by TJ Reynolds
“Danger is a soldier’s business,” Roarke mumbled. His voice was subdued, almost as if he were disappointed. “Just seems ill that better men get to decide whether we take the risk and who benefits from the reward.”
One of the soldiers stood up, tossing a bit of tendon into the fire. He bowed slightly and offered, “Sergeant Pines, would it be possible just to take a peek? I mean, we are one of the Guard’s scouting parties.”
Pines stood as well, an aura of authority in his posture that made the troops grow quiet. “It might’ve been a good idea, but I’m sorry. We were told to ‘encounter the dungeon’ not to destroy it. Those were our orders.”
Ban entertained some degree of comfort until he noted the gleam in Roarke’s eyes. “Encounter?” he asked. “Why, we haven’t encountered the dungeon until we head on in. Maybe we could encounter it, kill the monsters inside, and share the loot amongst ourselves, but not shivver the Earth Core? That sounds like following orders, to me. Besides, I know a man of your strength could manage a low-level dungeon like this.”
The amount of sheer ridicule laced in the statement made Ban recoil. How dare that man suggest I wasn’t a threat. I may be young, but I’m practically roiling with violent intention. I could kill twice their number, he huffed, especially if Kai were here to back me up. Rhona could take half of them on her own!
But despite his bravado, the Earth Core hoped better judgement would sway the men to obey and delay their invasion. Then, perhaps, Kai might return and sneak inside.
With his dragon within the dungeon once more, Ban could wall off his entrance again. The soldiers would need to burrow in through walls of stone to get inside, and by the time they achieved such a goal, Ban could make an exit somewhere on the backside of the mountain for them to make their escape.
But Ban could not easily estimate the greed men hold so willingly in their hearts.
Sergeant Pines grinned ruefully, glancing over the platoon of soldiers.
They stared back, eager, and hopeful.
The fire crackled patiently in their midst, making for an exceptionally dramatic pause.
When the leader spoke again, his voice had filled with gravel. “We’ll need sleep, then, as much as we can get. There’s only five or so more hours till first light, and we’ll need to post a rotating guard. Make sure you all get in your bed rolls as quick as possible, for on the morrow, we head inside. It’s time we ‘encounter’ us a proper dungeon.”
The soldiers sent up a cheer, and Ban watched, horrified, as a flagon of what he assumed was ale or mead or spirits was passed between them.
He didn’t know what that was exactly, just some liquid that would allow the soldiers to fall asleep faster so they might wake up in the morning, refreshed, and enact their greed upon him.
Ban assumed the soldiers fell asleep with smiles on their faces, violence flitting through their base minds. He had already retreated within his chambers, frantically improving upon his design in any way possible.
The next morning, for the second time in his short life, Ban would fight for survival.
40
When Deep Calls
Kai
Honor stood well behind them. The horse was the most conspicuous of them by a good measure, and had he come clomping out, even Kai’s enhanced shadow spell might not have been enough to obscure their position.
If the warhorse hadn’t still been ambling slowly behind them, still concealed by the turn in the tunnel, the clack of his hooves still dampened by the spell, they would surely have been discovered.
Kai and Rhona stood rigid and terrified as they were examined by the towering guard, this baliska a solid eight feet tall.
The creature thumped the haft of its spear on the ground a few times, a movement that had the distinct repetition and mindlessness of a well-worn habit. It turned back to its fellows and they could hear it speak in measured tones. “I thought I heard something. Reelten, Shogh, go and make sure all is well in the passages. If you don’t see anything, head up to the bunyip pit. They’ll need relief soon anyhow.”
Kai began retreating as quickly as he could, Rhona following suit.
Two guards, shorter and seemingly lower-ranking, fell into a jog, heading straight towards them.
Kai managed to reach Honor first, and though the horse was adorned with the algae, his sheer bulk made him a more likely target. If the guards passed by in such close proximity, it was unlikely they would fail to detect the horse.
So it was that Kai and Rhona led Honor back up the passage as quickly as possible. The baliska guards followed behind them, the heavy pounding of their feet covering up all sounds of the party’s retreat.
After they’d gone far enough to avoid alerting the main guard, Rhona spun around, and hissed in Kai’s ear. “Take Honor another dozen feet, drop his reins to the ground, then return. We’ll have to take these two out, silently, if possible.”
For Kai, trusting Rhona had become second nature; she knew what she was doing.
He ran with Honor for several more paces, then sent the horse on with a pat to his rump. The shroud was wide enough that it easily choked off the whole tunnel and spread between him and Rhona.
When he looked back, he couldn’t see any of the billowy black smoke, though. He only noticed that Rhona was nowhere to be seen, even though she was most likely still pressed against the wall where he’d left her.
He sighed in relief. He’d been unsure of how the spell would continue to function without him standing beside her.
Kai turned just in time to see the two baliska guards clomping up the tunnel. These larger versions of the creatures were no longer lithe, sleek predators. They were bulky, huge muscles rippling over thick bones, and their scales rasping together at each step.
The first passed Rhona’s position and she stepped out and in front of the second. “Hey there, cren stain.” She smirked. “In a hurry?”
The baliska grunted in surprise and swung its sword reflexively at her torso. Kai gaped as the blade lashed out at Rhona. She stepped back, avoiding the brunt of the attack, but he was sure the sword cut across her belly.
Then the woman was glowing faintly, ether forming around her and flowing out into her fists. She struck the beast twice in its sternum, and it shuddered, its heart giving out immediately from the direct blows.
The second guard spun, but rather than attack, the beast pulled back its head to give a warning shout. Kai held up his glaive and sent a Flame Dart toward the back of its head, the bursting mana making almost no sound within the shroud. It wasn’t nearly a fatal injury, but it served its purpose, stunning the beast.
Rhona lunged toward it and threw a leg forward, kicking out one of its knees. The bone snapped sideways and the baliska fell, catching itself with one hand.
Still moving forward, Rhona struck the monster with the flat of her palm, the impact striking it in the center of its forehead. A subtle click resounded, and the hulking beast fell on its face, dead.
Rhona flashed Kai a smile, her white teeth shining brightly against her blue-stained skin. This woman is crazy, he thought. And by the 9 laws of Andag, I think I’m falling for her.
They reconvened, forming a quick plan.
Returning to the main room, they spotted the tall guard again. It was lecturing another baliska, gesticulating in the air with its imposing spear. Behind it, the tunnel ran deeper into the dungeon. Off to the left, the entrance to another room could be seen, filled with more than a handful of guards by the sounds of their chatter.
“Okay, so you might not like the sound of this,” Rhona whispered. “But I think you should draw their attention. Maybe shoot one of your fancy bolts into that guy’s arse. Then when they rush out to kill you, I ambush them?”
Kai stared at her incredulously. “That doesn’t sound like much of a plan. I think I’ll see what I can do with a little confusion.” He thought for a moment, then added, “What about Honor? If there’s a lot of them, we could use the backup.”
&nbs
p; “Okay, change of plans,” she agreed. Rhona thought for a while longer, then her eyes flashed wide. “You sneak over there, behind that column, and prepare one of your spells. Can you hold onto one and wait?”
“Wait for what?”
“Just trust me.” She grinned evilly. “You will know when the time is right.”
Kai sighed, worried the woman was more than half-mad, but nodded. He set down his pack just inside the main room, being careful to do so gently, and walked over to crouch behind the nearest column. The lead guard didn’t turn once to see him, so intent was it on making the other baliska feel very much a fool.
When he got there, Kai looked back to give Rhona a thumbs up.
He couldn’t see her though. Kai waited for a minute until he saw the horse emerge, slowly clomping towards the guards. The chamber wasn’t that large, and soon enough, the guard also heard the horse approaching. It turned and squinted again, its ether-blue eyes burning in suspicion.
“What is that thing? Can you see it?”
The baliska next to it shook its head. “I can’t make it out. It’s so shiny it hurts my eyes.”
Knowing he was running out of time, Kai channeled a Flame Dart, allowing the spell to charge up. Honor continued plodding forward at his nonchalant pace until he was within a dozen strides of the guard. Two more baliska came out of the side room to see what was going on. One called out, “It is some magical beast. Kill it before it gets closer!”
One of the newcomers strode forward and raised its sword. As it did so, Honor spun and kicked it square in the chest.
The baliska flew back, knocking its fellow to the ground. “We’re under attack!” the lead guard shouted, and several more baliska poured from the side room. Fortunately, the two fallen monsters still blocked the way, tripping any guards who rushed out.
The leader struck out with its spear, aiming for Honor’s flank, but a foot flicked out from under the horse. Then Rhona flung herself out from under her mount and kicked the spear again. The long weapon flew from the guard’s grip and smacked into one of its companions’ guts.
She followed up and used an ether-infused punch to crack the skull of the baliska who’d been hit by its leader’s spear.
Rhona caught the spear on her toe as it fell, flicked it up and kicked it out again, in the faces of two more of the beasts. They swung their swords at the weapon, chopping it down easily enough, but it gave her a moment to duck between them and in two swift kicks, sweep them to the ground.
Rhona caved in one baliska’s chest with a downward kick and was about to do the other the same favor when the leader grabbed her, its claws piercing the flesh in her arm.
Kai released his spell and the sphere of flaming mana hit the leader between the ribs and gut, bursting outward and sending smoking chunks of baliska across the room in all directions. It released Rhona, mouth gaping, and fell in a pile of viscera at the woman’s feet.
Rhona flashed Kai an angry glare. She was, no doubt, upset by the globs of flesh and blood that had splashed over her body.
The warhorse, perhaps having grown sick and tired of being at the tail end of most of their recent engagements, gave a veritable demonstration of equestrian combat prowess. He stomped and shattered the fallen guards’ heads and as two more came out, one after the other, he kicked each of them.
The first caught a hoof to the face, the baliska’s jaw shattering so completely it choked on its own teeth, and the second took a kick to the chest. That one stumbled back a few paces before falling down in the middle of the small guard room.
Rhona walked toward the final struggling baliska and made a pinching slash at its neck. The creature screeched in pain as it curled away from her and died.
The chamber was quiet, and Kai took in the mess around them. They’d slaughtered these guards, and only Rhona had sustained any injuries. Even as he looked on, he saw the worst of the wounds in her arm seal up. He couldn’t wait any longer to ask.
“What’s the deal with your abilities? I mean, you fight like a crazed person, yet also with a poise and control beyond anything I’ve seen before. You don’t use a weapon, at least not directly, and every time we get into a fight, you get hurt, start hitting harder, and then somehow magically heal.” He shook his head. “I know it isn’t really my business, but since we’re fighting together, will you please explain what’s going on?”
Rhona looked at Kai, her chest still heaving with exertion. He could see her contemplating his request a moment and then she nodded. “Sure. I’m a monk, my class, that is.”
Kai tilted his head in confusion.
“A long time ago,” Rhona explained, “all Brintoshi soldiers took the class, but since then, they’ve turned to more direct, less honorable, martial tactics. There is more than one path to walk as a monk. I chose the Path of the Bleeding Tiger, which means I have a skill that allows me to generate ether when wounded and to either convert that ether into additional damage or to heal myself again.” She gestured to her arm. “But as you’ve seen, it requires sacrifice. I must be wounded in order to use the skill.”
Kai blinked, trying to process such an odd and truly powerful gift. Another question tugged at him. “And the other one? Ban told me a little about it, and I saw some of what transpired, though I was fevered, and my memory is strange. You … sped up?”
“That’s a second skill I learned more recently.” She nodded. “It converts Progression into speed and power. Again, sacrifice is at its core. And from my perspective,” and here she frowned at trying to describe her experience, “everything and everyone else seems to slow down.”
“Thank you for trusting me. I won’t tell anyone, I promise. So… what do we do now?” Kai’s words were tinged with fatigue. They had entered the dungeon just before midday and had fought several hard battles. He wasn’t sure but it felt as if the day had long since ended.
Rhona seemed to pick up on his thoughts. “I’m not sure what is to come. But I think we just killed the man, the baliska I mean, who was in charge of setting up the guard shifts. I don’t know where the rest of the baliska are, but I know we need to recover somewhat before we face them.” Her stomach growled and she smiled ruefully. “I know I’m starving. And I’m sure you are as well.”
They checked the guard room for anything useful, finding a cistern of water. They gratefully refilled their skins and encouraged Honor to amble into the room and drink his fill.
Then Rhona spent a long while scraping pieces of the exploded enemy from her skin and armor, every once in a while sending Kai another glare.
Neither Kai nor Rhona knew what time it was nor how long it would be until they were discovered here. But they needed food. Resting with the bunyips had kept them going, but one couldn’t fight without fuel.
They soon left the carnage in the guard room behind, and by the warmth of Andag’s hearth, found a suitable room to rest not far away.
It reminded Kai of a broom closet, but when they peered inside, they noticed a long row of spears in a rack, polished and deadly, and dozens of the curved swords leaning in another rack on the opposite side.
Both types of weapons were made of the same oily black substance that seemed to draw in the light around it.
“Not cozy,” Rhona said, gesturing to the room, “but this will do.” There was a single six-foot-wide aisle between the two weapon racks, and since the room was around twenty feet deep, they had ample space to stretch out. Honor didn’t need any encouragement. He pushed past Kai and then lay down, at the back of the room.
Kai laughed at the horse’s sense of leisure and nodded to Rhona. “Alright, you hungry for some apples? I don’t have much left at this point, but what there is, you’re welcome to it.”
Rhona thanked him, but pulled out meat and hard biscuit from her own pack, before sitting down across from him.
As Kai ate, he pondered what it must be like in the army. Rhona was clearly well trained. How many hours had she drilled before gaining the competence she so effortless
ly displayed? How much longer will I need to do the same?
Watching the woman as she brushed her hands free of crumbs and bent over into a deep stretch, he knew in some ways, he would never match her prowess.
He could still improve himself, nonetheless. While Rhona stretched out her legs and back, flowing from one strange form to another, Kai practiced the movements and attacks from the glaive skill book. He went over lunging thrusts first. Then he spun the weapon, blocking imagined attacks both high and low.
Finally, he imitated the slashing motions of various attacks. Everything was done painfully slow and as quietly as he could manage. A sheen of sweat broke out over his brow, and he pushed through the burn in his arms and legs. At last, he came to rest, glaive in hand, and felt he’d done enough.
“Well, you’re clearly a novice, but it’s fortunate you have a mind to practice. If you’re to master that fine weapon,” Rhona nodded at his glaive, “you’ll need to do so endlessly for another few years.”
A pang of embarrassment passed through Kai as he spun and saw Rhona watching him. She stretched a leg against the wall, the limb held high above her head.
“How long?” he asked simply.
“Long enough to see you puff out your chest and feel like a hero. But don’t worry,” she chuckled, “I won’t tell a soul. Now, best we should get going before we’re discovered.”
After stretching out awhile longer, Rhona roused Honor, and Kai shouldered his pack. Then they began marching along the long tunnel that dove down yet again into the depths of the dungeon.
More than once, they passed smaller tunnels, offshoots that led to hidden chambers. Hearing the voices of more baliska, they crept on in silence. Another time, they had to stop in their tracks when, as they approached a crossroads of sorts, they heard the stomp and clatter of a group of soldiers.
Sure enough, after Kai retreated a distance and hid around a corner, he saw a column of baliska marching stolidly with far too much discipline for his liking. They each carried tall spears and were even more powerfully built than the guards had been. Kai held his breath, but thankfully, they continued onward, not turning toward them.
