Myrna looked at the old man and young girl that had came in.
" Well if you'ens here to join up wit the gang gonna ta lake Deepbottem, they's already left"
The old man looked at this granddaughter with said eyes.
" We're too late, we must try to catch up to them before they get there, Hurry girl."
The girl slammed the cold 7up that Myrna had brought them, and the two were out the door.
" Say gramps, if you don't mind me asking, you never said why we need the bard "
The old man keep walking as if he heard nothing.
" Don't you see girl,, she's the key to 'M's whole plan, and she don't know what she's getting into. That's why we need to get to her before 'M' does"
" Yeah, I know. Ophyllia was always getting into more then she could handle while you were teaching her some of that magic. Why, I remember the day you were showing her how to start fires out of thin air. And she nearly burnt your lab down. You must have been mad at her, it's a wonder you even... "
The old man gave his granddaughter a stern look to cut her off. She knew she wasn't to talk about any of his apprentice's, no matter how much trouble they were, or who they were.
The pair followed the road to Deepbottom for a ways. They could tell that many people went this way recently. Suddenly the old man stopped, and looked around. He closed his eyes and stuck his nose into the air to take a sniff.
< sniff, sniff >
" You think someone's following us gramp's ??"
The old man placed his hand over the girls mouth to keep her quite.
" shhhhh, ", he whispered.
" up ahead, someone is waiting in ambush, it smells like trolls "
She tried to hear what her grandfather could hear. Even at his age his senses were much better then hers. But gramps never steered her wrong before. She trusted that if he said there were trolls, then there would be trolls up ahead.
The she did hear something. A horse. A horse shiver. Then a horse winny. Then all elf broke lose , as at least twenty brigands on horses came charging out of the woods up ahead. Behind them were at least a dozen or more trolls. This did not look good to her. She grabbed her bow and began firing arrows at the brigands. Her grandfather could handle the trolls ( she hoped ).
Already the old man had stuck his staff into the hard ground that made up the road. And he began to stair deeply at a small speck in the center of a crystal. If he were casting what she though he was casting it would be a while before his spell formed. She would have to provide the cover for him and herself. Hoping that she could hold them off until whatever would happen, happened. She stepped in front of the old man and began her rapid assault on the brigands. Pulling back her bow and shooting arrows as fast as she could.
( twang, twang )
Two of the front riders went down as arrows pierced their neck and eyes.
( twang, twang )
Two more feel. She tried to fire faster. Already she could feel the wind start blowing around her feet. And it was hard to maintain balance.
( twang, twang )
Another two feel as the wind increased and was already up to her waist. She could hardly stand now, and barely made out her grandfathers chatting behind her.
( twang )
It was hard for her to shoot anymore and this arrow went a bit to the left and only knock the rider off the horse. She tried to adjust for what seemed to her to be gale force winds around her.
( twang, twang )
Dropped two more riders. But it was now almost impossible to fire her bow. And she could feel the temperature become very chilly all of a sudden. The behind her she heard what she dreaded.
RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH
That meant that her grandfather had summoned a demon. And being in front of that demon was not a good place to be. She would have to move fast and get out of the way. She tried to jump to the right but the wind took her off her feet, and she quickly crawled out of the way, then took a deep breath as she saw the demon he had brought forth. The demon was huge, and all muscle. She looked at her grandfather still standing in the road. He was still deeply gazing into the crystal yet. That was good she thought. She knew if he broke with the control of the demon, then the demon would be lose, and would attack gramp's and her after it ran out of brigands and trolls. She grabbed her bow back up. Best to make sure no one disturbs gramp's.
The brigands that saw the demon ran from fear. At least she had done her job for as long as it took. But, the trolls keep coming. She relaxed a bit. The demon would have no problem getting rid of the trolls. Then something tapped her shoulder from behind.
" Hello, having trouble ?"
Thinking it might be one of the brigands, she shrieked as she turned around.
EEEKKK
She had turned to find that it was only Ophyllia, a young elfin priest, and a half-orc with an axe that came running by her, strait toward the battle going on in the road. She took a deep sigh of relief.
" Oh, it's you Ophyllia. We've been looking all over for you".
" Well you found me, why were you looking for me this far from..."
Then they heard the old mans voice scream
NOOOOO
All three of the women looked at the old man now on his knees in the road. This only meant one thing. He had lost control of the demon. The three ran to him.
" Gramps, gramps, you OK? "
With a week voice and a tired tongue he spoke.
" I'm fine dear girl, but the demon is gone, I don't have it"
All three of the women could tell he was to week to try to regain control of the demon.
" Ophyllia, you could do it."
" But, but I never done.."
Once again the old mans voice came up.
" You've got to try, you're the only one here that can, and if you don't gain the demon, surely we'll all die. You must try"
" wha.. wha.. what do I do ?"
" Take my staff, hold it firmly, and concentrate on the center of the crystal, relax Ophyllia, you can do it if you what too"
She looked at the fight up the road a bit. Rasor and the demon had been taking out the trolls fast. Both were down to their last trolls. And, once that demon finished it's off, it would start on Rasor, then her..
Ophyllia took the staff in her hand and gazed into the crystal like the old man told her. He had never let her do that when he was teaching her. Always said she was to young. Now she was inexperienced with such magic and had to be successful or all her friends would perish. As she concentrated on the crystal she saw the speck and focused on it. Then she felt herself entering the demon. It was like nothing she had felt before, so, so, so weird. She could feel all that the demon was doing, as if she was part of it. She felt it pick something up and throw it.
< crack >
"OOPPHH"
(Hey wait) she though. That sounded like Rasors voice. The demon was done fighting trolls and had already started on Rasor. She had to stop it. Again she felt the demon pick up Rasor and smash it on the ground. Poor Rasor she though. She tried to stop the demon but couldn't. Again and again the demon would either punch Rasor or slam him on the ground and she could not control the demon. Then she felt the demon pick up a limp body. ( Good elf ) she thought. Rasor wasn't fighting back anymore.
"No, no, no. Rasor I tried, I tried to stop it, please don't die.". she was crying
It was at this point that she wished she could die also. Right then she got a brilliant idea. She would die. If the demon was a part of her then the demon would die also. She might die, but at least she would spare the lives of the others. And she wished herself to death.
As she came to she heard Danidar speak,
" Hey, she's back with us, thought we lost you for a while Ophy, what happened ?"
Ophyllia tried to talk back but found she was to week, all that work of magically unsummoning a Demon had zapped all her strength.
" Best let her rest" the old man spook in a comforting voice.
" What about Rasor ?"
" He's beaten up purty bad, that demon whipped 'em good"
" He needs help, and soon if he's going to live "
The young girl and Danidar looked at the old man.
" Can you do something ??"
" No, I'm also to week " the old man replied, " but I know who can help, I'll help Ophyllia to walk, you two try to move Rasor "
And the two women tried to pick Rasor badly mangled body up and carry him.
" So gramp's, were are we going now ??"
The old man keep walking with Ophyllia under his arms.
" Deepbottom"
" What are we going to find in Deepbottom ??"
As the two keep dragging Rasors body after the old man.
" The Paladin "