CHAPTER XXXVIII
in which two centaurs fall ...
A Disturbance to the West
The Silver Foxes are split up after the battle at the gate. Haas accompanies the Brenthians holding the captured Dronall and interrogates him. She doesn't find much of information of use, but is able to learn that the Dronall was not suppressed by LeShrac. Glad continues to provide magical support on the ramparts, fortifying defenses with kinetic barriers, and Ra'jira stumbles across a Brenthian strategist who uses him to relay messages to some of the Veckrans who soon begin mobilizing. When the gang regroups, Prixus discreetly points out that Elias has looked troubled and distant since entering Brenthia. Krom spots an old war buddy and leaves the party on a secretive mission, compelled to help his old comrade out with whatever it is he's doing.
Haas attempts to find Ricotta or Cadence, eager to share her intel and receive further orders, but neither can be contacted. Every attempt is met with a vague mention of them fighting at the gate, though the Silver Foxes are unable to see any obvious sign of either when they investigate further. They only notice the Veckran snow condors lobbing boulders on centaur troops. When Prixus presses Elias on what's bothering him, the gang soon learn that Equinos is on the move, somewhere in the western forest. It occurs to Ra'jira and Haas that the pillars presence on the front lines would drastically change the morale of the centaurs, turning them from a force that felt like they were invading a foreign land to one that felt like they were fighting on their home terrain. It also helps to explain the gravitational effects that have begun, unexpectedly, to penetrate the magical protection of the Brenthian gate. Sovelus is notified of this new development and the gang brainstorm plans of action. Everyone agrees that LeShrac needs to be taken out now. Elias points out that it'd be easiest to reach him while he's not yet part of the main centaur army and floats the idea of getting close through camouflage. Whereas, Glad pushes for a quick, possibly suicidal charge that neutralizes LeShrac while separated and relies on heavy hitters and the Veckrans for retreat.
The Naked and the Dead
Sovelus shows up and agrees with the urgent need to do something. The gang take a tunnel exit back outside, using varying disguises to sneak about one mile west of the gate. There, Elias begins building a foreboding, floating orb of quasith that the party contributes energy too. They're soon joined by some Brenthian recruits and, not long after, Ricotta, Cadence, and some of their guard, with the newcomers contributing more energy and Cadence helping to shuttle more gathered quasith from the city. Elias essentially creates a miniature version of the magic that destroyed Mercayen, confident that this will be enough to definitely lure out LeShrac. Ricotta, who had done some terrain shaping by creating a hill before the Brenthian gate and a diverting ridge, creates a bunker that everyone takes shelter behind. Then the orb beams down into Elias and detonates in a blinding light.
A smoking crater is left behind with quasith pooled like liquid in its basin. From behind the earthen barriers, the survivors watch and wait. As expected, LeShrac arrives followed by centaur troops. As soon as Glad spots them, he uses the electric evocation he'd been staging to strike down at the scariest looking centaur, which happens to be an unarmed LeShrac, but LeShrac is able to disperse the lightning just before it hits. Glad, Cadence, and Haas quickly confer on a plan on attack. Utilizing one of his enchanted rings, Glad blinks within 50 yards of LeShrac. He yells out his name and rips off the ring Cyax gifted him with, which creates a null field around him with a 100 yard radius. The field pops up in an instance, with some of it's edge visible in how it bisects the quasith mist crater that Elias created. Haas shrinks and makes her move, avoiding the null field and moving in a curve headed to the right of LeShrac's party. Ra'jira follows. Glad diverts LeShrac's attention to his parties' left, getting in a shot with a Wraith-arrow that LeShrac is able to dodge. The second the arrow hits the ground, two lines of centaur form a shield circle around LeShrac as others prepare a retaliatory attack.
In an open field and unable to rely on magic assisted travel to escape, Glad makes a beeline for the craters edge and dives, utilizing gravity and the slope to accelerate and escape the null field. He picks up a great deal of bashing injuries in the attempt, but walks it off after consuming some regen potion. By this point, Haas and Ra'jira are in position, peeking over the edge of the crater to see how the centaurs respond. They read the scene and see that Brenthians are beginning to amass near the earthen ridge line that Ricotta put up and that the centaurs are stuck in a holding pattern as the front lines attempting to retreat from the null field are being held up by the back of the army which is still trying to march forward. Glad stays hidden within the crater's mist and prepares his follow up attack by staging kinetic evocation. The result is a jet stream volley of 30 fire arrows, with a couple of obsidian arrows thrown in, that arcs out of the crater and launches towards LeShrac's shield wall. They instinctively aim up to prepare for the attack. Meanwhile, Ra'jira provides further distractions with his smoke bombs. Coupled with the massing Brenthian forces and incoming snow condors, the centaurs are distracted enough to allow Haas to slip through the shield wall. Equipped with her wraith-claw, she gets a grab on LeShrac's leg. As he falls into the dreaming and becomes incorporeal, Haas escapes the madness of the falling shield wall as they take Glad's mass arrow volley.
Glad takes to the skies and swoops in to carry both Ra'jira and Haas back to the bunker. In passing, they notice a centaur at the centaur of the magical crater. Haas shape-changes into a beast and carries him back to camp. She and glad use their best potions to no avail. Elias lies dead and unresponsive. No one has time to grieve, though. Cadence points out that they still have to take down another target, the son of LeShrac who is suppressing the others. And he's got an army at his sides.