The Skalawags

4. Chimera

The companions stumble through the doorway. A moment of disorienting blackness had swallowed them all and now they stood in a dark room.

Shadows engulfed the edges of the space. The only light came from a single white beam, which shone down on a lone figure seated in an ornate wooden chair. A clanging came from behind them as the clown portal's mouth closed, sealing off their exit.

"Can you see the fairies?" The Mole sniggered.

"Shut up imbecile." Verigar had no time for this. "Who are you?" He called to the seated figure.

Slowly the man unravelled himself from the chair to stand tall before them. He carried a vast array of weapons which seemed to shift in his hands, one moment a flail, the next a dagger, then a rapier, then a bow. His clothing seemed to shift and shimmer, differing forms of leather armour. His face was striking. The more Verigar stared at it the more he got the feeling that he was looking at himself or The Mole or perhaps the tattoos on Doug's face.

The man seemed to be a representation of all of them, even Gram.

"Give to me a treasured memory and I will let you pass." The voice seemed to resonate around the room echoing off distant walls, unseen through the darkness.

"What if I don't?" Verigar roars as he begins to swing his flail pacing towards this new enemy.

"Then you will stay here. A memory is all I want; you will not even know it is gone I will replace it with one of my own." The figure takes a pace forwards drawing a pair of daggers from their sheaths and spinning them through its fingers. "Shall we dance little man?"

Verigar closes the distance between them and swings his flail wide in fury, narrowly missing his nimble foe who steps back whilst humming a tune to himself.

"Does anyone want to pass? A treasured memory is all I ask. I don't want to fight you anymore. A memory to go through the door."

The figure turns to face The Mole who shouts over to him, "The memory of my first kiss, you can take that."

"Not good enough. You know she had bad breath and you did not care for her. Make it something special..." The mans voice calls out. "Let Chron take it from you."

"Alright then. Take my memory of when I took down the Silent Blade syndicate." No sooner had The Mole spoken the words than he suddenly remembered the time when his first love was slain by a demon. The elf's hand reaches into his pocket to stroke the lock of hair he keeps there to remind him of her.

"You may pass." The man calls dodging another wild attack from Verigar.

"Take my memory of the first loaf I baked after marrying my husband." Gram calls.

"You may pass."

Chester shouts out, "My first piano lesson!"

"You may pass." The man points to two doorways which have appeared either side of the room.

"Help me out here. This is man is a devil and he needs to be killed! If it dies, we can all pass!" Verigar slams his shield into the man knocking it back into the chair.

Doug moves fluidly across the floor, casting his net to entangle the man and then following up by slamming his short sword through its chest. The figure slumps down as he pulls his weapon free, flicking blood across the floor.

"I am with you. He dead now. Which door do we go through?" Doug asks turning to Verigar.

Chester begins to babble he sees before him that the man was himself and his companions killed him. As his mind tears, he runs wildly about the room shouting unintelligibly.

The figure on the chair stands up once again, the net falling to the floor at its feet. "All I require is a memory. Dwarf, what will you give?"

"Nothing but the taste of steel." Verigar swings his flail hitting the figure square in its scared and tattooed chest.

It staggers back.

Aehorn fires her bow and the shaft appears protruding from the figures left eye socket. Once again it slumps into the chair.

"I would give the memory of my first kill!" She yells in victory.

As the figure stands once again it says, "You may pass." And Aehorn recalls the time she was at a wedding dressed as a toadstool. She shakes her head in confusion and moves to try and restrain Chester before he does himself harm.

Doug roars in anger. "Kill me would you. I'll kill you all." He rushes for Chester as he is scampering past. Grabbing him by the throat, he holds him high in the air. The gnome's feet kick weakly at the goliaths chest as his face begins to darken.

Verigar draws on all his years of experience leading the dwarven clan in battle and calls to Doug, "Soldier. Drop that gnome. Our true enemy stands before me. With your strength we can win this day. I tell you to attack, with me!"

Something in the tone of his voice must have struck a chord with Doug's maddened brain for the big man drops Chester, who is quickly pulled away by Aehorn, and turns to once again face Chron.

"If you attack the deal is off. A memory and you can pass."

Verigar scans his companions. He sees that they are in no fit state for prolonged combat. "The day I first held an axe in anger."

"You may pass."

The figure sits down in the chair idly throwing one leg over the arm of the chair, sheathing its weapons.

Verigar heads towards the door to the right. The companions follow.