by TJ Reynolds
Darkness surrounded everything, and all was quiet and cool and comforting as a river stone held in the palm of his hand.
The soft and flickering glow of torchlight filled a chamber far away. Ether permeated the space as well, a constant blue haze coloring everything before him. And there was much to behold.
All around him, mounds of treasure rose and fell.
Glittering piles of coin topped chests of jewelry and ornate suits of armor. It was enough to buy a kingdom, but what held Kai fixated in place was the man who stood amid the riches.
His hair was long and held back from his face in braids, his skin the deep gold of Hintar. The man’s eyes shone amber in the torch light, reflecting back at him, pupils split up the middle like a cat’s.
Holding out a hand, the man spoke to his companion. “Come, you must go. We both must. Time only flows one way, my dear.”
Stepping into his view, a woman in gleaming armor moved to embrace the man. Her fiery hair burned bright against the white of her skin, and she buried her face into the man’s neck. “I know, Trien, I know. I love you now and always. And I’m so s—”
“Please. No more apologies. You’re not your country. In all ways have you proven that. Promise me only that you’ll try to escape … both of you.”
When the man pushed her away, his hand touched the woman’s belly. A faint smile touched his lips before his body began to shift.
Kai’s mother stepped back as the dragon took his more glorious form. No longer a handsome man in rich robes, but a scaled beast of immense size, he loomed above her. His shape was like those of the many dragons painted in Ban’s book, yet seemed more elegant, long and graceful in his limbs and wings with a proud chest.
Elegant and deadly, the dragon grew until his horned crown nearly touched the chamber’s ceiling.
In his mind, as well as his mother’s, he spoke once more. Our child may mean the return of all that will be lost. Flee these mountains and move only at night. Any who know you carry my child, will end you on sight. Goodbye, Athol, my love. I’ll hold you in my heart forever.
With that final promise, the beast leapt upward and out a gaping hole in the side of the mountain. Wings surging, the dragon rose into the night sky, and even as the last of his scales disappeared from sight, Kai noted their endless variety of color. It was not an azure dragon, nor a crimson one.
This dragon, his father, was of every color.
Pain wracked Kai’s body once more, and he flailed his arms, as if by reaching out, he could hold onto just a scrap of the vision he’d seen. It fled his mind though, and he found himself instead back in a cool grotto, a mild stream running through its middle. Rhona was there, clutching his body from behind so he wouldn’t fall.
He looked and saw recognition in her eyes. She was here with him, in his mind or in another realm, he didn’t know. But Rhona Bloodspar stood with him.
A shimmering figure formed before both of them. Briga, as potent a beauty as ever. Her eyes burned with a light more pure and more pervasive than the gold of his most recent ascension. When she spoke, the same light poured from her mouth. “Kaius Unterinan, son of Trien Unterinan, you have been called by the Fundament.”
The goddess was strange to look upon. No longer a single face, but many moved below the mask of one. Kai saw other men and women there, including the bearded smile of Andag and the burning eyes of Yugos.
He saw a woman with slanted eyes and windswept hair. Another whose skin gleamed black as oiled coal. All of them spoke through Briga, and each of their elements poured into the pristine light of her eyes.
He felt his body shudder, Rhona’s arms clutching him tighter than ever. Facing Rhona, one of the faces emerged, a metallic face that was featureless and inhuman. The goddess spoke to the warrior directly. “You have found your place in the world, Bloodspar. You serve me, Sheerda, the 8th god. As punishment for your father’s sins and reward for your own conviction, you’ve been given this task. Do not doubt your heart, Rhona, or all will be lost.”
Shifting into Briga’s familiar form once more, the godhead continued their challenge. “No choice of affinity shall be granted to you, Kaius. Instead, you will serve all. The seven below with the eighth beside you, you are the Fundamental Dragon. Wake now and learn your powers. They will be needed soon enough.”
Then it collapsed, the place they’d been seemed to fall in on itself, the water of the stream splashing over him and the stone crashing into his body.
Kai woke, inside the small chamber once more. He stared up at the flame-lit stone. He was naked, his body coated in filth and sweat.
He could feel Rhona panting behind and beneath him. Somehow, he’d sprawled backward, and she’d caught him before he struck his head on the stone. Kai looked up into her blue eyes and they stared at each other for several long moments.
Not knowing what else to say, Kai lay there in her arms until the strength returned to his body. He was not ashamed of his nakedness, for she had been there when his soul was laid bare. And as the quaking in his muscles abated, he sat up at last, allowing Rhona to recover. Bunyips tumbled into the chamber with them, and even while they ministered to his shaken body, Kai held Rhona’s gaze.
They knew each other now and the role they’d both have to play. Terrified and shaken to their cores, they both understood there was no going back.
38
Wearing the Wolf Skin
Kai
As the odd series of experiences faded, Kai allowed himself once more to become self-conscious. Not only was a woman of unparalleled beauty sitting a few feet away from his naked body, but he was also covered in the filth of ascension.
The bunyips scuttled in and out of the room. At first, he’d tried to push them away, but they were persistent. With the flat edges of small stones, the creatures scraped his body clean. Then they rubbed him down from head to foot in more of the blue-green algae.
This proved to be the strangest ritual yet, though one that was practical in every sense. Ridding oneself of filth, especially in such a cramped and untidy place, seemed impossible. And yet, when it was done, Kai found himself feeling fresh and prepared for the rest of their journey.
His clothes back on, Kai called out to Rhona. There was too much between them now to ignore. He needed to discuss with her what they’d both seen.
“Ban told me of the Fundament. It’s the accumulation of all the gods. The ninth god is all of them put together. But what can that mean if I’m supposed to be the Fundamental Dragon? And… and are you the eighth? Do you know something I don’t, Rhona? Because I’m very confused.”
Rhona laughed softly, shaking her head. She swiveled around from where she sat and faced him. “Fair enough, but why don’t you tell me about who, or what, you really are. Then I’ll tell you everything I know. Promise.”
Kai sighed, wishing Ban were here to help him explain. He worried how the Earth Core was doing and hoped he might return soon. How long Ban had to wait before summoning a new champion was just one more thing Kai didn’t know.
Shrugging at last, he decided to go with stark honesty. After a woman shares a god-filled vision with you and holds your naked body, what’s the point of lying?
“I’m a dragon, Rhona. Half dragon at least. And if my vision was correct,” Kai said, “I just saw what my father looked like before he died. My mother was a Brintoshi soldier, and I believe she fell in love with him during the war.” Kai rubbed the back of his neck. “I went into Ban’s dungeon on little more than a dare and the insistence of my own pride. Inside, I found his shivvered core and cut myself trying to pick up his shards. I healed Ban’s core with my blood. It worked because I’m a dragon. I never suspected I was anything more than a half-blooded Hintari bastard. Other than that, I know very little about what Briga just said.”
The way in which Rhona accepted this information showed more about her character than almost anything else he’d seen. She chewed her lip pensively before answering. “Okay, that makes more sense t
han you just having some special ability.”
Rhona looked up and met his curious gaze with a sigh. “What I didn’t tell you was that I’ve had visions myself. Visions that told me I was the 8th and that I’d fight alongside the 9th. And, if you’ll believe me, that I was to open the eyes of the mountain.” She shook her head. “I wonder if the dungeons are the eyes I was told about. I don’t know if there’s any way to find out, but I believe we are to be working together. My goal is to warn Hintar and stop a war, if possible. Yours appears to be to waken and heal the shivvered dungeons.” She took his hand in her own calloused palm. “Maybe those two tasks are one and the same.”
The two continued to talk for a time, sharing more of their past lives and motivations than before. It wasn’t as if they had all the time in the world, but Kai was still recovering from his ascension.
All too soon, however, they felt the pressure of their mission settle on them once more. When a bunyip hesitantly approached them with news that their clan leader desired an audience, they agreed to follow.
“Thank you for allowing us a chance to rest,” Rhona greeted the old bunyip, sitting down on a short stone, looking almost comfortable as she wrapped her arms around her knees. Kai felt less graceful as he tried to do the same but was still glad to sit. He didn’t want to crouch any longer, not if he could help it.
“A pleasure.” The old bunyip nodded. “My name is Shenri. I am clan leader. We are pleased to have guests but are also worried about the reactions of the baliska. You were lucky to have killed the guards long before their shift change was due, but I fear more will come within a few hours.”
Rhona spoke again, her eyes filled with a touch of the fervor she’d displayed upon finding the captives. “If you’re here against your will, you and your people are welcome to come with us, Shenri. We’re headed deeper in the dungeon to heal its core, but we can and will protect you.”
“There are many more baliska in the tunnels. You killed only a few.” The leader shook his head. “If we leave, they will slaughter many of us. As it is, we stay here in relative safety, and the eldest among us offer themselves up each month. Our numbers have dwindled, for the baliskas are always hungry, but we can at least live on.”
Rhona’s teeth ground together audibly, and she heaved a massive sigh in frustration. Rage threatened to consume her, but she was disciplined and pushed it back down. Soon, she mastered herself again. “Shenri, please don’t tell me you offer yourselves to the baliskas as food?”
“Of course. What other purpose could we possibly serve them?” A weary smile curled his lips. “They are powerful and numerous enough to kill us all in a few bloody moments. We have no choice.” He looked unseeing beyond the cavern. “Our tribe did not always live in this dungeon, but had caves closer to the mountains. The baliska range far to feed their horde, however, and when they found they had a taste for bunyip, they came in force and carried us away as prisoners. I am one of only a few remaining who remember life before this dungeon.”
The leader spoke with a calm resolve that disturbed Kai.
Speaking of their lot in life as livestock stirred little passion within the creature. But if he’d seen countless of his loved ones treated the same way, and retained only the power to keep everyone calm, he might do the same.
Rhona was having a harder time accepting their position. “Can you tell us anything about the baliska? How can we find their leaders? And if we kill them all, will you leave then?”
Shenri smiled. “Of course. We have no love of this cave. There is but a trickle of water and barely enough mushrooms to keep us alive, though not strong. Already, our young grow short and thin.”
Kai frowned but stayed silent.
“The baliska are strong,” Shenri continued. “The guards aren’t as powerful as those who live deeper within, though their weapons are sharp. We know little of the dungeon itself, other than that it is in the depths where the strongest baliska live. But I do know that every bunyip that leaves is taken down the right tunnel. Only guards come and go to the left.”
Rhona considered the comment, her face quirking up in an adorable way. Kai shook the thought away. Distractions wouldn’t be helpful. The woman asked, “To the right? So back the way that we came from?”
A few bunyips whispered behind them and Shenri nodded. “Yes, we keep a guard at the door to alert us when the baliska come for their offering. Time is hard to measure here, after all. Sarden saw you come around the corner from the right tunnel. You must go back that way if you are to find the leaders of the baliska.”
Rhona nodded. “I’ll do this for you, Shenri. You have my word.”
The bunyip held his fist to his chest again and Kai saluted back alongside Rhona.
Then they were being escorted out again, meandering through low passages back out into the chamber where the six guards lay dead and Honor fidgeted nervously.
Shenri called out once more, urging a smaller bunyip forward. “Please, take this and spread it on your bodies. It will help you with your encounters.”
The half-sized bunyip brought an upturned mushroom cap forward, filled with a pile of the glowing blue algae.
“Sometimes the baliska want to eat our young. The meat is more tender they say,” the old bunyip snorted, “so we have learned to hide them by spreading the algae over their bodies. It is not a perfect method, but it disrupts their sense of smell. At the very least, it’ll confuse them when you come.”
Kai spoke next, wanting to make his gratitude known. “Thank you, Shenri. It’s surprising you have remained so kind, despite your mistreatment. We won’t forget you when we finish our task.” He smiled and bowed to the elder. “Hopefully, you’ll know when we succeed. The dungeon will wake, and its power should be obvious to all within.”
Shenri smiled, and though the bunyip’s features were too foreign for Kai to interpret easily, he thought he saw a look of sadness in his eyes. “I’ll tell you this much as well. Once when I was younger, the bunyips tried to attack the guards who opened the door. We managed to kill three of the baliska, but rather than slaughter us all, a group of us were taken down far below. I can’t remember the way, but it was deep within the dungeon.”
The clan leader shuddered. “They showed us their leader, their god. The baliska you have seen are only reflections of the great beast they serve. He is called Terrinore, and I will never forget my fright at seeing him. He is a true basilisk, which in turn is but an imitation of the dragons who came before. Sadly, there are no dragons left to defy him.”
The leader paused, and held Rhona’s hand a moment, looking into her eyes. “We would not think you cowards if you were to turn away now. It might be your only chance of escaping this place.”
Then, in an act as heartbreaking as it was predictable, the little creatures backed away into their caves and pulled the door closed. It wasn’t locked of course, but they remained as bound as surely as if it were.
Rhona didn’t speak, but Kai could see the guilt consuming her.
To break the tension, Kai kneeled before the mushroom they’d been given, and began to smear the algae across his boots, clothing and armor. Considering his body was already coated in the stuff, he did so mostly to prompt Rhona out of her reverie. He even rubbed a bit of the stuff on the shaft and blade of his glaive.
Watching him for a time, Rhona seemed to draw strength from his resolve, and knelt to do the same. After she had coated herself and her clothes, together, they adorned Honor’s body as well. The image of Ban disappearing into the Crocodeel’s mouth flitted through Kai’s mind again, and he shuddered. He only hoped his friend was okay. No doubt, he was digging around in the depths of his own dungeon, upgrading things as he saw fit.
Or so Kai hoped.
When they’d finished smearing themselves in the caustic algae, Kai blinked against the fumes that burned his eyes. It wasn’t painful, but reminded him of how, when alcohol touches the skin, it evaporates almost instantly. With the algae, though, the sensation
didn’t seem to end.
Kai looked at Rhona, her face and lips glowing a pale blue, and thought her the strangest and most beautiful of creatures. His eyes flicked to her lips again, and for a moment, he thought she might have caught him staring.
As if to confirm his suspicion, the woman winked and gave him a wry smile. He produced a weak smile in return and sputtered out a flustered, “Ready to go?”
Rhona’s features hardened once more as she answered. “Yes. We’ve got a basilisk boss monster to kill,” she growled. “And I don’t care how powerful it is, we aren’t leaving here until it lies twitching on the ground before us, dead.”
For perhaps the hundredth time since meeting Rhona, Kai pondered exactly how much he should fear the woman. She was not a person to trifle with. He was more than a little grateful she was on his side.
They trod the same path now. Though he was still coming to know the woman, he trusted her heart and trusted in the strength of her unwavering resolve.
Kai wanted to push on. He knew they’d wasted plenty of time on his ascension already. However, there was little point in ascending, if he didn’t make use of it. Holding up a hand, he called out to his companions. “Hold on just a moment. I still need to assign my Attribute Points, if you don’t mind. Also, I am curious to see what my Elemental Affinity is. I’m still confused by Briga’s words and want to see if I can find any clues in my Etheric Interface.”
Rhona agreed, of course, and went ahead with Honor to keep watch on the tunnels. He closed his eyes, and while still standing, dove into his EI.
___
Family Name: Kaius Unterinan
Alias: Kai
Level: Golden 1
Elemental Affinity: Lumen
Accolades:
Core Mender
Attributes:
Strength - 12 = Base 11 (+1)
