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The other hand was proving elusive, though. Gohvis was trying to keep it away from him.

Annoying. Not much time until the missing hand regrew. Needed to be quick or try something else.

Spikes next. From all over Gohvis’ body. They skewered Koh in dozens of places, which wasn’t itself a problem, but they stunted his movement. Held him in place. Made it even harder to reach the evading hand.

Fine.

Koh’s eyes burned with black fire as he summoned the power of the Darklight directly. It filled his mind and soul like never before. Much more than anticipated. He’d only wanted to spit out a beam of dark energy, as he’d seen Kallmakk do countless times now, but what came forth instead was more like an explosion.

And at point-blank range, it tore through the Scourge’s body, spikes and all, sending the man toppling backwards in the air, head over tail. Ettol took some of the hit, too, but it still wasn’t enough.

Koh saw his chance. He dove after them, gunning for the hand again.

Then someone else got in the way.

Someone unmovable. Someone who stopped him cold with a firm grip on his bloodied snout.

“I must kindly ask you to stop this now,” said Dozer in two voices. The chaos of the hurricane and churning seas was finally converging back in on them, loud as could be, and yet his voice was still perfectly clear to Koh’s ears.

The voice of an emperor. One who intended to be heard.

It was enough, at least, to give Koh pause. Make him reassess. Must this man also be his opponent? Was there not some way to reach an understanding? While Koh could not speak, he could still pass information along, such as to the Outerdark Patrol. They understood his intentions.

So he tried again. With his aura. Attempting to make his intent known. He meant Dozer and Gohvis no harm. Only Ettol. Only Germal.

Fighting had again broken out all around them, however. A true mess. Koh could not entirely discern who was fighting whom. Abolish and the Vanguard, of course, but the Patrol was in there, too, apparently clashing with them both.

Unfortunate, but sadly expected.

“I know you can understand me, wolf,” said Dozer. “You have intelligence. I see it in your eyes. What is your quarrel with my son?”