“That does not look good,” Kato observed as the three began to spread out, wary as they prepared weapons and their lives, still wearied from the previous battle. “How can you defeat a creature of stone?”
“You need hammers and the luck of the gods,” Ivkarha retorted. In her dark eyes was the reflection of death. “We have neither,” she added quietly. “Regardless, we must fight on and do all that we can. Aedmorn?”
“Not even claws will be of avail here. We will distract it though. Ivkarha, deal with Zalasifr if you can.
The Ra-Armal warrior nodded grimly, tightening the grip on her sword, preparing to move.
The living effigy had slithered out from the shrine, still towering high above them, allowing Zalasfir to slink in behind it, staying close at hand. Any attempt to reach him would put the person within reach of the giant stone creature.
Aemorn tapped his staff on the ground, steeling himself for the battle. “Kato, we need to distract it, to raw it away,” he said quietly. “We ill have to do it together.”
“I don’t like this plan," the big man replied, “But I can not see an alternative.”
“There isn’t,” Aedmor agreed. He took a deep breath before bellowing a challenge, all his cruaith training put behind it. The sound cut through the air, directed at the effigy and it hissed a response. Darting forward, Aedmorn lunged and thrust with his staff, only to see the giant monster react faster than he had anticipated, for it flowed live quicksilver, one of its arms slashing own to beat aside the staff. Green glowed its eyes and it snaked forward, reaching for Aedmorn with a pair of arms.
Aemorn desperately rolled aside, stone hands snatching narrowly at empty air. Kato launched a blistering attack of his own, sword hammering down on the arms that had reached for Aedmorn. The low struck and rebounded in a spray of sparks, leaving no mark visible behind. The sock of the blow reverberated through Kato’s arms an he stepped back, shaking his arms.
“Kayesa’s bones,” he swore, “It is as feared.”
“Keep at it,” Aedmorn barked, turning back to the beast. His staff waved back and forwards, feinting this way and that to get the effigy’s attention, looking for an open. On soft and silent feet, Ivkarha circled around behind, trying to get in and at Zalasfir where he sheltered.
As if expecting it, the effigy followed her passage, moving to intercept, to imposing its formidable bulk between her and Zalasfir. It moved to sharp, to quick, to get my it easily.
As the trio circled around, searching out for an opening, the effigy darting this way and that to keep them at bay, Zaasfir ha turned his focus to the Soul of Angfaeled once more. He held it between his hands and chanted low in unknown words and again the crystal reacted with the sickly green light, bathing all in its malevolent hues. He raised it above his head, the words spelling forth fast and more strident. They could see that the glow was no longer just from the crystal, but came from him as well, light and colour matching. He began to shine with it, a baleful light that soaked all around it.
As if driven by Zalasfir’s actions, Aedmorn pressed again, snarling a bestial response, eyes almost taking on a glow of their own. He drew in the essence of life that grew thick and profuse all around, letting it infuse him. Swifter yet he became an his body elongated as he leapt at the stone effigy, fur rippling across his body, his face twisting and warping into something else. Not just did his body grow in length, but in bulk as well, and his roar became almost bear like. His staff fell to the ground as he crashed into the effigy, wrapping his arms around it in a fearsome grapple, one that would have crushed the life out of any man or beat, yet he faced not one of those, but a creature of stone that was impervious to such crushing strikes.
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The effigy rapped one of its sets of arms around Aedmorn while other hands hammered blows down upon him, yet he relented not in his grip upon it. He howled in rage and anger and pain as each blow struck, tightening his grip. Kato rushed in, hammering again with his sword, but to no avail, for it could not damage the stony creature. A flailing arm from the effigy caught Kato a clipping blow, sending him sprawling, blood flowing from a split lip.
With the effigy distracted, Ivkarha made for Zalasfir once more, swift steps taking her around behind. So intent was he upon his task that Zalasfir did not spot her until the last moment and manage but half a cry before her sword arced through the air, to slash across his chest. Not blood flowed forth from the cut, but light, deep emerald in colour.
“No!” Zalasfir screamed, as the light sprayed forth from him, radiant pools forming upon the ground, staining the columns that held the roof of the shrine up.
Weir still did the gash upon him split, as if the power he had taken within him fought to get out. A hand came down to try and block the cut, to keep the light within; to not prevail.
Silent came the explosion, but bright, as the blast of light illuminated the night like the dawning of the sun. The force of it caught them and tossed them aside like leaves on the wind, tumbling them across the ground. Even the effigy was brought low by it, and the roof of the shrine was shattered, the columns toppled. Trees bent back and leaves and branches stripped clean.
Then the light was gone and slowly they clambered to their feet, shaking dizzied heads. The effigy lay still, unmoving stone once more, one of its arms snapped off, Aedmorn beneath it. Battered and bloodied, he had been knocked from his best form, once more human. Ivkarha staggered over to him, grabbing the broken arm, to pull it off him.
“Kato!” she called out, “A hand here!”
Kato was not there though, but in the ruins of the shrine, rummaging around.
Aedmorn coughed, his face a mask of blood, and Ivkarha strained as she set her body, gripping the stone arm and heaving. Veins stood out and her face turned red with the effort. It shifted, enough that Aedmorn was able to roll aside before she dropped it again.
“Lets not do this again in a hurry,” he said.
Ivkarha laughed weakly as she extended a hand to help him back to his feet. As he regained his feet, she turned to see where Kato was. The man was approaching them, the Soul of Angfaelad under his arm.
“I found your bauble,” he said with a grin.
“Perhaps it would be best you gave it to us for safekeeping,” Aedmorn told him. “You can see the damage it can cause.”
“Oh, no,” Kato replied, “I might just keep a hold of this little bauble. You promised me half of what you were to get for recovering it, remember.”
Aedmorn looked to Ivkarha and back to the big man again, smiling ruefully. “We did, did we not. Very well, you shall receive half of what we got.” He pulled out a small pouch and tossed it across to Kato. The big man caught it, a puzzled expression appearing on his face.
“It is empty,” he said.
“Yes. We were not getting paid to recover this.”
Kato laughed and shook his head. “You cruaith and your gilded tongues. We could always find another buyer.”
“It belongs to the Eternal,” Ivkarha told him, “And to the Eternal it shall be returned, unless you feel confident to anger a god.”
Kato sighed and held out the crystal towards Aedmorn. “Fine, take it,” he said. “Next time it will be different,” he promised. Then he grinned. “It has been an experience,” he said, “But now it is time to be going. The events of this evening will not have gone unnoticed and I wish not to be here when any come to check on them.” So saying he headed off, disappearing into the night and the gardens.
“We too should go,” Aedmorn said, the Soul of Angfaeled in his hands.
“Aye, we have the Soul to return and then once more the road beckons us, with wonders to behold. Just no more meddling in the affairs of gods and snakes.”
And Aedmorn laughed as they departed.