It's hard to say, dwarf. Try it and see.
He chose not to respond and looked at his companions as they stood to make plans on how to proceed.
"Can you tell if there are any goblins left here, Glorýa?" Greffel asked.
Glorýa walked to the edge of the small pathway that led down to the destroyed gates of Dor'Éssyn and raised her hands as she cast a spell under her breath. Greffel looked around as the air became still and grew alive with a static charge. He held up his hand and noticed the small hairs standing straight up, and as he turned to look at his sister, he saw a ghostly form fly off to the citadel. Glorýa stood there in a trance, whispering unintelligible words, her eyes glazed over. Draegos approached the two.
"She's trying to see if we have any more goblins in the area."
"I didn't know your sister was a Spirit Walker," Draegos said as he watched her. She was beautiful to him, her deep eyes of honey, her fair complexion. He looked around the area, making sure they would not be surprised, and he turned back to look at Glorýa. Her hair blew softly in the light breeze from the valley, and he noticed the auburn streaks that ran through it.
Greffel saw the spiritual scout float back to his sister, her eyes cleared, and she came out of her reverie. She blinked a few times and then turned to face Draegos.
"There's a Triad," she stated nervously.
"What the Hells is a Triad?" Greffel asked.
"Three Magi who link their powers are called a Triad. They can be quite powerful," Draegos answered dryly.
As the three companions were talking, a group of dwarfs managed to escape the ruins and headed down the pathway towards them. They were not alone, as a horde of goblins began spilling out of the same ruins towards them. The three each grabbed their weapons and started running towards the fleeing dwarfs. As they ran, Glorýa shouted out a spell, "Dýn'nathru'eveska!”[17]
From the sky came huge boulders of fire, slamming down on the pursuing goblins and killing scores of them. The dwarfs ran past the three adventurers, and Draegos raised his ax as he continued his charge. He could feel the rage swelling deep inside, and he decided to give in to it. The first of the goblins were within striking range, and Draegos could taste their fear on his lips.
He swung low, cutting at the knees of several goblins as he ran by them, ducking and rolling to strike out at several other goblins. He hit them in the necks, blood spraying in all directions, and he reached out with his right hand and grabbed at others to bring them towards himself. He head-butted them and left them for the gnome to finish off. Draegos continued his slaughter as he waded through the lines of the goblin fodder. Head butts and ax swipes. He slowly breathed as he hacked away at the monsters seeking to eliminate his people. He would not go down without a fight.
Greffel flipped up and over a group of goblins who tried to hit him in the air, and he turned to face the other group making their way up the walls of the giant crevice. Glorýa uttered another spell and threw her blade. It transformed into a gigantic scythe sliding down the icy wall taking hundreds of goblins with it. She turned and watched her brother slice the head off of a nearby goblin.
Draegos felt the impact of a hammer on his right side and staggered to the side to collect his thoughts and deflect the incoming blow. He parried it, stepped to his left, and held his right hand up saying a single word, "Gálye!”[18] The goblin stopped, shook, and then exploded. Draegos brought down the ax on the next goblin and split its skull in two. He felt it, the rising power inside, and he embraced it fully.
His form grew, his weapon glowed, and his mind became very clear. He stood in front of a group of twenty goblins who were charging him, and he roared. He then took two huge steps and swiped across with his ax, taking five heads as he rolled behind the remaining numbers. Again, he let out a roar and jumped into the air towards their backs. He landed upon them and savagely tore at their bodies like a rabid wolf. He hacked, he kicked, and he bit the ears of the goblins, unleashing his pent-up rage and giving in to the darkness.
Greffel dispatched the few goblins that had managed to pass Draegos and witnessed the magic of the dwarf. The dwarf was as big as a half-giant and was tearing up the goblins all around him. It was an intense scene unfolding as he began to realize that they just might not make it through this. He straightened up and charged the group of goblins, willing to give it his all like the dwarf was doing.
Glorýa saw him running to help Draegos, so she cast a spell upon her brother, "Buý'dath'ny'verunym!”[19] Then she continued to throw forth fire bolts to keep any of the goblins from creeping out of the crevice.
Greffel felt himself quicken, his mind racing ahead to targets, and as Draegos attacked them high, the gnome came in low. With his two daggers, he cut at the ankles and knees while the dwarf tore their heads off. In and out the gnome ran, creating chaos and working at cutting down their chances for escape. Finally, he saw the commanding goblin nearby and decided to face off with the daring goblin.
Draegos continued to attack the goblins spilling out. Hundreds of them surrounded the giant dwarf as he swung his ax across and cut scores of them down. He was frothing at the mouth as he spewed messages of death forward. He stopped for a moment and let the goblins overwhelm him. A bright flash, a thunderous boom, and the dwarf threw every single one off into the dark crevice. He turned just in time to see Greffel engage the goblin commander.
Glorýa raced up to stand beside the gigantic dwarf and turned back towards the Ice Tunnels. She yelled a command, raised her hands, and a bolt of fire shot at the top of the tunnels. The whole side of the mountain came crashing down, sealing the Ice Tunnels forever and saving the lives of the fleeing dwarfs. Then she turned back towards Greffel and noticed the dwarf and him standing back to back. She held her palms toward the ground, chanted another spell, and began to rise into the air.
Her hair flowed all around as the winds took her even higher into the air. Her eyes were now ablaze with a cobalt fire, and her skin began to glow a dark blue. She remained focused and raised her right hand, turned it towards the massive goblin horde, and shot a stream of blue plasma. It disintegrated everything it touched, and the goblins began to flee the scene—they had lost their will to fight these three combatants.
The whole ruined face of the Citadel exploded outward, taking a large number of goblins with it as Greffel and the commander exchanged blows, and a group of three casters entered the fray. Draegos was thrown against the icy walls and fell to the ground as Glorýa turned her magic on what was emerging from the burning ruins. She saw the group of casters descending upon Greffel and Draegos, moving to intercept them.
"What is done cannot be undone. The Worm of Fire comes for its prize," one of the hags roared.
"See what darkness has come for you!" the second witch screamed.
"Burn for all eternity in the worm's belly!" the third hag joined in.
Draegos heard the threats and stood as quickly as he could, the pain racing through his legs and hands, his vision blurred by the hard hit off the ice wall. He gripped his ax and dagger, preparing for the attack, but instead the trio of casters finished with their spell and disappeared with a flash. Glorýa landed next to Draegos and offered him a potion of regeneration. As the dwarf quaffed it, she turned to help Greffel fight against the goblin commander.
The goblin swung his long blade at the fast gnome, who ducked under it and countered with a blow to the gut his right foot. Then the fast little miscreant rolled between his adversary’s legs and punched straight up as he passed. The goblin let out a howl and turned to strike at the offensive pest. The gnome was too quick and dodged it easily, which he then countered with a slice of his daggers across the commander's face. Again the goblin howled as frustration overwhelmed it and the gnome smirked while taunting.
"Oh, that's right!" he said to the goblin. "You can't handle the gnome! He's too quick for yer slow mind!" Then the gnome went to jump to the left of the goblin, but the commander saw the move coming and punched instead.
<
br /> It landed right on the left side of the gnome's head; his ears popped and filled with a loud ringing, and he staggered back a few steps.
"Not so tough now, huh, runt?" the goblin roared as he stepped closer to strike.
"But he has friends!" Draegos yelled. He stepped up behind the goblin and thrust his dagger through the chest of the assailant. Blood spurted out towards the gnome, as the look of horror on his face was replaced by one of thankfulness and relief.
Then Draegos stepped into the dagger and jerked it up and back down. He was covered in the gore of his kills, drenched in their blood, and satiated by their deaths. His breathing began to slow as he pulled the dagger free and tossed the body over the edge. As the three settled next to each other, watching the body fall, they noticed a burning light from the pit into which the goblin had fallen.
"Oh, Draegos . . . I don't like what I am seeing," Greffel muttered and then shook his head trying to be free of the ringing in his ears.
"Please tell me you set the goblin on fire when you tossed him over," Glorýa said, her eyes locked on the unknown source of rising light.
"Something about that light seems familiar," Draegos replied to them. "And I am not liking the feeling I am having."
It's like the worm from Dor'Vienum, come to take your friends away.
I'll die with them then, the dwarf thought.
You can't. You have a destiny to fulfill.
To Hell with your destiny.
I can tell you where the stone is, the snow agate, it's quite close.
But then I’ll have to leave my friends. I won't be able to save them.
Not likely.
A choice. Get the stone or save my friends.
You learn quick, dwarf. What shall it be?
I chose my friends then, damn your destiny.
"The stone is nearby," Draegos said while they watched the blazing light fill the pit.
"It's kind of crazy that we’re just standing here, isn't it?" Greffel asked, unable to pry his eyes from the strange fires.
"Sort of like we've been hypnotized," Glorýa added.
"We are. Like we were at Dor'Vienum before the citadel was swallowed up," Draegos informed his companions.
Glorýa blinked her eyes several times as she heard the last statement by Draegos, and shook herself out of the reverie. Then she slapped Greffel, who snapped out of his and looked at her with a sour look, and then she slapped Draegos. He blinked twice, tears welled up in his eye, and he took off into the ruins of Dor'Éssyn. The gnomes exchanged a look of surprise and then prepared for the worm that was quickly climbing up the pit.
Tell me where the stone is, Draegos thought.
Focus on the ax. Visualize the white, marbled quartz stone. Feel its power resonating.
At once he began feeling the snow agates' presence, its power calling to be joined with the ax from whence it came. He held the ax and let it guide him to its missing part, twisting through debris and collapsed tunnels, climbing stairs, and jumping down into pits until at last, he found the crumbling vault. The ground began to shake under his feet.
Meanwhile, Greffel and Glorýa watched as the serpentine worm climbed its way up the deep pit. It's giant maw gnashed as its two limbs rapidly scaled the cliff walls, slithering up the icy crevice towards the two small gnomes. Glorýa prepared to lash out with a mighty spell of fire, while Greffel loaded his crossbow with some enchanted bolts. The two firmly stood as they watched the immensity of the situation unfold in front of them.
"Oh, how the Hell do we make it through this, twin?" Greffel asked, his face showing his worry.
"The same as we always do brother, with faith and magic!" she replied, winked, and returned her gaze to the rapidly approaching beast, her hands sparkling with magic.
"I'm glad it's you by my side, sis!" he responded, then raised the crossbow and fired the first shot.
Draegos jumped down to the crumbling vault door and pried the door open. He entered the disheveled area. Shelves of precious items had fallen or had been crushed by fallen rocks, and much of the gold was scattered all over the floor. As he stepped through, Draegos moved the coins from side to side, clearing a way as he searched for the precious relic. Then his fingertips passed over a vibrating stone.
The first bolt hit slightly before the worm and exploded. Chunks of ice and rock fell into the pit, taking the creature with it, but the persistent beast was able to scamper up the sides. Glorýa threw her last spell, causing the whole area to begin shaking. As the two gnomes backed away from the edge towards the ruins, the sides of the cliffs gave way. Huge chunks of rock fell from above as the entire pit became unstable from the earthquake.
The vault shuddered. Draegos felt the stone in his hands and then fell back as the second earthquake rolled across the entire mountain. The stone popped out of his hand, and as the vault began to turn, slid with the coins towards the only exit in the room. Draegos stumbled and rolled, reaching out with his right hand, and felt the stone slide right through his fingers. He threw himself towards the exit, falling faster than he could control, and with one final reach he found his prize and clenched it tight.
Greffel raised his crossbow as he saw the beast's head crest the edge. A burst of lightning engulfed the creature's head, and it howled in pain and rage. Glorýa raised her dagger and threw it towards the beast's eye. It punctured the eye and slid into the brain; the creature writhed and clawed trying to pull it out. As it fumbled with the deadly wound on the crumbling edge, the two gnomes retreated further into the collapsing citadel.
Draegos felt his body falling, the stone in his hand, and the sensation of weightlessness. He placed the magical stone into the position on the ax, heard a slight hissing sound and then a pop, and felt the power roll through his body. Suddenly he no longer felt himself falling, and as he looked around he noticed he was hovering, the cold winds swirling around his body. He laughed at the new sensation and willed himself up; the winds responded.
They dodged falling stoneworks, and disintegrating pathways, turning and running down any open corridor they could to escape the horrible beast. Greffel slipped and slammed into a fallen boulder, and Glorýa turned to watch as the worm closed in for the kill. Then she felt the air grow very cold, the winds blew past her, and she turned just in time to move out of the way. What she saw was an enormous ice spear flying down the hall towards the great worm, and what appeared to be a dwarf throwing it.
Greffel was paralyzed with fear as the gaping maw closed in on him. He threw his arms up to shield himself from the horrible end but instead heard the sound of something hitting the worm. The hissing and sizzling sound erupting from the beast signified a damaging strike. He peeked around his arms and saw the creature knocked back a hundred yards, dying as an ice spear protruded from its chest. Then he was tackled by Glorýa as she hugged him and held him close.
"I thought I had lost ya!" She cried. She kissed her twin’s forehead while gently rocking, not letting go of him.
He lost control and began crying as well, returning the hugs, and just let her gently rock with him.
Draegos stepped forward slowly, grabbed the ice spear firmly and pulled on it, as it transformed back into the ax. He turned to face his two companions as they wept and held each other, and was thankful to see them alive. He wrapped his arms around them and joined in the weeping. Glorýa was the first to notice the changes.
"Draegos, your beard, it has streaks of white in it," she said as she reached for his face. "You found the stone!"
"Aye, and what a bugger it was!" he said as he chuckled and sat back, leaning against some debris, and then running his hand through his hair, removing the hat.
"Did you see a ghost, Draegos?" Greffel asked, wide-eyed. Then he winced as he tried to get up. Glorýa placed her hand on his chest and gave him a look to stay put, then she nodded at Draegos, "You have streaks of white in your hair too."
Draegos opened his pack and pulled out the small silver mirror he carried, looking at what
his fellow companions saw. His hair, from the sideburns towards the back, had turned pure white. His thick brown hair returned above it, but a small lock of bangs also had turned white; it was the same on both sides. His beard also had streaks, on either side of the mouth, starting from the tips of his mustache, down around the chin. His eye, once a deep brown, was also changed, and it was now a dark sapphire blue.
"What in the Twilight Realm is happening to me?" he asked no one in particular. He placed the mirror back in his pack and tied it up. Turning to his friends, who had been watching him, he asked, "So, that was exciting, huh?"
They took turns looking at each other and Glorýa went back to working on Greffel's leg. Then they all erupted into laughter and weeping again. As she finished placing a makeshift splint around his leg, Glorýa sat by Greffel, and they all rested for several minutes.
Greffel was the first to break the silence. "Was that what brought your Citadel down?"
"Aye," Draegos replied. He sat staring at the second citadel to be destroyed by the worm. He got up and walked to the edge of what had been the castle gates, and he stared long and hard into the dark pit.
"Do you think the last Citadel stands?" Glorýa asked as she stood and walked to his side. She noticed the old, bloody bandages around his head and eye, and noted they needed changing.
"There stands a good chance it does, but we'll need to find out," Draegos answered, and then he went to Greffel. "Do you think you can walk on it?"
Greffel rose to his feet with some help from Draegos and winced at the pain. He sat back down and let out a deep sigh. Greffel had suffered some internal injuries, and Draegos knew he would need some serious healing, but not the kind his spells could grant.
"You set the bone, right?" Draegos asked Glorýa.
"Aye, I did."
Draegos sat a moment, his hands on the fracture, and began to chant. From his hands extended a white light and Greffel could feel a warm sensation spreading all throughout his leg. He let out a giggle and remarked, "That tickles!"
After a moment, Draegos stood up and then asked again, "Do you think you can stand?"
The Obsidian Axe: Prelude to the Prophecy Page 7