Makings of a Monster

The footsteps rushed upwards, armor and weapons clanking. Allonia drew her poisoned blade and hid in a shadowy corner. Ledia started to pray to Talos, but was interrupted by Winski, who grabbed her hand and treated her with a sharp look and furious headshake. He didn't want the guards to hear that there were magic-users in the room. He glanced at Sarevok, who had drawn his shortsword and stood alert, face glowing with anticipation and, yes, joy. The danger and aspect of fighting didn't seem to scare or stress him: on the contrary, it gave him strength.

- "All right. Whoever you are, come out with your hands above your heads and we won't hurt you. You are cornered in that room." A voice from outside, trying to sound authoritative. Everyone just was silent. The guards waited in the tense silence, their feet shuffling, armor clanking, someone clearing his throat. Winski could almost physically feel their apprehension and nervousness. They didn't know what they were facing, after all.

The door creaked open and the room was illuminated some more. The apparent leader of the guards cautiously entered, shield first. Without hesitation Winski and Semaj pelted him with simultaneous Magic missiles. They had rehearsed the trick before and found it effective because the spell was quick to cast and beautiful in its simplicity so that it was possible to memorize plenty of them at the same time.

The guard staggered backwards, falling on his comrades. He was already almost dead, and his bulk was hindering the rest of the guards so Winski immediately unleashed a fireball at them. Sarevok charged, his face glowing with purpose, exhilarated, laughing.
- "Sarevok, no! Stay back!" yelled Winski. The fireball exploded and the flames hit Sarevok, who twitched, but didn't even stop in mid-leap. He jumped to finish the fallen guard with one swift stab, and another guard slashed his blade at him. Sarevok ducked and countered with an accurate stab between the plates of his armor, causing him to lose his balance as well.
- "Sarevok! Damn! Retreat, I'm telling you! This is an order!" yelled Winski in fear. Allonia was hurrying towards the boy and Semaj cast another Magic missile. Ledia was chanting, the divine, dark power strengthening the party.
Sarevok's eyes glowed in the dark and he had seemed to gain abnormal speed and accuracy. Regardless, one of the guards managed to wound his arm, the blood splattering in the air. Sarevok yelped, but only started to laugh, apparently scaring the adult men he was facing. The incapacitated men and the doorway hindered the guards, who were stunned by the ferocity of the attack, but regardless Winski had had enough. Suppose the next hit knocked the boy unconscious? He started to cast the Otiluke's resilient sphere he had prepared for the occasion.

Winski was pretty sure that Sarevok would be mightily pissed off if he wrapped him into the sphere where no harm could come to him, but he also could not do anything. At the moment he didn't care, though. He only cared that Sarevok would be alive after the battle, pissed off or not. Allonia fought bravely, but was at distinct disadvantage. While her speed was superior to the armored men, she was only armed with a dagger. She managed to inflict the poison on the fourth guard, though, and the third was wounded by Semaj's missile. The poisoned guard fought Sarevok, who grinned like a wolf and parried his blows. He was starting to go on defensive, though. The wound slowed him down and his small size and reach were to his disadvantage.

Finally! Winski had finished casting and saw, relieved, how the sphere started to form around the boy. Then, to his horror, he saw that the sphere simply bounced off and the boy got going like nothing had happened. He had an urge to run to the boy and drag him into safety, but realized that he'd only struggle and make them both easy targets. So he sent a quick prayer to whatever god protected crazy children and started to cast another missile. Sarevok danced and whirled, managing to use his small size and speed to get close to his opponent, and shot a quick one upwards, stabbing the man's neck and finishing him. The blood spurted on the boy and mixed with his own. He leaped onto the last man facing them, and as the man was knocked back by Winski's Magic missile, was easily able to kill him. Six corpses, bloody and mangled, and the boy, seemingly channeling some odd energy, sat and hacked, fascinated with the blood flowing.

Semaj and Ledia were staring in horror and wonder, Allonia more in interest. Winski run to Sarevok and grabbed his hands, struggling to hold him and failing.
- "Sarevok! It's over! Stop it, already. It's Winski!"
The boy snapped out of it, centering his gaze to Winski. He just stared for a while, then regarded his surroundings.
- "Oh."
- "The presence again?" asked Winski, unsure whether to be horrified or fascinated.
- "Yes. It just came..."
- "Shh. We'll talk later. Trust me on that."
Winski took Sarevok's hand and the boy followed him.

Allonia had secured the documents they had been looking for. She quickly and efficiently messed the place up somewhat and grabbed what valuables they found in order to make it look like a regular burglary.
- "I suggest that we get the hell out of here before anyone says a word," said Winski, his voice level. Allonia nodded, and the youngsters followed the two. Sarevok bravely made the land from the balcony without complaining about his bleeding wound. In the garden Ledia cast a minor healing spell on him, and Winski tied the wound. It would do until they'd get home.

At the Iron Throne hall they sat a while.
- "Didn't go exactly as planned, did it?" said Winski.
- "For Mask's sake! I could kick myself for screwing up with that trap!" spat Allonia.
Winski wasn't about to argue.
- "Perhaps you should practise that sort of thing more often," suggested Semaj.
- "Yeah. Well. We still did get the documents, though," replied Allonia.
- "Yes. And almost got Sarevok killed in the process," snapped Winski.
- "Hey, don't you go blaming me on that! I didn't tell him to leap onto them like a demon or something!" She glanced at Sarevok. "Well fought, though, kid. Just try to be less... suicidal next time. Oh, and a hint. Don't hack a guy with your sword once he's already dead. That'll just dull your blade."
Sarevok blushed and nodded.
- "Oh well. None of us died, and the documents are here. Sarevok, let's go home. You are wounded."

Winski fumed for a few minutes as they walked. Then he started talking.
- "Sarevok. The idea was that you obey me. I gave you specific orders, which you ignored completely."
- "I'm sorry, Winski. I didn't mean to disobey. It is just that when they entered and the fighting started, it happened again. I just kept going, I didn't hear or think. Just fought."
- "I must say that I was impressed. Such fury and skill! But you got hit by my own fireball. Don't you remember what I have been telling you about area effect spells?"
- "I do! But there was just the idea of getting him, the lust of blood, and the joy and strength in me... and I..."
- "...lost control?" Winski was still speaking in a stern voice. He understood that Sarevok hadn't been that reckless deliberately, but was still angry because he had for a few moments truly feared losing the child.
Sarevok nodded in tears. Winski stopped and crouched, held the little chin.
- "I'm sorry for being this mad at you. I just feared so much that I'd lose you in your very first battle. I'm not sure what was important to me before I met you. We must think on this presence and find out how to control it."

He held the stunned child for a long time, then led him home in deep thought. He had resisted the spell like it was nothing. What on Toril was with that?