The Darkness Comes

Chapter 6

The morning broke. The four men were still asleep. Their dreams had been stirring with imaginations of what would happen that fateful day that they all finally arrived at the Glyphs. Their dreams shifted to who the other five people were going to be. Thoughts and possibilities…

Morning broke, and the town rooster cried. It woke Tigo from his deep sleep. He had a sharp pain in his head.

You may be able to put someone to sleep with magic, he thought, but that doesn't make it pleasant.

Tigo was the one that had volunteered to sleep on the floor. The others had slept in the less than clean beds. He shifted a little so that he could sit up. Still rubbing his head, he reached for his flask. He put it to his mouth, and got a half a mouthful out of it. The odor of booze filled the room.

Darn. I'll have to get it refilled.

Tigo stood up, and glanced around the room for a little bit. The others were still asleep, and in their beds. The piece of alloy that had been on the table was gone, and there was no sign of Xershies.

He must have left already.

He decided that he would go get his flask refilled, and that he would come right back. He figured that he could get back before any of them woke up. He headed over toward the door, and opened it. The sun had barely come over the mountains, but was nevertheless bright. Tigo shielded his eyes from the glare.

Humph, I almost forgot how much I hate mornings.

(crest)

Dega's dreams had been a little bit more frightful. Memories coming back. Things that he hadn't thought about in years. The scythe. He had to talk to the man he got it from. Images in his mind of Xershies. Had he seen him before?

Dega groggily awoke from his slumber, and looked around. No Xershies, and no Tigo. Caleb was still there in his bed. Dega sat up in his bed, and noticed the alloy was gone from the night before. He, too, had the sharp pain in his head.

I hate sleeping spells.

He walked toward the door, and opened it. The sun was fully over the mountains, and was very bright. He, too, shielded his eyes. He decided to walk through the town for a little bit. He enjoyed the urban area far more then the forests. The countryside never did feel as much like home as a crowded marketplace. He departed from the cabin, and began walking toward a magic shop. He was going to buy a potion and possibly see if someone could teach him a stronger fire spell.

Dega started walking into town.

(crest)

Tigo walked through the town. Glancing from street vendor to street vendor, he saw many different items for sale. He was in an almost dream state, still rethinking the previous night's events. He couldn't quite figure out what it all means. His thoughts were disrupted by noticing the tavern. He walked up to it, and on into the store.

It's a crowded place, even at this early hour. Men were sitting around having a drink with friends before having to head out to each individual occupation. The room was dimly lit, and the shutters pulled closed. Tigo found an empty seat at the bar, and sat down.

"Excuse me, bartender, what kind of drinks do you sell here?"

"We sell everything from water to hard whiskey."

"Excellent."

Tigo reached down to his side, and unhooked the empty flask. He held it up, and handed it to the bartender behind the counter. The bartender had an odd look on his face.

"Where did you get this?" he asked. "It's a very old, but very good container."

"My father gave it to me, shortly before his death. Could you fill it up? Whiskey, please."

"Yeah, no problem. Four gold coins, please."

Tigo reached into his coin purse, and pulled forth four coins. He handed them over to the bartender, and waited for it to be refilled. While waiting, he looked around the bar. There were some interesting characters in there, but perhaps the most interesting was a large dark-skinned person.

Hmm. A dark elf. Haven't seen one of them in a while…

The seat next to Tigo opened up, and the standing elf he had just been staring at sat down next to him. The people of the tavern viewed him as a disturbance. People of many villages disliked dark elves because of their dark looks, and deeds. This one looked as if trying not to notice the intense staring and sneering done by the people of the tavern. The bartender looked up to him.

"What can I get you, sir?" He asked with a wavering voice.

The elf looked to his left, and saw Tigo sitting there. The flask had just been returned to Tigo.

"What's he having?" The voice was thick, and with an accent that Tigo didn't recognize. He pointed to the flask in Tigo's hand.

"It's whiskey," Tigo said in as nice a voice as he could muster.

"Then that'll do."

The bartended turned, and began filling a glass with whiskey. The elf brought out the appropriate amount of money, and paid the man. Tigo had unknowingly been keeping his eye on the elf, watching him like a hawk. The bartender returned with the filled glass, and handed it to the elf, who took a sip of it before slamming it onto the table.

"What!?" He aimed an angry glance at Tigo, who recoiled at the sudden outburst.

"Oh… nothing. I… uh… It's just that Black Elves aren't common around this area."

"They're not common anywhere anymore," he said. Tigo found the clarity and deepness of his voice soothing. And such an interesting accent. The elf looked at his empty glass, with the same look of anger on his face. Tigo looked away, and then back toward him, pondering what his thoughts were.

"So, what brings you to these parts?"

The elf looked at him, the anger ebbing somewhat, and then looked back at his glass before speaking.

"I'm a nomad. I wander, meet people, and wander some more."

"I see, well, what's your name?"

The elf looked up at Tigo, and into his eyes. The eyes were red, with black slits. He looked as though it was a sin to reveal such information.

"Hmm. You may call me Y'Ron."

"Great! My name is Tigo," he said trying to sound friendly. He held out a hand of friendship, and let it hang there a little bit before bringing it back, unshaken. Y'Ron had ignored it.

Humph, that was kind or rude, Tigo thought.

"Okay then, I'll be going. Enjoy your drink."

Tigo got up, thanked the bartender once more, and then turned to walk out. He navigated his way through the bolstering crowd, and out into the freedom of the outside. The temperature was cool, and dry. He figured it would get hotter as the day progressed.

He didn't think about much on his way back to the cottage. He figured everyone would be up, and ready to leave once he got back. He hoped they wouldn't be angry with him for taking so long.

As he approached the cottage, a fear began to set in his heart. No one was to be seen. Dega and Caleb had both left, and there was still no sign of Xershies.

I thought that he was only going out to get us some horses. What's taking him so long?

(crest)

Y'Ron was left at the bar. He continued to sit there and think for a while. After awhile, he looked down and noticed that he hadn't even started to drink from his glass. The ice in his cup shifted slightly. He stood up and left his full glass sitting on the table. He felt guilty for being so mean to the nice guy, and tried to remember what his name was.

He exited the building, and walked into the bright sunlight. He walked around the town for a little while, not sure who to ask about Tigo. He neared the inn, and decided that it would be as good a place as any. He entered the small front room of the inn, and found the inn keeper sleeping at his desk.

"Excuse me sir, I'm looking for a man named Tigo," Y'Ron said while prodding him slightly.

The man erupted from his nap, and started shouting various indiscernible words.

"Ahem. What do you want with him?" he finally asked, after regaining his composure.

"I'm a friend," he said looking square in his eyes.

The inn keeper was a little reserved about giving away his guests information to a black elf, but decided to look and see if he had a guest by that name. He opened the little reservation book he kept, and found the name in the group that had requested the quiet room out back. Something fishy was going on, and he wanted to know what it was.

"I'll tell you where he is, if you tell me what's going on."

"I don't know anything about what is going on. I just have known Tigo for some time, and heard that he had come to this town."

"What if I said I didn't believe you? Tigo is a member of that odd group, and you are apparently one of his friends. I want to know what they are doing."

Y'Ron was somewhat annoyed at this point, and he slammed his fist onto the table.

"Okay, fine! I don't know Tigo. I met him this morning at the bar and want to speak to him further.""What if I don't believe that either?"

Y'Ron quickly grabbed the fat man by his neck, and lifted him off the ground.

"Where is he?"

"Out… out back… in the cottage."

Y'Ron let the man fall onto the floor under him rather hard.

"Thank you," Y'Ron said with a certain sarcastic tone in his voice.

Y'Ron walked past the huddled man, and into the tavern. Not many people were actually there, except a few drunkards. At the back of the tavern was the door that the group had used the previous night. As he stepped through it, the cottage came into view. Standing just outside the cottage, facing away from him, was the man he had met earlier in the tavern.

"Hello there, Tigo," Y'Ron yelled toward the man.

"Well, this is unexpected! What can I do for you, Y'Ron?" Tigo was standing arms crossed, with a smile on his face.

"Actually, there's something that I'd like to do for you." With that, Y'Ron extended his hand of greeting that he had neglected earlier.

"I want to apologize for our earlier encounter. I'm usually in a much better mood. However, this morning, I just happened to run into an old acquaintance of mine, and I'm not too thrilled about her presence."

Tigo glanced at him, and rose on eyebrow.

"Her? Is she a Dark Elf like you?"

"I'd rather not talk about her… do you accept my apology?"

Tigo nodded his head, and taking his hand and shaking.

"Yes, of course I do. Here. Come on in, and have a seat."

The two walked into the dark room. It was substantially cooler, and darker in the small cottage. As they both took a seat, Y'Ron glanced at Tigo.

"Are you by chance an adventurer? I can see it in your eyes."

"Well, yes, I am," Tigo said, with a small reservation.

"Mind if I tag along? I have nowhere else to be, and no friends to be with. I figure, I might as well stick with you."

Tigo looked around the room, wandering what Xershies would say. Would he want another person tagging along, without even knowing if he's a chosen one? He wasn't sure, but decided to take a chance.

"Sure. I've got a group I'm traveling with. I'll introduce you to everyone when they get back. You're going to like this old guy, named Xershies."

The two continued to talk about pasts, battles, and glory days.

(crest)

Xershies was in the midst of a battle. While he was fighting with an unnamed foe, he was thinking about the group.

Will they be all right? Will they know where to find me? I doubt it, but I can't get to them now. The horses. Find the horses. If they just ask the innkeeper, he has them. They must continue their trek North with the new information I have given them. Please! Go!

I hope that I can go back to them soon…

All at once, Xershies is knocked unconscious.

(crest)

Caleb had woken up earlier that morning, shortly after Dega. He stretched, and walked toward the door. As he opened it, he noticed how late in the morning it was. He cursed himself for not waking up any earlier. He figured the others were outside, with Xershies waiting for him to wake up. Much to his surprise, no one was to be seen anywhere near the cottage.
He went back inside, and gathered his weapons, and decided to walk into town. He wasn't sure, but he guessed the only other place Tigo would be was in the tavern. He at least wanted to find one of them.

Caleb made his way into the town, and wandered toward the market. At the far end of the market was the tavern. As he was walking by a weapon shop, something caught his eye. A sword in the window. A very nice long sword. He walked up to it, and inspected its blade. The blade was shiny, not yet having tasted battle. Perhaps the most astounding feature was that it was double-edged. Caleb walked inside the weapon shop, and asked to hold it. The shopkeeper took it from its holster in the window, and let Caleb take a few swings with it.

It was very easy to wield, for Caleb, and he noticed that it was infused with an enchantment. Ice magic had been engrained into the sword.

"How much for this sword?" Caleb asked the eager-looking shopkeeper.

"That is a very fine sword, and is enchanted with powerful ice elemental magic. It's more expensive than a normal long sword. I could let it go for a small one hundred coins."

Caleb thought for a moment, and looked down at his two knives. He decided that those were probably inadequate in a large scale melee battle, and decided to buy the sword. Caleb handed the owner the coins, and walked from the store. He was eager to test it out.

Caleb quickly ran toward a tree behind the weapon shop, and took a swing at it. The sword embedded itself a few inches into it, a nice depth for a sword, and the immediate area around the sword froze solid.

Excellent, he thought. He thought for a second about a name for his sword, finally deciding on Frostorm.
As he was pulling the sword out of the tree, the shop owner came running out of the shop.

"Wait a second there, young man. I forgot to include this."

In his hand was a leather sheath. He was shoving it toward Caleb.

"This comes free with any sword purchase. You ran out of the shop before I could give it to you."

He handed Caleb the sheath, and looked at his newly frozen tree.

"Well, I told you it had powerful magic in it."

He gave a short chuckle, and began walking back toward the shop.

"Thank you!" Caleb yelled after him, enticing an over-the-shoulder wave from the man. Caleb thrust Frostorm into the ground near his feet, freezing it, and removed his two knives. The leather straps connecting them to his belt were just long enough to fit around his calves. He re-equipped his knives there, and hooked the leather sheath to his belt. He removed Frostorm from the ground, and inserted it into the leather case. For some reason, the sheath did not freeze over.

Interesting, he thought.

Caleb made his way back onto the main road of the town, and back towards the tavern. When he arrived there, no sign of Tigo was shown. He asked the barkeeper if he had seen a man matching Tigo's description. The keeper gave Caleb an interesting recollection of the events with the Dark Elf, and Tigo. A little worried, Caleb ran at a sprint back toward the cottage. He was there in no time at all, and walked in.

As he entered the cottage, he saw the Dark Elf speaking with Tigo. Senses snapped, and he drew his freshly bought sword. With no questions asked, and rushed the elf…

(crest)

Dega had been spending his morning enjoying the town. He had bought a few things he thought that he would probably need for the coming journey. A few potions of elixir, and some bread. He had enjoyed his time alone, to think and to be with his thoughts. They had wandered from subject to subject, never staying on one long, save one. The thought of the previous night's occurrences troubled him. Something had not felt right about that vision. He couldn't be sure what, but there was something unsettling that made him fear those Glyphs.

Dega spent a few more minutes perusing the local food cart, and decided to head back. It was early afternoon now, and he thought the others might be wandering where he was. It took him a few minutes to get his bearings, and to locate the direction of the inn.

As he approached the building, he could hear blades crashing, and an eerie hum. He ran toward the cottage, worried that one of his friends might be in trouble. When he entered the little room, he saw Caleb fighting a dark skinned man. Caleb was wielding a sword that Dega had never seen before. The dark skinned man used a sword that had made the hum. As the blades crashed, the humming blade would briefly freeze, and then unfreeze. Dega prepared to attack the foe, but before he could, Tigo broke in.

Tigo fired a small burst of fire at Caleb, taking him out of his fighting stance, and shot Y'Ron before he had a chance to kill Caleb.

"Stop now!" Tigo yelled at the two warring men. "He's a friend, Caleb! Why did you attack him?"
Caleb nimbly regained his stance, and had his sword at the ready. He was set, if he needed to parry an attack.

"He is a Dark Elf, like one I have seen before… He looks like the one that killed my father," Caleb said, his sword twitching.

The dark elf smiles, and sheathed his humming sword. Even when sheathed, the sword continued its ominous hum.

"Sorry to disappoint you, kid, but from the looks of you, you're from the forest. I've never killed anyone in the forest before. And I have never killed a man with a son before. I didn't kill your father." Y'Ron's eyes became wide, as if in remembrance," You said the elf looked like me? I have a twin brother. He was an assassin for hire. He was probably the one that killed your father. But, hey! I saved you the trouble of killing him yourself; I killed him nearly four years ago."

Caleb reluctantly put away his sword, but continued to keep his guard up. Y'Ron continued.

"I have nothing against you, and if you travel with Tigo, we best become friends. I'll be traveling with you for awhile."

Dega and Caleb nearly screamed at the same time, but it was Caleb that spoke first.

"What about Xershies? Does he want him with us? I doubt it! This isn't some sort of frolic to bring friends along on! This is a special mission!"

Y'Ron gave a small huff, and looked toward Tigo for a response. When none came, he felt a little saddened. Tigo finally spoke up.

"With or without Xershies' opinion, I want him to come along. He's a cunning warrior, and can be of help to us. He probably won't stay with us long, but while he's willing to help out, I say we let him."

The other two men mulled this over for a little bit, before Caleb chuckled ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry for attacking you like that, but I thought you killed my father. I would be pleased if we could become friends…" Caleb leant in close to Y'Ron's ear. "I'm tired of being the only elf in this group."

Y'Ron and Caleb both shared a short laugh of camaraderie, and glanced back toward the others. Dega re-slung the scythe he had been holding, and walked up to the dark elf.

"I've never met a dark elf before. It's not the first time I've seen one like you, but I've just never been introduced," Dega explained before extending a hand of friendship.

Caleb walked over to his bed, and took a seat. The others took a seat as well, except for Y'Ron. He stood in the doorway, just a little apprehensive.

"Don't worry," Tigo began. "Xershies will be here in a little while. I'm sure that he will gladly let you into the group. You need to get used to us anyway, Y'Ron."

Tigo gave a friendly smile, and Y'Ron hoped that he was truly in the presence of friends. He had been so devoid of friendship, that it was almost something new to him. He was just hoping they didn't turn their backs on him.

There was some idly chat between the group, mostly with Tigo trying to prompt conversation. Dega was sitting on his bed, cleaning his scythe. Caleb rested on a bed, with his eyes closed but still talking. Tigo had stood up to stand next to Y'Ron who was still in the doorway. Eventually Dega looked up to the rest of the group.

"So Y'Ron, where do you come from? I thought all of you dark elves hid from the rest of the world, only coming up to do some killing."

Y'Ron gave Dega an evil look, before speaking. "My… kin aren't like me. All I want is to go around and meet people. But to answer your question, I used to be in the Guild of Dark Elves, until it was wiped out many years ago. I've been wandering ever since."

Dega seemed to accept that answer, and went back to cleaning his scythe. No conversation went on for a few minutes, and the silence was refreshing.

During the silence, the group unknowingly thought the exact same thing:

Where in the heck was Xershies?