Silently I stare at him. What a jerk... He'd actually stay here and die just because he likes Coldrock so much. Gimme a break... Now what the fuck am I supposed to do to make him come to his senses?
A while later, he continues.
`You see? You're at a loss of words. Go, leave if you want. It's your choice to leave. Ours is to stay.'
Loss of words? You idiot, of course I'm at a loss of words after hearing all this bullshit!
He turns away and heads back to the tavern. I call after him.
`Errak!'
He stops and slowly turns around.
`There's nothing you can do.' I tell him. `You can't fight this. You just can't.'
`Maybe we can't, but I'm sure you could. You just don't want to.'
`I don't have any idea how to stop it, dammit! We have to flee!'
`What happened to you, Zack? You never backed down from a fight before. Why are you quitting now?'
`I don't quit as long as there is a chance. Even if it's a fraction of a percent, I fight on, you know that! But this... There's nothing that can be done! Nothing!'
`Well, I guess we'll just have to wait here and see if you change your mind and start trying to find a way, won't we?' he says, and then he turns around. I shout after him once more.
`Errak!'
He turns around again.
`Let them choose...' I tell him.
`What?'
`Tell them what I told you. Tell them that Arghard is about to die, with every living creature in it. Tell them that if they want to leave, they can use the Gateway. You stay if you want, but let them choose!'
`Of course, Zack! I wouldn't have it any other way.' he says, nodding. Then he reaches out his hand and steps closer. I grasp it, and shake it.
`Farewell, Zack!' he says.
`See you in Hell, Errak!' I tell him, nodding. Then he turns around and slowly disappears in the tavern. I turn towards the Gateway.
*
As we walk towards the entrance to my extraplanar stronghold, Irea asks me about my conversation with Errak.
`You do realize that you wasted at least five minutes on this conversation, don't you?' she asks.
`Yes. So what?'
`Why bother? You don't even know if the Gateway works.'
`If it doesn't, then nothing matters any more! If it does, I have to give them a chance to flee!'
`If they're such good friends to you, did you ever stop to think about why they don't want to leave? The orc is right, this is their home. You can't expect them to just give it up.'
`Oh come on... Leave your home or die, I don't see where that's a difficult choice.'
`You just don't understand them, do you?'
`You're right. I don't. As far as I'm concerned, their making a big fucking mistake if they stay.'
`You didn't expect they'd react like this, did you?'
`I dunno. So what if I did?'
`If you did, why did you waste time on this when you knew they wouldn't leave? It took you five minutes. You wouldn't waste fifteen seconds on making the death of that human swift and painless, but you'd waste five minutes on the orcs of Coldrock. Why would you waste so much time on them, when you are so eager to save yourself?'
`The peasant in Draconia was a complete stranger, why should I care about him? But these guys are my friends. I won't let them down. I have to give them the chance to flee, even if they don't take it. Does that answer your question? Why does it bother you so much that I pushed the guy into the lava, anyway? You didn't hesitate to torch the peasants that came to his aid, after all.'
`I torched them to defend you, you idiot! You brought them on yourself, I was just saving your ass! As I said, you made a poor choice with the guy you pushed in the lava.'
`I had no time to be picky. Face it, I just don't care. All that matters is the result, and I delivered the result we needed. And fast. Fast! That's what counts.'
`You delivered, but you still made a poor choice. Okay, I won't mourn him given that you killed him for self preservation, and he was human so he could have developed bad karma eventually. But it's one thing to kill, and a whole other thing to kill an innocent the way you did. Can you imagine how much he suffered?'
`Those are odd words from a girl who owns torture chambers.'
`They're not torture chambers, damn you! They're karma chambers!'
`Whatever you wanna call it.'
`Listen, those chambers make people suffer only if they deserve it. It doesn't do anything to innocents. I hate humans so much because they have a tendency to do horrible things, it's in their blood. But not all of them succumb to this taint in their blood. Not everyone deserves to die in suffering.'
`So, what are you saying, that I should have interrogated that stinking peasant before I pushed him in the fucking lava? I had no time for that! Face it, I don't give a fuck whether or not he deserved to suffer. All I care, is that killing him the way I did gave me a chance to survive. I took it, and I have no regrets. Under the same circumstances, I'd do it again, without hesitation.'
`I'm sure of that.' she says.
`You'd have slit his throat before pushing him in the lava, I take it?'
`I...' she says, but then she abruptly stops and shakes her head. `Why should I bother explaining it to a motherfucker like you? All that's on your mind is that we have no time to argue and that the clock's ticking. It's a waste of time to debate it with you. You're the most stubborn man I've ever known.'
`Thank you!' I tell her, smiling.
She gives me a cold look, but says nothing more. We slowly arrive at the Gateway.
`How did this thing get so charred?' she asks.
`Just a little accident. Don't worry about it.' I tell her, and I touch the Gateway on both sides, and command it to open up for me. Damn, I hope this works...
A few seconds pass, and the Gateway activates, conjuring a Portal to my stronghold within the frame.
`Yes! Yes! It fucking works! Let's go!'
Without hesitation, we step inside.
*
A while later, after having rested a bit, I conjure the Portal for Irea so that she may return home.
`Thanks.' she says, as the Portal opens.
`No problem. Thanks for helping me out with those fucking ghosts.'
`Now you're grateful?' she says.
`I told you we'd get to the part where I thank you. I know what gratitude is. There was just no time for it until now.'
`It's always about not having enough time with you, isn't it?'
`No, usually I have plenty of time. It's just this whole fucked-up situation we're in...'
As she is about to step through, she turns back to me.
`Zack, won't you come with me now? I'd like us to talk more. And... I'd like to show you something. Something that I think you should see.'
`I can't. There's something I need to do.'
`Like what? You said you usually have plenty of time. You're safe now. You even took time out to thank me, even if a little late. Surely you are not that busy now?'
`Danny Boy... The guy who made those golems... He's my best friend, and he's still out there, somewhere in Draconia. I must find him and get him out of there before time runs out.'
`You will go back for him?'
`Yes. I won't leave him to die. He and I go way back. We've saved each other's lives so many times I can't count. He's like a brother to me. I won't let him down. He'd do the same for me.'
`I wish you luck in finding him.' she says.
`Thank you.'
`I'd like to help you, you know. I sometimes have premonition of people I know. But your friend... I never met him. I can't possibly sense where he might be.'
`Don't worry about it. I have a way to find him.'
`I can sense something though... He is in the company of a woman...'
`There's a surprise...'
`What?'
`Never mind. Look, I have to go.'
`But you should really see what I want to show
you. It's important...' she says, looking worried.
I sigh.
`Look... I must find Danny Boy. There is someone in Arghard who can find him for me, and I must talk to this person as soon as possible. Every second counts...'
`I'll wait here for you until you come back. Can you come then?'
I sigh again, and look at her. She looks genuinely worried... I wonder why. This is nothing like her. I'm getting curious here...
`Well, maybe.'
`Okay, I'll wait here then.'
I close the Portal and call for Tano.
He arrives swiftly.
`Yes, Master?' he asks, and he starts purring with a wide smile on his face as he sees Irea. `Why, you have a charming guest! What can I serve you with, lovely one?'
`You have a real nice pet, Zack! Such an adorable kitty!' she says, and Tano starts purring louder.
`Tano, listen up!' I tell him, before he could get too full of himself. `First of all, I need you to keep an eye on the Gateway. If Errak or any of the orcs want to enter, let them in. I somehow don't think they will see reason, but you never know.'
`Of course, Master.'
`Good. I also want you to show my guest to the Replica Room. Her name is Irea. Be nice to her, got it?'
`Oh, but of course, Master!' he says, smiling widely.
`Before you do that, bring me a power stone. I need the SMG 12000 recharged. I'm going back to Draconia.'
`Right now, Master?'
`Yes.' I tell him, nodding. `I'm gonna go pay a visit to an old acquaintance of mine. If anyone can find Danny Boy, it's her. And I think I'd better make sure I can be sufficiently persuasive...'
Calling
somewhere in Draconia, around three hundred years ago
So began our adventures in Draconia. Right after we killed Matuak when he attacked us near Ashkel, Zack and I traveled there. I must say, when we arrived, I could not really tell the difference between the land of the dragons and Ess'yer. Where we arrived, the plant life was very similar to that of Ess'yer, and the climate was not much different, either. But it still felt good to be breathing the air of Draconia. It was an amazing feeling...
Now, Draconia is the land of dragons, but some parts of it are inhabited by humans and other so-called lessers. The first time we arrived in Draconia we headed for one of these settlements, and rented two rooms in a tavern to serve as our base of operations, so to speak. It was in a town close to my Keep. Of course at the time it wasn't mine...
Anyway, that town served well as a place to get information about the surrounding area, and it was not long until we found ourselves doing our first dungeon exploration in the land of the dragons.
We didn't find much of interest the first time around, but eventually, we found some pretty interesting stuff. We sometimes returned to Kh'Tal so that Zack could resume his studies with Aurach, but we spent more time in Draconia during that time than we did in Kh'Tal. Two years after we first arrived in the land of the dragons, we had a unique experience within an old ruin that changed our lives forever.
Based on some maps we found earlier, Zack was able to locate the entrance to a ruin in the northeastern corner of Draconia which dates back to the time before the Draconian Brotherhood. Do you understand what that means? I said, the time before the Brotherhood, and not the time of the Brotherhood. Those ruins were older than you could imagine, and one could only wonder who had built them. In that age, there were pretty much only dragon-kind inhabiting Draconia, and they had no reason to build such underground structures...
We never found out who had built the place, but we certainly found some cool stuff in there. I still remember vividly what it was like to enter. The entrance was blocked by tons of rock, and Zack had to use some spells to clear our way. Once it was clear, we beheld the entrance: a very wide stairway slowly leading down, descending into the depths. As we descended, the stairway just didn't want to end. It had to be at least a hundred feet below ground by the time we reached the end of the stairway and entered the actual dungeon. As we stepped into the wide, dark corridors, Zack cast a spell that allowed us both to see in the dark, and I drew my sword. Zack looked at it in awe. It was a new sword that I had purchased in town just the day before. We often found some useless but pretty valuable trinkets in the dungeons we explored, which we could sell for good money, so we had some coin to spend on equipment every now and then.
When I drew the sword, Zack looked like he couldn't believe how big it was.
`That has got to be the biggest sword I ever saw you wield, Danny Boy.' he said.
`I love big swords, and I cannot lie!' I replied, smiling.
`It looks brand new, too. Not a scratch on the blade, as far as I can tell.'
`Damn right! Dwarven forgery. These things never break!'
`Well, I must contradict that. Even dwarven forged blades can be broken. Now, if it was enchanted...'
`What are you getting at?'
`I'm saying that if you spent so much money on a sword this big, you should let someone enchant it for you. Not only will that make it more powerful, but enchanted swords don't break. Ever. They can be bent, the edge can be jagged, but it's all fully repairable. Ordinary swords on the other hand...'
`It's not ordinary! It's dwarven forged!'
`If it's not enchanted, it's ordinary.'
`Oh will you shut up, you don't know the first thing about swords, you spellthrower!'
`Come on, let me enchant it for you! You could call it... Keehmor's Longsword.'
`It's not a longsword, you idiot, it's a claymore.'
`Even better. Think about it. Keehmor's Claymore! Sounds good, doesn't it?'
`Eh, I don't know... I'd rather have it as it is.'
`Well, it's your sword, buddy. But don't say I didn't warn you...' he said, and he walked off into the darkness. I frowned, and followed him.
*
We marched through the twisting corridors relatively quickly. The place had a simplistic layout, and it was abandoned and surprisingly empty. There was practically no sign of undead anywhere. Zack examined some carvings on the wall every now and then, and he said they were written in draconic. He also said the architecture was anything but draconic, and he had no clue who could have built it. The carvings were some text about demons, but Zack said it didn't make much sense to him.
After a while, we found our way into a large chamber with a stone casket in the middle, and two statues on either side. Zack was pretty surprised at the sight of it. The two statues were facing the casket, and they both resembled humans. Gladiators, as far as I could tell. Both were standing in the same awkward pose, their arms crossed in front of themselves, over their crotch. It slightly gave me the impression of an obscene gesture, actually.
We stared at the statues surprised for a while, but then Zack headed for the stone casket and started examining it. There were some carvings written on it.
`What does it say?' I asked.
`I don't get it...' replied Zack. `It makes no sense.'
`What?'
`It's something about an axe. That the axe opens the way.'
`Huh? What axe? I don't see any axes around...'
`I told you, I don't get it.'
Then I glanced at the two statues, and realized that the hands of the statues were shaped such that they could hold something in them.
`Look at those statues. It seems to me that we could insert weapons into their hands if we wanted to. Maybe that's how we can open the way...' I told Zack, pointing at the statues. Zack glanced at them, raised his eyebrows, and scratched his head.
`What kind of degenerate morons made these statues? Eh, who cares...' he said.
Then he went over to one of the statues, and took a closer look at the hands of the crossed arms.
`I don't see any switches or anything.'
`What the Hell does this shit mean, anyway?' I asked, and I sheathed my sword and crossed my arms, mimicking the statues. Zack opened his lips, but before he could reply, we heard a g
rinding sound from below.
`What was that?' I asked, and quickly drew my sword. But everything was completely silent again. Nothing could be heard. Zack scratched his beard, and then looked at me curiously.
`Do it again.' he said.
`Do what?'
`That thing with your arms.'
`Why?'
`Maybe that's the key. Just do it.'
I shrugged, then sheathed my sword and repeated that strange gesture. Again, there was that grinding sound.
`It's coming from below the casket.' said Zack. `Do it again!'
I did, and the grinding sound was heard again, but other than that, nothing happened. Zack scratched his beard again.
Then he stood on the opposite side of the casket, and raised his arms high. He performed the same gesture, and again there was the grinding sound, then nothing.
`Let's do it simultaneously.' he said. `There are two statues, maybe two people must do this bullshit at the same time, and then the casket will open up.'
I shrugged my shoulders, but thought, why the Hell not? So I raised my arms, and in unison, we both crossed our arms over our crotch. The grinding sound followed not much later, only louder than before. A few moments later, the cover of the stone casket slipped aside.
`I knew it! I fucking knew it!' exclaimed Zack. We stepped close to the casket, and saw that there was a stairway leading down.
A moment later, we heard some noise from below. Like the sound of movement. I slowly drew my sword.
`Are you ready?' I asked.
`I didn't hear you.'
`I said, are you ready?'
`I was fucking born ready!' he said, drawing his two lightning wands.
`Then it's time to kick some ass!' I exclaimed, and we both rushed down the stairs.
*
Down below, we were greeted by a small group of skeletal creatures. They were humanoid, but clearly not human. Their skulls were anything but human, they had three eye-sockets, and some kind of horn in the middle of their forehead.
Brothers Page 13
