Episode 23: Part 1
After a short walk through the misty grounds, the knights were brought to a campsite within the ruins of a large stone temple. In some ways the remains of the building resembled the skeleton of a church or cathedral with missing windows and gaps in the moss covered walls. Scattered about the camp were other Druids working on crafts or cooking food while more of the ghastly wooden marionette puppets milled about performing manual labor tasks. Connor looked around and gave a hesitant smile trying to be polite, "Uh... nice place you've got here."
Cnute gave a rueful grin and continued to lead them on, "You'll have to forgive the accommodations. We don't often get visitors... not ones that stay alive for very long anyway."
The four knights exchanged a concerned look before Stephen cleared his throat, "This place must be well defended and I can see why. The trees and mists offer good protection but you had also mentioned wanting to have the Spring Court take your order seriously."
"Is there a question somewhere knight?" Cnute asked while sizing up the Silver Knight.
Stephen met his glare, "How do you intend for all of us to assert our will and push back against the Fey Courts if the best we can do is to stay barricaded in this little region?"
Cnute looked to a few of his savage Druid companions before turning back with a smirk, "That is actually a very fair and intelligent question. I believe my order has recently found a means to do so. Follow me."
The four followed Cnute a short distance from the main campsite until they came upon a low stone wall and a gate leading into what looked like a large walled garden.
"This is where we keep our little surprise," Cnute said, "It's been heavily warded against faeries and other fey creatures so they would be hard pressed to trespass here."
After crossing the threshold, the knights glanced to Stephen to check on his condition. They feared that with his half-fey heritage, he might be in pain or hurting from some ailment. The Silver Knight simply grimaced and gave a small wave of the hand, prefering to soldier through the effects of the wards. The group continued on and walked across the wide walled off lawn until they came upon a small stone pedestal sticking up out of the ground. It resembled a sort of birdbath or sundial, but it was neither of those things and had a more decorative appearance. The leader of the Briar Circle gestured to the object and smiled, "Behold... our secret weapon."
The knights stood looking in silence for a long moment before Connor glanced up to the barbarous Druid, "Sorry... I don't quite understand what we're looking at here."
Cnute began to slowly pace around the pedestal, "Buried underneath this stone anchor is an artifact of great power... one that we intend to use against the Faerie Courts when the time is right."
"You're planning to wage war on the civilized lands of Faerie?" Quinton goaded him while feigning shock, "What is a little lawn ornament going to do against the might of the royal Faerie armies?"
Emboldened by the question and letting his ego get the better of him, Cnute continued to explain, "The answer is simple knight. We harness the buried power of this object and use it to crush all that stand in our way. Some time ago, our order had discovered a crystal shard which contained a great deal of magical energy. We decided to bury it in this sacred grove and let it continue to magnify the power of the earth here."
"So that you can create some kind of powerful garden?" Laura asked in confusion.
Cnute shook his head and reached down to place his hand on the stone pedestal, "No, a weapon... a purely natural one."
He concentrated for a moment and the knights froze when they felt the ground tremble and swell slightly underneath their feet. As they fearfully looked around the walled glade, they saw mounds of earth in the corners rise up and fall back to the ground as if some kind of massive earth creature underneath them was flexing its muscles and stretching from some long slumber.
"What the hell is that? What are you doing?' Connor asked in both fear and wonder.
The ground stabilized and became calm as Cnute stepped back and let go of the pedestal. "That my dear knight is the makings of a giant earth titan underneath us. The more that crystal shard continues to seep into the ground, the more power we're going to have. Our little control stone here is what we're going to use to direct the colossus when it's finally time. Once we bring it into battle, nothing will stop us."
The Summer Knight gaped in awe of the Druids' weapon before he glanced over to check on Stephen. Connor straightened up and spoke in a level tone again and addressed Cnute, "Well, I've got to admit. That is all very impressive, but before we see more, I think my companions and I need a little bit of rest. We had traveled a long way to get here and we could use a little time to regroup."
Cnute nodded and briskly led them back out of the walled garden before pointing to the edges of the main temple grounds, "You may set up your camp here. We'll speak more later tonight."
The knights dropped their things and began to set up a little campfire and meal until Cnute and his other sentries walked off and attended to other matters. From the temple ruins, they could still see an occasional Briar Circle follower pass by and cast some suspicious glances before heading off again. Once they had a little more privacy, the four friends gathered around their little campfire drinking water from their canteens and eating some graham crackers. Laura took a sip of water and passed the canteen off to Quinton before speaking quietly, "Did you see the power of that thing in the garden? If a small buried crystal shard like that has the potential to call up an earth titan, can you imagine what Morgana could do with that? She's already powerful enough to be a threat in her weakened state."
Stephen nodded and kept his eyes on the lookout for any Druids who could have been eavesdropping, "The important thing is how we're going make a move on that little garden. We can't bluff Cnute forever and we can't let a bunch of wacko Druids use the shard to become Faerie Realm terrorists either."
Quinton took a bite of a cracker and spoke softly, "I'm with Stephen. Do you think we'd be able to just rush the place and fight our way out?"
Connor surveyed the area quietly before shaking his head, "I'd prefer not to. These are fellow humans and I don't want to hurt them if we can avoid it. They're already suspicious of us, so we'll have to be a little more subtle."
"I assume you have a plan then?" Laura asked skeptically while crossing her arms.
"As a matter of fact I do," Connor smiled as he clapped Stephen's shoulder, "I'm going to need Stephen's help to raid that little grove. Laura and Quinton, you two stay here and wait for our signal. That's when we make our escape."
The Summer Knight rose to his feet and headed toward the central temple ruins where a handful of Briar Circle Druids were camping out. Quinton raised an eyebrow, "Connor? Where are you going?"
"To the bathroom," Connor answered with a wink as he and Stephen walked off toward the other Druids.
After crossing the lawn, the two knights neared the campfire where some Druids were roasting a rabbit on a spit for their lunch. As soon as the two approached, the Druids stopped their conversation and turned to look at the two newcomers with suspicion. Connor raised his hands in a non threatening gesture and put on a charming smile, "Hey there! Friends... sorry to bother you guys and all, but I was hoping you could help us out here and oh... are you cooking rabbit there? That smells great! You know my grandma has an old recipe for cooking them and..."
"What do you want, boy?" one of the older barbarian druids scowled toward the two knights. The other Druids didn't look much more patient or friendly either.
Connor kept up his act and smiled genially, "Right to the point eh? We were wondering if you generous folks could lend us a shovel for a little bit."
"What do we need a shovel for?" Stephen hissed quietly but he was silenced with a sharp elbow in the ribs from his companion.
"Well you see, this is all kinda embarrassing," Connor said conspiratorially, "My friends and I need to go dig a latrine. One of my female companions right over there... well, she's a bit of a princess and feels a little uncomfortable and self conscious answering the call of nature out in the open. You know what I mean? Women... am I right?"
The male Druids glared at him for a long moment before one of them reached into their camp gear and tossed him a small portable shovel, "If this will get you to shut up and leave us alone, then take it. You're annoying me."
Connor grinned, picked up the shovel and gave a gesture of thanks before walking off toward the other end of the lawn. As they made their way toward the treeline and angled gently toward the walled off garden, the Summer Knight sighed, "Well... they seemed friendly, don't you think?"
Stephen frowned, "Did you really have to throw Laura under the bus there for being a female? That wasn't very gentlemanly."
Connor shrugged and gripped the shovel, "Come on Stephen, I was making the whole thing up. Besides, do you really think these barbarians care much about chivalry and etiquette? We needed a shovel to dig up that shard and I got us one. I'm sure Laura would forgive me too. What Winter Court warrior would fault me for a little ends justifying the means approach here?"
Stephen reluctantly agreed before the two climbed quietly over the garden wall and snuck inside the glade. Aside from the rustling grass, a few birds chirped nearby while the two boys quietly hurried toward the stone pedestal in the ground. Once they reached they base, Connor pulled the shovel and began to dig furiously into the ground. "I'm going to try and dig this crystal shard up as fast as I can. Stephen, I need you to keep watch and get ready to send up a signal arrow to throw off the Druids."
Stephen nodded and summoned his bow while keeping watch over the grove. Again, the fey wards protecting the place had begun to take effect and while it wasn't causing any major pain or debilitating conditions, the feeling was still a bit uncomfortable. Several tense minutes passed as Connor dug at the soil, trying to get to the base of the pedestal. As he began to clear a small hole around the bottom of the thick pedestal, he could see a faint glowing light peeking out from underneath. Connor smiled as he caught his breath and began wiping his brow, "Hey Stephen, I think I found it! It's the buried shard!"
"You might want to hurry it up there Connor. We've got a little company!" the Silver Knight replied in dread as he suddenly spotted a pair of Druids enter the garden. They were carrying spears and most likely doing a patrol of the area. They stopped when they spotted the two boys digging up the stone pedestal and began to charge forward.
Stephen swiftly raised his bow and turned his aim toward the legs of the first man charging them, unwilling to use a lethal shot. He let loose the arrow and it struck the first Druid's leg causing him to crumple over to the ground. The other man skidded to a halt and fearfully turned around to make an escape and warn the others. The Silver Knight grimaced and tried aiming again. By now, the prolonged exposure to the fey wards in the garden were beginning to make him distracted and uncomfortable. Still, he tried to line up another shot to disable the fleeing guard without hurting him badly. To his dismay, Stephen's next arrow missed and went just wide deflecting off the metal grating.
"Okay... now would be a good time to panic," Stephen said turning back to Connor, "Are you almost done?"
"I'm working on it!" his companion growled as he tried desperately to dig the crystal free from the soil.
Soon enough, an alarm was raised and the sounds of more Druid guards were heard nearby. Angry shouts and the sounds of weapons being drawn filled the air as the savages began to hurry to the garden. Stephen gripped his bow fearfully as more enemies began to make their way to the front gate of the garden and cut off their escape route. To the surprise of the two friends, another pack of the wooden marionettes dropped from the treetops nearby and began to sprint towards them menacingly. Both Connor and Stephen sprung into action meeting their charge and smashing them away with their bow and sword. While the minion creatures were fairly weak, they did their job and bought just enough time for the other Briar Circle Druids to gather and swarm into the garden.
"Do you have any more bright ideas?" Stephen said as they finished off the marionettes and backpedaled. He felt his stomach drop at the sight of being cornered.
The Summer Knight rose and placed his hand on the control pedestal, "Only one. Hold on!"
To everyone's surprise, the ground began to rumble and quake as Connor tried to call upon the growing power of the earth titan that had been buried there. Stephen grabbed his comrade's arm as a shockwave went through the ground and knocked several Druids off their feet and pushed them back. As they fell, their leader Cnute pushed through the front gate with a furious look, "What is going on here?"
He and the other savage Druids were silenced as they witnessed a great four legged monster arise from the ground and give a bellowing roar. The giant beast bore some resemblance to a colossal elephant made of in dirt, roots, and rocks and each time it stamped its hooves, the ground shook some more. Near the base of the earth elemental's neck, Connor gripped the magic stone pedestal desperately trying to keep the titan under control by focusing on his own will. The giant stumbled drunkenly for several moments before Cnute roared to his men carrying crossbows, "What are you waiting for? Fire! Kill them!"
The Druids leveled their weapons and fired off a poorly aimed volley of bolts at the creature, most of which either went high or stuck harmlessly in the giant elephant's thick hide. Now having been put into a fury, the magic beast lowered its tusks and charged forward tearing apart the earth and smashing its way through the gates and low stone walls of the garden. The Briar Circle Druids scrambled and dove clear of the beast so as not to be trampled, only to then stare dumbly as it barreled by in savage primal fury. Not far across the lawn, Quinton and Laura had jumped to their feet and prepared for a fight, only to be shocked when they saw a giant elephant titan made of earth plow through toward them.
"What is that thing?" Quinton gasped in shock while Laura shook her head to herself.
"What has that idiot done this time?"
They both stopped when they spotted their two comrades riding on the back of the raging quadruped. Stephen gave a frantic wave as they neared, "Grab on! We're getting out of here!"
The colossus thundered by and the Spring and Winter Knights used their summoned blades to stab into the beast's earthy hide and latch on. As they frantically scrambled up the side of the great elemental beast, it continued to thunder ahead while Connor tried desperately to direct it from the control pedestal. Although they continued charging away from the Mistmeadow ruins and back toward the original portal location, the berserk colossus had taken on a mind of its own and it bucked and thrashed about, knocking over trees of stomping flat any mounds of earth that got in its path.
"You're completely mad, you know that?" Laura shouted to Connor as she gripped on for dear life and grabbed hold of Stephen to help brace her.
"Less bickering, more digging! The shard is at the base of this pedestal," Connor shouted as he kept struggling to rein in the giant elemental titan. Right now, he felt like some hapless cowboy trying desperately to hang on as a wild bull bucked and thrashed about. Quinton immediately dove for the base of the pedestal and called his sickle weapon to try and pry the glowing crystal shard free.
The colossal elephant bellowed another trumpeting cry before sweeping aside a row of trees with its tusks and crushing a few more boulders flat. As Quinton was bucked sideways, he gave one more great tug and succeeded in prying free Mogana's crystal shard from the base of the pedestal.
"I've got it!"
Although the knights now had their prize, they suddenly found themselves with another dire problem. What would they do with a now crazed war mammoth that was tearing apart the forests? Connor gripped the now useless pedestal and grabbed hold of Laura's other hand to help secure her and Stephen, "I've lost control! Now what?"
"We can't let this thing run wild across Spring!" Stephen shouted desperately, "We're going to have to put it down!"
"Easier said than done," Quinton replied as he tucked the shard safely into his cargo shorts and grabbed fast to Connor, "Dumbo here is like 50 times bigger than all of us! How are we going to slow it down?"
The elemental thrashed again, almost causing the four to be thrown off again. Laura gasped and gripped the pedestal, "Maybe if we try hitting it where its whole form began... right here."
The Winter Knight dug her rapier into the half dug out base of the stone structure, "Connor and Quinton, let's try to break this thing off. If we can, maybe Stephen can use an arrow and kill it from there?"
Connor nodded and drove his own blade into the gap of the soil across from Laura, "We have nothing to lose! Let's try it!"
As Quinton joined them, the three charged their blades and gave a great push against the stone control pedestal until it finally budged and began to tear from the soil. Laura grinned, "Keep pushing! We've almost got it!"
With another great effort, the three knights pried the pedestal free and pushed it off the giant beast where it shattered on the ground. In the gap where the pedestal had been, there was a glowing light where the magic that had been fueling the elemental had pooled. In a way, it was almost like a heart and a central nervous system all at the same time. Stephen grabbed his bow and pulled back a shot, aiming directly at the now exposed gap. Without another moment's waste, he fired an arrow directly into the glowing pool of magic energy that drove the earth elemental. The colossal elephant gave a wounded cry and shuddered before swaying and falling forward onto its knees. As it hit the ground, the destabilized magic beast began to disintegrate into a gigantic pile of rocks, soil, roots, and vegetation. Using the momentum of the falling beast, the four knights jumped at the last moment and hit the forest floor with a hard roll which stunned and bruised them, but kept them from suffering any worse injury.
Amid the great cloud of soil and raining bits of vegetation, the four exhausted friends rolled over and began helping each other up. Stephen gave a relieved sigh as he helped Laura to her feet while propping himself up with his bow, "Brilliant strategy Laura. I can't believe that worked."
"Neither can I," she admitted while catching her own breath and shaking some leaves out of her hair.
Nearby, Quinton was slow to get up after having the wind knocked out of him, but Connor was already there helping his best friend up and supporting him while they stood, "You okay there Quin?"
The Spring Knight nodded, "I'm good, but the important thing is we got the crystal shard back. Maybe not in the best way, but..."
"But I think we should still get some style points for taking out a giant elephant too," Connor chimed in, "Now come on, we've got a date with Morgana. The portal back home shouldn't be far from here and we need to get a move on. I'm sure those Briar Circle guys are going to be following us and a giant earth elemental isn't exactly subtle about covering its tracks."