The Labyrinth, page 39
part #2 of The Gods' Game Series
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Kyran has triggered a containment ward and has been imprisoned.
From the four points of a diamond, the walls of a glowing force field sprang to life around Kyran. The field spread above and below him, the jaws of a trap snapping shut. Swept off his feet by the lines of force, he was unceremoniously dropped back down, coming to rest on the force field itself.
His first thoughts were of his injured companions, trailing behind him. Beyond the haze of the force field, he saw a short figure approach. He ignored it and turned his focus inwards. "Aiken, back!"
The cub, still a block away and out of sight, threw up his head in alarm and prepared to stone dive to Kyran's rescue. "No, brother, you must see to Gaesin's and Adra's safety first. Flee to the gate. I will meet you there. Go!" In the corner of his eye, Kyran saw the figure of his captor stop.
Aiken, bullish, muttered rebelliously and despite Kyran's urgings, charged forward. "No, Aiken! Think. You know I am right. You are spent and no help this way. Go. Please. I have a better chance of escaping if I am alone."
At Kyran's desperate plea, the bear skidded to a stop, huffing unhappily. For a long deliberate moment, the cub stood motionless, and with a hard stare, considered the figure standing with practiced unconcern in front of the force field. Grounding out a frustrated growl, Aiken turned and fled, promising a swift return.
Kyran breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe. "I'm sorry," Adra breathed softly over the battle link. "I wish—"
"Shhh," hushed Kyran. "Flee. Be safe. I will get out of this—somehow."
"Ah, a pity that," said Lesh laconically, watching the fleeing jade bear. "I had such a wonderful trap prepared for him." As proof of his words, six fire salamanders crawled out of the surrounding buildings where they had hidden in wait. "He would have made a wonderful slave too," continued Lesh. He shrugged. "Oh well, no loss really. It’s just you I need." The fire kend turned his glowing red orbs upon Kyran, eyes gleaming.
Kyran shivered, seeing the cruel nature lurking behind the genial, smiling façade of the creature before him. Remaining silent, rather than responding to the implicit threat, he inspected the force field, the salamanders and his captor in turn.
Containment field (II).
Containment fields dampen or prevent magical and psionic abilities. This is a level 2 field and requires an effective magical or psi skill of 60 to overcome.
Name: Lesh Spizaxla (Champion of Xetil)
Class: Enslaver Artificer
Race: Fire Kend (Gnomish)
Rarity: Rare
Level: 61 (Adept)
Health: 640 / 640
As a player, all other player data of Lesh Spizaxla is hidden.
The force field was similar to the one he was imprisoned within in the citadel but of a much lower level. Perhaps he could break through this one. The salamanders though, made such considerations pointless. They were each over level forty. Of the kend, he received little information other than his rank, god and class.
So. He had finally met his first champion. And it had to be Xetil's.
Looking from Lesh to the salamanders, it was clear now that he had found the source of the collars as well. "What do you want?" he asked brusquely.
"Ah, so it speaks! I had wondered. What I want? What my god wants, of course. You—dead. But fear not, you have a few more minutes yet to live. I have some questions first. And trust me, you want to co-operate." He chuckled complacently.
Kyran said nothing. At the edge of his thoughts, he felt Aiken and the others getting farther away. The longer this conversation dragged out, the greater their chance of escape. "Guardian?" he queried silently.
"Yes, master?" came the answer.
"There's no chance of you helping me out here, is there?"
"No master, I fear not. I am confined to Stonekeep."
"In that case, can you open the South Gate when my companions arrive there?"
"I shall do as you request, master.”
“Thank you, guardian.”
He broke off communication with the settlement's guardian and returned his attention to Lesh, who was glaring angrily at him. Kyran had the vague sensation that the kend had been trying to get his attention for some time. Oops.
He tilted his head, studying his captor. Lesh’s eyes were literally glowing red with fury. The fire kend seemed as volatile as the element after which his species was named. Kyran decided to bait him. Not with any definite plan in mind, but perhaps if the kend lost his temper, he might do something rash. He did seem the type...
He chuckled. "Sorry, you said something?"
The kend fumed. "I warned you, elf, not to play games with me. Remember that." Lesh sketched an arcane symbol in the air, too fast for Kyran to follow, and the front wall of the force field dropped open.
Sensing an opportunity, Kyran tensed, gathering his will to teleport out.
He didn’t get the chance.
Following his hand waving, Lesh thrust them forward, and twin manacles shot out from beneath the kend’s robe, wrapping themselves firmly around Kyran’s hands.
Pain. Crackling pain surged out of the manacles and into his mind. Caught off-guard, he shrieked in agony and dropped to his knees, spell forgotten and will dissipating.
Spellcasting interrupted by Manacles of Pain. You have failed to teleport.
With his will released, the pain trickled back into the manacles. Gasping from shock, he looked down at his shackled hands.
You have been bound by the Manacles of Pain.
Type: Item.
Weight: 0.1 kg.
Rank: Adept.
Special properties: Induces pain in the wearer when channelling will or essence.
Condition: Excellent.
Description: The manacles of pain is an enchanted item that uses pain to prevent the wearer from spellcasting or psicasting. The level of pain induced is proportional to the essence or will channelled. Crafted by Lesh.
“Better,” said Lesh, looking down on the kneeling Kyran. “Much better.”
Kyran stilled his racing pulse and breathed in deeply, restoring his composure. He looked up at the sneering kend. Enraged, he tugged apart the shackles. They refused to budge. They were of the same strange metal as the domination collars and had moulded themselves to his hands. There was no way he was going to remove them physically. In helpless fury, he wavered to his feet and took one trembling step forward. In response one of the salamanders snaked forward, scorching the ground before Kyran with its fiery breath in warning.
“Now, now. None of that. You will only force my pets here to kill you.”
Kyran stepped back.
“Good. Now, where did you find the obsidian golems and how did you activate them?”
Kyran remained silent.
“Tell me,” he demanded. Renewed surges of pain erupted from the shackles, reinforcing the demand. Kyran dropped to his knees and bit back the short scream of agony that involuntarily escaped him. He bowed his head, fighting the pain. From far off, Aiken felt the echoes and sent his distressed thoughts racing to Kyran, probing for the source.
Kyran responded reassuringly, “Don’t fear, brother. I am all right.” To prevent Aiken from realising what was amiss he flung up and reinforced his psi shields, managing for the first time to lock out the jade bear. He did not want to subject Aiken to what was sure to follow.
“That’s just a taste of what the shackles can inflict, agent. Now answer me.”
Stubbornly, Kyran remained on his knees, silence his only answer.
“Very well then,” said the kend maliciously.
Braced for it this time, Kyran held back the howl of agony that tried to force its way out. He would not give the champion the pleasure. He. Would. Not. Head bowed, by dint of will alone, he bore the waves of ceaseless pain. For an interminable time, it continued.
“Impressive,” said Lesh. “But you will not be able to resist it forever. Where did you find the golems? Tell me.”
Instead of answering, Kyran stumbled to his feet and charged the kend. He had not taken more than a step before he dropped to the ground, legs turned to jelly by the throbbing fire coursing through them.
This time the agony was viciously prolonged. With his muscles locked rigid, and his heart pounding in time to his anguish, he writhed helplessly on the ground.
“Tsk, tsk,” he heard the kend cackle through the haze of pain.
There would be no end to this, he knew. Not unless he submitted to the kend. And that he would not do. Never. Calling upon his rage and fear, he fought back. He focused on the kend’s malicious laughter, using it as a focal point of his fury and pulled in his will. A tortured cry ripped from his throat. He didn’t care. It no longer bothered him if the kend heard his screams. He kept on pulling in his will, fighting through the pain to maintain his concentration. And then he lost it.
He did not despair. He began anew. Using the pain itself to focus. He pulled in his will, screaming in time with his efforts. More and more he pulled in. And then he had enough. Holding it within the trembling confines of his mind, he opened his tear-soaked eyes.
Blinking rapidly to clear them, he strained to find the kend. There. Surrounded by the slow undulating forms of the six salamanders, still cackling manically. Perfect. He unfurled his will, centring the spell upon the kend.
A moment before his spell took effect, their eyes met. In satisfaction, he watched the kend’s eyes widen in amazement, followed by momentary confusion as the spell washed over him without effect. Then with dawning realisation, fear. The kend scrambled backwards, and without looking back, took off in panic, desperate to escape the ensuing chaos.
New ability used!
Ability: Enrage beast
Skill: Beast bonding.
Description: This ability enrages beasts within the targeted area for a limited duration. Enraged beasts lose all sense of reasoning and will attack the nearest creature.
Rank: Novice.
Cost: 40 Will.
Execution time: Instantaneous.
Area of effect: Radius of 1m x skill around target.
Range: Up to the caster’s direct line of sight.
Duration: 1 minute x skill.
Kyran has cast enrage beast (radius: 43m, chance to resist: 5%, duration: 43 minutes), five salamanders enraged.
He knew he could only count on being able to cast one spell. That as soon as the kend saw him overcome the manacles, he would kill him or find even stronger means of imprisonment. So he had one chance only. And he had to make it count. So he went with the simple enrage beast spell. He remembered that calm beast had worked on the dominated ophidians despite their collar, and he bet on enrage beast succeeding in a similar manner. Enraging them beyond the collar—or Lesh’s—ability to control.
And it had worked.
Five of the six salamanders succumbed to the spell and in a raging firestorm became embroiled in a melee as they unreasoningly attacked whatever was nearest. The sixth, unaffected but left without orders by the blindly fleeing Lesh, was also pulled into the inferno.
With blood dribbling from his ears and eyes from casting through the manacle’s pain, Kyran looked upon the fleeing Lesh and smiled. And then cast again. Gritting his teeth, he pushed through the pain. This time it was easier. In an odd flicker, like a distortion in reality, the shackles jumped from his hands to the ground.
Kyran has cast teleport (object). Kyran is no longer bound by the manacles of pain.
Safely out of range of the raging salamanders, the kend slid to a stop and about turned. His eyes crossed Kyran’s and he involuntarily stepped back, then scowled furiously to hide his reaction.
Kyran unhurriedly wiped the smear of trickling blood and returned the kend’s gaze equably. Good. He had stopped running. That would make vengeance easier. The kend began muttering; from this distance Kyran couldn’t quite make out the words, but he ignored them.
He reached down and picked up the now-dormant shackles, a bloodthirsty smile flickering on his face. Straightening, he teleported, propelling himself past the salamanders and materialising a step behind the kend.
The kend spun round, the golden glow of a divine shield surrounding him just as Kyran unleashed a storm of mind shocks.
Lesh has cast divine shield. Divine shields block all forms of damage until dispelled.
Kyran’s 5 mind shocks have hit Lesh for 0 damage (150 blocked by divine shield). Remaining shield: 750/900 HP.
The mind shocks were absorbed by the golden bubble and from within its safety, the kend sneered at Kyran’s effort. “Fool!” shouted the kend. “Did you think it would be that easy to kill me? Me, a champion of Xetil!”
Unperturbed, Kyran drew his sword and closed with the kend, buffing himself as he moved.
Kyran has activated Mind Over Matter, +76 HP.
Kyran has cast barkskin, +21 natural armour.
Kyran has cast fire shield. +434 HP shield.
Kyran has cast boost speed. +20% speed.
As Kyran began hacking at the divine shield, the kend stared at him in consternation. “What do you think you are doing?” he spat. “You will never get through the shield!”
Kyran’s 5 sword strikes have hit Lesh for 0 damage (100 blocked by divine shield). Remaining shield: 650/900 HP.
Again, Kyran ignored the kend. The longer the kend stood around doing nothing, the better. He activated shocking grasp on one hand and held it against the shield, and with the other he kept striking against it with his sword.
Kyran’s shocking hands have hit Lesh for 0 damage (35 blocked). Remaining shield: 615/900 HP.
Kyran’s sword strike has hit Lesh for 0 damage (19 blocked). Remaining shield: 596/900 HP.
Kyran’s shocking hands have hit Lesh for 0 damage (30 blocked). Remaining shield: 566/900 HP.
Kyran’s sword strike has hit Lesh for 0 damage (21 blocked). Remaining shield: 545/900 HP.
Realising that Kyran meant to keep hacking until he got through, Lesh drew a wand from his robe, and pointing it at Kyran, sent a starburst stream burning towards Kyran.
Lesh’s starburst has hit Kyran for 0 damage (51 blocked). Remaining shield: 383/434 HP.
Lesh’s starburst has hit Kyran for 0 damage (46 blocked). Remaining shield: 337/434 HP.
Watching the starbursts spatter against his shield, Kyran saw with surprise that, like the divine shield, it was weaker than he expected from a level sixty-one champion. Nonetheless it still far surpassed his own damage and would burn through his shield before his own attacks did through the kend’s.
But Kyran did not plan on staying still. He teleported to the top of one of the ruined buildings behind the kend. The building, like all the others in the city, was constructed from stone with a flat-top roof and convenient parapets behind which Kyran could take cover. The kend spun about, unerringly pinpointing Kyran’s location, loosening a torrent of starbursts his way. Lesh shrieked, “You won’t escape me that easily, elf!”
Kyran ducked behind the parapet, letting its dense stone absorb the starbursts’ fury. Crouching, he ran along the roof, the starbursts following but splashing harmlessly against the parapets. The kend continued to rant while maintaining the shower of starbursts, expending essence at a prodigious rate. He wondered how long Lesh could keep this going.
He reached the corner of the building nearest the still-battling salamanders and sneaked a peek over. Starbursts washed over him as he did so but were absorbed by his shield. The salamanders were still battling but his quick look had revealed that matters were progressing as he expected. Lesh seemed to have forgotten the salamanders but he had not.
Soon. He just had to keep Lesh occupied a while longer. He popped back up and cast slippery ice beneath the champion. Only for the ice to melt beneath the kend, burnt away by the divine shield. “Fool!” laughed Lesh, pacing back and forth in the alley below him. “Your pitiful spells cannot harm me.”
Undaunted, Kyran, still crouched, padded along the rooftop with Lesh following, melting the ice in his wake. Reaching the end of the building, Kyran stood up again and let the starbursts wash against his shield while he cast grasping roots and fire darts in quick succession.
Lesh laughed again and waded unconcerned through the burning roots as Kyran ducked back down. None of the roots managed to pierce the kend’s divine shield, but the fire itself inflicted damage on the shield. Minimal damage but good enough for now, thought Kyran.
Lesh continued to pour starbursts against the parapet behind which Kyran hid. How much essence did that little kend have? Surely his essence pool must be running dry by now? He shook his head at the kend’s folly. The kend’s attacks were uninspired and served little purpose but he wouldn’t complain about his enemy’s stupidity, not when it served his own ends.
He waited another minute, then teleported to the adjacent building. Crouching, he raced along its length, drawing Lesh closer to the salamanders.
It was time.
The salamanders were still battling each other, the enrage spell still in effect. With their high fire affinity, none had sustained any damage, the fire with which they attacked each other healing more than damaging. Their battle had served an important purpose though. It had burned off their collars.
The collars of domination around six salamanders have been destroyed, freeing them from enslavement.
A fact of which Lesh seemed unaware. And which Kyran planned to use to his advantage.
He teleported again. This time back into the alley with Lesh between himself and the salamanders. Lesh swung towards him. “So, you finally decided to stop running. Pity. It will not save you.” The kend strolled nonchalantly forward, his wand redirecting the flow of starbursts at Kyran.
Kyran was already casting. First, calm beasts and then earth tremor.
Kyran has cast calm beast, 6 salamanders calmed (enrage status removed).
Kyran has cast earth tremor. Hostile action taken against 6 calmed salamanders; they are now hostile.
The hostile action caused the calm beast spell to dissipate. Hissing in fury, the salamanders focused their gazes on Kyran—and Lesh who stood between them. Ignoring the starbursts which kept pouring into his shield, Kyran smiled wickedly at the still-oblivious Lesh. “You might want to turn around,” he said before teleporting away.
