The Dark Monolith

by F. P. Spirit

  Aksel gave the bard a brief nod. “Exactly.”

  “Good!” Alana declared firmly, unsheathing her sword and running a finger across the glowing blade. “I wanted another crack at that… witch, anyway.”

  Elistra grinned at the lady knight. “You and me both.”

  Glo glanced from Alana to Elistra, noting the fire in their eyes. Woe be that succubus if she shows herself in front of these two, he thought wryly.

  A few hours later, after a much-needed nap, Lloyd and Alana were raring to go once again. The companions swiftly gathered up their belongings, and prepared for the descent into the “sub-sub-basement,” as Donnie called it. The party took up the same marching order they had used on the ascent up the monolith—Seth led the way, followed by Lloyd, Alana, Glo, Elistra, Elladan and Aksel, with Donnie and Ruka bringing up the rear.

  The companions entered the stairwell single file, Seth a few steps ahead of the others. The staircase spiraled downward, lit every few yards by glowing tiles on the outside wall. The walls themselves were extremely smooth, just like those between the floors of the monolith above. Seth cautiously examined the stairwell as they descended, but there were no traps on these stairs, nor in the walls around them. Despite that, the climb down was rather lengthy. After about ten minutes, Glo heard Elladan whisper, “Just how long are these stairs?”

  Glo had been mentally counting them as they wound their way down. He responded to the bard, “Two hundred, so far.”

  Elladan’s pursed his lips and nodded. “That’s a lot of steps.”

  Glo maintained his mental count as they continued their descent. He was nearing three hundred, when Seth held up his hand for them to halt. “We’re nearly at the bottom,” the halfling whispered. “Wait here while I check it out.”

  While the others waited, Seth carefully climbed down the spiral staircase, soon disappearing around the bend of the stairs. About thirty seconds later, Glo heard a low whistle filter up from below. Shortly thereafter, Seth reappeared.

  “What’s going on?” Aksel called down to him anxiously.

  Seth’s eyes were uncharacteristically wide. “You’re not going to believe this,” he responded rather dramatically.

  Seth was not easily impressed. Glo couldn’t begin to imagine what had elicited such a response from him. The companions picked up their pace as they followed Seth the rest of the way down. The stairs abruptly ended at a tall archway, beyond which appeared to be a rocky cavern. Lloyd and Alana stepped out of the stairwell after Seth and turned, each going wide-eyed just as the halfling had. When Glo finally trod out behind them, his eyes shifted in the direction they were peering.

  The companions stood in a wide alcove that opened up to a huge underground cavern beyond. The alcove was rather well lit, the walls once again sporting those embedded, glowing tiles. Glo paid little attention however, his eyes riveted on the cavern beyond. A long walkway led out into the dimly lit cave—at the other end stood what appeared to be a huge stone head! It lay partially in the shadows, but Glo could just make out two darkened eye sockets, a large nose, and a wide mouth underneath.

  The elven wizard arched an eyebrow. It was hard to tell from this distance, but if that head was connected to a body, that entire thing had to be at least fifty feet tall. Once again, a shiver ran up Glo’s spine—this time, the vision of a tall stone statue flashing before his eyes, the image of a dwarf holding a large tome.

  Glo immediately berated himself, silently proclaiming it was just a dream, yet this was uncanny. First his view of the clearing, then the huge ground floor chamber, and now this giant stone statue. It was just too much to be a mere coincidence.

  Glo felt a gentle hand on his arm. He turned to see Elistra standing there, her eyes gleaming with sympathy. She leaned in close and whispered, “Perhaps more than just a dream, but still not prophecy.”

  Glo peered at her a moment, then glanced around, letting out a huge sigh. Elistra is right. There were no large serpents, or black mages, anywhere in sight. Glo’s shoulders sagged, the tension leaving his body, but he silently vowed to himself that if they did run into the cultists, he’d be the first to step forward. None of his friends were going to die on his account. Another low whistle broke him out of his anxious musings. “Look at the size of that thing!”

  He spun to see Elladan, the bard’s mouth uncharactistically hanging open, his eyes wide as he stared at the huge stone statue. The corner’s of Glo’s mouth upturned at the sight of the normally unflappable bard’s astonishment.

  “It’s nice to see you smiling again,” Elistra whispered to him. Glo eyed the seeress, his heart warming and a genuine smile spreading across his lips. She grasped his arm with both hands, her eyes sparkling with delight. “Now that’s more like it.”

  Glo gazed at her affectionately, then returned his attention to the cavern before them. The walkway leading from the alcove was rather wide—there was easily enough room across it for two people to stand side-by-side. Seth and Lloyd went first, followed closely by Alana and Glo. The elven wizard had lit his staff, but found it immediately unnecessary—the moment Seth and Lloyd stepped out onto the walkway, the cavern lit up, large tiles in the rough hewn walls illuminating the natural chamber.

  The companions strode a short distance foward, then, as one, halted and glanced out over the railing. The giant head indeed sat upon an immense stone body, its huge rock feet clearly visible on the cavern floor far below. Glo mentally adjusted his initial estimate—the stone statue was more like sixty, or even seventy feet tall. Donnie and Ruka brought up the rear, the slight elf gaping as he leaned over the railing. “Whoa… that thing is huge!”

  An enigmatic smile spread across Elistra’s features. “As Elladan so aptly stated, ‘Larketh definitely had a flair for the dramatic.’”

  Her comment elicted a few short laughs. Glo cocked his head to one side and peered at the seeress, making a mental note to be careful what he said from now on. That was the second time she had quoted someone verbatim. Elistra seemed to have an uncanny memory, rivaling, if not surpassing, his own. She gazed back at him, her eyes dancing with amusement as if she had read his thoughts. Glo gave her a brief smile, the turned his attention back to the colossus below. The body definitely did not look like a dwarf’s. Still, it appeared quite familiar—in fact, it looked like a larger version of...

  “It looks just like the Boulder,” Lloyd said, mirroring Glo’s thoughts.

  Alana eyed the young man curiously. “You mean, your stone golem?”

  Lloyd nodded to the lady knight. “Yes… but much, much larger.”

  Aksel’s mouth abruptly fell open. “It couldn’t be...”

  Glo’s own mouth hung open, his mind numbing at the realization of what was in front of them. “I think… it is…”

  “I’m afraid you’re right,” Elistra said softly. “That, ladies and gentlemen, is a giant stone golem.”

  “No way...” Donnie said with clear astonishment.

  Glo squinted his eyes and peered intently at the giant for a few moments, then looked up, his eyes sweeping across the group. “I know Larketh was the Golem Master, but I would never have imagined something like this.”

  Seth’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “Overcompensating much, you think?”

  The halfling’s comment broke everyone out of their reverie, genuine laughter echoing out from the walkway, and bouncing off the walls of the immense cavern. Glo, still half-chuckling, peered at his smirking friend, and slowly shook his head. “Only you, Seth. Only you.”

  The halfling stared back at the wizard and shrugged, his smirk widening. “What can I say? I have a unique perspective on these things.”

  Shadow of the Colossus

  The skeleton sat there unmoving on its throne, its empty eye sockets staring forward, unseeing

  Once the laughter died down, the companions re
turned to examining the colossus. Glo noticed that farther down, the walkway split in two, encircling the head of the giant golem. He also observed a large stone chair that looked like a throne atop the head—in it was seated a skeleton.

  “Think that’s Larketh?” Lloyd asked, his voice hushed.

  Elladan placed a hand on the young warrior’s shoulder. “Not according to bardic lore. Based on what I was taught, the Golem Master died along with his fellow Thrall Masters northwest of here, in the mountains around the Silver Lakes”—he paused and eyed Elistra curiously—“unless other folks have heard differently.”

  “No, no, good bard, that is what I had heard as well,” the seeress agreed.

  Lloyd squinted his eyes, as if to get a better look at the skeletal figure that sat above the colossus. “So then, who could that have been?”

  “We may never know,” Aksel answered this time. “If those bones have been here since the Thrall Wars, then not even a Speak to the Dead spell would work on it.”

  Lloyd shifted his gaze to the little cleric, then shrugged. As one, the companions pushed away from the railing, and continued down the walkway toward the huge head. Elladan still wore an expression of awe. “This is amazing—to think this thing has been hidden here underneath the monolith for the last hundred years.”

  “At least that long,” Aksel corrected him. “Larketh must have been working on this golem for a long time before his demise.”

  “Either way, it’ll make one heck of a story,” the bard said with a wink.

  The companions reached a point about halfway across the cavern to the colossal head, when the light on Glo’s staff suddenly winked out. Everyone froze in their tracks. Donnie had dropped down into a crouch, glancing anxiously around them. “What was that?”

  Silence pervaded the cavern for a few moments, until Aksel finally answered him. “I suspect we’ve just entered an anti-magic field.”

  An anti-magic field was an invisible barrier that suppressed the use of mana within its borders. Neither spells nor supernatural abilities would work inside the field. Glo silently agreed with Aksel’s hypothesis, but there was an easy way to confirm the cleric’s suspicions. He turned to Lloyd and said, “Try to light up your blades.”

  The young warrior eyed Glo uncertainly for a moment, but then drew his weapons. His brow furrowed with concentration, but nothing happened, his blades remaining cold and dark. Lloyd shook his head and tried again, a fierce look crossing his face, but the result was the same. Lloyd gazed at Glo, his frustration quite clear. “I… I can’t.”

  Glo smiled with keen sympathy at the young man. “It’s okay, Lloyd—step around behind me and try it again.”

  Lloyd eyed him uncertainly, but then wove through the others until he was behind Glo. The young warrior then tried once more to light his blades; this time the flame ignited when he called it, the red glow starting at the base of his weapons, and quickly flowing outward toward the tips. Lloyd let out a deep sigh. “Phew. I thought I had lost it there for a minute.”

  An understanding smile crossed Glo’s lips. “No, my friend… Aksel was right, and you just proved it. There is an anti-magic field in this cavern... perhaps to keep anyone from magically finding this stone colossus.”

  Aksel nodded in agreement, his hand slowly rubbing his chin as he thoughtfully surveyed the surrounding area. “My guess is it extends in a circle all around the golem. We’re about fifty feet away, so that would make it a one-hundred-foot wide field.”

  Elladan scrunched his nose, staring skeptically at the little cleric. “That’s a mighty big area.” His eyes shifted to Glo. “How wide is a typical spell cast field?”

  Glo did not know the spell as of yet, but had a basic knowledge of its workings. “About… ten feet in all directions.”

  Elladan let out a short laugh as he glanced around the cavern. “Heh. So this one is five times the size of what any wizard can do.”

  Glo threw up his hands and shrugged. “Pretty much.”

  Elladan winked at the elven wizard. “Like I said before, this will make one heck of a story.”

  The companions resumed their forward progress, Lloyd’s blades winking out as he re-entered the field. Glo fell in behind Lloyd, but abruptly halted when he heard Donnie’s voice.

  “Is something wrong?” the slight elf asked.

  Glo spun around and saw Donnie facing Ruka. The young teen stood with her arms folded across her chest, staring at Donnie defiantly. “I’m not getting any closer to that… thing.”

  Glo raised an eyebrow. Incredulous as it seemed, was it possible that the normally acerbic Ruka was actually afraid of the colossus? He peered closely at the young teen, but could detect no hint of fear about her. What is her problem then… unless, I’ve been right all along?

  If this girl they saw before them was not the real Ruka, then the anti-magic field would dispel any magic and reveal her true form. As Glo came to this realization, Alana pushed past the others, and stood next to the young teen, draping an armor-clad arm over the teen’s shoulders. “You all go ahead. We women warriors will wait back here.”

  “Thanks,” Ruka responded under her breath, so softly that Glo almost didn’t catch it.

  Donnie gazed from Alana to Ruka, then back again, and finally threw up his hands and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  The slight elf spun around and shooed the others forward. Glo gave the two women a wan smile, then also turned and followed the others toward the giant stone head. Elistra fell in beside him and whispered so softly he could barely hear her. “It’s just as well. I’m not quite sure how Donnie would take it if he saw her true form.”

  Glo gave the seeress a sidelong glance. He knew Elistra mirrored his own suspicions about Ruka, but now she not only sounded certain, but also implied that she knew the girl’s true form. Glo wanted to question her further, but now was not the time. He pushed any thoughts about Ruka from his mind, turning his attention back to the colossus. The closer they drew to the stone giant, the more details about it became evident. One thing in particular seemed to catch Askel’s attention—there was a crown atop the skeleton on the throne.

  “I want a closer look at that,” the little cleric stated definitively, not taking his eyes off the strange artifact. The companions reached the walkway that encircled the huge head, and swiftly discovered a set of stairs in back that led up to the top. Aksel headed straight for those stairs, and began to ascend them, his eyes fixated on the throne above.

  “Umm, Aksel?” Seth called out after the little cleric.

  “What?” the gnome replied, not turning his head, his voice sounding empty and hollow.

  “Maybe I should go first?”

  “Oh, right. Sure,” Aksel responded, his eyes still fixated on the throne above.

  Seth gave Glo a brief sidelong glance, his eyes filled with concern, then climbed up the stairs, taking a position in front of Aksel. Glo squinted his eyes, watching the little cleric carefully. He was acting rather strangely, almost possessed, in fact. Glo wasn’t sure what had come over Aksel, but he, too, was now concerned. He turned to Lloyd and whispered, “Maybe you should follow them?”

  Lloyd’s eyes swept from Glo to the ascending gnome and halfling. He gave Glo a quick nod, then took off up the stairs after them. Meanwhile, Elladan sidled up next to Glo.

  “What’s with Aksel?” the bard whispered.

  Glo shook his head. “I’m not exactly sure.” He peered over at Elistra. “Any ideas?”

  The seeress watched the trio ascend the stairs, a single finger resting on her lips. After a few moments, she shook her head. “It can’t be a compulsion. That wouldn’t work inside an anti-magic field.”

  “He’s from Caprizon, right?” Donnie asked from the other side of the seeress.

  “Yes,” Glo said with a nod.

  “That city
is built into stone cliffs. Perhaps he’s just fascinated with the enormity of Larketh’s creation,” Donnie reasoned.

  Glo peered back at the trio on the stairs. They had nearly reached the top. “Perhaps,” Glo answered softly. At least he hoped that’s all it was.

  Aksel slowly followed Seth up the stairs that led to the peak of the colossus. Just below the top, Seth halted and held up his hand. Aksel and Lloyd came to a sudden stop, and waited silently as the halfling crept up the last few steps. When he reached the peak, Seth carefully peered around, then waved the duo upward. Aksel rushed up those last steps, Lloyd right beside him, both pulling up short next to Seth.

  The top of the stone giant’s head was barren, except for the throne he had seen from the walkway below. The solid stone chair sat abreast a small circular platform, that was in turn attached to the enormous golem’s head. Seth silently motioned for the others to follow, then cautiously circled around the platform, till the front of the stone chair came into view. The skeleton sat there, unmoving on its throne, its empty eye sockets staring forward, unseeing.

  Aksel found himself strangely drawn to the crown the skeleton wore. He had felt a strange pull the moment he had first laid eyes on it, almost as if it was calling out to him. Yet he knew that was crazy. Magic couldn’t work here, nor could telepathy, or any other form of psionic ability. Still, there was no denying the weird attraction he felt. While Aksel mused over the strange lure of the crown, Seth knelt in front of the throne and searched all around. After a minute or so, he stood up and nodded to Aksel. “All clear.”

  “Thanks...” Without realizing it, Aksel had stepped up onto the platform and reached for the crown. Suddenly, he felt something grab his arm. Aksel nearly jumped, his eyes going wide as they fixed on a skeletal hand firmly wrapped around his wrist.

  “Yahhh!” Aksel screamed in terror. He tried to jerk his arm away, but found that the bony appendage held him fast. Furthermore, the creature’s other arm was now reaching for his throat! Aksel nearly screamed again, when a huge black blade swept down from nowhere, neatly severing the arm that had been reaching for him.