by Hans Bezdek
The circle of Lundori was now closing in on the two travelers. Farr didn't think they'd make it in time at their current pace. They needed something to act as a distraction.
"Grex, do your thing and get there as fast as you can!" commanded Farr.
"On it!" shouted the gnome.
Grex shifted into a bobcat and dashed forward, breaking away from the rest of The Delinquents. Farr and the others watched him go as they pushed themselves to run as quickly as they could.
The bobcat reached the Lundori before they threw their first strike. With a growl, Grex jumped onto the back on the closest Lundori and tackled him to the ground. The rest of the Lundori spun to see the new threat, which gave the armored man and one-eyed elf an opportunity to launch an attack of their own.
And they took it.
The elf was the first to leap at the Lundori, while the armored man appeared to be mumbling something. The elf slashed with both blades at the Lundori closest to him, downing the humanoid and finishing him off with a thrust of his blades. Another Lundori was on him before he got his blades out of the first one.
To Farr's surprise, the elf simply let go of his weapons and produced two more, slightly shorter, blades. The Lundori lunged forward with his spear, barely missing the elf. The one-eyed fighter brought his swords up by crossing each of them, trapping the spear before the Lundori could pull it back. With a flurry of motion, the elf spun the spear free of the Lundori's hands and sent the weapon flying into some nearby bushes.
As the elf downed his freshly unarmed opponent, the armored man started to move. Farr noted that the front of his armor was now glowing, as was his mace. Two Lundori based themselves with the man, one with a spear and the other with a two-handed sword. The Lundori with the spear shoved it forward, connecting with the armor over the man's heart. The metal tip of the spear shattered as it met the armor.
The Lundori, not reacting with any level of surprise, adjusted his grip on his stick and attempted to swing it at the armored man's head. The man ducked underneath the wild attack, brought his mace back, then swung at the exposed Lundori's midsection. There was a loud crack, and the Lundori was sent flying through several trees behind him.
The Lundori with the two-handed sword swung at the man's back before he could stand straight up again. The armored man opted to fall to the ground, where he rolled out of the way of the strike. The Lundori brought his weapon up again to swing at the downed man when Cupcake barreled into the unsuspecting humanoid's hands.
The two-handed sword fell a few feet away, and the bewildered Lundori tried swatting the flying pig away. While he was focused on the pig, Yri stealthily stepped forward and placed her hand on the Lundori's side. Black magic surged out of her hand and into his body, and the humanoid collapsed.
Farr and Khuwa met with three of the remaining Lundori.
"I-I'd still prefer to not kill them," muttered the orc.
"Are you serious?" protested Farr.
"S-Sorry..."
Farr sighed but nodded. He motioned for her to hold out her hands, then pointed at them. Two large mallets made of ice formed in her hands, and she grinned at the blademagus.
"Watch out!" said Farr, looking over her shoulder as the Lundori charged her.
Khuwa swung as she turned, smacking the closest Lundori in the face with a mallet and sending him spinning to the ground.
The two standing Lundori both lashed out with their swords at the same time. Khuwa brought the mallets up and blocked the swords, the force of them causing the blades to dig partway into the ice. Farr quickly caused the ice to close in around the blades, and when the Lundori tried to pull their weapons back they found they couldn't.
The orc let out a laugh, tossed the mallets and the swords away, then grabbed both of the Lundori by their throats.
"Sorry about this," she said, then headbutted each of them.
The two Lundori dropped to join their friend on the ground, unconscious.
With all of the Lundori either dead or otherwise incapacitated, The Delinquents dusted off their hands and met with the two travelers. Grex shifted out of his bobcat form and joined them, smiling up at the elf and man.
The armored man and the elf exchanged a surprised look when they realized the bobcat had been Grex, then sheathed their blades to talk with their momentary allies.
"Looks like you two didn't need our help after all," said Farr, putting his hands on his hips and smiling at them.
"We certainly appreciated it," smiled back the man in armor. He stretched out his hand toward Farr. "The name's Zane. This here is Perkins."
"Pleasure to meet you," smiled Farr, taking Zane's hand and shaking it. "I'm Farr and this is Khuwa, Grex, and Yri. The pig is Cupcake."
"Hi there," oinked Cupcake.
Zane focused his attention on Cupcake. "A talking pig with wings... The Lund has everything, it seems."
"Cupcake isn't from the Lund," corrected Yri. "He's my demon."
The armored man took a step back and rested his hand again on the hilt of his mace.
"Easy there," said Farr, raising his hands. "Cupcake won't hurt you. Yri's got him well under control."
Cupcake smiled at Zane, his teeth shifting into sharp ones.
"Mostly under control," corrected Cupcake.
"Cupcake..." said Yri in a warning tone.
"Oh, I'm just playing around with him," whined Cupcake, reverting his teeth back and landing on the warlock's shoulder. "I think he's a priest or something, based off that holy energy that was coming from him."
"He's a paladin," explained Perkins with a shrug. "Works for Nera, you know. Don't get him going on it, though, or we'll be here for the next month."
"Nera, huh?" asked Cupcake, tilting his head in thought. "Met her once. Nice enough goddess."
"You have met Nera?!" asked a wide-eyed Zane.
"While that certainly sounds interesting," interjected Farr, "what are the two of you doing out here?"
Zane looked to Perkins, who immediately explained. "It is a sad tale, so I'll keep it brief. Zane's brother is terribly sick and probably doesn't have much time left. A witchdoctor we came across mentioned that there's a flower that has some healing properties that he'll need. The only problem is it can only be found at Death's Eye."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Zane," said Khuwa quietly.
Farr nodded sadly in agreement. A bit of an odd coincidence as far as the timing was concerned, but Farr thought the story was believable enough.
"What kind of flower is it?" asked Grex. "I'm a druid, in case you couldn't tell from the bobcat. I've actually got quite a lot of experience with plants and healing."
Perkins and Zane exchanged a look.
"Does... Does your knowledge extend to plant life in the Lund?" asked Perkins, adjusting his eyepatch. "All the things in the place seem pretty unique to me."
"Unfortunately it doesn't," admitted the gnome. "But, if we can't find the plant, maybe I could find a substitute for you that would work just as well!"
"Er, that's very kind of you," hesitated Zane. "But, uh, the witch doctor didn't give us specifics outside of it being a plant growing near Aodh's prison. He didn't say anything about what properties it had."
"Ah," frowned Grex. "That's too bad."
"What about your group?" asked Perkins. "What are the five of you out here for?"
"We're with a guild called The Delinquents," said Khuwa.
"Oh? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with them," admitted the elf. "We're from the U'Raze Kingdom."
"No worries," shrugged Yri. "We don't have much of a presence out there."
"We've received word that someone may try to release Aodh from his prison," explained Farr, who chuckled and shook his head. "I know it sounds crazy."
"Y-Yeah..." agreed Zane.
"Any idea who would do such a thing?" asked Perkins.
"We think possibly the Lundori," replied Farr. "They've been attacking the forts more frequently and have been acting strange."
&n
bsp; "Not much is known of the Lundori," added Grex. "For all we know, they could be worshippers of Aodh."
"You know, I could see it," nodded Perkins.
"I think we should get back to the cave soon," said Yri, looking down at the three unconscious Lundori. "It'll give us a chance to see any Lundori coming. It also overlooks Aodh's prison, so we could try and spot the flowers from there."
"We'd be happy for the two of you to stay camped out with us," offered Farr. "The place we're at the Lundori are afraid to go to. Once the time when Aodh can be released is passed in the next few days, we can even help escort you guys back safely through the Lund."
Zane and Perkins exchanged another look, then they both shrugged.
"That sounds reasonable to me," said Zane with a big smile. "Lead the way!"
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Zane couldn't believe his luck. The Delinquents had proven themselves to be capable fighters against what he had later learned were the Lundori, and now he and Perkins had help in the event more creatures of the Lund tried to attack. On top of that, the cliff they were using as a base had a clear view of Aodh's prison, and Zane could easily see the chains from where they stood.
The idea to try and use the scroll from this distance had crossed his mind, but he ultimately decided against it. Odds were that he'd need to be closer, and if he attempted it and failed, his new friends would be quick to turn their weapons and magic on him. He didn't fully understand how, but The Delinquents knew someone was coming to release the Mad God, and they were here to stop it. Little did they know they know held the very two people who were going to do it.
He had lived his whole life attempting to do the right thing, but he had to admit it felt pretty good to be pulling a trick on this group.
"So the elf turned out to be a warlock all along?" gasped Perkins.
"It was quite the surprise for us, too," nodded Grex.
"Not me," said Yri proudly. "I kept telling them she was bad news."
The Delinquents had shown Zane and Perkins around the cave, and everyone was currently sitting outside on the cliff, a small fire going in the middle of them. Zane could see rain clouds in the distance, coming in from over the sea that crashed into the rocky coast behind them. He was leaning toward releasing Aodh before the storm arrived. Maybe he could pretend to need to use the restroom and sneak off...
"True," nodded Farr. "And Yri was also the one that got us out of it."
"Oh, Yri did, did she? Once again I'm treated like a useless tool," complained Cupcake.
"Well, you aren't useless, but you are a tool," grinned Yri.
Zane watched as Perkins laughed with the others as Cupcake and Yri began swatting at one another. He didn't feel so bad betraying the group since a warlock and demon were part of it, even if they seemed friendly enough at the moment. From what he had gathered from the story of how they got access to this cave and cliff, the two were more powerful than they let on.
"Looks like we might get some rain soon," said Farr, gesturing at the sky. "We might as well enjoy our time out here before we get stuck in that cave. Khuwa, want to help me bring some food out here?"
"And I'm sure you'd like to look for that flower," said Grex, getting to his feet as the other two disappeared into the cave.
"That would be ideal," said Zane, seeing his chance. "No need for everyone to come, though. Perkins and I can just hurry down."
"I wouldn't do that," warned Yri, shaking her head as she and Cupcake finished their quarrel. "We think the Lundori could be watching it. If you go down there, there's the chance they'll jump you before we can get there."
"I'll take a quick look for you and bring back anything I see," said Grex.
Before Zane or Perkins could protest, the gnome had shifted into a pigeon and fluttered off in the direction of Death's Eye.
"Shouldn't be more than a minute or two," smiled Yri. "So, have the two of you come across anything strange in the Lund?"
"Not really," lied Zane.
"Some freaky horse things with flames for eyes," said Perkins at the same time.
Yri laughed. "I guess they didn't leave an impression on Zane."
"I, uh, didn't want to bore you with it," said Zane, shifting uncomfortably on the ground.
"They had a tail like a dragon, but no wings. They also spoke in our heads," said Perkins, turning toward Cupcake. "I wondered if they might be some type of demon?"
The pig twisted around in the air for a moment as it thought. "Not to my knowledge. They might be native to the Lund."
"We've got food!" came Khuwa's voice. She and Farr reappeared holding strange looking fruits and vegetables. They laid some on the ground before Perkins, whose eye lit up.
"I'm starving!" smiled the elf.
"Help yourself!" laughed the orc.
A bird flew over to them and shifted into Grex before Perkins could decide which to try first. The gnome wasn't carrying anything and had a pained look on his face.
"What's the matter, Grex?" asked Farr.
"I just checked near Aodh's prison for any kind of flower," said the gnome softly. He looked away and shook his head. "There wasn't any. I... I'm so sorry..."
The Delinquents all looked at Zane. Even Cupcake looked like he had a tear forming in his eye. Perkins didn't seem particularly bothered, instead still focusing on the food before him. Zane needed to act upset, and he realized this could work in his favor.
"I... I think I need a moment," said Zane, trying his best to sound choked up as he got to his feet.
"Of course," nodded Farr sympathetically.
Zane took a few steps away, then looked back at the elf. "Perkins... would you mind accompanying me?"
Perkins looked up at Zane, down at the food, then up again. "Uh, you sure? I completely understand if you want to grieve on your own, you know."
"I'm sure," said Zane, staring hard at Perkins. He then realized everyone was watching him, so the paladin covered his face and turned away. "I'm sure this is hard for you, too."
Perkins sighed, scooped up a few pieces of fruit, then got up.
"I can't think of a reason not to come, then," he relented.
"You're a good friend," Khuwa smiled at the elf.
Perkins made a noncommittal noise and followed Zane toward the cave.
When the two of them were out of earshot, Zane pulled Perkins close and pretended to weep on his shoulder.
"You're really playing this up," said Perkins, patting the paladin on the back. "To think, just a few hours ago you were against manipulating people's emotions. I've had quite the effect on you, it seems."
"I've got a plan," whispered Zane. "Had to get you away from the others."
"Oh?" asked the elf, taking a bite of food.
"I think I can sneak off to Aodh's prison as long as you keep them distracted," nodded Zane. "You can say that after talking with me, I just needed some time to be alone. While you talk with them, I can recite the scroll the king gave me."
Perkins chewed his food quietly for a moment, then swallowed. "You know, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Not this again," groaned Zane.
"Hear me out," said the elf, gesturing back at The Delinquents. "This group came to help us against the natives when they didn't have to. It doesn't feel right to betray and kill them like this."
"Why are you so worried about them now?!" argued Zane, still pretending to lean on his elven friend in case the others were watching. "You hardly needed any convincing when I first told you what we were planning to do! Everyone's going to die sometime, right?"
"While that's very true, I also live by helping those that first helped me," said Perkins, again patting Zane on the back and nodding. "Releasing Aodh means he will kill them for sure."
"I don't think so," said Zane. "Aodh has been trapped inside that thing for hundreds of years. He's going to be thrilled that we let him out! I'm sure he'll spare them if I ask him to."
"The gods aren't known for taking orders from mortals,
" warned Perkins. "Especially one that has the moniker of the Mad God."
"Trust me, I'm sure I can convince him," insisted Zane. "We'll ask him to spare them, and then we'll go with them back to U'Raze."
Perkins glanced back at The Delinquents. "I don't know... They seem pretty committed to their guild. This would be causing them to fail their task. They'll be mad."
"I'm sure our king would be happy to pay them for their services," countered Zane. "Guilds only ever do things for money. It will ultimately be a win for them."
The elf took another bite and didn't look particularly convinced, but he didn't put up a fight.
"Look, we've come this far," concluded Zane. "We're literally at Aodh's front door. All we've got to do now is let him out. The hard work is done."
Perkins let go of the paladin and took a step back. "You know, I kind of figured we'd have this talk if we ever made it to Death's Eye. The funny thing is I thought I'd be the one saying we should do it, and you'd not want to."
"I'm loyal to the king, and the U'Raze Kingdom," said Zane firmly. "I'm willing to do what is best for our country."
"Even if the country doesn't want what's best for you?"
Zane hesitated. "I'm confident King Valdrick would not send us to our deaths."
Perkins smiled at Zane, but the paladin felt that there was something sad in it.
"Okay," shrugged Perkins. "I'll do as you wish. If today we die, then so be it."
"Thanks, Perkins," said Zane, placing a hand on his shoulder. The paladin turned and began down the cliff.
He'd make sure Perkins didn't regret this.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"I feel so bad for him," said Farr, watching Perkins comfort Zane from a distance.
"He must be really close with his brother," agreed Khuwa, the orc lowering her head. "I know what it's like to lose family, and it isn't great."
"I could check again," offered Grex, nervously tapping his fingers together. "Maybe I overlooked the flowers?"
"Wait," cautioned Yri. "The elf is returning."
They settled down and pretended to not notice as Perkins rejoined the group, taking his seat again in front of the fire.