Chapter Two- The Road to Tundara
The trio of unlikely allies made their way down the sloping mountain side, around them the snow fell keeping their vision limited to only a few dozen meters. Felix's mountain boots trudged into the deep snow following in Hurin's own footprints who led ahead, followed closely by Cassandra who was slightly shivering in the cold.
The landscape (for what they could see) was barren and lifeless, just a slope of white snow, here and there a withered black tree pierced the snow, twisted, withered branches adorned them, the first time Felix saw one he found himself thinking of sharp, lifeless thorns…
How long they walked, Felix couldn't tell, with no way of seeing the sun above through the white storm he could only guess at the passing of time but he was sure it was an age before the downward slope eased into a more flat passing, perhaps they were nearing the mountain trail? Even the snow seemed to be slackening off a little…
It was then that the black cave materialised out of the whiteness, a bleak scar in a white, pristine cliff.
Hurin paused in front of the large cave, Cassandra and Felix drew alongside him.
"What's this?" Felix asked. "This can't be the trail; there is no cave passage through the Skhol Mountains…"
"There is actually one cave passage through the mountains." Hurin replied, still looking at the cave. "The Sheb-Zehn pass was once the primary route through the mountains until the advance of modern day airships; this mountain tunnel was abandoned during the golden age of passenger airships. When interest in a new route begun to gather again a new, milder trail was chosen, this pass was all but forgotten…it does however come out on the northern side of the Skhol mountain range."
"But if it's been unused for decades then we don't know what's in there…" Cassandra pointed out peering into the dark cave herself. "Could be anything."
"And people are advised to stick to the trails." Felix pointed out. "Every year some explorers go missing, sometimes their bodies are recovered, sometimes they are not…"
"Well is there another way Hurin?" Cassandra asked, stamping her foot in the snow impatiently. "It's freezing out here."
Felix's gaze flickered ever so quickly to Cassandra's skirt as Hurin looked around. "No, not really, the new pass is many leagues to the east of here; we can ill afford to hike there, clothed as we are, so we must brave the pass."
Felix looked into it again; the cave quickly vanished into darkness. "We have no light, unless either of you are skilled in the fire elemental artes."
Cassandra shook her head and Hurin grunted a negative but then he was moving away from the cave, to one of the withered blackened trees. Tearing a meter long branch free he moved forwards, into the shelter of the cave and Felix and Cassandra gathered near the older man as he sprinkled some sort of black dust onto the end of the make-shift wooden staff. Then holding it away from him for a moment he rapped it sharply against the side wall of the cave.
With a hiss and a loud pop the end of the staff burst into vivid white light, it burnt with such intensity that both Felix and Cassandra momentarily covered their eyes, but then the moment passed and when they looked Hurin was holding a glowing beacon of light which was not burning and giving out heat but pulsating white, giving out a glowing light.
"What, what is that stuff?" Cassandra recovered first.
"Flash-powder" Hurin replied calmly. "Every mountain guide keeps a little on them, just in case of moments like this. A single grain of powder will give light for quite sometime; with this our passage through the pass of Sheb-Zehn should be that much easier."
"How does it work?" Felix asked gazing at the light now in wonder.
"I have no idea." Hurin shrugged. "Cost a fortune when I brought it, all I know is that it's linked to the fire element and was one of the few left over technologies of Esther that survived the War of the Crystal."
"Ah" Felix nodded, anything that originally came from Esther was way ahead of its time, airship technology, the great spires and temples around the world and now this flash-powder. Esther must have been an amazing place, before the Great War.
Hurin shrugged. "Well anyway, I have no idea how much this will last and I have no more powder so we should get moving, come on, I'll lead, Felix you bring up the rear."
Without waiting for an affirmative the man turned and strode fearlessly into the cave entrance, after a slight hesitation Cassandra followed, and then Felix did bring up the rear.
The cave passage was quite wide, but not so wide that the three could easily walk abreast, Hurin's flash-powder light lit everything within a certain area but as the light faded from the entrance Felix became uncomfortably aware of the darkness and the sounds.
Their boots and shoes thumped against the cold stone floor, always he could hear the dripping of water, the sometimes near, sometimes far howl of the wind, and other strange sounds before. However when ever he found himself feeling so, he gazed into Hurin's wondrous lit staff and found himself thinking of the awesome powers elements contained.
He had always been fascinated with the elements, the power they controlled, he read about them in his historic novels, he heard about them in village gossip back in Vale and once or twice throughout his life he had even seen people use their elements.
Everyone had an elemental type, earth, fire, wind, water, darkness, light, ice, etc the list was vast, most people belonged to the first four major category's but there were many diverse elements throughout the world Felix knew. The element resided inside you, harmless and if it is never kindled the person will live out their life normally without any elemental cares. If a person did choose to have their element unsealed they had to be past the age of ten and travel to one of the great Spires dotted around the world of Higgara.
Throughout the world there were at least four, two in Alharfro, the major continent they were on now, one to the east on the smaller landmass of Nord and one to the far south-west on the distant tropical Apojin Islands. Each spire was a mighty construction, a slim black tower that climbed up into the sky, visible from far away, at the top a shimmering light shone from them. It was here that a person could go through a ceremony to have their element unsealed from within them.
Felix had wrested with the idea ever since he had passed his tenth birthday. Tundara Spire was at the far tip of Alharfro, north past the Skhol Mountains and only a few hours walk from the town of Tundara, along with seeing his uncle that was one of the reasons he had come. To finally have his element unsealed for him to use. He knew many people now choose not to unseal their elements, especially if they lived far from a spire. Elementalists (as in, people who can channel the elements) do benefit from being able to use their elemental powers in everyday life and could serve in the military of any one of the three kingdoms but there was a stigma attached to it. Hundreds of years ago the world had nearly been destroyed by elemental powers in the Great War; the war had been so terrible, so destructive that now most people choose to never look at their elemental powers. Many did still, for now where once everyone had possessed an active power, now many fewer did.
He had finally decided that he would have it unlocked so that he could then travel down to the southern kingdom of Cartilge and enrol in the Royal Cartilge Land Army, like his father had done, many, many years ago.
He was brought out of his daydream by Cassandra's voice ahead of him, they had been walking now for sometime, himself locked in his own dreams and visions of the future. "You sure about this Hurin, this place is really starting to give me the creeps."
"We've come this far…" Hurin said slowly and steadily from the front, still holding his blazing white staff aloft. "Might as well go all the way, I am a guide remember."
"Yes but have you ever been down here before?" Cassandra asked a tone of slight hysteria in her voice.
Hurin shook his head. "Nope, I just remember reading about it once upon a time, if you really must know this could be any old cave."
Cassandra kept moving but fell silent, she did however quickly glance back at Felix and when she saw him watching her she flashed him a look of mock despair but still they pressed on, following their 'one-time' guide.
He, for his part strode fearlessly onwards down that dark passageway brandishing the staff out shining the flame given off by the flashpowder into the dark, gloom ahead. Felix also noticed that in his other hand, he held the tiny dagger they had found in the cave they had escaped from, although it looked tiny in his hands and wasted with age it was still good to know that they did have a means to defend themselves.
The walk continued for a few moments before quite suddenly the cave passage became wider and higher, now the bright, shining light from Hurin's profited staff no longer reached the cave roof, and outside the circle of light was pitch black, unforgiving and cold.
Felix heard Hurin mumbling ahead of him, and then raise his voice so they could both hear him. "If I can remember the words in the books I studied on these mountains the passageway branches near the exit to the cave, therefore we shouldn't be far from the end of the passageway."
"Good." Felix heard Cassandra breath in relief. "This darkness is unsettling and I can almost sense a presence about us, watching us?"
"Really?" Felix piqued in from behind her, he was about to add more when Hurin's staff made a strange spluttering noise and the glowing white fire flickered and the ring of light closed in on them, the strong white glow weakening.
"Darn it…" Hurin swore at the front. "We have to hurry…" Suddenly there was a crackling rustle, above them.
It was the sound of sandpaper being scrapped together, Hurin carefully tipped the staff back and the light fizzed a little and the cave roof became visible for a split second that stretched into one horrified eternity.
There were things, beings hanging from the rocky roof. Black, human like shapes of shadow and darkness, faint silvery threads could be seen coming from their arm like appendages, sticking them to the ceiling, blood red, sunken eyes glazed down at them from fleshless sockets.
Felix jumped and Cassandra let out a shriek, both of them pulling in closer to Hurin as the light dimmed again and the horrific image of over a dozen of those, things faded into blackness.
"Stay calm!" Hurin cried, sounding only slightly shaken. "They are blood demons, creations that mimic human form and shape created during the War of the Crystal in the factories of Greeton the dead kingdom, the few that survived the end of the war hide in darkness and hang on spider like silk, just stay close, they hate light…"
Unfortunately as if to comfort them the light on the staff dimmed more so and the ring of light closed even more, now only a meter or so of light was cast around them.
There was suddenly a rustling sound, then a series of thuds, and then a clatter. Hurin froze, then carefully stepped forwards as the light revealed one of the blood demons standing before them.
The horrific creation, a thousand years old was half propped up, its web like arms had just hard bone protruding out of its ends, a makeshift scythe like blade of bone, it looked oddly like a puppet on strings dropped from a puppeteers hand. Once the light fell on it the creature stumbled backwards into the darkness but suddenly Felix was aware of the rustling all around them, the hissing, the presence of others all around them.
"Quick, stay with me!" Hurin muttered then he suddenly started forwards again, breaking into a quick jog shining the light forwards. Felix and Cassandra, both terrified rushed to keep up with him. As Hurin rushed forwards the beings shuffled to the sides to avoid the light but all around them was the sound of dry rustling and clicking as behind them Felix could almost picture a dozen or so of the creations stalking behind them.
The cave passage thinned again and Hurin led them on as the staffs light dimmed more and more however the pitch blackness was becoming more and more of a dim gloom, was the end near.
Suddenly the passage rounded a corner, there! In the distance was a gloomy exit, illuminated in the red sunset.
"We're almost there!" Hurin shouted out, breaking into a run with Felix and Cassandra hot on his heels.
Suddenly ahead a black shape dropped down from the cave roof blocking the exit, Hurin skidded to a stop and shone the staff out at the blood demon but it could not move aside due to the thinness of the passage so it simply backed away as Hurin advanced, pushing it back towards the exit, Felix dimly aware of the frantic rustling, clicking and faint hissing noises behind him.
"Back evil creation!" Hurin spoke calmly, full of fire. "Return back to the darkness!" Then the staffs light popped and the wondrous light vanished, leavening them in near gloom.
Felix felt his stomach seize up and he saw Cassandra's look of terror illuminated in the gloom as Hurin in one smooth motion flung the rusted knife at the demon. The rusted blade spun true and fast and swathed into the demons face.
The blood demon let out a high pitched hissing noise and leaped, up out of sight, behind them though Felix could hear many, many more closing in on them.
"Run for it!" Hurin bellowed and they all sprinted forwards, away from the advancing demons, charging for the exits.
Out of the passageway they burst, out into the cold crisp air, they kept on running, away from that cave, only after Hurin ahead of Felix bent to his knees panting and Cassandra nearly collapsed did Felix turn to look back.
Behind the snowy Skhol mountains rose up against the horizon, the cave was clearly visible as were the dozen or so sets of red glowing eyes and dark, shadowy forms.
"We made it!" Cassandra breathed in relief, Tundara cannot be far now that we have cleared the mountains."
"I wouldn't crow too soon…" Hurin replied tossing the useless staff away onto the snowy grass. "Night quickly approaches, the blood demons will soon swarm out of the mountain pass and we must be behind Tundara's walls before that happen."
"Then we should make haste." Felix agreed pulling himself upright again; he had no desire to have another close encounter with such creatures.
"Agreed." Cassandra turned to Hurin. "Lead on guide, to Tundara."
Hurin grunted, having caught his breath he began moving swiftly away from the mountains.
The northern plains from the Skhol Mountains are almost permanently covered in light snow, sometimes called the blue plains or the snow lands few came this far north, the only reason a settlement like Tundara existed was because of its proximity to an ancient Esther spire and a nearby temple training ground.
"Hurin?" Felix asked while they walked across the snow plains, the cold forgotten in his adrenaline. "Do you know who runs Tundara temple up here?"
"Alas, no I do not." Hurin replied, not looking back. "It has been a long time since I came this far north and for good reason, the trip is fraught with monsters and demons (one of the reasons most use air travel here) and the food is awful, the mead and women more so."
"Smart guide" Cassandra managed in between deep breaths as Hurin pushed on at close to jogging pace, Felix too was feeling the strain of the fast pace Hurin had set.
"Can we not slow down a little?" He tried. "We have left the Sheb-Zehn passageway far behind us and Tundara cannot be far…"
Hurin did not stop moving, he just pointed towards west where only the tip of the sun could be seen on the horizon. "Once the sun has completely set the gates of Tundara will be sealed for the night, then we are all but doomed, if you really want to survive we should run."
"…" Felix had no reply for that but then he heard, on the light breeze a wolfs howl reach him and he remembered the fables of direwolves in the north and he found himself painfully increasing his pace.
"Fear not." Hurin breathed suddenly slowing down as in the distance a small settlement became visible ahead over the crest of a snowy hill, its lights shining like a golden beacon in the damp gloom. "We are almost there."
Blood Demons - Actually they come from Devil May Cry (PS2), i thought up the idea on the second level when you have to fight those bloody puppet things and with a bit of editing, hey presto!
Esther - Super technologically advanced city from Final Fantasy VIII (PS) While the argument goes on about which final fantasy is the best it has to be either VII, VIII or IX for me :P
'Great War' - They always have these things right? Usally they happen about one thousand years ago etc etc and thats where all the problems start.
'Temples' - Most rpg's have them but the idea came from Final Fantasy X (PS2) and the temples in there, mainly it has to do with summons...but more on that later.