The Rokkaia Chronicles

by Rhys Thomas

  I came out into a wide stone corridor, light shone on the other end, it was a short walk, and I crept the distance and came out on the other side. The ground dropped off sharply ahead of me into a wide crevasse, with a small ravine snaking along its bottom. I looked across the gap and saw at the centre, an island of stone. And atop it was a massive fortress like a castle built into the island of rock at the centre of the crevasse.

  I looked up at edges of the cliff’s above me, and came to the realisation, we were in some sort of upside-down bowl with the ceiling cracked and missing.

  I caught a glimpse of movement on a stone bridge on the western side of the castle. It led out from a fire lit passage in the rockface wall.

  The bulky and massive forms of ogres marching across the bridge made me wince. A thump on my shoulder, almost had me screaming and shitting my pants. I spun to see Ilya grinning at me, the dark elf chuckle and tried to move pass me.

  I glanced over her shoulder and saw that the other’s hadn’t made it through yet. Reaching out I quickly grabbed and grasp Ilya by her waist and arms and spun her to me, “What’re you-” she tried to gasp out, but I pushed her up against the wall and claimed her mouth; flustering her.

  I watched as she wilted against me, her dark ashen grey skin darkening even further from her cheeks down to her neck. The tips of ears reddened as I pressed and ground myself against her. She moaned and her hands grappled with me, running through my hair, beard, down my neck and onto my shoulders.

  I broke the kiss and leaned away from her and saw her eyes were closed and her dark purple lips pursed as she breathed heavily. A moment later, she opened her eyes and flushed an even deeper shade. I grinned and reached down to readjust myself and turn away from her.

  “I’ll repay you for this,” she muttered in my ear and knelt to look out at the castle. “well, I certainly didn’t expect this,” Ilya muttered.

  “You haven’t been here before?” I asked her.

  “No never. I would be surprised that if anybody had been here, left this place alive. They usually welcome outsiders, outside of here.”

  “So, nobody knows how many ogre’s there could be here?” Shre asked as she and Emilia came up behind us.

  Ilya shook her head and then pointed to our left, “we should use this path.” She indicated a 4-foot wide ledge that hugged the curving wall.

  We all nodded and sped along it, “how the hell do ogre’s travel along this,” I said pausing to avoid a cluttered debris of stones. Nobody replied, as they were all too focused on the path and what lay in wait at the end. We curved the doming wall till we came to a wide break in the path. The crevasse that encircled the castle, spilt our path and the curving wall in two.

  “Hold up,” Ilya whispered and held her hand to stop us. She crept towards the edge; I could see the other end of the ledge across the gap was about 30-feet in distance from us. I looked to the castle and was glad that they didn’t have anyone on lookout. I doubt they expected anyone to simply walk through one of their hidden entrances. “Shit,” Ilya curse quietly.

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Emilia noted concern heavy in her voice.

  “What is it?” I asked touching Ilya’s leg lightly. “There must be some sort of clan meet going on,” she replied and scooted backwards to sit on her heels. “Have a look for yourself,” she offered.

  I crawled over and went flat on my belly to peer over the ledge and downwards. I immediately understood Ilya’s cursing. Down below and travelling along the bottom of crevasse were hundreds of ogre’s and I spotted that they walking through a breach in the wall.

  “We need to get across, now,” I told them shuffling backwards.

  “We can’t, none of us can make that jump. And I haven’t learnt the spell for flying yet,” Emilia said spreading her hands wide and shrugging her shoulders.

  “Okay, first, the fact witches can fly is soo fucking broken. Second, we can make it, we just need to avoid falling down the gap is all,” I told her with a grin.

  “Yeah!” Shre said excitedly.

  Then the dryad stood up, “Shre, what’re you doing?” I asked her worriedly

  “Don’t worry about me, Master,” Shre told me. Ran back several paces came to a stop and turned back towards us. “Oohh shit. Shre stop!” I exclaimed as quietly as I could, but the dryad paid me no mind and simply sprinted towards the gap. I moved to stop her but before I could Shre skidded her quarter staff into the stone path before her and I watched the staff bend at a precarious angle as Shre jumped into it countering the motion. The staff sprang and snapped back into its original structure.

  Shre on the other hand was propelled through the air, her body arching gracefully as she clear the gap and landed on the other side in backwards roll. I heard Ilya give a disbelieving chuckle and I shared a look with Emilia whom just shook her head.

  “Shre!” I hissed across the gap, the dryad perked up and came towards the ledge on the opposite side.

  “Come on Master,” Shre told me waving her hand like an excited child. My dryad was just full of surprises it seemed. Sighing I bent into a crouch and cupped my palms. Glancing at Ilya and Emilia, they got the hint.

  “Alaric, I really don’t believe I’ll make it,” Emilia said quietly as she nervously backed away.

  “Of course, you will,” Ilya told her, patting her shoulder encouragingly and pushing the young witch towards me.

  “I’m strong enough to sent you the whole way and Shre will catch you, you have nothing to fear,” I said softly to the witch. Her petite frame was a light as paper, I could feel my strength surge and cried out in joy at the mere thought of testing my abilities. Emilia stepped up to me and placed her foot in my palms and her hand, I smiled at her reassuringly. “Both feet Emi,” I told her, and she nodded jerkily doing so. “Now remember, be quiet and look to Shre for guidance.”

  I heaved slightly twice then threw her over my head, I quickly spun and had to look skywards as Emilia sailed a clear 15-20feet into the air as she rocketed the distance. Her robes flaring up around her hips, giving me a wonderful view of her tanned petite ass.

  Shre dropped her staff and immediately moved to catch the witch. A second later both of them grunted as Emilia crashed into Shre and they both crashed into the ground.

  I turned back to Ilya and nodded for her to stepped forward, “reckon you can land this?” I asked her playfully. Ilya patted my cheek roughly and then stepped with a practice ease into my care and without further ado, I launched the dark elf across. I went for speed with Ilya rather than safety like I had with Emilia. The witch and dryad were just sitting up when Ilya dropped before them and bounced into a flip clearing them and sending her landing a few feet behind them.

  I nodded impressed, then stared at them in the realisation that I had to make the jump alone. “Well, fuck!” I muttered, I walked backwards along the path and got into a runner’s crouch. I felt my legs flex and my lung expand as I breathed deeply to calm my nerves. Then I exploded forward, dust and debris kicked up all around me as I ran, my foot tapping the edge of the path and sprung across the gap. It was then I noticed I was slowly descending; I hadn’t jumped high enough.

  Thankfully my speed made up for the lack and I just clipped the ledge with feet as I tripped onto the path and rolled ass over end till I came to a stop by the women’s feet. “Owww,” I said with a groan. Feeling at my side’s and back, I felt like my inside’s had been compressed and battered about. The ladies helped me onto my feet and steadied me.

  It took a second to stop my head from spinning, I looked back to the opposite side from where we were now. “I really hope we don’t have to go back this way,” I whined at Shre as she rubbed my shoulder and neck.

  “You were amazing, Master. I honestly couldn’t even see you for a second there,” Shre told me and other two murmured their agreements.

  “let’s get moving,” Ilya commanded, and we all agreed. We walked on; strafing the length of the wall till we came upon an opening w
ide enough for an ogre to squeeze through. Within was a dim corridor lit with torches, to the left of the opening I heard the sound of many grunts and a guttural speeches. The clan’s that roamed in through the gap, I guessed. On the opposite end, as we stepped into the corridor were two Ogre guard’s unlike the nomad Ariana and Marisa had killed. They each bore a single horn and eye; their light pale grey skin look chiselled and rugged.

  Yet their height compared to the nomad was greatly different, as these stood 8-9feet in height. Neither had a pair of tusk-like teeth and they each bore a massive great sword before them and all they wore was a loincloth to conceal their junk.

  The one on the left, grunted in distaste when he saw us as the other growled. The sound rumbling down passage way. Beyond the ogre’s I saw the bridge leading to the castle. I stopped and raised my hands. I didn’t know if I spoke ogre, but I was willing to try. “We mean you and yours no harm, we only wish to seek an audience with your queen.”

  “The Queen care’s not for you pale flesh,” the one on the right growled at me and I started walking towards them closing the distance.

  “I was sent by Penelope of the Glen’dal to seek aid from your ruler. It does not matter if she cares for my kind or not,” I told him.

  “Quuueen won’t see youuuu huuuman,” the one on the left said. He oddly elongated the ‘U’ vowel, “she be in talks with the other clan’s.”

  “Enough, Darsh! Pale flesh need not know of the Queen’s dealings,” righty told lefty.

  “Actually,” I told them both and felt the ladies approaching my back. “I may have need to discuss the matter of the army that just passed through the Dale mountain’s.”

  “Army?” righty snorted.

  “Yes. An army of Shi’en,” I answered and was glad to see his face pale even further if that was possible. They stood there frozen for several seconds, then righty turned to lefty.

  “Darsh watch the entrance to the bridge way for a while, I’ll take the pale flesh to the keep.”

  “Of couuurse, Luuuon,” they seemed like brother to me, practically identical to one another. “Come, human,” Luon growled and swung his massive great sword to his shoulder.

  “Luon,” I said aloud.

  “What?” The ogre growled questioningly.

  “No, just you’ve got a good name. I’m Alaric Rosen,” I told the ogre as I walked beside him towards the bridge. “These are Ilya, Shre and Emilia,” I said indicating the three.

  “Mates?” he asked me.

  I nodded decisively, “yes they are.”

  “Good,” Luon said and there was an odd glint in his eye, if that was possible; only having one. We stepped out onto the long stone bridge, it curved upwards slightly as it arched towards the castle’s entrance. The massive fortress seemed unmanned to me and I mentioned the same to Luon. “We don’t use the Bane for living. Only in times of war do we set about manning the Queen’s Bane,” he said gruffly. By Queen’s Bane I had to guess he meant the castle.

  “So, where do you live?” I asked him. He pointed at the castle before us, then drew his finger slowly downwards till he was pointing below.

  “Banes Horren, we shelter down below. A lot of flying pigs have attacked us recently.”

  “Flying pigs?” I asked the ogre. He nodded, his protruding horn jutting up and down sharply with the action.

  “Fodraca,” Luon explained and I felt my stomach drop. “We’ve fought off three and managed to kill one. Another could breathe fire and the other spew forth a poisonous cloud,” he said waving towards a section of the approaching the castle.

  I could see freshly blacken scourge marks, and areas where the stone had melted. Then I looked to the bridge beneath my feet, there were redden and black stains marring it’s surface. “The flame variant—if it’s the same one—attacked a human settlement called Wheldrake to the southwest. Burned a lot of the town to char and ash. My companion and I, along with some guards manage to kill the beast,” I told Luon and he actually stop to look at me, for a moment his massive red eye pierced me as he looked for falsehoods in my gaze.

  I was being completely honest with the ogre, I needed them on my side, no, more so I wanted them under my command. Their primal force of strength and quick recovery would make them excellent shock trooper in the battles to come. Then we were at the massive thick iron banded gate.

  Luon stepped up and pushed on the right-side door. “Luon, can I ask you about all the ogres coming here?” I said to the ogre. He grunted and moved within the darken interior of the fortress, I and the other’s followed him in and he shut the door behind us.

  “They come for a few reason’s, the first is that they need refuge. The seconds is that they’re many clan head’s with champions here for the challenge. Some have come to contribute their services to the clan heads. Or they’re those that simply give offering to the clan’s in hope’s one will snatch them up.”

  “Challenge?” I asked Luon with a frown, but the ogre didn’t answer. He took us through an antechamber and into a side corridor. I noticed how everything about the fortress had been constructed with the Ogre’s in mind. Higher ceiling, wide passageways and even larger doors. We passed enumerable rooms and unkempt living areas and dining halls. He hustled into and down a narrow winding stairway. We traversed the castle, going deeper and deeper into its bowels, till the flanking walls no longer held stone, but dirt and rocks.

  Light-blue mushrooms alighted the now earthy walls. Small patches of grass and purple weed’s played along the floor and I looked back at the women and saw Ilya match my frown and Shre excited teasing smile. Emilia however was too focus on retrieving samples of the mushroom’s and purple weeds.

  I return my gaze ahead to Luon’s broad muscular back, only after my mentioning of the Shi’en had the ogre agreed to take us this far and I wondered at how much the ogres already knew.

  Then we stepped out onto an overhanging balcony, a roaring thunderous sound reverberated through the cavern as we came upon a wide circled arena like a colosseum. The sound we heard had been the deafening stomp’s of a collective of feet bounding the stone. Around the arena below; sat rows, upon rows of ogre’s as they yelled and cheered as two ogres fought one another bare handed in the pit.

  I was reminded of the arena from Gladiator and wondered if the Queen had to wave her thumb in mercy or death. I longed to shout, “Are you not entertained?” in my best Russell Crowe impression. But I thought better of announcing my presence in such a way, it would only lead to me either being killed or kicked out. Plus, I wasn’t that unoriginal.

  We followed Luon as he made his way left and stepped out of the balcony. We moved counter clockwise through the arena, and I saw a wide box that overlooked the ground’s from an even higher vantage point opposite to where we were now. “I take it the Queen is watching from that box?” I said to Luon and pointed so. His hand shot out and grabbed a hold of my own lowering it gently but insistently.

  “Do not make any gestures towards the Queen’s booth, it can be seen as rude or an act of an attack and challenge.”

  “Got it,” I said and nodded.

  “Yes, it is the Queen’s box,” a small part at the back of my mind giggled at the double entendre, I squashed it mercilessly and moved on. We walked past several booth’s, but the occupants’ were too absorb in the fight to even realise a human had walked by them. Then we came out into the open stands at the far back. I could already see several ogre guards who’d been patrolling the stand’s look our way. I could feel Luon tense beside me and I glanced at the ogre to see worry and guilt etch across his features as a few guards closed in towards us.

  Some audience members even caught the guards moving and followed their line of sight towards my friends and I.

  I could feel a shadow swelling underneath and Shade readying himself to provide help. Not, yet. I’ll call you if and when there is trouble. I thought quickly to the wolf, Hesitation, then reluctant assent.

  I nodded to myself, as the guard swarmed
around us a few of the crowd started to whisper, yell and gesture frantically in our general location.

  Luon growled quietly to himself, and muttered an, “oh shit.”

  “Luon, I thought you’re meant to be manning the bridge. Not bringing in pink skins. The Queen will have your hide for this, if not me first,” an ogre growled deeply at Luon. He was taller as well standing at a close 12-feet. His horn was broken mid-point and seemed to had been sanded down. With red paint, possibly blood at its centre like a jewel or a third eye. He was bulkier than Luon and closer to the nomad than any other ogre I had seen, he even had slight tusks.

  “Apology’s, Hilnow. But the Queen must hear what this pale flesh has to say, it may just concern us as well,” Luon replied bowing his head to the big ogre Hilnow.

  Hilnow carried a huge bearded axe on his shoulder, it had a nasty looking hook to it as well. “The pink skin has news?” Hilnow asked with a snort. “Let me guess, more humans killing one another.”

  “No,” I answered simply. His jaw opened to reply and then snapped shut with an audible grunt. “But a war is coming, and it’s coming for everybody and everything on this world,” I said in a quiet reverent manner. Yeah, I know I was playing it up a bit, but the Glen needed the ogres help.

  “He speaks our tongue,” Hilnow said quietly returning his gaze to Luon.

  “He does,” said Luon nodding solemnly.

  Then Hilnow peered at me, squinting his one eye till it nearly shut close. “We’ll escort you to the Queen. But she’ll not be happy.”

  I blinked, astonished by how quickly that situation turned about. “These are your mates,” Hilnow asked me waving a thick grey hand at the women and I nodded. “Good, bring them as well. The more the merrier,” he said in a tone I didn’t like as his red eye roamed over my friends.

  Leading us in a guarded patrol around the arena grounds. I heard more excited whispers and yell’s for flesh and sacrifices as two champions fought. We reached the queen’s booth a few minutes later, and Hilnow stepped forward to answer the challenge of the ogres guarding the door. “You must relinquish your weapon’s here to my men,” Hilnow told us. “Cannot allow arm outsider’s in her company.”