by Xander Jade
When we arrived, they looked over the location. Oter and his kin talked amongst themselves for a few minutes and then laid out their plan. We discussed what was going to happen and watched the duo of mages hollow out some shafts for the miners and weres to get started on retrieving the coal. I watched for a few minutes but left with Oter and a few others to head back to the mountain.
After checking out which locations would be the best for the forges, the mages got started on those projects. Oter wanted to see the mine, so we took him on a tour. He was all smiles when we made it back to our starting point.
“Lotz a metal in tha mountain. Rare find, boss. Tank ye for tha opportunity to help.”
I smiled and said, “No problem, my friend.”
“Me brethren want ta switch out eva so often, that okay wit ye?”
“I figured you would. It’s up to you how you want to proceed on that. Like I said, you’re in charge of this operation. At least until we get it up and running. And don’t forget the other mines we found. We will need two more crews for them. Do we have enough to work the three mines and forges here?”
He nodded. “Aye, understood. There are new recruits you saved from tha prison here and sum tha feel left out. We hav plenty to git started and I believe sum are traveling ta visit our settlement. We can recruit them if they want to hav new adventures.”
“We discussed you getting some warbands together, now would be a good time.”
“Aye, it will bring smiles ta me brethren. I’ll git them here.”
I smiled. “Sounds good, my friend.”
The rest of the day was spent watching the mages work. Well, not for me. The ladies pulled me into my quarters and had their way with me. We all were sated afterward; it was an awesome day and night.
***
The week went by quickly. Our group of orcs showed up and pointed out the locations for our ambush sites. I had sent a couple of weres back to let the others know how the operation was going and that the girls and others stayed to help. The forges were up in two days. These were different than the ones at home. If anything happened, they could be dismantled quickly. Oter and his crew had started pulling out the metals even before the forges were done. The ones who didn’t know much about mining were gathering all the railcars together and unloading them. Another two crews were sent to the coal mine. It was slow going at first but started going smoothly once everyone got on the same page.
Oter and his crew scoped out the other two mines and made notes. He advised that they were good finds as well and he’d send for his brethren to start making their way there. The earth mages were working on securing those mines.
The overlords arrived and it was anticlimactic. The four of them came with two wens and three trolls as their muscle. It was over in less than a minute. Sig burned the bodies and work started up again. He also warned us to not get overconfident, that the demon hordes were going to be a hundred times tougher to deal with than the overlords.
I had some thoughts on security and when the mages were resting, I laid out my ideas. The first thing was to put up walls around the coal mine and secure it. The next would be to put a tunnel wide enough for the wagons to travel between sites. That way, no one would see us coming or going. We would have to put torches up every hundred feet or so, maybe even enchant the ceiling every so often to light the way. That would be cool. Jacob responded that they could do both if wanted, so I said go ahead just in case one failed. Frank advised that everything would be taken care of, but it would take time. I nodded and told them to not burn themselves out.
Everyone was pitching in to do their part, even my ladies. Nighttime activities went on throughout the week and I was grinning every morning. I made sure to give Lashane and Shaila more attention, since I promised them. The operation was going great and had been up and running for over a week. The molds were done, and small bars were being made just like I wanted. A shipment was going out at the end of this week. The gardens were created, and we were in the process of getting the seeds to root. My bonds told me it was time to talk to my women and let them know my plans.
“Ladies, I’m setting out on the morrow to locate another bond. I would like for you to return with the shipment going to the settlement.”
Leena responded, “Okay. How long are we thinking this time?”
“Not sure, hopefully less than two weeks.”
They groaned but nodded. We went to sleep early that night. I was ready to get this done and go home.
***
Court was in session and Duke Ackley was presiding, advising the merchants to take different routes every time until the slavers were caught. A knight barged in and stopped before the duke.
“Your Grace, I’m sorry for the interruption. We have discovered dark ones around the area known as BlackCrest.”
“Sir Malcolm, how many men are available to march? We have most on leave if I remember,” Duke Ackley asked.
The knight responded, “Yes, sir. We can allocate a hundred to leave at once, Your Grace.”
“Okay, do it. Also, send word to those on leave to report by the end of the week. We need to be prepared if they come here.”
Sir Malcolm nodded and replied, “It will be done, sir.” He bowed and left, and others went with him.
Duke Ackley dismissed court for that day and sighed before turning to his wife. “And so it begins.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled. “BlackCrest. The town must be cursed. First, Gordon goes missing, nobody knows where Max is, and now, the dark ones are about to raid them.”
He grunted. “It would seem you are correct, dear. Let’s hope the horde isn’t bypassing them and focused elsewhere. Even then, we will have to get the king involved and let him know what’s going on. He may want to send a company from the garrison nearby.”
She nodded and they talked about other items on the agenda for the day. Afterwards, Duke Ackley went to the mage relay to discuss the issue with the king.
***
The next day my ladies escorted me to a meeting with the project leads.
“Guys, I am heading out to locate another bond. The ladies behind me are staying here and will be here if you need help but will leave when the shipments go out. Jacob, Frank, and Gurak, you will escort them home. Gurak, send those to your village to gather your young to meet you at our home. Everyone knows their assignments; I will be back when able.”
They bowed and went to their workspace to get to work. I turned back to my ladies, “You four take care of each other, I will be back before you know it.”
“You had better, Val and Cass are due by the end of the month. If you miss that, we can’t help you,” Leena sternly advised.
“I wouldn’t dream of missing anything.”
They smiled and kissed me, then I was off to get Zeus. He was already saddled and ready to go. Herc and Reap were sitting beside him. I climbed up onto Zeus and we set out.
‘Where to?’
Nespea replied, ‘Southwest, deep into Azgrag. I sense power in that direction, different from the others around. It’s faint, but let’s head that way.’
I grunted and responded, ‘When will we have that lesson?’
She knew what lesson I was after.
‘Soon, ungrateful one.’
The others chuckled and we turned to head down the dirt roads. The path led us through the forest, skirted around rivers and even a swamp. It was boring. The night routine came and went with me practicing magic against the two elementals. If you really want to know, the sessions didn’t go my way. Three days later, we ended up within what seemed to be a dead forest that was surrounded by a dense fog.
We walked for about an hour as I tried to scan the area. We couldn’t see that far in front of us. The wind picked up and blew all around us. The tree branches were moving in different directions, but the fog never lifted. The eerie atmosphere got my hackles up. It felt as if we were being watched.
‘This is creepy as hell. Nespea, are you sure we are o
n the right track?’
‘We are Maximus, but it seems we may have a problem,’ she answered with hesitation.
I stopped Zeus. He was already agitated. ‘What kind of problem?’
‘The magic I was feeling has been blanketed by another,’ Nespea replied with some confusion.
‘What would make that happen? Are they in trouble? Dead?’
‘I feel it, Nespea. Whatever did this was masking their aura and projecting another,’ Sig butted in.
‘Shit, that means we are dealing with something much bigger than we expected. Hold on, I’m going to see if anything is near,’ the yikarian responded calmly.
We started off again. Reap and Herc were on edge.
‘Something is wrong,’ Herc growled out.
Reaper snarled, ‘I agree. The fog feels like it’s boxing us in and leading us somewhere.’
That wasn’t good. I looked at the fog closely. ‘It sure as hell is.’
My heart was beating faster and the adrenaline running through my veins had my eyes and mind focused. My beast was front and center, nothing was going to catch me by surprise. Although, with this stage setup, I wouldn’t be surprised if a fuckin wraith showed up.
It was a couple of minutes before Nespea spoke again, ‘Guy’s, stop where you are.’ She took a breath before continuing, ‘The fog is dense and thick, but I finally got through. Umm... we’re surrounded.’
We took her advice and stopped. It wasn’t moments later that we heard movement. My neck whipped to the left when branches were snapped and leaves rustled, though after a few moments, it happened all around us. The fog lifted at that time. I turned in a circle to see what was doing this. We were surrounded by predators. It was as if the underworld itself opened up and spit out these creatures: dire wolves, barghests, gytrash, black bears, wolverines, hellhounds, and enormous fucking snakes. I mean, these reptiles had to be at least thirty feet long and a foot in diameter. Their heads were at least as big as Reaper’s. The forked tongues that came out as they hissed measured around two feet. All of the creatures present had deep crimson eyes that were glowing. Black ichor dripped from their mouths, and their bodies were outlined in shadows. These creatures weren’t moving to kill us yet, but I had my arsenal ready to defend myself. I dismounted.
‘What the fuck is going on?’
My crew growled their defiance. We were ready to fight our way out of there, that is, until the forest parted. Yes, you heard me right, the forest parted, to let their leader through. My jaw dropped, the others cursed. It would seem that we had been summoned to this exact location to meet him. We all looked up to see the gargantuan wolf stomp his way towards us. I sat there in disbelief, because for reasons unknown as of yet, Fenris was here.
The wolf was fucking enormous: twenty-five feet tall, fifteen feet wide, and forty feet long. His eyes were blood red and his paws had to be at least ten feet wide with talons instead of claws. The massive maw was dripping with black ichor that made the ground sizzle when it hit, but what made me step back, was seeing his whole body engulfed in shadows. We could literally see through him when he walked. It was like the wolf god was in between worlds, which in truth, he was.
We were trapped and like a dumb fuck, I’d let us get captured. We stood there, waiting for him to come to a stop. Fenris growled when he spoke. It was hard to make out what he said in the beginning. I must have had a confused look on my face, so he spoke within our minds.
‘Greetings, Maximus Drago.’
‘Sir.’
I bowed to him, not really knowing how to proceed. I figured at least it was respectful.
He chuckled.
‘It has been interesting to watch you, young one,’ he looked at my crew before continuing, ‘Reaper, Zeus, and Hercules.’
They bowed their heads at him. ‘Young Drago, allow the ones you know as Sigmus and Nespea to join us.’
I dropped my harness and weapons on the ground before taking my tunic off. The two elementals didn’t waste any time and flowed out of my chest to form up.
‘Divine one,’ Sig bowed his head, as did Nespea.
Fenris chuckled and ichor splattered all over the place, even on top of a couple of the hellhounds. It didn’t seem to faze them though.
‘Never been called that. Being a creature of the underworld and lord over all shadow creatures and wolves, people call me all kinds of stupid shit. That was refreshing, thank you for that sentiment.’
He took a few moments before he continued, ‘Our little meet and greet is not being monitored by anyone. I have placed us in a dome of silence; no being can hear us. It won’t last long, so please do not interrupt. We are watching the demons closely. They have been reproducing like locusts and have a massive army waiting to step through the veil into your world. They are also taking slaves as you well know to further their plans. When Hades forced the demons out of the underworld for the heinous crimes against this world, he placed five seals on the veil that isolated the world they are occupying now. He knew that would stop them for some time, but not forever. The seals are being broken, and you have already been told that it is demons causing chaos in Giseria.’
He stopped for a few moments before continuing, ‘Your kind always assumes the underworld is filled with evil. I can’t say that everyone isn’t, but most aren't. It's just the cards that we’ve been dealt. Hades’ hands are tied because of the laws of this world that the gods have to abide by, but as of right now, Cerberus, myself, and others are neutral. Well, if anyone asks, that’s what we will say. Maximus, your path will be filled with trials and death, but you must survive at all costs. We are aware that you are wary when dealing with shadow magic as well as dark magic. I am here to help with those two spheres. Come forth, Mr. Drago.’
I looked over at the others. They nodded, so I walked over, but stopped far enough away that at least the ichor wouldn’t drip on me.
‘Before we begin, I need to apologize to you for leading you astray. I know that you were trying to locate a certain chameleon,” Fenris said as he looked to the right.
I noticed a Titanoboa was curled up. It uncurled and revealed a tied-up lizard looking creature. It was eight feet long, including the tail and was green in color. It had large eyes and a prehensile tail.
“Siah!” Nespea gasped, wide-eyed.
Shit. Fenris caught a potential bond for me.
Not sure what to do, I didn’t move.
‘Go on, walk over to her,” Fenris commanded. “She’s here to bond with you.”
The chameleon was full of terror and didn’t move at first. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I was in her situation. The Titanoboa hissed at her. She yelped and moved as fast as she could to Nespea. Both wrapped their hands around each other. Nespea was trying to comfort the creature, while Siah just sobbed.
Everyone watched the scene for a few moments but was brought back to reality when Fenris sighed. Ichor flew out of his mouth and onto the ground, burning it.
‘It’s very touching, dears, but we haven’t got the time for this. Siah, you know what’s at stake. The boy needs your illusion and mind magic. Bond with him, and you may still be alive at the end of this war.’
Damn, that was straightforward and to the point. Nespea was talking to her, bringing her up to date on her own experience with me. I just stood there, waiting to see what would happen.
Siah stepped away from Nespea and took a few breaths before nodding.
‘Good, glad to see you made the right choice. Stand by young Drago.’
She did, and he said something in a language that I’d never heard. A few moments went by before he stopped, and his eyes flashed bright red for a moment. My right arm sizzled like it was being burned. I gasped and looked down to see a black spot on my bicep. I grit my teeth as movement caught my eyes and turned to see Siah shrink down, melting into a large green slimy substance that looked similar to mucus. My eyes bulge as it eased its way to me and up my body to the spot on my arm that was burnt. When the green snot
was gone, a bright white light pulsed and went away, blinding us for moments.
When I got my eyesight back, I gazed down at the new tattoo that had formed. It was a smaller version of Siah, even green like her. Sighing, I looked up into the big maw of Fenris. The bastard basically forced her to do it.
‘Don’t be so melodramatic about this, young Drago. You needed the bond. Things from now on won’t be so black and white, they will be grey and you will cross lines that you would’ve never crossed before. War is coming, and you need to get petty things like forcing elemental bonds out of your head.’
I grunted, knowing he was correct, but it still perturbed me.
He commanded, ‘Go to one knee and bow your head.’
Not really wanting to, I did as the wolf god instructed.
‘This will be painful. Be prepared, but once it is complete, you will be able to fight the demons.’
The wolf god let three drops of ichor fall onto my back. I immediately screamed out and tried to stay in that spot, but damn, it was agony. My back felt like it was on fire and melting. I could feel my skin bubbling up. I grit my teeth and focused on other things instead of the pain. Raising my head up, I stared straight into the eyes of Fenris.
‘Good, you are worthy of my gifts. Use them wisely. When the tattoos form, you will see that there are three. A gytrash, a barghest, and one of Cerberus. The skills that accompany them will come in time, ask your companions what they are because I’m almost out of time. I’ll just say that the Cerberus tattoo has two functions: the first is that it comes with a summoner’s power. You’ll be able to summon the creatures you see here, as well as me and others from the underworld. The second is that when you meet any creature from the underworld, they will know that the gatekeeper knows you. They will be more apt to join your crusade. Questions?’
Still in pain, I gasped out, ‘Two. I thought you were a god as well, how come you’re not affected by the laws of this world? And why come to me now?’