Rogue Vanguard: Book One of the Eterialumen

by Peter Hall

“Oh. It's my recipe book.” she replied.

  “Recipe book?” Durandal said, “Well I didn’t realise we had a chef in our midst! How wonderful! Perhaps you can fix me a nice meal when we reach safety.” he said.

  Eir looked up at him and smiled. “Of course!”

  They kept moving through the night and Eir fell asleep sitting in the saddle. Durandal held on to her gown so she didn’t fall off.

  “There is a great battle going on north of us.” Durandal said. ”Undead creatures from Asgard started to flood into Siera about a month or so back. We may be heading into danger.”

  Bryn rode up beside him and looked over. “We can’t take Eir to the north with us then.” she said.

  Durandal thought for a moment. “Perhaps you are right, but what can we do?”

  “There is a city to the east of Teeko Forest, about a day’s ride is there not?” she said.

  “Yes. The city of Kanton.” he said as he kept his eyes on the path.

  Bryn looked at him. “I think we should head there. We can rest and gather our strength while she settles in and then in the morning, the two of us can continue north.”

  Durandal nodded. “Agreed.”

  They cleared Teeko Forest by sunrise and turned their horses east, following a road that led along the forest edge and back out into the Siera Valley. They rode east all day across the rolling countryside and reached the city of Kanton as the sun set over the hills behind them. Kanton was positioned in the centre of a vast, flat, grassy plain. The walls were a red-orange color and there were wooden spikes lining the ramparts, with heavily armored guards patrolling along it carrying large spears. It was bustling with activity and the markets, especially their blacksmiths and armorers, were known to house some of the finest wares in Siera. They left their horses at the stables and walked through the western gates to the city. The city guards eyeballed them through the eye slits in their helmets but allowed them past without incident. As they walked up the dusty, crowded street, there were fruit and vegetable traders, others selling baskets, furs, paintings, furniture, practically anything you could imagine. Durandal knelt down and tapped Eir on the shoulder.

  “Do you think you can find enough ingredients here to make us one of your dishes?” he said.

  Eir looked around at the bustling market and nodded. “Yes I think so.”

  Durandal reached into a small pouch he had on his waist and pulled out five silver coins and handed them to her. “Here you go, we will head up to the inn and get a room for the evening, meet us there when you're done.” he said and smiled.

  Eir smiled and ran off into the crowd as they made their way towards the inn located in the centre of the city. The inn was full of people from all over the lands. There were men in scaled armour and black robes from the Sand Kingdom, there were Dwarves, southern tribesmen, giant men from the east, gypsies from the Badlands and muso warriors of Kanton wearing silk robes concealing deadly blades. The inn was filled with raucous laughter and merriment. Bryn and Durandal made their way to the bar and approached the servant girl, who was pouring beer into large glasses.

  “Excuse me, may we get a room for the evening, one with a bed and a hearth if possible.” Durandal said over the noise.

  “Yes of course sir, let me serve these drinks first or I might start a riot.” She said and swept the glasses up in her hands, running them out to the thirsty crowd. She came back and wiped her hands on her behind.

  “This way.” she said and walked over to a staircase next to the bar. She led them down a hallway to a door and opened it for them with a key, which she put back in her pocket.

  “Please, feel free to call out if you need anything.” She said and walked back down the hall. Bryn and Durandal entered the room and closed the door. It was a generous sized room with a window overlooking the main street. There was a bed and side table in the corner and a small fire pit in the centre of the room. Bryn went over to the window and opened it, letting in the fresh air and sounds of activity from down on the street. Durandal crouched by the hearth and started to get the fire going. He looked over at Bryn.

  “So, who is controlling these monsters?” he said.

  Bryn kept gazing out the window watching the people below. “When I was a child of no more than four years of age, I lived in a village called Gorik, high in the mountains of northern Asgard. My village was attacked by these demons and they killed everyone, I was the only survivor.”

  Durandal stopped working on the fire for a moment.

  “The one that killed my parents,” Bryn said, “it was not like the others. It was taller. And it had black veins all over its body.”

  “Do you think this creature is leading these monsters?”

  “Yes. I found a strange underground temple not too long ago. It was a lair of evil, full of demon worshippers. I killed them and one of the corpses... it’s head spoke to me.”

  Durandal’s eyes went wide. “The head spoke to you?”

  “Yes.” Bryn said, still gazing out onto the street below.

  Durandal stood up. “Well what the Hades did it say?”

  Bryn looked over at him. “It said it saw me on the mountain, it knew that I had seen it. It kept saying we saw you we will find you, like… they are connected somehow, the demons. Like they share the same mind.”

  Durandal stroked his moustache and scratched his chin. “This is good.” he said and knelt back down next to the fire pit.

  Bryn looked over at him, puzzled. “How is that good exactly?”

  He started working on the fire again. “Because perhaps, if this tall monster you saw is connected to the rest of them, if we kill it, then gods willing the rest may die along with it.”

  Bryn sat down on the bed. “Yes that was my theory also. But there is one small problem with this plan.” she said as she sat her sword against the bed and unstrapped her cuirass.

  Durandal looked up. “What’s that?”

  She sat the cuirass down next to the bed. “We don't know where this master demon is.”

  “It must be in Asgard, yes?” Durandal said.

  “Yes but where in Asgard? Asgard is a vast, unforgiving land of ice and mountains. It is likely overrun with demons. Where do we even begin to look?” Bryn reached into a pouch on her waist and took out the necklace she had found on the soldier and tossed it over to Durandal. “The corpse, it was wearing that.”

  He inspected the silver bat and tossed it back. “I’ve never seen such a symbol before.”

  Durandal was pondering on all of this when he heard a soft tapping on the door. He stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it and Eir walked in the room. She had a basket on her back full of vegetables and she had something wrapped in a cloth in her hands.

  “Who’s hungry?” She said looking at her new companions.

  The three of them sat around the fire and ate. Eir had made them a tasty mushroom soup and some roasted vegetables. Durandal was looking at the cloth covered parcel next to Eir as he ate his soup.

  “I’m dying to know what is under that cloth.” he said and reached over for it.

  Eir smacked his hand with her spoon.

  “Ouch!” he said and pulled his hand back.

  Eir looked at him sternly. “Finish your vegetables first.” she said and went back to eating.

  Durandal looked at Bryn and they tried not to laugh. When they finished their meal Durandal leaned back and rubbed his belly. “That was outstanding! My compliments to the chef!” he said and Eir giggled.

  “Alright now you can see what is under the cloth.” she said and unwrapped a gorgeous looking berry pie.

  Durandal’s eyes bulged out of his head. “Sweet Hades!” he said as Eir giggled and handed him a slice. He stuffed his mouth and rolled his eyes back in his head. “This is the best thing I have ever tasted!” he said with a mouthful of pie. “Eir, you really are a wonderful chef!”

  “I bought it from the baker.” Eir said and laughed with Bryn as they ate their pie.

&n
bsp; Durandal shrugged and kept eating. After they finished supper, Bryn and Eir shared the bed and Durandal rolled up his cape for a pillow and slept on the floor. Just before they went to sleep, Eir sat up in bed.

  “Thank you for helping me.” she said and lied down.

  Bryn looked over at Durandal and he looked back at her with a troubled look. He turned and closed his eyes.

  “Goodnight fair ladies, sleep well.” he said and they all drifted to sleep for the night.

  Steig woke up and it was still dark, the morning sun was just below the horizon and the birds in the valley started singing and chirping. He got to his feet, dusted himself off and started jogging north up the nearby hill and across the rolling grasslands. He watched the sun rise and light up the valley as he pressed on. Through the heat of the day he kept running without respite, determined to catch the horde.

  By sunset he came to the top of a hill and ahead of him was the wild and expansive Teeko Forest. As he approached the treeline he heard rumbling in the sky. He looked to the west and saw the swarm of bats flying across the tops of the trees. They tore over the forest ahead of him and kept flying to the east into the distance. He picked up the pace and as he entered the forest he saw the horde of demons in the trees, flooding east. He unsheathed Venom and it made a ringing sound as he jumped over a tree log and sprinted ahead into the sea of demons.

  As he approached the horde, streaming through the thick overgrowth he spotted a demon coming up ahead from the left. He cut across and intercepted it at full speed as he swung his sword. The demon turned its head and saw him just as its head was separated from its body and spun up into the air in an explosion of black blood. Steig kept sprinting straight into the oncoming demons. He decapitated another two as they ran past and he kept moving. He swung the mighty Venom into the demons one after another and they fell to the forest floor in bloody pieces as he ran through the trees like a ghost.

  Now he was in the thick of the horde as it swept through the forest and he could see hundreds coming towards him out of the darkness. He kept sprinting straight at them, slicing them to pieces one after another. He decapitated an oncoming demon and another one jumped at him from the side, knocking him to the ground. It dived on him as he lifted Venom and stabbed it through the heart. It screeched as he flung it to the side. The noise was dying down and as Steig got to his feet he couldn’t see any more demons, they had all passed through. He sprinted east, chasing after the horde. He was covered in sweat and demon blood, he could hardly breathe but he kept running, weaving through the forest desperately trying to catch up to the demons. The sound of the horde started to become distant and he slowed down and dropped to his knees.

  “Come back here you bastards!” he screamed as the noise of the horde faded away in the night. He looked to the sky and screamed as he dropped his sword and sat there, alone on the forest floor. After a few moments he slumped to his side and passed out from exhaustion.

  When he woke up again it was morning. He got to his feet and decided to head north and try to locate the rest of the Galadon guard. They were about a week’s journey north of Teeko Forest in the city of Iliad, on the far side of the Northern Mountain Ranges.

  Bryn opened her eyes and squinted as the morning light came through the window. She could hear a sweet lullaby coming from somewhere. She looked over and Eir was sitting on the windowsill playing her flute. Bryn laid there and listened to the tune for a while. She looked over and Durandal was still fast asleep on the floor. Then she noticed something strange. Her wounds had completely healed. She felt her shoulder and her neck and they were healed, there wasn’t even a scar where the draugr bites had been. How is this possible? When Eir had finished playing the tune she looked over and saw that Bryn was awake and she smiled at her and got down off the windowsill. She climbed up onto the bed and laid down next to her. Bryn smiled and stroked her hair.

  “Eir… Durandal and I have a very important quest. We need to head north. There is a great war going on there, it is very dangerous. We think it would be safer for you to stay here in the city.”

  Eir suddenly looked like she was going to cry. “Please, I want to come with you. I don’t want to be all alone here. Please don’t leave me here.” she said and tears started to well in her eyes.

  “It’s just too dangerous Eir, I'm sorry.” Bryn said, trying to put on a brave face.

  “But what if the monsters come here? Who will protect me?” Eir said and started sobbing.

  Bryn hadn’t really considered that. What if the demons did come this way? They would be leaving Eir to die alone in a strange city. “Alright. You can come with us. But it will be a dangerous journey Eir, we are headed to Asgard and there are many monsters there.” Bryn said, wiping the tears from the Halfling’s cheeks.

  “I will be safe with you and Durandal.” Eir said and smiled. “Thank you Bryn.” she said and hugged her.

  Bryn smiled but she was worried about taking Eir along with them. She didn't know if she would be able to protect her from what they were about to face. She looked at Eir’s dirty gown and she had an idea.

  When Durandal finally woke, he sat up and stretched his arms, letting out a huge yawn. He looked around and Bryn and Eir were gone. He got to his feet and looked around, scratching his head. Then he realised his coin pouch was missing from his belt. “What in Hades?” he said to himself and continued to look around the room. The door opened and his heart jumped. Bryn and Eir walked in and Eir ran up to him.

  “Goodmorning Durandal! We borrowed some of your coins to get me some armor so I will be safe when we go to fight the monsters in Asgard!” she said excitedly. She was wearing a red velvet dress and a tiny rose gold cuirass over the top, with a rose gold helmet to match. Durandal noticed she had a small sword on her belt too, which was actually an ornate dagger.

  “What the blazing fires of Hades are you talking about! You're supposed to be..” He looked at Bryn and she was staring at him.

  “Eir is coming and that's that.” She said and threw Durandal’s coin pouch over to him.

  Eir giggled and pulled out her sword and started swinging it around making noises. “Ya, ya, hayaa, haaaya…”

  Durandal smiled and tied the pouch back onto his belt. “Well I for one am glad to hear it!” he said and smiled at Eir as she practiced her swordsmanship.

  “Hey, you're not half bad for a young child!” Durandal said smiling. Eir stopped swinging her sword and looked at him.

  “Young child? I am eighty six years old!” She said and went back to her sword practice.

  Durandal looked over at Bryn in disbelief and she burst out in laughter. Eir looked over at her.

  “What? What’s funny?” she said.

  “Nothing sweetheart.” Bryn said but couldn’t contain her laughter.

  “You ladies are just full of surprises aren’t you!” Durandal said and they all had a chuckle. They got their things together and headed back to the stable at the western gate. They bought as much food as they could carry on the way to the stables and loaded up the horses with their supplies.

  “Oh yes I almost forgot.” Durandal said and walked over into the stables.

  Bryn and Eir looked at eachother with puzzled faces. Durandal came back and he was walking a beautiful golden pony with a white main and an ornate brown leather saddle with wings embroidered into the side.

  “A mighty warrior needs a steed, after all.” he said and handed the reins to Eir. Her face lit up with joy.

  “Take good care of her now.” he said and smiled.

  “For me? Oh thank you Durandal I love her!” Eir said and hugged his leg.

  “Im going to name her… Angel.” Eir said and stroked her pony’s belly. Durandal helped her up onto the saddle and then he and Bryn mounted their horses.

  “It’s about a week’s ride to Iliad from here.” Durandal said. “We need to cross the Northern Mountains so it won't be an easy journey. We’d better get going. Everyone ready?”

  Eir trotted
off in front of them, “I’m ready! Let’s ride!” she said and took off.

  Bryn and Durandal looked at each other and laughed as they kicked their heels and chased after her. As they headed north towards the imposing mountain ranges, they didn’t see the swarm of bats off to the west in the far distance, making their way towards Kanton. As night began to fall they made camp at the foot of the mountains. Eir cooked supper and they had an early night so they could get up early and cover as much ground as possible.

  The next day they headed up into the mountains and the further they went, the colder it got and the narrower the path became. By the evening it had become freezing cold and the wind was howling but they kept pressing forward. By night time they were high on a mountain and they could see out across the ranges to the north. In the far distance they could see Iliad, a tiny bump on the horizon. They set up camp and rested for the night.

  It was freezing when they woke up and they were all shivering in the cold as they gathered their things and set off for the day. By mid morning it started to rain and before long it was pouring down. They kept pressing on through the wild weather and after another two days they had made it through the mountains. It was barren and rocky on the northern side and there was no vegetation, only a dead tree here or there. They came across an old destroyed guard tower and decided to take shelter inside for the night. It was a relic from an ancient time, long forgotten. Bryn tied the horses to a dead tree nearby and Durandal made a fire inside the abandoned structure. They sat around the fire and stayed close to each other to keep warm.

  “Let’s get some rest, tomorrow we will be in Iliad and who knows what devilry awaits us.” He said as they huddled together near the fire and the rain poured down outside.

  The rain was heavy and the wind was howling with such force Steig could hardly keep his feet as he traversed the unforgiving Northern Mountain Ranges. As he came to the peak of one of the higher mountains he could see Iliad on the horizon across the barren lands to the north. Then he heard rumbling in the sky, and he knew immediately that it wasn’t thunder. He looked around but he could see nothing in the pitch dark of night. The noise was coming from the east and as he listened he heard it slowly moving north. He squinted his eyes and looked across the mountains. He still couldn’t see anything. He wiped the rain from his face and scanned the mountain ranges and then he saw them. The sea of white demons were swarming over a mountain far off in the distance, heading north. Lightning flashed, illuminating the night for a moment and he saw them clearly, they were heading for Iliad and they were going to beat him there. He looked down and clenched his fist, then he sprinted north through the darkness and the fierce storm raging across the mountainside.