The Eastern Dwarfs: Part Two - The Underground Journey

by Leo deSouza

  “Hey! Ye little thief! Help us.” Rurur whispered.

  Montaron stopped and looked at the tied dwarfs on the floor inside the cell.

  “Come, ye can not escape alone, ye will need our help to deal with the witch!” Rurur continued.

  Now the escaping dwarf approached the cell and began examining the lock, it was when they all heard the voice of the witch, she was coming back to them. “It is tiiiiiime my lovely dwarfs…” Her voice sounded.

  Montaron ran and hid in a dark corner under his cage, the witch entered the room, hovering above the ground like a ghost, she opened the jail door and looked at the dwarfs. “Which one of you?” She asked.

  Everyone looked at her in expectation.

  “You!” She shouted pointing to Rurur. The witch dragged him out of the cell and locked the door again, then went across the room taking the dwarf so quickly that made the other ones wonder about how she could have such a strength. Montaron just waited for her to leave to come again and began trying to open the lock of the cell.

  “Quickly!” Thuor whispered.

  This lock was not difficult for him too and in no time the door was open. Montaron took a sharp knife from his belt and began to cut the ropes, soon they were all free, cleaning themselves from the filth.

  “Are ye feeling it?” Olaf asked as he put the bottle back on his backpack. “There is a strange wind coming from somewhere here.”

  Montaron walked close to the wall, passing his palms against it, he suddenly stopped and knocked two times on it, making a hollow sound. “There is a passage.” He whispered. Then he pushed the wall with all his strength, and for everyone’s surprise, a secret door moved revealing itself, beyond it a dark corridor leading to an unknown place.

  “Let it be, we must help Rurur!” Thuor said.

  They all came to the arch of the room to peek, there they could see the witch strangely holding Rurur in the air with a single hand. The dwarf was now wearing only his underwear, and all his clothes and stuff were on the ground.

  “Once I got from you a new sense, you will end up the same way the orc did. What do ye think it is boiling right now inside the cauldron?” The witch asked.

  Thuor motioned to the others quietly, preparing the attack, everyone drew a weapon, even Montaron had a long pointy knife. Then in a quick movement, the captain jumped towards the witch and hit her back with his war hammer. But the creature did not break, she dropped Rurur on the ground, screamed loudly with her horrid voice and turned to them. “You bastard dwarfs!”

  Torag fired his crossbow and hit an arrow in her eye, piercing her head. The witch now screamed so loudly that it hurt the dwarfs’ ears. A transformation began, she twirled and swelled, the creature grew in muscles and height, her face became even uglier than before, her nails got longer and pointy and her teeth became like the ones of a wolf. The witch was now even bigger.

  “Stick a blade in this devilish thing and kill it with no mercy!” Olaf shouted as he advanced against the witch with a mace in his hands. But he could not strike even a single blow, the creature slapped him in his face so hard that it made him fall back on the ground.

  Torag struck a blow with his axe, cutting off one of the witch’s arms, making her scream. “Yeeeeeergh!” Sounded her voice.

  Everyone was expecting to see the foe defeated, but what happened next was even stranger, as the creature screamed and scolded against the dwarfs a disgusting green liquid began to leak from the cut arm, an appendage began to grow there and then it became a new arm. The witch now hit Thuor, making his war hammer fall to the ground, the dwarf retreated. Now the creature growled so loudly that it made the room tremble, her eyes became red and her face even more devilish, Rurur took his stuff and clothes from the ground, Montaron ran back to the jail room where they were before, the other dwarfs found it better to follow him, Thuor took the torch on the wall. “We can not kill this thing!” He shouted.

  Everyone entered the secret door, the creature came after them.

  T he Pioneer’ Maze.

  None of the dwarfs stopped running for a while, the secret door gave entrance to a tight corridor, it was an absolutely dark place and the only source of light was the torch in Thuor’s hand. The sound of their steps revealed that the floor had water pools, it was a long run and the dwarfs came one after another, pushing and trying to not fall as they stumbled on the many rocks on the ground. They finally stopped when they saw four entrances leading to different paths ahead of them, Rurur who was the last one in the row looked back trying to see something, but the darkness was too intense. “We must choose a way...” He spoke.

  Thuor reached the torch towards the paths trying to see.

  “…Unless ye are willing to go back and fight that thing!” Rurur continued.

  “We better keep going.” Olaf spoke even now that he was deaf.

  “Wait a moment.” Rurur said as he began to dress.

  Torag did the same.

  “If we get lost in these tunnels, we may not be able to find the way back no more.” Olaf said.

  Montaron stepped ahead, he squinted as he looked at the paths, then pointed at one, looking at the other dwarfs.

  “Why this one?” Rurur asked as he tried to tighten his belt in the darkness.

  Montaron shrugged.

  “This fellow one does not talk much, right?” Olaf asked.

  “How could ye know? Ye can’t hear.” Rurur said. “Ye could see his mouth movi… Oh what I’m doing talking to a deaf dwarf!”

  Montaron motioned to the others to come through the path he chose.

  “Hunf… Ye know what? I say let’s follow Montaron, he managed to get here alone, all the way. And he seems to have a good skill in getting out of difficult situations.” Rurur spoke.

  “I can’t hear what ye are talking about but I’m not going to stay here and wait for that freaky thing to reach me!” Olaf said as he stepped ahead.

  So they all took the path Montaron pointed, the corridor continued straight. Thuor walked ahead of them all, Torag was totally dressed and he also lit a torch, he now came at last, always looking back and hoping the creature was not following them.

  “I’m getting used to battles...” Olaf said breaking the silence. “…But, we all saw that thing, a new arm began to grow where we amputated one before, this is sick.”

  “Yes, and this is why we left. For the same reason we should not dare facing the Warlock, remember what Altar told us, we are dwarfs, not wizards or sorcerers, we are not meant to fight unnatural things, magic, and witchcraft.” Thuor spoke.

  “Are ye talking something? I can’t hear.” Olaf spoke.

  “Well, Torag tried to hit the dark rider in that tomb before.” Rurur spoke.

  “And we know the results of it.” Thuor said.

  Then Torag decided to look back and saw right behind them two red eyes shining in the darkness. He shouted but no sound came from his throat, then he pushed Rurur forcing him to run. This one complained as he looked back: “Stop pushing I… Oh my! Run for your lives ye fool dwarfs!” He shouted as he saw the witch

  None of the others looked back, but everyone ran desperately, so fast that the wind hissed in their ears, then came a shrill scream that they knew, it made all them shiver.

  “It’s she! She is right behind us! Run and get out of my way! I’m not going to be boiled in that damn cauldron!” Rurur shouted as he pushed Olaf who was running right in front of him.

  “Don’t push me!” Olaf shouted.

  “Come heeeeeere!” A horrid voice sounded from behind the dwarfs.

  “Urgh! Run!” Rurur shouted as the party hurried through the corridor.

  A trifurcation was right ahead, but this time Thuor led the party through the left path without stopping to choose a way, now they were running along a different corridor.

  “We can’t keep running like this forever!” Olaf shouted.

  “Ye saw it! That thing can not be beaten!” Rurur exclaimed, forgetting that Olaf couldn’t he
ar his reply.

  Then it was Torag who decided to stop, he turned back holding his axe and got into fighting stance with an angry mien, but nothing came towards him, the torch in his hand lightened the way, and the witch did not show herself, the dwarf relaxed as he sighed

  “Seems she gave up.” Rurur said looking back.

  The other ones also stopped at some distance.

  “Why would she stop chasing us?” Olaf asked, wide eyed.

  “Whatever.” Rurur said turning back to them.

  “I don’t find it wise to go back and run the risk of meeting her again. I’ve told ye once, and I will keep saying, our axes are not made for dealing with such things.” Thuor spoke.

  Now Olaf approached the wall, he blew and cleaned the dust on it with his hand. “Light here, captain.”

  Thuor reached the torch out to it, everyone approached to look. There in the wall they could see runes carved on the rock, in the eastern dwarf language, similar to the western one, but not the same.

  “What does it say?” Rurur asked.

  Olaf did not hear that question, but read the runes anyway, he squinted his eyes and pulled the torch in Thuor’s hand closer to the inscriptions. “Here says… This is the old maze carved by Garanto, the first pioneer, when the mountain roots were still virgin.” He read.

  “Who is this one?” Rurur asked.

  “The first dwarf to explore this underground passage. An ancestor of ours, the first one who crossed the passage from the Gurundir cave gap, the place where the battle just happened, till the other side, on the foot of the Vulcan, where the Steel Fists clan settled their kingdom.” Thuor explained.

  Olaf continued reading the runes: “No other creatures shall use this maze, for the dwarfs are the only and real heirs of this mountain. Only a dwarf can read the signs, only a dwarf can find the way out. A safe path for our kind, far from the dangers of the main cave, a secret to be kept far from the eyes of the primal dwellers of this underground realm, for they are not as wise as us, their greed is pure lust, and their thirst is death.”

  “I guess he was talking about things like this damn wicked witch!” Rurur spoke.

  “It seems they dug this maze as an alternative path to avoid the many dangers within the cave gap.” Thuor added.

  “Well then… It is not secret anymore, we just brought the witch with us…” Rurur replied.

  Olaf kept reading: “Now the clans can cross in peace, and there settle new kingdoms of wealth and glory. But be aware, traveler, that this maze does not go beyond the deep pit where lies the master of all this place. A power above the might of any dwarf of the four houses of the East, not to be challenged, not to be unsettled.”

  “The Sinister…” Rurur whispered.

  Olaf continued: “At this point one must use the footbridge, the safe place that passed all the way above the pit, and not argue about this, for many of us have perished before in his hands. To enter the maze one must find the secret door, and to leave it one must solve a puzzle of death, so this path is protected and safe for friends, but mortal to foes. Here ends the message of Garanto, first pioneer, patron of Gurundir, father and keeper of all the eastern dwarfs.”

  “The damn witch told us about this Sinister one!” Rurur spoke

  “Whoever he is...” Thuor whispered, still looking at the scriptures.

  “What is the puzzle about?” Montaron asked.

  Rurur shrugged and replied: “We have no idea! Wait. What are we doing here discussing this? Let’s just leave.”

  “Read here.” Thuor said pointing to somewhere on the wall inscriptions.

  “A guide to leaving the maze.” Olaf said as he read. “Right let’s take note of this.” He then took a piece of parchment from his backpack, as well as pen and ink and began copying the instructions.

  Montaron was looking around, watchful, when Olaf finished the notes, they left again, now under his orientation as he pointed the way, reading his self made map. For a while the dwarfs walked, and from time to time they looked back to see if someone was coming after them, no one in the party could be called a coward, but even the remote memory of the witch’s screams made them shiver. Now the group reached a square room, and there were tunnels at each side.

  “Where to?” Thuor asked pointing to the map in Olaf’s hands.

  “Let me see…” Olaf said reading his own map.

  “How big is this maze?” Rurur asked.

  “I don’t think ye can make Olaf understand this question, given that he can’t hear ye.” Thuor replied.

  “Huuum… Left side!” Olaf broke in.

  “Ye sure about this?” Rurur asked as he held Olaf.

  A sudden wind blew, like a whiff passing through the dwarfs, so hard that the torches extinguished, the darkness covered all.

  “Light it up!” Olaf shouted.

  “Light your torch, Torag!” Rurur spoke.

  Sparks flashed in the darkness as they tried to fire up the torches again, when fire finally came, there were only four dwarfs, each one looking at the others as if trying to understand what happened as the light from the torches glistened against their faces.

  “Where is Rurur?” Thuor asked.

  “Where is Rurur?” Olaf asked too.

  Torag was gesturing quickly, Montaron smiled nervously looking at the others.

  “Right, we need to find him. Draw your weapons and be ready.” The captain spoke. He led the others towards the left entrance and went into a corridor, right after entering it, Thuor stumbled onto a small staircase and fell, his torch extinguished one more time as there was water on the floor. The same happened to Torag who came right after, and Olaf too. One more time there was no light.

  “Damn!” Olaf exclaimed as he raised from the ground.

  The dwarfs groped and held on each other.

  “Light something.” Thuor said.

  Even not hearing the captain, Olaf began to take oil and a piece of cloth from his backpack, he could not see anything. Torag was now striking the air with his axe, as if preventing anything from coming close. It took some time for Olaf to set fire to a piece cloth, and when he finally did it, he took one of the staffs from the ground and made a new torch, now there was light again. “Right, captain. Now light your…” He was saying when he noticed Thuor was not there anymore. “What is happening for pity sake?” He continued.

  Now there were three dwarfs, standing in the corridor with water up to the height of their ankles. All of sudden something strange happened, the ambience became lightened, many small torches along the walls lit themselves in a row with the sound of their flames being ignited.

  “Magic fire.” Montaron spoke, looking around.

  “Now this is getting way too strange…” Olaf said. “But let’s take it as a good omen.” He walked ahead being followed by Montaron and Torag, their steps spreading the water on the floor, then they reached another room, one more time Olaf checked his map, but he was getting confused with his own notes. “What the… I don’t even know what I’ve wrote…”

  “We are here.” Montaron spoke pointing to somewhere in the map.

  “No, no, no… This is exactly the place we are.” Olaf replied.

  Montaron slapped his own forehead as he noticed Olaf was actually not hearing, nor understanding him.

  Now all them where looking at the map, Olaf pointed the way they came from, Torag gestured pointing many directions, Montaron just shook his head.

  “Forget about the map for now, it will not tell us where the others are!” Olaf spoke.

  He then turned himself and saw right in front of him the witch, the tall creature was there! The dwarf was about to shout when Montaron covered his mouth with one hand. Torag quietly got into fighting stance, but was also held by a gesture from Montaron, this one pointed to his own eyes with his fingers. Now the other two came to remember that the witch was still blind. Quietly, the dwarfs stepped back, spreading in the room, each one now drew his weapon. The witch moved slowly, groping with he
r hands in the air, Torag pointed his crossbow to her, but one more time Montaron intervened, shaking his index finger, meaning no. Now the witch began to sniff in the air with her horrid pointy nose, and as he saw it, Olaf sniffed his own armpit, the witch was trying to find the dwarfs by their smell. Montaron looked at Torag, he pointed to the axe on his belt, made a gesture of cutting his own neck, and then pointed to the witch. Torag got the message, he quietly put his crossbow on his back and drew the axe, the dwarf bit his own lips with an angry mien and prepared to slash, the target was the witch’s throat. But when he was about to act, someone came running from a corridor into the room. It was Rurur, he came in so fast that could he not see the witch and collided with her, both were shaken, the witch screamed: “Yeeergh!”

  “She stole my flair! I can’t smell!” Rurur said as he stepped back.

  The creature now struck the air with her long fingers violently, she sniffed towards Montaron and then advanced to him reaching her hands to the dwarf’s throat, so quick that he could not react; the witch grabbed the dwarf by his neck and raised him in the air, Montaron just held her arms while shaking his legs. Now all the other dwarfs attacked the creature, blades cut her skin, fire burnt her clothes. The witch dropped Montaron on the ground, all the lights from the torches extinguished, including Olaf’s one, the place became totally dark again, and the only voice being heard was Rurur’s one. “Where are ye all? Were are ye?” He shouted.

  Soon Olaf lit his torch again. “I’m getting tired of this!” He said.

  “Where is the slick one?” Rurur asked.

  “Oh no! She took Montaron!” Olaf said as he looked around. “Get into your rage stance, Torag! We are going to kill this thing one way or another!”

  Holding their weapons the three dwarfs entered a corridor, running.