Tower of Ancients

by Jaeger Mitchells

  “And why the fuck do you speak as a Human would? You don’t sound like an animal or a monster at all.”

  It chuckled in my mind as it shook its head slightly.

  “It’s not that hard to explain. See, we communicate mentally. Your mind interprets how it wants to perceive what I say. Sometimes two different people will have different interpretations, but the meaning is usually the same. And besides, after talking to Dimas for a couple of times now I’ve come to understand the way you speak more than you might imagine.”

  Ugh, Dimas again and his out of character things. Just what did the two have in common for them to spend so much time together?

  “Whatever. If you can catch up, you’re free to come after me once you’re done. If not, stay and help them.”

  It nodded its head and pulled back its massive body, disappearing into the hole before I could say anything else. Rohan rode up to me, a shocked expression painted on his face.

  “You can really—you know, communicate with it?” he asked bewildered.

  “Yeah, I can. Get a move on. We don’t have all the time in the world,” I snapped.

  “Yes, Lord Raziel,” he replied hurriedly and turned his horse back around. What a strange world and time to be alive where ordinary people could talk to gigantic monsters. Shit, who knew what the times had been like long ago when Dragons were the most ordinary thing and even bigger Titans roamed the continent?

  We rode on for half a day until we were finally clear of the valley and grasslands. He looked exhausted so we stopped near a small stream to take a break and water the horses. Rohan sat down on a piece of rock and chewed at a piece of dried meat which he held in one hand, and a piece of cheese and bread in the other. I remained quiet and distanced myself from him, giving the man some space for himself and used the time to scout the area.

  To the East was forest as far as the eye could see, which was also where the stream disappeared into, while to the North terrain was more rugged and would slow us down some. That much was clear. The West was all craggy and mountain ranges. What a strange turning point.

  I moved back to where I left Rohan and the horses, only to find him asleep. I was away for about three hours, so he must have had enough shut-eye if he was smart.

  “Get up,” I growled as I got up on my horse. He stirred, moved on his side but didn’t wake up. “Rohan!” I snapped. His horse looked up at me and slammed a couple of times against the ground with its hooves.

  “W-what? Yeah—I’m awake, sorry,” he murmured, wiping the drool off his chin and cheek. He pushed himself off the grass and stretched, took out a flask of water, splashed some on his face, and got up on his horse.

  “How far do we have to go? We’ve made some decent time earlier.”

  “I think we could make it in a day or so. Maybe even earlier if they already set out to come get their tribute. They’re pretty slow, so I guess what we did earlier in half a day would take them two at least.”

  I nodded and looked around, feeling as if someone was watching us. I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath, concentrating on my hearing and trying to feel if anything was out there, but it must have been my imagination.

  “Let’s move. I have a strange feeling about this area.”

  “You got good eyes, Lord Raziel. This here is where they set up camp last time. And do you see that ridge over there? We need to go through there in order to get to their lands.”

  “Can we use horses?”

  “I could use one a couple of days ago before you saw me back at the camp.”

  He spat and crossed himself. The fool, no God was going to save him, not now, and not ever. From everything we knew, they already bit the dust.

  “And there is no other way past us?”

  “No, my Lord. That’s the only one I know of. Unless they can dig tunnels, we won’t miss them.”

  I nodded thoughtfully. The land wasn’t suited for horseback from what I could have seen earlier, but it was a good choice for me at least. The ridge was all craggy and would make it for a troublesome walk.

  “Lead the way,” I finally said after a long moment of deliberation. “I want to fight them there if possible.”

  “Yes, my Lord,” Rohan replied weakly and spurred his horse on. I followed nervously, having no idea what we would be dealing with other than from the stories I heard.

  The next four hours were the most tedious both on us and on the horses. They rested three times, every time drinking from the same stream as we kept moving through the craggy area. The place became more and more claustrophobic for some strange reason, almost as if I were stuffed into a small cavern without a way to get out.

  It became clear why this place wasn’t frequented moments later when a heap of stone started moving and merged to form a towering creature. Rohan stopped and put his hand up balled in a fist. Knowing we used basically the same sign for stopping, I halted my horse and quieted him as we pulled up next to the man.

  “What’s that?” I asked curiously, never having seen anything similar. Rock that moved and merged into one as if it didn’t weigh anything.

  “We’ve heard from them before when our—when he was still alive. He’s always been going alone out to trade with a couple of subordinates who were extremely loyal to him, but in one of his last travels, he came upon them and inquired about the things at his destination. They called the things Stone Golems.”

  “Are they alive? Or is it magic?”

  He shrugged his shoulders.

  “I have no idea. The people there apparently thought it was a magical curse cast on the world where certain types of stone just come to life. But that’s superstition, then we would have them in the quarry as well.”

  I grinned, quite interested in the mechanic behind the creatures. If I could tame or destroy the thing, I would have learned something new already and that would have made this trip already worth it. After all, I had an appetite for knowledge, especially when it came to newly discovered creatures.

  “Over there,” I said, pointing at a particularly steep ridge. There was a rock formation much larger than the towering Stone Golem that could hide ten men riding on horseback. “You’ll hide over there along with the horses. I want to try fighting this thing.”

  “W-what? Are you in—you’re not serious about this, right?” Rohan protested. I grinned and handed off the reins to him just as something resounded from further up.

  “Shit! They’re here!” Rohan cried out, attracting the Stone Golem. He snapped his mouth shut, but it was already too late. The first of the Gray-Greenish Trolls came into view as they jumped down a steep cliff, landing in a heap and slowly started to rise again as its mangled body reformed over the next seconds.

  The Golem stopped and turned back to face the newcomers who got to their feet one by one. Massive war-clubs lay strewn around them on the ground after not being able to hold on to them from the fall.

  It was an almost comical sight as they crawled all over the place, pushing themselves up onto their arms and finally their feet. The audible crunching of their bones could be heard, even from over a hundred feet away from where I stood beside my horse. Their low but shrill voices started echoing from far enough to keep the Golem occupied.

  “What the fuck are these things?” I cursed. “It really seems that they can’t die from ordinary wounds and blunt damage, huh?”

  “No! I told you but you wouldn’t believe me!” Rohan panicked. “Can I—hide now?”

  I nodded, but not before I picked a couple of vials from the saddle’s side pockets, then thought about a different approach. I pulled the saddle off and rushed toward a broken piece of rock, hiding the saddle inside a large.

  “Shit, how many of those things are there?” I cursed, counting seventeen so far. Four still lay around not moving, but I saw they weren’t dead yet and decided to change that. Taking a deep breath, I launched myself at the group with a plan in mind.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The first flask hit t
he group of rolling Trolls dead center. A bright, blue and red light erupted from the tiny container and engulfed the targets. Their leathery skin started melting right away, releasing a strong, dark smoky substance. It stank to high heavens, but I didn’t care. Then, for some strange reason, the rest of the Trolls lunged down the cliff all at once. There were eleven of them lying on a heap. Now, I wasn’t someone who used a situation to kick a downed enemy, but this time everything was different.

  I darted past the Trolls who arrayed themselves to face me, threw one of the two remaining vials, and darted up the cliff, hanging by my claw. New, brilliant light erupted from the second bomb as the right group of the Trolls caught flame, but the left side hadn’t. I cursed and jumped over the remainder and hit the second half of the group.

  The Stone Golem was already in spitting distance by the time I jumped back down and assessed the situation. Thirteen Trolls stood to one side, watching on as their kinsmen burned alive, releasing all kinds of fumes and cries as their bodies tried to regenerate. Unfortunately for them, the flames turned out to be much more than they could handle.

  I jumped back and far out of range, observing the remaining Trolls and the Stone Golem. The group started moving strangely before they charged and started beating the rocky creature with mostly wooden and bone clubs. Splinters peppered the area and the Golem staggered backward from the number of blows in such a short amount of time, but then he lashed out with his right arm that consisted out of five pieces of jagged rock.

  Four Trolls were sent on their backs and two more with the left swipe, but the remaining seven hurried to close the distance and started hammering down on its legs. The right leg fell apart, forcing it to stand on only one. That was when I knew I had to join in, no matter what.

  I hurried back to where I left the saddle and hurriedly grabbed three more vials.

  “They can really die, huh?” Rohan whispered, peeking out from behind cover, most likely afraid of being overheard.

  “Sure they can. Nothing is immortal,” I laughed, turned back, and left him to his miserable self. Four Trolls were still standing when I got back, but the ones the Golem knocked out earlier were already up and closing in again.

  “Hey! Over here!” I screamed, trying to draw their attention. Now, from what I’d seen so far, the Trolls were dumb as shit and acted like a herd, more or less. The Golem acted on sound from what I’d seen so far, so he was much easier to deal with eventually.

  They all turned around and stopped fighting for a moment, cocking their heads and letting out low, gurgling sounds. The Golem looked around as if searching for something, and then as if through magic, the boulders came rolling over to him, attaching themselves to his hip and forming a leg that reattached itself again.

  “Hah! Seems I was right for sending them ahead!” a gritty, high-pitched voice laughed from overhead. I looked up to the top of the cliff only to see another type of Troll. This one had a brownish-red skin, was much bulkier and larger than the ones who stood there still looking at me strangely.

  “Are you one of them as well? A Land Troll?” I asked, turning toward the newcomer. He pulled a sort of wooden battle-staff from behind his back and slammed it against the ground. Earth started crumbling beneath our feet and vines appeared out of nowhere along with veins of pure rock. They shot out toward me, trying to trap my body so it couldn’t move. At least I knew he was an enemy now.

  “What do you think, Human? You’re much too weak to take on my brethren without those bombs of yours! Let me show you what a real Shaman can do!”

  So he was a Shaman. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but looking at what he had to offer so far, he was a magic-user. Just what kind of powers he possessed wasn’t known to me, at least not yet. I doubted Rohan knew any better so I wasn’t about to reveal where the idiot was.

  The Golem charged the group of Trolls as I jumped out of the way and pushed off with my legs, launching myself up into the air. New tendrils shot out from the Cliffside and charged right at me. I grabbed hold of one and propelled myself right at the Shaman.

  “I’m not a Human, you stupid creature!” I growled as I flew straight at him. My claws flashed against what looked like a magical domed shield that surrounded him. The blast threw me fifty feet back, dropping down the hundred-foot tall cliff. My body slammed against the hard, rocky ground, armor scraping against jagged rock.

  “What did you just say?” the Shaman laughed as he slammed the staff against the ground for the second time. I drew my blade in response and met the oncoming rock and vines. The Mithrill blade sliced clean through everything as the material had a light magic canceling effect. It was especially effective against such opponents.

  I shot up again to meet the Shaman just as the Golem dropped its gigantic body across six of the Trolls, flattening them. They let out deafening cries that echoed throughout the area, but they weren’t dead yet. I could see them try to push the Golem off their bodies. Shit, these things would really be a handful without the magical fire.

  The Shaman grinned as I approached, taking the staff with both hands and swung it right at me. A blast wave erupted from the staff, but I managed to cut through it with my blade, nullifying it. Holding up my shield, I rammed it right against his dome. It cracked, exploded, and sent me flying off to the right. I landed on both feet and lunged at the Shaman from his side, slashing right across his back.

  “Give up or I’ll kill you!” I hissed and I plunged my blade through his right shoulder, dislocating it. The Shaman bared his teeth as he dropped the staff, not able to hold it with a single hand.

  “Cursed creature! What are you?” the Shaman cried. “I’ve never seen anything like you!”

  “I’m a Vampire! An Undead of the highest order!”

  With that, my nature took over. I pulled him in closer and bit down on his arm, my fangs barely able to penetrate the tough outer layer. It spun around and slammed a meaty fist right against my forehead, knocking me back a few steps. The staff rose and started spinning around him, swirling in circles.

  A sudden mist appeared around us along with the crackling of lightning. It wasn’t so thick one couldn’t see through, but the air became damp. I cursed just as crackle resounded above me, not able to dodge the thunderbolt that struck me. It sent waves of pain through my body, causing pain that felt as if all my insides were fried once the current stopped passing through me.

  I gasped for air and dropped to my knees, trying to breathe but the mist found its way into my mouth, choking me. Without anything else I could do, I pushed off and hurled myself down the cliff for the second time. My body hit a sharp piece of stone and kept rolling until I got stuck against a large boulder. The so carefully polished and kept armor was full of dents and scratches. I bared my fangs as I pushed off the ground and got up as all my cracked bones reset and wounds healed.

  “How are you—?” the Shaman started to ask but then stopped, coughed violently, and threw up blood. He dropped to his knees and almost face-planted but caught himself on his hands at the last moment. I used this to my advantage and lunged back up onto the cliff. The mist was already dissipating and mostly gone as I landed in front of him, my blade out and pointed at his neck.

  “Who the fuck are you people and why do you keep taking Humans from the encampment down the forest?”

  “Heh, you’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” the Shaman laughed as blood trickled down his chin. The red liquid was all over his face and got stuck between his brownish teeth.

  “Speak or I’ll end you right here and now,” I growled, the pain finally evaporating. The thunderbolt really was something. It was the strongest attack of its type that I’d ever got struck with up until now. I shook my arms and cracked my neck, trying to give the Shaman an opening, but he didn’t take it. He must have really been in a bad state. Overuse of magic could lead as much to death as damage to the body when it came to magic users. Still, Trolls were an unknown so I might have been wrong there.

  “I’m—a
bout to die anyway so do what you want!”

  I let out a deep sigh and sat beside him, trying a different approach.

  “Please, I don’t wish to kill any sapient creatures without reason. Why do you keep taking more Humans every year?”

  He looked away and spat a wad of blood. The flower disintegrated on contact. Shit, was he poisonous from the inside?

  “They will come for you next, and for everyone else!”

  “They?”

  He nodded his head slowly.

  “The Blight are some strange kind of—creatures that land with big floating, metallic ships and fight us every twenty years. That’s why we need more people to fight them! They just come here, kill some of us and leave!”

  “Who are the Blight?” I asked calmly. I never heard of such a way to transport an army. Metallic ships that descend from the sky? It was a bit much to take in, but I’d seen stranger things.

  “We don’t know,” the Shaman croaked as he spat again. He didn’t seem very well despite not getting wounded on the outside, but who knew what had happened to him? The thunderbolt was quite something to behold.

  “Do you want me to heal you? Do you want me to save your life?”

  He looked up at me and squinted his eyes as if searching for any sign on my face I might be trying to trick him.

  “What do you have from it?”

  “A possible ally? Someone who owes me? Take your pick.”

  He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the rocky ground. His ears finally became visible and they were quite small for such a large head, slightly triangular shaped and pointy on all sides.

  “What about my brethren fighting the Stone Golem? Will they live as well?”

  I nodded.

  “I’ll help them kill the stone creature as long as you pull them back to where you came from. But only after telling me whatever I want to know.”

  He nodded his head pretty quickly, obviously wishing to walk away with his life.

  “Please. All my magical power is gone, used up on you earlier. It’s hurting my organs,” he wheezed, the pain seemingly becoming too much. I walked over to him and slit my wrist, then held it above his mouth. He protested but drank it once there was too much of it in his mouth. It took him only half a minute before his body started regenerating, even expanding in some places.