The Adepts left Vale shortly thereafter, feeling solemn but rejuvenated. Maris sang softly as they walked quietly through the ruins of Vale, her bell-like voice bringing them peace in their hearts. This is what she sang:
The Road goes ever on
and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
As the final notes of her song trailed into the wind, the Adepts were silent. Cinaed spoke up in amazement, looking at Shamira. "Shamira?" He asked. "Are you… crying? A sign of emotion in that warrior's façade?" He bent down to look her in the eyes, which were indeed a little moist.
"Nay!" She responded angrily. "Just… a little sad. My father, the King of Anemos, is among the dead here. So many have died, and to what purpose!" She shook her head, gaining fury. " A descendent of Yegelos does not cry, and that same linage forces me to seek revenge. Regnoare WILL pay for the death of my father." She stalked ahead.
Orior made as if to follow her, but Aleos put a hand on his shoulder. "Stop. She only needs to be alone for a while."
-
After a few minutes, Shamira dropped back and rejoined them, still quiet but more composed. She scuffed her boot on the grass and asked in a subdued manner, "So… where to first?"
"Most likely to Southern Vale." Aleos, said, pointing a mile or two through the city, "We can rest there and obtain supplies for our journey."
---
They entered Southern Vale shortly after Sol reached the height of her heavenly trek, just beginning her descent. Here, so far away from Aleph, Regnoare's magic had not the destructive effect that demolished most of Vale. Here, the citizens where still alive, but pale and most, if not all, were ill. The flora was simply yellowed instead of black, and fauna only sluggish.
The populace stared emptily at the travelers, amazed to see people completely unfazed by the curse of Regnoare. Aleos approached a shop and requested five woollen blankets, sturdy travelling bags, and animal skin flasks, along with two weeks supply of various foods. The storeowner handed them their purchases, and when Aleos held out a palm of gold coins, taken from his personal vault, the slack-jawed owner merely stared at them absently. Aleos glanced at the owner's blank expression and placed the gold on the counter, where they went unnoticed. The Void Adept handed some of the supplies to Orior, gave each Adept a pack carrying ample food, and motioned for them to carry on. As they filed out of Vale to the East, Cinaed stopped and looked slyly at the shopkeeper. In one swift motion, he scooped up the gold pieces, tossed them into the air and caught them easily. Looking sideways at the shopkeeper, he said "Thank you," and walked out of Vale after the others.
---
They laid camp that first night just outside the final reaches of Vale, beside the first Northbound bridge, laying out their blankets and lighting a fire with Cinaed's aid. Soon, the smell of frying mutton rose into the air, and Orior's stomach growled hungrily. Cinaed seemed to share his feelings.
Aleos reached out with a wooden branch and prodded the meat, which responded by sizzling, releasing more delicious aroma. "Food's ready." He announced.
"Great!" Orior said, and he and Cinaed lunged forward, daggers in hand, but were stopped by a warning hand from Maris.
"Wait. We must first say a prayer of thanks." Orior and Cinaed slumped back reluctantly, allowing Maris her time. She bowed her head, her blue hair hanging down and concealing her face as she said:
"Elements of eternal Light, Aleph and God Supreme, we thank you for the food that you have provided us, and we thank you for the gift of life you have given us and the sacrifice of this creature, so that we may eat it and grow strong. By Ventus, Aqua, Ignus, and Terra, as One." She raised her head and said, 'Now. Eat."
Orior and Cinaed leapt in without hesitation, slicing off large slices, and after a moment's hesitation, offered it politely to the girls. They accepted it graciously. Aleos cut himself a part during this, so it was that Cinaed and Orior were last.
-
When they had finished their meal, they lay satisfied on the evening grass and gazed on the stars. They night sky was alight with millions of tiny fires, flickering as they traveled their journey through the firmament. The Adepts were content, but as the fire died down, a haunting wail filled the night from the North. Roused, Orior sat up sharply and listened. Soon, an answering call drifted back, this time from the East. All the other Adepts were awake now. Soon, the night was filled with a chorus of melancholy cries.
"Wolves," Shamira muttered. "And a pack by the sound of it. Stay alert, boys and girls. We might have company tonight."
"No problem." Orior said, and raised his hand. Casting Growth, the wild grass around them grew and thickened tenfold. It raised and twined, so that soon, a sturdy wall of impervious plants strengthened by psynergy surrounded them.
Aleos shook his head. "It'll afford protection against wolves, but there are worse things. Black things that have existed for many years: Icarlon the Icy; Shortaka, master of insects; Enfer, dread red dragon of the East; the demons Astaroth and Zelexseon, and many more whose names I dare not speak. So hope that none of these discover us and rend us as we sleep." With that, he lay down and was soon asleep minutes later. The others, uneasy now, drifted into terrible dreams troubled by shapeless fiends who tortured them and whispered sweet atrocities in their ears.
---
"Rise, Fivefold!" Aleos said merrily as he prepared breakfast, consisting of roasted ham. "It is dawn! Worry not about the troubles of the night and instead revel in Sol's glory!" Mumbling, the others slowly rose out of dreams, sleepy.
"What time is it?" Maris asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"About mid-morning, good Imilian!" Aleos seemed in a cheery mood as he passed the morning meal around to the tired Adepts. "We have a long journey ahead of us, so eat! I have already eaten, so worry not." As they ate, Aleos handed them their flasks, freshly filled from a nearby stream, which they drank from.
When the meal was finished, they dismantled their camp, scattering the ashes of the fire and refilling their flasks. They left the campsite with a bright eye looking towards the horizon, eager to continue their journey.
They made their way along to Bilibin, a small village that lies near the outskirts of Vale. The road they traveled was well-worn from continuous travel by animals, feet, and cart wagons. Proud maple trees flanked each side, forming a splendid hall of green, along with shade from the ever-present Sol. The Adepts walked in silence and drank in the fresh summertime air, savouring it as one does good wine. Birds chattered in the branches overhead, and it seemed to them that the world was without trouble and all was well. They could even, if but for a while, forget the matter of Regnoare and simply enjoy life. Their only problem was having to fight off persistent Zombie attacks.
"AH!" Maris cried as she beat off a grasping hand with her staff. The hand twisted in the air, dazed, then retreated back into the earth from whence it came. As Maris breathed a sigh of relief, the earth exploded in front of her as the zombie leapt up and attacked. Gathering her power, Maris blasted the zombie with an Icicle and impaled it through the head with her staff. "Will these accursed things never end!" She cried out in frustration.
"Do not worry," Cinaed replied, amused. "We are nearly to Bilibin."
By evening, they had come to the bustling town of Bilibin, a fairly prosperous place, having a profitable trade with the nearby village of Kolima. Bilibin obtained wood from Kolima in exchange for matters of safety: The Bilibin standing militia will protect Kolima and her wood workers. Many thought that Bilibin was treating the smaller village unfairly, but the citizens of Kolima did not mind. They had more wood than they knew what to do with.
The town itself was enclosed in a continually maintained wall of timber, affording protection against the monsters of the wild. The people of Bilibin are traditionally red-haired and speak with heavy accents, skilled in warfare and sheparding, the most common elements being Mars and Venus.
The Adepts rested at the local inn, eating a homecooked meal of surprise! mutton.
With the meal, they drank the renowned brew of Bilibin, a golden lager adored by the locals and savoured by travelers, for it was unusually strong and brought a happy heart and warmth. Maris, expressing her usual dislike for beer, managed to discover an old winery where she bought a small bottle of red wine. They turned in for the night, contented and slightly soused.
-
Orior woke in the early morning feeling tired and cranky. "Ugh…" He thought. "That ale went straight to my head…" He decided he would feel more fit if he took a morning stroll to clear his head. Taking a piece of bread to eat on his way, he walked out onto the streets. The morning was still young, and many doors were closed and windows were shuttered, but signs of the days coming bustle could be seen. Vendors were raising their stalls to sell their wares, and the low mutter of livestock became a quiet undercurrent, soon to blare to a constant irritation.
Thinking that they should be on their way, Orior returned to the inn to find that the others had already awoken, and indeed had already ate the morning meal. Aleos agreed with Orior's suggestion that they leave immediately, and they fetched their belongings, and, upon paying the innkeeper gold for the night, proceeded out of Vale five abreast. As they reached the city gate, Cinaed turned and said to the city streets:
"Farewell, oh Bilibin! Farewell to you and your beautiful ale! I'll naught be gone long!"
Turning to Aleos, Orior pointed to Cinaed and said: "I don't think he meant that about saying goodbye to the ale, at least not yet." Aleos looked at Cinaed and laughed: A large jug was protruding from his pack, the rhythmic sloshing of liquid coming from the inside. In a jolly mood, Cinaed led the way north to the far-off mountains.
---
"Ah… the Ikatic Range. It's good to be back." Maris looked up the imposing dark blue mountains, a solid wall that stretched directly across their path. The setting sun arrayed the peaks with a royal violet hue, enthroning them in colour. "This is the Mountain Range that marks the beginning of Imilian land. Henceforth, we enter my home country." She pointed to a shadowed alcove, sheltered by many holly trees. "There marks the Ikatic-Bilibin Cave, the entrance into the mountains, where we shall pass, and thus emerge through the Ikatic-Imil side. Tighten your belts and strengthen your hearts, Fivefold, for the path is dark and without much sustenance. We shall make camp here tonight, in the shade of the holly trees. Sleep well, for it may be the last restful sleep for a while."
---
When Orior found someone shaking him awake, it was still night. A figure was stooping over him, grabbing him by the shoulders and trying to rouse him. Then the figure spoke, and he recognized the voice as Shamira's: "Orior? Orior, wake up!"
He groaned. "Why do you wake me so early, Shamira?" He turned over. Shamira promptly rolled him back.
"There's something out here. I can sense it. Listen." She held up her hand, and Orior obediently fell silent. After a few moments, Orior began to grow drowsy again. But he arose again when, faintly, off in the distance he heard a shrill keening, an unearthly cry that sent shivers up his spine.
"What is it?" He asked, his voice now on edge and alert.
"I don't know," She replied. "But it's coming closer." And indeed, it was. The keening swiftly increased in volume until it became an ear-splitting shriek. The other Adept's leapt from the ground, startled.
"What in the nine Hells…?" Cinaed wondered. "Was that- GET DOWN!" An enormous shadow swooped overhead, the backwash from it blowing flat the grass and knocking the Adepts off their feet. Shamira tracked the shadow in the sky.
"It's coming around for another pass! Everyone into the cave!" She collected her rapier and pack, and motioned for the rest to follow her. With that, she dashed into the shelter of the holly trees and stopped, waiting, twenty five paces in at the cavern mouth. She waved the others ahead and remained behind for a moment, scanning the sky behind them. All at once, the sky went dark, and she perceived the shadow at the edge of the holly. Its wings, she could tell, spanned at least fifty feet each, and huge talons anchored it to the ground. Slowly, it bent down, and Shamira gasped. Where there should have been a body and head, there was only a single green eye. It roved, searching for them in the darkness. It cried that keening voice, but from where she could not tell, for it had no mouth to speak of.
"What the hell are you?" Shamira muttered. "Oh well." Gathering her element from the gusting wind, she casted Destruct Ray into the creature's eye. Giving a last shrill cry, it lurched back; smoke rising from its damaged form. It flew unsteadily off, gaining altitude until it disappeared from Shamira's sight.
She retreated back into the cave, and met with the Adept's, who were anxiously awaiting news. "Shamira!" Aleos asked after she reassured them she was okay. "What was that?"
She shrugged. "Some mutant deformed creature from Hell, I imagine. Most likely a monster of Regnoare's, placed here to watch the path to Imil. We must pass swiftly through the mountains, if we are to escape its guard. For I fear it is resting on the very peak of this mountain, and we cannot leave without it noticing us. Onwards is the only way to go." She turned to Maris. "You know the way, Mercury. Led on." She gestured with her blade into the darkness. Maris nodded and walked forward.
The Ikatic Cave has been long known as a place where the elements of Venus and Mercury clash. Boring deep into the range, the cave still drips with the water that cut its course. The walls are permeated by a thick slime, and what little water remains is scum-filled and unfit to consume. The walls are faintly blue, and the darkness will trick the unwary wanderer to walk into one of the many swift-moving streams that criss-cross the tunnels… and those people are never seen again. For where the water leads, none know; none return alive. The water just flows into the darkness at the heart of the earth… Yet, there are places of light inside, places where the mountain above has collapsed to let in the day. Here, grass grows and fair ponds bring refresh to travellers, and even trees can, and do, grow here. The Fivefold came to one of these after traveling for a while.
"Wow! Sunlight!" Orior said as he dropped his pack and stretched. "Feels good after the darkness of this dreary old cave. I say we eat."
Cinaed looked up from the water, where he was staring at his reflection in the freshwater pool. "I second that."
Orior dug into his pack. "It's settled then. Good food in the name of the good elements. Let's eat." He tossed everyone a strip of dried beef, and sat down himself on the grass.
Shamira, after deftly catching her jerky, looked around. "It's difficult to believe that a beautiful place like this could exist in the heart of a dark cave." She took a bite of her meal and chewed thoughtfully. "It's like an oasis in the middle of a desert."
Maris splashed her face with some of the springwater. "As it should be. We Imilians cultivate these havens to give rest to those who brave this cave; you'd be surprised what a little Douse can do. We do this, as this cave is the only way - by land – that Imil is accessible by the rest of Weyard. We are surrounded by mountains, after all."
Shamira finished her jerky and began to pack up. "Well, I suppose we should be on our way. 'He who hesitates is lost'."
Aleos spoke up. "Agreed. Let's move." The Fivefold, contented and full, gathered their things and trudged off into the darkness of the cave. One would see their forms first be enveloped in darkness, and then the sound of their footsteps, some booted, some nigh silent, marching to the north, ever to the north.
Inside this cave, there were places where the light has never touched, at least not in living memory. The Fivefold were at an impasse at one such place.
"Curse this blasted darkness! I can't see a thing…"
"You're a Mars Adept, remember? Do something about it, instead of complaining."
"I didn't think of that."
"Typical."
"Shut up."
"Heh."
"All right, all right. Fine." casts Blaze
A stream of fire issued from his outstretched hand, illuminating both the arm and the Adept connected to it, Cinaed. He searched around the ground, looking for something flammable. Just in the outskirts of his circle of light, a half-rotted branch was revealed.
The Proxian looked at it with distaste. "It'll have to do." He lit the end of the branch with Blaze. Dispelling his Psynergy, he looked at the other Adepts in the flickering glow of the fire. Shamira looked amused. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's move." He swept the torch impatiently in front, gesturing for them to go on.
"All right, Cinaed. We're coming." Orior shook his head and walked on, Cinaed leading. The rest of the Fivefold soon followed.
--
The Adepts had marched for an hour or two already, and Cinaed's torch was burning low. As the light dwindled, so did their spirits.
"How much father, now?" Orior asked, looking ahead into the darkness.
"Shouldn't be much more." Maris answered. "In fact…" She turned to Shamira. "Shamira, you have sharp eyes. What do you see far ahead?"
"Shamira shaded her eyes with her hand, more out of habit than to prevent the light. "A tiny point of light far in the distance. I can also sense a small breeze in the wind currents."
Maris nodded. "That would be our exit. Come one! I desire to see my hometown again."
The Adepts began to tread more quickly, never minding any obstacles in their way. As they walked, the cave slowly brightened and they could see that the walls were sheeted with ice. The pinpoint grew into they saw it clearly as the cavern mouth. As they burst into the sunlight, the light temporarily blinded them. Then Maris spoke:
"Behold. Imil, City of Shining Crystal."
This is "The Road Goes Ever On", by JRR Tolkien.