Deathsworn Arc: 02 - The Verkreath Horror

by Martyn Stanley

  Beren'Gedt Holt

  Votrex, Saul and Brael had been walking through the shadowy gloom of the warren for so long they’d lost track of time completely. Just as they were starting to feel that this tunnel was intact, they rounded another sweeping bend and came across what looked like a section of collapsed tunnel. Saul was still lagging behind a little. When Votrex came face to face with the mountain of rubble he immediately began feeling the fallen stones and examining the pattern in which they’d fallen.

  When Saul eventually caught up he looked over the pile himself, his mage light casting eerie shadows about the apparent dead end. “Ahhh Votrex, it seems the formidable craftsmanship and engineering skills of the dwarves have their limits.”

  “Aye, they do... Though, not here.”

  Brael raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

  “This tunnel, it did not fail, it did not collapse unintentionally. It was made to collapse.”

  Saul took an interest now, “Made to collapse?”

  “Yes, I suspect by our friend at the foot of the stairwell to the Lo house.”

  “Why by Ishar would he want to collapse a tunnel?”

  “Don’t forget the arrows in his back Wizard, he was being followed, by the look of the arrows by Verkreath, he must have sealed off the tunnel to prevent them following.”

  “I’d have thought the Verkreath were adept burrowers, could they not-”

  Brael cut him off, “The Verkreath are lazy, prone to taking the easiest option if a mountain of fallen dwarven stonework stands in their way they are unlikely to follow. The poor wretch we saw probably saw a Holt fall to the Verkreath and though he could not prevent its fall, he prevented the Verkreath accessing the warren, and taking other Holts.”

  Votrex looked up, “Beren'Gedt Holt actually - at least according to the writings. Tis a Holt I have never been to, by the look of our friend back there, nobody has for some time.”

  Saul stroked his beard as if in deep thought, then sighed, “A pity it’s sealed off, it may have been long abandoned by the Verkreath also, it could-”

  “Who said it was sealed off?”

  Brael and Saul looked at Votrex, Votrex smiled, “Just because the main tunnel of the warren is collapsed doesn’t mean there is no access, we are a canny people, there will be a hidden route into Beren'Gedt Holt somewhere, we just have to look for it.”

  Brael shrugged, “Should we not return to the Lo house for Vashni and Korhan?”

  “Let us have a quick look to see if we can find our way in and make a judgement as to what state the tunnels beyond this point are in?”

  Saul nodded, “I agree, there’s little point in dragging them all the way down here if the tunnels are collapsed or overrun with Verkreath?”

  Votrex was already heading for a narrow side tunnel, “Come, let us see what we can see.”

  Saul and Brael followed Votrex into the narrow tunnel, the main source of light being Saul’s mage light. The tunnel was collapsed a dozen or so metres away from the main tunnel, but this didn’t seem to deter Votrex who was periodically pausing to examine the side of the tunnel every few steps. Though Brael and Saul were diligently tracking up and down the wall around Votrex, the truth was their efforts were somewhat futile. The Stonecraft of the dwarves, was legendary and in this instance it was likely the dwarves would have hidden any secret passages or doors well. Even Votrex appeared to be having trouble discerning whether there was anything to be found or not.

  The minutes dragged on. Votrex would run his hands over a section, then stand back and study the smooth wall as if in deep thought. Periodically he would move to a different section of wall, then back to sections he’d already examined. The whole process seemed very time consuming to Saul. He stood back, watching the dwarf flit back and forth, feeling here, testing there - then moving on. He groaned under his breath impatiently, thinking to himself, ‘Hah! How does he even ‘know’ there will even BE a passage? Let alone how to open it!’. Essentially Votrex appeared to be spending a great deal of time doing more or less nothing. To Saul’s eyes it was simply a smooth section of wall which was so featureless it was difficult to even ascertain how it was built.

  Despite the desperately slow progress and apparent lack of progress, eventually Votrex seemed satisfied with the wall and moved his attention to the steps. After a few more minutes of feeling and examining he pushed in a small circular stone inset into the vertical rise of the steps. There was a subtle click and Votrex then returned to the wall and pushed in a seemingly featureless spot. As he pushed the stone, a discreet door swung open. It was clearly weighted on a clever hinge so that if there was no pressure on the door it would swing shut again.

  The scene on the other side of the door was a short length of tunnel, just wide enough for one person. There was a simple stone lever to operate the door on the other side, and an identical lever, less than three metres away. Presumably to open what one could assume was a door into a similar passage to the one they had just entered from.

  Votrex strode confidently down the short corridor and pulled the second lever, the door unclicked and using a handle set into the hidden side of the door he was able to pull it open.

  The scene that greeted them on the other side was not noteworthy; it appeared for all purposes identical to the tunnel they had just left. The only telltale sign that anything was amiss was a subtle smell of stale air and possibly carrion.

  After a cursory glance at the steps to ascertain the correct way to reopen the door from this side, Votrex strode confidently back down the narrow passage towards the main tunnel with Brael and Saul in tow. Saul’s eyes were wide with amazement at the discovery of the doors; Votrex had often seemed a little uncomfortable, almost out of sorts above ground. Here under the earth he appeared at home, comfortable, confident - like a different person. He hid the fact that he was so clearly impressed well, and followed along with interest. He also noted Brael’s obvious comfort underground, unbeknownst to Saul part of his companions’ adeptness in the shadows was simply down to the fact that their eyes were significantly better adapted to seeing in these conditions.

  Eventually the narrow passage opened out onto the main tunnel. Here piles of bones, dismantled skeletons, deprived of their armour and weapons - were strewn about the tunnel. Some appeared to be dwarf in origin, and some appeared to be to the pieces of the skeletons of giant rodents.

  Saul looked about the piles, “Urgh! What could do this?”

  Brael drew his sword, “Verkreath, I would suggest our friend back in the tunnel was fleeing from this direction and he collapsed the main tunnel to prevent them following. There was perhaps a fight, and this now defunct dead-end has become a dumping ground for their waste, a place to cast the dry bones of their prey once they have gnawed the final remnants of flesh off them, would you agree Votrex?”

  “Aye, that sounds about right - though I don’t think anyone has been here for some time. The bones are dry, there is only dry blood on the ground - I think it’s safe to continue.”

  Saul groaned, “Should we not return to fetch Vashni and Korhan?”

  “Not yet wizard, we should just venture into the Holt, these markings on the wall suggest its close. Ahhh, yes, I’ve never been here - but it’s an interesting Holt and one which may mean we have fortuned upon a pathway we can use to get past Brunwelt and Duramer. According to this inscription we are about to enter Beren'Gedt Holt, quite a famous Holt in its day, often referred to as the inverted tower. It’s a vertical town, built and expanded to follow a rich seam of mithril, which happened run vertically. We are up at the dwarfish level here in the warren, but the Verkreath are deeper dwellers than we - this Holt cuts through their level and through even the gravian level at its deepest point, gravians dwell even deeper than the Verkreath.”

  Brael nodded, “The dwarf speaks the truth, while the dwarves are fighting the emergence of the Verkreath from beneath their feet, we have always been fighting back a tide of the foul vermin burrowing down
wards into our caverns, cities and tunnels. If this Holt is as Votrex says, very vertical, we may be able to pass through unseen by the Verkreath, who at this time appeared to have retired to deeper caverns.”

  Saul started walking back towards the narrow side passage from which they had entered, “Then we should return to the Lo house, rest, gather our provisions and return in the morning with Korhan and Vashni. This discovery could knock days off our journey to Cormaroth at the very least and may actually be safer. The Verkreath are not looking for us and probably consider this part of the Holt a dead-end. We shall have to abandon our steeds in Strak, but I believe it will be a safer route, and doing so is justified.”

  Brael followed, and Votrex jogged ahead, and opened the secret door ahead of Saul. The trek back was arguably not quite as interesting, but it was a pleasant one, for it offered hope. Their fortunes appeared to be taking a turn for the better.

  The Unlocking

  When the trio arrived back at the tunnel leading up to the Lo house they found the stairs had reverted to solid rock. Saul groaned, exasperated, “Hah! We’re trapped!”

  Votrex shrugged and felt the wall for a moment before pressing on a rune, it moved subtly, he held it for a few moment’s, presumably to allow the magic to charge - then released. As he did the stairs reformed with a faint grinding noise and they were striding up the steps into the Lo house. As they moved up the stairs, back into the house Brael reminded them of the blacksmith’s son, “We should at least investigate Felgard to see if Callen has turned up there.”

  “Aye, we should rest first, eat, get some sleep and leave in the morning.”

  Votrex words were gruff and matter of fact. Saul sighed with dismay as he listened to Votrex, “Very well, but we must not tarry any longer than necessary - we have to get back to Cormaroth.”

  “Hah! So you can get your precious ‘heart stones’ back to the empress - I should like to speak with her about those when we receive our reward. I cannot shake the feeling that I have been deceived somehow.”

  Brael raised an eyebrow at the dwarf, in some respects he found it difficult to empathize; after all he’d effectively joined the quest when his neck was pulled from the chopping block. It was a game-changer and it seemed impossible that Saul even knew the full ramifications of the heart stones, let alone that he was willing to divulge what he knew. Whenever Saul spoke of the empress he spoke in a tone of subtle sadness, his face grew longer and his voice resonated with loss - what was their story? Brael couldn’t guess, but he was sure there was a story, a story between Saul Karza and Empress Jade.

  When they eventually entered the Lo house, there was an immediate air of wrongness about the place. Brael noticed it first, looking around and sniffing the air as he exited the stairwell, “Vashni and Korhan - they’re gone!”

  As he spoke he barged past Saul and Votrex and sprung up the stairs, taking them two or three at a time, Votrex and Saul struggling to keep up.

  When Saul and Votrex got to the bedroom where the embers of the fire were still dying down, Brael was standing there, staring at the empty bed. Saul, was slightly out of breath, “Wh- Where are they?”

  “The acting Berger - she’s been here... Along with, others. We should visit the administrative building immediately, she knows what has happened.”

  Votrex screwed his face up, “Could she not have taken him off somewhere to indulge one of her whimsical, sadistic training exercises?”

  “She has not, we have to see the acting Berger now.”

  He spoke matter of factly and darted straight for the stairs. As Votrex charged after him he mused what a terrible sight they all looked. Brael still wearing a ragged, hessian tunic that looked like it was not fit to allow a dog to sleep on, let alone wear. Saul, his robes, scorched and in tatters, and himself, half his beard burned off, his tunic was dirty and smelly, but looked more presentable than the charred and dented remnants of his armour which was stowed in his saddlebags.

  There had been no respite since the battle with Thrax, and it showed, both in their appearance and the weary way in which they moved, as if being dragged back, physically back by fatigue, forced to fight through the tiredness despite their sorry state.

  They charged purposefully out onto the quiet street. It was very late and the rain had started again, a light drizzle now, cold and augmenting their misery. The guards at the administrative building made as if to bar their way, but when they saw the expression on the trio’s faces they lowered their weapons and allowed them to charge past. In the entry atrium Brael growled up the stairs, “Berger! Show yourself! Kyla!”

  The fire in his eyes was burning more brightly than usual, Votrex’s expression was grim, he had the appearance of a person who was about to kill someone. Saul echoed Brael’s call, “Kyla! I demand you speak to us now!”

  When she appeared, she was still dressed in her purple velvet robe. She had an air of sadness about her, “I am here...”

  Brael glared at her, “Where are our companions!? Where are Korhan and Vashni!?”

  She walked down the sweeping, spiral stone staircase, as her guards appeared and started to follow she raised a palm at them, “No, this is my task - I trust these people.”

  The guards looked at each other uneasily before backing off. Kyla swept past the companions, beckoning them over her shoulder. “Come...”

  Votrex, Saul and Brael followed Kyla through the town, she didn’t take the wall this time, she headed straight through the town this time, avoiding the walls. The streets were deserted. The walk was quite a lengthy one, Kyla took the most direct route through the walled town and they were at the main gate in no time.

  When they got there, rather than order the gate opened Kyla approached the gate and beckoned the companions to follow. She peered through an ancient knot hole in one of the heavy boards of the great door, then beckoned them to do the same. Brael looked first, as they took turns Kyla explained the happenings of the evening, “The servant of the flame came, their leader, a Ramon Hern, who has been pestering me to join his ‘cult’ before, demanded a duel with the slayer of Thrax, it seems your young friend was intercepted by the servant. The barbarian fought Hern, but was bested, the forfeit was the boy being killed and the elf, being thrown into the plague pit and buried in plague ridden corpses.”

  Brael glared at her, “And you allowed this to happen?”

  “I had no choice! He was threatening the town! Besides, how was I to know Korhan could not best Ramon Hern?”

  “Open the gate!”

  “Those two men who are standing over Kor-”

  “I said open it!”

  Brael was seething, Kyla backed off and gestured for the guards manning the gate controls, they began slowly turning levers and pulling chains on pulleys, making the gates slowly creak open. The watchers looked up in surprise at the opening gates. As soon as they were open enough to fit a person through, Brael was through, running towards the watchers, and drawing his short sword. Votrex was snapping at his heels, brandishing his axe and Saul was struggling to keep up, his long legs conferring an advantage, yet his advanced years keeping him a good few feet behind the dwarf. Before they could reach their quarry, the two men burly looking men whispered something to the runner, who took off at full pelt in the direction of Brunwelt. Brael was the first to reach the two watchers, who by this time had unsheathed swords themselves and were waiting to engage him. As the closest attempted a sloppy slash at Brael, he simply skipped to one side and thrust his sword straight through the man and kept running, desperately chasing down the runner.

  The runner was fast, he was young and light, and Brael soon realised he would not catch up. As he ran he drew one of his wooden darts from his pocket and threw it as straight as a quarrel at his prey. The dart slammed with force into the runner’s neck felling him on the spot, but Brael kept running, piercing the fallen runner’s heart with his sword once he was in range. By this point Votrex was bearing down on the second brute, who was preparing to slash at h
im as he approached, Votrex casually ducked the awkward slash and swung his axe with speed and force right at the joint in the mans knees. He howled in pain as the mighty axe cleaved clean through both legs. As he crumbled to the floor Votrex swept his axe high in an arc and brought it down on the man’s neck, separating his head from his shoulders.

  As Saul caught up with Votrex, delivering the coup de grace, Brael was kneeling down, snapping the runners neck. Saul ignored the now dead thugs and kneeled next to Korhan, inspecting his wounds, “Korhan! Don’t try to speak.”

  Brael and Votrex kneeled next to him to, Brael bore the bad news, “He is dying, we have to stop the bleeding.”

  Saul groaned, “How?”

  Brael took pointed to Saul’s belt, “Give me your dagger, heat the tip using magic.”

  Saul handed it over and Brael took it by the handle, as Saul muttered under his breath, wording a spell, shaping some ambient magic into heat energy and transferring it to the tip, the tip began to grow red, bright orange then white. Slowly Brael ran the tip over the open wounds one by one, making Korhan’s blood fizz and spit, and making Korhan groan softly. Once Brael had cauterised all of the wounds he turned to Saul, “Wizard, I have slowed his bleeding, but he still bleeds internally, we need Vashni...”

  Votrex started for the nearest plague pit, he peered over the edge, fighting the urge to tear his gaze away in disgust. “Urgh! Is she down there? Have I to wade in, pulling bodies off her?”

  Brael arrive behind him and looked into the pit. He saw the grim faces, of young, innocent dead, glaring up at him, but he was focused on the task at hand, “Wizard! Get here, can you levitate some of these corpses up, so we can find her?”

  Saul ambled up to the pit on weary legs, “I... I don’t know if-”

  Brael rolled his eyes in frustration and pointed to a point in the pit, “She is about three layers down, around there, focus on the air between the layers, and direct energy into it!”