Tylek had led several warriors ahead to find the ancient wyrm. I lingered on the perimeter only because some (or all) of it seemed too direct, too simple. Tullarix had scouted the cavern well. Only the occasional denizen had crossed our path so far. He even successfully predicted when the deepbats would begin diving from the roof of the cavern at us. He and the others had gone ahead to meet the mage-thing, only opening up a brief enough hole in the deepbats' swarm to get past the gates of the dead city. The bats... that is when the odd feeling began.

Tullarix had said the bats' breeding/living area was just on the outside of the city. Perhaps they had been used as guards or an early warning signal when the city still breathed. Now, though, they were little more than an obstacle. No... obstacles do not move. The bats were meant to delay, but for an extended period of time. They attacked even though the party led by the Ilharess was well inside the city. The bats were not just driving them away, they were following... chasing?

Something was controlling them. If it was an old ward of the city, that was fine. If it were something else, namely this mage-creature Tull had spoken of, well then, things would not be good. This delaying tactic would allow him (her?) to ready surprises for the matron's party. Things would definitely not be good.

Deciding that Ty could handle the search for the dracolich^*1, I turned my steeder toward the city gates. Most of the bats had gone on to harass the two large groups. Maybe my route would turn out to be pleasantly boring. If it were that easy...

My thoughts were cut off by a dark sheet of nothingness opening almost in front of us. I aimed the giant spider away from it, making sure not to risk contact with the black plane. At this close proximity the pull was strong to leave, but I yet had business to finish. Commanding the steeder to halt, I dismounted and turned to see which visitor would step through.

"Hro," I said without hearing. Our eyes locked. Keeping stone-faced, I began to realize what powers this mage-creature could call upon. I shook my head slowly... not good had officially become bad. 

It was odd. We actually smiled at one another for a moment. Not the smile of friends, but, perhaps, a smile more attuned to two thieves that were about to break for it with the goods. The smiles faded as quickly as they appeared. Sensing that no one else was around, I concentrated and began using my innate abilities... especially that one called survival.
 

"Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange."

-Shakespeare, The Tempest

The battle seemed to last for ever. Zorbock and his small squad of drow warriors chopped and bashed a wedge further and further into the cavern. Although the fight had gone on for some time now, Zor had more on his mind than the pain that bit into his 'physical' being. He had prepared himself mentally for the battle he was in. When a blow was struck upon him, he was quick to tell himself, "there will be time to heal after our victory."

In front of Zor and his warriors stood a group of owlbears. Hideous looking creatures with the head of an owl and possessing the body as well as the strength of a giant grizzly bear. Zor watched for a split second as one of these freaks of nature grabbed hold of an unfortunate warrior and ripped at his body with its huge claws and razor sharp beak.

Keeping his wits about him, Zor noticed an owlbear lunge at one of the other warriors. Filraen didn't seem to notice as the bear moved to outflank him. Moving in great haste, Zor muttered a few soft-spoken words within the arcane realms and blades appeared from the bottom of both ends of his flail. As the owlbear struck out at Fil, Zor's quickness allowed him to dart between the two. Lifting his shield, Zor took the blow upon his shield. The force of it almost  knocked him down.

Having been trained by some of the finest weapons masters, Zor didn't fight the force of the impact, but rather moved with it. As Zor dropped to the ground, he quickly pivoted and spun about swinging the bladed flail in a full circle. The strike connected with the owlbear in what would've been the quadriceps of a man. The creature howled in agony and dropped to the floor helpless. As Zor rose, he quickly glanced at Fil. He didn't know if his friend had even noticed.

As he regarded what was left of the men within his charge, he noticed another comrade, Tylek. He locked gazes in mutual understanding with the battle about them. Then Zor noticed something just to the other side of Ty. A shadowy figure, large enough to be a great wyrm, seemed to float in a direction that led to where his Ilharess was battling. His eyes must've betrayed him, for Ty quickly looked about and saw the same.

Calling out to his men, Zor moved to intercept the creature. He didn't know fully what he was up against, but he did know that his Ilharess would need him by her side.

Sounds of metal on metal, metal on flesh, and the war cries of battle filled the air.

Clangs and bangs were all Filraen heard as he moved stealthily around a group of rocks that separated him from his adversary. The sounds of fighting came from the direction where his friends, Zorbock and Tylek, had entered the fray.

Zorbock had ordered the charge a little over 5 minutes ago. He and Ty were fighting owlbears about 30 yards away and successfully defeating them. When all of a sudden, one of the huge beasts struck out at Fil. His quick reflexes had allowed him to adjust and dive just out of the monster’s reach. Using his weapon, he quickly dispatched the owlbear’s left ‘arm’ and was attempting to put an end to its life.

Fil noticed out of the corner of his eye that Zor had somehow edged his way closer, although he did not understand why. The main fight was not in this direction. All thoughts were forgotten when another owlbear took advantage of Fil's hesitation. It knocked Fil to the ground and raised its huge paw to deliver another blow. The fall caught the young drow by surprise as his weapon went spiraling off into the darkness. The young warrior quickly recovered and uttered almost silent words of prayer, as his fingers found and sent a dart speeding towards the creature. Fil smiled inwardly when it fell dead as the rock it landed on. The poisoned dart had found its mark.

Meanwhile, yet another owlbear had quickly outflanked Fil without him seeing it. Fil was just moving away from his second kill when the monstrous beast growled and lunged at him. With his weapon gone and no time to find his other darts, all he could do was raise his arms in defense.  Suddenly Fil realized why Zor had moved so quickly toward him.

Zorbock suddenly jumped between his fallen friend and directly in front of the owlbear. Fil noticed the speed and agility of his friend as Zor spun with the heavy blow and quickly killed the bear. Fil breathed a sigh of relief as Zor quickly checked him to make certain he was alright, then went back to the fighting. Fil shot a silent look of thanks at Zor before he moved away.

As the battle wound down, Fil tended to his wounds and thought about what previously happened, his incompetence had put himself and his comrades in danger. Filraen cursed himself silently for his lack of experience. Angrily he collected his belongings and as he followed the others, he came to the fallen owlbear who had almost spelled out disaster for him. Taking his dagger, Fil sliced quickly at the dead beast's paw, cutting it from the body. “This mistake will not happen again,” Fil thought as he left the battle ground.

As he looked back towards Zorbock, he thought to himself, “It's good to have friends.”

Ty had been told to find the dracolich that was supposed to be here, but had not gotten any further than any of the others in this colossal fray. He'd refrained from using any magic so far, but he was tiring, and the creatures that had been set against them came in endless waves. The group he'd led deeper into the cavern had been pulled up short in the face of the diving bats.

A few of the younger fighters had broken ranks and had perished soon after. The warriors that were left, were seasoned fighters and seemed to be used to fighting in the respective groups they had broken into. Seeking shelter against a cavern wall, Ty looked over the battle, assessing each group's strengths and weaknesses.

They were teaming in threes, standing back to back. Ty did not consider himself a fighter at all, and for a moment he could only admire the way they moved with each other, as if sharing the same mind. He looked from his squad to the others about the cavern. Over all, it seemed they were using the same tactics that their enemies were using. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this made it a test of personal strength and strength of numbers alone. He tried to think, tried to come up with something that would turn the tide of this battle decisively in their favor.

Absorbed as he was, Ty later could not remember how he knew to turn around at that moment, something in him just pulled his head around. He saw Zorbock then, coolly looking about, taking stock of what was left of his squad much the same as what Ty himself had just done. Then Zorbock looked over at him. As their eyes met, there passed something that Ty would not forget. Zor had sensed the unnaturalness of this fight as well. Then Zor seemed to be looking through him rather than at him, his focus further down the cavern wall.

Ty turned, simultaneously noting that his men were looking at him, and the skeletal dragon moving towards the Ilharess and yathrinen. Without thought Ty ordered his men forward to meet the drac and levitated. Kicking off the wall as hard as he could, he was there just after them.

As Ty reached the enormous dracolich and settled his feet on the ground again, he saw that almost all the warriors had already begun attacking it. He hung back a moment, assessing the situation.

He was impressed anew with the grace of these warriors, dodging tooth and claw and fiery breath to step in again and strike in a fluid dance of death. Circling it like a pack of wolves, working a larger enemy into exhaustion. Time had inexorably slowed for Tylek, who, in the frenzy of battle, stood detached and perceived things in a dream like slow motion. As if everything but him moved through the air as easily as if it were jelled.

The warriors, good as they were, fell one by one to the dracolich. Ty moved, all thought now aside. Stepping up, he cast into the fray, doubling the speed of all the warriors. He then spotted Zorbock among them, the best of the best among the house. He was moving with a cat like grace under and around the beast, striking crushing blows along the creature's ribs and legs with the flail he had chosen for this particular battle.

Ty moved to intercept his circling, and as he came into reach, touched him briefly, gifting the warrior with the strength to match this monstrosity. There were others Ty judged more likely to survive, and these men too, he granted the strength to crush this opponent.

Backing away once more, he spared a moment to look in the direction of his Matron. She was no longer in his view, but he knew she was well protected. Turning his eye quickly back to the enemy that was the immediate threat to himself and kin, Ty saw Zorbock once more. This time Zor very narrowly escaped a stream of fire that the dracolich belched at him. Setting another intercept course towards him, Tylek readied two more spells. It took only the lightest touch to give Zorbock some resistance to the heat of its breath, and the deadly cold of its touch.

The fight had worn on now for several minutes, and there were only a few warriors left standing. By comparison, the lich seemed in fine condition for all the broken bones and deep scores along its sides and legs. Involved now, it seemed as if time played more tricks on Tylek's mind. He couldn't think, and everything was happening at once. Angrily, he prepared himself for a physical confrontation and ran headlong into the fray.

It could not have been more than ten strides to the center of this battle, yet Tylek's mind produced the memories of a long ago battle, his first, played out in almost frighteningly deadly detail, with a group of giant mages. He had been alone, one against many, and yet he had been the victor. He had been the last one standing in the resulting pools of blood. The memory steeled him, and cleared his mind of the tumult caused by the fury of the battle.

He had reached the drac now, and had a clear area around him. It was almost as if the warriors had stepped aside for him in his fury. It was then that an explosion of fire burst out of the immense skeletal figure before him, buffeting and singing his body, and catching at his cloak, pulling him away from his intended target.

With the explosion of fire, Tylek's anger too, exploded. His mind and body refused to be kept from this, his victory. A near blind rage took him as he picked himself up from the ground where he had landed. He moved slowly now, with purpose. He just stood there a moment, reaching up, and holding an amulet that hung about his neck. There was a sudden silence after the roar of the explosion, and Ty let it roll over and through him as the fire had.

His head held low, like a bull ready to charge, he watched the lich from under his brows. His eyes told of the infinite suffering he would cause this thing that had moved to attack his Matron, this thing that dared face him. Suddenly, and utterly out of place, a smile broke across the planes of his face. A cold, emotionless smile that did not touch his eyes as he wrapped himself tightly in his cloak and simply, disappeared.

There was nothing now to Tylek but the dracolich and himself as he reappeared on the other side of the beast, a spell already on his lips, slowing it's movements by half. Again he cast, and again the drac's body slowed perceptibly. Seeing the caster, it lumbered around, struggling to turn its body and charge.

The smile that had etched itself onto Ty's face broadened, and his hands flew wide as he began chanting once more. He did not move as the dracolich moved closer and closer. It seemed a race between it and him. Ty’s voice rising clearly as it neared. Finally, as it was almost upon him with a final roar, a hand as large as the once-dragon and as black as Ty himself seemed to claw itself out of Tylek to knock it back and pin the drac down.

A low, resonant laugh filled the cavern as Ty sensed victory. He floated up above the drac and looked down on it with cold, unforgiving eyes that glowed in the darkness. With a gesture from the mage, the hand began to squeeze. The sound of bones creaking and cracking was audible above the din of fighting in the large cave of the underdark. The dracolich struggled, but was unsuccessful in escaping the deadly grasp of the magic Tylek had loosed on it.

It was over in a few minutes, but those were moments Tylek savored from his vantage point above the creature. A short span of time to enjoy the pleasure of slowly destroying a life, however twisted. At the last moment, he produced a large black gem streaked with a rich deep red and spoke a single arcane word. The effect was immediate, the hand disappeared, along with the dracolich.  But where as the hand simply ceased to exist, the lich was seemingly pulled into the gem.

With that, Tylek allowed himself to drop to the ground gracefully, and sought out a new victim.

*1.  An undead dragon.