The Chaos Blade - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Eric and Bill moved among the refugees and few surviving defenders, checking on them and treating any injuries they found with their triaging knowledge they still remembered. Bill was better at it then Eric, having kept up to date by nature of his still somewhat reckless lifestyle. Both were limited by the lack of any modern medicine, but their skills kept everyone alive until one of the priests could make their way over to use their healing magic upon them.

Alesha and Yamara sat elsewhere, Alesha was withdrawn and silent. Elvanshalee was nearby, close enough to be considered part of their group by any outsiders, but far enough away to allow them privacy. With both women silent and lost in their own thoughts, Elvanshalee found herself truly not knowing what to do. Kelnozz was gone, Garrick had been left behind meaning he might be dead as well, and the rest of them had no idea what to do. Well, Garrick had told them to go to Helmsmasher Isle, but she had no idea why.

With blood on his hands, Eric made his way back over to where Alesha and Yamara sat. He stood near them, sensing the tension in the air. Knowing that something needed to be said to break the ice, Eric said, "I've seen him fight, he might have gotten away."

Alesha looked up at him angrily. Yamara looked at him as though he was crazy. "No one escapes something like that," Alesha said coldly. "Not you, not me, not even Kelnozz. Garrick would have fallen against foes like that!"

"Then you did right to come with us and escape," Eric offered, prodding her to get her to release her anger on him. He normally did a good job at provoking women for this specific purpose, to get them open up and tell him their problems. Problem was, Alesha was no ordinary woman. If she got upset enough she might very well immolate him where he stood. Then again, being good at pissing women off was not always a benefit.

Alesha glanced up at him, the look in her eyes spearing him to the core. She was so angry it scared him. "Go away, Eric, I am not in the mood to talk."

Realizing that he had pushed a little to far he just nodded and turned away. On his way out he grabbed Bill by the arm and turned him around as well. "Later bud, she's in a bad way right now." Bill risked a glance at Alesha then shrugged and followed Eric.

They wandered out into the nearby wilderness, patrolling the perimeter of the makeshift camp that the refugees from Sanctuary had set up in the middle of nowhere as much as just going for a walk to get some fresh air.

"Did you see him slap her?" Bill asked when they were far out of earshot. "Fucker pissed me off when he did that! Good thing I was out of bullets or I'd have shot him dead then and there."

"Be glad you didn't, Cowboy. He'd have probably killed you. That guy is the biggest and the strongest person I have ever seen. When he visited Earth with Kelnozz I heard the story from a girl that was with them when he got shot by some punks in the IRA. He never even knew he was hit until after he had killed the man with his bare hands."

Bill snorted. "Big fucking deal, you know as well as I do that in the middle of a fight you can miss a hit."

Eric nodded. "Yeah, but you've seen the guy. Hell, you saw his wounds healing before your eyes. That ain't no man you want to mess with, Cowboy."

Bill grunted and continued walking. "So she's upset then?" He asked finally, dropping the subject of Garrick.

Eric chuckled. "That's an understatement. You know the saying, 'if looks could kill'? Well, her's can! I think I barely got out of there in time."

Bill whistled softly. "I've seen her in action now, she's one bad bitch."

"No argument here."

"Something about her though... I think she's got me bro."

Eric sighed and stopped walking. "Cowboy..."

"I know, I know, she ain't normal. Hell, she ain't nothing like any women I've ever known. But now that Kelnozz is dead..."

"Wait right there," Eric said, holding up his hand. "We don't know that for sure."

"Jesus Fucking Christ Eric! Come on, those things were straight out of a Sigourney Weaver horror flick! There were hundreds of them and they had him surrounded! No way he could get out of their, even if he did kill the big bad ass in charge of them like it was nothing," Bill said, waving his hands animatedly.

"I've heard stories about him," Eric said, not ready to give up on the dark elf, "and I've seen some of the things he has done. Hardly any, really, but enough to know that I'm not counting him gone until I see his body."

Bill shook his head, "Those things get done with him, there won't be a body left."

Eric pursed his lips and continued walking, refusing to count the elf out of the fight yet. Bill caught up with him after a few strides.

"So what about you and the blond?" Bill asked, grinning.

Eric chuckled. "Hell if I know. She's pretty weird. Not weird - bad, just weird - different."

"From what you said you had more going on with her before we came here then since we showed up," Bill prompted.

Eric shrugged. "Yeah, but we've been kinda busy since we got here. She told me she wasn't interested, and there's been enough going on I've left her alone. Besides, she seems to be dealing with some of her own shit. You know, baggage and stuff."

"Yeah, the best looking ones always are," Bill lamented, thinking of Alesha again.

---

Alesha stood up after a while and walked off. Yamara stood up to follow her but Alesha stopped and just shook her head. Elvanshalee watched the exchange curiously, offering no input when Yamara glanced at her. Alesha kept on going, heading towards the tree line at the best of the hill ahead of them.

It was only a matter of minutes before she found Bill and Eric sitting on a rock and talking. Both stood up quickly when they saw her, with Eric narrowing his eyes slightly and saying, "Why are you alone?"

"Because I told them to stay behind."

Alesha looked at Bill. "Cowboy, could you give us a minute?"

Bill looked to Eric for guidance. Eric nodded to him. Not too thrilled to be left out of the loop, Bill grunted and headed back up the hill towards the makeshift camp. After he was out of earshot Eric sat back down on the rock and looked questioningly at her.

"I...I can feel him," she stammered out. "He's everywhere. All around me. Pressing on me. Trying to get in."

At first he thought she meant Kelnozz, but then it quickly became clear that she was talking about Bavorish, her one-time patron deity. Eric's hand itched to go to the hilt of her short sword, afraid he might have to act quickly and really not wanting to do it.

"Such power he promises..." she trailed off, staring at Eric and throughout him at the same time. "We are outside of Sanctuary and after the fight I have so little energy. He prays on my mind."

"I need my sword back, Eric. I must have it!"

Eric's jaw tightened down and he stood up, hand going over his shoulder to the short sword. "I might have given it to you earlier today, but now I don't know who you are, Alesha."

She let out a strangled moan and fought the urge to rush towards him. "You don't understand... Such power... So close. I have to do something, Eric, please!"

"We've been together for several days now and I happen to have started to think you might be okay," Eric warned. "I don't want to kill you, Alesha, but I will."

Alesha scowled at him. "Fine. Make up your mind then. Either give me my sword or kill me. I can offer you so much if you give it to me, I can even help you with her." Eric's eyes widened, he knew which her Alesha was referring to. "Or you can be stupid and try to kill me. I promise you it will not be an easy thing to do!"

"You leave me no choice," Eric said, his heart slowing as the calm that always hit him before a fight took over. He drew the short sword slowly from it's sheath on his back and held it in front of him, pointed at her in a stance Yamara had shown him.

Alesha gasped as the sword was bared. She swooned then fell to her knees, eyes locked on it. The promises, threats, and urges had intensified a hundredfold. She reached out towards it, her hand shaking in the air. Fighting the losing war within her, she summoned the sword to her side. Eric gasped as it wrenched out his hand, flying straight to hers.

---

"Where's your friend?" Yamara asked when Bill returned by himself.

Bill grunted, clearly annoyed. Not only annoyed but he also noted that Yamara had called Eric 'his friend' instead of by his name. "Down there with her," he said with a nod towards the deciduous trees at the base of the hill.

Yamara smirked. The loss of Sanctuary meant little to her. The death of Kelnozz, even of Garrick, were remote things she care little about. She had been focusing more and more on herself recently, and had been surprised at her actions in Sanctuary. Regardless, they were all safe now, so it had worked out well.

What amused her was Bill's behavior. He was obviously Jealous, something she recognized well. "You need not worry about him."

Bill looked at her oddly for a moment then started to laugh. "Oh, I'm not," he said. "Eric and I go way back. I'm just worried about Alesha is all."

"Why are you worried about her?" Elvanshalee asked, moving closer. "If the legends are true, you should worry about yourselves far more then her."

Bill looked over at her thoughtfully. "I think I see why nobody really likes you," Bill said with a ghost of a grin.

Yamara's eyebrows raised but kept her own smile from her face. Elvanshalee was a pretentious bitch. Elvanshalee gave him a look of blank surprise. "I apologize then, Bill. I often forget that you are all humans and not given to understanding the greater story."

"No need to apologize," Yamara answered for him. "We are rather fond of being humans."

Bill looked at her and nodded thankfully. She returned his nod while Elvanshalee frowned slightly at the exchange. She made a harrumphing noise in her throat and walked away.

Bill sighed and looked across the hilltop full of refugees. Across the top and side of the grassy hill over a thousand people were gathered. He estimated they took up several acres. So far he had no idea where they were at either, but then again, had somebody told him it would have done him little good as he had no idea where anything was anyhow!

"What about you?" Bill asked, glancing over to Yamara, who was staring over the treetops to the east.

Yamara continued to scan the horizon, seemingly without purpose. "What about me?" she asked after so long Bill had thought she had not heard him.

"Shit," Bill swore, looking at her directly. "You know what I mean. What's your deal with Eric."

"Ah, that."

Bill waited while Yamara pondered the question, her thoughts and feelings, and how much, if any, she wanted to divulge. She and Bill had crossed swords at almost every exchange, how much power did she wish to give him?

"Nothing, Cowboy, there is no 'deal' with Eric. He was a means to an end and a good time at that. Now he is a companion, nothing more."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure, but I think that's the first time you've called me Cowboy. Does that mean we're friends?"

She chuckled. "You caught me off guard, I'll try not to let it happen again."

"Good idea," Bill said with a grin.

Yamara opened her mouth to say more when they heard the report of a single pistol shot going off down below where Bill had left Eric and Alesha. As one they looked to each other then were running down the hill heedless to their own safety.

---

Stunned for a moment, Eric had watched the sword fly to its rightful Mistress. In her hands she stared at it with a grim satisfaction. Coming to his senses, Eric scrambled for his pistol with one hand and dug his hand into a pouch on his belt with the other hand. He pulled out a single copper jacketed hollow point .50 caliber bullet and, after working the action on the pistol open, slid it in. He thumbed the release and felt the action slide home, seating the bullet.

Alesha held the sword out in front of her, staring into space where the tip pointed. A dark nimbus of non-light spread slowly out from the midnight depths of the blade, casting a shadow about it. Then an invisible discharge of energy caused Alesha's hand to recoil. Standing ten feet from her stood Talifernon, the 12 foot tall demon with the head and face of a dog and body of a man. Save for the extra pair of full size arms low on his abdomen with sharp pincers for hands.

Eric's eyes widened as he saw the demon appear. He pointed the gun at it and pulled the hammer back, wondering if it was possible to do any good against it. He aimed for it's head, then it's chest, wondering which would be a killing shot.

Talifernon howled in exultation. He was free again. "My thanks, Mistress," He growled, dropping to one knee and facing her.

Eric knew what he had to do then. His own life was forfeit, but if he could stop Alesha it would at least not go to waste. He swung the gun towards her and fired, shooting on instinct. Talifernon had already seen his movement and moved to confront him, he had no time to waste. The pistol bucked in his hands, sending its 300 grain package on its way at over 1600 feet per second.

Alesha stumbled backwards and crumpled to the ground, stunned not only by the initial impact of the bullet into her right breast, but also the extra damage it did on its way through as the round expanded and caused massive damage to her lung and stomach. The bullet exited her back, punching a sizeable hole and shattering some ribs. In a world filled with modern medicine the wound was more then life threatening, it was a miracle short of a guaranteed free ride into a six foot hole. In Viconia, it was so fatal that only death by a cattle stampede could be more certain.

"You will not escape me again, puny human!" Talifernon growled, advancing on Eric rapidly. Eric scrambled back, tossing his pistol to the ground and drawing his sword.

Alesha gasped for breath. The shock of the wound was beginning to wear off and the unbelievably fierce pain hit her. Her time was short, but for the first time since leaving Sanctuary her head was clear. Her course was clear. She knew what she had to do. She struggled to raise herself up, aware of the blood rushing out of the wound in her back and down her chest.

Eric ducked under the demon's first swing with one of it's arms. He tried to thrust his sword up and into the demon, but was foiled by the demon's foot that crashed into him, sending him stumbling back. Not too far back, however, for Talifernon had managed to grab onto Eric's right arm with one of his pincers. The twin claws shredded the soft leather he wore and cut into his skin deeply.

Suffering broken ribs from the kick and a mangled arm caught in a vice-like grip, Eric groaned. He raised his saber and weakly stabbed out, not surprised in the least when Talifernon smashed the sword aside and out of his hand with one of his mighty fists. The other pincer closed around Eric's chest and bit cruelly and mercilessly into him. He felt himself lifted into the air but knew in a short time he would care no longer.

"Put him down!"

Talifernon paused, turning to look back at his dying Mistress. He saw the wound and knew her life would be over shortly. He snarled, but tossed Eric aside, making sure he crashed into a sizeable tree trunk before he hit the ground. If he survived, Talifernon knew he would only have a matter of minutes to wait before he could finish him off.

"You are dying, Mistress," Talifernon stated. Alesha looked at him coldly. Hatefully. Vengefully.

Instead of speaking, Alesha focused all of her remaining strength on raising her arm and enveloping the demon with her magic. She reached out around her and drained what life she could from the trees, grasses, and very ground beneath her. She had little power left to her, but that did not matter. What mattered was that she had enough to destroy her pet demon.

Talifernon roared. Raw magic, powered by hate and outrage, coated him. Alesha poured all of herself into her magic, immolating Talifernon with her magical fires. She lifted him off of the ground with the energy streaming out of her hand. Her other hand she clasped to the hole in her breast, trying to stem the flow of her lifeblood just long enough to see her course through to its bitter end.

Yamara and Bill stumbled onto the scene and stopped, watching in shock. Elvanshalee was several strides behind, but she made it in time to see Talifernon howling in agony as the fires ripped his flesh free from his bones. Around them all the forest withered. It shrank in upon itself in their vicinity, bark peeling from the trees and bows cracking and breaking. The saplings and sparse grass crumpled into ash.

Bill tried to rush forward, spotting Eric crumpled at the base of a tree, struggling to use his left hand to tie a bloody strip of cloth tightly around his upper right arm. Elvanshalee held him back. "Go no closer! Her magic will suck the life from you."

Bill noticed the surrounding forest for the first time then. To accentuate her statement a large tree close to her cracked loudly and fell slowly away from her. Other trees began to follow, all life and strength drained from them. He looked on helplessly, torn and visibly upset at being unable to do anything.

Talifernon's howls had been lessening. He gave a final cross between a whimper and growl. The magic overwhelmed him and he was hidden behind a fiery sheath of energy. Soundlessly, he exploded, overcome by Alesha's power. In the sudden silence that followed Alesha let her arm fall to the ground. She looked on for a moment, her strength spent. She smiled and relaxed, her body collapsing back to the ground.

Bill rushed to her, ignoring Elvanshalee's warnings. He hurried to Alesha's side, falling on the ground beside her and cradling her head in his hands. Bubbles of blood weakly formed at her lips and ran from her nose.

"Alesha, don't fall asleep!" Bill ordered her. "You can work miracles, heal yourself!"

Her eyes flickered open, glazed and unseeing. Bill shook her gently, speaking her name again. Her gaze strengthened briefly and she opened her mouth to speak. A weak coughing fit seized her, but her strength was such that it did not last long.

"Not strong 'nuff," she mouthed.

Bill looked over to Eric, who waved weakly to him. Satisfied that Eric was going to be okay, Bill bent back down to Alesha. "I've seen what you can do," he said to her. "Take what you need from me."

Alesha looked up at him. She was so very tired and it was so unfair for him to ask anything of her. She had finally beat Him. She had destroyed Talifernon and in doing so had beaten Bavorish. It was time for her to go and try to find Kelnozz in whatever afterlife Viconia offered.

Alesha's eyes began to close again. Bill shook her more fiercely, demanding of her that she wake. Yamara knelt beside them and stared at her for a moment. Then she looked up at Bill and judged him carefully for long precious seconds.

"Blood," Yamara said softly to him. "She needs your blood Bill, if you would bring her back let her drink of you."

Bill looked at Yamara, his eyes wide with fright. He glanced back down at Yamara and saw how shallow her breathing was. How glazed over and nearly closed her eyes were. How slack her face was growing. With no further thought to it he laid her head on the ground and yanked his K-Bar from his belt and slashed deeply across his wrist. He gave no thought to the pain or the consequences, only of his hope to bring her back. He pressed his wrist against her slack lips, letting the gently spurting liquid fill her mouth and mingle with her own.

Alesha felt the warmth. She felt it and felt her consciousness drawn towards it. She fought against it, trying to let the darkness that had nearly claimed her take her away from it all. She wanted to sleep, damn it! But the call of Bill's need spoke to her. She felt more then his offering of life to her, she felt his confused but powerful emotions pushing at her. Pulling at her. Keeping her from escaping. She latched on to his wrist and pulled on it, drinking deeply and ignoring the burning in her throat and in her chest.

Bill looked up at Yamara, surprised and frightened anew when Alesha clung to his wrist with her lips. Then her arms raised slowly and grasped him, holding him to her. She sucked more strongly, pulling his blood from him. He gasped at the burning sensation that shot up his arm, making him swoon dizzily. Her strength increased as rapidly as his began to fade.

Seeing Alesha's bleeding lessen and then stop, Yamara backed away hurriedly. She believed fully now that Alesha was on their side, but the memories the necromancy recalled in her chilled her to the bone. Brina had been turned into an undead beast forced to exist as Alesha was currently reviving herself, and many night time horrors in the city of her birth had preyed upon earthly victims in similar gruesome manners. She shivered and walked over to where Eric lay against the base of the tree.

Alone among the trees for over 20 yards in any direction, the tree Eric had unknowingly used to stop his demon induced flight was in full health. Elsewhere the vegetation was dried, cracked, and dead. Eric watched her approach, breathing shallowly and holding his badly lacerated arm with his other one. He too had blood running from his mouth and his nose.

Yamara took one look at him as she got closer and felt something on the verge of snapping within her. There was an icy hollow pit forming in her stomach. She hardened herself and took a deep breath. She had to continue on and she knew it. To turn back would mean admitting to the thing that she was struggling to ignore and overcome.

"How are you?" Yamara asked rhetorically as she stood in front of him.

Eric coughed, sending spasms of pain through his face. He grinned fiercely in spite of it. "You know how I am, Yamara."

Yamara nodded. His hips and legs lay at an unnatural angle to the rest of his body. His chest was slightly misshapen, and his arm leaked too much blood to recover from without immediate aid. Yamara looked away quickly, then cursed herself and looked back at him, her eyes unfathomable.

"She took the sword from me," Eric said, looking past Yamara's legs towards where Alesha lay. "I had to act. I saw the look in her eyes. I knew what had happened to her."

Yamara nodded. On a sudden whim that surprised her, she found herself kneeling quickly beside him and taking the strip of leather he had cut and torn from his sleeve and quickly tied it around his upper arm. She tugged roughly on it, making it as tight as possible to stem the flow of bleeding. She finished but stayed on her knees, looking at him.

"That should buy you a few more minutes," she said, her voice rougher then usual.

Eric smiled again. "Not sure if I should thank you for that or not," he whispered. Deep breaths hurt. Talking hurt. Coughing... well, coughing made him wish he was dead. Too many times he had known the joys of broken ribs in his life. "But thanks anyhow."

Yamara smiled. The man had courage, she could not fault him for that. To have faced Alesha down at such a critical moment was momentous. To have continued to face her in light of her demon attacking him gave more credence to him.

Eric weakly opened his hand and inched it towards her. Yamara raised her hand and started to reach it out towards him. She caught herself and let it drop before it reached him. Eric reached out with his and caught hers before she pulled it back. He held on to it lightly, looking at her. She took a nervous breath and let him.

"Humor me, I'm dying."

Yamara looked him in the eyes for a long moment then nodded. She could not help but wonder if Evart's final moments would have been similar. She clenched her teeth and fought an internal battle, refusing to succumb to the memories and feelings that battered at the gate to her mind's castle.

The sound of a twig snapping got Yamara's attention. She spun around and saw Alesha standing there. A further twist of her neck and she saw Bill lying on the ground. Surprisingly to her, he was not dead. Very pale and sickly looking, but still alive. She looked at Alesha anew and noticed that Alesha looked awfully sick and pale herself.

Eric clenched Yamara's hand tightly, suddenly afraid. He had seen Alesha turn. He knew she had been lost for a moment. Knew it in his heart and in his bones. But then Alesha had surprised him. She had destroyed Talifernon as he came for him. Had called him off of him, in fact, and then destroyed him. He did not know what to make of her and because of that he was frightened of her. He knew what she was capable of and death was no escape from her.

Alesha stopped when she finally reached them. She towered over the two, looking wan and deadly. Then she swooned and might have fallen had she not reached out to put an arm on the tree that had broken Eric's back. Eric and Yamara remained silent, waiting.

"I..." Alesha began then trailed off, tears coming to her eyes. She squared her shoulders after a second and tried again. "I'm sorry, Eric. I have nothing left in me to heal you. I can take away the pain, but that's all."

Eric narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Finally he shook his head, sending a spasm of pain through his neck and back until it reached the point where he felt nothing. "Without the pain I might not know I am still alive," he whispered.

Alesha nodded, fresh tears running down her face. She carefully lowered herself until she was kneeling beside Yamara.

"How is Bill?" Eric asked her, glancing over at his friend.

Alesha smiled while Yamara looked at him in amazement. Here he was taunting the reaper with each ragged breath and he was concerned about somebody else? Yamara shook her head in amazement at the similarity he kept reminding her of.

"He will be okay," Alesha said, her voice soft and caring. "He pulled me back and saved me. He would have given his life to save mine, but I could not let him. Just as you gave yours to try and save everyone else. He saved my life, you saved my soul."

"Nothing personal," Eric said, his whispers becoming slurred as spots began to dance in his vision. "just doing our jobs is all."

Fresh tears spilled from Alesha, running down her cheeks and dripping onto his arm. He showed no evidence of being aware of the hot liquid drops landing on him. He looked over at Yamara and smiled sleepily, his eyelids growing heavy. "It doesn't hurt anymore, I guess that means it's almost over."

The barbarians at the gates within her had finally brought a battering ram. Yamara felt the wall within her snap. The rushing waters caught her up and carried her with them, terrifying her with their unfamiliar feelings. She fought for breath and opened her mouth to speak. "No!" She spoke loudly and forcefully. Only barely noticed by her the ruby pendant on her chest seemed to flare with an inner warmth against the cool skin of her breasts.

Alesha looked at her, surprised. Eric wondered idly what she was on about now. Such an odd woman, he wished he would have had a chance to get to know her better.

"Don't let him die!" Yamara demanded, looking at him. "Use me if you have to... like you used Bill."

Alesha sighed. She was still so tired and what Yamara asked - no, demanded - would tax her severely. She was never very good at healing others, only hurting them. But she did owe Eric. Owed him more then anybody else, she supposed.

She put her hand on top of Yamara's and Eric's and closed her eyes, trying to will the power that she did not have to give one last spurt of energy. Unseen under her shirt, Yamara's amulet began to glow softly.

Continued in Chapter 25

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