A Short Story: Mending a Rift - Concluding Part

(Continued from here)

Author's Note: I had to sacrifice a lot to keep the short story short. I couldn't give shape to the characters and the fantasy world, and the story goes too fast at some points, and there are a hundred other things I am unsatisfied about. Ah well, next time I won't try to keep it short!

The Green Blade Company is a mercenary company characterized by the enchanted sword each member carries, purchased at great expense from the Kharygian Dwarf Smiths. The magical residues lend each sword an olive green sheen. Because the wielder must have some limited talent at spellcasting to use the sword effectively, and most magicians do not have the time or the interest to learn swordplay, the company is composed mostly of Wizard Tower rejects or runaways. Sal Sorde, leader of the company, expertly persuaded such people to join his company and even more expertly trained them to be a fighting unit... - Mercenaries of Hesnia, A Guide

Nevin struggled with the flint striker as he watched the other apprentices pitch tents and pile on firewood with practiced smoothness. Finally, he gave up and started chanting a "Scorcher" spell to light the fire, but the words of magic died in his throat as a black robed figure loomed in.

"No spellcasting from this point. They might be able to detect it," spoke an oily voice from behind a mask.

"Y-Yes, Wizard Xartan," he stuttered, as the figure nodded and headed towards the wizards' wagon.

He sighed his relief, just as someone behind him burst into laughter. Nevin turned, "You think that's funny, new kid?"

"He's just another Tower Wizard, even if he's a Necromancer. Nothing to be afraid of. And I have a name."

"Well, Kenneth Starfall," he stressed the last name as if to emphasize how stupid he thought it was, "You're new. You haven't seen the convicts being led into his dungeon, or heard their screams as he plays with their life-force. You haven't..."

"Starfall!" interrupted a shout from afar, "The scouts need you!"

"I have to go," said Kenny unnecessarily and scrambled towards the mercenaries' camp. Nevin grunted and threw his hands up in the air on seeing the grin on the twins' faces. "What kind of a name is Starfall, anyway?"

"It's his noble name," said Trent, "apparently he's descended from a noble family on his Mother's side."

"If I ain't a farmer and I ain't a noble, I might as well use my noble name, right?" imitated his brother, Flint.

"There's more to it than that, though, and Kenny himself doesn't know it," interjected a third voice.

"What do you mean, Deek?" said Nevin.

"I saw the expression on Wizard Harvin's face when he said that name, and Kenny was looking at the sky so he missed it. There's a story here, I just know it. We'll dig in the library when we get back," gushed Deek, and abruptly patted his ample belly, "Fellow apprentices of the Sixth Circle. Let's eat."

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The Ethereal Plane is a spellcaster's boon as well as bane. For instance, the popular practice of "Going Ethereal", in which the caster gains a ghostly appearance and immunity from physical and magical attacks from the Prime Plane, is achieved by entering the Ethereal Plane while maintaining a partial grounding in the Prime Plane. This leaves the caster extremely vulnerable from attacks from the Ethereal Plane, which is not a friendly place... - Handbook of Planar Travel, Chapter Two

"This is the cavern where Wizard Verner became most agitated," said Kenny, and after a pause, "this time I can feel the disturbance myself." But the four wizards and the equal number of apprentices were already staring at the tunnel entrance to the west.

"Not good," said Wizard Giller.

"Not good at all," agreed Wizard Justyn.

Wizard Harvin turned and announced, "The rift is not far, and the demons are bound to block us. Sal, the Green Swords must keep them occupied at all costs. Xartan and the twins will support you. The three of us will slip by to close the rift - there isn't much time, we can all feel it. The other apprentices will cover us."

Everyone nodded as Harvin led them through the western tunnel, and into a large cavern.

Right into a trap.

The cavern had a ledge at a higher level with multiple openings, from which taloned demons emerged at the same time, surrounding them on all sides. A handful of them now blocked their retreat as well. From the only other exit to the cavern emerged a masked figure accompanied by a few demons. Black robes streaked with red identified him as a Necromancer practicing blood magic.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? More gifts of Desune's Blood?" said the figure, and then visibly jumped as he took in the presence of the Green Swords , "All of you? A princely gift indeed!"

Hand signals flashed among the Green Swords as they slipped into formation. Trent abruptly found himself pushed into a circle of men sheathing their swords and drawing wicked-looking crossbows. He counted three concentric circles around himself, the outermost circle wielding swords and tower shields, alternating with circles of crossbow wielders. Flint found himself in a similar position.

A thundering explosion sounded from the tunnel behind the masked man, followed by a perceptible lessening of magical pressure. The Necromancer seemed surprised but still confident, "Very clever indeed. Your friend may have slowed things down, but he'll find the Rift Guardian more than a handful, I'm afraid. Now, if you'll be kind enough to die..."

Demons sprang forward to grab the three Wizards at the front, but they were prepared and had already gone ethereal. The demons found themselves going through the Wizards like mist. The Necromancer opened a dimension door to the ethereal plane, but the spell collapsed as a pair of black bolts crashed into the doorway.

"A fellow practitioner of the Art! Why, Brother, do you side with these pathetic losers? They have nothing to offer us!"

A demon that sprang at Wizard Xartan fell to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably. "Because, Brother, they give me a quiet and civilized environment to conduct my research. And because you degrade our Art by meddling with Blood Magic!"

The man laughed. "Degrade? Why, Brother, have you not learned yet? Blood is power!" and threw a pair of red-streaked bolts at Xartan.

The bolts smashed through magical shields like a hot knife through butter, but Xartan had already disappeared, and reappeared several feet away. "And Art needs finesse, not strength!" as he summoned a grey mist, that in turn melted away the other Necromancer's shields.

The Green Swords were too occupied to watch the tussle, as demons sprang from the ledge to attack them from all directions. The twins settled into trances to chant spells that had taken them all week to prepare. The mercenaries acted with clinical precision. Shields parted as reinforced crossbows fired into the demons at close range, punching through their tough armour, and then the shields snapped shut again. Frustrated talons tried to find openings through the shield wall. Abruptly, at a barked order from Sal, the shields dropped to allow enchanted swords to slash at demon necks, where their armour was weakest...

Heads rolled. Crossbows sang. And shields shut again. The chanting of the twins had reached a crescendo, and two smoky figures took form on the ledge. As their chanting ended, the terrifying apparitions could be clearly seen - with blades instead of arms and long, razor sharp teeth, standing twice as high as a man, they snarled and tore into the demons' midst.

The other apprentices refused to get involved in the mayhem around them; they had their orders. Deek wove an illusion around them to hide them from the demons, and three invisible figures darted through the cavern exit a short distance behind the Wizards. They came upon them in a room with an intricate pattern chalked on the ground, with urns of what looked like blood pouring the red liquid through channels cut in more patterns criss-crossing the chalked lines. One corner of the pattern was charred, the channels disrupted. High above the ground was a complex-looking weave of magical energy, enclosing a jagged tear in the fabric of the Prime Plane.

The Wizards were still ethereal, unable to re-enter the Prime Plane with three demons snarling at them. On seeing the apprentices, the demons turned their attention to them.

And charged.

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Materials have completely different properties in the Ethereal Plane. The strongest of steel swords will shatter like glass in the Ethereal Plane. On the other hand, obsidian, which is easy to break in the Prime Plane, is the hardest substance known in the Ethereal Plane. Since it is impossible to craft anything larger than a dagger using obsidian, some magicians are known to have crafted arrowheads and sling bullets out of obsidian to protect themselves on the Ethereal Plane... - Handbook of Planar Travel, Chapter Four

Deek was already prepared with his spell. The demon attacking him was suddenly struck by the apparition of a disembodied hand clutching at its throat, squeezing and squeezing...

It believed the illusion, and choked to death.

Nevin, on the other hand, found his own throat being choked by a taloned hand. However, the owner of the hand seemed very surprised when the throat proved harder than a rock to squeeze. Nevin grinned and pulled a rune-covered knife from a fold of his robe, striking it into the eye of the demon. Smoke sizzled from it as the demon sank to the ground, the insides of its head having been unceremoniously melted.

Kenny had been an apprentice-in-training for just a little over a week, and knew exactly two spells. He didn't bother throwing a magic missile at the demon, as he knew it would bounce off. He didn't cast a protective sphere barrier around himself. Instead, he cast it around the demon, whose talons couldn't break the sphere without room to swing. Then, he gradually resized the sphere, making it smaller and smaller....

Bones crunched and the neck snapped.

"Very creative," observed Deek in appreciation. The Wizards in turn had wasted no time in returning to the Prime Plane. They were casting jointly to break the weave that protected the rift.

Nevin frowned at the weave. The loose strands at the edges led away into planes far beyond his normal vision... but why weren't they thinning out the farther they went? He cast a scrying spell to trace their ends.

And nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Stop!" he yelled, "It's a decoy! You're opening the rift, not closing it!"

"What? Explain yourself, Apprentice Hatcher, we are running out of time!" said Wizard Giller.

"And now we have even less time! The energy you're putting into breaking the weave is being channeled by the edge strands! Follow them to the end and you'll see for yourself!"

Wizard Harvin closed his eyes for a second and opened them with a start. "He's right! The real rift is somewhere in the Ethereal Plane!"

Abruptly, Kenny cried out, "I got it! It's a puzzle knot! My grandma used to make me puzzles like these.... see, if you pull anywhere in the weave, it will tip the egg - well, in this case, open the rift - but there will always be at least one spot, where if you tug sharply..." he demonstrated by breaking a strand, "it will tear!"

The Wizards and apprentices studied the knot, but Kenny was already working too fast to follow. He would tenderly test a spot, and then suddenly tug at another spot to break a strand. Slowly, the weave began to unravel... and when it fell apart, the rift inside disappeared!

The Wizards now glanced at each other uneasily. "Giller, you're the man for the job. We'll protect you," said Wizard Harvin, and the three of them opened dimension doors to step fully into the Ethereal Plane.

"What was that about?" asked Kenny.

"I don't know. Let me find out," said Nevin, as he cast another scrying spell. He opened his eyes wide and said in a hushed tone, "Wizard Verner is there in the Ethereal Plane. He's fighting a demon with a staff and horns... they're really having a go at each other, with Ninth Circle spells and such. The rift is near, guarded by a bunch of summoned nasties. I sensed a summoning pool nearby, I think there will be more creatures the longer we wait. But the rift is almost open... there's too little time for Wizard Giller alone to destroy it. We have to go and distract the creatures so that the other Wizards can help him."

Deek went white at that statement, but nodded his head. "You'll have to step through the dimension door first, Kenny. I can't hold it open from the other end."

And so they stepped through dimension doors, into a scene of total chaos as Wizards Harvin and Justyn threw magical energies to rip through nightmarish creatures charging at them from all directions. Wizard Giller was seated in a deep trance, concentrating on the rift floating above them. Kenny whispered a silent prayer and let loose the one attacking spell he knew. Somehow, the raw magical energy worked against these creatures, and as the other apprentices joined the melee, the Wizards nodded and joined Wizard Giller in trance.

As more and more creatures fell away, there seemed to be less of them coming at them. We might actually survive this, thought Kenny. That was when Deek clutched his side with a cry as one of the creatures clawed him. Even as he fell, he had the presence of mind to dimension door back to the Prime Plane.

Nevin and Kenny worked feverishly to protect the Wizards, when the battle between Wizard Verner and the Rift Guardian shifted closer to their location. Realizing what was happening, the Guardian dropped his guard to summon two creatures to attack the apprentices. Wizard Verner did not miss his opportunity, a glowing blade of pure energy in his hand decapitating the Guardian.

Nevin froze as he recognized the creature. Y'garian hunter - fast, ferocious, and impervious to all combat spells below the Seventh Circle. Even the textbook said, Run! But he couldn't afford to do that. Even if he died, he had to give the entranced wizards the time they needed. He chose a spell and chanted.

Kenny was about to throw another magical missile when he saw Nevin go white as sheet and decided to change tact. He pulled out a sling and a stone from his pocket and let fly, just as the creature flew for his throat...

Nevin opened a dimension door in front of him, just when the creature jumped for him - and it continued its leap straight into the Prime Plane. And watched in disbelief as Kenny splattered a Y'garian hunter's brain with nothing more than a rabbit sling!

Wizard Verner unsteadily walked up to them. Nevin asked him, "How long can that thing survive in the Prime Plane?"

"About a couple of seconds, then it will crumble into dust," he replied as he dug in the remaining hunter's head for the stone. "Obsidian?" he raised his eyebrows.

"My lucky rock," said Kenny, and added helpfully, "my grandma gave it to me."

Behind them, the rift snapped shut in a spectacular explosion.

Back in the Prime Plane, the Green Company were still standing. Not a single demon was. The twins lay unconscious from prolonged spellcasting. Wizard Xartan sat on a rock, nursing unseen injuries. The other necromancer had gotten away.

Deek lay clutching his side, when a portal suddenly opened in front of him and a Y'garian hunter leapt out, heading straight for him! He screamed as it struck for his throat...

And opened his eyes to see a pile of dust lying in front of him.

It happens...

Have fun, says the Doc

After being laid low for what seems like ages by an illness, the doctors finally diagnosed it and have begun treatment. Essentially the conversation went something like, "You have a somewhat rare condition but we've identified it and there are effective ways to treat this. By the way, have you been under a lot of emotional stress lately?"

Damn! Why do these doctors ask questions to which they already know the answers? Apparently my condition is heavily linked to stress, and I've been advised to take things easy in life, have more fun and avoid stress. It's a rather bizarre prescription to give a patient who is yet to hit his 24th birthday, made even worse by 2 facts:
a) I've actually noticed that my health takes a dip when my personal life pendulum swings away from "Balmy" and towards "Crisis"
b) Asking me not to worry about things is like asking a fire to be cold or ice to be warm. I mean, some people are natural worriers, capiche?

So although you may think I've been told the best possible thing by my doc - the license to have fun - the truth is, I have to face the fact that I may have a relapse if I'm not careful about as little a thing as what's on my mind!

How personal is personal?

I make no bones about the fact that this is a personal blog. I'll never win a popularity contest, with the kinds of things you will read on this blog. I'll bet many of you squirmed in your chairs when I admitted to being reduced to tears, a couple of posts ago. I know, most people don't want to know such things about me. But I take the word "personal" very literally, and treat this blog almost like a diary. I do draw the line somewhere - for instance, I've never talked about the recent personal crisis that might have been responsible for aggravating my health problems. And yet, if you read this blog, you are sharing my life. Many who read this are already good friends of mine; but a quick look at my site and feed statistics tells me that there are a few regular readers who I've never had the occasion to say hello to. I'm glad such readers exist. In sharing my life, I'm sharing my life's lessons; and if anybody benefits from that, I'm a happy man.

From Skeletor to He-Man!

Having taken a long vacation to recuperate, I'm now left with a challenging target. See, I lost a good deal of weight - an unbelievable number, actually - over the past couple of months because of my disorder, and a few weeks ago I was naught but skin drawn over a skeleton. I think fondly upon the summers when I went to the fitness club regularly and even succeeded in not looking like a studious geek. To get back to that kind of shape is going to be incredibly hard, given the current condition of my muscles and joints. I ought not even think about a treadmill for at least a month. It's an interesting challenge: let us see then, how far I will succeed in this by the time I have to return to the US.

Cheers,
Prashanth.