Escape in the Darkness

AK510-39 Cool Summer End Week 3
[Charon Guiding, Shale Resting, Cycles Watching]

Cogaday (Evening)

A redscale rager pounded heavily on the iron door above. They could hear it bending under the force of his blows. It would only be a matter of minutes before the rager and all the lizardfolk host would be down upon them.
Charmer went to scout the way through the caves, knowing that the survivors were in no condition to do this themselves. He didn't get far. As he entered the first cave he spotted a host of lizardfolk. They had found the hidden entrance. He retreated to the DeDannan passages to hold them at bay.
"We can't get out through the caves!" he shouted. "The scaleys found the entrance. There's hundreds of them."
Ivellios broke off examining the shunt's symbols, the red glow of the ten foot symbol of Tionscail giving his elven features a demonic aspect.
"Damn it! I need more time. The shunt won't get us out of the dungeon. It leads into a magically secure area that he ancient DeDannan who built this place called 'The arrivals Hall'. The magical powers at play are quite dangerous teleportation…"
"Can you get us through it?" interrupted Vedic Tanner.
"Of course, but it will take time. I can show you how to use it as well. That'll speed things up."
Ivellios explained the complicated series of magical forces at work and how to use small amounts of magical power to tip the shunt balance and move through it. Todd was eavesdropping from the shadows and managed to hear the conversation despite the clangour of the battle at the cave entrance and the pounding on the door above.
Ivellios, Tim, Appleby and a couple of knights went through the shunt first in case it was a trap. Once moment they were all standing together in front of the red symbol, bathed in the bright red glow. Then they began to glow as well. The entire chamber was bathed in bright red light. They shrank. Slowly at first, then rapidly until they were tiny pinpoints of bright red-white light. The tiny lights, shot towards the glowing symbol and were sucked to it's edge. They raced around the symbols exterior and quickly found it's core and then went through the rock. The light went out and the loud humming sound, they hadn't noticed building to a deep throb, disappeared with the light.
Todd and the others waited in the relative dark in suspense. The battle raged behind them. The moments passed in what seemed like an eternity.
Then the humming began and the symbol's light rose quickly from dull to incandescent. In an exact reversal of the disappearance, the shunt spat out two lights which expanded instantly into Ivellios and Tanner.
"That was incredible," breathed and ecstatic Ivellios Tharanaian
"Yeah great," responded the preoccupied Vedic, "let's get these people moving."
Then he noticed that Bob Charmer was single-handedly holding the north door of the chamber against a host of lizardfolk.
"Need a hand Charmer?" he offered.
"No need," panted the ranger, "They haven't bred a scaley yet that can match my sword. I can hold them. How long do you need?"
"How about a couple of days?" inquired the priest.
"If you could change that to minutes you're on!" Bob was never one for exaggerating.
"You heard the man!" Tanner shouted above the din, "Get the wounded through this shunt and guard the doors!"

Ivellios set to work and started to ferry the survivors through the shunt. To Ivellios' astonishment Todd managed to use the powers of Glick to fool the shunt and activate it do the same. The survivors were reluctant to enter the shunt with the assassin. Rumour had spread like wildfire through their ranks that he was responsible for the death of their Count. They were eager to believe such accusations because they were convinced that Todd had sent them to the roof to die while he fled into the dungeons. A shout from the Sir Torlbold Thrane, the leader of the knights, brought them to their senses, "Ye can follow the assassin, or ye can die here! Get a move on!" A brave few survivors moved to Todd. He told them to concentrate on moving through the shunt. They had little idea of what they were supposed to be doing but tried nonetheless. Todd said a quick prayer to Glick and tried to move them all through the portal. He didn't quite manage it and a backlash of magical energy arced from the shunt and struck him in the centre of his chest. He screamed in pain as the energy seared his chest.
"You're not concentrating hard enough!" he blamed them as the shock subsided. Several of the survivors smirked at this but the ones trying to get through the shunt with Todd looked troubled.
"Do you know what the hell you are doing?" one of them asked, fear getting the better of his anger.
"Just damn well concentrate you stupid peasants", responded the irritated assassin.
He reached out again to attempt to fool the shunt, Ivellios had just effortlessly slipped another group through the portal and he could sense the interplay of magic as he passed. He used the small amount of arcane power he could summon to alter the delicate balance of the massive magicks on the shunt. It was a great effort and to his surprise, the survivors' concentration somehow helped him. They disappeared and were hurled through the shunt.

"Rise and shine champ," Vedic Tanner commanded as he revived Sir Eagon. The old knight felt every year of his age as he woke, not to mention the several huge axe-gashes, broken ribs, enormous bruises and sundry minor injuries. Then as Tim called on the healing magic of Croi and the power of The Chosen flowed back into his body, he remembered he was a Champion of The Chosen. He stood.
"I'm fine," he misdiagnosed as blood pooled on the floor around him and pain contorted his features. "There are others who need you more". He pointed to the impatient queue of survivors at the shunt, palpably on the verge of panic. "Get them to safety," he sent the Vedic to help move the people through. Sir Eagon walked among the wounded and laid his hands upon them. The power of The Chosen brought many back from the brink of death. Although his healing powers were no match for a Vedic's, let alone one of Tanner's power, on the battlefield he could save a man who would otherwise die. That meant something, even in times like these. As he healed, he kept an eye on the ranger's battle at the door. Charmer seemed to be doing quite well, his hatred of the lizardfolk seemed to lend power to his sword strokes and their skills with their axes were no match for the ranger's sword craft. Sir Eagon was ready to assist if needed. He would most likely not survive another fight in his current condition. But if the ranger tired and faltered he was ready to step into the breach no matter what the cost.

After a complex and vicious series of blindingly fast sword cuts, Charmer diced through the red scale's defences and thick hide. His sword cut up into it's chest under it's ribs. Charmer took a few seconds to catch his breath as the nine foot tall lizardfolk warrior collapsed to his knees and then slowly slumped forward. The black scale behind him was almost as tall and filled the cramped tunnel from the caves to the shunt chamber. He stepped over his fallen comrade, glancing down only to check his footing. He grimly faced the ranger fear and determination written across his dark reptilian features. Bob wiped the sweat from his brow and noticed that his hand was covered in blood. He wasn't sure if it was from the gash on his temple or the deep cut on his upper arm. He was sure that he was going to send many more lizardfolk to the abyss before they took him down. The black scale's stone club was well crafted and as tall as Charmer. It crashed into the marble floor to his left as he danced to the left to avoid it. His sword swept up in a counter blow and he slashed the black scale's arm. Black blood splashed from the wound and the lizardfolk roared. This won't take long, charmer thought as he pressed the attack. Sure enough the blackscale was easily defeated, but he managed to strike a glancing blow to Bob's ribs. He felt the impact crack a couple of ribs and winced as he lost his breath. The black scale went for the death blow as Charmer knew he would and he ducked under it an thrust his sword through it's neck. The blackscale dropped and Bob staggered over him to face the next lizardfolk warrior. The next two were steel clan warriors and merely six foot tall. Bob dispatched them easily. Thrust, parry, shield, duck, twist, kill, step, parry, thrust, shield, kill. He stepped back and waited for more to advance. The blood loss was beginning to tell. His eyesight was blurring and he felt faint.
He barely managed to take down the last foe and a blackscale stood behind him. This was it. Something pulled him backwards out of reach of the stone axe that swept through the air where his dropping head had been. Bob dropped to one knew and slammed his sword forward and it struck the steel clan warrior in the groin.
"Time to go," said Ivellios as he pulled Charmer to the shunt. They were through before the lizardfolk could reach them. They howled in frustration as they realise they couldn't follow their prey. The red scale rager finally managed to batter down the door and led the main force into the dungeon.
He stormed up to the Tionscail symbol glowing red in the darkness. With all his considerable might he slammed his huge adamantine axe into the wall. The blade bounced off the wall and an arc of red magical energy struck the rager in the chest. This made his even angrier.
"Get the sorcerers in here!" he bellowed in draconic.

Beyond the shunt was a pitch black hall, crowded with wounded refugees. Todd slipped a sun rod from Ivellios pouch and slapped it against the wall. Vicious green light smashed into their eyes and they were momentarily blinded. Charmer's keen eyes spotted a strange symbol on the wall. Todd was fairly sure it wasn't a trap as it meant "Light" in draconic. He pressed the symbol and hidden light spells shakily powered up all over the halls. The rooms were all built to house ogre sized creatures and were decorated in the ancient style of the great DeDannan civilization of over ten thousand years ago. This appeared to be a an entrance hall and there were two doors out of it. One headed back towards the keep and the other was in the same direction as the caves. Todd searched for traps and secret doors and found none. They decided to head away from the keep.

Todd opened the door. Behind it was a large well lit chamber. It was a derelict room full of rotten and dusty junk. The chamber looked like it had once been an opulent waiting room for important visitors but that would have been ages past. Charmer noticed that there were several sets of prints in the dust in the middle of the floor and that they had been made at various different times. The most recent being only hours old and the oldest being months old. Todd noticed that the furniture in the room had lasted far better than should be expected after ten thousand years.
This led them to surmise that the area had been sealed off until recently and that then someone or something had destroyed most of the rooms contents.
Charmer managed to distinguish between the various track in the dust. Most of the prints belonged to a decrepit human that seemed so weak that it was amazing that he was able to move at all. Despite this there was no trace of tiredness in his steps. The other prints were varied and strange, and Charmer identified a strange clawed humanoid, a chaos beast, a rhinoceros and dire lion, a chain devil and an human sized ant like creature.
Ivellios stated that it was obvious that these creatures were summoned a arcane magic. But didn't how it was possible given that the area was protected with powerful magics that prevented any kind of magical travel, incorporeal, ethereal, gaseous, astral, phase, etc. The only way in was through the shunt. Perhaps they were being summoned outside the shunt and marshalled here.