James Ward: The Paladins

"Fool! We have more power than we can imagine at our wingtips, and you want to run home to whine to a balor! So be it! Let us see who'll be a molting lackey, and who will command the bloodforge. I’m not afraid!"

"Have fun on the other side, fighting those sentinels," sneered Rejik. "Remember how tough the primes we encountered down here were? Ha!"

Shaakat paused, recalling the wounds he had suffered in this curious subterranean labyrinth, at the hands of humans, elves, and dwarves in armor. Once or twice, he admitted reluctantly, they had had to flee the battle, although they came that close to winning those fights.

"Exactly," chimed in Rejik, reading his thoughts. "Do you think we can simply step through this gate and take our prize? We may well not be enough. Remember what Raachaak said? Others have failed before us."

Shaakat gazed up at the portal, then craned his scrawny neck around to look over his feathery black shoulder, at the vast complex behind them. "I have an idea," he thought. "It will require the both of us to succeed, but it cannot fail. Rejik, will you ascend, and never fear Raachaak again, upon a bold stroke? Will you join with me… for now?"

Rejik stared at the other vrock, pondering. He hissed ruefully, "First, tell me your plan."

"Noph, you aren't planning to use that boat hook, are you?" Jacob asked sharply. Noph had been watching a pair of glowing eyes under the water beside the boat for several heartbeats. He'd thought of trying to hook whatever the eyes were-at least it was a distraction from all that spooky laughter in the darkness-but

Jacob's tone dissuaded him.

"Of course not," he answered. "I was just securing the hook. Has anyone else looked over the side of the boat lately?"

"Yes, but don't worry about it. We're at the end of the line."

Ahead, the cave ceiling narrowed, ending their boat ride. Aleena moved the tiller to angle toward a cave mouth to the side, which led up and out of sight. Harloon hopped into the water and dragged the boat to the shore. Noph gasped and leaned over the side, watching for the eyes in the river.

"Sdop dhere," a voice boomed.

"Doll, you musd pay a doll," another voice shouted.

"Dheir lighds so brighd," bawled another.

"Shud up, 'ficial doll keepers can'd be bodhered by lighds," scolded a fourth voice.

The party quickly drew their weapons and leaped to the shore. Three immense creatures with two heads apiece stepped out of the cave shaft-ettins! Each of the monsters carried a stone club the size of a man in each hand. They wrapped themselves sloppily in dark brown cave bear hides, covered in a thick layer of crusty dirt. Their wild, wiry hair grew long and unkempt, and then-large teeth thrust at odd angles from their puffy red mouths. With their large, watery eyes and upturned, piggish snouts, they resembled freakish ores.

"We no fighd widh you if you pay doll," the right head of the middle ettin claimed. "We keep dhis area clear of monsders. We ged dolls for dhis."

"We led everyone pass who pays doll," said the other head, resting its two clubs on the ground. "You have sheep or caddie?"

"Aleena could blast these brutes," suggested Noph, casting a worshipful look at the enchantress. "That would send them running."

"Wait," interrupted Miltiades, pushing Noph back with his warhammer. "These very intelligent creatures are attempting to provide a service. I suggest we deal honestly with them and be on our way."

The ettins smiled at the compliment, displaying their rotting teeth.

"Dhad's righd," said the first one. "We very indel… imbled… inbred..

"Smard," supplied its other head.

"Righd. Smard."

"If they perform a useful service, they have every right to expect a fee," said Kern.

"Looks like dhey don'd have caddie," remarked the left head of the ettin on the right.

"Or sheep," added the other head.

"Could we make dhem bring sheep back?" asked the left head of the last one.

"Nod likely," answered the right side, sadly.

"Now what?" asked Aleena.

"Look," interrupted Noph, "I know all about ettins; there are lots of stories about them in Waterdeep. They're big, but they're stupid. We give 'em a little light show and they'll back right down."

"Sdupid!" cried the ettins.

"If dhey god no sheep, dhen dhey looks like lunch do me," the leader's left head snarled.

The middle ettin reached behind its back and produced a coil of clean, silky rope. Its gigantic hand clamped upon one end of the hemp while it flung the rest toward the heroes. The loops unfurled gracefully as the rope sailed through the air, and a circle opened perfectly to settle over Kern and Miltiades. With a distressing crunch, the rope yanked them together. The paladins fell to the ground, and coil upon coil of the rope lengthened and wrapped around them.

The three ettins brandished their clubs and roared as they closed in to fight the rest of the party. Aleena pointed her finger and uttered a sharp command, and streaks of light shot from her fingertips, striking the giants. She directed three of the shafts at the leader, which howled in pain and tumbled to the ground, letting go of the rope; neither of the other ettins took notice of the jolt to their bodies. They screamed in anger and came on harder.

Able and Harloon moved to intercept them with their warhammers while Jacob drew his sword and Trandon brought his staff to bear, moving in upon the shins and knees of the ettins. Noph grabbed for his boot knife while stumbling back from the giants' charge. He tripped and rolled into the river with a loud splash, only to emerge a moment later, glancing over his shoulder for the glowing eyes.

Aleena waved her hands, and a hypnotic swirl of lights danced in the air. The giants' dull eyes followed the lights even as they pressed the attack. One swung at Harloon, only to feel Abie's crushing blow at the back of its knee. The wounded ettin bawled in rage and spun around, opening its back to the swordsman, who landed another biting attack. The second ettin struggled against Jacob and Trandon. That left the third one, the leader, which climbed unsteadily to its feet, still smoking from Aleena's first attack. Noph waited for the tower of muscle and sinew to stand fully erect, then charged with his knife, aiming for the heel.

"Noph, duck!" screamed Harloon, breaking off his attack. He pushed the young man out of the way, as the ettin made a vicious swipe with its club. There was a sickening crack and Harloon's body fell twitching to the ground. Noph hit the dirt and rolled between the feet of the ettin. He carved a gash in the monster's ankle, came to his feet, and spun about with a smile on his face, until he saw Harloon lying close by.

"Harl!" he screamed, heedless of the monster standing over him, its club raised to smash in his head. The ettin bellowed in triumph as it waved both clubs aloft, but five brilliant missiles drilled into its chest, boring a hole straight through. It stood there for another moment, looking down at the gap in its body, then collapsed on top of Noph. He grunted under the weight and struggled to push the horrible-smelling body off of him.

"Free us from this Tyr-blasted rope!" ordered Miltiades, who still lay on the ground, bound with Kern. Jacob and Aleena rushed to unwrap them while Able and Trandon stood behind. With a few tugs on the loose end, the coils relaxed and tangled normally about their legs. The leaders rose to their feet but fell silent at the sound of sobbing behind them. Slowly, they turned to behold Noph, cradling Harloon's bloodied head and shoulders in bis lap.

Somewhere in the caves beyond, distant laughter mocked the fallen hero.