Oldhollow and the Seaworm of Gallus

by M C Holloway

  The invaders made feral, enraged cries of bloodlust with malicious grins on their faces from reveling in the kill. Sav stopped casting and grabbed the girls from the window, pulling them away and back to the piano.

  “Stay away from the windows! If they have explosives, the pressure from the explosions can blind you, or worse. Stay on your guard and be ready to help me cast warding spells,” Sav commanded. The girls nodded and prepared for the worst as the mayhem only increased in intensity.

  Sav took cover behind the bar and peered out the window, watching the violence on the streets with a better view from the fires that were starting from the bombardment. She went into casting and one of the areas of the street made of stone exploded where a group of the invaders were. Their bodies went skyward, the stones and debris either shredding through them or knocking them around.

  Another group of guards were engaged in battle with the terrorizers of the town, holding off a few waves of onslaught. In the distance, Sav saw a sight that brought the icy chill of fear to her blood. The ships were armed with small catapults, manned by the forces of the ships. The glowing faces were seen floating near them, loading spiked balls onto them, pulling the rope back, building tension on the fulcrum, followed by a cry for release. The balls sailed over the town and smashed into a house where a family ran out a moment later, shaken and injured from the blasts.

  Sav had seen some things in her time, but the unprecedented level of violence that was happening was on a different level. Worse, it was driven by these horrific people that seemed fueled by the destruction. An evil, sadistic pleasure was the prize for razing the township and the invaders only kept on coming. More guards fell: a group of five took down seven of them, only for ten to replace the fallen. It wasn’t long until the group of guards fell.

  Sav saw the violence continue and doubled down on her efforts, now driven by desperation and cast a series of fireballs from the sky to pummel a group of the invaders at the catapults. The guards near the door engaged a group of the wild men now trying to break into the tavern.

  Gracie screamed, “GO AWAY!” and summoned a blast of compressed, focused air to miss the guards and hit the enemies on the doorstep. The lot of them hit the ground as the guards immediately seized the moment to deliver the finishing blows.

  They retreated to the entrance and soon Gracie joined them, her staff materializing out of thin air to aid the guards.

  Sav watched another volley of spiked balls fly their way as she cried out, “Put up a ward, girls!” Keira casted and held her hands to the ceiling while Gracie blasted another group of invaders from the door, the guards following up with the kill strikes.

  Keira felt a series of light impacts hit the roof, followed by the booms, the flashes of light and much more force behind them. It took a great amount of her strength to hold the ward, for wards required as much focus proportionate to the amount of force opposed.

  Gracie waved the staff in a circle, then thrusted it forward as a twirling wind howled from the jewel at the tip. A small twister started spinning outside, kicking up dust and debris as the mad invaders ran right for it, and thusly sucked into it.

  “Gracie! You need to finish them off!” Sav cried, casting another series of fireballs to the catapults at the docks.

  “I can’t! I’ve never killed anyone in my life!” Gracie replied, fear and anxiety rising in her voice.

  “This is kill or be killed, Gracie! We cannot spare these guys!”

  “I’ll do it!” Keira cried as she casted a fireball to the raging twister outside. A burning orb of flames turned the twister into an incendiary cyclone of flames and death as the men within cried in agony. The area brightened with light and as another group arrived to try to charge the sides, Keira went to cast another spell to blast at them.

  Sav cried out to Keira, “Another ward! Now!” and Keira released the spell to immediately go into a panicked rush to put another ward up. Gracie did the same as the two held their hands up toward the ceiling. A series of a dozen impacts hit the roof, far more than before and feared the worst as they waited for the blast.

  A brutally violent series of explosions went off above, knocking the girls off their feet and sending them flying into the piano.

  Sav cried out to them, “Keira! Gracie!” as she watched in horror as the catapults sent another wave of spiked balls their way. The number was even greater than before, one that Sav knew she couldn’t hope to hold on her own.

  Committed to taking a last stand, Sav cast and braced with all her might as the physical impacts came first. The following impacts were what Sav knew would finish the job. She took a breath and clenched her teeth yet felt nothing go off. A rush of wind was heard above as she looked out the window, curious as to why there was no explosion. A series of spiked balls were flying back to the catapults and all exploded at the docks.

  Wondering what happened, Sav looked up as the girls staggered to their feet and through the doorway, a man in orange robes ran in and the girls’ expressions went to one of relief as Gracie cried through tears forming up, “FATHER!”

  “We need to go, now!!!” Marcendes shouted. The trio wasted no time in following the high wizard as they all ran outside. Heading down the street that led to the outskirts, a group of twenty of the invaders surrounded them.

  Marcendes said to the girls, “Hold on, I’m going to cast some powerful magic.” He spun his staff in a full rotation with one hand while saying the chant and casting one handed with his free hand. Marcendes then slammed down the end of his staff into the ground as a sonic wave violently blasted all the invaders away. The three girls stared in wonder, amazed at the level of magic Marcendes commanded as he said, “Come on, we need to escape!”

  The quartet pushed on through the town of Oldhollow, now on fire and littered with bodies of the dead. Screams, blasts, acrid smoke, and the whooping cries of the wild men carried through the air as the group finally made it out of town. Seeing a cave ahead, he directed the group to run and hide in there. The four ran in and hunkered down behind some boulders and watched the town blaze with light from afar. Ashes and embers glowed and floated on the wind, swirling wherever it blew.

  Gracie, crying and holding Marcendes, asked, “Who are they?”

  “Those are the togastas, the seaworm army magically transformed,” Marcendes replied. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. The intel reports from the Emberian scouts saw them transform at Frostfall and got their numbers. They’re at least five-thousand strong.”

  “Five-thousand?!” Sav cried, stupefied at the sheer number.

  “Yes. We need to head to Emberia where the war summit of nations will be held. As far as Oldhollow, I have my golem out there aiding the forces now with some archers from Llewellyn. They may yet repel their forces, but the damage done here was far worse than we anticipated.”

  “How did the calls for aid go?”

  “The best part of this situation, no doubt. Bondross and Emberia are both onboard, as well as Llewellyn. Neo contacted me a couple of days ago that the council in Gorobow went well to join the efforts. Currently, Neo and Bailey are on a mission to find an old fortress in the Gaon Mountains to the east for dwarven aid. I’m not sure if they’re even there anymore, but the more allies and resources we have, the better.”

  “What’s our next move, then?” Sav asked.

  “Getting out of here alive. We’ll hunker down in this cave for a few hours, then make our way to Emberia.”

  “So many people are dying out there,” Gracie murmured, visibly shaken from the carnage.

  Running a hand through her hair, Marcendes replied, “We’ve done all we can, my daughter. If we go back now, we stand the chance to lose our own lives. We need to stay alive and lead the others in the battle to come. As Jarl Bosvir said, ‘You sometimes must be willing to lose a smaller battle in the beginning to gain strength and win a bigger one later.’ And that is what we must do.”

  The next few hours that passed were those of silence in
the cave as the distant sounds of murder, explosions and cries carried on in the orange glow that was Oldhollow. Embers danced in the breeze from the sea like lost souls taking flight into the night sky.

  Chapter 10 Ascension

  At Cackle Crag, the young witches were all gathered around, listening to Sav and Keira recount the other night where Oldhollow fell to Demanonis’s return and his togastas. Marcendes had rescued the group in the nick of time and had brought them back to Cackle Crag for respite and safety, while Marcendes went off to meet with the other allies they had for war against Demanonis.

  Mrs. Lors had gathered all of the witch students around in the main hall, and explained, “Girls, it is time for your final trial to become full-fledged witches. Do you remember the room with the spider webs of all the witches from yore?” The young witches looked at one another in unsettled silence before looking back to the llama instructor.

  “Well, it is time to pass through it to reach the final stage of your witch school. If you can brave the souls of the fallen witches within that web, you can truly bear the mark of a fully realized witch.”

  Gracie walked up to Sav and said uneasily, “Do we really have to go through the webs?”

  Sav nodded and replied, “That we do. I had to do it as a fledgling, and so must the rest of you. This will be critical in the upcoming war where we’ll be needed.”

  Mrs. Lors looked to the nervous witches and said, “Well now, let us head to the cavern area and begin this process. If you hold to your focus and teachings, you’ll pass through unscathed.”

  Gracie looked to Keira, then ahead to the doorway that led down the corridor to the spider web chamber and said, “I’ll head the charge.” Keira saw the look of determination on Gracie’s face and added, “I too will go with. We have to do this if we’re to beat the army of togastas that is threatening to swallow our lands.”

  The two girls began heading down the corridor and the other young witches began to follow suit, inspired by their courage. The dark halls were illuminated by torchlight and gave way to the open area of the massive spider web within.

  Gracie looked at the web, it was rather unnerving. The strands glimmered in the soft glow of the torches, reflecting their warm lights off the webs. In the edges of the shadows, the webs held dark figures that appeared in and out of existence. Gracie took a deep breath, fearing what she may see within, and began to walk up to the threads. The others followed her, deciding that if they were to approach, their best chance was to go together.

  Gracie stepped into the web and began walking through, intent on getting to the other side. As she did, she began to hear whispers and saw figures start to form in the darkness. Walking onward, the darkness began to grow and soon dimmed the glow of the torchlight. A face suddenly appeared in the web, the face of a pale woman, with long black hair, white eyes, and black lips. She said to Gracie in a hollow voice, “Do you seek to use our powers? What do you use them for?”

  Gracie squeaked in fright and took a moment before replying, “I-I wish t-to use it t-to stop the evil upon t-this land.”

  “Do you have access to your magic?”

  “I-I do.”

  “Do you honour the coven of Cackle Crag, that of which holds secrets of the arcane wielders of magic?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is your bond with your coven sisters true and strong?”

  Gracie, gaining confidence with each answer and knowing the others were with her, replied confidently, “It is. I’ve battled alongside a few of them already and have learned to cast with them.”

  “Then take in this knowledge, and go forth to the other side,” the woman replied. Her eyes began to glow a bright, eerie, yellow for a moment, then shot forth in a ray of light, straight into Gracie’s eyes. A wave of intense sensation took Gracie over as she saw flashes of a whole coven of witches, a coven wielding exceptionally powerful magic. Some were casting great bolts of lightning, others were controlling powerful waves of water, yet others still were conjuring twisters of intense wind. The scenes of the witches and spells burned into Gracie’s mind and grew brighter until the vision suddenly faded.

  When Gracie’s sight returned to Cackle Crag, she was on the other side of the web, alongside the other witches. Each one was looking confused, processing the sights they all had experienced upon going through the web. A smiling Mrs. Lors was also there, looking upon all the witches.

  “Congratulations, girls,” she said happily. “You now possess the knowledge of the witches of yore and are ready to battle in this war.” Mrs. Lors nodded her head towards a table nearby, where a slew of robes was neatly folded with a shield crest emblem on each of them.

  “Here are your ceremonial witch robes with the emblem of Cackle Crag, to recognize you all as fully realized witches,” Mrs. Lors said as the girls all eagerly donned the robes, looking at the insignias.

  “Look, Keira! We’re full witches now!” Gracie exclaimed, delighted to be donning the robe with the rest of the coven.

  “This is very exciting!” Keira replied, taking time to admire the golden emblem on the robe. Sav walked up to the two, “Now that you bear the robes, you must also remember you now have a duty and responsibility to wield the magic properly, and to aid the unified in the upcoming battle. Though we will be further away from the fighting, we still take on the risk of war, that of which we could lose our lives in. Do not forget that.”

  Gracie nodded and replied, “I feel much better knowing we’re going in as a coven to help, as well as fighting alongside my father.”

  In the Gaon Mountain, Neo and Bailey arrived at a closed stone door, etched with markings and a line of green dye around it.

  “There’s no mistaking it; this is the entrance for the mountain,” Bailey said to Neo. Walking up to it, the Kalpan Amulet began to glow and a moment later, the stone door began to slide open, the sound of rock scraping rock as it went. Peering into the entrance, they could see a series of torches lit the hallway that stretched on inside.

  “Well…this must indeed be the fortress,” Neo said as he looked to his companion. “Ready to see if the dwarves are still within?”

  “Ready for anything. Let’s go,” Bailey replied, his hand rested uneasily on the hilt of his blade. The two began to walk in and head down the hall before them.

  As they headed forth, Neo took note of the lighting and said, “Someone must still be here if the torches are lit. No way these have burned without someone here.”

  Bailey looked around, taking in the sights. Old cobwebs hung from the ceiling, blowing gently as the two walked past them. The stonework was meticulous and smooth, no doubt the work of the dwarves that were have said to have been here. The hallway opened into a much wider area, one that looked like a great hall of sorts.

  Pillars jutted up to the ceiling, with runic inscriptions etched into them. Tables of stone were masterfully crafted, long and wide, along with accommodating stone benches. Platters and tankards were still arranged on the table and had no signs of dust or time on them.

  The shuffling of feet put Neo and Bailey on edge as Bailey drew his blade and stood back to back with Neo. Shadows stood off on the edge of darkness as Bailey said, “I think we have company.” The shadows were snorting and grunting, the torchlight barely revealing any part of them.

  “Who approaches?” a voice called from the darkness, one that didn’t sound like the heavy dwarven accent the pair were expecting.

  “Neo and Bailey. We are from Gorobow, seeking aid in the oncoming war with the togastas. Are you the dwarven leader?”

  “Oh, Gorobow! Longtime allies of ours. Oinks, lower your weapons. We have friends,” the voice replied, much less hostile. The shadows moved into the light to reveal creatures in leather armour, large leathery ears, tentacles with suction cups where arms should have been, and a horn protruding from the middle of their heads. They were standing on two hind legs upright, with various weapons in their grip. A cloaked man walked forward into the light as well, one that a
ppeared of human descent and smiled warmly at the two, saying, “My name is Coluss, and I am here with the last of the good oinks.”

  “The oinks? Never heard of them until now,” Bailey said, sheathing his sword, taking a good look at the man. He was older, with a tone of both kindness and grit, and his eyes seemed to strain in the dark.

  “They are a race that formerly lived in Gorobow in older times and migrated to live with the dwarves from what Duke Queras once told me,” Neo said.

  “You are correct, Neo. They offered to travel with the dwarves and settle here to learn more of their crafting, as an act of good will and alliance between the two. Unfortunately, the dwarves here have long since moved out, leaving the oinks and myself to run the fortress,” Coluss explained. “It’s not a bad thing though since I too have taken the time to learn how to craft things here and gained more insight on how dwarven machinations work. Coupled with my ability for magic, I’ve learned to enchant and build things as well.”

  Coluss took a stick of incense out from his cloak and held it to a torch, letting the stick catch fire before putting it on an incense burner on the table and sitting down on one of the benches nearby. The scent of patchouli wafted from the stick, smoothly hanging in the air as Neo and Bailey took a seat from across him.

  “I hope you don’t mind the incense, it’s a scent and habit I learned from my mentor years ago. Helps with my poor eyesight as well,” Coluss said.

  “Not at all,” Neo replied. “Now then, about why we came.”

  “Yes. What brings you here to Gaon Fortress?”

  “A mage named Demanonis walks the world again, and he has an army of these seaworms that have apparently changed into humanoid creatures called togastas. They are now an army and threaten to destroy everything.”