The pathway rose and curved along the hill
side. In the valley Anneleigh could see
camp after camp of endless cultists. She
picked up her pace and arrived within the boundary walls of the Sagespire
within the hour. The guards said nothing
as she passed them – Neither baring her from entry nor offering her
welcome. Confused, Anneleigh walked up
the stone steps into the tower, and then up a second flight to the main study,
the working area, of what she now believed to be a small temple.
She approached a silver bearded man who
stood at the far end of a row of pews. “Marshal
Kain sent me to seek your help.” Anneleigh said as she bowed her head in
respect.
“We have been expecting you and these
Artifacts, Anneleigh.” He must have seen
the surprise on her face and continued. “The
Vigil spoke of your arrival long ago.
Sadly, between our current troubles and our work for the Sanctuary
Guard, we have little time to aid you.”
Anneleigh’s face fell. The hopes she had felt upon her arrival
seemed to leave her like a deflating balloon.
The monk’s defeated appearance did nothing to bolster her confidence. She collapsed into one of the pews and hung
her head, allowing the exhaustion and dread flow over her. She remained in this position for several minutes. In her quiet reflection, she realized the
answer.
“What if I helped you to clear the
path? I can help you with the troubles
that are preventing your work, and you can help Marshal Kain with this.” She held out the pieces of the Chain of
Command.
The monk’s eyes opened wide for a
moment. “This could turn the tide for
us, here in Scarwood. If only you were
versed in the history of this tower and the hazards we face, you could assist
us in restoring order.”
Anneleigh held back her laugh. “How do I
learn about the spire?” she asked.
He led her to a dusty tomb. She retrieved it and returned to the pew to
read.
“Viewing the danger faced by those living
in the region, each of the Vigil created a protective shrine in a different
location of the Reach and tasked their most worthy followers to watch over and
protect it. Once each of these shrines
was created, they combined to form a greater shield over the Reach, protecting
the trees and those that lived amongst them from evil and corrupted forces
surrounding the forest.”
She closed the book and the old monk
returned to her, sitting beside her on the pew.
“Are you ready for the test?”
“Test?” Anneleigh questioned, but the monk
smiled.
“Not to worry, my dear, if you have read
the literature, this will be an easy trial for you. He cleared his throat. “Part of the trouble facing Scarwood Reach
today is the failing of the ancient shrines.
This tower is the location of one of the five shrines powering the
protective shield. Which god of the
Vigil placed the shrine at this location?”
Anneleigh thought for a moment. She knew the answer, of course, having just
read it clearly from the book, but she wondered if this was a trick.”
“Thontic of course.” She said with hesitation. Then, feeling she needed to show her full
understanding of the matter. “And the
shrine of Bahralt was recently empowered in Lord’s Hall.”
“Indeed.
It was Thontic who saw the meeting of the planes at this location and
crafted the miraculous shrine which draws its power from conduits to the other
planes. It is the closeness of those
planes at this location which lends this shrine such power.”
Anneleigh smiled and waited for him to
continue.
“As was feared long ago, the barrier
between the planes has begun to break down.
The portals around the tower have opened to other planes. We strive to push this evil back, and any
assistance you can offer would be life-saving.
Behind the tower is a portal that is growing at an unprecedented
rate. Some entity from the plane beyond is
expanding its size in preparation for a full-scale invasion.”
The monk hesitated. Anneleigh got the feeling he was measuring her
worth, judging her capabilities. “What
do you need me to do to close the portal.
I closed the Rock Ridge rift in Scarlet Gorge, I am sure I could help
you as well.”
The monk held out a small packet, no larger
than an apple. “Take this lure and yank
this being into our world before the portal is large enough to admit its army.”
Anneleigh took the package in her hand, but
the monk took her wrist firmly in his and looked her directly in the eyes. ““The sages are poised to close the portal,
but they are no match for what is within.
Do not fail us, Anneleigh. This
is the last of the Nexus Attractors. If
you do not succeed on this, our final defense, the sagespire will be lost to
the powers of the planes.”
Anneleigh nodded, left the spire and made
her way to the back of the tower. As she
had been told, 5 sages stood waiting around the perimeter of the portal. She
walked forward until she was just a few feet from the portal and placed the
nexus attractor on the ground before it.
She took a few steps backwards to give some space, but before she was
fully in position the large mage of death burst through the opening. He was large, nearly as large as the demon
from Rock Ridge. Anneleigh was unsure
how he manoeuvred through the portal that was less than half his height. This was the last of her inward thoughts to
be recognised however, as the figure began to take aim at the sages who
struggled with the portal.
“HEY!” Anneleigh yelled, attempting to get
his attention. He either did not hear,
or did not care; Anneleigh could not be sure which. It was clear she would need to offer him a
bigger incentive. She picked up the
Nexus Attractor, got as close as she dared, and waved it around in his
face. Like a wild dog attracted to
fresh, raw meat, this deathmage pulled his attention from the sages and followed
her towards the back of the courtyard.
She planned to give them as much space as possible to work; a little
extra time if the demon noticed their actions before the job was done.
She circled him, looking for weakness,
dangling the attractor from her finger, as he seathed with displeasure. As with many other planer demons she
encountered, his head seemed to be the most vulnerable area. She took aim and fired an arrow at his
eyes. She hit him squarely and he
staggered around, unwittingly moving closer to the shrinking portal. After a few steps he must have finally
understood what was happening because he lunged for the nearly shut portal,
causing two of the terrified sages to lose their concentration. The portal’s reversal paused while they
regained their composure.
Anneleigh took the Nexus Attractor from her
finger and threw it at the mage. As
desired he once again stopped his attack on the sages and returned to her. As she often noticed in pray, his pain must
have released endorphins into his blood, he now moved quicker and lunged harder. Anneleigh knew this was usually the most
dangerous stage of a prolonged kill, as the pray was unpredictable. She also knew it did not last forever and the
pray was likely to bleed out before healing.
At least, that is how it works for normal mammals and birds.
She watched from around the mage as the
sages succeeded at closing the portal and turned their combined attention to
the monster. As if preplanned, they
turned their magic towards the undead and it began to slow, becoming completely
immobile after a few seconds. Only the
blood flowing from his wound continued to move.
Now able to approach the beast in safety,
she climbed to his back by his robes and slit him from ear to ear with her dagger. Blood gushed from the wound, staining the
earth and stonework red. Only after the
blood flow stopped and Anneleigh confirmed his death did the sages release him
from their binds.
“I thought you couldn’t handle the deamon
alone?” Anneleigh asked them with a laugh in her voice.
“We couldn’t close the portal and distract
him. We needed someone who could
handle him while we worked, someone who wouldn’t faint with fear on contact. You did well.
We can now move on to more serious problems.”
“More serious than that?” Anneleigh asked.
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