The Rokkaia Chronicles

by Rhys Thomas

  “Great! Now even my mind is being assaulted,” I hissed quietly. *Did you get a general location?*

  A moment went by, then Marisa’s voice came back, *yes. It’s way south of here, like way, way south of here. Across-the-damn-sea-south of here.*

  “Well, do ya know what they’re gesturing about lad?” Hurallan said to me, and I blinked looking towards the figure at the of the hill, the snow wasn’t as bad, but with the wagon’s in front of us and those in front of them, I could only just make out.

  “Trouble up ahead, flat ground, signs of… Pointy noses and… Splits lips? And a… breasted-fish-woman. Send up the outworlder,” I translated. Hurallan being the only one to keep me company and help with teaching me Ven sign-language during the ride here, laughed like I told a joke.

  “Close enough lad,” he chuckled. “Now just what the fuck are they doing this far north.”

  “What’s that?” I asked him.

  “The pointy noses and split lips means goblins, lad. Nasty fuckers. Now the fish woman means troglodyte. They’re fine along as you don’t piss them off, and the females are actually quite fierce.”

  “And the goblins?” I pressed.

  “Shouldn’t be this far north, they hate the fucking cold. They live in caves, or underground. The majority live in the Trench, south of Bastion. Something ain’t right with the world today, ain’t right at all,” he added. “I suppose ya best get up there then, see what it’s all about,” he said patting my shoulder.

  “I guess,” I breathed, annoyed and tired.

  “Go, I’ll look after the ya ladies,” he said when I glanced over my shoulder towards the door. Nodding I climbed down, my boots slipping the instant I touched ground.

  *I’ll keep my awareness spread as best I can, and I’ll keep a look out for the mental intruder if it’s try’s again.*

  *Thank you love,* I thought back. Climbing practically on hand and knee, I made my way upwards faster than the three wagons still trudging at an agonising pace. The thadda pulled tirelessly, their massively muscular bodies huffed and tensed as I came alongside them.

  They dug in with each stomping hoof and snorted derisively as I scurried passed them and climbed the final ledge with a hand from one of the Venyin women by the name Bria.

  She was cute in the face and broad in the shoulders with a massive chest. She was also the wife of the caravan leader, a mustachio waif of a man named Byron. They also looked remarkably like brother and sister, but I wasn’t going to say anything.

  With a shake I examined the scene before me, and damn was it a mess. Miniature green humanoid bodies laid scattered about, all dead. They were about a 4-feet in height with long jagged noses, long hairy ears that drooped the further they stretched.

  A few from what I could see, had something akin to a cleft lip that was so badly disfigured it breached up into the noses, showing off sets of sharp needle-like yellow stained teeth and gums.

  They wore a mismatch of furs skirts and bone gear, one whose neck had been partly severed wore a skull headdress. “I count 6 in total, you?” I said to Bria, who seemed to be the only one other than Hurallan who would speak with me.

  “I count the same, there’s also a trail of blood leading off into a cave nearby,” Bria answered, pointing from off the right at some vague area where there was a parting between two wide thickets of brush. “That’s where we suspect the troglodyte to be.”

  The tracks were very noticeable from where we stood. Looking over my shoulder; I saw that the first of the three wagons peaking over the slippery hill. Several men and women rushed towards it and helped pull at the leash tied to the thadda.

  It puffed air through its thick nostrils tirelessly and thumped through the exertion. Within a few labouring back breaking minutes the team fully helped the wagons crest the rise and onto flat ground.

  “We’re gonna stop here for a few, the outworlder will go see about the Trog. We’ll need to clear the green shit-stains out, so they don’t spook the thadda,” Byron said to Bria, the man had a knack for never actually talking to or looking at me when he made commands like that. A rule which most of the Venyin followed. Don’t talk to strange men who you’ve seen throwing fiery orbs of death around.

  With a raised eyebrow I looked at Bria as Byron walked away. She gave a shrug, as if to say what did you expect motherfucker, you were throwing fiery orbs of death around, back in Wheldrake.

  Grumbling, I started off for the trogs cave that was outside the clearing.

  I eyed the goblins equipment closely as we passed. Bone spear heads, clubs lined and corded with teeth, jagged and roughly serrated edge bone daggers hung from leather strips tied to a few waists. They didn’t wear any shoes or even have that much in the way of clothing and their weapons were crudely primitive.

  So not much in the intelligence department but enough to arm themselves and maybe even plan an ambush.

  Skirting the bodies, I moved to the right and between two bushes. “Why is it odd for goblins to be this far north?” I asked Bria.

  “Ya don’t know?” She asked and I shook my head.

  “No, I really don’t.”

  “Well it was some-time back, even before my grandmother was born. Short version is that the Elves fought against a horde of goblins and other beastly-creatures and monsters. Instead of just completely wiping them out though, the kasha horded all the monster-folk and forced them underground. Gave the monsters basic knowledge about armaments, forging and mining. Then left them to themselves.”

  “Wait, you’re telling me that the Kashirans fought them, defeated them and gave them the know-how to better equip themselves?” I asked bewildered by how stupid it sounded and how utterly arrogant the Kashirans were.

  “Yes, I was getting to that. They did it all so that they could blood their young against the hordes of the Trench. You know, to keep a little excitement in their lives.”

  *It’s true, though an obviously simplified version, she hit all the important parts,* Marisa thought over our bond.

  I nodded, ahead of me by a few yards the bloody trail faded into a gaping maw of a cave. The opening was angled as such, so that light almost shot directly into the caves entrance.

  “How’d you want do this?” I asked Bria as she stepped up beside me. And after remembering what Hurallan said about troglodytes, I decided not to draw my sword.

  “We’ll go in, see if we can communicate with the trog.”

  “Okay, let’s go into its cave then. Cause that isn’t a bad idea at all,” I mumbled annoyed with the situation.

  *You’ll be fine, I’m going back to napping. If you really need me, just shout over the bond, love.* With that she withdrew, and the bond went quiet though still active. That was new, or was it? Had I always been able to feel when she wasn’t in my thoughts. Stepping up to the caves entrance, I half expected to receive some sort of warning or challenge in the form of hisses, but none came.

  Getting closer I knelt down by the cave mouth, my attention drawn to the bloody smug leading inwards. The trogs prints, were distinctly shaped like a widely spread three fingered webbed hand. Within the blood trail though, were tracks. Boots prints to be exact and something else, like a massive paw. “Is that a bear paw?” I asked aloud.

  “Shit,” Bria hissed seeing the same and looking around, “It is.” The snow blowing down from the north must’ve covered up any other tracks made recently. Because other than the blood, the boot and bear prints there was nothing else. I looked up at Bria, the Venyin woman was staring into the cave like the darkness within would reach out and claim her.

  “let’s take a looksee, shall we?” I muttered as I went further inside. Then a rancid fleshy smell hit me, and I almost swayed at the intensity.

  Even with the cave entrance just behind us the musky humid air was incredible and mixed with the overpowering rotten scent I had to turn away briefly. “Something’s dead down here,” Bria pointed out helpfully, her voice muffled by the hand covering her mouth.

&nbs
p; Swallowing my replied I turned back to furthering myself along, we wouldn’t have much light for long. We crept ever deeper, till we stumbled across the trogs body.

  The Troglodyte was entirely not what I expected. Instead of pale blue skinned caveman, he/she/it was in fact a something akin to a lizard-person, or the closest equivalent to one.

  I could see the blow that killed it, but what was most striking was the deep sapphire scales lining the entirety of its body except for the torso, inner thighs and underarms. As they were a lighter aquamarine blue. In one arm it clutch a spear, that arm was bent backwards at a grotesque angle. The other three were splayed out like wings at it sides.

  It’s head was barely recognisable as it was so badly caved it that the upper half of its head was crushed and flattened down into the bottom jaw, where only a few teeth remained.

  Surprisingly its teeth were smooth mounds, better for crunching and mashing vegetables and fruits that biting and tearing meat. The structure of the blow that killed it was most definitely something blunt like a hammer.

  I knelt down and pried open the death grip it held of the spear. It was a well-crafted thing. The shaft smooth but firm and grooved at certain parts to form grips in the wood. A thin thread of blue cloth was tied beneath the steel spear head, it looked as if it hadn’t ever seen use. There was no blood crusting the weapon either.

  Looking closely at the trog I now realised that it wore clothing though scantily it was. A worn red band of cloth covered the female trogs chest just barely enough to contain their pertness as a porcelain white nipple peaked through a scrappy hole in the worn binding.

  A red sash covered her lady parts, the bands tying it were decorated with small bejewelled beads.

  “It seems our neighbourly trog was killed. Let’s returned back to the wagons,” I informed Bria who now that I realised it, had remained just outside the range of sight of the dead trog.

  “Yes, let’s returned, I’ll tell Byron we need not worry about trespassing. Good work Outworlder.” Not even waiting for me to join her, she turned about and made for the entrance.

  I was about to join her when I heard a rustle coming from the dead trog. Then from behind the trog came a series of chirping noises, they were muted and sorrowful things, then movement came under the female trogs arm nudging it slightly. And for a second I thought I saw an eye peer through the crease of the trogs armpit, the chirping sound then becomes frantic and distressed.

  Then I understood, the dead trog had been protecting it’s young. “Hey,” I said softly, “you’re okay... I’m not going to hurt you,” I said in the most trusting and soothing tone I could manage in a rot smelling cave.

  “I won’t hurt you,” I practically cooed to the baby trog. After a while there was no response, I could still hear it moving behind the dead trog.

  “I’m... sorry. I’ve got to go now, otherwise they’ll wonder where I am,” I said.

  Feeling sick with myself I retreated leaving the dead mother and the mournful child behind. With the newly acquired spear, I climbed out of the musky and humid cave as quickly as I could manage. As I came to the entrance; I heard a pattering sound echoing up from behind, glancing over my shoulder I saw large green eyes peering at me from the dwelling darkness of the cave.

  I made my way back to the temporary encampment the Venyin had set up. Everyone avoided making eye contact with me as I walked purposefully through the camp.

  The wagons had been set up in a way that they enclosed us in a fence, protecting the middle where everyone was either working, mending clothes or cooking the midday meal.

  A few drank and sang, though their voices and merriment were quieter as I walked by. It didn’t bother me, I was using these people as a form of navigation and travel through the mountains to the Glen’dal, I wasn’t here to be their friend.

  Making my way over to Hurallans wagon and not seeing the man about; I climbed up to the side door and went within.

  Ariana was sat up, leaning against the wall, as Marisa was now curled up in her lap. She was idly ruffling through Marisa crimson feather’s on her back, she was so caught up in the act, that she hadn’t even notice me enter till I was practically upon her. Wrapping her partially in a hug as I drew her to me.

  She tensed, freezing and going taut as I enveloped her, “it’s so good to see you awake finally. I was worried for a while there,” I said honestly. She relaxed into me at hearing my voice, the free hand not soothing and petting Marisa came up and clutch at my cold and damp fur coat.

  “Gods, your cold and wet,” she said shivering away from me. With a chuckle I eased away and retreated. Going about removing my outer layer of clothing for the second time today. I propped my newly acquired spear up against the wall opposite Thion and I went back over to Ariana.

  But before I could say anything she twisted around and clung to me in a fierce embrace, her body still shivering as I then heard a faint sob wrack her throat as her grip tightened on me. “Hey… We’re okay—well, Wheldrake is fucked but we did it. We killed that fucker good. I managed to get us on a Venyin caravan train heading through the mountain,” I said squeezing her back and settling onto my knees beside her.

  “How,” she took a deep breath. “how long has it been?”

  “Two days, you’ve been out for two- and a-bit days. I set off immediately for the Venyin after I woke, got you and Marisa on a cart and pulled you to them.” I paused to scratch at my cheek, “I, uh-” I started and then cleared my throat uncomfortable. “I may’ve spent all of your money to buy us passage.”

  There was a heavily pregnant silence pass between us. As her grip on me grew intensely monstrous and life threatening. “You did what?” She ask sweetly in my ear.

  Then as I tried to pry her away, I felt her teeth nipped my ear and hold there. I froze going stock still. “I… Spent all 8-silver and coppers of your money to buy us board and travel heading north. Provided I protect the camp and defend against bandits and monsters on the road, we’ll be reimbursed on arrival at our destination. Luckily one of the Venyin, a man named Hurallan took us in and provided clothing.” I said quickly, my voice becoming slightly panicked towards the end.

  “Oh, okay,” she said happily and moved away from me, not before giving my ear lobe another biting pinch. Easing herself back more comfortably into the bed, she wiped her face.

  “Alright,” I swallowed. “Okay, as for more present news. The Venyin aren’t very trusting of me—or you for that matter. Everyone who wasn’t running, saw us fight the fire-fodraca, they know that you’re a Valakharian warrior and that I’m some form of sorcerer not of this world. Oddly enough they gave me the exact same nickname you did—quite the imaginative bunch I might add.

  “Anyway, the Venyin are very distrusting of me, they keep throwing up gang-signs like I’m invading their turf. Don’t quite understand that one. A few things that’ve happened this morning. A female troglodyte was killed by a man strolling around with a bear, and we found a pile of dead goblins,” I explained in a bit of ramble. And then I went on further to tell her of the trog-child I’d seen in the cave.

  “We should stay on the lookout for this trog-child and see about taking him-or-her in,” Ariana mused. I was glad she said so because I was about to say the same myself.

  “Alright, I’m gonna see if we can’t stay here for the night, the things that attacked us last night were horrific,” I said and supressed a shiver.

  “Wait, you were attacked?” Ariana demanded of me, which was fair.

  “Yeah, they came yesterday morning before early dawn. I sighted them, but then they retreated. Then they attacked last night, wagon three used to have two thadda pulling it’s bulk, we lost one to the strange fuckers,” I explained and this time I did shiver in fright.

  “We need better defense’s if they attack again tonight,” I said starting to reapply my coating of fur.

  “What did they look like?” she asked me and with a grimace I replied, “you’ll see. You’ll see soon enough
. Now I’m off to unintentionally request that we remain here, without actually asking to remain... here?”

  ~*~*~*~

  A few hours later saw us outside Hurallans wagon. We had just finished eating a helping of stew made up of incredibly chewy thadda meat with carrots, potatoes, onions and dumplings.

  “...That’s how I came upon Loxy,” Hurallans voice broke me from my scan of the area. He had spent the last 30 minutes or so describing the tale of how he came upon thadda which now pulled his wagon.

  “Way he tells it; I wouldn’t be surprised to find he sleeps naked and curled up around the beast,” I muttered quietly to Ariana.

  “How long will it take us to clear the mountain, Hurallan?” Ariana asked, I sharpen my mind into the bond between myself and Marisa and found her off in the woods, somewhere close-by; hunting for what little she could find.

  “Three to four days maybe lass,” he replied.

  “Wait, what? How the hell can we climb that in four days, it would take at least over a week,” I exclaimed, gesturing vaguely with a wave at the mountain. Hurallan looked at me and then started to laugh softly and genuinely. When he stopped, he met my scowl with a smirk worn across his old weathered features.

  A breeze came in carrying the wind and a small chilly deposit of sleet. The man’s freakishly long eyebrows whipped about his head and I had to strain not to focus on them.

  “We won’t be going over the mountain, that’ll be death for us all. Especially with how early the snows coming this cycle. If winter wasn’t this early, we’d have till the end of month to make the breach. It’s a narrow passage that cut’s right through and between two halves of the side of the mountain. The road will be impassable if we don’t make it soonish, with any luck we’ll make it. With any shitty luck, well; we’ll die.”

  “Great. Sounds positively wondering,” I replied dryly. There was a collective clattered as everyone suddenly sprang to their feet in a panic and started rushing to the safety of the wagons, people gasped and murmured throwing up their gang-signs to ward off- something.