"Willow!" Serna charged fearlessly at the gargoyle that pinned the Ranger to the floor and slammed her shield into the creature's face full force sending it flying back into the wall behind it.

"Are you alright?" The Shield Maiden helped The Ranger to his feet, "Now I am! Thank you, Serna."

"You're welcome!" Serna smiled, "Just keep your head on a swivel like Lord Irzen likes to say."

Willow nodded in agreement as he replaced his bow and arrow with a dagger and sword.

Neven clenched both of his fists together and held them tightly. As a result, two hands from Zilc's own shadow reached up and seized the cambion's ankles holding him in place.

Zilc snapped his fingers and his shadow released its grip. He saw Neven through the shadows and blasted him with hellfire sending the thief reeling out of his own shadow onto the hard stone floor.

Neven scrambled onto the hard stone floor and rolled into the shadow of Major Zilc's desk disappearing from view.

"Madeous, press from the left!" Irzen cried out as he charged at the cambion, "I'll press from the right! Serna, go up the middle and shield bash his brains out! Willow, cover her!"

Madeous in turn jumped in direct line of the Hellfire blast deflecting it away from Neven before it could cause any permanent damage. "I admire your courage, son but you cannot simply use tricks to take this foe on."

"I can try!" Neven spoke from a nearby shadow.

Without warning, Zilc felt his feet and then his legs being pulled into his own shadow as though he had stepped into quicksand.

Before the gargoyle that Talos stunned could regain its footing, Irzen closed on the creature and with the full force of his blade lopped the monster's head off in one clean cut!

Upon loosing its head the gargoyle's body broke apart and crumbled on the floor.

"You're next, Zilc!" The Swordsman snarled, "Bet on it!"

Zilc craned his head to one side. He wasn't impressed with any of the party. Flapping his wings he rose up above the group out of reach. Especially with that annoying thief playing with shadow magic behind him. "ENOUGH OF THIS! Idle threats? Is that all you have to offer swordsman? What I see is a bunch of pathetic individuals who simply cannot win--urk!"

Madeous threw his sword at his mid section with Talos tossing his sword in a spinning motion end over end through one wing causing Zilc to slam down on the desk.

***BA-THHUUDDD!!***

"OY! No one asked you for your opinion, fiend!" The sergeant shouted, "Now! Irzen and company, take him down!"

Willow snapped shotted two arrows that struck Zilc in both of his eyes. Deep from within the Shadow Realm, Neven unleashed two shadowy arms that seized Zilc by his wings and pinned him to his desk. This left Zilc wide open for a single killing blow which Irzen delivered when he ran up to Zilc, leapt into the air and decapitated the demon with one clean stroke.

Major Zilc screamed in vain as the party finished him off. With the loss of the head, the body erupted into flames and only a pile of ash remained. From a nearby window, the wind blew away the rest. The surviving gargoyle attempted to flee however, Madeous sliced and diced the creature so fast that it was dead before it hit the floor in a pile of rubble.

"Finally a just end. Lets finish this and get the wizard!" Talos checked his shield and sword. "This way to the top!" He lead the party up to the last tier of the tower proper to what remained of two charred Vrocks, a mostly dead wizard, and what Irzen and company recognized as War Scribe's remains.

"What in the Realm?" Neven looked around at all the carnage.

"Is that who I think it is?" Serna asked eyeing the charred corpse of a drowling.

"Yep!" The Swordsman replied as she sheathed his blade, "I'm afraid so. Our perennial bad penny has returned."

"Cover your ears everyone," Willow advised as Irzen, Neven and Serna followed suit.

**************

Sorvor raised his gnarled hand up casting, "COUNTER SPELL!" and followed up with, "HEX!"

War Scribe's iron golem form disappeared. She was back to herself and hit the floor hard with both Vrocks on her instead.

"HEY! OUCH! NO FAIR!" The Drowling complained with both of the Vrocks on top of her, "You were supposed to break my fall again! What's wrong with you? Didn't you read the script?"

Sorvor laughed again, "Hahaha! Death will not save you, wench. Only the undeath will be your next destination!"

"REALLY?! YOU'RE GOING TO TURN ME INTO A ZOMBIE?!" War Scribe screeched in glee, "Well? What are you waiting for? Get on with it! I'm going to get a new way to die and be undead while I'm doing it! AWESOME!"

Alyson may not have the excellent sight that Lazheros has but her hearing was exceptional. The storm that she had conjured earlier was still in the sky above. Speaking the language of air, the storm hurled a series of lightning bolts that slammed once more into the wizard and his monsters.

"YYEAARRRRRGGGHHH!! ROOAAARRRRRRRRRR!!"

"SCRIBE! YOU'RE WELCOME!" The elementalist shouted to the chronicler again.

Because the Vrocks were on top of War Scribe, she too bore the brunt of this magical attack as well.

"YYYYYEEAAAHHH!!!! DEATH BY ELECTROCUTION! YYYEEAAHHH!!!" War Scribe screamed in a voice loud enough for all to hear, "ANOTHER AWESOME WAY TO DIE! YYYEEAAHHH!!!

"Crap! Apparently I over compensated with the lightning strike," The elementalist shook her head in disbelief and silently mouthed a countdown when the chronicler would return.

"Sorvor. You have lost! There is only judgement left for you now," Lazheros said loud enough for the party to hear from the balcony.

*******

Talos sheathed his sword and seized the netherese wizard. Clapping special anti-magic irons on him to prevent Sorvor from escaping. "Right. Let's get this piece of trash back down to the yard for judgement!"

"YYYYYYYEEARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!" a less charbroiled War Scribe screamed at the top of her lungs as she regained consciousness.