Cold Blood: Sessions 50 and 51

Sheen gestured to the dragon and spoke again in Margone’s voice. “Hold! Give us the stones, or you will all die here and now.”

“Why are you assuming we still have the stones?” Haden asked, throwing dispelling magic over Sheen. She blinked and her expression changed again.

“Kill them all!” someone yelled from far above them, and the dragon spat out a cone of fire. The group scattered, leaving Betzalel and the dragon temporarily alone in the street. The dragon casually knocked over a house and snapped at Talan, getting a sword in the nose for its trouble, but Talan was badly hurt nonetheless. The sky darkened as thunder rumbled. Betzalel found Mal and slapped the warlock with a fiery claw while Sheen tried to divert the dragon and failed. Kal had vanished, perhaps gone invisible.

Haden crouched under a porch and tried to think of something to do. Sheen and Talan were being methodically ripped apart by the dragon. Betzalel seemed to have Mal cornered. He felt the horrible oppression of a mental power and fought it off. It was becoming clear to him that they would all die soon if they stayed. He turned himself invisible and scooted down the street past Mal and the devil. “Margone is up there on the roof!” Mal cried, pointing as Betzalel knocked him down yet again. She flew down toward the street to cast another spell and a line of bright green force emerged from another building, striking her. She screamed in horror, barely diverting the disintegration ray.

Haden cursed under his breath and manifested another mental power, contacting Mal. He felt the warlock receive the message and then raised his voice. “You’re going to have to catch me if you want the stones!” Haden yelled. Then he turned and ran.

“Flagrion!” Margone shrieked. The dragon lifted heavily into the air and gave chase. Betzalel turned away from Mal, who ran in the opposite direction, grabbed Sheen and Talan, and vanished. Sheen gave the warlock a disgruntled look as the three of them materialized in the forest.

“It was Haden’s idea,” Mal explained quickly. The fiends and dragon were all chasing Haden toward the portal, Margone screaming conflicting orders.

“Don’t get yourself killed, you idiot,” Sheen said, unable to do anything more than watch. Betzalel teleported down to the pier and was instantly struck by a tremendous bolt of lightning. Talan cheered as Halfleikr erupted from the lake and dealt the fiend a blow with his massive sword. Betzalel panicked and dove through the portal. The dragon crashed into Halfleikr a moment later, but it was slowed by its wounds and the giant struck its head from its body with a single blow.

“Best ally ever,” Mal remarked as the portal flared a second time.

“Try and get them now!” Haden yelled, invisible, and jumped through the portal.