Island of Rodarea III
Chapter 21: The Power of the Eternal One
“Xavier, it’s good to see you,” Valena winced in pain at the arrows protruding from her. “Prothal has gone to aid Hannibal. They’re at the walls of some old stronghold, heavily guarded by goblins.” Her eyes teared in pain as she snapped the arrow shaft from one of her thighs.
“I don’t know where Ky’Thand is. Will you help me with these arrows?”
“Well toots,” Xavier smiled at Valena as he helped get the arrows out of her, his hand brushing by a little longer on her thigh, using it as a brace to pull the other arrow out. “I see the great warrior is in there swinging again. Now it’s up to me to get the heat off him.”
As he mentioned heat a decidedly mischievous light came into his eye. “Well, yer not gonna like this but shooting arrows isn’t working. The forest is dry and well there is enough wind to keep a fire going.”
Without asking Valena’s permission or such, Xavier got out a pair of torches and began looking for oil on Hamish. Finding none, he took a tent from Hamish’s pack, and began ripping it into strips. He took out the pitch from the torch and began to smear it on the strips of cloth. “You need to start firing fire arrows into the goblin compound. Doesn’t matter where. Goblins are messy, with luck you could hit a real flammable piece of garbage, or at least the huts. Fire and move toots. They’ll be busy watching me.”
With that, Xavier lit another pair of torches from Hamish’s pack and immediately threw one onto a pile of grass and twigs. The reaction from Hamish was immediate – Xavier had forgotten how much horses hated fire. Hamish was a war-horse, and was accustomed to campfires, but a bush-fire would still frighten it! It began bucking like crazy, and Xavier tried hanging holding on to it, tried using whatever skill he could summon at horse handling, but to no avail.
Xavier ignored Hamish, handing over the reigns to the ranger. “Stupid beast. I don’t know what Hannibal sees in them. Anyway, they say yer good with animals.”
With calm, soothing words, Valena approached Hamish, trying to lead him away from the fire. It was to no avail – the great creature kicked at her, and she had to move away to avoid being struck by the panicking horse. It quickly bounded away, pack and all, before she could do anything else to it. She turned back to face Xavier, who had started doing what he wanted to do.
With the horse out of his hair, Xavier had continued to setting fires. As the forest began to crackle and spit with the heat, Xavier moved faster and faster to stay in front of the blaze where the flames would not backlight him for the goblin archers.
Valena decided to quickly followed suit. She made a quick assessment – this fire, if not taken care of, could well burn up a substantial amount of the forest, and perhaps the fauna within as well. But it would most definitely threaten the goblin fortress she had encountered.
The wolves began their attack again. Hannibal swung his sword as a wolf prepared to attack, and forced it to quickly retreat. He met the other with another swing of his sword. It met the flesh of the wolf, and sunk deeply, and immediately Hannibal knew something was really wrong.
It seemed almost like his mind had gone blank within him. The sounds of battle retreated from him. He felt a presence. A strong presence of evil that sent chills down his spine. Its claws reached out towards him in the inky blackness, and slowly he felt himself drifting away. His thoughts strayed to his friends, to his men waiting for him to lead them, to…Yolanda his love, waiting for him in the desert.
No! His mind had cried out, as he reached for his weapon, and cut at his unseen adversary, and suddenly it was twilight again, and the familiar sounds of the wolves snarling at them. His weapon had no blood on it, but it was obvious he had struck another wolf…for the wolf he had struck earlier lay down at his feet.
Prothal took a quick look at Hannibal – it seemed for a moment he was struggling with something, but that moment was quickly gone. He raised his sword up to ward off a wolf that had sneaked up. He quickly followed by twisting it to one side, to cut into another wolf that had sneaked up from the other angle. It howled in pain, and for a moment Prothal thought it was abandoning its attack.
He should have known the craftiness of his adversary. It made a quick comeback, to close its jaws at his knee! The pain struck him again, as he realised the wolf had penetrated his armour. He gritted his teeth at the pain, and swung the weapon at it, as it bounded away.
The goblin war party had not approached them, but had stayed at their position. Then Hannibal and Prothal saw it. A goblin, wearing an elaborate headdress, and leather armour. Prothal seemed to see what looked like a wand of some sort tucked into its belt. It stepped through the crowd that thronged it, and began speaking…in the Common tongue!
“Human now prisoner of the Great Chief. Human drop everything, and surrender now, and Great Chief make human slave. Or else…” There was a great uproar and murmuring as another goblin, bigger in size than any other, and in fact bigger than any Hannibal had ever seen, moved up. It wore chainmail armour, and brandished a short sword and small shield. At its belt hung what seemed like a flask. It roared out something unintelligible, and the goblins cheered.
The goblin spokesman nodded reverently and continued, “Or else Great Chief will eat human for hretan tonight!” There was another loud round of cheering as the goblins brandished their spears. The wolves around them snarled threateningly again – they would have to be real quick in killing to break through the wolves, and from the last few minutes fighting with them, somehow Hannibal and Prothal wondered how likely this was going to be.
Whispering to Hannibal, Prothal said, “We don’t seem to have any choice right now but to surrender….” Still facing the wolves, Prothal continued, “Hopefully they are not smart enough to search us. If we had enough time to heal, we could probably escape during the day when they sleep.”
Hannibal shook his head instead, and suddenly laughed at the little creature! “It is not that easy.” As he spoke he turned slightly so he could see Prothal. He then said in almost a whisper, “Prepare your sword. Hold it in front of you with all your strength and be prepared!”
Turning back to the chief, Hannibal nodded at the champion next to him, saying, “My friend leaves,” Hannibal indicated at Prothal, “And I fight your bed friend for my freedom! Otherwise, many wolves and goblins die on my blade!” Hannibal could see the incensed look on the eyes of the goblin speaking to him, and it prepared to speak something to the big goblin next to it.
With no other indication, Hannibal whirled and struck the ebony blade cutting edge to cutting edge against Prothal’s sword of light, wondering if the two would be pulled elsewhere as he felt moments before. In any case, he thought to himself, the vile beasts won’t get the powerful blades!
What happened was beyond the expectation of Hannibal and Prothal. The two blades, locked together in an unholy embrace, were visible in the their eyes only for a split second – and then a blinding flash of light of pure white, so powerful, so strong, it had to be divine in original, emanated from the blades that had become one. Everything turned white.
Prothal could not see anything, but he could hear the screams of the goblins and the pained barking of the wolves. He could feel the trembling of his weapon as it seemed to rise to combat some evil, drawing on an unknown power, an unknown strength. This was Lightbringer? The holy weapon so ancient, nobody really knew its origin? Just what weapon was he wielding? But he could not really dwell on that, for he heard another scream, a more chilling, blood-curling one.
Hannibal heard that too, amidst the cries of pain around him. He could not see, but his weapon felt funny in his hand – its balance was just…wrong. On a hunch, he moved his hand to where the blade was – and felt nothing. His hand moved down, and he realised his weapon had only about an inch of blade left, and him holding on to its haft. His weapon must have been broken by his actions.
Strangely, Hannibal felt within him a kind of pain, pain at losing a kindred as the scream faded away. It felt almost like a part of him was gone forever. His other senses quickly picked up movements about him, and his warrior instincts took over again. He seemed to sense a confusion about him, as a cacophony of goblin shouts and wolf barks seemed to suddenly swirl around him.
Prothal sensed it too, a confusion around him – he was very sure the goblins and wolves were in the same state as they were, blinded and in shock at what happened. He was not sure where exactly the goblins and wolves were. In fact, he could not be sure even where Hannibal was, but he should be near.
Then both of them smelt it and felt it. A strong heat wave coming from the north, and the smell of smoke. Thick choking smoke. There was a fire from the north!
Ky’Thand was moving about the perimeter when a blinding flash of light surrounded him, causing him to quickly clutch a nearby branch to steady himself, as he quickly closed his eyes to avoid blinding himself. It was all bright and blurry even after he opened his eyes. But he was sure the light came from the clearing, where the fortress was!
Quickly clearing his eyes, he tried to focus again, but it was difficult. All he could make out was blurry shadows. But his keen hearing picked up something interesting. The battle sounds, the sounds of goblins marching that he heard – they had changed into cries and scream of desperation and chaos! Ky’Thand moved closer to the edge, to try to see what had happened.
Although his vision was still not at its premium, he could still make out what was happening. He was peeping at the corner where the northern wall and the western wall meet. The goblins and wolves were swarming about in disorder, seemingly hacking at each other as they bumped in confusion at each other!
He tried looking out for more prominent figures, and could just make out two figures, about forty yards away, in some bright shiny armour, outlined by some form of light source. They were against the northern wall, but were not moving. Another figure in some form of shiny armour was also easily spotted, hacking away at goblins, and getting closer to the two figures on the wall. And finally, just about twenty yards away, he spotted another figure with a colourful headdress. It too, was hacking at goblins, but seemed not to be moving in a particular direction.
The situation was similar inside the courtyard, with goblins milling about, bumping into piles of rubble, and occasionally wrestling each other to the ground when they met. It seemed like their vision was affected even worse than his. He wished he could see clearer – his vision was still not focusing very well, and all he could really make out clearly was movement.
Then he smelt it. Fire. He turned to look to the north, where thick smoke was starting to form up, and patches of red were waving their hands. It did not take him long to realise what had happened – there was a forest fire!
It just came all of a sudden – a blinding flash of light that came from the clearing itself. It overtook both Xavier and Valena, and they quickly closed their eyes and turned away to avoid it. And a good thing too – when they opened their eyes, all they could see was a big patch of fading white before them, and blurred images of the grass and trees around them.
But they must hurry on, for the blaze was already billowing out thick clouds of smoke from the forest, recently watered by the rain just a few days ago. The leaves were not very wet, and it would take a while to really burn, but when it did, the air would be too poisonous, too suffocating, to breathe. As carefully as they could, they half stumbled over the roots that occasionally stretched out from the trees, and moved clumsily out to the clearing.
And what a sight they saw! The images were blurry indeed, and not many details could be made out, but Valena and Xavier saw the goblins and wolves screaming and cursing, hacking away at each other! They also saw two figures in shiny armour, just twenty yards away from them, backed against a wall, and they seemed to be the only ones not fighting.
They also saw another figure with a colourful headdress, also about twenty yards away, near a corner where the northern wall and the western wall met. But more urgently, they saw a figure in metallic armour moving towards the two backed against the wall, hacking at goblins as it approached.
Behind them, they could feel the heat of the fire as it began to develop into a blaze. The smoke was starting to really smell horrible, and they resisted the urge to choke as they feel the air beginning to thicken about them.
Smelling the smoky air, Prothal could feel the wind blowing slightly into his face. Hoping that Hannibal should still be in the same position, Prothal said, “The wind is blowing from the north-west. We should try to get out of here!
“The goblins and wolves should be as blind as we are, if not worse. This will be a good chance to escape back into the woods my friend.” Prothal whispered hastily. Sheathing his weapon and grabbing his medallion, Prothal started praying, “Great Nameless One, please accept thanks from your servant for giving us this chance of survival. Your servant have yet another request that he hoped will be fulfilled.”
Prothal paused a slight moment then continued, “His Grace, please heal your servant if you deemed him worthy and you still have more to ask of him. Please bestow your blessing on him.”
The powerful reassuring warmth of the hand of the Eternal One moved through his body once again, in response to his faithful cries. Soothenglaace seemed to shudder in his hands, pulsating with the flow of the power of the One he had called upon many times. Prothal sighed as he felt his wounds closing again. But he had never felt so hurt before – his hand was still wet with the blood of the many wounds upon his body. It would take more than a simple spell to put him back in full strength again.
“Xavier! Guard my back!” Valena quickly drew her long and short sword, and charged into the fray, avoiding most of the battle as possible, and keeping a pace that Xavier can follow her with. “We must find Hannibal and Prothal!”
Valena slashed at a goblin that drew too close to her, but as luck would have it, her blow was blocked by the creature. Sensing someone near, it swung out its spear and blocked her follow-up attack with her shortsword. She saw it began its reverse swing of the spear somewhat late, but her armour held as it absorbed the impact of the butt. Airlyne jerked in her hand, and carved itself into the goblin, cutting its head straight off, releasing a stream of greenish blood. She continued to move towards the shiny-armoured figures against the wall as quickly as she could manage.
“Hannibal! Prothal!” Valena yelled as she drew nearer, hoping that it was her friends, and not more enemies.
Hannibal and Prothal could hear the welcoming voice of Valena as she shouted amidst the battle noise. They could not see her, but could tell the voice was coming from the north, and was probably quite near. Just where exactly they could not be sure – the battle noise was loud and around them. The goblins must be somehow fighting an enemy they could not see.
Upon hearing the voice of Valena, hope lit up within Prothal’s heart. He just prayed that she would reach them in time before the fire did. The goblins and the wolves seemed to be in confusion – the battle sounds were confusing. Did they have an unexpected ally even now battling the goblins? Feeling worried for Hannibal, Prothal said, “My friend, this predicament that we are in is worse then I feared. Are you all right? Any idea how we can get out of here?”
Hannibal stumbled back into Prothal as he realised he was blind too. Instinctively he sheathed the remains of the dark blade and drew forth the common blade that he carried. With the blade before him, he ran his shield along the ruin’s wall and called to Prothal, “Hang on to me, I am going to back along the wall away from the goblins, to the opening where the leader and wolves formed up from. If we can move a few feet we can try to move back to the forest, however it smells like someone set it on fire. I guess Ky’Thand got the Greek fire to work this time. It should provide a good distraction. However, as we are blinded we can’t risk the woods.”
With that Hannibal moved along the wall away from the goblins’ original position. Hannibal figured that the goblins must be in as desperate a plight as they have not attacked yet. “Keep moving, I hear Valena coming; but let’s put some distance between us and the goblins first!”
He seemed to bump into something. Something that growled at him. His warrior instincts took over again as he realised a wolf was next to him. Quickly pushing Prothal away from him so that he would not be struck by his weapon, Hannibal prepared to engage. His wild swing did not connect with anything. The growl from his enemy also indicated to him that it probably did not strike anything too.
Prothal bumped into the wall, and pain shot through him again as he felt his wounds reopening. It really looked like the Eternal One is going to need to channel a lot more through his vessel this time. He picked up the medallion again, and began to call upon the Nameless One once more. His wounds began to close up further. Panting, his hand strayed to the hilt but he resisted the urge to draw his weapon. He knew Hannibal was near, and so was Valena. He did not want to risk hitting any of his friends.
Xavier was having a grand time lighting the forest on fire and skipping ahead of the flames. He looked to see Valena heading off after the two figures, whom he assumed to be Hannibal and Prothal. Now taking time to look out over the smoke-filled grass, he noticed that the chaos from the light blast seemed to reign everywhere.
Watching Valena from behind, Xavier figured the view of her was worth the effort to follow her into the crazed goblins. However, Xavier moved with the lightness of a thief in the night. And night indeed it would be, for he could see that the light is beginning to fail – it would soon be night. One unlucky goblin drew too near to him, and he dispatched it easily with his weapon. Another unfortunate one got gutted when it made the mistake of stumbling into him.
As the pair neared the wall, Xavier’s eyes fell on the one with a headdress. Watching to see that Valena was okay, save from random swipes, Xavier’s eyes locked on to the ornate headdress and obvious wealth the goblin displayed. Still carrying the burning torch, a mischievous smile came to Xavier’s lips.
Using it like a goad, he began poking at goblins, leading them towards the target goblin, attacking from the direction he wanted them to go then getting out of the way. He was amazed at what blindness, combined with the fog of war, could do. Whereas any normal creature would feel the heat, the danger, and backed off instinctively, the heat of battle combined with the blindness resulted in serious burn injuries to the first goblin.
The second backed off after suffering a minor burn, and he did not bother to pursue, for he was already near to his target. As Xavier neared, he prepared to backstab the goblin in the headdress. As he struck he called out in his best imitation command voice, “Big boy, I’m over here. You’re marching the wrong way.”
The goblin struggled as his blade found its mark, deep within the bowels of the creature. It collapsed immediately, and Xavier quickly drew his blade from the creature. He glanced about his position – the goblins were still flailing about, and even if they did not go specifically for him, he was in as much danger from stray blades.
Valena hacked at another goblin that had got into her way. It fell under the thrust of her shortsword, even as it managed to somehow block off the blade of her main weapon. She saw Xavier, a short distance away, burning at goblins with his torch. She also saw him striking at the goblin in the headdress, felling it.
Her eyes focused on her target – the goblin dressed in metallic armour, now identifiable as chainmail at this distance. It was still heading towards Hannibal and Prothal, now also identifiable. Hannibal was busy fighting a wolf, and Prothal was praying. The goblin was closing in.
“Hannibal, Prothal – look out!” Valena shouted a warning and attacked. Her warning probably saved her friends, for the goblin turned around to face her, waving its weapons threateningly. She would have the advantage, for she could see from its motions that it probably could not see. At least she could still see a blurred-looking goblin.
Its quick swing of its blade took her by surprise, for she had expected her attack to take it down quickly. Her shortsword quickly moved itself to interpose. Her blade has cut into its chest deeply through the chainmail. She could tell the goblin was desperate, but it seemed to know it had no choice but to fight on.
It quickly took out a vial and gobbled it down. She could tell it was some form of magical healing potion, for its wounds began to close quickly. How it got into possession of such an item was a mystery to her, but she was not going to let it enjoy its advantage for long. Airlyne found its mark again, even as it raised up its shield to block off her off-hand weapon. Another huge gash opened up over the partially healed wound.
Valena pressed her attack. Her shortsword again blocked off the clumsy attack, but this time it was her off-hand weapon’s feint that did the trick, as she slid it along the goblin’s weapon, cutting into its arm, into its neck, probably bursting an artery. She watched as it collapsed to the floor, twitching as the life began to flow out of it.
While Valena was fighting the goblin, Hannibal had problems of his own. The problem was soon solved as Hannibal took a gamble with a step forward and a thrust – a manoeuvre usually reserved for the battlefield, with soldiers. Not with animals. But it worked, for Hannibal could feel the wolf shudder and collapse, his weapon being pulled under by the weight.
He turned to bump into another creature, which snarled at him. His swing struck something hard – it probably glanced off its hide. He stepped to the side, and felt something move past him. He swung his weapon – and connected. The creature shuddered and gave a weak yelp, and he felt, too, its weight as it collapsed.
Valena was close by, he was sure of it, but he had lost Prothal. Just where was he? Hannibal hated the patch of white he was looking at right now. White, white and all white. No shadows, nothing distinctive. Just a patch of white was all he could see. But even the white seemed to be darkening. Soon night would fall.
Chapter 22: Inside the Goblin Warren
Although Ky’Thand dearly wanted to shoot at the leader of the goblins, he knew he needed to be further around the fort as soon as possible so he could penetrate the fort’s defences. So he continued onward slowly.
The blinding light however picked at the back of his brain, an old memory of a night drinking when Ky’Thand had asked Hannibal and Prothal, what would happen should the two blades strike each other in battle or in anger. That night he received a perplexed look of wonderment from both. Ky’Thand’s mind snapped back to the present as his foot slipped a little, grasping a nearby branch to stop his slide. He berated himself for loss of focus. Onward he slipped through the branches like a shadow.
It took quite a while to get used to moving on an unfocused eyesight. It seemed like an eternity before Ky’Thand was sure he had reached his destination, the southern wall of the fortress. He peered out from the trees. The goblins within the compound seemed to be milling in confusion. He counted probably about two scores of them. The gate was closed, but it looked unguarded. It should be easy to climb over.
He looked over to the north. The fire is slowly spreading. Good thing the weather was not too dry, or the flames would have burnt everything even faster. It would seem like the stone buildings, or the underground complex of the goblins would be the safest place to be right now. He could not see his few friends, and he hoped everything was well – it would be sad indeed to have won a victory, but had his friends fall in battle.
Ky’Thand’s observed the traffic carefully. When he was sure they would not go near to the gate, he quickly climbed down the tree. Like a thief in the night, the night lit only by the forest fire with light the intensity of a beacon, he tried to keep within the shadows as he moved, trying not to draw attention to himself.
He realised he would need more than just the shadows. He stopped and began chanting the mystic syllables he had learnt over the years, drawing upon the natural energies of the land, the mana that so filled it with power. Slowly but surely, his body, and his possessions, began to disappear. He opened his eyes and noted with satisfaction that he could not be seen – either with human eyes or with goblinsight.
He sneaked quickly, climbing easily over the wooden stakes they had set over the entrance. He noted with satisfaction that were he to wear heavy armour, there would have been no way he could have climbed over that thing. The goblins had indeed defended their homes very well. But he remembered someone mentioning that nothing could stop a determined thief. How true that would be!
He noted the layout of the ruins. There were rubble everywhere, some piled high up to provide cover for the archers firing out to any foolish enough to wander near their domain. The walls stretched up to a hundred feet in some parts, but many areas had already crumbled into rubble. His eyes caught sight of many goblins, huddled together in defensive positions at various parts of the fortress. His stayed far away from them, and watched out especially for the wolves. So far, there were none of them about.
He moved nearer the centre of the complex. There was a twenty-feet wide hole there, and a set of stairs equally wide descended down from it. There was a good chance of an underground complex being there, as he saw nothing here at this level which looked like sleeping quarters or such. He quickly moved closer for a look.
It was as he expected, a tunnel complex within, from what he could see with the light from the forest fire streaming in. If the complex were not far in, he should still get enough light to see by. But if the complex were to stretch further, even the strong light from the entrance of the tunnel would not be able to shine in.
Ky’Thand did a quick calculation, based on the things that he had learnt from the great dwarven master Doral. If the tunnels were to really house the goblins, it definitely would be a big complex, and the light would definitely not be enough. He might need to find an alternative light source if he were to explore further.
Silently like the wind KT moved down the stairs hoping the goblin would at least place the odd torch around to light the way. Moving down into the bowels of the warren he kept near a wall and hoped his nose would draw him to the food preparation area. This would be his first stop. He hoped to place the herbs that the old herbalist gave him into the stew so it would cause sleepiness in the creatures that would consume it. His second concern was to find a storeroom along with a few unlit torches or lantern with oil so he could restudy his spells and sleep.
The horrible stench of goblin warrens greeted Ky’Thand as he looked about the room he was in. He had almost forgotten how unhygienic the goblins were. It was a wonder there were no disease among them. Most of the slums Ky’Thand had been among were in better condition than this place, and the death rates from disease had been astounding.
The forest fire had provided enough light for him to see, although not clearly, within this room. It was big, about ten thousand feet square, if not larger. He quietly moved away from the stairs, to the right, and looked carefully again. There was a glimmer of light off in the distance, from a passageway ten feet wide, to the north, but it was a very faint glimmer, definitely not produced by a torch. It was not enough to light up the passageway, and he would have to grope about in the dark.
To his right was a bigger passageway, about twenty feet wide. There was no light at all there, and the light from above did not penetrate into the passage. His eyes caught sight of a pile of weaponry to his right, behind him, at a corner. It looked like a pile of leather armours, spears, and plenty of arrows. There were also a few bows scattered about. It looked like he was in the barracks of the goblins. From the size of the tunnel, he surmised there could be at least a hundred or so warriors that could have occupied this space comfortably – and goblin warrens were never built with comfort in mind anyway.
He tried to smell if there was any cooking taking place, but the stench of the place was simply overwhelming – all he could smell was goblin excrement and rotting food. He choked and tried to stop himself from coughing, trying not to give himself away, for the tunnels could carry noises far off. His self-control was sorely tested but he managed to gag himself with his sleeve. He had to make a decision where to go based on whatever his instincts told him was right.
He decided to move on ahead of him, over to the glimmer of light in the distance. As he moved through the stench he kept reminding himself that this was just like sewer hopping to avoid the bluecoats, ignoring the sweet smell of excrement and rotting effluent, for it would mask him as well as the others, no wolf could track down here.
He smiled at the thought. A stray thought wandered past his consciousness, a story his beloved had told him of a mage who had given himself great powers through permanent magic, the power to see in the dark was but one, another was a shield of protection turning away all arrows. One day he would control such great magic if he could survive a day and night in this warren. With some luck he might find the room of the general or the shaman and gain some useful trinkets from them. His mind snapped back to real time. Must find the kitchens.
Ky’Thand felt his way through the darkness, along the wall on his left, as he moved through the corridor. His hand felt empty air after moving for less than a minute – there was probably a passageway leading him to the left. The glimmer of light beckoned him forward, and he was about to move forward when he heard some noise coming from there. It was a loud scream, followed by excited shouts that sounded like they could have come from goblins. Ky’Thand tried to peep over the corner – only darkness greeted him.
Ky’Thand looked again at the glimmer of light ahead of him – and decided to continue ahead. The goblins over there would have to wait, as would whatever made that scream. He took a few hesitant steps forward in the darkness, and his hands touched a wall again. Using that as his new reference, he continued on.
Again another slow minute of agonising movement, before he turned to the left again, to the source of the light. He could not be sure whether the corridor actually bent, or that he was in a junction, but he would worry about that another day. Onwards he moved, towards the light that seemed to be getting brighter…but still not bright enough to shed a good light at this distance. From the look of it, it could be a small campfire or something. He could feel the warmth, and was quite sure his judgement of the source of the light had been correct.
He could hear sounds too. Voices from just ahead of him, and from the light streaming out, a room or something. The voices were harsh, like the language of all goblins, but it sounded different from what he had been accustomed to hearing. They seemed less loud, less excited than the war cries and war-banter he had heard whenever he fought them. Ky’Thand took a breath, and prepared to move in closer.
What he saw took his breath away. The room he was in was huge – the seeing radius of the small fire in the centre, about forty feet or less away, was insufficient to illuminate and show the walls of the room. Many goblins, female ones he believed (from the way their mammaries had bounced around within the crude clothing they were wearing), were sitting around it. Around the small campfire was a big cooking pot, tended by two small goblins. Occasionally, one of the female goblins would pick up a skewer and pick up something from the pot to eat. Ky’Thand nearly wanted to throw up – it was an arm of some small humanoid being.
On closer look, Ky’Thand could determine that the two small goblins were actually human. Human children. With shackles of bronze clamped onto their feet, they sat about glumly, cutting the firewood. Ky’Thand noted with interest that there were little smoke about the place, and the air was still fresh, though hot from the fire. A source of ventilation must be nearby.
Moving slowly towards the pot, Ky’Thand cleared his mind of the horrors he had seen. He took each step with caution, ever careful of his footing and the movement of those about him. He knew he had to get the powdered herb into the pot before the goblins returned from the battle. Moving carefully forward, he tried to note the flow of the goblin traffic in the room, particularly if they brought in any new supplies. He needed to find a storeroom too to hide in and rest after placing the large dose of herbal sleep agent in the stew.
Must also find out where the ventilation goes, it could be a second exit. As he got closer, Ky’Thand’s mind worked overtime assessing the goblin fortress, noting its weakness which he would exploit. He could see nothing beyond the light cast by the pot, and might have to stumble around in the darkness of the rest of the cave.
Ky’Thand finally reached the pot, and nearly gagged as a small hand bobbed near the surface, globules of fat swirling with the bubbles. Summoning the packet of herbs to his hand, Ky’Thand had one last look to make sure no one would see his piece of sleight of hand into the pot. He placed the herbs in and slowly moved away, letting the bubbling action mix the brew together.
Ky’Thand groped about slowly, to the side of the room, looking for an exit. His instinct told him to move aside twice, and the breathing he heard as he took a detour told him he had been right to trust his instincts. His hands soon touched a wall.
With his back to a wall Ky’Thand breathed a sigh of relief slowly. He had not stepped on anything or anybody along the way, although he was close to bumping into some. He checked the room again now his eyes were getting used to the gloom. Was there a hole in the ceiling for air to circulate? Was there a nice exit KT needed? He wished now he knew the goblin tongue, damn fool academics thinking it would not be useful.
The light was just insufficient to light up the entire area beyond the weak radius of about thirty or so feet of the cooking fire – the size probably of a campfire. The edge of the effective lighting radius was about five feet ahead of him, and he was sure the entrance he had used to enter the area was on the other end. The ceiling just could not be seen. It must be way beyond the light generated by the fire. It really made him wonder what kind of condition these goblins must live in.
KT slowly navigated his way back out of the room. He treaded carefully across, watching with satisfaction some of the female goblins eating from the pot of stew. He looked carefully at his path, being sure not to bump into anything or step on anything that would give away his position. Invisible he might be, but the spell could not give him silence. Only his ‘feet of a cat’, as the great dwarven master had spoken of in jest many a times, enabled him to move without detection from the denizens of the room.
He crept across the main chamber to the entrance, and groped his way on a wall again, this time of the left, instead of the right, using the other wall this time. And he was rewarded with a find – the wall had turned a corner to the left, instead of to the right. It was just as he had initially suspected. The ‘turn’ to the left was actually a junction. If only it was not so dark – he would have found it much easier to navigate around.
Ky’Thand paused for while to gain his bearings. His hands reached out to draw a tiny amount of mana about him, to weave a simple spell he had learnt as an apprentice years ago. A tiny moving firefly, obviously magical in nature, began moving about just in front of him. It might draw curious onlookers, and it would be a poor illuminator, but at least he could see whether he was facing a passageway, a junction, or a door – however likely they would have them in goblin warrens.
His eyes adjusted quickly to the light, equivalent to the candles he had used as he studied late into the nights preparing his spells. He moved about a little in the area he was in, and was able to make a conclusion – he really was in a junction, a T-junction to be exact. With his back against a wall, he continued on the journey, towards the tunnel he had yet to explore.
His movements became quicker and more confident, with the light he had, but he was careful, as the light could only show what was just ahead of him, no more than three to five feet. He followed along the wall and was surprised that nobody had come to investigate the source of the light, easily visible a distance away. There were noises about in the caverns, echoed no doubt from the other sections of the warren, but none that seemed close. He soon reached what seemed like another junction.
Closer investigations and some triangular about the place he was in convinced him that he was not in a junction, but in a room – what size he could not tell unless he decided to move on, either against the walls, to his left, or straight in.
KT checked the wall closely for an identifying mark. The wall was relatively featureless, but there was one section that had several sharp jutting rocks. Hopefully that was a unique feature of the wall. With a hand on the left wall he entered the room and followed the wall around.
As he moved on the more positive he became about finding the storeroom to hide within. All he needed was a little luck. He would definitely wring that little piece of luck for all it was worth. His mind was already adding items to his personal list needed for survival. He also vowed to learn Goblin and a few other tongues – he was sick and tired of not knowing what the goblins were up to.
He had probably moved about thirty feet, judging from his pace, when the wall took a right turn – this was probably a corner. He continued on for probably another thirty when the firefly light showed what seemed like animal hides hanging, acting as a sort of curtain to cover the room behind, to his left. The room he was in right now was probably somewhat bigger than he thought, and the light of the firefly could only show the walls, nothing much.
He was about to step in when his keen ears picked up the sounds of goblin chatter. He froze, but remembered the spell cast upon him. The goblins probably could not see him. He was glad the mana weave for the spell was easy – the spell could probably last him a whole day if he did nothing to destroy the mana weave. But, seeing or not, goblins are always dangerous. Especially if he could not see them at all. The chatter came even closer. The goblins were in the room. Two of them, from what he could hear.
Ky’Thand decided to let them go by. He stood against the wall away from the opening he entered, so as not to get in the way of the pair of goblins. They seemed to be chattering excitedly about something, but he could not quite make out what they were saying. He heard the voices coming closer, until they were so close he could see their features against the light cast by the firefly. They seemed to be attracted to the firefly, and began to play with it, trying to catch it.
Obviously the magical powers of the firefly made it somewhat elusive, and the goblins were getting really irritated at that. After a few minutes (it seemed to Ky’Thand), they seemed to have given up. They then fell silent and began to look around them, as if looking out for someone or something. Satisfied that nobody seemed to be in the room, they quietly pushed aside the curtain of animal hides and moved into the room the Ky’Thand was thinking of entering. They looked very cautious, as if they were not supposed to be there in the first place.
Ky’Thand waited and watched, unseen from his position just next to the curtain of skins. They seemed to be chattering very excitedly about something. The minutes ticked by, although Ky’Thand could not be sure of how many. He waited, his training having taught him the value of patience in out-waiting his target. They emerged from the room, and by the light of the firefly, it seemed to Ky’Thand they no longer had that cautious look – but more confident, like they were sure of certain things.
They moved off into the darkness, after shooting another look at the firefly hovering about Ky’Thand. More noises seemed to be entering the cavern Ky’Thand was in, however. He paused and tried to listen, but could not ascertain much about the sounds. It was highly likely there were many of them, and he could not be sure if they were approaching – the reverberations made it difficult for him to find out. However, it seemed highly likely the goblins above the warrens had returned to their underground haven.
Ky’Thand continued to wait, to bid his time. He remembered how he had hid himself among the city refuse while the guards searched, waiting for the guards to give up, to be overcome by the horrible smell, before he did. He remembered how his stomach felt like throwing up, but he had continued to wait. And the guards did finally give up. The smell in the cavern really reminded him of those days.
The excited chattering came nearer. It was very obvious there were more of them entering the cavern. One or two goblins came nearer, looking with interest at the firefly around Ky’Thand. They were so close he had to hold his breath, in case they could detect him. After apparently ascertaining that nothing was out of the ordinary, they moved off. Even more noise was coming into the cavern. It was obvious there was going to be a gathering or meeting of sorts.
Ky’Thand was starting to wonder something too. He was sure goblins were not stupid. Twice they had come to investigate the obviously magical firefly, and twice they had decided not to pursue the matter. Any human would have thought something was up, but the goblins seemed not to worry too much about it.
The din of goblins gathering in the room increased – the cavern must be real big, he could not see them, but could only hear them. And they were obviously in the same room as he was! Suddenly, there was a loud shout – a strong commanding shout – from somewhere off one end of the cavern, opposite the entrance he had taken to be in the cavern. The din quietened down, and the voice spoke again. It was a squeaky voice, and at times it quivered a little, but it tried to appear brave.
There were some shouts of disapproval somewhere, and some more voices echoed. This was followed by a scream of pain, and the horrible sounds a creature always made before dying. The shouts of disapproval died down, and another voice spoke up again, seemingly silencing the protests. The squeaky voice spoke again, this time seemingly with more bravado. There were no shouts of disapproval this time.
One less goblin for me to dispatch later, Ky’Thand thought to himself. Best to let the firefly go, it is attracting too much attention. He wandered what nightmare he had stepped into, the whole goblin force seemed to have returned. Staying in his little niche KT listened, cursing inwards that the darn goblin would not change to common for his benefit.
Time went by as the monologue by the lone goblin continued. He could not be sure how long it must have taken – he was quite surprised goblins were capable of carrying on a long conversation! It really looked like a lot of assumptions about them being stupid and backward would probably need to be challenge.
His thoughts were interrupted by the shouts and choruses of cheers, probably for their new-found leader, no doubt. Quite a bit of the shouts sounded somewhat half-hearted, he observed. These were followed by the sounds of shuffling feet. The assembly seemed to be moving away, he noted with relief. Staying in his place by the opening covered by the animal skins, Ky’Thand waited until there were silence.
With a sigh of relief, Ky’Thand summoned the firefly again. He looked away, then looked carefully around him, to get his eyes quickly adjusted to the candlelight, form the pitch darkness of before. He parted the animal skins and entered the room.
It took him quite a while to explore the room. It was about forty feet by forty – he could not be sure. The cavern did not have the smell of the rest of the warrens, and seemed quite well kept. So well kept he was surprised actually. No bones littered the floor, the cavern was quite dry. And soon he found the reason why this cavern was different.
A huge pile of coins, copper and silver, lay in one corner of the room, opposite where the curtain of animal skins was. He thought he also saw some gems amidst the treasure pile. This must be the tribal treasure room, perhaps under the control of the chieftain. He made a quick estimate – there could be more than two thousand coins in that pile, enough fortune for a person to eat and sleep for years without working. The goblins must have been inspecting the treasure he would probably take over as the new chieftain.
Ky’Thand rummaged through pile, looking for anything else that might be of value besides the gems and the silver. His search revealed a few pieces of platinum – coins no longer being minted by any land these days, although still being circulated around. Satisfied with his search, Ky’Thand decided to take a rest, sleep and regain his energies. He would need them to tap into new mana sources. Quietly, Ky’Thand dismissed the firefly, and tried to sleep. At least the room smelled like a place a human could live in.
Chapter 23: The Companions at the Surface
Leaning against the wall, Prothal decided that using a sword right there and then is out of the question. Gripping hold of his medallion, he stretched out his hand to waist level and swing it back and fore in a wide arch. Anything that is below human height will be the enemy. Prothal thought. That will make sure that any harmful spell I call upon will not harm my friends.
Valena looked quickly around, making sure to keep Xavier in her sights. The forest is ablaze, was all that Valena could think about. Why did she even bother travelling with Hannibal, and Prothal, and Ky’Thand…
Ky’Thand…
Valena was worried for her friend, and the haze and the bloodshed and death was more than she could stand. “We need to leave this accursed place!
“Xavier!” Valena screamed, “Head towards the east. The fire hasn’t reached that far yet!” She was not sure if he heard her or not, she just needed to get to Hannibal and Prothal, and get out of there! She quickly moved towards the two warriors, hoping to clear a path to the east for them. Five goblins fell as she began to clear the path, cleaving through them like a butcher cutting at meat. Another five fell as many scurried to get out of the path of the killing machine. Soon she was just in front of Hannibal, making sure she stayed out of range of his weapon.
Xavier chuckled quietly to himself as he quickly stripped the goblin leader of anything of value. His quick hands moved from body part to body part, patting the armour and clothing quickly. It carried a shortsword, a dagger, and an interesting item – looked like wand of some sort. He kept the three items, feeling their weight, and looked about him.
Xavier could see the big goblin drop, felled by Valena’s blade, and heard what she shouted over, although not too clearly. One goblin, a big mean one, bumped into him, and slashed out with its shortsword. It was a clumsy blow Xavier easily side-stepped. He drew his weapon and faced the goblin. His first blow was clumsy too, as his backpack suddenly slipped. Xavier quickly adjusted his backpack, taking a step away as the goblin slashed where he was standing. His follow-up thrust quickly despatched the goblin.
Standing with his back to the wall, Xavier slowly moved towards where Prothal and Hannibal were fighting. Xavier took his time and made sure that his hide was safe from blinded goblins. But what kind of luck would he be having to have a wolf catch hold of his scent? It growled, and squared off against him. Xavier gripped his weapon – if it was really fighting by scent, he would not be able to throw it off so easily.
He took a quick step back as the wolf snapped at him, missing only by inches. His wild swing did not connect with the wolf, but his quick snap of the wrists caught it on one of its legs. It tried to bite Xavier, but its injured leg hampered its movement. Xavier moved in again, and cut at another leg, but the wolf was ready. Xavier had to jump back to nurse a bite across his shoulder, even as he managed to cripple it some more. He moved in again and hacked at its midsection – it was already too tired to dodge his blows, and its weak attack was easily avoided. It gave a bark of desperation.
And desperation indeed it was, for it was clear it could not fight anymore. Xavier closed in for the kill, and despatched it with a quick thrust through its midsection. The wolf shuddered, and fell down on the grassy floor, its life fading quickly. Xavier continued on.
When he got to the big goblin that Valena felled, he quickly looked him over for more flasks or any other interesting items. Except for its weapons, a shortsword and a dagger, there was nothing else of value on it. Thinking a while, Xavier decided not to take its weapon, to avoid adding on more weight, slowing him down. He moved quickly through the path of destruction Valena had created. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorn, Xavier recalled a passage from a renowned bard. Who he was he could not quite remember, but he mentally reminded himself to make sure her hand was far from her blade should he decide one day that she had grown up to be a woman, and was no longer a girl.
“Hannibal,” Xavier called out while he was still out of sword range of his good friend, “I’m almost to you. Hold up swinging near the wall, I’m coming along the wall and will be with you shortly.”
Hannibal had been waving his sword, making any creature think twice about coming near, when he heard Valena and Xavier’s calls. Nodding, he stepped back to touch the wall. As he reached it, he put his back to it and defended himself, only worrying about threats from in front of him. If he was right, with Prothal to one side and Xavier to the other, he might strike either of them if he gave his weapon full swing.
“Prothal, all we can see is light. The sun was nearly down when we attacked and a fire would be orange. Maybe you should cast darkness on our eyes. That might clear our vision!”
After Hannibal spoke he slashed in front of him to discourage any creature that might be homing in on his voice. Something bumped against him on his left. It yelped and quickly ran away from him before he could swing his weapon at it. Something was wrong. Xavier was not there.
Hearing Hannibal’s voice close to him, Prothal stopped his chanting for fear of hurting him. Trying to judge how far Hannibal was from him, Prothal felt the wall and travelled along the wall towards the general direction of his friend’s voice.
Hannibal should not be to far away from where I am, thought Prothal. Casting darkness when Valena and Xavier are so close might cause them to be blinded too. I would rather die than to put them in danger.
With that in mind, Prothal fingered the hilt of Lightbringer while leaning against the wall, edging his way towards Hannibal. After a while, he bumped into somebody encased in metal. Hannibal felt it too, at his right, and somehow he felt in his heart that it was his friend.
Xavier saw the goblin that had bumped into Hannibal making the wise move of running away, only to move into Valena’s quick blade. He realised what Hannibal was trying to do and quickly moved in to fill up the position Hannibal had left vacant. He realised from his actions that his two friends by the wall were like the wolves and goblins – totally blinded. He quickly shouted out for Hannibal to stop swinging. One of these days, Hannibal was really going to find him dead in his arms if he continued to do all these crazy things for him. Sometimes he really wondered why in the gods’ names had he continued to stick to this crazy friend.
Valena took a quick look over at her friends. Hannibal stood poised, his blade held in a defensive position, his back against a wall. To his left was Xavier, and to his right Hannibal. She too could see that her two armoured friends were blinded. Xavier was only a scout – so that left it to her to clear a path for her friends.
The fire lit up the night sky with its orange-red flames, even as the thick billowy smoke threatened to darken it. Even though the sun had set, plunging the forest into night, the huge bonfire created light as good as a beacon any time. Not that it would make much of a difference anyway. Most of the combatants were blinded by whatever created that powerful flash of light. Another five goblins fell to her blade. It was senseless slaughter at its very worst. But she was succeeding in creating a path for her friends to follow, over to the east where the fire was not spreading.
Why were they here again? Valena could not remember. All of the smoke and pain were clouding her thoughts. The smell of blood and death was staggering, but the threat from the goblins and wolves was even worse. She only hoped that Xavier would watch her friends’ sides and backs, and be able to follow quickly to the forest edge. With a little luck, they could skirt the back edge of the forest near the old fortress, and go around towards the back.
Valena turned back to her companions, watching and guarding from any threat. Watching closely for any goblin brave or foolish enough to come nearer, Valena spoke, “Is everyone all right? Anyone seriously hurt?”
Valena looked around her and her companions, and called out, “Xavier, lead Hannibal and Prothal along the edge of the forest, and try to go around the back side of the old fortress wall. I’ll watch your back, and keep anyone from following.”
She gritted her teeth at the pain from her wounds. “We can’t let this be all for naught. Perhaps some kind of an answer lies inside the old fortress, but that will have to wait until everyone can see.”
Hannibal continued to hold his position next to the wall. As he heard Valena calling he held his position. Squeezing his eyes shut he tried to begin seeing something again, but to no avail. As Xavier tried to move him in the direction of Valena, Hannibal let himself be slowly led away from the wall.
Xavier shook his head as he stood next to Hannibal. “Hannibal,” the thief called out, “I’m putting my hand on your shoulder. I’ll guide you out and let you know when to swing. Anything in front of you is an enemy.”
As Xavier got to Hannibal and slowly pushed the warrior away from the wall, he walked behind with one hand on Hannibal’s shoulder. Xavier called out to Prothal as he began to move, “Stop swinging your sword, I am reaching out to you with my hand, grab a hold when you feel my grip.”
Xavier sheathed his dagger and reached out with his sword hand to grip Prothal’s shield arm. “Prothal, anything behind you is an enemy so swing behind you.” Moving off the wall, Xavier brought the train near to Valena. He looked about him, and realised that the goblins were starting to regroup. Now that the fog of war was more had lifted from him, he could easily count the numbers.
But Xavier was distracted momentarily by Prothal drawing Lightbringer with his right hand and swinging behind him. He had gripped hold of Xavier’s hand for dear life, knowing that he was his only
hope to get out of this mess.
“Hey! You are crushing my hand!” Xavier exclaimed. Muttering a quick apology, Prothal continued swinging away. It would have been an amusing sight, if not for their perilous situation, to see an armoured priest swinging away at empty air. A tighter grip on his hand, from Xavier, gave him the signal, that there were no enemies there, and Prothal stopped. There must have been a miscommunication somewhere.
The goblins that were left were only about ten, grouped together into two groups of five. They were huddled together in a circle within their own groups, weapon facing outward in a defensive posture. Many of them were injured, and they were not moving but seemed to be shouting at each other, to gain their bearings – or to warn their comrades within the compound. But the goblins were not the threats, the wolves were. Three of them, approaching them, their noses sniffing away. Blinded, yes, but definitely not without ability to sense their presence.
Valena knew the danger her friends were in – these wolves must have caught hold of their scent. She moved in to engage. The wolves quickly jumped at her, all four together. It was too much for her defences, as she felt something gripped her at her calf. Her two weapons caught something amidst the crowd of fur, and the blood splattered upon her face. The wolves jumped back, and she saw two – the other two must have already moved on. She hoped her two friends were able to deal with them, as she quickly shouted a warning.
Xavier had heard it, and spun his two armoured friends to the front to face the two wolves that bounded towards them. He knew the risks involved with his two blinded friends fighting in such close quarters, but he figured their suits of steel would protect them from each other anyway. He decided it was a better idea to keep his hands on them. Hopefully, they would watch their weapons, and would not clip him!
Valena took a step forward on a wolf, slowed by the grievous wounds she had inflicted upon it. Her weapon found its mark again, and the wolf collapsed. Her shortsword swung out at a wolf that had sprung onto her, and cut a deep gash on its underbelly. But its bite had latched on to her left thigh, before bounding away in pain as it suddenly felt the effects of her blow. She took another step and finished off the creature. She turned around to check on her friends, her wounds burning painfully. She saw the wolves closing in, and cried out, charging at one of them.
Hannibal had felt the ground tremble at the approach of the wolf, and had lashed out. His weapon must have struck something, and it was not metallic, to his relief. Prothal’s swing had struck at empty air. Xavier saw the wolf abandoning its attack due to Prothal’s swing. Hannibal tried to take a step forward to strike but Xavier’s restraining hand made it difficult, and he lost his footing. Lightbringer quickly followed as Prothal felt the wolf’s movement towards him, over to his right. He struck something – hard. The yelps of the wolf were music to his ears.
Until he felt the pain of a mouthful of sharp teeth on his left ankle. It had penetrated his armour! He swung at it, and felt it release, probably stepping back to continue its attack routine. He heard it yelp again, and also a war cry from Valena. She was near them.
Meanwhile, Xavier found himself dodging a sword that had swung just over his head, as Hannibal unconsciously took a swing to strike at a wolf that had jumped out of reach. It was a close shave, and Xavier gave Hannibal a kick, to remind him he was near.
Valena moved in on the wolf she had just struck, and killed it with Airlyne. She took a half step to the side, and struck the one battling Hannibal. Hannibal took another swing – and struck Prothal. His armour had held however. And held just good enough for Xavier to see him give a finishing blow to the wolf facing him.
The warriors panted as the wolves lay dead about them. The entire battlefield was strewn with dead goblins and wolves. Valena took a look at the two groups of goblins huddled together in a defensive pose and noted with pleasure that they were probably too terrified to move out against them. These were creatures that probably had never experienced being blinded – for they could see in the dark as well. She was more worried about the noises from the goblins within the compound. It was a good thing the forest fire was providing enough light, for the sun had already set way before the fight with the wolves was over.
“Xavier, let’s move along the edge of the fortress wall, and out of the sight of the goblins. I’m hurt…” Valena trailed off as she looked around the forest edge, hoping against all hope, to see Hamish and Ky’Thand. It was useless, whatever fleeting shadows she could see by the light of the raging forest fire did not look like they were anything other than trees.
Valena moved towards the forest edge, then turned to speak with Hannibal and Prothal. “Whatever you guys did was very effective. Is the blindness temporary? Perhaps Prothal can ask the Eternal One for some help in being able to see again? It is dark now, and we need to get to a safe vantage point, and…” Valena’s voice shook a little, “We need to find Ky’Thand and Hamish…”
“I have no idea how long the blindness will last. Neither do I have the ability to ask the Eternal One to aid us in this matter at this moment, for my faith is not strong enough until I have rested and spent some more time in prayer. Let’s just hope that the effect will wear off soon,” replied Prothal as he continued to hold on to Xavier’s hand.
Xavier ignored Valena’s lead and continued to lead Prothal and Hannibal back along the wall of the Goblin stronghold.
“So Val?” He asked the ranger, “How do you propose we travel in the woods with that fire raging? With all the goblins blind, wouldn’t it be better to stay in the open till the fire burns out?”
Valena looked at Xavier with a weary glance. “We only need to be out of sight of the goblins that remain living. I think we should go along the wall, away from the main entrance, and out of sight. The forest may be ablaze, but it won’t burn forever, and those goblins won’t be happy to see us intruding in their domain.”
She could feel the weariness in her muscles, and the pain from her wounds. “We can hopefully rest for a short time, and prepare for any goblins that may try to pursue us. And hopefully,” Valena looked at her friends with care in her eyes, “Ky’Thand will find his way to us. Somehow…”
With that he kept leading the pair along the wall, to find a place of safety for at least a few moments. With Xavier’s guiding hand on his shoulder, about all Hannibal could do was to proceed as directed. As the situation wore on, he began to think of at least modifying his tactics to take into consideration his blindness. When asked to swing he would swing first low, then high, probing for an adversary that should be nearby.
From what he could hear, there should be no new sorties coming out to get them. Perhaps the goblins within the fortress were in their state as well. The possibility was there, though from experience he knew better than to assume things about these cunning creatures.
As he heard the discussion, he added, “If we can get our sight back, now is the time to finish off the goblins! This sector would be safe for years. How big is that fire? Maybe the troops will see it and send in some scouts?” He really hoped so. The Frelandian army had vast areas to patrol, and the standard operating procedure for a forest fire was to build fire blocks to contain it, and hope for the wind to reverse direction to let the fire burn itself out. But who knows if there would be someone with the initiative to do something about it? Someone like…Taro.
Hannibal began thinking about his troops again. He had not been with them for a day, and he hoped they would be fine with his trusted lieutenant taking charge. The only worry he had was his other lieutenants. He wished they would be more open-minded. Taro was a rare talent, and officer who could think and command troops – but the fact that he was not Frelandian always worked against him. But his thoughts were interrupted when he realised they had stopped. Valena and Xavier must have had differences in opinions again. It looked like he had to make a decision before the headstrong woman and the happy-go-lucky rogue turned to verbal blows again. That would be bad in their situation now.
“If we could find a place to rest for a few hours, I am sure I will be able to cure us of this blindness,” Prothal said in response to new information given by Valena and Hannibal. “With some luck, the goblins may still be blind and we can clear this fortress out.”
Xavier nodded to Valena, and to Prothal’s comment, and continued to guide the blinded companions along the goblin wall. “I’m not moving into the forest until the fire burns out!” was the thief’s main comment to Valena. “If we can cure this blindness we may be able to loot this place before the goblins become a threat again.”
Xavier continued to move along the wall, looking for a place where the wall was tumbled down. Hannibal could not do much but go along with Xavier and Valena. He did not say much as Xavier wanted to do pretty much what Hannibal would like to do, though for very different reasons.
The party moved cautiously along the western wall, Valena scanning the area for any signs of pursuit. The night was becoming very hot, no doubt the result of the huge bonfire blazing away. The wall seemed to continue on without any breaks for hundreds of feet when Xavier caught sight of what looked like an opening just in front.
Xavier smiled and called out, “A break in the wall, maybe we can find a place to rest inside.”
Hannibal, sensing the heat and noise of the fire, asked, “Will we be safe from the flames? It feels as if the forest is still burning. However, if there is any chance that we can rest long enough for Prothal to pray for assistance, we should chance it.”
Hannibal continued with his sword before him, waiting to swing on Xavier’s command. Xavier looked to Valena in all seriousness and asked, “You are wounded as well. If we can rest in here maybe I can disguise the opening with brush or something. I’d hate to have to try to get out of here with you unconscious and the others blind”
With that Xavier moved forward to observe the opening more closely – it was big, probably about thirty feet across, probably the result of a section of the wall that had crumbled to rubble. Chancing a closer peep, he could see just across, at the other end, blocked by another long section of wall, what looked like barricades. These barricades were probably placed by the goblins, and looked like they could possibly be the main entrance. From where he was, they were only about fifty to sixty feet away, assuming he got there by travelling within the compound, rather than around the walls.
He listened at the opening for sounds of a current occupant. There were the occasional sounds of goblin shouts. He was sure there were some goblins within, no, quite a few actually. The confused shouts of the previous minutes were gone, but he was quite sure even if they could organise themselves, it would not be along the scale of what it was before they killed off their leaders.
It seemed to Prothal like they had found a refuge at last. “Come to me Valena, I will try to heal your wounds if I can.” With that, Prothal sheathed his sword, stretched out his left hand to grip his medallion with his right, and patiently awaited Valena. “Guide my hand to your wounds,” smiled Prothal as he waited for the hand of the young lass, ready to prepare the spell.
Valena looked at her friend with warmth in her eyes, yet she knew he could not see that affection. She slowly took Prothal’s hand and placed it where she still bled. “Here is where it still hurts, Prothal.”
Gently placing his hands upon Valena’s wound, Prothal could feel warm blood flowing from it. “The wound seems deep. This might hurt a little, but I will do what I can.” Prothal started to concentrate, ignoring his own aching and fatigue body, and began his prayers. A warm blue light started to form round him as he called upon the god whom he had devoted his life to serving.
The words from the priest spoken forth were words of faith, words she had heard spoken so many times, but never failing to feel awe for each time she saw the power of the Eternal One.
The protectors of travellers had often spoken of the Eternal One as being the god who watched over all of Theophilia, even the forests. Though they had not had the need to call upon his name, as Prothal had many times, they still maintain that reverence of this great power in their lives and in their calling. Perhaps one day, as she grew more in tune with her surroundings, as she got to know this deity more, she would call upon him as well.
“The wound have closed. You should feel better in no time,” smiled Prothal as he withdrew his hand. The reassuring words snapped her out of her thoughts. Indeed most of the wounds had closed, and that indeed was a somewhat longer prayer than normal too. She must have been wounded real badly – it might take more than that to bring her back to normal shape again. That, or probably several weeks of bed-rest.
Valena leant next to Prothal’s cheek and gave him a slight peck. She was unaccustomed to showing such affection to her friends, but she wanted to assure him that she truly appreciated the gift from The Eternal One. “May the Eternal One continue to watch over us, and Ky’Thand…” She whispered as she quickly moved away, like a breeze through the trees.
When Xavier noted that the crack in the wall led directly into the lair, and not just part way through where the group could hide out, he shook his head.
“Hannibal,” he called quietly, “We can’t continue along the wall much longer or we’ll get to the main gate. And the opening in the wall seems to lead all the way into the goblin lair. There is nothing along here. You want to rest?”
Xavier did not need to mention that the forest fire effectively blocked them from retreating that way – Hannibal understood the implied meaning of his words as he would a close friend of many years.
Hannibal turned his head from side to side to see if the blindness was lifting. It still had not. He answered, “Well, I’m not much good in battle if I can’t see. This spot will have to do. Prothal. If you have any healing left, try casting it directly on your or my eyes. This blindness is caused by the physical damage the light caused our eyes, not magic. Maybe simply curing the eye damage will restore some of our sight.”
Hearing Hannibal’s suggestion, Prothal placed his medallion upon his right eye and started concentrating upon his prayers to the Eternal One once again. Upon completing his prayers, Prothal tried squinting his eyes, hoping that his sight had returned. It had not. He should have known – the Eternal One would have given him a specific spell to heal his eyes, not one that healed wounds. But it was worth a try, Prothal reasoned to himself.
Valena, meanwhile, had moved next to Xavier, a very serious look in her eye. “I’ll be fine. But…” Valena hesitated, “thank you. Just make sure that Prothal and Hannibal live to see another day.”
Before Xavier could spit out a retort, Valena moved to a vantage point where she could see inside the compound. She scanned intently all around, looking for anything out of the ordinary, and checked the ground for any sign of scuffed dirt, or tracks. She remembered some of the pit traps goblins had used on a caravan route, before she and a few others tracked the small group. Many lives were lost before they were found.
Xavier noted Valena’s actions and commented nervously, “Hey, he just healed you. I wouldn’t be bringing the goblins down on us again. Our priest won’t be able to keep your pretty face, pretty forever.”
Valena observed from her hiding place, trying to see the movement of the goblins within the compound. The goblins inside looked like they were beginning to organise themselves, but it was very obvious to her they were blinded as well – as badly as her other two friends were, at the very least. What worried her was the fact that they looked like they were patrolling the compound, and beginning to communicate. Still, in their state – leaderless and blinded – she did not think they would be in a condition to begin sending out search parties.
Her eyes caught sight, amidst the big piles of rubble all over the place, of what seemed like an entrance to an underground area in the middle of the compound. Goblins were starting to move inside. She tried gauging the distance from the opening to the entrance – should be about a hundred feet or so. It was possible that the entrance was the real goblin warren, and the ruins probably served as a defence for their home.
Something she saw intrigued her though. Despite several sections of the walls that had crumbled down, like the one in the west wall she was using as an observation post, there was still a gate made of wooden stakes just fifty or so feet away from her to the south. Obviously the goblins expected that to be the only entrance and exit to and from the fortress.
She tried searching the area for tracks. It would require her to expose herself. She decided to take the risk and began using her keen senses to look about the area. It was interesting. There were fresh tracks where she and her friends were, indicating movement in the area – possibly the posse that had attacked them just now. Then there was a section of about thirty feet by ten feet wide where there were no tracks. And finally along the perimeter of the section, inside the compound, there were more tracks. These moved in unison, almost like they were a patrol. Interesting indeed.
Hannibal nodded as he leant against the wall, “We may as well rest here for a moment.” Xavier looked over the stuff he lifted from the goblin leader as Valena searched the compound with her sharp eyes. He was especially interested in the stick that he picked up. It looked like some sort of a wand to him – fashioned with good wood, and handcrafted finely with great attention paid to details getting the dimensions right.
He turned to the priest, “Look at what I picked up from that stinky creature I gave a surgical strike to.” He spoke rather cheerfully, knowing full well that his companions knew what he did. While Prothal took up the wand, and tried feeling it carefully for anything in its smooth surface, Xavier took a look again at the short sword and dagger he took from the goblin. They looked pretty unremarkable, but Xavier knew that not all magical enchantments require weapons of the best make. Some of the best weapons he heard of in legends looked pretty unremarkable too. If Ky’Thand was around, he might perhaps be able to make some sense out of the weapons.
Valena, having surveyed what she needed to see, quickly retreated from her position, and back to Xavier and the others.
“It looks like they’re still in the same condition as Hannibal and Prothal. Blind. Xavier, come with me for a moment. I noticed that the goblins seem to defend the front portion of these ruins. There’s some kind of entrance leading underground near the centre of this fortress. There are goblins going in and out of this.”
Valena led Xavier to her vantage point, to let him assess what the compound looked like on the inside. She said to Xavier, “There are some organised tracks throughout the compound, from a patrol, I am guessing, and one patch that doesn’t have any tracks at all. Probably a pit trap, if I know these creatures at all.”
Now that Xavier was there, both of them noticed that the compound seemed to be somewhat devoid of goblins. It looked like they had all retreated into the underground section of their lair. But knowing them, it seemed likely that they were setting a trap as well. Which would it be?
“I want this to end, Xavier. I want to find whatever it is we are looking for, and leave. I want to find Hamish, and Ky’Thand…”
Valena looked at him, the sparkle of her eye glistening softly in the waning light. “Do you think we could trap the goblins underground, and explore the grounds closer? Or should we try to set a trap for them, luring them into their own pit trap?” She shifted from her position, and gazed at the goblin entrance intently, awaiting his response.
Without answering her, Xavier carefully stepped into the walls. He inspected the grounds carefully, but could not find anything unusual. He looked again at what seemed like an entrance to an underground complex of some sort. Probably where the goblins stored their treasure! Gingerly, he took a careful first step on the ground. Seemed solid enough. He took his second step and quickly stepped back.
His instincts were correct. The ground around him collapsed into a deep pit, which for the looks of it, probably extended further on, covering perhaps the entire section of the opening into the fortress complex. The goblins were crafty indeed, but they had failed to reckon with a master thief. Xavier grinned to himself even as his heart beat away at the narrow escape.
He looked back at Valena, and at his other two companions who had heard the noise of the collapsing pit. He hoped the goblins were all below ground – anyone aboveground would have heard the commotion. With a wink to tell them everything was well with him, Xavier took another look again. It looked like he would either have to negotiate the high walls, or enter by the stockade further down. Rather risky both ways, and right now things looked calm, which was good for the situation they were in now. It would not be good to disturb the status quo.
Hannibal called out quietly, “You all right?” Hearing Xavier’s grunt of affirmation, he said with relief, “Well we might as well rest here. With that pit to our back, the goblins can’t come that way.”
Xavier nodded, but he was not about to let it go at that. He took out the coil of rope from Hannibal’s pack and spoke as quietly as he could, “You guys rest. Those goblins have to have some way to get what falls into the pit. I’ll check it out while Valena watches.”
Xavier looked about him for a place to secure the rope, but could not find any nearby. The nearest tree was some sixty feet away, and the rope was not even long enough to reach there. Just inside the compound, about twenty feet away, was the pile of rubble, two feet high that the goblins must have used as their shooting position. A lasso would probably do the trick, but a rope hanging about the place was a sure sign of their presence, and Xavier was not too sure he wanted to do that unless he intended to be within the compound. And that was another crazy idea only Hannibal would think of. Xavier was sure he was saner than that friend of his.
With a sigh, Xavier decided to give up on the idea. There must be plenty of treasure, or perhaps even an underground tunnel! There must be – otherwise how would the goblins get their victims out? Xavier shrugged his shoulders and walked back to take his place as first watch. With Hannibal blinded, and Prothal requiring rest, it looked like both Valena and he would have to take three-hour watches. This was going to be a long night.
Chapter 24: Recovery and Preparations
Ky’Thand awoke, refreshed. He could not be sure how much time had passed by, but whatever it was, his tired body and mind were glad of it. He flexed his fingers again, and felt the familiar touch of the mana about him again as he tried some of the simple exercises all apprentices need to know. Yes, he definitely was ready to weave a few more spells.
He paused and wondered if he should prepare some other spells he might have need of. His intelligent mind pondered the various ramifications and decided what he had prepared was good enough – he should continue on. He rose up in the darkness. He just could not resist fingering a handful of the treasure pile just next to him, tucking them into his pouch.
His hand touched a wall again, and he continued on, out of the room he was in, to the room where hours before had been a meeting place for the goblins. Snores could be heard within the room. There were probably sleeping goblins here.
Prothal hated falling asleep ever since the visions began. Each time he closed his eyes to rest, the visions would return, and replay, each time reminding him of the horrors he would face if he did not stop the horde in time. He awoke with his heart pumping hard, and he began to cry out with all his heart as he prayed to the Eternal One. This was the fifth day, and if Adam’s prophecy was true, they had only two more days.
As the group woke from its rest, Hannibal sighed as he realised he still could not see. His mind returned to the events of the hours that must had passed by before tiredness overcome his body and he decided to take a rest. He heard the sound of moving plates next to him. That must be Prothal.
“Prothal, can your god grant you the ability to cure blindness? It seems the only way we will be able to continue. Also, we shall need at least one spell to silent our armour so the two of us can move without being heard. It’s not perfect, but if we cast it on something that we can carry with us, we can then move away from it so to speak. Maybe the hilt of my blade would be most effective?”
All he heard was the sound of the early morning prayers that Prothal spoke each time he woke up. Except it sounded more desperate. Hannibal knew of the burden Prothal carried in his heart. He knew better than to disturb him then – but Hannibal knew Prothal had heard him and would do something about it. Hannibal could do little besides waiting for Prothal’s prayers to be answered. He asked with, “Is there any food around? There is some food and water in my pack.” Nobody answered him. It seemed like everybody was in a world of his own.
Xavier woke up and stretched. He looked about him, in the distance, and smelled the air around him. The smoke was thicker and the heat still there, but the smell of burning was no longer that strong. The wind must have changed direction last night, causing the fire to burn itself out. Nature indeed had its own way to redeem itself. That was the words Valena has once spoken, he realised with a grin. He noted with pleasure that there were still some weak light from the smothers that were still burning. He turned to the rest.
“What a pleasant night, three hours sleep between a forest fire and a goblin pit. I certainly hope Ky’Thand slept as well. Where is that mage anyway? I feel he may get good use from this wand. Hannibal, you want the goblin champion’s short sword?”
Hannibal shook his head and answered, “I still have my issue longsword. It will be good enough. I have a couple of daggers, I think, to back me up if I need them.”
Nodding, Xavier slipped the sword in with his belongings and rose, taking the rope from Hannibal’s pack and handing out the rations within. “I’m going to scout around. There should be a way into that pit. The goblins have to have a way in!”
Xavier began probing with the short sword for large blocks that he could tie the rope to. He looked for rough edges or blocks jutting out of the crack in the wall, or a place where he could wedge a blade into the rocks, with the blade in the direction of the forces on the rope. His efforts were frustrated again, as they were a few hours ago when the light was even better.
“The gods of Theophilia must like goblins more than humans,” Xavier quietly muttered an oath as he contemplated his next move.
“Xavier!” Valena scowled as she called out, “Don’t try to use that short sword for such a task. Hold on. Keep an eye on the goblins for a minute.”
Valena moved from her vantage, and took the end of the rope from Xavier. “Hannibal, Prothal. We need you to hold on to the end of this rope for Xavier. He wants to explore this pit we discovered. Prothal, I need you to stand in front of Hannibal, and hold onto this rope. When I tell you to, brace yourself for some additional weight, namely Xavier’s.”
Hannibal nodded, but Prothal was still lost in a world of his own. She realised he was making supplications to the Eternal One. She bit her lips and waited – it seemed just so irreverent to stop him right now. She motioned to Xavier to wait a while.
“Hear me now, O Great One! Show us your grace once again, and grant your servant the faith to see once again!”
The companions could have swore they saw a beam of light coming from the heavens striking Prothal, bathing him in an aura of light. It just happened so fast, they just could not be sure their eyes were playing tricks on them.
Prothal, too, felt the power of the Eternal One engulfing him once again – a power greater than any of the healing spells he had ever called upon. It seemed like scales in his eyes were falling off, like that of a fish being descaled. He blinked his eyes and saw an awe-struck Valena and a disbelieving Xavier looking at him. The Eternal One had remembered him. He could see now.
He gave an assuring smile and moved towards Hannibal. “Your turn now, my friend – remember the power of the Eternal One, and may he cause you one day to worship him even as I do, my friend.” His hands seemed to glow with an unearthly light as he placed them over the eyes of Hannibal.
Hannibal was sure he was struck by lightning, so intense was the power that seemed to course through him. He had become accustomed to the healing touch of Prothal, but this was ten times more powerful than what he had ever experienced. The brightness that covered his eyes seemed to turn brighter, and then suddenly there was darkness. He instinctively opened his eyes, and saw Prothal smiling at him. He realised with a start that he, too, could now see.
Prothal turned towards Valena and said, “Well, where is the rope?” Valena quietly began to tie the rope around Hannibal and Prothal. She made sure that Hannibal and Prothal were ready before moving back to Xavier. “All right Xavier. Hannibal and Prothal have the rope. As soon as you’re ready to descend, I will warn Hannibal and Prothal to expect your weight to pull on them.”
Xavier nodded to Valena then quietly announced, “I’m ready. Let’s see what those little buggers are hiding down there. Here, keep this thing,”
Xavier handed Valena the wand, and said, “Maybe you can use it.” With that Xavier descended the rope. Even without the rope, it was an easy descent. With the rope – it seemed almost too easy. It was only a twenty feet drop into the pit. Xavier looked around him. The light from the smothers was somewhat dim – he would probably need a light to help him explore the pit.
Now that Hannibal was able to see, he took a quick look around him, trying to see within his mind their strategical and tactical situation. He realised the pit in front of him was dug in the same style as the one he nearly stumbled into when he first charged the position. He also noticed, from his position, what seemed like a series of wooden stakes forming a mobile barricade at the southern section of the crumbling fortress walls. These barricades were heavy, and would require a few men to move them, but they could actually be moved.
It was a simple yet effective defensive array indeed, and he was surprised that goblins could actually come up with such an idea. The walls that were still standing contained the area. The sections of the walls that had collapsed were not repaired – instead, pit traps were dug to lull the foolish into charging what seemed like easy accesses into the compound. Once the charging army had its first ranks hit the pit, it would have been peppered with arrows from the archers firing from the protection of the piles of rubble within the compound – probably piled up for precisely that purpose.
He silently berated himself for not having the presence of mind to perform a complete reconnaissance before charging. If he had spotted the barricades, he would have realised without much thought that these were controlling perhaps the only real entrance into the compound. All the collapsed sections of the walls must have been riddled with pits! He grinned as he realised that Xavier’s dreams of finding treasure within the pit would most likely end in a disappointment – the only treasure he would find would be sand, sand and more sand.
Ky’Thand carefully moved towards the direction of the snores within the room, leaving the safety of the walls which he had taken his bearings from. His job was quick and deadly, giving no chances. He counted four snores in all silenced by the dagger hidden within the recesses of his vest. He searched the last one for any weapons, and could find nothing. Hoping that all goblins slept with snores, Ky’Thand tried backtracking, hoping to bump into a wall. Now that he no longer had the snores to guide him, it was somewhat difficult to navigate around in the dark.
There was a sound as Ky’Thand kicked something. A sound which he quickly silenced by holding on to the object. It felt like a spear, no doubt the weapon of one of the goblins he had killed. Ky’Thand froze and prepared himself for any sentry that might be awakened by the sound of the spear being kicked. There was no other indication that any goblin had discovered him. Carefully, he inched his way until he reached a wall.
Ky’Thand wished he could see in the dark. With a wall guiding him, he could simply trace its outlines and be out – assuming there was only two entryways, those he had discovered hours before. If there were to be another entryway, he might find himself in a different place altogether. But he could give a better estimate of the size of the cave now at least – it should be about fifty by fifty feet. Facing the wall, with his right hand on it, he paused to make a decision on where to go.
He concentrated, trying to use his instincts to recall the direction. He remembered how, many a times, he had been spot on whenever he relied on his uncanny instinct in deciding direction. He would have to rely on his heart again, instead of his sharp mind. Ky’Thand smiled – it would seem that no matter how intelligent man could be, there always come a time when he had no choice but to rely on the same instincts that lower order animals have.
He took his step of faith and decided to go left. Tracing his steps was easy. He felt the curtain of animal skins and got the reference he needed. He moved on, passing by the side passages again, where he could faintly hear the sounds of snores. His little pouch of wonders must have worked. He decided against killing them in their sleep – the risk was too much. There were too many of them, and he had stayed in the place long enough.
He thought of his friend Hannibal, and Prothal, and Valena. There was no news of what had happened to them, but if they had been captured or killed he was sure he would have seen something within the warren. Yet there were no sounds of battle. There was a good possibility they had fled the place, perhaps even with grave injuries.
Ky’Thand bit his lips and moved on. His friends would need him around. He stopped as he realised he was in the place where the stairs were. The light streaming in was dim – the forest fire must have died out, for the light should be from the moon, and perhaps even the embers still smothering in the forest.
He heard snores. A few of them. The risk here was lesser. He summoned the dagger from his vest again and moved on his sleeping victims. With satisfaction, he noted mentally another four goblins joining the rest of their kin in death. Ky’Thand could not smile at this thought, however. One more dead goblin made no difference to the evil in this world – somewhere else in Theophilia, he was sure another ten had been raised to take his place. Listening around to make sure he had killed all goblins he was supposed to, he took the steps up carefully.
Hannibal listened to Xavier’s curses about not finding anything in the pit, then looked through the wall one more time.
“Looks to me like they don’t have anyone manning the front gate. We killed the chief, from your description, so maybe they are still confused. Let’s go through the front and get rid of this problem before they get organised.”
As Hannibal stood, he turned and thanked Prothal once again for his vision. “Well my friend, the Eternal One has certainly smiled on us this day. It is amazing how much one depends on sight. I am glad to see again.”
Prothal nodded with a smile, and looked at his friend as he said, “Truly we are all blind and unseeing, my dear friend. Perhaps one day, when all of Theophilia acknowledges his power and sovereignty, then shall we all see him in his splendour and glory!”
The topic seemed to be somewhat unrelated to what Hannibal said, but he was already used to that from Prothal. After being with two priests of two different religions for some time, he had come to be very used to such tangents of topics from men and women of religion.
Casting the thoughts aside, Hannibal pulled out his army-issued longsword and moved towards the front entrance, carefully testing the ground in front of him as he slowly stepped on the grass at the perimeter of the compound. When he reached the barricade he called out, “Xavier, can you check these out? They must be warned somehow if they are moved!”
Muttering under his breath, still vexed about the effort of looking into the pit, Xavier moved up next to Hannibal. “Okay, Okay. Let me look them over. Maybe we can just climb over them and leave them alone?”
A look of warning from Hannibal, and the sight of two heavily armoured warriors among the party convinced Xavier that he must have mentioned something that he should not have. No way the two would be able to climb up the structure without much effort. Xavier shook his head and began checking the huge structure for any possible traps or alarms.
“I’ll keep an eye out for any other goblins that may try to sneak up on us,” Valena started. “I would hate to find a sword stuck in my back because I didn’t see it coming.”
Prothal nodded, and spoke to Hannibal, “I agree we should keep a close watch while Xavier look through the structure. I will watch out for the main tunnel entrance, while you watch for the areas behind us. Any goblin that sticks its head out of the tunnel gets my arrow!”
With that he readied his bow and arrow, pointing it at the tunnel entrance. The light provided by the burning embers of the forest, and the moon, was not as good as daylight, but they most definitely could spot any creature coming out at this distance – about thirty-five over yards from where they were. And given time, they too would be spotted. They would have to kill the inquisitive goblin before it even knew what hit it.
Xavier took his time with the structure. He sighed as he checked carefully, looking for anything that might point to a trap or alarm. The structure was simple – he could have climbed over it with ease, although someone like Hannibal, loaded down with armour, might find it impossible. It would take the combined strength of three men to move it, though.
He noted with satisfaction that there should be nothing on it, and was about to turn to tell Hannibal when he heard the sound of an arrow leaving its bow. A hiss from Prothal came and Xavier realised that he must have spotted something. Another arrow left its bow. He turned to look, to see a head darting into the tunnels again. He turned, to see Hannibal’s grip tightened on his sword. He must have seen it too.
Ky’Thand sensed something wrong even as he climbed, and quickly put himself prone onto the steps of the stairs even as two arrows struck the ground just ahead of him. He quickly rolled down the steps, down the stairs. It was a trap! Someone had been prepared to shoot at him as he came out!
Prothal gritted his teeth as he saw both his arrows missing the head of the scout, striking off the ground next to the opening. He had to fire before it turned its head to look at him. But the target was so small, protected by the natural outcropping of the tunnel, that he had missed. Now it would probably go about warning the rest of the goblins that they were still around!
Ky’Thand rolled away, his heart pounding rapidly, his eyes dilated, ears pricked to hear sounds before the sword or arrow could strike. His eyes searched for the pair of arrows that had been fired at him. Quickly picking one up, he checked the fletching. It did not look like it was goblin make to him, although he was not too sure – only a fletcher could tell with great certainty. But it really looked primitive to him.
He stayed next to the wall and listened. There seemed to be no sounds coming from outside. After a minute of waiting, he decided to make a sound of a hunting owl, to see if there was any reaction from outside. Ky’Thand could not be sure if they were friend or foe, but he was not taking any chances.
The sound of the owl echoed inside the chamber even as he called it out. In the silence of the night, with sleeping goblins around, he could not be sure how far it had echoed within. It was wise of him to have at least despatched the goblins within this chamber. Hopefully, the sound was not loud enough to disturb the sleeping goblins way inside the tunnel complex
“Damn!” Valena muttered under her breath. “Well, we should have company arriving at any time now. I hope you’re ready for all of this.”
Valena kept looking along the forest edge, hoping against hope, that she would see Ky’Thand or Hamish. They would need all the mage around! She knew she looked a fright, smelling of smoke and blood, black smeared into her skin and clothing. She hoped that Ky’Thand fared better, and was well.
“I say we let them come to us everyone! We don’t know what kind of traps they may have set up in their underground lair. We can get a better vantage on the entrance, and slay any with our bows before they get out. What say you all?”
“Too late now, get over here and move the barricade!” Hannibal made the decision, calling urgently over to Prothal, before turning to his other friend, “Xavier, over you go and heave from the other side. Let’s get in before they arrive to fight with this to defend from!”
With that Hannibal moved forward along the same path Xavier had trod and put his shoulder into the barricade.
Xavier shook his head and quickly climbed over the structure. He did not even break a sweat – with such abundant handholds, he was sure it could not stop someone like him. It was obviously meant to stop bigger and heavier opponents like the two ironclad men with him.
“Push! I don’t want an arrow in my butt for my efforts!” Xavier grunted as he pulled at the structure. Prothal had by then came next to Hannibal and braced himself against the structure. He nodded at Hannibal.
“Valena, shoot anything coming out of that hole!” Hannibal called to the ranger. He turned to Prothal and began to shove himself against the structure as well.
Valena nodded, and called out, “If you have any oil…”
Even as Valena spoke, the sound of a hunting owl rang across the compound, from the direction of the entrance into the underground complex. Any ordinary person would have thought nothing of it, but it triggered Valena’s interest. Hunting owls did not have the habit of hunting underground, from her experience in the woods. They did not have the curiosity to enter into underground dwellings, unlike some other hunting birds she knew of.
The barrier had begun to move, the sound breaking the silence of the night. It seemed to move at an agonisingly slow pace, but Hannibal just needed the barrier to move wide enough for both Prothal and him to fight side by side if necessary. A few more grunts from the three men, and soon the barrier was opened wide enough. He quickly slipped in and readied his longsword and shield, prepared to stem the expected rush of goblins from the tunnel. Prothal followed and stood next to him.
Xavier readied his short sword as well, but prudently found himself behind
Hannibal and Prothal. No use being a target when there are two armoured men in front to protect you, he thought to himself. Valena got readied her bow, fixing an arrow to it. Right now she would love to put an arrow straight through its heart. The darkness made things difficult though, and the structure of the stairs would provide a measure of cover for whatever lurked behind, waiting for them.
Chapter 25: The New Assault
Ky’Thand retreated a few more steps, and crouched down to concentrate. The mystical words rolled neatly from his tongue at barely a whisper. The raw energy of creation moved around him as he wove it into the energy necessary to power his spell. For a moment he thought he heard something, but he forced himself to concentrate, to ignore any distractions. By the time he had finished his body was becoming invisible once again.
Silently drawing his longsword, KT crept up the stairs. He looked carefully before stepping forward for any ropes, or powder upon the ground, which might betray his presence. There were none, and he moved on, stepping carefully outside. No arrows greeted him this time. The advantage of not being able to be seen was great. No wonder the goblins and orcs were so difficult to take care of. The night was truly their battleground.
He looked around from where he was, trying hard to see in the limited light. As he had suspected, the forest fire had about died out, leaving behind embers. It was the light of the moon that allowed him to see anything at all right now. He moved behind a pile of rubble, just in case, and observed from there. He realised that the barricade at the south, about forty yards away, which he had climbed over hours ago, had been moved. Four shadowy figures were moving about. At this distance, he was not able to tell who they were, but they were definitely human-sized.
He could see the reflections of the moonlight off two of the figures. And also hear the noise of metal plates striking each other. Armour – they were wearing heavy armour! He knew of only two persons right now who would be wearing that – Hannibal and Prothal! He wished he could see in the dark. While he was quite sure, he could not identify them positively. Then he realised they were moving towards the entrance. No, not all – one still stayed behind near the barricade. Covering fire, he thought as he realised those were definitely military trained.
Hannibal and Prothal quickly advanced, trying to move to a position where they could engage in melee combat, where their superior armour and combat strength would quickly destroy any goblin foolish enough to engage them. Xavier followed, trying to stay as close behind them as possible. Valena stayed where the barricade was, providing covering fire, and watching for possible ambushes.
Valena looked on, a little surprised there were no flurry of activity, no goblin defending party coming after them. She noticed that the three were already near the entrance, and pulled her bow harder. The arrow strained against her hand. It would go the moment any thing moved out of the entrance.
Hannibal and Prothal moved in cautiously, Hannibal peering down the entrance first. The steps led down to the darkness below. The moonlight could hardly penetrate down below. It seemed like nobody was going to meet them for battle. Hannibal did not like this. A lull often meant a powerful storm was on its way.
The three had by now reached the entrance, just twenty or so feet from where Ky’Thand stood. He smiled as he recognised them by the light of the moon. Hannibal, Prothal and that coward Xavier. The figure at the barricade must be Valena then.
Ky’Thand moved near to Hannibal and Prothal and spoke with a whisper, “So the king to be arrives with his blade-mate. Your mage has scouted below and drugged the stew to prolong their sleep. If you wish to deal the goblins their deathblow continue, bring the archer in so she may help with the slaughter.
“So does speak the one who went before but also guards the back of the king to be. You will need light to see your way, for below is the ally of darkness most black.”
Hannibal, Prothal and Xavier froze at the voice that came up from nowhere. But they recognised it – it was Ky’Thand, their friend. For a moment they wondered, and even Hannibal was thinking how strange he sounded. The way he spoke seemed different from how he would in the past. But it was definitely his voice. Hannibal thought a while, and finally attributed it to some magic that his friend must have woven upon himself.
“So what’s wrong with you?” Xavier finally spoke up after the silence. “You sound like one of those prissy bards that play for the rich folk.”
“Hey, maybe you can tell me what this is worth,” Xavier whispered as he took out the wand he had acquired from the ‘chieftain’, “The big cheese was waving this around and I figured it would do me more good than him. Besides, he didn’t need it any more.”
Ky’Thand laughed at Xavier, “Spend a few hours during night-time skulking around goblins and you too would be a changed man, Xavier. Your toy I will look at later.”
Hannibal smiled and said, “Good to know you are around again. So what is it like below? I want to be through with this and clean this den out before they threaten the villages nearby again.”
Looking back over the burning forest, he continued, “I think we can manage a torch or two. Or my crystal will light the way.” Hannibal then took out the light stone that he had faithfully kept, from his father-in-law. “Lead the way. Can we take them by surprise?”
Ky’Thand replied, “Below there is no light at all bar a cooking fire which is in a room off the main one. The goblins will mostly be off guard as their stew was doctored with herbs which promote sleep, so if you do it smart and quietly, most of the goblins will not know what hit them. Also a new leader has emerged from the pack, I heard his speech, it was poor and uninspired. Their morale is poor so to strike now is a wise move Hannibal.
“Light below will be your ally, lose it and the goblins will win this day. Continue in, I will be nearby to warn and support your actions, as always. Bring the ranger closer to the group and I will be awaiting below. Oh, and no traps are in the entry passage, in case you wondered.
“The chamber below opens up into a large cavern with several tunnels. The main one goes to the kitchen and spouses area, the other spots some guards slumber, some are dead. The path of the dead leads to the treasure chamber which is most bare and lacking of anything of major interest.”
Hannibal nodded and turned to Valena, waving her over. Silently through the ground she moved, until she was next to her three friends. Hannibal said to Valena, “We can’t see him, but it’s Ky’Thand. Seems we have a way to rid this warren of goblins once and for all. Remember that we’re looking for what that orc mage may have wanted here. We might have to delve deeper than the goblin warren.”
He looked at Prothal, then at Valena, and finally at Xavier, before attempting to take the first step into the underground complex.
But Prothal felt strange, as if there was something not right, something that should not be. His hand instinctively reached out to Prothal, and pulled him back as a tongue of flame roared from the entrance! Valena and Xavier quickly moved aside, throwing themselves onto the ground. Even Ky’Thand had to move aside, so hot was the blast of flame that shot up.
On the ground, the companions looked up at the jet of flame that roared into the sky, momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events. The ground beneath them began to shake violently, and the remaining walls of the fortress began to crumble and fall. The pits collapsed all around the perimeter of the fortress, revealing themselves. It was as Hannibal had guessed. They were dug all around the complex except for the gate.
Valena realised Xavier was on top of her – either she must have pulled him towards her, or he must have landed on her when they jumped away from the blast. She also realised he had a cheeky grin on his face. He winked at her and said with a tint of mischief, “Did I ever tell you that you’ve got a really great bosom, pretty?”
Many parts of the ground began to crumble, and Ky’Thand recognised some of them as the tunnels and rooms. He realised that the underground complex was probably collapsing upon itself, for some reason. And he bet the agent behind the blast of fire had something to do with it.
Through the smoke and dust being kicked up by the earthquake, the companions saw a strange sight. A huge black altar, easily the size of a small inn’s bed, rose from amidst the rubble of one collapsed area. Ky’Thand frowned – that looked like somewhere near the room where the meeting had taken place. He must have missed while he was there.
The altar, seemingly carried by no man, moved eerily through the air just one feet above the ground, until it rested on a spot just outside the fortress – or what remained of it – near the gate. It had also collapsed, unable to support its own weight when the ground had moved so violently around it. Valena quickly made her judgement – there should be no problem moving to the exit, and the altar, without stumbling into the collapsed parts of the ground. The route would be a little indirect, but safe nevertheless.
It seemed almost as soon as it had begun, the ground had stopped shaking. And a voice called out, sure and powerful. It seemed to have come from all directions, and the companions looked around them, and could see nothing by the light of the moon.
“I do not need the worship of weaklings! They shall die for their weakness!”
A laugh, evil and chilling rang throughout the now silent forest. Even the animals and the crickets were keeping still.
“I can sense the strength among the four of you. Today you have seen the power of Dnahkrad. Surely you are not fools to struggle against one of such great power! The same power is yours to use as you will, if you were to bow down, worship and serve me!”
As if to agree with the voice, the altar suddenly burst into flames – a ghostly green flame dancing upon the altar, seemingly waiting for a sacrifice.
“And to show me that you wish to serve me – choose among yourselves one to be burnt on the altar of sacrifice!”
Another laughter roared through the forest. The companions could not help it but feel a chill down their spine, so strong, so convincing was the voice. It was almost as if a divine being had spoken to them. It took almost all of their strength, their mental fortitude, just to keep their sanity.
Hannibal gritted his teeth as he felt within himself a power similar to that which was destroyed in his blade. He whispered to Prothal, “Your blade, drive it into the altar! It is an evil we can’t let stay.”
Hannibal then drew forth his crystal of light and his longsword to protect Prothal from anything that might attempt to keep him from the altar. Prothal nodded at him, and drew Lightbringer. Without Hannibal’s other weapon, its glow did not function. Both of them moved quickly but cautiously. It would take them quite a while to reach the altar, but both were ready to die to defend what they both believed in.
“No!!” Valena screamed at Prothal and Hannibal. She drew her blade and moved to them. There was probably a power greater than what Prothal alone could do – and Valena would make sure she at least stood by her friends. For she knew, in her heart, that Airlyne was also created for such a time as this.
Ky’Thand, however, looked mighty unhappy, his plans to loot and search below shattered by the some mad god’s gamble. He thought of the small pile of coins now lost. It was a good thing he swiped a few handfuls of the mixed coins and gems.
He shook his head and called out, even as Hannibal and Prothal began their move towards the altar, “Why the tacky bow down and serve thee rubbish? Gods are there to be worshipped and the gods are there to be useful to mankind, like give hope, prosperity, doom and glory, even to do a miracle once in a while.”
Dnahkrad would be a name Ky’Thand burnt into his mind, the beast behind the problem, the one which needed a hideous fall from grace, so Ky’Thand’s world would finally return to some order. KT did admire his engineering work of marvels in causing the collapse of the tunnels and caverns. It was most neat and quickly done. Hopefully he could still salvage something from the collapsed tunnels. But for now he stood back and watched, waiting to see what was sprung.
A sinister laughter broke the air.
“You fools! Though my power not be in the fullness of its might, I shall show you today the power you have foolishly denied!”
A wave of heat seemed to emanate from the altar – and the companions could not help gasping as they saw the heat wave moving towards them. Prothal, Hannibal and Valena quickly planted their swords into the ground and turned their face away from the source, caught as they were in open ground. Ky’Thand and Xavier jumped behind a pile of rubble close to them.
The companions looked towards the altar as the heat wave passed by, and saw an terrible sight indeed. A huge nine-foot tall bear stood just before the altar, its eyes keenly surveying the ground before it. Or at least it was as close to a bear as Valena knew it, for this bear had the horns of rams protruding from its forehead, and for hands it had the talons of an eagle. She had never seen any creature like this in her life, and she was sure, none of her companions had too.
“What manner of creature is this?” Valena find herself speaking aloud to Prothal and Hannibal, her eyes never leaving the beast before them.”
Xavier muttered to himself as he prepared to engage the new threat, “Great, where’s the holy one now!” With quick hands, he flipped off one of his knives at the creature, at extreme range. It was no surprise to him that he would miss the creature entirely. His weapon, however, fell upon the altar, and exploded with a flash of purplish light.
Xavier decided there and then that firing knives at this range was not exactly his cup of tea, and moved off to get into the shadows where he would try to circle around behind the creature. I’m just along for the job, the thief thought to himself as he attempted to get his skin out of the way of the mayhem that he felt would soon occur. A wise man lives to fight another day, he thought, remembering the ancient military proverb.
The creature was just barely forty feet away from the three warriors in front, Ky’Thand noted. Though the piles of rubble all over the place meant that the warriors would need about another minute to reach the creature.
“Puny humans! You are a fool to refuse my master! Come and attack, and I shall taste of your blood and your flesh today!” It said as it licked its lips. It made no movement, its talons withdrawn and arms folded, confident of besting whatever the companions could come up with. Its eyes, however, seemed to be focused upon Hannibal.
And Hannibal felt it, felt the presence in his head. “Your companion is evil indeed – destroy him, and join me! We are the true forces of good! Destroy him, and together we shall rule Theophilia!” Hannibal fought hard, but he felt his mind slipping, losing control, and agreeing with what the creature said. His hand gripped his weapon hard.
“Hannibal, this thing seems to be speaking to you. Perhaps it’s drawn to your sword!” Valena moved to put herself between Prothal and Hannibal. “Perhaps the fates are against us,” she whispered, but Hannibal did not seem to be listening. His mind seemed to be elsewhere, as if he was in a world of his own.
Ky’Thand shook his head as he saw his friends approach the creature, “So much for doing something rational for once.” He pulled his bow out, aimed for the head of the creature carefully and let fire the arrow. At about a hundred feet, his arrow should not have a problem, unlike the fool Xavier who used a knife. The fragile dweomer about him was shattered by that move, however, and his form became seen by all.
The arrow flew true, but simply bounded off the hide of the creature. This was going to be harder than he thought.
The warrior seemed to hesitate as Valena shouted. His steps paused and he shook his head as the others continued forward. It seemed so crystal clear now. He had tried to change him for years, but it seemed all his hard work and forbearance was for naught. His childhood friend had sided with evil. With a shout of “Xavier!” Hannibal turned from the task at hand and saw his friend threw his weapon towards his new ally. It was so obvious – how could he be so blinded by his friendship that he had not seen justice done?
With all speed, Hannibal moved towards Xavier with his sword at the ready. “Your time is at hand foul one. You’re going back to face military justice, then hang!”
“What the…” Hannibal’s voice was so loud, so commanding, that it caught Xavier off guard for a while. He noticed Hannibal charge towards him, and was quickly thinking through his head whether this was a joke or some kind of unusual combat manoeuvre. But the charging mass of metal going for him was definitely no joke. Hannibal would be upon him soon.
Prothal, too, was caught off-guard by the actions of Hannibal. For a moment, he wondered, as Hannibal began moving off in the other direction, what had happened. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. “Xavier! Watch out!” There was an enemy in the other direction, and he could not afford to let his friends down at this juncture. He moved resolutely in the direction of the creature.
Valena, too, had hesitated, but followed him as they closed the final distance between the creature and themselves. She noticed the same kind of look upon the creature’s eyes upon Prothal as she had first seen upon Hannibal. Her gripped closed on her weapon as she came face to face with a creature of a level of power she had yet to encounter in her life.
Prothal heard the voice within his head, calling out to him, promising him great things, “Do not be foolish, my friend! Stop this woman, and together we shall rule Theophilia!” He found himself agreeing with the strange words, found himself gripping his weapon tighter.
“Valena! Stop where you are now, and move off, or you shall face cold steel!” The words from Prothal shocked Valena. She stopped and turned slightly, keeping the corner of her eyes on the creature. She was caught in between, Prothal to one side, only a few feet away, and the creature and dark altar on the other, also only a few feet away. She could not see Prothal’s eyes, neither could she tell the expression on his face, his helmet covering everything. But the words sounded serious, and Prothal seemed to be backing his words up, advancing towards her, weapon poised for attack.
“You try to keep me from aiding my friends when they are in need? Even you are wiser than that, old friend. Hannibal has been affected somehow by that beast…” Valena started.
A loud laughter rang through the night forests as the light source began to move away from Valena and Prothal, moving together with its owner Hannibal. They had only the light of the moon to battle the creature, and for once, Valena could not be sure at this moment if her companion was on her side. Or on the enemies’ side.
Ky’Thand swore as Hannibal moved ever closer to them, “This demon thing is a master at its arts, what a terrible time to meet it!” He glanced about, and realised the forest edge was the best hope. In fact, losing the creature as far as Ky’Thand thought was the only hope to survive this encounter.
With gusto and the edge of terror fuelling his legs Ky’Thand sprang from hiding spot and darted directly for the tree line. “Xavier follow me, now! We must retreat!” He shouted at his companion, still rooted to the ground in disbelief.
Valena heard Ky’Thand’s cry a short distance from her. “Yes! Xavier! Ky’Thand! Flee into the woods! We can’t fight this creature as we are.” Valena shouted, then kept her blade drawn and glancing at the nine-foot bear beast just next to her with hatred. It seemed to make no move at her, confident that it had the situation under control. For a moment, she thought it had an amused look on its face, like a cat toying around with its prey before consuming it.
“Prothal, you don’t want to harm me. I’m your friend, not that hideous beast! Isn’t it strange that Hannibal wants to kill Xavier now?” She looked at him with a pleading look in her eyes. “Ask the Eternal One for aid against this creature. If you don’t, we’re all lost!”
If there was any answer from Prothal, it was lost in the clang of steel as Prothal’s blade met hers. Their blades glowed, hers with a light as blue as the morning sky, and his as white as snow. “Nay, I know what I am doing, woman! With me ruling Theophilia, all of the land will hear of the greatness of the Eternal One!” Prothal answered through the helmet that covered his face, “If truly you are my friend, back off from here, and leave this place! I see no reason to harm you – just leave the place!” Valena could feel the seriousness in his words. But she was shocked over one thing. Prothal had never talked of ruling. He had always been a humble man. What had come over him?
Her thoughts though, were interrupted by something. She noticed a hissing sound, and smoke, from the hilt of Prothal’s sword. There was a cry of pain from Prothal, but he held on to the weapon. It almost seemed like his weapon was burning his hand!
“Most interesting…a holy weapon…” Valena could hear the words just two feet away from her. The bear-demon had not attacked, even though Valena was helpless, blade locked in with Prothal in combat.
Ky’Thand rushed quickly for the tree line, and he could hear Xavier behind him, scrambling to get away from the armoured juggernaut. Hannibal was surprisingly fast even in his armour, and Ky’Thand, loaded down with his gear, could only just keep his distance of about thirty feet from him.
“Xavier, stop running away and surrender now, you evil coward! Or I will make sure they starve you before they hang you!” Ky’Thand could hear the swearing from Hannibal as he attempted to catch up with them.
It was not easy navigating the piles of rubble and the gaping holes in the ground. Xavier was faster than him, moving in front and heading for the trees. The coward. He would probably reach the trees in probably another few more seconds of running. If Hannibal kept the speed, Xavier could outrun him, but definitely not Ky’Thand. Not that it really mattered, anyway. It seemed like Hannibal was more bent on taking Xavier to military court than in taking a slice off him.
Valena knew that she was quicker than her friend, as she was not as encumbered in metal armour, and deftly side-stepped around Prothal. She still could not understand why Prothal would press an attack on her, unless…his mind was somehow ensorcelled by that creature!
“Prothal, you are not a man who wants to rule anything! This demon has ensorcelled your mind! Fight it! For the love of all that you hold dear, for the love of the Eternal One, for the love of your friends, fight! Fight this demon with me!”
She looked for his eyes, striving to see something. “Because I am your friend, I will stay by your side. Would you leave me here, with this creature, alone? Fight this madness! I cannot leave here without you!”
And so here ends the Island of Rodarea campaign, another casualty in pbem play, struck by the combined pincer movements of real life and table-top gaming. It has gone on for a year and a half. Whether it will be resurrected again or not is in doubt. Who knows, when the 5 of us have retired and have tons of time on our hands? Perhaps then we will continue the saga? Until then, this campaign remains in the arms of Death…
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