“He is likely at the bottom of the stairs awaiting us with a guard.” Xaenth shrugged, and we continued down the stairs, a little faster. That kid was our current ticket to more power. He’d better be okay.
I heard a cry of pain as we neared the bottom of the steps and flitted down in the air as an owl, not caring that we were in someone else’s territory.
I came to the bottom, finding nothing, then banked and hurtled outside to see a raised spear shaft and the drow boy laying on his back with his hands held up to defend himself.
I shifted into my fox-man form in time to catch the spear shaft on my metallic arm and growled angrily at the drider guard in front of me. “What the hell are you doing?”
It hissed at me, speaking softer than I could understand, then raised the spear as if to strike me, too.
“Halt!” Xaenth shouted as he cleared the doorway. The drider regarded him with indifference, before turning back to his business with me.
“Finish that strike you half-spider freak.” My blood boiled, but I still kept my cool, this was just a pre-fight surge of adrenaline that I welcomed. “I’ll rip one of those legs off and shove it where the silk comes from.”
“That will hardly be necessary, master druid, I will take care of this.” The drow guide lifted a hand, and shadows leapt to do his bidding, wrapping around each of the drider’s legs and lifting it twenty feet into the air. “I speak, you listen. I am the word of the Queen while she is busy, and if you harm her guests, or the chances of this mission by being a brute, then she will see you and your brothers dead. And she will be far, far less merciful about it than I would. Am I clear?”
The drider glared at him, the spear still gripped in both hands, but it seemed to say something that satisfied Xaenth. He lowered his hand, and the shadows slowly brought the creature to the ground where it walked away upon release, clearly getting the fuck out of Dodge.
I turned to the boy, bruises all over his body, we were in the dark, so I cast Void’s Respite over him, then Renewing Flames. His bruises disappeared swiftly, and he stared up at me, open-mouthed.
“You okay, kid?” I offered him my hand, and he just stared at it for a moment in wonder.
Seems a little slow, if you ask me. Bokaj grunted, and I shot him a glare.
I leaned down and lifted the young drow to his feet. He squirmed at my touch, and I wondered if he had been beaten further, poor kid.
Maebe came over and put a hand on his shoulder, speaking softly, “All of these men are here to protect you, you are safe now. And any who would see you suffer or harm you from here on will incur my wrath. I am a Queen, little one, and my word is law.”
His eyes grew impossibly large, and he nodded his head quietly.
“Tell us, child, what is your name?” Maebe’s head tilted to the side, her soft smile and welcoming gaze almost making the kid forget the rest of us, until Xaenth wandered over to stand behind her.
The boy looked up, the easy wonder in his large eyes draining into fear and distrust. “Dirt.”
The drow mage snorted, and I glanced his direction. He raised an eyebrow. “Dirt is a name given to the weakest of a drow family. Like a title. And his family would clearly not suffer his presence hence their attempting to give him as a sacrifice to the Queen. No wonder she didn’t take him.”
Then he looked over at Yohsuke. “I am surprised you don’t know all of this as well, Dirt that you are by birth and that alone. Your gray skin is telling. You should educate the people you ally yourself with, mongrel.”
I had to fight the urge to not say some stupid shit, and I know Maebe did as well because her jaw was ticking as she spoke sweetly to the boy, “Come then, sweet child, I will walk with you and keep you safe for now.”
She held her hand out and he took it. She pulled bits of food out of her inventory, and he took them from her to devour ravenously.
“Plumping up the bait?” Xaenth nodded with approval, then looked over at Yohsuke, who looked like he was counting to some ridiculously high number. “Excellent idea, Queen Maebe. Did I upset the garbage?”
I glanced at him, he was close enough that I should be able to see his level, but it was hidden from sight. “Look, Xaenth, I know that power is a lot of what matters to all of you, but you ain’t exactly the top of the food chain, either. Where we’re heading is dangerous, and there’s a lot at stake, so if you want to make enemies and be a dick now—go ahead. But I’ll thank you to remember that when shit gets real.”
“I am aware of my lot in life, druid.” Xaenth blinked as we moved forward down the street. “Aware as I am, I am also one of the most formidable drow in this city, who can handle himself and knows when to keep an eye at his back. Drow life is hard, and one never sees the knife they never expect—so always expect it. If you betray my Queen, she will know. And if you betray me, you all die.”
“No one here is speaking of betrayal,” I shot back, obviously minding my volume. “What I am speaking about is loyalty. It was cool of you to step in back there, and I appreciate that. But if you keep being rude to a kid in front of a queen who cares deeply for children, that appreciation I feel toward you means nothing. We might need you for now, but she will kill you if you keep this shit up. And if you keep treating my brother like shit, I’ll kill you myself to save him the trouble. You’ve been warned.” I raised my voice slightly, “Everyone huddle up, I want to get this shit over with.”
The others gathered around us, I already had Bea in the collar—she had volunteered to be in there for now—so there were only twelve of us including the two drow and the familiars without Bea. When everyone was touching, I focused on the cavern outside the magma chamber that we had been in when we entered the fiery area. It had been where Lilith had said her patrols had been going, that, and the surrounding areas when they disappeared. I held the location in mind and cast Teleport.
We landed in the darkness a heartbeat later, everyone groaning slightly, but surprisingly, no one vomited. Kudos to the passengers.
“This was the location of the attack?” Xaenth asked softly, and a few of us nodded. “You’re lucky the drow can see heat signatures, or no one would know that you had nodded. Take me to the other room then.”
I counted to five, then responded softly, “We’re going to wait half an hour before we move on. It’s the cooldown for my teleport spell, it’s going to be our contingency exit plan.”
“Clever, very well then.” Xaenth shrugged and moved to stand a little closer to the wall so that it was at his back.
I cast Life Sense and pressed my awareness into the shadows. There appeared to be nothing in the area that came up on my radar, but then again, we had come out here to hunt the undead. I was really going to need to come up with a way to sense the dead.
I closed my eyes, and the wait was on. Once I knew the cooldown had expired, I was up on my feet, and we gathered to roll out.
Xaenth led us into the cavern with all of the lava flows, we pointed toward where we had seen the vampire bats coming from and he nodded. “As I feared, that is where they had been coming from for our parties, as well. Come.”
We traversed the lava room easily enough, if not a little more uncomfortably than last time without the mobile spring rod. I would have to make another and find a way to power it since I wasn’t entirely sure why that one had become unstable.
Once we crossed the lava, Muu carrying the kid because he wore no shoes, we entered another cavern. This one was different, almost like a tunnel that led us onward. I pressed my awareness into the shadows around us and felt nothing other than spots of dampness on the floor that smelled like pennies. I stepped closer and took a knee next to the largest pool to confirm my initial thought.
Guard up, there’s a scent of blood in this place. I warned the others through our earrings.
I can’t smell anything over your oppressive stank. Yohsuke growled with his hand to his nose.
Shit, does that mean they can smell Zeke because he’s a werewolf? Balmur
’s curiosity carrying in his voice, despite the major blow to our cover that I was.
I’m not really sure, it could be that it’s worse since I’m standing a foot away from him, but if I can smell him, maybe he can smell me? The question confused me a little bit.
Yoh, are you suggesting I take a whiff of your vampire undeath in an attempt to hunt down others of your kind? I raised an eyebrow as I asked the question rhetorically. I knew the answer was yes.
Yeah, get in there and get a sniffle of them pits. Bokaj snorted, making James and Jaken chuckle quietly.
“We’re going to try something, so don’t freak out,” I warned Xaenth, who seemed nonplussed. I stepped over to Maebe and touched her shoulder. “I’m going to take my werewolf form, keep the kid quiet for me? I’m going to attempt to track them that way.”
“I think he will be brave enough to stay quiet, will you not, little one?” Maebe looked down toward the boy in the fading orange light of the lava behind us, and he nodded bravely. “He will be with me. Be safe, my love.”
I told Kayda to go and keep Jaken company as I walked toward the front of the group with Yohsuke. I focused my will on bringing the beast forward, taking the werewolf from within me, and bringing it to be me. I was the wolf.
I felt the change take place, easier than before, less conflicted than I had ever felt in the time since I had received the bite.
The shadows in the tunnel seemed a little less oppressive than they had before, my sense of smell taking over for some of the deficiency of my sight. I stepped toward Yohsuke, who stood still as I leaned down to take a huge huff of his scent in. Then promptly sneezed on his chest and face.
“Oh, you bastard!” He swore intensely in a low whisper. “I’ll fucking kick your ass.”
“You smell terrible,” I growled softly. His scent was that of everything around me dying, like a skunk puréed with rotten sage, pumice, mouse droppings in kitty litter, and vomit all rolled into one. It was everything I could do not to throw up then and there.
I turned away hurriedly and began to pace for the scent. Eventually, I found one, gagging violently because this one was somehow even worse than Yohsuke’s. I held a hand up and motioned for everyone to follow me as I moved forward.
I could almost see the scent I was tracking further into the tunnel. It wasn’t a meandering scent or even a linear one. It was all throughout the air, and since the creatures could fly, that made sense. It was more than a little disturbing, but it was true.
We followed the scent slowly, ensuring that nothing would come attack us from the depths of the void as we followed. I had to stop and rest after a while, all of us having a bite to eat except for Yohsuke, who kept watch for us.
While we sat and ate, a thought occurred to me. “Milnolian.”
The whispered word drained 159 MP from my mana, and the creature’s golden eyes opened before me, his typical panther form stalking from the shadows.
“My King?” He inclined his head respectfully.
“I have a task for you, someone to protect for a while, can you do that?” He lifted his nose into the air, inhaling deeply.
“Children.” He blinked and cocked his head. “Show them to me.”
“One of them is strong enough to stand a chance, but I’ll introduce them both to you.” I used the shadows around me to get Maebe’s attention and whispered, “Maebe, bring the boy here.”
She stepped closer with the drow in tow, I hated to call him Dirt, that seemed rude. Custom or not.
Send Fainnir to me. I ordered the others.
What do you say…? Muu retorted, and I cast a baleful glare in his direction, knowing he couldn’t see me.
Send. Him. To. Me. Now! I snarled in return.
Sounds like someone needs a tummy rub and his favorite squeaky toy. Bokaj chortled, and I heard someone snort out loud. All of us froze.
When nothing came hauling ass at us out of the darkness, we sighed in relief, and Fainnir made his way to me.
When both of them were there, I made the introductions. “Boys, this is Servant. He’s a Fae creature who I have asked to protect you while we fight. There’s no knowing what lies in store for the party, and we don’t want to risk you guys. So, Fainnir is going to assist in protecting you, young one, and Servant will protect you both.”
Fainnir looked like he was about to say something against it but took in the sight before him. The scared drow child, the watching Fae, and two of several people he looked up to.
“I’ll protect him, an’ I’ll get us information we can use.” He snapped his fingers and muttered something under his breath. Pebble shot from out of the ground.
“Fainnir,” The Elemental greeted warmly.
“Pebble, my friend.” Fainnir gave the Elemental a hug and clapped him on the shoulder. “I be needin’ a favor. Go to the end o’ our path here an’ see what ye can find. Return when you know what lays ahead, mind ye stay deep enough that ye can’t be sensed by magic, aye?”
“Your dialect,” the elemental tutted, but he nodded once and sank into the ground.
Fainnir smiled at us, then turned to the boy. “I don’t doubt ye know my kind and yer’s don’t be getting’ along, aye?”
The drow nodded, and Fainnir continued, “Good. I don’t know, ye. But I can tell tha’ yer different, and I’ll not be callin’ ye names, be they given or not. Yer me ward, now.” Servant sat next to the small drow and huffed slightly. “Our ward. And me ward’s gotta be havin’ a proper name.”
He seemed to think for a moment, scratching his head and coming up blank. He blinked up at Maebe, “Don’t suppose ye be knowin’ any strong elven names, Auntie? I can only think of dwarven names.”
“Your heart is in the right place, Fainnir—you sweet boy—but I think a name from you would mean more.” Maebe patted his head affectionately. Servants golden eyes blinked lazily at the exchange.
“Hmm.” Fainnir looked about. “Oh! Jafrik Darkskin, that’ll be a good one. Fine dwarven name, that.”
“Ya-frick?” The newly named drow child tested the sounds by saying the name how it sounded.
“Aye, I’ll learn ye to scribble it too, but that’ll be later.” Fainnir seemed to grow steadily more awkward as our gazes continued to rest on him, his cheeks reddening. “So, stay safe, and we can learn it.”
Fainnir made to move away, but Jafrik’s hand whipped out and tugged on the dwarf’s sleeve. When Fainnir glanced back, Jafrik whispered, “Thank you.”
Fainnir frowned to himself and nodded before he turned and walked off. Once he had walked off to a good distance, Fainnir sat down and sat like he had when he was meditating.
“You do seem to attract the oddest creatures, Majesty,” Servant observed softly, startling me and making Jafrik turn to stare at the Fae creature dumbfounded. “Yes, I speak. I do many things, but I will protect you so long as my King requires. Stay near to me, child.”
“We’re moving out.” I kissed Maebe on the cheek, and she touched mine with her hand. “Let’s get this underway, then.”
“Be strong and swift, my King.” Her proud smile made me grin boyishly as I summoned the werewolf within me to the surface. We moved further on into the tunnel from there, the scent leading the way.
***
Hold up! Balmur called to us all. I froze where I was. Pebble returned just now, and it seems to him like this is a feeder tunnel to a larger one up ahead that leads into a small cavern with a densely built structure of mostly metal.
We’d only been traveling for about fifteen minutes by this point, and knowing that we were closer now was a relief. Does he know what kind of metal?
Steel. The simple reply almost made me curse out loud.
Steel was an alloy with iron, and iron was poisonous to the Fae. That meant Maebe would be staying outside with Servant. And the boys, because there was no way we would be taking them into there with us with so many variables.
We stop and plan before we get to the main tunnel then, and so close to the
base, there’s bound to be traps. Yohsuke sighed. That’s some shit, man. Steel. Fuck.
I heard Fainnir grumbling. “I’d be havin’ patrols all up and down this tunnel if’n it were me runnin’ thin’s.” Pebble smacked his arm and motioned broadly, and the dwarf just shook his head. “It’s true, an’ you know it. Minin’ tunnels at the bottoms of our shafts are trapped up to the beard, and we’ve seen not one guard? Lazy, it is.”
That was a fair bit of reasoning… the place was probably trapped to shit then. That or the vampires weren’t worried about being found. Either way, that wasn’t good.
We gathered around each other, and Balmur had Pebble explain his findings.
Maebe wasn’t pleased in the slightest, and the boys either.
“Ye can’t leave us behind!” Fainnir insisted emphatically. “What if ye need us?”
“Then we will have to do without.” Muu shrugged, and put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re the man of the house now, Fainnir.”
“Dude, so not the time for that kind of speech.” James threw his hands into the air.
“Hey, focus up,” Jaken said to the two of them. His arms crossed over his chest as he thought. “They’ll know we’re here as soon as Zeke is in the cavern if they don’t already. But what we do need is eyes on the outside. Fainnir and Jafrik will stay with Maebe and Servant so that they can keep anything outside from coming inside. Jafrik, you know how to fight?”
The drow shook his head. Bokaj stepped over and looked him over before taking him to the side of the group and speaking to him alone for a bit.
“Maebe, you gonna be okay out here on your own with them?” I watched her as she thought.
“I have to be. Going into that place would leave me vulnerable.” She lifted her head. “Nothing will happen to the boys, and nothing will come in after you.”
“Thank you, baby.” I butted my head against the top of hers affectionately.
“Yes, yes, you cuddly fox.” She sighed dramatically, casting her eyes up at me. “But you had all better be safe in there.”
Into the Darkness: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Axe Druid Book 4) Page 55
