Eicher
โThe Lord has given us orders!โ Several legendary werecreature shamans charged into the battlefield without the slightest hesitation. Malar had roared out their orders, and with him being the object of their faith their zealotry left them with no choice but to obey.
However, the secular leaders of the werecreatures grew irritable. Despite their reluctance, the shamans had pulled them into the fray.
โHow much longer till preparations are done?โ Mystra asked as she turned to Tyr. She had managed to block off the orc gods with her silverflame, and Leylin had been trapped as well.
โI need another moment, this is something we borrowedโฆโ Tyr had reached into a ball of light that was surrounded by blue sparks. It seemed extremely magnificent, putting great pressure on the orc gods.
โThereโs also some worms crawling over that donโt seem to know their placeโฆโ Mystra turned to the several legendary werecreatures.
โWeโve already prepared, havenโt we? Let our people take care of them,โ Tyr replied indifferently.
At the same time, the ball of light finally assumed the form of an incredibly sharp spear. Ilneval was rattled immediately by the sight, and even Leylinโs eyes flashed with amazement.
โEicherโs Thorn! They actually borrowed it!โ Eicherโs Thorn was a divine weapon that even the gods feared. It had the ability to ripple out any damage done to an avatar to its controller, and even gods werenโt immune to its powers. It had caused the fall of two lesser gods in history, and sent a third into deep slumber. Mystra and Tyr had somehow managed to borrow such an ominous weapon.
โHmm?โ Leylinโs brows furrowed as the A.I. Chip retrieved the relevant information from its now almost all-encompassing database.
โSo itโs from just after the dusk of the gods. This ability, and the energy itโs radiatingโฆโ Leylin smirked, โSo they actually just took the weapon of a Magus of laws and renamed it. So much for integrityโฆโ
Despite his smirking, Leylin grew more serious. He feared Magi much more than he did gods, their mysterious powers posing a much greater threat to him even as he was now.
On the other end, Ilneval sent a message to his comrades, โEveryone shouldโve heard about Eicherโs Thorn. If you canโt get away, itโs better to destroy the avatar than to let it injure you. A bit of your energy reserve isnโt worth being thrown into a long slumber.โ
โMalar!โ Yurtrus shouted, โStop being so stingy with your subordinates! Weโll give you enough compensation laterโฆโ
Pressured by his party, Malar pulled back the team of legendary shamans heโd sent to deal with Leylin.
However, their efforts had been halted before they could even re-enter the Moonwood. Cardinal Karal had arrived with paladins in tow, holding a staff made of aged maple. The cardinal chanted a holy spell that caused the paladinsโ armour to glow with light.
โPurge all evil in the name of justice!โ The werecreatures were a bunch of bloodthirsty savages in the eyes of the paladins, existences that had to be removed from the face of the world.
โWe donโt have much timeโฆโ Gara looked at the paladins before him, a menacing look filling his face as various runes surfaced on his body. They seemed to be sacrificial rites.
Chaotic energy began to descend upon the region as a large fire began to burn in mid-air. A large metal door materialised, and numerous demons charged out under the lead of a legendary balor.
This was a legendary spell, Summon Demonic Army. Its unimaginable might was only canceled out by the complicated requirements it posed as a chaotic evil spell. The summoned army wouldnโt necessarily obey the orders of their summoner.
The balor looked at Shaman Gara with hostility, but another group in the area stole its attention. Paladins and demons were in completely opposite alignments, and neither group would rest as long as the other side. Just listening to the word paladin was disgraceful, blasphemy to demonkind.
โDemons from the Abyss!โ A paladin screamed as he rushed forward, waving a greatsword bathed in holy light, โHoly Slash!โ
โ(%^!%$!โ The balor spoke in an incomprehensible ancient language as it looked at the group of paladins, its voice coarse and unpleasant.
โThe words of blasphemy!โ A white rune radiated purity from Karalโs solemn face, โThis is getting too troublesome.โ
The balorโs spell had been cast in an instant, rooting the charging paladin to the ground. The balor smiled malevolently as he brandished his sword, cleaving the still paladin in two.
โHeheheโฆ Itโs the prime material plane! We can harvest souls nowโฆโ Many other demons charged out from behind the balor, throwing spell after spell as they turned the place chaotic. It all happened too quickly, and that paladin had fallen to the balorโs sword before anyone could react.
โDamn it! You evil vermin, you shouldnโt exist in this world!โ Rafiniya screamed as she recovered from a daze, killing intent boiling to the surface.
However, the words the balor uttered as it looked at Rafiniya astonished her, โHeheheโฆ A legendary paladin? No, I smell a whiff of energy from those idiots in Baator on youโฆโ
โI am a paladin, protector of justice. Donโt try to ruin my reputation!โ
Even Karal didnโt put any stock in the demonโs words. They only served to agitate the paladin, and she radiated powerful energy as she drew her sword and entered a frontal clash with it.
โKill!โ The other paladins looked each other in the eye before charging forward to meet with the demon army.
A scene of chaos began to unfold.
The battle of the gods had reached its zenith at this moment. Eicherโs Thorn had absorbed all the light around it, and the spear had come to float in the air as Tyr pointed it at Malar.
*Whoosh!* The spear pierced through space to arrive at Malar in an instant. The Beast Claws had already been damaged once, and a hole was pierced through them with this attack. The spear moved forward unthwarted, heading towards Malarโs brows.
โROAR!โ The avatar could only cry in indignance as it exploded, filling the skies with divine light.
Seeing the situation worsening, Ilneval shouted at Leylin, โDamn it, do you still want to keep us engaged? Malarโs avatar has already fallen, there is nothing left here that you would wantโฆโ
โOf courseโฆ Not!โ Leylin agreed immediately, just as Ilneval expected. He retracted his massacre domain, immediately reducing the pressure the three remaining gods had to face. However, none of the three noticed a spot of red light landing amongst them.
โThatโs right, we can stillโฆโ Before Ilneval could heave a sigh of relief, Leylinโs next actions left him stupefied.
[Beep! Silverflame has been analysed, beginning protection with the Shadow Weave.] Leylin immediately dashed towards the fire in the sky, as if he was committing suicide. However, a dark web seemed to cover his body as he came into contact with the flames, cancelling out with the Weave and allowing Leylin to escape.Without the spatial lock of the silver flames, Leylin immediately cast a teleportation spell. White light flashed on his body as he immediately left the Moonwood.
โThisโฆโ It wasnโt just Ilneval that was dumbstruck. Even Tyr, controlling Eicherโs Thorn from the outside, gasped.
Of course, the one under the most duress was the Goddess of the Weave. โThe Weave,โ Mystra muttered, but then she grew silent for a moment. โNoโฆ the Shadow Weave! SHAR!โ She spat out the name of her rival.
โShar? The Goddess of Shadows?โ Tyr seemed to have recalled something, โDidnโt she fall already?โ
โI canโt be wrong, thatโs the Shadow Weave,โ Mystra confirmed. The Shadow Weave was primal and childish, but it had once been a prototype of the current Weave. How could she not recognise it?