The Final Battle

Time seemed to stretch and warp as the heroes fell through the dimensions. The sibilant hiss grew louder and louder, threatening to drive them mad with its unceasing assault on their ears.

Suddenly, the heroes' vision cleared. Each group stood in a dimly lit cavern, the black walls slick with moisture. The hissing sound did not fade, and the heroes realized with a shock that they stood knee-deep in writhing serpents!

Though the two groups could not see each other, they knew instinctively that their allies were close at hand. Each group, however, also realized that one of their number was missing--both Falaster and Alarion (along with his cohort, Verdigris) were nowhere to be found!

As each team of heroes gathered their wits, they also realized that the items of power that they had so recently retrieved--the two fragments of the Soul Totem, as well as the God-Spark of Anaerynsia--had also disappeared from their grasp, no doubt stolen by whatever power had brought them to this den of serpents.

At that moment, the denizens of this horrible place launched their ambush. Giant snakes, yuan-ti (including a powerful multi-headed yuan-ti; see right), a hydra, and a marilith sprang from places of hiding throughout the cave complex. As the battle raged, the two groups of heroes met near the center of the maze. Together, they were able to defeat the horde of foes, but they couldn't help but feel that the victory was too easy.

A quick search of the cavern complex turned up no signs of their missing friends. However, the heroes did discover a place where the snakes seemed to be boiling up right out of the ground. A closer look revealed a tunnel leading into darkness. Reasoning that every moment of delay could have dire consequences, the heroes dove into the fountain of serpents and "swam" through the biting swarm.

Passing through a planar portal, the heroes now found themselves scattered around a great three-tiered ziggurat. Perched around the pyramid were several more of the serpent-folk, but the heroes barely noticed these foes. Instead, two other sights caught their eye.

The first of these sights was the trapped forms of Alarion, Verdigris, and Falaster hanging motionlessly above a pool of green ichor, their very souls being drawn forth by some unholy power.

The second was worse. As their eyes traveled up the ziggurat, they beheld the foul creature responsible for more of the world's evils than any other being in creation. Standing atop the pyramid was Merrshaulk the Corruptor, Father of Demons. Around his neck was a fully assembled Soul Totem, and in his grasp he held the God-Spark.

Merrshaulk congratulated them on their successes, thanking them for recovering the lost objects. "I knew that I could count on you to retrieve these for me. I needed the power of Kulan Gath's Soul Totem to unlock the divine essence of the God-Spark, and the power of your friend's draconic bloodline should complete the task nicely. His two little friends were unexpected bonuses--though my "net" was designed only for the paladin, these two must have had enough dragon in them to be snared as well."

The serpent-god sneered at the mortals assembled around him. "But now, of course, your usefulness is at an end. Destroy them, my children!"

The heroes launched into battle, knowing full well that they were the last obstacle between Merrshaulk and the deity's plan to claim the power of two of the four primal gods for his own. There was no telling how potent he would become, and the heroes certainly didn't want to find out.

As Jarvis and Thorgrimm took on the largest of the yuan-ti, and the spellcasters moved into defensible positions, the archers fired a volley of arrows at Merrshaulk himself. Even the most powerful of these shots glanced harmlessly away, unable to penetrate the demon-god's scaled skin.

Stannis realized that the heroes needed to buy some time. Once again unleashing the power of a wish, Stannis magically snatched the Soul Totem from around Merrshaulk's neck. Shortly thereafter, the heroes managed to free their trapped allies, allowing them to join the struggle.

The heroes' elation was short-lived, however. Without warning, the temple raider Caedrus brutally attacked one of his own comrades. In horror, the heroes realized that the mysterious bloodline possessed by their quiet friend was actually that of the yuan-ti themselves. In activating its full power, Merrshaulk had rendered Caedrus a mere thrall to his will. Fighting for an entire world, the heroes knew they couldn't allow friendship to weaken their resolve. Caedrus fell under their withering assault, meeting the same fate as had so many other serpentfolk.

Though the bodies of their foes continued to pile up, the heroes still hadn't laid a finger on Merrshaulk himself. Even when Thorgrimm charged up the ziggurat, a magical barrier kept him at bay. The god laughed at the feeble display. "Only those of my own blood can approach me, worm!"

Cleverly, the loremaster Stannis deducted that the green river of ichor cascading from within the ziggurat was exactly that substance, and that a hero bathed in it might be able to thwart the demon's defenses. After he relayed this to his comrades, the tougher among them wasted no time in doing exactly that. Soon, Merrshaulk was assaulted from all sides. Still, his divine power was clearly more than a match for the heroes, and one by one they fell before his might.

So far, Seth McCullin had largely kept out of the fight, watching and waiting for an opportunity. Hearing the god's words, a realization dawned upon him, an absolute certainty that chilled his very soul. Strange thoughts emerged, as if from a nightmare: Two men, one destiny...strike down your brother and reclaim the power of a god...

Slowly and stealthily, Seth made his way around the ziggurat until he stood behind his boyhood comrade, the cleric Duran Fortnite. "Duran," he said quietly, barely audible over the sounds of battle. "I know how we can defeat Merrshaulk." Duran noted a twinge of sadness in his friend's voice. "I'm sorry, but there's no other way." He glanced back to see Seth gripping his sword, white knuckles tight around the hilt.

"You have to kill me."

Duran's eyes went wide. Though he didn't want to believe what he heard, there was no mistaking the sincerity of belief in Seth's words. The prodigal son of Great Rock, corrupted by blood and act, stood before him with arms spread wide. Seth's sword clattered to the ground as the young man stared intently at the cleric.

From the corners of their eyes, the other heroes saw the flash of Duran's blade as he brought it back. Then, before they could react, the knight of Altius struck down the defenseless friend standing before him!

A moment of shock turned to wonder and amazement, as Seth's body was wreathed in flickering black and white light. They watched as Duran seemed to drink in the dying soul of his friend, consuming it utterly. He grew before their very eyes, taking on the mighty stature and terrible visage of a god. But not just any god--Duran had become the deity Seth, wayward son of Altius Highfather!

Suddenly, Merrshaulk wasn't facing any mere mortals, but a god like himself. Fearlessly, Duran-Seth strode up to the top of the ziggurat, taking the fight directly to the Father of Demons. As the two titans clashed, the rest of the heroes clustered around Merrshaulk, harrying him with their attacks. Quinborough kept Duran-Seth alive with powerful healing magic as the serpent-god lashed him again and again with venomous strikes. Any pretense of finesse was discarded in the savage battle, as the fate of the world hung in the balance. The blood of the two gods covered the walls and floor, and drenched those beneath them.

Finally, with fatigue threatening to render his limbs powerless, Duran-Seth smote Merrshaulk with a mighty blow. The demon-god fell from his ziggurat, the God-Spark rolling from his grasp. As he hit the floor below, Merrshaulk dissolved into foul-smelling slime, and the heroes breathed a sigh of relief.

A golden glow from above shone down upon them, but this was no threat. Instead, the light materialized into the form of a mighty dragon, its scales glistening with the sheen of pure gold. As the dragon's luminescence touched the injured or fallen heroes, their wounds disappeared and life flowed back into their bodies. A deep voice rang in their minds as the dragon answered their unspoken question.

"I am known by many names, but you may call me Altius."

Even the least reverent of the heroes couldn't help but be awed by the presence of this righteous deity. Some bowed their heads, while others kneeled before their god. Altius turned his gaze to Duran-Seth.

"I am proud of you, my son. When you claimed to seek repentance, there were few who believed you. By giving up your place in the heavens and descending to mortality, you proved that your intent was true. But even I did not foresee the cleverness of your actions. By cleaving your divine essence into two mortal forms, you prevented either identity from becoming too powerful. Duran held your devotion to justice, while the young man who so fortuitously bore your own name was a vessel for your love of freedom--but also was tainted by your corruption.

"His was the final temptation--the certainty that he could ascend to godhood by striking down his 'other half' and claiming Duran's power as his own. By rejecting that prize, and by offering his life instead, the mortal Seth proved that he--and thus you--had truly given up the greed and evil that had marked them for so long."

Now Altius spoke directly to the minds of Duran and Seth, deep within the essence of his divine son. "Though the two of you are as halves of a whole, still there is too much to contain within one being. Only one of you can survive in this form."

Only now did Duran fully realize the extend of his friend's sacrifice, though Seth had suspected as much. He'd known it was a one-way trip; that whichever one of them struck down the other would wholly consume the soul of the fallen. He'd made his peace with that, accepting it as a cost of victory.

But even Seth was surprised by Altius's next words. "Using the power of the Soul Totem, I can restore one of you to mortality, but once the decision is made, it cannot be undone. Choose now: which of you will remain a mortal, and who will return with me to the heavens?"

As it turned out, the choice wasn't difficult. With a flash of light, the giant form of Duran-Seth disappeared, replaced by two familiar forms. Young Seth stood before the heroes, the taint of his demonic skin purged forever. A broad grin beamed from his face--for the first time in years, he felt clean.

Next to Seth stood Duran, wreathed in a shimmering golden aura. He smiled sadly at his friends, for he was no longer of their world. Placing his hand upon the shoulder of his devoted defender, Rexander, Duran asked his friend for one last favor--to protect Seth McCullin as he had once protected Duran himself. Tears streaming from the archon's eyes, Rexander agreed.

"Now, children, there is but one task that remains before us. The divine spark that holds the life-force of Anaerynsia has been damaged by the strife here, but hope still remains. To bring forth the goddess anew, we must complete the ceremony now."

Together, the heroes encircled Altius as the Highfather held the God-Spark tightly. As they bent their wills to the task of midwifing a goddess, the heroes felt perspiration running from their brows. Magical power flowed between the heroes and the spark as they offered every last shred of dedication to granting the goddess safe passage into her new life.

At last, the spark burst open, blinding the heroes with life-giving radiance. As their vision cleared, they beheld a third figure standing alongside Altius and the new god Seth (who still looked an awful lot like their friend Duran). The young woman greeted them with a musical laugh, and they realized that their efforts had succeeded.

"Hello, my husband. And hello, my son--I had not expected to see you again so soon."

And so, what had begun on a wintry day with six brave souls in a humble beachfront village, ended with the birth of a god deep in the Abyss. The heroes' long adventure was finally over.

The End

Previous: Quest for the God-Spark

All material copyright Andy Collins 2001-2007.