Disclaimer:
Hello again! Well then! I finally managed to get my ass back in writing again (particularly because I'm so sick of studying college stuff 'n' all...). But I'm back with the fifteenth part of NNT. It's kinda shorter than the rest, I know. Sorry about that. Now what should I yap about first... oh yeah! Legal stuff. You all may shut your ears now. First of all (bla, bla, bla), as mentioned before, this story is totally fictional and has no purpose whatsoever to imply that any member of the BSB is gay. Secondly, also as mentioned before, the setting of this story is 100% based on TSR, Inc. Novels, the Forgotten Realms. The story is written purely out of fun and leisure and I have no intention of publishing it anywhere or whatever. Hmm... what else? Oh yeah, this story also contain homosexual elements, so if you got a problem with it, Boo-hoo, I don't give fuck. However, if you are looking for some hot monkey sex scenes, sorry dudes, you'll be disappointed. I'm just not good in writing about that stuff :P Let just keeps the detailed sex stuff behind closed doors. But if you like stories that goes nice and slow and have more to offer than just sex, oh well, you might like this one (I hope).
Well! Now that is gone out of da way, lets get on with the story. Hope you enjoy it. If ya got comments, objections, suggestions, tips, death threats, boos, tomatoes or cabbages to throw or whatever, just write to me at goldenknightuk@yahoo.co.uk
Anyway, I would like to thank everyone who e-mailed me of your comments and such. It's nice to know that you've enjoyed it. I live to serve (Hah!). All in all, thanks guys. I intend to make this story as long as I can. But ideas do tend to run out quickly. I can always think up of new ideas (if I can get my lazy mind going long enough. It really needs a kick or two at time but it has always serve me well... hmm... well, most of the time). But if you have any inputs, ideas or suggestions, feel free to drop me a note anytime you want, be it through e-mails, letters, pigeons, message in a bottle, Morse codes, talking drums, whatever.
Author's Note:
Another thing is, in case you didn't notice; I have changed my email address. So if you guys wanna drop us a note, sent it to goldenknightuk@yahoo.co.uk
Right! Enough mindless chatters, roll back the curtain, roll the drums and on with the show!
Drew and Andy
In the Stonelands, north of Cormyr...
"Gods, deliver me from this everlasting boredom," Simron muttered as he leans against the wall with his halberd propped beside him.
His comrade-at-arm who stood on the other side of the door where Simron stood chuckled quietly.
"No one asked you to join the army, Simron. So why complaining now?"
"Bah! I'd have thought there's more sword swinging and endless plunder when I joined soldiery. I never would have thought I'd be spending most of my time guarding an empty room filled with worthless baubles and junk."
Lyrkon cast a wry smile at the Zhentilar warrior beside him.
"Aye, why don't you tell that to Laelar? I'd dearly like to see what that priest would do to you if you call his collections of magical items 'worthless baubles and junk'".
"Why does he collect such damnable things anyway?" Simron grumbled. "Better be rid of it, I say. I never thrust any sort of magic anyway, not spell or items. Such things should be left to the sages or better still, destroyed."
"Aye now, but magic does serve us from time to time, yes?" said Lyrkon wryly. "Should you face a foe with an enchanted sword in you hand, would you cast it aside in exchange for a normal sword? Aye, you would not. The problem with magic, my dear Simron, lies not in magic itself, but its wielder. I haven't serve the Zhentarim for more than 10 years without seeing worthy soldiers perished because of the foolishness of some of the Zhentarim wizards."
"You mean those black-hearted spell-wielding bastards?" Simron scoffed before spitting on the floor. "They are like children playing with fire! Were it not for Lord Manshoon protecting them, those Dabbling-Know-Nothing would have perished under the roused might of the Zhentilar warriors."
"Say not things you do not know, Simron," Lyrkon replied smoothly. "As black-hearted as they are, the Zhentarim needs them as much as they need us. How long would you think we'd last against any of our magic-wielding foe alone? Against Elminster of Shadowdale for example? Or the Witch-Queen of Aglarond? Or against Azoun of Cormyr and the whole might of his war-wizards? When I was a lad, my superior used to have this saying: 'Let the mages slay each other with their spells. Warriors like us should stay out of the fray and takes the glory once they have perished.'"
"And where is your superior now? Is he yet lives?" asked Simron.
"Nay. He and his patrols got caught in the middle of a spell-battle between a Zhentarim mage and a Cormyrian war-wizard. A fireball eventually got in his way and they perished instantly." Lyrkon replied.
"So much for his wisdom," Simron let off a snort before giving himself up to a low chuckled. Lyrkon joined him and soon both of them were so lost in their mirth that they didn't even hear a soft footstep coming towards them.
"My, my, are you having a laugh without me? Mind if I join you?"
Their laughter ended abruptly as both Zhentilar warriors snapped up to look at that new woman's voice. They were greeted by the lithe figure of Beth, grinning at them as she leaned seductively against the wall before them.
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" asked Simron warily.
"My name is Beth," the thief replied, "And that handsome man beside you is AJ."
Simron turned immediately aside only to see AJ grinning face beside him. AJ winked once at him before sliding a dagger up between the armor plates covering his chest, straight into his heart. Simron doesn't even have a time to groan.
Lyrkon on the other hand opened his mouth to shout an alarm as he desperately makes a grab for the halberd beside him. But he attempts was immediately interrupted when he received a booted leg thrusting into his abdomen. The only thing he managed to do was bent forward as all of the air was forced out of his chest. A further well-aimed punch at the side of his cheek knocked him out of consciousness.
"Well that was quick," said Howie as he stepped out from the dimness with the others.
"Of course," AJ grinned. "We're professionals."
Near him, Beth snorted at his remarks as she knelt before the door and examines the lock carefully for any traps. She examines it for a second or two before drawing out a thin metal wire from her pouch at her belt and inserted it into the keyhole.
"Stand back, everyone." She warned and poked at the keyhole gently.
Almost immediately, there was some sort of a mechanical click emanating from within the lock and even as Howie watched, something small, thin, and glinting shot out from the keyhole and flew through the air, passing Beth and struck the wall opposite the door. It fell to the floor and Howie bent down to have a better look at it. It looks like a small pin though its tip is tainted with a greenish looking fluid.
"Trapped, just as I thought," said Beth softly before commencing with her lock-picking. "Don't touch it. It's poisoned."
The thief fumbled a little bit further with the lock and a moment later, she pulled down the handle and pushed the door backward. The door drew back silently.
"The room's yours," Beth announced before slipping in, AJ behind her.
The room is a large one, with a massive bed at one side and a small altar with the unholy symbol of Bane at the other side. A massive Calimshan carpet cover the floor and a small window stood at one side of the room. AJ peered out only to see a vast huge drop outside. The sun is just setting and peering to the distance, AJ could only see stretches of the desolated Stoneland before him.
Zen and Derek came in last and Zen shut the door quietly behind them.
"We must hurry," said Zen. "We don't know when they are coming back here."
Tessaril hurried to the table and picked up her spellbook and her wands.
"Howard, Zen, Derek, here's your swords." Said Tess as she passed the enchanted Cormyrian swords to them. She then turned and started don her armor that is specifically enchanted to allow her to cast spells while wearing them.
"Ready all?" asked Beth.
Howie swings his sword once and twice to get himself used to it again before nodding. Zen and Derek nodded immediately and Tess donned her gauntlet carefully before nodding. She looked around the room carefully.
"The priest seems to collects enchanted items," Tess observed the assortment of rune-etched weapons lying all about the room. "Fortunate for us indeed. We can make full use of this."
Beth nodded.
"Yes. Pick up everything you can, guys. We may need them later."
Soon the group is battle equipped and ready. Tessaril has her sword hanging at her back, ready to be drawn when needed. Howie could see no less than three wands strapped at her belt. She also managed to acquire two more wands from the priest's hoard, safely kept in her backpack for identification later. Howie managed to acquire another sword. Both of them are now strapped readily at his back. Derek held rune-etched bow in his hand. His sword hanging at his hip and a quarrel filled with arrows at his back. Beth and AJ acquired an enchanted sword each as well as some enchanted daggers. AJ placed his daggers in place of his old ordinary ones at his boots. One dagger looks different compared to others though. The bottom of the hilt is adorned with a ruby surrounded by a silver ring. A series of arcane runes is engraved along the silver ring that seems to continue on along the hilt and on onto the steel blade itself right up to the pointed edge.
"C'mon," said AJ uneasily. "We've tarry long enough. Let's get out of here."
"You're right." Beth replied just as uneasily. "Look sharp, all. I have a bad feeling that we're going to run into trouble soon."
"Lady thief," Tessaril replied amusingly, "we already are in trouble."
Beth smiled wryly.
"True enough."
In the High Forest, near the Star Mountains...
Night has fallen over the High Forest and the adventurers rest gratefully in the chill darkness. Not wanting to chance any attacks, they agreed not to light any fire and attract any unwanted attention. Kevin looked at the others silently as he sat in the darkness. It is his and Delg turn to be on watch. He has just woken Delg up and the newly healed dwarf will be there in a moment.
He stares at the forest as silence, unconsciously stroking Ken's hair as the half-elf slept beside him. He had a strange dream a moment ago before Lamelle woke him up. He dreamt of Nick crying bitterly in Brian's arm while Brian is trying unsuccessfully to comfort him. The look of Nick's face simply unnerved him. He looks like he has lost something that is very dear to him. Something that makes him looks as if he has just lost part of himself. It would be... it would be the look he would have if he lost Ken...
He wondered if the dream he had is somehow real? It seems real. It feels real enough. Could it be that Nick is with Brian right now? If so, then where are they? Why was Nick crying? Has he lost someone he loved? Who is girl then?
The question plagued Kevin's mind again and again as he pondered silently in the darkness. He was jolted out of his thought when a hand touches his shoulder. It was Delg.
The battered dwarven warrior nodded at him silently and sat down beside him.
"How're you feeling, Delg?" asked Kevin as they settled back to back against each other.
Kevin heard Delg snorted behind him.
"This aged bones have seen countless battles in the past years, lad, and has weathered it all. Worry not about how I feel." The dwarf mumbled softly. "Steel and spells can break my bones, but it'll take more than that to break a dwarf's spirit."
Kevin let out a weary sighed and leaned against the dwarf's stout back, watching the misty darkness. To ensure no one notices them, Myra has used her druidic magic to summon mists to cover the area where they are now.
"How can I keep watch if I can't see anything in this mist?" Kevin grumbled softly.
Delg grunted.
"You watch the surrounding carefully, yes, but mostly you keep still and listen. Mist does funny things to sounds - you can never trust just where and how far away something you hear is - but listen hard to us and our immediate surroundings first, mind you, and get to know the sounds, and then listen for sounds that aren't us."
Kevin nodded in agreement.
"You asked about my health, lad. How about yours? Garth told me you took a lightning bolt and a fireball blast in the last battle."
"Ken healed me." Kevin replied as he gently stroke Ken's hair. "I'm fine now."
"Ye should be more careful of yerself, lad. A mage's lightning bolt is a deadly thing. I have seen warriors struck dead by just one stroke of it. Ye were lucky to be strong enough to survive."
"How long have you been adventuring, Delg?"
"Counting this year, it would be my twenty-fifth year since I left my clan in Citadel Abdar."
"What makes you leave your home?"
"The desire to travel, lad. The desire to see more of the world, not only through a dwarf's eyes, but also through the elf's, halfling's and even human's eyes. With age comes experience, lad, and with experience comes wisdom."
"Do you plan to return to your home one day?" asked Kevin.
Delg sighed wearily.
"Aye, Clanggedin's willing. One day, when these old bones are weary enough, and if I ever live that long. That's what adventuring is all about lad. You never know when is your last meal, when is your last laugh, when is your last battle. You go into a battle with an axe in your hands and courage in your heart and hope that you will come out of it alive. Ye'd do well to remember that."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Kevin again.
"I am almost a century old lad. Young for dwarves, but ancient for humans. I have seen many things in life. I have even gained a knack in predicting events that is still to come," Delg replied quietly. "I sense... a great storm brewing in the distance, lad. I fear, soon, it will engulf us all. Aye, I also fear that you and your friends, aye, and maybe Ken too, will be the key for our salvation."
"That's why ye and yer friends must survive to the end, whatever it takes," the dwarf continues, "even at the cost of our own life."
In the Stonelands, north of Cormyr...
"Sounds like they discovered our escape," said AJ as they crouched quietly within the cover of the shadows of they hide. Cries of alarm began to arise and occasionally, a troop of Zhentilar guards marched past them in urgent haste.
"Damn!" said Beth, "I was hoping they wouldn't discover our escape until much later. Looks like we have to do this the hard way then."
"What do you mean?" asked Tessaril.
"I was planning to make our escape through the front gate. With you regaining your spells, I thought that maybe you can cast a spell of invisibility on AJ and myself. Then we can create a distraction and then, make our escape in the ensuing chaos." Beth replied. "But now, with the alarm raised, they'd have surely closed and barred all the gates. That plan is foiled now."
They paused in silence for a while when they heard the harsh voice of Deina echoing through the halls.
"I want them found NOW!!!"
Howie shivered slightly at the tone of the furious priestess. His fate... no... their fates are sealed now. Getting caught and ending up in the priestess' hand again, especially with her in THAT mood is certainly not an option. Either they make their escape now, or die. Both options are better than first one.
"Oooh, she's mad," AJ snickered softly. "You're in big trouble now, D."
"How can you joke at the time like this?!" asked Howie before turning at Beth. "So what are we gonna do? I'm up for some fighting if that's what you're thinking."
"Well, it may come to that, but there might be another option for us." Beth replied coolly. "I might be wrong, but I think I saw signs of a secret passage leading away from the priest's room. I don't know where it leads, but we may gain some chance through that rather than facing the entire Zhentarim soldiers in the keep."
"I'm not sure about this," said Tessaril slowly, "What is it leads to a dead end, or to a place worst than this? Even worst, there might be creatures down there we don't know anything about. I heard Zhentarim has beholders as allies.
"I don't think we have any other choices, milady," Zen replied carefully "The six of us stand no chance against the whole keep. I say we take our chances and hope for the best."
"C'mon, then." said Howie. "There's no point in wasting time. We'll find out soon enough."
The group stepped out from their hiding place and made their way in haste through the corridor. They rounded the first corner before bumping into a group of Zhentarim soldiers.
"Oh shit!" said AJ before halting to a stop.
The two groups stared at each other in stunned silence for a heartbeat or two before the Zhentarim officer jumped back with an oath and drew his sword.
"Get them!" the officer barked out and lunged towards Howie.
Howie drew both of his swords in each hand and quickly blocked the first swing with one sword while automatically attack the officer with the other. The Zhent was quick to regain his composure though, for he quickly drew back from Howie's attack and bat the sword aside with his own before commencing his next attack. Soon, the two were engaging heavily in sword fighting, neither side refuses to back down.
The other seven Zhentilar soldiers however, rushed towards Beth and the rest. Beth drew her own sword and blocks the slash of one of the soldier. AJ hurled two daggers at one of the approaching warriors while Zen crashed his shield against another, causing the Zhent to reels back dazedly.
Two warriors rushed towards Tessaril. An arrow from Derek whistled past Tess' ears and embedded itself on one of the warrior's forehead, leaving her to deal with only one. The warrior-mage dodged the Zhent's clumsy attack smoothly before whipping her sword across the warrior's abdomen; the enchanted blade sliced through the rusty armor easily and soon, she is stepping over the bleeding corpse to engage the next warrior.
The Zhentarim officer proved to be a skilled swordsman, for so far he only suffered some minor cuts across his arms, face and legs. But he is constantly forced to defend himself rather than attacking due to Howie's constant double-blade attack. Whenever he blocked one of Howie's blades, he is forced to deal with the other blade. Whenever he makes his own attack, Howie easily blocked with one blade and attack with the other, forcing him to abandoned his attacks and placing him back in a defense position. The Zhent gritted his teeth in frustration before roaring in rage and channeled all his skills and strength into a single attack. Howie crossed both his blades before him and caught the oncoming steel with it. Sparks flies as the Zhentarim blade smashed against the enchanted Cormyrian steel. For a moment, the two warriors stares at each other's eyes.
"Nice move," Howie smiled, "but not nice enough."
He raised one of his legs and thrust it against the Zhent's abdomen. The Zhent's curse came out as a surprise wheeze as the air is forced out of his lungs and he stumbled back dazedly. At the corner of his eyes, he could see AJ performing a spinning kick against another warrior and Zen finishing off his own opponent.
"Eat my steel!!" Howie heard Beth hissed behind him and a gurgling sound followed. There was a flash of magic somewhere behind him, followed by a Zhentilar soldier flying pass him and crashed onto the floor a few feet away from him.
His attention is focused again on his own opponent as the Zhent rose up and launch himself towards him with a roar. This time it is Howie who was forced into a defense position. The Zhent, going berserk now, began to throw everything he got on Howie. Steel meet with steel, and the clashing followed. An arrow flew past them, hitting one of the warriors near them, and still the fight continues. The Zhentarim blade twirled once and swiped forward in a deadly speed and it was all Howie could do from getting himself decapitated. But it still managed to draw blood from his right cheek. Grunting in pain, Howie jumped back and took a defensive stance.
The Zhentarim warrior drew back too, sword held readily before him.
"Oh look," the warrior smiled, "I left a pretty scar on that pretty face."
"Where do you think you get that thing on your face, then? Shaving?" Howie replied coolly.
The warrior touches his own cheek, only to draw back with a pained hiss and blood on his fingers.
"You'll pay for that, boy!" the warrior hissed angrily and lunged himself again towards Howie in a berzeking frenzy. But Howie is already prepared for the attack now and lashes out in reply with his own strength and skills. For every lash the warrior made, Howie replied twice as hard. Sparks of magic appeared every time the blades met and whenever an opening presents itself, Howie struck out with his feet or fists.
The two warriors drew back again. The warrior is gasping now. Cuts and bruises covered his limbs and face. He glared balefully at Howie.
"Damn you in the Abyss!" he whispered harshly before leaping towards Howie, sword stretched out before him. Again, the two warriors fought, steel against steel, strength against strength. The struggle took them all the way near the end of the corridor. The Zhent twirled his blade once before swiped it forward but Howie dodged it and struck the warrior at the face with the hilt of one of his sword. The warrior reels back, blood gushing from his nose. Howie leaped as high as he could aside and landed on one of the side table. He leaped off the table just in time as the berzeking Zhent swing his sword angrily down, smashing the table into two pieces. The Zhent whirled around and attacked again. The first attack was blocked, the second attack was dodged, the third attack was blocked again, but Howie managed to win another wound using his other blade, causing the Zhent to grows angrier. At the corner of his eyes, he saw AJ raising his hand to hurl a dagger but Tessaril stopped him.
"No," said Tess. "This is not your battle!"
The two battled on for a minute, both side refuses to back down. Then the Zhent, eyes blinded with pure rage now, twirled his blade once and bring it down in a deadly arc towards Howie.
'He must be tired,' Howie thought as he swiftly and gracefully got to his knees, blocking the oncoming blade above him with one blade and at the same time, pivoted his own body and thrust one of his own blades through the warrior's heart. The warrior stiffened in painful surprise before coughing out his own blood and crashing to the floor, dead.
Weary and aching all over, Howie turned to look at the rest. The rest of the warriors are dead. AJ suffers a gash on his face while Zen is covered with cuts and bruises.
"How's everyone?" he asked.
"Obviously not good, but we'll survive," AJ replied "let's get the hell out of here. Lead the way, D."
Howie nodded and together they rushed towards Laelar's room.
"In here," said Howie when they finally arrived.
He pushed the door back and rushed in with the others behind him, only to gaze upon the furious face of the priest himself within.
"Oh by Bane's Black Backside, I knew we should have checked the room first!" Beth cursed behind Howie.
Laelar glared in fury at the thief and trust out his hand, muttering something harshly. A wave of cold unholy force caught Beth and threw her across the room. She slammed against the wall once before crashing to the floor.
"I will not tolerate any blasphemy against my Lord," the priest spoke softly.
"Me and my big mouth," AJ heard Beth muttering from where she lay.
"Another one?"
AJ turned to look at the priest who is smiling at him.
"Ah, I see. So you have come to rescue your friend here." Laelar nodded to Howie. "So the fly has come into the spider's lair... only to be caught in the web? Apparently it has!"
The priest laughed cruelly.
"Die, priest!" Zen growled and lunged himself towards Laelar, sword drawn and ready to impale. But Laelar simply pointed towards the warrior.
"Hold!"
The air around the warrior wavered slightly and suddenly the warrior froze in mid-stride. AJ raised his hand to hurl a dagger but the priest quickly pointed to him.
"Hold!"
The same spell lashes out and AJ only managed to gasp out in surprise before freezing in mid-action, hand upraised in the process of throwing his dagger.
Tessaril raised her hands to cast a spell, but the priest is faster.
"Silence!"
The warrior-mage chanting was quickly cut off as the spell took effect. Howie watched as Tess' eyes widened in shock as her mouth continues to opens and closes in spellcasting but no voices came out of it. The shock passed quickly enough. Though bereft of access to her spell, Tess is also a warrior. Calmly, she drew her sword, as does Howie. At the far end of the room, Beth stood weakly.
"A melee fighting then?" said the priest and held forth his hand. A mace flew from the table near him and he grabbed at it as it slapped against his hand.
The priest muttered several other prayer-spell and a translucent armor appeared over his robes. The medallion of Bane around his neck flashes with aura of unholy energy as he calls upon the dark blessing of the Black Lord.
"Come forth, fools, and learn well the might of Bane!" the priest spat out.
Howie leaped forth, blade slicing dangerously through the air. Laelar simply laughed and swiped his mace into an arc. The dark mace hits one of Howie's blade but instead of brushing it aside with the familiar clashing of steel against steel, an explosive shockwave ensues, throwing Howie back several feet away from the priest.
"Do you think you will find me unprepared and unprotected?!" Laelar shouted angrily.
Derek released an arrow but it simply bounced off the priest's conjured armor. Laelar gave a short mirthless laugh.
"How predictable you all are," said the priest spoke coldly before muttering the spell of Unholy Smite.
The room suddenly burst brilliantly with blue-white light. Tess jumped to the side and took cover behind a table but the rest were hurled across the room. AJ and Zen remained motionless where they stood, helpless to do anything while being bound by the Holding Spell. The spell seared the mercilessly but they couldn't do anything while being in that form. Outside, they heard the surprise shouts of the rest of the guards throughout the keep as the explosion caught their attention.
Tessaril stood up from where she crouched and leveled her sword towards the priest readily.
"Having difficulty speaking, Lady Tessaril?" The priest smiled gleefully before muttering another spell.
A ray of light shot forth from his pointing finger towards Tess but the Lady of Eveningstar simply leaped aside and sprinted towards the priest. She was upon him before he could even curse, sword swiping out.
Laelar cried out in painful surprise as the blade clove through his Armor of Faith and cause the first wound. But the armor managed to absorb most of the blows, saving him from the attack that was supposed to have ended his life. The priest lashes out desperately with his mace and leaped back.
"Hold!" the priest snarled out another spell.
Tess felt her body stiffen as the spell took effect but mustering all her wills, she roughly shook off its effect and leaped forward again. She makes her attack again, winning another wound from the priest. But Laelar was already casting another spell, ignoring the pain and refusing it from breaking his concentration. His hands glow and he grabbed Tessaril's shoulder.
Tessaril, still under the effect of the Spell of Silence, cried out silently. The priest has somehow perverted his Healing Spell into a spell that causes the opposite effect. Tess could feel the bones in her shoulder cracking and her skin ripping apart. Blood gushes out from the wound and trickled down her body. Gathering her strength, she leaped back, out of the evil priest's grasp. Slowly, the two slowly rounded the room; both refuse to let the other out of sight.
"What's the matter, Lady? Did I hurt you?" Laelar smiled evilly.
Tess thanked the gods that the priest didn't hurt her right shoulder where her sword-arm is attached. But gods! The pain! Mustering her focus, she mustered her strength and pushed aside the throbbing pain from her mind.
Crying out a silent battlecry, Tessaril leaped towards the priest, sword twirling in her hand. The priest dodged the first attack, took a serious wound in the second attack and finally blocked the third attack. Tess silently cursed her mistake. As her blade struck the mace, the same explosive shockwave the rendered Howie unconscious threw her back.
Tymora must have been smiling at her, for unlike Howie, she manages to hold on to her consciousness. She struck the opposite wall, silently crying out in pain as the wound on her shoulder flared out for a moment. But she managed to recover her senses quickly and leaped out of the way as she saw the priest standing before her, the accursed mace descending wickedly. The mace hits the wall where she leaned against a moment before, drawing a crack as it did. Mustering her strength again, she backhanded the priest with her gauntleted hand, sending him reeling back dazedly. She raised her sword to strike but the priest quickly swiped his mace forward. The mace struck her hand, causing her to release her sword.
Weaponless, Tess stepped back warily as the priest came forward menacingly.
"Die, pathetic wench! In the name of Bane!!!" the priest shouted as he raised his mace high to deliver the killing blow.
But his words were loss in a bloody gurgle. Tess looked up to see Beth standing behind him, her hand holding a dagger embedded at the back of the priest's throat. The thief, anger etched in her face, twisted her dagger causing the priest to croak. The mace fell off his hand and clatters to the floor.
"I really don't appreciate being thrown across the room, you know." She whispered softly at Laelar's ear as he fell to his knees and on to the floor.
Tess accepted Beth hand gratefully as the thief helped her up. With the priest gone, so is the effect of his Spell of Silence on her and the Spell of Holding on AJ and Zen.
"My thanks, Beth," said Tess as she nursed her wound.
"You fought well, Lady. Here, drink this," Beth handed her a vial of healing potion. "I'll check the others."
"God, what did he do to me just now? I can hear and see, but I cannot move!" asked AJ as he nursed his aching body.
"The Spell of Holding." Tess replied as she relaxed as the healing potion took effect. "Very popular amongst priests and clerics. Zen, are you well?"
"Aye." Zen replied. "My body is aching all over, though."
"How's Howard?"
Howie merely replied with a groan.
"He'll live." Beth replied as she tends to his wounds. AJ, check that wall over there, by the altar. I think there's a secret door there. Look sharp for traps too."
"Better hurry up, AJ. If Deina is as powerful as Laelar, I really don't want to face her in this condition." Said Howie.
"Trust me, Howard. She is more powerful than Laelar. I should know. I have faced her before." Tess replied.
"Bingo," said AJ, as the portion of the wall against which he pushed turned backward silently.
"Derek, help Howie up. Make haste, everyone! We must be out of here quickly!" said Beth as she hastily made her way to the opening and peers into the darkness.
"Mask, look after us," she whispered softly to the God of Thieves before stepping into the darkness.