by C. M. Carney
Grimliir grinned and explained that they'd designed the Hub to be a secure place for the Port Gate should Gryph discover a way to create a Node to power the long-distance transportation device. Coupled with the gauntlet of death in the entrance tunnel, the Hub would be a powerful defensive bulwark against a Port Gate incursion.
“I’ve got a question,” Lex said, his tone that of a movie nerd eager to point out plot holes in the latest summer blockbuster. He stepped to the edge of the empty platform and turned to face the others. “Say we get the Port Gate in here and working, what’s stopping his High Douchiness, or anyone else for that matter, from porting directly into the heart of our fair city?”
“Apart from nobody else having Port Icons?” Gryph said, holding back a grin. Gryph had been expecting this objection, and the eager joy in Lex’s snide tone. A slight upturn of Grimliir’s mouth said he was enjoying it. Raathiel sent a private tsk tsk through their link, but it too held a twinge of humor.
“As far as we know,” Lex said, his finger raised like the obnoxious, but brilliant, scientist character in every sci-fi drama. “But we cannot assume that this is true, or if it is, that it will remain so going forward. Doing so would be falling victim to a logical fallacy.” Lex strutted onto the edge of the central platform, his back to the gate platform, sure and proud of himself.
“So, yer sayin’ we need some kinda defensive countermeasures in case some bastards try to invade?” Grimliir asked.
“Yes.” Lex placed both hands on his hips.
“If only I’d thought of that,” Grimliir said, hand to mouth in mock contemplation. Without looking back, the Steward yelled. “Gwaaline, if you would please.”
Lex looked past Grimliir to the assistant at the control panel, suspicion beginning to purse his lips. Gryph reached out and grabbed a handful of his NPC’s robes and held tight. Lex smacked at his hand and complained. “Hey guy, why so handsy?”
Before the NPC could struggle further, the gate platform plummeted with a rush of air and a grating of metal on stone. Lex pinwheeled his arms and might have fallen over the edge if it were not for Gryph’s tight grip.
A roar filled the room, followed by a bright light and a rush of heat. Lex grabbed Gryph’s arm like a drowning man onto a life preserver and an unmanly squeal pushed past his lips. A second later he’d regained a bit of his composure, glared at Gryph and peered over the edge of the platform.
Along the floor of the lower hemisphere of the chamber, a long, thin set of previously hidden doors had opened. They stretched from the far wall all the way to the underside of the future gate platform. At Grimliir’s command, the doors had snapped open plunging the Port Gate platform and its support arm into a fiery river of lava that ran below the Hub.
“Holy shit, you made a Blofeld lava death trap,” Lex squealed, his anger buried beneath wide eyed joy.
“What in the Abyss is a Blofeld?” Ovrym asked.
“James Bond. You Only Live Twice. 1967. Blofeld, the bad guy had a volcano lair just like this.” Lex hugged the dwarf fiercely to him. “I love you, man.”
Grimliir’s wide eyes looked up at Gryph, arms rigid at his side in uncomfortable confusion. “Aye, well, yer welcome laddie. But let’s hope that we never have tae use it.”
Gryph gazed down on the bubbling torrent of lava and agreed. The heat pouring from the river of lava stole his breath away, and he imagined the devastation it could do to any enemy foolish enough to invade.
Grimliir nodded to his assistant, and the platform raised up through the flowing magma, glowing a fierce orange. The dwarven Earth Mistress Reynglain had bolstered the stone’s already potent resistance to heat to ensure that the platform and the high brass strut were immune to the ravages of the molten rock. The gang watched as the red-hot platform cooled in moments, far quicker than natural stone. The quick cool function was the product of the six nodules of Concentrated Water Elemental Remnant Gryph had harvested from the Denizen of the Deep.
“This is amazing Grimliir, truly beyond all of my expectations.”
“Apparently you need tae up yer expectations then boyo,” Grimliir said with a grin.
“I’ll admit, despite you fella’s complete lack of respect for my safety, that was one damn impressive presentation, but I have a question.” Lex paused awaiting permission to continue. When none was forthcoming, the NPC continued his rant. “Why come here now?” Lex asked. “We don’t have a Node or a Port Gate. Shouldn’t we be focusing on finding Cerrunos so I can kick him in the jumblies and give him a piece of my mind?”
“Your daddy issues aside, that is why we’ve come here,” Vonn said, leaning casually against the control platform. On seeing Lex’s blank stare, he explained further. “We’re about to open a doorway to the private Realm of a god. A god who has gone to great lengths not to be found.”
“And doors open both ways,” Lex said, understanding dawning. He looked over the edge, nodding further appreciation at the Hub’s defensive capabilities.
A dour mood fell over the Adventure Group, leaving it to Gryph to raise their morale.
“We will open the doorway to Cerrunos here. Beyond lies a Realm whose rules we do not understand, whose denizens are surely hostile. Grimliir will protect our home while we are gone.” Gryph looked from one member of his group to the next. “We must prevail. We will find Cerrunos and he will tell me how to remove a Godhead. Then, we take this fight to Aluran, and the High God will know fear.”
As one, the members of his party brought their right fists to their chest, smacking them twice in salute. As if sensing a signal Grimliir turned and nodded to the pair of paladins guarding the massive stone doors. The armored elves lowered their heads in salute and pulled the doors open.
Standing beyond was a cadre of warborn, a squad of rangers, and surprisingly a pair of crystal arachnids. The group marched towards the Adventure Group and Grimliir smiled at Gryph’s look of surprise.
“Further insurance and a parting gift for ye and the boys.”
The warborn and rangers took up positions around the platform, ready to defend against any incursion. The two spiders walked to Gryph. The first, who Gryph realized was Akashiri, brought her foreleg to her eyes in salute.
It is good to see you once more Lord Stone.
“And you, Your Majesty, but I am bewildered by your presence.”
I come with a gift and some aid. She reached underneath her and pulled a package stuck to her underside with webbing. She removed the sticky webs before handing the package to Gryph. He unwrapped the silk cloth to find a woven suit of silver armor. His Identify talent triggered.
You have found Magebane Aegis (Light Armor)(Chaos Magic).
Item Class: Major - Item Category: Passive/Active.
AC Bonus: +22 (+5 Major Item Bonus).
This fine suit of silver black material provides the same protection as a full set of Enhanced Elven Chain Mail and has Mana Reducing and Absorbing Capabilities.
Passive Power (1):
Mana Reduction: The effectiveness of all incoming spells is reduced by 0.5% per level of Chaos Magic Mastery.
Passive Power (2):
Mana Absorption: When worn the armor will absorb 0.5% of the mana of any spell per level of Chaos Magic mastery. It adds this mana to the user’s existing mana pool.
Passive Power (3):
Fitted: This armor is tailored for Gryph. +20% AC Bonus and +20% speed.
NOTE: This armor was repaired by a skilled Mystical Weaver.
The armor, which resembled athletic gear, fit under his existing breastplate, adding a whole other layer of protection. Coupled with the mana reducing and absorbing properties, the armor was a powerful gift. Gryph was overwhelmed and said as much to Akashiri.
It is the least I could do to repay you for what you have done for me and my children, and I am not one who does the least. She stood aside and the other glass spider, this one larger and fiercer looking than Akashiri, stepped forth. This is Agarathon. I have tasked him to join
you on your quest. I believe your Adventure Group allows for six members.
“It does,” Gryph said. “But I cannot ask you to send him with us.”
It is a good thing I am a queen and you a mere lord. I outrank you and therefore your objection is moot. A strong tone of amusement pushed through the link, but Gryph also felt her stern certainty. She would not be argued out of this.
Gryph bowed to her. “Then thank you Akashiri.” He turned to the large spider as he added him to the Adventure Group. “And welcome Agarathon. You honor us with your presence.”
“Yeah. So cool,” Lex said and then raised his hand. “I call dibs on using the big fella as a mount.” A look of panic crossed Lex’s face upon realizing he may have overstepped his bounds. “Assuming that’s a thing you guys do.”
29
Gryph and his Adventure Group walked onto the gate platform. Errat and Ovrym stepped to Gryph’s right, while Vonn and Agarathon went to his left. Raathiel flew down and curled around Gryph’s shoulders, her very presence helping to soothe his nerves. Lex toed the edge of the platform cautiously, testing that it had cooled sufficiently after its dip into the fiery river. Satisfied, he stood at the center, in front of Gryph.
The warborn and rangers fanned out on the main platform, ready to deal with any threats. Grimliir stood at the Hub’s control panel and would drop the platform into the magma if something came through from the other side.
“Do me a favor Grimmy ol’ pal, don’t get an itchy trigger finger and drop us.”
“Dinnae worry laddie, I never go off prematurely, but if ye call me Grimmy again, I’ll make an exception for ye.”
Lex’s face screwed up in disgust, his mind going to the gutter, but he mumbled an apology to the venerable artificer. The NPC shook his shoulders out like a pro athlete and bounced from one foot to another, trying to ease his nerves. Gryph placed a calming hand on the short Ordonian’s shoulder and whispered.
“You can do this, man.”
“Easy for you to say,” you’re not about to perform acapella karaoke in front of this crowd.”
“Your embarrassment is nothing compared to the pain we’ll endure,” Vonn muttered, earning a glare from Lex.
“Dude, not helping.” Vonn shrugged in half apology as Lex opened the Writ of Cerrunos. “Everyone ready? Okay good.” Without waiting for a reply, Lex began to chant. His voice was not as terrible as Gryph had expected.
When Lex had finally read his copy of The Writ of Cerrunos, he’d discovered that it was no copy at all, but the original, scribed by Cerrunos himself. Apparently Lex, as The Lexicon of Cerrunos, had the ability to unlock the Writ enabling him to access secrets hidden in its pages for millennia. Among those was a simple hymn that promised entry to Cerrunos’ hidden Realm.
The Incantation of Entry sounded, to Gryph’s ears, like a typical religious litany. It praised Cerrunos as the god among gods, demanded that those seeking to commune with the deity be pure of intention and called on other deities to forswear their own powers in his majestic presence.
Lex finished chanting, a blessing in its own right, and stood waiting. Nothing happened
“Well, that was embarrassing and pointless.”
“I think I have a migraine,” Ovrym grumbled, pressing fingers into his temples.
“Errat thinks friend Lex has a lovely voice. Perhaps someday we could sing together.”
The warborn looked to be about to break into song when a prompt popped into the Adventure Group's vision.
You must make a Binding Vow to enter The Realm of Perpetual Twilight.
Vows are powerful promises made binding and are enforced by the ancient magics of the Realms and will inflict severe penalties if the Vow is broken.
To enter the private Realm of Cerrunos, the Great Collector, Gryph’s Adventure Group must acknowledge the God Cerrunos’ divine superiority in all things and swear that their hearts and their intentions are pure. Other gods who enter the Realm of Perpetual Twilight will disavow their divinity for the duration of their visit. The Great Hunt Awaits You.
Penalty for Betrayal: Ultimate Doom.
Gryph considered what the vague phrase, ‘swear that their hearts and their intentions are pure’ meant. He knew Cerrunos had shown himself to be a coward. Perhaps this was his way of extracting a promise to do him no harm without actually saying those words. After all a god could not show weakness. Is he in denial of his true nature? Gryph wondered.
Remember, like you and Aluran, Cerrunos was not always a god. Beings from the Mortal Realm rarely understand their true nature, Raathiel sent. Any further consideration of the topic was pushed from his mind by Lex.
“What the hell kinda vow is this?” Lex sputtered. “Sounds like a madman made it?”
“Seems exactly like a god you’d worship,” Vonn said.
“Happy Hunting Awaits? Ultimate Doom? That doesn’t sound ominous at all.” Lex exchanged looks with the others. “Yeah, my god sounds like a pompous dick.”
Though he agreed with Lex, Gryph knew there was no choice but to accept the terms. Perhaps the vague language of the vow would give him some wiggle room. What were pure intentions? And pure to whom? Gryph agreed to the Binding Vow, and the now familiar surge of warmth flowed through him.
One by one the others agreed, leaving Lex the lone holdout. “Okay, we’re gonna do this, but if anyone can think of a way I can kick Cerrunos in the balls without it violating my pure intentions, I’m all ears.”
For a moment nothing happened, but then Lex began to glow. Before anyone could react the light expanded outwards passing over and through the members of the Adventure Group. The light went to blinding, and the world shifted.
The world flashed and then thundered and the smell of ozone and burnt grass filled Gryph’s nostrils. Before his eyes cleared, a light wind brushed across his face bringing the scent of an old-world forest. He blinked the spots from his eyes as the chirping of birds and the hum of insects reached his ears. The ground beneath him was pliant grass.
By the time his vision finally cleared the pain in his head, the throb that always accompanied transitions between Realms, had also faded. I guess I’m becoming an old hand at realm walking, he thought. He gazed around at a verdant paradise that would have been the envy of the greatest fantasy writers of Earth.
Then Lex vomited, ruining the moment.
“Man, I hate traversing space-time,” the NPC said, wiping his mouth against the sleeve of his robes. He hung, bent over for another few seconds before lurching back to a standing position. “Just for this Cerrunos, ol’ pal, I’m gonna kick those nards with a bit of extra oomph.”
The others drew weapons and made a defensive perimeter about the NPC. Gryph took in the surroundings. They'd arrived in a small clearing in the middle of a forest. While it had the diversity of life of a jungle, its flora and fauna was unlike anything Gryph had ever seen, either in the Realms or on Earth.
The trunks and branches of the trees spun in slow lazy whorls, and not a single straight line was among them. The colors of their bark and leaves and even their flowers were off, all silver and blues and deep oranges.
“It truly is the Realm of Perpetual Twilight,” Ovrym stated, looking skyward where the myriad colors of a sunset painted the clouds. It was achingly beautiful, but still unnerving. For twilight was the time when hunters came.
A small winged creature zipped towards them and a small surge of panic filled Gryph on realizing it was a pixie-like creature known as a lutin. A memory of a swarm of the crazed amateur barbers surged inside him. “Whatever you do, do not offer these buggers a lock of your hair.” He had made that mistake upon their arrival in the ruins of Xygarrion after their escape from the Barrow. His dignity, and appearance, had suffered for the error.
“You gave a lutin some of your hair?” Vonn asked, his expression a battle between bewilderment and respect. “You are a braver man than me.” Vonn swatted the pesky pixie-like creature away, and it zipped back into the canopy of trees.
With the others on guard for a potential attack, Gryph examined their immediate surroundings. The clearing was perfectly circular, and the charred grass at their feet suggested a bolt of lightning had impacted the ground beneath them. That fit with the events of their arrival.
He turned, examining the rest of the clearing. All seemed normal, or as normal as anything in this odd Lewis Carrol meets Dr. Seuss realm could be, when his gaze fell on another charred spot a dozen feet from where they stood, and his heart skipped a beat.
“We need to hurry. Someone else got here before us.”
30
The others turned to see the second charred spot and its meaning was clear. Someone else had already entered the realm. Someone else had come for Cerrunos. The list of potential suspects that came to mind was small and none of them boded well. Aluran topped the list, but he was not the only one. Given their recent run-ins with the Princes of Chaos, their rival may very well be one of their servants, perhaps even the chaos cultists known as the Vex. It could also be a member of Brynn’s Resistance, a mysterious organization that worked against Aluran, but whose membership and aims, apart from opposing the High God, were nebulous at best.
“So, what now?” Lex asked. “Not the best time to laze about and have a picnic. If somebody else gets to Cerrunos before us…” He let the rest go unsaid, for all knew what he meant. If another faction discovered how to remove a Prime Godhead, then Gryph would be the first target. If Aluran did, then the game was over.
“There is a path,” Ovrym said and pointed to a gap in the trees. A moment of silence hung, as visions of the obvious trap implied by the one clear route forward filled their minds.
Gryph was about to say there was little choice, when a wrenching pain exploded inside the center of his forehead. He screamed and collapsed to his knees. Within seconds several pairs of hands were on him, but he couldn't see any of them through his agony clenched eyes.