by Tom Rogal
As it stepped into the torchlight, they were able to see the creature clearly. It was about ten feet long and had at least twenty hands or feet on each side of it, the clicking came from how its hands and feet were cupped, while the shuffling was from the legs rubbing against each other. Its body was sleek and its head resembled that of the Garchai, except it had no helmet. The pale skin seemed to overtake the eyes. The head was bald and the teeth were sharp. It looked like a deformed Garchai centipede, making Lindaris want to refer to it as a Garchipede. But those ears . . .
The Garchipede moved quickly toward Biverin as he hacked away at it with his staff. It certainly knew which one was the weakest of the group. It must have been able to smell Biverin’s injury from the moment they began exploring. Let’s see how hungry it would be after he blasted it with his fireball.
Lindaris chanted, “Firammii morza!”
The fireball made a direct hit with the Garchipede which was pushed back to the other end of the room as Lindaris celebrated. That was easy.
As quickly as he thought that, from underneath one of the benches, the Garchipede crawled out slowly. It was glowing a bright red. The creature first looked at Biverin before facing her attacker. It suddenly shot a flame out of its mouth that nearly hit Lindaris. He used a bench for cover until the flame was finished.
Lindaris yelled, “What the hell did it do?”
Biverin explained, “Blast it! The thing absorbs magic! Anything you cast on it, it can absorb it and shoot it right back at us!”
That certainly complicated things. Magic was going to be useless against the beast. The weapons lying around were made for the Garchai, so there was no chance at him being able to wield one. They were simply too big.
The Garchipede instantly went after Biverin again as he tried to maintain a high ground by staying on the benches or blacksmithing surfaces. It moved unlike anything he had seen on Gyyerlith. Lindaris began to look around as there had to be something they could use against it. His attention fell on the still burning coals of the used blacksmith forge. It could absorb magical fire, but let’s see how it handled the real deal.
“Biverin! Head toward the forge! Get it into the fire!”
He nodded and tried to get to where Lindaris instructed. The Garchipede kept pace, not giving him room to relax. Biverin was finally a couple steps away from the burning forges.
The Garchipede sprouted its head up in front of him just a few feet before the forges. Biverin backed up as the creature was getting ready to strike. A glass beacon suddenly hit the demented Garchai in the head, causing an instant smoke screen. Thank goodness Joakon had good aim. Biverin leapt through the smoke and onto the edge of the forge, barely escaping its sharp teeth and maintaining his balance enough, so he didn’t fall into the flames too.
Once balanced, he tried to coax the creature to leap after him, “Come on! I’m right here! Fresh meat! Come get me!”
The creature was at first hesitant, but once Biverin started talking about meat, it must have gotten its hunger driven. It leapt forward as the mage moved to his left and out of the way. The Garchipede landed in the coals as flames began to cover its body. It pushed itself out and began to roll around the floor as Biverin joined Lindaris.
Lindaris celebrated, “Got him this time!”
After a few seconds of rolling, the flames just magically extinguished. The Garchipede returned to its many arms and legs to confront the two mages, making a sound that resembled laughing. Lindaris gave a heavy sigh, slumping his shoulders in disbelief.
“Oh, this thing is going down,” stated the Black magic mage.
But how were they going to do it? It was resistant to magic. It definitely didn’t mind being on fire, so that wouldn’t work. He didn’t get his answer until he looked up. The ceiling was littered with racks of weapons. If he timed it right, he could knock the rack down on top of it. The chains, even from their vantage point, looked extremely rusted.
The Garchipede slowly began to make its move as Lindaris fired a fireball at the chain. The spell obliterated the chain holding the rack, causing it to free fall. The creature leapt, stopping inches in front of them. A Garchai sword had pierced it firmly to the ground. Biverin and Lindaris moved out of the way. Joakon, who had had managed to climb on top of a bookshelf, climbed down to join the other two mages.
Lindaris asked, “Please tell me you have something that can finish this thing off in that bag of wonders?”
Joakon pulled two yellowish liquid beakers out of his nearly empty bag, “I might have something. Throw them at the neck.”
He gave Lindarus one as they walked toward the creature. Biverin walked to the other side so it drew the Garchipede’s attention, and thus exposing its neck to them. It fell for the bait instantly, smelling the scent of the injured mage. Once it was in clear view, Lindaris threw his beaker. It broke and a terrible hissing sound could be heard. Joakon threw it at the bottom part as the strong acid began to eat away quickly at the Garchipede’s neck. It was clawing at the floor, trying to free itself, but to no avail. It was sickening to watch, but the students realized if they didn't kill it, it would have killed them. In about a minute, the creature was decapitated. Its body was still trying to figure out what happened, but that too finally went silent.
Lindaris finally celebrated, “That’s what you get for messing with mages! Good work, gentleman!”
Biverin finally added, “That was very ingenious of you, using that weapons rack to our advantage. How did you think of it?”
Lindaris admitted, “Well, I saw how everything I could think of didn’t work, so I decided to think how you’d think. You would look to take something from the room and make it our weapon.”
Biverin laughed and responded, “There might be hope for you yet.”
The two mages shook hands to show how serious their recent bond had become. Joakon was happy as well to see those two made amends. It was going to make things easier for the rest of this journey.
Lindaris finally said, “Okay, if this path goes this way, the one I sent Gerran on must intersect at some point. We should keep going in case . . .”
Lindaris stopped talking when they all heard large footsteps coming from the north. They all knew what was causing the noise; though he was a little surprised they were being so obvious. In the forest on the other island, you almost wouldn’t have known they were there.
Joakon said, “Well, I think we’re done here. Let’s say we move? Fast.”
Lindaris and Biverin nodded as a second roar was heard. The three mages sprinted down the nearest hallway, hoping and praying this was the route that would reunite them with their friends.
9
DYENARUS
Dyenarus began examining the ground. Definitely footprints and definitely not Human or Mage. Condarin and Haldirin fell with her, but it wasn’t a long drop. They were also thankful that they had a soft landing. A large pile of hay awaited them at the end of their fall. She could only pray that the others had a similar fate. Since then, they had been seemingly wandering aimlessly. Traveling through unfinished pathways there seemed to be no end to and nothing to see. That was until they saw the footprints.
“Do they belong to the Ettui?” asked Condarin.
Haldirin examined the tracks closer and said, “Not unless they decided to walk like men and have a severe limp. Judging by that print something was being dragged. Ettui tend to have a slight leap, digging their claws into the ground to get that extra distance.”
Dyenarus suggested, “Maybe it’s injured?”
Haldirin replied, “Possible, but unlikely. There are many strange things inside this mountain. The Garchai are just the tip of the iceberg. The Kyroselips, the wolves are just pawns. There is something dangerous here, something we haven’t seen yet. I fear we will end up meeting it before we reach the end.”
That was very comforting. However, that didn’t stop him from being completely right. All of the beings, the Garchai especially, didn’t seem like the kind
that worked independently. They served someone, but whom? She felt this just like he had. This whole mountain was filled with illusions.
Haldirin finally suggested, “We should get a move on. Neeza and the others can’t be far.”
He moved ahead while Dyenarus and Condarin followed. The White Mage looked at her, trying to be discreet about it, knowing full well she was getting caught. She played the game for a while, but finally couldn’t stand it anymore.
“What’s on your mind? You’re acting like I have some obvious mark on my face.”
Condarin laughed and said, “Oh, it’s not that. Well, I just wanted to ask you something. You know, girl to girl.”
Dyenarus smiled and said, “If it’s about what Vindar likes, you’re asking the wrong mage. I barely knew him before this trip.”
“Actually, I was curious about you and Lindaris.”
Dyenarus became silent. She was hoping their conversations would have gone unnoticed, especially with the two lovebirds. With the way Lindaris went about it though, she wouldn’t be surprised if even the Ettui were aware of it.
“There is nothing between him and me. We’re just trying to work together to survive this place. That’s all.”
Condarin replied, “That’s not the way I see it. I see how you look at each other. I can tell when early love is beginning to bloom. Very similar to how Vindar and I met.”
Dyenarus liked Condarin, but she was getting quite annoyed with her right now. Couldn’t she take the hint that she didn’t want to talk about it?
She finally spoke sternly, “I’m going to say this just once. There is nothing between me and Lindaris. There will never be something between us. I would appreciate it if you never bring it up again. Okay?”
Condarin was taken aback by her reaction. She was always so collected until that moment. It was probably best that she leave it be. Haldirin also overheard them talking, curious about what Dyenarus said. He would have to inquire about it with her when they had a free moment.
They moved in silence throughout the plain caverns. Calling it plain was being generous. Dyenarus was trying hard to figure out what these halls were used for. They were much too wide to be used just for casual use. It must have been where the elves had transported things. The room they fell out of most likely was once a stable with all the hay. To her, that meant one thing: there must have been an exit somewhere nearby. Good to know if they needed a quick escape.
Haldirin opted to not follow the footprints, which seemed to scare them. It was not one of their own, that much he could be sure of. As they continued, they eventually came upon an extravagant entrance. It had a large mural of what appeared to be one of their gods smiting their adversaries; very elegant, yet also very horrifying. Haldirin hated elvish art. Much of it was so lifelike one could almost feel like it would reach out and grab you. This was no exception.
Condarin asked, “So what do we do? Continue down the path or go in here?”
Haldirin wished his telekinetic senses were stronger like Gerran’s. The Relic’s power was strong enough to where they could all feel it's pull. Just because they could feel it, didn’t mean they could track it. It took strong practice in the telekinetic arts to be able to track powerful magic. He was pretty certain even Divi would have been helpful because she was stronger than Gerran could ever be. Not bad for barely attending a day of school.
Haldirin’s curiosity finally bested him, and he replied, “Let’s go inside. We might find an exit out here, but we won’t get any closer to the others or the Relic.”
He slowly pushed the doors open. The light they were getting from the air pockets flooded only three feet into the large room. Haldirin cast a light spell and fired it into the room, exploding about a hundred feet in front of them.
As it did, a colony of bats flew furiously out into the hall. Dyenarus and Condarin covered their hair as Haldirin dropped to a knee and remained still. If they were Viampere Bats, then he knew they were more likely to attack a person high and in motion. They got alarmed very easily and were almost impossible to outrun on foot. Although a single bite was not harmful, numerous bites with the toxin they injected had been known to instantly stop the beating of one’s heart. Thankfully the two ladies realized this too because other than Condarin’s initial scream, they remained still and silent.
When the bats were safely gone, they got up and brought up their light spells. The room was in the shape of a dome and what looked to be a stage on the far end. Stone tables were on the edges still with goblets and wooden plates as they were when they were deserted.
Haldirin commented, “This was a ballroom. I wonder how many elvish performances were given here before hell broke free.”
He was always a lover of elvish music. It was relaxing and could calm even the wildest of souls. Almost hypnotizing in a sense, but in a good way. Divi actually knew how to play their flute, an instrument called the Fiiacava. Its sound was unique as it would travel with the wind, changing as it did. Everyone heard something different, but there was never a negative thing said about it. She was supposed to show him one day, but normally Neeza would do something that put her in her now infamous foul moods. One day he’d learn. One day.
When they exited the ballroom, they entered another set of hallways to a bunch of random rooms. All of them had the minimal furniture and were of different sizes. There were many more skeletal remains of both Ettui and Elf.
Condarin said, “I’m still trying to figure out how they organized this place. Why all these rooms right next to the ballroom?”
Dyenarus commented, “Would it surprise you if the elves had a type of brothel?”
It did . . . sort of. Haldirin knew the elves had had them back in Barbata, but not in the way they were known today. It was supposed to be a beautiful experience where nature and ecstasy were combined into one glorious moment. It was a practice they no longer continued on the mainland. Their Fall Festival supposedly replaced this activity, being much tamer than the actions on Barbata. Divi had convinced her father to let her go during one of these. He might have decided differently if she had told him what it was really about. He wasn’t going to tell him. No one would have done anything to her because of who she was, and plus, she had needed a few days to completely unwind.
They finally reached a hallway that led to an open area. It reminded him of the bridge room, but only a lot smaller and none of them apparently had ever had railings. A cool wind hit them immediately as they entered. There must have been a hole dug out to the edge of the mountain.
That wasn’t the only thing that almost hit them. An arrow whizzed by Haldirin’s head, missing by mere inches. He looked up to see four Ettui archers on a bridge above them. Damn, they got past the talisman. He had hoped they would be long gone before that happened. Then again, the floor traps that separated their group didn’t help at all.
“Take cover!”
The other Ettui archers fired as the two female mages moved back toward the hall. The arrows missed as their attackers began barking orders. Haldirin tried to fire a spell at them, but every time he tried, there was always an Ettui archer there to fire at them. These guys were good or at least their commanding officer was. He set them up in such a way that it made it hard to fight back.
Dyenarus asked, “Any ideas?”
He had one. He just needed a moment. After a few more waves, he finally saw his opening. They had to reload on arrows. Haldirin fired a couple projectiles toward the ceiling, just above the where the Ettui fired, breaking a large chunk off. As the Ettui came out to fire, the rock landed in it, pinning it to the ground, unable to move.
“Move now! Fire constantly at them with your weakest fireball toward the entrance!”
All three ran forward firing at the hallway entrance by the Ettui. Smoke and rock flew everywhere as they didn’t let up until they were on the other side. Then they waited . . . waited to see if they had taken care of the rest of them. Haldirin didn’t believe so because they were just firing blind
at them with their weakest spell. After a few minutes and no return arrow fire, though, he began to think otherwise. They slowly made their way forward, trying to find a way up to see what happened. They eventually reached a set of stairs that went in their desired direction.
Haldirin led them, checking around the corner at the top. It looked clear, but he didn’t take anything for granted. He made a left and slowly advanced toward where the Ettui were. He had his hand ready to cast a spell if needed. As he turned the corner, he leapt out with a fireball ready to shoot. With the exception of the Ettui trapped under the rock, the other three were gone . . . literally. There was no sign of them.
Dyenarus said, “Haldirin, look at this.”
He turned around and walked toward the two students, who were focused on the ground just east of the stairwell they walked up. There were the strange footprints again. That wasn’t the only thing. A trail of black blood smeared across the ground going back toward the corner.
“Am I seeing this right? Did our mystery being take out three Ettui and we didn’t even hear him?” asked Condarin.
Haldirin said, “I think we got them all from our magical barrage. This thing probably just took the corpses.”
He wanted to believe that, too. The truth was the spells they had cast would only kill the Ettui if the rocks had collapsed on them. Looking toward the west, that was obviously not the case.
He suggested, “Well, being as our friend went that way, I suggest we go the opposite way.”
Both females were in agreement as they followed Haldirin over the higher bridge. He considered helping the Ettui that was pinned down earlier, but he wasn’t moving by the time they passed him. He was either knocked out or dead. Whatever the case, he wasn’t going to take the time to find out at the risk of their lives. They moved across without incident.
The next rooms were a little disturbing. The beautiful statues were broken in the most unusual ways. Some had a spider web look as if something had punched them. Others were even stranger, almost like something had melted the stone. The stone tables were shattered in half. Skeletons were still hanging on the wall, the only thing holding them up being the weapon that killed them so long ago.