Darkness Fallen

by Dave Willmarth

  When the rest of the group, including a still-grumbling Max, reached the cats, Lorian removed two more chunks of meat from his bag. He set them on the ground, one in front of each cat. The kitten instantly tore into its piece with gusto, growling as it gnawed on the meat. But the matriarch gently gathered hers in her jaws before rising and padding off toward the west. She paused after about fifty yards, stopping to look back over her shoulder.

  Jules said, “She wants us to follow” before once again doing something that made Alexander’s heart stop. She booped the kitten on the nose to distract it, then grabbed what remained of its snack and began to walk backward in the direction the matriarch had gone. She waved the chunk of meat at the now growling kitten, and then she turned and ran.

  “She be insane!” Brick yelled. “Ye don’t take food from wild critters! Especially not ones big nuff to eat yer head!”

  Jules sprinted toward the mother prowler with the pony-sized kitten bounding after her. The others all moved to follow quickly behind. Brick cursed under his breath as he ran next to Alexander. “Yer damned woman be looking to get herself ate!” Alexander wasn’t inclined to argue.

  When Jules reached the waiting prowler, she stopped and tossed the well-chewed meat over her shoulder. The kitten caught it mid-air as it leapt toward Jules. Landing next to her, it gave her a dirty look before hunkering down to finish its snack.

  The others caught up as the last of the meat was consumed, and the matriarch continued on her westward path. The group followed, with the golem bringing up the rear.

  I didn’t even have to instruct Jeeves to have the golem move behind us. He really is beginning to anticipate us, Alexander observed.

  After just a short walk, they came upon a spot where a log had fallen across a low spot on the forest floor. The matriarch made a chuffing noise and set down the meat she’d been carrying. The undergrowth beneath the fallen log rustled, and out came two more ‘kittens’ roughly the same size as the first. One was jet black like its mother, the other a sort of spotted black/grey pattern. Smelling the meat, they dashed forward and began a tug-of-war over it.

  “The poor things are hungry!” Sasha said, reaching into her bag. She pulled out chunks of bear meat and tossed one to the battling kittens. The spotted kitten gave up his battle and pounced on the new meat. Sasha tossed another chunk to the grey-tailed kitten, and two more to the matriarch. “Eat up! We have plenty,” she called out.

  “Be careful, Sasha,” Lorian warned “These are no pets. Though the matriarch has accepted us as friends, she will not be tamed. Do not think to do so.”

  Sasha looked disappointed, but nodded her head.

  Jules was standing next to the matriarch, who had already consumed the meat Sasha had tossed over. The elfess was scratching behind one ear and talking quietly to the giant cat. She looked sad for a moment, then spoke to the group.

  “She says her mate has been killed. I think by something that lives near the tower over there.” She pointed further westward. “She’s afraid of the tower.”

  “To the TOWER!” Brick shouted, grinning like a madman.

  Max wasn’t as gung-ho. “Did she tell you, or… show you, what killed her mate?”

  “Just that something was killing all the game near the tower. Her mate went to go see what it was. She heard a battle, and her mate never returned. He would have returned if he lived.” Jules’ face fell with those words. “She wants to go investigate, but won’t leave her children.”

  Alexander was about to speak when Sasha beat him to the punch. “Tell her we will go investigate. We will find out what happened to her mate. And kill whatever is there!” the fiery redhead practically growled.

  Jules rubbed the matriarch’s head and spoke quietly to her. The giant cat nodded once and gently head-butted Jules’ chest. She growled something at her offspring, who quickly retreated into the den, as she took up station at the entrance.

  Having obviously been dismissed, the group continued westward toward the tower. As they walked, Alexander moved next to Lorian. “Do your people have any legends about the inhabitants of this forest? Something that could kill a full-grown prowler?”

  “I am sorry, Alexander. My people do not speak much of these lands. I know that a great war took place here. And that before the war, the place was inhabited by several races, including humans, centaurs, dwarves, and some of my distant elven cousins. If the region had a name, I do not know it. My people may know more, but I was not the best student. While my teachers tried to tell me of history and politics, I dreamed of hunting and fighting great battles.”

  Max overheard and added, “Speaking of names. Have you decided what to call this place, Alexander?” He had a smile on his face that said he had a suggestion or two.

  “If you say ‘Maxlandia’, I’ll tell Lainey to shoot you in the leg.” Alexander laughed. Lainey perked up.

  “Not what I was going to suggest, but I like it!” Max shot back.

  Alexander sighed and shook his head. “I knew this was coming. Okay, let’s hear everyone’s ideas.”

  “I like Atlantis,” Max said. “I mean, it IS kind of a lost realm…”

  “Better than I expected,” Alexander admitted.

  “Bah! Atlantis were an island in the sea. This place be a mountain home. I say we call it the Highland Realm!” Brick argued.

  “Olympus!” Sasha grinned. Until an ominous rumble of thunder rolled across the plateau.

  “Sounds like Odin doesn’t like that name.” Lainey looked to the sky and waved.

  Sasha looked sheepish and waved as well. “Sorry, Odin.”

  “I was thinking Elysia. Like the Elysian fields,” Alexander ventured.

  There were a few moments of silence from the group as they thought it over. “I actually like that a lot,” Max said.

  “Me too!” Jules added with enthusiasm. Lainey and Sasha both smiled at Alexander. He didn’t think it was about the name.

  “Aye, it be a good name. A place of peace and bounty. And eternal parties!” Brick added.

  The discussion was cut short as they approached a break in the tree line. The elder trees with their ten and twelve-foot-wide trunks gave way to younger, smaller trees. As the group drew nearer, they could see the tower above the canopy. It rose maybe sixty feet above ground level; its top two stories high was clearly visible.

  Sasha halted the group and motioned for silence. She pointed to Max and Lorian, who moved off to the north and south of the tower to scout.

  Alexander moved close to the golem and whispered, “Jeeves, I want the golem to remain behind us unless we are attacked. In which case it should defend us.” The golem simply nodded its head.

  While they waited for the scouts, Alexander opened up guild chat. “We’ve found something potentially nasty in the western tower. We’ll be going in shortly to deal with it. If you’re close by, you are welcome to join us. Also, there is a family of giant cats called Night Prowlers in a den between the towers. They are friendly. Do not attack them, or even approach them if you can help it.” He followed up by pinging the den location on his map.

  “We’re miles away,” Dayle reported. “We went north from the tower.”

  Helga spoke for the other group. “Same here. Only we went south, then east toward the river. There’s a village here. Or what’s left of one.”

  “Okay, well shout out if you find anything interesting or run into trouble,” Alexander reminded them.

  Max, who had taken the northern route, reported in party chat. “The woods seem clear. Tower door on the north side. It’s sitting wide open. Dark inside. Couldn’t see beyond a few feet.”

  Lorian added, “I located the prowler patriarch’s tracks. They led to the southwest side of the tower. There is evidence of a recent battle. Though there is less blood than I would expect.”

  “Okay. We’ll move toward the tower entrance. You two meet us there,” Sasha replied.

  Brick led the way as the group moved forward as quietly as th
ey could with the golem following along. It wasn’t exactly light on its feet.

  Within a couple minutes, they were standing with Max and Lorian against the wall near the tower door. The tower itself was about four-fifths the size of the garrison tower. It was maybe eight feet in diameter at the base, tapering slightly as it rose. The door remained open, and there were no sounds within that Alexander could detect.

  Alexander stuck his head into the doorway and took a quick look. As he did so, he cast a light globe into the room. The illumination revealed a bare stone floor and a stairway leading up. There was a hole in the floor that was likely the downward stairs. There was no furniture of any kind, just an empty room.

  “Looks clear,” he reported. Brick stepped around him, shield and hammer in hand.

  Sasha whispered, “Okay. Usual plan. We clear room by room. Let’s go.”

  Brick and the group stepped into the tower. Nothing moved inside, nor made a sound. Max went toward the upper stair, while Jules went into stealth mode and moved toward the gap in the floor.

  “Nothing here,” Max whispered from the base of the stairs. “Some marks in the dust, but they look like small animal tracks.”

  Jules took a moment longer. “There are some marks here. They look like drag marks. And there is a little blood.”

  “Looks like we’re going down, then. Alexander, what can you tell us?” Sasha asked.

  Alexander used his earth sense ability. He followed a stairway down about thirty feet where it connected to a tunnel. That tunnel connected to several others, all mostly at the same level. There was one that led downward into a large room that had several more tunnels branching from it. He described this to the group.

  “Jeeves, what can you tell us about this tower?”

  “The tower and the lower stair are part of the original construction. As are the first level of tunnels. The lower tunnel is not part of the construction, and not within my area of influence.”

  “So, either someone dug down from the lower tunnels and discovered the rest or something dug its way up,” Max mused.

  “Jeeves. Station the golem at the main door. In fact, have it close the door and guard it from the inside. If anything tries to get in, or comes down the stairs from above, have it defend the downward stair. We’ll hear it and return,” Sasha instructed.

  Brick led the way down the stairs. The group moved quietly now, with the golem left behind. Sasha and Lainey both cast buffs on everyone. Brick and Alexander cast Mage Sight on themselves and the others. This would enable them to see in the darkness, to some extent, without using a light globe that would reveal them to an enemy.

  As they reached the first landing, Brick paused. “D’ye hear that?”

  Lorian cocked his head to one side, then said, “Footsteps. Large, heavy ones.”

  After a moment, Brick continued down. Being a dwarf, his normal vision was several times better in the dark than the others. Combined with the mage sight, he could see their surroundings as clear as day.

  When they neared the bottom of the stair where it connected to the tunnels, Brick paused again. The passages here were wide and high. Cut in straight lines with smooth surfaces, likely by magic rather than cutting tools.

  Bones littered the floor in random places. Some with bits of rotting flesh still attached. Those along the center of the tunnels had been crushed into dust, stepped on by something of considerable weight.

  “Right. Whatever it is, it’s big and heavy,” Sasha murmured.

  “And it eats meat,” Max volunteered. “Anybody else feeling like a walking appetizer?”

  Brick snorted. “I be with Fibble on that. Ain’t nothin goin’ ta eat me!”

  “Except fluffy bunnies…” Lainey winked at the dwarf.

  “Bah!” Brick tried to look angry, but couldn’t suppress a smile. He raised his shield and continued down the tunnel.

  There were several rooms that branched off the tunnels, and the group cleared each one as they came upon it. They found nothing living in any of them.

  Reaching the end of one of the constructed tunnels, they found the spot where something had clearly broken through from outside. A roughly dug and much larger tunnel descended at a gradual angle from the opening. Marks on the walls and floor resembled the claw-marks they’d seen on their golem earlier.

  “Rock troll,” Lorian whispered. “This tunnel was made by rock troll hands.”

  Alexander felt some relief. “Maybe we can negotiate with it. Like we did with the ones in the mine.” He pulled a softball-sized chunk of obsidian from his bag. “The others thought of obsidian like candy.”

  Looking skeptical, Brick continued down the tunnel. Less concerned about stealth now, Alexander cast a light globe to float above the party, just behind Brick. Though Alexander’s chest piece granted him night vision, he knew the others were less comfortable in the dark.

  They reached the end of the tunnel, where it opened into the large cavern that Alexander had sensed earlier. It appeared to be a natural cavern with a high, flat ceiling about thirty feet above their heads. It was easily fifty yards across, and Alexander noted three other tunnels branching off from it. The floor of the cavern was littered with broken stone, boulders, and bones.

  Alexander eyed the boulders carefully. When they’d encountered the rock trolls in the mine, the tribe had all be sitting quietly, and Alexander had mistaken them for large boulders.

  Brick stepped into the room, and was partway across before they all heard a low growl. Spinning to his left, Brick searched the room for an enemy. There was none visible.

  The growl came again, from the direction Brick was facing. He raised his shield a bit higher, and moved slowly toward the sound. After about twenty paces, he could see a hole in the floor that had been obscured by some rocks. The growling was definitely emanating from the hole.

  “It sounds like the momma cat,” Jules said quietly. Sasha nodded in agreement. “I think we found her mate.”

  Brick stepped to the edge of the hole and peered down. The bottom was easily forty feet down, and obscured by shadow, but the mage sight showed him the outline of a cat. Laying still on the stone floor, the patriarch was even larger than his mate. His body filled nearly the entirety of the floor space.

  Alexander moved the globe down into the pit. They could now clearly see the big black cat on the bottom. It had obviously been in a fight, and hadn’t fared well. Its left foreleg was broken and positioned at an odd angle. Its left eye was swollen shut, and its jaw looked to be broken or dislocated. There were long gashes in its flank that had stopped bleeding, but were swollen with infection.

  “Oh, goodness,” Jules gasped. “You have to help him!” She dropped to her stomach at the rim of the pit and called down to the prowler, “We are friends of your mate. She sent us to find you!”

  Sasha began throwing heals at the big cat. Alexander and Brick joined in. The beast was huge, and had a health pool to match. It took a full thirty seconds for the three of them to heal all his injuries and bring him back to full health.

  Almost immediately, the prowler eyed them with distrust. He leapt at Jules’ face and tried to climb the walls. He actually got within about ten feet of the rim before losing hold and slipping back down. He paced about the floor of the pit for a moment before trying again.

  Jules, who had pulled back in fear at the unexpected charge, stood back from the edge and continued to talk. “We can help you get out. But you need to promise not to hurt us. We are friends. We healed you! Please be nice.” she implored.

  When no sound came from the pit for a few moments, she and the others took a tentative step forward to look down. The prowler was sitting on its haunches, staring back at them.

  Lorian removed some meat from his bag and tossed it down to the cat. “That is the last of the meat from my hunt yesterday,” he informed the others.

  “It’s okay. I always carry some.” Sasha replied, pulling another chunk from her own bag and tossing it down.

&
nbsp; The prowler sniffed at the meat suspiciously, then wolfed each piece down in a single bite. He looked back up at the group, and lifted a single paw for a moment. As if signaling them somehow.

  “Are you ready to be nice? We’ve healed you, and fed you. We can get you out, so you can go back home to your mate and those cute kittens,” Jules called down.

  The prowler walked to the edge of the pit. Standing on its hind legs, it put both forepaws against the wall as if was about to climb. Then it held still and looked up at Jules.

  “I… think it’s safe to let him up.” Jules looked at Alexander. “But maybe the rest of you should back up? Just in case.”

  “We’ll all move back,” Sasha declared. “Everybody back behind those rocks. They might give us a little protection if he attacks.