Bandaluthia Dreizack

Ratboy ran round the corner, almost impaling himself on Feuersturm. The alarm had rung some moments ago. Dreizack held his strike. ‘Paladins of St Cuthbert. They come to kill’. Ratboy ran past and stepped into an alcove recessed into the wall.

Dreizack waited. The sounds of battle echoed down the narrow corridor from above. He gripped his shield tightly, presenting the flaming trident, a family heirloom, to greet oncoming opponents. The noise of battle drew steadily closer, Dreizack waited at his station. A scream close-by was followed by a moment’s silence; shortly thereafter men emerged from around the corner, heavily armoured and armed. The lead man shouted in elation — ‘another devil to send to hell’. He tried to drive Dreizack’s shield to one side, thereby opening a gap to strike him with his longsword. The Tiefling stepped back, opening a gap in the enemy’s defences. Flame and pain greeted his adversary, and the militiaman fell, screaming in agony.

The second enemy, a paladin of St Cuthbert, stepped forward over the fallen man. He lunged with a bastard sword, but it was easily parried. Still, he remained cautious, testing the Tiefling’s defences. A narrow, hidden door to his left slid open, and Ratboy struck; using a secret passage he had outflanked the paladin and with a single well-aimed blow to the kidney felled him. Momentary elation dissipated as Ratboy was speared by another enemy in the rank behind. The halfling fell, but Dreizack had no time for grief. He was now faced with another paladin, armed with a mace. Behind him was another militiaman wielding a longspear. The fight had gone ill and Dreizack heard the sounds of battle behind. The noise behind implied the secret exits had been discovered, and breached by the enemy. The war chants of the holy brethren rang through the corridors, unaware of the hate and evil they were perpetrating. The infernal fury exploded in the unholy warrior and he struck the paladin with the haft of his trident, next spearing the militiaman who had killed Ratboy. Stepping back he returned to the fallen paladin, dispatching him with a trident-thrust to the neck. Another paladin advanced. Older, more experienced. A palpable aura began to emanate from around the paladin, to no effect. He advanced, and Dreizack struck. A sharp strike at the paladin’s leg crumpled him to one knee. The paladin drove his longsword up, striking the Tiefling in the abdomen: burning pain seared him. Once more Dreizack drew the haft of his trident up, hitting the paladin in the face. Spinning the magic weapon, he brought the pointed head down and flame wreathed the paladin’s visor. At that moment he knew his death was near: such an abdominal wound was terminal. The sound of footsteps could be heard from the corridor behind him. Dreizack’s breathing was now laboured. More pain seared him from behind, bone cracked, and a spear tip emerged through his chest. Momentary blackness ended it.

The smell of burning filled his nostrils. Was this hell? His eyes opened slowly and he saw grey skies overhead, with a plume of foul smoke snaking up. He turned, slightly, onto his side. Feuersturm lay a few feet away. He rolled onto his front and brought his knees up. Dragging the trident with him he crawled toward a heap of foul-smelling refuse. Sliding round to one side of it he covered himself as he could, and waited.