[Zade]

Zade's ears still rung from the invader's thunderous entrance.

"Behind me, Damion!" she shouted. For once, Damion obeyed without question. He stepped behind his statuesque bodyguard and peered around her at the events taking place below.

As the portal slammed closed, Zade made a motion to the guards on the balcony opposite hers. She raised her hand, fingers spread. The guards readied their crossbows...

In the blink of an eye, Zade studied the invaders... ten men, most of whom were known members of the Night's Bloom. Then there was the fat mage named Lovvorn... he didn't seem so jolly tonight. Finally there were the two figures that could only have been December and his hideous pet.

Party of thirteen Zade thought. Unlucky number... but unlucky for whom?

She nodded slightly and gave the signal to fire by closing her hand into a fist...

[December & Company]

Half the crowd was frozen in shock and fear, the other half rushed frantically towards the doors. Unnoticed by all, five men dressed in animal masks began to press their way through the frenzied crowd toward the invading party. Their hands rested firmly on their weapons.

"Lovvorn." boomed December. His face still obscured behind a permanent shadow. "Release Mr. Hood from that cage, and then seal the all the doors."

Lovvorn gestured toward the cage which held Eric Hood and the fire drake, both still chained to opposite ends. The chains fell away from Eric and the cage door swung open. Fletcher leapt from the raised platform and ran for the nearest hallway, while Eric simply glared at the carnage with a

sadistic smile on his face.

Next, Lovvorn made a waving motion with his hand, and every exit in the building slammed shut. Bright flashes emerged from the locks as the mechanisms were melted and fused. Everyone was now trapped inside.

"Rivus, please escort Mr. Hood to safety. Hars... I want Sinterbourne's guards neutralized. Kill everyone not wearing a mask-"

"Oh, look-" interrupted Lovvorn.

Five arrows bounced off of the invisible shield that Lovvorn had placed around the party.

"Arrows. How quaint..."

[Zade]

"Passed the first test." said Zade as the snapped and fell broken to the floor a few feet from their target. She raised her hand once more and the guards readied another volley.


This time, Zade raised her own bow.

Instead of a sharp metal arrow-head, Zade's arrow had a small sack of null-dust strapped to the tip. It was heavy and would not fly far, but luckily her quarry was below her. All she needed to do was aim...

correct for the additional weight, and put just a little force behind the bow...

Zade targeted Lovvorn's chest...

"Say goodnight, fat-boy."

[December]

Suddenly, J'Hasp leapt onto December's back. He sniffed the air around him to verify what his sensitive nose had already detected, then began whispering into December's ear.

"Clever girl," said December. "Let us put a safe distance between us and the mage..." December took a few long steps back, nearly to the edge of Lovvorn's force field. He cupped his hands to his mouth and

shouted at the Night's Bloom soldiers...

"PROTECT LOVVORN!"

"huh?" said Lovvorn. "What?"

"LEAVE THE ARCHERS TO ME!"

December reached down into the small sack that was tied to his belt. He drew forth what looked like a large blue diamond...

*fzzzzzt.....THWAP!*

Zade's arrow pierced the force-field and struck Lovvorn squarely in the chest. The

payload burst on impact. Lovvorn's head, neck and shoulders were enveloped in a

thick cloud of magic-nullifying dust.

The force field fizzled and then blinked out of existence.

"HEY!" Lovvorn shouted, and then he quickly closed his mouth to avoid swallowing any of the magic-destroying dust.

December's troops took that as their cue to scatter. Rivus and three others made a dash for the huge cage in the center of the room.

At the same time, a throng of Sinterbourne's guards emerged from their hiding place in a small hallway off to one side of the room

The drunken crown decided that it was time to exit. The entire group of people rushed for the main door en masse. The first men to reach the exits realized to their horror that the door was sealed. The lock was

melted shut. They turned and attempted to push back through the crowd, but were soon trampled and crushed underfoot by the onslaught of human bodies seeking freedom. Dozens died before anyone realized there was no escape...

[Zade]

"THE FIELD IS DOWN, YOU IDIOTS!" screamed Zade. "FIRE!!!"

[December]

December looked up and drew back his arm. With a frown on his face, he put all of his considerable strength behind the throw.

The light blue jewel twinkled as it caught the light. It arced through the air and smashed against the wall just above the lowest balcony, shattering on impact.

The room was rocked with what seemed at first to be an explosion. But this thunderclap was accompanied by icy, gale-force winds that swept across the frantic crowd and drew *upward* into the air. Arrows, already speeding toward their destinations, were knocked aside like pine-needles. The temperature in the room dropped a full thirty degrees on the main floor...

But it was much colder up on the lower balcony.

[Zade]

Zade and her archers were all knocked off of their feet. The archer beside her lost his arrows as his entire quiver emptied itself into the frigid, hurricane-strength wind. The temperature dropped so suddenly that it felt like *fire* instead of ice.

And then suddenly it was over.

The wind died. The cold abated, but did not entirely vanish.

Zade stood... and gasped.

The balcony across from her, and the three archers stationed upon it, were frozen solid. They did not move. They did not breathe. Their skin was deathly pale and coated with a fine layer of frost.

With the sound of a dry branches snapping , the brittle ropes and frozen beams supporting the balcony cracked and broke... sending the entire icy structure crashing down towards the crowd.

"NO!" shouted Zade.

Most of the fleeing patrons managed to dodge the heavy debris as it fell to the floor and shattered like a giant glass figurine. But some did not.

Zade shifted her gaze to December... the scowl fell from her face when she saw the him draw back his arm and lob another ice-gem... this one directly at her!

[Rivus]

As the master-thief and his team closed on the platform, five men in animals masks leapt from the crowd and attacked. The disguised guards had the advantage of surprise; Rivus had assumed that they were

merely patrons until the first of his men fell.

With his sword drawn, Rivus gave a hearty battle cry and engaged the enemy…

[Zade]

The gem flew gracefully through the air...

Zade's whip was already in her hand. Blaymore's odd gift was securely attached to the end of it.

Her eyes narrowed, and everything seemed to stop. Silence. Nothing else existed save for her, her whip, and the icy death speeding towards her.

With a well-practiced series of movements, Zade's powerful arm snapped up and then sharply downward,

sending the heavy tip whipping through the air.

Blaymore's claw-mechanism arced towards the blue gem...

...and closed around the gem in mid-air.

A yank and twist from Zade clamped the claws down an locked them in place.

"GOTCHA!!" shouted Zade. The noise and chaos of the attack suddenly rushed back into her mind. She pulled her whip back towards her and detached the claw, which still held December's gem.

The gem was cold in her hand. But it was quite beautiful... almost hypnotic. So much power in such a small package...

He was going to use this on me! she thought.

Zade stuffed the gem in a pouch on her side and looked down into the crowd. Chaos was breaking out as if it were end of the world. One group of guards were already fighting some of the invaders, and another was rapidly closing on the rest. The patrons were literally killing themselves trying to get out of the way.

For some strange reason, none of them seemed to have made it outside yet. Zade had expected the room to empty itself in seconds, but just about everyone was still inside. The panic-stricken crowd would make the battle difficult, but that wasn't her concern at the moment.

Zade looked around for December. He was nowhere to be seen.

Damn!

"You and you-" Zade pointed to the archers who had managed to keep hold of their arrows, "Take out as many as you can from up here. And try not to hit any patrons by mistake! Damion, come with me!"

"W-where are we going?"

"Away from here!"

Zade grabbed Damion by his shirt and pulled him into the stairwell as the sounds of battle intensified on the main floor.

--------------------

[Hars and Lovvorn]

"HA!" said Hars as Sinterbourne's armed guards bore down on him.

The barrel-chest barbarian was truly in his element. In one slick motion he drew both of his swords and stood ready.

"ATTACK!" he screamed to his men. The Night's Bloom rushed forward.

Sinterbourne's guards swarmed over them, but they did not falter or turn back. The Night's Bloom robbed caravans before they were co-opted by December, so its members were accustomed to fighting professional soldiers at odds that were markedly against them. Hars himself was powerhouse that whose specialty was multiple-opponent combat… a skill that was immediately tested to the limit.

As the renegades charged into the fray they left Lovvorn behind. The mage brushed and swatted at his skin and clothing, trying to dislodge the null-dust that was interfering with his magic.

"Dammit!" he swore. The dust wasn't coming off... it had been mixed with an adhesive of some sort. With the dust stuck to him, his precious spells were useless. "DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!"

"Aye," said a voice from behind him. "You'll be damned, all right!"

Lovvorn turned to face the guard. He barely had time to blink before the sharp sword slashed across his chest...

[Rivus]

Though he was not a trained fighter himself, the leader of the Night's Bloom was holding his own against the tiger-masked guard that challenged him. The thief ducked slashes and dodged jabs with skill and

dexterity, but his own attacks were easily blocked. A second guard rushed up from behind… a huge man wearing a hawk-mask. Rivus dropped to the floor and swept his foot across the man's path. The guard tripped and hit the ground hard, his head smacked against the floor, cracking his mask. The guard's

battle-axe slid away and was lost in the trampling feet of the crowd.

A cry drew his attention. Rivus turned to see another of his men fall, an arrow protruding from his chest. A second arrow whizzed past his own ear.

Dammit I thought that frozen freak was going to take care of those archers!

The first guard took advantage of Rivus's distraction and charged in, swinging his sword down in a savage arc. Rivus ducked under the blow and thrust his sword into the man's belly. The guard fell… taking

Rivus's sword with him.

uh-oh…

Someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. Rivus spun… at first he thought the huge, broad-shouldered man was Hars arriving to lend his muscle to the fight. But this man wore a cracked hawk-mask, from which bloodshot eyes glared at Rivus with nothing even remotely approaching friendship.

"Name's Oger," said the guard. "You're meat!"

The last thing Rivus saw was four enormous knuckles hurtling straight for his head…

-------------------------

[Zade and Damion]

"Let me GO!" Damion jerked away from Zade as soon as they reached the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. The hall was empty; there was no one to be found, friend OR foe. So far, the guards had managed to keep December's men confined to the main floor. Actually, without Lovvorn the Night's Bloom was at a serious disadvantage. Perhaps Damion's guards could end this whole affair...

Yeah, right thought Zade. Not with December still running around... Where IS he, anyway?

"ZADE!" shouted Damion.

"What?"

"Where are you dragging me? I'm missing the show!"

"Show? It's Armageddon out there! And you STILL haven't seen the worst of it."

"Bah! The guards can handle it! The null-dust was an EXCELLENT idea..."

"Either way, we've got to get out of here."

The sounds of footsteps put both of them on guard. Zade dropped into a fighting stance, while Damion drew his rapier.

"...put that away..." said Zade out of the corner of her mouth.

"Damion!" called a familiar voice. It was Fletcher. The tall thin man turned the corner and stopped.

Damion sheathed his weapon, but Zade remained on her guard.

"We've got to GO! The halls are clear, we can walk right out the front door." said Fletcher.

"Nonsense. I'm not going. The king never deserts a castle under siege!"

"You don't know much about kings then, do you Damion? Either you leave under your own power or I render you unconscious and carry you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes."

"Now, Zade...."

"I mean it. You hired me to protect you, so DAMMIT let me do my job! December's men are in check, but December HIMSELF is somewhere in this building! WE. HAVE GOT. TO GO!"

"I concur, sir" said Fletcher.

"Well... not without my MONEY!"

"Damion-"

"NO! The halls are clear, Fletcher said so himself. We have to get my gold! The night's proceeds are in the cash box on this floor... then there's the gambling money...and my remaining cash is in the safe-"

"The safe is on the TOP floor!"

"I'll get it." said Fletcher.

"Go then!" shouted Zade. "And hurry! Meet us right here when you've got it! And if you see December, Run Like HELL!"

Fletcher turned and dashed back down the hall.

"The we'll get the cash boxes," said Damion "Follow me."

"Damion, you're going to be the death of us all."

"Yes... but isn't this the MOST fun you've ever had?"

---------------

[Lovvorn]

*CLANG!*

Sparks flew and Lovvorn staggered backwards. The front of his robe was ripped, but the mage was otherwise unharmed.

"What the?"

"Armor..." Lovvorn pulled back his torn robe, revealing a heavy metal chestplate. "I'm not STUPID, you know..."

"We'll see how much good that plate does you when I chop off your head!"

The guard charged, but fell before he had taken three steps. Hars towered over still-twitching body, one of his swords protruding from the man's back. Several other dead guards lay strewn about, as well as a few

patrons. Apparently the guards had all been dispatched personally by Hars, and Lovvorn noticed with curiosity that some of the dead patrons had arrows sticking out of them.

All around him, men Night's Bloom renegades fought with a fury. They kept the guards from closing in on them, but they could not gain any ground themselves. The situation was in stalemate.

"We're too badly out-numbered!" yelled Hars. "We were countin' on YOUR magic to make this an easy fight!"

"Well, I'm SORRY!" retorted Lovvorn.

"Can't ye do anything! My men are holding off the guards, but we can't keep this up for much longer! And we're split up...RIVUS!! RIVUS WHERE ARE YE?!"

There was no response at first, and then another of the Night's Bloom shouted back…

"Rivus is DOWN! I've got-" the cry was cut short.

"I'm coming lads!" Hars turned to Lovvorn, "Get behind and try to keep up! …and if you feel like using some of your magic, then by all means DO IT!"

With a bloody weapon in each hand, Hars lowered his head, squared his considerable shoulders and then plowed through the crowd like a stampeding elephant. As he made his way towards Rivus's last known

position, anyone who approached or was too slow in avoiding his charge was quickly cut down or trampled. Lovvorn trotted after him, still brushing his clothes and trying to restore his usefulness.

As the two broke through the crowd, Lovvorn looked up at the raised pedestal and the cage that sat upon it. Inside, the fire drake was hissing fiercely at the crowd, shooting jets of super-heated steam at anything that

moved too close. Its scales were solid red now, and they pulsed brighter as it strained against its bonds.

Eric Hood was nowhere be seen.

Hars reached Rivus's unconscious body, but had to quickly turned and fight off two guards that were charging up from the rear. Lovvorn stepped to the side and let Hars handle the men while he saw to Rivus.

"Ouch." said the mage. Rivus's face was one gigantic bruise. He would live, but he wouldn't be much to look at for a while. Rivus opened one of his eyes and tried to mumble something:

"nnnd….oo…"

"What?"

"…hnd…ooo….":

"I don't understand…"

"…Hind…ooo!"

"Behind me?"

"Like my handiwork?" said a voice. Lovvorn looked up at the man in the cracked hawk-mask who had been standing nearby. Lovvorn had assumed that he was one of the patrons who was trapped inside, but he quickly changed his mind when the man reached out and grabbed him by the throat.

Oger lifted Lovvorn up off of the floor and was in the process of throttling the mage when something large slammed into him, knocking him off of his feet. Lovvorn fell across Rivus's chest, while Oger ended up lying underneath the dead body of one of his fellow guards. The body was what had knocked him down, someone had thrown it.

Oger shoved the corpse off of him an leapt to his feet. He found himself mask-to-face with an enraged Hars. The two men scowled at each other. Oger was clearly two feet taller than Hars, although both were just as wide. Hars, however, was armed with two swords and a facial expression that clearly indicated that he was ready to kill something and that Oger had just volunteered.

"Back off, lad." said Hars.

"You came HERE, remember. YOU Back off!"

"I'm warnin' ye…I've no qualms about killin' an unarmed man."

"HA!"

Oger reached for something on his belt. Hars swung his left sword, and, at the same time, Lovvorn climbed off of Rivus and threw himself at Oger's legs.

Oger's knees bucked as Lovvorn crashed into him. He fell, and Har's sword passed harmlessly over his head. Lovvorn grabbed the object from Oger's belt… a small bag containing three vials, and threw

it into the crowd.

"HEEEY!!!" screamed Oger. He rolled under a second sword-strike from Hars and crawled away in search of his bag.

"Damn ye, Lovvorn! You let 'im get away, ye bloomin' clown!"

"Hey… YOU were the one who was screaming at me to DO something!"

"I meant MAGIC! Leave the fighting to the professionals!"

"Professionals... bah..."

"Here, help me get Rivus up before we get surrounded. We've got to get him out of here."

Lovvorn and Hars got Rivus to his feet and were trying to drag him to safety when three guards appeared and cut them off.

"Fight's over, gents," said one of the men, "You lose. Drop them weapons."

Hars threw himself at the guards. Swords clashed as the skilled fighters attacked each other with slices and jabs.

"Lovvorn…" hollered Hars as he removed his sword from one of Sinterbourne's guards, "Do SOMETHING!"

Lovvorn sighed. "Okay. You asked for it."

The stout mage placed two pudgy fingers into his mouth and blew. The shrill whistle carried far over the din of battle...

"...gods help us all..."

"A whistle!?" shouted Hars. A second guard has already fallen. "That's IT?!? What the Hell is THAT going to do?"

In a far corner of the main floor, a tall dark figure stepped out of the shadows. N'Doki smiled, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth, each of which had been sharpened into frightening points.

"More than you think!" hollered Lovvorn. "Call your men and get them to safety! Get ready to run...N'Doki's here!"

"I thought he was on OUR side!"

"N'Doki is on his OWN side... once he gets started he doesn't care who gets in the way... BACK!! EVERYBODY GET BACK!"

[N'Doki]

Eyes pulsing with power, N'Doki strode calmly into the midst of the raging battle.

"Look!" shouted a nearby guard. "Another one! Hey YOU! Stop right there!"

The guard charged with his weapon drawn. N'Doki pointed a bony, emaciated finger at the man and uttered a single word:

"Yerro."

The man was instantly frozen in his tracks, paralyzed. His eyes twitched frantically back and forth, but every inch of his body was now as stiff as stone. Two of his comrades approached from the sides. N'Doki

locked eyes with each of them in turn, releasing words of power into the air as he did so:

"Dakaki." The second guard grasped his stomach and screamed in pain. He collapsed and began writhing in agony on the floor.

"Mahalbiya." The third guard's skin erupted in hundreds of bleeding sores and weeping ulcers. He screamed and joined his companion on the floor, ripping and tearing at his own flesh. The second guard was now coughing up the hordes of poisonous spiders that had recently taken up residence in his gut.

At that moment, a single arrow imbedded itself in N'Doki's left shoulder. The necromancer staggered backwards, gasping in surprise. A second arrow shot past his head. Taking only a second to regain his composure, N'Doki stretched out one gaunt arm and made a pointing gesture, as if giving an order to an unseen assistant. A third arrow, hurtling straight for N'Doki's head, suddenly changed course and instead entered the chest of an owl-masked patron some distance away. N'Doki quickly swung his hand toward the balcony where two confused archers stood in shock. One raised his bow once more and notched another arrow. He suddenly found himself in the grip of some invisible creature. Unseen claws sank into his flesh, grabbed hold, and then hauled him over the edge. His frightened scream was cut short... his throat was slit a mere fraction of a second before he hit the ground. Up on the balcony, the second archer ducked back into the hallway and was gone.

N'Doki plucked the arrow from his shoulder. A clump of flesh came away, followed by a spurt of thick, black liquid. The flow slowed and stopped, then the surrounding skin began to bubble and undulate. The wound healed itself almost perfectly.

"Now we shall see what tings N'Doki can summon dis night!"

N'Doki raised both hands above his head and began to chant

-------

[Blaymore]

Why the hell are these people still here?

Blaymore zoomed around the periphery of the room at a speed that rendered nearly undetectable. With the supernatural speed and dexterity that was his birthright, he zigzagged in and around the hordes of panic-stricken patrons. None so much as acknowledged his existence. Those that saw him only caught a glimpse of his blue cloak flowing in the air behind him as he ran. Most, however, were too busy being trampled or accidentally cut to ribbons when they got too close to the battle. December's forces appeared to be holding their own, but just barely. They were vastly outnumbered and the element of surprise was no longer a factor. Lovvorn's magic was neutralized, and December was nowhere to be seen. Without some kind of equalizer, the Night's Bloom would soon weaken and surely lose this night's battle, but Blaymore was undecided on whether that was a good thing or not.

Sinterbourne seemed not to care about the safety of those who attended his hideous events. A quick estimate told Blaymore that - counting the dead AND the living - there was almost the same amount of people here now as before the fighting broke out.

Why haven't they left? There's too many dead bodies for them to think this is part of the show...

Moving quicker than the human eye could follow, Blaymore ran down the rear wall and ducked into the stairway that led to the main exit. The small space was crammed with bodies. About a dozen still men lay

scattered about like discarded rag-dolls, their broken limbs twisted into awkward positions. All of them wore the ridiculous animal-masks that marked them as guests of Damion vonSinterbourne.

What the Hell?

It was obvious that they had been trampled. When fighting first broke out, the crowd surged towards the doors, which must have been securely locked. Unfortunately, only those at the front of the crowd knew this. The rest must have continued to press forward, crushing the poor souls in the front against the door. Eventually they must have given up and headed back to the main floor, where they were being slaughtered.

"Damn." Blaymore whispered. He stepped over the bodies and reached the top of the stairs. The lock on the door was melted, and the door itself was smeared with the blood of those who had died trying to pass

through it.

"Sinterbourne and December. You shall both pay for this."

Blaymore reached into his cloak and pulled out...nothing. His black-gloved hand *appeared* to be empty, but in reality it held a small dagger. The blade was hard and sharp, and the hilt was counterbalanced for perfect throwing. The entire object was invisible.

"If Zade were here she'd just kick the door down..." mumbled Blaymore. He gripped the dagger and began chipping away at the thick wood around the ruined lock. His hand was a blur, moving back and forth in short, chopping motions with a speed that defied nature. Like an ice-pick, the invisible blade slowly ate its way through the wood, weakening it until the lock fell away from the door. The entire operation had taken less than two seconds. When he was done, Blaymore blew a long breath across the blade, which was now slightly warped and extremely hot.

"..kicking would have been better," he said as he cooled the blade. "One day I'll get her to show me how she does that. Now, to get these people out." Blaymore turned and stopped....

There was someone at the bottom of the stairs watching him.

Eric Hood thought Blaymore. One of December's men. Best to kill him now... but wait. Something's wrong. His FACE!

Eric wore an expression on his face made Blaymore's heart skip a beat. It was like something that he had seen before... on the face of a man that was possessed. Blaymore quickly shoved the thought out of his

mind and reached for his scimitar. As he did so, the man simply turned and left, leaving Blaymore standing by himself.

Suddenly the screams intensified on the main floor. Something was happening.

Hood will have to wait. I have to see what's going on... Becoming a speeding blue blur once again, Blaymore zipped down the stairs and out towards the main floor...

[N'Doki]

As the sacred phrases left his shriveled lips, the air around N'Doki began to thicken and coalesce. A mist arose and swirled around the dark necromancer as if it were alive. The mist then leapt away from him... it

formed a long, serpentine shape, all the while it continued to thicken until it was as solid as the walls and floor.

N'Doki ended his chant with a shout. His creation undulated before him... a giant snake at least twenty feet in length and four feet thick around the middle. The beast's scales were brown with razor-sharp edges. Though its body was that of a viper, its head marked it as N'Doki's creation... the necromancer's stark features glared forth from the thing's body. The snake had the head of a man, and that man was N'Doki.

The hideous thing shot forward and dove into the crowd. It tunneled through the mass of people, devouring men as it went. A few guards hacked at it and managed to draw watery, brown blood, but the beast was quick to take its revenge... gobbling up the guards along with their swords and armor. All the

while, N'Doki stood back, arms raised in a tribal shout. Amazingly, his laughter could be heard even above the frantic screams of the dying.

[Lovvorn & the Night's Bloom]

Rivus gathered the tattered remains of his fighting force around Lovvorn just as N'Doki began his horrible assault. Sinterbourne's guards tried to encircle them, but they were soon drawn off by the carnage that the necromancer had unleashed. Some of the guards rushed to slay the beast, but most simply lost themselves in the fleeing crowd.

"What the Hell is THAT thing!" said Rivus.

"See... told you." answered Lovvorn. "Just hope it doesn't come THIS way!"

"But it's just an illusion... right? Right, Lovvorn? An illusion?"

"What do YOU think--"

Lovvorn pointed to the beast, and they watched it as it snatched up a man wearing a pig-mask. The snake scooped the man up in it's jaws, snapped the man in half and then swallowed both pieces in one gulp.

Hars shoved his way into the circle of men, his clothing soaked in sweat and blood. The sweat was his, but very little of the blood was his own.

"Aye, I think I like YOUR magic better, Laverne."

"That's Lovvorn. And speaking of magic..." Lovvorn gave another hearty whistle, which caught N'Doki's attention. The necromancer glared at him, and Lovvorn shook his robe indicating the magic-nullifying

adhesive that still clung to him. N'Doki spat into the palm of his right hand, chanted a few words, and shook his fist at the air above Lovvorn. Rain began to pour down on the entire party.

"I hope this is WATER," mumbled Hars.

Everyone was quickly soaked in the torrential downpour, and Zade's null-dust reluctantly released its hold on Lovvorn's skin and clothing. As the last of it was washed away, the rain halted just as quickly as it had begun.

"Ahhhh....." Lovvorn smiled and strutted around in his wet, but clean robe. "Back in business..."

---------------

[Fletcher]

Fletcher crept into Damion's private office and shut the door behind him. He tip-toed over to the wall-safe and began to work the combination.

"Damn you, Damion," he mumbled... "things were going so well... we could've stayed here for years! why'd you have to screw everything up."

With a heavy *clunk*, the safe unlocked. Fletcher opened it. It was empty.

"What!"

"Surprise." said a voice from behind him. Fletcher spun, drew his rapier and went into a fighting stance.

A slim man with dirty-blond hair sat calmly at Damion Sinterbourne's desk. He was almost completely naked and his skin appeared to be severely burned...

"Mr. Hood." said Fletcher. He relaxed slightly, but did not lower his rapier. "Care to tell me what you've done with Damion's gold."

"Hood?" said the man. "You think I'm Eric. I'm not."

"Don't be coy. Give me the gold and I'll kill you quickly."

The figure pushed away from the desk and slowly got to his feet.

"Know what I found while I was wandering around looking for you?" Eric held out his hand... in it was a small, slim dagger. The point gleamed wickedly in the dim light.

"S-Stay away from me!" cautioned Fletcher. Even though he had the advantage in weaponry, there was something about his opponent that sent shivers down his spine. Something about his eyes... there was no anger or malice... Eric's eyes radiated the purest evil that Fletcher had ever seen.

"Stay away?" said the man as he approached. "But I made you a promise. I'm here to make good on it."

"Promise? What promise?"

"Downstairs, where you put me into that cage... I promised that I would kill you. I've got something special in mind for you... something I've been saving for a looooong time."

"Let's have at it, then." Fletcher launched himself at the naked thug.

Several seconds later, a pained and terrified scream resonated through the building...

---

[Blaymore]

The assassin stopped short when he saw the serpent-demon weaving in and out of the crowd, making meals out of those who were too slow or stupid to get out of the way. The thing had already consumed several people, and even now was gulping down something that had once been a living man.

Blaymore winced as a leg disappeared down the thing's throat.

Damn! Where did THAT come from?

Blaymore had seen Zade neutralize December's mage, and even she hadn't, Lovvorn wasn't capable of summoning creatures like this one. Obviously a new player had entered the fray.

Blaymore drew his scimitar. The curved blade was midnight-black on one side, and was polished to a mirrored finish on the other. He clutched the sword in his gloved hand and charged.

He sped past the snake creature's human head, slowing down just enough to draw the beast's attention, then he zoomed down the thing's side. The scimitar dug deeply into the snake's flesh, carving a deep, bloody groove down the length of the its body.

The demon reared up and howled in pain; screaming in a way that sounded horribly human. Blaymore wasted no time... he rushed in and thrust his sword into the thing's gut. He withdrew the scimitar and thrust again... and again, making several deadly strikes all within the span of a single second The demon's human head lurched toward him, jaws snapped shut, but the bloody fangs tasted nothing but empty air. In the blink of an eye, Blaymore had already ducked the attack, ran around to the thing's other side, and began carving a wound that matched his previous handiwork.

Now mortally wounded, N'Doki's demon-snake began flopping around violently. Several times, Blaymore had to leap over the things wildly thrashing coils to avoid being knocked into the wall.

Now, let's see who summoned this thing... Blaymore scanned the room. It didn't take long to identify the bare-chested, leather skinned necromancer whose shriveled face appeared on the

still-twitching serpent. Don't know who you are... but you are waaay to dangerous to live.

Blaymore sheathed his sword and pulled out three of his invisible daggers. He launched them towards the necromancer's chest.

Three of Sinterbourne's guests fell to the ground, clutching their throats in futile attempts to stop the fountains of blood. The men had been nowhere near the necromancer.

What the...?? Blaymore realized his mistake. The blades had been redirected in mid-air, he could not risk using them againAll right then... the direct approach.

Becoming a speeding blue blur once more, the assassin drew his blade and began a high-speed charge.

"Kworrom!" shouted the necromancer. The shout began the instant Blaymore took his first step, and by the time the entire word was pronounced Blaymore was almost in striking distance. Almost.

The spell's effect was instantaneous. Blaymore's feet and legs went numb, causing him to trip and hit the floor with such force that he felt several ribs crack. His sword flew up into the air, while his

sprawling body slid several yards, carried by his momentum.

Blaymore leapt to his feet... and fell to the floor again. His coordination and dexterity... specifically in his legs... were completely gone. It was as if he had forgotten how to walk!

"Rako!" shouted the necromancer.

Blaymore felt all the energy drain out of his body. He went limp. His muscles felt weak and useless, like those of an old, old man...

"Bidda!"

Blaymore's joints began to stiffen. Soon it was almost impossible to move his arms and legs. He looked up at the necromancer as he approached.

"Ahhhh...." N'Doki gloated as he towered over the helpless assassin. "You must be de speeding one dat December tell me about. Not so fast now, eh? You may be quick, but dere is no man who can out-run de

spirits, no matter how fast dey tink dey are! Now, what N'Doki do wit you? Perhaps I bring your head to December as a gift..."

Blaymore didn't wait around to hear the rest. While N'Doki had been taunting him, Blaymore was speeding through the incantation, forcing his stiff jaw and weak tongue to form the words... in his weakened state they came out as only a whisper, but it was sufficient. Blaymore's body went transparent and intangible. Struggling to move, he managed to pull himself through the floor and into the basement.

[Oger]

Still crawling on his hands and knees, Oger watched in amazement as the man in the blue robe sank through the floor at necromancer's feet. He had no idea who the man was, but he at least *appeared* to be fighting on his side. Now, the strange necromancer was chanting once again… who knows what horrors he was conjuring up now.

"Ah-HA!"

Oger spotted the object of his search… the small sack that had been flung away by Lovvorn was now pushed over against the wall. Oger crawled over to it, hoping to remain unseen, and hoping even more that the sack's contents had remained intact.

They had.

Oger stood and pulled out three vials of Sinterbourne's beserker potion. Zade's instructions had been to distribute them amongst the guards in case things got bad.

Things were definitely bad.

Oger looked around… guards were still scurrying about, but most had given up the assault and were seeking the nearest exit. A few stragglers were in the process of getting killed by the band of invaders that were gathered near the center of the room.

"Those guys don't deserve this anyway." grunted Oger. "I've got an even BETTER idea... "

Oger took two of the vials and threw them into the cage in the center of the room. One vial smashed against the bars, spilling liquid and glass all over the cage floor. The liquid began to sizzle and boil. The other vial landed intact just inside the angry fire-drake's reach.

Oger immediately opened the third and final vial, and gulped down the entire contents.

-------------------------------------------

[Damion & Zade]

"Where the Hell is Fletcher? He's supposed to meet us here."

Damion paced back and forth in the hallway. He and Zade had retrieved the cash boxes, but Fletcher had failed to return and meet them with the remainder of the gold.

Zade stood to one side, arms folded, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"What, Damion? Are you worried about Fletcher... or is it your gold that has you so upset?"

"Both!"

"I see."

"Don't patronize me. Without my gold then YOU won't get paid! I AM paying you... remember that!"

"I never forgot."

"Enough of this... I'm going to go look for him."

"The Hell you are! We're leaving."

"Not without Fletcher and my gold! He went to the office... you make sure our means of escape is secure while I go and find him."

"You want me to leave you alone? With December and his things running around? I don't think so."

"Worried?"

"Without YOU, I don't get paid. Why are you so eager to get yourself killed, Damion?"

Damion sighed. Then his eyes widened...

"The Alchemist! You have to go and get him! He's probably still locked in that room of his! We can't start over again without him... he's the only one who knows the formula for the potion!"

"Damn!" In all the excitement, Zade had completely forgotten about the poor man. "Let's go get him... if we can. At the first sign of trouble-"

"Dammit, woman! It doesn't take TWO people to do that! YOU fetch that fool while I get my money!"

"If you insist."

"I insist!"

"Fine. If I'm not here when you get back, leave without me. DON'T come looking!"

"Done." Damion nodded and headed for the main stairway.

Zade sighed, wondering what Damion's chances of survival were. He was certainly a detriment to his own continued existence… and hers as well. And what was worse, December was still creeping around somewhere in the building. Zade started off towards the Alchemist's lab, but she paused. Perhaps there was something she could do to swing the odds in her favor… Zade felt confident that the main floor was being handled. Oger, reasonably sober for a change, was out there with a few vials of the berserker potion. He knew what to do if things got bad. Now there was one more player that needed to be brought into play…

----------------------------------

[N'Doki]

Now that the blue interloper had been dealt with, he was free to continue terrorizing these fools. N'Doki's voice rose to a shout as he completed his chant... then he switched from the ancient language of the spirits to one more recognizable. Those who heard his next words wished to the gods that they hadn't.

"By de power of de nether-realms... N'Doki commands de dead to

RISE!!"

A wave of power shot forth, passing through everything in the chaotic room. To the living, its effects were only a slight chill down the spine. But to the dead it was a call to arms.

All over the room, corpses rose, their eyes gleaming with infernal hunger.

"Obey me! N'Doki commands you to-"

"RRAAAAAAAGH!!!!" Oger's insane battle cry drowned out the rest of the spell. The hulking berserker literally ripped through several of the newly reanimated corpses and charged the necromancer like a wild bull.

N'Doki turned, pointed at the approaching behemoth and spoke one word:

"Mahalbiya!"

Oger's skin became alive with boils and sores, but the pestilence healed instantly without even slowing his approach. Before N'Doki could manage another spell, the wild-man plowed into him and wrapped his burly arms around the necromancer's waist.

Oger squeezed, intending to snap the man in half, but suddenly his arms were empty. A huge cloud of stinging wasps swarmed around him. Oger swatted angrily at the bugs, but every time he swatted one, three more arose in its place. They were stinging him over his entire body, but Oger's enhanced metabolism made quick work of the painful wounds.

The wasp-swarm pulled off to one side, and the thousands of insects began to melt into one another, forming the shape of a man. The shape congealed, and N'Doki stood tall once more.

Oger attacked.

N'Doki swept his clawed fingers across Oger's chest as the man drew near. Despise the pain-numbing effects of the potion, Oger cried out and drew back... The claw-wounds on his chest were already green and infected. A hideous rot spread forward from the deep slashes, eating away at his flesh with astounding rapidity. Then the processes stopped... and began to reverse itself. The infection weakened and vanished. Fresh skin crept forward and covered the wounds.

It was N'Doki's turn to be surprised as the wounds which would have turned an ordinary man into a festering corpse in seconds, left this howling buffoon completely unharmed.

"De Sinterbourne potion is more powerful dan I was lead to believe..."

Undaunted, Oger charged again.

N'Doki gestured with his arms, and was once again transformed into a swarm of wasps. This time, however, instead of attacking, the wasp-swarm began to dissipate. Insects scattered to the far corners of the room and were gone. The effects of N'Doki's last spell went with them. Dozens of zombies, lacking the necromancer's vital animating power, stumbled around blindly for a few moments, and then finally fell over and lay still. Oger chased after a few of the straggling insects, and then his eyes caught sight of more satisfying prey...

-----------------------------------

[December]

Led by J'Hasp, December strolled confidently through the small maze of hallways that made up the remainder of the arena-level of Sinterbourne's building. The sounds of the chaos in the main room resonated through down the dark corridors. All was going well. Rivus and the Night's Bloom had drawn most of the guards to the main room, leaving the hallways almost completely unguarded. The two guards he did encounter were left cracked and broken on the floor... their frozen corpses slowly melting away.

J'Hasp ran ahead and pointed down a short hallway.

"Man with potionsss livesss here." he hissed.

December nodded. J'Hasp suddenly became agitated. He began jumping up and down.

"Someone comesss! Someone followsss!"

"I must have words with Sinterbourne's alchemist. Go back the way we came and discourage our guest from interfering."

Without a word, J'Hasp slipped past December and hurried down the hall.

-------------------------

[Zade]

"I think it's coming," Zade whispered over her shoulder.

There was a slight movement from behind her. Zade ignored it and stepped around the corner into the main corridor. She paused and listened. She heard it... crawling along the *ceiling.* Zade let it get closer, and then...

"I know you're there. You might as well come down and face me like a... whatever you are."

J'Hasp dropped to the floor several yards ahead of her. Zade assumed a fighting stance and glared at the hideous beast. J'Hasp bared his long teeth and hissed.

"Hey, ugly... Care for a re-match?"

J'Hasp leapt at her, but instead of reaching for her whip or preparing to block the attack, Zade jumped back into the small corridor from which she had emerged.

"NOW!" she screamed. J'Hasp was right behind her

A empty glass vial hit the floor and shattered.

As soon as the beast turned the corner it was knocked back out into the main hall by a single blow... not from Zade, but from the snarling savage that was Terris. The berserk archer fell upon December's messenger like a whirlwind of fists and teeth. J'Hasp responded in kind. Zade watched as Terris sank his teeth into J'Hasp's neck while J'Hasp's claws raked long slashes across Terris's back. The wounds closed almost immediately. The two beasts tumbled back down the hallway, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Soon they disappeared altogether, but Zade could still hear J'Hasp's hissing and Terris' snarling as they continued to tear each other apart.

She smiled, then turned her back on the carnage and headed in the opposite direction.

-----------------------------------

[Damion]

"Fletcher?" Damion whispered. He stood outside his dark office on the top floor of the building. The door was open, and a strange, unpleasant smell wafted out into the hallway. "Fletcher are you in there?"

No response. Damion entered the room, his rapier already drawn.

As he approached his desk, the floor became sticky and a thick, coppery smell assaulted his nose. His boots kicked over a large pile of something that had been placed in his path.

Wine bottles? thought Damion, ... didn't SOUND like bottles...

"Fletcher..." he called once more. Damion glanced over at the wall safe. It stood open, and was empty.

"So he WAS here. But where is he how?"

Damion's eye caught sight of something odd over by his desk. The chair had been facing away from him when he entered, but from this angle he could see that there was some... thing in it. He walked over to it the desk and lit the lamp.

"FLETCHER!!"

At one time, the thing in the chair had been his loyal assistant, but now it was only a corpse. Less than a corpse.

Fletcher had been slit open, and every one of his bones had been removed.

Suddenly nauseous, Damion doubled over and was violently sick. His vision wavered and the room began to spin. Unfortunately, with his head so close to the floor, he could finally see the objects that he had so

carelessly knocked over on his way into the room.

His stomach heaved again...

-------------------------

[Annikson]

Annikson, Damion vonSinterbourne's alchemist, crouched in a corner under one of many cluttered work-tables. He was frantically mixing a potion in a large beaker, but his hands were shaking so much that the

operation was almost impossible. Fortunately, precision was not required for this particular concoction.

Judging from the sounds that he was hearing, chaos had obviously erupted. They were coming for him. The Blue Man was coming to kill him...

There was a sudden knock at the door. Annikson jumped, nearly spilling his work. The he sat still and listened.

The knock came again.

"w-w-w-who's th-th-th-there..." his voice was so timid that it he barely heard it himself.

A third knock nearly stopped the alchemist's heart.

"I-I-I'm n-not here..."

Annikson's eyes were fixed on the thick wooden door that was the only entrance to his laboratory. He watched as a thin layer of frost began to collect on the surface of the wood. The frost thickened, and then the wood itself turned an odd color. Without warning, the door shattered like a glass goblet. Chunks of it flew across the lab, smashing several of his experiments. Annikson jumped to his feet, but remained in his corner, far away from the door.

A huge man entered the room. His hair was pure white, and his eyes were color of the winter sky.

"AAIIIIIGH!!!!" the alchemist screamed at the top of his lungs. "Don't kill me PLEEEEAASE!!!"

"I have not come to injure you... unless it is necessary. I want the potion."

"Th-There's no more! I gave it... I gave it all away to Damion."

"The formula. Here..." December snatched a sheet of parchment off of a nearby table and handed it to the alchemist. Annickson shrank away from it as if the paper itself could kill him. "Write it down."

"N-No. I can't... i-it's a secret. Even I'M n-not s-s-supposed to know!"

"But you make it for Damion. Make it for me. "

"I-I don't know you. Did HE send you?"

"Who?"

"The Blue Man!"

December frowned. "Blaymore?"

"YOU SAID HIS NAME! AAAIIIGH!!!"

December thrust the palm of his hand into the alchemist's chest, knocking the man forcefully against the wall...

"Stop that. Give me the formula and I can get you out of here safely. The ingredients, the preparation... everything. Now."

"D-Did he send you? To k-kill me?"

December began to force waves of freezing cold down his arm and into the frightened alchemist's body.

"The. Formula. Now."

"...okay...okay...."

December lowered his hand and backed away. The alchemist placed the beaker he had been holding on one of the tables. From the same table, he picked up a feather-pen, dipped it into a small bottle of ink

and then began scribbling on the paper December had given him. He filled it, both front and back, and handed it back to December.

"Th-that's it. That's everything. Please let me go now."

December looked down at the jumble of strange symbols and frowned.

"What is this!" he demanded.

"Th-th-th-th-the f-formula! J-Just like you a-asked!"

"These symbols-"

"A-Alchemic script. I-It's what we all use t-to-"

"Write it again! This time so that I can READ it!"

"But I-" Annikson gulped. The room was noticeably colder now... frost was beginning to collect on some of the beakers. He looked into December's eyes and saw that they were glowing slightly. Glowing blue...

"THE BLUE MAN!! IT'S YOU!! You've come to kill me! Well, you're not going to do it! I won't let you steal my soul!"

Before December could react, Annikson snatched up his beaker and began gulping down the contents. December reached out and knocked the glass out of the alchemist's hand, but not before he the frightened man had dunk more than a quarter of it.

"WHAT WAS IN THAT GLASS!" bellowed December.

Annikson began clutching his throat as the fast-acting poison took effect. He fell to his knees...

"NO! THE FORMULA!!"

Annikson collapsed. His breathing became difficult. He looked up at December, and with his final breath, Annikson began to mutter...

"t-t-tell Rennan.... I'm s-sorry..." His eyes fluttered closed.

December growled deeply and clenched his fists... waves of sub-freezing cold fell away from his motionless body. Every liquid in the room suddenly froze, and most of the glasses shattered under the sudden change in temperature.

After a moment, December calmed himself.

"You killed him!" said a woman's voice behind him. It was Zade.

December turned to face her.

"No. He killed himself."

"Yeah. Uh-huh. Right."

"True. This entire operation has been a waste of my time. Or perhaps not..." December glanced at the indecipherable gibberish on the parchment, then folded it neatly and placed it in his pocket. "Now, if you

will excuse me..."

"Hold it. I took care of your THING. Now it's just you and me."

"So it would appear. Now if you will step aside-"

You expect me to just let you walk out of here?"

"Yes. Do you expect to stop me?"

The pair exchanged stares in silence.

---------------------------

[Lovvorn]

The remains of the Night's Bloom gathered in the center of the room. Barely able to stand, Rivus ordered his men to stand down and wait. The area around them was a war-zone littered with bodies; a nearly

equal number of guards and patrons had been slaughtered in the carnage. What remained of Sinterbourne's guards were scattered and disorganized. N'Doki's giant snake had taken the fight out of them, and now most of them joined the crowd that had recently discovered that the main doors were now

unlocked. A mass exodus was now in progress.

"Where'd N'Doki disappear to?" asked Lovvorn.

"eh?" said Hars.

"He's gone... look-"

"INCOMING!" shouted Hars.

The men looked and saw Oger charging toward them, growling and foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog.

"I've got 'im lads!" said Hars. He drew his swords and ran straight towards Oger, intending to meet him head on.

"WAIT!" shouted Lovvorn. Too late. Oger's enhanced reflexes allowed him to duck under Hars' sword-attack and hit swordsman with a powerful back-hand. Hars was thrown several feet, and then landed in a

heap on the floor. Oger continued unabated, heading directly towards Lovvorn.

"Gimme my sword," mumbled Rivus, preparing to usher his men into battle once more.

"Nonsense." replied Lovvorn. "He's not human anymore. This will take magic... I'll handle this brute..."

"You?"

Lovvorn stepped forward and pushed his sleeves back, revealing arms that were crowded with magical runes tattooed onto his skin.

As Oger bore down on him, Lovvorn touched two tatoos on his left arm

"Giant Strength."

Lovvorn's muscles bulged to nearly three-times their normal size.

"Iron Skin."

The mage's skin took on a hard metallic appearance.

"All right..." Lovvorn's voice reverberated oddly, as if he were speaking from inside a metal drum. As soon as Oger stepped within striking distance, Lovvorn drove his fist into the berserker's face, stopping him

dead in his tracks. The impact completely pulverized Oger's face and shattered his skull. The berserker fell to the floor... and then immediately stood back up.

"uh-oh." said Lovvorn as Oger's face reassembled itself.

Before the mage could attack again, Oger grabbed Lovvorn by the waste and squeezed.

"Owww!!! That HURTS!"

Lovvorn tried to tear himself out of Oger's grip, but as he struggled with his enhanced strength, the barbarian's fingers dug deep grooves into Lovvorn's metallic skin. Desperate, the mage reached into his robe and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. He unfolded it to activate the rune, crumpled it into a ball, and shoved it into Oger's slavering mouth. Oger bit down on Lovvorn's fingers, trapping them.

"Hey! LET GO! You're not supposed to do that! Let go of my HAND!"

With a sudden rush of heat and force, the rune on Lovvorn's paper exploded, taking Oger's head with it. The headless body went limp and fell to the ground.

"OUCH!!!!" Lovvorn danced around shaking his right hand. The tips of his metal fingers were red-hot. "DARN, That STINGS!!! Owwwww!!! Owww! Owww! Owww!"

"Ya did it." Hars was just forcing himself to stand.

"Of course I did! What did you expect! Ohhh, my poor fingers..."

"Is that the last of them?" asked Rivus.

"Looks like it," replied Hars. "The rest of them are clearing out, and Sinterbourne's probably gone already. Where's Decem.... uh... the boss?"

"And Eric?" Lovvorn was now blowing over the tips of his fingers, trying to cool them off. "Where's Eric?"

"I saw him leave the cage and walk away," said Rivus. "Has this strange look on his face..."

"What sort of look?"

"uhhh... Lovvorn?" Hars was tapping Lovvorn on his shoulder, which had since returned to normal size and hardness.

"Wait a second, Hars. What sort of look did Eric have? Was it a really mean look?"

"...Lovvorn..."

"Not exactly. Sort of like a-"

"Blank stare?"

"Sort of..."

"Lovvorn?"

"Stop interrupting, Hars, This is important. Did you see his eyes?"

"Yeah... they looked..."

"Demonic?"

"Never seen a demon, so I wouldn't know."

"...Lovvorn!"

"Shhhhh! I'm talking to Rivus!"

Finally loosing his patience, Hars grabbed Lovvorn by the shoulders and spun him around to face the cage in the center of the room.

"Lovvorn, what is that lizard drinking?"

Inside the cage, the fire drake was busily lapping up a strange liquid that was boiling away on the floor. Next to the lizard's foot was a broken vial.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Uhhh...."

The giant lizard finished the last of the berserker potion, and then began twitching violently. The cage began to shake.

"Lovvorn? Will that potion work on lizards?"

"How should I know? The effects could be completely different..."

"I think we'd better find the boss and Eric. Now."

Suddenly, fire-drake roared and strained against the chains that had held it through the entire fight. They broke easily, freeing the beast. The drake's tail slashed violently back and forth, knocking out some

of the cage bars and sending them flying out into the nearly-empty room. The beast lumbered towards the open cage door... and collapsed.

"Heh." said Hars. "I guess it don't work on animals after all."

"The stuff must be poison to lizards!" said Lovvorn.

"Is it dead?" asked Rivus.

"Sure looks dead to me."

"Then why are the scales still glowing?"

The men watched in silence. At first, nothing appeared to be happening, but then a large crack opened down the drake's left side. Another crack opened down it's back.

"It's coming apart!"

"What' happening, Lovvorn?"

"How should I know? Looks like it's shedding its skin or something."

"Lizards do that?"

"Snakes do. Snakes shed their skin when they... uhhh...."

"When they what?"

"....uhhhh...."

"Lovvorn!"

".....g-grow. Uhhh, guys... I think we have a problem. "

[To Be Continued]