by Wolfe Locke
But Zander could already hear scuttling footsteps between the houses to their right, moving toward them at high speed. “It’s here.”
“What is it?” Celeste asked, her voice low and quiet.
“We’ll see when it turns the corner.” Zander responded.
The creature announced its arrival with an ear-splitting screech as it crawled out into the road to block their path. Its mandibles clicked as it weaved its head back and forth, looking at each of them in turn as if it was trying to decide which one to eat first.
“Ugh!” Celeste exclaimed when she saw it. “It’s disgusting!”
“It’s a Monster of the Abyss.” Zander admitted. “I hate these things.”
The Monster resembled a centipede made up of corpses and desiccated body parts. It walked—crawled, really—on a combination of human arms and legs, and its head was made of what looked like several faces stitched together, each with a horrified expression. It smelled like rotting flesh, and the road was smeared with dark blood wherever it had touched the pavement.
“Do we really have to fight this?” Celeste said. “It’s like something out of a horror movie.”
“If we don’t fight, it’ll kill us.” Zander admitted. “We don’t have much time.”
Kill us and eat us, Rocktooth said. You can tell her that if you like. Well—it’ll kill and eat you. I’ll return to the Netherworld when you die, to slowly heal and wait for a new master to discover my name and summon me.
Zander decided not to tell Celeste what the golem had just said. It seemed like it would only worry her unnecessarily.
“What’s our strategy?” she whispered, as the creature scuttled back and forth across the street ahead of them. “How do we kill this thing?”
“It has its strengths and weaknesses,” Zander said, thinking hard. “It’s not like a normal centipede. It doesn’t have a hard exoskeleton. That’s good. Leaves it vulnerable. And it doesn’t have magic. Just physical strength.”
“Okay. That’s a good sign, right?” Celeste asked.
“The bad part is that since it’s already dead, it’s pretty hard to kill.” Zander explained. “And it’s both incredibly strong, and incredibly vicious. The best thing to do is keep it from touching any of us at all. If it does, it’ll rip our heads clean off.”
“That’s a lot less good,” she said, looking dismayed.
“Oh,” Zander said. “And it also usually comes with a pack of—”
They heard the sound of hundreds of footsteps running toward them and the groans of hungry undead filled the air.
“—Draugr,” he finished. “And this one sounds like it’s got a pretty big army of minions. This won’t be an easy fight.”
As if on cue, the Monster of the Abyss lunged toward them, and Zander raised his sword as Celeste began her transformation.
“I’ll hold them off until you’re done!” he shouted. “Try to make it quick!”
She didn’t respond. A large cluster of fast-moving Draugr came running toward them, and Rocktooth stomped toward them, bellowing loudly. That left only Zander to take on the Monster. Its jaws clicked hungrily, and its red eyes were fixated on his as it crawled closer, making a horrific squelching noise with every step.
“Come on,” he muttered, keeping one eye on Celeste. “Faster!”
He didn’t want to fight this monster alone, but it was becoming increasingly clear that he was going to have to. Celeste’s frost spirit form wasn’t going to be ready in time. He held his sword in one hand and one of his daggers in the other and braced for impact.
In a flash, the Monster of the Abyss was on him. It was even stronger than he had expected, and it knocked him flat, mandibles clicking shut inches from his face as he held it off with one arm. It tried to bite him with its many human mouths, turning its head almost in circles as it tried to reach him, and he pushed back as hard as he could, trying to get the creature off of his chest. It was more powerful than he was, and he could feel his strength starting to wane.
He could hear Rocktooth roaring in the background, and for a moment the creature hesitated. It was all the time Zander needed. He buried his dagger in its side and it screeched and recoiled, biting at the hilt of the weapon and trying to pull it out. He rolled away from it and leapt to his feet, pulling another knife out of storage to replace the one he’d just lost. The Monster hissed at him furiously, blood pouring from the wound he’d just made. He raised his sword and advanced on it, waiting to see what it would do.
His attack hadn’t done all that much—just made it angry—and it rushed at him again, faster than before. Zander dodged its attack with difficulty, and glanced over at Rocktooth, trying to see how his battle with the Draugr was going. The golem wasn’t doing well. With only one arm to fight with, he was outmatched and overwhelmed. Groups of undead hung from his back and shoulders, trying to force him down onto the street.
“Rocktooth!” Zander shouted. He started toward the golem, but it was too late. The Monster of the Abyss made its move, and it fastened its many sets of jaws around his ankle. The pain was agonizing, and he screamed, trying to flip over on his back so he could strike at it with his sword. Every time he tried; the Monster shoved him back down again. He was in trouble. Big trouble.
He tried hurling his dagger at the creature’s head, like he’d done with the Harpy, but it ducked out of the way and the blade clattered harmlessly on the pavement. Its eyes glittered with amusement at his pathetic attempt to kill it. Rocktooth bellowed in the distance as the Draugr piled on top of him. He was going to die. Zander was going to die. They were all going to die here in this run-down suburb.
The Monster grabbed one of Zander’s arms in one hand and pulled, trying to twist it out of its socket. He closed his eyes, waiting for death as his bones popped and cracked—and then, suddenly, the creature let go.
He opened his eyes again. A massive [Ice Spear] had imbedded itself into the Monster’s chest, and it was scrabbling at it with its human hands, trying to pull the weapon out.
“Celeste!” Zander shouted triumphantly. “You did it!”
She’d managed to complete her transformation this time, and she floated above them, glowing with frosty light. The air crackled with power, and the Monster of the Abyss flinched away from her, hissing. The [Ice Spear] was still stuck in its body.
“I’m going to go help Rocktooth!” he said. “Can you keep fighting the Monster?”
She inclined her head solemnly, and Zander sprinted toward his friend. The golem was buried under a horde of Draugr, but he could see him thrashing underneath the pile of Undead.
“Rocktooth!” he shouted. “Hold on. I’m coming!”
Better come quick, he said weakly. I don’t think I can last much longer like this before I’m forced back into the Netherworld.
He could hear Celeste fighting the Monster behind him as he approached the battle, hurling [Arcane Bolt] after [Arcane Bolt] at the hideous creatures. For one brief moment, he saw Rocktooth’s head emerge from above the roiling mass of Draugr before quickly being submerged again. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. This was his golem, one of his closest companions and a faithful ally. Rocktooth had saved him countless times on their journeys. He had to help him out. It was only right.
He dove into the mass of creature’s sword-first, striking out wildly in all directions. He could hear them shrieking as his blade cut into their rotting limbs, but they kept coming. Only a direct strike to the head or total dismemberment would be enough to kill them. All he could hope was to get Rocktooth out.
He was badly outnumbered, though, and he was battling the unholy strength of the Undead. He knew he couldn’t hold out for long. As he was slowly buried beneath a pile of monsters, a familiar face swam toward him from below.
“Rocktooth!” he shouted as the Draugr started to crush him.
You shouldn’t have done that, the golem said. Now you'll be killed, and I'll be stuck in the Nether never to be summoned again.
/> “I had to try,” he said, feeling his lungs contract beneath the growing weight. “I couldn’t have lived with myself if I hadn’t helped.”
Brave. But foolish. If I’m destroyed, I’ll be reborn in the Nether. If you’re destroyed, I remained trapped in the Nether. Do me a favor if you survive. Please don't repeat this.
Notification: You have slain a Creature of the Abyss. This encounter has left a mark upon you. Destiny comes closer.
Chapter Fourteen: Regroup
* * *
Very foolish. Try to survive. You have people depending on you. Me too. Zander’s head was swimming, and he could barely breathe. Darkness swirled toward him. This was it, then. He and Rocktooth were going to die together in a nondescript Atlanta suburb. It seemed a bit underwhelming after all they’d been through. Couldn’t they have gone out in a more exciting way?
Suddenly, they were surrounded by bright white light, and the Draugr froze on top of them.
“Celeste!” Zander wheezed. “It’s Celeste. She must have killed the Monster of the Abyss.”
The members of the undead shattered into shards of ice, one by one, and Zander fell gasping onto the pavement. Celeste floated above him, still in her frost spirit form. Her eyes were glowing, and her voice was cold.
“Is there anything else I should do?” she said. “I’ve destroyed your enemies for you.”
“No,” he coughed. “Good work, Celeste. You can change back now.”
As she lowered to the ground, Zander crawled over to Rocktooth. The golem was still alive, but most of his body had been destroyed by the Draugr swarm. Only his head was left.
“Are you all right?” Zander said, voice cracking with alarm. Rocktooth had never been this badly injured before.
I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt, if that’s what you mean. It’s just inconvenient.
“Can you regenerate from something like this?”
I can regenerate from anything as long as I’m left alone in the Netherworld. It just might take a while.
He sat up, trying to catch his breath, and gently lowered the golem’s head into his satchel.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he said. “And I’ll try to restore you when I can.”
You can try, Rocktooth said skeptically. But I don’t know if you’ll be able to.
Zander ignored him. He knew he had to make the attempt. Celeste was back in her human form now, naked, and he averted his eyes as she walked back down the street to retrieve her clothes. He’d seen many strange things on his journeys, but for some reason, the presence of a nude frost spirit was the hardest to get used to.
“Let’s move on,” he said, once she was finally dressed again. “It’ll be dark soon. We need to find somewhere to spend the night.”
“Let’s get out of this creepy suburb, then,” Celeste said, wrinkling her nose. “I hate it here. Yuck.”
Notification: Now Entering “Forested Grove – The Old Mill Park”
Details: To seek refuge from their cities, the humans built and protected bastions of nature. Small, protected areas to plant trees tend to trails. Without the humans around, some of these old parks have grown far beyond what they were ever intentioned to be.
They ended up taking shelter in a wooded park not too far away, nestled in a dense thicket of trees. Zander staked the tent carefully, trying not to make too much noise.
“We’re safe here,” he said, “but we’re closer to the city than I’d like. We’ll need to keep watch tonight in case anything from the suburb strays over here.”
“Sure,” Celeste said. “We can take turns, since Rocktooth is out of commission.”
Zander frowned and gently pulled the golem’s head out of his back.
“Does that sound all right, Rocktooth?”
I don’t really have an opinion. There’s not much I can do about it, anyways.
He propped the head up against a tree and began building a fire, but the guilt he felt over what had happened to his summon was distracting. Rocktooth just looked so pathetic and sad in his disembodied form—a far cry from the powerful figure he normally was.
“I have to help him,” Zander said finally. “There are a couple of spells that I can try. See if they work.”
I really don’t think you’re going to be successful. I’m still on cooldown. I can regenerate myself with time.
“Rocktooth, I have to at least try.”
I worry that you’ll make it worse. The last thing I want is to have even less of a body than I currently have.
He ignored the golem’s words and started scratching out a pentagram in the dirt around the fire. The village Elders often did things like this when they wanted to rush a summon’s healing process. It always worked when they did it. True, he’d never tried this himself before. But he understood the principle. That was enough to start from, wasn’t it?
“All right,” he said, standing at the center of the drawing he’d made and gathering his magic into his hands. “Let’s try this.”
He shot a jet of power at the golem’s head—and suddenly the entire grove was filled with flickering neon light.
You’re going to attract every monster in the area, Rocktooth said morosely. What are you doing? Try to be less noisy. Less like your human.
“I don’t know! This wasn’t what I was trying to do at all! What’s happening?”
Well, whatever’s going on, it doesn’t seem to be working. I’m still just a head.
The light snapped out suddenly, leaving the woods in darkness again—but now there was a third person standing in front of the fire.
“Who are you guys?” she said, sounding irritated. “And what are you doing in my forest?”
Chapter Fifteen: The Wood Nymph
* * *
For a moment, he almost thought she was an elf. She had the pointed ears and long brown hair that were typical of his people—but there was something off about her. Her arms and legs were covered with flowering vines, and she wore a crown of leaves in her hair. She seems like me, but maybe she's another race of demi-human? I haven't seen many of the other races in a long time. It could be the case.
“What do you mean?” he said. “This isn’t really a forest. It’s more of a park with trees. I'm pretty sure we ran by a sign that marked it as one of the old human areas.”
“It was a forest for hundreds of years before humans came to ruin it,” she responded stiffly. “And it will be a forest again. Things are already returning to the way things were. It just takes time to take back the grey and black stone the humans planted everywhere in their attempts to get rid of the wild.”
“Ah,” Zander replied, not really interested. “And who are you again?”
“I asked first.” The nymph replied testily.
Zander shrugged. “I’m Zander. I’m an elf. That’s Celeste. And this head is Rocktooth, my stone golem—or what’s left of him.”
She glanced over; judgement evident on her face. “Hm. Some golem. I’m Terra. Wood nymph. I rule over the forest of Old Mill.”
“Pleased to meet you, Terra,” Zander said, bowing low. Wood nymphs were touchy, and it paid to be respectful.
“Elves, I’m all right with,” she said, looking him up and down and then glancing around at the rest of the group. “The golem is fine too. No problems with golems, I can smell the Netherworld on him. But what manner of creature is this… Celeste?”
“Excuse me?” Celeste raised an eyebrow and said. “Did you just ask what am I?”
“I already know. Human right? I can smell the taint of your people on you. Corruption and filth.” Terra bared her teeth, looking feral, and Zander quickly jumped in.
“My golem’s in trouble,” he said. “As you can see. None of us can heal him, and it’ll take too long for him to regenerate the limb in the Nether. We don’t have the power to heal him here. Do you? Also, Celeste is an ice spirit, not a human. At least not anymore.”
Nymphs loved flattery, and this one was no exception. She looked at Rocktooth’s hea
d, nostrils flaring. Then she nodded.
“Yeah. I can heal him. But on one condition.” The nymph smiled as if toying with an idea that Zander wasn't going to like.
“What’s that?” Zander prepared for the worst.
“Once my forest comes back completely and has taken all of this back for nature, I’ll be bound here for the rest of my life. But before then, while it’s returning, I’m still able to travel. I want to come with you three and see more of the world. Let me join your group." For Zander, that wasn't the worst ask he had heard. He pretended to considered it, but his mind was already decided.
“Okay,” Zander agreed, trying to not sound unhappy with the arrangement. He didn’t relish the idea of having a touchy wood nymph along for the ride. But if she could help Rocktooth, it was worth it. Besides, another member of the team helps for getting through the ruins safe.
Celeste crossed her arms but said nothing. He wondered if he’d be getting an earful from her later. He could already tell that she didn’t like Terra any more than he did. But for now, at least, they were stuck with her.
Notification: You have gained a party member.
Terra the Wood Nymph has joined your party. Hailing from the wooded grove of Old Mill, she has agreed to help Rocktooth in exchange for a chance to adventure.
Chapter Fifteen: The Way Back
* * *
“All right, golem!” Terra said, wrapping a pair of vines around her hands and planting her bare feet in the earth. “Let’s bring your body back.”
Okay. Sure. She knows I have a name, right? You did tell her correct Zander? Unlike Celeste, it’s difficult for me to talk to her direct.
She closed her eyes, and the forest was filled with a ghostly green light as her magic settled around Rocktooth’s head. One stone arm sprouted out of the ground, then the other. In seconds, he was fully formed again and sitting up cheerfully.