Chapter Two: Call of the Dragon

Ok, guys and gals, I can't fight it anymore, so I will be dropping a new part to the Story this week. Once you see the coming soon gone, the 1st part will be ready to read? Thx for all your support on this adventure. And Merry Christmas to all.

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granthor

Elsewhere in town, Richard enters a shop that sells armor and weapons. He asked around at the inn and it was said this one, called the Golden Blade, has some of the best gear for fighters in the town. His current equipment could stand an upgrade, as he had it since his time in the mines. It has served him well, but one can only patch up armor and sharpen blades for so long. After the run-in with the bandits, its time for a change to something new.
As he enters the shop, a bell rings, and echoes, he can see it is well stocked with armor displayed of both sides of the room, and weapons are hung on hooks along the walls. It's not an impressive sight from what he sees, as a shop keeper comes out from the back. An older Elf male with short silvery hair comes forward, dressed in a simple leather apron and plate shirt, and he wears a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. He cracks a smile on his aged face and grins at Richard.
“ Welcome friend, welcome may I help you. “
Richard gives a slight grunt at the sight of him, then he walks up to the counter and tosses a small leather bag on the counter full of coins.
“ I need some new gear, what do you have for fifteen gold pieces? “, says Richard now placing up a pair of older bladed weapons.
The old merchant picks up one of the older blades with one hand, to get a better look while rubbing the short hairs on his chin with his other hand. Now looking back over to Richard, he smiles a little wider.
“ I see you have been busy with your older blades, the wear on them is pretty bad, and I can see why you need replacements. The hilts alone have a few cracks in the wood. They will not last much longer without a few fixes. “, says the merchant.
“ Here is a small selection of small daggers and short swords that just came in, and I have a few long swords on the east wall. All should meet your standards with durability and strength. ‘
Richard eyes the different bladed weapons, as the old merchant pulls out a few smaller blades to show off, but he still wants something a little more this time around. A simple long sword or even a combo of long with short in each hand isn’t enough. He wants something a bit more.
“ Do you have any good Broad swords on hand, I don’t want something to plain, and it must have a very good edge to it. “, says Richard looking him in the eyes.
“ A good broad sword you say? Hmm, how about a special one? I have a one of a kind sword just out of sight. “, says the Merchant.
He walks around the counter, and leads Richard to a side area of the shop, just behind a few sets of large armor displayed on wood figures. Behind them is hidden a simple table, and on it rest a long, wide, straight blade made of strange steel, and its grip is a tightly wrapped white boar skin. The blade has a wide crossguard, with markers of runes carved into the sides and on the blade is engraved a small name Witherbane the Worldbreaker.
“ This here is a blade to come to me a few months ago, but I have not been able to sell it. The fact is this blade doesn’t like just anyone, so much so there is has stayed. “
Richard gives the merchant a crossed look, with a few breaths of air passing from between his lips at the very thought. He moves to give the sword a better look, and it seems to slightly glow blue, but quickly fades.
“ It has an enchantment on it, or is it cursed?
“ Enchantment, yes. Curse. No. “, says the merchant now smiling wide as he continues to speak.
“ Tell you what. If you can lift that sword from the table, I will give you the pick of the house in weapons, and you can take that sword too, all for the fifteen gold pieces. I will toss in a set of armor on top of it, for a couple of pieces of gold more. But if you can’t lift it, I will take ten gold pieces for my time you wasted. What do you say? “
Richard can only look to the merchant and think he is a little crazy, but this is a deal he can’t turn down, and he agrees to with him. The merchant tells him he only gets three tries at lifting, and he backs away to give Richard room to move.
He watches the old merchant back away more, and now he wonders want madness he got himself into. He moves to place a hand on the hilt of the sword., then with one motion Richard lifts the sword up a little from the table, and he smiles thinking this was to easy. But before he can claim it, a force takes hold of the sword, and it slams down hard on the table. Richard turns to look at the old merchant who is smiling at him now, and he holds up one finger. This only gets Richard a little mad, as turns to put two hands on the hilt. Now taking a few deep breaths, he braces himself as he lifts the sword with ease once more, and just like before a force pulls down on the sword but this time Richard puts more force to pull back. He fights to lift the sword higher, as a hidden force pulls down even harder, but he doesn’t give way to it. He almost gets the sword away from the table, as the sensation of fire now hits his hands, and he loses the grip on the hilt, as the sword slams down hard on the table once more.
“ That’s two times, one more my friend. Good luck to you. “
Richard doesn’t turn to look at the merchant, as he keeps his focus on the sword. He glazes at it and thinks a bit, then he starts to remove all his armor and most of his clothes. He will not let this thing beat him, and he drops anything that he feels will stop him from finishing his task. He returns his hands on the hilt one last time, and with a few deep breaths he lifts the sword into the air, as the heavy force pulls back, and now the sensation of fire strikes out once more. Richard grips the hilt harder now, fighting off the pain of cramping muscles and burning hands. Sweat beads upon his forehead, and now pours down his face, as he fights to lift this blade higher. It now pulls away from him, as if something was trying to pull it out of his hands, but he pulls back with a cry of pain.
“ You bastard blade, I am not letting go, so you might as well give up you hear me! “, he says now lifting the blade away from the table.
It begins the glow wilding with the colors of the rainbow, as it now vibrates in his hand violently, but he only gifts in tighter. He feels as if the flesh of his hand was burned away, but he isn’t letting the hilt go, as he takes one last pull away from the table, but the blade pulls back away from him.
“ Fine, you want to go back to the table, then let's go back to the table! “, says Richard.
He lets himself move in the direction of the pull, and he takes a quick leap into the air, and crashes down through the table, breaking it into a pieces. With sword still in hand, the feeling of fire fades, and the force that was once there is gone, as Richard lays on his back now, holding the sword high in the air for the merchant to see.
“ Very well, a deal is a deal. “, says the old merchant now walking back to his counter.
“ You better have some good stuff for me after all this trouble old man.”, says Richard looking at his new sword.
Now looking closer at the sword, he finds himself whispering the name Witherbane the Worldbreaker, as a smile crosses his face.
To be continued……………..

Nagash

granthor

With new supplies and fresh horses, a small group of six adventurers follows a fighter known as Henry, a young man who has yet to earn the rights of a true warrior, head out to the town of Braedon. The road has a few twists and turns, under a canopy of ash and cedar trees, who provided just light on the trail below. Coiling vines suspended from many trees, and a variety of flowers line the landscape, looking out of place in this dark green terrain.
In the distance a hodgepodge of animal sounds can be heard, along with the sounds of smaller insects, joined from time to time by the sounds of woodpeckers. Henry rides ahead with Sarah now to scout a bit, as Korneel rides up next to Richard, while Sam and Rowen now share notes and discuss teachings with each other. Korneel calls out to Henry to not ride off to far ahead, and he gets a hand wave in the air in return to signal his understanding.
Now Korneel turns his attention to his friend, who is sporting a new beard on his face, one that has grown a few more inches since they left their home town. Seeing it reminds him to shave a bit of hair from his own firm face, as he takes out a shape blade, and carefully begins to scrape away the stubble from his face to a squared-off chin. He hears a slight chuckle from Richard, as he cuts away a few more hairs.
“ Who in the hell are you trying to look good for? Cutting your hair like a same little girl, why to look at me, I just let it grow and not worry about how it looks. “, says Richard
“ someone got to look good for the ladies. After all, your spoken for with Crystal, so I can see why you're letting yourself go. “, says Korneel with a laugh.
“ I never agreed to marry her! You know that right? Besides, I believe she is a bit crazy in the head., and I will not be forced into anything with someone like that. “, says Richard now gripping his reins tighter.
Korneel makes a few more cuts with his knife, then puts it away now looking over to his friend.
“ Well, all I know is, Oliver gave you the option to go into business with him. Knowing you and Crystal were getting ready to be married, and what did you do? “
“ And again! I never agreed to the marriage, so it’s not an engagement period! I am not ready to settle down Korneel, you know that right? “, says Richard now giving him a slight look.
“ She is a good woman and one that knows what she wants. If your not careful my friend, you will grow old alone. “, says Korneel reaching out to pat him on the shoulder.
As he does so, the board sword on his back vibrates a little, and he quickly recoils his hand. He looks over the sword mounted on his friends back and questions him about it.
“ So, you found a new sword I see? One that doesn’t like anyone else touches it or you. “, says Komeel now studying the weapon.
“ Aye, it was a fight getting this one, but it was worth it. “, says Richard with pride.
Hearing about a special sword, Rowen rides a little closer, only to get an evil stare in return from Richard as he moves closer. He swallows hard, as he flips the pages of a book he had in his travel bag.
“ Have heard of special swords in my research of items and weapons of magical quality, unlike the two I have personally seen. The Greatsword of Haste, that can steal energy from its target and grant it to the bearer, and Stillblade that can pin its target to the ground after is shatters, as it‘s sheathed in a field of force.”, says Rowen looking closer at the blade on his back.
He extends a hand out a bit, and chants a quick phase, as the sword hums with colors, then fades quickly.
Now flipping the pages of the book he holds, Rowen finds the page he was looking for and smiles with excitement.
“ I knew it! You have one of the King’s Blades, it’s a weapon of a very high level and quality, and it was said only a very few could ever hold it, as the blade takes on a life of its own when choosing its master. The enchantment on that weapon goes back to beyond the Apocalypse, so it’s very old and not much is really known about those blades. I am shocked you found one, as they have been lost a very long time. “, says Rowen now putting away his book.
“ So how powerful is this weapon? “, asks Richard looking at him from the corner of his eye.
“ I am not sure, but legend said the King’s Blades were used to fight off dragons. But again that is only a legend, as no one has ever tested the truth of it. “
“ I see. So sounds like I will be doing the testing to see what It can do. “, says Richard with a small smile.
Some time passes now, as the sounds of the forest grow silent now, and Komeel looks around with concern. He looks ahead and doesn’t see Henry or Sarah, as the road took a turn around a bend. The quite of the forest now has the echoes of pecking like woodpeckers, but it sounds a little off. Komeel gives Richard a worried look, then quickly rides off ahead. He is followed closely by the others, as it's known to follow the lead of your teammate, doesn’t matter the reason why. The pecking sounds changes beat, the faster they ride until they reach the bend in the road. Now they can see both Henry and Sarah standing back to back in the middle of the road, with weapons drawn, as figures in dark hoods and black armor close in around them. They are still a fair distance away, and Komeel without thinking charges forward on his horse. Richard calls to him, but it’s too late as screaming arrows fly from the treetops down to where he is. His training kicks in without thinking, and he finds himself rolling off his horse hitting the ground hard, as his horse takes the full attack, and falls to the ground next to him lifeless. The second attack of arrows sing down towards him, but this time a magical barrier stops them short of hitting him. Komeel looks up to see Richard charging in fast, now extending a hand down to him as his rides past, and with one motion Komell swings onto the back of his horse. He feels the warmth of healing energy take hold of him, as he begins to feel stronger at the same time. Good old Sam he thinks, he has gotten strong.
Looking ahead Henry and Sarah are fighting off the group of figures in black, as a new group charge to cut off any help. Richard pushes his horse to ride faster, as Komeel stands up on the rear, now extending out two long swords, and with one last push, he leaps into the group of attacks, killing now two on the way down.
An explosion goes off behind him, as more attackers meet there end from Rowen’s blast attack. Komeel wastes little time thinking about it. as he drives forward with his weight, to meet the sword of his foes head-on, deflecting blow for a blow from left to right, as his duel weld training is more than a match for them. With a few better-placed swings of the blade, he takes the life of three more. He looks up in time to hear someone yelling out.
“Bastards! “
Then he sees Richard and his horse ride past him in a blur of flashing light, and within seconds the body’s ten attacks lay on the ground.
The other attackers seeing this, abandon the mission, as smoke now fills the air, and they vanish from the area out of sight. But one attack is seen crawling along the ground, and Komeel quickly moves over to take hold of him. He rolls the attacker over, to question them about the attack. But the figure pulls a mask they were wearing and drinks down a small flack of clear liquid before Komeel can stop them. Then death takes hold of the figure, as his body shakes then fall lifeless. The others come over, and one word is spoken.
“ Assassins. “
“ We need to be on guard from now on. No telling who else is in these woods.’, says Richard with concern.
Komeel moves closer to Henry now and looks him in the eyes.
“ What did you get us into? Why are they after you? “
“ I don’t know, but we might get answers in Braedon. After all, that’s where I was told to go. “, says Henry now hugging onto Sarah.
“ Well, it’s going to be a slower trip, we are down three horses. We need to double up, so take what you can carry and let's get going. “, says Richard now taking the lead.
Sam rides up to give his horse to Henry, as the others take up the gear and supplies off their dead horses. Then he gets on the horse with Rowen, as Sarah and Henry share one, and Komeel rides with Richard. Sam looks around as they ride off and wonders, where is Ebrae, she would have been useful right about now.
They disappear down the road, as a set of eyes watches them go, an elf girl dressed in a light armored green and brown tank top, with match shorts and boots. She has a long blonde braid slung over her left shoulder, and on her left arm is a dragon’s head tattoo. She watches the others go, as she moves from the shadows, then turns to face a group of six figures in black on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs. Behind each stands an Elvin fighter, who holds their heads from behind chin up high in the air.
One older fighter walks over to her with an elfish blade in hand, then hands it to her.
“ You know they will not talk, they are of an assassins guild, and each one has vowed death if captured. “
She turns to him with a smile, as her eyes glow yellow.
“ I know. “
Then returns her attention to the six on the ground, as she walks toward them still smiling wide.

In the distance, screams can be heard by Sam echoing over the air, and he looks back down the road wondering what else is going on in these woods.

To be continued…………………

granthor

Henry rides with Sarah hugging his back tightly now, while he watches Richard just riding ahead of him. He can tell his mood isn’t very good now, having been attacked twice on the roads of two towns. Plus losing horses in those fights, putting them all in the position they are in now. It could be worst he thinks, but at least they haven’t lost anyone in the fighting so far.
The group of six find themselves on the final stretch of road to Braedon, and it looks to be in very bad disrepair, What was once a smooth network of roads that led to town, now have weeds and grasses that are overgrown too reclaimed much of the roads.
Just ahead the town comes into view, and the edges of it look more like a jungle as trees and gardens grew beyond their now unkempt boundaries. As the group slowly enter the town they see right away, some doors have been bordered up shut, while others are locked uptight. From some windows of every other house, Henry can tell some unseen eyes watch them for a second, then quickly close off any other views to the street outside.
The town itself looks ghastly, with its gloomy wooden walls, and thick smoke from pipes from the tops of a few homes. The atmosphere of the town gives Sam and Rowen the chills, as Sarah finds herself hugging Henry even tighter.
“ Nice place you brought us, Henry, looks like something from a bad dream. Now where are we headed next? “, asks Richard as a few more window shutters can be heard closing up and being locked tight.
“ I am not sure, but we should stable the horses, then ask around about our contact. “, says Henry.
“ Good luck with that, It looks like the locals aren’t in the mood to talk with strangers, or want to been seen. “, says Komeel.
Henry looks around at the worn-out cobbled streets and sees a sign pointing to the town's stables as he continues.
“ If you like I can take the horses to the stables, while you look for an Inn or tavern. “
“ No Henry, let's stick together, for now, I am not liking being watched so closely, and this town is giving off a very bad vibe. “, says Komeel now gripping the hilt of his sword a little tighter.
Richard agrees with his friend, as he follows Henry to the stables.
As they approach a young frail little boy comes out to meet them, and he takes the reigns of one of the horses without a word. His clothes are all worn-out and old looking, and it looks as if he hasn’t had a good meal in a few days. But the young lad still does his job, as he takes in the horses one at a time, then returns with his hand out extended.
“ That will be ten coppers for the nights stay, please. “
Richard moves over to give the boy a closer look, but he doesn’t return the gaze, as he looks down at the ground and repeats what he just said. So Richard takes out a few coppers, and gives it to the boy, then asks a question.
“ Where is a good place to eat in the town? “
The boy pauses for a moment then points back down the road from where they came, and quickly returns to inside the barn out of sight.
Richard turns to give Henry a crossed look, then mutters something under his breath as he passes him. The others can only question what is going on in this town with each other, as there really isn’t anyone walking about the place. There are people living here, with a few more peaks from behind covered windows from time to time, but still, no one comes out into view.
After walking down a few more abandon streets, the group comes to a tavern called the Unlucky Dog. Komeel takes the lead and pushes open the old wooden doors, as they all enter a very dirty area and horrific scent, a few eyes look up to see who the newcomers are, them return to what they were doing. The old bartender with patched-up clothes doesn’t even care to look up to see who entered, as he continues to speak in a low whisper to what is guessed as his friend. It’s dire inside as it is outside, the mood in the room is very cold. The group looks around to see there are stone beams supporting an upper level, along with huge dusty lamps mounted to the sides. Even the old paintings are covered in dust, as this place could use a good cleaning.
They find it is very easy to get a table, as the place is almost completely abandoned. But the few people that are here give off a clear sign, that Henry and his friends don’t belong. A few whispers can be heard, with a few fingers pointing in different directions, as a couple of people now quickly leave the area.
“ I am not liking this at all. “, says Komeel now putting a sword on the table.
“ Should we go to someplace else? I don’t think they really want us here. “, says Rowen.
Richard slams down the point of his dagger into the wood of the table, giving both Sam and Sarah a quick fright, and it does the job of quieting the whispers around the area.
Then with one word he yells out.
“ Service! “
That finally gets the attention of the barkeeper, and he sends over a barmaid from the back of the house. She is a very young girl, maybe no older than ten or twelve years of age, but she has been dressed up in finer clothes. Maybe to give the place something to talk about, or she is to distract from the atmosphere of the dark surroundings. Like the light of an angle, she has brightened the area just by standing there with her fancy outfit of white top that shows off her shoulders, and red dress bottom with golden trim.
With her head bowed low she asks what they would like, and Richard without a second though answers in a deep tone.
“ Just bring us some ale, and be quick about it! “
He pulls his blade from the table to put it away, as the young girl bows then quickly leave. She isn’t gone too long, as she returns with a tray of old wooden mugs full of ale, and she places it in the middle of the table, then takes a couple of steps back to wait on more requests. Richard reaches out to take one, but Sarah slaps his hand away.
“ Wait one second you fool, let me have a look at them first.“, she says now pulling a random mug closer to her.
She takes a few sniffs of the brew, then takes out a small blade to dip into the mug. Taking it out slowly, she watches how the liquid rolls off the edge of her bade, then dips her finger in the ale to feel it on her skin. She remembers her training with the rouges, if there was something foul in the brew, it would be seen or felt, even if it‘s something she could smell, with the training in poisons there wasn’t many she didn’t know about.
After a few more moments, she gives a nod to Richard to say its ok, then he grabs one up a mug as the others watch him closely, then with a couple of sniffs he looks over at the young girl. He then tips the brew to his lips, as it now washes over his tongue, and with great surprise, it tastes very good. He greedy downs the first mug, as some of it spills out and runs down the length of his beard., then he slaps down the mug on the table, followed by a large burp that comes from deep within his belly and a smile crosses his face.
“ I take that as its ok then? “, asks Komeel.
Richard reaches for a second mug, then quickly downs that one too, giving his friend a big smile in return.
“ This place might look like crap, but it has some very good brew. “, says Richard with a few more burps that follow.
He orders a new round of drinks, tossing a few coppers on the table, seeing how he has taken a few of the other drinks. He also wants food, as the girl takes the coppers and bows, then she quickly retreats to the kitchen once more.
“ Why are we here again? This doesn’t look like the best of places to hang around too long? “, questions Rowen as he looks around with a nervously.
“We hereby request of Madris to meet a contact of hers, and once this job is done, I will be freed from the contract I have with her. “, says Henry now rubbing the golden ring around his neck.
Richard lets out one more burp, as he laughs at Henry.
“ You were a fool to let yourself get mixed up with the elfish witch. From the moment we set foot in that place, I knew she was trouble. “, says Richard now staring at Henry.
“ I know! Do you think I wanted to get mixed up with her, but what’s done is done! Now let's just see this job through, then I will be free from her. “, says Henry as Sarah takes hold of his arm to calm him a bit.
Before Richard or anyone else can say a word, the young barmaid returns with more ale, and a tray of hard bread and a large block of blue cheese.
“ Your meal will be here shortly, please enjoy. “, she says with a bow.
The girl quickly leaves to deal with other people in the room, and Sarah watches her with a sad face. She knows that was her life before, to wait on strangers in the place like this, and to be used for her looks to bring in more customers. She just hopes this girl doesn’t have to deal with the same type of scum she did, years ago but from the looks of this dive, there was little hope she doesn’t.
The wind blows hard outside, as windows pains can be heard slamming against the walls. It’s quickly followed by what sounds like a deep hollowing roar, as it echoes across the town. No one seems to be moved by the roar, as they continue with whatever business they are into. But the group of six stops to look at each other, as this sound gives a few of them the chills. Sam looks over at Henry a questions him.
“ Was that the sound a of a….”
“ A dragon. Yes, Sam, it’s a dragon’s roar. But no one seems to have a care about it. “, says Henry.
Just then a hooded stranger pulls up a chair, and places it at the table, then places back his hood to show off an aged face of an old Orc.
“ That was the dragon’s call, or as some would say call of the dragon. It comes from the cave close to town. “, says the old Orc with a smile as he continues.
“ Madris sent word you were coming, and I am glad to see you made it in one piece. That being said, my name is Sarod, and I am your contact here in town. “
Sarod takes out a pipe and begins to light it up to smoke a bit of the tobacco. The smell of it is sweet with a touch of bitter herbs. He takes in a few deep draws of the pipe, then blows out a long smoke ring aimed at Richard. But he isn’t moved by the smoke, and only drinks down more of his ale, as Sarod laughs to himself.
“ So what is the job? We would like to get started right away.”, asks Henry getting Sarod’s attention.
“ Well now, its very simple really. That sound you are hearing is where you need to go. It’s the new place that opened out not long ago, and I need you to go there and find something for me. “, says Sarod now taking a few more puffs.
He tosses a small bag on the table, with a rolled-up note tied to a small map. Then he stands to get ready to leave the table.
“ Everything you need to know is on the table now, when you're done with your job, come back here to get your payment. I will be awaiting your return in Inn across the street.”, says Sarod as he now puts his hood back on and begins to leave.
“ And what if we don’t find what you're looking for? “, asks Henry.
Sarod turns slight back to look over his shoulder, then returns his attention to the doorway leading out.
“ Then don’t come back.”
And with those words, he leaves the tavern, as a trail of smokes is left behind him.
The others didn’t notice, their food was placed on the table when they had their attestation on the old Orc. A setting of mutton with potato soup has been placed in front of each of them, and a tray of carrots and celery. More ale was also placed out for them, as the little girl bows with her tray extended.
“ That will be 20 coppers, please. “
Richard tosses the coppers on her tray, as he begins his meal.
Sarah feeling bad for the girl, calls her over, then takes out two gold pieces and hands it to the little girl with a smile.
“ That is for you pretty girl, don’t let anyone take it from you ok.”
The girl looks over her shoulder at the barkeeper, who doesn’t give her a second look back, and she turns to smile at Sarah.
“ Thank you very much! I will keep this very close, take you very much again. “
With a small hug, the girl now returns to her duties, and Sarah looks up to see Richard giving her a crossed look. But she doesn’t care, if she can brighten someone’s day, she will do it. With that, she begins to eat the meal put on the table for her, and she must admit, this place might look like crap, but the food is pretty good. The group of friends enjoy their meal, and laugh and joke about their day. As they try to relax, Henry can only look at the items left behind by Sarod and wonder what tomorrow will bring.

To be continued. …..

Nagash

Why do I feel like something bad is going to happen ^^

granthor

The instructions told them to follow the path out of town to the great canyon, once there take the side path down to the lower part, then head to the dungeon. But no one told them that the canyon would be so deep, or that they needed special mounts to ride down to the bottom. Henry followed the instructions to the letter, leading his friends to this place, only to find himself looking over a very deep edge of a great hole in the ground. The very earth looks to have been unzipped and pulled apart by huge hands, leaving a scar on the very ground before them. He turns to the others for ideas, as he knows their horses can not make this trip safely. But the others give him questioning looks in return.
“ Now what Henry? Where are we going next? “, asks Sam now moving to his side.
“ The map leads us down there, but…….”
“ But nothing, I am not riding down there on this horse! “, exclaims Richard cutting him off, as he dismounts and continues to speak.
“ Look at that drop-off, it must be a mile deep maybe more. We need to go down on foot, it will be very slow, but a lot safer than riding a horse down. “
Before anyone can reply, a long sharp whistle comes from behind them, and they turn to see a young pretty redheaded woman in lose leather armor. She is riding on the back of a swift claw, a two-legged reptile mount, as she watches them closely with dark green eyes. Her mount shakes its head a bit, as she calms it down pulling back of the reins slightly, then she looks over the group carefully to size them up.
“ You looking to head down to the dungeon? “
Henry can only wonder if others have come this way, but after speaking with Komeel last night, he told him of at least one other group that made the trip to this point. But now looking at this strange young lady, who is waiting for an answer, he can tell she has to lead a few down from the dust and dirt that covers her.
“ We were looking at options to go down yes, so I take it you have the answer? “, asks Henry now moving closer to her.
The young redhead turns her mount sideways, so it doesn’t attack his horse, then give Henry a closer look now smiling wide. She likes the look of him, as she moves a little closer, then notices a woman in black leather giving her an evil stare.
“ She’s your woman? “, asks the redheaded lady with a playful grin.
“ We are a couple yes, why? “, answers Henry.
“ What a shame. Anyway, I can take you all down for two gold pieces….. “
“ What! Two gold pieces, that’s crazy! It’s not that far down, and we can go down on foot just fine without your help . “, says Richard cutting her off as he walks over to them both.
The redhead just looks down at this older fighter with a long scare on his face, and his long overgrown beard covering his face. She frowns a bit at him, then continues to speak.
“ You didn’t let me finish. That’s two gold pieces per rider. “
“ Are you mad woman! I will not pay for it! We can get along very well without your help! “, exclaims Richard now pointing a finger at her.
“ Ok, that will be four gold per rider. “
A smile crosses her face as Richard now goes red in the face, and he begins to yell at the woman with a few cruses tossed in.
Henry moves between them and gets Richard to back off, as he hands the woman a bag of gold. She feels the weight of it and then opens to see it’s full of gold pieces.
“ I take it that was meant for you? “, asks Henry watching her closely.
She gives Henry a puzzled look, as this isn’t the first bag being handed to her with that right amount of gold she asks for, but she reminds herself who is control here and questions Henry expectantly.
“ Old Sarod sent you? “
“ Yes, it’s the reason we are here. “, says Henry.
With no other words between them, she turns to whistle out a complex tune, and a handler comes out from a hidden area in the tree line. He is leading a single Daystrider mule with large packs hanging off its sides, and a group of six Scalerunners following closely from behind.
Henry watches the lizard-like creatures walk in quietly, and stop just short of the group flicking their long tongues out to get a good sense of the area. They seem to be very tame, as the handler uses hand signals to instruct them to line up next to each other. The handler looks over at the horses not far from the mounts, then looks nervously at the redhead, who only gives him a calming look in return. Then she turns to address the adventurers.
“ Now listen closely all of you, these Scalerunners will be the ones taking you down to the bottom, take whatever you need off your horses, and get them out of here. Unless you want them to be dinner, get them out of here as quickly as you can. “
Without a second thought, the group takes all of their supplies from the horse and sends them off with a good slap on the rear. Richard can only watch his horse ride off with the others, as the handler now walks over to hand him, and hands him a large bag with tails sticking out the top. He now watches as he hands each of the group a similar-sized bag, and he opens it to see a bunch of dead rats. He looks up at the redhead, who in turn speaks again before he can ask a question.
“ Before you can ride on them, you need to feed them two rats from your sack, no more, and no less, then tie your bag off on the saddle, then put your gear on the mounts. When your ready, I will lead you down to the bottom. Have no fear, these mounts will get you down safely. Once we reach the bottom, you are to remove all of your belongings and feed them the rest of the rats. Am I clear on this point? “
“ And what if we don’t feed them as you say? ‘, asks Rowen with concern.
“ Well, I will not be responsible if you lose a limb or two on the way down. “, says the redhead as the group now laughs at Rowen.
She moves over with her Swift Claw, watching each of the group now feeding the rats to the mounts assigned to each of them, and they quickly snap up the prized food. After a few bites and swallows the team now move to put all their gear on each mount carefully, then one by one they mount up. The Scalerunners turn to watch the redhead lady now, letting out a few low echoing grunts, as they feel the weight of the new riders. The redhead lady motions for the handler to return home, as she now leads the group down a rocky pathway.
Henry never rode on a lizard mount before and finds if feels a lot steadier then a horse. With a quick movement, his mount follows the swift mount over the side, and he grips the reins hard to keep steady. Every motion his mount takes, it grips the sides of the canyon walls, and with little effort, it moves down the walls to another small path leading down. Rocks break lost from time to time, but he finds that the Scalerunners has no issues of moving along the uneven pathways. Henry looks up to see the redhead women on her swift claw moving quickly ahead of the team, as it knows the unseen path to take without issues. The pace quickens a bit, as they move down a steep section of the canon, then a few well places jumps across broken off sections. No one is speaking, as most of them are holding on for dear life. Henry turns to look at Sam who has his eyes closed while he hugs the back of his mount, then Rowen who looks to have gone very pale in the face while trying not to fall off of his mount. Komeel, on the other hand, has taken very good control of his Scalerunner, as he now moves up past Henry to quickly ride behind the redhead lady. Sarah too looks to be enjoying the ride down, while she voices her excitement of the quick drops and sharp turns. Then Henry looks back at Richard, who in turn is now smoking a pipe, and he looks to just be enjoying his trip to the bottom. Looking at Richard blowing puffs of smoke brings a smile to his face, and he turns to take in the sights of the red and brown canon walls, as they all make their way down the long winding pathway to the down.

To be continued…..

granthor

Ebrae rides hard with her squad of elite hunters and guards, with the look of focused determination, she pushes her Swift Claw as fast as it can run. It gives off a few snorts, as it now leaps over a fallen tree, then quickly regains it’s footing to continue on the quickened pass. A blur of trees and bush pass the group, as they press on through the woods until finally, they reach the edge of a large canyon. She pauses for a moment, to examine the surroundings a bit more, then signals for her people to fan out to search the area in more detail. An older ride named Ryfon, an elf hunter dressed in battle-hardened leather, moves in next to her on his Swift Claw, as he takes a quick drink from his waterskin at his side.
“ That is one huge hole in the ground, I have heard whispers of this place, but this is my first time seeing it for myself. “, says Ryfon
“ Yes, it’s very impressive, but I am not here to do any sightseeing, we need to stay on the trail of humans. “
She turns to watch two of her guards return with an older man, he is pushed down to his knees, as she dismounts to talk to him face to face. The old man looks up at the beautiful half-elf, as he tries to smile, as she smiles back in return. She extends a hand to place a finger under his chin, then questions him.
“ Have you seen a group of six humans come this way? We have important business with them, and it would be very helpful if you could help us find our friends. “
The old man tries to look away from her, as his smile quickly fades, but Ebrae keeps his focus on her now holding his chin with two fingers. He finds he can’t look away, as fear slightly takes hold of him. He swallows hard, as he forces a smile back on his face.
“ I see who you're talking about, they left over four hours ago. They are headed to the dungeon at the bottom of the canyon. “, says the old man in a nervous voice.
She smiles wide at the old man, as she gives him a couple of light pats on his left face. Then she turns to remount her Swift Claw.
Ryfon moves over to her, after he gets word on the trail ahead, and voices a little concern.
“ The scouts have reported the trail down isn’t going to be easy, maybe we should find a different path down?
She looks to the old man, while the mounts shakes it’s head a bit.
“ Did they go down that path he speaks of? “, asks Ebrae as her mounts get a little excited.
The old man can only nod a yes in reply, as she signals for her people to mount up. They quickly take up positions around her, as Ryfon grips his reigns tight. He got a good look over the edge, and he knows he can’t talk her out of this next move.
“ They are four hours ahead of us, the trail down is the fastest way to the bottom. Follow me, my men, we have a quest to complete. “, says Ebrae.
She motions for her mount to race forward, and within seconds in makes its way on the steep trail leading down. But to the old man’s surprise, as he watches they all go over one at a time, he sees their mounts have little trouble handling the trail as they quickly move down along the edges. But be remembers, his master has a swift claw too, so why should this be a surprise after all.

Down at the bottom of the canyon, the group of six lead by Henry dismount from their Scalerunners and take off the supplies that belong to them. After feeding the mounts the last of the rats, then a few moments of checking their supplies and gear, Henry thanks the redhead lady who in turn points to a large horn mounted on pike stuff in the ground.
“ When you’re ready to return back up, give that horn three load blows, and I will return to pick you all up. “, she says now turning to leave.
The group can only watch as she quickly makes her way up a different pathway on her swift claw, one that looks to be an easier return up, followed closely by the other mounts. They all watch for a short while, as she quickly fades from sight.
Henry now turns to see the others standing ready to move on, but the day is getting late, and he knows it is almost time to make camp. So he leads them all deeper into the canyon, to find a good place for the night. They walk along rocky trails and close to huge borders. From time to time the sounds of wildlife echoes off the walls of the canyon, but no one can figure on what direction the sounds are coming from. After passing a few more rocky areas, Henry finds a flat place with very few large rocks to camp on, but it looks to be one widely used by other teams in the past. Some campsites look to be only a few days old, as the wood from them still looks to be smoldering. He wonders to himself, where have they all gone too, but thinks no more on the topic, as he drops his pack on the ground.
Henry gets a feeling of relief, with the weight now off his back, and prepares to set up camp. But he looks at the others, as they have their eyes focused on something in the distance. He turns to see the head of a huge dragon skull, its mouth wide open, and it looks to be trying to escape the rocky face just behind it. The mouth of it is so large, that it is looking to be able to place a large two flat home in the mouth. Its teeth are pearly white, and the eyes hold enormous emeralds the gleam in the light, The head of the once alive dragon holds a pair of longhorns, that gives the skull a terrifying-looking appearance. A strong gust of wild blows from the south, and with it the sound of a dragon's roar from the mouth of the cave, the skull of the long-dead dragon still can be heard with its last known breath, as the wild continues to blow, and the roar of the dragon echoes in the canyon.
“ Well sounds like we will not be getting any sleep tonight. “, says Sam now unpacking a sleeping roll.
Henry can only agree but feels the wild claiming for the night, so maybe it's not going to be that bad. The loud roar as he figured now fades with the night winds. Henry now watches as Komeel makes a fire for the night, and Richard now taking out a bit of food to cook up for a late meal. Henry looks around for Sarah and Rowen, but they are nowhere to be seen. He stands up to get a better look, then calls to them, and after a couple of minutes, he feels a tap on his shoulder.
“ I am right here. “, says Sarah as she fades into view from the shadows.
“ You know I hate when you use your shadow walk to sneak up on me. Now, where is Rowen? He should be here with us. “, asks Henry.
But Sarah doesn’t have a clue to where he went, as Rowen was just standing with the group just ten minutes ago. Henry looks around the area, now joined by the others, as they call for their missing friend. They all become a little worried, as they would have seen if someone would sneak into the area, let alone take one of them away right under there noses. But after a few more calls, a figure steps from a small portal.
Rowen stands before them with a very worried look on his face, as he looks up at a few angry faces staring back at him.
“Where have you gone off too? We were worried sick about you Rowen.”, says Richard.
He can only look at each of them, as he fights to get the words out.
“ The bodies…..so many bodies. I took a look inside the mouth of the cave, just to see what we are getting into. I knew I had the power to recall out if something would happen. Then I saw them. The bodies just inside the opening. Some didn’t have a chance to make it a few feet into the opening, and others looked to have been dragged in deeper. Whatever took them, wasn’t something natural, after seeing the condition of the bodies. I recalled to here when I felt something watching me. This place is a tome, and nothing good will come of it. We need to turn back now before we meet out the end! “, says Rowen in a scared voice.
“ We can’t turn back now, I need to see this quest through. Bodies or not, we must press on. But Rowen, you shouldn’t have gone off on your own like that. We need to stick together. “, says Henry now patting him on the shoulder.
Richard now walks over, and looks Rowen over a bit, then tells him to turn around. With a puzzled look on his face, he carefully does what is told of him, then he feels a slight pressure on his back, then he spins around to see a large spider with a dagger sunk into the middle of its body, heard up in the air but Richard.
“ This is just a baby, but from the looks of it, we might have more of them in the mouth of the dungeon. You lucky this didn’t bite you, or you would be on the ground with those other bodies. “, says Richard with a small laugh.
Rowen turns green in the face, knowing he missed something like that, and on top of it all, he recalls back to camp with it on his body. He can only rush over to set up a sleeping area for himself, as Henry watches him go.
Now Henry looks to Richard, who in turn presses the spider under his foot to crush it flat.
“ Are we making a mistake Richard? I mean I was told to come here, but is it worth it? Maybe it’s not too bad of an idea to keep this collar on my neck? “
“ Look, son, if I was you, I would think too much on it. We are here now, so let's watch each other's backs, and we will be fine. When you don‘t have a clear mind, that’s when you make mistakes. So keep your focus, and we will be fine. “, says Richard as he takes hold of his shoulders now.
He looks him in the eyes, to make sure he isn’t scared, but Henry just shows he isn’t afraid. As Richard now just gives him a firm press on the arms, then laughs with him as the two go to sit by the now out fire.

To be continued...

granthor

With lit torches, the group slowly enters the mouth of the skull dragon, as the light dances off old rusty swords, broken arrows, and skeletal remains. Richard turns to look at Rowen, and with a laugh asks a question of him.
“ So where are your bodies mage? All I see are old bones on the ground. “
With no words, Rowen casts a light spell, and it brightens the area to the far wall. The light floods the room swiftly, showing off all of the bodies he had seen earlier. Henry takes a few careful steps into the area, and slow approaches one of the fallen adventurers. He carefully kicks over the person, now seeing a very dark blue face, and a look of horror frozen in place.
Sam moves over to take a closer look, remembering his training when dealing with the dead, then turns to speak with the others.
“ He has been poisoned, but it’s not a common poison. Be on guard, whatever took them down, is still about. “
With those words, Sam begins to cast a few protection spells, along with a cleansing spell in case there are ill effects still in the area. The energy of warmth covers the group, with every wave of his staff over the group. But just when Sam finishes up his spells a huge spider leaps from the shadows towards him. Without thinking he quickly turns to cast the spell. judgment, as a hidden force, crushes the spider to the ground flat.
Seeing that large spider, and now remembering his encounter with one a little smaller, Rowen now steps forward to cast an area effect spell. With the spell Implosion, a large fireball expands out and burns every spider that is within range. He takes a few steps forward to cast it again, then again, and with one final spell, he has cleared the area of the smaller spiders. He feels the need to rest a bit, this level of casting was at a third-tier, but a warmth washes over his body, and he feels his mana returning to normal.
“ You need to take it slow Rowen, you can’t go off using higher-level spells like that, you just opened the book to that level, and you not ready to keep casting as you’re doing so. “, says Sam now finishing his spell of mana well.
“ All in all guys, good work, last thing I wanted to deal with are spiders. “, says Henry now moving past them.
He slowly moves to the far entrance of the room, with sword and shield in hand, followed closely by Sarah, Komeel, and Richard. They stop at what looks to be three large odd-shaped doorways, and he pauses to look them over closely. One smells of rotten flesh, another cool air can be felt coming from it, and still the last has the faith sounds of clicking from within.
Henry takes out the faded map given to him, and it looks to be showing the doorways, a faint arrow points to the left, and a big red mark is on the right. He looks back at the others, who in turn are still on edge watching for any signs of trouble.
“ Now where are we going? I don’t want to be standing here all day. “, says Richard.
Henry looks back at the map, check to make sure he is seeing it properly. Then he points to the left doorway, as the airflow from the center begins to pick up. It grows in strength, then a huge gust of wind floods through the doorway, and with it comes the ear numbing roar of a dragon’s call. The group covers their ears to shield them from the intense sound, with the roaring now vibrating everything in the area.
Rushing forward, they quickly follow Henry through the left doorway, and after a few steps, the group finds themselves sliding down a steep incline. Down and down they all go, with the sounds on armor scraping the group, and the clinging of weapons in hand as a few wildly try to brace their slide. There is nothing to grip onto, but it doesn’t matter as they all roll to the hard stop at the bottom.
Rowen gathers himself first, to cast a quick light spell, and it floods the area showing off the area of a huge hall, with ribbed bones of the dragon as support holding back the mountain on top of it. There can be seen what looks like two walkways, and a channel in the middle with green mist. The walkways both look to lead to the same place, but there are different doorways on both sides of the room. Rowen can see about six on each side, and they look to be made from the bones of unlucky travelers.
The others stand to examine the area a little closer, and Henry moves to take a step forward toward the mist, but Sarah pulls him back from it. Before he can question her, a blue-green slime mass moves up from the mist, as if to be looking for what was close to the edge, then retreats back down from whence it came.
“ Oh, that’s lovely. We have slime in this place, something that will put holes in my armor, I just know it. “, says Richard now tossing an old rusted dagger he picked up.
The dagger bounces a couple of times off the cold ground, then slides to the edge of the mist. Then they all watch as it is quickly snatched up and dragged into the mist. But its quickly expelled back out, with half of it missing. Richard turns to look at Henry with a frown.
“ You can go first. “
Henry swallows hard a bit, and nods to him, as he takes the right pathway and walks far from the edge of the mist. The others follow with weapons at the ready, as they slowly make their way to the far end of the hall. The mist bubbles up in some places and moves in waves in others. It seems to invite them to come closer, as in places the mist parts to show off hidden gems of high value, only to be covered over quickly as if to tease the group into coming closer. Then a hand is seen extending out and slowly lowers back into the green cloud.
“ Keep going forward everyone, and don’t think about moving into that mist. I don’t care what you see in it. “, says Komeel as he now sees what looks to be the face of his old teacher Iwan.
Iwan cries out to him to come to help him, but Komeel can see he is already dead. His face half eaten away from the acid smiles, an ooze dripping from a skeleton hand reaching out to him.
“ Poor devil, no one should meet an end like that. “, says Richard now pressing on with the others.
The group moves past the first of three doorways., and the sound of crying can be heard from behind the skeleton door. There is a single skull mounded on the side of the door, and the sound seems to come from it.
Sarah hears the cries of what sounds like a child, now moves to open the door, but is cut off quickly by Richard. He pushes her away from it, as the crying is now replaced by a heavy knocking, and now a few curses at her.
“ What is this place you have brought us to Henry? “, asks Sarah as a tear rolls down her left cheek.
“ It’s where I was told to come if I want to be free again, but this place has a dark evil to it. We need to be ready for whatever comes at us. “, says Henry now moving on.
“ Aye lad, and right now there is a lot of mind games going on, so everyone put it out of your head. Let's push on. “, says Komeel with concern.
They pass a few more doorways, and from behind each the sounds of screams and cries for help or just bad curses. They all just focus on the huge doorways at the end, as it’s the place on the map they need to get too.
As they all reach the end, the doors in front of them are huge dark worn wood, and Henry with Richard and Komeel now push hard on them to open them up. They open with a long creaking, but the way ahead of them is blocked off from a recent cave-in. Richard turns to look at Rowen and gives him a wave toward the boarders. Of course, this is something he needs to do, a spell that is taught to all the mages at a young age. He moves forward to mutter a few words, then extends his hand to pull the borders from the spot, then the boarders fly forward and are turned to dust. The way is no longer blocked, and the group moves forward into a large chamber. Rowen quickly cast a new light spell, and the area is lit up to show off a huge area of gold and fine jewels. The room sparkles as the light dance off the different pieces of gold and silver. Everyone moves in slowly, not believing what they are seeing.
“ This must be the dragon’s treasure, they are known for keeping it close to them. “, says Sam taking a few more steps into the area.
“ Aye, but this seems to easy. No one touches anything. “, says Richard as he turns to see Sarah reaching out to pick up a huge diamond.
Panic races in his heart, as he reaches out to yell at her, but it’s too late as she touches the gem the room spins in a blur, and the group finds themselves in a different place when it spots.
Touches light up along pillars of white marble walls, and a golden doorway can be seen from the far end of this new area. From it, the sounds of armor clanking and rushing footsteps echo from the doorway. The group gets ready to face what is to come, as Richard looks over to Sarah with a deep frown on his face.
She can only say sorry, as she pulls out her short sword and dagger ready to fight.
The sound of many feet gets louder and louder, as Richard stands next to Henry.
“ Well boys, I hope this adventure will be worth it. Looks like we are about to get into a big fight. “
“ I know, But I am not backing down, no matter what comes through that door. “, says Henry standing tall with a shield in hand.
As Komeel stands with the pare, Richard smiles wide, as he turns to face what is to come next.

To be continued…

Nagash

you really do know how to keep a reader hooked

granthor

Nagash wrote: »

you really do know how to keep a reader hooked

Hey if I don't hook you, you might stop reading. lol

granthor

There is no one to help them, not one soul extra to add to the defense of the party. As the fighters take up positions next to their tank. With a shield in hand, Henry braces himself with the force of shield might, a skill that will give him the edge to strike out after an attack. The sound of swords being pulled out rings in his ears, as both Richard and Komeel now stand firm off to both sides of him. Louder echoes of rushing feet now flood from the opening golden doorway, they grit their teeth together hard, while gripping hilts in hands ready to attack. Not one soul will get past them, not one of the party will be lost. All the while Henry finds his hearth beating as the sounds draw closer to where they stand. He swallows hard as he can now see the first of the humanoid attackers charging into the room. With faces twisted and distorted, like something from a bad dream. They rush in with deep bloodshot red eyes, and the look of murder in their hearts. Glints of light reflex off old armor of heavy bronze and these creatures wield weapons of different types. The creatures let out battle cries, as they all press forward in a rush to end them all. The sight of them unnerves Henry a little, there numbers too many to count, as he readies himself for what is to come. Thought it all a voice in his mind whispers the word courage to him softly, as he takes a deep breath and exhales. Then in an instant, he feels something strike his shield hard. He braces himself a little more, as he gets ready for a second blow while striking out to kill what moved him just a little. It’s not the time to fear, now is the time to fight.

To the rear of the fighters, Sam raises his staff and draws on power from within, then casts the spell Lifeline over all of his friends. The energy washes over them, as each one engages in battle with more attackers. He watches as one enemy hit’s the ground, only to be replaced by two more. The numbers of attackers look to be overwhelming, but his friends do their best to stay on top of the battle.
“ We are going to die here, I just know it. “, says Rowen now casting the spell arch lighting.
The spell does its job, as it thins out the line of attackers for a short while, only to have even more press in to replace the others. Sam watches as Komeel takes down a few more, his skill with bladed weapons has always impressed him, and he finds himself almost lost in the moment of watching his motion. But now isn’t the time to watch such things, now he must stay focused on the one job he has, he must keep everyone alive, even for a few more seconds of life. His attention is drawn over to Richard, who in turn curse as his swords are broken, then he is knocked to the ground hard. The attacker moves in to finish him, as Sam casts the spell soul paralysis, now freezing the enemy in place. Richard looks back over his shoulder towards Sam with a smile, then draws forth his new broad sword, Witherbane the Worldbreaker, it seems to sing in his hands now. Sam watches as Richard regains his footing, and cuts clean through the one attacker that sent him to the floor, then he presses on to cut through two more, as the blade he holds looks to be not striking its targets. But after Richard swings the blade past the creatures, their bodies stop, then two parts fall to the ground. Mostly arms, then a few heads, even a tousle or two. The weapon he holds has a power of its own, one that Richard has embraced deeply now.

Another healing spell washes over Sarah now, while she wastes little time cutting deep into exposed areas the armor hasn’t covered up. Now again into the shadows she moves, quick as a cat, she finds more targets to take down while dodging between falling bodies. This pace can’t keep up, it’s like an unending wave of monsters, and her stamina is getting low. Just a few more twists and turns of her blades and a few more attackers fall to the ground lifeless. A blade crosses her body, just edging the leather armor on her side, as it quickly gets her attention, and she tosses a smoke ball to escape the next blow. She is lucky the strike missed her, but now the attacker rushes forward to go after Sam. His attention is on healing the others, and Rowen has his focus on supporting the fighters. She knows there isn’t time to react, so with her best speed, she moves in a shadowy blur, and takes the hit by crossing her blades to deflect the blow from Sam. The force of it sends her sliding across the flood, and she strikes the far wall hard. But call in blind luck or something else, a hidden door slide opens into the ceiling next to her, and through it, she sees a way to escape this fight. She whistles to the others, who in turn slowly fall back to where she is, while they are still engaged in a bloody fight of their lives. More bodies drop to the ground, while Sarah looks into the area past the door, but that triggers it to start to close up again.
“ You guys better hurry, this door is closing up fast! “, yells Sarah from a half-opened doorway.
Rowen now casts an area spell of tentacles, to root the closer attackers in place, giving the others an opening to retreat quickly back to the new doorway. One by one they enter, until finally Richard who was taking up the rear guard, slides under the few feet of clearing before the door closes with a thud.

The new hallway they are in looks long and damp, as Rowen casts a new light spell, but it looks to be safe enough to travel down. The party takes a small break to get gain themselves a bit, after fighting what was like an army in a small space. Henry watches as Richard kisses his blade, then he puts it away. But he feels there are new dangers ahead of them, and he questions Richard a bit.
“ Why are you putting your blade away? I saw what It can do, better to keep it out. “
Richard can only force a smile on his face, knowing that power he was holding was still a little wild in his hands, as he puts it away now taking out one more long sword with a small shield.
“ Aye lad, that sword be a great weapon to use, but I had a hard time controlling it a bit. At times when I was attacking the others, it wanted me to attack you too. “, says Richard with a concerned look now.
“ What do you mean it wanted you to attack us? It’s a weapon to use used, not something that controls you. “, says Komeel as he cleans his blades.
“ I know my friend, but this sword has a strange power on it, one that with every cut, every drop of blood, it grew in power. So much so it was leading me on to take more lives, and I had to fight really hard to keep it from striking back towards you two. Right now it’s too dangerous to keep out, just keep away from me, when we have to fight again. I feel this sword needs the blood and looks for it when there is much of it being spilled. “, says Richard now taking out a bit of jerky to eat.
Henry can only wonder about that blade, but he has his own dragon’s blade, one given to him by Sarah. She found it for him back in the old mines, and it has its own special powers. When a match with his shield, he doesn’t take the full force of attacks, and when striking out, he feels he is dealing double the power in return.
“ Everyone, we will rest here a bit, regain some strength, then move on down the hall. But stay alert, we are not out of danger yet. “, says Komeel with concern.
Henry takes a seat on the cold ground for a moment, and he is joined by Sarah, who now gives him a bit of salted pork. She smiles at him, then rests her head on his shoulder for a bit, as he puts an arm around her to keep her close.
“ Was it a mistake coming here, Henry? I know you want the ring of your neck, so you can be free. But we haven’t gone too deep into this place, and look at how badly we are beaten up.
“ We are not beaten yet Sarah, and we will face whatever dangers together. As long as we keep each other safe, we will beat whatever is to come. “, says Henry now kissing her forehead
The group can only heal up and rest a bit longer, then Komeel stands with a few handclaps, as the others join him and gather their items. Sarah moves to take the lead, with Henry close behind her, and she leads them down the long hallway, with only the light given off by Rowen’s spell to light the way.

to be continued...

granthor

I was going to add more to this last part, but it would have been too long. So I figured to break it up. Thx to all that are still enjoying the story, and please be safe and healthy out there.

Nagash

did you just give Richard soul edge

granthor

Nagash wrote: »

did you just give Richard soul edge

maybe. hehe

granthor

Ebrae follows her scouts into the dragon’s cave with her men, the total number to be about twenty-five, and close to her side as always is Ryfon leader of the group. She trusts them all with her life, as they are the pick of the top men in her ranks, and Ryfon is like a second father to her. She calls them all her blood guard, for they all take that oath with their blood, a cut of the hand, a bond is only broken in death. With bow in hand, she moves slowly into the darkness.

One scout lights a few torches, as bodies now can be seen everywhere in this opening, and she moves to have the fresh ones checked carefully. Ease enters her mind a little as answers are all the same, it’s not the group they are following. A clicking sound gets her attention now, as her men move into a defenses circle around her. The clicking comes from different directions in this huge area, hidden by the shadows along the walls. The team pulls arrows as they draw out their bows, and she takes up her own bow to take aim above her head. With a few more clicking sounds, everyone has taken up a target, and with one word from Ryfon, arrows are sent singing into the shadows. Shortly after, the sounds of squeals echo out, and heavy thumps hitting the ground all around them. The group hit their targets, as they send a second wave of arrows, then the third wave. Each shot into the dark gives the same result as more heavy bodies far to the floor dead. One of the bodies rolls into the light, and Ryfon carefully moves from the circle to have a look with sword drawn. He can see it’s a large spider, about the size of an average man, and he turns to look over to Ebrae.
“ It a large cave spider, we need to be on guard in this place, they can overwhelm us if we are not careful. This one looks to be a big one, I would hate to have this one sucking on my blood. “
“ Oh please that’s just a baby, I want its mother. “, say Ebrae now looking to the ceiling.

The louder sounds of click still can be heard from above, as Ebrae now fires off three arrows with a skill flame line into the darkness of the ceiling. An even loader squeal echoes out as the sounds of small explosions ring out from above. She gives the order to scatter, seeing a huge spider body falling from above, but it’s not dead yet. It strikes down on the ground hard, as she jumps away from the impact zone, and the spider flips over to see what forced it from its home. Ryfon steps forward with a few of his men from behind Ebrae, but she puts a hand to his chest and looks at him with glowing yellow eyes.
“ No, this is my kill! “
She drops her bow, and takes out two Elvin long swords, then rushes off in a blur before Ryfon can stop her. He watches as one leg after another is cut away from the huge spider’s body, and with its final cries, it dies as Ebrae stands atop it now sinking her blades into the brain of the beast. A fountain of green blood shoots up, and some of it lands on her, which only makes her smile wide from the life she just took.
Upon her return to Ryfon’s side, he returns her bow with a concerned look.
“ I know you’re very skilled at what you do, but you’re taking too many risks. What if that creature was able to corner you? We wouldn’t be able to save you in time, and…..”
“ And you would have to return home with my dead body, and explain to my sister why you let me take that risk in the first place. “, says Ebrae now cutting him off as she continues.
“ We need to find Henry, and stop him from finishing his task. I know what my sister promised him, but he doesn’t understand what he is coming for. We must stop him at all costs. Without killing him of course.“
“ But why not kill his group and be over with it? I don’t understand why we track them from the shadows, it would be easier to just end their lives. “, says Ryfon with a puzzled look.
“ I have my reasons Ryfon, don’t question me again. We stop them without killing them do you understand?“
She now moves ahead of her men, spider blood still dripping off her body, and stands before three large openings. The airflow from the center opening is mild, she orders a scout to check it out, while looking to check the area going to the left. She sees six sets of footprints going that way, then the sounds more clicking comes from the right tunnel. It’s not as loud as what was heard in the main area, but still of some concern. She orders the right opening sealed off, and her men quickly follow her orders.
“ Do you want us to follow them milady? “, asks Ryfon while holding the hilt of his sword.
Ebrae looks at the path once more, her extra sense of night sight shows a slippery path not too far into that tunnel, someone else of lesser vision would miss that basic slope trap.

Her scout returns from the center tunnel, and reports of two paths. One goes back outside, and the other leads into a darker area. In that area, it looks to be over lower sections, and the smell of rotting flesh is in the air. She pauses a moment, as the airflow begins to pick up, and with one order she sends her men into the center tunnel. The wind picks up as she enters the tunnel, the sounds of the dragon call roaring loudly in the opening. With it her dragon tattoo and eyes glow brightly, the call sings to her heart, even though this dragon has been dead a very long time. So she takes a deep breath of her own, and sing with the call, giving off a small roar of her own. Her men don’t stop to see what she is doing, they know never to question anything she does, as they press on into the darkness of the dragon’s cave.

To be continued…

granthor

The long narrow pathway branches off into two directions, one of which is blocked off, and the other leads down deeper into a smaller maze of passages. With a torch in hand and shield at the ready, Henry presses forward with the other close behind, as they all slowly inspect the surroundings around them. The group enters a larger area, full of older wooden doorways lining both walls. Sarah having skills in rouge training, knows to always be mindful when entering new areas, but seeing Henry taking more steps forward, she quickly pulls him back with the slight sound of a switch click. They all watch as a spike trap shoots from one side of the wall to the other, just missing Henry as he drops his torch.
“ That was a close one lad, you better let Sarah take the lead going forward, no telling how many more traps are in here. “, says Richard now poking the floor in front of him using his sword as a new trap triggers.
This time spikes shoot up from the ground, and just as quickly as they appeared, they quickly return to the first position under the ground. Richard gives Sarah a crossed look now and questions her.
“ You sure you can spot these traps? “
“ Yes, so you’re going to have to trust me now. “, says Sarah with a smile.
Now with Sarah taking the lead, the group follows her step for step, not moving out of the path she is taking them on. They pass countless rooms now, in each is skeletons chained to the walls, and at their feet, a small alter with runes carved into them. Rowen wants to stop to take a closer look at this find, with his training in the art of reading runes he has, curiosity pulls at him to go take a closer look. But Komeel discourages him after pointing out a visible trap in the ceiling above the room, and Rowen swallows hard just looking at the points of a spike trap just waiting to land on a foolish soul.
Sarah also points out more traps of different types around the area to everyone, while safely setting off a few, and marking off the others with bones she picks up along the way. So carefully and slowly they all press on, making sure to follow her instructions to the letter.
She stops everyone in their tracks now, as a new trap is set to cross the floor in front of them. This one looks to send out vapor into the air, and it’s one she can’t see how to disarm. The floor tiles look to be a perfect match up, and it doesn’t show where to step safely. She might be able to make it out, but after looking back at the others, one of them is sure to trigger this poisonous trap. Then an idea strikes her as she looks back at the others.
“ Sam, can you cast an area cleansing spell? “
“ Yes, I believe so. Why do you ask? “, says Sam now coming closer to her.
“ Cast one just in front of me, and extend it to the end of the hall. Can you do that? “, asks Sarah.
Sam gives a nod, as he raises his staff, and extends it out just in front of him. She tells him to make sure he doesn’t miss not one crack or hole when he cast it. She watches as he closes his eyes, and after muttering a few words, a wave of his spell moves thought the after, as the sounds of hissing can be heard, but as the gasses enter the air in front of them, it is quickly disbursed and made harmless.
Sarah now carefully moves forward, testing the cold ground with a few taps of her foot as she moves forward, not taking any chance of missing a new trap. Passing a few unlucky souls, whose bodies have long since turned to bones over the years. She has no plans of joining them, as a new trap is a trigger under her left foot. Without thinking and moving with reflexes, she bends backward, as two axes swing out to cut her in half. One just misses taking her head off, and with a quick push up to flip her back, the second one swings out to just miss cutting her arms off. The others want to rush forward to help, but she waves them back while taking in a deep breath of air.
Now looking ahead, she focuses her eyes a bit, then pauses with a few slow breaths. The air is clam now, she lets the stillness of it wrap around her body, now listening to the smallest sounds. The heartbeats of her friends behind her ring out in the silent hall, as she now reaches down to pick up a few small stones. Henry wants to know what Sarah is doing, but she quiets him with a rising of her right hand. She turns to give him a concerned look, with a single finger pressed to her lips.
Returning her attention down the hall, she tosses the two stones, both bounce off the walls then the floor. She listens to a bit for a change in the sounds, then she hears a different pitch along the wall to the right. Now with a small dagger in hand, she sends it flying through the air striking a hidden wall switch, now opening the ground up next to it, then the ceiling drops a large stone block into the opening. If anyone fell in that trap, that would have been the end on them, as the stone block now fills the hole to replace the missing floor piece. She tosses a second dagger, bouncing it off the far wall, then it lands on a floor switch, sending two sets of spiked walls quickly crashing into each other. She looks back at the group, and signals for them it’s clear to move on.
“ How do you know it’s clear, shouldn’t we test the ground a bit more? “, asks Richard in a nervous voice.
“ It’s clear now, just trust me. “, says Sarah with a smile in return.
Henry trusting her, takes up the lead with her at his side, as the other quickly follows behind, he knows she is good at what she does, and if she said it was safe, you can bet your life on those words.

The group slowly enters what looks to be the final room of this vast dungeon, as it is lined with six stone statues of Dwarf Lords, each of them holds a shield at their side, and a forging hammer that’s extended out by their right arms. It looks as if they are giving a salute of honor, one given to those who would be called king.
Rowen cast a new light spell so they can see more of the room, giving the statues a more visible look, now showing off golden details and finely minted works. The details of each statue look to have been done by a master metal worker. Names of each are written on the base of each, Rowen doesn’t know a few of them, but one catches his eye, the name of Jamil Boulderhorn, a name he has back in his home town during his studies. It was said he lead his people to safety in the time of the Apocalypse. It was a dark time for this world, one not spoken about much nowadays.
Richard and Komeel move closer to take a better look at them, and both agree the statues are far too large to try to take away, as just one would give them more wealth than five lifetimes that they could ever spend.
Now looking past the statues to the far end is a set of huge granite doors, and it’s lined with runes in the dwarfing tongue. The group moves closer to inspect it, and they can see the runes in more detail. Rowen moves in closer with Sam, as they begin to translate the runes on the door. They can see a set of Runes to the bottom set up as keys, and what looks like instructions at the top. So they work with each other to figure out what order is needed to open the doors.
Richard, on the other hand, looks behind him and gives Komeel the same look he is giving him in return. They know each other's expressions, and this one says they are being watched from the shadows.
“ Hurry up and get that door open, I don’t like being out in the open like this. “, says Richard, now taking his board sword out.
It sings in his hand, knowing that blood with soon be spilled this day, and to his side, Komeel stands ready to meet whatever comes from the shadows.
Rowen and Sam rush to figure out the runes, when Rowen sees the pattern to use and begins to touch them in the order they called for. As he hit’s the last key, the doors swing open with a hiss.
“ Come on everyone, we have a quest to finishes. “, says Henry now stepping into the darkroom.
He is followed by Sarah, Rowen, and Sam, But Komeel and Richard stand ready to meet whatever is coming from behind, as the sounds of many feet can be heard rushing up from where they came from. The doors begin to swing close again, as the pair retreat into the darkness of the room, and with a thud, the doors close uptight.

To be continued……

granthor

Heads up:
I will be dropping 1 or 2 more parts tonight, this will bring this chapter to an end.
If you want more let me know here.
Also, I will be officially started my book this week, it will be a fantasy type. I was going to do a sci-fi one, but after doing these few chapters I changed my mind.
I will keep you up to date on how the bo0k is coming, as it stands right now, The prologue and 1st two chapters or done in my head, now to put it down in writing. lol
So stay tuned if you're looking for more to this current story. Thx for your support everyone that is still reading.

Nagash

Can't wait for the last chapters and you know me I'm always ready for more stories. ^^

granthor

Nagash wrote: »

Can't wait for the last chapters and you know me I'm always ready for more stories. ^^

Did you read the last part I posted, meaning the story? Looks like you missed it lol.

Nagash

granthor wrote: »

Nagash wrote: »

Can't wait for the last chapters and you know me I'm always ready for more stories. ^^

Did you read the last part I posted, meaning the story? Looks like you missed it lol.

Its seems I've missed the last two. I sware the bookmark feature never works

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