Aphrodite's Acolyte (22 page)

The dwarf approached the back of the minotaur pen as Fidel's paralyzing circle reached through the walls and froze all the silvery bull-headed creatures in place. He watched as the minotaurs expressions turned to surprise as they found their feet, and subsequently their bodies, would not respond to their commands.

Immune to the paralyzing blast by Fidel's spell prior to battle, Noxater entered the pen with a large grin on his face. He saw the fear in the minotaurs eyes as he approached, pulling his double-headed axe from his back. He couldn't help but feel pity for these creatures as it was almost too easy. Then he remembered his previous run-in with one of these foul beast's brother. His orange eyes flashed wickedly.

He cut down each minotaur with haste, his axe quickly severing bone and tendon alike. The dwarf made his way to the front door of the pen and opened the door slowly, observing the battlefield before him with thousands of disabled troops sprawled out, ready for slaughter like cattle. The dwarf smiled wickedly and whispered to himself, “That clever capt'n.”

Abby reached for the metal door handle and depressed the single lever, hearing the slight clink as the metal pin disengaged. She pulled the door open to enter the interior when a fiery blast knocked her from her feet and sent her flying the thirty feet to the opposite side of the terrace, the raised edges of the tower preventing her from flying over the ledge. Abby's face recoiled in pain, not from the blast of the fireball. The pain came from the splinter of wood protruding from Abby's side.

A grinning blue-eyed elf walked out through the door's opening. The male wizard approached Abby, his tone was dark and mocking.  “Abigail Lapillus? Do you really think a thief of your stature can bring down the great Pravas Medeis?” The wizard raised his hands once more, this time emitting blue-tinted streaks of electricity from each of his finger tips, each streak burying into the human rogue.

The metal buckles on her black leather armor turned red as the electricity did its work. The electricity didn't bother Abby, the magical barrier provided earlier in the evening held the mage at bay. Abby pulled hard on the unintended spear protruding from her side, trying to pull the plank through.

The wizard showed signs of frustration, noticing his spells had no effect on this thief. He ceased his lightning and raised his hands again. This time, a transparent bubble surrounded Abby and she felt herself being pulled upwards. She heard the crack of the board as she pulled free from the wall and rose five feet into the air. Abby saw the edges of the wizard's grin grow higher as he turned her around to face her death.

As Abby cleared the edges of the tower wall, seeing the forty-foot drop in front of her, she realized the wizard's plan. She quickly reached into her satchel and grabbed a small vial of orange liquid. The rogue placed the orange vial in her mouth and closed her eyes. The wizard released the magical bubble, sending Abby plummeting toward the ground. Abby hoped her idea was going to work.

The battlefield was littered with unmoving bodies, many of which were corpses. The armies of the four kingdoms were striking down their victims as quickly as they could, butchering the silvery defenseless creatures.

Noxater smiled as he saw his elven companion enter the tower using the front door, a fitting entrance to the elf's very direct personality. He looked to the top of the tower for signs of Abby's task being completed. He saw the last moments of Abby's demise as the rogue crested the tower and hurtled down to the land below. The dwarf's heart sank as he saw the human free-falling toward the ground. He quickly sprinted in the direction of his fallen comrade as fast as his short and stubby legs could carry him.

The blue-eyed wizard approached the side of the platform immediately after he tossed the human rogue. He looked down at the scene of Pravas' minions being slaughtered by the four kingdoms. His wicked grin left his face quickly, being replaced by a look of concern.

He raised his arms high and started chanting, his fingers flicking in rhythmic patterns. His black hair snapped in the wind as his hands started to glow white with magical energy. The sorcerer's voice reached a crescendo as he snapped his arms forward and together, a white beam striking from the tower to the center of the battlefield where Fidel stood a few moments previously.

The beam hit the ground and spread out wide. As the white circle spread, solid green light dissipated quickly around his non-slaughtered companions, effectively canceling the paralysis spell Fidel summoned moments earlier. The silvery bodies not yet slaughtered rose to the battle and the soldiers of the four kingdoms paused to regroup.

The wizard smiled wide, seeing at least half of Pravas' minions were still alive and up for the fight. He looked down toward the minotaur pen. His smile faded as he realized a significant power in the group had been slain.

Captain Sizod looked up from the western side of the field, catching eye of the wizard and wondering whether or not Abby made it into the tower.

Noxater winced as he watched Abby hit the ground hard, her body appearing to snap in two on the uneven ground. He raced toward her in a panic. As he approached, Abby sat up straight and looked up toward the top of the tower. Noxater skidded to a halt within a few feet from her, his jaw dropped open in surprise. “Thee elf's spell saved ye?” the dwarf asked incredulously.

Abby pulled some shards of glass from her lip then flicked them toward the dwarf. “No, not Fidel's spell. My potion!”

The dwarf smiled and offered a hand to help the human up to her feet. As Abby tried to rise, she found she could not move her legs and the splinter of wood was still in her side. Abby pulled a large flask filled with orange liquid from her satchel. She pulled the wood from her side and cut a deep gash in each leg. She poured a generous helping of the potion over the wounds.

Noxater, being the first time he witnessed the work of the potion on others, stood in awe as he watched the potion mend the bones, tendons, and muscles in Abby's legs and side. A few moments later, Abby stood tall in front of the surprised dwarf. The dwarf whispered, “So that's how ye fixed me up?”

Abby nodded her head and looked up at the top of the tower. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the wizard, wanting nothing more than to watch the beast suffer a horrible and agonizing death. Abby brushed herself off and stared up the side of the tower and then to the door Fidel passed through earlier. “What do you think, dwarf? Door or walls?”

Noxater looked to the tower, then to the door. “I like to keep me feet on thee ground.”

Abby grinned wickedly, “The wall it is. Let's go!” Noxater shook his head and followed the woman over to the wall. They started their climb to the top of the tower.

Upon entering the tower, Fidel was able to sneak past the first floor guards without much effort. The distractions outside kept the guards interested in their forthcoming battle to defend the tower's wicked owner. Once he cleared the first floor, the elf found the guards on the second floor were much more attentive to their surroundings.

Fidel's head barely peeped over the top of the stairs as an arrow flew past, barely missing the elf. Fidel jumped up the remaining steps and rolled behind a stand holding a single vase filled with black roses. Another arrow flew by, hitting the wall behind him. A third arrow hit the vase and knocked it to the ground, spilling the flowers and dirt. Two of the three silvery guards pulled their swords from their scabbards while the third stayed back and notched an arrow.

Fidel stood up tall to watch the approaching swordsmen. He pulled out his staff, twirled it in his hands a couple of times and finally pointed the tip at the archer. A red streak of flames erupted from the end of the staff, directly toward the archer.

The archer's eyes sprang open as the impending doom hurled at him. He dodged to the side, twisting his body to avoid the flames. The flames caught his bow arm, catching the wooden missile launcher on fire along with the leather sleeve of his fine armor. The bowman yelped in pain and quickly squatted to the ground in an attempt to put out the magical flames.

The swordsmen attacked. Fidel backed up as he parried the blows from the sword bearing soldiers. He twisted and twirled, waiting for his opportunity to strike back. Swords came in high and low, an attack sequence a master staff wielder like Fidel had no issues countering.

Just like on the battlefield, Fidel's staff started to glow green as he channeled his magical energy into the staff. Unlike on the battlefield, Fidel let the paralyzing magic loose on the next parries. The green glow of the staff traveled through the swords of his attackers, their eyes growing wide in surprise as the energy forced their swords to drop to the floor and worked its way down the length of their arms.

The soldiers looked to each other and shared a shocked expression just in time for the edge of Fidel's staff to smash into the face of one. The second attacker turned his head to Fidel, his face begging for mercy as the second end of the staff smashed in. With both attackers down, Fidel jetted forward and burst through the door the attackers were apparently guarding.

The room was an armory, full of various weapons and armors. No sign of further inhabitants remained. Fidel turned and headed toward the third flight of stairs. As he climbed, he heard the door fling open on the bottom floor along with several voices shouting orders to defend the keep.

Abby and Noxater continued their climb up the side of the tower using the ropes Abby set in place during her initial ascent. They picked up the pace and paused to watch as a silver ray of light streaked down to the battlefield below.

The duo observed as the streak slammed into a green and brown armored elven soldier, knocking him to the ground. The streak bounced to a red and white cloaked human, sending him flying to the side. A third ricochet of the bolt knocked an orange and red clothed soldier twenty feet across the field.

The streaking white fire continued to knock targets down one at a time. Abby looked to the top of the tower, watching the blue-eyed sorcerer smiling with glee as he directed his searing bolt on the battlefield below. Oh how Abby hated wizards. Noxater pushed on Abby's leg, urging her to continue on. The duo continued their climb as quietly and quickly as possible.

Fidel reached the top of the third flight of stairs, the level filled with several rooms. He intended to climb the remaining floor but something pulled at his instincts to go down the empty hallway. He walked down the torchlit corridor, listening at each door before opening slowly. The first two rooms appeared normal, no evidence of current occupants.

As he opened the third door, he thought he saw a movement in the corner of the empty room. Upon inspecting closer, he saw nothing and turned to leave. A faint grunt caught his attention so he entered the room fully and closed the door, locking it. He scanned the room closely, nothing appearing out-of-place but still heard the faint sound of a grunt. He heard the grunt again, sounding like it was directly in front of him.

He reached out in front of him and felt nothing solid. The air, however, was cold as he put his hands through the mysterious void. He walked into the unoccupied space, his body turning cold but not feeling anything more. The grunts grew more frequent and louder, sounding like the voice of his elven friend. Fidel whispered, “Cap? Is that you? Where are you?”

The grunts continued along with the sound of a chair rocking and tapping the wooden floor. Fidel whispered, “What magic is this?” He grew frustrated, knowing his childhood friend was around somewhere but unable to do anything about it.

He could feel the heat in his face as the frustration turned to anger. He ran back to the cold spot and stared at the walls. Then he saw it. A mirror on the back of the door, showing the reflection of the room. In the mirror, he saw his elven friend sitting with his head in the middle of Fidel's chest. Fidel moved to the side, the mirror reflecting his movement and Cap's inability to act due to being restrained.

Fidel looked behind him to the blank and cold space his friend was occupying, then back to the mirror. Cap's eyes showed him he had figured it out. Within the mirror, Fidel could see a mist behind Cap. He squinted as he believed the mist was starting to grow. He glanced over his shoulder quickly, noticing no mist was forming. His gaze turned back to the mirror, Cap apparently growing with excitement as the mist continued to expand.

Abby and Noxater reached the top of the railing after witnessing many of their allies being struck down by the tower's occupant. The battle below was still strong and the silver army was starting to gain momentum, pushing the attackers back.

Abby whispered to Noxater, “On three, over the top. Rush the wizard.” Noxater nodded and Abby reached into her satchel, pulling a vial of white liquid out. She started her count. “One, two,” she tossed the vial in the wizard's direction, “three!” Noxater hopped over the top of the railing, pulling his axe from his back as he dashed toward the wizard.

Abby grabbed the rope and hopped from the ledge, swinging herself in the direction of the wizard. The black-haired elf turned to meet the dwarf's charge, his arms quickly going to work for a spell. The vial of white liquid erupted with a flash as it hit the ground, just bright enough to interrupt the wizard's thought, causing his spell to fizzle. The light lingered, blinding any in the vicinity.

The dwarf swung his axe hard, hitting nothing but air and tumbled forward through the light barrier. The dwarf shook his head and rubbed his eyes, trying to find the form of the wizard upon the balcony. The dwarf saw another vial come over the side of the railing, red in color as it spun end over end. The vial erupted as it hit the ground, sending biting flames across the entire length of the balcony.