Fleeting Light
Part I.
"We welcome you to Payon, milady!"
The payonese woman greeted Lystra Cafilence with a warm smile. Payon, after all, was one of the friendliest towns in all of Rune-Midgard. Its peaceful forests and tranquil atmosphere made it popular to travelers everywhere. For a moment, Lystra wanted to forget her real purpose here. That she was merely visiting instead of having this mission. The look on her companions reminded her, however.
"Thank you...Could you tell me where the mayor resides? We have some important business with him."
Still smiling warmly, the woman directed Lystra to the largest building in Payon before returning to her daily business.
"This is what I like about Payon. Nice and quiet! You can't get this kind of atmosphere in Prontera!"
Smiling, Lystra turned to face the one who spoke.
"That's a strange thing to hear from you, Ghalarin, considering that you're the loudest among us."
The swordsman put on a hurt expression and scratched his head. Ghalarin Searan was obviously the "strong arm" of the group. He was also the tallest and his broad shoulders and massive chest along with his short, cropped, red hair,he made an imposing figure indeed. The swordsman's gentle, blue eyes spoke of a different side of him however. While he often tries to solve his problems with the sharp end of his sword,he was also the friendliest person in Lystra's party.
"Oh, come on, Lys! Even I could use a little peace and quiet!"
The archer beside Ghalarin nudged him sharply with her elbow.
"Need I remind you, Ghalarin, that we're not here for "peace and quiet"? We were sent here by the Church to investigate the huge number of disappearances that have been occurring recently."
The swordsman rubbed his ribs.
"Give me a break, Maix! Just because you're the only one among us who grew up in Payon doesn't mean that the rest of us can't enjoy the place!"
The archer glared at Ghalarin. Maixanne Malians was the considered the leader of their party. A payonese-born archer,her long, fiery red hair and sharp, slanted, green eyes suggested a fierce and headstrong personality. In truth,she was a composed and practical leader, able to stay calm in the most dangerous of situations.
"Focus on the mission first, Ghalarin! And don't call me Maix during missions!"
The swordsman nodded with a sheepish expression on his face that made Lystra laugh. Maixanne turned her attention to the acolyte.
"This is your final mission before the Church ordains you into the priesthood, correct? We'd better not screw up."
Lystra smiled and nodded. It was true, once she has completed this mission,she would finally be declared a full-fledged priestess. It had always been her dream to become one.
"I say she doesn't need to do this last mission! Lystra's already proven to the church that she's worthy of priesthood on several occasions!"
Another party member spoke from behind Maixanne. This time it was their mage, Colrenz Caimmis, who spoke.He grinned before walking beside Lystra. Among her companions, Colrenz had always been the most supportive.
"I might as well congratulate you right now, Priestess Lystra!"
Lystra smiled modestly.
"I'm not a priestess yet, Colrenz. Besides, the mission might not go so well."
The mage ran his hand over his dark brown hair. Whilehis banter seemed to indicate a cheerful and warm personality. He was also a serious mage and an analytical thinker. His slightly thin frame spoke of days spent in study without food. His equally dark brown eyes remained sharp despite his frequent reading and despite his seemingly thin frame, the mage was in good physical condition.
"Good thing you know, Lystra..."
Another voice spoke from behind them. Another acolyte approached the party; this one wore a sakkat that hid most of his facial features. A sword mace hung on his belt and a sardonic smile played on his lips. The acolyte turned to face Colrenz.
"For your information, mage, this mission is needed to prove just how worthy she really is!"
Colrenz's eyes hardened.
"What are you hinting at, Neganus?"
Neganus shrugged his shoulders.
"That I'm not that confident of her abilities. At least now, she can be tested in how she would handle a situation without her sister's help!"
Lystra's smile disappeared. In a way, Neganus was right. There were many instances whenher older sister, Silmeia, went out of her way to help her. But then again, Neganus Caranis was ever the cynical one in the party, especially if it involved her. The acolyte suspected that it was because of their different focuses on training. Lystra focused on her spells, making her an effective healer and supporter. Neganus focused on supporting himself before rushing to the front lines with his sword mace.
"I can handle this without my sister's help, Neganus..."
The other acolyte smiled sarcastically.
"Well that's what we're here to find out isn't it?"
Neganus adjusted his sakkat to cover his eyes and kept to the back of the group. Colrenz glowered at acolyte before smiling at Lystra again.
"Don't mind that guy. It's his test too, I hear."
Lystra turned to face Colrenz.
"Colrenz, the church only sent me and Neganus for this mission. You guys didn't have to go."
The mage snorted.
"Nonsense, of course we'd go even if we're not sent. We're all friends aren't we?"
Lystra smiled again, she could always count on Colrenz to cheer her up after a round of putting down from Neganus.
"Thank you, Colrenz."
The mage turned shifted his attention to their path once again. The acolyte noticed a faint hint of red on his cheeks.
"Don't mention it."
The group made their way to the mayor's home. While the king of Payon was the titular figurehead of Payon's leaders, it was the mayor who handled the daily business of running the town. This was the reason the party did not make their way to the Payon palace, but to the house next to it...
"Welcome to the mayor's home! Please wait here for a while."
The serving woman smiled politely and went to fetch the mayor. Maixanne began observing their surroundings. The current mayor apparently enjoyed collecting trophies of all sorts of creatures. Mounted heads covered the walls, giving their group the uncomfortable feeling of being stared at by a bunch of dead monsters. The carpet was made of purple fur; the archer guessed it was made from the hide of Laib Olmais.
'A hunter of some sort...highly experienced by the looks of it.'
The mayor finally showed up. Maixanne's guess was correct. The mayor was a hunter, a grizzled old veteran with a hint of gruffness about him.He was about as tall as Ghalarin and nearly as big as well. The hunter's long, gray hair was braided behind him while his flowing beard was carefully managed and tucked under his clothes.
"You the ones sent by the church?"
Lystra bowed politely.
"Yes sir, we're here to investigate the recent disappearances."
The mayor frowned. It was obvious that he did not like the look of Lystra.
"I ask for priests and they send me little girls in acolyte robes! The church must think that I'm some raving old man when I sent my request!"
Ghalarin rumbled deep in his chest. Even Maixanne's eyebrow twitched slightly. The mayor continued.
"I thought they were sending Silmeia Cafilence! You certainly don't like a highly experienced priestess!"
Lystra kept her voice even. It grated on her each time to have to be compared to her sister. Silmeia was older, more mature, more beautiful and experienced than her. No matter how hard she tried, she would always appear as a downsized version of the famous Second Head Priestess Silmeia Cafilence.
"I'm sorry, sir. But Priestess Silmeia Cafilence has her own duties to tend to in the pronteran regular army. The church has decided to send me and my companions instead."
The mayor stared dubiously at Lystra.
"And I suppose you can perform as well as she can?"
Before Lystra could reply, another voice cut into the conversation.
"Give her a chance at least, Mayor Ralatyl, she may not be Silmeia but she's capable of handling herself in a situation."
The mayor raised an eyebrow and turned to face the new arrivals. The one who spoke was clad in plate armor, a saber hung on the man's belt and a shield was strapped to his back. Wavy, brown hair and bright green eyes made the crusader immediately recognizable to Lystra. The mayor apparently recognized the man as well.
"You must be confident of this acolyte's abilities to recommend her like so, Sir Makaelthos Solcry!"
Makaelthos's companion, a female knight with short auburn hair that fell across the sides of her face, frowned.
"Of course he's sure! Don't you know that acolyte? She's..."
Makaelthos interrupted his companion by raising a hand.
"I'm sure Lystra Cafilence and her companions can investigate the disappearances, mayor. Now, about that murder..."
The hunter nodded grimly. To Lystra,he gave a curt reply.
"You have my permission to investigate this whole matter including the right to enter our caves where most of the disappearances took place. Stay in the upper levels!"
With that, Lystra and her companions were dismissed. The mayor settled into discussion with the crusader and the knight...
"Do you know those two, Lystra?"
The acolyte nodded as they headed for the Payon caves.Her companions have heard of the place before. The caves were filled with Payon's restless dead as well as demonic sohee the fire spirits called Horong. In the cave's deepest recesses prowled the mysterious being called Moonlight, a creature so powerful that while it could be killed, it did not stay dead for long.
"That was Sir Makaelthos Solcry and First Knight Commander, Eliarainne Sialsanderin. They're friends of my sister."
Maixanne nodded in understanding.
"They must have been sent by the pronteran regular army on a different mission. Sir Makaelthos spoke of a murder..."
Neganus walked ahead of the group.
"I suggest you take your own advice and focus on the mission, Maixanne. We have our own mission to handle..."
The archer glared at Neganus.
"I'm well aware of that, Neganus!"
Sensing the tension among them build up once more, Ghalarin suddenly spoke up.
"So that was Knight Commander Sialsanderin, huh? I've always wanted to join Prontera's famed First Knight Division!"
Colrenz suddenly laughed at the swordsman.
"I didn't know you were so eager to get beaten up, Ghalarin! They say that Knight Commander Sialsanderin is the most violent of all knight commanders."
The swordsman grinned at the mage.
"I'm not afraid of a little discipline. That's the same reason why the First Knight Division is the best division among Prontera's knights!"
Maixanne suddenly stopped.
"We're here. Is everybody ready?"
The party stared at the gaping hole that served as entrance to the caves of Payon. Even from outside they could already smell the perpetual stench of a hundred corpses, rotting. Ghalarin peered into the darkness and immediately withdrew his face.
"Phew! That's vile!"
Maixanne entered the cave first.
"Does the smell of death offend your delicacies, Ghalarin? You can wait outside if you want."
The swordsman frowned at the suggestion and walked beside the archer.
"What do you think I am, some namby-pamby little girl? Of course I'm going!"
Lystra watched the darkness anxiously as they descended further into the caves. The walls of the cave were smeared with old blood and marked with the scratching of undead hands. The air was also extremely heavy, making it a struggle to draw each breath. The acolyte felt the darkness start to stifle her when someone suddenly grasped her hand. Colrenz walked behind the acolyte and watched her with concern.
"You okay, Lys?"
The acolyte smiled.
"I'll be fine...I just don't like this place's atmosphere."
The mage watched the shadows suspiciously.
"I know what you mean. It's like we're inside one giant grave."
Maixanne turned to face the two.
"You are in one giant grave. Have you ever been to this cave before?"
Both the acolyte and the mage shook their heads. Maixanne let out a sigh.
"The Payon cave is where the old payonese people used to dump their dead during the war between the Morrocan Empire and Payon. People were dying so quickly that the villagers simply tossed the bodies into this cave. Before that, there is ancient lore that the elves who used to live in Payon during thedays ofGlastheim marked this place as their burial catacombs. You'll find no greater concentration of undead in the whole of Rune-Midgard, except perhaps in Osiris' pyramids or the ruins of Glastheim itself."
Neganus brought up the rear.
"Very interesting, Maixanne, although I'm more interested in what we should expect inside this primeval grave."
The archer's expression hardened.
"The upper levels are home to the less dangerous undead. The zombies and skeletons should pose little threat to us. The mid levels are home to large numbers of Munak and Bongun, they are the female and male elven undead respectively. We can handle small groups of them but its better not to attract the attention of the larger groups..."
Ghalarin flexed his arms.
"We can handle most of the dangers then! That rude mayor didn't have to tell us to stay in the upper levels!"
Maixanne's eyes narrowed. The flickering light from the lanterns made her mood seem even darker.
"Don't be cocky, Ghalarin. The lower levels are extremely dangerous. I think its right that we should try to avoid them."
Lystra watched the ground as they descended even further. There dozens of foot prints heading down into the caves. Many of them still looked fresh. But whenshe tried to look for prints that led back out, she could find very little. What worriedher though, were the numerous piles of dust they walked past. What on earth could they possibly be, or have been? She was careful with her question, though. Maixanne didn't appear to like talking about the caves.
"What's in the lower levels, Maixanne?"
The archer was silent for a moment.
"I've been to the lower levels only once; I tagged along with a party of hunters who wanted to prove themselves by bringing back a trophy from the Moonlight Flower itself. The lower levels are infested with sohees and horongs."
Ghalarin thought hard for a while before looking questioningly at Maixanne.
"What are sohees and horongs?"
A snort of Neganus told the swordsman that he was probably the only one in the group who didn't know. Maixanne glared at the acolyte before answering Ghalarin's question.
"Sohees are demons, Ghalarin. They look like beautiful women who float around wailing. Don't be fooled though, they're incredibly strong and would sooner stab you dead than look at you. Horongs are fire spirits; they look like globes of fire and float around trying to incinerate anything alive. They're extremely resistant to physical blows. Colrenz, I'll be relying on you to handle any horong we encounter."
The mage nodded.
"Ice spells, right?"
Before Maixanne could answer the question, the archer suddenly signaled the rest of them to drop low.
"Ghalarin! Neganus! Douse those lanterns! Lystra, get your healing spells ready!"
The party immediately did as they were told. Ghalarin crept closer to Maixanne.
"What is it, Maix? One of those sohee things? I don't hear any wailing."
The archer hissed her companion to silence.
"Not a sohee, something else. It's big, smells of undeath and its floating towards us!"
Neganus drew his sword mace.
"Looks like there are things here that you haven't encountered, Maixanne!"
Ghalarin drew his broadsword and rumbled deep in his throat. A healing spell came into Lystra's mind while Colrenz's hands began to glow with magic. Maixanne drew a silver-tipped arrow and readied her gakkung.
"Living beings..."
The thing suddenly spoke from the darkness. Its voice was hollow and lisping, an inhuman voice. Maixanne signaled Ghalarin and Neganus to light the lanterns again. No point in hiding now that it knew they were here. The flickering lantern light revealed a tall, desiccated corpse floating in mid air. Lystra let out a gasp. She had read about these things somewhere...
"Evil Druid..."
The creature laughed, a horrible, dry sound like two pieces of rotting wood being rubbed together. An ancient, robe of scarlet cloth covered the corpse like funeral wrappings. But perhaps the most arresting feature of the corpse was the huge cross that was strapped to its back. The creature spoke again...
"You've walked into your own burial place, living beings...perish and become dust..."
Maixanne fired a silver-tipped arrow into the creature's chest.
"Everyone, move! Lystra, you and Neganus probably know this thing the best! What in the hells is it?"
Neganus began casting spells on himself.
"That's an Evil Druid, Maixanne! Don't let its claws rake you! It'll turn your flesh to stone!"
Lystra channeled a blast of healing energy at the creature, sending it floating backwards for a few feet.
"It's vulnerable to fire and ice, Colrenz!"
The mage nodded and began casting a spell. Ghalarin charged and hacked at the thing. Laughing dryly, the floating corpse took the swordsman's blow and raked him across the arm. Ghalarin grunted in pain and stepped back to inspect his arm. To the his horror, a portion his arm had turned to stone. When he tried to move it, the stone crumbled to dust, leaving a deep gouge in his flesh. Neganus refrained from attacking and resorted to blasting the monster with healing magic. Lystra hurried over to Ghalarin as Maixanne shot more arrowsat the creature. All they seemed to accomplish was to irritate it.
"Ghalarin! Are you alright?"
The swordsman staggered back. Behind him, Colrenz unleashed several bolts of fire at the creature. The Evil Druid cackled malevolently and gestured. Suddenly the ground heaved beneath Maixanne, knocking her to the ground. Sharp pieces of rock jutted from the ground, gashing her in several places.
"Maixanne!"
Furious, Ghalarin charged once again, the swordsman put his entire weight and momentum into his next slash. The weapon lodged deep into the floating corpse. No blood spilled from the wound. Instead the creature continued laughing and struck Ghalarin on the shoulder. The swordsman cried out as a large chunk of his shoulder crumbled to dust. Ghalarin staggered back and straight into a healing spell from Lystra. Maixanne struggled to stand up.
"It's too strong! Everyone get back!"
The party immediately followed Maixanne's orders. Ghalarin carried the archer in his arms and dashed for the exit. Behind them, Colrenz cast raised a wall of flames to prevent the thing from following them. More hollow laughter echoed in the darkness...
"You think you can escape? You will all rot here with your forgotten dead!"
The party ran quickly. Ghalarin was ahead, still carrying Maixanne. The archer struggled to remain conscious, but the bleeding from her numerous wounds was starting to make her faint. Colrenz ran beside Lystra.
"Can you heal Maixanne?"
The acolyte grit her teeth in frustration.
"I could, but it would slow us down..."
The mage nodded in agreement.
"But what the hell is an Evil Druid doing down there?"
The acolyte shook her head.
"I don't know! They're remnants of Glastheim's former clergy. I didn't expect we'd meet one so far from Glastheim!"
Neganus brought up the rear.
"Quite the surprise, well its obvious what happened to all those people who disappeared then!"
Lystra suddenly remembered the piles of dust she saw...
'Those were...'
The acolyte shut her eyes briefly. Now was not the time to be overcome horror. Her party needed her at her best. Neganus adjusted his sakkat as they ran.
"Too bad your sister isn't here!"
Lystra's eyes hardened at Neganus' remark.
"I can handle this, Neganus!"
The party kept running forward, they didn't know if the Evil Druid was still chasing them but...
A keening wail caused all of them to stop. It sounded like the heart-broken sob of a woman and it came from Ghalarin's front. The swordsman peered into the darkness ahead.
"It's one of those sohee-things!"
Neganus readied his sword mace.
"We'll have to fight it to escape..."
Before the male acolyte could move though, his lantern suddenly blew out...
More wails sounded all around them...
