Behind him, Fritzen reached the sea elf. Releasing his spear and tucking the net under his arm, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her roughly. To his side, the shadowperson sprang to life, and for a moment, the half-ogre's grim face showed relief. Ilyatha drew his twin daggers, then, just as it seemed he would leap at the morkoth, he turned to face Fritzen and rushed forward. The half-ogre let go of Tailonna and dropped to the floor of the cavern, gaping in surprise as Ilyatha swam forward with the daggers, slashing where he had stood just a moment before. The shadowperson pivoted and glared down at him with eyes that had red specks swirling in them.
The morkoth! Fritzen cursed to himself. First it had taken control of the sea elf, and now the danger had doubled. He rolled to his side, bowling over Tailonna in the process, then he crouched and pushed off the bottom with his strong leg muscles. The half-ogre shot up through the water, the shadowperson following him. They passed by the morkoth, which was continuing to twist about and create more bubble-patterns. Fritzen felt a wave of dizziness wash over him as he glanced at the bubbles, but he fought it off and concentrated on the advancing Ilyatha.
Ilyatha grinned evilly as he moved toward the halfogre. Though Fritzen was a skilled acrobat, his talents were best used on land. The shadowperson easily outmaneuvered him underwater. Fritzen knew he would have to rely on his strength. Ilyatha pumped his legs, propelling himself toward Fritzen, and the half-ogre treaded water to stay in place and meet the charge. As Ilyatha moved in, Fritzen's arms drove forward, and his hands clamped tightly on the shadowperson's dark wrists, keeping the daggers from finding their target. Out of the corner of his eye, Fritzen saw Tailonna stir. She rose unsteadily to her feet and looked up at Fritzen and Ilyatha, then furtively glanced at the morkoth. The half-ogre thanked the gods there were no red flecks in her eyes.
The sea elf raised her hands and wiggled her fingers, mouthing words to an incantation. Grabbing one of the nets from her hair, she was careful to keep from looking directly at the morkoth's tentacles, and instead focused on a spot on its torso. As she finished the incantation, her magical webnet rushed through the water straight at the beast, but it stopped inches from the creature's grotesque body, hovering for the briefest moment. Then the enchanted piece of gossamer returned just as quickly to envelop Tailonna tightly in the net she had sought to use against the morkoth.
Fritzen cursed between his teeth. The sea elf had been their best hope. The shadowperson in his grasp wriggled madly, and the half-ogre tightened his grip until he saw a look of pain on Ilyatha's face. Kicking forward with his legs, Fritzen propelled the shadowperson roughly against the cavern wall. The half-ogre was trying to stun Ilyatha, but the dark warrior was determined and only struggled harder.
Below, the morkoth slowly descended toward Kof. The minotaur still prodded about blindly with his spear, fearing to open his eyes and be charmed by the vile creature's movements. Through her webnet Tailonna saw the morkoth shift to come down behind Kof.
"He's at your back!" she shouted. The sound of her sea elven voice carried faintly through the water, reaching Kof's sensitive ears. "He's stopped writhing. You can open your eyes."
Her warning came almost too late. One of the morkoth's tentacles snaked out toward the back of the minotaur's neck. But Kof whirled and opened his eyes in time to see it. He crouched and drove the spear forward, embedding its tip in the rubbery tentacle. Black blood spilled out into the water. Kof knew Attat wanted the creature undamaged, but with the sea elf's webnets ineffective against it, there was little choice but to battle it or be killed-or battle it and be killed. He tugged on the spear, but its barbed point had passed all the way through the tentacle and was lodged there. Grumbling, he released the haft and grabbed another tentacle and started to climb toward the creature's torso.
The morkoth emitted a shriek that cut through the water and brought tears to the minotaur's eyes. The pain in Koraf's head was excruciating, but he knew to release the beast would mean his doom. Clamping his teeth together, he renewed his efforts and struggled to climb higher. The creature's other tentacles wrapped themselves about the minotaur's legs, pinning him in place. In response, Koraf dug his nails into the tentacle he had hold of, causing more black blood to be released.
The creature started twisting now, trying to dislodge the persistent minotaur. Its pincer-arms clacked menacingly, and it doubled over so it could snap at Kof with its beak. The minotaur took advantage of the beast's maneuver and released his hold on the tentacle to grab the sides of its fishlike head. The beak dived in, driving at the minotaur's shoulder and sending jolts of pain through him.
Above, Fritzen continued to struggle with his mesmerized assailant, repeatedly striking Ilyatha against the cavern wall until at last the shadowperson lost consciousness. The half-ogre noticed Ilyatha was still breathing, and he gratefully eased the limp body to the cavern floor near where Tailonna still struggled with her webnet. Then he pushed off again, streaking toward the morkoth and Koraf.
The minotaur dug his fingers into the flesh of the morkoth's face, raking his nails through the skin and scales and causing the beast to scream. The creature's tentacles thrashed maddeningly and found a hold about Kof's thick waist. They squeezed tight, trying to force the water from the minotaur's lungs. Koraf felt himself blacking out, but he dug his nails into the morkoth's neck this time, trying to throttle the beast while he sucked in water.
Fritzen grabbed one of the tentacles that was holding the minotaur and tugged. Though he could not pull the tentacle free, he managed to relax its grip just enough so Kof could breathe. The minotaur spent his renewed strength by squeezing the morkoth's neck harder, trying to suffocate the thing. Fritzen squirmed his hand between the tentacle and Kof's waist, then he pushed harder and got his forearm between the tentacle and minotaur. After what seemed like forever, the morkoth weakened, and the tentacles released their hold. The minotaur, morkoth, and Fritzen drifted to the cavern floor in one heap. The morkoth lay motionless, and for a moment, and the half-ogre feared it was dead.
"No, it lives. Barely," Tailonna said. She was finally free of the webnet. "Kof nearly killed it, though, and it might still die if we don't get it to the ship and tend to its wounds. Though I'm not sure I can concoct a potion to heal it."
Fritzen shuddered, thinking about aiding such a malicious beast. Perhaps Lendle can mend it, he thought. The gnome seems able to work wonders.
Kof gently prodded his ribs and nodded his thanks to the half-ogre. The bite on his shoulder was deep, but small, and he pressed gently on it with his fingers. The minotaur grimaced, but shrugged off the ache. He'd suffered much worse wounds in the Lacynos arena. Satisfied he was all right, he moved to the shadowperson, who was groggily coming to. Kof bent and retrieved Ilyatha's daggers, then looked at the cavern walls. He turned to Ilyatha and furrowed his brow. He reached out and touched the shadowperson's thoughts.
Take the morkoth's body out of here and ask the ki-rin to carry it for you. I'm going to stay a few moments, collect some of these gems, the minotaur communicated. Ilyatha started to protest, but a stern look from Kof cut him off.If the morkoth dies, or if Attat backs out of the bargain, Maquesta might need something of value to trade for her father and the Perechon.