Taking the Chance

Rahsaan’s heart pounded. Even more so than if he had only been fighting an invading army who threatened countless innocents. While the city of Krezik’s defenses held for now, the scene directly in front of the party commanded all their attention. Mercurian and Moose Mage had vanished. One of the fell wizards stood before the helpless form of Baldr, who lay encircled by faintly glowing runes. He thrashed as if bound by some unseen force. With a cruel grin the man raised his hand high to execute the werewolf, jagged silver dagger glinting in his grasp. Eylylyn and Sue charged forward only a short distance ahead of him, but still many yards away before they could intervene. Goharik batted away the Calaban foolish enough to stand between him and Baldr, also running to his aid. Aspen shot down every soldier who advanced toward her, dropping them quickly- the brutes seemed to be serving no other purpose beside a distraction.
We cannot reach him. Rahsaan thought to himself. We are not able to save him.
His own charge began to falter, despair extinguishing his will to fight.  Why did the others keep running forward? There was nothing they could do. The mage would murder Baldr, and with him their already tepid alliance with the werewolves would die. They would then frenzy from both the battle and the loss of their leader, and Rahsaan and his friends would be right there-trapped between the savage beasts and their actual foes.
“Just a little closer, Rahsaan.” Voriel said, “We can save him yet.”
How?
Rahsaan was not even in the right mind to reply to the angel, instead just thinking to himself. This pupil of the moose man was not foolish enough to allow himself to be distracted, and even with his own speed he would not reach them in time. He would all just get a better view of the execution . . . And put himself in danger.
Conrad. Stumps. Ireena. And now Baldr. They all suffered or died because he wasn’t strong enough, brave enough, smart enough to intervene.
“Shove over the boxes to cut them off!” Voriel’s voice sounded once again, but this seemed familiar, as if he heard it before, “You can heal the boy enough so you both can escape!”
Suddenly the words Voriel had spoken to him over his life flooded back, each over eerily similar situations.
“Jump on one of the guards and bite him. Or use one of the nails you found. You can easily outrun those clumsy oafs and a woman in heels. You can save him!”
Conrad’s death and Stump’s mutilation. That’s where Voriel has tried to urge him to action. He had ignored or refuted the angel before, and even now found himself beginning to mouth, “No.” Why would be risk himself doing the impossible?
“Use Eylyln’s illusion to distract Strahd. I will not allow this devil to lay a hand on you. You shall all survive this night.”
Or was it always possible?
“Know I would not ask you to tread where you cannot triumph.”
If he had listened to the voice of someone who was wiser than he. Instead of the voice of a selfish coward. Then maybe .  .  .
Maybe there was a chance.
Rahsaan took a deep breath, then with a loud grunt shot toward Baldr. It felt as if someone standing over his shoulder passed by him in a hurry.
Then a glowing, misted humanoid figure appeared standing tall between the evil wizard and the restrained werewolf. It’s only discrete feature were its eyes, appearing as molten pools of silver. Just as the mage brought down his dagger, the apparition caught the blade with a single hand. The man struggled for a few seconds, but that was all it took. He let out a pained gasp as one of Aspen’s arrows lodged itself in his back, not even finishing recoiling from the attack before Gohzrik ran the mage through with his spear, shoving the man’s corpse to the ground for good measure. Zahrys let out a quick praise to Ezra as the runes that imprisoned the werewolf vanished. Baldr let out a mighty howl in response, while his packmates replied with mighty cries of their own. The monk stared wide-eyed.
“We.  .  . We did it.” Rahsaan said, though no one else heard beside Voriel. Though soon despair rose once more.
“I told myself I could do nothing. I could have saved all of them .  .  .”
“Rahsaan.” Voriel said, “You should remember your mistakes so you can learn, not to feel sorry for yourself. Do not let the past define you. Or it will also be your future.”
The Aasimar did not show any agreement, but he knew the angel spoke the truth nonetheless. His mind cleared, allowing him to hear the prayer’s to Ezra from the people still in the city once more.
“Your prayers shall be answered.” He said to himself, “We have known fear long enough.”
And then he turned to cut, smash, and slay the group of Caliban aiming the catapult at the city walls.