THE FALL OF GORATH

Big thanks and many hugs go to Haralitha who was so kind to fix

the most horrible lapses in my poor English grammar.

* Chapter One : The Proposal *

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"Most blessed Mistress, I'm sorry to interrupt, but..."

The knocking on the door hit me harder than the Sword of Legends would. I knew very well I would be in an awful shape after capturing Mystra's Will and my servants were thoroughly warned, that I wanted to rest and not be bothered by anyone.

Unfortunately, it seemed there would always be one more idiot. Under any other circumstances, I would punish that dumb whoever-he-was to set an example, but as I said, I could barely move and I wouldn't get up from my bed even if he would break the crystal ball just in front of my eyes.

"What's up?" - I mumbled, hoping I would get rid of him quickly, without having to open my eyes.

"You have a visitor. A Lycanthrope!"

No! I almost started crying. That moron woke me up for this?!

"Give him some bones and throw him out!"

"But... It's Vigilante madam! The Packleader!"

The name hammered into my head. What in the hell could he want? If the Packleader himself was visiting me, it would definitely be important. It might be pretty rewarding. I can't ignore this big chance because I'm tired and lazy! I forced my mind to control itself and then made myself stand up on my feet.

"Tell him to wait a bit!", - I groaned.

I tried to make myself at least partially attractive, but when I looked in the mirror, I had to admit I had never looked worse. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could really do about it now. With a painful sigh I wore my best robe, hoping it would draw his attention away from my own poor condition.

I entered the Audience Hall trying to look majestic, although I was sure the awful shape my soul and body were in spoiled it completely.

To twist the dagger in my wounds, Vigilante was truly amazing. I knew his look from the many paintings and statues placed around the Realms of Raven, but I had never met him before. His tall and commanding presence, filled with incredible magnificence and power, almost made me kneel before him. I blessed the gods that he was in in his plain human form, because I actually had to remind myself of who I was and what my own reputation was, to prevent my reflexes from acting this way.

"Greetings, Packleader" - I curtseyed gracefully hating myself for the weak, dissonant voice.

"I have a proposal for you", he answered directly, showing the typical lycanthropic lack of appreciation for diplomatic speech.

Better for me, I thought to myself. At least I will not have to fight the headache and weakness anymore. I took, or to say it better, I dropped into the nearest chair.

"I'm listening, Packleader."

Maybe it was just my imagination ,but I had the feeling I noticed a flash of surprise mixed with doubt and contempt in his eyes. I cursed. Why in the hell didn't he come tomorrow? Why today? He couldn't find me in a worse condition than I was in right now.

"Have you ever heard about The Trident of Tempus?"

I nodded. The Trident was the sacred weapon of Lycanthropes. Rumour had it, it was stolen from the god Tempus by a mighty and brave adventurer and that the lycanthropy disease (even though it later turned out to be a blessing) was originally the punishment of the god himself against this daredevil. Whether this story was true or not, no one could tell. Most people, even the lycanthropes themselves, believed it was just a fairy-tale, but for theweapon itself, it was completely irrelevant. Trident of Tempus was passed through generations to the current Packleader, and it always represented the ultimate symbol of his power. I became curious as to what Vigilante was going to tell me.

"Do you know how important that item is? Especially to me?" - he asked.

I nodded again. Trident was the symbol. The Packleader who would loose it, would be banished from his own society forever. The rumour was that if the lycanthropes would loose control over The Trident of Tempus, doom and terror would spread upon their race and it would consequently lead to their utter extintion. No doubt the next few words almost caused me to fall from my seat.

"King Gorath's army took it from my lair one month ago. I couldn't do anything about it. With the blessing of Tempus himself his sergeants almost match my lycanthropy power and there was no way how could I stop so many of them alone. It is said that this so-called king Gorath is in fact the avatar of Tempus himself. I've overheard one of his guards. By using the ancient power hidden deep inside that weapon, he may gain total control over all gods and consequently destroy the entire world."

Most of what he said wasn't new to me. I knew for sure that Gorath was Tempus incarnate and that even though he was now living inside a mortal body, his godly origin made him and his servants almost invincible. I also knew that he was a threat, a menace, to the whole world. Evil or good, it simply didn't matter. I had been thinking a lot about banishing him forever, but unfortunately not many people believed in my theories and even less of them dared to face his servants (not talking about Gorath himself) in combat. To go inside the heart of his mighty castle with the intention to destroy him and his horrible warrior-giant, lord Randall, well, that thought seemed almost ridiculous. But... it had to be done. Somehow. I knew that. I had known that for years. Now, Vigilante was obviously going to give me a hand, a proposal to form an alliance and to help each other where neither of us could survive alone. It still seemed crazy, but at least there was a chance. And, if what he heard was true, then probably the last one. Time was running out. For all of us. Not just lycs. Unfortunately, the little devil witch inside me started to dance again and I could never resist to that temptation.

"Sounds like pretty tough luck for you, Vig", - I grinned maliciously.

The sight of him freezing set me straight immediately. This is not a peasant you can play with Elvira! You wouldn't stand a chance against him, not in the condition you are now. And it would be highly questionable if you could handle him in full vigour! At any rate it would be best not to try it. Hold on to your sarcasm, this lycanthrope is not a good object to tease with! Besides, Gorath is the enemy!

Obviously, I had made a mistake, - he snarled and something in his intonation or appearance made my heart beat faster. I had to hand it to him, not many people were able to do that.

"I was looking for Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. The most fearsome Archmage in the known world. The only person capable of helping me with this near impossible task. It seems I was wrong. No such person exists. All I can see is an old, tired hag, scared by her own weakness, envious when seeing someone whose glory outperforms her own, even though you had to spend a fortune on your propaganda, because from what I've seen today I completely fail to understand how else you could have gained that insane respect you have among the spellcasters."

Anger mixed with mortification almost clouded my thinking. On top of it all, I was confident Vigilante wasn't trying to provoke me. He really believed in every word he had just said and looking in retrospect to our meeting I couldn't blame him for it. However, he was wrong. He couldn't know what it means for a sorcerer to have freshly captured Mystra's Wisdom. That power, still not completely conquered, almost cut off all my ties to the essence and both my soul and my body suffered terribly from it. Despite everything, I was still probably the only person whose powers could match his bestial forms. All I needed was a few more weeks to fully absorb the alien force inside me and I would be the same old witch I always was. Unfortunately the odds weren't giving me that time. The idea to form an alliance with the all-mighty Packleader was great. Since the nature of our skills is so extremely different, we could complement each other on the battle field almost perfectly. Together with Vigilante, I might be capable to accomplish the impossible. We could banish the greatest threat since the beginning of this world. We could banish Gorath back to the plane of immortality and remove the ultimate menace, the risk, that by using his mortal body, Tempus will actually gain control over all gods and mortal beings.

However, to do that I had to convince Vigilante he had misjudged me and I had to do it now. I mourned. After years of effort and the greatest success in my spellcasting history, I had to give it up. Only very few sorcerers were able to capture Mystra's Power. This power could be released on any item you wanted and it always enchanted it with amazing features of your own desire. This is how Death Black Demon Blade, Norn Amulet, Crystal Ring or Staff of Elements were born. The wizards who made them remain famous for countless generations. Now I had the chance to do the same. With this power of Mystra I could enchant my own items, I could even establish my own kingdoms. I could place my name in the annals of history forever, and even though I never really cared about that honour, the opportunities were extremely tempting.

But now, now it was all over. I had to release The Ultimate Wisdom, the only way I could regain my true spell power immediately. Fortunately I'm not so old yet. Perhaps one day I will capture it again. After all, I have no choice. If Gorath wins, who would care about my artifact? So, it had to be done. I had to do it. If I would not, Vigilante would not join me and if what he heard about The Trident of Tempus is true, we would loose our last chance to stop this disaster.

I spelled the goofer of release. No one could see it, but I felt the mist of Eternal Power raising from my body and evaporating into the void. Almost immediately the strength of my own magic field regenerated. My skin became soft, I regained my nice enchanting voice and outlook. Since I am hundreds of years old, even the archmage energy can't make me look like a young maiden anymore. Yet, it still helps me to be an attractive middle-aged woman, which together with some beautiful clothes and jewelry makes me distinguished enough to impress practically any man I want.

- "You don't want to try me, do you Vig?" - I asked coldly. I created a little vortex in my right hand. The sparkling energy made my nails glow and after I raised several mirror images around me, the deterrent effect was almost flawless. However, it apparently didn't work against this lycanthrope. The only move he made was a little step back for being able to dodge the hit if it would appear necessary.

- "Neither do you", - he answered evilly, while his self-confident pose didn't show any indication of fear or nervousness.

I had to admit it, he imposed me more and more every minute.

- "No I don't", - I replied. - However, no one had dared to call me a hag...yet. Especially in my own residence. I couldn't let it go without a response.

Vigilante displayed his teeth in the wide grin.

- "I'm glad I did. At least I can take my words back now. You look great. Really. Why didn't you display this form from the very beginning?"

- "It's not a form, this is my usual look!"

"You asshole", I almost added. Fortunately, the rational part of me stopped me just in time. It wouldn't help our not-so-well-going-already relationship. After all, he admitted I looked well and even if he wouldn't, it simply didn't matter. We had work to do, and there was no time for romance. However, the woman inside me couldn't get rid of the feeling I was being insulted again. And the bitter fact that even a magic field isn't capable of keeping me in the shape of a young girl anymore, made me always overreact when someone questioned my youth or beauty. Part of me demanded that I should make him fall in love with me, so I'd be able to hurt him as bad as I wanted, and I would never see him so magnificent and invulnerable anymore. Unfortunately right now there was no such possibility.

- "Never mind, forget it", - I gave up for now. - "I know what you want. You want me to help you against Gorath. Well, my answer is yes. Do you have some kind of plan, Packleader?"

- "First of all, thank you", - he answered showing a faint smile. "Now to your question. We both know Stonecoast Lands are unconquerable. The only chance is to form a small squad, yeah you may read it as you and me, get inside his throneroom and kill him and his bodyguards before reinforcements will arrive." "To accomplish that, I expect you to provide me with some cloaking spells, while I'll inform you where and when we should hide. Of course at the end we'll have to fight and we'll have to win. This is the only way to get back."

- "Any backup?" - I demanded.

- "Unfortunately no. I can't confess to my fellow members that I lost the Trident. And in no way may I ask them for help because of this. It's my fault, my responsibility. I have to take care of it. I alone. And I will."

- "You could lie to them", - I proposed.

"That's exactly why we can't expect any help from your society either, witch", - he growled. - "You already did it so many times, with so much success, that no one believes you anymore. Just to let you know, I would never ally with someone as treacherous as you are, if I wouldn't be absolutely sure you wanted Gorath dead as much as I do".

"That's unfair. Why are you saying such nasty things about me? You didn't get to know me yet", - I tried to sob a bit, putting my face in the best 'unfairly hurt' expression I was able to create.

- "Because we both know it's true and stop that theatre now!"

I jumped off my chair again, filled with nothing but anger. I didn't have to pretend I was dangerous anymore, for now I really was.

"Listen Vigilante! Maybe you're right, maybe you're not! It's none of your bussiness! The only reason why we are not killing each other at this moment, is the plain and simple fact that Gorath represents the ultimate threat, and I need you to stop him! Ok, we don't have to like each other, but we have to work together! Stop insulting me or I'll decide that killing you will bring me much more satisfaction than saving this damn world with so many furry beings around in it!"

"That's exactly my proposal", - he nodded with absolute calm, defeating me once more. - "I said what I said Elvira, because I want to make it clear, at the very beginning, that I don't want you to put any fake moves on me, not now, not later. From what I've heard, getting involved with you is always a deadly experience. I know who you are, but apparently you don't know who I am. When it comes to me, forget such tricks. It will only distract you from concentrating on your magic, which is the only task I need you to perform. We are partners for this one mission only, nothing more. After it, we will split up and hopefully never meet again. Don't try to fool or betray me, or I'll rip your guts out. This I swear."

He spoke quietly, but the slight tension in his voice told me he was angry as well. One thing was for sure, this alliance would be problematic at best. Perhaps I should really play it fair for once. Come on Elvira, be rational.It's the sacred principle of every mage. If you don't see any way to win, cooperate. Vigilante cut the silence again, interrupting my thoughts.

"Time is running out, Archmage. Prepare yourself for the fight as well as you can. In three weeks, we will meet near Stonecoast Castle to solve this issue, one way or another. You don't have to care about the strategy, I will do it. Just work on your spells. Is that clear?"

- "How will I find you?" - I asked with a stiff voice.

"You don't have to. You may be invisible, you may be cloaked, you may be every way possible, but you can never hide from a werewolf."

"A druidess could do that",- I objected, just to break his confidence, at least in something.

Vigilante grinned.

"True enough. Are you a druidess?"

I didn't have an answer to that.

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***** The Fall of Gorath *****

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* Chapter Two : The Battle *

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"Ok, I think the time has come."

Vigilante looked at me, waiting for a reaction.

I nodded. We had been around Stonecoast Kingdom for over two months now. To our advantage the lands around here were wild, full of dangerous creatures, which provided us with a perfect training field, an opportunity to develop flawless team work in combat. Maybe our relationship was still far from being perfect, but at least we started to respect each other. Our united power was something truly amazing. Vigilante's forms improved and defended by my spells equal the wrath of the gods. I was confident we had the skills to succeed. It wouldn't be easy, but at least it didn't seem like suicide anymore and I thought we couldn't ask for more.

"Ok then. You know the drill", - the Packleader continued. "We'll try to get to his throne room undetected. I'll lead the way. If someone discovers us, we'll have to kill him and we'll have to kill him fast. Do not spare mana on that. If the guards are alarmed, the mission is a failure. We must get to the throne room, that has the highest priority! Then, the main fight begins. I'll attack Gorath with Randall, you may, and actually I hope you will, support me ith spells as much as you can. But remember, sooner or later the first guards will arrive. I'll be more than busy with Gorath and his giant, so you must keep them away from me. They must not be allowed to join the battle. Do whatever you can to stop them. As soon as Gorath drops down dead, I'll grab his Trident and we'll leave through the secret underground passage that I described to you before." Vigilante sighed. "Too bad it's a one way road, I'd love to get through it directly to the throne room. Unfortunately, the doors and trapdoors may be opened only from the inside. So we have no choice. We must get to him from the central square. Somehow."

I smiled. Now it was my turn.

"Don't worry so much, Vig. I agree hiding until we get to him would be a bit difficult, so I believe using this will be a wiser course of action." I threw the 'Scroll of Invitation to Gorath's Audience' on the table. It was signed by the prime stonecoast priest, Bettan, one of the king's closest friends. I smiled in satisfaction as I saw that for the first time, I managed to surprise my ally. Vigilante stared at the scroll in unfeigned astonishment.

- "How did you get that?" - he gasped finally.

- "'The hag', has some moves", - I grinned evilly.

- "But he, he is the priest! A holy man!"

I chuckled. "Sure he is. And I'm a holy witch. We could make a perfect couple. If I would allow that of course."

Now it was Vigilante who didn't answer.

- - - - -

We managed to enter Stonecoast Castle and followed the corridors to Gorath's audience hall without any problems. The invitation earned us respect even. However, immediately as we entered the chamber, we realized things would be bad, really bad. Despite all our perfectly confirmed information, that Gorath hates crowds, and is not afraid of anyone, this time the audience hall was full of sergeants, extremely well-trained and equipped. From people who met him, we knew only Randall, and one or two guards, are usually around, but now this apparently wasn't the case. The armed forces all around us made the chances to succeed completely impossible at the very beginning. How we can defeat twenty, thirty, half-giant guards, deep inside evil territory and then win against the invincible Randall, plus the Avatar god, Tempus himself?

King Gorath was sitting on his high throne, looking at our perplexity with amusement. "Welcome!" he roared at us with irony in his voice. His next words finally confirmed, that we had fallen into a trap. "Beast and bitch! Vigilante and Elvira! Dumb and dumber!" He snickered. "You think I am an idiot? That after I steal the most important item from the Packleader, I would simply believe he'd just shrug and forget it? I was expecting his arrival for a couple months at least."

He turned to Vigilante. "Since my spies reported you arrived alone, I was sure you decided for a one man strike against me personally, instead of a global assault with your clan. And as soon as I was informed that this noble woman joined you, I was immediately sure who that so-called lady would be. No one but you Elvira would be crazy enough. I was curious how, and if, you would manage to get to me. I didn't make any countermeasures to see how well my defenses are. The only change I made in my behaviour, was that I chose to keep this extremely well-trained army around me every second. As you already noticed, I presume."

Gorath leaned towards his army. "Now you see that I'm not paranoid. I had my reasons, I just wanted to keep them secret." He suddenly turned to me and I saw such personal hatred in his eyes, that my breath almost stopped.

"So, you finally got to the end, eh bitch? You think I don't know you wanted me dead over the years? I wondered what you would invent to get in. I admit your solution was effective, though very typical of you. I'm sure Bettan will be glad to repay you the honour of making him look like a fool in my eyes in some nice honeymoon torture chamber. If you'll survive of course, which I really doubt."

He raised his hand. At his command, the huge trapdoor above the entrance to the audience hall lowered and closed the exit. "I know you hero-cowards tend to wimpy to safety every time the odds start looking bad. Not this time! I can promise you that! You'll fight here and you'll fight to the death. Guards!" - he screamed.

"Kill them!"

Up to this day, I still don't know how I managed to react as fast as I did. A woman can do a lot when her life is in direct danger. I jumped behind Vigilante, cast displacement on him and immediately raised fireshield around us. I have to say that the Packleader wasn't a bit slower. He grabbed the first guard, who managed to get through my raised flames and even though he wasn't in form, he immediately killed him with a perfect slash of his sword. Still changing, he turned against another one. I cast a meteor swarm. I hate that invocation, but this time I had no choice. Huge rocks formed from nowhere and hit everyone around. We got some wounds too, but the impact on the guards was much bigger. Vig knew I was going to do it and was nimble enough to cover himself with a dead body, while I was able to control their impact well enough to force most of them to avoid my position. The Packleader, now in full weredragon form, jumped through the fireshield and turned fiercefully against the horde of enemies. I tried to support him with some spells, but I couldn't do much. Too many foes were gathering around me and I had to think about self-defense first. I summoned a magic storm, even though I knew it would hurt my comrade as well. We had to to as much damage as possible and all I could hope was that his dragon skin would be sturdy enough to resist my electricity.

I didn't see much of Vig's fight. A huge guard unexpectly appeared in front of me. He swung his huge sword for a fatal, and completely devastating slash. If it would hit me, I would be divided in two. With the speed of desperation I hit him with my fist in an unprotected slot in his armour. I doubt he would have even noticed, had I not managed to cast flames around my hand just a moment before I touched him. He rocked back on his heels, which bought me a moment, just long enough to raise my other hand and slash his head with a perfectly cast ice cone. Almost at the same time, another huge body crashed into my back, which caused me to fall. Terror filled my mind, as I was sure in the next second I'd feel a huge dagger or sword in my ribs. Yet, it didn't happen. I shook him down in a reflex, and only then I realized he was already dead.

"Watch your surroundings for God's sake",- Vig screamed on me. Now I noticed the attacker's chest was slit by a huge claw. "Thanks!"- I managed to gasp towards my ally. In that moment I was pretty lucky, that he kept the guards busy enough, so no one was able to get close enough to kill me before I stood up on my feet again.

I noticed that neither Randall nor Gorath joined the battle. They just stayed above and grinned, as if watching some exciting gladiator match in the arena. The anger increased my skills. In the following rounds I believe we showed one of the best battle performances we ever did. With Vigilante covering my back, I could concentrate more on my offensive magic. Also the Packleader, supported by my spells could be a bit less careful, which gave him a great opportunity to release more of his devastating might.

We were hurt, we were tired, but a few minutes after Gorath's command we had won.

The last guard fell and since that moron closed the entrance, no reinforcements could arrive anymore. We had cleared the path for the final battle against Randall and his Master. However, what disturbed me, was that they didn't seem to be worried.

"You fought well",- Gorath scoffed at us. "You deserved... a warrior's death", his servant commented. Randall took some shield from behind and rubbed the gem in its center. As he did, the gem started to glow. He raised the shield above his head and aimed it towards me. I had never heard about this artifact, so I didn't react immediately. However Vigilante was apparently much better informed.

"Watch out Elvira!" he warned me, but it was too late. The purple beam thrust out at me. Almost at the same time, the Packleader jumped in its trajectory. He took most of the devastating blow, but even that little sparkle, which went beyond him, made thousands of painful, if not critical, wounds on me. I yelled in pain and started to bleed terribly, I almost lost my vision. It was an essence attack, something a sorcerer is most vulnerable to, because the defensive power of your magic field does not recognize it as the enemy.

It also caught me completely unprepared. I didn't expect a high level magic attack, it was never Gorath's style. Only the fact that the huge body of the lycanthrope covered the impact almost perfectly, allowed me to be able to breathe. However, when I looked at Vigilante, I could clearly see he had paid the ultimate price. The huge dragon body was now changed into a clumsy mess, full of blood. If he wasn't dead already, there was definitely nothing that could save him anymore. What in the hell was this? I doubt that even vortex could do such devastating damage in so little time.

Anyway, I didn't think about it too long. Even though I moaned in pain, even though I was clearly out of the battle now, the rage and eagerness for vengeance arose inside of me. The Packleader sacrificed his life, for me, the person he never really liked. He knew exactly what it was, yet he still jumped in front of me, instead of trying to dodge the hit. I overcame my hurts and stood up on my feet. Fortunately that damned shield crystal was apparently a one-time blaster. Now it was dark, without any shine to it. On the other hand, it had done more than enough. We were as good as dead now.

"Pity", - Randall snickered with a cruel voice. I was looking for a nice duel with the mighty weredragon and that blockhead jumped into it. Now all I have to do is slash one little hag. He unsheated his sword and stepped towards me. I wasn't scared anymore. Angry to death, convinced I couldn't survive anymore, I decided to make him remember me at least. My heart raced inside my chest but I was more afraid I would screw up the invocation and he would not pay for what he did, than to see his glowing eyes, eager to tear my body to chunks. I threw away my armour to maintain a better contact with the essence and focused my entire mind, all my skills, to it. I closed my eyes because I couldn't concentrate with that beast of terror and brutal might in my sight.

The magic field finally answered. An incredible vortex of unimaginable power formed around Randall. Tissue, dead bodies, even the furniture raised from the ground, lifted by the immense energy. I moaned in pain as I tried to keep that power of Chaos under my control. If I would lose the ties to it, we would all die in perhaps an even more horrible way. A loose vortex equals the greatest nature disaster. Fortunately, even in spite of my fatigue and pain, I succeeded and the spiral closed on my command.

The roar which followed spread across half of Stonecoast Kingdom. Randall desperatly fought against the power field, but no one, not even the titan Gyath'aar can survive in the middle of a well-cast vortex. His steel-skinned flesh shattered and an eyeblinding shine filled the room, as his cursed soul left his crushed body. Randall's eyes gave me one more heart-freezing stare, then the whole figure came apart into small fragments, which fell helplessly on the ground.

Almost immediately, the vortex vanished. I sighed in relief, let loose of the balance and fell on my knees, completely exhausted.

"Not bad, witch", - an amused snickering got me back to my senses. Gorath stepped down from his throne. "Unfortunately for you, now it's my turn", - he grinned evilly and wielded the awesome Trident of Tempus.

"Don't be so sure!" - a majestic voice interrupted him.

I opened my eyes in pure amazement. I have heard lycanthropes can regenerate their wounds, but I had never seen something like this before. Vigilante, almost dead just a few minutes ago, now stood in front of Gorath, full of power and determination.

"I can't help you", - I groaned with the weak voice.

"No problem. As our lovely friend said, it's my turn", - he grinned, confirming the great hearing werepeople have. Almost immediately his smile disappeared and he turned into a disgusting mess. It didn't take him more than a few seconds before a huge Nachtkinder formed in front of the Stonecoast King with claws longer than my wand.

To my knowledge, only very few lycanthropes, and only under the best conditions are able to turn into this most fearsome beast. How he, injured and exhausted, managed to do it now, when we needed it most, well, don't ask me. It's Vigilante. I'm just pretty happy he did.

"Come on Gorath, face the wrath of The Packleader himself", he teased the enemy. If I wouldn't be so hurt, and my life wouldn't be so utterly relying on him, I would spit in disgust. He should have taken the edge with an unexpected lunge, instead of waiting for the attack. These lycanthropes, their weakness for a bloody fight for honour completely spoils their powers and maybe one day will cause their extinction.

In pure might, Gorath was probably weaker than Vigilante, however that cursed weapon gave him an edge. It's even hard to find the words to describe the devastating duel, which followed afterwards. Blood from both bodies sprung everywhere. Roaring, screams of anger and pain filled the room. The odds were approximately even and the result couldn't be predicted yet, when Gorath managed to throw Vigilante against the far wall. They were both in a very bad shape, but now when I had the opportunity to check their injuries better, to my relief for the first time, I got the feeling Vig was actually going to win. A faint hope stirred inside me again, for the first time since that bunch of guards surrounded us.

"I don't have to bother with you, animal!" - Gorath gasped but inside that angry tone, I discovered something like amazement and fear. Unfortunately, things weren't so promising as they appeared. Gorath twisted his Trident above his head and the shimmering glow entered the previously slain bodies of his guards. To my astonishment they suddenly raised from the death! No, they weren't revived, they were zombies. However they didn't seem to be less powerful. Before Vigilante could react they jumped on him.

He fought desperately, and they rolled on the ground at an insane rate. I have never seen better a combat performance, ever. I felt sorry for every lycanthrope who would decide to meet this lord of beastforms on the battlefield, in the blind hope he would achieve the Packleader status. I, as a sorceress just wish I will never have to meet him in combat as the enemy.

However, the number was too high, even for the Nachtkinder. I could clearly see that, as he was bleeding more and more and his hits became less and less fierce.

'Come on Elvira, you must do something, or we will loose it all.' The image of warlock Nikhaj appeared in my mind. He was the true master of magic when I was just a puny apprentice. No one could beat him when it came to necromancy knowledge. Now I recalled, that he told me once about a powerful invocation against undead creatures.

'Remember Elvira, they don't have a soul anymore. If your impact of essence is stronger than the one that controls them, they are all yours. You may call it confuse.'

I remembered his ancient formula and to my surprise it worked! I could contact the bodies and I saw that the Trident didn't hold them too tight. I released the last reserves of my own mental power and commanded them to turn against their former leader. It was about time. They firmly turned against Gorath, who was so shocked by this sudden change in their attitude that he almost forgot to defend himself. Completely exhausted and terribly hurt Vigilante staggered and propped against the wall.

"I can't regenerate again", - his voice sounded more than worried. I didn't respond. Tired to the bone, even nodding my head would cause me terrible pain. And it wouldn't change things anyway. My knees gave in and I fell to the ground and realized I didn't care about anything anymore. If I were to die, at least I would not have to suffer anymore. Barely conscious I saw Gorath piercing the last foe with his Trident. He didn't look any better than me or Vigilante now, yet apparently he was still able to move. He met my stare and his expression was one of full hatred. Using the Trident as a crutch, he started to hobble towards me. I watched him, unable to move, unable to even close my eyes to spare myself from seeing the bitter end. Fortunately, my fatigue and pain made me not be afraid as well.

He was almost within striking distance, when he suddenly staggered and fell to the ground. In the shadows I could see something jumping on his neck, but my blurred sight couldn't confirm it for sure. Only when he moved a bit closer, I recognized the barely alive Vigilante, in his plain and much more vulnerable werewolf form now, sinking his fangs into Gorath's neck. Then blackness surrounded me...

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***** The Fall of Gorath *****

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* Chapter Three : Epilogue *

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When I came to my senses, the first thing I saw was a deep forest all around me. Then my eyes found Vigilante, who was holding the mighty Trident in his hand, smiling at me.

"You must tell me how you do that", - he cut the silence.

The voice finally made me completely conscious and I stood up on my feet.

"Do what"?

Vigilante grimaced.

"Do this. When I hauled you from the castle you appeared old, bruised, scratched,..or simply put, you looked like hell. I was worried if I'd be able to keep you alive even. Now you look better than I do and I used my regeneration ability. No scars, no bruises, by Raven, even your clothes are repaired!"

I smiled.

"Isn't it nice when the essence cares about you? How do you think I would look after so many battles, after being hundreds of years old without some magical aid? It's a gift, the gift of sorcery. No matter how bad I'm hurt, if I survive long enough to regenerate the field, the essence will start fixing my body. It's the same power priests use for an immediate cure or when you regenerate your wounds. However, you explain something to me. How is it possible that I'm not dead?"

"To say it briefly, he didn't survive the fangs in his neck. I needed almost an hour before I could stand on my feet again, but fortunately that trapdoor was sturdy enough to keep the rest of his guards outside. It didn't appear to be damaged even, but I didn't want to hand around any longer. I took your dying shell and escaped through the underground passage. At least something in that disastrous mission was according to the original plan."

He paused for a while.

"Well, I know you can cast gateway to teleport yourself home, so I don't have to explain to you where we are now. I have the Trident, you got Gorath dead, I think we can split now. It's been an honour to fight with you. I would say 'see you later', but I think it will be better for the both of us if we avoid each other as much as possible. So, just farewell and thanks."

He turned and started to walk away.

His departure was so suddenly, that I almost didn't manage to react in time.

However I knew I had to do it.

"Vig wait!", - I shouted.

At last he stopped and turned back. However his expression remained completely formal. Damn. I didn't know how to say it, but I had to find the words immediately. He had apparently decided to stick strictly to the previously prepared schedule. Mission completed, run away from that hag. "You, you told me I should not try to put any fake moves on you. But now, when we are finally splitting, I hope you will not suspect me from doing so, if I'll say this..."

I paused filled with uncertainty, and not knowing how to continue.

"Thank you", - I expressed myself lamely.

"Thank you for saving my life... It... It's been a pleasure to meet you", I added, just to say something. I took his hands, stood up on my toes and kissed him, almost blushing.

"Point taken", - he answered with a cold voice, though I felt deep inside that hard-boiled lycanthropic stone skin, his heart appreciated it more than he decided to reveal.

"Good luck, Elvira", - he pushed my shoulders away and turned.

"Good luck, Vig", - I whispered, waving at him, though he couldn't see me anymore. I felt ashamed, sad and void. Why, I couldn't tell. The mission was a great success no?

***** End of Story ******

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