Karla was surprised that the dwarf knew the body she was controlling but knew his efforts would be in vain. Seven years earlier, she had gone to Tarba to take the treasure of the Great Temple of Marfa for herself. She had underestimated the priestess there and, as a consequence, the body she had occupied died. The priestess was incredibly tenacious; she’d survived Karla’s most powerful spell, only to strike her through the heart at the last moment.
This woman’s consciousness, her memories, are all gone. Her body and mind belong only to me, Karla thought as she continued to chant her spell, never stumbling over a word. Since her magic had been sealed—even if only for a few moments—she wanted to end them with a spell.
“Remember, Leylia! Remember the teachings of Marfa! The love for all of life and all of nature!” the dwarf continued. “Remember why you married all those young couples, why you represented the goddess of matrimony for young people who love each other! You would have never wanted to bring Lodoss into chaos! You would never tear apart so many couples and families in such a senseless war!”
Karla’s chanting did not pause, but its completion felt unusually slow. The dwarf’s words seemed to drag on her more than the onslaught from the other two. When Karla had still occupied her original body, she too had been a follower of Marfa. Taking control of Leylia’s body had connected her to the goddess through the priestess’s soul, letting her use Marfa’s magic.
She didn’t know why hearing the deity’s name would upset her now, but whenever the dwarf spoke, a strange, foreign feeling welled up inside her. A fierce headache assaulted her. Could it truly be that the priestess of Marfa was regaining something of herself, trying to push Karla out?
Finally, Karla completed her spell.
“Silence!” she yelled. Her left palm was enveloped in an eerie red glow, which she pressed against the dwarf’s chest. The dwarf didn’t try to dodge. “Remember, Leylia!” he cried and gripped Karla’s wrist. The radiance moved from Karla’s hand to the dwarf’s body, where it faded like it was being absorbed. The dwarf, eyes wide open but unseeing, toppled slowly backwards.
He lay there, still as death.
“Ghim!” the elf girl cried, clearly shocked. Strangely, however, Karla felt a similar shock reverberate through her.
“Ghim…?” The word left her lips against her will. Her head spun, its ache increasing with every passing moment. Any plan to start casting her next spell vanished.
At that moment, a black shadow loomed up behind her.
“Gotcha!” a victorious cry rang out. Slayn and Etoh saw it happen—the thief, with fast, nimble hands, plucked the circlet from Karla’s head. Her coiffed black hair came undone and cascaded down in a disheveled mess. Karla let out a voiceless scream and crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Ghim!” Parn yelled, gathering the dwarf’s limp form in his arms. He could feel the warmth leaving the other’s body.
Parn repeated his name, trying to call back his spirit. Etoh ran over, already praying to Pharis. Slayn held a hand to his chest and just watched, quiet and solemn.
With tears in her eyes, Deedlit pointed her rapier at the unconscious woman on the floor. In a panic, Slayn restrained her.
“Let me go!” Deedlit cried, voice ringing hollow in the empty hall. “She killed Ghim! She has to die!”
“Do you really think Ghim would want that?” Slayn asked quietly. “He sacrificed his life to rescue her. I had my suspicions, but I didn’t know Ghim’s true goal until today. He never told me. But…years ago, he was injured in an accident in the mines. Neese, this woman’s mother, was called away from home to tend to him, and she saved his life. But while Neese was gone, her daughter was kidnapped. That must have been when her body was taken over by Karla.”
Deedlit let her rapier fall to the floor, shuddering. Parn gently wrapped an arm around her. She lay her cheek against his hand and closed her eyes against the tears.
“It’s no use…” Etoh let out a sorrowful sigh. He gently folded Ghim’s hands over his chest.
Slayn lowered his eyes and prayed for his friend’s soul, fulfilled now that Ghim had kept his promise.
“Poor Ghim.” Deedlit couldn’t bear to look. She buried her face in Parn’s chest, sobbing—perhaps the first time an elf cried over a dwarf in the whole history of Lodoss.
Slayn turned to Woodchuck. “Let’s bring this to an end—bring Karla to an end. Wood, please. Smash that circlet on the floor and break it. That will finally free Lodoss from the curse, and finish this once and for all.”
Through everything, Woodchuck had stood there dumbfounded. He looked down at the motionless dwarf, confused by the empty hole he felt in his heart.
But when Slayn addressed him, he snapped back to his senses and took a wobbly step backwards.
Deedlit could sense that something was wrong. She picked up her rapier.
“Wood? What are you thinking…you can’t be serious!” she said sharply.
“Th-that’s right,” Woodchuck replied, backing away from the others with a few deft steps.
“What’re you talking about? Go on, smash it!” Parn watched him, confused.
“You guys don’t know what it’s like…chained up in prison for twenty years. Yeah, I’ve done bad things. I’m a thief. But that was the only way I could live. I never had Parn’s courage or strength, or the smarts or opportunity to study the ancient language like Slayn. I knew the gods had abandoned me before I could remember, so I couldn’t follow Pharis, or Marfa, or Rahda…only the Thieves’ Guild understood me and accepted me.” His eyes grew wider. “But with this circlet…even I can be strong. I’ll control Karla’s power…and I’ll get revenge on the world that never wanted me! The world that robbed me of my youth! Everyone will remember the name of the great Woodchuck Jay Lancard!”
“Wood! Don’t be stupid!” Parn shouted, going pale.
“Parn, you’re a good guy,” Woodchuck said, his voice almost back to its usual tone. “I like how you don’t have a dishonest bone in your body. But you should really learn not to be so trusting, or somebody like me will come along and stab you in the back. And Deed, the forest fairy, blessed with eternal youth and beauty…you were so insufferable at first, but I grew to like you in the end. Etoh the noble, Slayn the wise—and the dead, stubborn dwarf. Traveling with you guys was a lot of fun, you know? We made a good team. I’ll always be waiting for you with open arms.”
“Wood, this has got to be a joke, right?” Parn cried. “Stop kidding around!”
“Goodbye, Parn. I wish I could’ve been more like you.”
With that, Woodchuck ran for the window. He flung it open, then turned back to face them with a lonely smile.
“Wood!” Parn’s scream shook the hall and echoed in Woodchuck’s ears.
He mouthed goodbye one last time, then jumped out the window. Parn ran over, but by the time he got there to look out, Woodchuck had already disappeared into the forest.
“Wood, you idiot,” Parn groaned, hanging his head low and leaning heavily on the windowsill. Slowly, he approached Ghim’s corpse again, knelt by his head, and traced the symbol of Pharis in the air. He took Ghim’s hand in his own again, now grown cold. “I swear, I’ll avenge you.”
Parn stood up and looked at his three remaining companions. “I’m going after him. I don’t think he’ll be able to control Karla. You guys, take care of the rest.”
“I’ll go with you,” Deedlit said. “Someone has to watch your back—the next Karla will be stealthy.” She jumped up and landed lightly at Parn’s side.
“Thanks,” Parn said with an embarrassed smile. “Um…don’t laugh, Deedlit, but I always wanted to be seen as a hero, to be one of the people they tell stories or sing songs about. But it turns out I’m not that kind of person. I should be heading back to Valis to fight as a knight and bring peace back to Lodoss. But…I can’t just stand by while the Grey Witch is still lurking in the shadows of history…”
Deedlit nodded silently. She’d known he wanted to be a hero from their first drunken conversation. And while she hadn’t seen him as particularly heroic then, she thought differently now.
“Your name may not go down in history…but the people of Lodoss will be telling tales of your straightforward stubbornness for years to come,” she said with a smile.
“I’m sorry, Parn,” Etoh chimed in with a pained expression. “I want to help you, but…I’ve sworn my life to Pharis. I have to return to Roid to rebuild Valis and the Order of Pharis there.”
Parn gave him a nod and a smile, and shook his childhood friend’s hand.
“I can’t join you either,” Slayn said. “I have to carry out Ghim’s wishes and accompany Leylia back to Tarba.”
“Ghim gave his life for her, so make sure she gets home safe,” Parn said and shook Slayn’s hand, as well. “See you,” he said in simple farewell to his friend. Then he took Deedlit’s hand and they left, side by side.
“I couldn’t save Ghim or Woodchuck,” Etoh mumbled, cursing his powerlessness. He turned one last time to the dwarf’s corpse and offered up a prayer for his soul to rest in peace. “This is all I can do for him. I’ll leave the rest to you, Slayn.”
“I guess this is goodbye,” Slayn said with a wave.
“Slayn Starseeker, I hope you find what you’re looking for,” Etoh said with a warm smile and a wave of his own. Then he turned and left the hall.