The tightly fitted door at the top of the twisting wooden stairs was wizard locked for certain. The sharp bend in the steps prevented a strong blow from the battering ram. There would be no simple entry into this tower room, and they knew they had found Rai'dley.
With the strong magic of her staff, Corinna reached over the heads of the fighters in front and rapped firmly on the wooden door. There was a blinding flash as magical energy was suddenly dispelled. That was their cue.
Ace worked the locking mechanism of the door even as Gerrod pushed into it with his strong shoulder. Together they flew en masse into the crowded room, but not in a disorganized heap on the floor. As soon as the door gave way, Gerrod and Ace each rolled off to the side allowing clear entry through the door for Allison and Dak'gnu, who also ducked and rolled behind tables and items they could use as cover if they needed it. Last to enter were Amanda and Corinna.
Even though they had paused long enough for Amanda and Allison to cast their protective spells, they knew they had to act and move quickly. Rai'dley, as a mage, posed a dangerous opponent. With the skill that their years of adventuring together gave them, they assessed the situation and the room before them efficiently. They knew they'd have to keep the combat at long range, and Gerrod and Ace had little they could use against the might of such a powerful mage. This suited Ace just fine. When they barged into the room suddenly and so unexpectedly, they were almost pleased to see that Rai'dley was not alone. Two demon-steeds, coats black as pitch, whinnied smoldering spouts of fire and gases. They immediately knew they had their targets.
Before Ace and Gerrod could get too far, Dak'gnu gave them and himself an extra measure of protection. Even though he knew there was a good chance that some one as experienced as Rai'dley could detect such things easily, he cast a spell that rendered his friends and himself invisible. He was pleased to see its effect, as Ace and Gerrod blinked out of sight before him. He could detect them only as a faint, shimmering outline. They would be much harder to strike down.
Allison began her soft chanting of a prayer, and her prayers were answered when a large metal hammer appeared to float in the air before her. With a smile of conviction, she ordered the magical weapon away, and sent it crashing into Rai'dley's side, even as she was turning around to meet her unexpected guests.
Amanda had little in the way of offensive spells that could harm one the likes of Rai'dley, but she knew that even a powerful mage needed the valuable incantations of their spells to perform their deeds. She lit into a quiet, sweet song that sounded like a whisper, in hopes to shed a sphere of silence over her terrible foe. What she didn't realize was that this was Rai'dley's own sanctuary, her magical laboratory. Being such, it was strongly protected from such simple spells. Amanda's prayers had little hope of ever being answered.
Corinna worked quickly to prepare some sort of spell, in hopes of ending this conflict swiftly. She had hoped that their surprise could be used to best advantage, but she wasn't that gullible to believe it could ever be over so easily.
Rai'dley's eyes lit brightly at the sight of her intruders. At first it seemed a terrible intrusion. She hadn't heard they were coming, and only slightly considered how they'd gotten past her entire army below. Her thoughts, always in victory, decided that this could be fun. She had a dozen spells at her hand that could annihilate the entire lot of them in one fell swoop, but she had more devious, torturous plans in mind.
She turned to face the small band of adventurers, fear unable to register in her thoughts. She felt the impact of Allison's holy weapon in her side, but flinched off the burning pain it pounded into her. She callously considered it as little threat, and refused to let it interfere with the fun she had decided to have. "I would have thought that one of your caliber would have known better than to attack a mage in her own spell room. I see that you have brought your friends with you this time. How nice," she smiled at Corinna most sarcastically. She kept her penetrating stare on the young human's own eyes. She let her know this was personal. "You've bothered me for the last time, I'm afraid. I've more important things to do than to be bothered by your pestilence. I have a world to conquer!"
Rai'dley didn't wait for a reply; didn't want to hear what the smart-mouthed girl had to say in her defense. It was a simple spell, but very effective. She smiled at its simplicity, and the irony of this. With a mere thought of her mind, and the wave of a hand, she cast the magical energy across the room. With a modest inflection, she summarily dealt with her most effective enemy.
Corinna felt the smothering, constricting binds of magical energy weaving its way around her. She felt the tightening and the reinforcing of those bonds. She didn't need to test the effectiveness of those ties, for she knew how secure they would be. Far too early in the fight, far too easily, she had been dismissed like a schoolgirl. The paralyzing effect of the common magic was irrefutable. She couldn't move or talk. She could only watch as Rai'dley had her way with her friends. She prayed for death or unconsciousness to end her torture, for she knew what Rai'dley had in mind. It was the worst torture Rai'dley could ever inflict her with. Corinna would be forced to watch as her friends slowly died.
The magical dweomers that aided their stealth made Ace's skin itch. He and Gerrod made their way through the cluttered room toward the two fiery steeds that turned to face them. They looked in those burning eyes and knew their approach was no secret. The only thing keeping the angry, evil horses from coming after them was their magical bindings to a horrible chariot made of bone. The clutter in the room didn't offer the furious horses any way to haul the clumsy machine toward their approaching nemesis. With hatred burning in their fevered eyes, they waited.
Allison once again sent the weight of her magical hammer into Rai'dley. She knew the holy weapon did little actual damage to the powerful mage, but she celebrated each hit. She longed to close the gap and let her two swords do what she was best at. But precaution was in order against a mage of this magnitude, and until she was in a better position, these ranged attacks were the best she could hope for.
Dak'gnu used the magic of his spell to make his way silently around the side of the wide room. He hoped that his invisibility spell offered him enough cover to allow him safe passage to an advantage point behind this evil mage. He knew that his spells and attacks could do much more damage from there, especially if she didn't expect them. So with the silence of his Underworld, he moved in.
Corinna struggled against the binds that continued to hold her tight. She knew it was no use, but she was helpless to do anything else. Without the use of her hands or mouth, there were few spells she could cast, and none that would make a difference. She felt the power of Rai'dley's spell, and for the first time realized that perhaps she had underestimated the abilities of this mage. She knew that was her mistake, and knew her friends would pay for that error. It was her pride that refused to admit she hadn't heard of such a powerful mage. Now, she realized, there was no pride in watching your friends die.
"What a pretty, but useless voice you have, darling cleric," Rai'dley chastised.
Corinna cringed at the slight curls that developed in the corners of Rai'dley's mouth. She knew another devious scheme had unfolded in her twisted mind. And Corinna knew she was unable to help her friend.
"You sound like a songbird, my dear, sweet child. Songbirds belong in a cage. I think this magical cube will hold you." Another spell flew through the air, and the magical energy this time took the form of an impenetrable cube of invisible force fields.
Similar to Corinna's Resilient Sphere they had used to escape the drow city of Mezzo'Dakmania, this was an immovable cube that would hold Amanda tight until the powerful magic could be dispelled. Corinna cursed her own ineffectiveness again as Amanda pressed against the strong, invisible walls.
Amanda knew that a strong spell held her in this prison of air, yet she was determined. She knew in her heart that her god was even more powerful and would rele
ase her from this trap. She said her prayer to dispel this magic, but the strong bonds of magical energy held tight.
Side-by-side, Gerrod and Ace approached the wildly leaping fire steeds. The two horses had just enough room to maneuver to face the pair of invisibly protected stalkers. The two beasts were born in the planes of the Hells and their hatred and evil glowed from their steaming black coats. The excitement and anticipation for the combat sent clouds of smoking, vile vapors into the air that choked and blinded the two friends.
The pair fearlessly forced themselves the final steps, until the two beasts were within weapons range. This was what the two fighters lived for, and bravely swung their powerful blades against the dark horses.
When Gerrod's long sword bit into the front flanks of the left steed, the magical dweomers that hid his form flashed out of existence. Gerrod faded back into sight. The sword sliced deeply into the muscles that waved the fiery hooves in Gerrod's face and singed his hair. The beast was damaged, but showed little for its hurt.
Ace was all too happy to be rid of the magic that clung to him like a skin. The steed he faced was prepared for the short dwarf, and attacked with a terrible bite. The lightning fast attack caught Ace off guard, accurate in its fury. Long, sharp fangs, very unhorse-like, sunk deeply into his shoulder. The pain coursed through him, but he insisted on swinging his axe as he had wound up for. The wicked blade swung with his dwarven might and chopped deeply into the exposed neck of the otherworldly steed. With a bellow of pain, the mighty horse dropped to its knees and died.
The foul bite drained the blood from Ace's face, and he went reeling with the pain of his own wound. The fetid bite had struck a large vein, and blood spurted from the base of his neck. He gripped the wound with his hand, dropping his axe to stem the flow of blood. Only his stubborn dwarven pride kept him from falling to the ground.
Once again Amanda formed the words to her furtive prayer to Corellon Larethian, praying her god dispel the magic that entrapped her. Sweat from the efforts of her prayers rolled down her temples, and claustrophobia started to panic her. "Why wasn't this working?" she asked herself. "I should be able to get out of this, I know it!" She refused to give up; her faith in herself and her god was stronger than that.
Once again, Corinna was helpless to do anything but watch as Rai'dley's vindictive magic struck out again. Fed up with the pecking of Allison's unfailing hammer, Rai'dley turned her attentions toward the powerful fighter. "Such a pity to see such a strong woman only able to throw such a weak weapon at me. You pride yourself in your strength and your god. But what does your god and your strength do for you against the might of my magic?" Rai'dley asked in a cackling voice. Rai'dley reached out and squeezed with her hand as if to crush her hand around the fighter.
Immediately, as if struck by some spectral hand, Allison found her arms pinned to her sides, and under the pressure of a giant, grasping hand. Muscles flexed against magic, but she was held tight. Rage over came her, and she used the magical hammer that returned to her grip against the invisible hand that imprisoned her.
Set in place far to the side of Rai'dley, Dak'gnu launched his attack. Pointing with his Soul Dagger, he silently fired a spell from the tip of his weapon. A thin green beam of light streaked across the room toward Rai'dley, and he was sure he had scored a hit.
With the speed of an elf, Rai'dley spun to meet the on-coming spell. She knew exactly what it was, and sensed the danger it posed to her. Instinct, more than anything, guided her response. If she had the time to think about it, she never would have made the sacrifice. She lifted her nearby sceptre to block the deadly beam of glowing magical energy.
The beam struck the magical device Rai'dley used to control her army of undead creatures. The magic lined the surface of the sceptre, with its glowing red globe of spider blood, and it exploded into a pile of dust in Rai'dley's hand.
It was a terrible sacrifice to make, but Rai'dley knew what the consequences would have been otherwise. She couldn't afford to give sign of her concern, and turned her attentions to the dwarf. It gave Rai'dley a twisted sense of satisfaction to see the dwarf reeling in the pain of his wound, but when she saw the nightmare lying dead on the floor, she developed even more wicked, painful tortures for the dwarf. She didn't have the time to exact them right now, but would savor that cruelty later. "I'll do your short friend a favor, Corinna," she plied slyly. "It looks like he's ready to faint dead away before he bleeds to death. Those nightmares have such a nasty bite. I don't think his hands will be able to stay the flow of that blood, so let me." With this terrible promise of false hope, Rai'dley threw a bit of granite dust in the air and turned Ace's skin and equipment into stone.
This magical treatment did stop the bleeding, but Corinna shivered at the thought of the cruelties this made her dear old friend vulnerable to. There was no doubt in Corinna's mind that Rai'dley would enjoy doing these terrible things, and no doubt that she would continue to be powerless to watch. She fought back tears that threatened to well up in her eyes. The helplessness of the situation washed over her.
"Now THAT'S what I call a REAL stone dwarf!" Rai'dley cackled in glee.
Gerrod refused to be distracted from his efforts in defeating his chosen target. The foul demon-beast had created a large smoke cloud of the noxious vapors, and Gerrod could barely make out the steed in the midst of the hot cloud. It burned his lungs and his eyes, tearing them in streams down his cheeks. He gasped for breathe, and struck with a vengeance.
The terror-mare tried to bite, seeing what a wonderfully terrible wound it made on the dwarf. It drove its head down low, but Gerrod managed to deflect the attack with the sharp edge of his blade. The strong steel cut into the thick snout of the beast, snapping the jaw and shattering teeth. The horse's thick tongue landed with a thud on the floor at Gerrod's feet. For once in the nightmare's existence, it was filled with terror of its own.
The nightmare felt its limping pain in its flank, barely able to support itself on its front leg. Pain throbbed from its long nose and mouth. If it had been an earthly creature with blood to spill, it would be draining profusely from those vicious wounds. The death of its partner, whose lifeless corpse was still magically bound to the cursed bone chariot, saddened it. It cared little for this lich that chose to take such pains in covering up its own powers behind a mask of the living. It had enough of this whole thing.
Even though it almost collapsed from the effort, the nightmare balanced its weight on its front legs, and used its powerful hindquarters to kick and splinter the bone chariot tethered there. A spray of flame and cinders flew across the room, igniting what ever they landed on. Within minutes, the tables cluttered with flasks, draperies around the windows, and even the furniture and floors were ignited with a thousand different fires. The chariot lay as a pile of shattered bones, and the clear globe of crystal that had been securely nestled in a cradle on the chariot rolled across the floor. Freed from its bonds, the nightmare launched itself toward the large open doorway that led out onto the balcony. With a final leap of its strong legs, it jumped from the balcony and took magical flight. A rush of flames fanned out the window behind him.
Allison continued to struggle with her hammer against the magical fist that held her securely, as Dak'gnu readied another spell. The dark elf still cursed his failure with his first attempt, his most powerful spell wasted. With another thought of magical command, he sent a chilling cone of cold from the tip of his Soul Dagger toward the back of the mage. Rai'dley had centered her attention on the drow's new dwarven friend, and even as he saw the brave, stolid dwarf turn to a stone statue, he fired off the spell.
An unbearable coldness erupted from the tip of the magical weapon, and successfully encompassed the entire region Rai'dley stood in. Magical potions around her froze and shattered, and a thick layer of frost encased everything, including Rai'dley's unprotected back.
Perhaps that grin was the worst of all. By al
l rights, Rai'dley should have dropped dead at the chilling cold that she was subjected to, but instead she slowly turned to face the drow. That terrible grin of perfectly white teeth spread impossibly wide in Corinna's tortured mind. She proved to be completely unaffected by the deadly cold.
Amanda knew she had but one more try to dispel this magic about her. But with inspired personal insight, her god told her what her problem had been. So desperate had been her attempts to free herself, she had been trying to dispel the magic with her own will, not allowing her god to do it for her. It was a humbling experience that didn't go unnoticed. She couldn't afford to ignore the lessons of her god. She would never dispel such powerful magic with the strength of her prayers -- that was for her god to do. This time, she didn't strain in her efforts from the prayer, but instead placed her energies into her faith. She made the calm plea to her god, and with a smile that warmed her heart and soul, he released his chosen child from the magical box.
Every imprisonment of her friends was a personal reliving of the death of George, her half-ogre friend. She was held helpless to come to their aid. There was nothing she could do for them, and Rai'dley seemed to sense that was what tortured her the most. She felt the pain of her friends, felt all the responsibility for their demise, was killed all over again every time one of them was hurt. This time was no less than the others.
Rai'dley's wicked attentions were turned onto Gerrod. He chased her marvelous nightmare out the window, taking her wonderful chariot with it. This fight was getting costlier than she had hoped, but she was assured victory, and did enjoy this slow torture of her nemesis. She looked forward to this opportunity for a long time, though the timing wasn't as perfect as she would have liked. She didn't mind the use of all of her best spells and costly spell components, for that was what she loved. She reveled in the flow of the magical energies through her, and even these costly material things could be easily replaced in time; and time was one thing Rai'dley had plenty of.
From one of the shelves behind her, Rai'dley retrieved a large diamond, big enough to fill the palm of her hand. She smiled as she considered its purity and value. It seemed a shame to use it up for this, but oh how glorious this would be! "Oh Corinna, darling!" she called out. She wanted to make sure she had the youthful mage's full attention so the grand effect of this powerful spell wouldn't be wasted on her enjoyment alone. "Keep an eye on your lover."
With the speaking of the control words for the complex spell, Rai'dley unleashed a bolt of magical energy that sliced its way across the room. It caught Gerrod up like the end of a whip and wrapped itself around him. It enveloped him in a web of interweaving strands of golden magic. Gerrod screamed in pain, a scream that seemed to echo forever in Corinna's mind. The effects of this spell were certainly not lost.
Gerrod's body writhed in that pain, and he flopped around helplessly for several seconds as the magical bolt of golden energy did its work. Corinna could see that he was being sliced and shredded into pieces by a terribly slow and agonizing process. These dust-like particles, the only thing left of her best friend and her lover, were then pulled along that magical stream and taken back into that huge diamond. Corinna wept bitterly, for she knew that Gerrod was being trapped within the confines of that fantastic gem.
After several cruel seconds, the spell was over. Gerrod was gone; banished from this world and trapped like a bug inside a piece of amber. Rai'dley cackled with glee as she carelessly tossed the diamond back on the shelf for storage until later. She marveled at how easily one of her foes could be discarded. She would later release him, of course, when she was better prepared to offer him slow and enduring torture that would make that shredding process seem enjoyable in comparison. "My how I enjoy this," she told herself out loud.
Dak'gnu, who was helpless to aid his friend as well, was still confused why his powerful cone of cold hadn't effected this evil mage. Infuriated, and convinced this would require even more fire power, now that his second spell had been cast off as ineffective, he launched his Soul Dagger toward Rai'dley's back while she was still distracted by her treatment of Gerrod. Dak'gnu used this distraction, and Gerrod's pain, to his advantage. The Soul Dagger, his other part, struck the foul mage in the base of the neck, but didn't split the spine as he had hoped it would. As soon as he saw that it was lodged securely in place, he sent the mental signal to his trusted dagger that exploded a spell from its sharpened point, directly into Rai'dley's neck.
It was the same spell that Dak'gnu had used in the tunnels of Mezzo'Dakmania, his Artic Blast spell. The power of the blast ripped into Rai'dley, and the explosion of air wrapped around her. This might have killed just about anyone, but Rai'dley was already dead. The force of the explosion tore at her flesh and the magical disguise she wore. It rent the magical energy that she tied to her features, ripping her thinly veneered disguise away. The magical illusion came crashing down around her, and she was suddenly revealed in her true nature. Eyes of sincere blue exploded in empty sockets, leaving only those penetrating red dots of flickering life. Her delicate china-skinned complexion literally exploded off her body, falling to the floor in pieces before the illusion completely disintegrated. And so too were the illusions of her grand clothes destroyed, leaving her in nothing but her tattered robes.
It was a terrible, demoralizing loss for Rai'dley, even though she savored the shock and terror on the faces of her foes that now saw her for the first time in her true, lich self. She grinned a suddenly tooth-gapped grin as she reached around and grabbed the dagger from her neck. She had felt no pain from the attack, the dead body she inhabited long past being able to feel anything. She knew she had to act quickly, and she knew what she had to do.
Dak'gnu was overcome by the sheer shock of the situation, or else he might have been able to react quicker. In the space of those precious moments, he forgot that his Soul Dagger was still out there, lodged in Rai'dley's neck. He didn't even think of it, or consider the consequences, when Rai'dley retrieved the adamantane weapon from her own neck and held it. She admired the detail and craftsmanship for just a moment before it was magically turned to crystal. Dak'gnu knew he had lost it. At the mercy of Rai'dley's spell, the steel hardened in the heart of Thear was changed into a delicate crystal form.
It seemed it was the same swift action that had pulled the weapon from her neck that cast the now fragile crystal weapon onto the stone floor of the room. Dak'gnu dove toward Rai'dley, though he knew he'd never reach the dagger in time. It crashed onto the floor. He too emitted a long, suffering screech of pain. It wasn't a cry from physical pain, for Dak'gnu would feel none. But rather it was a cry for the loss he suffered.
The crystallized weapon struck the stone floor and shattered into a million shards. Dak'gnu, still committed to his lunging dive, collapsed on the floor. The magical bond that tied him to the Soul Dagger was shattered with it, and so too was the dark elf's heart. Before the pieces of the shattered dagger even settled on the floor, Dak'gnu was dead.
Once again Corinna cried out in her paralyzed state, unable to feel the release of real tears or real suffering. She remained safe and protected in the cushion of her paralysis while her friends died all around her. It was almost more than she could bear.
Allison beat soundly against the magical giant hand that contained her. She managed to work her one arm free, and she used it the best she could with the hammer created by her own prayers. The hand was made of powerful magic, but her faith was strong. Her arm pained with the attempt, but her constitution prevailed. With a final sound blow of the mighty war hammer, the mystical fist that clenched her shattered as the strands of magic weakened and gave way under the beating. Allison was free at last.
Amanda, who celebrated her own freedom, saw what happened to Rai'dley, and knew the truth of her being. Rai'dley was a lich! Without hesitation, Amanda drew Derik's Mace and ran across the room. Now it was her turn. She landed within distance, and swung th
e great mace with the momentum of her movement. She sent the full weight crashing into the twisted creature's side. The powerful mace, endowed with the blessings of her god, flashed a bright blue light as it connected with the evil creature.
The force of the blow spun Rai'dley around and crashed her into the wall behind her. Shelves were tossed and their contents thrown in a crash.
Allison knew that their only hope for success in this was to get Corinna back into the fray. She worked to calm herself after her struggle with the hand, and worked her prayers on the magic that bound Corinna. While she didn't exactly understand the workings of magic, she knew that wasn't her concern; that was for her god to work. She closed her eyes to concentrate on her prayers. She dared not open her eyes until after the prayer was done.
Corinna felt the release of the spell, as Allison's prayers dispelled it successfully. She had plenty of time to consider what she would do, and now it was time to take those actions.
Amanda pounded at the wounded Rai'dley with all her might. Her hatred turned into a frenzy. She struck Rai'dley with the terrible weapon for Dak'gnu, who laid dead on the floor. She struck her for Ace, whose stone-encased form ached for the mage's destruction. She struck Rai'dley for Gerrod, who had been torn apart and sucked into that gem. But mostly, she struck the evil mage for her god, whom she held above all else in this world. Time and again the mighty weapon came down upon her victim. She felt no mercy for this unspeakable evil. Amanda was determined Rai'dley would pay for all that she had done.
Rai'dley lay in a heap on the floor, a pathetic remnant of what she once was. She feebly tried to defend herself from the continuing blows of that mace that shook her very being, but could only weakly raise her arm. Her skull had been smashed, ribs shattered, and limbs broken with bones erupting through her dried, hard flesh. Still, she seemed to defiantly smile up at the young priestess who now tormented her. "No matter how hard you hit me, you'll never see the end of me. You can't kill what's already dead!" A black ichor coughed up through her mouth, and leaked out of her punctured frame.
"Maybe we can't 'kill' you," Corinna agreed from behind the cleric as she advanced, "But we can destroy you!"
Corinna held ready a wand in her eager hand. "Jicontzu!" she commanded the wand, and a green bolt of magical energy answered her command. It streaked over the shoulder of Amanda, and struck Rai'dley square in the chest. The wand worked its magic, and the green energy spread across Rai'dley's body and enveloped it in the same green glow that destroyed Rai'dley's sceptre. In seconds, Rai'dley the Mage was no more. She disappeared from the face of the world, leaving nothing behind but a pile of dust.
As an added protection against the hated evil, Allison attacked the pile of dust with a vial of holy water that caused the remnants to foam and sizzle, until not even that remained.
The three women, collapsing in each other's embrace, looked about the tower room. The furniture lay in shambles, Dak'gnu was dead on the floor, and Ace stood like a stone statue. They celebrated a victory, but a hollow one at best.
"Gerrod!" Corinna screamed, realizing the shelves where Rai'dley had put the gem were destroyed. She searched the room, and finally found where the gem had slid under a bench. She looked into the giant diamond, and was surprised to see Gerrod staring back at her. She was pleased to see that he was still alive, even if he was imprisoned in the diamond.
While Amanda and Allison confirmed that Dak'gnu was dead and prepared his body, Corinna attended to Ace. He had been turned to stone, but this was something she could fix. She cast the reverse of the flesh to stone spell, and Ace was instantly restored to his normal, grouchy self. He was none too pleased with having been taken out by the magical spell, but was grateful to Corinna for his release from the "evil magics."
Corinna pondered the implications of Gerrod's imprisonment. This was a spell she wasn't familiar with, and wasn't at all sure how to get him out alive. As far as she could tell, he seemed alive inside the gem, and was afraid any misguided attempt to free him might end up killing him. Seeing discretion the better part of valor, she decided she'd have to wait before making any attempts to resolve the problem. Besides, Amanda reminded her, there was a war being fought downstairs, and the clerics of Crystal Meir might need their help. As much as Corinna wanted to be reunited with her love, and he'd want to fight in this war, he'd have to wait.
They took no souvenirs. Instead, they could only drag off the body of their new friend to show for their win over the terrible mage-lich Rai'dley. There were plenty of items of value to be plundered, but even the greedy dwarf found no use for these things; at least not yet. If they still survived after the battle below, they would return for their rewards. But to collect now, and to die in the war yet to be fought, seemed a hollow victory indeed.
The members of Wefpub left that room. They felt an end, but knew it was an end in tears.
Postlude
The Settling of Dust