Better the Devil You Know - Part 2

[realmlife]

Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon Fic for the smallfandonbang 2013

Better the Devil You Know

Chapter 1 to 4


Chapter 5 - An Unlikely Counsellor

To say the atmosphere was strained would be an understatement and for once he was not the reason behind it. Finding out that Sheila was being targeted to get revenge on Hank had been a shock but Eric had been even more surprised by the Ranger’s reaction. While he would have expected him to be upset, breaking up with her to protect her was, in his opinion, a complete overreaction.

They had reached the Twin Mountains not long after the latest attack and the road had soon narrowed as it wound its way between them. When the path split they had taken the left hand route, as the druid had instructed, and had now climbed a considerable way up towards the summit.

The winding path had narrowed further, forcing them to walk in single file, and in places it had crumbled away entirely leaving gaps from which the valley floor could be seen far below when they jumped across. Eric was beyond exhausted but Hank was still walking well ahead of the group, striding purposely along and gave no sign of slowing down to rest, but with the light failing the Cavalier knew they would have to stop soon.

He saw Presto leap over that next gap, the largest so far, followed by the Barbarian, Uni and then Diana. Sheila was several steps behind the Acrobat but Eric was just behind her. He watched her getting nearer to the hole, expecting her to jump at any moment and suddenly realised that she was not going to.

Her gait had not changed and she was about to step off the edge when he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back, twisting as he did so that he could use the mountain side as support.

“What do you thing you were doing?” he hissed angrily.

“I…,” she began, looking at him blankly, her eyes glistening with tears.

He could see immediately that she had been crying and must not have seen the danger.

“You nearly fell,” he told her, no longer angry, at least not at her.

She paled as she looked where he indicated, the hole in the path.

“I… I… Thanks,” she whispered.

“It’s alright,” he replied, “Just be careful, OK?”

She nodded and they set off, clearing the gap and following their friends, who did not seem to have noticed anything odd had occurred.

Some time later the path became more stable. There were no more gaps and it became wider so Eric was now walking in silence beside the Thief. He wanted to say something but he had never been good at this kind of thing. Smart comments, yes; but comforting words to a distraught friend who had just broken up with her boyfriend was beyond him. Diana or Presto would be much better at this he was sure but he had another reason for staying near to Sheila.

Eric had a feeling the wizard would be back and if Hank really believed that splitting up with the Thief would mean she would suddenly stop being the target then he was an idiot. It wasn’t like the guy was going to ask if they were still together before firing and he had already proved that being cloaked would not be enough to keep him from being able to hurt her. His shield on the other hand had so far withstood the attacks and so he had decided he should stick as close to Sheila as possible.

He had of course kept this to himself, knowing the others would comment if he told them. It had not been so long ago that he would have deliberately chosen to be as far as possible from anyone likely to be the focal point of an attack rather than acting as their personal bodyguard.

“Eric,” Sheila said softly.

He turned to her, a little surprised at hearing her speak after such a prolonged silence. With the exception of the two or three words she had murmured when he had stopped her from falling she had said nothing since Hank had told her they couldn’t be together.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He stopped moving and looked at her in confusion, not sure what she was thanking him for, the close call with the hole in the path having been at least an hour ago. She must have noticed his puzzled look as she explained, albeit hesitantly.

“For walking with me and … and not trying to get me to talk.”

“Oh, I … That’s OK,” he replied, feeling slightly guilty at allowing her to think his silence had been planned.

He gave her a watery smile and she returned it, but he could see the sadness in her eyes. She looked tired too, both physically and emotionally, and he stood watching her for a moment, wishing he could think of something he could do or say that would help. It was only when she lowered her gaze and began examining her feet that he realised things were getting uncomfortable.

“We should get moving,” Eric stammered. “Catch up with the others and see when we plan on stopping for the night.”

“Yeah,” Sheila mumbled. “We should.”

She briefly glanced at him before turning away to continue walking and Eric fell into step beside her. They rounded the corner and found Diana, Presto, Bobby and Uni waiting for them in a small clearing, the first of two such areas they could expect to find on the mountain according to the druids description.

The next such area should contain the Kellia portal but it would be at least another two hours before they reached it and Eric was sure that he would not be able to walk that far tonight. His whole body ached and after Sheila’s near miss earlier he also thought it was too dark for them to continue safely.

“We think we should stay here tonight,” the Acrobat informed them.

“Good idea,” Eric replied warily, glad to see they had obviously reached a similar conclusion.

Sheila simply nodded her agreement before wandering over to her brother who appeared to be at the point of collapse and insisting he sit down to rest. The Barbarian needed no persuasion and quickly slid to the ground, leaning on his sister for support, his eyes barely open.

Presto followed the sibling’s lead and sat down too and started working on getting some blankets from his hat. The Cavalier sank down beside him with a groan and began rubbing his aching legs.

“How about some supper?” he asked his friend.

“I’ll try,” the Magician replied, throwing the patchwork quilt he had just conjured towards Sheila.

“Thanks, Presto,” the Thief whispered, catching it and wrapping it around Bobby.

“OK, now for something to eat,” the Magician declared.

“Diana, where’s Hank?” Sheila queried tentatively, looking at the only member of the group still standing.

Eric’s head snapped up in surprise, amazed that he had somehow failed to notice the Ranger was absent.

“Yes, where is Hank?” he echoed.

“He carried on walking,” the Acrobat admitted awkwardly. “I thought he would have realised we’d stopped by now. I’ll go and get him.”

She sprinted off in pursuit of the Ranger leaving the four of them sat together in the increasing darkness. Eric turned towards Presto and they looked at one another uncertainly.

“Supper!” Presto mumbled after a brief pause.

He picked up his hat from across his knee and sat staring at it, presumably trying to think of an appropriate rhyme. Eric resisted the temptation to poke fun and after a minute or two he glanced at Sheila instead. She immediately looked away and focused her attention on Bobby, moving the boy gently until he lay on the ground.

The Cavalier had known Bobby was tired, the fact he had made no protest about being wrapped in a decidedly pink and flowery cover being proof of that, but he was still surprised to see he had actually fallen asleep in such a short space of time. He continued watching Sheila, wondering what she was thinking, but she refused to meet his eye and sat silently watching the sleeping Barbarian.

“Um, cocoa anyone?” Presto asked as he placed a large pot full of the steaming chocolaty liquid on the ground.

“I thought you were working on getting us some food,” the Cavalier retorted.

“I’m trying,” the Magician stated, sounding flustered.

“I’ll have some,” Sheila said softly, startling Eric as she had moved without him hearing her.

Presto looked both pleased and relieved as he handed her a mug. Eric saw a flicker of a smile flash on Sheila’s face as she took it but it was only a second or two before her expression become sorrowful once more and she sat down quietly beside them.

“Forget it, Presto,” the Cavalier whispered as he heard his friend cursing his hat under his breath. “I’ve kinda lost my appetite.”

“What? Oh, right,” the Magician replied, shooting a quick glance at Sheila.

Eric frowned, not liking to see the normally cheerful Thief looking so miserable and dispirited. Being attacked twice in one day was bad enough, something he knew from personal experience, but then Hank had gone and made it a whole lot worse for her.

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted Eric to Diana returning with the missing Ranger. He turned to see them approaching and immediately noticed the gap between them, the Acrobat being some way ahead of Hank who seeming far from happy as he lagged behind with his head down.

As he drew nearer he looked up but his gaze passed over Eric and Presto to rest on the Thief who was sat with her eyes downcast, staring blankly at the drink in her hand. Sheila suddenly looked up herself, as though feeling the Ranger’s presence, and sent hot cocoa splashing everywhere as she dropped her mug with a startled cry.

“Sheila!” Hank exclaimed, dashing forwards a few steps and then stopping abruptly.

“I’m fine,” Sheila said quickly, a deep blush across her face showing her discomfort.

“Are you sure?” Diana asked, kneeling down beside the Thief. “You didn’t get scalded?”

“No, I’m OK,” Sheila confirmed.

She picked up the mug shakily, got to her feet and walked back to Presto and Eric.

“Do you want some more?” the Magician asked.

“No thanks,” she replied, handing him the mug. “I’m tired, I’m just gonna get some sleep.”

Eric watched as she wandered off and lay down a few meters away then turned to look at Hank to see what he would do. To his annoyance the Ranger walked off in the opposite direction and settled down some distance away from the group. The Cavalier glared at him but Hank did not appear to notice as he sat with his head in his hands staring at the ground.

He only turned back to Diana and Presto when the Acrobat nudged his arm as she squeezed herself between them.

“What are we going to do about them?” Presto asked.

“I don’t know,” Diana replied with a sigh.

“They can’t go on like this,” Eric remarked.

“No,” Presto agreed. “We’ll have to do something.”

“Well, we can’t do anything about it tonight,” the Acrobat stared. “Let’s get some sleep and see what we can come up with in the morning.”

Diana and Presto then lay down while Eric removed some of his armour and wrapped a blanket around his shoulders as he tried to get more comfortable for his share of the night watch. His two friends fell asleep quickly and after such a long day he wanted nothing more than to go to sleep himself but knew he had to wait two and a half hours before waking Presto.

He was just thinking how quiet it was when he heard a noise. It wasn’t very loud and he looked around trying to figure out what it was when he heard it again and realised it had come from Sheila. He watched her carefully and even in the dim light he could see her shaking slightly and he suddenly knew what the sound was; the Thief was crying and he had almost not even noticed.

OK, this has gone on long enough he decided. He stood up and strode over to the Ranger who was still sitting with his head in his hands, determined to get him to see sense.

“When are you going to stop this?” Eric demanded.

“Go away, Eric, I’m not in the mood.” Hank snapped.

“Tough, ‘cause I’m not going anywhere,” he informed him.

The Ranger raised his head and glared at him.

“What do you want, Eric?”

“I want you to get over there,” he stated, pointing at the Thief, “and sort things out.”

“It’s not that simple,” Hank alleged.

“Yes it is,” the Cavalier insisted.

“He targeted her because of me,” Hank replied.

“And breaking up with her will make it right?” Eric asked. “I can see it now; big bad wizard shows up, all ready to fire and then thinks, wait, I’ll just check they’re still together before blasting her to kingdom come.”

“That’s not funny, Eric,” the Ranger snapped.

“It’s not meant to be,” Eric stated.

“She’s not safe with me,” Hank spat.

“None of us are safe here,” the Cavalier pointed out.

“It’s for the best,” Hank declared.

“Like hell it is,” Eric argued. “She’s had the day from hell and instead of comforting her you go and abandon her.”

“I haven’t abandoned her,” Hank said.

“Really?”

“Drop it, Eric,” Hank snarled.

Eric stared at the scowling Ranger, annoyed that he seemed unable to see how stupid he was being and how blind he was to the fact that the Thief needed him.

“This is just like the cloud bear’s all over again,” the Cavalier muttered in frustration.

Hank was on his feet in less than a second, him face inches away from Eric’s.

“This is nothing like that,” the Ranger hissed.

Eric, not expecting such an intense reaction automatically took a step back. A voice in his head screamed at him to back down and go back to the others or get himself punched in the mouth but he ignored it, his anger at how the Ranger was behaving pushed him on regardless.

“It is from where I’m standing,” Eric stated.

“This is completely different,” Hank said, stepping forwards and re-closing the gap between them.

“No it’s not,” the Cavalier said. “Evil wizard blackmails you into doing something stupid and Sheila ends up in tears. What’s the difference?”

“I had no …” Hank began angrily and then stopped abruptly before adding in a whisper. “Sheila’s crying?”

“Of course she is.” Eric replied. “Some nut job tried to kill her, twice; and then her boyfriend breaks up with her.”

Hank looked at him in silence for a moment and then sighed.

“The wizard knows how much she means to me,” he stated. “I can’t let her get hurt.”

“But you are hurting her,” the Cavalier challenged automatically, and then cursed inwardly as he realised he had spoken without thinking.

He met the Ranger’s eye, expecting to see him glaring back angrily but instead found him frowning thoughtfully.

“I am, aren’t I,” Hank replied sadly. “I… Seeing her lying there and not being able to do anything. If it hadn’t been for you she’d be … I panicked.”

The conversation had taken an unexpected turn and Eric looked at Hank as he finally understood. The normally level headed and rational Ranger had let his emotions get the better of him and in his desperation he’d somehow thought distancing himself from Sheila would protect her.

“I … I don’t know what to do,” Hank admitted.

“Quit all this you’re better off without me nonsense and go to her.” Eric suggested.

“She’ll never forgive me,” Hank muttered.

“She will,” Eric declared. “You know she will.”

“I…” Hank began.

“Go!” Eric insisted.

Hank didn’t need telling again and nodded at the Cavalier before heading towards Sheila.

Eric watched as he knelt down beside the Thief and helped her to sit up. He couldn’t hear what was being said but he saw Hank brush his hand against her face, presumably wiping away her tears, before she leaned into his embrace. The Cavalier continued to watch them for a monent before turning away when they kissed.

He smiled to himself, please with his efforts as an unlikely counsellor and genuinely happy to see the two of them back together. Sneaking a quick look back towards them he noticed they had lay down and after a few minutes he move back to the group and sat amongst them, on the alert for any sign of trouble while his friends slept.

--X--

Venger lay staring at the ceiling, feeling more relaxed that he had felt for a very long time. The dim light seeping through the window was enough to tell him that it was early morning, meaning a full day had passed since he had sealed himself inside the large room at the top of the tower where he had been able to sleep without the risk of being discovered.

As he continued to lie there he began thinking about the link with his master. Despite feeling more refreshed he could not think of anything that would explain it. As far as Venger was aware, only the Nameless One himself could have any influence on their connection and he knew of no reason why his master would have decided to change things after all this time.

He was still able to reach his master, as he had proved yesterday, yet to do such a think without invitation was almost unforgivable and to receive no punishment at all should have been impossible. The more he thought about it the more puzzling it became and he knew that he would somehow have to get more information, without the Nameless One’s knowledge, if he was to solve the mystery.

He suddenly felt a presence in the room and practically jumped to his feet to welcome his unexpected guest.

“Why are you here?” Venger demanded.

“You do not know?” the intruder replied calmly as he stepped out from behind a large statue in the corner.

“I do not seek your counsel, old man.”

“And yet I am here,” Dungeon Master affirmed, smiling serenely.

“As I can see,” Venger replied irritably.

“The connection is broken,” the small wizard stated.

“I am aware of that,” Venger snapped, not entirely truthfully.

He had not missed the older mans choice of the word broken rather than weakened and he found it intriguing.

“So you are aware of his return,” Dungeon Master alleged.

Venger stared at his one time mentor. Obviously he was not referring to the Nameless One, he was far too calm for that, but that only left one other option.

“It is not possible,” he claimed. “You were there. You said yourself that he could never return.”

“It seems I was mistaken,” Dungeon Master admitted.

“Where is he?”

“He seeks to destroy that which you seek to possess,” the small wizard declared.

“They cannot be destroyed,” Venger argued.

“True, the weapons cannot be destroyed,” Dungeon Master agreed.

Venger snarled as he understood Dungeon Master’s point; the weapons were indestructible but their owners were not. Admittedly, he had often contemplated killing those accursed children himself but his desire for the full power of their weapons had always held him back.

As with all objects origination from the graveyard they had imprinted themselves onto their first owners, in this case the Young Ones, and although they would still be effective for anyone else who used them in the future they were at their most powerful only while their original owners lived. No doubt that was the reason Dungeon Master had chosen those particular items when they had arrived in the Realm; a very effective way of ensuring that he has a personal interest in keeping them alive.

“He must be sent back,” Venger declared.

“I agree,” Dungeon Master stated.

“You know where to find him?” Venger asked.

“Right now I expect he is heading for the Twin Mountains,” Dungeon Master informed him.

“How convenient,” Venger replied, turning towards the window to look at the peaks in question, which were indeed conveniently close to their currently location. “I take it you have a plan?”

“Of course,” Dungeon Master confirmed.

“And what exactly do…”

He broke off upon feeling the air change, telling him that Dungeon Master had left.

How dare he presume I will assist him, he raged to himself, not that he even considered the alternative. Venger planned on doing everything he could to rid the Realm of this new threat. He remembered Okus only too well; a ruthless, powerful and unforgiving wizard whose only purpose seemed to be the spread of misery and despair. If left unchecked he would devastate the Realm; killing as many of its inhabitants as possible without mercy or reason, intent, not on ruling but total annihilation.

The capture of Okus the first time around had been many years ago. Venger himself had been a young man, still undergoing training when he faced the wizard and successfully trapped him inside a Capirikiouit. However, the battle had not been without consequence.

That Okus served the Nameless One had never been in doubt. Dungeon Master had wanted to confront Okus himself and had warned Venger that he was not ready, a warning that Venger had not heeded. He had set out alone, determined to prove himself and, from his apparent victory, he believed that he had done so.

It was not until later, after the pact had been made that he had realised exactly what Dungeon Master had been concerned about. He had felt power unlike anything he had ever experience before, lots of power, and he wanted it. He wanted to be that strong and set about finding out what he needed to do to achieve such a goal.

As it turned out he had already done what was needed. The Nameless One had sought him out a short time later, offered him what he craved and the agreement had been made. Venger had defeated Okus, so now he would replace him, serve his new master and conquer the Realm.

He had been doing well, had enslaved a large number of people, corrupted or destroyed as necessary, slowly turning everything to his advantage, only Tiamat offering a true threat to his domination, and then disaster. Six children from another world had appeared and undone nearly everything he had spent centuries achieving. And now this, Okus had been freed from a supposedly inescapable prison.

However, pondering on how the wizard had escaped would have to wait for now. He summonsed his nightmare and set off as fast as the beast could travel towards the Twin Mountains, trusting Dungeon Master for this first time since Okus had been imprisoned and pushing aside thoughts of exactly what this could mean for him.

--X--


Chapter 6 - Unexpected Help

Sheila’s eyes flickered open briefly and she quickly closed them again, deciding against getting up for now. She was quite content, curled up with Hank, her head on his shoulder and it was only just beginning to get light so it was likely everyone else, except Diana, would still be asleep.

“You’re awake, aren’t you?” the Ranger whispered as her gently brushed her hair from her face.

“No,” she mumbled, but opened her eyes and smiled at him.

Hank laughed and kissed her forehead. “Time to get up,” he said softly.

“Don’t want to,” she moaned playfully. “I’m comfortable.”

“Me too,” he replied, “but the quicker we get going the quicker we’ll find the portal and get out of here.”

“I guess so,” Sheila agreed, but she was still in no hurry to move.

“Hank, that wizard’s going to be back, isn’t he?” she asked, tilting her head towards him.

“That’s the main reason I think we should get moving soon,” he admitted. “With any luck we’ll be back home before he shows up.”

“I hope so,” the Thief murmured, smiling weakly and trying to sound less scared than she felt.

The Ranger looked at her for a moment, staring straight into her eyes, the concern he felt for her being clear to see. He then closed the small gap between them and kissed her tenderly.

“Keep close to Eric today,” he requested as he pulled away.

“Eric?” Sheila queried in surprise.
.
“Yes, Eric,” the Ranger confirmed. “He’s done a pretty good job of protecting you so far and I trust him to keep doing so.

The Thief smiled at him, admiring his honesty in recognising the Cavalier with his shield was the best person in the group to keep her safe, especially knowing how much he must hate having to delegate the task of keeping her safe to someone else.

“I love you,” she whispered, lowering her head and kissing him softly.

Hank responded eagerly, wrapping one arm tightly around her while moving his other hand to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair so that she couldn’t break away. She happily let him to take control, pressing herself closer to him and relaxed, allowing all her fears to momentarily melt away.

“Oi, you two, knock it off,” the Cavalier suddenly called out.

The couple immediately sprang apart, both of them a little red in the face.

“Eric!” the Acrobat scolded. “Leave them alone.”

“I’m just saying,” Eric replied. “There are little kids present you know,” he added, glancing at Bobby.

“Who you calling little?” the Barbarian snapped.

“Meah, mho mou mammim mimm-mul,” Uni bleated.

“You’ve done it now,” Presto remarked.

“Alright, enough,” Hank ordered, he and Sheila having both got to their feet during this exchange. “As everyone’s awake I suggest we get going,” the Ranger continued.

“What about breakfast?” Bobby asked.

“We can eat on the way,” Hank stated. “I don’t want us hanging around now it’s light.”

“Good idea,” Eric agreed, much to Sheila’s surprise.

The Cavalier was usually the first to complain about early starts, especially given Hank’s questionable definition of light with only one sun peaking over the horizon, and yet here he was agreeing with the Ranger’s suggestion. She watched the two of them and noticed a brief look of understanding that passed between them which made her all the more curious. She shot a questioning look at the Ranger who smiled warmly at her.

“It was Eric who talked some sense into me last night,” he whispered. “He knows how much you mean to me,” he continued, taking her hand in his.

The Thief blushed at his words and tightened her grip on his hand. He smiled at her and then turned his attention back to the group.

“Come on gang, let’s get moving,” he ordered. “Stick with Eric,” he added in a low voice to Sheila, squeezing her hand gently before releasing it and setting off, leading the group further up the mountain.

--X--

Sheila guessed they had been walking for about two hours and for most of that time the path had only just been wide enough for them to walk single file, making conversation difficult. That hadn’t stopped Diana from briefly asking Sheila about her and Hank, to which the Thief had laughingly replied that she must have a red caped fairy godmother.

Very little else had been said but Sheila had done as the Ranger had requested and ensured she had either been just ahead or directly behind Eric all morning. She was also grateful, and presumably so was everyone else, that Hank had set a steadier pace today; by no means leisurely, but certainly not as challenging as the day before.

As the path turned it suddenly widened, allowing them to stand together as a group for the first time since setting out at sunrise.

“Do you think this is the last clearing the druid mentioned?” Presto asked hopefully.

“From the looks of that, I’d say yes,” the Acrobat replied, grinning and pointing at a shimmery distortion about ten meters above them.

“It’s the portal,” Bobby yelled excitedly.

“How do we reach it?” Sheila wondered allowed.

“Follow the path,” Hank informed her, taking her hand and leading the way.

They rounded the first corner and Sheila suddenly ran into something solid. She looked up to see a yellow faced figure in black, grey and red robe towering over her and screamed. The Thief tried to back away and could feel Hank pulling on her arm but the wizard was too quick and had a large hand around her throat in seconds.

“Let her go,” the Ranger demanded, clawing at the cold, clammy fingers.

The wizard just laughed, a cruel, blood-chilling sound, before sending Hank flying backwards with a blast of energy from his free hand. Sheila gave a strangled cry and heard Diana call out too but the Ranger landed on the path and had not been sent crashing down the mountainside as she had feared. He scrambled to his feet and ran back towards Sheila but the Thief suddenly felt herself leaving the ground and automatically grabbed the arm of the wizard as they floated upwards.

“Sheila,” Hank yelled desperately, from somewhere below her.

The Thief was frantically working on prise the abnormally long fingers from her neck while kicking out wildly and trying to ignore the almost overpowering stench of decay emanating from him.

“I’ll let you go soon enough,” he hissed, twisting her round, allowing her a brief glimpse of the twenty meter drop beneath them.

She ceased wriggling and once again grasped the wizard’s arm as he spun her back round to face him.

“Master, the Fruit,” Shadow Demon hissed.

The creature had appeared from nowhere and was pointing at the object around Sheila’s neck which had come un-tucked from her dress during her struggle. The wizard’s eyes gleamed as he reached out and grabbed it, painfully snapping the long string around her neck as he did so.

“It is mine,” he rasped. “All mine.”

The Thief gasped and tried to snatch the Fruit of Deneia back from him but knew it was impossible. He held it above him, gazing at it almost reverently before squeezing it tightly and cracking it open to release the liquid inside.

A small amount splashed Sheila’s face. She licked her lips instinctively and tasted the unpleasant, bitter juice. The wizard however, did not seem to mind the taste as he drank greedily, apparently relishing every last drop before discarding the empty shell with a triumphant roar.

The Thief vaguely wondered what her friends would be doing right now, knowing that there was very little they could do but hoping beyond hope that they would think of someway to save her. And then she noticed the wizard was changing.

His pale yellow skin was slowing darkened and the wrinkles were disappearing, as though someone was stretching his face. At the same time she realised the hand holding her was getting larger and his arm had grown longer. In fact is whole body had increased in size and she guess he would probably now stand at least ten feet high if he stood on the ground.

As the changes slowed the wizard laughed, a deeper sound than before, but still cold and terrifying.

“Time for you to join your little friends,” he sneered, his voice like is laugh now much deeper.

He grinned maliciously and he released his grip on Sheila and sent what felt like electricity running through his arm, forcing her to let go at the same moment.

Everything seemed to slow down. She could hear screaming from somewhere far away, a number of different voices, and someone was calling her name. She was falling and knew that when she stopped, that would be it.

It’s not the fall that kills you, it’s the landing. Who had said that? It was an old saying but someone had said it recently; Eric maybe, or Presto, or had it been Diana? What did it matter now? If only she didn’t have to land then it would be OK, she wouldn’t die. But that was preposterous. She couldn’t just stop, even though she desperately wanted to, so she closed her eyes and waited.

It would be any second now, any moment and she would hit the ground, any moment now. Now. Now? She could hear voices again. They seemed clearer now and then she heard Hank softly calling her name.

“Sheila?”

She opened her eyes and found Hank kneeling at her side, Bobby and her friends just behind him, a look of astonishment on all of their faces.

“Hank,” she whispered. “I’m not dead?”

“No,” the Ranger murmured. “How?”

“How?” Sheila repeated, not sure what he meant.

“Sheila, you’re floating,” Diana pointed out.

“What!” the Thief exclaimed.

She was currently hovering just above the ground but then landed with a slight bump when she realised the Acrobat was correct and that there was nothing holding her up. She sat up and looking around bewilderedly.

“How did you do that?” Bobby asked.

“I… I don’t know,” the Thief replied.

“It doesn’t matter,” Hank said shakily, pulling her into a tight hug. “All that matters is that you’re OK.”

“But for how long?” Eric queried.

Hank broke away and they all looked at where the Cavalier was pointing.

“How long indeed,” the wizard mocked from his vantage point above them.

He fired at the ground beside Eric, knocking the Cavalier off his feet. Sheila’s eyes widened in terror as he then raised his other hand and she saw the light pulsing from it. Hank dived over her and she found herself looking into his eyes as the blast that would kill them both drew nearer.

“No, they are mine, Okus,” a voice bellowed as the shot was deflecting to one side.

“Venger, how nice of you to save me the trouble of hunting you down,” Okus roared.

“It is I who am doing the hunting,” Venger snarled.

“You will not defeat me again,” Okus declared, firing at Venger and forcing him to drive his nightmare upwards.

“Are you alright?” Hank asked Sheila, helping her to her feet.

“I think so,” she replied and then shoved him back to avoid a stray shot from the quickly intensifying battle above them.

“How about we make a run for the portal while those two are occupied,” Diana suggested.

“Good idea,” Hank agreed.

The group quickly ran up the path but found the way to the Kellia portal blocked by the two wizards. Sheila watched as first Venger and then his opponent fired, the gap between shots decreasing until it became an indistinguishable blur of light.

“Who’s winning?” Presto asked.

“Can’t tell,” Eric replied.

At that moment there was a yell and Venger crashed to the ground and his nightmare fled, racing off and leaving its master behind, one of its wings looking badly singed.

“Correction, I’d say that guy,” Eric added, pointing at Okus.

Venger did not have time to recover before Okus began bombarding him, each blast obviously inflicting immense pain if his expression was anything to go by. Sheila watched, horrified, hardly able to believe that anyone, even Venger, could still be alive, let alone moving, as the assault continued.

Suddenly the attack stopped and Okus landed beside the prone wizard, towering over him, a murderous glint in his eyes.

“I have waited a long time for this, Venger,” the taller wizard shrieked, raising his hands, preparing to take the final shot.

The Thief had no idea how, but somehow Venger managed to find the strength to block the attack and created a barrier between them and sent the shot back at Okus. However, she doubted he would be able to do it a second time as immediately after doing so his head fell back and he lay on the ground completely motionless.

“Hank?” Sheila said shakily, clutching the Ranger’s arm, worried about what would happen when Okus struck again.

“Eric, cover Venger,” Hank ordered. “Sheila, Presto, see what you can do to help.”

“You’re kidding, right?” the Cavalier challenged.

“Do it,” the Ranger snapped. “Diana, Bobby, with me.”

Sheila automatically did as Hank asked and ran over to Venger with Eric and Presto. It was only when she was knelt beside the wizard that she realised what she was doing.

She had no idea what she could possibly do to help Venger. He appeared to be unconscious and she could not even be sure if he was still breathing but was too afraid to move any closer to check. She looked at the Magician to find he appeared to be just as scared and the loud crash as the next blast of energy bounced off the Cavalier’s shield reminded her of exactly how much danger they were all in.

Hank and Diana were trying to distract Okus and the ground shaking was enough to know Bobby was doing everything he could to help too. The Thief could see they were having some effect but it was not enough to stop a second shot hitting Eric’s shield.

“How’d this guy get so big?” Eric hissed.

“The Fruit of Deneia,” Sheila informed him.

“The Fruit is a myth,” Venger suddenly alleged, starling Sheila and making her jump back in fear.

She stared at him warily, wondering what he would do next. He stared back for a moment before he spoke again.

“You have seen the Fruit?”

The Thief nodded.

“And he drank the juice?” the wizard asked.

Sheila nodded again.

“We have to reverse its effects,” Venger stated.

Eric grunted as a third blast crashed onto his shield and Sheila noticed Eric was having trouble keeping the force-field in place, the strain from the three blasts having already forced him to use both hands to hold his shield above the four of them.

“How do we reverse the effects?” Presto asked.

“Burn the shell,” Venger replied.

“Oh, that easy,” Eric retorted, “like he’s just going to hand it over.”

“He threw it away,” Sheila whispered, almost to herself.

She pictured in her mind exactly where she had been when Okus has dropped the shell. He had been holding her over the clearing below the portal but he had thrown it over his shoulder so it should have landed somewhere close to where she was currently sitting.

“I’ll find it,” Sheila declared. “Eric, I need to get out.”

At that moment the ground shook violently, due to the Barbarian and his club, which caused Eric to fall back and drop his shield. Sheila immediately pulled up her hood and ran off in search of the discarded shell and just hoped that Eric and Presto would be OK. Fortunately, Bobby’s earthquake had also knocked Okus off his feet meaning the Cavalier had time to recover and have his force-field back in place before being attacked again.

The Thief could see Hank, Diana and Bobby were struggling. The Acrobat had resorted to throwing stones and was using her javelin to keep on the move. She was also keeping an eye on the Barbarian as she suddenly landed beside him and shoved him to one side to avoid them both being hit. Hank was firing lots of arrows but even though each one hit their target they seemed to be having no effect at all.

She knew they could not fight forever; the wizard showed no sign of tiring and it could only be matter of time before he struck a fatal blow. Their only hope depended on reversing the effects from the juice and even then they would need Venger’s help to defeat him, their previous successes having been freak chance, and temporary.

Sheila clutched at her hood and began looking for the shell, determined to do whatever she could to help. She was behind Okus, so was unlikely to get hit herself but she could still hear the battle behind her and cringed at every bang or shout. Getting down on her hands and knees, she crawled along, her eyes darting from side to side as she searched and when she next looked up she realised she was directly in front of the portal.

When she had first seen it from a distance it had not actually shown anything but a grey haze but now that she was this close to it she could see the lights and sounds of the amusement park. Even though she was cloaked the portal had done exactly as the druid had said and reacted to the needs of the first person to look straight into it and shown the place she most wanted to go.

She looked at it for a second or two before turning away with a pang of longing. And then there it was, just beside her hand, the two halves of the Fruit of Deneia shell, still held together by a few rough brown fibres. She grabbed it and raced back towards Eric, Presto and Venger.

As she approached she saw an odd light coming from Presto’s hat, a bluish green glow that completely surrounded Venger where he lay. Just as it began to fade Eric came under attack again, the wizard hitting his shield three times in quick succession. The third, prolonged, blast was proving too much for Eric and he cried out from the effort of keeping everyone safe as he was forced to his knees.

Hank and Diana, seeing what was happening, coordinated their counterattack on Okus. They both struck him on his right wrist at the same time, making him break off his assault seconds before the Cavalier’s force field collapsed.

“Eric!” Sheila called out, pulling back her hood and dashing to his side.

She helped him to sit and then looked up to see the wizard was about to strike again and this time there would be no shield to save them.

--X--


Chapter 7 - Balance Restored

The Thief could only watch in terror as Okus fired directly at her and Eric, unable to run, and the Cavalier unable to defend them.

“Sheila,” Hank shouted, too far away to do anything.

“Okus!” Venger roared, blocking the attack as he got to his feet.

The larger wizard had obviously not expected any resistance and the shot rebounded into him, sending him flying backwards.

“Thief, the shell,” Venger snapped.

Sheila placed it into his outstretched hand and jumped back with a scream as it immediately burst into flames.

A howl of pain came from overhead and Okus landed beside them. The Thief could see it had worked as he had shrunk back to his original size, but that still meant he towered over her.

“What had you done?” he rasped, glaring at the Thief.

He reached for her and once again Venger intervened, stepping forward and placing himself between Okus and Sheila.

“Get back,” Venger ordered. “Okus is mine.”

The three friends hastily retreated as Venger and Okus began fighting again. The Barbarian had spotted Uni hiding behind some rocks and Hank had quickly ushered everyone else to join the little unicorn as the spot offered good cover from the ongoing battle.

The Ranger slipped his arm around Sheila and she gladly leaned against him. Being that close to Venger, even when he appeared to on their side for once, had been frightening enough and that was before Okus had tried to kill her, again.

“What’s that?” Bobby asked, pointing at something that had appeared in front of the portal.

“I don’t know,” Hank replied. “It wasn’t there a minute ago.”

“I wonder what’s inside,” Diana whispered.

The object in question was a small, multicoloured cube that was spinning at an angle and it appeared to be getting bigger, increasing in size on each rotation. The yellow faced wizard did not seem to have seen it but Sheila could tell that Venger had, as he was slowly and deliberately driving his opponent towards it.

The box suddenly stopped spinning and one side, the one facing them, disappeared to reveal its contents.

“It’s empty!” the Barbarian exclaimed, sounding disappointed.

“That’s a good thing,” the Cavalier remarked.

Sheila had to agree with him. She had been worried that something nasty might have been inside, a weird three headed monster, a vicious dragon, or some other kind of evil creature wanting to destroy them.

“But then what’s it for and where did it come from?” the Acrobat asked.

“I think Venger created it,” Presto commented.

“I agree,” the Ranger stated, “and I think that box is a trap of some sort.”

The two wizards were now directly in front of the cube and Okus, twisting to avoid a blast of energy, suddenly saw it for the first time and his reaction seemed to confirm their suspicions. His black eyes widened in horror and he began fighting back with renewed vigour, successfully striking Venger with three shots of his own.

“You will not imprison me again,” he spat.

Until that point Venger seemed to have been winning with ease, but Okus was retaliating, blocking attacks and forcing Venger to be more defensive. However, it was short lived and Venger quickly regained the ground he had lost until Okus was once again directly in front of the box.

Venger aimed at the yellow faced wizard and struck him with a particularly bright flash of light which sent him flying backwards into the cube. Sheila barely had time to see him land in a heap before the missing wall reappeared, hiding Okus from view and sealing him securely inside.

It then began spinning; just had it had been doing when it had first appeared, slowly at first but getting faster and faster until its shape became indistinct. At the same time it got smaller and Sheila thought it was going to shrink into nothingness when it suddenly stopped moving and hovered, completely motionless, about a meter from the ground.

“It looks like a Rubik Cube,” the Magician remarked, which was a fairly accurate description given its size and colour.

“Never mind that,” Eric snapped. “Something’s happening to the portal.”

The Cavalier was right, something had happened to the portal; the amusement park had gone and it now showed a vast, sandy desert instead. As they watched it faded out to be replaced by lush, green fields, which then also vanished and a wintery forest appeared in it place.

“But the druid said the portal could only show one location per day,” Sheila stated.

“He might have been wrong,” Diana suggested.

“I think it’s the portal that’s wrong,” Presto claimed. “It’s going too fast.”

“What do you mean too …” the Cavalier began, stopping abruptly as he obviously saw for himself what Presto meant. “Whoa, that is weird,” he added.

The portal was now flicking through images to different worlds at an incredible speed and Sheila found it impossible to see any of them clearly, the odd glimpse of trees, mountains, sky, all becoming an indistinct blur.

“The cube’s moving again,” Bobby cried.

“It’s going though the portal,” Diana exclaimed.

The cube had indeed begun moving again and Sheila saw it fly into the portal as it continued to show locations at a relentless pace. She then spotted Venger was backing away but before she had time to mention it to her friends the portal began buzzing and Eric suddenly pushed himself forward, his shield raised and ready.

He had reacted with impeccable timing, being in position as the portal exploded and the rocks they were hiding behind were blasted to pieces.

“It everyone alright?” Hank asked, to which they all either mumbled a reply or nodded to confirm they were unhurt.

“Damn it,” Eric muttered, “another portal gone.”

“Yeah, well at least we’re all OK,” the Acrobat added.

“What happened to Venger?” Presto queried.

“It looks like he’s OK,” Sheila replied, seeing the wizard standing with his back to them a short distance away.

As she watched he turned and began walking towards them and she automatically pressed herself closer to Hank, finding his closeness reassuring.

“Master,” Shadow Demon hissed, conveniently reappearing now that the battle was over.

“Oh, back working for Venger again now are we?” Eric commented snidely at the creature.

“Explain,” Venger demanded.

“I … err … I mean …” the Cavalier stammered.

“I think he’s talking to Shadow Demon,” Presto whispered.

“I serve only you, Master,” the dark shape insisted.

“But he called Okus, Master,” Sheila murmured.

She had deliberately spoken quietly so that only Hank should have heard her but Venger immediately turned his head and stared at her for a moment before looking back at his servant, his eyes glowering menacingly.

“You have betrayed me,” he declared.

“No, Master, she lies,” Shadow Demon claimed.

“Silence,” Venger snapped, his voice dangerously low.

His hand glowed and Shadow Demon was enveloped in a red light.

“No, Master, please,” the creature begged.

Venger ignored his cries and they quickly stopped as the light faded to reveal a clear glass bottle which contained a dark cloudy substance. The wizard grasped the container by the neck and peered into it.

“I will deal with you later,” he stated and suddenly the bottle had gone.

He then turned once again to look at the Young Ones and Sheila found herself looking fearfully into his glowing red eyes. She shuddered and Hank stepped forwards, putting himself between Venger and the Thief, his bow gripped tightly in his hand as Venger surveyed them.

“Ranger, Magician, Cavalier.” Venger acknowledged, nodding almost imperceptibly at each in turn.

And then he too vanished, a swirling red and black cloud, shooting skywards. Sheila looked at Hank in amazement, having expected Venger to attack them, not just disappear.

“What was that about?” Eric asked.

“I think that was a thank you,” Hank replied hesitantly.

“Indeed, Ranger.”

“Dungeon Master!” Bobby cried, and they all turn to look at the small wizard who had appeared behind them.

“You mean Venger was really saying thanks?” Presto enquired.

The wizard simply smiled in response, his eyes twinkling genially.

“Dungeon Master, Venger trapped Okus in some sort of box,” Diana commented. “What was it exactly?”

“The cube you saw was a Capirikiouit,” Dungeon Master informed them, “a prison from which he will not escape.”

“So he’s wont be back?” Sheila queried, needing to hear the wizard confirm that she would be safe from more attacks.

“No, he will not be back,” Dungeon Master assured her.

“Good riddance,” Hank whispered, placing his arm protectively around the Thief.

She reached up and laced her fingers through his, relived that Okus really was gone and always happy to be so close to the Ranger.

“There’s something I want explaining,” Eric demanded.

They all looked at the Cavalier and Sheila half expected him to make some snarky comment but changed her mind upon seeing the serious expression on his face.

“I want to know how Sheila was thrown off a cliff and…” he began, but stopped abruptly when he saw her watching him.

“And lived?” she finished for him.

She smiled to let the Cavalier know that she was not upset with him. Despite how frightening it had been at the time, she was very curious to know the answer to that particular question herself and so turned her head back to look at Dungeon Master expectantly.

“The juice from the Fruit of Deneia is extremely powerful,” the wizard stated.

“We know that,” Eric replied. “We saw what it did to that guy.”

Sheila barely even noticed Eric’s retort as she stood staring at Dungeon Master while he smiled kindly at her.

“But I only drank a couple of drops,” she murmured.

“You drank some of the juice?” Hank queried.

“By accident,” she confirmed. “When Okus broke the shell some of the juice splashed my face.”

“Wow, powerful seems an understatement,” Diana stated. “Two drops and you can fly.”

“Not fly,” the Thief corrected. “I just … didn’t hit the ground.”

She remember the ridiculous idea of not wanting to land that had flitted through her head whilst she had been falling but could that one chance thought and a few drops of fruit juice really have saved her life?

“I wanted to stop falling,” Sheila revealed. “And the Fruit of Deneia meant I did?”

“Precisely,” Dungeon Master confirmed.

“So Sheila has super powers?” Bobby asked excitedly.

“No,” the Thief informed him.

“Venger destroyed the shell and reversed the effects so he could defeat Okus,” Presto explained.

“Aw, it would have been cool if you could still fly,” the Barbarian complained.

“I think I’d prefer to keep my feet firmly on the ground for a while,” Sheila told him.

“Good plan,” Hank agreed, squeezing her fingers gently.

“Speaking of plans, with the Kellia portal gone what do we do now?” Diana asked.

“I have no other portal to tell you about,” Dungeon Master informed them sadly, “but you would be welcomed in the town of Netay. The people are very hospitable and are always happy to make new friends.”

“Netay it is then,” the Ranger decided. “Come on guys, we have some walking to do.”

“Great, more walking,” Eric grumbled.

“You love it really,” Diana claimed as she grinned and looped her arm through his.

“Not with all this armour,” he complained.

“Like that makes any difference,” the Acrobat quipped.

The Thief saw Dungeon Master smiling as he watched their cheerful and after a moments silence the group then turned away to began their journey down the mountain and head for the town their guide had suggested. They had only gone a few steps when Sheila thought she heard Dungeon Master speak and so she stopped and turned her head, only to find he had disappeared.

“Sheila, is everything alright?” Hank asked.

“Yes, it’s fine,” she assured him and fell into step beside him.

The voice she had heard had been barely a whisper and she did not understand what he had meant and yet she found it oddly reassuring. Just two words; balance restored.

--X--

Venger held up the small bottle and studied its contents. The demon within was trapped so tightly that he could not even move and the wizard wondered what he should do with the creature. Shadow Demon had shown that he could not be trusted, so releasing him would be unwise, which meant for now he would have to remain where he was until a suitable punishment could be devised.

He set the container down and considered the details of his battle with Okus, well aware that it had not just been the Young Ones who had aided him. He had felt His magic reaching out to him as he had lain helpless on the ground, giving him the power he needed to defend himself.

The materialization of the Capirikiouit had then been further confirmation that Dungeon Master planned on taking an active role in ridding the Realm of such a dangerous wizard. While surprised at its appearance he had not hesitated and made use of it to imprison his adversary.

However, Okus had been trapped in a Capirikiouit before and the only means of escape was supposedly for someone with knowledge of both its exact location and its content to deliberately open it by choice. How could Dungeon Master be so sure that it would not happen again? Only he and his former mentor had known these precise details the first time and neither one of them would have freed him.

The only thing different this time was the Capirikiouit had been sent to a different world after it had been sealed. Another thing Dungeon Master must have been responsible for. It certainly had not been an accident that the portal had changed from showing the birth world of the Young Ones to flicking between locations, far too quickly for anyone to see, and ultimately causing it to self destruct. This meant no-one, not Venger, not even Dungeon Master himself, could know where the Capirikiouit had been sent. But why should that make any difference?

As Venger considered this he realised that there was one other person who would have known of the location of the original Capirikiouit, Okus. This in turn would mean the Nameless One would have been aware of exactly what had happened to his servant, just as he had the known of the countless times that he himself had been defeated, trapped or banished.

But would his master have intervened? He had never done so before and yet it was the only remaining explanation. The Capirikiouit must have been opened from the outside. Dungeon Master obviously considered it possible and Venger reluctantly agreed with him. He just hoped that Okus been denied the crucial knowledge of his prisons whereabouts would mean he truly was trapped forever.

Venger now began pondering Dungeon Master’s earlier visit where the older wizard had informed him that the link with the Nameless One was not just weakened, but broken. He had more than enough evidence to suggest this was true and wondered exactly where this left him.

Was it something temporary or was it permanent? Had the wizard he replaced so long ago now replaced him in return? Was Okus’ re-imprisonment going to change things again? Did he want things to change again? So many questions and no one to ask, no one to guide, no one to help answer the two questions troubling him the most.

What do I do now? Am I free?

--X--

The End