Nightmare of the Lost: Part 10

The Dread Court

It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the slashing wind that whipped at the frostbitten peaks they were on. When the wind died down a bit they saw their final opponents lined up on either side of them along the walls of the highest battlements in the spire. At the end of their undead procession was Vestra Loveless sitting astride a massive undead white dragon. Flesh hung off of it in chunks and they could see inside to the fleshy bits inside the body. Vestra smiled at them from atop the dragon and exclaimed into the air, 

“Welcome to my Dread Court. Not to worry, soon you will be part of it. Attack my lovely pets and make them part of our menagerie!”

At her command, the undead lieutenants began to close in on the adventurers. Their last fight ensued. It would determine who survived and who won. All the other garbage was washed away at this moment. Their doubts and fears stood before them instead and they had to face them to get out of this alive. They were all low on spells and energy so making this a quick fight was the safest way to survive. Focusing on the humanoid undead, they completely forgot about the undead dragon still in play. 

They were quickly reminded of its presence when a large gust of breath washed over the entire battlement. Icy wind encompassed them and they had to think quickly to escape the attack. Still, many of them sustained injuries. They were now painfully aware of the dragon and its place in the battle. Trying to keep the dragon in mind they danced around the battlement, fighting with everything they had. Ramiel and Missy sustained many small injuries but BaRuhk took the brunt of many of the attacks. 

He was a beast out there. In his element, he moved like an animal, using the flow of his movements to determine where he was going. His opponents had no way of knowing where he would strike from next. Even the hindrance of having a new body to get accustomed to didn’t faze the warrior. He never stopped moving, constantly assaulting the undead around him, giving no quarter and offering no mercy. There were mere obstacles for him. His goal was now to avenge the death of his precious daughter. Vestra Loveless was the object of his rage. 

Sukra maintained healing on everyone but tried to save something for the end just in case. Her luck ran out when the dragon managed to land another blow on them when they bunched together at one point. It tried to blow them straight off the highest battlement in the spire and they only barely hung on. With their wounds going from bad to worse she had to use her last big healing spell. It saved everyone there but now she could only help by fighting and it wasn’t her strong suit. She silently prayed to Kishar, hoping for a miracle. 

They had managed to dispatch most of the undead warriors and were down to the last two and Vestra herself. They had also managed to bring down the dragon so Vestra had no means of escape from the spire. If victory would be won or lost it would be at that windswept spire that jutted out in defiance of the land. Soon it was just them and Vestra but she did manage to land a nearly fatal blow on Sukra. She fell to the ground and a pool of blood began to form around her on the ground. 

BaRuhk screamed in rage and didn’t even think before invoking Kishar. He asked her to give the rest of his temporary life to his wife. He asked that she live instead of him. He was already dead, his body lay in evidence, encased in the wood that bound it. Kishar granted his wish and he dropped dead to the ground instantly. The pool of blood around Sukra stopped growing as she was healed with her husband’s essence. His final wish was fulfilled. 

She came to consciousness as BaRuhk’s body hit the iced over stone floor. It took her a moment to stand up and notice that her husband was not moving. With a wail of grief she readied herself and used minor heals to keep the rest of her team alive. In her heart she knew the sacrifice her husband had made for her and loved him all the more for it. Because of his sacrifice, the rest of the team was able to survive and together the last three laid siege on Vestra. 

Attacking from all sides they pinned her down until she lay panting on the ground before them. She went to speak and either threaten or ask for mercy but nothing was heard. At that same moment Sukra swung her husband’s ax, having picked it off the ground as she strode towards Vestra. With a large thwack the blade embedded itself into her skull and with her died all the undead she had held control over. 

The undead in the spire and down the mountain, all the way down to the torso that egged adventurers forward to their doom, fell silent. Even Brick’s body, shambling up the mountain, stopped and dropped to the ground inert. Silence reigned for the first time on the mountains since the undead scourge had arrived.