The Twilight Obelisk

by Alexey Osadchuk

  The ledge was easy to access and offered plenty of space to lie in hiding for whoever had used it to surprise their unwanted guests.

  There! The entrance to a cave, just as I’d thought. It was cleverly concealed by some bushes which — I was pretty sure — hadn’t grown there on their own accord.

  I set Prankie free for a bit of a run-around and let him check the place out.

  His lithe predatory shadow disappeared within the dark passage. A few minutes later, he was already back. All clear.

  I patted his hackles and stepped into the darkness.

  The rock corridor wasn’t that long. Soon I was already through to the other side.

  I took cover behind a large boulder and blinked the sunlight out of my eyes. The cave hadn’t been that dark, especially not for Ennan eyesight, but still the harsh sunrays had momentarily blinded me. I waited for my eyesight to restore and continued on my way.

  An abandoned settlement, dead and silent, appeared unexpectedly amid the cliffs.

  At first sight, it looked dramatically different to the farm I’d encountered earlier. This stockade was well built and fortified with rocks piled up to half its height, discouraging any unwanted visitors.

  Cliffs protected the settlement from both sides. A sturdy gate towered at the center, bristling with sharpened staves. This was a well-conceived and well-kept compound. Skulls of unknown animals topped some of the stakes. Judging by their impressive fangs, they were definitely predators.

  Two wooden watchtowers flanked the gate. I didn’t notice any sentries or archers on them. The little fortified settlement appeared perfectly dead.

  A few Noctean skeletons lay under the wall, apparently killed by arrows and other missiles. The weapons themselves, however, seemed to be missing. Someone must have collected them after the battle.

  That was good news. It meant someone might still be alive.

  I couldn’t help admiring the formidable little structure. Everywhere I looked, I saw evidence of a mercilessly bloody battle. The walls and the gate were covered in dark spots which seemed to have permeated the wood and caked on the rock, telling me that the settlement’s defenders met their foe honorably, spilling a lot of enemy blood in the process.

  A growl came from below. I couldn’t confuse that sound with anything.

  Gingerly I stepped toward the edge of the cliff ledge.

  Nocteans. Just as I thought. Five of them.

  They staggered along, dragging their feet with exhaustion and growling at each other. Their front limbs hung listlessly at their sides. All of them seemed to have been wounded.

  Ah-ha. And there were the defenders coming! A few creatures appeared in the stockade: two on the walls and one on each of the watchtowers.

  They were definitely Caltean. Having said that, they were sort of small... puny... their armor was definitely too big for them.

  I was an idiot! Those were kids! Young boys!

  Judging by the Nocteans’ happy growling, they’d noticed them too. They scurried toward the settlement as fast as they could.

  The first arrows flew from the walls. Too early!

  What were they doing on the walls, anyway? Where were all the adults? Why had they allowed children to defend the place?

  Never mind. I’d find that out some other time. Hold on, kids. We’re coming...

  On my command, Boris soared high in the sky, then darted downwards.

  “Your entry, Steely Guts!” I shouted, releasing a Scorpion.

  * * *

  “So when did that happen?” I asked.

  “A fortnight ago, maybe more. We didn’t count the days,” a teenage Caltean boy replied. His name was Unai.

  “No one came here after that?”

  It had been two hours since we’d finished off the Nocteans who’d been quite the worse for wear to begin with. I’d been lucky: their energy had been depleted, their Life bars hovering at 20%. The latter must have tipped the scales in our favor, I suppose.

  The children had met me warily at first. Still, through some inexplicable insight of their own, they’d recognized me as a Red Owl. From then on, their mistrust had disappeared.

  Sitting on the wall’s broad ramparts, I was now talking to the young defenders.

  “No, no one’s been since then,” Unai shook his head.

  I looked at them in disbelief. It was incredible how much they’d suffered in these two short weeks.

  The clan of the Sea Tigers had been attacked by a large Noctean tribe who’d slaughtered all the adults in a one-sided battle. Only a few children had survived: four boys and two girls. Having said that, now that you looked at Unai and the squat little Torm, you wouldn’t call them children anymore.

  Once all the adults had been killed, they became responsible for the settlement’s survival.

  “Which one of you dropped the boulder onto the Noctean whose bones I found by the boats?” I asked.

  Torm and Unai exchanged surprised glances.

  “I did throw a rock at him, yes,” Torm replied.

  “Did you finish off the other one too?”

  He nodded, then added vaguely, “I used the same rock.”

  “The same boulder, you mean?”

  “Yeah. It was the best I could find. Hard and sharp. I spent some time picking the right one.”

  I chuckled. “I see.”

  ‘A rock’! The kid was strong, that’s for sure. That’s probably what Crym or Orman used to be like when they were young.

  Torm was a real giant for his age. He had large hands, broad shoulders and big feet. He was almost the same height as myself. But that wasn’t what worried me. It was the weird look in his eyes... hard and cruel.

  Then again, what did I know? The kid had just lost his entire family killed before his very eyes. What kind of look was he supposed to have?

  So all in all, the young Sea Tigers had left a most favorable impression on me. Especially Unai, the eldest, who now was their leader.

  I couldn’t help comparing myself to the boy. Would I have been able to preserve my own courage and integrity in his place?

  He, too, had had his entire family killed before his eyes by hungry Noctean cannibals. He had no one but a handful of scared boys like himself to turn to. Still, it hadn’t prevented him from getting his act together and saving the few survivors.

  “How did you know?” Torm asked.

  “How did I know what?”

  “That we threw a rock at him,” Unai explained, curious.

  “I followed Torm’s footprints.”

  “His footprints?”

  “Yes. Actually, I only saw three of them. Two were by the old boat and one more in the passage between the rocks. At first I thought they belonged to a small man because I couldn’t imagine such a big boy could exist,” I nodded at Torm who puffed his chest out with pride.

  Unai gave me an understanding smile.

  “It’s been days! How did you see them?” Torm demanded.

  “Just by being observant, that’s all. Your footprints were the deepest because you carried something heavy — the boulder, apparently. Did you know that that was the only way you could break a Noctean skull, throwing something heavy from a great height? You don’t have to be very observant to notice the cliffs overhanging the shore exactly where it happened.”

  “But surely the rain and wind would have destroyed our prints after so many days?” Unai pointed out.

  “Absolutely. That’s exactly what happened. Which is why I only found three footprints. Two of them had survived because they were left next to the upended boat which protected them from the wind. The third one on the rocky trail was even easier. Torm must have stepped accidentally into the Noctean’s blood and left a footprint on the pebbles next to the body. That’s basically it.”

  They fell silent. Unai sat mouthing something, as if trying to memorize what I’d just said. Torm was contemplating his own feet as if he was seeing them for the first time.

  “Where did you come from?”
Unai asked, changing the subject.

  “From the Forbidden City,” I said.

  Their eyes opened wide.

  “I’m the Keeper of the Forbidden City,” I explained. “In actual fact, I’ve offered refuge to the surviving Caltean clans, whatever’s left of them.”

  “Surviving clans?” Unai asked in disbelief.

  “Of course,” I replied. “Silver Mountain Valley was invaded by a Noctean horde. Didn’t you know?”

  They exchanged glances, then shook their heads in unison.

  Oh. I didn’t expect that.

  “But what are the clans doing in the Forbidden City?” Unai asked. “It’s in the North, isn’t it?”

  “Lots of reasons. The shamans couldn’t come to an agreement so the clans split to go each their own way.”

  As I spoke, they kept exchanging bewildered stares. Heh! If Laosh could only see the boys’ reaction to the “clever” decisions of his supposedly wise colleagues!

  So I had to tell them everything from the start: about the Calteans’ each going their own way; about the Red Owls and the Black Axes; about the Nocteans and how we’d fought them. About the arrival of the other clans — or rather, what was left of them.

  On hearing the names of Badwar, Gukhur and Lavena — and especially when I’d told them that they’d killed their shamans and why — the boys’ fists clenched. Torm even cussed almost like a trooper.

  I could understand them. Their familiar world was falling apart in front of their very eyes. First the death of their families and now the news about the horde coming. For them it must have been nothing short of an Apocalypse.

  We spoke about the future of their settlement. I offered to have them moved to the city. Surprisingly, they declined my invitation. As it turned out, they had the place up and running. They had plenty of food and materials. They even had a few buffaloes. They were actually rich by local standards. They even had a big boat and a dozen smaller ones.

  Despite their age, the boys were all levels 200+. The two girls were slightly less — but both of them already had some very useful abilities and skills, especially the young one who promised to become a very strong medicine woman one day.

  I didn’t invite them to join the Red Owls. I simply didn’t have enough Reputation with their juvenile clan yet. The little gray medal I’d already earned definitely wasn’t enough to influence these kinds of decisions. But we did strike up an alliance, to our mutual pleasure.

  Then they offered me a meal. I had to tell them all about the Forbidden City and its dungeons. Everyone loved Boris and Prankie so much they didn’t want to let me go because of them.

  Still, I had to go back. What a shame I couldn’t do anything for these kids — not at the moment, anyway. One thing I did do, I left them the Scorpion I’d just used fighting the wounded Nocteans. It still had about 60% durability. Let it stand by the gate guarding them. Now that we were allies, Steely Guts identified the Sea Tigers as friends.

  To say they were happy to receive it was an understatement. Once I got back to the city, I’d have to get the others to think of ways to help these brave kids.

  Boris banked into a farewell circle over the settlement before spiriting me back to Silver Mountain.

  * * *

  The river was incredible in its serenity: an expanse of gray glass spilt into the valley. Rough and raging only the day before, it now half-heartedly licked the rocky shore. Mist drifted low over its surface, promising a sunny day later.

  I was sitting on a half-submerged rock by the shore watching and listening, taking in my surroundings. The river resembled a giant beast lying in ambush before springing at you, the splashing of its waves lulling its victims into a false sense of security.

  With bated breath, I admired the momentary quiet. The lapping of the wavelets helped my thinking.

  I’d just seen everything I needed to see.

  We were in it well and deep.

  An eleven thousand-strong Noctean horde was moving directly toward us. And that was not all. The Dark players were rapidly approaching us, moving at the double. They’d already crossed the Black Stream. I’d taken an inconspicuous peek at their numbers: four thousand at least. That’s not counting their supply train.

  And that wasn’t all, either. Over there beyond the mountain ridge, the allied army of the clans of Light was about to enter the Icy Woods.

  We were being surrounded. Having said that, the Nocteans were bound to arrive first.

  This was how the cookie crumbled. There was still a remote chance that all these countless armies could go for each other’s throats under our walls. But that would be too good to hope for.

  A soft rustling behind my back distracted me from my sad musings. Reluctantly I turned around, already knowing whom I was going to see.

  A slim female figure froze on a rock nearby. She was clad in pitch-black armor which must have cost her a fortune, judging by its “purple” glint. Two scimitars peeked from behind her back. A small crossbow hung by her side.

  A couple of weeks ago, the sight of her would have made me realize my own helplessness. Not anymore, though. I was different now. I’d changed.

  “Hi Sir Olgerd,” the Alven girl said. “I didn’t recognize you. I’m so happy to see you.”

  “Hi Liz,” I smiled back. “Nice to see you too.”

  “You’re crazy, flying over the clan army. What if they’d noticed you?”

  I chuckled. “They wouldn’t have. I fly above the clouds, don’t I?”

  “How did you see me, then?” she asked.

  “My friend list began flashing,” I explained. “I opened it and saw you were in the local chat. So I left you a message. Was it hard to find the watchtower?”

  She shrugged. “So that’s what it was, then. You okay here?”

  “I’m becoming savage gradually,” I said with a crooked smile. “How are things going on the continent?”

  She laughed. “Same old. Uncle Vanya told me you’d started a Godawful mess here.”

  I heaved a sigh. “He’s right. I had no choice. How is he? I didn’t see him over there.”

  She waved my question away. “The caravanners have their own rules. They’ll wait till this area is completely civilized, then they’ll arrive. Uncle Vanya disapproves of pioneering new routes. It isn’t going to bring them any extra profits, so what’s the point in ruining good carts and animals?

  “Logical,” I said. “At least you’re here.”

  She nodded. “Sure. And not just me. Everyone who’s managed to raise some money for good gear, they’re all here.”

  “Are you marching against me?”

  She waved at the mountains in the direction of the arriving army. “Them, yeah. But not my group. We can’t fight against you. That’s what all the caravanners say, too. Lots of people say that, in fact.”

  I smiled. “Thanks. That’s nice to hear. You might want to know that in a couple of days you risk coming across a Dark army of a similar size. Please be careful.”

  She shook her head. “They won’t fight us.”

  That was a surprise. “Why not?”

  “The leaders of the Dark and Light clans have an agreement. We have a temporary truce.”

  I scratched my head. “Oh. That’s not good news. Why would they do that?”

  She laughed. “Good question! Everybody keeps asking themselves the same thing. Our leaders are up to something.”

  “How weird.”

  “I must be off now,” she said. “I don’t want them to notice I’ve been gone. You take care of yourself, okay?”

  “Bye, Liz,” I said. “Say hello to everyone!”

  Her jaw dropped when she saw Boris arriving. We circled the shore a few times to allow her an eyeful of our tandem. Then, with a farewell wave of my hand, the two of us took off for the watchtower.

  It was even more gorgeous up close. It was built with well-cut slabs of stone gray with time. It in fact resembled a tall donjon ready to receive a small group of warriors.


  The tower may have appeared old but it wasn’t fragile. You could see it was abandoned. No one had taken care of this beautiful fortification in centuries. Grass grew out of the cracks, its roots forcing the stonework apart. One of the clans was bound to claim it pretty soon.

  It towered on top of a rocky plateau, the highest in the area. In order to get to it, you had to climb a rather steep path for five minutes at least.

  I flew up closer. Now I could make out the neat rows of arrowslits. This was in fact a small fortress which a small group of archers could hold until the arrival of main forces, provided they had enough food and supplies.

  The tower offered an excellent field of fire. An enemy wouldn’t bother to waste either time or resources on such a trivial target. This place was perfect for a small group wishing to sit it out. They had an excellent visibility and the bonus of being able to signal at will.

  “Good! I think we’ve seen enough! Time to go home.”

  Chapter Twenty

  WARNING! The Magic Sphere will expire in:

  05:00 min...

  04:59...

  04:58...

  04:57...

  The last few days of the magic protection had flown by like a flock of sparrows assaulting a freshly-filled garbage bin in the backyard.

  Biting my lips, I stood on the castle wall watching the timer mete out the remaining seconds. The devs were real bastards. They could have easily given me a month’s protection if they’d really wanted to.

  You’d think I was a fully grown man but I felt jittery as if I was about to sit a school exam. It was as if I’d forgotten something very important despite all the nights I’d spent poring over textbooks cramming page after lengthy page, realizing I couldn’t possibly remember it all.

  Normally, this would plunge you into a state of panic and anger with yourself — which strangely enough, nudges you into action. You look back at the last few days you’d spent studying, admonishing yourself for wasting a whole evening at the movies the other day when you could have been studying instead. Or the trip to the river a week ago! What was the point of lugging textbooks along if all you did was lounge around with friends playing cards? That’s another day wasted. At night, it makes you feel like a dieter blaming herself for a slice of pie she’d wolfed down earlier.