Chapter Text
It was over. Ludinus was dead at their feet. Liliana restrained and subdued by her daughter. Otohan slain and justice finally served for her attacks on Zepharia and the Hells themselves. The magic circle that Ludinus has been using to break Predathos free was finally dimmed and inert.
It was over and yet Chetney stood staring at the circle, obvious with the conflict in his wolven eyes. Imogen stepped up to one side of him and Fearne the other and the trio stared out over the carved stone and rubble created in their battle. And at the center of the dead circle was a collection of large bones, flesh long dissolved from the failed summoning.
Orym stepped up between Fearne and Chetney and looked up at the wolf in time to see his ears flicker, listening for something, likely a whisper or a memory. Chetney leaned forward for a moment and Orym could almost hear a hiss of satisfaction tickle his own hearing before Imogen's hand shot out to grip his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
Chet pointed to the bones as he growled “Proof?”
Laudna stepped up behind them all and pointed back to where Ashton was wrapping Ludinus's body in a sheet to put in the hole. “There’s our proof. If we take anything from that…” she looked to the circle, Orym noticing a flicker of green flame danced in her eye a moment before focusing back on the wolf. “Taking something from that is just asking for trouble.” Laudna started moving back toward Ashton to help where she could, though Orym did note the reluctance in her steps. It seemed she too wasn't eager to walk away from the possible source of power.
Though it seemed her words did effect Chetney at least. He settled back on his haunches to stare at the bones for a moment more before he started to turn away from them. Orym didn't realize it as his hand flashed out to stop Chetney from turning his back on the circle, on Predathos's fragments. His grip sunk into the wolf's furred wrist and somehow held him still. A faint but dangerously familiar sensation flashed between them where skin touched and orym's gut fell when he realized what happened. When he knew why his body had moved on its own. And he couldn't help the sickly sweet words that crawled from his lips “go get it.”
Chet leaned back from Orym to look him in the eye and the confusion on his face was evident. “Like Laudna said, it'll just cause trouble,” he pointed out, turning his body fully away from the circle.
“ He's betraying me, sweet grandson. Remind him”
Orym's jaw clenched for a moment before he whispered between them. “You promised… don't break the promise.” he looked down at his hand, telling himself to loosen his grip but it only tightened instead. As his fingers tightened, a pulse of energy flashed between them. The pulse moved from Orym to Chetney and suddenly his wolven form shrank back to his elderly gnomish body, his wrist suddenly felt fragile in Orym's grip. The pulse of energy surged back into Orym and he shivered as it poured through his limbs.
The wince of pain was obvious on Chetney's face now, confusion sinking deeper and deeper into concern. Imogen and Fearne were long piqued to something going on and Fearne reached to touch Orym's shoulders where Imogen was reaching for his grip on Chetney.
“What promise are you talking about?” Orym couldn't tell who asked the question but he could feel energy flowing. The exhaustion in his bones was melting away. It felt like a long rest had been granted to him just from Fearne's touch and his grip on Chetney.
“ Tell them, dear child. Tell them what you know”
“You made a promise, Chet. You can't break a promise.. A deal with her.” His hand dropped from Chetney's wrist and drew Seedling from his side.
“Orym?” Confusion.
“ Come now, deary ”
The hafling's limbs flashed, hand knocking Fearne's from his shoulders and Seedling's vines shot into the ground, dancing quick as lightning to lash back upwards and around Fearne's limbs. As the vines grew, orym idly noted that they lacked their usual vibrancy and were taking on the more corrupted, twisted flavor of the feywilde.
“Orym?” Fear
“ They’re trying to cheat Nana .”
FCG was finally picking up on the issues happening and, reaching up to touch Ashton's hip, drew them both into the conflict. Ashton heaved their hammer and started running towards the rest of the group. FCG limping along behind, magic completely drained from the battle with Ludinus.
Turning to focus on the other two witches for a moment, orym knew they too were exhausted from their tricks, their magics, their resources. And yet, Orym felt somehow more than he had ever before. Breaking off from the vines lashing Fearne to the ground, he spun and slashed out at Laudna And Imogen. Both of them raised their hands in an attempted defense but magic sputtered from their fingers and the gust of wind took them both off their feet and back, knocking them prone.
“Orym.” Understanding
“ The wolf came to me just as you did. After all… ”
Placing himself between the charging barbarian and the exhausted gnome, Orym shoved Chetney towards the bones, the demand obvious in the movement. The older man stumbled over his own feet, almost losing his balance as he tried to turn around to confront the party's fighter.
In that moment of lost balance, Orym was turned to face the already injured Ashton and his body launched itself forward. He slid under Ashton's attempted hammer swing and back up into his guard, sword arm already swinging out and knocking into Ashton's knee. The gensai's step faltered and the hammer's momentum aided Orym's next attack to trip Ashton and cause them to fall to their knees. Spinning Seedling in his hand, he struck the pommel into the wrist closest to him before flowing into striking the other and Ashton's grip loosened. The hammer struck the ground with a heavy thud.
Orym almost stopped there but his body kept moving without his consent. He flowed around Ashton's attempted grapple and pulled the offered arm, foot lashing out to Ashton's shoulder and forced their face into the ground before finally, mercifully, pausing with his toe brushing Ashton's neck and the tip of his sword resting on the other side. He looked up at the rest of the party, noting their positions and the shocked, terrified looks on all of their faces.
“Orym…” Resignation
“ A deal’s a deal ”
“A deal’s a deal” Orym found his own lips repeating as his eyes glazed over - with tears or with his fading control, he’d never know - and his sword arm swung, it’s arch aimed precisely for the throat under his boot.