Check and Mate | Corruption of Lani

Ilandriel slid to the side, narrowly avoiding another clawed attack by her opponent. It had been a few millennia since she’d been in a fight, but she wasn’t about to crumple down at the first sign of blood. All these years, locked away here in the dark, alone. Hoping all those sacrifices meant something. And she had thrown it all away because of her sentiment for a halfling that died over two thousand years ago! Her younger self would have laughed at her emotional reaction, her sudden change of heart and desire to save the little wizard next to her.

“Do not act rashly like the N’Tel’Quessir, child” her mother would say. “Focus instead on the greater tapestry of the Weave.”

Maybe her mother had been right, but in the moment right now, her emotions were taking over. Maybe it was a sign of the isolation? Old age and sentimentality?

She raised a forearm as another blow came down on her, knocking her backward. Her foe in front of her had almost completed her transformation, snarling teeth and scales starting to form on the Old One’s face. Almost time! With a flourish of her hand a small fiddle appeared and she began to rapidly saw a jaunty tune that made her think of a dance she had once performed at, many years ago. Her opponent knew something was coming and tried to protect herself from Ilandriel’s magics, but the elder drake didn’t realize that Ilandriel wasn’t targeting her!

With a smile, the bard’s gaze suddenly shifted to the air above the Old One where a massive form was flying towards her. The wings of the blue dragon beat against the air so loudly that papers and loose objects were blowing about on the ground. It shrieked as its maw began to open and then… it was gone!

In it’s place, in the air, was a very confused elephant. The pachyderm’s momentum carried it forward a little before it began its rapid descent towards the ground below. Dru realized her mistake too late as she swiveled her draconic head around to look up. She braced herself as the elephant’s massive weight crushed her to the ground, her form disappearing under a mountain of muscle, fat, and hide.

“Garym taught me that one” she said, spitting on the ground by the crushed dragon. She knew it wouldn’t stop the Old One for long, though, and started making a break for it before the inevitable happened.

As she reached the center of the large cavern, she looked back and saw the prone and confused elephant’s eyes go wide as it was suddenly tossed aside as if it weighed nothing. A massive white reptilian body surged out from underneath it, it’s wings spreading across the room as the dragon’s head reached up into the air and bellowed out. The anger in that sound was a palpable feeling, enough to strike dread into most mortals.

Ilandriel braced herself, already thinking of another trick she had used while battling some Modrons during an extraplanar trip. What had Garym said that time? Ah, yes: “I don’t have to outrun them, I just have to outrun YOU!”

She really had loved that little guy!

None Left Behind?

On the other side of the chamber, at the top of a set of stairs, the barbarian and the rogue both turned their heads as a loud crash happened somewhere off to their left. Al wasn’t sure what he had expected to see, but a panicking elephant crushing an angry half-transformed dragon was not it! The dragonborn wasted no time in turning away from the chaotic scene and rushing towards an escape, leaping over the railing to the steel floor several lengths below. Audak’s heavy steps followed immediately behind him, leaping onto a nearby container and almost crushing the roof in as he got his balance.

As Audak dropped down, he found himself in front of a sealed doorway with a portal viewing window built into it. Inside, the shapes of several figures lay still, almost as if they were paralyzed. Unable to find a handle, the goliath grabbed both sides of the door with as much force as he could muster, the tendons on his forearms straining as he pulled. With a loud pop, he pulled the door off, tossing it to the side as he rushed in to search the room.

Holding his axe before him, using its light to scan the room, he found Bleg and some of the crew from the Bear tribe lying still on the ground. Their eyes were open, staring into nothingness. There were others in the chamber as well, some of them piled atop each other in the cramped space. They were nothing but batteries to those monsters!

“I’m getting you out of here” whispered the barbarian to his father’s friend, struggling to drag the enormous minotaur out of the room. Al soon joined him, the two of them working to drag the prisoners out onto the floor. Within seconds of being free of the chamber, they started to stir, coming alert and catching up quickly to the danger they were all in. While Ilandriel and the others kept back their pursuers, the prisoners worked together to save as many as possible.

The mob rushed in the dark towards the exit, holding onto each other as they followed Al and Brylla through the pitch black into the tunnels beyond. Audak rushed back into the fray, bringing himself side by side with Tanthalas and Blitz, facing down their pursuers. That irritating gnome Kade was throwing everything he had at the elf, but Tanthalas seemed to dance around his erratic movements in what must have been a frustrating display of skill. The assassin was already outmatched by the ranger and once Audak’s axe came crushing down on him there was little left to pick up but the pieces on the hard steel floor.

Tanthalas gestured toward the door and chased off after Brylla and the others, making the way to safety, but Audak looked off into the chamber before him. A bronze dragon covered in flames, slashed at the fairy and the orc who had come with them to challenge Dru. The elven bard Ilandriel furiously played as she tried to stop the ancient white from mauling Audak’s halfling friend. By the dim light of the machine, Audak could see Flynver bravely facing down certain death.

Bleg walked up next to him and took in the same scene that Audak had just witnessed. Flynver seemed to be waving them away, frantically urging them to run.

“We need to go, Bleg” stated Audak with authority. “Live to fight another day.”

“Are you kidding, kid?” the minotaur said, his fanged smile showing in the dim light of Audak’s axe. “I’ve never had the chance to take down a dragon before!”

With a wink, the old warrior took off. Audak watched as the minotaur lowered his horns and charged forward into the dark, a loud bellow announcing his entry into the battle. Audak heard a squishy sound accompanied by the sound of leather being slapped. Bleg must have slammed into something big! The sound of an elephant’s scream followed shortly thereafter.

Audak shook his head, resisting the urge to join in. There were others who needed his help more today. Whispering a prayer for his father’s good friend, Audak saluted the minotaur with a raised axe and then turned, his massive stride quickly catching him up to the others in the tunnel.

Tag, You’re It

The little halfling looked around, his eyes only able to see a few meters in each direction. Darkness was everywhere. Flynver stood resolutely, trapped with his back up against the massive machine towering over him, its dangling wires and pulsing lights creating an ominous scene. There was no way out, except through the massive white dragon between him and freedom.

In front of him, the others were trying to make a break for it, fighting their way through to the tunnels. He could see Ilandriel, the bard, glowing with a magical aura in the dark, shifting melodies on her fiddle. The music was haunting, echoing around in the darkness, creating a surreal sensation for Flynver as it seemed to him that time had slowed to a crawl. He knew she was buying them time. However, the halfling had an idea!

“Hey you, the big smelly dragon!” taunted Flynver, trying to get a rile out of Dru. “Yeah, you, the white one! Can’t even take out one small little halfling? You’re pathetic! I bet my grandmother has beaten worse than you with her broom!”

This is a bad idea, isn’t it… thought the wizard to himself as he watched the dragon begin to ignore Ilandriel and focus all attention on him. The huge white-scaled head swiveled, horns glinting in the dull glow of the machine’s red lights. With a powerful thrust, the ancient creature barreled forward, leaping into a low swoop as it stretched its wings out to glide towards the halfling. As it approached out of the darkness it just kept getting bigger and bigger. Flynver had not been able to fully appreciate just how fearsome this beast was until it was upon him, its jaws trying to close down on the tiny wizard’s form.

Using every bit of luck available to him, Flynver tried to hold on, pushing back against the dragon’s maw as it snapped at him. The terrifying beast’s form flew above him, its momentum carrying it forward, and a tail began to swing towards him violently.

It’s now or never…

Seizing the moment, Flynver let a blast loose, trying to tangle the wires up around the massive form hovering above him. Its wings beat down on him, forcing him to the ground as the dragon tried to avoid getting entangled in Flynver’s trap. The cables snaked about in the air, thrust forward by Flynver’s magics, but he could not manage to get the wires to take hold of the massive beast.

He fumbled in his pocket, looking for something. He could hear the music changing in the air, anxiety in the swell of the fiddle as it reached a high tempo. The bard was shouting something to him, but it was hard to make out in the chaos around him. He had to focus on dodging claws and tails and teeth and wings! It was a little much, even for the brave little halfling who lay there on the cold hard floor beneath this monster.

Suddenly a cage formed all around them, trapping Dru and bringing the great white slamming to the surface, its wings forced to be contained. Flynver could smell its breath and the stink of its hide, so close to him as he scrambled along on all fours to get away from the sweeping claws of the beast. The dragon was pushing against the bars, trying to free itself, distracted from Flynver for a moment. A snarl came from the huge beast as it failed to chew its way out.

His fingers finally found what they were searching for. Moving his way towards the back of the cage, as far from the dragon’s teeth as possible, Flynver tried to get the bard’s attention.

“On three, drop the cage!” he shouted, hoping the elf would listen. “One… Two… Three!”

He slammed the hearthstone down on the dragon’s rear claw, hoping this would work. The cage bars shimmered, then disappeared, then Flynver spoke the command word.

The Escape

The bard stood for a moment, in shock, as she saw both the halfling and the Old One disappear, leaving nothing but the wizard’s backpack lying on the ground. Oh dear, what had he done? To her right there seemed to be a minotaur goring an elephant with its horns. To her left was a young woman, who looked familiar, dragging an orc across the floor while a bronze dragon slashed at them from above. They had nothing left, and the fairy was too slowed down by her heavy cargo to be able to escape.

Hoping the minotaur could handle his own for a moment, Ilandriel faced down the Bronze, trying to buy some time for the others to escape. The fairy had the presence of mind to grab Flynver’s pack on the way, slinging it over her shoulder as she moved, but her friend wasn’t so lucky. Torn to pieces by their pursuer, he lay motionless on the smooth steel flooring, his thick orcish blood pooling beneath him as his lifeless eyes stared off into the dark chamber. Tears ran down the fairy’s cheeks as she ran, one hand pressed against a large gash on her abdomen.

***

Up ahead, somewhere in the dark, she heard the noise of the others escaping. Nikki couldn’t bear to think about Drokh right now, she focused only on surviving. She kept looking over her shoulder, still hearing the noise of those wings and feeling its hot breath on her back. One step in front of the other. She had to make it!

A blast of light seemed to fill the chamber behind her, briefly illuminating her way and causing her to glance back. The fiddling bard was gone, as was the strange bull-headed barbarian she had noticed on the way out. Something told her she needed to start moving a lot faster! As she turned her head back to focus on her escape, she heard a strange noise coming from the enormous machine at the back of the room, followed by the sounds of sparks and small explosions. There were cries of pain from the creatures still trapped in the room as room began to be consumed by the chain reaction. Nikki ran, moving as fast as her small feet could carry her. As she ran down the long dark tunnel, memories floated to the surface. The image of Drokh’s face, smiling that huge toothy grin of his, as he lifted her up off the ground. She remembered his voice, a little rough and full of sarcasm, trying to cheer her up.

“Nikki, you’re not going to survive out here if you just lay down on the job” the orc had said, mocking her after seeing her be knocked down by some large man in the street who hadn’t seen her as he’d rounded a corner. “It’s all about the getting up again.”

Her throat tightened and she almost choked on the tears as she ran.

***

…four, five, six…

Brylla was counting heads as the escapees passed by her in the tunnel, heading up the stairs into the streets above. Audak had started carrying one of the smaller kobolds who had been trapped and was rushing out with the others. As the last of the group passed her by, the dwarf brushed her long hair out of her face, taking one last check down the tunnel they had just come from, hoping nothing was pursuing them.

The loud slap of running steps echoed through the tunnel, approaching quickly. Shield and mace at the ready, the priestess moved to block the tunnel, hoping to buy the others the seconds they needed to get to the surface and disappear into the alleys. Her eyes scanned the darkness, waiting for the approaching creature.

Instead of a beast, though, the shape that emerged from the darkness was that of the fairy, carrying a rather small pack as she ran, her eyes wide with fear and tears streaming down her face. Brylla relaxed her stance, moving to take the pack from the distraught fey and help her towards the door. That had to be the last of them, right?

An enormous explosion sent a ripple of tremors through the entire tunnel, seeming to come from everywhere at once. She raced to the surface to find the others staring off at the spot where the Great Tower of Lighting had stood just yesterday. The tower had been a fixture in Pua for thousands of years, but now it lay in massive chunks of stone and alabaster and wood all over the massive courtyard. Fires burned and people screamed in pain as neighbours rushed to drag victims from the wreckage. The city felt darker and not just because of the pre-dawn twilight. There was wide-spread panic and fear, likely something most of the population here had never felt in their lives. They didn’t know how to regulate these emotions or even begin to understand what was happening to them. A young woman huddled herself in a corner of an alley, clutching her legs close to her chest, rocking back and forth with a blank expression on her face. A goblin shopkeep ran by, screaming in terror. It was chaos and it made Brylla’s heart tighten in her chest.

As they moved through the courtyard and past the shops, Brylla noticed something else among the panic. Some were not giving in to the fear of the moment. Two men helped an elderly woman back to her feet and brought her to a bench. A small child rescued a dog from under a fallen board. Several elven women were working together to put out some flames that had started near the explosion. Perhaps there could be hope for this new world?

Moving as quickly as they could, the escapees rushed away from Uppertown, headed for the docks and away from Dru and her minions. Brylla chugged along behind, still carrying the pack she had lifted from the fairy.

Wait a moment…

The priestess noticed a book tucked into the pack that she had seen before… this was Flynver’s pack! But where was Flynver?!?

You, me, and the mimic makes three.

Barrels cracked, shelves crashed to the floor, and tables were crushed as the enormous white dragon suddenly appeared in the cramped hideout. Shoved to the wall, Snappy chomped down on the massive scaled thigh pressing against it, the mimic fully willing to eat its way free. The white scales started shifting, the dragon’s wings collapsing into its body, as the large form shrunk down and transformed into the elven form of Dru that Flynver had first met. She spun around, hate in her eyes, looking for the halfling.

There he stood, his hands on the teleportation stone, raising it above his head. With as much as the halfling wizard could muster, he smashed it down on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

“Nooooo!” shouted the dragon, voice trembling with power. “Do you understand what you’ve done?”

“There’s no way out, and it’s just you and me and my hungry friend” Flynver said menacingly. “I think it’s time you calm yourself down.”

“All I ever wanted was to protect this world” Dru said, with a tinge of sadness in her words. “It’s all gone now. They’ll come. It’s all gone…”

“My friends will think of something” the halfling offered as solace. “But for now, all we have is time.”

With a wave of his hand Flynver mended a few chairs and a table, sitting himself down calmly as if he had not just been involved in fighting multiple dragons in an underground lair with a machine that was powering a world-saving emotion-altering energy field just moments ago. The wizard pulled out a small wooden box from a pocket of his robe, opening it and carefully removing the contents as he laid out a chess board and began setting out pieces.

“Have you played before?” the halfling asked, a little hint of mischief on his face.

Dru’s shoulders slumped, her long white hair almost covering her face as she resigned herself to her fate and sat down opposite the halfling. The mimic hopped along nearby, looking for uneaten apples as it happily went about its normal day. Flynver gestured to the board, allowing the dragon to take the first turn. A smile crossed the wizard’s face, still covered in blood from the recent battle.

“Your move.”