Gulls [Tidal Wave] spell ended a second after he died but the few seconds it had been active had cleared half the battlefield. With most things caught in it washed into the sidewall hard and piled up in its backwash. The Abomination that had rolled out of the wave and killed Gull scrambled towards the nearest still standing group but staggered to a stop as dozens of arrows, spells and Abilities tore into it. Eike, the Longhorn of The Rout swung his huge axe which grew to three times its size before he hit the staggered Abomination cutting almost a third of it off.
Franco looked to where Gull lay dead and then to where Zif with just two golems with him were fighting at the giant door to the armory. He sighed and cursed their luck, Gull dead and he had lost half that healing potion. He hurt but was good enough for now. Franco pulled a stamina potion from his belt and started to run towards the fighting. He didn't know how many of the Free Horde had made it in there but their Longhorn and the Demon were sure to be in there and Zif would not stop. While running he went to drink his stamina potion until he heard Oaken.
“Wait wait, save it.” Oaken said from just behind him as he Ability cast [Invigorate] on Franco.
Franco felt energy flow through him and his fatigue faded as he approached the fight. He put away the stamina potion he was holding and switched out his wand for his Shock Bolt.
“Thanks. How’s your mana.” Franco asked as he moved to get a shot on a minotaur that was fighting Zif at the doorway.
“A third left and only only one Healing potion.” Oaken said and then trilled.
Others were with them as they reached Zif. Minotaurs in blue and goblins all rushed to fight alongside the golem. There were at least two dozen dead minotaurs in his wake and he was just past the half opened Armory door fighting two possessed minotaurs now.
“We are here.” Franco shouted as he went as wide to the right as the space allowed as Zif with his three swords swung in a frenzied dance of attack, perry and blocks. Franco loosed shock bolt shots as fast as he could as soon as he had clear sight of the targets.
The noticeably enlarged minotaur held a hatchet in each hand and staggered slightly with the onslaught of hits. Franco didn't slow and went low with a [Cleaving Strike]. Oaken's [Light Arrows] peppered the Minotuar as Franco’s strike took off the right leg at the knee. As the minotaur fell forward Zif stabbed it twice on its way down and then stepped over the bodies of the last two minotaurs barring his way.
Franco followed him into the large room. He had expected to find a giant vault of weapons but what was there was more of a reception room as the three walls around them had twenty different stations. Each one looked like a fortified bunker where Franco realized people would exchange or pick up weapons from the armory while clerks worked the stations ready to defend the room from their workstations if needed. Opposite the main Armory door on the far side of this room stood two thick metal double doors only eight feet high and around eight feet wide and they stood open. Showing a long room where racks of weapons were lined up. That room’s ceiling was low, very low. To low for Zif to walk in the room without going to his knees.
Zif walked to the middle of the room and stood there facing the smaller open doors before he looked down to Franco and Oaken. He looked back towards the Armory’s large door and Franco followed where he looked. Finn along with Maph and Frazier entered the waiting room with them as the recent allies pulled back not wanting to draw Zif’s attention now that he was not fighting.
“Gull?” Zif asked, looking back at Frazier.
“Dead,.” Frazier said with a grim look on her dark face.
The golem turned back towards the smaller doors in front of them before speaking.
“I am too large to enter and fight in that room so I must hold here. I will send all five remaining golems I have brought with you. At the far end of that room, you will see another locked door. Behind it is a stairwell that leads up to another very small reception room and behind the locked doors in that room is where all the Relic and Legendary Masterworks are kept. Our only hope being so far behind them is that the Demon will try and extract more from them as is their nature, because I’m sure whatever fool deal that Longhorn made it only included opening the Grand Armory door and not the internal ones. Do not seek to harm the Demon itself, the Old Compacts bind him but he can and will defend himself. Kill the Longhorn and that will end this travasity, as the Demon is tied to him but you must hurry please.”
They looked at each other and Franco and Frazier started walking at the same time towards the inner open doors.
Oaken looked around as he followed after them. “Anyone seen Sarah”.
“I have not,” Zif replied.
The rest of the group looked at each other and it seemed none of them had but for that brief moment during the fight.
“Zif, can we make it to the back going through the weapon racks?” Franco asked as they approached the inner doors.
“Yes but there will not be a straight line to the back like the main walkway.” Zif replied.
“Give us three minutes before you send the golems down that walkway then.” Franco said, looking at Frazier for confirmation. She was the Team Captain.
She thought just for a second and then nodded in agreement.
“It will be done.” Zif said
Frazier asked how Franco and Oaken were doing and both reported to her what they had told each other. Maph and Frazier were in similar situations. As they passed the thick inner door frame they entered into the large room. With the ceiling only eight feet high it made the well lit room feel oppressive even if it was at least four hundred feet long and a hundred feet wide. He could see doors randomly set and closed on either side. No pattern to their spacing or sign near them indicating where they led.
Oaken and Franco went left before heading towards the far wall while Frazier and Maph did the same on the right. They could not hide themselves from being seen as they entered but they tried to add some doubts. Franco half crouching half ran as he moved through the overstuffed weapon racks. The weapons he glanced at as he moved did not impress him much. Most here were rusting, some completely useless but then it was not likely that Zif had kept anything besides common Bronze or Silver rated items here.
He was sweating by the time the golems entered and they were only a third of the way through the room.
“Oh here comes the consequences Faust, maybe if you had listened to me. Well last chance to take this offer.” The Demon’s voice reached him as if he stood next to Franco. Franco stood up and began to run.
“Shit.” Oaken said and followed after.
“No, not this again. The wording was clear and I got you through that armory door. I can read Faust.” the Demon said amused frustration in his voice.
“Longhorn the lesser golems come but not the Guardian.” A minotaur shouted that was differently closer to Franco then he had realized.
“Well times up Faust. You are boring and more interesting things are coming my way.” The Demon said.
Franco could hear shouting but moved towards the main hallway. They made it halfway through the room before the golems caught up. Two carried long swords and shields while two carried one of Zifs long thin blades, one of those a Jade Blade he had used to fight here. The last had double auto crossbows. Franco waited for them to pass him when Oaken caught up breathing hard as he took a knee next to him in a hallway made by the nearly ceiling high weapon racks.
When Franco looked back Oaken had pulled out a stamina potion and was drinking it. It had only been a few minutes since they had been [Invigorated] by Oaken’s spell but it had been a long day. Franco drank his last stamina potion quickly as the golems passed them jogging down the main walkway.
The weapons rack to either side of them held at least a dozen short spears. They were not uniform but close. All nearly the same length with simple 8” leaf blade heads. The wood was different in most of them and they had small details, wear and use that differentiate them. Half of them looked to have rust on them with three being completely deteriorated while four of them looked good enough to use now, after thousands of years. They would easily be Silver rated now if not better. If these were the common items Franco wanted to see what the other rooms held. He had only seen weapons here, no armor or other items. Franco waited just a few seconds more for the golems to get a little further ahead before he made eye contact with Oaken.
The Kimber looked at him, his white in black eyes showing how fatigued he was but also his intensity. Franco could see that Oaken, like him, would not choose to be in any other place right now but here.
“Here they come” a minotaur roared as the golems approached.
Oaken nodded at him and Franco moved, taking the lead as he turned out of their hallway and started to run down the main walkway. The golems filled the walkway four abreast with the fifth following behind. They were fifty feet ahead and a group of minotaurs stood in a spear formation. Armed with weapons they had looted from the nearby weapon packs.
“No Faust I will not lower the price for this door, yes of course I know if there are more locks between here and what you seek.” The demon laughed in a mocking tone as if Faust was telling a joke.
The two golems with shields surged forward with their shields out and slammed into the spear formation. Spears broke, some deflected away, while others lodged into the shields. A few found gaps and scored hits against the golems. One golem took a spear to the face, cutting one of the golem’s gem eyes. The golems shield holders brought their swords into the fight, cutting through spears or battering them aside while their single sword wielding brothers stepped in between their brothers as they stepped sideways to let them through. The now occupied spear formation tried to bring enough unoccupied spears to stop them but they cut and battered their way through until the formation broke apart as minotaurs dropped their spears for secondary weapons. Franco got to the fight as it turned into a melee and spilled out among the large weapon racks.
The spacing between weapon racks formed six foot hallways that ran horizontally from the main walkway. The racks here had longer spears, some as long as 14 feet. They laid out horizontally two or three on each rung. Franco skidded to a stop behind the corner of one of the weapons rack as none of the minotaurs seemed to have noticed them in their fight against the golems.
He looked around the corner and saw the auto crossbow golem standing there shooting bolts in support of his brothers. When one of the crossbows needed to be reloaded a compartment on the golems chest opened up allowing the golem to release the magazine into the opening, upon which it closed and another opening in the golems chest opened with a new magazine full of bolts that the golem brought the empty auto crossbow to and reloaded it. The entire sequence taking only seconds to complete.
“No one has noticed us and we still still have at least 80 feet to go. Let's shoot our way through this and sprint to the real fight.” Oaken said sweat running from under his fur onto his bill. His tail tapping the ground in nervousness.
Franco thought about it for a few seconds and then sheathed his saber and drew his flame spray wand switching hands with his shock bolt. With his shock bolt wand in his right and flame spray in his left he stood up and came around the corner to see the golem that had just reloaded his auto crossbow grappling with a huge minotaur and quickly put a shock bolt into the beastman.
Oaken followed it up with a [Magic Bolt]. Now briefly stunned and bleeding from a wound to his side the golem wrestled the minotaur to the ground and began to punch it in its head. Franco moved past the fight and let loose four seconds of flames into a pair of minotaurs fighting another golem to his left while Oaken put [Light Arrows] into a crowd of minotaurs that one of the sword golems and forced back down a hallway on the right. They shot, shocked or burned their way through the scrum until they were free of it. Franco put his spent flame spray wand away and used his [Instant Recharge] Ability on his shock bolt wand. Redrawing his saber as he and Oaken ran the last few dozen feet.
Faust and the Demon both watched them now. They stood alone in front of a metal door with a complex set of dials and numbers on it. Faust had his thick staff in hand but wore many rings, bracelets and ornaments, some on his horns. Any of which could be magical. The green square blanket-like cloth he wore over his armor was blood stained and the old minotaur looked hangered. Franco and Oaken both stopped running and began to slowly walk towards them when they got within a dozen feet of them. The last weapon racks ended ten feet in front of where they stood. As they slowly approached looking for an ambush to either side or a quickly set trap spell they heard fighting to the right.
“It’s Maph and Frazier.” Oaken said as intense fighting could be heard. Franco realized they must have circled around going all the way to the far right wall and come down the open sides of the room till they got close enough to pull away the last fighters of the Free Horde tribe. Oaken trilled
“Put your staff down Longhorn and tell them to stop fighting and the rest rest of your people can live. I’ll make sure Zif honors that.” Oaken said.
“Oh see how the pup of your old masters doesn't even pretend to offer you your life Faust” the Demons said casually. Tapping one of his polished black shoes as if impatient.
“Silence!” Faust shouted. Bloody foam at the corners of his snout. “You have brought this ruin on my Clan” the old beastman sagged resting on his staff in anger and despair.
“Little old me, why I'm as innocent as a princess of Ru.” The Demon said, spinning to his side faster than Franco could track.
He spun, catching the wrist of the dagger wielder that was poised to stab his neck. The Demon never touched the Longhorn who had been right next to him but the old minotaur stumbled back in shock falling to the ground. Sarah hung from her right arm that the Demon casually held up high enough that her feet were off the ground dangling. He had also caught Sarah’s other hand which held a second dagger. Franco and Oaken both froze in surprise. Franco had only seen Sarah once all fight after Frazier had cut her loose.
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“Oh look at what I caught. You know that you are rather bad at this? As stealthy as that lovely hair of yours little Princess of Ru.” The Demon mocked her, two of his eyes on Sarah and the other two on Franco and Oaken.
Sarah’s color drained from her as she spit into the demon’s face while she swung a leg to kick him. He didn't flinch at the spit and somehow just casually caught her foot between his legs. A forked almost black dark red tongue slithered out of the Demons mouth dropping down until it was at least two feet long and then worked its way up to lick the spit off his face. His tongue returned to his mouth like a snake to its hole.
He smacked his lips and smiled at her. Sarah was ghostly white now and started to shake. Franco didn't know what to do and did not want to make it worse but he had to try.
“Let, let her go… Please.” Franco said. He felt a rush of fear and panic run through his body. He didn't want anything to happen to her.
“Manners in this day and age. I would have thought a little Princess of Ru would know how to treat their betters. I did put your ancestor on the throne, but don't worry little [Spirit Mind], no tempting offer from me in exchange for her life. This one thought to do me harm and I must teach this world the consequences once again. How fun” the Demon said smiling as Sarah began to pee her pants in fear.
Franco began to raise his saber at the monster, his right foot rising to lung forward. Two of the monster's eyes watched Franco and he knew, they both knew Franco had no chance of hurting it but he had to try.
Oaken slapped down Franco’s sword and then trilled in despair. “You can’t, you know what Zif said. You saw it it move.”
“We have to try….” Franco let his words trail off as his heart raced. They had mere moments but Oaken had said something that triggered something.
What Zif had said. He said that they could not hurt the Demon but had to kill…
Franco pushed Oaken aside and raised his wand as he moved forward unleashing shock bolt after shock bolt at the sitting Longhorn who had been watching the little drama with sad deep eyes.
“Oh how clever of you but not fast enough, not by 30 levels, little remade one.” The Demon said in between foot steps that Franco took. The monster opened its mouth, its serpent-like forked tongue flopping out again. A barrier flashed around the sitting minotaur absorbing the shock bolts with only a minor flick of stress. The seconds seemed to stretch as Franco tried to will himself faster as he saw Sarah try to break free but the Demon never moved for her efforts.
Oaken on his side with a hand stretched out began to shoot [Magic Bolts] into the Barrier around the Longhorn also. The old minotaur just looked at them with his sad eyes. Franco saw in this prolonged moment of Hell the monster's tongue rise up again serpent like. He knew upon his next step toward the sitting minotaur he would be in range of lunging with his saber at the sitting minotaur, the key to Sarah’s life.
In that moment the Demons tongue lashed out. Straight into Sarah's left eye, blowing out the socket as blood and brain flew out from the wound as the tongue emerged from the right eye and wrapping back around itself. It then pulled as it retracted back into the Demons mouth. Tearing her head off with ease and then in a flicker of movement brought it back to the Demons open mouth that had somehow grown big enough to swallow it in the moments between a thought. A moment stretched out to minutes in his mind and he feared for poor Sarah also. Then that hellish instance was over and Franco was lunging his saber cutting into the barrier spell protecting Faust but without breaking it and being thrown to the side from the impact as he pulled his saber free with him.
The barrier flickered from the cut and the two additional shock bolts Franco had sent with his lunge but still it held for brief moment before a trio of [Magic Bolts] from Oaken hit the barrier spell and it broke as Franco stumbled away thinking of what he had just witnessed. All three of the mortals froze after their prolonged actions had finally resolved and turned to stare at the Demon who had tossed aside Sarah's headless corpse.
Her headless body made a wet smacking sound as it bounced off the near wall and crumbled to the floor. The Demon spun and with a seemingly simple hop, jumped from the floor to lying stomach down on the top of the last row of weapon racks that was just three feet from the ceiling. His hands cupping his head as his arms formed a triangle he rested his head on. Watching the three of them look at him in horror. Franco could see him kicking his feet behind him with a simple smile on his face.
“Dinner and a show. What a splendid day. You know how to treat a Demon. You old minotaur you. No tricks nor contracts needed, I swear by the Compact that I will open every door and lock, break any ward or magic barring you from anything in this armory if you Longhorn Faust kill these two here in the next ten minutes.”
Oaken and Franco locked eyes with each other briefly. Surprise and determination once again filling both their eyes. Franco had enough hate to go around and if he could not hurt the Demon he could kill the fool that had summoned it.
He turned, recovering his footing to face the old minotaur as Franco saw a bonfire of emotions reignite in the Longhorn’s eyes. Franco began to shoot as he stepped to slash down on the sitting minotaur who through spell or Ability blinked away before the bolt hit. He moved just three feet to the right of where he was sitting but now he stood and was bringing his staff down on Franco’s shoulder.
The low roof prevented a full swing but Franco parried the attack well enough to dive and roll away but as he came out of his roll he had forgotten how close the wall was and slammed into it with his left shoulder, causing him to drop his wand and bounce back falling to the floor and saving his life as one end of Faust’s staff struck at where he thought Franco was going to be.
Oaken with a short sword in his third hand with two one time use wands in the others rushed forward unleashing spells as he slashed down with his sword trying to cut into Faust's outreached and exposed arms. The Free Horde Longhorn activated an Ability that turned his staff into a spinning storm blocking the spells and the sword strike away. Oaken followed his short sword as it and he was thrown to the side by the deflection. Franco was just getting to his feet, saber out as his left hand fumbled to pull another wand out. He wasn't even sure he had another but it didn't matter because Faust spun himself back to face Franco and launched the still spinning staff at him. He dove to the left away from the wall now to the other side of this perimeter walkway but didn't make it as Faust's aim was off as the spinning staff kissed the ceiling causing the Ability to break and send the now wild spinning staff right into Franco’s legs.
He felt his right ankle shatter as pain made his eyes roll up and almost made him pass out before he landed hitting the ground hard if somewhat limp. Hitting the ground that hard woke Franco enough that the sudden continuing flash of pain did not cause him to pass out. He rolled to his back, saber dropped from that hit. He scrambled to pull his belt knife out but stopped when Faust held his hand out and his staff flew back to him. He was intending to swing his staff down on Oaken who was trying to stand and move away from the minotaur at the same time.
Until Faust [Dodged] away from a killing attack as ice bolts from Frazier's auto crossbow slammed into the weapon racks that were behind where the minotaur had just been. Franco tried to roll away from Faust and towards his reinforcing team mates. As Maph and Frazier ran toward them, but he stopped as both dove to the ground as the Longhorn of the Free Horde activated an enchanted ring and a cone of fire shot down the walkway they had just been running down. It filled the walkway but barely reached where they had thrown themselves to the ground, a good twenty feet away.
Faust with his staff in the other hand took a step towards them. Franco, being much closer and still on the ground pulled his belt knife and knew this was a bad idea as he rolled toward Faust. Trying to stab him in his leg. Seemingly catching the old minotaur by surprise as if he had forgotten about Franco. The minotaur brought his ringed flame spurting hand down as he easily stepped away from Franco.
Franco knew he was about to be burned, so did another roll towards Faust and made sure to end on his stomach. The cone of fire washed over Franco’s back for less than a second as he was too close to the minotaur who ended the spell once he felt the heat on himself.
Oaken having gotten to his feet and pulling a pike off the nearest weapons rack shot a [Light Arrow] at Faust that he blocked with his staff as he turned to face Oaken who suddenly charged with the pike causing Faust to use another charge of his [Dodge] Ability. The minotaur quickly battered the pike out of Oaken’s hands with his heavy staff and Oaken jumped back down the main walkway they had taken from the Armory's front room. He was then blocking and dodging as Frazier let loose another volley of enchanted bolts from where she knelt on one knee after getting up off the ground. While Maph slightly burnt with one of his checks drooping from his face closed with the minotaur that was now back to where the fight had started just left of the door to the Relic and Legendary weapons.
Franco saw little of this as his back had been set on fire. His brigandine armor with its cloth exterior caught fire and continued to burn as Faust moved away dodging attacks. Between his shattered ankle and now burning back Franco lost himself for a few seconds and he rolled trying to put out the fire. When he was sure it was out he looked up into the ceiling. His vision was narrow and he was breathing hard as he saw Mpah fly by. The elf's feet were off the ground as Maph’s body was partially folded around the end of Faust's staff as it drove him back down the walkway he had just come from. He turned his head to follow Maph's flight but felt the skin on the back of his neck stretch and break from the movement. He then felt eyes on him and quickly saw the Demon still lying on top of the nearby shelves just watching the fight. A happy smile on its monstrous face. It had one eye unnaturally turned watching him while the other three watched Maph flying backwards. Franco’s pain faded as anger filled him and his mind cleared with even anger soon fading. A calm focus came to him as his vision cleared somehow. He was still furious but was clear of mind now. His companion had died before he had. She had suffered right in front of his eyes and he had been helpless. He would not let that happen again to his teammates that fought Faust now.
Suddenly he remembered standing over one dead companion in the past while another lay bleeding to death half his leg missing. There he had stood in a dark cave and felt the guilt of getting people he cared for, people he loved killed. He knew in that past moment he would stand and die before he let another one go to the horde of Stone Scarabs that swarmed them. He remembered later in a strange place he had been given something by a powerful voice. A thing all those in this world wanted when they leveled, a Title and he had been given another for what he had done that day.
True Companion: Before you, me
And with the knowledge that he had failed Sarah, he could not fail a fourth time. Sarah who he had warned. Sarah, who had gotten herself killed because of that damn dagger giving her false security. Sarah who had been holding that dagger when she died. Franco paused, all thought stopped as the realization hit him and without looking again at that damn devil he turned his head to see the wall on his left, his back skin tearing but he ignored it as he located the door to the Relic storage and then found Sarah’s body. He had to roll onto his left side not sure where Faust was but clear sounds of fighting and spells flew around him.
He looked around her body and the large pool of blood that had formed around it and then he saw it. The dagger was no more than six feet away half in the pool of blood between her corpse and the wall. He rolled toward it in three painful full body side rolls ending on his stomach.
Dizzy from that he reoriented himself and crawled the foot more he had to through Sarah’s blood. It covered his left arm and shoulder as he dragged himself there grabbing the dagger with his right hand. He knew he had to re-sheath it to reactivate its powers. He pulled at her corpse until he had gotten her waist and her adventure belt close enough for him to re-sheath the dagger and pull it out again.
The world fuzzed around him, going slightly grey. He located the fight just 15 feet away in the main walkway still near the door to the Relic grade weapons. He forced himself to his knees and started to crawl on all fours. Sarah’s dagger in his right hand.
It was Frazier with her auto crossbow keeping Faust back as he blocked or parried her bolts with his staff which he had back in his hands. The old minotaur still moved well but he was suffering from fatigue. Oaken was behind Frazier both his right arms looked broken but he cast spells with his large left hand when Frazier would reload. Franco did not see where Maph was. He hoped he was not too late again. Franco thought he had to be alive.
Now half covered in Sarah's blood with his back burned badly and a shattered ankle he crawled on all fours as fast as he could, closer and closer to Faust. When Franco was only four feet away, the Longhorn jumped backwards towards Franco as he deflected a magical bolt from Frazier with his staff.
Franco without waiting and taking this lucky turn of battle for what it was, a chance. Stood up on his knees and plunged Sarah’s dagger between Faust's back armor plate and his waist near the small of his back, aiming for his spine. The Longhorn of the Free Horde screamed in pain. Dropping his staff as he clutched at his back as Franco pulled the dagger out and pulled the old mad minotaur to the ground by his green square tunic with his other hand.
He scrambled on top of the flailing minotaur who tried to push Franco off while the dagger in his hand skittered across Faust’s armor. The minotaur was bleeding out from his back and he was much older than him. But Faust was still stronger than Franco because of the level difference and in their struggle Faust gored him in his left hand, ripping through his fingerless gloves and piercing through the fat bottom of his palm while Franco got fully on top of him.
Faust’s horns once again found his flesh and tore into his left arm until Franco got the dagger to slide off Faust’s chest piece and drove it under his chin into the minotaurs head where he buried the dagger up to its hilt in the former Longhorns skull. Blood foamed from the large nostrils of the old minotaur and his half opened mouth as Franco slid off the dead minotaur to lay next to it facing up. He heard clapping and then footsteps approaching his head from behind him.
“What a show, and using that fool girl's dagger to kill him and banishing me, the Greater Demon who killed her is simply poetic.”
“Leave him alone,.” Frazier said from somewhere. Tired, angry and afraid all at the same time
“Oh don’t worry your little mortal heart I am going, and now that I have returned once after all these years and our Fates have touched I’m sure I’ll see you all again. Oh please don't die until I can make it happen. Don't spoil the fun.” The Demon said standing above Franco before a quick silent light blue flash and then he was gone.
“Oaken take care of him, I have to find Maph.” Frazier said as she limped off back towards where he had gone flying, blood flowed down her left leg. Her pants soaked, torn and burnt in places.
“Oh Franco, you look like shit shit.” Oaken said, dropping down next to him. Both his right arms were still broken. It looked like he had taken quite the hit from Faust's staff.
“At least I have two arms,.” Franco said, slightly lifting both of them off the ground. Oaken trilled
“They say a Kimber with one arm is better than a Human with two.” Franco smiled at that
“Only Kimber would say something that stupid.”
Oaken trilled in mock anger before he sighed and slumped further to the ground. Franco got concerned but then saw the Kimber’s eyes filling with tears and then Franco let all the built up emotions loose.
Franco reached out and gently patted Oaken on his tail, the only part he could easily reach while on his back. Tears filled his eyes also and he squeezed them shut. He could see that image of her held up in the air, her face pale and ashen with terror. Her red hair, only visible by loose strands that had escaped her cowl. He knew that he and Oaken would never forget that sight and Franco hated that her death might be the only memory of her that would remain with him for the rest of his life.
A few tears escaped his closed eyes. Oaken wrapped Franco’s bloody palm and the puncture on his left arm as best he could with one working arm. The shattered ankle and the burned flesh of his back would have to wait. Maybe days. Till they could get him back to the surface.
Frazier came back half carrying Maph as one leg was broken and he had lost a lot of blood by the size of the hole in his chest piece. That staff must have punched through with whatever ability had been used but it seemed Frazier had used a healing potion on the wound and Maph's stomach was no longer bleeding. They sat or lay there together as Frazier and Oaken went through Faust's things slowly. Franco had no idea how long they waited until they heard a strange sound.
“It's Zif, here let me help you up.” Frazier said as she helped Franco sit up and moved him over to the side to put his back against the end of a weapons rack next to Maph.
“You’ve looked better,.” Maph said softly.
“I can go another round or two.” Franco said with a sly smile on his face.
“Just give me a minute or two and I’ll join you.” Maph replied.
They both turned slowly to see Zif on his knees crawling on all six limbs. His back was still only inches from scratching the ceiling. When he got within a dozen feet he stopped and very carefully he sat down, legs crossed as if he was about to meditate. He looked over the battlefield and from his seated position bowed. Almost touching his forehead to the ground.
“I am in your debt. I must apologize but I had to check for myself. Faust of the Free Horde is dead and the Greater Demon is banished. I see Sarah’s dagger did the deed, where is she so I may thank her.” Zif scanned the room looking for her but the weapon racks blocked almost all sight.
“She's dead, can you help us get her body back to the top of the temple? Oh and Franco killed him with her dagger.” Frazier said. Her eyes looked hollow now that she knew Maph lived and Sarah was dead.
Zif was silent for a second and bowed again “I see, I will have a golem carry her remains for you when you leave but you are hurt and you must be out of healing. I know the Goblins if not the Rout have a healer with them still. I will get them and we will see you taken care of, Friends of the Jade Temple.”
