As Radulf and Lili watched, stupefied by the horror that unfolded before them, the creature's body gradually reassembled itself. As it did so, the mask slowly begin to rise until, as the body completed itself, the creature was as it had been before Radulf had broken it to pieces.
 |
| The Wight, reformed |
Inspiration struck Lili, "It must be a Wight, Radulf, we need to destroy its mask!"
Enter the Fray: formidable foe - still; facing off +Heart; 6 +2 vs. 3 & 1 =>strong hit => take initiative, +2 momentum, now +4
Strike: +Iron, +1 Masked, +1 ferocious Hound; 2 +3 +1 +1 vs. 9 & 3 => weak hit => lose initiative; 2 harm, +1 ferocious Hound; progress 3/10
Clash: +Iron, +1 Masked, +1 ferocious Hound; 1 +3 +1 +1 vs. 8 & 7 => miss => lose initiative, progress 3/10; -1 Health due to Masked, now 3; -3 Health to Runbjorn, now 1
Mark Failure Track: now 3.00 Companion Endure Harm: +Heart; 2 +2 vs. 9 & 6 => miss, -1 momentum, now +3
Mark Failure Track: now 3.25
Radulf struck at the Wight, hitting it solidly, but, as before, it ignored his strikes. This time though, it seemed that Runbjorn had hurt it. The Wight struck the Hound, flinging the loyal dog across the cavern where he struck hard and lay still whimpering.
"Runbjorn!" shouted Radulf enraged. With Lili by his side, they swung savagely at the Wight.
Radulf is frightened for Runbjorn, so will no longer use the Companion Hound asset
Clash: +Iron, +1 Masked; 4 +3 +1 vs. 10 & 5 => weak hit => lose initiative, 2 harm, progress 5/10; pay the price, -3 Health, now 0
Endure Harm: +Iron +1 Masked; 1 +3 +1 vs. 10 & 6 => miss => mark wounded, -1 momentum, now +2
Mark Failure Track: now 3.50
Turn the Tide: steal initiative and +1 on next move
Strike: +Iron +1 Masked +1 Turn the Tide +2 Thunder-Bringer asset (reroll any dice, +2 harm strong hit, but weak hit is a miss); 6 +3 +1 +1 +2 vs. 8 & 7 => strong hit => +1 momentum, now +4, inflict 2 harm, +1 strong hit, +2 Thunder-Bringer; progress 10/10 (max)
End the Fight: progress 10 vs. 6 & 1 => strong hit
The Wight could not withstand the storm of Radulf's fury and although it struck him multiple times, once again Radulf and Lili reduced the creature to pieces, its mask clattering to the ground.
Still furious, Radulf pulped the pieces of the Wight, not satisfied until they were as pulped as the animals left from its foul ritual. He came back to himself to find that Lili was repeatedly saying his name - "Radulf! Radulf! The mask Radulf, we must destroy the mask before it reforms again!"
Lili believes that the Wight will reform as long as the focus of its vow remains and also believes that the mask is this focus; one of these beliefs is true, the other is not ...
Spying the mask, where it lay, Radulf aimed his Hammer-of-Charun at it and struck it soundly. With a loud clang like a bell being struck, the Greathammer bounced off, the mask untouched.
Unbelieving, for the Hammer-of-Charun had never failed him before, Radulf looked at the Greathammer, then at the mask and back at the Greathammer. Then he swung the Greathammer in two full circles before striking the mask again as hard as he could. Once more, the clang of a bell being struck and the mask lay there - not even a scratch marred its surface.
Mystified, he looked at Lili. She was staring at the mask, one hand held to her mouth which had formed an 'oh' as the true horror of what this meant struck her. She fell to her knees and shouted "NO! NO! Holy Vanth make it not so!"
Radulf knew that Lili was smarter than him and he was at a loss as to what they should do ... "Lili, what does this mean?" he asked her.
"It means, darling Radulf," she replied a look of ineffable sadness in her eyes, "That the mask is not the focus of its vow."
"Then what could it be?" he asked, looking around the cavern - but he could see nothing that it might be. To his side, he could hear the mask dragging across the floor as the Wight began reforming - again.
Ignoring the Wight reforming, Lili came to stand in front of Radulf and placed her hand on his cheek. "My mighty Charun,"she said, her voice full of affection, "I am afraid that not even you can protect me from this. I am the focus of its vow - as long as I live it will reform again and again, endlessly." She stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed Radulf on the lips. A kiss full of missed opprtunities and lost chances.
Radulf was stunned - this could not be true! She must be wrong. All he could say though, was a very quiet, "no ...". His mind refused to accept the truth, even as the Wight reformed itself behind Lili as she stood in front of him.
Tears ran from the corners of her eyes as she said one more word - "Goodbye," then stepped back and thrust her holy sword through her sternum, into the body of the Wight behind her. Lili's torch, discarded on the floor, burned brighter and brighter even as Lili's body fell to the floor with the Wight's body atop her. Then vision was lost to Radulf as he felt himself fall to the floor.