Chapter 1: The Winged Siege
"TO ARMS!! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!!"
The stone fortress erupts in a flurry of trumpets and the yelling of dwarven and elven soldiers, startled by the sharp-pitched screams of winged death swooping from above.
King Loric of the dwarven army steps from out of the Northwest Tower and rushes to the rampart, clad in dented and battle-worn chain armor, with his ancestral shield in one hand, and a bloodstained battle-axe on the other. He sees a winged humanoid creature raking its sharp claws on the back of an elven captain, its maw lined with malodorous fangs open to inflict a fatal bite against the neck when King Loric bats the creature away with his shield. As it lies prone on the ground, Loric cleaves the monster in half.
"DOWN KING LORIC!!" a woman's voice cries from nearby.
On instinct, King Loric crouches down and feels the swoosh of a monster flying by. The King looks up and sees it erupt in amber flames. He glances behind him and sees the tall stately figure of an elven woman clad in a gray woolen dress, with a scintillating violet orb of energy pulsing in between her upraised hands, emitting balls of fire upon the burning creature ahead. Loric nods in appreciation and sees that from the elf woman's right flank, another creature swoops down to attack. The dwarf runs in a short burst and swats off the monster's attack with his shield. Dazed, the creature falls to the ground and is immediately stabbed with a spear by an elf guard.
Queen Eliara of the elven kingdom likewise nods and smiles at the king, managing to appear lovely despite the blood and gore splattered on her plain dress. Her smile quickly turns into a furrowed frown as she and King Loric hears a heart-splitting shriek and the thunderous flap of bat wings.
Loric turns around and sees a large demon which appears to have summoned the winged monstrosities in their midst. The demon's host were goblin-sized, with bat-wings. They look like deformed fetuses with mottled leathery gray skin, yellow eyes, sharp black claws and cruel fangs. Their commander however, is more of troll-sized proportions, with a savage black boar's head on top of a hairy half-man half-wolf body, erupting in black leathery wings. In its massive sinewy hands, it wields a double-handed great mace.
The dwarf king raises his shield aloft and cries, "SZHORNACK!" its name. Dwarven sigils illuminates in blue light on the shield perimeter. "IN TYPHON'S NAME, I ABJURE THEE, YE UGLY SON OF A BOAR AND A FLEA-BITTEN WOLF! I ABJURE YE, BACK TO DER DEEPEST HELLS AND LET DER DARK BITCH HAVE 'ER WAY WITH YE MANGY SPHINCTER!!"
A swirling nexus of blue light opens from under the demon's feet as a chorus of thundering celestial voices is heard amidst the din of shrieking monsters, clanging weapons, and the dying wails of beast, dwarf and elf.
The demon barks a feral laughter which grates on the ear. Its eyes glows a deep red, as the blue nexus under its feet dims, sputters and is replaced by a raging circle of scarlet flame. Inside the circle is a fiery five-pointed star. The noxious scent of sulphur permeates throughout the battleground.
"YOUR FAITH FAILS YOU HALFLING!", the demon chortles in Common tongue, its insult reaching its intended mark.
"I YAM A DWAAAAAAAARRRFFFFFFF!!" King Loric shrieks in livid rage, leaping from the rampart, his axe held on high.
"KING LORIC!" the elf queen cries aloud, while raising her arms and muttering an unintelligible incantation. A great bolt of lightning emits from the purple orb in between her hands, snaking forward and lashing the demon, which screams in shock. Queen Eliara's body turns into electricity and flows into the lightning bolt before reforming on the ground below beside the demon. From up high, the blade of King Loric's axe erupts in blue flame as it slashes into a meaty clavicle. The demon shrieks in torment.
A blinding white light covers the fortress, as dwarf and elf cover their eyes in blindness.
A few seconds clear as sight returns. In the fortress ground, there is only an empty space and a charred outline of a pentagram.
Chapter 2: The Battle Continues
The great cavern was silent save for the drip of icy-cold droplets falling from the stalactites above, splashing on the dank stony floor. A snuffling sound is heard. It was a kobold on hunt. Raising its primitive spear, the kobold poised to impale an eyeless mole searching the floor for maggots. The kobold shrieks as the whole cavern is suddenly blinded by a white glare that comes from nowhere, revealing three figures in battle.
The great demon was still screaming as the pentagram beneath it writhes in flames. King Loric landed unceremoniously on his rump, but quickly scampered to his feet, slashing at the hamstrings of the demon. Queen Eliara appears beside him in a flash, her arms raised, the violet orb spewing out icy shards that fly at the demon's sides, drawing even more pain.
The demon smashes its mace downward to bludgeon the Queen but King Loric springs to her side and swats the attack aside with his shield. Drawing the full force of the blow, the dwarf king tumbles to the ground, but is not hurt. Queen Eliara, not fazed, maintains summoning icy projectiles to attack the demon, which barks an unholy word. The Queen screams as her body erupts in flames pouring from the demon's palm.
"ELIARA!!" the dwarf yells, hastily crafting a prayer of protection around the Queen. The demon takes the opportunity to land a solid blow on the King, who grunts in pain. But the flames sprouting on Eliara simmered down to nothingness, and while the elf appeared charred, she was still battle-capable and enraged.
Harsh guttural syllables break the sound of battle between the demon and the dwarf, as a black portal opens overhead from the cavern and eldritch spheres of arcane fire burst through in rapid swarm, each sphere hitting the demon one after the other.
King Loric raises his shield and deflects the blasts which come his way. The demon, however, is not so lucky. It utters anguished screams as its body takes the brunt of the attack. Sensing an opening, King Loric leaps and with a strength belying his bulky frame, soars through the air incanting "BY TYPHON'S MIGHT!" and lands a great slash on the demon's chest, the blue flames from his great blade searing the demon's heart.
The scent of a million rotting eggs fills the great cavern as the blue flames roar, devouring the demon's body in entirety until the fire dwindles down to a charred ashen shape of what used to be some great lord of the Baneful Depths.
King Loric stands, his haunches drooping down at the weight of his heavy axe, panting in exhaustion. He still felt the last dregs of battle rage. A tired Queen Eliara leans her blackened body against a huge rock outcropping. She winces and utters a small gasp of pain.
The dwarven King removes his gauntlets, and walks steadily to Queen Eliara. "Let me help ye with that, me Queen," he says, and holds the elf queen's head between his meaty hands. A soothing coolness radiates from the King's palm unto the Queen's skin. The sensation flows from her head, to further down her body, until it reaches towards her feet, like icy refreshment. Though still blackened, Queen Eliara's skin returns to perfect health. All that's left is a little soreness in her muscles.
The Queen smiles warmly, thanking the dwarf. "I appreciate your healing, good King. You must thank Typhon in my behalf during your next prayers," Queen Eliara speaks graciously. King Loric nods wearily, as he incants the same healing prayer on his own body.
Eliara looks around and suddenly realizes that they were no longer in the fortress. "Where are we?," she asks.
"It looks as be we're in der Underdark, yer Grace," King Loric spoke. A soft, dim light permeates the cavern. In both the elf and the dwarf's eyes, it is more than enough to illuminate their surroundings.
Queen Eliara whispers a short incantation and a faint but brief spark sputtered on her forehead. "Yes, we are." she confirmed after some thought. "The demon must have teleported us to this place in its alarm from your attack."
King Loric's eyes widens. "But our troops! How do we go back?"
"I can bring us back there, my King," Queen Eliara replies. "I have a spell prepared which will teleport us back there. But the battle with the demon drained most of my energy. It will be awhile before I am strong enough to take us to the fortress."
"Our people must be in chaos without us der," the dwarf muttered. "And I di'n see any of papa snout's wee piggies with us. Could they still be fightin' our troops?"
The Queen nods, her eyes closed, the violet spark appearing again on her forehead. "It appears they vanquished the demon's minions, your Highness, but with much loss on our own folk. Fortunately, the generals we left behind took the battle over in our absence, otherwise it would have been a complete disaster. I am now communicating with one of my trusted apprentices, informing her where we are. I told her that we'll be back shortly as soon as we are strong enough for I to cast my magic. They will take care of cleaning up and coordinating with the garrison."