by Tom Rogal
His eyeless gaze returned to his departed bird friend. His excitement at the news of the elves possible return was only surpassed by the sorrow he felt for his innocent friend who had served him dutifully for all these years. He gave out a bone chilling cry that echoed throughout the mountain.
The group paused as they heard the loud sound. It was as if all the confidence they had gained over the past few days disappeared in an instant. Neeza had to admit, even he was afraid of what caused that awful noise.
Mimerck walked back slightly and began to think. He knew all the tales associated with this place. Why was he drawing a blank on what that might be?
Vindar commented, “Tell me that was just the wind.”
“Not the wind, boy,” Mimerck continued as he remembered more of the tale. “There were more legends here than just the Garchai. It was said that a horrible god occupied this mountain after the elves left. He fell from the heavens to guard the Relic from all usurpers. When they were defeated, he was said to have fallen into a deep sleep. It appears between us and the Ettui being here, we have awoken that very god.”
Dyenarus said, “Wait, you’re saying that we’re going to be doing battle with Valendri Himself?”
Biverin asked, “Who is Valendri? I know we are going after his relic, but I know very little about him.”
Neeza explained, “Valendri is the elvish god of Mortality. Although Elves are technically immortal because they never age and could live forever, they still can be killed in battle or from a very rare disease that their current leader is inflicted with. So Valendri is the only god they truly fear. When they pray before battle, the last god they pray to is him because they don’t want to die any more than we do. I heard of this legend as well. The Garchai might be real, but to say an elvish god is here is asinine!”
“Oh, of course. Every other legend with this place has been true so far, but this one? Truly a sham!”
Neeza didn’t appreciate Mimerck’s sarcasm, but he really couldn’t blame him for his way of thinking. He was right. Everything in the legends with this mountain had turned out to be more fact than fiction: The Garchai, the strange magic, the Relic. It was all real. But now they were just talking crazy. Everyone knew that the only gods to ever physically step foot on Gyyerlith were their own back when they lived on the motherland before it was sunk into the ocean by the very same gods. Not even the elves believe that their gods were here. That was why they had the Wood Elves. They were the communication with their holy ones.
Haldirin finally said, “This is not a time to bicker and argue. We must be doubly cautious. If not a god, than something else, something big, is in here. We should move.”
Gerran nodded as they continued out of the hallway back into the main room. They had travelled up two levels following the statue’s ‘directions’. He figured they would start traveling down very soon. Then the presence of the Relic would become greater. The group spread out while Gerran began examining which was the correct path. As Lindaris moved forward, a strange sound was heard, making everyone freeze.
Dyenarus commented, “What in the hell is that?”
After a few seconds the noise stopped. Lindaris chuckled and said, “Well, looks like we’re letting this place mess with our heads.”
Dyenarus heard the familiar sound of arrows flying through the air.
“Look out!”
She quickly grabbed Lindaris, pulling him toward her, but she was a tad bit slow.
One of the arrows nailed him in the shoulder causing him to scream in great pain. They pulled him back into the hallway as Condarin instantly went to work.
“How are you feeling? Is the pain traveling up your arm like it’s on fire?”
Lindaris commented, “It hurts like hell! I just got shot with an arrow, what do you think?”
Condarin added, “Good. If you said it felt like you were burning then the arrow might have been laced with a poison. Since that is not the case, let’s get to work!”
She pulled the arrow out with a great tug for his smart-alec remarks. Lindaris gave a loud scream.
“By everything holy!”
“This is going to sting a bit, but it will at least stop any infections. It might leave a scar too.”
Lindaris laughed, “That’s fine. Women find scars sexy.”
Condarin smiled as he prepared to have the spells cast on him. Lindaris was tough, but it was never easy to take an arrow anywhere. Neeza was more concerned about where it came from. The arrow was definitely elvish, but it was too short to be fired from a bow. Neeza stood up and began walking toward Gerran. Their Black magic specialist was in good hands with Condarin.
Condarin chanted, “Hiuelliman Cierra Donta.”
The purplish light engulfed Lindaris’ shoulder. Lindaris, in the past, had many curing spells cast on him, mainly because of his many attempts to impress Guillia. The previous times were mainly for burns due to fire spells and such. The imbedded arrow was his first deep wound and she was right, it hurt more than anything he could have imagined. In a few seconds, Condarin’s spells were finished, and the skin on Lindaris’ shoulder was mainly healed.
“Much obliged, my lady.”
Dyenarus helped Lindaris up and said, “Well, it looks like we’re even. Guess you can just forget the whole kiss idea now.”
He replied, “For now. But we’re far from getting out of here. Lots of time to make it up.”
“You’re unreal, Lindaris.”
Neeza finally reached Gerran, who had Vindar fire a few balls of light in the direction the arrows came.
“What have you found?”
“It came from over there on that wall. You can see the numerous gaps,” pointed out Gerran.
His sight was true. Many slots where arrows could be fired were there, but if it were the Ettui, they wouldn’t have stopped after one wave. Neeza didn’t think anyone fired those arrows. He began to look at the ground around where Lindaris had stood. There! A slight indentation was on the floor barely visible from the rocks and dust.
Neeza began to analyze, “This area . . . I don’t think it was ever manned during the battles against the Ettui. This whole area is booby trapped. Why do you think they made this so complicated? They relied on these traps to take out as much of the enemy forces as possible and those that survived would feel the full strength of the elf forces below. No wonder the Ettui had issues. Their rush into the battle tactic would give them a heavy death toll. We’re in the killing zone.”
Gerran asked, “But wouldn’t that mean we should just sit tight with the Ettui situation? The mountain would defend itself against these characters.”
Haldirin, who walked into the conversation, answered, “The Ettui are probably aware of why they failed. They will be more careful this time. Besides, we are considered intruders of this mountain just like they are. What makes you think it won’t turn on us?”
Another valid point. He already knew there would be no chance they could leave it up to the mountain to defend them if the Ettui and their group crossed paths. They were going to need to conquer these traps just the same as the Ettui were.
Biverin suddenly said, “I hate to interrupt this enthralling conversation, but it looks like we’ve got company.”
They didn’t have to look up. They could hear the soft grunts and whispers. Thirty stories up, the Ettui began to enter the mountain. Vindar lowered the power of his light spell. They were carrying torches and were walking in pairs, quietly down the closest bridge to the top. Haldirin was right. They learned from the fiasco that had happened there nearly nine hundred years ago.
Even though they still had the element of surprise, it would be over soon. At that point, they would be fighting both the Ettui and the mountain. The odds were not favorable.
Neeza got everyone together and whispered, “Gerran, get us as far as we can toward the elf’s sanctuary. A clash with the Ettui will be unavoidable. The closer they get, Vindar’s light will be seen more clearly. Then they will definitel
y know who's here.”
Joakon tried to speak, “Sir? Neeza?”
Neeza only replied, “Quiet for a moment. I’m trying to think.”
Joakon once again asked, “Neeza? It might be inevitable, but we might be able to delay them a bit longer.”
When he looked up, he saw Joakon tossing a beaker with a reddish liquid in it. From his partially opened backpack Neeza could see that most of the bag was filled with it. Neeza and Lindaris were probably the only ones that knew what was in the bottle. And he’s only been doing this for five months? Mierena, were she alive at that moment, would have recruited him in a heartbeat. Maybe she would still get the chance if their mission was successful. With that much firepower, bless his heart!
Neeza asked, “You are certain you know the way or can guild us?
Gerran replied, “Yes. The key lies in reading the statues on the pillars. It shows the way. Where are you going?”
Neeza grabbed Lindaris and Joakon and whispered something in both of their ears. Lindaris especially had a huge smile on his face. It perhaps wasn’t the best of plans, but it was sure going to make things interesting.
“Haldirin, move the children along. We’re going to make some fireworks.”
**********************************
On the top bridge of the room, Orznaii finally climbed in. The lead Ettui began sniffing around intently. He had received much intelligence from the many survivors of the original attack on this former stronghold. He wasn’t going to make the same mistakes they had so long ago. The biggest issue they reported to him was stealth, and moving carefully was the best tactic. The elves were able to coax the previous Ettui army into many ambushes during the Battle of Simorgan. Although the elf defenders were gone, much still remained of their defenses. If they went in slow and steady, they would have some losses, but not as many.
One of his ranked Ettui warriors ran up to him and said, “Barunaii truccta madriia.” (The base seems empty.)
Orznaii looked down below, which had Ettui along bridges at least ten stories down. He had heard some traps going off in the distance along with the screams of his soldiers unfortunate enough to trigger them. Acceptable losses. All that mattered was the Relic. Whatever it took to get it was fine by him.
He brought the torch to his face showing his facial features clearly. His mouth was small, but his teeth were razors. Large bumps and rashes covered his green skin. The armor he wore was stronger than the rest, made of thick steel in the chest and steel wristbands. He kept his sword at arm’s length, ready to grab it if necessary.
Orznaii ordered, “Keepin driisinntuna.” (Keep moving silently.)
The ranked Ettui nodded and ran forward to give the order. Things were going very well. When his superiors pushed for more soldiers, Orznaii convinced them otherwise. He knew the casualties would be minimal in the kill zone. That only left the eventual battle with the Valendritaii, or Valendri’s minions, for him to worry about. He knew they were still around inside the deep recesses of the mountain fortress. He also knew they would not be easy to kill. Losing few forces here was key to reaching the Relic. The more he could throw at the Valendritaii as a distraction, the easier it would be to reach the prize.
Yes, if things continued as planned Valendri’s treasure would be theirs by the next nightfall.
-------------------------
Neeza finished telepathically placing the bottles under the nearest bridge where the Ettui were. The liquid was a blend used by early mages to practice casting shields. It had other uses as well, but it was a pretty advanced mixture. It was called “Kazchum-hi’s bomb” referencing the demi-god’s giving of fire to the mages. When thrown, it would explode on contact. Cast a fire spell on a group of them close by, and you were looking at a firestorm.
Neeza stayed to make sure the bottles remained in position. Joakon knew the exact amount that was needed and where to place them to make sparks fly. Lindaris, well, his reason was the most obvious. Neeza would have done it himself, but even as powerful as he was, no mage has ever been able to cast two spells simultaneously.
Torchlight was seen coming from the hallway. Despite their best efforts to be silent, their armor was quite loud.
Joakon observed, “Here they come. So after we do this, how are we going to find our way back with the group?”
Neeza responded, “Gerran is leaving us a map of sorts. Just worry about the here and now. We will be fine.”
Joakon was always an uneasy fellow. He didn’t think this adventure would change that. This plan was sure to work. Not only would it slow down their enemy’s advancement, but also give them the extra time they would need to reach the Relic.
The Ettui began to slowly make their way toward the center of the bridge. Lindaris was obviously ready. He had been itching for some action and now he was going to be the cause of it in a good way. Just a little bit further . . .
The Ettui were now midway across the bridge. Neeza looked over toward Lindaris and nodded. It was time.
Lindaris chanted, “Firammii morza!”
The fireball made a direct line toward the bottles. The Ettui on the bridge looked down, seeing nothing but three individuals. That was all they saw before the fireball connected with the beakers. The explosion rocked the entire bridge, taking out a large chunk. The piece fell along with about ten Ettui soldiers. The section damaged a few of the bridges below until it hit the point where the elf talisman was, disintegrating it to rubble. The Ettui who landed on it were instantly vaporized.
Neeza yelled, “Let’s move!”
Orznaii looked below the moment he saw the explosion. Even though they were stories above it, the wake of the blast threw the ancient dust into their faces. When it was clear enough for him to see he began searching.
There was a large gap in the bridge where his lead group stood. That would slow things down a little, the Ettui leader grimaced. His gaze, however, shifted to the bridge a few floors down. Movement he would have never had a mind of noticing were it not for the explosion. He gazed deeper with his hawk-like eyesight.
It was definitely not an elf. They would have been able to smell them if they were. It looked human, but how could it be? The magic of Mount Hrithgorn was so powerful that it would drive the simple human mind mad. There was only one other possibility that it could be, and the robes they wore confirmed it. It was one of the last races he expected to see here.
Orznaii just said, “Maginiias.” (Mages.)
Neeza, Joakon, and Lindaris began to run through the hallways following the breadcrumb trail left to them by Gerran. It was ingenious. He even left them clues as to what the traps were that they encountered. The first room he put pieces of cloth on sections of the floor that were safe to step on as the wrong step led to a deep chasm. Down one of the stairways, he placed the cloth on one side of the steps because stepping in the center would cause metal lances to sprout from the wall.
They finally caught up with the rest of the group, who had their spells primed and ready when they arrived. Neeza gave a quick breath of relief. Good. If they had been the enemy, they would have taken care of the situation.
Haldirin asked, “What happened? Is everything okay?”
Neeza said, “Well, they know we’re here.”
“You make it sound like that’s a good thing,” commented Condarin.
He didn’t expect the others to understand the significance of what he was doing. He wanted the Ettui to focus on them.
Neeza explained, “The Ettui failed all those years ago because they rushed in. These knew better. Now that they know they have a little competition, I’m betting they will race through to try and beat us down. Meanwhile, the traps will be helping us to soften their ranks.”
The students were impressed. Though they currently had a large lead over the Ettui, they knew it would be shrinking rapidly. The Ettui were always quick; an advantage that was always in their favor. They always won the numbers battle as well. If they wanted to beat them down below the talis
man, they were going to need to hurry.
Gerran said, “We better get moving, then. The traps will only slow their ranks, not stop them. I’d rather be in the inner sanctum before they reach us.”
Neeza nodded as Haldirin stepped forward. The others followed suit, although Dyenarus and Joakon brought up the rear.
She finally asked Lindaris, “So, was that explosion just as impressive as it sounded? We could hear it from here.”
“It was great! You should have seen the fire and the light! It was everywhere! They never saw it coming! I take back everything I’ve said about you, Joakon. Is that what you do all day? Make that stuff?” exclaimed Lindaris.
Joakon answered with a smile, “Only in my spare time.”
They finally joined up with the rest of the group. Neeza had never seen Lindaris so happy. Then again, the masters in the Black Magic School tended to be a little different. They enjoyed blowing things up and the art of destruction. In his experience, violence was never seen as the best first option. It did have its place just like Divination or White Magic, however. It was all perspective.
As they reached the next bridge, they could see the Ettui were only four stories away and closing in. Gerran didn’t seem too concerned about the enemy positions.
“Don’t worry. That way will only lead them back toward the top or worse. Let’s move!”
Just as they advanced a few feet, five Ettui soldiers leapt from the bridge to the one the mages were on. Most landed on it hard, while some missed and landed on the talisman, destroying them instantly. The ones on the bridge began to charge the mages, who fired their basic stunning fireball at them. It was one of the mage’s greatest spells because it didn’t require an incantation. It usually disabled the enemy enough to escape or provide an opening to unleash a finishing blow. Or in this case, it knocked most of them off the bridge.