The knights scatter but not before Perronius pulls out his scatter rifle and fires numerous deafening rounds inside the tavern.
Four shots find their mark. One of Lespie’s men is shot through the leg, blowing a craterous hole inside his leg, severing his femoral artery and spewing a pouring of unabated blood flow. He lands on his back, choking on his own blood flow, while darkness overtakes him.
One man who tries to reach for his dart gun is blown back ten feet after a bullet hits him in the chest. It rips a hole in his heart and kills him immediately. He still wears the same look of shocked incredulity on his face, another soldier of fortune destined never to collect his.
Lespie tries to flee, but not before Germanicus hits him in the back of the leg with a tranquilizer dart. Still not succumbing to the effects of the drugs, he continues to run, while pulling the dart from his leg and throwing it.
Perronius takes one careful and deliberate shot, grazing Lespie on the side of the leg. It trips him up and he falls to the floor. Blood seeps in a small amount from the wound. Without losing a beat, Perronius drops his scatter rifle and fires from his tranquilizer gun, while taking cover. The dart finds its mark in Lespie’s chest. He tries to get up, swoons and lies back down.
Protect and retrieve Lespie is the message Perronius sends to Domithicus and Germanicus via telepathy. They look at each other and crouch down to avoid the onslaught of gunfire which pings and blasts in their eardrums.
Jamison reloads his gun in a seamless motion and proceeds to empty the gun after rising from his crouched position. Two of Lespie’s brothers go down as the bullets penetrate their torsos and knock them back against the wall, smearing the wall in thick crimson like some macabre painting. One of them lays against the ground at an impossible angle with his head hanging on the tip of another man’s boot while blood pours from the back of his head.
The combatants who did not initially succumb to the initial gun battle have taken cover, while trading potshots with Perronius and his men. The smell of charred gunfire and blood is slightly noxious and stronger than the battle field. The rapid gunfire that splinters tables, shelves and chairs creates a cloud of smoke that obscures the men hiding out behind tipped over tables.
Occasionally, some nervous combatant fires a haphazard round, hoping to get lucky. The brethren take notice and move to eliminate the fool with ruthless efficiency. Domithicus and Germanicus make a run for Lespie while Perronius provides cover for them. Detecting motion behind an upturned table, Perronius pulls the lever on his scatter rifle, sending another cylinder in place. He fires in rapid succession, blowing a large table to bits and hitting two men hiding behind it. One man is caught in the leg, blowing the cartilage and bones to bits. He screams out in excruciating pain and falls to the floor.
The man next to him is mercifully killed immediately as two large bullets rip through his torso, eviscerating him in the process. He falls to the floor as his intestines spill out of him in a gush of dark crimson.
Domithicus and Germanicus reach Lespie. They study him for any sign of injury, besides the one that Perronius had caused. Germanicus feels for a pulse and observes a steady, but slow one. They nod at each other. Germanicus hoists him up while Domithicus provides cover fire. One man attempts to get the drop on them by popping out and firing, but Domithicus is much too fast for that.
As his head appears, Domithicus fires a round through his skull, creating a spattering of crimson and gore. His body slumps to the ground with the top of his head nearly disintegrated. Blood continues to pour from the top, drenching him in a mess of brain matter.
Savelle, Syrus, Jamison, Cotteroy, and Justinian work in tandem to eliminate the other combatants, their maneuvers honed by years of working together with the principles of combat. They nod to each other while one-man darts forward to induce gunfire, while the other men locates the combatant and strike the deadly shot.
Though heavily outnumbered, the men are no match for the deadly knights. Body parts are detached and strewn apart across the tavern.
Nearly every furnishing is stained with blood and splintered to bits while blood, ligaments, intestines and organs festoon the shattered hallway.
When looking closely, one can see some figure either dying as a finger twitches here or there while the blood continues to drain from slowly transpiring organs. Perronius gives them the signal with his hand turned up in a ‘stop’ gesture. The other brethren cautiously emerge from their hiding places and survey the massive carnage.
Syrus looks around and shakes his head. “All this for one man?” he asks, with a hint of bitter melancholy in his voice.
“Let’s go outside,” offers Perronius. The brethren emerge outside.
Domithicus and Germanicus restrain Lespie with homemade zip ties around his ankles and hands. Though he had promised to comply with their mission, they take nothing for granted. He stirs restlessly, trying to fight off the effects of the sedative.
“How’s he doing?” asks Perronius.
He’s going to have a massive headache, but set watch and warrant, he’ll live. We’ll restrain him for the time being, just in case he should renege on his deal,” advises Domithicus.
Perronius shakes his head. “He won’t, but if it should comfort misgiving, then have do.”
“So, what now, Perronius? To Kentene?” asks Germanicus.
Perronius shakes his head. “First, we need to make a bit of a detour.”
“Where to?” asks Domithicus.
“Probene.”
“What’s in Probene?” asks Germanicus.
“It’s the who and what, Germanicus,” answers Perronius, cryptically.
Germanicus shakes his head in exasperation. “Never get a straight answer out of you, Brother.”
“Well, if you’re uncomfortable with this part of the plan so far, you’re really going to be weary if I divulge the rest of it,” says Perronius, playfully.
“Perronius, correct me if I’m wrong, but to get to Probene, don’t we have to venture through the Pandorian jungle?” asks Justinian.
Perronius nods. “You know your geography well, Justinian. It’s going to be an arduous thirty miles.”
“Taking the scenic route, are we brother?” asks Domithicus, facetiously.
Perronius smiles and shakes his head. “Actually, I was hoping we could avoid the catarans?”
“What are catarans?” asks Germanicus, wearily.
Justinian and Syrus exchange a knowing look. “They’re alligators but with long limbs. They can jump and swim much faster. Not only do you watch out for their massive, inescapable jaws, but you must also watch out for their clawed hands, which can rip through steel. One of them gets a hold of your boat, it’s going down and there’s not a dam thing you can do.”
“So,” says Germanicus facetiously. “This is a tripe journey and nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, it’s tripe,” says Perronius. “Except for the water serpents, alligators, giant baboons, giant spiders, panthers and empire ants. But we’ve gone through worse. I have no doubt we could survive the long route either, but we need to conserve bullets. On this route, there is nothing we can’t kill without a sword or scythe.”
“Then let us be on our way,” says Germanicus.
Chapter 4: Deathtrap for the Unwitting
Three days later, the brethren arrive at Probene. As to be expected, the journey was a precarious one. Alligators as large as houseboats routinely crept up on the brethren in surreptitious silence, hoping for an easy meal. None was given them. One quick shot from Germanicus’ scatter rifle was needed to induce them to stay away. Fresh water is hard to come by and difficult, at times, to resist the urge to drink the swamp water. Doing so would have been a long, painful death.
For nearly two days, they only had a handful of water in which to drink. By the second day, a small brook trickling down from a cave system provided them with much needed water. The dogs and horses lapped it up greedily. The brethren took small sips, knowing thei
r inability to keep water down that’s been guzzled.
On the outskirts of Probene, where the swamp ends, and hilly grasslands come together is a series of medium sized hills with a series of intricate caves. They stop at one in particular. He turns his head to the brethren. “I will go on from here, brothers. You must stay here. He’s bound to overreact and try to shoot at least one of you.” He moves his head towards Lespie. “Make sure he doesn’t leave. He has agreed to help us, but we should err on the side of caution. You ken?”
The brethren nod.
"Who are you here to see?” asks Germanicus.
"Cameo.” Merlin pauses. “He was once Thoranides most trusted assistant. He worked with him extensively in the lab. They had a falling out shall we say. It was more of a change of heart. Cameo couldn’t abide by the immorality of his master, so he requested a resignation. Thoranides refused and had him imprisoned instead. He escaped.”
“But no one save Gaeden Kai escaped from that fortress, Perronius,” points out Justinian.
A condescending smirk breaks out on his face, as if he is instructing a naïve pupil. “That is the official report and it is what Songre Khan would have everyone believe. But it is far from true. Set watch and warrant it. There have been other escapees. If not for them, Cameo would never have escaped.”
“You’ve been working that fortress for years, brother?” asks Germanicus, clearly stupefied.
Perronius nods. “Ai. My premonitions are far reaching.”
"So, why are we here?” questions Germanicus.
In that short conversation, Perronius already loaded up the necessary items in his saddlebag and making his way into the cave. He smiles as he turns towards them. “Let’s just say I may be in need of someone who can resurrect me.”
The brethren look at each other and shrug with the same dumbfounded expression on their faces. Justinian laughs and Germanicus sighs. “As infuriatingly cryptic as ever.” He says.
Shadow and Perronius make their way into the intricate cave network. The opening is over twelve feet high but grows narrower as they make their way through the labyrinth. As they round the first bend, they come to a fork. Perronius chooses the corridor on the far right. They begin a series of switchbacks and narrow fitting corridors so tight they continually rub Perronius’ wool jacket.
The temperature steadily rises as they venture further downward. The air is thick with humidity and in mere minutes, Perronius’ shirt is moist with sweat. The air is stifling with no breeze and yet they must venture further downward. Shadow begins to pant heavily and emits a high, almost imperceptible whine.
The cave becomes more cramped. Shadow emits a high-pitched yelp when his skin grates against the jagged surface of the cave top, opening small scratches on his coat. Perronius assuages him with a pat on the head, inducing him onwards. Despite his reluctance, Shadow will not disappoint his master.
As they reach a part in the tunnel where Shadow cannot navigate through, Perronius, thinking quickly, carefully uses the butt of his sword to extract several small boulders and throws them aside. They shimmy through on their bellies. When they cannot tolerate any more of the impossible tunnel, it widens considerably and abruptly descends nearly straight down. The rough, jagged topography gives way to a smooth, polished surface.
Perronius removes his saddlebag and extracts a large grappling gun, but first he takes several small rocks. He takes one and throws it down the spiraling tunnel and listens intently. He waits, throws another rock, and again listens intently. He picks up a concussive ‘ping,’ indicating the surface for which he had been waiting.
He extracts a carabiner from his bag and a small hammer with a knobbed metallic piece on one side and a chiseled point on the other end. He uses the hammer to attach the carabiner to a rope. He extracts two harnesses, one for himself and one for Shadow. He puts the harness on, attaches the rope to the carabiner, and hooks his harness. He confirms the hooks are secure and pushes himself off the edge, rappelling downwards at an alarming rate. Shadow emits a worried whine.
What seems like a loss of control though in reality is the work of a master climber. When Perronius is within ten yards of his desired descent, he closes his hand tightly over the belay switch and he comes to a stop, overlooking the jagged ceiling of a cathedral-sized chamber, which sports a series of grottos on the outer edges.
The ceiling is a dark grey, almost as if had absorbed the ash cloud of a volcanic eruption. It hosts an elaborate series of sharp, stalactites. The surface of the chamber has several deathtraps, most unseen to the naked eye.
Several rays of sunlight spiral through small holes in the rock’s surface like a kaleidoscope, illuminating a surface that is as varied as it is complex. Cobblestone walkways abruptly give way to a polished marble like surface which abruptly gives way to a jagged surface resembling the ceiling.
For Perronius, the smell of steel is pervasive. A series of tripwires so small they would be impossible to see if seen from five feet crisscross the chamber, creating a nearly impossible maze to navigate. Perronius extracts a throwing dagger from his belt and throws it at one of the tripwires, snapping it in half.
A fraction of a second later, two arrows are discharged from across the room. They swoosh past each other by a foot at most and penetrate the other side of the wall, embedding a razor-sharp point in the soft bedrock nearly to the hilt of the arrow.
A person standing there would have been decapitated. Perronius smiles to himself. Like Thoranides, Cameo is a resourceful engineer.
Perronius takes another small stone and throws it into one of the kaleidoscopes of sunlight peeking through the walls. As it penetrates, a loud contraption launches through on a tract system. It is filled with razor sharp points, impaling anyone who would have crossed into it. Two skeletons hang precariously through it where tender organs would have once been- a morbid warning for those foolish enough to enter.
Perronius nods. He takes his grappling gun and fires it up into the ceiling. Though they will be climbing upside down, there are numerous handholds and footholds present in order to make the climb possible.
Perronius has no doubt he could navigate through the veritable minefield of trip wires and sunbeams but navigating with Shadow will be next to impossible unless they climb the ceiling, an impossibly arduous task for most, but Perronius is not like most. He picks up a foreign and insidious, dank scent inside the crevices, like a combination of rotting fruit and cum. It seems to be scurrying, sinister and hungry. What is it? Perronius cringes at the task ahead.
He could leave Shadow and come back for him, but what if something happened and he wasn’t able to make it back? Shadow would feel abandoned and Shadow is brother to him.
Perronius climbs back up to Shadow, who nods his tail vigorously. The message is clear. I’m ready. Perronius rubs his muzzle affectionately. “This will not be an easy task, old boy, but it must be done. Ready?” Shadow beats his tail more rapidly and lets out a sharp bark. Perronius extracts another carabiner, belay and harness for Shadow and puts it on him. He is quite accustomed to climbing but has never done one this treacherous.
Perronius attaches the bandolier polyhock to Shadow and then to himself. If one of them should fall, they will be anchored into each other. He hoists them down to the elevation of the ceiling. Sensing the treacherous climb, Shadow emits a barely audible whine.
Perronius detaches himself from his previous line and attaches to the next anchor. Shadow follows. He confirms the line is secure and begins the painstaking task of climbing across the ceiling. Shadow follows. They work in tandem. Perronius climbs in a horizontal position, while Shadow works his way through the labyrinth of crevices, holes and dimensions of elaborate stalactites.
They make good progress, but that pervasive scurrying sound that had him on edge begins to grow in feverish intensity. Shadow lets out a frantic bark. The massive termites come into view and they are ravenous.
For humans and animals, they are a major nuisance and pose only a s
mall risk, but they are voracious and will eat anything that is soluble, fibrous, thick and plant-based. They will eat through rope.
"Hurry!” warns Perronius. They have at least two hundred more yards to go. A few of the termites begin to crawl over their skin and they wipe them away reflexively. Shadow begins to nip at his skin when the burning sensation overwhelms him. The smell of fibrous material is pervasive and irresistible to them. They begin to devour Perronius’ clothing as well. Alarmingly, they begin to congregate on the tether to which he is attached.
They begin to climb faster- too fast. Shadow slips and hangs precariously in the air, almost one hundred feet from the deadly bottom. He paws frantically in the air. Perronius feels the massive tug on him and he grasps desperately to his handhold. His left hand slips off and he hangs precariously by his right. The termites continue to devour the rope, gnawing at it relentlessly.
Luckily, his tether to Shadow is nylon bungee polymer and they will have a difficult time eating through it, with their very acidic saliva. The rope, however, is certainly doomed.
There is one chance left. Perronius grabs the coiled boa whip from his belt and whips it onto a carved-out beam. He takes one of his razor-sharp clawed anchors and attaches it to the end of the whip, grabs the other end of the whip and hoists himself up. The clawed end of the anchor embeds itself into the beam and he and Shadow are hurled up.
Shadow extracts his claws and digs in. Perronius attaches another anchor and begins to climb across, sweating profusely. He brushes off more of the venomous termites but knows it is ultimately futile. They are nearly through a quarter of the thick rope and it’s only been ten minutes. In a half hour, they will sever at least one section of the rope completely.
Perronius takes a couple more rocks and hurls them downward towards the middle of the chamber. As expected, he hits one of the tripwires and two arrows are ejected and swoosh past each other, embedding themselves into the opposite walls. Perronius fires another stone and nothing happens. There is a relatively small, safe clearing in the middle of the chamber.
Dawn of the Merlin- The Final Quest Page 3