The Assault - Taking of the Mounds

King Slotho caught up with the nightfliers who had chased their prey deep into the tunnels. Pinned against the walls, the shadowy beasts gave fight, but the moment they realized they could surrender to the slaugh king, they beseeched him for mercy. Capable of great cruelty or great compassion, Slotho accepted their surrender and left some guards with them before returning to the battle. The slaugh were not picky about accepting vanquished enemies into their court.

Not waiting for Essus or the Ravens, Slotho led his slaugh warriors into the liquid darkness.
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Using what death magic he had left to him, Aisling turned on the Tach. He had to get it under control before it killed someone. The creature turned, its complete attention on the Fianna captain. It's liquid fiery body twisted in a way that flesh and blood bodies could not, it's arm extending...extending. Fianna bowmen with Mongfinn fired at the creature, their arrows shattering the outer crust of its skin.

The Tach screamed and turned towards the bowmen. Magical weapons had the power to hurt it but not enough to kill it. The bowmen leaped out of the way as the thing lashed at them. Aisling poised his own fury, his great sword Moraltach, and buried it into the creature. Drawing back, he called upon his own magic to pull the creature's life force out of it. He had not been a true death god, but being born on Samhain had given him some control on the other side.

"It's Slotho!" Adair shouted as the slaugh king and his nightfliers entered the cavern on the run. Some of them were as gortesque and as mishapen as the Tach, but at least they were allies today. Those creatures who could stand the Tach's heat swarmed over it, while Aisling pulled harder and harder on its life force. The Tach roared and swiped at the slaugh warriors, but his true enemy was not in the court of King Slotho. Roaring fiercer, this last gasp of defiance, the Tach tried to reach the sidhe warrior who was dragging it down into the darkness of the otherside. Aisling was going to be exhausted when this was over.
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Essus, Doyle and the Ravens were hard on Slotho's heals when they entered the great cavern and found the Tach roaring and throwing slaugh off its body against the cavern walls with sickening splats. Slotho was at the base of the creature carving off pieces of its body, which immediately turned into black rock. But they could also feel the magic of someone pulling at the creature. One of the fianna was using magic.

Essus and the Ravens waded into the fight. Frost was pleased that he could finally use his own good sword against a serious opponent. Where it touched liquid rock, it turned the rock black. New monsters, summoned by the Tach, joined the fight. It was screaming in agony now, but this was one creature no one would or could negotiate with. It had to be destroyed. EVen Essus, who was fighting his own monster now, believed it.

Squeezing his fist, squeezing the life out of the Tach, Aisling approached the creature. It turned agonized eyes of liquid fire on him. The fear that ate the hearts of men was being eaten by its own fear. It screamed at the sidhe warriors who were still hacking pieces of it off. Rhys, feeling its death approaching, stopped to watch in horrified awe. The thing was sinking, melting, solidifying, changing in front of him.

Aisling, wrapped in his own magic, stood beside Frost who stepped on a piece of solid rock that had been a live writhing mass a moment earlier. Staring at the creature that was sinking before him, he buried his sword into its heart and then removed it before it solidified around it.

"The mounds are ours!" Prince Cel announced proudly and gazed around. "Mother will be pleased."

Barinthus gazed around as Adair laid his hand on his brother's shoulder and drew him out of his trance. Crystall, arriving on the run, and hugged Creidne who actually looked pleasantly surprised. It was then they noticed Barinthus.

"You!" Crystall barked and embraced the sealord. "What has it been, three weeks?"

"Three weeks is enough," Barinthus remarked, hungry for news about his daughters. "How are they?"

"Fine,"Adair said and helped support his tired but happy brother. "The New World likes them."

Barinthus bobbed his head. "Tell them I asked about them," he said and smiled at Aisling. "And give them a kiss for me."

"Now that they'll like," Crystall teased, "but I could kiss them too."

"I seem to recall the last time you tried to kiss Aine," Adair countered, wicked delight in his beautiful eyes.

Barinthus wanted to talk more about his daughters, but Ash and Holly and the Redcaps were arriving, looks of disappointment on their faces. "We're fucking late!" Holly growled in disbelief. Glaring at Ash, he scowled, "We're Late!"

"So it appears," Ash said and approached the remains of the Tach. "But we had a good fight.

"I wanted the Tach," Holly grumbled.

Doyle may not have been the first to feel the 'new' magic, but he was the first to announce it. "Do you feel it? Aisling it's near you!"

Aisling could feel it, but unlike the others who could only feel it as magic, he could feel it as female magic, earth magic. He turned towards the female energy and watched as a woman slowly took shape, a woman of this land with dark hair, brown eyes and skin warmed by the sun. She was beautiful in white animals skins and boots. When she smiled, the entire cavern lit up.

Essus stepped forward and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Green Corn Woman," she announced softly, less with words than with thoughts. She looked at the remains of the Tach and then back at the sidhe warriors. Her liquid black eyes, so soft and gentle, swept over them and then she said, "This is my land. Love it and it will love you." Before anyone could ask her anything, she disappeared.

"Odd encounter," Rhys told Frost.

"Yes," the Raven answered and sheathed his great sword.

"Strange," Holly growled and kicked the dead Tach. "You couldn't have waited?" he demanded of Aisling.

"No, I couldn't," Aisling answered. "Not today."