by Jeff Sabean
“Hey now, do not kill them all, I want a turn too!” Yutri cried, a feigned look of sadness on his face.
“I’m sure there are plenty more where these came from, just keep up your defense,” Shenroc stated, slapping his friend on the back and ducking under a launched goblin spear.
As goblins died all around them, more came piling into the throne room from adjacent rooms carved into the cave walls. The bodies stacked like firewood as the orcs continued to send the fodder to wear down the defenders. Each time an arrow got through the shield defense, Di’eslo was quick to remove it and heal the wound, and the companions cut down the goblins virtually unscathed.
It did not take long for the mass of goblin attackers to overwhelm the ability of Tiane and Heishi to kill from afar, and the wave made it to melee range, crashing against the shields. Goblins bit, scratched, and swung crude axes and swords at the defenders, causing little damage but beginning to fatigue the shield bearers. With a roar, Shenroc leapt over Di’eslo, his claymore swinging in a wide arc that decapitated two goblins and cut a third in half at the waist. Into the sea of monsters, he waded, eyes bloodshot and foam forming at the edges of his mouth around his tusks as his rage grew. He immediately began taking minor hits from the simple weapons being used against him, but each hit caused him to grow stronger in his bloodlust, his orcish heritage taking control. Di’eslo stepped to the side and focused on keeping a constant stream of healing light on Shenroc, empowering the berserker to charger deeper into the line of attackers.
Yutri, seeing his friend disappearing deeper into the line of monsters, laughed all the harder and pushed forward to follow. Keeping his shield before him, he continued to pick off the makeshift missiles thrown by the soon-to-be-dead attackers as he swung his mighty mithril war hammer like a blacksmith at work. Goblin heads exploded all around him with each swing, as he made a game of knocking them from their feet and into the oncoming attackers. Confusion ran amuck, and the wild giant dwarf reveled in it, laughing and singing as he bathed in the black blood of his enemies.
Deciding he would be more effective in the melee, Heishi recalled his daggers to himself and utilized the power of his ring to add poison to his blade as he ripped it from its saya. He watched Shenroc disappear into the middle of the throng of attackers, only visible by the steady stream of blue light emanating from Di’eslo and reaching out to keep him from falling. Yutri was making his way to the left, pushing back the wave of attackers and singing all the way, the bulk of his height showing above the shorter goblins he dispatched with abandon. Tiane continued to rain death with his bow, occasionally taking down an orc or two who had yet to enter the battle. With a grin, Heishi moved off to the right, slipping in behind a group of goblins attempting to engage the enraged half-orc. With a thought, he ignited the lightning of his blade, the electricity popping and hissing wildly as if the blade itself could feel the coming bloodshed.
In a whirlwind, Heishi ripped into the backs of the goblins rushing toward Shenroc. He was used to having to be more controlled than this when he sparred with martial weapons, but the fight before him was too wild for such tactics. A makeshift spear made of wood with a sharpened point grazed his right cheek as he took the head from a goblin, and he turned to see the last of the goblins pushing toward him and the first orcs entering the fight. He stabbed his blade into the body of a dead goblin beside him, threw all three of his daggers in rapid succession, ripped his blade from the body and continued adding to the carnage before the first dagger struck its target. He focused on the air around him, and felt them moving around him, speeding his every movement. He thrust his blade through the final goblin on his side, then rolled to his left as a monstrous axe just missed his chest. As he came up from the roll, he sliced through the knees of the orc wielding the axe, cutting through both and dropping it to the ground. He ignored that one, opting to let it bleed out as he rushed forward into the remaining orcs rushing him.
In the center of the melee, Shenroc continued to take hits, his blood mixing with that of his enemies, but Di’eslo was quick to close the wounds and keep him in the fight. The final goblins fell as he burst through the line, and he found himself face-to-face with a behemoth of an orc commander. The surprise was evident on both faces that this half-orc had made it this far, but the commander recovered quickly and shoved a barbed spear toward his face. Parrying just in the nick of time with the flat side of his blade, Shenroc shifted his weight to the left as he raised the wicked blade above his right shoulder and brought it down with all his might. The orc was fast enough to get his spear in place to parry the blow, but the wood was not sturdy enough to defend against the kris blade, which ripped through the spear handle as if it was made of paper, cutting cleanly into the shoulder of his opponent. The blade stuck in bone, and Shenroc kicked the commander in the chest, attempting to wrench his blade free, but it was buried too deeply in bone and cartilage. He dodged to the right as the orc slapped him aside, rolling with the blow and drawing his twin daggers as he returned to his feet in a crouch.
The orc stared in disbelief at this puny half-breed before him as he threw the bottom half of his severed spear toward his opponent. Shenroc easily dodged the makeshift weapon, reaching out with his right hand and stabbing the commander in the forearm with his blade, ripping through the crude armor and the flesh of its arm. The commander bellowed in pain, thrusting the top half of the spear in the face of the man who was killing him, but it was no use, Shenroc was simply too fast for him. As he slid under the point of the spear, Shenroc reached up with his left hand and slashed his dagger deep into the right wrist of the commander. Both hands now virtually useless, the orc leaned his head forward in a desperate attempt to rip the throat out of his attacker with his teeth, but once again the smaller half-breed anticipated the attack, retracting his right blade and sliding it smoothly under the chin of the commander, thrusting it upward and burying it in his brain. The bloodshot eyes of the commander opened wide as he realized he had been killed, then his body went slack as Shenroc removed his daggers, kicking the corpse to the floor and working to free his embedded claymore.
Yutri, still singing and swinging his hammer like a madman, heard a shout from his right and looked over just in time to see the commander fall. With a cheer, he doubled the speed of his attacks, swatting the final goblins around him aside and tearing into the flank of the orc guards. Seeing their commander dispatched so easily by a half-breed, the orcs lost all heart for the fight and retreated in all directions. Attempting to escape along the edges of the cavern, they forgot the only entrance was sealed, and all five of the companions converged on the remaining guards and cut them down as they ran into the closed stone door. The carnage was complete, and not a single orc or goblin remained standing after the slaughter: the reign of King Sgel the Nasty had come to an end.
Chapter 11 – The Orb
“All clear, Top,” Tiane stated as he approached Heishi, who was surveying the aftermath of the battle.
“It would appear so. It would seem it is time to see what all the fuss is about,” Heishi replied, staring at the orb that remained next to the corpse of Sgel. Tentatively, he walked toward the throne, picking his path around the corpses of goblins and orcs alike.
The remainder of the group converged on the throne, curiously watching as Heishi reached to pick up the mysterious orb, which had turned solid black after falling from the dead hand of Sgel. As he retrieved the fallen orb, a cloud of red smoke encircled him, originating around the orb and creeping out until it made a full circuit around his body, ending once again in the orb, which once again had swirls of red breaking up the solid black of the sphere. His eyes rolled backward in his head so his companions could only see the white of his eyes, and his feet lifted several inches off the floor before depositing him back on the hard surface.
What the companions could not see or ever understand was the images which flooded his mind as his skin met the mysterious orb. Unseen by the others, images of a massive army of or
cs marching toward a castle with a white banner and an indistinguishable emblem emblazoned in the center flashed through his mind. He could see a second army converging on the castle in the distance, and the picture in his mind zoomed in closer and he recognized the second army was made up of the same race of shark-people Jim commanded in Terminus. From a separate direction came an enormous cloud of smoke, with indistinguishable forms moving back and forth inside the dimness. A cloud floated above this mass of moving smoke, darker than the depths of night, and when Heishi looked upon it he felt the chill of death creep through his body. Barely visible on the wall of the castle were defenders in armor that shone like the sun, even in the shadows of the approaching darkness.
Soon the images faded, leaving an impression on his mind but no longer fully taking over his vision. He stood before his companions, his eyes returned to a brighter shade of green than they were previously, feet solidly on the ground once more, and the red swirls of the orb moving less quickly than when he was receiving the vision. Everywhere he looked his vision was sharpened, taking notice of small details previously unseen, and finding himself able to anticipate the movements of his restless companions before they were made. Heishi blinked his eyes a few times, attempting to differentiate between the vision and the real world, then gently set the orb on the rotting throne of Sgel the Nasty, tentatively removing his hand and watching the red swirls slowly dissipate from the face of the orb.
“What just happened, my friend?” Shenroc asked, breaking the tension in the throne room.
“When I touched that thing,” Heishi started, nodding his head toward the orb, “I saw something that is difficult to describe. I saw two distinct armies, one of orcs and goblins and one of those shark-men like Jim...”
“Chondri,” interrupted Di’eslo.
“Chondri?” asked Heishi, momentarily distracted from his explanation.
“The ‘shark-people’ from which Big Jim descends are called Chondri. A very dangerous and war-like race. I am honestly surprised he did not storm this place himself to kill everything that lives and retrieve the orb for himself. Chondri desire nothing more in this life than to take the life of others...and then eat them,” Di’eslo finished with a wicked grin.
“Fine, I saw an army of orcs and goblins and a second army of Chondri marching toward a castle with a white banner flying above it. The banner had a crest emblazed in the center that I could not make out, but there were what appeared to be men on the walls standing in gleaming armor against the oncoming armies. On a third side, I could see a great cloud of smoke descending with something moving inside of it, and a gigantic cloud floating above it. Then everything faded away and I was back in this room, but my vision has sharpened considerably after returning to ‘normal.’”
“I fear one of two outcomes for this vision you received, my friend.” Di’eslo stated as the others hung on his every word. “The first possibility is that you have glimpsed future events, which would make sense considering we know an army of orcs were moving in a tunnel above us earlier. I believe the city you witnessed was Harmonui, which is an Elvish city by the sea. Tell me, can you remember any details at all of this city?”
“Only that the walls were white and there appeared to be a moat around the outside with a drawbridge. I could not see the rear of the city, only the face of it, so I do not know if there was a sea or not,” Heishi replied, straining to remember the vision.
“I do believe that is Harmonui, so I hope this first possibility is correct and that you witnessed a future event. The cloud of smoke descending on the city could very well be my people, which would not bode well for the people of Harmonui if three armies march on them. If this is a future event, there remains time to warn the people of coming danger so they may be prepared,” Di’eslo finished, staring vacantly across the room.
“And the second possible outcome of the vision?” Heishi asked, fearing he already knew the answer.
“The second possibility is that you witnessed a current event, and the people of Harmonui are even now being overrun by these three armies. If this city falls, there are not many who will stand against an army the size of which you describe,” Di’eslo slowly answered, his gaze still affixed on a spot in the darkness.
“We are faced with several problems at this juncture,” Heishi began, causing all eyes to focus on him. “First of all, there is no way I am giving that orb to Jim, especially if an army of Chondri are mobilizing to attack a civilized city.” The heads of his companions all bobbed in agreement with that statement. “That leads to the second problem, which is this: why did Jim not come retrieve this orb himself? He had to know I would touch it, so why risk it?”
“I can answer that question, my puny friend,” Yutri spoke up, surprising the group. “You have not figured this out yet? And you say I am not good with puzzles?” he laughed, staring at Shenroc. “The answer is simple: this room was created in the past by dwarves, as you can see by the craftsmanship of the door, pillars, and walls. It is protected from any who are not already inside, so even we would not have entered unless Sgel decided we were no threat.” He glanced at the body of the orc king on the floor beside him. “I guess he was as dumb as he was ugly,” he finished, then burst out laughing at his own joke.
“That is a simple explanation which makes sense,” Heishi replied, nodding approvingly at the giant dwarf. “In my experience, if there is a simple explanation it usually is the right one, with the exception of explaining how I traveled through a rip in the planes of existence...” A nervous laugh from the group prompted him to continue. “We will assume at this point that Jim has attempted to retrieve the orb himself but was not able to enter the room, so he sent a smaller group to attempt infiltration. He knows my desire to discover the circumstances of my arrival on this plane, and severely underestimated my ability to ignore what I saw,” his eyes flashed with a dangerous gleam as he finished speaking.
“We are going to war against Jim, I assume?” Shenroc asked tentatively.
“Terminus is your home. I understand if you are unwilling to come with me in this, but I am going to kill Jim and attempt to stop the invasion of a peaceful city,” Heishi answered with grave sincerity.
“You know I’m always with you, boss,” Tiane grinned. “I need to figure out a way to reload ammo here though, I burned through a stack of it hunting before I realized I wouldn’t get a resupply around here...”
“Not much chance we will be able to go in guns blazing, my brother. Besides, I foresee a lot of indoor fighting where your rifle will be less effective anyway. We will have to do this the old-fashioned way,” Heishi grinned as he reached back to feel the grip of his sword, “and after this work is complete, we will work on finding a way to make gunpowder and reload your rounds.” As he stopped speaking, he turned toward the other three, waiting patiently for their answer.
Di’eslo slowly smiled, the shadows curling from his skin as he pondered the thought of destroying Jim. “I am with you, Heishi. You have accepted me as an equal, which is more than I can say for Jim and his lackeys. If my people are marching against Harmonui, I will accompany you in warning my surface cousins to build a strong defense.”
Yutri looked at Shenroc, awaiting his answer. “Well, my oldest friend, do we go to war?”
Shenroc slowly nodded his head before answering. “Terminus is my home and has been for most of my life. I was lucky to be allowed a position as a guard, as most would not look past my heritage. However, I have seen how Jim oppresses the people of Terminus, and if there is a chance of freeing them from his tyranny, I say risking my life is a small price to pay. If Yutri is with me, then I will accompany you on this fool’s quest.”
Having decided upon a course of action, the only remaining loose end was the orb. No one wanted to touch it, and there was reasonable concern that forces of evil would descend on the group the moment it was removed from the protected Dwarven halls.
“Heishi, you may borrow this until a suitable solution is discov
ered,” Di’eslo stated, handing a small pouch to the man before him. “Do not worry, the orb will fit inside easily: it opens to an extra-dimensional portal where the inside of the pouch has more room than the exterior would imply.”
“Are you telling me the interior of the pouch is larger than the exterior?” Heishi asked with a grin that only Tiane understood.
“Precisely. Not only will it remove the weight from any object placed inside, but it will completely remove the item from this dimension. If forces of evil are tracking the movement of that orb, it will disappear completely from their sight inside this bag,” Di’eslo explained.
Taking the bag from Di’eslo, Heishi cautiously approached the rotten throne, holding the sides of the bag open wide, and scooped the orb into it without allowing any contact between the orb and his hands. As the orb disappeared into the bag, the air in the cavern seemed to lose some of the weight that had been pressing on the companions since entering. It still reeked of rotten meat and hides, and the bodies strewn around the floor added extra odor and filth to the atmosphere, but the air itself no longer felt as heavy, as if a burden had been lifted.
“Well, that, as they say, is that,” Heishi stated, tying the bag to his belt.
“Who says this?” Yutri asked, looking confused.
“Never mind, it is a saying in my world. Come, my friends, let us search this cavern for anything of use, and then return to pay Jim a visit,” Heishi smiled.
◆◆◆
After deciding to search the throne room starting in the rear and working toward the magical door, the companions began their search. Smaller rooms had been cut into the walls, creating sleeping areas, kitchens, and even a forge room by some ancient inhabitant of the cavern. The hieroglyphics on the walls confirmed what Yutri had assumed, Dwarves had built this hall centuries past, although there were no answers as to what happened to them or why this single cavern was the only room worked into the rough caves above.