Oldhollow and the Seaworm of Gallus

by M C Holloway

  The dog nodded and said, “Very good. Follow me.”

  The three walked across the main hall, passing various rooms before stopping in front of a bamboo wicker double door. The dog looked to the two and said, “I will announce your presence.” The dog walked through and spoke to someone behind it, “Duke Queras, Sir Bailey and Sir Neo have returned and have an urgent report for you.”

  The voice that replied was full of authority, stoicism, and power as it replied, “Permit them entry.”

  The dog poked his head through the doors and nodded, beckoning for them to enter.

  Upon stepping into the room, the two looked around and saw a magnificent set of green tapestries on the wall, a plush brown carpet of soil and white birch leaves at the far end of the room.

  A myriad of weapons hung on the wall, from a bamboo kendo stick, to katanas, kunai, spears and more. A suit of karuta armour was posted decoratively on a mannequin, beautifully made with incredible craftsmanship. Beyond all the weaponry, a large gorilla sat on a throne at the end of the room. Bigger than any of the animals of the village, the gorilla wore a red headband with a yellow robe. His stern face lit up at the sight of the two as he smiled and said, “Oh! Neo! Bailey! You’ve returned from your expedition”

  Bailey and Neo both kneeled in a bow, showing their reverence for their leader. Neo said in a formal voice, “Greetings, Duke Queras. We’ve much to report.”

  “Please rise, no need to stay bowed!” Duke Queras jovially ordered. Despite being a powerful, wise ruler, Neo and Bailey knew Duke Queras to be a jolly soul. He was headstrong, lively, brash, and kind: a living dichotomy of sorts. “Now then, what is your report?”

  Neo cleared his throat before beginning.

  “Duke Queras, in our treasure hunt for the Kalpan amulet, we not only found it thanks to the map, but allies for us as well. In addition, we made it to the Shamadan Mines and gathered a collection of rubies to trade and build our personal resources with, including one being made into a gem to communicate with others.” His face growing grimmer, he continued, “Unfortunately, we found something else along the way: the seaworm of Gallus, and his army that awakened.”

  “The seaworm of Gallus? Are you serious? You’re not cracking jokes with me now, are you?” Duke Queras asked, his face starting to lose some of the cheerful expression he had. Bailey pulled out a rolled-up cloth and unfurled it, revealing the bloody-looking insignia of the seaworm’s ship. Duke Queras’s mouth dropped open in shock, now convinced of Neo’s story.

  “So, it’s true. The foul abomination made its move. How did you acquire that?” Duke Queras asked, his tone now as serious as Neo’s.

  “We found the ship at Frostfall and battled the guards there. Unfortunately, we were defeated and captured, that is, until our allies came to rescue us. The high wizard Marcendes of Llewellyn managed to aid in our rescue and we barely made it back to Oldhollow with our skins intact.”

  Bailey added, “As it stands, the seaworm was defeated, but not without his dam of teeth incubating all of the other seaworms.”

  Duke Queras grunted, digesting the information. Resting his chin on his large fist, he said, “That’s not good at all. Gallus is an island far off the coast of the land here, home to lots of our fellow aquatic animal friends. Unfortunately, that wretched seaworm also hails from there. How many strong is this army?”

  “We estimate by the thousands, if not more.”

  “Not good at all. What’s the situation of the other towns and cities on this?”

  Neo replied, “We’re going to different lands to ask for aid in the coming battle. There’s no question the seaworm army will desire conflict. If we all stay scattered, they’ll overcome us easily. But if we combine into one large army, then we’ll stand a fighting chance. Which leads me to my next issue. We come to you on behalf of not only proud representatives of Gorobow, but as emissaries for aiding the others in battle.”

  “You wish for me to put Gorobow into this army? Who is fighting alongside us if I accept? It’s not an easy request to ask for me to put our own people into the fray.”

  Neo pulled out a rolled parchment and handed it to Duke Queras. Opening the parchment, he scanned down the paper, eyes growing wide as he did.

  “That’s the wax seal of Llewellyn, from the office of Marcendes himself. Llewellyn almost never gets into conflict, and yet, Marcendes himself has not only convinced them to do so but put his own name and reputation on the line on behalf of both of you.”

  Bailey nodded and replied, “We are in desperate time, my duke. I don’t want to see our beloved home fall to the flames of war, and I’m sure neither do you. Not only is Llewellyn onboard, but Marcendes is making round to Emberia and Bondross as well. His daughter and daughter’s friend have gone to Cackle Crag to train and enlist the witches there.”

  Duke Queras put the parchment to the side then looked back to the two and said, “A letter of that gravitas will not be ignored. Neo, Bailey: I will lend aid in the coming fight. Besides, I myself haven’t tasted battle in ages and would love to do so.”

  “My duke, you shouldn’t risk your life when the people need you,” Neo said. “Instead, we’ll fight on your behalf.”

  “Nonsense,” Duke Queras said, cracking his knuckles. “I’m no leader if I can’t lead my own soldiers on the field of battle. I have friends that live on Gallus that if I find out were harmed in any way, is only going to fuel my hatred for these things.”

  Getting up, Duke Queras went over to his suit of armour on display and ran a calloused hand over it. Neo and Bailey watched as the duke turned to them and said, “Send a message to Marcendes that Gorobow will join in this fight and proudly honor the bonds of the Gorobowans and Llewellynites.”

  They smiled at Duke Queras’ answer and Bailey asked, “You said bonds? Do we have an oath with them?”

  “We do. It predates both of you, back when I was a young gorilla. Llewellyn allied with Gorobow in the times of trouble when the yeti king of Frostfall tried to invade our homeland. With Llewellyn’s aid, we repelled the attack and stopped the yeti king. Since then, we have maintained a fast friendship as ready allies to them for helping us. It would be an honor to fight alongside them again.”

  Duke Queras went over to a wall of scrolls and pulled one out with a yellow ribbon around it. Untying it, he unfurled the scroll to reveal a detailed map of the realm, far more detailed than Neo and Bailey’s treasure map.

  “This is an older map of the realm. It doesn’t have treasure locations like yours, but it does have a secret locale that we believe may aid us in the times to come.”

  “My duke, what is it?” Neo asked as he and Bailey moved in to see what the duke saw.

  Pointing to a mountain east of the locale, Duke Queras replied, “There’s an old fortress in Gaon Mountain, near where I was born. It’s a place the dwarves once ruled, but time has seen it since abandoned. That fortress could aid us in the war to come if we can befriend the dwarves there, if they’re still there.”

  Neo looked to the duke and said, “I didn’t know a dwarven fortress was there. What will we do if they’re gone?”

  “See if you can claim for Gorobow and the unified army.” Duke Queras pointed to the Kalpan amulet and said to Neo, “That amulet has ties to the Gaon Fortress. It may aid you in your quest for the fortress. I’m not exactly sure what its ties are to it, but the Kalpan amulet is linked to that place.”

  “My duke, if that’s what you ask, then that is what we’ll do,” Neo said.

  “Go seek out the fortress and see what you uncover. When you do, report back here.”

  Bailey clenched his fists and pumped them in the air, and cried with glee, “Come on, Neo! If we can get that fortress, that will greatly help the war cause out! There may be resources, treasure, danger or even dwarves!”

  “I suppose we should,” Neo added.

  Duke Queras nodded and bowed, saying, “You all do us the highest honour of your actions for Gorobow. Now, before you decide
to leave, I only insist you rest and stay here the night. We will see to it that you are well-fed and rested, and that your armour and weapons get the proper care they need.”

  “We’re grateful for your help, my duke.”

  “Please, the pleasure and honour are all mine.”

  Later that evening, Neo and Bailey were digging into a roasted fish dinner, cooked with bell peppers, onions, and scallops, complete with blueberry wine. Bailey let out a loud belch and Neo shot him a disdainful glance.

  “Well friend, enjoy this while we can. Tomorrow, we’re back on the road, to prepare for war this time,” Bailey said, sipping on his blueberry wine.

  “Indeed. It’s rare we get moments like this anymore,” Neo replied, taking another hungry bite of his fish.

  “Say…Neo? We’re two of Gorobow’s most experienced knights and we’ve seen lots of fights before,” Bailey said, his tone changing from one of joy to one of dread, “but we’ve never seen war before. Do you think we’ll make it out of this one?”

  Neo, sensing the genuine concern in Bailey’s voice, calmly responded, “Well, old chum, in war nothing is guaranteed. It’s fighting on a much larger scale. We’ve taken countless of opponents in our adventures, but the numbers and stakes have never been this high. Take comfort in this: we’re all scattered across the realm now, gathering forces. If all of us succeed in asking the others, the army together will give us such a stronger fighting chance.”

  Bailey’s face brightened at the sound of Neo’s answer.

  “I like those odds. I know we’ve yet to get a count of their numbers, but I imagine it’s going to be vast. But hey, if we’re going to fight, I’m glad to do it by your side.”

  Neo smiled at the sentiment, knowing Bailey was uncharacteristically worried when he was normally fearless. In those times, Bailey was at his most honest.

  “Likewise, my friend. As your companion, I will do everything in my power to make sure tragedy befalls neither of us. Same goes for Sav, Gracie and Marcendes.”

  “I miss them, Neo. I know we haven’t been apart long at all, but still, meeting those three was one of the best things to happen in our travels.”

  “They’re terrific folks, Bailey. As scout knights of Gorobow, we rarely encounter such steadfast allies. We’re usually at a place, then we leave for the next. Just like today.”

  “I wonder if there’s any dwarves still left at Gaon Fortress.”

  “I don’t know. Duke Queras says they’ve abandoned their post there. Why, I don’t know. But we could sure use the dwarves on our side if they are.”

  “The rest we’ll leave to our duke. If the others have succeeded as planned, then the war summit will be in the upcoming days. From there, the respective kingdoms will decide how they want to go about forming the army. Once we finish business at the fortress, we should hurry back to wherever the army will be so that we can lend aid in battle as well.”

  “There’s going to be so many of those seaworms and to think that defeating one was such a challenge.”

  “That one also had a ship full of his own personal guard. We were outnumbered and outmatched during that ambush but taking them on without them having any surprise on us, we handled them pretty well.”

  Bailey grinned and looked out the window of their room at the moon. It was a beautiful night out as Bailey let out, “We did. I guess we’ll just have to bring on more than they can handle, right?”

  Chapter 9 The Fall

  Out on the cold waters near Frostfall, a ship was rowing off to its destination with a few ships in tow behind it. At the helm of the flagship was a mage in red robes, standing off the bow and looking ahead to the next destination. Turning back to face the crew he had amassed, the last of the seaworms had consumed their post-incubation fluid which brought on a metamorphosis to transform the sickly worms into humans. They all had wild, unkempt hair, varying in colours from the usual red, auburn, black, blond, and brown, to bright purple, blue, green, and even white.

  They were given hand axes and clothes upon finishing the transformation, including limpets on the wrists and ankles, along with a double bandolier that wrapped around their torso, equipped with spiked balls. The common things they shared in their appearance were the wild mohawks and tufts of hair they had, the war paint they had on upon transforming, and a ravenous look of fury in their eyes, bent on destroying all in their way.

  As the last one transformed, the red wizard turned to face them in a group, and with a smile on his face, he shouted, “Well met, my subjects! I am Demanonis, your new master and leader. You’ve been incubated in the dam of Frostfall for quite some time. At long last, you’ve been transformed from your mere seaworm forms into something greater…into my togastas. Through magic, I was able to help further your natural evolution beyond its limits.”

  The togastas cried in rapturous approval, whooping, and shouting feral war cries. Demanonis raised a hand to silence them, then running a hand through his black hair, continued, “Do not celebrate yet! We have only finished rallying together our numbers. We have a war to wage upon the free people of the realm.” Raising an open hand, he immediately balled it into a fist, as though he clutched something and shouted, “Today, we take over all that is before us! We have thousands with us as we sail to begin our campaign!”

  Pointing off the bow, Demanonis said, “Destiny lies beyond the sea to a coast ahead. We will send a message there, to let the free people of this realm know that Demanonis brings his army of togastas and that refusing to surrender will yield such results to other cities. Now then, rest up, prepare your items, and feast with the food and drink I’ve had prepared! We have our war feast, then in the upcoming weeks, we decimate our first target!” The togastas cried again, shouting so loud that their voices carried on the water with a haunting quality.

  Turning back to face the bow once again, Demanonis growled under his breath, “Be ready for me, old friend. I’ve a score to settle with you: do not disappoint me.”

  Weeks later at Sav’s tavern in Oldhollow, Sav, Keira and Gracie arrived and walked in. The place had been well-untouched since Sav took leave; she lit the torches and candles and went behind the bar.

  “Instructor Sav, I had no idea you ran a tavern!” Keira said in awe, her eyes slowly scanning the place.

  Sav smiled and replied, “It’s a good income for me, as well as a place I can get intel, network with folks and gather resources for my witchcraft.”

  Gracie took a seat at the bar and said, “It’s really nice that father fixed the place up for you the last time we were here.”

  As she finished her sentence, patrons started flooding through the doors, one loudly crying out, “Thank goodness it’s open again! It’s been a couple of months! Let’s celebrate the owner’s return!”

  A cheer of cries from the crowd had Gracie giggling and Sav blushing, while Keira smiled in wonder. Sav casted a few spells to get the serving trays and drinks to pour themselves, freeing Sav up to do other things.

  “Sav!” Gracie exclaimed. “Did you always do that when nights were busy?”

  “No, actually,” Sav replied. “Mrs. Lors taught me this spell. Even I had to get better for this upcoming ordeal, you know.” The patrons took places at various tables and filled the tavern up before long. Sav, observing the spell working as it should, moved to the piano and sat down.

  Gracie grinned with glee, wondering what Sav was going to play. Sav shouted to the tavern, “Greetings, patrons of Oldhollow! Tonight, I play you a tune called ‘Una Mattina.’ I hope you enjoy the song.”

  The crowd cheered in joy and quieted down somewhat to let the melody of the keys flow across the room. As the patrons were happily enjoying their drinks and each other’s company, Keira smiled at the lively sight and said to herself, “This is incredible. Instructor Sav is a talented woman.” The melody was gentle, composed, and easy on the ears as Sav expertly let her hands glide across the ivory keys of her piano.

  While the tavern was making merriment, a g
uardsman opened the door, prompting the patrons to all turn his way. He raised a hand and the tavern all fell silent, while Sav kept playing. Turning to face him, she asked, “Is there something I can help you with, sir?”

  The guard replied, a worried look on his face, “We need to take shelter and possibly evacuate. There’s an unknown group of ships docking at the piers.” The patrons all looked at each other, bewildered, then to the guard. Gracie and Keira looked out the window to the piers across the way and one large ship floating off the coast, while five smaller ones pulled up.

  Gracie peered harder, her natural lowlight vision kicking in from her half-elven blood and saw something straight attached to wheels on the ships. A group of people were disembarking and heading into the town.

  “Sav,” Gracie said, nerves beginning to take her. “I don’t think these are visitors to come to the tavern.”

  “What do you see?” Sav asked, stopping her playing. A moment later, loud booming sounds were heard around the town, followed by flashes of orange lights, and screaming. The guard drew his sword and yelled, “Everyone! Take cover!” A series of sounds could be heard clunking on the rooftop as Sav cast a spell to the ceiling. Loud booms shook the tavern as the patrons cried in terror, while Sav struggled to hold the spell.

  “It’s the army, most likely! They’ve begun their assault!” she cried out as half of the patrons ran out into the streets. Gracie peeked out the glass, and what she saw next would forever haunt her.

  There in the streets were the multitude of the people that got off the ships, now much closer within the town. Their faces were glowing with eerily different colours and their facial features highlighted in such a way that they gave an otherworldly appearance. The screams grew louder outside as Gracie stared in shock and utter disbelief at what she saw.

  Several more guards posted up outside of the tavern and met with the opposition, weapons drawn. The guards were proficient at combat, but where they had the advantage in experience, they were dwarfed by the sheer numbers of their enemies. Gracie let out a shrill scream as she watched a guard take an axe to the chest, blood flying from the wound, then dropping lifelessly from the attack.