Tinok’s stomach grumbles. The time when they should have received their third meal of the day has come and gone. Still within the cell, the ever present fear remains with them. He and Esix sit against the back wall side by side. They talk of their times together, family and friends whom they’re sure they’ll never again see, all the while trying to banish the fear that has become an ever present, unwelcome guest.
How long they’ve been down here now isn’t clear. The ever pervasive darkness outside their cell prevents the possibility to accurately judge the passing of time. During a time when Tinok was listening to Esix talk of an experience with a neighbor’s daughter that turned into a bad situation with the girl’s father, his eyes begin to detect a growing red glow some distance away from their cell.
“Look!” he says as he rises to his feet.
Esix stops talking and turns his attention toward the red glow. He, as well as the others in the cell with him, get to their feet. The red glow continuously brightens and the light coming from it casts eerie shadows about the cavern. For as the light brightens, they see that they are in fact in an underground cavern.
The ceiling vaults into darkness high above them, a few stalagmites dot the outer edge of the cavern floor. As the glow brightens still further, they come to realize that it comes from an object seeming to float in mid air two feet off the floor.
Beneath the glowing object, the floor of the cavern has been smoothed. The smoothed area encompasses a good portion of the cavern floor. It’s rather hard to make out, but it appears there are six similar patterns marked out upon the floor spaced evenly in a circle around the glowing object. Each of the patterns is ringed itself by many symbols, symbols that hurt the eyes if you stare at them too long. A lone circular pattern, larger than the others, is situated not too far outside the ring of six. Twice the number of intricate symbols encompasses that one than the ones in the ring of six.
“What is going on?” Esix asks.
“Man I don’t know,” replies Tinok.
Then his eye catches a movement and he turns his gaze toward a shadow. But the shadow is not remaining motionless as a shadow should. Rather, it is moving across the floor and through the light the way a shadow shouldn’t be able to. The sight renews the terror that Tinok had been working to banish to the back of his mind.
“There’s another one!” exclaims Esix, the fear making him speak more earnestly than is his want. More than a couple of the shadows are seen moving about out there. At last they now know the source of their fear. All the while the red glow of the object continues to intensify and deepen in color.
One of the other prisoners cries out and faints when a figure appears at the bottom of the stairway. The figure walks slowly yet steadily toward the larger circle of symbols outside the ring of six. Little more than a shadow itself, the figure seems to almost suck the light from the cavern as it moves into it.
Behind the figure marches six men in armor, all can only be warrior priests. Tinok recognizes the armor of the one who had led them here through the Mists. Then come a dozen of the cowled figures.
When the dark figure that is leading them reaches the larger circle, he comes to a stop. The six warrior priests fan out behind him, and the dozen cowled figures do the same behind them.
Raising arms that can only be called skeletal, the figure begins speaking. Each syllable sends fear through the prisoners, their heads throb painfully as the words seem to cut into their minds. Tinok finds that he’s put his hands over his ears in an attempt to keep the sound out, but it does no good.
At last, the figure stops speaking. Breathing a sigh of relief as the pain stops, Tinok then is filled with fear the likes of which he has never felt before, primal fear that threatens to take his very sanity. For from the darkness of the deepest part of the cavern come six monstrous monstrosities, more terrifying than anything his imagination could ever hope to match.
More of the prisoners faint dead away. Esix slumps to the ground next to him and he’s unable to move to help his friend. Incapable of tearing his eyes away, he grips the bars of the cell in a grip so tight that his knuckles have turned incredibly white from the strain.
The six monstrosities move toward the circle of six surrounding the red glowing object. Each takes its place within one of the patterns surrounded by symbols. Once they are in place they come to a stop, turn to face the glowing object in the center, then become motionless.
At that point, the cowled figures suddenly start to move. Tinok watches as they turn and begin to cross the cavern toward the cell wherein he’s held. Realizing they mean to come for them, he’s at last able to let go the bars and moves to the very rear of the cell. All the prisoners who are still conscious do the same.
The cell door swings open even before the first cowled figure reaches it. When they enter, each one takes hold of a prisoner. Starting with the unconscious ones at first, they begin removing men from the cell. When Tinok sees Esix being taken by one, he is unable to do anything other than watch.
Having taken all the unconscious men lying on the floor, the remaining four cowled figures move on the men cringing at the rear of the cell. Pandemonium erupts as each man tries not to be the one taken. One man is shoved toward the approaching cowled figures by another. When one of the cowled figures reaches out and touches him, the man goes limp. Picking him up, the cowled figure carries him from the cell.
Fists fly as the others try to move someone else in position to be taken by the approaching figures. Tinok, to his shame, is no better. Using the skill honed in the Pits, he works to get others to go instead of him.
When the last cowled figure leaves with a man, Tinok remains within the cell along with three other men. The cell door shuts and the cowled figures carry the men toward the circle of six, places two on the ground before each of the monstrosities. Tinok moves again to the bars of the cell and looks out. He sees Esix where he lies at the feet of one of the monstrosities. A single tear rolls down his cheek.
Then pairs of the cowled figures move to stand behind the monstrosities. Once the last cowled figure is in place and has grown still, the dark one raises his arms and the glowing object seems to pulse twice. Words, painful, fearful words, begin to issue forth from the dark one. Then, Tinok looks on in horror as the monstrosities once more begin to move.
“Are we here?” asks Jiron.
No sooner had James completely stepped upon the dais then they were suddenly elsewhere. The light from the orb in his hand dispels the darkness of the room they suddenly find themselves in. The room itself is rather small, barely two feet wider than the dais. The only exit from the room is a single corridor that extends into darkness past where the light from the orb ends.
“Yes, we are,” replies Brother Willim. “There’s a feeling of wrongness here the likes of which I have never before felt.”
The prickling associated with the working of magic is very strong upon James’ skin. “They’re doing the rite here too,” he says in a hushed voice. Stepping down from the dais he moves to the mouth of the corridor.
“We’ve been here before,” Jiron says to him.
“I know,” replies James. They both look around for those little creatures that proved such a nuisance the last time they were here. Both are relieved that they are absent.
“See if you can locate Tinok,” urges Jiron. When he sees him hesitate he says, “They’ll know we’re here soon enough.”
“Right,” nods James. Pulling forth the cloth, he casts his spell and they are elated to see it begin to move and then point to someplace below them and to the right.
“Yes!” exclaims Jiron.
“Can you see if he’s still alive?” he asks.
Putting the cloth back in his pouch, he removes his mirror. Concentrating on Tinok, he tries to bring him into focus. They all gather around and watch the surface of the mirror as it begins to shift. Then it clarifies and Tinok’s image appears. He’s gripping what looks like iron bars as he stares out at something beyond the image in the mirror. His face is bathed in a red glow.
“Try to see what he’s looking at,” Brother Willim tells him.
He works to move the image away from the bars and just when something begins to appear, the mirror shatters in his hand. A drop of blood wells from his thumb where one of the glass shards impaled it.
“What happened?” asks Miko.
Eeeeeek!
They turn to see one of the little creatures James and Jiron had met before hovering not more than two feet away. Its shriek sends a chill down James’ spine. Jiron pulls his knives as Brother Willim exclaims, “A Hikuli!”
“You know these things?” Jiron asks him.
“Oh yes,” he replies. “We’ve known about them for some time, only we didn’t know where they were.”
Eeeeeek!
Screaming again, the creature disappears.
“Come on,” James urges the others. “We haven’t much time.” The prickling sensation suddenly intensifies, whether due to the creature that just vanished or for some other reason, he can’t tell. He sends forth the magic and creates a translucent floating sphere. He’s used similar ones before when trying to locate someone. As it moves down the hallway, he says, “Let’s go.”
Jiron takes the lead with James right behind. Miko and Brother Willim follow closely.
“Do you feel it?” Brother Willim asks Miko.
“I feel something,” he replies. “Never felt it before.”
“This temple resonates with evil,” he explains. “What you feel is the signature of evil. Remember it.”
Miko glances to him and says, “I doubt if I’ll ever be able to forget it.”
Following the sphere, they hurry down the corridor. The coldness of where they are increases the further they go until their breath begins misting in the orb’s light. And still the temperature drops. As they approach the end of the corridor, they see it open up onto a very large room. Jiron pauses a moment before entering.
“Why did you stop?” James asks as he comes to stand besides him. Then he looks to where Jiron is pointing.
Across the room from where they stand, lies a seat made entirely out of bones, some human, others not. On either side of the dark throne are two braziers burning with a purplish glow which seems to suck the warmth from them even from halfway across the room.
“It’s the seat of Ozgirath,” Brother Willim states, “the High Priest of Dmon-Li. We are in the Hall of Despair.”
“Where is he?” Jiron asks.
“I would think he would be wherever Tinok is,” he replies.
Eeeeeek!
All of a sudden the air is filled with Hikuli. They screech as they swoop down and begin raking them with their razor sharp claws. Each strike brings pain like acid.
Miko draws his sword and begins attempting to strike them out of the air, but they move so fast, that even with his speed he misses as often as not.
“The Star!” yells James as he pulls forth his medallion. “Use the Star!”
As Miko pulls forth the Star, its light shines brilliantly. For the first time in time unknown, light dispels the dark in the Hall of Despair.
The creatures pull back some distance and hover. Chittering among themselves, they shriek and hiss at the companions they are no longer able to come near.
James sees Brother Willim kneeling on the floor and is arranging a circle of leaves. “What are you doing?” he asks.
“Making a Vyrilyzk,” he replies. Once the leaves are in their proper position, he begins talking softly and quietly.
“What’s he doing?” asks Jiron. “We have to get to Tinok.”
James turns back to Brother Willim to tell him that they have to move on when he sees a small creature that looks remarkably like a garden gnome standing within the Vyrilyzk. “An earth spirit?” he asks in surprise. Brother Willim ignores the question. Instead he keeps his attention focused on the earth spirit and points to the Hikuli hovering in the air.
The earth spirit looks up and sees them there. The expression on the earth spirit’s face changes to what can only be called hate. Disappearing for only a second, it reappears a moment later. Launching itself upward, it grabs hold of a Hikuli and the two creatures start clawing each other as the earth spirit drags the Hikuli to the ground. Then from out of the Vyrilyzk more earth spirits begin boiling into the room, each one launching itself at a Hikuli. The Hikuli in turn screech as they attack the earth spirits.
Brother Willim stands up and turns to the others. “Their enmity for the Hikuli is older than time,” he explains. Soon the air is empty of Hikuli as scores of battle-locked creatures writhe upon the floor. Still more of the earth spirits boil forth from the Vyrilyzk to join the fray.
“Let’s go,” he says to James and Jiron. “They’ll take care of them for us.”
Jiron gives him a grin and a nod. Then turns to follow James’ sphere where it is again moving across the Hall of Despair toward the opening of another corridor.
Ozgirath stands before the crystal that’s aglow with power being channeled to it from temples both within the Empire and without. Every temple is sacrificing slaves and sending the power here to Ith-Zirul, for what he’s about to do requires an incredible amount of magic.
The time for his lord to come has arrived. Ages have been spent in preparation of this moment. Plans that began centuries past have at last come to fruition. All is in ready. The six Gygnai from the home plane of Dmon-Li stand within the circles of power, two slaves who will give their lives to complete the ritual lie before each of them.
As he summons the enormous reservoir of power within himself, Ozgirath sends it forth. One by one he envelopes the Gygnai with the power and activates the magical symbols engraved in the floor about them. The symbols flare with a dark radiance as they begin absorbing power contained within the glowing crystal. When all six of Gygnai are fully intertwined in his magic, they bend down and grab the men lying before them, one in each hand. Then, they come erect again and await his command.
In the back of his mind he senses the presence of an age old enemy, but so engrossed in the ritual is he that it is soon pushed to the back of his mind and is lost. Once more bending the power to his will, he signals the Gygnai that it is time.
As the Gygnai begin absorbing the life of the slaves each holds, the symbols surrounding them begin to writhe. Then the symbols flare with a purplish radiance and the bodies of the Gygnai start to shift and waver as they in turn are absorbed by the symbols surrounding them.
The union of the life forces from this world and that of the plane which Dmon-Li calls home will now enable Ozgirath to create a gateway that will allow his lord to cross over and claim this world for his own. Enormous power is being sent to the crystal, which in turn is taken by Ozgirath. Bending the magic to his will, the High Lord of Dmon-Li invokes the final spell to create the gate.
Where the six Gygnai had stood are now six areas of shifting and pulsating darkness. With the power coming from the crystal, Ozgirath causes the areas of darkness to move toward the crystal. One by one, the darkness envelopes the crystal until it can no longer be seen. Then, the crystal ceases to be as the darkness completely consumes it.
At the point when the crystal ceases to be, the darkness latches onto the tendrils of power being sent from the temples and begins absorbing the magic directly. Coalescing into a large sphere, it slowly grows under the guidance of Ozgirath until it swells to fill the entire area within the circle of six where the Gygnai had stood in a domelike formation.
A dark redness appears deep within the blackness. As the dome absorbs the magic coming from the temples, the redness grows. Rapture fills Ozgirath as the way for his lord begins to come into being. His yellow eyes watch the redness as it consumes the blackness as more and more of it makes way for the gate.
When the redness has all but replaced the blackness, Ozgirath moves to stand before the gate. From the other side, he can feel the presence of his lord. Now, to stabilize the gate and make it permanent so his lord may cross over.
Bring them now.
At his command, four of the warrior priests who have been standing behind him motionless, turn as one and move toward the cell holding Tinok and the other three prisoners.
After leaving the Hall of Despair and the battling creatures, they follow the floating sphere along dark corridors. Several of the ‘Little Brothers’ accompany them. James takes note of their presence and asks, “I thought they were shy?”
“Little Brothers are normally very shy,” replies Brother Willim. “But I am here and they are hoping I will lead them to more Hikuli.”
James keeps glancing to them and their number constantly seems to change. First there were four, then seven, then two, and so forth. The most he saw at any one time was fourteen.
They steadily work their way deeper into the depths of the temple, all the while continuing to keep the sphere in sight ahead of them. Aside from the Hikuli they initially encountered, the corridors have been empty. James concludes that those who call this place home must be below where the magic is originating from. He maintains his orb in his hand to give them some light with which to see. Miko had replaced the Star back in his pouch once the threat of the Hikuli was past. The brilliant light the Star gave out here in Ith-Zirul was far too conspicuous and might have given them away.
Having just come down their third flight of stairs, they come across several cells that had at one time held people. “Someone was here not too long ago?” announces Jiron after he makes a quick inspection of one. “Less than a day.”
“What makes you say that?” asks Miko.
Jiron indicates the slop bucket. “What’s in there hasn’t been in there very long,” he explains. Looking around, he says, “He must have been held here.”
“You sure?” Miko asks.
“Yes,” he replies. “Unless you would like to come over and examine it for yourself?”
Shaking his head a bit more vigorously than intended, Miko says, “No, that won’t be necessary.”
“Then he can’t be too much further,” James says encouragingly. Already the sphere has moved further down the corridor. It hovers at the edge of the orb’s light as it waits for them to follow.
Jiron again takes the lead as they hurry to catch up with the sphere. Once they’ve come within ten feet of it, it resumes its progress down the corridor. After following it for another twenty feet or so, a red glow begins to be seen ahead of them. Motioning for the others to come to a stop, Jiron moves ahead to check it out.
The sphere continues to proceed down the corridor toward the red glow, then it reaches the top of a stairwell and begins to descend. The stairwell is where the glow is originating.
Jiron immediately comes to a stop and hurries back to the others. “That glow is coming from a set of stairs leading down,” he tells them.
“Did you hear anything?” James asks and Jiron shakes his head in reply.
“I think when we find the source of the glow, we’ll find your friend,” Brother Willim says. “We’re very close to whatever is going on.” Beside him, Miko nods in agreement.
“Then we don’t need the sphere anymore?” James asks.
“I doubt it,” replies Brother Willim. “And if we’re close, it could give us away prematurely.”
Canceling the sphere, James says, “It’s gone.” Then to Jiron he says, “Lead on.” Giving James a nod, Jiron moves to return back to the head of the stairs.
A growing sense of fear and doom has been developing within James since before they found the cells back behind them. And when the red glow first appeared, the sensation increased. Now standing at the top of the stairs, he feels the fear become an almost palpable force.
“You okay?” asks Brother Willim.
“I don’t know,” he replies.
Brother Willim glances from James and Jiron and can see the fear James is feeling reflected in Jiron’s eyes. “Wait a moment,” he says. Then he reaches into his robe and pulls forth a small crystal vial.
“What’s that for?” asks Jiron.
“It will help with the fear you are feeling,” he explains.
“I’m not feeling any fear,” Miko says.
“No, I wouldn’t think you would be,” replies Brother Willim. “You are after all a High Priest. The power of Morcyth shields you from such things.” He removes the stopper and pours out a single drop of the liquid contained within the vial upon his finger. “This is Asran’s Tears,” he says. When James looks questioningly, he adds, “Holy water in the simplest term.” He then takes the drop of holy water and rubs it across James’ left eyelid. Pouring out another drop, he does the same to his right eye.
As soon as both eyes have been treated, the fear that was threatening to take the heart from him subsides to a more tolerable level. “I can still feel it,” he tells Brother Willim.
Administering the holy water to Jiron’s eyes, he says, “It won’t remove all fear, just help you not be overcome by it.” When he finishes with Jiron, he stoppers the vial and replaces it within his robe.
Next to him, a Little Brother is beginning to behave in a most excitable manner. He looks at the earth spirit and says, “We need to hurry.”
“Why?” asks Jiron. Then all at once, a wave of evil rolls over them.
“It’s happening,” Brother Willim says as he races for the stairwell.
“What’s happening?” James asks as he rushes to follow.
Jiron beats him to the stairs right after Brother Willim and they move quickly down the steps. The further they descend, the more intense the red glow becomes. Moving down the steps, they finally come to a place where the wall on their right suddenly ends and opens up onto a large cavern.
Brother Willim comes to a stop just past where the wall ends and stares down at the cavern floor. “Lord Asran!” he exclaims.
James comes to a stop next to him and looks down. His eyes are immediately drawn to a massive red, somewhat dome shaped area with traces of black running through it. Seeing it there in the center of the cavern floor, he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is where the wave of evil had originated.
A dark figure, dwarfed by the size of the dome, stands before it. The unmistakable sight of two warrior priests stands behind the dark figure. Cowled figures, similar to those he encountered the last time he and Jiron were here are spaced in twos around the edge of the red dome.
“Look there!” Miko says in a hushed whisper. Pointing down below where they stand on the stairs, he indicates eight figures moving across the cavern floor toward the dark figure standing before the dome. Four of them are warrior priests, each of whom has hold of a man dressed in slave rags.
Jiron recognizes one of the men. “Tinok!” he breathes. He looks down at his lifelong friend as he is being brought forward toward the dark figure.
“Ozgirath,” says Brother Willim. When James glances to him he indicates the dark figure and says, “Ozgirath, the High Priest of Dmon-Li.”
Miko moves his hand to the pouch containing the Star of Morcyth but James stops him. “Not yet,” he says. If he brings it out of the pouch now, its light will flood the cavern and those down below will know they’re there. “Let’s get closer.” Already the light from the Star feels almost like it’s struggling to leave the pouch.
Still unobserved by those below, they start moving the rest of the way down to the bottom. James notices that the Little Brothers are not with them. Glancing back up to the top of the stairs, he can see a large concentration of them there watching. For just a moment he thinks that they have more sense than he does, then returns his attention back to the stairs and continues down after the others.
Ozgirath waits while the last four are brought to him. Something tugs at the back of his mind but he pushes it aside. Nothing can disturb what comes next. Reaching into his robe, he pulls forth a dagger. Easily a foot and a half long, the wicked looking weapon glows darkly from the runes inscribed upon the hilt and blade.
To make the gate permanent, he must drench it with blood from this world. At the same time it must be sealed with the darkest of magic. He motions for the first of the men to be brought forward. Unable to draw from the magic being sent by the temples as that is being fed directly to the dome area, he instead draws it from the twelve cowled figures. As soon as he begins absorbing their magic, they buckle and collapse.
When the warrior priest brings the first man before him, he plunges the knife into the man’s breast, spearing the heart. The man makes no sound as the knife is withdrawn. Blood begins to pump forth from the wound as the warrior priest turns and lays the man down at the gate’s base. The dark magic of Ozgirath keeps the man alive as his heart continues to pump out the needed blood.
The next warrior priest brings forward the next man and again, he plunges the dagger into the man’s breast. Soon, he too is lying at the base of the gate as his life’s blood is leaving his body.
At the base of the stairs, the four companions watch in horror as the first two men are sacrificed. The third man is then brought forward to stand before Ozgirath. Tinok is in line to be the fourth.
“Jiron,” James whispers. “You get to Tinok and get him out of here. You’ll be no use in the fight that is to come.”
Nodding, Jiron says, “I understand.” Moving along the wall beneath the stairs, he starts edging closer to where Tinok stands in the grip of the warrior priest.
James then turns to Brother Willim and asks hurriedly, “Will the Little Brothers come and help us?”
“I can feel their fear from here,” he says. “Against Hikuli is one thing. Against this…I don’t know.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the third man fall and the warrior priest holding Tinok begins to move forward. “Whatever happens,” he says, “Don’t let the knife fall.”
Miko and Brother Willim both understand what he’s talking about and nod.
“Miko,” James says, “it’s time to bring forth the Star.”
Miko gives him a nod as he opens the pouch containing the Star. At the same time, James pulls the medallion bearing the Star of Morcyth out from beneath his shirt. Light shines forth from both in magnificent brilliance.
Then it seems as if time stops as every eye turns toward them. The arm of Ozgirath is poised to plunge the dagger into Tinok’s chest as he looks to see those who have dared to intrude upon his domain. His yellow eyes flash as he sees the Star where it shines in Miko’s hand. Only for the space of a heartbeat does the world seem to stop before it once again resumes.
Kill them and take the Star!
His warrior priests draw their swords and the prickling sensation spikes as they move toward James, Miko and Brother Willim. Then just as he turns back and is about to plunge the dagger in Tinok’s chest to complete the binding of the gate, Jiron comes from behind him and kicks with his foot the hand holding the dagger. The blow causes the dagger to fly free of the hand and sail through the air toward the dome. When it hits the dome’s surface, there’s a flash and the dagger is gone.
Noooooooooo!
Ozgirath turns his eyes onto the man who cost him his dagger. A wave of energy lashes out from him and strikes Jiron. It picks him up and throws him further back into the cavern. The warrior priest who had brought Tinok before Ozgirath still stands there holding him. Dmon-Li’s High Priest moves forward and grasps the hilt of the warrior priest’s sword. Pulling it from its scabbard, he raises it high to strike Tinok and add his blood to the others to complete the spell.
As the sword descends toward Tinok’s breast, a shimmering field springs up around him. The sword connects with the shield and rebounds back. Anger erupts within Ozgirath. Returning the sword back to the warrior priest he says, When the shield falls, strike. There’s very little time left.
The warrior priest nods and stands ready.
Turning to the mage who unwittingly helped him to reach this goal, he now turns the full might of his power against him. Energy crackles around him as he summons the power of his god.
When Jiron had managed to remove the dagger from the dark one’s hand, James had almost shouted in glee. Then his jubilation left him quickly when he saw the five warrior priests turn their attention on him, Miko and Brother Willim.
Magic erupts from the Star as Miko begins speaking once more in the tongue none other understands. Lances of light shoot forth from the Star and strike the approaching warrior priests with devastating results. Knocked backward several feet, they quickly recover. Then a dark miasmic cloud forms before them and rushes forward.
The green glow surrounding Brother Willim intensifies as he works to counter the malignant magic being turned to bear upon them. How he wishes the other members of the Hand were with him now, he sorely needs them. Then out of desperation, he sends forth a message, “Little Brothers! Asran needs you this day!”
Throwing a handful of seeds toward a dark miasmic cloud billowing its way toward them, he prays to Asran to give the earth spirits courage. As the seeds blossom into green tendrils that begin absorbing the cloud, Little Brothers fill the air as they jump from the steps above and race to his aid.
Jiron shakes off the effects of the blast and regains his feet. A moment’s glance shows him Tinok encased in one of James’ barriers, the Little Brothers launching themselves from high up on the stairs, and James, Miko and Brother Willim fighting for their lives against five warrior priests and the dark figure whom Brother Willim named Ozgirath.
Seeing as how Tinok is in no immediate threat from the sword held in the hand of the warrior priest so long as James’ shield remains in effect, he rushes toward where James and the others are under attack.
At first dozens, then scores of Little Brothers appear and swarm toward the combatants. None go near Ozgirath, instead they wash over the warrior priests like a tide. Their tiny claws scratching away at any exposed skin that isn’t covered by armor. Even the armor of the warrior priests begins to show signs of their attack.
Four of the warrior priests bear the brunt of their assault. Their swords move incredibly fast as they strike out and cleave many of the Little Brothers in two. But for every one they kill, two more take its place.
Miko holds aloft the brilliantly shining Star which is keeping several shadows at bay while fending off a warrior priest with his sword. The shadows had appeared shortly after Ozgirath’s dagger disappeared in the dome. The light of the Stair is preventing them from coming close. When they do, smoke seems to rise from them as if the Star’s light burns them.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Brother Willim’s staff quickly strikes the warrior priest engaging Miko three times in quick succession but fails to yield any results.
Bam!
One of the warrior priests blasts a dozen Little Brothers from him and then lays about with his sword before more attach themselves to him once again. They grip the armor and use their hands, feet, and at times teeth, on any exposed flesh within their reach. Two of his fellows are already completely encased in a mass of wriggling bodies. The fourth lies still upon the ground, the armor now holding nothing more than a grisly piece of ripped flesh. That it had been a man is no longer apparent.
Ozgirath unleashes a massive surge of magic toward James which grips him in absolute agony. Every nerve ending on his body flares pain, his muscles begin to twist beneath his skin. A cry of pain is ripped from him as he drops to his knees. Responding with magic of his own, he thrusts the invading magic from him and the pain diminishes.
Grinning, Ozgirath raises his hand and blackness surrounds it. A blackness so total that is seems as if the light around it is being drawn within. Before he’s able to complete the spell, a knife is thrust to the hilt in his back.
Ignoring the blade, he launches the blackness toward James then turns his attention to Jiron who is striking him with his other knife. Fool! Ozgirath says to Jiron. Lashing out with his arm, he connects with Jiron and sends him flying toward the dome. Striking it, he disappears.
“Jiron!” yells James when he sees him vanish. Unable to dwell more upon the fate of his friend due to the approaching bulbous cloud of black, he strikes the cloud with a wave of magic and shatters it.
“ Ahhhh!”
Suddenly Miko cries out in pain. James turns in time to see the light of the Star diminish greatly as the sword from a warrior priest severs the arm holding it. Blood spurts out from the stump as he staggers backward.
Brother Willim moves in with his staff to engage the warrior priest, allowing Miko a chance to withdraw. “Get the Star!” he hollers to James.
Then a wave of darkness seems to roll over them all as Ozgirath stands there with arms upraised. James moves toward the Star and is almost upon it when he sees Miko’s blood on the ground. It’s moving across the ground as if of its own volition, and it’s heading for the dome.
Unable to worry about the ramifications of that, he reaches where the Star is lying on the ground. Then he stands there in indecision. He knows it’s his death for him to lay hands upon it, even to save it from the minions of Dmon-Li.
Brother Willim notices his hesitation and yells, “The shadows! Get the Star or all is lost!”
James turns and sees the shadows that had been held at bay by the Star moving quickly toward them. Then out of the corner of his eye, he sees Tinok where he is still encased within the barrier he put around him. “That’s it!” he cries.
Casting a spell he’s cast hundreds of times before, he encases the Star in one of his barriers. Bending over he picks it up. He hesitates only a fraction of a second once it’s in his hand before raising it high. “Morcyth, lend me your aid!” he hollers and the Star bursts to life.
As the light of the Star blazes forth, screams rip their way through his mind as the light burns the shadows. The pain from the screams forces him to close his eyes. When he reopens them, the shadows are once again a good distance away.
He then turns to Miko and sees him on the floor awash in his own blood as he holds his severed arm to the stump. A glow forms where the two ends meet as the power of Morcyth works to reattach the limb. “Are you okay?” he asks.
Face displaying the pain he’s feeling, he fails to answer other than a shake of his head.
Whack!
Brother Willim strikes the helm of the warrior priest he’s facing. Bringing his staff in for another strike, the warrior priest’s sword unexpectedly strikes the center of the staff and cleaves it in two. Now unable to adequately defend himself, Brother Willim is helpless to stop the next attack. “Asran!” he cries out as the warrior priest’s sword penetrates his stomach.
Suddenly, the cavern is filled with the angered screams of Little Brothers. They launch themselves at the warrior priest. Now in total disregard for their own safety, they swarm the warrior priest with a viciousness one wouldn’t expect from such shy creatures. The warrior priest’s sword moves rapidly as he strikes one after another, but the deluge of bodies is simply overpowering.
James rushes to his side and can see the green glow already surrounding him. “Brother Willim!” he says but the brother is too deep in healing concentration to hear him.
Then all of a sudden, there’s a subtle shift in the feel of the cavern. Turning his gaze to Ozgirath, he sees him radiating darkness as he faces the dome. “Oh no,” James says as he sees the top of the dome beginning to sink toward the floor.
The dark ritual has been completed. The gate is now ready.