Emperor

by Isaac Hooke

  18

  Malem hurried down the stairs along with the others.

  The surroundings here seemed little different than the floor above. Paving stones, with bricks forming the rectangular walls and ceiling, surrounded them. Abigail’s flaming globe provided the only light. Corridors occasionally branched off, their ends hidden in darkness. There was still no room for the dragons to transform.

  The first thing he noticed was that their footsteps were muted, absorbed by the walls, losing the echo that came with the floor above.

  As he continued forward, Ziatrice said: “They’re not coming.” Her voice was also somewhat muted.

  He raised a hand, and halted the party. He went to Ziatrice on drag.

  She was staring at the now distant staircase that led up to the first level. It was barely visible at the edge of the cone produced by Abigail’s globe.

  “The kobolds,” she said. “They’re not following us.”

  “Why do you think they stopped?” Gwen said.

  Ziatrice shrugged. “Maybe we tired them out.”

  “Or they’re too scared to come down here,” Mauritania said. “For whatever reason.”

  “I like the night elf’s excuse better,” Timlir said.

  “You would, Dwarf,” Mauritania said.

  “Do you hear that?” Abigail said.

  Mauritania cocked her head, listening. “What?”

  “No echo,” Abigail said.

  “So?” Xaxia said.

  “There are no carpets, tapestries or curtains to absorb the sound, just bare stone,” Abigail said.

  “Well that’s kinda creepy,” Xaxia agreed.

  “Abigail, if you can spare the strength, brightening the light levels would be great,” Malem told the half dragon.

  The flaming globe increased in intensity overhead.

  Gwen was still gazing at the stairs behind them. “Why aren’t they following?”

  Wendolin spoke. “I’ve heard that sometimes, when monsters move into places like these, a certain hierarchy develops among the different members. The more powerful monsters are at the top of this hierarchy, and they dictate to the lesser monsters the floors and territories they’re allowed to enter, as demarcated by a series of boundaries. It’s the only way to promote harmony among the denizens, otherwise they’d be constantly fighting. Sometimes, these boundaries are magically enforced.”

  “But we passed through without issue,” Malem said. He nodded at the gazer. “As did my pet.”

  Wendolin nodded. “We’re not monsters. And as for your gazer, it probably has permission to travel between levels, whereas the kobolds don’t. At least, that’s my guess.”

  “Or maybe they’re just afraid, like I said already,” Mauritania told her.

  Malem nodded. “Well, at least it gives us a moment to catch our collective breath. Something I’m sure some of you need.” He glanced at Solan and Gannet, who were the most weary of the bunch, thanks to Malem’s drainings.

  But Solan smiled when Malem looked at him, and raised his fiery sword. “I’ve actually already recovered a little bit of the strength you stole. At least this doesn’t feel like a dead weight anymore!”

  “I thought you said dead wight, at first!” Timlir quipped.

  “Yeah,” Solan said, forcing a smile. “Though I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to fight, if it comes to combat again. I’m sure it will grow heavy, quickly.” He slid the sword back into his scabbard to give his arm a rest.

  Malem sheathed his own blade, wanting to do the same, and the other blade-wielding members of the party did likewise.

  “You’re a dragon,” Gwen said. “I’m sure you’ll recover your strength faster than the rest of us.”

  “This is true,” Solan said. “But being a dragon doesn’t make me invincible, you know. I still need time to recover. Though it’s about half that of an ordinary human, I’d say.”

  “It’s too bad we can’t make camp, and rest here for a while,” Xaxia said.

  “No,” Malem agreed. “Not while uraks are potentially hunting us.”

  “Maybe they gave up when they encountered the wyvern,” Weyanna asked hopefully.

  “Somehow, I doubt it,” Malem said. “No, we have to press on.”

  The party continued forward.

  “What was with the wights up there?” Abigail asked.

  “What do you mean?” Timlir replied.

  “I thought only necromancers could summon them,” she said.

  Mauritania was the one who answered. “Maybe there was a necromancer among the kobolds.”

  Wendolin nodded. “Or it’s possible the wights wandered upstairs from the lower levels.”

  “So, there could be a necromancer or equivalent somewhere ahead, is what you’re suggesting,” Xaxia said.

  “That’s exactly what I’m suggesting,” Wendolin said.

  “Wonderful news,” Xaxia told her.

  Malem had the gazer lead the way, traveling near the periphery of the light cone. Passages and doorways continued to open to the left and right of the main corridor, but Malem ignored them, keeping to the main route for now.

  “Seems empty,” Solan commented. “Nothing on your beast sense?”

  “Nothing,” Malem agreed.

  He had walked for maybe five minutes when the gazer froze.

  He held up a fist, halting the party.

  The gazer abruptly retreated.

  Dim the light globe! he sent Abigail.

  She obeyed.

  He heard a strange clattering sound coming from the murk ahead.

  We backtrack to the last side corridor we passed! he sent his companions.

  As he retreated, he pantomimed the retreat for those who hadn’t heard his mental command.

  He dodged inside the side corridor, and hurried some distance down its depths with the others.

  I want that globe hidden, he told Abigail. No light. Can you do that without disabling it completely?

  He didn’t want her to have to waste stamina when it came time to reactivate the illumination.

  I believe so. She dimmed the flaming sphere so that it was reduced to a barely glowing cinder, and then lowered it behind herself so that her body shielded the remaining glow entirely.

  The corridor became pitch black. His night vision was useless here.

  But he did have access to a creature that could potentially see even in this darkness: the gazer. It was mostly all eye, after all.

  He switched to the point of view of the monster, and was a little disappointed that its vision was just as useless in these conditions.

  How do you navigate in the darkness? he asked the creature.

  In response, the corridor became outlined in the faintest of grays, ending only a few yards around the creature. Malem spotted the others with him as black silhouettes against the gray wall. It was as if the gazer had begun emitting some kind of light normal humans couldn’t process.

  He ordered the gazer to travel closer to the main passageway, and it proceeded forward. He wanted that passageway to be in view so he could get an idea of what it was that was passing by, but because of the gazer’s limited visual range, in the end he changed his mind, and pulled the creature back. It would have to get too close to the intersection, and risk discovery.

  The gazer returned to his side.

  Flatter yourselves against the walls, Malem sent. When Xaxia, Timlir and Goldenthall didn’t comply—they didn’t hear the order in their heads—he moved among them with the help of the gazer, and whispered the instruction in their ears.

  Then he pressed his own body against the cold stone, as did the gazer.

  That distant rattling sound increased slightly in volume. He sensed nothing on his beast sense.

  He kept his vision tapped into the monster’s so that he could stare down the corridor, but of course he couldn’t see the intersection. Still, he wanted a warning if anything should travel this way.

  The rattling became louder still, and then it be
gan to recede—at that point, he knew whatever it was had passed by.

  He exhaled in relief. Still, he was troubled, because he hadn’t picked up the creature at all with his mind.

  When the sound faded entirely, he waited another five minutes before he pushed away from the wall.

  “Abigail, some light,” he said softly.

  The flaming globe rose above her, and brightened, illuminating the others. Those with some night vision shielded their eyes, while the others simply blinked a few times before their vision adjusted.

  “Well, I don’t know what that was,” Malem announced.

  “It didn’t register on your beast sense?” Xaxia asked from beside him.

  “No,” he said. “Though sometimes, monsters don’t show up until I actually see them with my own eyes. That could be the case here.”

  “What if it’s not?” Weyanna asked. “What kind of monster does it take to evade your sense?”

  “Humans come to mind,” Malem said.

  “The greatest monster of them all,” Goldenthall muttered.

  “So, I’m not sure how much more hide and seek we can play like this,” Malem said. “I’m inclined to face the next monster head-on, if only because I don’t know how close the uraks of Vorgon’s army are. They could be anywhere behind us.”

  “No thanks to your failing beast sense,” Gwen commented.

  Malem sighed, nodding.

  “I guess it’s a matter of weighing the options,” Xaxia said. “We have to consider what’s worse. Facing uraks whose numbers could be in the hundreds. Or one rattling creature no bigger than this corridor.”

  “I’d be careful to jump to conclusions,” Mauritania said. “It might not be one creature. Plus, even if it is, doesn’t mean it will be easy to defeat. In fact, it’s probably hard as hell, considering it announced its presence with that rattling long before reaching us. Other monsters on this level could very easily home in on that sound and attack, and yet they choose not to. Why do you think that is?”

  “Because this creature is probably a bitch to deal with,” Solan said.

  “Speaking of other monsters homing in on,” Gwen said. “What about our own conversations. Sure, they’re hushed, and seem to be absorbed by these walls, at least somewhat, but I’m sure there are creatures here with sensitive ears. There would have to be, given how dark it is. And what about our light?”

  “I’m assuming that most denizens of this level don’t need light to see by,” Malem said. “So, we probably don’t have to worry too much in that department. Or if they do have vision, it’s probably vestigial, and rudimentary. Our light would more likely blind them, than anything else.”

  “Yeah, except that didn’t work too well on the kobolds on the floor above,” Timlir said.

  “Anyway, we’ll keep the light,” Malem said. “But let’s keep quiet, going forward. Walk as softly as you can. And mental communications only. Those of you not linked to me, feel free to come to my side and whisper in my ear if you need to speak.”

  He had the gazer lead them back to the corridor. It went into the intersection first, and checked both ways to confirm the way was clear, and then they proceeded forward.

  They moved stealthily, but still a scabbard occasionally scraped against a wall, or a boot scratched the floor, and he cringed at those sounds, soft as they were. But nothing attacked. So far.

  They heard the rattling coming from ahead again, twice more, and each time Malem decided to retreat to a side passage and drop the light levels to zero. The third time, the rattling grew even louder as the monster that sourced it turned down their side corridor, and the party was forced to retreat in the dark. Those who could not share the gazer’s vision moved by touch, led by those who could.

  They turned down another passage in this labyrinth, and traveled some distance down it, and then waited.

  The rattling passed them by, and this time when it became silent, Malem only waited sixty seconds before returning to the intersection, and proceeding back to the main corridor.

  Malem was growing antsy. He was convinced the uraks were right behind them, or almost so, and he had the party increase its pace. They still moved as stealthily as possible, though the occasional scrapes and clatters were louder because of the increased speed.

  “We’re not fleeing if another monster comes our way,” Malem said quietly.

  But they didn’t encounter any more rattling sounds, nor any other monsters. Malem’s beast sense remained completely devoid of monsters, and he detected nothing save for his own companions.

  Soon, they came upon another staircase leading down.

  “Well, that was quick,” Brita said.

  “Not really,” Ziatrice said. “It only seems that way because we didn’t have to fight our way through an army of kobolds and a wyvern to get here.”

  “So, are we going to take the stairs, or are we going to stand here complaining how fast we’re moving?” Gannet asked.

  Malem had the gazer go down first, minus Abigail’s flaming globe. It used its enhanced night vision to confirm that nothing awaited on the floor below, which looked little different from this one.

  “It’s clear,” Malem said. “Down we go.”

  “Onward level three,” Xaxia commented.

  19

  Malem continued across the flagstones of the third floor. It truly felt like he was inside the depths of some dank dungeon, and though he was not chained to the walls, or trapped in a cell behind bars, he still felt for all the world like a prisoner.

  Can’t go backward. The only way out is forward. And yet it might lead only to a dead end. And our death.

  But he reminded himself that there had to be another exit somewhere, if not a few, otherwise the monsters wouldn’t have been able to survive in here.

  Then again, something like a kobold probably didn’t need much sustenance to survive, considering only its head existed in this reality. A wight was little different, raised by a necromancer for the soul purposes of causing damage.

  Yes, his mind kept seesawing back and forth like that, until finally he forced himself to silence those thoughts, and tried to concentrate on the present moment.

  From the energy bundles in his head, he was able to get a gauge on how well the other party members were doing. Everyone was on edge, of course. But stamina wise, the half dragons were recovering their strength rather well. And the gazer had enough endurance to cast a few spells. Malem and the others recovered a little bit, too, but not nearly as much. He might be able to Break a few lower level monsters, but that was about it. And his sword arm was staring to get stiff now that he had sheathed the blade.

  Going to be hard to fight, when the time comes.

  But he’d just have to suck it up, like everyone else.

  Wish I was a half dragon.

  Once again, he silenced his mind, and moved on through the corridor.

  This one didn’t proceed in a straight line like the passageway upstairs. Instead, they kept coming to T intersections. Malem always took the righthand branch, so that it would be easy to retrace their steps, if it came to it.

  And then he heard that familiar rattling coming from up ahead.

  He planted both his feet on the ground.

  We’re not going to run? Gwen sent.

  In answer, he drew Balethorn.

  “Abigail, brighten the light,” he said.

  She brightened it to the maximum extents of her ability.

  The rattling sound ceased ahead.

  Malem recalled the gazer so that it hovered next to him.

  Several moments of silence passed. He still didn’t sense anything with his beast abilities.

  And then the rattling began anew, though this time the clatter was faster, as if his opponents were sprinting toward him.

  And then he saw them, bursting into the edges of the light cone. Four skeletons. About the same height as men.

  They moved mechanically, longswords and small bucklers carried in hand. They otherwi
se had no armor, their bare ribcages and other bones gleaming white beneath Abigail’s flaming globe.

  Though he had seen them, he still didn’t sense them. He tried to wrap his mind around them, but there was nothing there to wrap his mind around.

  Arrows launched from Gwen, Sylfi and Brita, but the incoming skeletons deflected them with their bucklers.

  With a shout, Xaxia burst forward, swinging Biter in a wide arc.

  Malem joined her to protect her flank.

  Her blade struck the buckler of the closest skeleton, and bounced off. Malem parried the blow that another skeleton aimed at her chest, and he struck out at the skeleton in the riposte, but the creature shifted, striking his sword with the edge of its shield, and deflecting the blow.

  The skeleton abruptly turned and attacked the osseous soldier beside it. The gazer’s Confuse magic still worked on them, then, which made some sense, given that the creature would have needed the ability to survive in these depths.

  Malem shoved past he pair, toward the remaining two, leaving them to fight. As did Xaxia.

  He swung his sword at his next foe, and the skeleton parried, striking back with the riposte. He deflected the blow with his sword guard.

  He struck again, but this time hit the buckler. The skeleton swung the sword wide, forcing him to leap backward, as he had no time to reposition the blade.

  A fireball raced past from behind Malem, but the skeleton blocked it with its shield.

  Malem charged, making several repeated blows. The skeleton had time only to block them with its shield, and was completely on the defensive.

  An arrow struck his opponent in the eye socket, but all it did was jerk the skeleton’s head backward, otherwise causing no damage.

  The attack was enough to distract the skeleton, however; Malem stepped to the side and cut off the bony hand that held the shield.

  As the shield fell, green magic curved past Malem and struck the skeleton; the impacted bones of its spine disintegrated. Without those key bones to hold it aloft, the skeleton collapsed, sword and all. Malem stabbed Balethorn down into its skull. He received no stamina for the kill, unsurprisingly.