FINAL REWARD: PART VIII
by: Taliaferro Erucolindo
Thanoslug swung his mightiest blow at "Lorfindur", only to have her deflect it easily with Soulfire, although she still did not ignite the blade. Again, Thanos swung his axe with all his might, only to be parried aside. Laughingly, "Lorfindur" spun around, swinging the two-handed weapon in an arch which would have decapitated the Dwarf, had he not ducked and rolled behind her. Before he could strike again, though, she inverted the blade and thrust backwards, piercing through Thanos' shoulderplate, and coming out the back of his armor. Screaming in pain, the Dwaven Paladin could do little against his foe, as he was held at the end of the blade...
Kiren tumbled back from the skeleton which assaulted him. Regaining his feet, he used the speed granted him by the spirit of the wolf to get clear. He looked over and saw Tal engaged in a deadly dance with the Teir'Dal Warrior, and Thanoslug was not doing well against "Lorfindur". "I've got to clear Darshan so he can cast a spell to get us out of here," thought Kiren. Casting a quick spell on the skeleton which rooted it in place, Kiren nocked his bow...
Darshan tried once again to concentrate and cast a spell that would teleport himself and his comrades to the Druid Ring in Eastern Karana. This time, his concentration was interrupted by a shock of ice freezing the air in his lungs. Noticing that the Teir'Dal Wizard was not going to let him get a complex spell off, Darshan put his concentration into offensive capacity. Another boulder whizzed past his head, but Darshan's concentration remained unbroken. Finishing the words of his spell just before the Wizard could unleash another strike, Darshan summoned lightning down from the sky, striking the Wizard as well as the Ogre and Troll Warriors beside him. All three staggered from the damage. Knowing that he'd never get off the teleport spell while the three were still alive, Darshan cast a spell which rooted the Ogre to the spot, with thorns digging into it's think hide. The Wizard began to cast another spell at Darshan, but an arrow sailed from behind Darshan and struck the wizard in the chest, interrupting his concentration. Darshan used the opening to dodge another incoming boulder ("Where do they get so many rocks!", wondered Darshan) and cast another rooting spell, this time upon the Troll. That kept the Dark Warriors out of the fight, leaving just the Wizard...
Taliaferro and the Teir'Dal Warrior who had masqueraded as "Glorelion" struck at each other with equal speed and ferocity. Sparks flashed off their four Ykeshan short swords as they blocked, parried, and riposted each other's attacks. The two were locked in a dance that was a whirlwind of strike and counterstrike, blades flashing and ringing off each other. Neither of them could focus the will to unleash the power of Ykesha, buried in each blade, but both were skilled enough to be a blur of motion against each other. Both Warriors felt rage burning inside them, but both knew a single mistake would give the advantage to the other. Thus far, they were evenly matched. Tal knew he could not afford to allow the stalemate to continue, and that they must recover the artifacts and escape this trap. With this knowledge in mind, Tal lowered his guard on the left side a fraction of an inch, hoping his opponent would take the bait...
"Lorfindur" laughed at the Dwarf, now on his knees before her, with Soulfire twisting in his shoulder. She kept him pinned with one hand on the hilt of the sword, and looked around to notice her skeletal servant straining to break free of the roots which had ensnared him. "You're friends are fighting valiantly, but I have more reinforcements on the way, gullible Dwarf," chided "Lorfindur", "Did you really think that...WHAT?" "Lorfindur" was momentarily stunned to see Thanoslug PULLING HIMSELF UP THE BLADE towards her. Gritting his teeth in pain, the Dwarven Paladin had released his axe and was dragging himself up the blade, pulling it further and further through the wound in his shoulder, to reach up towards her. "A noble effort, misbegotten mistake of an inferior god, but what good will it do you? You pull yourself up to your death!" taunted "Lorfindur". "Ye may take mah life, ya bloody wench, but I'll nae have ye speak o' me god like that!", cried Thanos, in incredible pain as he pulled himself further up the blade towards his goal. At the other end of the blade, "Lorfindur" laughed a cruel and heartless laugh. "And just what would you do to stop me, little creature?" Amazingly, "Lorfindur" lifted the sword and the Dwarf impaled on it off the ground, holding it in one hand at arm's length. With one last bloody yank, Thanoslug pulled himself close enough to "Lorfindur" to place a hand on the hilt of the Soulfire. "AH'LL SEE YA BURN, YA BLOODY BITCH!!!" screamed Thanoslug, as he channeled the last of his will into the sword, causing it to ignite! The flames of righteousness sprang to life upon the blade, but instead of running the length of the blade (and over Thanos), they instead raced DOWN the blade, over the hilt, and leapt upon "Lorfindur" herself! Screaming in pure agony, the imposter dropped Soulfire and Thanos, and fell back engulfed in flames. Thanoslug pulled the sword from his shoulder (no small task for the short-armed Dwarf), replacing it in the scabbard on his back. Picking up his axe, he staggered in the general direction of his comrades....and collapsed to the ground, bleeding...
As Darshan and Kiren were finishing off their respective opponents with spell and sword, Tal focused solely upon the Teir'Dal who had DARED to impersonate Tal's mentor and friend. The Teir'Dal Warrior had taken Tal's bait. Swinging hard for the perceived opening in Tal's defenses, the Teir'Dal thought he had achieved the upper hand, as his blade penetrated Tal's armored side and drew blood. His smile quickly faded as Tal brought his primary hand weapon down in an arc that struck the top of the Teir'Dal's arm, biting deeply into the elbow joint. Seeing his enemy reeling back, Tal pressed his advantage, lashing out with a kick to the knee, Tal staggered his opponent. Stabbing forward with his secondary weapon, Tal forced his enemy to bring his remaining arm up in a defensive maneuver that left his left flank open. Inverting the blade in his right hand and swinging upwards into the enemy's armpit, Tal slashed through the straps and buckles holding the opponent's armor in place, his swing continuing up until it hit meat and bone. Reversing his swing, Tal let both blades trace arcs parallel to the ground, one at midlevel, the other at neck level. The Teir'Dal wisely chose to parry the blade coming at his throat, but took the full force of the cut across his midsection. The magickal blade slashed a huge rent in the plate mail the Teir'Dal wore, spilling his dark blood upon the ground. Entering a berserker rage, the Teir'Dal abandoned all pretense of finesse and flew into a frenzy of wild slashes and cuts. It was momentarily more than Tal could cover, and soon Fier'Dal blood flowed freely on the ground as well. As the two Warriors tore into each other, a berserker frenzy overtook Tal as well, and soon the two Elven Warriors, one Dark, one Light, were tearing into each other like rabid wolverines, using powerful swords for their claws and fangs. The Teir'Dal made one last desperate lunge, only to see the Feir'Dal duck under his swing. Tal thrust one of his swords straight upwards, into the exposed jawline of his enemy. Sinking the blade deep into the throat of the shocked Teir'Dal, Tal withdrew the blade while simultaneously spinning around full circle, seperating the majority of the Teir'Dal's head from the rest of his body. As the source of his rage fell dead to the ground, the bloodlust subsided in Taliaferro. Bending down, Tal pulled the Shining Star of Light, still covered, from the belt of his foe, tucking it back into his own backpack. The toll of exertion and the multiple wounds he had began to catch up with him. He turned to see Darshan and Kiren finish off their respective opponents, and turn back towards him. Tal smiled weakly, then wondered why his friends expressions turned to shock and concern...
Kiren and Darshan both exclaimed, "LOOK OUT!" as they saw "Lorfindur" rise up behind Tal. Tal turned in time to see the illusion of "Lorfindur" fade, to reveal a fully armored, albeit badly burned, Teir'Dal Shadow Knight. The transformation shocked Tal just long enough for the Dark One to reach out and place her palm upon his chest. Screaming in agony, Taliaferro felt as though every nerve, every pore in his body, were being filled with cold fire! As the Harm Touch wreaked havoc upon Taliaferro's body, the Teir'Dal Shadow Knight laughed a cruel laugh, and watched as the lifeless form of the Feir'Dal Warrior crumpled to the ground. Standing over Tal and Thanos' bodies, the Dark Elf smiled as she drew from a scabbard upon her back the most evil looking sword Kiren had ever seen. It radiated a black aura that defied description, and the very air around it seemed colder than the darkest night. The Teir'Dal spoke, "I would have prefered the irony of having your last sight in this world being that of an old friend slaying you with her own holy sword. Since you've ruined the chance for me to slay you as Lorfindur, with Soulfire, I shall slay you as my true self....as Tarina, the Teir'Dal who infiltrated your pitiful band seasons ago to steal the Artifacts of Light! Tarina, who once again has fooled you into bringing those same Artifacts to me! Tarina, who now condemns you to die under the blade of Innoruuk's Curse!!!" As Kiren and Darshan stood in shock at the sight of the Shadow Knight's greatest weapon in the hands of their old nemesis, Tarina smiled cruelly, and beckoned them forward...