Chapter 2
Althisu always hated soldier life. Average height, but skinny frame did not make for a good warrior. His friend, Lelcuse shot him a reassuring glance as they assumed position next to each other in the farthest right flank, third from the front.
"Faster, we must be prepared to march within the minute!" cried the captain of their column. They friends drew their swords, preparing for a pointless march to pointless slaughter.
"Hey!—" Lelcuse shouted, but was soon silenced by an arrow that flew into his throat, a gout of blood flowing down his body. Confusion ruled for many moments, arrows sticking and slashing all within the radius of that lethal volley. Althisu, nursing a wound from an arrow sticking awkwardly out of his left shoulder, near his collarbone, staggered away, breaking ranks and running. "Al-Althi-Althisu!" Lelcuse was alive! Althisu retrieved a sword, then staggered back at the scene, hundreds of men dead, rivers of blood flowing down the soft grass of the hill. His vision blurring, he raced across the field to his fallen friend, tripping more than once over dead or dying men. Cries of pain were the only sound, save his own jumbled thoughts. When he finally reached Lelcuse, he was living, but only just. "Kill me! Kill me now!"
With a cry of grief, Althisu raised the sword and delivered the finishing blow. "Take cover!" was the general cry when they noticed a second volley and with it much more death. He began to pick up a fallen tower shield when he swooned, and fell unconscious to the ground, the last thing he saw being his friend's bloody corpse.
* * * *
"Give it a rest boys," Tehd, his voice cracking, ordered after seven volleys. Only two arrows left for each of them. By now, the Enemy had organized their forces enough to rush them head on, so it was clearly time to fall back. Spears soared into their ranks as they gained ground ahead of their pursuers, about half a score taken down. Tearing down plants, trampling underbrush and dodging trees, Tehd got the boys out of the kill zone, only to run into an enemy patrol that they missed. As six hundred pikes braced to meet a head on charge, their ranks were raked by a disorganized but still effective arrow storm. The desperate skirmishers drew their shortswords and hurled themselves at the distracted Enemy, yelling,
"For the homeland!" Tehd rushed down to meet them, sword not raised. Fear tightened his stomach, turning it several times. Several of his men tripped on the slimy and root filled ground, but they didn't slow in the least. Tehd batted a pike to the left, completed a spin, slashing the throat of the pikeman, easily going around the useless shield of his arm. Now his men collided, the first line of each force dead within a second, men smacking themselves together creating a deafening crack every time armor slammed against armor.
Tehd flipped his sword over his head and swung to the right, blocking an expert shot at his lung. He would have finished it, but a shaft of an arrow seemed to grow from him rather than go into him. Instead, he utilized a ring on his finger, a tiny red bead going straight to the center of the Enemy line. His men fell to the ground, covering their heads. The fire ball exploded, blinding light illuminated the entire hillside, men flying everywhere, flesh burned and men rolled to the ground, squirming in pain. "Shake it off." Someone cried commanded. It seemed an eternity for Tehd to rise, and charge again into the already defeated patrol, scattering the rest into the forest, and finishing the wounded. All except ten, who were to be their prisoners. The fear slightly subsiding, but nausea rising at the sight of so many dead, especially the burned corpses that were still smoldering producing such a foul stench, everyone had to cover their noses with shirts.
"We—we need to move," Tehd choked out, beginning yet another dash. The stunt with the patrol had allowed the main pursuit to gain ground, Tehd could hear their shouting at their backs, enraged further to see more of their own dead. When they finally reached camp, a makeshift gate opened, men flooding inside. The door was immediately shut, in fear the Enemy would go this far.
The low rumble of siege engines could be heard, just barely, in the distance.
"Having any fun lately brother?" D' yunb asked.
"Oh shut up." Tehd chuckled.
"Father told me that he had a family heirloom in his possession and feared that his boys would never even see it before he died. So he has given the mace to me."
"Mace?" Tehd's knew this wasn't his favored weapon.
"Indeed. I have been training with it since you left. Not too good I suppose, but still father's and I shall honor that by fighting with it in the coming battle. Now I must take my leave and get the men back into formation, they have the urge to run about every time something happens. No matter. How close are they?"
"The Enemy will be here before midday." D' yunb nodded solemnly, pulled his pipe, and walked toward his men.
Tehd hurried off to fortify the ships against inevitable attack. As he ran up the plank to one of the center boats, an arrow streaked across the sky, striking the ship next to him, men crying out in alarm. Tehd began to feel that familiar fear grip him as he realized the attack was now and not later. He hated himself for this.
* * * *
Julius sat on a rock, watching his force all around him sift through the boulders and trees. The priestess was all he could think about ever since his meeting with her. She had inspected his army, praised him for it, then beat him nearly to death. Why? He hadn't the slightest clue. All he knew that his legs hurt terribly and his sword arm was wrapped up in a sling. The wind irritated a cut on his face, he believed it would become infected before too long. They were half a mile from the Enemy encampment.
* * * *
Pelix examined the other ships, realizing that their own were a bit smaller than theirs in fact. He was worried about the outcome of this battle, knowing the Pelanthons to be tough and hardened warriors, he himself once apart of that army. His archers began to fire blindly at the boats. The army of the Reborn would not win the river, but he took some pleasure in not being in the same ship as those foul smelling ogres and their horrid battle axes. When he could see the Enemy scramble across their ships distinctly, he ordered the boarding crew to prepare the planks. Pelix hurried below deck, knowing the superior enemy bowmen would begin firing very soon. Sure enough, arrowheads began poking through, making loud thumping noises.
The soldiers around them grew nervous at hearing ogre screams mixed in with the men's. What couldn't those lethal arrows kill? Pelix peeked through an arrow slit, seeing that they were directly beside one of the boats. His people lowered and slammed the plank noisily onto the side of the other ship. Men screamed and charged across. Pelix couldn't help but notice not nearly the number of men boarded the Enemy boat than were previously on his. Blood began to fall slowly from the ceiling with a steady drip, drip. They looked up in horror to see the arrowheads poking through created holes big enough for liquid to slip below deck. A drop hit Pelix in the head and he hurriedly wiped it off, feeling suddenly very nauseas and dizzy. He managed one more quick glance to see the landing crew was already defeated. Then he passed out.
* * * *
A catapult boulder slammed into the wall, creating yet another massive gap. "Just get on with it," D'yunb whispered to himself. The enemy obliged, and began charging through the holes, flooding over the ground between them very quickly. Several companies of them veered, and went to close behind them, but the majority attacked the front lines of his block, that he himself was spearheading the left corner. Cries went up from them, spears lowered, shields covering most of their bodies. D' yunb braced himself for impact, dodged two enemies, breaking the shield wall by bashing it with his own. They staggered a few steps back, their momentum stolen, and D' yunb crushed the next one in line with his mace, cracking ribs. He reversed the strike, tearing off his helmet and most of his face with the next strike.
Cries of rage and courage were soon replaced by screams of pain and suffering on both sides. D' yunb fought his hardest that day, killing many, many men who piled at his feet and those of his comrades, but so many more came. D' yunb lunged at a monster of a man wielding a massive two handed sword, bashing one of his kneecaps, or began to, for he was swatted aside with a great backhand. The sword slashed, slicing a man's head clean off, and smashing another into the mud, crumpling him from the head down. The monster let out a grand roar and charged headlong into D' yunb's line. He recovered from the pain in his face, and rushed into his flank and screamed "For Gilith!" in defiance. As the giant turned, he retreated a few steps from seeing the wild look in D' yunb's eyes. Just another puny suicidal warrior, though this one was clad in plate which didn't process in his slow brain in time, for a massive bolt of lightning burst his chest open. Staggering, he attempted a weak slash, but he had strangely lost control of his arms, his sword plopping down into the damp earth. D' yunb rushed in as the giant fell, finishing him off by breaking off chunks of his skull.
D' yunb thought wildly for an instant what that lightning bold was and who cast it, but was interrupted by the tortured cries of his own men. About a score were on the ground squirming, or already dead, caught in the blast radius of the lightning which left the ground scorched and smoking. The enemy, seeing a fortunate friendly fire incident, renewed their charge with a terrifying bloodlust.
* * * *
Tehd, aiding in the command structure and morale, ordered another magical volley of stinging bolts and sizzling beams when a deafening crack sounded directly in front of him. A lightning bolt struck somewhere in the front out of a clear blue sky, a few men actually flying into the air. The onlookers were scared and confused, but continued the battle slowly, if not reluctantly.
"We need some magic at the rear!" Tehd cried above the din of noise. Several spells were flung in that direction, along with another devastating red bead from Tehd's ring, causing general havoc among the enemy. By now, the men were ready to close on the two target points beside the forward block. The Enemy, forgetting about this particularly nasty stage of the formation, were surprised to see them gaining ground, closing the holes in the line. Tehd's heart sank as he saw a virtual storm of javelins rain upon the left flank, causing heavy casualties and great fear. Despite these losses, the positions were taken, the semicircle in full operation. Ballistae bolts rained down on the flanks, some killing six men at a time. The battle was not looking well, Tehd realized, as he saw a depleted but formidable force of ogres charge in, and more and so many more enemy soldiers pour in from the forests. Gradually, they were pushed until a few feet from the river, in range of their deadly archers on the ships, who made the front lines of the Enemy dead in short order.
Blood ran in rivers, the foamy coast of the river red, but still they fought on, determined to fight to the last. Just as Tehd lost all hope, he heard a familiar shrill voice shout unfamiliar words and several lightning bolts and fireballs flew from the fingertips of Zackrus. One portion of ground under a particularly thick lock of men simply fell away, the enemy falling into the void, and then the ground returned. A great gout of flame rose from the goblin—gnome! A gnome mage! Tehd was lost in surprise, a strange expression on his face as he scrutinized the gnome.
Tortured shouts and hoots from the enemy rang in everyone's ears. D' yunb was very surprised to see the fighting was down to the occasional clang of sword on sword. Fog was everywhere due to a misplaced fireball cast by who he presumed to be Zackrus. Vision was cut down to about ten feet, giving the place an eerie feel, combined with the cries of pain it was almost terrifying. The battle was won! The enemy had only retreated about thirty feet, but seemed to be falling back in fear of the crazed goblin. No such luck though, as they regained their senses and began inching forward again. D' yunb looked up into the sky, hoping for some miraculous divine intervention when he noticed bright specks in the sky. A great rumbling sounded, along with tremors in the ground, tripping nearly everyone up. Under closer inspection, they seemed to be giant flaming boulders, streaking toward the world. When balance was regained, everyone stared at the bizarre objects. In slow motion it seemed, they came, in reality very quickly. As the first smashed into the ground, shockwaves so powerful that men were hurled this way and that, and the boats even damaged severely, one even sinking from shrapnel. Tree limbs, rocks, boulders, everything flew in every direction at once. Scores of men died at once, on both sides, completely obliterating anyone standing within forty feet of the blast. The second and third were not so close, but close enough to be heard and send wildlife running everywhere, all over their bodies. Many more minor stones struck nearby. D' yunb suddenly found himself on the ground, dazed and gravely wounded, blood flowing freely out of a wicked wound caused by large shrapnel. He slowly faded from consciousness, thinking himself surely dead.
* * * *
Zackrus, protected by a rapidly cast spell, enclosing him in a next to impenetrable shield, was very confused. Had he somehow caused this? This he did not know, but he did see, very keenly, that nearly everyone was dead, and began to worry about D' yunb and Tehd. He wasn't used to this, for his people had long ago stopped caring about him. His life quest was not completed, and he was the eleventh generation to attempt it, but failing horribly. A life quest in a nutshell was a seemingly impossible task or sometimes a silly task that a gnome must complete to earn a spot in the afterlife.
Almost no sign of life was evident in the tangled, bloody mass of the forest, aside from the odd tree, poking up like islands in the blackened earth. The air was filled with bits of ash, smoke rising from the gound. A few men squirmed, barely holding on, their will it seemed the only thing keeping them alive. I had better begin looking for survivors, Zackrus thought. He began poking around, almost afraid to upset the balance of the scene. As he passed a clump of men, one of them clung feebly onto the hem of his robe, the man muttering unintelligible sounds. Zackrus was about to shake him off when he saw that he wore the uniform of an officer of the army he was supposed to be against, but at the sight of a fellow suffering, Zackrus applied some healing salves and very minor healing spells, afraid to worsen his condition. The man was blind, clearly his eyes were sliced out, his hair matted about his head with blood. We must have angered Areeth terribly to invoke such a catastrophe. Blood gurgled out of the man's mouth, the thick red stuff pouring out of his mouth as he coughed it out of his lungs, spilling onto the already soaked ground. Birds began returning once again to the killing grounds, overjoyed with this grand feast foolish man had set out at their feet. Zackrus allowed a tear to slide down his cheek for the first time in many years. He cradled the man's head, the man trying desperately to tell this gnome that he couldn't see anything.
"Shh, let your lungs drain. Then you can put the old vocal chords to use." For long moments, the man spit, his mouth quivering, and finally he managed, "Th—thank you. Who a—are you?" His voice was shaky, clearly strained.
"Don't you worry about that one, just focus on getting well enough to walk."
"I can't see!"
"Eyes are cut out. Magic can undo that, but it is a long process, and very costly. What is your name?"
"Julius. All I remember is flying through the air for so long…"
"I know it is difficult, but I must leave you hear alone for a while to find others." A horrified expression glued itself onto Julius's face, his brow creasing.
"I know what will help." Zackrus began to chant in the language of magic, waggling his fingers, then touched lightly on Julius's temples.
"How did you do that? I see…a river..some mountains…?"
"It's an image in your mind, it will go on until I stop it." He seemed content at this strange "sight" and nodded his head.
For a few hours, Zackrus hunted around, helping the wounded, grieving the so many dead. Limbs lying here and there, he averted his eyes, disgusted. Finally he came upon Tehd, clinging to the ground, groping, trying to crawl. "Tehd, it's me, the one who won the battle, " Zack said with bitter sarcasm. Tehd looked up at him, wholly surprised to see something alive within his line of sight.
"Zackrus, how glad I am to" he was interrupted by a coughing fit, "how glad I am to see you! I have been so scared, I was sure I was dead and in the abyss."
"No, you are alive and apparently well from the looks of you. Allow me to cover that gash on your head." Tehd felt along his forehead, feeling a hot line of blood running from the tip of his hairline diagonally across his nose and down his cheek.
"Oh, that." He visibly shook from the feel of his own blood on his hands. "Careful now." Zack applied a bandage over the forehead portion, painfully sewing up the rest. Tehd grimaced in pain as the needle passed through the last time. He wiped the blood crusting on his nostrils and around his mouth and said, "Where's D' yunb?" Zackrus looked down, not able to meet Tehd's penetrating gaze.
* * * *
D' yunb wrestled Tehd roughly to the floor, pinning him yet again. "I'll get you tomorrow, D' yunb."
"Yeah, that's what you said yesterday," D' yunb shot back at his younger brother by five years. He was twenty-three, and considering joining the army of Pelanthon, as there was no draft currently in place. His brother, of course, wanted to join too, and insisted on daily wrestling matches that would help fill out Tehd's scrawny frame. Father approved, thinking it would improve both of their fighting skills, therefore improving the chances of their survival. When they had time, they would use their carved training swords, or very occasionally two of their father's blades. These matches usually ended in a broken finger or gash of some kind or another.
Most of the time, D' yunb prevailed in the daily competitions. He hoped to win a local tournament before joining to prove to himself and his friends that he could become a trained warrior. Finally the day came, and after several minutes of swordplay, his opponent cast a stream of acid that badly burned a small section of flesh on his chest, causing him to come in second. He felt cheated and angered just by thinking about it in the years following. Then it was off to war, as a basic swordsman. Tehd followed shortly after, becoming a fairly high ranking marksman. The draft began a month after that, sending their father into battle as well.
D' yunb's eyes snapped open, and harsh reality hit him in the form of immense pain throughout his body. His head throbbed, and for a few moments, he couldn't see past the blood rushing past his eyes. As he cleared his head, he realized he was very dizzy and that there was a hand on his. "Tehd?" He looked slowly upwards, only to find a severed hand lying on top of his own. It was stiff and cold, the nails mostly broken. If he didn't know better, he would have said he felt the slightest of squeezes. He shuddered, quickly pulled away and tried sitting up. This opened a wound on his chest, and blood began to run freely again. It was difficult to see through the ash and smoke, but he managed to make out a figure making his way over to him. D' yunb lowered his head, expecting to be killed by the man he realized was with the Enemy.
"Oh don't worry. We'll fix you up all right." Zackrus assured him. The man in the enemy uniform didn't seem to mind that he was supposed to hate him, but distrust was there in his eyes. "This is Pelix. He won't harm you, no one seems concerned with the battle any longer, just survival."
"I'll not work together with my sworn enemy who nearly killed my father."
"I was captured in a recent battle, I used to belong to your noble army, and I never harmed anyone of my old comrades, that's why I hid below deck, which also saved my live, sparing me grievous wounds." D' yunb, still suspicious, asked, "Zackrus, my wounds?"
"You will be able to walk in no time my friend." D' yunb was confused by this, himself being the one calling for his execution. In several minutes, he was all patched up, even able to walk with a limp. Another man hobbled into view, shorter than him—it was Tehd. He ran over (relatively) and embraced his brother.
"D' yunb, we have searched for hours with no sign of you." Tehd wretched, quickly pushing his brother back and turning to the side. "Sorry, all this smell is making me sick I fear. The smell of early rot began to tickle and then plunge itself down D' yunb's nose, causing him to gag a few times.
"We must leave this place and find refuge. Any more survivors?"
"About half a score we sent off in search of any sign of life," Zackrus replied, his voice shaking. D' yunb cleared a spot on the ground, pushing bodies out of the way, and sat down. The spot was very near a rendezvous spot the survivors had made, so the men would be returning soon. An hour later, seeming an eternity, the first of the men came back into view, helping another man walk. They began trickling back to the spot, soon lighting a fire from wood they found lying about, some pieces wet with blood, causing it to crack often. A grim silence settled over the place, the only sounds were men grunting in pain, and the many birds around.
Finally, nineteen men in all returned to camp, most wounded. A score more men hobbled up, intent on living. D' yunb, clearly one of the men who would become leader figures, advised everyone to stay put for a few days, allowing their wounds to heal. Few spoke during that period of time, Julius being the main person speaking to D' yunb. They debated and concocted strategies to get to the sea or in to the mainland further, in search of villages. D' yunb refused to leave until they found his father though. A search party was chosen, Tehd staying in camp, and the most battle-ready warriors came with him. No one seemed to care anymore who was Pelanthon and who wasn't. The smoke was thick as ever as the party made it's way through the barren wasteland, checking as many faces as was distinguishable.
"What is that?" D'yunb asked a man who had picked up a weapon and was examining it closely. It was a mace, D' yunb's mace. Upon closer inspection, runes could be made out, and a small protrusion near the top, the sphere with large spikes on it was actually connecting to the handle by a ring. How strange this seemed, that type of binding was much weaker than simply connecting it directly to the hilt. The sphere seemed to be staying in place only by immense pressure, the ring apparently very tightly crafted on. "That is mine, or my father's rather. Give it to me." The man obliged, handing it over, still looking after it. D' yunb had thought over the lightning incident for the duration of their stay in camp. He had realized that he could not sense any magical presence over the mace until he had cried out in honor of his father. This stark reminder of who he was looking for brought him out of his thoughts, turning again for the trail they were following. Bodies had been slightly shifted, a skilled ranger could tell, and a person apparently struggled to move them out of his way, a long scuff mark on the trail indicated a dragging leg. Eventually, his father was found, but in not the condition he was hoping for. He was dead.
D' yunb felt crushed and depressed. A hole opened in his heart as he wept he realized would never fill. Gilith's body shredded apart, his left leg seemingly all right, but his right foot was almost completely off. His face—His face! was so grim, and sad. The features were very stiff, rot beginning to take its toll on parts of his cheeks. D' yunb crushed a pesky bird with his mace that was determined to get his share of the body. Trying to be stoic, D' yunb ordered a march back to camp. Aligning in a column four men wide and seven deep, their captain moved to the front. A sudden feeling of such absolute despair gripped every man's heart, they looked around nervously. There was no explanation, aside from the thousands of dead around them, but they had inevitably grown used to that. A twisted man on the ground, his legs torn off and face badly burned began to stir. He rose slowly onto his arms, low sounds escaping his lips. "Hey there! A survivor!" someone shouted. A few men started off to help, but D' yunb cried, "Don't get near him." Confused, the men reassumed position, every man intent on the survivor. His face was red, cheekbones exposed and eyelids almost nonexistent. The eyes bugged out to such extent some expected them to roll right out of the skull. His burned lips exposed the teeth, his matted and filthy hair, a tangle mass, stuck to the blood on his face and head. Many, many more began to stir, limbs missing, throats gone, heads clean off. As D' yunb began to realize what was happening, he yelled out, terror filling his voice, "Into a ring! These things may be hostile!" The soldiers shifted into position, not a one spoke, fear mounting, threatening to be their downfall.
Hands and arms also clawed their way towards them in all directions, advancing with the growing horde. Weapons bared, the living braced to take on the death that so surrounded them. The undead began retrieving weapons, other's limbs, anything good for killing. They were slow moving creatures, most having to drag a leg, or heavy weapon, bringing a small amount of relief to D' yunb. Creatures began to close, the ring tightening, men stepping away reluctant to fight such grotesque things. "The whole damn field is moving!" someone cried, voice raised in horror. The air was now filled with low grunts and moans, the shifting of bodies. The birds became the living's ally as they ripped pieces of flesh from the moving corpses.
D' yunb prepared himself mentally as the first creature came into swinging range, offering a weak slash, easily dodged. D' yunb's mace descended onto the head of the thing, bursting it into a mess of brains and bones with a loud crack. He couldn't focus, being scared was something he was definitely not used to. D' yunb's weapon arm shook, though he tried to steady it to reassure the men. The thing dropped to the ground with a hard thud. A large commotion broke out as the living stabbed and stomped down at their feet, realizing they were all standing on bodies. The front line engaged the disorganized creatures, sound of metal on metal all around. The sheer number of them dropped their spirits. Someone sliced down hard, too hard on one's shoulder, slicing it off. The severed limb grasped at his leg, but was quickly destroyed as he hacked away. D'yunb fought hard, swinging the mace into the side of one, flipping it in the air. Another clumsily threw a dagger, grazing his shield, sparks flying. He stepped inside the swing of a halberd, bashing it head with his shield. It staggered, falling. He whipped the weapon to the side, intercepting a monster, knocking it into a few others.
A sword slash was blocked by his shield as his comrade finished that one and he delivered a blow to another's skull. He could hear the wind as a spear soared by, impaling a creature to the ground, it awkwardly trying to stand, the missile holding it to the ground, the thing grasping it desperately. He glanced to his right, regretting it immediately. Someone was caught in a dense lock of them, arms flailing a scream torn from his lungs, for the creatures were devouring him! D' yunb shook it off, concentrating on the enemy ahead. Suddenly his thoughts cleared and centered on one thing. Striking these monsters down with his lightning. He began to cry out his fathers name, but it caught in his throat, memories of his own men squirming on the ground stopping him.
D' yunb rushed forward like a madman, wading through enemies like salmon struggling against the current of a grand river. The frail bodies of the corpses flew, bones crunching, limbs ripped off. He sustained a wound on his head from a glancing blow off his helmet from a warhammer, leaving him dazed for a second. Being a stubborn warrior, he pushed on, his men glancing his way in awe whenever they had the chance. Suddenly, D' yunb, captain of the Pelanthon army, found himself completely surrounded by creatures. Just how he wanted it.
"Well come on you bastards! Fresh meat right here!" He bellowed out at them in defiance. He dedicated all movements to deflecting blows and turning aside blades. D' yunb's hand slid up the hilt to block another potentially fatal blow from another smelly creature, when his hand fell over the protrusion near the ring. It depressed as the axe hilt was splintered, and the ring detached, D' yunb believing it broken. His hopes lifted greatly as he realized that the ring was connected to a chain inside the hilt itself, and it slid out, revealing the mace to be truly a morning star. The three foot chain's reach was put to use immediately, D' yunb swinging round and round the sphere above his head, then whipping it down to thin out a particularly stubborn group. "Gilith!" He roared, concentrating the magic he felt approaching on a tight group of walking corpses. A deafening crack reverberated through the air and earth as it further scorched the ground. More importantly, the bolt crashed into the enemies, bodies flying in every direction, and clearing out the immediate area. Burning flesh tortured his nostrils, but D' yunb let out another cry, and another.
"Follow me, carry the wounded!" D' yunb ordered his men when he had thoroughly unleashed his wrath. I will cover our backs!" The men ran in a frenzy, very eager to get the hell out of there. Their leader covered their asses all right, striking their enemies down like a god. D' yunb got to the point where he didn't need to call out the name, and simply willed it to happen. The humans charged through the creatures like a living spear, frantically trying to get back to camp and rescue the men surely under attack there. By the time the men fought their way back, they were battered and near exhaustion, even so they pushed on. On a hill a few hundred feet from their comrades, they saw them in desperate straights indeed. Piles of the creatures surrounded them, but still more came. They fought valiantly, but to no avail it seemed. An endless tide of creatures stalked through the fog.
"Tear through them!" D' yunb cried, spearheading the mad dash down the hill. A lightning bolt signaled their coming, searing a mass of the creatures. As they neared, D' yunb began a great battle cry that spread through his ranks like wildfire. He twirled the morning star in the air, cutting down the occasional creature, the area thinning of the things from Tehd's efforts. The reinforcements slammed into the flanks of the creatures, bowling many over, the men quickly joining their allies. "We must get out of here, we have not the numbers! Follow me to safety!" A group of his men tried, but were completely surrounded, then devoured. But all the rest came, save the infrequent casualty from a thrown spear or dagger. They ran to the hills, flinging the creatures out of the way, fighting like men possessed. They soon began to tire, however, their legs becoming strained, their strikes a little slower. D' yunb spotted a small cave entrance, motioned toward it, and that became the sole goal of the men. If they could make it in there, these things wouldn't be able to surround them so. The way was cleared by some lightning, and some fireballs from Zackrus and Tehd's ring. The humans dashed inside, or scrambled because the entrance was very narrow. A few more men were lost in those last, desperate moments of battle, then all was calm inside the cave, a larger room than expected, some stalagmites and stalactites could be seen in the dim light. The high ceiling rose almost like a dome, in the contours of the hillside. A tunnel could be seen, obviously their next destination, but first priority was rest.
D' yunb found Tehd and broke the news to him, rather bluntly.
"Father is dead. I only recognized the corpse from his eyes and pendant on his mail." Tehd had expected this, and cried little, his fears confirmed. Zackrus waddled over, his cherubic gnomish face frowning deeply. His clothes were nicer out of his goblin guise, but still rather dirty. "We have no food supply, and next to no fresh water. Our only chance of survival, if that's what you want to do, is to go deeper, and hunt for food. Still got that old pipe of yours?" D' yunb nodded, remembering it, reaching into a pocket. He produced the item, loaded it and brought it to spark. Or he began to, "No! You must not allow a single spark to touch the air; it may ignite unknown gases from deep in the Underdark." Zackrus said, scrambling to halt the lighting motion.
"Underdark? This is but a cave, not that dreaded place. It is much farther below us." Tehd said nervously, obviously not sure about his own statement.
"I'm afraid all caves link up with the Underdark, eventually. Definitely not a place for humans, but I know a few tricks I learned from a friend of mine, a deep gnome. Serious old chaps they are, always mining some jewel or another." D' yunb nodded appreciatively.
"Barricade the entrance to the cave, and light some torches, if anyone has one." Tehd nodded, informing the remainder of the men of the orders. D' yunb dressed his own wounds, and then picked up his morning star, placing it at his belt.
"Can't believe I carried this thing around all that time not knowing that it could blow me to pieces," D' yunb said, patting the hilt. He had retracted the chain, pressing the button again, and an ingenious design allowed it to fold up back into the hilt.
"A pity you didn't activate it earlier," Tehd laughed. D' yunb shared the laugh, then said,
"We need to get moving, deeper to avoid another encounter with those…those things." Gambell, who his scouts had found deeper inside seeking refuge, nodded saying, "I'll prepare the men."
The faint and steady drip…drip…drip of water in the distance unnerved Tehd. Thinking of being deep in the earth scared to the core, having absolutely no knowledge of what lived down there. Low murmurs sounded throughout the room, echoing eerily into the deep. He tried not to show his worries on his face, wanting to impress his brother who has long been more courageous. Gambell, nervously stroking his mustaches, bustled by, speaking calmly to the men, conveying the captain's commands. A few burly men, wearing battered plate with symbols of the old enemy, reluctantly followed, clearly not content in following their hated enemy. Tehd took careful notice of this, planning to inform his brother when they had a moment alone. In single file, the scraggly men crammed their bodies into the narrow tunnel. A torch was lit, but quickly put out, the man realizing he had better save it. They had counted six torches in all, one nearly burned out. The rustle of boots on stone sounded as loud as a marching army in those deathly silent corridors. Tehd expected horrible things to jump out of every dark recess in the cave wall. Natural light soon became a nonexistent thing as they advanced, groping along the walls, frequently bumping into each other.
"I found a candle." Tehd murmured. Relief flowed through everyone, slightly dropping though as the animal fat smell filled the chamber. The meager that light flickered at Tehd's every movement seemed only to emphasize the darkness, illuminating enough so that one wondered always what lurked in the shadows. Zackrus finally cleared his muddled thoughts and cast a light spell over himself, light flowing forth from him. Tehd was irritated at him for the first time for not casting it earlier.
"Sorry. Don't look at me like that," Zackrus said at seeing Tehd's dark glance. They continued on in relative silence. Zackrus's magical light reached much farther than the candle, but he could only guess if it would last months, especially since he was fully depleted in his supply of that component. He knew that they could all very well all die down here, easily. The darkness seemed to press down on the light, suppressing it. After marching to near exhaustion, a small alcove provided a space in which the men could spend what they assumed to be night. A tiny fire was lit with great caution, not wanting to risk explosion. They cooked the meager rations they had. The men scarfed down the rancid meat, some hurling it back up. The smell of vomit was overwhelming from then on. Zackrus cast a spell, enclosing the chunky stuff.
D' yunb produced his pipe and took a deep drag, exhaling in the direction of the exit. He sat back against the wall, legs outstretched, head drooping.
"I say we go back," a voice said quietly, D' yunb too tired to argue. A couple men nodded in agreement, confident that they could take the creatures.
"That is ill advised," Tehd stated.
"Well you can take your sorry ass down farther underground to rot, it's your choice." Tehd glared hard at the man, a threatening stare. The conversation continued, but D' yunb's clouded vision and thought process made it impossible to listen, and soon he escaped this nightmare only to be tossed into another.
D' yunb awoke to a completely split group of men, on one side, Tehd and some others screaming about going deeper into the cave for refuge. The others shot back a solid argument about fresh air and sunlight.
"Enough, you fools!" D' yunb cried, shaking off the sleep. We will go deeper, and that's the end of it. You others can do whatever you wish." He gathered up his cloak, and began moving down into the earth. "Come on Zackrus. Tehd." Julius surprisingly stood and said, "Any man foolish enough to go back can do so at his will. I, however, am going deeper to avoid being devoured by those…" a shudder racked his body. "things. I know I can't see them, but the sounds they make are enough for me." A lone man followed Julius after the brothers and gnome. The rest started off in a huff the opposite way, grumbling insults and curses. One of that group, enraged at D' yunb's arrogance in his opinion, drew his sword and rushed the big man.
The mace was drawn in a second, deflecting the heavy blow, and laying the man low with a sickening punch. He fell quickly to the ground, crawling away. D' yunb was over him in a second, mace poised for the killing blow.
"Don't do it! I beg of you!"
"Oh? And why not?" D' yunb considered for a moment, then letting up his foot on the man's chest, kicking him away. The man whimpered, and dragged himself up. The small party moved away from the shocked group of men quickly, hoping to avoid another confrontation.
After a while of marching down the corridors, the sound of boots on stone faded, save their own, a tiny sound issued from farther back. A low and continuous moan, a howl really. They stopped short, straining their ears to hear the distant noise. Tehd's expression changed from confusion to horror, as many more sounds reverberated off the cave walls. The screams of men being eaten, presumably by the creatures floated down from the levels above. Tehd was deeply disturbed and horrified.
"Should we help them?" Tehd asked his brother.
"No. It was their decision to make."
"We should pick up the pace, as those smelly creatures were let inside by those fools." Zackrus said, and they soon took the advice, and ran almost full speed deeper, hoping to gain a large enough lead. It felt as though the things were right behind them as the air whipped by Tehd's ears, his arms pumping furiously. He felt compelled beyond his physical abilities to get away from the horrid sounds. Finally, after about fifteen minutes of running, they stopped, catching their breath, feeling awful for not trying harder to convince them to do the sensible thing and come with D' yunb.
Julius's lungs screamed in burning pain. He panted for a long while, then said, "Do you hear that?" Zackrus was about to make a remark, probably something along the lines of "Great Areeth, not again!" but Julius held up his hand for silence. A continuous roar, not too far up ahead rang in their ears. D' yunb began the run to investigate, drawing his mace. Zackrus began to seem much more dim as they ran, soon the light faded to about the light emitted from a candle.
"Did we by any chance bring any torches with us?" Zackrus yelled, over the increasingly louder sound.
"I grabbed two from the man I felled," D' yunb said, rather proud of himself. He lit one, handed it to Tehd, and began to run once again. Julius was having a hard time with all this running, frequently falling over, to be helped up by Zackrus or Tehd. He soon had many bruises on his legs and arms. The man who had joined them called out, "My name is Gregory by the way, thanks for asking." D' yunb glanced his way, noticing a fine blade at his belt and sturdy plate mail armor.
"Glad you could join us Gregory." D' yunb almost screamed, the roar almost uncomfortably loud. He patted him on the shoulder, and pushed on further. Gregory soon took the lead, his shorter but powerful legs pumping quickly, making loud clanking noises from his plate boots. The torch's light was very dim due to the air rushing by it. Gregory dropped out of sight a few feet ahead of D' yunb. He tried to skid to a stop, and pebbles showered over a deep chasm with a waterfall crashing down through it. D' yunb could not hear Greg's screams as he plummeted downward, and held on to a rock protruding from the lip. He was showered from the spray of the falls, soon being drenched. Tehd, Zackrus and Julius stopped in time to save themselves from Gregory's fate.
D' yunb let out a startled cry, his body almost jerked from the lip as Gregory's sword belt clung to D' yunb's boot. His arms shook from the effort of keeping them both from an untimely death. The rock began to crack, Tehd struggling to reach his only brother.
"Cut me loose! It is the only way!" Gregory called to the man. D' yunb looked down, horrified at the sight of the seemingly endless drop below. The sound of the falls raged in his ears, but he still heard the desperate cry. He shook his head to the great horror of both Tehd and Greg.
"Do it! Your brother needs you!" Even as he said it, he drew his own knife, and reached up to the strap, his soaking clothes and cloak making it extremely difficult to pull himself up. Water raced down his face, partially blinding him. With a growl and a sudden burst of energy, sat upright, no longer upside down, his senses clearing. The energy needed to stay in that position was too great, however, and he fell again, his head slamming into the rock wall. He had managed to nick the strap about a quarter of the way. Blood mingled with the water, and he decided to try once more. With a great heave, he caught hold of the strap, and held himself in place. He brought his knife to bear, only to drop it into the emptiness below. Remembering a spare in his boot, Gregory reached up with a great deal of effort, and retrieved the blade.
"Don't do it! I can get us up!" D' yunb shouted. Greg knew that was impossible, and with a single swipe, cut the strap, immediately falling very quickly. Tehd reached for D' yunb, finally within reach of him. With his help, D' yunb was safely back up onto the ledge.
"No levitate spells?!" D' yunb screamed at Zackrus.
"Is that an opening beyond the falls?" Zackrus cried, pointing. "The ledges look treacherous, but I believe we can make it. Julius, grab my hand!" D' yunb was angered by the gnome issuing commands. He shook it off, realizing that Zackrus was the only one who had some experience in caves. Tehd was first to step onto the perpetually wet, narrow ledge that wound behind the falls. Slow progress was made by all; Tehd was made dizzy every time he glanced down. His thoughts raced at all the possibilities of monsters that could await them if they fell. His arms tight on the wall on both sides of him, he gradually got half way. The weak rock cracked beneath him, and a foot of ledge fell. He stumbled, overbalanced, but managed to keep his footing on the other side. Julius seemed the most nervous, not being able to see the drop, but the emptiness seemed to be pulling him down towards it.
Tehd noticed oddly that D' yunb carried the sword of Gregory. He could not allow this to distract his concentration however, one slip meant death. Tehd was in sight of the back of the falls, and quickened his pace a bit. Soon, he was on solid ground again, thanking Areeth. The others followed, equally thankful to be alive. D' yunb felt terrible for not saving Gregory, even though he was almost certain that if he had tried, he too would have shared his fate.
The group quickly passed into sleep, exhausted. Many hours later, Zackrus awoke first. He stretched, yawned, rubbed the water out of his face, and then stood. An ancient door blocked their path. At first, the gnome thought themselves surely doomed. Writing could barely be made out. He woke up everyone else to have a look. The inner part of the cavity behind the falls was strangely bone dry, a clear boundary on the floor of mud near the entrance, and dust inside. D' yunb wiped his arm over the door, dust flying, the others coughing. Once the air cleared, everyone became silent, perplexed.
"What does it say?" Julius called out to them, only now feeling truly handicapped.
D' yunb cleared his throat and said, "Ye who enters does so by the grace or the grief of the griffon." He shook his head. "Anyone have any idea as to the meaning?"
"I don't know, but what I do know is that we need to get through here if we have any plans of living." Tehd yelled. He held out his hand and pushed ever so slightly. A griffon statuette leered at them from the top of the door. At the small amount of pressure from the touch, the door creaked open. "See? Easy as that."
The group walked through the door, avoiding looking at the statuette; it gave a strange feeling when one gazed into its eyes. When the last had entered, the doors swung shut, closing out the sound of the waterfall altogether, and leaving them with only the sound of their own breathing. D' yunb ran back to the door and began beating on it.
"A trap! We will all die down here!"
"Come on brother, let us continue on."
D' yunb reluctantly agreed, walking deeper into the room. Everyone stopped in their tracks as the room began to glow. Not from any certain direction; it seemed from the room itself. An eerie yellowish light soon drowned out the last of Zackrus's, and he dispelled it completely. Two high ridges could be seen in the dim light, a giant figure on ground level creeped out of the shadows. A massive griffon stalked towards them, its feathers bristling. The head was easily the size of Zackrus's body. It stood taller than all of them.
Feet quickening, it halted suddenly in front of Tehd, deeply scrutinizing him. Tehd was frozen to that place, his breathing was stopped as he held his breath. The magnificence of the animal stunned him, but also terrified him. He had heard that they were the fastest creatures in all the land. The head was just inches away from his. Minutes passed by. Finally the griffon lowered its head, bowing to him. Tehd breathed a sigh of relief, air flowing a little more regularly as the griffon moved onto his brother. A similar exchange followed for him and Zackrus. Julius seemed very nervous as it moved over to him. After a few moments, it let out a cry and a squeal, its feathers bristling. Julius took a few steps back, hand reaching for his sword.
"Don't move." Zackrus whispered. The griffon's head snapped in his direction, a menacing glare piercing the gnome's soul. Its head turned back to the blind man. A giant claw reached up into the air, and swiped down incredibly fast, making them question if it really happened. Julius grunted and staggered back, obviously wounded. The griffon moved up to one of the high ledges, seemingly satisfied with his inspection. D' yunb rushed over to Julius, seeing three deep gashes in his chest.
"Are you okay?"
"Does it seem that way?" Julius said sarcastically. "I was just slashed by a massive beast. No, I am not okay."
D' yunb flushed, and dressed his friend's wounds. Julius stood, unsteady, and began again forward. Out of the gloom the friends could see a path between the ridges. The griffon still leered at them from above, the occasional glances confirming this. After a few minutes of walking, a spiral staircase carved into the stone became apparent. The group ascended.