Aedyn moves to where Luke entered the forest, holding his staff before him. A toxic wind whips at the priest causing a pang of nausea to stir in his gut. He gently spins his staff until one of its ends is a few inches from the ground and the other end is bathed in a narrow beam of sunlight. With a solid thump, he pounds the staff against the ground and the priest turns to the curious drite sitting above him.
“Hello, Fizzle. My name is Aedyn Karwyn,” the priest introduces himself with a low bow, which Fizzle politely imitates from his perch. “I sense that there is an unnatural being in this forest and it is a powerful one. I believe your Lich is closer than you thought, Luke. His power has corrupted the wind to the point where a minor cleansing spell did nothing. Again, I do not understand why Selenia would send us after such a powerful foe. I may not be able to stand up to it and I know that the little ones are going to be useless.”
“Hey! I’ll show you useless, you robe wearing jerk! Take this!” Nimby quickly shouts, kicking Aedyn in the shin. The priest hops on one foot before bopping Nimby on the head with his staff and using the weapon to make sure the halfling stays out of kicking range. They stop when Luke clears his throat and gestures toward Fizzle with his head.
“Aedyn of sun? Fizzle happy meet,” the drite gleefully announces. “Child of sun right. Fizzle see demon elf too. Both in forest. Very bad to face alone.”
Fritz nervously laughs under his breath. “Demon elf very bad? That’s an understatement, Fizzle. Hellfire Elves are weak compared to most demons, but they are still a menace. They are stealthy and tenacious killers born with master level skill in every weapon. Their armor is their skin, so they feel the pain of every blow. Instead of feeding off ambient magic like stronger demons, Hellfire Elves feed off physical pain. This means they get stronger the longer they fight, which is bad since they start out as strong as an ogre and as fast as a calico. I don’t know much else about them.”
Fritz stops as a thought crosses his mind and he nervously shifts from foot to foot. Aedyn and Luke nod as they realize they have been thinking the same thing. It is Luke who turns their thoughts into words. “Something is wrong if Selenia knows about the demon and the Lich. We couldn’t possibly face them without her by our side.”
“She talked to you first, Fizzle,” Nimby interrupts with a snap of his fingers. “Before she talked to us, you talked to her about this, right? This means you know why the four of us were sent. So . . .” The halfling pulls out an apple and shakes it at Fizzle. “How about you tell us what this assignment is really about?”
“He cannot be serious,” Aedyn whispers to Luke in disgust.
“Apples not work on Fizzle,” the drite claims as drool drops from his mouth.
“It’s fresh from Betty’s kitchen,” Nimby says. Aedyn grabs the apple and tosses it to Fizzle.
“Let’s act mature for once. We do not have to resort to bribery,” he says.
“Bribery between friends is never bad,” Nimby responds with a smirk.
Nobody notices Luke go further into the forest to stand among the trees. He closes his eyes, letting the sour wind flow over him again. The world starts to spin and he wants to retch, but he stops himself by focusing all of his senses on the area around him. There are no birds singing and he can barely pick up any wildflower scents in the air. The smell of rotting meat hits his nostrils at the same time he hears a cackle carried by the wind. The laugh chills the air to the point where Luke can see his breath.
“The forest is dying and it’s being done on purpose,” Luke whispers as he comes out of his trance. “The Lich is able to stay in the forest without hurting it, but he’s purposely casting a spell to weaken it. I can’t even begin to guess why he would want to do that. It brings too much attention to him considering Selenia is here. I wonder what he’s after.”
Fizzle lands on his shoulder and looks out into the forest. “This Fizzle home. Lich not after Fizzle or Fizzle home. Lich after you. Lich scared of Luke. Fizzle want Luke help. Lich run from Luke. That Fizzle big plan.”
“Whoa. Hold on,” Luke sputters in protest. “I came here to protect a royal heir. I can’t go toe to toe with Chaos Void monsters or undead necrocasters. Besides, the Lich is only scared of my name. Just because I have the name doesn’t mean I can survive, much less defeat, these monsters. My skills are good, but I lack the experience and the knowledge to handle something this dangerous. I only have basic gear and nothing potent enough to put down either of them. This is only going to get me killed and that will get the heir killed.”
He turns to leave the forest, but he is stopped by Fizzle who uses his tail to grab Luke by the ponytail. Aedyn and Nimby step in the forest tracker’s way as well while Fritz gets behind him. Either way Luke turns, one of them moves to block him until he stops trying. All of his friends have a look of determination as they corner the young warrior. Luke refuses to make eye contact with any of them, and concentrating his attention on the distant academy where he knows the heir is hiding.
“You should have thought of this before coming here. Now, you no longer have a choice,” Aedyn says with a solid grip on Luke’s shoulders. He forcefully grabs Luke by the chin, pulling the forest tracker’s face up to meet his eyes. “These creatures are after the heir and you have chosen to stop them whether you are ready or not. I have heard you go on about wanting to earn your own fame and not live on the fame of your family. All of us have heard it to the point where we know your words by heart. Now that you have a chance to earn that fame, you are going to retreat like a coward? Let me reveal something to you that you do not want to admit, Luke Callindor. As much as you hate the attention that you get from your name, it is the only reason you are here and the only reason you will ever get a chance to prove yourself. Most people have to fight for these opportunities or stumble into them by the will of the gods. You merely have to state your name and you receive a mission of great importance. It is true that you abused this power to get here, but it is too late to change that now.”
Luke pushes the priest away and looks away form the academy. “My family did not become famous for being stupid. These creatures will kill me if I face them.”
Aedyn gives Luke’s forehead a gentle jab with an ink-blotched finger, leaving a smear of black on Luke’s skin. “Does it look like you are alone in this, Luke? We are going with you on this adventure. My power can keep you alive while the others can give you both magical and physical support in battle. This is a basic strategy that we can work out together. This is the time for us to unite and we need you to lead us. Do not let your courage falter when you need it most.”
“Aedyn the poetic priest is right, boy,” Fritz declares, clapping Aedyn on the back of the leg and grinning at Luke. “Sometimes you have to grab the minotaur by the horns and drag it to the ground in order to make your way in life. Course, a minotaur would be easier than a Lich and a Hellfire Elf. That fact aside, I will stand with you as long as I get first pick of the bar wenches during the celebration.”
Luke shoots a sideways glance at Nimby waiting for a similar declaration. “Don’t look at me. I want to go home too, but I guess I should stick around if you guys are going through with this.” The others glare at Nimby, forcing him to continue. “Stop staring at me like that, guys. No speeches or words of wisdom are coming out of me. I’m just here for the stories and the money. Maybe a few magic items too if I get lucky.”
“Thanks, guys. Good to see I won’t get my butt kicked alone. There is still the problem of being poorly equipped,” Luke mentions, drawing both of his sabers and turning them over in his hands. “Fritz and Fizzle have their caster spells and Aedyn has his priest spells. The problem is that Nimby and I won’t be able to do anything without magical weapons. We become dead weight if we have to face these monsters. I know regular weapons can be effective, but a warrior must be a lot better than I am to survive such a battle. I am talking master level skill at least. So, even a suit of durable armor or a minor protection ring would be helpful. It fi
gures that those things are everywhere in Windemere, but you can never find one when you need it. Anybody have any ideas?”
“Fizzle know cave. Magic in cave. Fizzle sense from here. Weapons and armor at cave,” the drite announces before he begins leading the group through Visindor. “Follow Fizzle.”
Nimby pulls Luke aside and presses a palm-sized wooden sword in his hand. “For good luck and in case one of us doesn’t make it back alive. Take care of yourself on this one since you’re their target. I promise I’ll have your back as best I can, but I’m not that good at fighting. Good luck, Luke.” Nimby reveals a matching wooden sword hanging from a chain around his neck.
“Good luck to both of us,” Luke replies, clapping the halfling on the shoulder.
*****
Several miles away from the academy, tucked within a dense collection of oak and birch, is a solitary boulder. Unlike the region’s natural, dark red stones, the foreign boulder is painted to blend into the white and brown of the surrounding tree trunks. From a distance, the stone can barely be distinguished from the trees that hide it. The only sign that the boulder is there is the occasional shimmer of reflected sunlight, which can only be seen at the right time of day and from the right angle. Fizzle quietly perches on a branch as his friends squeeze their way through the thick grove. After a few minutes of pushing and twisting through the oddly smooth trunks, the group comes to the hidden boulder. Fritz gingerly puts his hand against the cool surface, a look of awe creeping across his face.
“The illusions on this stone are incredible,” Fritz marvels while gently knocking on the boulder. The sound resembles a hand hitting metal instead of stone. “There is a door embedded in the boulder, but it is masked to look like the rock. If you can see through the rock face spell then all you see is a locked door. The door illusion is interactive, so most people will keep looking for a way to pick the lock. In reality, there is only a gaping hole that one can pass through if they can break the illusions. Course, if you can’t see through them then you end up walking into what you perceive to be a metal door. Illusion spells of this caliber are rare. Only gnomes or ancient casters could make this masterpiece.”
Nimby uncomfortably clears his throat to admit, “I still see a rock. So, how do I get in?”
“A flaw in these spells is that they depend on awareness,” Fritz casually explains, passing his hand through the rock. “I have told you that this is all an illusion, so you can follow me without seeing through the illusion yourself. It has to do with knowing that I am real and trusting that I have figured out the trick.” He notices that Nimby is still staring at the boulder and looking doubtful. “If it makes you feel better, I can always hold your hand.”
“Very tempted, but I have to be in front,” the halfling says. “We don’t know if there are any traps in there.”
“Fizzle keep watch. Not like stuffy dark. Good luck,” Fizzle announces, vanishing from sight. They can still see that there is a heavy weight on the branch as they prepare to enter the cave.
“Draw your weapons and keep your eyes sharp,” Luke tells his friends, trying to sound like he knows exactly what to do. “We don’t know what is down there. I agree that Nimby should go first. Whoever put these spells up would have put some traps behind it and Nimby knows more about traps than the rest of us. Just take it easy and go at your own pace, Nimby.” Luke nervously spins his sabers in his hands. “We’ll be behind you in case something goes wrong. Not that we expect anything to go wrong. It’ll just be safer for us that way. This speech isn’t coming out right. Good luck, Nimby.”
“The least you guys could do is stay closer than five feet behind me,” Nimby nervously requests, watching Fritz go through the boulder. “Being too far ahead makes me feel like bait . . . helpless, terrified, out-of-his-element bait.”
Nimby takes a deep breath before closing his eyes and plunging through the illusion. He is still moving when a hand tightly grips his shoulder and the ground beneath his right foot vanishes. The halfling opens his eyes to find Fritz pulling him back. Looking ahead, Nimby sees that they are at the top of a descending staircase with blazing torches set along the walls. The stone steps are finely crafted with barely any signs of use on them. A thick layer of dust is disturbed with every step Nimby takes. He is forced to cover his mouth and nose with his shirt to avoid inhaling the choking cloud. He can hear Fritz cough for a few seconds before the gnome follows his example with a handkerchief.
Trailing behind, Luke and Aedyn are unaffected by the low-hanging cloud of dust kicked up by their smaller companions. It is a slow descent as they push thick, sticky cobwebs out their way. Luke is especially nervous as he eyes the webs for any signs of spiders. A brief movement among the webs causes him to pause until he realizes it is only a breeze moving the torchlight. Aedyn silently glances back at the forest tracker, hissing for him to hurry up. Luke keeps his head low, ignoring the webs as he rushes to keep up.
“Your courage is astounding,” Aedyn whispers.
“I have issues with spiders,” Luke mutters.
“Some forest tracker you are.”
“I protect nature. That doesn’t mean I have to like all of it. Besides, I have my reasons.”
“I am sure you do.”
“I had . . . an encounter as a child with giant spiders.”
“This story can be told another time, Luke.”
“That’s really it.”
“Oh . . . then, I apologize for teasing you.”
The small group travels about sixty yards down the stairs before Nimby stops them. It is a wordless gesture with his hand that causes everyone to freeze where they are. The halfling straddles a step, examining it closely. He eyes the step with such seriousness that his friends begin to get nervous. The halfling slowly turns his head to look at the next step, gliding his foot along its surface until his toes points down the stairs. Using his hands, he tries to measure the suspicious step.
“What is it?” Luke asks from the back of the group.
“This step is about an inch wider than the others,” Nimby whispers, bending down until his nose is almost touching the step. “It makes me think that there is a trap here. The mechanics involved in a step trap tend to make the trigger step a different size than the others. Not sure what the switch does though. I’ve seen traps like this before and they don’t always do the same thing. Thankfully, all of them are set off the same way. It’s a basic pressure plate and pulley system, which means we only have to hop over the step to avoid it. Kind of strange that such a basic trap is in this place. The person who set this up might have been a great caster, but they didn’t have any imagination with their trap making.”
“There could be more to it. Let me take a look,” Fritz offers. The gnome straddles the step with Nimby before a metal clink is heard from the walls. Everyone holds their breath as the two steps that Fritz and Nimby are standing on quickly sink into the ground.
“A false pressure plate flanked by two perfectly hidden plates,” Nimby says with a nervous smirk. “Well, that’s a nice twist to a classic. I am very impressed”
A wet crash is heard from the top of the stairs and they can hear liquid splashing down the stairs. All of them cover their noses when a foul stench wafts down the staircase in front of whatever liquid that has been released. Luke quickly sheathes his sabers and Aedyn puts his staff over his shoulder before they each pick up one of their diminutive friends. The half-elves break out into a mad sprint down the staircase.
“Hey, guys! I know that smell! It’s oil!” Fritz shouts. He maneuvers himself, so that he is on Aedyn’s back. The gnome takes the priest’s staff, making it a little easier for Aedyn to run.
“What does that mean exactly?” Luke replies, ricocheting off a wall when the stairs make a suddenly twist to the left. He has Nimby tucked under his arm while he moves as fast as he can. He can hear Aedyn behind him almost trip and fall down the stairs when he comes to the twist.
“Not to make anyone panic, but oil is flamm
able!” Nimby shouts over the growing sound of rushing oil. “I distinctly remember there being torches on the walls.”
“By Durag’s light, do not tell me such things!” Aedyn yells in a panic. “If you do not have any good news then please be quiet!”
Luke is so busy running that he is unable to avoid a step that is slightly darker than the others. He steps on it with all of his weight, making it sinks into the ground. This time the torches along the wall turn upside down, spilling fiery coals onto the dusty steps. The staircase erupts into flames behind the small group as they fight to run faster. They can feel a wave of heat hit them from behind as the ankle-high river of oil becomes a rolling torrent of fire.
“Take Nimby and run ahead, Aedyn! Maybe I can do something to slow the trap!” Luke shouts. He turns in time to see the flood of flaming oil turn a corner far behind them. Like a liquid fireball, the flaming oil grows bigger and bigger, eating up the fiery coals along the steps.
“Care to repeat that idea, hero?” Aedyn asks with a nervous laugh.
Luke gulps and tightens his grip on the halfling. “Maybe another time. How long are these damn stairs anyway?”
Luke makes a sharp turn and sees a sealed door ahead of them. He is about to burst into a flood of curses when he hits another stair switch and the door begins to open. The glitter of gold and gems nearly blinds him as a fresh breeze enters the stagnant tunnel. Luke roars as he hurls Nimby at the opening, desperately hoping to get the halfling out of harm’s way. He watches Nimby land headfirst on a pile of gold before turning to see where Aedyn and Fritz are.
“This is really bad!” Fritz urgently shouts. “Fire gets attracted to areas that have a sudden intake of fresh air! Move faster, Aedyn!”
Aedyn barely notices that he is passing Luke as he pushes his legs into a final sprint for safety. The priest dives through the opening, turning in time to see the roiling fireball charging down the stairs faster than ever. It licks at Luke’s heels as he hurls himself through the opening. Unlike his friends, Luke has no time to jump behind anything when the fireball blasts into the chamber. It rolls along the ceiling of the airy chamber for a few minutes until the door slams shut.
Beginning of a Hero (Legends of Windemere) Page 22
