Nacht hissed back at the flying deep one, twin masterwork gladii and twin masterwork daggers poised to slaughter the sea-being that challenged The Beetle Man. Nacht let the deep one come to it, and deftly parrying a thrust of the deep one's trident with one gladius, plunged the other and the twin daggers into the places in the shark-headed being's body that weren't protected by the alien scale-mail it wore. The deep one's response was hardly what Nacht had anticipated--it barely sighed at what should have been a lethal sum of piercings, and the blades failed to pierce as deeply as Nacht had expected them to. In German, Nacht croaked to itself, "This flesh is not normal flesh...."
Then Tyr remembered that only magic or silver weapons could inflict their full damage against a deep one, similar to the resistances of lycanthropes. They were, after all, shapechangers, albeit with a shift that was gradual, inevitable, and permanent. "Magic or silver weapons alone can fully harm this monster!" Tyr warned the others, first in German, since it was attacking Nacht, then in English for the rest. "Foereaper will make quick work of this deep one!" Alphonse vowed, and charged the deep one with the divinely-gifted scythe upraised to smite the evil foe! At the same time, Paddy tumbled behind the deep one to stab at its unarmored dorsal-fin, but the shark-headed being suddenly twisted and parried the Irishman's thrust with the jagged bronze tines of the trident! "Damn ye back to the seas o' The Abyss!" Paddy cursed at the deep one. This left its throat open to the invisible Hisao's wakizashi, and the ninja appeared as a red gash was opened in the pale flesh under the toothy shark's-maw, but it did not cut as deeply as Hisao had hoped, for the deep one still stood, and fought with no less fury!
Nacht continued to rain rapid blows down on the shark-head or where the armor failed to cover its muscular arms, legs, or fins, and though his weapons were less effective than they would have been against a normal creature, they drove the deep one backward and kept it focused mostly on defense. Nonetheless, the deep one managed twice to deeply wound Nacht with the triple-tined trident, triple pierce-wounds that soon closed up and became faint scars as Nacht concentrated briefly on healing itself. As Paddy and Hisao, who now flanked the deep one with the rogue, continued to distract the monster, Alphonse shouted, "In the name of Our Lord Christ, I smite thee, sea-demon!" and Foereaper came around in a swift, certain arc, neatly decapitating the shark-like head, which tumbled from the broad shoulders and bounced across the flagstone floor! The headless deep one dropped onto its webbed, clawed feet, staggered a few steps backward, then collapsed in a briefly-twitching heap before falling still.
"Good work, friends," Tyr sighed in relief, adding, "My apologies for not being more useful in that fight, but you all surrounded the deep one so quickly, I could get no clear shot with either bolt or firebomb." "Do not apologize, noble son of Magnus," Alphonse said with a smile at Tyr, "for your knowledge of our foes alone makes you a worthy companion in our quest." The others nodded in agreement, Nacht simply mimicking this motion as it tried to fathom the mysterious ways of these surface-beings. "I'm glad all my time cloistered in libraries is paying off," chuckled Tyr, then added, "This encounter with a being from the watery deeps has reminded me that we almost forgot about the special key hidden somewhere out there...." The Norse alchemist-sage pointed to the wall of murky water in the open doorway. "By Saint George, you're right!" swore Alphonse. Turning to Paddy, Tyr inquired, "Still up for a swim, Paddy?" The rogue shrugged, then replied, "Well, surely that deep one was the last o' the dangers swimming 'round out there, right?" "Famous last words," muttered Hisao in Nipponese under his breath.
So Paddy produced and quaffed one of the potions of water breathing he'd purchased at the apothecary shop near Notre Dame Cathedral, and as he felt its magic effect taking place in his lungs, he dove through the doorway into the murky water that now filled the cistern vault to its ceiling. He was relieved to find that the potion worked as the apothecary had promised. Looking up at the top of the domed structure as he swam down to skim the bottom in search of the key that would unlock the strange brass-plated door, Paddy could see the very top of the diving bell sticking up above the apex of the dome, and the thick chain hooked to it that ascended through another circular shaft in the ceiling of the cistern vault. Schools of albino fish swam here and there, but no other dangerous aquatic creatures confronted him, to his considerable relief. After about half an hour of swimming around near the bottom, scanning the algae-clad debris that lay in heaps on the cistern floor, the young rogue was just about to give up, when a small object caught his eye.... It was a brass key--the goat-head key! Paddy snatched the prize up and swam back to the doorway in the dome. Stepping nimbly into the dry interior, he grinned at his companions' expectant faces, and held up the goat-head key to their applause, Nacht awkwardly clapping all four gloved hands in imitation of the others. "Now," said Paddy, completely soaked from his swim, "let's see what lies behind that brass door!"
Hisao, Nacht, and Tyr took water breathing potions out of pouches or bandolier compartments, and were about to uncork and imbibe them, but Alphonse suddenly held up a gauntleted hand and urged them to wait, claiming "Some quiet inner voice spoke to me just now.... I know not whether it be the voice of The Father, The Son, or The Holy Spirit.... Yet I know it comes from Heaven.... It tells me that we should first track down the necromancer and bring him to justice.... For behind the brass door, we shall find a burden too heavy--nay, too precious--to risk bearing into the perils we must surely yet face in our quest to slay the necromancer.... No, my friends," continued Alphonse, "let us first use yonder bell to reach the townhouse above, for surely, that is where it must lead, and that is where we must find our evil foe. Then, when all dangers have been eliminated, we shall be free to open the brass door, and behold whatever....or whomever....lies beyond." The others considered Alphonse's warning, and decided to follow the knight's divinely-inspired advice.
So The Lusty Fools instead climbed the rope ladders up into the diving bell, where yet another lever could be seen affixed to the bell's inner apex. Hisao, who was closest to the lever, gave it a pull, and with a ratcheting and clanging of gears and chain, the diving bell lurched upward and upward, continuing its ascent through the murky water between the top of the domed stronghold and the top of the vast cistern vault. There, it passed through a great hole into a large, dry chamber within the townhouse, swung over so that the bottoms of the four rope ladders the companions clung to brushed against solid floor, and creaked to a halt. Climbing down to the floor below, which was tiled with hexagonal tiles of aquamarine-streaked marble, the heroes found themselves in a spacious room, halfway below street level, as the single window in the west wall revealed. Through this window, which was paned with dark-blue-tinted glass, came the sounds of passers by, cart wheels rolling over cobblestone, the clop-clop of horse hooves, the cries of vendors hawking wares from street carts, and other city sounds. In the east wall was a red-painted door with brass knob and hinges. The room held no other furnishings.
Suddenly, another sound became audible above the street sounds coming through the blue-glass window. This was the notes of a pipe organ, coming faintly from somewhere to the east and above within the townhouse, perhaps from some upper-floor room. The notes wove into a somber fugue in the Phrygian mode, with the sad character of a funeral dirge. "Why do I get the feeling that sad music is being played for us?" wondered Paddy out loud. "I'll bet it's being played by Pierre the Necromancer," ventured Tyr. "Then let us bring his music and his wretched life to a final cadence!" suggested Alphonse. Hisao nodded in agreement before remembering he was invisible again, and then spoke out in English, "I am following." Nacht merely observed and listened, trying to puzzle out the meanings of these surface-beings' unfamiliar words.
Paddy moved over to the red door with brass knob and hinges, from beyond which wafted the faint strains of the somber fugue, and carefully searched the portal for traps. He soon detected the presence of a cleverly-hidden catch on the side of the brass knob, which he felt certain was the trigger for either some deadly trap, or at least, an alarm of some kind. Fishing out a file and other tools from his kit of thieves' tools, he quietly set to work disarming the suspected trap. Instead, he accidentally triggered it, but with cat-like reflexes, the young rogue tumbled away from the door as a dart, coated with wyvern venom, flew from a hidden housing next to the brass knob, narrowly missing Paddy. "Well, it's disarmed," chuckled the rogue, when he saw that none of his companions had been struck by the lethal dart. "Hai," agreed Hisao's disembodied voice from near by. Paddy then crossed himself with his Saint Patrick charm, and pulled on the knob, hoping there were no more traps warding the red door. It swung open, revealing a foyer beyond, where a spiral staircase swept upward to a balustraded balcony overlooking the marble-tiled floor of the foyer, and beside the stairs, a pair of sturdy-looking doors stood, barred from within, which must surely open out onto a front portico, or perhaps right onto the cobbled street. But what drew all five of the companions' attentions were a pair of figures clad in full suits of plate armor, flanking the double doors. Unholy red flames burned where the eyes should be through the narrow eye slits in the visored helms, and the pair brandished halberds. The armored figures clanked as they lurched toward Paddy with their halberds raised to strike!
In the brief skirmish that ensued, The Lusty Fools fought as a team, for they had begun to anticipate each other's tactics, now that they had fought together against various foes. The visored helms were struck off each of the armored figures, one by a blow from Alphonse's scythe-blade, which crackled with holy energy to scorch the fleshless skull beneath the helm, and the other by a blow from Hisao's cold iron mace, also revealing the skull of an undead skeleton beneath! "These are not common undead skeletons," warned Tyr, "but a more potent kind known as skeletal champions!" The Norseman lobbed a firebomb that burst on the floor behind and between the two skeletal champions, catching them both in its fiery blast, but avoiding the other Lusty Fools, then he continued, "Fight them as you would any other undead skeleton--with blunt weapons, if you have them--but know that they will prove a good deal more durable than those we've thus far encountered!"
Indeed, the two skeletal champions fought on longer than any of the common undead skeletons the company had ever faced before, except for the skeletal acid dragon in the moat below; but the young heroes eventually prevailed, thanks largely to the holy power of Alphonse's divinely-gifted scythe, Foereaper, which blasted the skeletal champions with holy energy on every mighty strike. Once the two undead guardians lay still on the foyer floor, The Lusty Fools followed the sound of the pipe organ, which had continued the somber fugue as they were fighting the skeletal champions, and still continued to play, now more clearly coming from beyond a door up on the balcony overlooking the foyer. The heroes raced up the spiral staircase to the balcony, and cautiously approached the door from behind which came the sinister music of the pipe organ.
Again, the others waited while Paddy searched the door for traps. The pipe organ music seemed to be building to a cadenza as the rogue determined that the door was free of traps. With a glance at the others to make sure they were ready for the imminent encounter with their quarry, Paddy threw the door wide, revealing an opulently furnished music room, dominated by an impressive pipe organ on the far wall, where a tall, gaunt figure in a black robe and cowl sat with back turned to the doorway. Whether by design or coincidence, it was at that moment that the fugue resolved into a final cadence. The figure rose from the organ seat and turned around to face The Lusty Fools, revealing the bottom half of a long, pallid male face, the upper half hidden in the shadow of the cowl. "So, you must be the trespassers who have been destroying my minions down in the catacombs," the figure calmly declared.
"Aye," agreed Paddy, "that'd be us.... And now we're here to finish the job!" The Lusty Fools sprung into action, darting into the music chamber and spreading out to surround Pierre the Necromancer, who began to move his pale, bony hands and fingers in arcane gestures as he intoned an abjuration in a strident voice. "Don't let him cast anymore spells!" warned Alphonse, as he swung Foereaper in a wide arc that the nimble necromancer ducked just in time. Tyr lobbed a firebomb, landing a direct hit on their foe, but the flames did not seem to harm him, nor even to singe his black robe! "Damn it," cursed Tyr, "he's warded himself against fire!" "Let's see if he's warded against blades!" shouted Paddy, as he tumbled close to Pierre and stabbed at the necromancer with his cold iron short sword; but Pierre was surprisingly agile, and dodged the rogue's thrust. The invisible Hisao suddenly appeared on the other side of the necromancer, flanking him with Paddy, and landed a deep cut across the villain's side with his wakizashi, eliciting a snarl of pain. "Not immune to blades," confirmed the ninja in English.
Pierre the Necromancer began to chant the incantation of a deadly fireball spell, which he would have cast to catch himself in as well as all five of his opponents, since he would have weathered the magical flames unharmed, but his spell was interrupted and ruined when Nacht sunk both gladii and both daggers deep into the necromancer's torso! Shrieking in pain, Pierre staggered backward, crashing against the bench and keyboards of the pipe organ, resulting in a discordant squeal of organ pipes. Alphonse lunged toward the momentarily stunned necromancer and swung Foereaper, hacking off his cowled head! The head sailed through the air before bouncing and rolling across the floor to a stop at Tyr's feet. "Our quest is fulfilled, friends," declared the young alchemist-sage, as Pierre's headless body collapsed to the floor.
After looting several treasures from the necromancer's corpse, The Lusty Fools searched the music chamber, carrying off several masterfully-crafted musical instruments that would surely fetch a good price in the markets of Paris. Coming out onto the balcony, Paddy searched another door for traps, and finding none, pulled it open. Beyond was a darkened chamber, occupied by an elaborate throne, decorated with skull motifs, in which sat a still, silent figure clad in archaic plate-and-mail armor, the bucket helm hiding the figure's ghastly visage, but not the glowing green fires of its hollow eye sockets! A greatsword rested across its lap, the blade shimmering with dancing green flames that did not seem to burn the seated figure. This was the graveknight, Herr Grimulf, and Tyr quickly informed the others of this likelihood. "We cannot hope to defeat this undead creature in combat," declared Tyr, adding, "Perhaps we can use diplomacy...."
Before a diplomatic overture could be made by any of The Lusty Fools, the graveknight rose from its throne and raised its greatsword to point the green-flame-lit blade at the intruders in the doorway of its chamber, and spoke in a deep, sepulchral voice, saying, "Interlopers! Who dares disturb my rest!?" A cone of greenish, corrosive energy shot toward The Lusty Fools, threatening to melt their flesh from their bones! Alphonse was mostly unharmed, thanks to the full plate armor that protected him from head to toe; Paddy and Hisao managed to avoid the corrosive blast altogether through acrobatic evasion; Nacht hissed as it was caught in the blast, but managed to survive what might have killed most others by virtue of its fast healing ability; and Tyr managed to duck behind the opened door, surviving the blast by taking cover from it.
In German, Tyr tried to reason with the graveknight: "Herr Grimulf! We are not your enemies! In fact," continued the fast-talking Norseman, "we have slain the necromancer who bound you to his evil will!" This seemed to interest the graveknight, as it lowered its flaming greatsword and croaked, "Makest thou a jest!? Or is the vile necromancer truly dead!?" Tyr quickly retrieved Pierre's cowled head from the next room and held it up for the graveknight to behold. "Look upon the head of your true foe," cried Tyr, "and rejoice in your freedom!" A terrible, staccato croaking akin to monstrous laughter echoed from under the graveknight's helm. Then, the sepulchral voice spoke again: "Good! Now, I can return to my castle on the Rhine, and resume my eternal slumber...." "Yes!" agreed Tyr. The Lusty Fools backed out of Herr Grimulf's path as the graveknight strode out of the chamber with the macabre throne, apparently no longer interested in their destruction, and all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well," sighed Alphonse, "that certainly could have ended far worse for us...." "Aye," agreed Tyr, "far worse!" Drawn by curiosity to the throne, which had a seemingly solid base, Nacht lifted it off the ground with more effort than expected, and from within the base, which proved to be hollow, came the sound of shifting objects, including the jingle of what might be coins and gems! Paddy and Hisao both inspected the base of the throne, seeking a hidden catch that might open a secret compartment, and eventually discovered that the cushioned seat, bound in crimson leather, could be lifted like a lid, revealing the hollow interior of the throne's base. From within, they looted several treasures, including a pair of magical blades--a wakizashi with black onyx inlays in the hilt, and Nipponese kanji etched on both sides of its slightly curved blade, which Hisao translated to mean Venom Fang in English; and a short sword with emeralds inlaid in hilt and crossbar, and the name Green Thorne etched in Old English on both sides of its green-tinted steel blade. When Paddy lifted this latter weapon by its jeweled hilt and spoke its name out loud, the blade began to glow with a green radiance equal to torchlight. "I'll claim Green Thorne for myself, unless anyone objects," declared Paddy. "I'll take Venom Fang," declared Hisao, adding, "unless anyone object," in imitation of Paddy's speech. There were also five magic rings that granted a small degree of protection from physical blows in the form of a thin, personal force-field that surrounded the wearer; each of The Lusty Fools claimed one of these rings. A magical amulet crafted from the shell of a small turtle and hung on a leather cord was given to Nacht; this amulet enhanced the natural armor of the wearer, toughening the flesh. In Nacht's case, it hardened the exoskeleton-like hide of The Beetle Man. Tyr looted for himself a magical headband that increased the intellect of the wearer, which in his case, was already quite formidable. Alphonse claimed a magic belt that increased the wearer's physical strength, making the already well-muscled young knight as strong as an ogre! In addition to these magical treasures, the heroes looted several precious gemstones and a small sack containing 150 gold Francs from the hollow base of the throne. "This was a lucky find!" exclaimed Paddy with a grin. The others nodded in agreement as they counted and divided up the coins and gemstones as evenly as possible.
Having searched the rest of the townhouse to their satisfaction, finding no further enemies to slay or treasures to plunder, The Lusty Fools were determined to discover whatever was behind the strange brass door down in the catacombs. Falling into what had become their accustomed marching order--invisible Hisao and all-seeing Paddy in the front rank, searching for potential traps or secret doors, Alphonse and Nacht about 30 feet behind the scouts, and Tyr following close behind--The Lusty Fools ventured once more into the gloomy Underworld of the catacombs. They found that by reversing the lever inside the diving bell, they could ride back down into the dome within the bell, clinging to the four rope ladders hanging inside the great bell, so this they did.
Arriving back in the domed stronghold of the fallen necromancer, the young heroes covered their noses at the stench of the rotting deep one corpse still lying near the doorway (except for Nacht, who was used to such odors). To their surprise, they found that the water level had fallen to its previous level a few feet below the surface of the isle, and the drawbridge was in the raised position. "Either someone has come behind us recently," surmised Tyr, "or else the water level and drawbridge operate on a timed clockwork mechanism that restores them to their pre-flood positions after an unknown duration."
Searching the exterior of the masonry dome, Paddy discovered yet another, previously-unnoticed lever on the isle floor near the raised drawbridge. Pulling this lever lowered the drawbridge, just as the rogue had suspected and hoped, but also caused the volume of water gushing into the moat through the pipe in the wall to increase to a geyser, and the company knew the water level would soon flood the cistern. The five heroes hurried across the drawbridge, and once all were across, Hisao threw the lever that raised the drawbridge behind them and slowed the geyser gushing from the pipe back down to a steady cascade.
Marching past the spiral staircase where they'd fought Le Goop, they soon came back to the engraved brass door with the small goat-head impression at its center, which the heroes soon confirmed fit the goat-head key perfectly. On inserting the goat-head key into the matching impression in the brass-plated door, the magical wards protecting the door vanished from its surface! A clicking of tumblers rolling away reverberated throughout the corridor from the brass door. It swung inward, into the finely-furnished vault beyond....
The vault beyond the brass door was lit by alchemical everburning torches in sconces in the four corners. Though small (being only a few feet wider than the corridor leading into it, and only fifteen feet deep and high), the vault beyond was well-appointed, with bearskin rugs, a plush divan, a leather-bound high-backed chair with ornately-carved armrests shaped like dolphins diving over waves, a side table holding a silver platter on which rested a porcelain bowl filled with what appeared to be gruel, with a silver spoon in it, next to a crystal decanter of what appeared to be clean water.
A shaggy-maned, long-bearded man, somehow familiar-looking to Tyr, Alphonse, and Paddy, in spite of his unkempt and haggard appearance, scurried toward the open doorway and threw himself at the heroes' feet! "Oh, please," pleaded the pale and bedraggled man in French, "Please say you are here to rescue Us, monsieurs! We have languished for too long in this dungeon, while a shape-stealing monster sits upon Our throne!" Recognition suddenly overwhelmed Tyr, Alphonse, and Paddy at the same instant: this groveling madman was the Dauphin of France, Charles VII!
Alphonse fell to one knee, a gesture quickly mimicked by the rest of The Lusty Fools, who now realized they were in the presence of the official King of France. "Forgive us, Your Majesty!" began Alphonse, "It was merely curiosity that brought us to you. We defeated the necromancer Pierre and his minions, and nearly forgot to see what was in this vault before leaving. We almost left without knowing Your Majesty was imprisoned here! I am truly sorry!" the young English knight confessed.
Charles VII nodded in humble and grateful acceptance of his salvation, and made the sign of the cross before becoming overwhelmed and weeping with relief, while also laughing with exhilaration, mixed with a hint of righteous wrath. When he recovered his composure, remembering that he was a king, he straightened himself up and smiled at each of The Lusty Fools....
"Today, sirs," began Charles VII, "you have made a great friend. We shall see that you are properly rewarded for your valor in rescuing Our Majesty, and that you shall hereafter be regarded as heroes and ambassadors of the Kingdom of France, with all entitlements normally associated with such status...." The Dauphin's face grows grim for a moment. "But first," he whispered fiercely, "We must remove that monster from Our throne, and cut off the heads of those who placed it there!"
Hisao spoke up in French, "Maybe we go to holy man in stone monster building to see how best to do this. Have not heard any news of King of This Place, so decoy doing job very well...." pointed out the ninja. "Aye," agreed Paddy, "Mister Hamid makes a good point. We don't know who is involved in this conspiracy, but I be willin' to bet that Father Renaud is not one. Your Majesty," continued Paddy, "is there anythin' you can tell us about your....situation? Any aspersions or suspicions about who might've done this to ye?"
Charles VII contemplated the Irishman's question. "Alas," he began in French, "the situation is dire.... We know not who we can trust.... Certainly Father Pierre was involved.... He was in league with the Devil!.... There was an Englishwoman, Margary Jourdamayne.... The Witch of Eye, she is called by her countrymen.... She is also involved in this wicked conspiracy.... And Philip of Burgundy! That dog! He would sell his own mother into slavery if it would further his aim!.... They have captured the Maid of Orleans," raved Charles, "Does she yet live? Or have they burnt her at the stake as a witch yet?.... Such a pity that the true messengers of Our Lord should be so ill-treated...."
With Tyr helping with translation, Alphonse informed the true Dauphin, "We have killed Pierre the Necromancer. We are now in his lair, in fact. Joan of Arc is imprisoned at the moment, and I fear her fate is sealed. Our plan," explained the Englishman with Tyr's help, "had already involved going after The Witch of Eye for other reasons. It is disturbing to know that her machinations extend across another country rather than just my native England. Philip's relevance was unknown to us." Alphonse's brow furrowed with thought. "I admit I know not who to trust, either," confessed the Englishman, "save that I agree with Paddy. Father Renaud has proven himself a trustworthy friend, and was invaluable in defeating Pierre. Were he involved in the conspiracy, I doubt he would have aided us at all, much less to the extent that he did. If nothing else, Father Renaud may be able to house and hide you until such a time as we can root out the conspirators. But," added the knight, "the planning of that may need to be left to someone else, wiser than I," admitted Alphonse, "I am out of my depth with conspiracies such as this."