Chapter 24: Legend of the Wolf Spring
Two days later found Swisher and Kyu speaking to Burke and Kai. Burke had taken up a small field and had planted Grapes, Herbs, Wheat, and Tomatoes. He had also built a small one room cottage next to the field with the help of a score of Dwarves and Elves. Kai slept in a small doghouse just outside the cottage door.
"I've been thinking about Shikoku a lot lately. I keep thinking that if I had stayed longer I might have found him." Burke sat down on the ground next to his Grapes plot.
"There is still four days before we have to begin to move for Madicast." Swisher looked at Kyu and the Sindar smiled.
"We will help you look for Shikoku. We should start at Clearwater." Kyu said.
"Shikoku shouldn't be hard to spot. He's big and dark grey. He has black eyes and a white underbelly with a white horizontal stripe across his forehead." Burke said. "So let's go!"
"Wait! You're not going anywhere without me! Not when it involves a dog!" Cate laughed and came out from behind the cottage. "Suta would be here, but he's being forced to guide that weird kid and his friends around Hathindiur and Toka Village."
Kyu nodded. When had first met Hyzin, the Safir had been rude. The big lizard had been silent and curious. The kobold woman was kind enough, but she was weary. Zak and Nik were the only truly friendly ones out of their group. Aelydia and Boric were in a totally different class of weird and rude to Kyu. He felt bad for Suta.
"Well then we should get going." Kyu said and the party was off.
Noon found the three Sindar, one Duck, and the dog in Clearwater Village. They were tired from their journey and rested outside of a tavern for an hour. They had almost run through the entire Clearwater Passage.
Clearwater was more like Camina than Toka. The entire village was on the lake, though the Ducks favored warm colors. The buildings were perfectly cubic and the windows were circular. Every building had a short dock leading from the back door and a small fishing boat attached to it.
As the tavern keeper, a Duck-woman, set down a tray of cups of water, Burke turned to her. "Hey, miss. I was just wondering if you've seen a stray grey dog with a white underbelly. He has a white line on his forehead."
She thought for a moment before answering. "Well, a few days ago a traveling chef came here from Camina Village with her apprentice. Before she left, a large grey stray followed her around everywhere. So I think that he may have gone with her. She made excellent food, so that could be the reason why."
"Where were they headed, mam?" Kyu asked politely.
"I believe she said that she was headed for the Wolf Spring. She wanted to find the perfect crab for her next dish and she said it had to be a Wolf Spring Crab." Then the tavern keeper laughed. "Those crabs are monsters though, from the tall tales that my father used to tell me."
Burke's eyes widened. Kai howled. As the Duck-woman left, Swisher spoke in whispers to the group. "My dad used to tell me the same tales. Wolf Spring is a legendary pond where the water is sweet and the crabs are delicious and plenty. The spring is supposed to be full of plump fish and herbs that can't be found anywhere else. It's a chef's paradise."
"We have to get there." Burke said, and Kai seemed to agree.
"Well Clearwater Lake is south of Mount Wolverine while Toka Lake is north of it. On the east of the mountain is a dense forest that is supposedly filled with large monsters. There's supposed to be a cave that leads to the Wolf Spring from the forest." Swisher said. "But it's never been discovered and all who have ventured for it have never returned."
"We still have to go to save Shikoku." Burke proclaimed.
Cate and Kyu nodded. Kai seemed to agree with a short bark. "So it's decided." Cate spoke.
Then the party of five was off, leaving from Clearwater Village. It was only two hours before sunset when the party reached the eastern mountainside of Mount Wolverine. The eastern side was covered with a deep forest. It was eerily quiet; not a sound broke the silence.
Before the five friends was a narrow, almost unnoticeable, dirt path leading through the forest. "Well, this is the Wolf Forest." Swisher said. Everyone could feel the sense of foreboding. No one wanted to be the first to enter the dark forest.
Kyu and Kai stepped into the near pitch black forest. Cate, Burke, and Swisher followed. Burke and Kyu lit torches to light the path, not wanting to step into the brush. No wind and barely any light reached the path. No sound broke the silence and none of the party wished to break it either. Everything seemed still and silent.
The five walked quickly as if they walked too slowly, a monster would snatch them away.
At sunset, they reached the cave. The entrance was five feet off the ground. It was around ten feet wide and six feet tall like a large rift in the side of the mountain. Ancient Armes symbols were carved around the entrance. There was a shout from inside the cave.
Kyu, Burke, Swisher, Cate, and Kai ran towards the cave entrance. There was a rumbling and two monsters dropped out of the cave. They were huge crabs that stood six feet tall and ten feet long. They bore massive claws that could rip a person in half. They bore four bronze eyes with narrow black vertical slits for pupils. The first had a pale blue shell with black spikes while the second was fiery red with golden spikes.
The party fell back at the sight of the monsters. "Wolf Spring Crabs," Swisher whispered. "Do not let their claws get through your skin; you'll die in seconds even from a tiny scratch."
Kyu drew Nadhras, Cate drew her twin shortswords, and Swisher drew his halberd. Burke armed himself with his pitchfork and Kai growled fiercely. The two crabs clicked their claws together, and launched themselves at the party.
Cate moved like a whirlwind slashing three strikes with each of her swords. Swisher gave the red crab two swings of his halberd, while Burke gave the blue a mighty stab of his pitchfork. Kyu stabbed once and slashed twice.
All of their blows reflected off their iron like shells. "What happened?" Cate asked, confused, and then she was thrown into the air by the red crab. Swisher was pushed into the ground by the blue.
Burke charged the crabs with Kai. Kai snapped at the blue's left claw and hung on tightly. The farmer caught the blue in two of its eyes. The blue screeched and shook its claws in fur, releasing a massive bubble. Burke was sucked inside of the bubble, dropping his pitchfork.
Burke gripped at his throat, his eyes bulging. Swisher got back up, and launched his swish. There was a loud pop and Burke fell to the ground grasping. His face had paled and his veins were popping out. "I forgot about the poison bubbles."
Cate and Kyu helped Burke up and the party fell back down the path. Cate had a long cut on her right arm and Swisher had a gash on his left shoulder. Burke was still having trouble breathing. Kyu and Kai were still fine. "We have to help the people inside. We have to get past those crabs." Kyu said.
Swisher nodded. "Indeed. How has your Rune training gone with Gekku?"
"You can't! Don't you remember what happened last time?" Cate exclaimed.
Kyu nodded. "I remember, but I've become stronger since then. I have two attacks, and the attack I used then was too powerful for me. I can use the Light Volley attack. I used the Strike Flash attack before."
"Good. Use it." Swisher said. Kyu nodded, and he and Kai walked back towards the cave entrance.
The crabs starting sending out several of their poison bubbles as Kyu and Kai revealed themselves. Kyu aimed his right hand directly at the crabs. Use my power. I will destroy your enemies. There was a bright light, and from the sky came a volley of arrows made of pure light.
The crabs screeched as the arrows touched their backs. The arrows exploded in flames and golden light. The flames danced as the monsters screamed, and the fire burned brighter and hotter. Then the fires ended in blinding light as the two crabs were turned to empty shells.
Swisher, Cate, and Burke came out of the forest and congratulated Kyu. "We have to hurry!"
The party lifted themselves up into the cave. There was a short tunnel that led to a small cave. There was a narrow stone door at the end, but no spring. A massive blue-green crab took up half of the cave. A Duck-woman in a chef uniform, a Sindar girl also in a chef's uniform, and a large grey dog were cowering in a corner. The dog, Shikoku, was growling at the monster, protecting the other two.
Kyu entered the cave first and used his Light Volley attack. The crab burned and the party moved in a defensive half circle around the two chefs and Shikoku. "Who are you two?" Swisher shouted over the monster's screams.
"I'm Killen!" The Duck-woman replied.
"And I'm Dusk, Chef-apprentice to Lady Killen!" The girl shouted.
Burke stabbed the monster in the leg, and Kai and Shikoku bit down hard on another crab leg. Swisher took off a third leg with his halberd. Cate severed off a fourth with her twin blades. Kyu drove Nadhras into a chink in the crab's armor.
The monster-crab was turned into a shell as Nadhras drunk the monster's remaining life energy.
Kyu turned to the two chefs as Shikoku, Kai, and Burke reunited. Then something came over Kyu, and Kyu heard the rune. The door is a Runic door made by the Ancient Armes. It is like the Runic Circle in the Temple of the Runes in the ruins of Amdort. Kyu pressed his right hand to the door.
The door glowed and sunk into the ground. "We couldn't open it when the monster appeared." Killen explained as she entered. The rest of the party followed.
There was a huge cavern with a spring that took up most of the cave. A wolf statue in the middle the spring had water pouring out of his howling mouth. The water sparkled, and large fish swam in the spring. Strange bluish green herbs grew at the bottom of the spring.
Kyu turned to Killen and Dusk. "Would you like to come to Hathindiur and join the Allied Army? We don't have a chef."
Killen nodded. "We will as soon as possible. You saved our lives. We will collect some samples from the dead Wolf Spring Mantik along with some of the fish and herbs here. Then we'll head up the mountain to Hathindiur."