reon staggering backwards away from Argain. Someone was beside her, and she realized it was Dalk coming to her aid. He slashed away the tar with his sword, freeing her from its suppressive grip. She rose and channeled a blast of water directly at Argain, striking him from behind just as Reon fell backwards through the first charred doorway.
The Evil God spun and released another blinding burst of light, knocking Joan, Dalk, and the newly-righted Auric down again. However, the blast did not hit Kandon, who was still on the carpet shortly after being freed from the tar. As the glare from Argain’s last attack faded, Kandon took aim and fired his crossbow at the Evil God, hitting him in the chest and sending him to the floor.
Behind Argain, Balanch was rising again, surveying the turmoil around him, and he saw his master lying on the ground. When they made eye contact, Argain hurriedly pulled a glowing sword from its sheath at his side and threw it toward Balanch.
The instant Balanch’s fingers wrapped around the hilt of the weapon, the power within surged along its edge. Symbols ran up either side of the blade, glowing grey and giving the tool an aura that radiated power. Otherwise, it was a normal sword, slightly heavier than most, but of basic, single-handed design.
Balanch turned and looked at Reon lying only a few feet away from him and raised his sword, but instead of finishing off the defenseless hero, he hesitated. A shout to his left alerted him of an attack from Auric, and the hero slashed against Balanch’s sword with his own. Balanch retaliated, and the force of his swing sent Auric hurtling back into the wall behind him. From where he attempted to recover, Auric could see Balanch staring at this new weapon, and a visible breeze of magic wafted from the strange, glowing markings on the blade to the villain’s forearm.
With Auric out of the way, Balanch advanced toward Joan, Dalk, and Kandon on the opposite side of the room. Even though they’d just reclaimed their balance from Argain’s burst of light, Balanch slashed the sword forward, and a wave of muck flew at the heroes. Joan was able to dodge the attack, but the two men were hit and thrown against the wall. Spraying Balanch with a weak jet of water, Joan flanked the man, luring him away from her friends. He overcame the water with a stream of black muck and released a funnel of smoke after her in retaliation.
After cutting the tar away from himself, Dalk slashed at Kandon’s bindings. He dragged the man to his feet and pushed him toward the room where he had left the injured girl and pointed to show Kandon what to do. Turning, he saw Joan and Balanch locked in combat, hurling their magic at each other in a battle of sorcery. Joan took a direct hit from Balanch’s tar as Dalk approached, and then the villain turned toward his next opposer.
Their swords collided, and Dalk struggled to keep his weapon in place. The blade Balanch held felt almost as if it were vibrating with power as their swords scraped together, and it was all Dalk could do to keep on his feet against the immense blows Balanch was exerting with such little effort. Quickly, it became clear that Dalk could not win the swordfight, and he instead turned to the wounded Evil God as Argain retreated slowly, trying to conserve his remaining energy.
Dalk flew toward the mastermind with a lunge, and he could only recoil before Dalk was blasted down by another one of Balanch’s attacks. The impact of the blow slammed Dalk into a wall, and his head spun as he tried to regain composure. Suddenly, he felt an arm lifting him, and he struggled before realizing it was Auric. The leader of their group looked quite battered after suffering being thrown around so much, and Dalk wasn’t sure how he was still standing. Beside them, Kandon was carrying the Martin girl in his arms. Reon had risen again, and he and Joan were relentlessly hurling water and fire at Balanch, keeping him from attacking the others. Clearly beaten, the heroes fled the room and ran through doorways and down corridors until they reached the window from which they had entered.
“Leaving so soon?” Balanch called as he pursued them. Kandon and the Martin girl were ushered out the window first, and then Dalk and Auric. “The fun has just begun!” Balanch exclaimed as he entered the room from which they were escaping. A final fireball from Reon made Balanch defend himself, and the last two heroes slipped out the window and escaped into the mess of hills and plains of the Martin savanna.
22
The heroes returned to Oluld, beaten and gasping for breath. They ran into Veese just as he was leaving to rejoin them.
Hardly in fit shape, Auric and Reon were each hanging on one of Joan’s shoulders, Dalk was barely standing, and Kandon held an unresponsive woman in his arms. Veese looked at Auric, his eyes demanding an explanation.
Auric shook his head, and Veese spoke, “The man I brought back here told me to wait while he went to talk to someone, but I could not stand idle while you combatted our foe. I will take you to where he left me.”
Veese led them through Oluld, and the group gathered many stares and gasps from the Martins. Some even offered their aid to the wounded companions, but Veese dismissed them with a wave. Shortly, Veese came up to a structure stretching quite a ways in depth. It was a huge building of unknown purpose, and unlike most of the other houses, a garden with a wide variety of bright and colorful flowers welcomed them. They entered and found themselves in one large, very extravagantly decorated room; the walls were adorned with wreaths and banners, and round basins full of flames hung from metal chains in the rafters, giving the entire room a bloom of wavering light.
The party trudged through the open room toward a group of people sitting and standing around a table, including the man Veese had taken from Argain’s lair. As they approached, the man jumped up, startling the person who was tending to his wounds.
“There they are!” he shouted. “Marima!” He took a step toward them and would have toppled to the ground had the woman tending his injuries not grabbed him. “You’re safe! You’re alive!” he panted, steadying himself.
The woman in Kandon’s arms, presumably Marima, had not said a word since the heroes had rescued her, and she continued this behavior.
“Is she alright?” the man asked, his face growing concerned.
“We don’t know what state she’s in,” Kandon said. “We don’t know what that bucket of horse dung was doing to her before we got there.”