Chapter 14
Once he got his bearings, Dan immediately strode through the wooden doors the gargoyle had opened for him earlier. Drawing his sword, he was determined to give that pitiless man a piece of his mind, whilst carving him into pieces in the process. His craving for revenge suddenly left his soul altogether as wave after wave of fear consumed him: standing on top of the hill was Zarok, still dressed in his burgundy and gold robes.
As he trembled in fear, the necromancer took notice of him standing there before Zarok let out a dramatic groan. "Ohhhh No! You're back!" he moaned as he glared down at Dan. "Looking like something one would find in the Butcher's dustbin, UGH! What's that awful smell? Oh decomposition." he mocked while pretending to cover his nose, hurting Dan's already wounded feelings. Slumping his shoulders, Dan fearfully looked up at the evil sorcerer as he continued. "No matter, you're too late anyway Fortesque: my army has once again risen from the grave. But nevermind they, choke it up as another one of your inglorious failures." Zarok said with an evil smile that turned into a rather pathetic mocking laugh as Dan's eye drooped along with his top jaw in a sad frown.
Knowing his words ran true, the skeletal Knight could say nothing in his defense; not wishing to further humiliate himself with his now garbled speech. Suddenly raising his trident-shaped staff, Zarok used his magic to bring two very large gargoyles to life; which began releasing giant round boulders that followed the path down the hill. "Let's see you handle this Fortesque!" Zarok laughed as he turned away and returned inside the Gallowmere Mausoleum at the top of the hill. Once he was gone, Dan walked further into the graveyard, almost jumping out of his armor as a pair of zombies lunged at him from behind the stone wall. Stepping around the small tombstones, he split another zombie in half as it shambled around the corner.
Hearing a loud rumbling sound, he jumped back just in time to avoid one of the large boulders as it rolled past him and into a small but formidable pool of lava. Avoiding it for now, he ran over to a large group of zombies that were standing around a strange-looking chest with a white skull painted on it. Stabbing a zombie before it could turn around; Dan took a chance and hit the chest just as the rest of the zombies took notice of him. Shaking by itself, the chest opened and released a strange purple and blue magic that turned the zombies surrounding him into dust. With a triumphant smirk, he decided to keep on the lookout for more of those chests as well as those weird green fountains. Seeing nothing else of interest, Dan reluctantly returned to the lava pool the boulders were crashing into.
Looking at the pool, then at the boulders that could easily squish him like an insect; he tightened his grip on both his shield and sword with a loud gulp. Wishing Saphira was there to make him feel safe, he couldn't help but wonder what she would say or do in this situation. Trying to keep his thoughts positive, he decided to ask her once he found her as he counted the seconds between the boulders as they landed in the lava. Seeing his chance, he carefully eased his way around the lava pool, trying not to cringe at its intense heat before another boulder rapidly rolled toward him. Performing a dive-roll out of instinct, he managed to avoid both the lava and the boulder as he landed on his back in the grass with a crash.
Shaking his head, he staggered to his feet as a fat zombie shuffled out from behind a tombstone. Panicking when this zombie wouldn't die like the others, he used all his strength and spun his torso around like he had done with that first group of zombies. Feeling a bit winded confused him as he no longer had any lungs, Dan decided to only use that move in emergencies. As his single eye counted the boulders rolling toward him, the skeletal Knight saw something that has quite possibly made this predicament easy. Every thirty yards or so, was a small flight of stairs that led up the hill, out of the boulders' path. Gulping nervously, Dan took a deep breath and charged forward, ducking and dodging the gigantic rocks until he had made it to the first set of stairs.
Relieved that he hadn't been crushed flat, Dan quickly ducked as a red boulder bounced over the stairs; barely grazing Dan's skull. Clutching his shield tightly, he allowed himself a moment to get over that minor heart-attack before sprinting past the second group of boulders and into a small crevice in the wall. Hoping the rocks wouldn't collapse on him, Dan spotted another chest further up the path out of the boulders' reach. Quickly and carefully making his way over to the chest, another fat zombie took him by surprise as it pinned him to the ground. Using the shield with a strangled cry, he managed to force the zombie off of him just enough for him to put his boots on its belly. Using all his strength, he shoved the decaying corpse off of him in into the path of an oncoming boulder. Physically cringing and thankful he had no stomach, Dan turned away as the sound of crunching bones and squelching fluids was heard.
With a shudder of disgust, he crouched down and opened the bright-yellow chest with a smile as he pulled out the thick wooden club. As he examined the new weapon, Dan's eye suddenly adopted a mischievous glint as he imagined all the things he could do with it. With an almost giddy chuckle, Dan tied the club to his belt as he picked his sword back up and turned back to the rolling boulders. Dashing between them, he made it to the next set of stairs before quickly sprinting up the third. He was so focused on the boulders, that the toe of his boot caught the last step as he tripped right in the middle of the path.
With some quick thinking, Dan used his shield to force the oncoming boulder to roll around him, allowing him just enough time to get up and move out of the way. Hiding in another crevice in the wall, Dan took some time to calm his racing nerves. Peeking his head out, he looked around and saw he was extremely close to the top of the hill; only one more set of stairs to go before he would be safe from this deathtrap. The thought made him giddy with relief as he prepared to make a break for it, before glancing down at his shield and found it bent and dented beyond repair.
Rubbing his skull in annoyance, the skeletal Knight tossed the now useless hunk of copper as he ducked back inside to avoid another red boulder. As soon as the boulder passed, he ran out of the crevice and jumped around the next boulder, landing safely on the last set of stairs. As he was about to run up the stairs, he saw a cave being blocked by one of the boulders and wondered if he should see if there was anything useful inside. What could it hurt? Maybe there was some sort of secret weapon in there, or maybe Zarok had hidden Saphira in there? At the possibility that she could be trapped within, he chased after a passing boulder; staying behind it before he ventured off to the side, directly in front of the cave. Looking at the large boulder blocking the way: Dan untied the club from his belt, pulled his boney arm back, and hit the over-sized rock as hard as he could. Making contact, the club caused the boulder to shatter like glass, granting him passage inside the hidden cave.
Tying the club back to his belt, he drew his sword as he walked up to a gargoyle next to a sconce on the wall. As it opened its yellow eyes, Dan flinched and tried to hide in his chest plate as the gargoyle coughed loudly, spewing clouds of dust into the air. "Ahh fresh air! We hates these dark old caves and their filthy scent of old witches. A coven of the hags had once lived here: unnatural fires burning all night while they brewed up unspeakable things in their cauldrons. They have long since moved on, but the smell still makes our eyes sting." it said as Dan became curious if anyone else had been here after the witches.
"Has anyone else been through here as of late?" Dan asked as the gargoyle seemed to process what he was trying to say before answering. "Not since before the master was exiled." it said before returning to sleep. Relieved and disappointed at the same time, the skeletal Knight continued on through the cave until he entered a room with sconces along the walls and a stairway leading to a second level. Stepping further into the room, he was ambushed by a group of four zombies that had managed to bite down on him a couple of times before he had slayed them.
Feeling the sting of his chipped bones, he staggered for a moment before bearing with the pain. What he wouldn't do to find one of those magic fountains right now, or even better Saphira. Stepping over the slain zombies, Dan spotted light seeping out from behind a single bookcase against the wall. Smiling at the almost classic scene, he untied his club again before smashing the bookcase; turning it into nothing more than splintered wood and old books. Navigating the mess, Dan was weary at the sight of a pyramid-shaped thing with a burning flame floating above the top. Glancing down at the club in his hand, he cautiously stretched his arm out and lit the end of his club on fire.
Trying not to burn himself, he walked back into the main room and headed up the staircase. Getting close to the top, Dan had to stop himself from shaking at the unearthly sound of moaning zombies. As he looked into the smaller room, Dan spotted another pyramid: this one was unlit and surrounded by closed gates. Using the light of his burning club, he jumped in surprised at the number of zombies that were trapped beyond the gates. Only two gates appeared safe to him, as they had no zombies lurking behind them.
Behind one gate was what Dan suspected to be a witch's talisman; behind the other was another one of those golden chalices with the purple magic in them. Taking a deep breath; he rapidly lit the pyramid, pulled out his sword, and used all his strength to spin, killing all the zombies at once. As the last zombie fell, he picked up both the chalice and the talisman thinking of how proud Saphira would be of him if she saw him now. The thought made him smile as he returned to the entrance to the cave, ready to continue on his hellish journey to reach the hilltop…and the inhuman necromancer that dwelled within.