Title-- The Demon-God of Jubagh (part twenty)
Rating and Warnings-- PG; mild language and some violence.
Cast-- Rai Gerring, defected black magician (human man); Brandon "Exile" Styhan, exiled paladin-warrior (human man); Lhafa Softstep, possessed spirit warrior (baghan woman); Erick Glessen, paladin knight-exemplar (human man).
Previously-- Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen, Part Seventeen, Part Eighteen, Part Nineteen.



As Erick's mouth shaped into a round 'O' of shock, blazing holy fire engulfed him from boot to ponytail. Brandon didn't lower his hand, golden eyes glistening in the light and heat of the small inferno; he maintained the flames for several long, poignant seconds.

The bonfire abruptly died, and the exiled paladin stepped back half a pace in surprise. Erick stood untouched, a holy shield glittering around his body and a firmly disapproving look on his face. "Brother Styhan," he stated, "I will let that attack pass. Do not try anything else, or I will be forced to fight back."

Brandon spat. "Go right ahead, Brother Glessen," he sneered. "Last I saw you, you were barely managing to survive training."

Erick's brows fell, expression darkening. "It's been a long three years, Brother. I hold the title of Knight Exemplar now." He simply nodded when Brandon looked shocked. "After you left for your last assignment, I focused on my training, rather than getting in trouble. Please, Brother. I have no wish to fight you. If you come with me without any more hassle, I'll even leave your little mage intact." Pleadingly, he extended empty hands; the shield around him faded to nothing.

"I have business here, Erick," the exile growled, choosing his words with deliberate care. "The local hexers are trying to unleash a demon-god and let it loose in the universe. My companions and I are going to kill the summoners and stop it from happening. Anything you want with me will have to wait until after the battle, assuming I survive."

"By the Light, Brother! Are you mad, interfering this much in a world not our own?!"

Brandon let out a long-suffering sigh. "As we speak, they're gathered nearby to summon Zeh Gurhai. Our little show probably let them know that something's going on, so we lost the element of surprise. If this god gets loose, it'll spread plague and violence. That's enough for me to help shut it down."

Erick, too, sighed. "Brother, you should have studied more. I remember reading about the Gurhai gods. They're minor vengeful spirits that kick up enough noise to make primitive people think they are gods. Zeh isn't even the most powerful of them. It would corrupt a small plot of land and then live off the twisted life-forms indefinitely." Erick was shaking his head. "You got fooled, Brother. There is no real danger here."

Rai and Lhafa exchanged hushed words in the baghan language as Brandon remained silent. Behind the two paladins, the magician spoke quietly, voice strained. "She disagrees, Brandon. Kerrek told her the stories involving Zeh Gurhai. She's positive it would be world-wide destruction."

"Who gave you permission to speak, mage?" Erick snapped, lifting a hand as his blue eyes greened and then yellowed. He hesitated a second as the baghan woman stepped in front of the weakened magician, her talisman blazing silver.

"I do not know you," she said calmly in her own tongue, "and I can see that you are another holy man. But you will not harm these holy men while I yet stand."

"Hear that, Rai?" Brandon chuckled. "You're a holy man too, now." He moved towards Erick and closed his hand around the other man's wrist, then forced the knight's arm back to his side again. "Behave yourself, Erick. Exemplar or not, I'm thinkin' you'd have a helluva fight against a paladin, a black magician, and a ... tribal berserker." He gave the other warrior a wide, toothy grin.

"You've lost your bloody mind within a month of being on this world, Brother," Erick sputtered, tearing his wrist free with considerable effort. Brandon simply smiled, too close for comfort. "Don't lie to me, either. I studied Jubagh on the journey here. There's no such thing as a tribal berserker."

"You're lookin' at the first one," Brandon laughed. "She's a new breed. And believe me, you don't wanna mess with her. So," he clapped a heavy hand on Erick's shoulder, "why don't you just wait for us to finish saving the world, and then we'll chat, hmm?"

"No. Absolutely not." The knight scowled, shrugging away his ex-comrade's hand. "Time is of the essence. Your assignment is far bigger than a Gurhai escaping its prison."

Brandon shrugged. "Have it your way." With surprising speed, his fist connected with Erick's jaw, his other hand ripping the broadsword from the paladin's hip as he staggered backwards. A quick blow with the flat of the still-sheathed blade across the head sent the armored warrior crashing to the ground. "Chain him, Rai."

Shadows slithered up from the ground and coiled suffocatingly around the fallen man's limbs and throat. "He'll stay unconscious until I say otherwise," the magician muttered. "Lessened airflow will keep him out."

"Just don't kill him," Brandon grunted, strapping the sword around his waist. "We don't need a bounty on your head again."

"Is he your enemy?" Lhafa asked, looking confused at the alien words they'd been using.

Rai switched to the baghan tongue with an apologetic look. "Yes... well, no. Er. Brandon, is he our enemy?"

Brandon shrugged loosely. "Depends, really, Softstep. Look, he ain't gonna fight you, so he's not your enemy."

"Your enemies are my enemies," she countered.

He sighed at her stubbornness. "Well, uh, then... yeah, I don't really know. He's an old friend of mine, but he'd kill Rai if he got the chance, and he ain't gonna be too pleased with me when he wakes up. Assuming, y'know, that we live long enough to let him wake up." He glanced towards their eventual destination. "They're gonna be on high alert with all this."

"Lhafa? Is Kerrek still unconscious?" Rai asked, shooting her a concerned look.

She nodded. "Yes. I do not think he will wake up soon."

Brandon hid a grin, then paused thoughtfully. "You know... I could use that," he mused, eyeing Erick's armor.

"Wouldn't fit you," Rai said dismissively, "and most of the combat will probably be magical anyway." He stepped over to the shadow-bound knight and knelt, carefully removing a few long strands of brown hair and a piece of a fingernail. "For my protection, of course," he said to Brandon as he tucked the objects away inside a sleeve.

"Uh-huh. Right." The ex-paladin rolled his eyes without actually protesting, then glanced at the baghan. "Softstep... you think there'll be spirit warriors with the hexers?"

"Without a doubt," she affirmed. "The tribesmen will be excluded, however. We might be able to avoid them entirely with some of his darkness magic," she added, nodding towards Rai.

"That, I can do." The magician smiled past an apprehensive look, then reverted to his own language. "Brandon... how did he find us? And just how close to here did he land, anyways? I'm worried that he might have back-up."

"He found us by tracking me. Exiled or not, those of the Order can always find others. Takes concentration, I mean, which is why I didn't really realize he was here until it was too... la...te..." He trailed off.

Rai met his gaze. "Go ahead, see if you can sense any others." Darkness seeped up from the shadows of the trees, sealing the four of them off from the rest of Jubagh. "We're hidden for the moment. If he could find you through this, no reason to think you can't find others through it, as well."

Brandon nodded and squatted, closing his eyes as they began to lighten from dark brown towards gold.

"...what is he doing?" Lhafa asked quietly, eyeing the paladin as pale light began to collect and billow like mist against his skin.

"Seeing if there are others like this guy around," Rai answered, pointing a slippered toe at Erick's motionless form. "He... his name is Erick Glessen, from what I gathered. He's a .. holy man, like Brandon. He needs Brandon to help him with something important, and he doesn't think that Zeh Gurhai is a threat. That's why I asked you earlier how much of the stories you knew. He may have companions nearby who will..." He trailed off with a frown, studying Brandon.

"Who will what?" she asked, also watching the entranced paladin.

"...who will fight to take Brandon away," Rai finished, voice low. "Who will try to kill me, and who might try to ensorcel you so that you don't remember us at all." He paused, then turned towards her. "That much I can protect you against. Stay still."

"Why would they want to kill you and make me forget?" She held still as his hands rose to her temples. Darkness spread from the shadows in his wide sleeves to seep into her pale fur and line her skin in arcane symbols.

"Because those people hate what I used to be, and they won't realize that I'm not that thing any longer," he answered somberly. The symbols began to fade as he dropped his hands back to his sides. "And they'll make you forget because we aren't supposed to interfere in your culture. But that ward should keep your mind intact for a few days. This will be over well before then... one way or another."

"Rai? Softstep?" Brandon's voice was raspy, as though rusted from lack of use. Both turned to him as he looked up, blinking groggily.

"He sure as hells did have friends, and they're almost here."