Mortal Remains

57.

Mortal Remains

 

It was a horrible experience, staking the hearts of the 11 Vampires in each of their coffins, then decapitating them.   But the Vampires were unable to resist them and all went well.   As they worked, they discussed what they had been through.

“The Earth Elemental was probably summoned by a magic item.”   Alvis told them as they worked.   “Those necklaces were necklaces of missiles and we were lucky that we weren’t all killed by those.”

“Sir Alvis, I saw two Vampires use rods against Eleazar’s sword, but neither time did they seem to do anything.   Do you have any idea what they were doing?”  Aurei asked.

Alvis smiled, went a short distance away and pulled one of the rods from his backpack, “Was it this one, Duchess?”

“I think so.”

“These are Rods of Cancelation - a favorite item of the Guild.   They dispel the magic of the item they touch, though the rod can only be used one time.   It doesn’t always work, thank Yesh.”

Suddenly Alis, who along with Aeric and Neal were watching for any activity from above, came rushing into the hold, “Guys, there are a pair of Wyverns or Dragons coming our way.   Sir Aeric can see them and they look like they have riders.”

“Death Knights.”   Sir Alvis stated, “Only they can travel by day.   They may have got a message to them about our attack, or maybe they were out on a reconnaissance mission and don’t know about us.   I was wondering why a Lich would travel without some of the Knights.   In our weakened state, we may have trouble dealing with them.   We need to make a plan and quickly.”

 

***

 

Azrael and Yama walked cautiously through the lower decks, their dark senses telling them exactly what had happened on the vessel.

“It was foolish to not immediately retrieve the Emperor’s Airship.   They have fortified themselves with his treasury of magic.  How else could they have succeeded?”

“All of them destroyed; but perhaps the coffins of the vampires remain and they can be revived.   They will sanctify this ship, Azrael, or destroy it.   The Master will not be pleased.”

As they briskly walked down the level above the hold, they became aware of the presence of strong good around them.  They had just stopped in alarm when the attack began.

 

***

 

Alvis leapt from hiding, bringing his ice sword down and around again in a split second, cutting the Death Knight deeply.   Haroldris came in from another angle, hitting the unholy creature in the mid-section.   Neal, who had retrieved the gauntlets of Ogre Power from Zeatt’s body, hit the Death Knight in the leg, but the blow seemed to have no effect.   Vinth wore Pectros’ giant strength belt and hit the undead creature on his other leg, wounding him.

The Death Knight staggered back, but glanced at Neal and Vinth and chanted a single word in a strange tongue.   Neal and Vinth fell to the ground, dead.

 

Aurei had attacked the other Death Knight first; his sword had parried her Holy Sword, but the Drow blade had sliced through his shoulder.   Eleazar’s blow went to the vile thing’s head, but he still stood.   Thorm brought his axe down, but his sword deflected the blow.   Alis’ sword bounced off the creature’s leg armor without doing any damage, and Aeric had similar luck with his blow to his chest.

The Death Knight began chanting the same word the other creature had used, as he eyed Aurei and Eleazar, but the half-Drow quickly brought out of his pocket his silence stone and his spell was dispelled.   So the Death Knight brought his own Great Sword down on Eleazar, but the Elf dodged the blow.

Aurei swung Egregie at the fiend, lobbing off one of his arms.   Thorm’s axe also came down, square into the face of the horrid thing, shattering his skull and sending him to the ground as a crumpled corpse.

Meanwhile, Alvis and the King were fighting on.   The Knight Commander’s blows were parried in the complete silence of Eleazar’s stone, by the Death Knight.  But while the creature was engaged with Alvis, Haroldris’ Great Sword came down in a massive downward stroke, cleaving the creature diagonally from shoulder to waist and sending him back to death.

Aurei screamed out, though the sound was unheard in the enchanted silence, as she knelt down by the lifeless forms of Neal and Vinth.   Her banshee-like wail came to all of their ears as Eleazar put the silence stone away.   She sat in the middle of the hallway of the bottom deck with Neal’s head in her lap, rocking back and forth and mourning.   The King knelt beside the dead Orc and positioned his hands clutching his sword.

“We surely can bring them back!”  Aurei wailed, begging her God.

Eleazar knelt beside her, and she collapsed into his arms, sobbing, “Why, Laz, why?”

“Shh, sweetheart, it’s okay.   It was a powerful spell; a Power Word of death, against which there is little defense.   Thank Yesh we were not killed too.”

“I’ve known Neal for years, Laz!   He was such a gentle and kind man!   And Vinth - never have I known a nobler Orc than he was!   They’re gone and there’s nothing we can do!   Even Aunt Zeatt, Lute and Pectros may die!”   She broke down into deep sobs and he comforted her, Alis joining them in a hug as she too grieved.

“It’s our fault.”  The half-Elf lady said, “If we’d only known we’d been bitten by Vampires, none of this would have happened!”

Aurei looked up at her friend, “It’s not your fault!”   It was all she could say, until tears took both women and they knelt there rocking back and forth, weeping for the dead.