Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

Enin knew that Jure had cast potent spells to undue the devastation, but seeing it in front of him left the wizard stunned. There were small traces of damaged property, but they were few and immaterial, unnoticeable in the dark of night. It was almost as if a crew of highly skilled dwarves had rushed into the town and reconstructed every building. Still, Enin knew that the goblin horde had raged through Huntston, for though most of the structural damage had been undone, there were other signs of ruin that could not be ignored.

While Jure did a great deal to restore and repair the buildings and to heal the wounded, he could do nothing for the dead, and many had died there. The corpses remained in the streets-unmoving shadows littering paths in every direction-the one clear reminder of the carnage that had taken place. Huntston was structurally repaired, but spiritually decimated, the lives of so many cut short by goblin crossbows and short swords.

There were very few survivors to attend to the dead, though a few bodies had been covered by blankets, and some were held tightly by loved ones. For the most part, the town remained empty. The goblins had been defeated, but the darkness of night reclaimed the land once Jure's spell of light ended. Only a few residents had ventured back to their homes, most remained scattered far to the west, uncertain of what to do.

With a simple sight spell, Enin raised his perception over the region. He could see the people had stopped fleeing. Some were even trekking through the darkness, hoping to return to the town, but they were doing so carefully, almost grudgingly. When the wizard put it all in perspective, it was not hard to understand.

The citizens of Huntston had spent many seasons learning to ignore the presence of the goblins. They were told it was for the best and received orders to accept the situation. These orders came from people that were supposed to protect all of the residents, that were charged with doing what was right for the entire town. Unfortunately, the majority of the people had come to realize much too late that those in charge were far more concerned with their own well-being. Their own captain of the guard cared as little for them as he did for a handful of weeds growing in a patch of dirt behind an abandoned home.

There would be many abandoned homes after the goblin uprising, and Huntston would struggle for many cycles of the seasons. Few would ever forget that it was there that the unrest began. The story would spread of the dwarf mines below the town of the Twin Rivers, where wealth was used to purchase the assistance of corrupt humans. The blood that flowed from Huntston washed over all the valleys, and created a wound that would take the longest to heal.

Enin felt for the town. He had seen much of the same back in Burbon, Pinesway, and Connel. When the magic first returned to Uton, the people of those towns suffered greatly. He helped save Burbon, helped rebuild Connel, and finally brought Pinesway back from extinction. He hoped the same could be done for Huntston, but before it could be salvaged, it needed to be spared.

Turning his focus to the threat that remained, Enin considered what the draevol in Ashlan had told him. The demon's twin was planning on releasing a great sickness across the valleys. The wizard noted the number of dead on the streets, and though there were only a few living occupants of Huntston within its borders, he recognized the danger. The elements for a plague were ideal. All that was necessary was the spark of the disease. He knew that in the tunnels below ground, the draevol twin was working on that spark.

Holli had previously told him about the warehouse that served as the goblin entrance to the mine. Rather than walk past the dead and disturb the few that grieved in the streets, the wizard rose up into the sky and flew westward. He soon spotted the bridge that crossed the western half of the Twin Rivers. He moved to it directly in order to gain the proper perspective. He turned back to the town center and immediately spotted his objective.

From the edge of the river, he saw the flattened remains of the warehouse. Several goblin corpses remained covered in the debris. It appeared as if Jure decided not to repair that particular building, probably out of contempt for what was allowed to happen there, or perhaps out of a sense of justice.

Shaking his head with sadness over the human losses he could see scattered across the nearest streets, Enin willed himself higher into the air and flew over the top of the collapsed building. He directed a tight whirlwind spell downward upon the shattered roof that stretched across most of the foundation. The powerful winds pushed the wood and shingles aside and revealed the opening to the tunnels below.

With a simple reflection of desire, he drifted downward and into the dwarf mine. He landed softly on the platform where Holli and Ryson once stood and gazed down the long shaft. Lacking an elf or a delver's superior night vision, he cast another spell that sent a wave of light down the lonely passage. He didn't care if the draevol twin knew he was coming. It would not matter.

Just as Holli could sense dark creatures in the distance, the wizard enhanced his own perception to reach down the tunnel. He did not wish to waste time on a useless hunt. His magical awareness took hold of the evil surrounding the demon further down the mine shaft, and Enin stepped willfully down the passage to end the calamity before it began.

Enin allowed the brilliance from his light spell to continue even as he noted a strong white radiance emanating up from the tunnel. The draevol was near and the illumination of its malevolent presence filled the lower shafts with a pale light.

At first, the draevol did not notice the wizard. Its back was turned as it bent over what appeared to be a human corpse lying on the rocky ground in front of it. It looked almost as if the demon was transferring the pale light of its own essence into the core of the dead body.

"Do not waste anymore of your energy," Enin commanded.

The demon seemed to flinch, as if startled, but it did not turn around. The transfer of light continued, but the stream dimmed ever so slightly. Even as the fiend addressed the wizard, it made no move to face him.

"I did not expect you here so soon," the twin admitted, as if it could not think of anything else to say.

"Your brother sent me."

"Not a surprise."

"You know who I am?" Enin wished to confirm.

"I do."

"Then you know I won't let you succeed."

Without another word, the wizard placed one arm out in front of him and the other behind. Two perfect circles swayed around his shoulders until he flung them in opposite directions. The ring that shot forward sailed passed the draevol and erupted in a flash of white fire further down the mine shaft. The second ring sparked in the same manner but behind the wizard in the passage that led back up to the platform. White energy crackled all along the walls, ceiling, and floor of the shaft, connecting the two points.

The demon would still not turn to face the wizard, but it raised its head slightly as if to sniff the air.

"You sealed us off. Quite a powerful barrier. Completely solid. Impressive," the twin grumbled.

"And efficient. Even magic itself can't penetrate it. We are locked in here together until I drop the barrier or one of us opens a dimensional portal."

"And what is it you recommend?"

"Leave this land… this realm, completely."

"And what of the plague I have already prepared?"

"Take it with you."

"A waste."

"Consume the magic as you will in your dark lands, but it will not be unleashed here."

"And if I told you it already was unleashed."

"I would not believe you. I can sense where the energy lies. It hasn't left this chamber."