by Robert Day
The Dragon was silent at this, but his visage softened slightly as if he empathized with Valdieron's feelings, and Valdieron wondered if the Dragon could somehow read his thoughts. “Your dilemma brings to mind a saying once written by a Kay'taari scholar. ‘That which is gained without struggle or confrontation must be viewed with caution, for struggle and confrontation are the harbingers of power and success. Without these, granted power is hollow and without meaning, and will one day bring about one's downfall.’”
“Is that supposed to console me if I fail?” asked Valdieron humorlessly after a long pause.
The Dragon did not answer the rhetorical question. “Look back on what has befallen you since your first meeting with Astan-Valar. Every step of your journey has been fraught with travails and pitfalls. This is all part of the test, Valdieron, not the test of Kel'Valor, but the test of life. Up until now, you have shown you can stand up to these challenges and face them, even when the situation appears helpless.”
Valdieron winced as the memories of his recent past flooded back to him, as he had dreamed many nights. “That was necessity. Survival!” he pleaded disconsolately. “I do not need these answers. What if the answers are not what I want? What then? Will I find I have been living a lie up until this point?”
The Dragon's answering silence was infuriating, and Valdieron rose with a cry of anguish. He did not go anywhere, however, knowing those questions he had voiced had been for him to answer, not the Dragon. Finally he turned, the Dragon unmoved, and he gave a relenting nod.
“I will take the Test of Kel'Valor. Let me sleep.”
The Dragon snorted and settled back slightly, as if to say that he had known what would happen from the start. “There is a quicker way, Kay'taari. Take out your amulet and hold it before you, then close your eyes.” Valdieron did as he was instructed, feeling the Tear to be warm and softly glowing, a happy feeling as if greeting an old friend.
“Concentrate on Kel'Valor, then open your eyes. Only by doing it this way can you take the test.”
Valdieron again did as the Dragon instructed. With the image of the Dream Plane in his mind, he focused before opening his eyes. With a start, he found himself in Kel’Valor; surprised the Dragon's method had worked. Shrugging away the enigma, he scanned the plaza, searching for something, not knowing what, but knowing there was something he had to find. There was no sign of the Master, and the Combat Hall and Ambit were without light. The grey luminescence of Kel'Valor reminded Valdieron of a cemetery, and he shuddered.
Then it struck him, like an answer coming long after the question after the subconscious has time to dwell on it, and he turned to peer up into the lighter hue of the 'sky' above.
There above the Hall of Combat loomed the bulk of the Dragon as he had seen him many nights before, but this time it no longer rested atop the needle thin spire, but squatted atop the ledge over the archway of the Hall, taloned feet seeming braced against the precarious position. The Platinum dragon was obviously real, something he had speculated on but never known for truth, having never seen it shift. Settled in the crook of its shoulder and wing ridges was the Master, sitting atop an ornate golden saddle. A long Lance was clutched in one hand, pointing skyward, and Valdieron recognized it as the spire the Dragon had originally been perched upon, only much smaller.
“I am Valdieron, Kay'taari and student, come seeking the Glade of Truth. Will you grant me passage or seek to deny me my right?”
The question came out as a threatening challenge, though it was formal and somehow right, though why he had said them he did not know. It felt like the right thing to say, for some reason.
The Master's nod was imperceptible, and the Dragon lifted its head menacingly, making Valdieron think he had erred, but the giant emerald eyes continued to regard him.
“We have no power to keep you from that which you desire, Valdieron of the Kay'taari, but know there is a price to take the test. Will you pay it?”
Valdieron nodded, knowing without knowing this price would come in the form of understanding and commitment to that which he discovered, which would amount to nothing if he were to fail the test and spend the rest of his life searching for the Glade. “That which is capable of being paid shall be agreed!” More formality, and he had to shake his head in wonder this time, for the words had come without thought.
In the distance, there was a low rumbling, and the Dragon's faceted eyes shifted towards the source of the noise, as if he could see through the very stones, though there was no doubting the source. “Go and seek that which has eluded you, Valdieron, and remember, knowledge always has a price.”
Valdieron turned without further word towards the stairs that led to the testing ground. Silently descending the dark stone stairs, he could see in the distance the arched doorway, which had previously been closed, was now open. Beyond it he could see nothing but a pale orange glow, like the ambient light from a window on a foggy night. His gaze locked onto this as he strode forward, his skin itching with nervousness, but his steps were unfaltering. Three paces from the doorway he slowed slightly, casting a fleeting glance over his shoulder, not knowing what he was looking for and finding nothing. Turning back, he squinted against the dim glow of the veil that hung inside the archway like a curtain of fire, and with held breath he stepped into it.
There was a moment of darkness, followed by a glimmering swirl of lights of varying hues, and then his vision was back to normal as he found himself in a dark passageway. To either side rose fifteen-foot walls of flat dark stone, unmarred by crack or vine. Spinning, he found his way blocked by wall, and a moment of panic overwhelmed him as he wondered if he was stuck in this place forever, with no way to return. He quickly quelled this uneasiness and turned back to stare down the dark passage, which was hidden in darkness fifty feet ahead. Overhead, there was no roof; only what he thought was the veil of the night sky, though there was no moon or stars and no light.
He moved his hand to the hilt of his sword, expecting it to be there and giving a sigh of relief when he found it was. He was naked from the waist up, however, the thin leather of the baldric running over his chest and shoulder. He wore no shoes, and his hair was as it had been since meeting the Darishi, several braided lengths running through it.
His first step echoed hollowly through the hall, making him pause and listen for the reverberations and possible repercussions of so much noise. He did not know what sort of challenges he would be met with, but he had his sword, so he was sure some would not be to his liking.
As careful as he was, every step he made echoed through the passageway like a beacon, and it was with a sigh that he clutched his sword tighter and continued on, hoping that if he made so much noise when he walked, then so should anything else he might meet.
He was wrong.
The passageway extended for about fifty paces before coming to an intersection, equally dark passages springing off in every direction. He cautiously peered down each and made to continue straight ahead when a shadowy form emerged from the darkness ahead. He saw it was a large cat, and for a fleeting moment he thought it was Kaz, until he noted its sleek black hide resembled smooth leather rather than fur, and its eyes blazed with an orange fire that was all too familiar. The great cat leapt from twenty feet away, soaring easily above the high walls. Its trajectory was straight at him, and with a start that almost cost him dearly, he dived forward under the beast.
He saw as he did the creature was not a true cat, though he had heard of dark furred great cats from the south. This one had an almost horse like head, its maw extended and opened to show rows of razor sharp teeth like dagger points as it screamed a cry. Its claws clicked on the stone floor behind him as it landed, scraping to show it struggled to turn and slow, and he wondered dimly why he heard it now and not before.
He rose lightly and turned, his sword held to his left side, point high in a double handed grip. The cat had turned and was lunging at him, this time rearing with a great hiss as it shuffled towards h
im on its hind legs, its forelegs swatting at him.
With a challenging cry, Valdieron stepped forward then back, feinting to get the cat dropping forward, then brought the Dragonsword up and then down in a diagonal arc that caught the rearing beast above the shoulder. There was a brief coruscation as the blade dug into the tough hide, startling him but seeming to double the pain the cat felt as the blade sheared its flesh and then bone. The blow should not have been as effective as it was, slicing through the other side of the beast with a lasting hiss. As if propelled by some force, the cat was thrown back where it lay unmoving for several moments, dark blood seeping onto the stone from the cut, which seemed shallow, but had obviously bit deep.
Breathing heavily from the rush of the fleeting encounter, Valdieron glanced around, searching for others waiting in the darkness beyond his vision, but there were no more that he could see. Turning back for a final look at the creature, he found it had disappeared, leaving no traces of it ever having existed, not even the dark stain of blood.
“What in blazes was that?” he asked softly, thankful his whispered words were not enhanced as his footwalls were. The creature reminded him of the Devil from the Temple in Northern Ariakus, and it seemed to have been affected in much the same way when hit with his Dragonsword.
The passage continued on for another twenty or thirty paces. There were no distinguishing features to give him any indication he was getting anywhere, and even another four way intersection had him turning to see if he had been turned around, but there was no way to tell, so he turned back to make a decision on which way to go.
This time he opted for left, realizing one way was as good as another seeing as he did not know which direction to go. He carefully stepped into the intersection, sword held at the ready, so that when the second dark figure appeared, running at him from the darkness, he was not as surprised.
At least not by its presence.
It was humanoid in form, taller than he by more than a head, with hairless, pale gray skin stretched taut over muscle and bone. Its head was brutish, with dominant brow and maw, the latter of which showed canine teeth as it drew back in a sneer. It clutched two heavy swords in its clawed hands, both of which were far larger than Valdieron's longsword. He recognized them as Broadswords from his limited study of weaponry in Thorhus, though they were made of dark metal with vicious looking barbs protruding from a third of the way up the blade.
The creature charged Valdieron on silent feet, though it screamed a cry that was primal in its fury and intent, causing him a moment of indecision. The pause almost cost him again as the monster arced a powerful sweep at his head, which he managed to duck before having to roll away from a following thrust. He had to change his roll mid way through, also, as the creature was faster than he expected, aiming another thrust at his head, missing by just enough to tear away a few of his hairs before striking the hard stone with a resounding clank, which did not mark the ground, despite its intensity.
Fortunately for Valdieron, the creature paused in its frenzy to give another howl of rage. Taking a deep breath and willing himself to concentrate, he met the creature's next attack.
Dragonsword met Darksword in an overhead pass that threw up coruscating sparks as the blades slid along each other before parting, the creature's second weapon unmoving as the creature pressed against Valdieron, its foul smelling breath making Valdieron shiver along with the proximity of its vampirish maw.
They parted quickly, each with a thrust, then they met again, only this time Valdieron again let the creature lead, swaying like a branch in the breeze to evade a slashing cut before arcing his sword down to sweep aside the creature's second dark blade, which snaked in at his torso. Another shower of sparks flew as the dark sword was barely turned, such was the creature's strength, but it was enough for Valdieron to aim a kick at the creature's brutish face.
As quick as it was, the beast could not evade the snap-kick that caught it flush on the jaw. There was a sharp crack followed instantly by a howl of pain, so close the sounds merged as one. Hopping back hastily with a defensive sweep of his sword, Valdieron noted blood running from the creature's mouth, its jaw hanging slack and obviously broken.
It tried to howl again, but its maw was too damaged, turning it into a muted cry of pain. Anger seemed to overcome the pain, however, as its large black eyes narrowed and it moved to attack.
Slashing across himself, Valdieron was forced into a series of flashing parries as he backpedalled quickly so as not to be overcome by the charging creature. It seemed to thrive on the pain, its fury increased tenfold on what it had been before he had struck it. Intensity was no compensation for skill or technical soundness, however, so when Valdieron spotted it open after missing on a leading thrust, he stepped in and finished it with a thrust that slid easily up to the hilt of his sword. This time, there seemed to come a pulse from his sword, once again sending the creature stumbling back, almost tearing the sword free from his grasp. The demon landed heavily on the ground, dark swords striking the stone with hollow pings.
This time he did not remove his gaze from the creature, nor did he move any closer to it. That it was dead was obvious, but he had seen too many strange things recently to suggest it no longer posed a threat to him.
He slowly began to back down the passage, deeper into the left one he had entered, torn between scanning behind and keeping his eyes on the dead creature. As it was, he tried both, and failed at both.
The body flickered at the periphery of his vision as he tried to watch both it and the darkness into which he was sidling, but when he turned his gaze back to it, there was no trace it also had existed, and he let out a muffled curse. As such, he almost did not perceive the attack coming from behind him, and as he rolled, a sharp pain exploded in his side and he screamed. The force of it threw him off balance, and he rolled awkwardly to his feet in a crouch.
He first thought his attacker was a troll, for it towered at least to the height of the walls, though instantly there were recognizable differences. Its hide, though hairy, was dark like coal and smoother than a troll's coarse hide. Its head was large, with protruding jaw, where two curved teeth arced from its mouth like small daggers beside its broad nose, while a lock of thick dark hair hung from the back of a horned but otherwise bald head.
Rippling muscles were clear beneath its hide, as huge human hands grasped a long hafted axe with a blade shaped like a crescent moon, with an arced point projecting from its tip. It was this tip that was stained with blood, Valdieron's blood, dripping softly onto the pale stone floor, sounding like blows of a hammer to Valdieron's ears as he watched them, the pain and hurt fading as he focused upon this.
With a deep throated growl, the creature attacked, its huge axe going overhead before chopping down with great speed and numbing force as it stepped forward, too far away and then too fast for him to take advantage of the wide opening. He knew he could not hope to block such an attack, so he rolled backwards in an attempt to evade it. He was surprised but glad when the foudroyant strike whistled past him as he went backwards, though he underestimated the damage done to his side. Rolling heavily, he gasped as fire like pain lanced through his nerves, seeking the fastest route to his brain, coursing through his neck like red hot needles. His muscles jerked spasmodically and he wavered, his grip lost on his sword as he struggled to gain balance and rise.
Luckily for him, his sword clattered off the hard stone to the side, and the bull like humanoid turned towards it, its axe jerking back and lashing out. The axe cracked loudly against the wall, sending a spray of dark sparks from the sable axe, though once again, there seemed to be no effect to the impenetrable stone.
The creature gave a howl of fury and swung again, this time not striking the wall, but finding nothing in what seemed to be a wild attack, as if hoping to strike something. It seemed to sniff at the air disdainfully as it finished.
It was blind!
The revelation came to Valdieron as he began to take a step, and t
he beast turned sharply. He realized it could not see, relying solely on its other senses to find him. It sniffed again, and with a growl of triumph it turned and charged at him.
With a cry and a silent curse he began to scurry back, but realized the beast was not going to attack with its axe, but was instead going to charge him, using its bulk and vicious horns as a weapon. This forced him into another roll, forward and to the side of the beast, and he was thankful its bulk did not allow it to turn sharply, but even so, it managed to alter its direction slightly and aim a glancing strike at him one handed, the softer attack striking ground behind him as he passed beneath it.
With a hiss his sword rose as he grasped its hilt, and although it was like a beacon for the beast, he assumed it could not accurately locate him without at least stopping to smell or hear him. He almost regretted his assumption as it stopped several feet from him and swung an arcing blow into empty air, scant inches in front of his face, though a little high.
A thought struck him and he acted without delay, taking a heavy step forward and flicking his weapon up high so that it hissed in the still air. Baited, the creature reversed its axe and swung again mightily at where it thought Valdieron was. It was high and short again, however, and Valdieron was able to step beneath it and lunge forward with a double handed thrust into the creature's stomach, rising to cut through lungs and other vital organs. Dark blood and gore flowed from the wound as he pulled his blade free, and there did not seem to be an impact as had affected the last two creatures he had faced, but he guessed it would have had to be a great shock to move such a huge being. Still, its pained cry turned quickly to a dying whisper as it sagged, the huge axe falling to the stone with a resounding clatter.
With a relieved sigh that turned to a groan of pain, he clutched at his side, looking down to find a gaping wound, not deep but enough that a simple press or bandage would probably be of little use. Ruing he had no bandages or means of treating it, he decided he would have to endure it, though when he looked down at it a few moments later, the blood did not seem to be flowing as freely, and it even looked as if it was pulling together at the fringes.