For the first time in days, we finally felt a bit relaxed. The cave was somewhat hidden and, with the rain pouring down, we felt safe building a little fire at the mouth of the cave. I doubted anyone would be traveling in the rain in these parts and the elves might have lost our trail in the rain. There was always a slight fear of some dark elf thief or a group of choguls, but we still felt calm and in better spirits.
“So what is the plan now?” I asked while watching Jerak and Teltar try to boil some water. They wanted to make use of the food stuff that required boiled water (I didn’t know what it was).
Bolam laid in his bed roll, “We will try to head north toward Halatross, hope to keep a low profile and figure out where the other pieces are.” Bolam took out his large notebook from his pack and began to thumb through the pages, “One is up north by Jerak’s homeland, but I am sure there must be some along the way. I just need to figure it out.”
I laid in my bed roll and let out a yawn, “I have total faith that if anyone can figure it out, it would be you.” Bolam smiled and yawned as well.
I woke up feeling pretty good. The only drama we had was when Jerak and Teltar’s edible creation became burnt. I still had no clue what they were trying to make and didn’t care enough to ask them. The weather was too awful to venture out of the cave and the idea of hiding out in here was very appealing. Bolam explained it should take a few more days, if his math was right, before we reached Halatross, but we would all get sick before getting there if we traveled in this rain. Even if the elves were on to us, the weather would be miserable for them too and we were in dark elf territory. So we were staying.
The rain stopped just long enough for Jerak to get some more wood for another fire. Teltar only ventured out to make his own weather forecast, “The clouds will eventually leave us-maybe tomorrow.” I spent my lazy day learning how to write in their language. Bolam helped me and I helped him with his studies in my home language. I feel a bit ashamed that his writing in my language is better than my own. My manual dexterity was never that great. I wondered if I was born left handed but learned to write with the right hand.
I had become utterly sick of the rain. I think we all were. Our food supplies were diminishing and boredom was an issue. Thankfully, the next day was only cloudy and, judging the way the wind was blowing, we would be free of the rain for at least another day or two. Since we were all getting restless and might have had two more days’ worth of food, we decided to venture out and risk it. “It might take us three days, give or take, but we can’t afford to stay here any longer,” Bolam lectured. None of us disagreed. We could survive a day without food as long we reached Halatross soon.
We hiked away from the rocky hillside and tried to head north from the lake. The ground was completely soaked but at least it wasn’t raining. The tall grass became ultra-slippery and once in a great while one of us lost a step while crossing over it. At a fair distance we spotted a cluster of trees northwest of us. The trees were much smaller than the ones we had seen in the large forest but held a large amount of drooping leaves with hanging moss. Bolam appeared a bit nervous, “Let us avoid that area.”
I looked at him, “Why?”
Bolam sighed, “We are getting a little too close to the Dark Elf territory.”
“If we travel west, we’ll get pretty close to the marshlands,” Bolam explained as we tried to get a sense of direction from the sun. The clouds still covered most of the sky and it was hard to determine to where north was. Teltar seemed knowledgeable about that sort of thing but he’d never been in these lands and felt out of his element. “It looks like we’ve been trailing off westward a bit too much but I think we should be fine as long we just move straight north,” Bolam declared as he finally figured out which way north was.
We could see the marshlands to the west. It wouldn’t take us very long to reach it but none of us would dare alerting the dark elves to our presence. “We are quite lucky,” Jerak stated.
I looked at him, “What do you mean?”
Jerak rested his arms behind his head as he walked, “I thought we would have encountered some dark elves by now, since this is still their land.”
I sighed, “Now you are jinxing it.” Bolam chuckled but then he sort of had the same feeling I had. Teltar poked me and pointed at a strange pillar out in the middle of the land.
“What is that?” I asked.
Jerak walked over, “There is nothing else around. I wonder why someone would put a stone pillar in the middle of nothing.” The stone pillar stood about five feet tall and was covered in moss. On top was a round sphere caked with moss from years of neglect.
Bolam took a few steps, “Be careful, it could be a trap.” Jerak laughed and walked closer to it, “It’s just a dirty old pillar. Maybe it was used to hold a lantern…” Just as Jerak made that comment, the sphere on top of the pillar started to glow.
“Oh, man!” Jerak jumped. The orb was a faded orange color and barely shone through all the crud that covered it.
Bolam shouted, “Jerak get away from there!” Jerak quickly turned back and sprinted toward us. We all sprinted away and hid behind a boulder. Each of us peeked over and saw nothing but the faintly glowing orb the old stone pillar.
“Nothing is happening…” I whispered.
Bolam scratched his head, “I think it is just a sentry mark.”
Jerak leaned his head back, “A what now?”
Bolam nodded, “A sentry mark is just an orb that is enchanted to light up at the first sign of an intruder. This one looks run down and might only be able to warn something over a short distance.”
Teltar grunted, “Whatever it is, we should just keep on moving.” Before we could take a step, a rumbling sound came from the boulder.
“Oh, man!” Jerak jumped once more. The boulder moved up from the moist earth and towered over us. We soon saw limbs and even a head that were hidden from the dirt and vegetation. The figure held a simple shape but appeared to be well carved to even last all the years it was partially buried.
“Golem!” Bolam shouted. The stone golem stood in front of us. The only detaisl on the face were the eyes which started to glow.
I looked at the others and shouted, “Oh, man!”
“Run!” Bolam shouted. The stone golem took a step and swung its massive arms toward us. Three of us ducked and avoided its strike, but Bolam was sent flying.
“Bolam!” Jerak shouted as he tried to move around the stone golem. Teltar was already pulling back toward Bolam. I stood there dumbfounded until the golem took another swing at me. I dived down to the ground to escape its stone arms. I looked up and saw Jerak swinging at the back of one of its legs. The golem didn’t seem to care.
The golem turned around and made a grab for Jerak. Jerak rolled forward out of its reach. I stood up and took out my short swords.
Teltar shouted, “It is made out of stone; your blades won’t be effective!”
Jerak shouted back, “Good thing I have a mace!” I thought Teltar was talking to me. I charged in anyway. I knew it was stupid but I had the golem’s back… maybe if we surrounded it… I felt a large hand grabbing me.
“Blake!” Jerak shouted as he ran toward me. I didn’t expect the golem to turn just then and grab me. It held me high and looked at me. I gritted my teeth and tried to break free but the thing was so strong! It seemed hopeless. The golem looked down and kicked Jerak who fell back with blood shooting from his mouth. My jaw dropped; I was helpless to do anything. The golem lifted me up higher and turned toward Teltar. My stomach felt like it went up into my throat as the golem threw me at Teltar. It all happened so fast! The last thing I remembered was hitting my dwarven friend.
Chapter 9
Oh, wow- my head hurt! Even with the helmet on… I hated to see what shape my skull would have been without it. My back even hurt, but the ringing in my head just dwarved the pain in my back. Wait a minute… where was I? I opened my eyes and everything looked dark and blurry. I tried to move but m
y arms were bound at the wrists. I could hear the jingle of chains as I moved.
My vision started to come back and I saw that I was in a dark room with stone walls. My arms were above my head and I was hanging from iron shackles. My back was resting against the wall. I was in a bit of a daze. I turned my head and saw the rest of the guys leaning against the same wall right next to me. All of them were shackled like me. They were all unconscious still, at least that was what I hoped.
Hallways led away from either side of the room we were in. They were only partially visible from my angle. My eyes became accustomed to the darkness after a while and I focused on my friends. I watched them for any signs of life. I felt a great deal of relief as I found that each of them were still breathing. Everyone had mud all over them and dried blood running down their faces. I was sure I was just as filthy as they were. I wondered why I was the only one who was conscious. Maybe it was because of my healing ability or the fact I was wearing the Dragon Helmet. I think each played a major factor.
I tried my best to stay awake; I knew falling asleep with a head injury was a bad thing. It also helped that I was filled with worries and curious about where we were and what was going to happen to us. So far there had been no sign of life-it was dead quiet. After a long wait, I heard the sound of Bolam groaning. “Bolam?” I called.
Bolam groaned a bit more, “What happened?”
“That golem beat the crap out of us!” I said.
Bolam coughed a bit, “Where are we?”
I sighed, “I have no clue, but it has been quiet here for awhile.”
Bolam moved his head around, “Looks like we are in a dungeon.”
A moment later I heard Teltar coughing. “Teltar!” I called out.
Teltar looked around and then at me, “Oh… where are we?”
Bolam answered, “I believe we are in a dungeon.”
Teltar looked at him and spoke in a calm voice, “Oh, that isn’t good.” Teltar is even mellow at a time like this.
“Huh? Where am I?” Jerak’s voice asked.
Bolam and I both answered, “In a dungeon.”
“What?! Really?!” Jerak called out.
I sighed, “Yes really.” There was a moment of silence between us.
Jerak finally broke the silence, “Do you know whose dungeon we’re in?”
I shook my head, “I have no clue.”
Bolam coughed a little more, “The dark elves must have captured us, so we might be in their city now.”
I turned my head towards him, “Then why is it so quiet in here?”
Bolam moved and I could hear his chains rattle, “I really don’t know, but maybe we can talk the dark elves in letting us go.” Just then we heard a door from the right end of the hall click. Right after hearing the door shut, we heard laughter.
The laughter sounded like it came from a woman but it was in a sinister tone. I could hear very heavy footsteps like something made of metal was coming through the hallway. The four of us sat there in utter silence, waiting for the source of the noises to show up. A short moment later we saw a woman and two large armored figures walking behind her. Her laughter grew louder and more sinister.
“My, my, my! I haven’t seen so many prisoners in such a long time!” the woman exclaimed. She was well dressed in a black and purple dress with a tall collar and wide sleeves so long you could barely see her hands. Her figure was slender and she had an elegant posture. The lanterns along the walls started to glow instantly as she walked by us. She had long black hair which she had tied in a fancy ponytail that went almost straight up in the back and then fell down behind her head. The front of her face was framed by bangs that come down the sides of her face and trailed down to her chin. Her skin was grey, and she had bright yellow eyes that almost looked copper or gold. She had a slender face with a narrow nose that was slightly pointy. She could only be described as strangely beautiful.
The woman wore a sinister smile, “So… you men came here hoping to steal my treasure? Or maybe you are very unlucky travelers?” She put a hand on her hips and stood confidently as she stared at the four of us.
Jerak answered, “We found this big stone golem and…”
She interrupted, “Silence!” She leaned over and spoke quietly, “I didn’t ask you.” She leaned back and began to pace, “It doesn’t matter. I either see four fools or four potential thieves.” Bolam swallowed hard and appeared to be too scared to talk. The woman casually stuck a finger in her nose which really caught us off guard.
Who was this woman? What did she mean by treasure? And did she just pick her nose in front of us? She walked over to Teltar, “I haven’t seen a dwarf in ages… I didn’t know dwarves would travel to these lands.” Teltar grunted but didn’t say a word. She just laughed humorlessly, “It has been much too long since my golems caught any thieves. Maybe I will use you four to test out my potions.”
Just then Bolam spoke in a frightened tone, “Talestria!”
This was Talestria?! I thought she was some scary witch! Well, she was still scary, but I didn’t think she would look so… er… this was crazy! She laughed, “You just now figured it out. I thought mages were more observant.”
Teltar muttered, “We are not thieves.”
Talestria looked over, “Then why are you all the way out here?”
Jerak answered, “Well we just left the elf city and…”
Bolam finished, “We were just getting away from the elves and found this stone golem…”
Talestria sighed, “Not a very good story, fleeing from elves and wandering here? You could at least come up with a better story.”
I finally spoke, “Um… it is true… you see we…”
Talestria interrupted, “Oh, the masked one finally speaks.”
I lowered my head, “We… er… I am collecting the Dragon Armor and…”
She started to laugh, “Now that is a funny story!” Talestria laughed, “You want me to believe that you are collecting pieces of the cursed armor? The same armor that has no use since anyone who wears it just falls dead? How stupid do you think I am?”
Jerak looked at me, “It is true; he is wearing some of it now.”
Talestria lifted a brow, “Oh? Is that so?” She walked over toward me, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. She tapped on my head and examined my helmet, “It looks similar, but it must be a fake.”
Bolam spoke, “It is true. We have the boots as well. He is able to wear it.”
Talestria rolled her eyes, “You actually believe that someone is able to wear the armor?!” She glared at Bolam. I could see the fear in Bolam’s eyes.
I took a deep breath, “It is true; it is because I am not from this world.”
“Oh, more tall tales!” she shouted in a more angry tone. She walked over towards me.
“It is true!” I answered. She grabbed the sides of my helmet and began to pull it off. I held my breath with my mouth gaping open as she stared at me. I stared back at her and saw her eyes quickly look away. She took a few deep breaths and slowly set the helmet down on the ground. Talestria quietly walked back down the hall. The two armored figures followed her.
After the sound of the armored figures disappeared Jerak spoke, “What happened?”
I tried to shrug, “I have no clue.”
Bolam sighed, “This is very bad! This is the worst case scenario!”
Jerak moved a bit, “I can’t believe she is real! I thought she would look more like an old hag!”
Teltar sighed, “Dark elves don’t age.”
Why did she leave like that?
A few minutes later the door opened and we could hear the sound of the armored figures marching down the hall toward us. This time Talestria was nowhere to be seen. The armored figures walked right to me and unlocked my shackles. As soon as I was set free they grabbed me and dragged me back down the hall. I was too confused to struggle and the armored figures were actually quite strong. “Blake!” Jerak shouted as I was taken from the room.
I was led upstairs into a well-lit room that looked like some kind of mansion. Everything was so fancy and bright. The armored figures moved me mindlessly to the far end of the large room. To the left of me was a wide staircase that split in two directions and around to another floor. To the right of me stood several stone pillars and a large double door that was closed. In front of me was another hallway.
They moved me past several doors on the left and finally moved me into a room at the far end of the hallway. They let go and blocked the path behind me. “Uh… where are you guys taking me?” The armored figures stood there lifelessly. I stared at them and saw nothing behind the gaps in their armor other than two dim lights where their eyes should be. Were these golems, too? They looked much too big to be even human. Dumbfounded, I opened the door at the end of the hallway.
Through the door was a nice bed room. There was a fancy bed with a soft-looking couch. I saw several fancy pieces of wooden furniture that looked like antiques that hadn’t been used in a very long time but still were in prime condition. I took several steps in and saw two doors on the left side of the room. One looked like a walk in closet and the other was closed. I decide to open that door.
It was a bathroom! I hadn’t really seen a bathroom in this world yet! Well, the inns where I had stayed each had small room with a toilet and water pump so you could wash yourself, but this was the first time I had seen a true bathroom! The toilet looked like it was made of stone or some kind of plaster but had a fancy shape. There was actually a tub! The trim of the tub looked like it was made of gold and the tub itself was some kind of painted white metal. Against the wall was some white colored container with two red gemstones on it that was linked to the tub by a copper pipe.
I stared at myself in the mirror. My face was only slightly dirty compared to the other guys (mostly because I had the helmet on) but had a few bits of dried blood on my forehead and down my nose. Why was I led into a fancy bedroom with a real bath? I looked back into the other room. There were no signs of anyone using this room in years so I assumed it was some kind of guest room, but why was I brought here? First I was locked up in a dungeon and now here. It was so strange.
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