Gary Gygax - Dance of Demons

"You are indeed fit to be the Most Malign," Entropy said with actual admiration. "I will agree to do as you request," it added carefully, "for it suits my purposes too."

"In many respects we two approach oneness," Tharizdun drawled. "More and more I become the brain, you the body. So shall it be."

It was not all the work of the entity, that countersealing; archfiend and yeth-pack also had much of the labor to manage. It was deeply satisfying work for Tharizdun, that destruction and terror. It was no lessening of the hunt, either. Even as they shut off place after place, hunter and pack harried all in search of their prey.

The yeth called Thrax was fully recovered from the punishment given to him by Tharizdun after the destruction of the domain of the Catlord, so all three of the greatest hounds were there when the archfiend made Graz his chief dog in the harrying of what could only be the last refuge of the three. "You shall be foremost, Graz my faithful dog, when I drive the yeth into the lands of mankind," he boomed gleefully. "It was such satisfaction lemons desired, and you, demon-hound, shall finally have your day." The coal-black yeth snarled and snapped its steel jaws in deranged fury at that, imagining its victims' throes of agony, desiring to rend the archfiend too. The response made the packmaster even more delighted.

Not even the glorious devas were there to prevent the hunt. Such was the fell nature of the master of hounds that no longer could even a planetary deva survive the attack of the hounds, no stellar one face the darkness of the archfiend. In their final days, even the Lords of Light set aside their aloofness and fed what force they could to bolster Tharizdun's foe. It made the malign being quiver with anger and pride. None could withstand him now, even the champion!

"All has been closed to those three now," Entropy droned slowly. "I have the answer to the rings too, Tharizdun, if you dare to face Courflamme."

As usual the entity aggravated him beyond measure. "It is not simply the blade's puissance I have to be careful to avoid, inert lump! Even though your slow mind has not detected it, I have long since kenned the hand of others in tbs affair. champion? bah? that little mortal is as nothing to me! Do you suppose that I actually hesitate in engaging in the last combat because of courflamme? never, all-encompassing turd! There are others whom I must neutralize, then I will unmake the weapon, and lastly I will flay and devour the three who think they can oppose my might."

"This is noteworthy, Mover of Malevolent Pawns. Pray enlighten so poor a thing as me."

Tharizdun thought Entropy's words conciliatory. "Very well. The worker of Time and she of Probability both conspire to best me."

"Us!"

"You? Piddling lump! Why bother? No matter — I have devised means to make those efforts worthless."

"Beware, archfiend, you have much hubris, and that is weakness."

"I? you say I am arrogant because I know and utilize my full powers? that is so typical of lessers, 'Lord' Entropy. You do as you can to squash the energies of the rings made by wealsome meddlers. I shall now bring into being the stage of the final contest."

"Beware! Caution is called for. Proctor Chronos and the vixen Tolerance are cunning and have many tricks. Long have I opposed them — I know!" Entropy's monotone was given as much force as it could muster.

"You accused me of shilly-shally, entity. Now you say I must be dilatory in order to ponder what I had to warn you of. you are useless!" Tharizdun jumped up and strode back and forth. He enjoyed this. It was a carefully designed exercise to awe the Lord of Entropy, to make the inertial being very cautious in dealing with the archfiend. An opponent in doubt was an adversary on the road to defeat and doom. "The delay has been because I was dealing with interference. In closing all avenues of energy supply to those petty heroes, I have likewise been sealing off change and time's streams as well. Even Chronos will be unable to lend his allies an extra minute, and there will be no minute chance of them avoiding the certainty of my coming."

"I am unable to determine the validity of your claim," Entropy said. "What of the champion himself?"

"You destroy the bands, entity, and I will see to the sword, courflamme. Gord is no champion — it is the weapon which is my true challenger. If the blade is unmade, then the man is no more than a mosquito to be slapped."

"Possibly. . Can you truly break the sword without having to slay its wielder, though? That is the question."

Tharizdun preened himself. "Question only in your brain, Entropy. It is certain knowledge in my superior mind. I have understood how to brubg Courflamme to nothing for a long time now. Be so good as to faithfully perform your task, leaden one, and I will carry the day."

Now it was Entropys turn to feel annoyance. It was an emotion that was nigh impossible for the entity, but somehow the archfiend made it possible for vexation to creep through the amorphousness of Entropy's being. "How will you do so much?"

"Let us resrve that for telling afterward, slow-of-wit. Get on with your work, I say! I am off to bring to oerth a taste of my coming domain. The yeth hounds will have their sport over and through the little globe. Then, at last, I will bring my power to bear. all will be just so for my little drama."

Grumbling most uncharacteristically, the Lord of Entropy slowly dissipated to move itself elsewhere. Even the entity needed preparations in order to bring the powerful bands made by the Lords of Light to naught.

As it faded. Entropy heard the baying of the yeth hounds. The archfiend had already summoned his pack.

"Is there anywhere left to hide?"

"That is a dispiriting thing to say, Gellor. You are becoming a detriment to this — "

"Leda! Please don't quarrel with our friend. You are allowing the archfiend his way when you do that," Gord said gently. "His question was deserved. It was also practical." The three had been chivvied and chased across the whole of the world. From the distant south, through the Moving islands, up and across Gonduria's vast continent, and thence across the Agitoric Ocean to western Oerik's shore. No fastness or barren or mountain chain had served to conceal them from the hounding of Tharizdun and his yeth.

"It is just a sport to him now," Leda said, picking up the thoughts from Gord. "Perhaps the bard is right as you say. Why don't we stay and face the archfiend?"

"That answer is simply stated, dear one," he replied to the elven girl. "We have been unable to bring our force into readiness. There are insufficient energies in the rings, Courflamme, us as well. To stand and fight so depleted is to invite disaster."

"Is there any hope of gaming the power you say we require?" Geijor was not mincing words now.

The question set him to thinking carefully. It had seemed that Chronos and Lady Tolerance had desated them there in demonium and afterward as the three had tried to find a refuge and restore their strength on plane after plane. They had failed, Gord admitted to himself, and had brought disaster to those who sought to aid them too. How many friends and stout folk had met their deaths because of them? Could he actually hope to achieve a state that would put them on a par with Tharizdun?

"I greatly overmatched the newly risen monster," God allowed, looking at his friends and shaking his head. 'If I had been less cautlous then, or had Entropy not interfered, the matter would have been ended there in the castle prison."

"That is apparent," Gellor said cynically. "The power you seek?"

The match was more even there in the Abyss. Entropy was locked against Ojukalazogadit, so it was Tharizdun and I. The force of the three bands tipped the scales in my favor. The archfiend was a thrust away from oblivion!"