Chapter 24: Dungeon Crawl Part I
From the darkness arose the horde. Called from their resting places to battle once more. Their desiccated flesh bound tightly around their frames. Their bony hands gripped ancient blades covered in a film of dirt. Plumes of dust escaped their dried preserved mouths as they came forth. Their empty sunken eye sockets were filled with the light of magical undeath. Wisps of greenish-orange light boiled in their place sending a disturbing aura to all those that disrupted the horde and witnessed their masses.
Freki's ears tilted back, his lips were curled exposing his little fangs, body lowered into a crouch, tail tucked under and his high pitched baying at the entrance. All signs of severe distress. Hasturs face went pale as the moans and death rattles of horde entered the chamber.
"Zombies!" yelled the mage. She dropped Freki's leash, drew her rapier and charged at the legion of the undead. The putrid smell of their slowly rotting bodies offended Hastur's nostrils.
The shambling corpses of long deceased warriors dragged their weapons and limbs towards the intruder. Their joints creaked as the undead raised their swords to strike the mage.
Hastur swiped an ancient longsword away. With her free hand she produced a magical barrier that served to repel two strikes from a dual wielding undead. The cleric lunged the needle-like blade into the neck of her first attacker. The thin bladed sword poked cleanly through the leathery flesh around the zombie. Before the creature could advance more Hastur twitched her wrist and her blade severed the undead's head from its shoulders. As it fell, it stirred up a cloud of dust that created a screen for another warrior to join the fray.
Thaelin staggered to his feet. He braced himself against the stone archway and shook the residual pain of being kicked square in the testicles from his core. He drew out his shortsword and sighed in annoyance. The man limped into the fight. He slammed his sword into the rim of a deteriorated round shield. The double edged shortsword became lodged in the shield and with a chomping maw coming after his flesh, the ranger abandoned his sword. He threw a right hooked punch into the zombie staggering it enough to where he could grab ahold of the wrinkled head of the zombie and slam it into his knee.
The mage cast an orb of yellow light into her palm and thrust it int the hollow innards of the two bladed swordsman. The emaciated wretch's flesh ignited as if doused in oil. Hastur kicked the burning remains aside and continued on. She hacked and slashed the revenants with holy fury. From behind her, one undead grabbed the mage's faded yellow cloak and pulled her down into a grapple. Panic took the half elf. While she fell, the mage positioned her blade and three reanimated corpses became skewered by the blade as they collapsed on top of the mage. Pinning her down in the process.
Struggling to be freed from the mass of undead corpses on top of her, her eyes widened when she looked up to a cobwebbed set of jaws moaning to tear her flesh asunder. Before the yellow teeth of the undead had a chance, a thick leather boot stomped down into the hollow skull, just barely striking the cleric's face.
The ranger kicked the stack of bodies off his partner and offered a helping hand to bring the mage to her feet.
"Look out!" she yelled bursting into action once again. Hastur cast another burning orb into the chest cavity of an incoming axe wielder.
The cloud of dried dust burned the man's lungs. In his moment of choking, two bony hands wrapped themselves around the huntsman's neck. With unnatural strength, the undead pulled him close to its jaws. The ranger brought up his right arm and the zombie bit down into the hardened leather vambrace. He jerked his arm upwards to expose the bare wrinkled neck of his foe.
Hastur spun on the balls of her feet and brought her rapier down onto the exposed leathery neck of her next foe. Thaelin dropped the ragged remains. His attention was taken when the faint growls of their third party member came rushing in to the rescue.
"Damn it!" the ranger groaned bolting after the puppy.
The little hound came bounding into the conflict. It barked and bit the ankles of the undead. It tugged at its prey's leg and with all its might the dog managed to topple the zombie allowing his friend to stomp in the skull of the undead.
"Stupid dog." Thaelin sighed scooping up the puppy with one hand. Cradled in his arm, the ranger grabbed the wrist of an incoming scimitar. He wrenched the blade loose, pirouetted around the undead swordsman and plunged the blade into the back of his final foe.
Hastur shook the dust from her cloak. Three smoldering corpses lay at her feet as the glow of her sacred magic left her hand. The mage sheathed her rapier and called for her puppy. Freki squirmed out of the huntsman's arm and bound towards the cleric.
"Awe! Who's a brave little fella?" hastur cooed. Freki grunted as he licked the mages caressing hands "Did you try to help us? Awe you're such a good boy! So much nicer than somebody I know."
The ranger mumbled to himself as he collected his shortsword from the tattered shield of a still rustling zombie. His heavy foot smashed through its skull. The sound echoed off the walls like a shattering clay vessel.
"These swords look to be in fair shape." The ranger said kicking one free from its former owner. "When we are done here I could take these back to Abbner and get some gold. You wanna continue on, or do you want to set off more traps?"
"We are not five minutes into this dungeon, and you're already an ass?" retorted Hastur "Lets go find the treasure and get out of here."
Lead the way Hast, who knows, maybe you will free another draugr horde or a den of basilisks. Wont that be fun?"
After a short respite, Hastur lowered her hood and took in the sight the first chamber in their dungeon crawl. Four stone tree shaped buttresses were carved into the corners of the chamber several torch sconces dotted the walls. Hastur squinted as she tried to make out what lay in the furthest part of the chamber. A pathway maybe?
With her free hand she produced a ball of yellow light that to illuminate their way. In her other hand she produced the map and read its ancient runes.
"It says: From the Orchard, to the path of the Snake. Bid the Weavers praise of their work, then read from the Pool of Stars to the bounty to behold"
"I don't see an orchard." The huntsman sighed as he pat-down the corpses and found no signs of treasure.
The mage looked to the tree shaped buttresses at the four corners of the chamber. "That's because we are here. And this way must be the path of the snake. This way." She said marching ahead down a narrow stone corridor. Hastur proceeded with caution, Freki at her side sniffing the dirt, and Thaelin following. His hand resting on his pistol crossbow. The previous battle put a bad taste in his mouth.
"I don't like snakes." He whispered to himself looking at the pictograms of a dozen snake shaped images decorating the walls
After a few yards, Hastur swiveled her head quickly "Do you hear that?" she asked
"If its giant spiders or a snake, I'm leaving." Remarked Thaelin as a cold shiver went down his spine
The sounds of movement echoed down the hallway. She placed a hand on the wall and inched her way ahead. On the very edge of her light, she saw it. Two shining yellow eyes close to the ground. It looked at her and charged.
The half elf let out a shrill scream and jumped backwards in absolute terror.
Freki stood his ground and lunged at the vermin. His little paws pounced on the beast and in a short tumble he clenched his jaws tightly on its neck and thrashed it violently. Till the vermin stopped squirming and a few splatters of blood painted the walls
Thaelin drew out his sword and pushed the mage behind him. But when he saw their hound dealing with the threat, he sheathed his sword and laughed
"You got to be kidding me." He smirked. "A rat? You're scared of a little rat?"
The mage placed a hand on her chest. Her heart was pounding like a drum and her breath short. "S-shut up!" she managed. Y-you're s-scared of spiders, asshole."
Giant Spiders are different. Let me take point. Scaredy-cat." He said turning his back and continuing down the path alone.
Hastur regained her composure before going on, he stopped and looked at Freki and his vanquished foe. "My hero." She smirked
On the cusp of her line of sight she made out a faint silhouette of the ranger as he made his way forward. His footsteps were as silent as a shadow. Every bend in the tunnel caused her to lose track of him. Hastur paused a moment and watched as the man entirely slipped into the shadows. All went silent for a time until she heard the faint taps of boots striking the stones again. The shape of her partner reappeared in the light as he came running towards her.
"Nope!" he managed to say huffing and puffing his way past the mage. The man's eyes were like two blue moons when he dashed
Not long after that, she heard shuffling and hissing sounds coming from the darkness in front of her. Then on the edge of her magic light the reflection of several black eyes looked at her. A pink and green carapace l and four pincers for a beak protected its slobbering maw.