by Leo deSouza
“You know him?” Thuor asked.
“As a legend! Something that should be hidden far from eyes of folks like you!” Altar replied.
“The path of the footbridge above his pit was broken. We guess it was the Sinister himself who did it.” Thuor continued.
“Now this is something that deserves much attention. If the creature you are referring to is the one I have in mind, he is an ancient creature that should be long forgotten. Many ones in the past made a great effort to bury him forever in the void of oblivion… You should have not even looked at him.” Altar said.
“Oh I did!” Torag exclaimed. “I did ye bet! I looked directly in that horrid single eye in his big head… So much I desired to poke that eye… A pity it was not possible.”
“I’m not going to rebuke you one more time like I did before when you threw yourself against the Warlock on the Ivory Tombs, Torag, for now I see you are really a daring brave dwarf, and nothing can scare you. Still I would advise you to be careful, you all seem to have a tendency to get in trouble with potencies you are not a match for. I don’t know why fate reserved that for your party, but you all came across the most unlikely dangers a group of ordinary dwarfs could come through, no offense. Why this is happening, it’s a mystery, but seems to be your destiny.” Altar spoke.
“I’ll take that on note.” Torag replied.
“All this can’t be just a big coincidence.” Altar continued. “One more time we all meet, in the middle of this hurricane of changes, there must be a reason for it.”
“What about Montaron? Is it a twist of fate too for him to be here? And for us all knowing each other?” Torag asked.
Now Altar looked at Montaron with the most hearty look. “Yes, despite all our foes, this meeting here is joyful, fortune favors us at this moment, my friends. And if this is all you can tell me, then there is no time to waste. Kalish, it is time for us to enter the mountain, and discover things that will probably reveal the course of the coming events.”
Thuor nodded as he looked at Kalish and Altar. “Fine. Be careful, it was not easy for us to reach here in safety.” He said.
“Don’t worry, captain Thuor, we are forced to finally meet the things we never wished to face, but there is no option now, and I’m not harmless as I look, in case ye want to know.” Altar said.
“Hey!” Torag said, coming close to Altar. “Now serious, do ye still have some of that beverage?”
“Not here, not now, Torag. But trust yourself, the real power is really inside you.” Altar replied.
“Fine, real power… Inside myself…” Torag whispered, distancing.
Now Altar came to Montaron who was standing at some distance, he got on one knee to talk to the dwarf, speaking quietly so no other one could hear, Montaron keep nodding as he heard what Altar was saying. Then after all both looked at each other and smiled, Altar raised and left towards the Mountain. “Farewell! And be careful on the way ahead.” He said “Everything is changing fast, and we can’t be sure about anything more. These are times when friends become enemies, former peaceful beings become aggressive, and even legends come springing out of the earth, to pester and harm.” He said as he stepped towards the mountain entrance from where the dwarfs came.
Kalish came after him, then turned back to wave to the dwarfs. They entered the mountain and disappeared through the darkness.
“What a coincidence…” Olaf said.
“Yes… Too much of a coincidence…” Torag spoke. “Hey Montaron, did not ye want to say one or two things for that old one? He was responsible for sending ye to jail after all!”
Montaron shook his head, looking down.
“The more I live among these guys the more I find it strange how things happen.” Torag continued. “Think I’m getting mad after so much trouble. So, captain! Ye heard the man, the Warlock is gone, it seems he visited the same place we are going to reach after all, the Golden Peak. What crap do ye think he did there?”
“We must find out, Torag.” Thuor replied. “And this is for sure unexpected, now we must care about it, for if it is really as Altar says, he is gone but left behind a disciple, whatever he is, a new threat is ahead, for us to deal with.”
“What is this Warlock?” Montaron asked.
“Oh ye don’t even know yet. Sorry for this, my friend.” Torag said as he came and firmly hugged Montaron by his side with one arm. “I will tell ye… Look, he is the reason of all this. The entire enterprise is about chasing that son of a sow, ye would not believe if I tell ye all we have passed through since we left our lovely home to come after the bastard in this unfortunate quest… Monsters of many kinds… Assassins trying to slay us… Goblins… Arrogant elves in their dwellings, so many landscapes we crossed…” He said as they looked in the air, making Montaron imagine it all.
“All ye must know now, Montaron, is that our quest is permeated by doubt and danger, but if ye are willing to stay with us, then ye are welcome, and ye will be worthy of our friendship and aid, one of us.” Thuor said.
“Ye bet.” Torag spoke as he slapped Montaron’s back.
“Now come, it is time for us to enter the next mountain.” Thuor said, he led the way towards the arch ahead.
The others came after him, entering the darkness one more time.
L izards and insects.
Days have passed since the company met Altar in the gap between the two mountains, the group was now travelling in the underground again.
“So… The plot gets even more complex, who could be the Warlock’s disciple?” Olaf asked.
“I don’t give a damn… All I want is to get to the mountain peak and deal with that at once, that is enough of adventures for an entire life…” Torag spoke.
“Heh… Torag saying something like that? Maybe there will be one more opportunity for our champion, to defy the master of evilness!” Olaf said.
“Who knows…” Torag replied. “I feel as if we were blind, always going after clues and advice from strangers. Altar… Kind of a mysterious figure he is... Getting involved in all types of business. Not to say about his companion, the small one.”
“None of them ever gave us any reason to distrust. Remember what happened in the tombs.” Thuor broke in.
“Exactly!” Torag exclaimed. “Now that ye say… Someway how I feel like we have been used on his deeds! Yes! Even Montaron was, this one goes around giving folks dangerous advice, and if ye follow it, ye end up jailed or fighting for your life against a warlock inside a tomb!”
“As far as I remember, Torag, it was ye who decided to attack the Warlock there inside, and Altar warned us to not fight him.” Thuor replied.
“Fine, captain.” Torag said. “It is just that, someone must keep his ears raised, just in case, we never know.”
“Right, the footbridge ends here.” Thuor said pointing ahead to a staircase down to the cave floor. “From now the path will become easier, there are many cracks in the ceiling through which light comes from above. It is a clean way, and we don’t need to worry that much more about any threat. Except maybe for the terrain, it gets a little bit rough.”
As Thuor said, the terrain on the cave floor became harder, irregular and difficult to walk on. There were also pools of water and mud was spread, a mixture of water from melting snow and clay from the rock slits; heat was causing this, and they were about to know where it was coming from. Some more time of walking and they sighted a big arch on the right wall of the cave, from inside it was coming a trembling yellow light, and a hot air.
“The path to the Vulcan.” The captain spoke pointing out the arch.
“To the Steel Fist house!” Olaf exclaimed.
“Yes, but only one of its ways, we are not going through there. It is not a place for anyone to cross, there is where the blood orcs live, the ones who attacked the Thick Beard city.” The captain continued.
“Oh in this case, avoiding that path is mostly wise, that is my statement.” Olaf replied.
So the group pas
sed by the side of the arch, looking at it with some curiosity, imagining how was that path under the Vulcan, and concluding that the only source that could be providing that light and the heat would be the flames of the lava rivers running through the rock. Now there were many small cracks in the rock above them, light rays came from it, cutting the air inside the cave. The captain’s prediction about the terrain one more time revealed to be true, the place now had light so that they did not need to light torches, but they had to pass through very pointy sharp rocks, so sharp that the dwarfs knew that even slight touching could cause a wound. The party advanced, and some got small cuts in their clothes due to the sharp rocks. When they finally left the path in between these sharp rocks, they reached a circular place, there was a huge hole in the ceiling, and right under it, on the ground level, a lake, taking all the space on the cave’s width. The group approached its border and looked down, so transparent was the water that they could see the lake bottom, totally bright, and this lake was not a shallow one, it was deep, and its water was calm like a tenuous sheet. Olaf crouched and touched the water surface to find out it was frozen, the thinnest layer of ice was covering all the lake. But so thin it was that it cracked with the slight touch of the dwarf’s finger.
“I can even see the rocks on the bottom of it!” Olaf said.
“This lake never gets really frozen, it’s the heat from the Vulcan.” Thuor spoke.
“So how by my beard are we going to cross this place?” Torag asked, he looked up to the hole on the ceiling, coming from there were still plants and woody vines, resisting the cold, the reflection of the light on the water surface gave the scene a crystalline appearance.
“There is always a way, Torag!” Thuor said as he walked by the border of the lake. He reached to something the others had not noticed yet, a wooden boat, now stuck by the thin ice layer, tied on a rock nearby was a chain that extended to the other side of the lake.
“Get in the boat.” The captain spoke.
The four dwarfs did as he said, and in no time, everyone was crossing the lake while Thuor himself pulled the chain, making the boat advance as it cracked the fragile cold layer.
“Now it is just about crossing the Great Wall and entering the Steel Fist lands.” The captain said as he made effort to pull the chain.
“Great Wall?” Olaf asked.
“Yes… A huge rocky wall, separating the two realms, from it to back where we came is Thick Beard domain, beyond it is Steel Fist. But there is a door, which is always open. The friendship between these two houses dates back to ancient times.” Thuor replied.
The low noise of the ice cracking as they advanced could be heard, they were now at the middle of the lake, right under the hole in the ceiling of the cave. Torag was looking down to the lake bottom, squinting, as if trying to see down there. “I see something…” He whispered.
Everyone looked out, including Thuor, but he did not stop moving the boat. Then all of a sudden, like a seagull Torag dove into the water, breaking the ice and swimming down.
“There we go again! Olaf said. “What is he doing now? The water is cold like the highest mountain peak, he will freeze!”
“There is probably a reason for him to do it, always the same thing.” Rurur spoke as he pointed something on the bottom of the lake.
As the other ones looked they saw something shining there.
“Must be gold, or silver, or anything like this, something that someone passing here dropped.” Rurur continued.
Thuor stopped the boat, now they were all leaning on the edge of it, watching Torag as he dove more and more, and as the water was totally transparent, they could see everything in detail. The dwarf reached the lake bottom, he stood there, handling something.
“There goes our greedy dwarf.” Olaf spoke.
Montaron was curious, he anxiously moved on the boat, looking forward to see what it was about.
It was then Olaf saw something far deep in the lake, coming from near his end of the cave wall. “What is that?” He asked as he pointed out.
The others looked at it and saw, coming slowly, like a water snake, a figure, swimming with ability towards the center of the lake where Torag was.
“Is it a snake?” Rurur asked.
Olaf stirred the water surface, trying to catch Torag’s attention, but this one did not notice it.
“Whatever it is, it will catch him by surprise!” Thuor exclaimed.
He drew a knife from his backpack and dove too, swimming to the bottom. The ones on the boat could watch all the scene, Torag still there, trying to take what he found from the bottom of the lake, Thuor swimming down as fast as possible towards him, and the coming one.
“I’m not liking this!” Olaf said.
When Thuor finally reached Torag under the water, he held his shoulder and pointed to the incoming figure. As Torag looked back, both saw it and as quick as they could they took momentum from the bottom and came up, swimming back to the surface the two dwarfs reached the boat and were pulled back into it by the other ones there.
“What was that?” Asked Torag as the water ran from his face.
Everyone looked down and saw now the figure going away, swimming quietly, but the reflection of the light against the ice surface did not allow them to distinguish what it really was.
“Forget about it now, let’s get out of this place.” Thuor said.
He reached again the chain and began pulling it, being aided by Olaf. The boat moved ahead.
“What did ye get from the bottom?” Rurur asked to Torag.
“Nothing, that was no gold or any riches, quite a waste of time, it was. Just a shining rock with a strange color.” Torag replied.
“Some day ye will pay hard for your greed, Torag!” Olaf spoke as he pulled the chain.
“Pay? We are all already paying a fair price for entering this journey, my skin knows it, my legs too, and my beard grows white now. If I can find something worth it to take with me in this enterprise, then I will take it, ye bet.” Torag replied.
It took some time for the boat to reach the opposite border of the lake, there the group jumped out of it and went onto firm ground again, Torag and Thuor began to get undressed, their clothes were totally wet. Rurur took a towel from his backpack and passed it to the captain. “That snake, in the water….” He commented.
“It was no snake, I saw it when I dove. It had arms, and legs.” Thuor spoke.
“What do ye think it was then?” Rurur insisted.
Thuor shook his head as he dried himself. “Whatever it was, we left it behind.”
“I’m not sure about this.” Olaf said as he pointed out.
From the way ahead into the cave, a group was approaching. Strange creatures, walking on two legs, and holding spears in their hands. They had green scaly skin, a long tail, and heads like the ones from lizards, the dwarfs got into defensive stance, though none of them actually felt any aggressiveness. One of the newcomers, who seemed to be the leader, stepped closer while the others stood back, he looked at the dwarfs for a moment, as if checking them.
“Greetings.” Thuor said.
The newcomer waved. “You come from cave, you cross lake.” He spoke with a strange voice, and a bizarre accent.
“Yes, we did, mister… Lizard man.” Torag replied.
“You from the city of dwarfs.” The newcomer continued.
“Yes, but not the Thick Beard one, we came from the north, from the Rockfoot house.” Thuor replied.
“Rock… Foot. Father told to take folks on the cave and bring to him.” Said the lizard man.
“Father? Ye mean, your leader?” Thuor asked.
The lizard man waved calling the dwarfs to follow him. “You come now.”
Thuor started putting his clothes back on, the lizard men showed no hurry or aggression, they were just looking curiously at the dwarfs.
“Where are ye inviting us to go?” Thuor asked again.
“Home, father waits there.” Replied the creature.
>
“I’m not going to follow these sirs that way.” Torag whispered to Thuor as he dressed. “We don’t even know who they are…”
“We are lizard folks, we live deep under the mountain, we want no quarrel, just talk.” The lizard one replied, revealing he heard Torag.
“So why do ye need those spears?” Torag insisted.
“These are for defense.” The newcomer replied.
“Excuse me sir but, defense against what under this bleak cave?” Torag asked one more time.
“Many things, master dwarf. Insects, and even orcs.” The lizard one replied.
“Orcs? Ye mean the blood red ones?” Thuor asked.
“Yes, they passed here, big army.” The lizard said.
“Now this is something I would like to hear about. Could ye please give us a moment?” The captain said as he distanced himself and called his company.
Now the dwarfs gathered in a closed circle and talked quietly.
“They look very friendly.” Olaf said.
“They have spears.” Torag added.
“We already saw the spears, Torag.” Rurur said. “And we have axes, and sharp knives.”
“Rurur is right.” Thuor spoke. “They could have attacked us while we were vulnerable, besides, they talk about the orc army, maybe this will be something of our interest.”
“I don’t know… Why waste time with this?” Torag asked.
“This is not a waste of time, Torag. We came all the way to understand about the Warlock, and it seems that somehow the orc army has something to do with him.”
“Fine…” Torag spoke. “Why don’t we ask our leery one here? What do ye think, Montaron?”
Montaron looked at all the dwarf’s eyes, he raised one eyebrow, as if not knowing what exactly to say, but in the end he spoke: “Keep knives ready.”
“Ye see?” Asked Torag. “This is what I’m talking about. Always being ready…”
“It is a good advice.” Thuor replied. “I think we could trust these ones, and if we come to notice they are somehow trying to trap us, then a sharp knife will do the job.”
They all nodded and spread, quietly they arranged their blades.