7. Stone Shock
"Oops, sorry," apologised Siobhan as she bumped into the man standing behind the big rock. She hadn't seen him as she rounded the obstruction and, with her bulk, nearly knocked him clean to the ground.
"Guards! Guards! To me! Outlanders!" shouted the dark elf as he stumbled backwards. Siobhan's apology quickly dissolved into a snarl of hatred as she whisked the guard's feet from under him with a deft kick. The young elf quickly regained his composure, rolling to the side and standing up. Unfortunately, he now found himself facing five enemies, as the rest of the group lined up beside the tall barbarian warrior. The elf swallowed heavily, considering the best course of action. Knowing the price of failure, he raised his sword and charged, calling for help as he came.
Nektulos guards were not renowned for their strength or endurance. Oft ridiculed in the neighbouring commonlands, they were frequently the target for raiding parties of young adventurers keen to test their steel against a worthy, yet not overly dangerous opponent. With the formidable Freeport guards patrolling the hilly grasslands just outside the forest, it was even easy to run away from a losing battle to their protection. The dark elven militia hated guard duty. They hated the post at the big rock most of all.
Pulling her short sword from the guard's inert body, Siobhan wiped the blood away and looked along the road leading to Neriak. She could see no other guards coming. They had been lucky: it was well-known that the inkies always posted the least-loved individuals to the furthest places, never expecting them to come back from patrol. She pointed with her sword, indicating the edge of the forest, where the ground rose up to form the cliffs through which they had so recently passed. The others nodded and moved quietly away, in the direction she showed.
Leading as always, Jomen found it difficult to pass silently through this place. Despite being a ranger of significant skill, the essence of evil that seeped from the ground, the trees and the air itself amplified his footsteps. They could not afford to move too slowly, though, and would have to risk a little noise. Behind him, the group maintained their standard marching order: Ganth followed the wood elf, providing sharp eyesight and a sturdy backup; Eltheria and Gueri followed the rogue, side by side, watching their flanks; and finally Siobhan, providing a solid, powerful rearguard capable of holding off any monsters until the others could come to her aid. Jomen smiled inwardly. He sometimes wondered what would happen if an assassin tried to sneak up on the big warrior while they walked: her armour was easily the most resistant of any of them, except perhaps Gueri, and he wouldn't like to be the one who messed up an attempted backstab on that mountain of muscle.
"Hsssst," whispered Ganth, suddenly. Jomen stopped, and the others bunched up close behind the dwarf. "I think I see something," he continued. "Hard to tell, I thought I saw a movement."
"Looks like some kind of obelisk or something," muttered Eltheria. "We should avoid it. We can head to those big black rocks over there." She indicated a collection of half a dozen large blackened boulders that would provide cover for them from anyone patrolling round the obelisk. The others agreed, and Jomen slipped ahead to scout. The friends watched as the young wood elf moved gracefully towards the large stone monument, stopping every now and again to listen and observe. Suddenly, they saw him freeze in place, then drop sharply to the ground, crouching low. He began to edge backwards towards the group.
Siobhan's sword cleared her scabbard noisily. Gueri and Eltheria shot her an angry glance, then returned their gazes to Jomen. He was still moving backwards towards them, but a little faster now. He approached in a crouch and explained.
"Skeletons," he said. "All around the obelisk. Some kind of undead memorial. Ye gods! Typical inkies, having the undead living right next to their homes!"
"Let's head for those rocks, as Eltheria suggested," said Ganth, indicating the outcropping. "I'll go scout it out, while you keep an eye on those bonies." Jomen seemd ready to say something, but simply nodded agreement and returned a few yards in the direction of the obelisk. He knelt low and became almost invisible against the vegetation.
With a quick glance at Eltheria, Ganth headed off towards the large black rockpile. Silently, he passed from tree to tree, sneaking past Jomen's lookout spot. The others watched as he went, always amused and impressed to see someone so stout move so easily, gracefully and without sound. The dwarf approached the rocks, keeping to the shadows cast by the trees. Suddenly, he stopped. His friends looked on in surprise, as he was not hidden, but had stopped in the open.
In front of Ganth, the rocks were moving. The sound of stone grinding against stone reached their ears, as the dwarf dived for the cover of the trees, landing heavily amongst the roots of the nearest. Just a few yards away, the pile of rock grew slowly upwards, a form taking shape as it did something that could only be described as 'standing up'. Within moments, the rock pile was no longer there. In its place stood two enormous black creatures, formed from the rock itself.
Ganth breathed in, quietly. He had heard tell of the stone guardians, but he hadn't expected to come face to face, or rather face to knee, with one, let alone two. He glanced hastily about: the roots of the tree he was behind did not offer much cover from prying eyes, if that was what these rock-men had. He cursed under his breath, then quickly shut his mouth again as he heard one of the guardians spin surprisingly quickly in his direction. He looked back at his friends, indicating that they should get out of sight: they quickly dropped to the ground and gained the protection of the nearest trees. Jomen remained where he was, in the open, trusting to his woodsman's abilities to remain hidden.
The guardians moved, slowly. Clunking their heads together in some form of goodbye, the two separated, one heading away from the obelisk, the other shuffling a little in place. The creature lifted its hand and knocked its head once, dislodging a tuft of moss from the opposite side. It looked from side to side, apparently searching for whatever had made a noise. Ganth hunkered down behind his tree and hoped the beast did not approach.
For what seemed an eternity, the guardian remained in place, listening and scanning the trees. The friends all held their breath, watching from a distance as the animated rock pile hunted for their companion. Suddenly, the creature moved. Lifting its huge, heavy feet, it began to stomp directly towards where the little rogue was hidden. Eltheria gasped: since he was pushed right up against the tree, his back to the trunk, Ganth couldn't see it coming.
The great stone monster approached the tree. Ganth could hear the steps, just on the other side of his feeble hiding place. He glanced quickly from side to side, trying to decide what to do, when his eyes were caught by another sight more frightening - Eltheria was standing up, chanting and waving her arms. He shook his head frantically, his eyes wide with fear for her as he heard the sound of stony feet coming around the tree.
"Hehehehehehehehe."
It was the second time the rogue had heard that sound recently, and this time it frightened him more than the last, for he knew what it was. Snapping his head round, he saw the skeleton running towards him. He reached for his knife, then stopped. Phantom skulls were spinning around the undead monster as it came, howling and screaming at it: the rogue chuckled.
"Smart lady," he whispered, under his breath, flashing a huge grin and a little bow to the quickly-crouching Eltheria. She grinned back.
The skeleton rushed by the dwarf's hiding place, lurching wildly as it tried to escape its ghostly aggressors. The guardian reacted swiftly and decisively. With a loud crack and a scrunching noise, it grabbed the creature and mashed it to dust, sending shards of bone flying through a cloud of rotten-smelling dust. As the remaining shards of bone fell, the guardian made a grinding noise that sounded remarkably like a huff of contentment, and thudded away on patrol.
Ganth breathed a sigh of relief, and his friends all collapsed to the ground, as they finally let out the air they had been holding in. The guardian stomped away quickly, and the group moved to join Ganth at his hiding place.
"Thank'ee milady," said the rogue, with a heartfelt smile. Eltheria smiled back, pleased that her plan had worked. Without any further delay, the companions all moved quietly through the forest, heading towards the distant sound of running water: the river that cut across the forest would be the next problem they would have to surmount.
It was odd to find running water in a place of such evil. The river flowed briskly, bending through the trees and sweeping away the rubbish dumped into it by the inhabitants of Neriak. In the distance, a wooden bridge spanned the water, but the guards patrolling there deterred the group from heading in that direction. Much as they disliked the idea, it was time to get wet.
"I just hope there's nothing slimy in there," commented Jomen, looking into the water.
"And you call yourself a woodsman," Gueri chuckled in response. Jomen grinned a boyish grin, and strapped his shield carefully onto his back. He dived into the water, popping up a few feet further in, treading water.
"Seems fine," he said. "Come on, you lot, we need to get across as soon as possible. We have an inky to stop, and the city's not far now."
The others all leapt into the river and splashed across to the opposite bank. Siobhan arrived last, weighed down by her armour. Shaking off the worst of the dank water, she took her place as rearguard and they moved off, keeping to the edge of the forest. The road to Neriak ran parallel to them as they advanced, but it was far enough away that they could not easily keep watch, and hills, trees and other vegetation frequently hid it. They kept moving, trusting that they would arrive at the city before Vaeksil, or at least be able to glean some information from the locals who hunted and worked in the area surrounding the entrance.
Passing the ages-old pyramidal structure used by long-dead wizards for their teleportation, the group carefully steered clear of a second group of undead creatures standing guard. Thankfully, although aggressive, skeletons and their ilk were not renowned for their perception and were easily avoided. They were nearing the city, and found they were forced to travel slower, avoiding both guards and young adventurers out hunting in the forest.
Crossing the grassy area that swarmed with small creatures and their hunters, the group ignored the amazed stares of the young dark elves learning their trades. None of them approached the outlanders, nor risked running for the guards: they simply kept their distance. As they approached the road, the friends kept a wary eye for guards, knowing they would patrol this area. This close to the city, the guards would not be of the weak sort they had met at the pass: the city's militia was like that of Freeport - ferocious when it came to defending the entry tunnel - and they would not risk passing too close to that place.
The friends found a spot overlooking the road, on a small hill, and sat down to watch for Vaeksil. There was no way they could know if they had already missed him, but had little choice other than to hope. Ganth broke out their fish and bread rations, handing them round to his friends, who ate with one eye on the road.
"We'll have to set up camp, I suppose," said Gueri, looking concerned at their proximity to the city.
"Yes," agreed Jomen. "I'll take first watch, while you all get some rest."
Their small campfire kept the friends warm, but they still trembled slightly as the innate evil of the place crept through their bones. They bedded down almost fully armoured for once, not risking the loss of time in rearming themselves should they be attacked. Jomen sat by the fire, adding sputtering wood, his bow by his side.
The hours passed. Siobhan slept fitfully, turning and moaning as she dreamt of her dead father and brothers, of her recent death, of the orc Chief, laughing and transforming himself into the image of Vaeksil. She woke with a start, her warrior reactions stirring her from her slumber as she heard approaching footsteps.
A young dark elf stood within the light of the fire. Siobhan rose quickly, her hand on her father's sword. She did not unsheathe it, merely fixing the approaching adolescent with an icy stare. Jomen was nowhere to be seen.
"What brings outlanders to Nektulos?" asked the elf, in the common tongue.
"What business be it of your'n, slave of evil?" retorted Siobhan, brusquely. The elf was silenced for a moment, then raised his hands slowly in a gesture of peace. The others all began to rise from their sleep at the sound of Siobhan's voice, and saw Jomen approaching from behind the elf.
"I mean you no harm. We are all young, we are not bound by the ideals of our masters. I am Krael, a magician of the twelfth Circle." The dark elf bowed low. "I have recently left my home city and look to travel the world. I wondered if I might join you."
The friends stared at each other, stunned. None of them was really a spokesperson for the group, and they all waited for each other to reply to the young magician. Finally, Jomen spoke up.
"We're here to kill one of your breed," he said. "How do you feel about that?"
"Sounds like fun," replied the dark elf. "I have no particular love of the people of Neriak, although they be my brothers and sisters. I'm sure you have your reasons, and I don't care what they are. My personal well-being and fortune come before any considerations for my kinfolk."
Siobhan spat on the ground. The dark elf remained unperturbed.
"Well, we'll be haevin' none o'that 'me-me-me' malarkey wi'this group, me lad," the warrior announced in her thunderous voice. "If you'll be lookin' to travel wi'us, you'll be needin' tae share and share alike."
The elf nodded. To their surprise, he knelt before the group and swore a solemn oath upon his own life. The friends looked at each other again. Ganth raised an eyebrow, questioningly. Silently, each of the friends made their decision, and nodded. Even Siobhan nodded, reassured by the oath.
"Very well, inky boy," said Ganth. "Welcome."
Krael whooped with joy. He called his elemental companion over and sat down with the others, but avoided trying to make conversation as they were all obviously tired. Ganth sighed, rubbing his eyes and handed the newcomer some fresh fish and bread. With a smile, the young dark elf accepted the food.
"Ho!" said Siobhan, sharply. She had spotted something, and her huge arm pointed down the hill, back towards the river. Jomen rose and peered into the distance. A moment later, he loosened his whip.
"That's him. Vaeksil's on the road and coming this way. He's alone, too, except for his cursed skeletal friend."
"Oops, sorry," apologised Siobhan as she bumped into the man standing behind the big rock. She hadn't seen him as she rounded the obstruction and, with her bulk, nearly knocked him clean to the ground.
"Guards! Guards! To me! Outlanders!" shouted the dark elf as he stumbled backwards. Siobhan's apology quickly dissolved into a snarl of hatred as she whisked the guard's feet from under him with a deft kick. The young elf quickly regained his composure, rolling to the side and standing up. Unfortunately, he now found himself facing five enemies, as the rest of the group lined up beside the tall barbarian warrior. The elf swallowed heavily, considering the best course of action. Knowing the price of failure, he raised his sword and charged, calling for help as he came.
Nektulos guards were not renowned for their strength or endurance. Oft ridiculed in the neighbouring commonlands, they were frequently the target for raiding parties of young adventurers keen to test their steel against a worthy, yet not overly dangerous opponent. With the formidable Freeport guards patrolling the hilly grasslands just outside the forest, it was even easy to run away from a losing battle to their protection. The dark elven militia hated guard duty. They hated the post at the big rock most of all.
Pulling her short sword from the guard's inert body, Siobhan wiped the blood away and looked along the road leading to Neriak. She could see no other guards coming. They had been lucky: it was well-known that the inkies always posted the least-loved individuals to the furthest places, never expecting them to come back from patrol. She pointed with her sword, indicating the edge of the forest, where the ground rose up to form the cliffs through which they had so recently passed. The others nodded and moved quietly away, in the direction she showed.
Leading as always, Jomen found it difficult to pass silently through this place. Despite being a ranger of significant skill, the essence of evil that seeped from the ground, the trees and the air itself amplified his footsteps. They could not afford to move too slowly, though, and would have to risk a little noise. Behind him, the group maintained their standard marching order: Ganth followed the wood elf, providing sharp eyesight and a sturdy backup; Eltheria and Gueri followed the rogue, side by side, watching their flanks; and finally Siobhan, providing a solid, powerful rearguard capable of holding off any monsters until the others could come to her aid. Jomen smiled inwardly. He sometimes wondered what would happen if an assassin tried to sneak up on the big warrior while they walked: her armour was easily the most resistant of any of them, except perhaps Gueri, and he wouldn't like to be the one who messed up an attempted backstab on that mountain of muscle.
"Hsssst," whispered Ganth, suddenly. Jomen stopped, and the others bunched up close behind the dwarf. "I think I see something," he continued. "Hard to tell, I thought I saw a movement."
"Looks like some kind of obelisk or something," muttered Eltheria. "We should avoid it. We can head to those big black rocks over there." She indicated a collection of half a dozen large blackened boulders that would provide cover for them from anyone patrolling round the obelisk. The others agreed, and Jomen slipped ahead to scout. The friends watched as the young wood elf moved gracefully towards the large stone monument, stopping every now and again to listen and observe. Suddenly, they saw him freeze in place, then drop sharply to the ground, crouching low. He began to edge backwards towards the group.
Siobhan's sword cleared her scabbard noisily. Gueri and Eltheria shot her an angry glance, then returned their gazes to Jomen. He was still moving backwards towards them, but a little faster now. He approached in a crouch and explained.
"Skeletons," he said. "All around the obelisk. Some kind of undead memorial. Ye gods! Typical inkies, having the undead living right next to their homes!"
"Let's head for those rocks, as Eltheria suggested," said Ganth, indicating the outcropping. "I'll go scout it out, while you keep an eye on those bonies." Jomen seemd ready to say something, but simply nodded agreement and returned a few yards in the direction of the obelisk. He knelt low and became almost invisible against the vegetation.
With a quick glance at Eltheria, Ganth headed off towards the large black rockpile. Silently, he passed from tree to tree, sneaking past Jomen's lookout spot. The others watched as he went, always amused and impressed to see someone so stout move so easily, gracefully and without sound. The dwarf approached the rocks, keeping to the shadows cast by the trees. Suddenly, he stopped. His friends looked on in surprise, as he was not hidden, but had stopped in the open.
In front of Ganth, the rocks were moving. The sound of stone grinding against stone reached their ears, as the dwarf dived for the cover of the trees, landing heavily amongst the roots of the nearest. Just a few yards away, the pile of rock grew slowly upwards, a form taking shape as it did something that could only be described as 'standing up'. Within moments, the rock pile was no longer there. In its place stood two enormous black creatures, formed from the rock itself.
Ganth breathed in, quietly. He had heard tell of the stone guardians, but he hadn't expected to come face to face, or rather face to knee, with one, let alone two. He glanced hastily about: the roots of the tree he was behind did not offer much cover from prying eyes, if that was what these rock-men had. He cursed under his breath, then quickly shut his mouth again as he heard one of the guardians spin surprisingly quickly in his direction. He looked back at his friends, indicating that they should get out of sight: they quickly dropped to the ground and gained the protection of the nearest trees. Jomen remained where he was, in the open, trusting to his woodsman's abilities to remain hidden.
The guardians moved, slowly. Clunking their heads together in some form of goodbye, the two separated, one heading away from the obelisk, the other shuffling a little in place. The creature lifted its hand and knocked its head once, dislodging a tuft of moss from the opposite side. It looked from side to side, apparently searching for whatever had made a noise. Ganth hunkered down behind his tree and hoped the beast did not approach.
For what seemed an eternity, the guardian remained in place, listening and scanning the trees. The friends all held their breath, watching from a distance as the animated rock pile hunted for their companion. Suddenly, the creature moved. Lifting its huge, heavy feet, it began to stomp directly towards where the little rogue was hidden. Eltheria gasped: since he was pushed right up against the tree, his back to the trunk, Ganth couldn't see it coming.
The great stone monster approached the tree. Ganth could hear the steps, just on the other side of his feeble hiding place. He glanced quickly from side to side, trying to decide what to do, when his eyes were caught by another sight more frightening - Eltheria was standing up, chanting and waving her arms. He shook his head frantically, his eyes wide with fear for her as he heard the sound of stony feet coming around the tree.
"Hehehehehehehehe."
It was the second time the rogue had heard that sound recently, and this time it frightened him more than the last, for he knew what it was. Snapping his head round, he saw the skeleton running towards him. He reached for his knife, then stopped. Phantom skulls were spinning around the undead monster as it came, howling and screaming at it: the rogue chuckled.
"Smart lady," he whispered, under his breath, flashing a huge grin and a little bow to the quickly-crouching Eltheria. She grinned back.
The skeleton rushed by the dwarf's hiding place, lurching wildly as it tried to escape its ghostly aggressors. The guardian reacted swiftly and decisively. With a loud crack and a scrunching noise, it grabbed the creature and mashed it to dust, sending shards of bone flying through a cloud of rotten-smelling dust. As the remaining shards of bone fell, the guardian made a grinding noise that sounded remarkably like a huff of contentment, and thudded away on patrol.
Ganth breathed a sigh of relief, and his friends all collapsed to the ground, as they finally let out the air they had been holding in. The guardian stomped away quickly, and the group moved to join Ganth at his hiding place.
"Thank'ee milady," said the rogue, with a heartfelt smile. Eltheria smiled back, pleased that her plan had worked. Without any further delay, the companions all moved quietly through the forest, heading towards the distant sound of running water: the river that cut across the forest would be the next problem they would have to surmount.
It was odd to find running water in a place of such evil. The river flowed briskly, bending through the trees and sweeping away the rubbish dumped into it by the inhabitants of Neriak. In the distance, a wooden bridge spanned the water, but the guards patrolling there deterred the group from heading in that direction. Much as they disliked the idea, it was time to get wet.
"I just hope there's nothing slimy in there," commented Jomen, looking into the water.
"And you call yourself a woodsman," Gueri chuckled in response. Jomen grinned a boyish grin, and strapped his shield carefully onto his back. He dived into the water, popping up a few feet further in, treading water.
"Seems fine," he said. "Come on, you lot, we need to get across as soon as possible. We have an inky to stop, and the city's not far now."
The others all leapt into the river and splashed across to the opposite bank. Siobhan arrived last, weighed down by her armour. Shaking off the worst of the dank water, she took her place as rearguard and they moved off, keeping to the edge of the forest. The road to Neriak ran parallel to them as they advanced, but it was far enough away that they could not easily keep watch, and hills, trees and other vegetation frequently hid it. They kept moving, trusting that they would arrive at the city before Vaeksil, or at least be able to glean some information from the locals who hunted and worked in the area surrounding the entrance.
Passing the ages-old pyramidal structure used by long-dead wizards for their teleportation, the group carefully steered clear of a second group of undead creatures standing guard. Thankfully, although aggressive, skeletons and their ilk were not renowned for their perception and were easily avoided. They were nearing the city, and found they were forced to travel slower, avoiding both guards and young adventurers out hunting in the forest.
Crossing the grassy area that swarmed with small creatures and their hunters, the group ignored the amazed stares of the young dark elves learning their trades. None of them approached the outlanders, nor risked running for the guards: they simply kept their distance. As they approached the road, the friends kept a wary eye for guards, knowing they would patrol this area. This close to the city, the guards would not be of the weak sort they had met at the pass: the city's militia was like that of Freeport - ferocious when it came to defending the entry tunnel - and they would not risk passing too close to that place.
The friends found a spot overlooking the road, on a small hill, and sat down to watch for Vaeksil. There was no way they could know if they had already missed him, but had little choice other than to hope. Ganth broke out their fish and bread rations, handing them round to his friends, who ate with one eye on the road.
"We'll have to set up camp, I suppose," said Gueri, looking concerned at their proximity to the city.
"Yes," agreed Jomen. "I'll take first watch, while you all get some rest."
Their small campfire kept the friends warm, but they still trembled slightly as the innate evil of the place crept through their bones. They bedded down almost fully armoured for once, not risking the loss of time in rearming themselves should they be attacked. Jomen sat by the fire, adding sputtering wood, his bow by his side.
The hours passed. Siobhan slept fitfully, turning and moaning as she dreamt of her dead father and brothers, of her recent death, of the orc Chief, laughing and transforming himself into the image of Vaeksil. She woke with a start, her warrior reactions stirring her from her slumber as she heard approaching footsteps.
A young dark elf stood within the light of the fire. Siobhan rose quickly, her hand on her father's sword. She did not unsheathe it, merely fixing the approaching adolescent with an icy stare. Jomen was nowhere to be seen.
"What brings outlanders to Nektulos?" asked the elf, in the common tongue.
"What business be it of your'n, slave of evil?" retorted Siobhan, brusquely. The elf was silenced for a moment, then raised his hands slowly in a gesture of peace. The others all began to rise from their sleep at the sound of Siobhan's voice, and saw Jomen approaching from behind the elf.
"I mean you no harm. We are all young, we are not bound by the ideals of our masters. I am Krael, a magician of the twelfth Circle." The dark elf bowed low. "I have recently left my home city and look to travel the world. I wondered if I might join you."
The friends stared at each other, stunned. None of them was really a spokesperson for the group, and they all waited for each other to reply to the young magician. Finally, Jomen spoke up.
"We're here to kill one of your breed," he said. "How do you feel about that?"
"Sounds like fun," replied the dark elf. "I have no particular love of the people of Neriak, although they be my brothers and sisters. I'm sure you have your reasons, and I don't care what they are. My personal well-being and fortune come before any considerations for my kinfolk."
Siobhan spat on the ground. The dark elf remained unperturbed.
"Well, we'll be haevin' none o'that 'me-me-me' malarkey wi'this group, me lad," the warrior announced in her thunderous voice. "If you'll be lookin' to travel wi'us, you'll be needin' tae share and share alike."
The elf nodded. To their surprise, he knelt before the group and swore a solemn oath upon his own life. The friends looked at each other again. Ganth raised an eyebrow, questioningly. Silently, each of the friends made their decision, and nodded. Even Siobhan nodded, reassured by the oath.
"Very well, inky boy," said Ganth. "Welcome."
Krael whooped with joy. He called his elemental companion over and sat down with the others, but avoided trying to make conversation as they were all obviously tired. Ganth sighed, rubbing his eyes and handed the newcomer some fresh fish and bread. With a smile, the young dark elf accepted the food.
"Ho!" said Siobhan, sharply. She had spotted something, and her huge arm pointed down the hill, back towards the river. Jomen rose and peered into the distance. A moment later, he loosened his whip.
"That's him. Vaeksil's on the road and coming this way. He's alone, too, except for his cursed skeletal friend."