Chapter 31
Beneath Mt. Pizenchaffe
“Arrr! Ye steppin on me foot!” exclaimed Red.
“I cannot help it. I usually work well in the dark, but this is a different kind of darkness,” said Lot.
The sound that one makes when their toes are being stamped upon echoed throughout the pitch black underground lair. It seemed that Lot was not the only one having troubles.
“Get off me you lump!” said Erimack.
“I am not on you,” replied Olaf.
“No, but you are on me,” cried Zulp.
The sounds of a scuffle immediately followed.
“Everyone, remain calm,” said Locmire as he held his staff high in the air. In an instant the underground labyrinth was illuminated.
“Much better,” Golgar added.
Everyone's eyes slowly adjusted to the piercing light only to find the three Dainties intertwined, doing their best to inflict bodily harm upon one another.
Oggius roared out with laughter, “And to think, for a brief moment I was worried about these three getting the best of me.” He erupted with laughter again. “I have seen court fools put on a more threatening performance.”
With this comment, the three Dainties ceased their squabble at once and then burst out into merry laughter.
“Not to ruin a good time,” Lot said, looking upwards at the hidden door from which they had just descended, "but I think we need to be a little more concerned about the large group of angry little men who pursue us.”
Everyone froze.
“Right,” said Golgar.
“Not to worry,” said Locmire as he aimed his staff at the door. “This should keep them off of our trail for a time.”
A light slowly floated from the end of his staff. The light struck its target and a red translucent door appeared underneath the wooden one.
“What kind of magic is this, Wizard?” asked Urganox.
“The kind that will keep unwanted guests out,” replied Locmire modestly.
“Uh huh,” the Brazurkin replied.
Oggius began to wander around. It appeared that he was looking for something. The other four Dainties joined in the search.
“What are they doing?” asked Urganox.
“Seem ta be lookin fur sumpin.”
“They are funny little men. Are they not?” Urganox asked.
“They are rather peculiar. As most of us would seem if we had been living under a rock for the past 500 years,” said Lot.
“Ah!” exclaimed Oggius. “Found it.”
The ousted Daintish King pressed his large hand against a small button on the wall. A hissing sound began to race away from where they stood and zipped off in the distance, leaving a trial of light in its path. There was a groove cut through the entire length of the wall. Lantern- like structures were strategically placed in these foot high offsets. The entire under-underground dwelling became brightly lit. Although a bright red light now filled the old corridors, this place still had a dark, dangerous feel to it.
“These halls may not be as beautiful as the world above us, but for many years, they were the home place of the Dainties,” said Oggius.
“This is true,” Golgar said as he began to, once again, provide useless information to the surface dwelling guests. “Dainties roamed these very halls for many a years. At least until we discovered the Pizenore vein that runs above us.”
“Once the valuable benefit of Pizenore was discovered, there was no need to stay down here surrounded by these stone walls,” Zulp added.
“Is there a way out of here?” asked Locmire.
Olaf answered, “Oh sure, there is a way out somewhere, but who knows where. These old Daintish ruins are very large and mostly unmapped for the last few hundred years.”
“Been a lot of cave-ins down here recently. Most of the routed paths have been blocked off,” Erimack said, noticing a slight sign of panic on Red's face. “No need to worry though, Golgar is the best pathfinder in all of Pizenchaffe. We are lucky he is with us.”
The look of concern on Red's face lightened. The Pirate thought, this be no place for a lan luvar, let alone a sea luvar ta be. Least we haves arselfs a guide.
“Before we set out, Oggius,” Locmire said as he leaned against the stone wall. “I think we should discuss the reason why we are here and the reason you are no longer king.”
Oggius squared his shoulders to Locmire and said, “Call me Oggy. All of my friends do.”
“Very well, Oggy” replied the Wizard.
“Guess we should start with you and your very, uh . . . variety of travelers,” said Oggy.
Locmire introduced his entourage and once again spun the tale of the prophecy and the Dark Wizard. He did not add any new information that Lot or Red had not heard previously. He also informed the Dainty that there was a part of the prophecy that he could not divulge at this time. Oggy had become like a statue for a few moments. He did not move or speak. His mind was working hard, processing the abundance of information Locmire had just supplied.
“Well then, if what you say is true, this will not be a hard decision.” Oggy paused. “I will fight alongside you and your men, just as my ancestors before me did.”
“Excellent,” said Locmire.
“Excellent,” said the other four Dainties in unison. “We will fight alongside you, King Stonefist. Till the death!”
Locmire quickly added, “While your intentions are well received, and I am sure your services will be greatly needed, Oggy must go at this alone.”
Anger boiled to the surface of their skin.
“And why might that be?” asked Golgar.
“This is the way the prophecy revealed it to me. The reason, I do not know,” replied Locmire.
A look of bewilderment overcame the four Dainties. After a moment Golgar said, “All right. If it is part of the prophecy, then it is part of the prophecy. I am not one to argue with that.”
The three other Dainties murmured in agreement.
Lot found Golgar’s statement extremely amusing and let out a hearty laugh. Urganox even managed to let out a cheerful grunt, the best that could have been expected from a warrior Brazurkin.
“Well,” Oggy said as he plopped down to the hard ground. “Guess it is time for my part of the tale. It is not as glamorous as the story you just told, but I assume it must come out sooner or later, might as well be sooner.”
The entire party took a seat on the stone floor and listened intently to Oggy's story.
“Not much to tell really. Up until a month or so ago, I was the King of Pizenchaffe. As it is my rightful duty, being a Stonefist and all.”
“Hear hear!” cheered Olaf.
Oggy shot him a look and continued, “There had been some reports of unusual activity going on down here, cave-ins and unexplained noises. So, like any king would do, I sent an expedition crew down to check it out. My son, Biddle, lead the expedition. He was the head of the guard and next in line for the throne.”
He stopped, retrieved a bladder from his side and took a large swig. His face tightened. He shook his head side to side several times and offered the bladder to Red, who graciously accepted.
“They never returned. I sent another group, twice as large as the original to find my son and his men. They did not return either.”
The other four Dainties began to shake their lowered heads.
“We had a meeting, and it was decided that no other search parties should venture underground. I was devastated, but I held out hope. After a few weeks, my grief overtook me, and I began to drink, heavily. Soon, it was decided that I was unfit to rule and Festus, through political corruption, was appointed acting king. His first act as king was to permanently seal off the entrance to where the missing Dainties had gone. My anguish grew even more and so did my drinking habit. I tried to appeal to his logical side and have him reopen the passage so I could go and search for the missing expedition crews myself.”
“How did that go?” asked Lot.
“Ha!” he laughed. “Let us just say he had trouble shutting his jaw for a few days. Festus, after much protest from the citizens of Pizenchaffe, decided not to execute me, but rather ban me from ever entering the palace again. That leads us up to this point. A slob sits on my throne, my son is still missing, and I am drunker than ever.”
Everyone sat with a look of empathy on their faces. Oggy looked around at everyone, wanting someone to end the uncomfortable silence. He finally decided to break it himself.
“I told you my story was not very glamorous.”
“It is a tragic tale my friend,” Locmire said as he stood up. “But rest assured, after we accomplish what we are destined to do, the Stonefist name will be restored.”
Oggy's eyes lit up. He stood tall, tall as a Dainty could stand, and said, “Yes. You are right. I will restore my family's name by saving the entire world. Let us get out of this ruined place and take care of the things that need to be taken care of.”
“Wait just a minute!” said Erimack as he bolted up to his feet. “You cannot leave the kingdom in the hands of the hog that sits on the throne now. You must redeem yourself.”
“Festus is destroying Pizenchaffe. You must do something,” added Zulp.
“Or do we have to beat some sense into you as we had planned a short time ago in the Broken Lamien?” asked Olaf.
“Aye! Me tinks we done came to terms dat thar be's no beatin goin on while me still has breath in me body. If me no longer threatens ye, maybe me large green friend here can,” Red blurted out.
Urganox stepped forward, hovering over the tiny Dainties.
“If you think we are scared of a walking goat, then you have another thing coming,” Olaf said as he poked Urganox in the thigh with his large finger.
Every muscle in Urganox's body tightened.
“What did you say, brownie?” Urganox asked.
This seemed to really light a fire under the three Dainties. A brownie is a very tiny, mischievous creature that lives in the forest. Historically, Dainties hate to be referred to as brownies.
“You heard him, Goat King,” Zulp added.
“Enough!” roared Oggy. “We already have enough problems without a small scale war breaking out.”
The Dainties backed down slightly, muttering insults toward Urganox under their breath. Urganox loosened his grip on the flail that he was only seconds away from unleashing on the tiny men.
If Oggius had not been here, you three would surely be dead at this moment. I will not disrespect a king in his own land, no matter how good it would make me feel to spill your brains, Urganox thought.
“I understand your concerns my friends, but there are more pressing matters at hand,” said Oggy.
“But what if there was a way to reclaim your throne before you set off?” asked Golgar.
Oggy looked at him. His eyes told Golgar to continue.
“What if on the way out of here, we could happen to find out what happened to the expedition team and the search party? What if we find the cause of the unrest down here and put an end to it? Surely that would be enough to regain your throne.”
“Yes,” said Locmire. “This sounds like a very good idea. I do believe we should pursue this course.”
“We can search these ruins from one end to another. I will gladly help,” added Lot.
“Arrr! So will me,” said Red.
Urganox grunted and nodded his head.
“We are in agreement,” said Locmire.
Tears began to build in Oggy's eyes. Two plump beads of water raced down the Dainties chubby cheeks.
“Thank you, my friends. Your eagerness to help has lifted my spirits. Let us go now,” Oggy said as he sucked down a moist gulp of air through his nose.
“I will lead the way,” Golgar said.
Golgar had taken only a few steps down the corridor when he turned to address the group once more. It was at this moment that Lot screamed out, “Golgar! For the life of you, do not move.”
Golgar looked down to see that his child like boot had just triggered a pressure plate in the floor. He had stepped into an ancient Daintish trap, and he knew that the Dainties of old took their traps very seriously.
Locmire's Quest: Book One A Tales from Calencia Novel Page 50