EPISODE 60

EDGE OF THE ABYSS

"If it spots us," Charity whispered. "Then it will alert the others. We won't be able to repel four of them from this position."

Vash cursed inwardly. "We'll have to do this quietly, then."

Charity gave him an appraising look. "Can you handle that?"

Closing his eyes for a moment, Vash tried to get a sense of his mana reserves. He had used Shadowalk twice already, each use cost him a great deal of mana. The Gideon's Guide said it cost 15 'motes' each use. Since he never had his mana pool evaluated, Vash did not know how many motes he had to begin with. All he knew was that fatigue was setting in, and his Core was getting a hollow feeling.

If I use Shadowalk again, then I'll be nearly empty. Vash thought. He opened his eyes and considered the terrain. The cliff face had many holes and protrusions, good for climbing. Maybe there's another way.

"I think I can." Vash said. "Stay here and try not to draw attention."

Charity nodded, pressing herself against the rock face and trying to remain as unobtrusive as possible. She gestured for the others to hold position and flatten themselves against the rocks. Corwin looked puzzled and opened his mouth to call out a question, but Sera caught his attention, pointing out the Scalebacks climbing the wall.

Vash took a moment to firm up the necessary Talents in his mind. Shadowmeld and Enhance Ability locked into place, each taking their share of his rapidly dwindling mana. Vash felt the shadows wrap around him like a blanket of cool mist, sapping warmth and color from the world. Once he was certain that the shadows hid him, Vash called on his boosted agility to drop off the ledge, catching himself on hand-holds just below the narrow strip of rock. He caught the rock face gracefully, barely making a sound.

He felt the shadows waver for a moment when Enhance Ability used slightly more mana to maintain itself. Need to do this quickly, before I use too much of my reserves.

With his greater agility, the cliff face was as easy to scale as a ladder. Vash moved with speed, down and to the left, moving to intercept the ascending Scaleback. Each time he did something that demanded greater dexterity, however, he felt the shadows wrapped around him loosen for a moment.

Hopefully, no one can see me when that happens. Vash thought. This is only going to work if I take it by surprise.

Steadily, he made his way toward the Scaleback. It was making swift progress up and to the right, moving to join its group. Within a few minutes, the Scaleback would be close enough to spot Charity, Sera, and Corwin on the trail.

Vash paused, clinging to the rock face just above the Scaleback and slightly to the right. It would pass right above him. Seeking that calm, empty place Iona taught him, Vash called up the structure for one last Talent.

Vital Strike was a Talent that he didn't use often. The mana cost and the complicated set-up made it only useful in situations where lay in wait for his prey, not in active combat.

The Wayfarers would probably think it unsportsmanlike or not honorable, Vash thought with contempt. They seem to have a lot of rules, which don't help at the moment. The Scaleback was close. Vash could hear its breathing, panting with exertion, but still moving at a surprisingly quick pace. It was only four or five feet away now. Vash reached down to his belt and drew his dagger. The positioning made holding the weapon feel awkward, but Vash shifted to get himself ready to unleash his Talent.

I hope it does enough damage on a Scaleback to put it out of commission. Vash thought, looking down at the lizard-man, who paused to rest for a moment. I know it works on most humanoids.

When Byar taught him the Talent, he warned Vash not to try it on an Orc or a Gnoll. They were apparently too tough to make the cost of Vital Strike worth it.

The Scaleback started to move, but it hesitated, lifting its snout and sniffing the air in Vash's direction. Vash could hear it growling to itself and looking around more carefully.

Dammit, Vash thought.

It peered up the cliff face, through the darkness, then leaned towards where Corwin and the others were trying to stay unnoticed on the cliff face. The Scaleback growled, scaled lips curling back from jagged, serrated teeth.

Now or never.

The Scaleback took a breath, preparing to make one of the barking calls they used to alert one another.

Vash released Shadowmeld, the shadows melting away like mist in the sunshine. At the same time, he leaned hard on Enhance Ability and pushed off sideways. Shunting the mana from Shadowmeld to Vital Strike, Vash landed on the Scalebacks' back and clung onto its neck. The lizard-man jerked in surprise, but before it could make any noise, Vash stabbed it. The magically enhanced strike sank deep into the Scaleback's torso, and Vash felt a pulse within as the Talent sent a surge of force out the tip of the blade.

Vital Strike enhanced a deep stab wound with additional force damage, shredding vital organs within and bypassing armor and any exterior protections. Vash learned to target the heart and lungs, end the fight quickly. If the Scaleback had a strong Vigor attribute, then he would have to do more damage quickly to keep it from crying out and alerting the others.

The Scaleback stiffened. The only sound escaping its mouth was a slow, rattling exhalation. Vash felt the creature go slack beneath him. It fell slowly away from the rock wall, claws releasing their grip and knees buckling as Vash felt the Scaleback's Core slowly fade.

It was then that Vash felt gravity grabbing onto him as well. He dove for the wall, felt his fingers brush a hand hold but not get a firm grip. As the Scaleback fell away beneath him, dead, Vash followed just after it, frantically trying to grab anything to arrest his fall. He flailed at the cliff, fingers not quite catching on hand holds that were easy to grab hold of a moment ago. With a start, he realized that his Enhance Ability had failed, just winked out without him noticing.

That's not good! Vash thought, a stray observation as he plummeted to the rocky scree below.

In a last, desperate attempt to stop his headlong dive towards the ground, Vash stabbed out with his dagger at the rock face. He pumped raw mana directly into his Brawn attribute, bypassing Talents entirely. It was inefficient, a waste of mana, but it gave him a burst of strength. The blade bit into the cliff, finding a crack and wedging itself deep. Vash braced himself, but his shoulder still screamed when his full body-weight came to an abrupt stop. It took every bit of self-control he had to keep from crying out.

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For a moment, he just hung there, dangling from the hilt of his dagger. I can still move the arm, that's good, probably didn't dislocate it then.

He glanced around. The base of the cliff was about twenty feet below him now, survivable, but not a fall he wanted to take at the moment. Above him, he could see Charity leading Sera and Corwin down the path, which angled off to his left. The other three Scalebacks continued their climb to the top, oblivious to the scuffle that had occurred.

Thank the gods for small favors. Vash thought, then swung himself towards the nearest outcropping. His hands and feet found solid holds, allowing him to take his weight off the dagger. Glancing up at the weapon that had saved his life several times now, Vash felt his heart sink. The dagger had twisted, the metal bent in an almost corkscrew from the force of the blow. Even though the blade sunk deep into the rock, Vash still tried to pull it out. But Vash couldn't get the leverage he needed, and he grudgingly left it behind.

Still have the throwing knives. Vash thought as he slowly climbed free-hand down the rock face. Not as useful as the dagger in Silent Thorn, but I can still use them in a pinch.

It only took a few minutes to descend to the bottom of the cliff. Climbing rocks differed from scaling mortared stone walls, but the principles were the same. Vash scanned the forest in front of him. Even with his enhanced sight from elvish low-light vision, he couldn't see much beyond the first few trees. But he didn't see any movement or hear groups moving through the brush.

They're mostly at the falls, I'd bet. Vash thought. He backtracked along the bottom of the cliff until he found the end of the trail. The others joined him a few minutes later. Charity simply nodded, respectfully, as though she had expected nothing different. Sera gave him a relieved smile, and Corwin broke out in a huge grin of relief.

"I knew you would make it," Corwin whispered enthusiastically. "But I'd thought you'd at least get a bruise or something."

"My left arm feels about twice as long as my right. Does that count?" Vash quipped back, but smiled as well.

What's happening to me? Vash thought, I'm becoming downright sociable.

Charity pointed towards the north. In the moonlight, they could see the white of falling water and a pale mist rising above the trees. "That way, not far now."

"I'll take point, see if I can't navigate around any surprises." Vash said.

"Hold on a second." Sera said, before Vash could dart off into the night. She came up to him and placed a hand on his chest, just to one side of his heart. For a moment, Vash thought she was going to kiss him. She was so close and looking deeply into his eyes, but Sera simply closed her eyes and Vash felt the odd tingle of a cleric summoning the power of the gods.

"Ophea, Lady of Wisdom, weaver of the arcane. This man has done many deeds in the light's service. Grant him the strength to finish his tasks before this night is done." Sera chanted in the low monotone that Vash associated with Temple prayers. Pale light grew around her, though Vash thought it could just be a trick of the moonlight. Then he felt the strange vibrations of celestial magic blossoming within his Core. If he could have, he would have stepped away, startled. But his feet stayed where they were, and he stood stock-still, as though held by an invisible hand. Vash felt the warm influx of power. Mana filled his Core.

Vash's pain evaporated, as did his weariness. He felt strong, energized, as though he'd just had a full night's sleep.

Sera stepped back, dropping her hand. The pale glow faded and Vash saw her shoulders slump. When she looked up at him, dark circles had formed underneath her eyes. She gave him a weak smile. "You seemed to have the lowest mana of all of us, and doing the most with it."

"Thank you." Vash said, stepping away from her. He wasn't sure what else to say, so he simply turned, summoned Shadowmeld, and vanished into the night.

The yawning portal into the Underlands was fairly close, but Vash wanted to be careful. He crept up on the jagged circle in the earth. Water cascaded down over jagged rocks, feeding the great underground river below. It was only one fork, however. The Amical River split at the falls. Divergent paths carved in the rocks meant that one channel tumbled down into the Underlands, while a second flowed through the valley and eventually joined up with the Great River Obrun off to the east.

Water crashing against the rocks shrouded the area in constant mist. Abundant water meant that plant life grew bigger and thicker close to the falls. Vash had to struggle to maintain his Shadowmeld while navigating the mass of ferns, vines, and other brush on his way to the falls. So far he hadn't encountered any Scalebacks. He could hear them as he drew closer, but they seemed entirely focused on the entrance to the Underlands.

Maybe they got what they needed and are heading back? Vash thought. If that's true, then it might be too late to get any of the captured Wayfarers before they take them down into the Underlands.

He came to the edge of a clearing. Long grasses waved in the soft breeze, glinting with drops of dew. Tall pines ringed the clearing, standing guard over the yawning pit of blackness that guzzled the water flowing down the rocks.

Vash finally spotted the Scalebacks. Several tight knots of regular-sized Bulls prowled the edge of the pit. A few smaller, thinner Scalebacks, wearing a variety of leather straps with pouches hanging from them, clustered close to the spot where Vash had come up. He could see crude ladders hooked on the edge of the pit. Several humanoid figures lay side-by-side on the grass in front of the ladders. Nightscales stood guard next to the captives, protecting the small Scalebacks who darted from one body to the next. They made strange gestures above each one and a moment later, a strange, pale green glow would blossom in their claw. The smaller Scaleback would look at the light in their palm and then nod to the Nightscales.

The Nightscales then grabbed a body and wrapped them in the coarse rope that the Scalebacks used. Then they would secure the prisoner to their backs, making ready for the climb down into the Underlands. The second prisoner Vash saw was a dwarf, stocky, with a graying auburn beard and long hair. If that wasn't distinctive enough, Vash recognized the bandages wrapping Jabez's shoulder.

He cursed, softly. There's over twenty of them up here. Bulls, Nightscales, and I don't know what the little ones do, but I'm guessing that it has something to do with magic.

A Nightscale hefted Jabez and began wrapping the unconscious dwarf in ropes, preparing him for the journey.

We won't be able to stop them descending into the Underlands. Vash thought. We have to go back and get others…

Movement to Vash's right cut into his thoughts. Corwin came crashing through the underbrush, sword drawn. The big warrior had a frantic, desperate look on his face. Sera and Charity trailed behind him, hands outstretched as though they were trying to hold him back.

Corwin, what the hell are you doing? Vash thought.

With a scream of rage and challenge, Corwin charged straight for the Nightscale carrying Jabez. Wedge-shaped lizard heads swiveled, taking in the intruder. A group of Bulls moved to intercept Corwin, but he didn't care.

Vash felt a few thrums of mana from Corwin as he used or activated Talents. He moved with smooth assurance, blocking the first spear that came at him and slicing across his attacker's stomach in one fluid motion. The Bull let out a choked-off shriek as its innards spilled on the ground from the savage blow. The next took the blade full in the chest. Corwin kicked the body off his sword and into the Bull behind it. The Bull stumbled, Corwin pivoted and struck the creature's head off.

Too stunned to move, Vash could only stare at the man who he'd always thought of as an awkward lunk turning into an efficient killing machine. He had known good fighters; he was one. But he could tell that Corwin was something else.

Movement broke his reverie. The other Scalebacks were moving, and the small ones were already beginning to chant in the harsh, grunting language of the lizard-men. It didn't matter how skilled Corwin was; the numbers were not in their favor.

Charity and Sera stood at the edge of the clearing, looking uncertain. Corwin continued his dance with death as he made his way towards Jabez.

More Scalebacks emerged from the shadows, running towards the lunatic that thought he could take on the entire tribe.

Vash cursed and drew his short sword. Never thought I'd live forever, anyway.

He targeted a Scaleback, moving to flank Corwin, and charged.

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