“Just as well,” Anneleigh though as the
lift made its slow progress from the laboratory to the main floor. “It would look suspicious if it did not make
the stop.”
Thinking quickly, knowing she would have
only seconds to act when she came into view, Anneleigh moved to the shadows of
the chains, lowered herself to a crouch, and aimed an arrow, hoping she would
not be visible on the platform until it began to move towards its final
destination. She felt her heart quicken
as a sliver of light passed into the platform above her head and then grew as
the opening came into view.
To her relieve, only two entered the
lift. They were in such deep
conversation that neither noticed their uninvited guest. Anneleigh waited until the silver of light
shrank and disappeared at the base of the platform. She stood tall, took her aim, and shot each
of the cultists before they had a chance to turn and see her.
Hoping no one would be waiting for her at
the top of the elevator, she stowed her bow over her shoulder and grabbed each
cultist under an arm to pull them off the lift.
To her surprise and relief, no one was waiting to descend. She pulled the two cultists into a corner
behind a pillar and made her way to the doorway to the outside.
Anneleigh watched from the shadows as a
guard paced back and forth in front of the door. A similar guard mirrored his actions at the opposite
door, and several cultists conducted experiments at small fires along the
walk. As Anneleigh watched, yet another
cultist, this one similar in stature to the one she had killed in the laboratory,
entered the area from the opposite lift and pointed towards the door. Anneleigh could not hear, because of both the
distance and the sound of the wind, but she knew he must be demanding they
leave him. Ducking back into the alcove, she hid behind
the pillar that was hiding the dead bodies of the cultists and waited for the
guard to descend in the lift.
As he left her view Anneleigh smiled,
knowing that he would now take up a position on the main floor and bar anyone
for ascending. She had slipped up here
on the very last possible opportunity.
Taking a place near the doorway again,
Anneleigh watched as the cultist walked to the center of the walkway, open a
large book, and began to chant. A small
portal opened within seconds, growing until it was large enough to be used.
Anneleigh stepped out from the shadows and
approached the cultist. He called out to
her without even glancing in her direction.
“You are too late to stop my ritual!
The gate is open!”
“Maybe I cannot prevent the portal from
opening, but when you die, it will close, and your plan will have failed.”
Anneleigh called back, shouting above the howl of the wind between the mountain
pass.
The cultist laughed and stepped aside to
allow a large creature from the water plane to enter the area. Scaly and dripping with water, the creature
seemed to freeze solid in an instant. A
moment later it was breaking free from the ice and set its sights on Anneleigh.
“This is Nhagoa, Ascended.” The cultist shouted. “I, Rhotip, will be remembered by Akylios as
the caller who handed him Whitefall.
You, Ascended, will be remembered as the one who let it happen as she
stood by in the shadows.”
Anneleigh shot an arrow at the creature,
but its tight scales acted as armor and it failed to puncture him. She aimed a second at Rhotip and shot him in
the heart. Now able to focus on the
monster, she started to formulate a plan.
The air around her was cold. Anneleigh
did the only thing she could think of, and attempted to lead the giant sea
monster towards one of the ritual flames.
Hoping the fish would be too enraged to notice, she started to back
towards one of the fires. It followed
her blindly, swiping at her with its four arms.
Two were webbed and did not pose a threat, but two were clawed and ended
in sharp talons. Anneleigh continued to
back away until each of them stood on opposite sides of one of the flames.
As she hoped, with each minute in the frigid
air, the creature became more sluggish.
She watched its gills work franticly, trying to pull enough moisture to
sustain itself. “Cultists often over
estimate their abilities.” Anneleigh
called to the beast, knowing it could not understand her but wanting to taunt
it. “They understand the planes, but
only to the extent it would benefit them.
There is a reason Lathys and Maelforge do not operate in this fidget
north. The ice and snow of Iron Pine
Peak may be fine for Regulos and Crucia, but Akylios seemed to forget that
water,” she backed away as the monster Nhagoa started to fall forward, “turns,”
she watched it fall into the fire, dead, “into ice!”
She pushed Nhagoa off the flame with her
boot and plunged her dagger into the base of his skull for good measure.
With the portal now closed, Anneleigh
picked up the grimoire and returned to the lift access. From this height, she could see the lights of
the Exile’s Den. She also noticed, for
the first time, decorative scroll work that was carved into the Icewatch
Towers.
Unenthusiastic about facing another trip in
the lift, especially knowing yet another guard has been set on the door and a
cultist is following her blood trail back through the laboratory, Anneleigh
decided to try her hand at climbing down the outside of the building. Trusting the cultists would not look up the
towers, she descended the tower face quickly, avoiding icy areas, and aiming
towards a line of trees that grew at the base.
The tall pine was ideal. Bushy
and dense. She remained hidden here
until nightfall when the guards changed.
In the low light, and with fewer guards to avoid, Anneleigh slipped down
the ramp and into Exile’s Den.
Chilled to the bone, Anneleigh made her way
back to the command tent and found Tabitha Leighton. Handing over the Grimoire, Anneleigh explained
what happened and why she had been gone almost a day.
“The Vigil’s light has guided you in this
dark hour!” Tabitha said with
wonder. “By slaying Rhotip the Caller
and Nhagoa, you have destroyed two of the Abyssal’s most potent weapons!”
“There are a few things I don’t understand.”
Anneleigh said. “Who was that cultist I
killed in the lab, and what is this book?
Maybe those answers will fill the pieces enough for this to make sense.”
Tabitha paced the tent for a few
minutes. “More than one of our order has
joined the cultists.” She said finally, looking Anneleigh straight in the
eyes. “Epov Itol is, was, such a
man. He betrayed us to the Abyssal,
opening the gates for their attack. I am
not glad he is dead, but I am glad he can no longer play spy for his new
masters. As for the book,” Tabitha paused
to examine the leather bound book. “The worn, flesh-tone pages with sharp,
white and blue characters are definitely magic from the Plane of Air. This Grimoire details the ritual and
materials required for the Abyssal to summon a powerful Demon.”
“Plane of Air?” Anneleigh asked. “I thought Abyssal were a water cult.”
“Seems like they wanted to step outside
their box.” Tabitha sighed. “Now that we
have uncovered the Abyssal’s intentions, I need you to take this new knowledge
of our enemy to Lana Farnish in Radiant Guard.
She fights against the Abyssal, and your help is critical for her
success!”
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