[Hellonicus/Bird]

Hellonicus whirled at the sound of his host's name. The elf witch stood there, fire in her hands and in her eyes.

This could be a problem.

*Forget the elfmaid, dark one,* came the voice of the bird. *In naught but a moment you could have the accursed light pillars broken and crumbling and your brother freed.*

*So you say,* Hellonicus returned, *But who is to say that I could do it before she struck. Bereft a host, I would last only a moment before the holy light struck me down.* He attempted to take a step toward the woman.

The bird resisted. *You owe your allegiance to your brother! You will free him first!*

Hellonicus watched the elf warily as she promised to take his life, thinking it was Carriac in charge of the body. *I will deal with my brother when this threat has been removed, not before. Now, release this body, foul creature, before we are destroyed through your indecision!*

He found that he could again move and he squared himself to the fiery woman before him.

"Kiss your feet? I think not. If you were to offer another part of your anatomy, however, perhaps I could accommodate you. Oh, wait...I've already done that. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me."

*Is it wise to anger her?*

Hellonicus could feel the fear from the bird. He chuckled. *If she is angered she will not think clearly. She will make a mistake.* He ceased the host's power and waited.

[Mara]

Anger boiled up in side of her at the words that Carriac spoke. So much so that he blade she held grew larger, as did her shield. There was no heat coming from either weapon, but the shield was reflecting the light. Turing it so that a strong ray of pure light struck Carriac, she stepped closer.

"You speak as if I enjoyed our encounter. I might have if you had not forced yourself on me. Pain replaced pleasure to quickly, and for that you will pay. But if you wish to kiss a part of my anatomy, you may kiss my ass, for it will the last thing those foul lips will ever touch again." With the speed born her nature she raised the blade and shot forward, her shield casting more light as she drew closer. She smile was evil, her eyes narrowed as she brought her hand back and swung.

The strange looking creature that was sitting on top of Carriac's head never had a chance, as the blade struck it where its head met its wings. The black, foul looking creature exploded as her blade sliced through it, casting black scorched feathers around Carriac's feet.

Mara cursed for being so careless with her first swing. The light that shined around them had make it difficult for her to judge distance. She was hoping to take the shapeshifters head off, but the deed was done and she stumbled back, weakened.

"Your gods must be looking down upon you," she whispered, her breath now labored, her weapons held lower than before. "But I am sure they will look the other way next time," as she held her blade and weapon higher. But there was a look of strain on her face, and her breathing was starting to cause her to sway.

"Just don't stand there," as she glanced back at Traveler. "Do something!"

[Traveler]

His senses reeled from the fall down the pitch-dark pit into the sudden light. He had gripped the kitten so tight he feared he had squeezed all the life from it's body. When Mara caught him, the stop knocked the breath from his lungs. It took a moment for him to realize that he had actually stopped falling. He dropped the kitten and pulled his blade from its sheath. He watched as Mara swung at Carriac and missed taking his head off.

He had begun to work his way around the now slim and trim elf, when he noticed Mara's strength begin to flag. She was so intent on killing Carriac that she hadn't noticed his movement.

He had nearly complete circled the man when several things happened at once.

He attacked the man before him with a vicious blow that would have cut him in two pieces. His sword grew bright as its magic activated by the nearness of evil. It's icy cold shot through Traveler's arm and brought him up short.

At the same time the kitten he had been carrying hissed at the elf distracting him for a moment. She growled and jumped on his leg clawing and hanging on for dear life, causing the elf to turn.

Traveler's death blow was missed it's mark. Instead of cleaving the elf into, it simply cut a deep path down from the elf shoulder to his hip. He was now wounded, but fully aware of his presence. This would no longer be an element of surprise. With Mara now weak from her full strength flame on, and the Icy cold of the Holy blade in his hand there seemed to be no hope.

The elf was hurt, though it wasn't a mortal wound. May be it was enough for him to regain some control, or loose it.

[Hellonicus/Carriac]

His movement was slight, but it was enough. The elf witch's blade slid past his face, charring several strands of hair in the process, and effortlessly cleaved the annoying bird in two. Free from the encumbrance of a third mind in his host, Hellonicus seized the powers at his disposal and prepared to engulf the witch in tons of rock.

A sharp pain in his leg diverted his attention, frustrating his plan. The shadowlord looked down to see a small kitten attacking him with claws and teeth. His hand swooped down to crush the creature....

Fire erupted along his side. Hellonicus saw the forgotten man dance backwards out of reach, the pristine light of a holy emblem pulsing from the blade in his hand. For the first time, the Shadowlord felt a twinge of doubt. These meddlers could cause him serious harm. It was time he quit toying with them. He gathered the shaper's power....

Carriac felt more than saw the light. It penetrated the surrounding darkness in a pulsating wave, knocking the elf free of his black prison. Self aware once again, Carriac quickly oriented himself to his predicament. The oppressive mind that had forced him into confinement had disappeared. In its place he felt the all too familiar presence of the possessing shadow.

Carriac was bracing himself for a renewed attack on the shadow's dominance when he felt the creature tap into the connection he held with the matter anchors.

Not again!

As the power flowed from his body, Carriac immersed himself in the stream and stained to divert its effect.

Hellonicus thrust his hands to the floor. The rock responded immediately to his call. Huge hands of rock erupted beneath the two intruders, seizing them in fingers of solid stone. The shadowlord watched in satisfaction as the rock hands completely engulfed them and squeezed their lives away.

With all of his obstacles removed, Hellonicus turned to see to the freeing of his brother.

[Mara]

Weakened by the use of her powers Mara all but stood helpless as the kitten and traveler attacked Carriac, wounding him but not killing him like she hoped. She cursed in elvish, then Dragon and at last Phoenix for the aim given to her friends eyes. She was about to step forward to end the deed when the hard, stone floor came up and surrounded her. Try as she might to shield herself from the ever growing stone she felt the cold earth envelope her body, all but snuffing out her flame.

"Coward," she screamed but knew that her voice would not travel far past the stones embrace. Her senses reeled, her mind went through a number of ideas on how she should be able to escape her prison, but each one failed as she felt the very air around her growing stale. Darkness was not her friend, and she was able to lift one hand up to her chest. There she felt her own heart beating, thumping faster in her chest with each breath.

"You'll not stop me so quickly," she whispered, hearing her own voice echo in the tight chamber of stone. Closing her eyes she drew in what strength she had left, knowing that her actions may very well kill her. Her whole body ignited once again, pulling away the moisture from the stone and the very air she was breathing around her. Her mind went even deeper, drawing into what reserves she still had left until her whole body was glowing white hot.

"I WILL SURVIVE THIS," she screamed as the stone around her exploded with the force of a small volcano, sending shock waves throughout the chamber. She slowly floated out from her makeshift prison, her eyes glowing the color of blue. Flames of white, green and yellow danced across her now bare skin, her hands outstretched, her mouth curled up in a soft smile. She pulled the very light from the cave, drawing the natural light heat until she became a white beacon of heat and flames. Her body was so hot that it started melting the very stone around her, causing Travelers prison to crack under the stress of her flames.

Then she collapsed, the fire and flame faded as she fell to the stone floor. Her eyes slowly opened, her now dried and cracked lips whispered one word before she closed them again.

"Carriac...."

[Traveler]

He watched in horror as Mara was swallowed in stone as he was being swallowed himself. The stone covered him so quickly he didn't have time to take a breath.

It seemed to be a living thing. It squeezed out what little breath he had. He was about to pass out when he realized he still held the holy blade. An odd though struck him at that moment, "when did I receive a Holy Blade?"

The blade itself consumed the rock around it. It's holy fire burning through the stone leaving a flinty smell to the area. The stone around him cracked and he was able to breath. It was not enough to keep him from passing out and dropping the blade, but he still lived.

[Hellonicus]

The shadowlord was surprised as the elf's two friends succeeded in freeing themselves from their stone prisons, but he relaxed as the momentous effort of escaping tired them past the point where they could cause him any trouble. He laughed and turned his attention to the freeing of his brother.

The kitten launched itself once more at him, but a flick of the power he still held catapaulted the cat into the circle of light stones and anchored it in place in the stone at the foot of Rianzibul's prison. Its squeal of pain brought a smile to Hellonicus' lips. The stone grip must be too tight. It was slowly squeezing the life out of the creature.

How delicious.

"You waste time, Brother"

Hellonicus looked at the figure trapped within the circle of stones. It was the first time his brother had spoken since he had descended into the prison chamber.

"Ah, Rianzibul. How good to see you again, dear Brother." He waved a hand at the unconscious bodies behind him. "Do you like my handiwork? Not bad, eh? How long has it been? I lose track of time in this corporeal form."

"It has been long enough. Free me. Now."

The words were soft, but Hellonicus felt the power behind them. Even trapped within a circle of holy light, bereft of shadow, the words contained power. Power enough to knife through his will and force motion.

Hellonicus reached a hand to the nearest light stone, the shaper's stolen abilities set to reduce the monolith to rubble.

[Carriac]

The elf had succeeded in diverting sufficient power away from his friends to save their lives, but the effort had been staggering. Carriac's psyche was on the verge of collapse. After days of fighting the shadow's possession, the extreme exertions of the past ten minutes had taken their toll. There was nothing he could do to stop Hellonicus from shattering the stone guardians. The power that was his birthright was gathered to free the terror of the Shadowlord Rianzibul and he could do nothing but watch.

[Moiran]

The little gnome flew through the caves, down the sinkhole, burst into the prison room and in the way that only gnomes could, took the situation in at a glance:

- Mara and Traveler were unconscious on the floor. - Carriac's eyes were black pools and his hand was reaching for the closest light stone. - There was no one left to stop Rianzibul from a second reign of bloody terror.

No one but him.

The inspiration came to him like a flash of light. He took no time to ponder how he was to do it, or the implications of what he intended. He simply acted.

Moiran the ghost rammed into Carriac's body with the speed of thought.

[Hellonicus]

His hand was just about to touch the light stone when a psychic tornado ripped him free of his host. Pain - pure purifying pain - tore into him like a million white-hot needles, shredding his very essence. Hellonicus had no time to think - he needed shelter from the holy light or he would cease to exist. He attempted to return to his host, but was easily rebuffed. Time was running out for the shadowlord. In the blink of an eye he would be destroyed. He seized upon the only body close enough to shelter him.

Hellonicus plunged headlong into the kitten. The exquisite sharpness of the holy pain faded, to be replaced by the insistent bone crushing pressure of molded stone as it steadily squeezed the life from his new host.

[Moiran]

The sheer force of the psychic impact tore at the very fiber of Moiran's being. He felt as if he was being torn in two. Power pulsed around him, through him and he had no control. He tried to stop Carriac's body - to keep if from falling toward the light stone, but he didn't know how.

The body tumbled forward.

[Carriac]

The collision of two spirits within his head should have sent Carriac spiraling back into darkness. Instead, as detached as he had become from his physical form in his weakened state, the violent confrontation had left him relatively unscathed. He reached for control of his body but the powerful thrashings of the newest invading consciousness made that impossible. He saw his body falling forward, saw the gathered power reaching for the light stone to shatter it to oblivion. There was only one way to stop it.

Carriac seized the erupting talent and turned it inwards upon himself.

[Moiran]

Pain as the gnome had felt just once before ripped through Carriac's body and severed the ghost's tenuous hold. Moiran found himself floating in the air, hovering next to the light stone - the perfectly formed, perfectly intact light stone. He whirled to face the prison.

Rianzibul stood rigidly within his stone cell, still firmly sealed. Black fires seemed to lick from his host's eyes.

Relief cascaded through the gnome like cool water. They had succeeded! His fist pumped the air.

"It seems your plan has failed, shadow."

Rianzibul laughed. It began as a soft chuckle that grew in volume, deepening into a haunting cackle.

"I am immortal, ghost. Sooner or later, another of my servants will come, and I will be free. I am adept at exercising patience. You have done nothing but delay the inevitable. Was the cost worth it?"

Moiran wasn't sure what the shadowlord meant. He followed the creature's gaze.

Carriac lay sprawled across the floor of the chamber in a spreading pool of blood. His left arm was completely missing from the shoulder, destroyed from the inside by the redirected force of the elf's talent.

The cool water turned to ice. Moiran watched helplessly as the elf's heart pumped the remaining life force from his shattered body.

(to be continued...)