Gilreg could almost sense the oncoming horde of Scorazan. He stood in a huge chamber. This was the place he had selected for their final confrontation. He picked it because it was a massive intersection. The adventurers and their new dark allies will definitely cross this room, and that made this area the best for an ambush.
Above him, there were two more levels to this chamber, with wide walkways intersecting in the middle. The levels were connected by stone staircases on the sides and in the center. There were a total of six entrances to the chamber. Two stood opposite each other on each of the three levels. Behind Gilreg, the three passageways led to where they had defeated Red Fang. Where the Caizene waited. The adventurers and the Scorazan will come from any of the three passageways ahead of him. The goblin warrior surveyed the room and looked up.
“Our best vantage point is the top level,” he said to Raine. The chieftain’s daughter agreed, her braided hair falling to her sides.
“Bob has the Caizene spread out and hide as best they could,” said Gilreg. The Envoy gave the orders, and dozens of the winged demons flew and scattered around the chamber.
“Having the flying Demons gives us an advantage,” noted Booger.
“Agreed. And besides, I don’t think I would feel comfortable if we had to ally with the scorpion with tentacle demons,” Nulrok said with a shiver.
“Wimp!” Shaymus teased the mage with a light jab to his arm.
“The wizard adventurer will have the higher demon’s heart. We get that. We win the fight,” said Gilreg. The others acknowledged this with nods of their heads.
“Well, this is it. We traveled far to this point,” the warrior continued.
“No long speeches,” Shaymus hissed.
“Right,” Gilreg said and put his fist in the middle. The others, even the dark elf, did the same.
“Mook Req Shah!” He said, and the others chanted it back.
With that, they climbed to the highest level. It was a large walkway about 30 meters wide and 50 meters long. On either end was a passageway. Several Caizene were already there and waited along the raised ledges on either side of the walkway. Raine climbed above the arched opening and positioned herself so that she could have the best vantage point over the entire chamber. Nulrok stationed himself under her and near the back. Shaymus somehow managed to find a hiding spot and was barely noticeable. Booger, Tassarion, and Gilreg stood ready at the front. Their weapons were out, and they were flanked by the winged demons.
“I don’t like this. We can still head to the Dreaded One’s chamber,” Bob said from the recesses of the passageway.
After a moment of silence. Gilreg answered, “This will work.” It has to, he thought to himself.
LATER
Gilreg waited. His heart was pounding in his chest. Crouched to either side of him were Booger and Tassarion. Around them were the winged Caizene demons. Their clawed feet scraped the ground as they rustled impatiently. He sensed Shaymus hidden among the many pillars that surrounded them. They were on the highest walkway, and 50 meters ahead of them was the gaping maw of an arched passageway. The warrior glanced behind, and he saw Nulrok at the entrance, and above the mage was Raine. Her sharp eyes were scanning the massive chamber that they were in. She looked at the walkway that was beneath them and the ground floor that was further below. No movement or sound came from the three openings in front of them.
From the dark recesses of the entrance before them, 50 meters away, Gilreg could make out the glowing red eyes of a Scorazon. First, it was the eyes, then the grotesque grinning mouth that was filled with needle teeth materialized as they entered the blue light. The scuttling of chitinous feet could be heard as the first demonic insect scuttled into the chamber. Another set of eyes could be seen, then two, then three, and then a dozen. They scuttled into the room, and the Caizene demons tensed around the party. Gilreg couldn’t see if the same thing was happening in the levels below him, but he could hear the faint echoes of their insect feet. Gilreg glanced up at Raine and saw that she was still scrutinizing the entire chamber. This led him to believe that the adventurers remained out of sight. The Scorazon paused at their end of the chamber. The Caizene also remained still. It was silent. Even the scraping of claws against stone stopped. It was as if all time had stopped. In a blink of an eye, the two demonic enemies charged each other. The silence was shattered and replaced with roars and shrills. Bob fluttered down next to Gilreg.
“You could have ordered them to do an organized assault,” said the goblin warrior.
Bob scoffed at the remark. “This heart prevents them from eating us. Count yourself lucky,” said the Envoy.
“I see them!” Raine said. She jumped down easily from her perch and came over to Gilreg. She pointed over the ledge.
On the second-level walkway that looked similar to the one that they were standing on, flashes of lightning caught their attention. The adventurers walked in almost casually, and their wizard had just unleashed a spell that sent several Caizene demons falling to the ground, charred and burned. The wizard wore purple robes with silver runes etched along the hems and edges. A pointy hat that matched his robe was on their head. The hat had golden stars and moons embroidered on it. Flanking the wizard’s sides were a dwarf and a half-orc. To Gilreg, the two appeared to be well-disciplined. They fought with weapons and shields. The half-orc jabbed and stabbed with a one-handed spear, and the dwarf fought with an axe. They stayed close to the wizard.
“I don’t have a clear shot, but I can try,” observed Raine.
“No, we still have the element of surprise. Bob, can you cloak us so that we can get closer,” said Gilreg.
“Yes, but I must caution you. We only see three of the adventurers. There are three more about somewhere. One of which is a master of Shadow Magic.” replied the Envoy.
“Do something because anything is better than us sitting on our thumbs,” hissed Shaymus from the shadows.
Bob summoned up a cloaking field over the entire party. They navigated through the chaos and carnage of the battling demons. The group circled around pillars and made it to the stone stairs leading to the lower walkway. They neared the adventurers. Gilreg saw that they stood confidently as fighting raged all around them. They were about thirty meters away from them on the wide walkway. A Scorazon was ripped apart by a pack of Caizene to their left. On their right, the spiked tentacles impaled several winged demons and slammed them to the ground with bloody thuds.
“I can take the shot,” Raine stated.
“Be ready, everyone,” said Gilreg.
Raine made the shot. She fired it calmly despite the raging battle around them. Bob’s veil of shadow magic faded as the arrow left it. They were now visible to everyone. Her arrow struck the mage in the heart. It would have been a perfect shot. But the wizard and his companions shimmered and faded away. The real adventurers were just behind the illusion.
“Now, that was clever. A Shadow Magic projection,” observed Bob. A ball chain struck the Envoy soundly in his chest with crushing force. He gasped and fell to his knees.
The dark-skinned chain warrior they fought in the Scorched Plains had attacked from behind a pillar. The half-orc and dwarf charged with their weapons raised. Heavy footsteps came from behind them. Gilreg spun and saw the Templar and the mage thief. With horror, Gilreg realized they had fallen into a trap. They were ambushed!
IMPETITUS, TEMPLAR OF THE BLUE FLAME
“You were right, Verene. Our goblin friends were here,” Impetitus said as he made his way toward his enemies.
“Of course I was. It was a matter of not underestimating them again,” Verene answered. She placed two fingers on her forehead and faded from view.
The shield-carrying goblin warrior barked commands to his team, and they quickly reorganized themselves. This impressed the Templar as well as annoyed him. It seems getting the Chalice will not be easy, he thought to himself. The white-haired goblin mage waved their staff, and a jagged wall of ice sprung from the floor, blocking Gregan, Markham, and Vix. The goblin warrior ordered his group to flee back up the stairs they had just climbed. No, you don’t, Impetitus thought and ran to block their escape. He swung his sword in a downward chop, and the goblin warrior deflected his attack with their shield. The templar sidestepped out of the way of the goblin’s follow-up axe attack.
Impetitus was happy to see Viridal taking this fight seriously as the wizard vaporized the ice wall with fire magic. Markham and Gregan charged through the melted ice and were met by the large orc prince. The orc masterfully utilized their broad-bladed spear and kept the two adventurers at bay with well-timed jabs and slices. Impetitus deflected a well-executed sword slice from a dark elf and returned a swing of his own. His blade was met with their buckler. The Templar heard Verene let out a shriek to his right. The Mage Thief materialized back into view as a pale-eyed goblin was viciously attacking her. He couldn’t go to her aide as his two opponents skillfully attacked him from different angles. Their sword and axe clanged against his armored legs and shoulders. His own attacks were met with their shield and buckler. The braided hair goblin rapidly fired her bow and forced Viridal and Vix to duck for cover behind a stone pillar.
VERENE, THE MAGE THIEF
“I’ve thought about little else since the last time you stabbed me in the back. How I wanted to get even,” the pale-eyed goblin hissed at Verene.
The mage thief was hurt, but luckily, her shadow magic made it difficult for the dark-skinned goblin to be more accurate with their surprise attack. Verene’s armor had absorbed most of the cut, and she was able to fight.
“Nice sword,” said Verene with a smirk.
“Thanks,” the goblin answered and then launched into an aggressive attack, swinging both blade and dagger.
Verene deflected each attack to the side and concentrated on her shadow magic. The mage thief rode the shadows like a kite riding the wind and drifted away from the aggressive goblin.
“Your fancy tricks won’t save you,” the goblin hissed. Their shoulders were hunched low, and their arms dangling at their sides.
This goblin moves fast! Verene thought to herself in shock. The mage thief barely had time to recover as her opponent rapidly closed the distance she had created. The goblin’s attacks came in low and high. All Verene could do was parry and evade. She couldn’t prepare herself for a counterattack. Verene hated to admit this, but in a straight sword fight, the pale-eyed goblin would win. But only in a straight sword fight. With a flick of her free hand and a muttered incantation, Verene summoned a veil of shadows to cover the goblin’s eyes. While they were temporarily blinded, Verene made her attack and slashed and stabbed with her sword. The goblin frantically parried and backpedaled away.
With confidence, Verene lunged forward, thrusting her blade before her. Just as she was about to impale her opponent, the small goblin ducked out of the way at the last moment. Not before they received a nick on their left cheek from Verene’s sharp blade. The goblin grinned evilly at Verene with pale eyes. Eyes that should have been covered by shadow magic were now free to see. Verene had overcommitted herself on her lunge. The goblin was close and sprung up, slashing and stabbing. Verene could deflect the sword but was cut deeply by the dagger. Verene stumbled and fell to her knees. In the chaos of the fight, she saw briefly in the corner of her eye the flash of steel as her opponent brought their sword to deliver a slice she could not hope to defend against. The intervention of a Scorazon demon saved her. The pale-eyed goblin had to somersault out of the way of the demon’s deadly pincers. Verene placed two fingers on her forehead and vanished into the folds of her Shadow Magic.
“We know your tricks! We can find you!” Screamed the goblin.
VIRIDAL THE MYSTIC
Viridal ducked behind a pillar as a series of fire darts splashed against it. Several meters to his left, Vix was also swerving to avoid arrows being shot by the braided hair goblin. The beautiful gladiator popped out and launched a graceful chain attack that caused the archer to retreat. One chain landed a glancing blow on the goblin mage’s shoulder. Vix had created a long enough distraction for the wizard to place his wind spell upon Gregan and Markham. The two were engaged in a furious fight with the large orc.
Viridal grinned as he saw the immediate effects of his enhancements. The half-orc and dwarf moved with more fluidity and ease. Whereas earlier, it appeared the three were in a stalemate. The two adventurers were not able to safely get past the orc’s clever use of his wide-bladed spear, and the orc was not able to land a hit beyond their shields. Now, however, the orc appeared to be stumbling back as Gregan landed a spear jab against their chest, and Markham’s axe clanged against the orc’s thigh.
Now, what to do about the mage? Viridal wondered. The wizard peeked past the three combatants to where the spiky-haired goblin stood. They had recovered from Vix’s last attack. The mage had their arms outstretched to their sides and was twirling the staff in small circles. There was a dark glow emanating from the tip of the staff. Necromancy? Viridal thought to himself. Then, the goblin mage’s spell became evident as the four-winged demons that Viridal had previously defeated with his lightning magic began to rise back up from the ground. Their skin turned from red to grey, and they wobbled and jerked as they moved.
“Oh, that is clever,” Viridal said. The zombie demons rushed the wizard with outstretched claws.
MARKHAM, THE DWARVEN DEFENDER
The dwarf always liked it when Viridal cast that wind spell on him. He used to worry that the spell would make him dependent upon it or worsen his normal combat ability. But it never did, and It felt natural to be able to move with such ease. He and Gregan were getting the upper hand on the Orc Prince, but the bugger was still a clever one. When he looked off balance, he would lash out with a surprise attack. The orc had caught Gregan on his shoulder, knocking the mercenary to the ground. Before the orc could finish his partner, Markham had slammed his shield into their side and pushed them back so that the half-orc could rise.
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“I gotta hand to ye prince. Ye sure know how to fight,” Markham said. The three settled into their fighting stances and began circling. The dwarf and half-orc on one side, and the prince on the other.
“I am Boogerashikti, Prince of the Blood Fist Clan. Who are you, Oorokai?” The orc prince asked with a deep voice in the orcish language. Markham understood him.
“I am Gregan, from Dizerth,” the mercenary responded, also in orcish.
They still fought as they talked. The prince wielded his wide-bladed spear with ease and skill. He jabbed, and Gregan deflected with his shield. The half-orc countered with a thrust of his spear, but the prince would retract their polearm fast enough to parry the attack. Markham took advantage of the opportunity to hack with his axe, but his blade was met with the butt end of the orc prince’s weapon. Before Gregan could move in, the prince would twirl his heavy-bladed polearm around fast, causing both the dwarf and half-orc to retreat. Even with Viridal’s enhancements, Boogerashikti was still a challenge.
Impetitus was fighting the goblin warrior and the dark elf to Markham’s right. The dwarf was only able to catch small glimpses of their exchanges, and from what he was able to see, it looked like the Templar was having a run for his money against the two. The dwarf wanted to defeat the orc before thinking about going to assist Impetitus.
“Becoming an adventurer in the service of the High Race Gods? You have lost your way, little Oorokai,” the prince said to Gregan.
The half-orc snarled in rage. “You know nothing!” He roared. The mercenary furiously rushed in.
“Gregan, don’t let em bait ya,” Markham warned, but his warning was not heeded.
The half-orc raised his shield and deflected the jabbing polearm attacks while moving in with his one-handed spear thrusting. The ferocity of Gregan’s attack caught the prince in his armored chest, forcing them to fall back. This was it! Markham thought to himself. He saw an opening and made to go in. He held his shield in his left hand and aimed an axe strike at the orc prince’s less-protected elbow. A thrown handaxe clanged loudly against the dwarf’s helmeted head, rattling him. It had come from the goblin warrior to his right!
The dwarf stumbled, dazed, to one knee. Gregan was fighting furiously with the orc prince to his left. The dwarf glanced to his right and saw that the goblin warrior had stepped back while the dark elf rushed in on Impetitus. This provided the goblin the opportunity to hurl his axe at him. That bastard! He was keeping his eyes on his allies as well as his own fight! Markham thought in wonder. If not for being stuck in the noggin, the dwarf would have been impressed with the goblin warrior. Shaking his head, the dwarf rose unsteadily to his feet. Vix was fighting the braided hair goblin. Viridal had just incinerated the zombie demons and exchanged blasts of lightning and fire with the spiky white-haired mage. Where was Verene? Markham wondered. But his attention reigned back into the fight with Boogerashikti as he saw Gregan get knocked to the ground. Markham charged the orc prince with his shield raised.
SHAYMUS
Shaymus hissed in anger for being denied her vengeance against the mage thief. In front of her was a horse-sized Scorazon. Its deadly pincers grasped for her as she deftly evaded their attempts. A spiked tentacle tail sprung out toward her, and Shaymus deflected it aside with her sword. A second tentacle attacked her, and the pale-eyed goblin ducked it. As it was retracting, she slashed off the tip with her blades. The demon screeched as its black blood spurted from the gash. It scuttled in a rage toward her.
The petite goblin ducked under its deadly pincers and slashed off its front leg. The demon had five other legs and merely stumbled a little. But now, it became slower when it turned to its right. Shaymus grinned as she circled around it faster than it could keep pace. It tried to impede her with its tentacles, but the goblin was nimble and avoided their attacks. Shaymus slashed off the next chitinous leg, and this imbalanced it. The demon fell to its side. Shaymus saw that their wounds were slowly regenerating, and the demon would be back up shortly, but for now, it was immobilized. She ran on and faded into the chaos of the battle raging around her. She found a pillar to crouch behind, and when she glanced behind her shoulder, she saw that several Caizene demons took advantage of the wounded Scorazon and pounced upon it. That was the natural course of things. The strong devoured the weak.
Being small and stealthy, Shaymus could avoid being noticed by everyone, and everything around her was distracted by fighting. She had spent years honing the skill of going unseen of being forgotten. It was like she developed a sixth sense to know when to stay in place and when to creep forward. It was based on the perspective of others. In the pitched battle, no one was paying her any attention at the moment. She was free to move to the next pillar and hide. She surveyed the battlefield. Caizene screeched and howled in the air. Scorazon scuttled and lashed out with their tentacles. For the most part, the demons focused on each other. They rarely engaged the non-demon combatants. They were like an addition to the scenery. A deadly addition to being avoided, like a cliff or a fire. She looked for the mage thief and the signs of her shadow magic that Nulrok had shown her. Nothing; it was as if the mage thief had fled the battle.
Shaymus observed Booger fighting with the dwarf and the half-orc. He was giving them a good fight, but they were very skilled. It was a dangerous dance the orc prince was having. Beyond the three, Shaymus saw Raine fight the dark-skinned chain warrior. The chieftain’s daughter had swapped out her bow for her sword and was deflecting the rapid ball-headed chain attacks. Raine was unable to get close, but neither was the chain warrior able to hit her.
Bob was still crumpled on the floor. Was he dead? She wondered to herself. Probably pretending, that coward. Looking further down the walkway, Shaymus saw the human wizard exchanging spells against Nulrok. She knew that the wizard was the vital target, but at the moment, there was no feasible way for her to sneak up on him. He was too far away, and there were too many combatants between them.
Closest to her was the Templar fighting Tassarion and Gilreg. Shaymus observed with some amusement how Gilreg was the ever-savior as the warrior imposed his shield to deflect an attack that was meant for the dark elf. The warrior also threw an axe a few meters at the dwarf in order to protect Booger. The goblin warrior stationed himself in the middle between the two different fights so that he was best situated to come to his allies’ aid. Gilreg had pulled out his second axe from his belt. Shaymus decided on her target. The small goblin crept along the shadows and was hidden by the chaos.
RAINE
Raine gripped the sword she had taken from the Templar in two hands. She channeled her focus into the blade, which glowed with a golden aura that increased her protection. She deflected a chain attack from the dark-skinned warrior before her. The chain lady raised her leg, spun the other end of the chain around it, and then pivoted her hips so that the end launched out at Raine while simultaneously the other end returned. Raine ducked the second attack and ran in, slicing with her sword. Her blade was intercepted with a clang by the middle part of the chain. Raine had to pull her sword away as the dark-skinned warrior attempted to entangle it. Raine thrust again, but her opponent dodged out of the way, twirling the chain around her head and swinging it toward the chieftain’s daughter, forcing her to duck. The two squared off. Raine holding her sword before her, and the warrior twirling in circles on both ends of her chain.
To Raine’s left was Nulrok. The spiky-haired mage erected an ice wall that intercepted an incoming fireball. The two magics negated each other in an explosion of mist and steam. Nulrok pointed his staff and launched a series of fire darts in rapid succession. The wizard crossed their arms in front of their chest and bowed his head. For a moment, it looked like he turned into stone as the fire darts splashed against him to little effect. The human caster looked up, and their earth magic faded away.
The dark skin warrior launched the balled end of her chain toward Raine, and the goblin archer dodged out of the way. Twirling and using their legs, the warrior launched out the second balled end as the first one returned. Raine deflected it and, this time, released one grip from her sword to grab the chain. In a surprise move, Raine yanked on the chain, throwing the warrior off balance. The second ball end twirled away as Raine closed the distance and thrust with her sword. She stabbed the dark-skinned warrior through the padded armor on their chest. The warrior gasped and then growled at Raine. She smashed the chieftain’s daughter in the head with the balled end of her chain. The two collapsed. The chain lady faded away as Raine struggled to her feet.
“No! Curse you!” Cried the human wizard. He was bleeding from his mouth, and his robes were ripped and torn. Nulork was panting and also bleeding. The two casters had battered themselves.
Nulrok completed an incantation and struck the wizard hard in the chest with a fire dart. The spell burned a hole through their purple robes, and blood dripped from the wound. Grimacing in agony, the human wizard made his hands into claws where lighting formed. Nulrok attempted to raise a defensive spell but was too late. The lightning arced from the wizard and struck both Raine and Nulrok. The two screamed as electricity coursed through their bodies. The two collapsed to the ground with smoke trailing from them. The wizard fell to their knees, gasping and bleeding.
GILREG
The Templar is very skilled. Gilreg reflected as he stood back at a pace. Tassarion moved in to engage the adventurer. The two fought, and the sounds of their steel clanging against each other could be heard even over the din of the demons fighting. To his right, Booger was battling the dwarf and the half-orc mercenary. Gilreg didn’t see Shaymus. Further past, the orc prince, Raine, and Nulork just collapsed to the ground. The wizard was still alive! Barely though.
Gilreg wanted to rush to his friend’s aid. To protect them. But just then, the goblin warrior heard Tassarion scream in pain. The warrior looked up and saw the dark elf stumble back as they were just stuck in the face with the pommel of the Templar’s sword. The holy warrior was bringing their blade around to finish the dark elf. The steel came down, and it thudded on Gilreg’s shield. The goblin warrior punched the edge of their shield into the Templar’s chest, forcing the adventurer back. Tassarion was on his knees. Blood was dripping from his lips, and he was hugging a wound to his abdomen.
“Now he is cursed,” the dark elf growled.
From the corner of his eye, Gilreg saw the Templar moving in to attack. Gilreg defended himself, and he and the adventurer had a skillful exchange. The Templar’s face was like a mask of stone, and their eyes set with pure focus. Then they tripped on some loose rocks. Their eyes went wide as their stone mask cracked with shock. The dark elf’s Curse had taken effect!
Gilreg’s battle senses took over his body as he moved in and went through the motions. Though his heart wanted to go and check on Raine and Nulrok. Were they alive? Were they dead? He wondered as his body fought. Deflect, strike low, parry and counter, evade, strike high. His body executed the moves in deadly accordance with his enemy. Except now, the Templar was cursed, and their ability was hampered. Their parries were a little off, and Gilreg’s axe would find a home on their armored bodies. Bruising them, tiring them, and throwing them off balance. A glancing blow paved the way for a more solid hit. A solid hit would throw them off balance and make their attacks less accurate. Their less accurate attacks would make them miss and over-extend. Their over-extension opened the way for a lethal attack.
The Templar stumbled away from Gilreg. Tassarion, seeing an opportunity, used the last of his energy to lunge with his blade. The dark elf’s sword slid through the mail armor under the Templar’s armpit. The sword found flesh! The Templar gasped in pain as Gilreg struck them soundly in their head, knocking their helmet off and freeing their long blond hair.
The next moments happened as if in slow motion. The Templar held his sword in a two-handed reverse grip, the blade pointing toward the floor. He was just out of reach, and the goblin warrior couldn’t stop the next move. The Templar slammed the blade into the ground and shouted, “By the Blue Flame!” A blue wave of fire erupted outwards from him. Gilreg was prepared for it. Tassarion was not.
The blue flame erupted in a half dome around the Templar upwards and around. It scorched and burned the fighting demons that surrounded them, causing them to collapse in smoldering heaps, for the holy magic was most potent against undead and demons. Gilreg had raised his shield and focused his Resistance on it. The warrior felt an intense heat, and for a moment, he was unsure if he could hold up against it. The heat was becoming unbearable and threatened to overwhelm him. But it ended just as abruptly as it had started. Tassarion lay on the ground and was not moving. All around them were dead and dying demons. The edges of the flame had brushed up against Booger and his opponents, but they remained standing. The eruption had paused their deadly dance. The Templar rose up, their hair falling to the sides of their face. The stone mask was put back, but the eyes showed a determined rage. The Templar waved a hand over his body, and his wounds were healed. He gripped his sword and walked toward Gilreg with a dangerous purpose.
VIRIDAL, THE MYSTIC
Viridal was on his knees. His body was bloodied, and his mind was fracturing.
“Heh, heh. Focus. Think. Focus,” he said in between laughs. He breathed in deeply and exhaled fully.
“There we are. We are back. That goblin was good.”
The wizard looked around. Ahead of him was the goblin mage with the spikey white hair lying face down on the ground. They did not appear to be rising back up. The wizard had to give the goblin credit. That was the most challenging magic duel he ever had. Viridal winced in pain. His mind was somewhat restored, but his body was a different story.
“Healing potions somewhere,” he said to himself as he patted his chest and rummaged through his pouches. He did not notice the silent figure moving between the pillars and toward him.
“Ah, here are,” said Viridal. He was holding a vial with red liquid. He was not able to drink from it. First, he felt a sharp pain in his back, and then, looking down the instant after, he saw a sword tip protruding from his chest. Looking up, he saw the grinning face of a pale-eyed goblin.
“This is for Raine and Nulrok,” it hissed at him.
“Oh, not again,” was the last thing Viridal said.
IMPETITUS, TEMPLAR OF THE BLUE FLAME
Impetitious Caseo the Third was impressed and angry. This had gone on long enough, he thought to himself as he strode over toward the goblin warrior. The Templar summoned the remainder of his energy and imbued his body with holy might. He shimmered with blue energy. When he got close enough, the goblin attacked him. He deflected their axe to the side with his sword and stepped out of the way of their shield bash. He returned with a downward slice that caught the goblin on his shoulder. It was armored, but the creature still hissed in pain. It recovered quick enough to knock a side Impetitus’s follow-up attack. They even landed a blow to the Templar’s arm, the axe head biting through the mail covering his left elbow.
Impetitus shrugged off the wound and pressed forward with mighty swings of his sword. To their credit, the goblin put up a fight. For a creature with a primitive and despicable background, the goblin fought bravely. It even fought well. Impetitus had to respect that. But this whole thing has gone on long enough. It needed to end. The Templar continued to relentlessly attack. At one point, the goblin had left their shield up a little too long. This allowed Impetitus to execute a technique he had done a million times on the battlefield. Using the crossguard of his sword and his elbows, he could knock the shield aside, reposition his sword, and drive the tip home into the goblin’s chest. The blade penetrated armor, flesh, and bone. But something was different. The goblin warrior had adjusted their shoulders and hips. They still took the wound, but their axe arm was free! The goblin, while impaled on the Templar’s sword, swung their axe and struck Impetitus in the face. The axe blade sunk deep into the Templar’s chin and overcame their holy defenses. The light in the goblin’s eyes faded.
Impetitus was deeply impressed with the goblin warrior. They fought well, even possibly better than him. Blood spilled freely from the gash on his cheek. It was a blow that, under normal circumstances, would have removed the Templar’s head. But how could they expect to overcome an Avatar of the Blue Flame? Impetitus removed his sword and bowed his head in respect to the fallen warrior.
Then he searched the goblin. Impetitus’s eyes widened as he discovered a pouch hanging from their waist. In the pouch was the Golden Chalice. Yes, at last! He thought to himself. So much time, and now, finally, his quest was complete. His holy powers have been spent. He was injured, tired, and bleeding. He fumbled with excitement through his pockets for a returning gem. The others can take care of themselves, he thought to himself. The templar intended to complete this quest. As he got a hold of the gem, he felt a sharp pain in his throat. Looking down, he saw a blade, and Verene was holding it. He gasped and choked on his own blood. He tried to ask “why?” but was unable to.
The mage thief took the Chalice from his dying hand. The Templar collapsed to his knees. He pleaded with her with bloody fingers. His life was fading.
“Foolish Impetitus. You are wondering why, and I suppose you deserve as much. I have money, so treasure is meaningless to me. Glory? I care not. But power is what I seek. The legends say that those who drink the blood of the Dreaded One from this Chalice will free themselves from their bondage to the Gods. I have served Viaiter long enough. Our arrangement was mutually beneficial, but now it is no longer needed. I wish to break my contract with her. This Chalice will do that. Goodbye, Impetitus,” Verene said and faded into the shadows.