6

Bale's Parts

"I'm dead," Cricket mourned softly. "He killed me."

"He didn't kill you," Jeshu shouted, blocking a thrust with his shield, then smashing his opponent with an overhead swing of his hammer. He took advantage of the lull in battle to kneel at the insect's side.

"He smashed my brains in. I'm killed. I'm all the way killed."

"It mostly crushed your jaw. Don't try to talk. You'll only make it worse." The druid reached out and pushed a piece of hanging shell back into place, then retrieved another piece from the ground and placed it on Cricket's cheek like a puzzle piece, maneuvering until the edges lined up. "Now hold still." Cricket took a deep breath as he felt the shell begin to mend. After a few seconds, he was able to move his head without fear of it falling apart or collapsing in on itself.

"You're going to have a scar," Jesh cautioned.

Cricket reached up and touched his face gently. He felt a jagged ridge running down most of his face. Absently, he looked at Jeshu's scar, now just a crag on the druid's cheek.

"Scar buddies?" The insect stared down at his hands. "We're going to be scar buddies, but I won't die."

Jesh sighed in irritation. "No. You're fit to walk. And you better, because I'm going to have to carry Oydd out of here." The druid went to retrieve the rudra.

"Licephus, sir, will you carry me? I got hit awful bad."

Licephus growled. "Get up! You should be thankful you're alive. The goblins have withdrawn for now, but they may simply be organizing." The vampire headed for the exit.

Cricket waved a few hands in front of his face to test his vision, then slowly made his way to his feet and dusted off his shell.

"They have a rudra," he told Jeshu as the druid walked by with Oydd over one shoulder and Orth on the other.

"I saw." Jesh grunted. "And he's a necromancer, like Oydd."

"How can you tell?"

"I can tell," Jesh answered coldly and followed after the vampire.

"Why's everyone so mad?" Cricket took a lazy kick at the felled troll's head then ran to catch up with the group.

Licephus marched for nearly an hour uphill, past bubbling pools of lava, and through an expansive cooled magma vent.

Cricket stayed by the bouncing rudra's side, and when Oydd finally opened his eyes, the insect scrunched up his feelers sheepishly and stammered an apology.

Oydd interrupted him, speaking weakly. "You did the right thing, Cricket."

"Oh..." The insect smiled. "Are you okay?"

Oydd nodded, then vomited over the druid's shoulder. Jeshu stopped and lowered him to his feet.

Oydd blushed. "Thank you, but I... I really detest being carried. It's humiliating."

Jeshu laughed and patted Orth on the head.

"Come this way," the vampire signaled, steering the group from the main path. "I haven't seen anything but an imp or two for some time. "If the goblins are following us, they are far behind."

"What about the spellcasters?" Cricket asked.

"If they wish to find us, there is nothing we can do."

"I'm surprised that a half troll could know magic, seeing as full trolls are such brutes," Jesh said.

The vampire cocked his head, thinking. "Perhaps the resiliency of their troll heritage allows them to more easily dabble in darkness without corrupting their minds. Still, I have not seen many half troll magic-users."

"We fought one beneath Azandes' cathedral," Cricket added cheerfully. "Oydd keeps it as a ghoul!"

"Actually, I'm surprised half trolls exist at all," the druid continued. "Frankly, trolls are too large to reproduce with most races. I've never seen them on the surface."

Licephus answered, "Trolls are fertile from infancy. As soon as they can walk, they begin to rape and pillage. Pregnancies on the surface are still rare. Few victims survive. And the elves, for one, execute those who do, as a mercy."

Licephus found a hollow in the lava rock and sat on the ground.

Cricket kicked a rock and paced by the opening while the others settled down.

The vampire scowled and stared off in thought.

Eventually, the insect dared to disturb him. "I don't think I've seen you frustrated before."

Licephus turned his scowl to face the insect, and Cricket flinched nervously.

"I'm not usually so reckless," Licephus growled. "I was careless and foolish. I followed a creature through an unknown portal because I could, and that made me feel powerful."

The vampire closed his eyes and began to meditate. "However, when I grow irritable, it usually means I need to feed. It has been too many days."

"Can you feed here?"

"I prefer to hunt on the surface, where the blood is red. If I can have a few hours of quiet, it will be best for all of us."

"Aren't you worried we'll be hunted down?" Jesh asked.

"As I said, it will be best for all of us." The vampire's lip twitched as he repeated himself.

Jeshu approached Cricket at the entrance of the cave. "Get some rest. You need it more than me."

"That doesn't sound fun. How about Rock, Paper, Scissors? Winner gets to keep watch."

"Go lie down, friend. I can recover while I watch."

Cricket hesitated, but entered the cave and lay down. A moment later he yawned and said, "I'm like scissors. You're like paper, Jesh. Because you cover us. Oydd..." he thought too long, "will have to be rock. Since his magic can take things out from a distance."

"Ridiculous!" Oydd hissed. "I'm obviously paper, since I study. Jeshu is rock because he's tough... and," the rudra added, "he learned how to make rock grow."

"Elkennah learned how," Jesh corrected. "I importuned her."

Cricket slapped his tongue on the top of his mouth. "But everyone agrees I'm scissors, right?"

"You're obviously scissors," Oydd answered.

"Because I beat paper, and you're paper. But I think scissors should beat rock too..."

Oydd countered, "Rather, I think —"

"I asked for one thing..." the vampire seethed through clenched teeth, and the rudra snapped his beak shut.

A moment later the insect's breathing changed notably and he dozed off.

*****

Jeshu roughly shook Cricket's shoulder, and the insect sputtered, cleaning the slobber from his feelers. "Wha... what?"

"Sorry, you were chirping again."

Cricket peered about the dark and located Licephus. The vampire still sat in the same spot, meditating. His facial expression had softened notably, however.

"How long has it been?" the insect whispered.

"More than a few hours. I need to meditate as well, to replenish my energy."

"You mean your magic?" Cricket asked.

"Yes, my... magic." Jesh yawned uncharacteristically.

"Okay." Cricket stretched and sat up. He felt his jaw with one of his upper hands. The shell still felt slightly raised and jagged.

"I had to heal that quickly," Jeshu stated. "It's not perfect, but it's mended, so I would have to rebreak it to set it more cleanly."

"That's fine," Cricket answered. "I'll just wait until I molt. I need a new antenna too. The one Oydd bent is still a little off. I'm having trouble hearing. Until then, we're scar friends."

"It could be months before you molt."

Cricket shrugged. "I've had worse." He stood and began to pace the entrance again. He drew his knives and khopeshes and began to practice combos in the air, every once in a while striking an invisible opponent with an elbow or a knee.

Jeshu leaned back against the wall, in a position similar to the vampire, then set Orth on the ground and began to meditate. The rock worm seemed oddly energetic, Cricket thought, then remembered Agoth was its home. It likely preferred the heat down here, and maybe even the dusty air. The worm crawled over to a crumbly bit of red rock and began to chew noisily.

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After a while, the insect grew bored and climbed to a vantage point where he could see across the vast cavern. The landscape appeared oddly still in the direction of the mine. Further, he saw plumes of black smoke rising in the distance, with shadowy figures flapping about in the ash.

He determined they must be enormous to be visible from such a great distance. Cricket lost track of time, quietly observing the hellscape. At length, the vampire appeared at his side.

"We're heading out," he said softly.

Cricket looked down the incline and saw Oydd and Skunk emerging from the cavity in the rock. The gash in Skunk's side had already mended, and his flesh showed no signs of the spears that had penetrated him—no holes, not even scars.

The mutant's face no longer resembled a ratling. Not just because of the lack of fur, but— because of the changeling blood—each part of its body began to gain characteristics of the others. The lizardman tail had turned leathery like a ratling tail. The goblin arm grew claws like a lizardman, and the ratling arm elongated until it was nearly as long as the goblin arm.

His face, though, no longer even resembled Skunk. Its face, Cricket corrected himself. Its face currently stretched out a bit like a ratling, and down a bit like a goblin. But his eyes showed no hint of recognition. Intelligence, perhaps, but no personality. The mutant was not Skunk.

As they began again the steady incline home, a hot, dry, yellow fog fell over the group with an almost oppressive weight.

"I've been down this far before," Licephus said, "and we're still nearly a day from the Trench, but I don't intend to rest again until we are back in dhampir territory."

"Another day uphill," Cricket groaned. "How far down are we? We must be halfway to hell."

"If you are referring to Sheol as hell, then yes—about halfway."

"Agoth is that deep?" The insect blurted in surprise.

"It is. If we go much deeper, it is too hot for you or even me. But the infernals thrive there."

Cricket's hand twitched at an imaginary threat, and the vampire regarded him coolly.

"You don't want to fight an infernal."

"I kind of do..." Cricket replied.

"I mean that it would be unwise."

"What are they like? I've never seen one."

"Yes you have," Licephus answered. "We fought one together and you destroyed it with one of those..." he gestured at Cricket's pack, "throwing stars. But that was a minor fiend. An infernal really refers to any being that lives in the extreme heat. Demons, and devils... black imps over ten feet tall, and nightmarish creatures big enough to suffocate them in tentacles or swallow them whole. Thankfully they don't come up this far."

Cricket looked back over his shoulder toward the black smoke, but could no longer see it through the dense smog.

"My lord," Oydd started. "Do you know anything about the two we fought—the rudra... and the trollblood?"

Licephus sighed. "Not really. But the trollblood's arm and tongue disturb me greatly. They appeared divine in nature." He walked silently for a moment. "And I recognize them."

"You recognize his tongue?" Cricket blurted, then switched to a whisper. "What does divine mean?"

Oydd tried to relay the information telepathically, but the insect waved him off in frustration. "You're all fuzzy. I can't hear you clearly."

"Oh?" Oydd asked in surprise.

"You bent my antenna. What do you expect?"

"Divine," Licephus answered, "means like the gods. Not from this realm. I use it to refer to a power usually beyond the means of mortals."

"Think of it in levels," Jeshu added. "Mundane, then arcane, and then divine."

"That doesn't help."

"Mundane means ordinary. Like rocks and swords. Arcane means magical. Imagine enchanted rings, and lightning spells. Divine would be a step above that. More than just magical." At this, Jeshu addressed the vampire. "Which means you suspect those parts come from an avatar."

Licephus nodded gravely. "I know the hand of Bale. And even his tongue. I used to be his servant."

"Isn't that heresy?" Cricket asked.

Licephus shook his head. "This was before the betrayal. Bale served Serinyes, and I was among her most zealous followers. At times she had need of me to work with Bale—her personal armorer. He became known as the god of smiths and of fire. And often dwelt here, in Agoth, in a temporal form. I had suspected he was arming the Right Hand... that is, until I saw his... parts attached to the trollblood."

"You're certain?" Oydd asked.

"I am."

"That could explain why they sought to weaken Serinyes in order to summon Bale, rather than increase his worshippers. They needed him weak in order to overpower him."

"I wouldn't have thought it possible," Licephus said. "If an avatar is destroyed in this realm, the host usually returns to their home plane. Always, really. I've never heard of an exception. But that arm bustled with divine energy. And when he spoke I was forced to abide."

"Patches knew it was possible. She saw them," Cricket stated offhandedly.

"What do you mean?" the vampire asked, a dangerous tone to his voice.

Oydd whacked Cricket on the back of the head. "She insists she saw something. Rather, that her familiar saw something. She has a pet beetle that she claims is a familiar."

"Claims? I instructed her on how to bind a familiar. Do you question my teaching methods?"

"Wha —no, my lord. I..." Oydd trailed off then recomposed himself. "You had her form a pact?"

"I did. She was eager. Insistent, actually. I decided she would seek a pact with or without my assistance, and that she would fare better under my supervision. Do you question my judgment?"

"No," Oydd stammered. "May I ask with whom?"

"Akinaska. The king of the dead. Same as I."

"What did she offer him in exchange?"

"I don't see how that is any of your concern. But I wouldn't worry about it too much. He actually has a fondness for fragile creatures."

Oydd's eyes remained wide as he processed this information.

"We could have avoided a lot of trouble had you reported this to me."

"I'm sorry, lord."

"What did she see exactly?"

"I don't know. I discounted it. She said they summoned a glowing demon."

"Who is they?"

"I don't know. The Right Hand."

Cricket jumped in, "She mentioned a rudra and a trollblood, but he only had one arm at the time. Oh, and Shisu and that thing that followed her around."

"Aberron." Oydd added, in an attempt to be useful.

"Yes. And the Prophet was there too."

"Who is the Prophet?" the vampire asked.

"Oh... um, a black demon with four arms like me. I haven't seen it in real life, but the Oracle showed it to me. Patches described it, and I'm certain it was there."

Licephus scowled at the rudra. "When we return, I will need to speak at length with the mouseling. If they summoned Bale, he would not come without his forge hammer. Retrieving it is our first priority now."

After a while, the yellow vapors began to clear, and Cricket saw a lone rheumakin hermit, with all his trappings dangling from his tortoise shell, trudging along a dune of black sand some distance away. Other than that, the trek proved uneventful. At one point, they came upon some old goblin tracks, but Licephus simply adjusted course to avoid any potential confrontation.

By the time Cricket recognized the terrain, they were only a few minutes away from the Trench. Licephus began the long climb up the main ramp to the caverns of Al Tsiroth then froze and knelt to inspect the ground.

The others, even Cricket, waited patiently until the vampire rose again.

He looked to Oydd. "What do you make of these?"

Cricket, his gaze more skyward, had not noticed the obvious tracks.

Oydd gave a dour expression. "I know those prints. They are the same as Naraka's. I have his corpse in my laboratory."

"But hundreds of them?"

"No," Cricket answered. "Not that many. Sixty... maybe eighty at most. But these are over a day old."

The vampire dashed up the ramp. The mutant, sensing some excitement, bounded after the vampire on all fours. Cricket tried to match the vampire's pace but fell behind and soon grew winded. He walked a bit to catch his breath then took the hill at a light jog, falling further and further behind Licephus.

By the time he reached the main cavern, the vampire was nowhere in sight. Cricket plopped to the ground wheezing, and waited for the others to catch up. He felt dizzy and leaned back onto his lower elbows, spreading his upper arms to the side to help support his weight.

Jeshu arrived before the rudra. "Where is Licephus?"

"I don't know."

"He's wearing heavy armor. You can track him."

Cricket waved him off, still gasping. "Give me a minute. Why are you so grumpy today?"

Jeshu studied the tracks himself until the rudra arrived. "I don't know where they went. I see tracks going in three directions that look like demons."

"Cricket!" Oydd snapped and the insect huffed one last loud breath before he stood. Cricket stumbled about grumbling as he inspected the tracks on the ground. "They went everywhere but west, toward Al Tsiroth."

"Where did most of them go?" Oydd asked impatiently.

"South... southeast? Licephus too."

"Sounds like they're avoiding patrols," Jesh observed.

"There are a lot going this way." Cricket pointed south again.

"Toward the Warrens?" the druid asked.

Cricket shook his head. "I don't know. There are a few main roads this way."

"Well, regardless, we should follow Licephus."

Oydd nodded in agreement. "Insect."

Cricket stiffened at the tone.

"What was that you mentioned about a Prophet?"

"Oh... yeah. I learned about him at the Oracle."

"What did you ask it?"

"Umm... it offered to answer any question or to tell me what would help me the most. I figured it did the same for you."

"And?"

"And I really wanted to ask how many snakes were in the Warrens. Because I never really see them. But I know they're there..."

"Get on with it. What did you ask?"

"Well, I heard your voice in the back of my head saying, 'why choose a question that might not be helpful, when she offered to tell you the answer to the best question.' So I chose that. I figured worst case, it would be the number of snakes anyway."

"Skipping past the part where you think the Oracle is female. What did it tell you?"

"Oh, it showed me. I was standing on the surface, I think, but the sun was blotted out by smoke and I saw a demon. She was a little bigger than me, with four arms. Big claws... Oh, and horns and a tail. Kind of implike, but it had a black shell."

"Did she actually say the demon was female, or are you just guessing again?" Oydd asked in irritation.

"Oh, yeah, I don't know. Just a generally attractive demon, so I assumed female. But my shell is shinier," he added as an afterthought.

"What else?"

"She, that is, the Oracle, said not to fight the Prophet or we would lose. But she worded it in a weird way."

"Try to remember her exact words," Oydd pressed.

Cricket shook his head. "I don't remember. Sorry."

The rudra huffed in disappointment. "Is that all?"

"Yes." Cricket thought hard. "No! You were there. But I only saw the image for an instant, and then I was back. I assumed she told you about the prophet too. Did you pick to know the most important thing, or did you ask some other question?"

Oydd flushed, then snapped "It doesn't matter." Afterward, he avoided eye contact.

Jeshu raised an arm to call for silence. "Be on alert," he warned. "We are close enough to the Warrens that I would normally sense... more energy. Right now, it feels more like death."