Martin Hengst - The Darkest Hour

Without another word, Greneks set words to actions, pushing the entire device toward the smelting furnace that burned at the end of the workshop. It was burning quite hot, the stifling warmth spreading out from its open maw and the red-orange flames dancing beyond. If the gnome pushed the device into that conflagration, it would be a ruin of melted metal in moments.

"NO!" Zarfensis roared, attempting to leap for the gnome. His good leg took the landing, but the crutch slipped out from under him, sending him sprawling across the floor between the gnome and the oven.

Xenir sprang forward, snarling. His ears were laid back along his head and the hair on the back of his neck stood out, making him appear larger than he was. This was a Xarundi at his most dangerous. Zarfensis had a sudden, vivid vision of the Warleader tearing the gnome to pieces and gorging on the bloody remains.

"Hold!" he cried, raising a hand to forestall Xenir's rage. Zarfensis pushed himself up off the floor, struggling to his feet. For a moment, it appeared that the Warleader was going to fall on the gnome regardless of the High Priest's imploring cry. After a longer pause than Zarfensis would have liked, the larger Xarundi got himself under control and backed away from the gnome.

It was just as well, Zarfensis thought, for the gnome had undergone a change of its own. The large black eyes were replaced by orbs that shone with crimson light. The long fingers had sprouted claws that were just as sharp and wicked as any Xarundi's, for all that they were smaller and shorter. It was the teeth that gave Zarfensis the most pause. The gnome's mouth was open wide, the front teeth having elongated into a row of vicious fangs perfect for tearing and rending flesh. Beyond the fangs, a second row of razor sharp teeth was visible.

This was no docile creature to be treated as prey. For the difference in size, the gnome was every ounce a predator in its own right. Zarfensis had misjudged the creature. He wouldn't do so again.

"Apologies, Greneks." The High Priest inclined his head toward the little creature, who was still shaking with suppressed rage. "My actions were unwise, and the Warleader was merely trying to protect me."

It took several moments for the gnome to return to a docile state. The fangs and claws retracted and the creature resumed the appearance it had had when they first entered the workshop. His enthusiasm, however, was greatly diminished. He peered warily at the two Xarundi, as if he was deciding whether or not he could trust them enough to turn over his device to these volatile creatures.

Finally, he steepled his long fingers under his chin and smiled tentatively. Zarfensis released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"Yes, High Priest," the gnome nodded. "You will have your device and you will learn the strength of the gnomes. You!" He pointed to Xenir, his voice authoritative. "Help the High Priest to that bench." He stabbed a finger at the tall work bench that had been cleared of all the tools and materials the gnome had used to create the device.

With some effort, the Warleader helped the High Priest up onto the bench. At this level, the stump of Zarfensis's amputated leg was level with the gnome's eyes. The High Priest felt exposed and vulnerable. It wasn't a feeling he enjoyed during the best of times, and being so close to a creature that he had so badly underestimated only compounded the feeling. He wanted all of this to be over with, but it had begun at his bequest and he would see it through to its conclusion.

Greneks moved the device into position and Zarfensis saw for the first time that there was a hollow ring at the top, obviously meant for his stump. The inside of the ring was circled with curved metal teeth, each one attached to a tiny valve that continued deeper into the machinery. It was clear that once Zarfensis offered his leg to this device, those teeth would bite deeply into his flesh and they would not be removed. Not without removing the rest of the leg in the process.

The gnome noted Zarfensis's grimace and nodded. "Yes, High Priest. Once conversion is made, device cannot be removed. Is a permanent installation."

Zarfensis's tongue snaked out, licking his maw in nervous agitation. He'd come this far. If the device could give him his mobility back, it was worth the price. It was worth any price.

"I understand. What's next?"

Greneks steadied the device with his hands and nodded toward the ring. "Lower your leg into the restraining harness until you feel it bite. I apologize for the…discomfort."

Zarfensis grunted. He inched closer to the edge of the bench and positioned his stump near the ring that was offered him. He glanced up at Xenir and was surprised to see the Warleader's tail between his legs. Perhaps he was more worried about this than the High Priest was. Mastering his indecision, Zarfensis shifted forward, plunging his stump into the restraining ring.

The agony was unimaginable. The roar that burst from the High Priest echoed off the chamber walls and forced both the gnome and Xenir to clasp their hands over their ears. Twelve teeth bit deeply into his flesh, drinking his blood. It was drinking in the purest sense. Zarfensis could feel tubes burrow into his leg from each of the teeth, stopping only when they found blood deep inside his leg. He could feel the valves moving against his skin, pumping his blood into the device for reasons that Zarfensis couldn't fathom and wasn't sure he wanted to.

After several moments, the pain faded to a dull roar and Zarfensis was able to focus on something other than the metal bits that had fused themselves to his flesh. He forced himself off the bench and onto the new leg, wincing as the pain flashed anew with his weight fully on the contraption of metal and elastic banding.

He lifted the leg experimentally, watching as the cording bunched around the levers and rods. The cording then, Zarfensis realized, replaced his muscles. The levers and rods and tubes were his skeleton, exposed without the benefit of skin or tissue to hide them from view. He took a tentative step forward, the clawed foot grasping the ground firmly under him. It would take getting used to, and it was heavy, but it was certainly preferable to the crutch. His lips pulled back from his teeth in a smile.

"Well done, Greneks. Well done indeed."

The gnome shook his head. "Is more to do, High Priest. Is only the attachment that is complete. Activation has not yet been finished."

"What more is there?" The High Priest was curious. He already had his leg back and with it, the promise of being whole and a viable threat again.

"Is to be charged and readied for use, High Priest." The gnome withdrew a small vial from inside his coat. The tiny crystals within pulsed with a greenish-brown glow, the color of spring moss. He could feel the power thrumming through the air between them. He knew what this was. He had seen it often enough in his role as a rune holder. This was runedust.

The gnome nodded, seeing the recognition on Zarfensis's face. "Yes, is runedust. Is of the Eyr, the Rune of Earth. You have your own, yes?"

Zarfensis nodded. He inclined to admit to the gnome that obtaining his own runedust from the Dyr was impeded by the pack council at the moment. He wasn't about to offer any more information to the gnome than was necessary.

The gnome nodded again. "Good. To recharge is to be using the runedust. This is sample," he waved the vial at Zarfensis. "Is included in payment. First taste is free."

Greneks's cackle sent shivers up Zarfensis's spine. He had little time to be unnerved. Twisting a handle on the device, the gnome opened a small chute on the side of the artificial leg and dumped the dust into it in a fluid motion. A tiny crystal window showed the dust inside, its mossy glow pulsing slowly like a heartbeat.