The Beginnings Omnibus: Beginnings 1, 2, 3 & Legend of Ashenclaw novella (Realm of Ashenclaw Beginnings Saga)

by Gary F. Vanucci

  Megnus shuddered in remembrance of Nahemia’s power as they left Ulthon, never wishing to have to set foot in the city of the succubi ever again.

  Chapter 21

  The snow had just about come to a complete stop and the caravan was moving fairly easily again. Hours seemed to pass as the wagon shifted north and then south, east and then west as Garius continued his scrying for the holy symbol he hoped was still in the possession of the young priests. It was once again nearing sun’s peak of the following day when he felt the connection finally strengthen and called for the caravan to halt.

  “How are you feeling, Rose?” Elec asked, sincerely concerned for her well-being. He offered her a piece of fruit he produced from his backpack, but she refused.

  “I am much better now,” she replied, pointing and struggling to look down at her left collarbone just under where the arrow had been. “There isn’t even a scar…I cannot begin to comprehend what Garius was able to do,” she admitted, even though it obviously made her feel uncomfortable. “After only an eve’s rest, I feel as though the injuries never occurred.”

  “Aye,” Elec stated. “He has a strong bond with The Shimmering One as well as all other deities that grant him access to many gifts, including both holy and necromantic powers, related to their respective planes. Those other planes of existence grant him access to channel harmful as well as healing powers. According to elven lore,” Elec continued in a scholastic tone, “the Inquisitors always begin their paths as priests, chaplains or paladins of one particular deity before being chosen by the Inquisition,” Elec continued. “Once selected, they serve as an avatar for the entire Pantheon of Order, being granted access to the powers of all the gods, in exchange for keeping their temples safe from heresy.” Rose actually listened intently as he continued, obviously interested in his explanation in this subject. “The Inquisition opposes the demon lords of Pandemonium and also exposes evils that may be lurking within the sanctuaries they are sworn to protect, that may be disguised or hidden by magic. This includes demonic possessions….”

  “And you think that is what happened here?” Rose surmised, asking the elf to clarify his supposition. Elec merely nodded. Rose and Saeunn nodded to one another also, as if understanding this scenario for possibly the first time. They had not known exactly what or where Garius’s faction was, nor did they know what the purpose of the Inquisition or the Faceless Knights of Order were. They had begun only now to understand it.

  “The Inquisition was put in place by the gods to watch over their many worshippers on our corporeal plane of existence, Krotto, as it is known. So, if the lore is correct, then he is an almost limitless vessel of divine influence. He is given access to all planes of existence and can retrieve what lies dormant there at will.”

  “In exchange for his devotion and loyalty,” Rose added.

  “It makes sense as his armor bears the signs of all gods,” Saeunn stated. “I have seen the sign of The Champion on his pauldrons.”

  Rose flopped down into one of the chairs in the caravan and kept nodding, trying to accept it all, still unable to sort out her emotions toward the stoic Inquisitor. Though he seemed to make his feelings for her abundantly clear, she assumed, still shockingly disappointed at his abrupt rejection.

  “Well, that about explains it,” Rose reasoned, trying to wrap her head around it all. Suddenly, they heard a rustling from outside the caravan, and Rose stood up from her chair, her hands moving to the hilts of each dagger.

  “It is near!” they heard Garius yelling to them as he approached the caravan. He stopped running as Elec poked his head out of the covered doorway.

  “Come! I have found the aura of The Shimmering One!” Garius shouted again, now turning back in the opposite direction and moving as quickly as his armor would allow.

  He headed back to repeat the words of the spell in order to confirm his previous findings. Garius finished the divination and moved across the snow covered ground toward the base of the eastern side of the Oakcrest Mountain range. Elec, Saeunn and Rose hurried after him.

  “Spread out here and look for a burrow or cave opening, or hole in the ground,” Garius instructed. Each of them began their search.

  “Here!” Rose called out, “There is a cave mouth here.”

  The others ran over to investigate, Garius plodding along slowly after them, as the combination of the armor coupled with treading through snow, made his movements difficult.

  “I knew that you brought me back from the brink of death for a reason,” Rose teased Garius with a wink, trying to put the trials of her recent past behind her. Garius was watching her as she smiled then, but she could not tell what his expression was beneath his helm.

  “This must be it,” Garius decided after completing another prayer, reassuring his earlier finding. “The aura is stronger here, but somewhat distant still…they are beneath us,” he reasoned as he stepped into the cave entrance. “Keep your eyes open for anything as this cave must continue deeper into the Subterrane.”

  “There certainly was a large group here recently…humanoid,” Saeunn pointed out, bending low on one knee to inspect the ground. “I cannot tell how long ago, but these prints were made of late.” She gestured to an area right at the entrance to the cave where there was freshly dried mud. “They seem to be many in number and they do not tread lightly.” Elec and Rose both nodded, seeing the tracks clearly. Garius shrugged, looking at them too but he could not make sense of them.

  “That is why you are here,” Garius said at last, finally recognizing at least one footprint in the solid ground that had at some point in the recent past, been soft enough to capture an impression.

  Garius quickly conferred with the construct driving the caravan, ordering it to maneuver the caravan under a thick cropping of tree cover and instructed the construct to remain there.

  Then, at his nod, they took their first steps into the narrow cave mouth. As they began their descent into the underground passageways, Garius’s vision was beginning to fade in the lightless corridor after only a few dozen paces and he did not have a torch or an oil lamp on his person. He began a quiet prayer to the sun-god to grant him light and cast an enchantment on his breastplate, causing it to give off a dull, but effective light. It illuminated the way ahead of him for roughly five paces allowing to maneuver through the passageway safely.

  “Can you do the same for me?” Saeunn asked. She was not supportive of magic in general, but Garius realized she was beginning to gain the trust of his abilities.

  “Hold out your blade,” he instructed her. He refocused on her weapon and repeated the invocation, causing the same light to emanate from her blade’s shaft.

  The four of them began to traverse a series of winding tunnels, which began a steady descent for several hundred paces until it leveled out. They rounded a corner coming into a vast chamber that opened up before them. Garius was thankful as he did not like the enclosed quarters in the least. He heard the sound of running water in the cavern and gathered that there was a natural pool or stream not far away.

  “Hold,” Elec whispered, suddenly. “Allow Rose and I to scout ahead now; I think I heard something off in the distance.” He gestured toward the cavernous space ahead.

  “I can see very well in the darkness. I assume that Rose is able to see as I can,” Elec said, letting the declaration linger, but not receiving an affirmation from Rose. Garius and Saeunn nodded their agreement to Elec, but before he could turn around to coordinate anything with Rose, she disappeared into the darkness.

  “Catch me if you can, elf,” they heard in a murmur around them, recognizing it to be Rose’s voice. Elec stealthily padded off by himself into the darkness, holding an elixir anxiously in one hand.

  Barguth turned the corner slowly and headed back up the lengthy corridors that lead to the large cavern with the natural pool. That was where they had encountered and defeated the giant spider hatchlings, he recalled with a scowl. Once there, he knew it was a steady incline to
the surface. He closed in on that room with the goblinoids following closely behind and slowed the worg to a trot, allowing the others to catch up. The worg growled as if sensing something around the bend in the tunnel, which led into the spacious chamber ahead.

  Barguth dismounted from the worg quickly, removed his enchanted dagger and motioned for the others to be quiet. They obeyed his request. He waved to two goblins to scout out ahead, as he knew they were relatively quiet and light on their feet. He held the worg back, although it wanted to advance in the worst way. He punished it with the leather strap once more, and then clamped its maw shut with that very same strap, not allowing it to make a sound. Then he indicated to the four orcs and the lone ograth to move out. He followed them, but stayed many paces back while holding the worg at bay by its collar.

  The two goblins moved forward silently into the cavern. There was a pool to their far right and several large mineral deposits jutting out of the ground and protruding from the ceiling, making it seem as if it were the maw of Ashenclaw herself, Barguth irrationally imagined.

  The orcs and ograth followed behind the goblins slowly as Barguth finally entered the area with the worg directed him, growling still through the leather band. But the goblin’s tiny arms simply could not hold the huge beast any longer. He quickly removed the strap from its mouth and watched it as it rushed off, disappearing into the darkness behind a rather large series of stalagmites.

  Barguth watched from the shadows as a figure suddenly appeared from nowhere right next to one of the two goblin scouts. It erupted with an impossibly fast sequence of attacks, consisting of two consecutive slashes aimed at the head, which the surprised goblin somehow managed to stop with its shield. The green-skinned creature could not stop the third attack, however. A right-hand thrust penetrated its defenses, scoring a deep wound in its neck.

  The figure—a woman for sure—overcommitted on that third jab, Barguth discerned, which appeared to send her off balance ever so slightly. She caught herself at the last second but appeared to be leaning into the goblin’s shield, just as the goblin released it, instinctively clutching at the wound on its neck and falling to the ground.

  The second goblin, apparently recovering from the initial surprise, entered the melee and attempted a thrust to the exposed back of the woman, thinking her unaware. The attack was spoiled as she simply vanished. The thrust, however, almost hit the prone goblin still endeavoring to stem the blood flow from his neck.

  The accidental attacker caught his balance, halting the deathblow in time with an outstretched arm as the two goblins stared down in unison at the blade. The dagger’s tip was angled unintentionally for the chest of the prone goblin, still lying on its back. Before either goblin could move, however, the woman appeared behind them.

  Barguth watched as she grabbed the dagger arm of the goblin by the elbow and forced it hard into the prone goblin’s chest, finishing the thrust. As she did that, she simultaneously drove one of her own blades solidly into the attacking goblin’s back.

  Barguth witnessed the carnage with his mouth open. It all happened so fast. He watched as she drove another dagger into his fellow goblin’s back and watched the life force flow from the wound before she faded into the darkness once more.

  Barguth gulped slowly and remained frozen in place.

  Elec sensed another presence nearby, and then heard a low growl that confirmed his suspicion. Kicking out from against the wall where he was hiding, he launched himself forward with both weapons drawn and at the ready.

  Something huge growled and lunged at him, but he dove nimbly out of its way, continuing his initial momentum. He took note that it was another worg, not a frost worg, but a typical dire wolf. He somersaulted forward and over the worg, landing on his feet. The worg attacked a second time and managed a loose bite on the leg, tripping him inadvertently. As he landed, the worg clamped down on his left leg, getting mostly his shin in the process.

  Elec remained calm and saw an opening. Ignoring the pain of the bite, he managed to direct his dagger through the beast’s chin, driving the blade hard into the flesh and bone, causing the worg to release its bite on his leg.

  Jaw bleeding, the worg lunged once more, chomping on a piece of Elec’s cloak, which he held out in front of him as a feint. The worg dove straight into the cloak, expecting to bite the flesh beneath, but instead found empty air.

  The elf’s sword dove out and the blade struck flesh, biting deeply as the worg howled and fell to the ground. Elec quickly dove back into the shadows, near the natural pool, and removed a remedy to tend to his wounded left leg.

  Just then, Barguth noticed that there were other figures entering from the opposite side of the cavern. The goblinoids moved to intercept them.

  Barguth looked back to see his worg slump to the firm cave floor and he snarled in anger, not knowing if the beast was dead or alive. He mounted a charge directed at the man responsible, but paused as he could not locate him. Then he spotted him near the pool of water, intermixed with the shadows and apparently preoccupied with something. It was an elf, he noticed, not a man. Barguth growled even more fiercely as he brandished his dagger and ran straight for him.

  The elf did not notice Barguth until he was less than ten paces away, at which point the elf dropped his flask and reached for a weapon, but the goblin was already on top of him.

  Barguth launched himself at the killer of his dire wolf with ire!

  To the goblin’s surprise, the elf somehow managed to strike him in the side of the helm with the hilt of a dagger and avoided his ambush.

  Barguth landed hard on his side, but recovered quickly, circling the prone elf who’d reached his feet and downed a potion—something to dull his senses, Barguth hoped.

  He dove at the elf once more, who was limping a bit, but still managed to deflect the dagger’s strike with his own blade. Again he charged, and again the elf fended off his strikes or simply dodged them now, obviously ignoring the wound on his leg.

  What is happening? Barguth thought suddenly, so sure only a mere dagger thrust prior, that he had a tactical advantage as the elf was undoubtedly wounded. And now, he behaved as if nothing was wrong.

  Suddenly, the elf approached him—more quickly than Barguth anticipated—and with two weapons in hand! Barguth removed his shield from his back and slid it defiantly onto his left arm to counter the sword and dagger combination.

  The elf lunged at him and he warded off several strikes with his shield, and then responded with a pair of dagger thrusts of his own. Back and forth they went as neither of them could find an opening. Then after many traded attacks and parries, Barguth finally got the opportunity he needed.

  The elf appeared to tire, leaving his right flank exposed.

  The goblin grinned wickedly, sensing a weakness in his opponent’s defenses. He thrust his dagger with tremendous force at the defenseless area, meaning to end the fight right then and there.

  The elf however, dodged swiftly to the side, causing Barguth’s brow to furrow in confusion.

  How did he…?! Barguth realized too late what had happened.

  They had wandered close to the pool’s edge and the elf purposely left his flank open. He had offered it to Barguth openly, knowing it would draw an aggressive swing from him.

  Barguth realized with regret, that he had obviously underestimated his opponent.

  The elf spun his body out of the way, avoiding the strike that sent the goblin off balance and his helmet flying. The elf continued to spin completely around to place the heel of his boot into the back of Barguth’s head, sending him into the nearby pool.

  Barguth felt the tremendous force of the blow and the splash of the water on his face just as his vision went black.

  Chapter 22

  Garius arrived just in time to see Saeunn run headlong into a group of goblinoids. He felt the weight of The Repentant relieved from his back as he removed it quickly. He then gripped the enchanted implement of his divine justice in both hands and charged the
goblinoids. As he did so, he channeled holy energy into the hammer, infusing its runes with divine power.

  As Garius started toward Saeunn, he was intercepted by a huge goblinoid creature. It was bigger than an orc, with grayish skin and thick dark patches of hair all over its body and head. It was an ograth, he recognized, the strongest and largest of the goblinoid creatures, and it now stood between him and Saeunn. It clutched a broadsword and shield in its clawed fingers and uttered a snarl at Garius.

  The Inquisitor looked back to catch a glimpse of another orc that attempted to gain his right flank. He spun back toward him and his hammer lashed out truly, connecting soundly with the surprised orc’s head, which sent him sprawling to the ground. He managed to spin back just as the huge ograth lunged for him.

  A blade smacked hard into his armor, deflecting harmlessly off his breastplate and drawing a surprised gape from the ograth, who obviously hadn’t fought anyone with this quality of armor before.

  Garius and The Repentant responded with a two-handed strike. It bounced hard off the ograth’s shield, which the creature had just managed to get into a defensive position. The shield held firm, despite the impact of the blow and the ograth countered with one of his own. The massive goblinoid rained blows upon Garius’s defenses, looking for an opening.

  Behind him, the orc Garius had struck earlier, was attempting to rise, but was uncertain on his feet. Garius refocused on the ograth, fending off the vicious attacks with the sturdy hilt and handle of the warhammer.

  The ograth swung its weapon frantically, closer and closer to scoring a hit on Garius as The Repentant could not keep up defensively with the lighter and faster broadsword.

  The second orc behind him finally got to his feet and growled mightily at Garius. The ograth approached him too, on his left flank and was closing fast. Garius needed to eliminate one of his foes right away or he’d be outmatched.