• Published 30th Dec 2022
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Dark Alliance: A Kirin's Tale - Blackdrag-rose



Rain Shine, seeking a lost Kirin, ends up in a new world, in a city hounded by a dark and foul alliance, and joins three adventurers on their quest to set things right.

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Marsh of Chelimber: The Onyx Tower

Once everyone was as rested as they could be, since there was no telling when they'd get another chance to do so, Rain, Vahn, Kromlech, Adrianna, and Shadow walked to the entrance of the Water Stair and let Sleyvas cast his spell on them, a one way ticket into the heart of the Onyx Tower. As soon as everyone was marked, and their ally backed off to watch them leave, the group headed into the spiraling path that was in front of them without delay, allowing the magic to interact with the power of the Water Stair as everyone reached the point of no return. Once that happened Rain found herself moving as if she had walked into an Onyx Gate, as the power of the stair interacted with the spell Sleyvas had put on them and it felt as if they were rushing from one point to another. It explained why this was a one way trip, because the gates only allowed her and her friends to travel one way, meaning that to travel in both directions they likely had to attune themselves to each one, time they didn't have if they wanted to stop the Lady of the Tower.

A few moments later they burst out of the other side of the portal and she discovered that they were in a large chamber that was crafted from the same material as all of the Onyx Gates, where their entry point was partly in the water, though for the time being it seemed like the coast was clear.

"So this is the Onyx Tower... impressive." Kromlech remarked, as the walls, floors, and even the railings looked as if a master had worked on them before the Tower was occupied by the Lady, because it seemed unlikely that it had just sprung up one day, like Sleyvas had said, but it teleporting from one place to another seemed more reasonable.

"Indeed, but we must be careful. Our strongest enemies will no doubt be in this place." Vahn stated, because after what he and his friends had been through he was sure that it was only a matter of time until they discovered the forces that were guarding this place, protecting their mistress from whatever dangers managed to invade it.

It didn't take them long to discover that he was right, or at least in the fact that there were enemies nearby, as they faced a couple of stone gargoyles that happened to be flying around the hallways, annoying creatures who loosed fireballs at their foes if they were able to do so. With that in mind the group tore them to pieces before they could do anything else, though at the same time Rain found that the boxes and wooden containers had plenty of valuables inside them, the best potions they could ask for and plenty of arrows for Vahn to use. Enemies themselves seemed to be containers for weapons, as one of the gargoyles happened to have a battleaxe that held a shock enchantment on it, which Rain added to their collection for when they reached the end of this adventure, which they were getting closer to as time went on. In addition to that the large blue chests also contained a vast amount of riches, plenty of gold and lots of treasure, in the form of enchanted weapons, armor, or even jewelry, all of which Rain added to her ever growing collection of loot that would be divided once they were done with this adventure.

While they explored the basement of the Onyx Tower, however, the group also ran into tall bronze creatures that seemed to less like an actual person and more like a creation, a golem Adrianna remarked, and with four of them attacking at the same time, plus Shadow tearing into the gargoyles to keep them at bay, the golem fell with some difficulty. The reason for that was due to the fact that it tanked most of their attacks, as if Rain and her friends were doing nothing to it, before it collapsed and went still, informing them that they had, against all odds, beaten the creature, though it also informed them that there were likely other types waiting for them in the following levels. Of course that difficulty was cut down as they attacked the rest of the golems from afar, forcing each one to awaken before marching towards them, given Vahn and Adrianna time to deal damage to them before they arrived, leaving the final bits of damage to Kromlech and Rain. Together they were able to take care of their foes as the group continued to progress through the basement of the Tower, which was far larger than any of them expected and it told them that the Onyx Tower was truly massive, meaning finding the way to the Lady was going to take some real time and effort on their part.

By the time they found the stairs leading to the upper level Rain had stored away axes, swords, maces, halberds, chunks of armor, and all sorts of enchanted gear, all from the basement, and that wasn't counting the gold and gems that came from some of the chests, making her wonder how much wealth was inside the structure.

"Sleyvas could have warned us that this place is massive." Kromlech remarked, where he leaned against one of the walls for a moment as everyone paused, mostly to rest a little, since the area was totally clear of enemies, before they worried about whatever dangers might be in the upper levels.

"Considering that he hates the Tower, he probably stayed away from it, so there was no way for him to know anything about this place." Rain said, as while she agreed that some extra aid would have been appreciated, at the very least so she and her friends understood how massive an undertaking this really was, there was no helping the fact that Sleyvas stayed far away from the Onyx Tower and was asking for assistance in bringing it down, "We should keep moving... it seems that the Lady has yet to notice our presence, so the quicker we find her the better."

On the next level they found more of the bronze golems and some minotaurs standing in their way, causing the group to pull back and use the same tactics that allowed them to overwhelm the enemies on the basement level, deal with them in small groups to ensure they weren't overwhelmed. Any loot that wasn't needed was picked up by Rain and Shadow, if the friendly displacer beast wasn't busy, or handed to them after someone determined whether or not they needed it, and if they did they would hand over the old item to take it's place in the bag. Of course they had to worry about traps, showing them that the Lady of the Tower suspected that someone, at some point in time, might invade the Tower and come for her head, or maybe she was just paranoid and wanted to set up something in case the unthinkable happened. Most of the traps were the flame launchers, the arrow throwers, or just gunpowder barrels that got set off by Adrianna's magic, but even though each one was something that the group had seen in the past they remained on guard for anything that might be different.

Still, something that amazed them from time to time was the sheer amount of treasure and enchanted items that were in the various rooms and containers of the Onyx Tower, because it was hard to tell if someone was preparing an army or if these were just leftovers from an army that had perished in the Lady's service. Rain knew that with everything they were collecting they could, in fact, retire from adventuring without too much difficulty, because between the gold and just how expensive some of these items were, in Kromlech's eyes anyway, there was far too much wealth in her bag, something she suspected wouldn't stop until they found the Lady. The potions and arrows, on the other hand, were a welcome addition since it meant they could mend their wounds or restore their mana with ease, while at the same time Vahn found that he had more than enough arrows to fill his quiver for days on end, as if he could enter a battlefield and rain death on those they were fighting. There were even staffs and other magical items that were collected and stored away for later, because as much as Adrianna wanted to check all of them out, to figure out what sort of magical potential they had, she knew that it was better to focus on stopping the Lady and that was what she was doing.

While they did that, however, Rain could hear whispers from the depths of the Tower, as if the souls of the dead were, in fact, trapped here in some manner, and one thing she gleamed from them was the fact that there was a forge, one that held a weapon of power that would help them take down the Lady. Such a thing told her more than what was necessary, as it meant that beating the Lady with their current gear might not be possible, or maybe the spirits wanted to make sure they had every advantage that was possible when they finally tracked down the Lady. With the sheer size of the Tower she had to wonder if they were going to reach her first or would death find them first, though given the strength that she and her friends possessed she suspected that they would, eventually, track their target down and bring an end to this quest of theirs. While she considered that her friends found where the stairs were located and took them to the next level, where they found more of the same enemies were waiting for them, meaning it was unlikely that things would change in the near future and that they had seen everything the Lady could throw at them.

The only difference was the addition of iron golems that had a blade in place of their hands, though they were far too easy to take down, meaning Rain and her friends had grown as adventurers if these things were falling with ease, though she knew that if it was one on one things might be different.

No one stopped to talk, mostly because they were all focused on their mission, and the only words that were passed were to discuss any gear that might be better than what one was currently using at any given moment, leaving Rain to take the time to think about what they were seeing. There was an army inside the Tower itself, meaning if it was capable of being moved the Lady didn't want to expand her own resources to invade Baldur's Gate, instead she was willing to inflict all sorts of pain and suffering on the rest of the world before claiming her prize. Everyone else they had killed so far were either pawns or fodder soldiers in whatever scheme she had been plotting for the city, lives that were wasted for no real reason other than the fact that the Lady didn't want to get her hands dirty, as if she thought herself above everyone else. It just made her angry when she thought about it, that all of those lives were just thrown away like trash, all because of what one person or creature thought about herself, when this all could have been avoided with the Onyx Tower's power.

When they reached the third level of the Tower it was pretty much a repeat of everything they had done until that point, save for the addition of tall dark gray golems who wielded tridents, which had to be steel golems after everything they had seen so far. Sure, the steel golems were tougher to take down than the bronze or iron ones, and seemed to be fewer in number due to how tall they were, but for the most part the group was able to pull them away from the other enemies in their chambers and brought them down in no time. It wasn't until they reached the Forge floor that things got interesting, since there were spiders coming after the group as well, before Rain found what was pulling her to this level, a massive forge that seemed to be spitting out sheets of metal that would be weaved into the form of the golems, and from there she followed the tug for a time. It, in time, brought her right to a massive onyx golem that radiated more power than those who came before it, a monster that would destroy everything in it's path if it was ever unleashed, but instead of fighting it she raised her right hand towards the golem, where a straight black blade, with a winged guard and an elegant handle, emerged from it's chest.

It was a blade forged from the very heart of the Onyx Tower, an onyx blade, which was more lightweight than she thought it would be, while still being incredibly deadly as she slashed through a spider that rushed at her without delay, allowing her and her friends to realize that they had the key to the Lady's downfall.

Of course she couldn't say why the spirits of the Tower granted the weapon to her and not one of the others, or all four of them since they were a team, but this confirmed that they were hoping for them to bring the Lady down, which lifted their spirits as Kromlech found the path to the next floor. This one was just a simple hall between the stairs leading back down to the Forge and another set of stairs that were sealed by some odd magic, the Lady no doubt doing so after discovering that they were here, and that they were coming for her, but Rain found a few walls that were illusions and allowed them to take a moment to explore everything else. It was during their searches that they discovered that spirits did, indeed, walk the halls of the Tower and that one of them wanted to speak with them, who identified himself as Keledon, the first captain of the Westering Sun, before mentioning that they were shackled to the Tower as they waited for Eldrith's demise, who had to be the Lady of the Tower. Keledon named a few of Eldrith's titles, as she was Eldrith the Betrayer, Triatress of Swords, and of the same company he had mentioned, along with delving into her past as a defender of Baldur's Gate who didn't know the definition of defeat, until she disobeyed her orders one day and was barred from the city, who then chased her all the way to the marsh, striking her down from afar because they feared her.

The tale told Rain everything she and her friends needed to know, Eldrith was angry and thought she deserved to rule over Baldur's Gate, to the point that she was willing to bring it all down and start again, though Keledon informed them that the way to the summit was open now, as they knew the group would defeat Eldrith.

"A former champion... this will be a difficult fight." Vahn stated, though after speaking with Keledon, and learning that he was the one that the spirit of the Elfsong Tavern sung for, they knew that Eldrith wasn't going to be an easy opponent to bring down, if the tales were true, and he suspected they were.

Rain and the others nodded as they headed up the stairs, finding that it brought them to the Tower's summit, a flat surface that was ringed with railings to allow one to look out over the marsh, plus there was an Onyx Gate nearby, before they all stopped as they noticed the female figure standing in the center of it all, wearing a unique set of black metal armor while using a sword and a shield as her armaments.

"So, the dogs of Baldur's Gate hound me once again... and this time with an unusual champion." Eldrith said, where she did something interesting, she stabbed her sword into the floor, which was unharmed by her action, and pulled off her helmet so they could speak, which ended up on top of her sword's hilt while showing that she wore chainmail under the helm, an extra layer of protection, "It is a shame, Rain Shine, for you have the potential to be greater than a simple dog... you should break free from the leash they have placed around you. Do whatever you want, take whatever you desire... instead of being enemies, let us be allies, and when I have taken over Baldur's Gate, and have assumed full control over it, I will help you do whatever it is you desire. Want the Sunset Mountains? Take them, as my allies there are dead and have no need for them. Want the entirety of the Marsh of Chelimber? Claim them, as the lizardfolk fear you and will serve you. Want another part of the world? Tell me and I shall help you take it over. Do you just want to go home? I can help you."

"I... I..." Rain replied, as the one thing she desired, above all else, was to find her home and remember who she had been before she arrived in Baldur's Gate, though even with that thought in mind, something that Eldrith could make reality with the power of the Onyx Tower, she knew it would be worth it, not with the price she was asking, "No. As much as I want to know where I came from, and who I used to be, I'm not going to sacrifice anyone to get it."

"A pity. Then you and your fellow dogs will die." Eldrith said, where it almost sounded like she was disappointed in Rain's decision, as if she thought that the power she had, the power that she was slowly unlocking, made her higher than those who were around her, though in that moment she returned her helm to it's resting place and drew her sword.

Rain and her friends moved to confront Eldrith, who parried Vahn's blow, as if he realized that arrows wouldn't work on her and swung at her with his sword, before turning and hurled him at the Onyx Gate, the arch anyway, though the same happened to Adrianna and Kromlech, they challenged her and Eldrith knocked them away like leaves in the wind. Such a thing meant that she might harder to deal with, harder than Rain thought at first, but that didn't stop her from rushing at their foe and swinging at her, forcing the warrior to parry her attack, even though it sure seemed like her attack was far stronger than Rain intended. In that moment she realized exactly what was going on, something she confirmed after just calming her mind and moving her body like her friends had shown her, focused on the battle and nothing else, where she found something interesting, the onyx blade seemed to help her figure out the mistakes in her movements and improve in no time at all. She figured it out, the spirits of the Westering Sun wanted to leave their torment at long last, and since Eldrith held them in their state of undeath, forever chained to her will, so to free themselves from her they were aiding Rain in mastering her movements, sharpening her senses, and making her a match for Eldrith.

Eldrith, as if knowing something was wrong, called upon the power of the Onyx Tower and their clash actually ended up splitting the floor in half, separating Rain and Eldrith from everyone else, a gap that widened by her will as the Betrayer made sure that it was only the two of them. Shadow, however, stayed in the space near the stairs, choosing to watch as Rain clashed with their foe, where the sky erupted with lightning as they danced, though Rain also realized that the power she and Eldrith commanded, both drawn from the Tower itself, was tearing the structure apart. Even if she died, and the weapon to destroy their foe was lost, the blows she was dealing to her, to the Tower, was more than enough to stall her plans for Baldur's Gate, where she used all her strength to stay strong and not fall to Eldrith's incredible power. She now understood why the onyx blade had been created, it was designed to counter the Tower's power, where the advantage started to turn in her favor as the spirits focused on bringing about Eldrith's downfall.

Such a thing allowed her to slip through Eldrith's defenses, surprising the warrior in the process, before driving the blade right into her chest, piercing her armor and her chest as if her armor meant nothing, confirming that the weapon was to bring about her demise, causing the Betrayer to stagger backwards as her chest became bloody.

"Hehe... I must say, you were a worthy foe, Rain Shine." Eldrith said, where it seemed like she was smiling, as if she was happy that someone could prove to her that there was still good in this world, that rage and hatred weren't the only parts still left, and yet the blade still remained, but before anyone could say anything the Tower shuddered, "And so it comes to pass that I shall die my second death, which shall be my last. If you return to Baldur's Gate, tell those who sent you that I shall not rise again."

Rain barely had time to say anything as Eldrith vanished before their eyes, her spirit being laid to rest by their actions, all while the onyx blade remained, a reminder of sorts, but as everyone let that information sink in lightning struck the sides of the tower, causing the already weakened fissures to open before their eyes. One of them struck the center of the area they had been fighting in, blasting open the main chasm and knocking her friends back towards the Onyx Gate, though in that moment Rain felt a shift in the magical energies, which Adrianna noticed as well. If the Tower was starting to fall apart it meant that whatever connection it had to the outside world would go as well, where Rain told her friends to go, as they were closer to the gateway than she was, and while they didn't want to leave her she told them that she would be right behind them. The trio stood there for a moment before entering the Onyx Gate, which was when the Tower trembled and sent Rain to her knees for a few seconds, though she took that opportunity to slip her new weapon into her belt before standing up again, focusing on the shimmering gateway.

Instead of wasting time Rain called Shadow to her side as she rushed towards the gateway, both of them leaping over the chasm that had formed during her battle with Eldrith, and as she landed the Onyx Gate flickered, going dead for a second before returning to normal... where she threw herself into the unknown and hoped that she and Shadow landed near the others, or at least somewhere safe before seeking them out.

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