Quest SMASH

by Joseph Lallo

  “Rhamalli, we’re getting ready to come out,” Breslin shouted towards the tiny entrance. “Although I have no intention of leaping outside, would you please be ready to catch us in case we fall?”

  The ground trembled as the dragon inched closer to the tree. “Is everything alright in there?”

  “For the time being. That could change at any moment, though.”

  “Understood. I am ready.”

  A third root, larger and thicker than the rest, silently extricated itself from the ground and lunged forward. Once more contact was made and Breslin found himself flying through the air. He impacted the far wall and slid down it into a heap.

  “Breslin! Hold on, I’ll be right there!” Athos angrily looked up and scowled at the tree. “We didn’t do anything to you! Stop this nonsense immediately!”

  Surprisingly, the tree complied. The roots settled down onto the floor and became quiescent. Athos hurried over to Breslin and helped him to his feet.

  “Are you alright? I think it’s time to go while the tree is preoccupied. What are you waiting for? What are you doing?”

  Breslin had turned around and placed a hand up against the wall he had just slammed into. Leaning first to the left, and then to the right, Breslin turned back to Athos, smiling profusely.

  “What?” Athos snapped. “What are you smiling at me for? Did you hit your head? Maybe you should stay sitting down for a while.”

  Athos reached for his friend but Breslin batted away his hand.

  “Come, come, look here. What do you see?”

  Athos peered at the impassable wall before them and shrugged. “Stone. Lots of it.”

  “Stay right there but angle your head about twenty degrees west. Now tell me what you see.”

  Athos did as he was told and shrugged again.

  “More rock. What are you going on about? There’s nothing but…”

  Breslin suddenly thrust his hand forward, appearing as though he was giving the mountain a violent shove. His hand, inexplicably, seemed to sink into the rocky wall.

  Athos stared, open-mouthed.

  Breslin beamed. “We have ourselves an entrance. A dwarven entrance!”

  Chapter 11 – Lost City No More

  “How did you know that was there? I didn’t see anything. I still don’t.” Athos leaned towards the mountain then farther away. Then he tilted his body left, and then right.

  “This one is harder to see, that I’ll give you,” Breslin admitted. “You’d have to be very familiar with igneous rock, which I am.”

  Breslin tapped an unremarkable spot on the wall and gestured for Athos to join him.

  “Do you see this? As of right now, the wall is granite, which I presume is what this entire mountain is made of. Here, though, it changes to basalt. Basalt is formed after magma cools once it makes it topside. Granite forms as magma cools underground.”

  “So…”

  “So this section of basalt,” Breslin patiently explained, “has been blended in with this granite to make it look seamless. Only a dwarf could pull that off as skillfully as this.”

  Holding his hands out in front of him, Athos gently felt around the mountain’s wall until he had discovered the dimensions of the cleverly disguised entrance. Only if he stared at the rocks hard enough could he begin to make out the subtle differences between the two types of rock. No wonder no one had ever found Nar, Athos thought with growing excitement. Not only was Dual Tree blocking access from outside intruders, only the most gifted geologist would ever have a chance in discovering the disguised entrance.

  “What now?” Athos asked. “Should we bring the others up here?”

  “Absolutely. Notify Rhamalli.”

  “I’m already on my way to retrieve them,” Rhamalli’s voice told them.

  “Can we not have a private conversation?” Breslin demanded, addressing the empty air besides Athos.

  They both heard Rhamalli’s deep chuckle.

  Moments later they were pulling Lukas, Venk, and Tristofer through the tiny entrance under the tree. Once their party was together again, Tristofer turned excitedly to Breslin.

  “You found something! What is it? Tell me!!”

  “We may have found something,” Breslin informed him. “We found a hidden entrance leading inside the mountain.”

  Tristofer let out a loud whoop and rushed forward to embrace Breslin.

  “It’s Nar! I just know it!”

  “Unhand me. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Tristofer. We must investigate. We’ll need torches. See if you can find anything we can use.”

  Athos’s hand shot up.

  “May I suggest another course of action?”

  Dual Tree began swaying once more and several of its larger roots began pulling themselves out of the ground.

  Remembering that the tree was sentient, although how a tree could develop the ability to listen and respond to regular speech eluded him, Breslin held up both hands.

  “My apologies. We’ll find something else. No burning wood, I assure you.”

  The tree settled down.

  “Athos, go inside there and see if there might be a torch nearby. They frequently are.”

  Athos nodded. Losing sight of the opening yet again, he felt along the surface of the wall until he was sure he could duck through the small hidden door without smashing his head against solid granite. Athos slipped inside the mountain and disappeared. The group waited with baited breath. How long would it take?

  Athos reappeared almost instantly, holding a foot long torch, replete with dust and cobwebs.

  “There’s one more torch on the other side of the door, but I figured one should do for now.”

  “What else did you see?” Tristofer eagerly asked.

  Athos held up the unlit torch.

  “Nothing. Couldn’t see anything.”

  “Right. Sorry.”

  “Who’s got a tinder kit?” Breslin asked.

  “I do,” Venk answered. “But it’s back at the camp. Didn’t think I’d need it.”

  Everyone turned to Tristofer, who began patting down his pockets once more. With an exclamation of triumph, the scholar pulled a small leather-wrapped bundle from within his jacket and held it up.

  “I knew I had a tinder kit on me somewhere. Let’s get a –”

  Athos slapped a hand over Tristofer’s mouth.

  “Don’t even think about saying that word. Call it, I don’t know, call it ‘supper’. Let’s make supper once we’re all away from here, alright?”

  Tristofer nodded.

  “Can you make, er, supper in the dark?” Breslin asked.

  Tristofer shook his head affirmatively.

  “I believe so.”

  Breslin took his arm and shoved him through the hidden opening.

  “Excellent. Let’s go. Rhamalli, I trust you can hear me, we’re all going inside now.”

  “I’ll be in the area,” the dragon assured them.

  They felt the ground shudder as the huge dragon released his grip from the mountain and pushed off.

  Once the two torches were lit the dwarves took stock of their situation. The tunnel they were standing in was not that large, maybe five feet tall with enough room for two dwarves to walk side by side. With Breslin in the lead, followed by Venk and Lukas, then Tristofer, and finally Athos, they made their way down the dusty tunnel, heading away from the entrance and the outside world.

  “This is so exciting!” Tristofer exclaimed, pulling the torch, along with Athos holding it, from wall to wall, and even down to the floor. “It would appear that no one has used this tunnel in centuries! Maybe the last people who used it were the Narians themselves!”

  “That has to be why Dual Tree is outside,” Venk theorized. “It’s there to hide the entrance.”

  “I was expecting a little more flourish,” Athos remarked.

  “Me, too,” Venk admitted.

  “I’ll bet it’s a secr
et entrance!” Lukas added, speaking his first words since being brought back up the mountain.

  His father nodded. “It could be.”

  “We should properly excavate this whole area,” Tristofer said happily. “Who knows what treasure might lie beneath the ground?”

  Athos stomped his foot on the ground. A dull, muffled thud met their ears.

  “It’s solid stone. You won’t find anything buried down there.”

  “A very good point, Master Athos. Come! Hurry! Let’s see what else there is to offer!”

  Breslin held up an arm and signaled the group should halt. He pointed at a metal object on the left tunnel wall. Breslin gently reached up and brushed away caked dirt, dust, and cobwebs. A closer examination revealed it to be an oval plaque covered in runes and symbols. They might not have been able to read the message it contained, but what every member of their party did see, including Lukas, was the tiny upside-down hammer in the lower left of the plaque.

  “What’s it say?” Breslin asked, pulling Tristofer to the front of the line. He held up his torch so that the scholar could properly see the symbols on the elliptical metal surface.

  Tristofer pushed his spectacles farther up the bridge of his nose.

  “Well, let’s see. There’s an axe, and it’s leaning up against that kyte.”

  “Looks like the axe is sticking out of the kyte,” Athos chuckled.

  “Nonsense. A weapon next to an animal could mean, well, it might mean… Er… I’m sorry, I really have no idea.”

  “Our Narian scholar really isn’t proving too useful in Nar, is he?” Breslin good-naturedly joked.

  In the dark confines of the tunnel, no one saw Tristofer flush with embarrassment. But, he could tell he was being kidded, so he didn’t take offense.

  “Let me try again. It says, ‘This way to Nar’!”

  Lukas turned to look up at him. “Really?”

  “Perhaps. Sure, why not? Let’s assume it does!”

  They made it another hundred feet when they discovered why the tunnel appeared to have gotten so little use. It was sealed. A heavy stone door had been set into the tunnel and appeared to fit so snug that it could easily be believed that it was airtight. Athos took one look at the door and then looked back at Breslin.

  “I’d say it’s time to use that hammer, eh?”

  Breslin looked down at the power hammer on his belt and grinned. He wouldn’t have thought it possible that the day could get any better. Apparently he was wrong. He was going to be able to smash something with his new toy! How fun!

  Pulling the hammer from his belt and relishing the electrified feelings the hammer was sending up his arm, he approached the door and readied his swing. However, before he let loose on the door he caught sight of a familiar item embedded into the stone: a glittering red jewel. He squatted down and traced the outline of the gem with his finger, clearing away a coating of dust in the process.

  “There’s a gem here,” he called back to the others. “Looks just like the one on the hammer.”

  “What happens if you touch it?” Tristofer wanted to know.

  “Nothing. I’m touching it now.”

  “Hold your hammer next to it,” Tristofer suggested.

  Breslin brought the hammer around and held the tool in front of the gem. A swirl of red light appeared deep within the jewel. Whether or not it was a reflection from his hammer’s gem he couldn’t tell.

  The door creaked noisily and swung inward. Athos stared incredulously at the scholar.

  “How’d you know to do that?”

  “I didn’t,” Tristofer confessed. “I was just curious to see what would happen.”

  Pushing the stone door forward enough so that they could all squeeze through, Breslin again took the lead and led them further into the mountain. Several times the tunnel they were following deposited them into another larger tunnel. Following the tunnels as they all sloped downward, they came across another sealed checkpoint. Breslin waved the power hammer in front of the gem, once he cleaned it off with the back of his hand, and the door creaked open.

  As they passed through the second checkpoint, Athos turned to look back at the door that was still ajar.

  “Should we be closing these things up? I have no desire to give away our presence if there is someone hiding in here.”

  Breslin paused.

  “Good point. Is there a gem on this side so that we won’t be trapped in?”

  Athos searched the door and found the dusty red jewel. He cleaned it off.

  “It’s here.”

  “Excellent. In that case, seal the door back up, please.”

  Athos leaned his shoulder up against the door and pushed it closed.

  “There. No one will ever know we were here.”

  “Sure they will,” Lukas countered. “They can see our footprints.”

  Surprised, the four adults looked down at the ground. Breslin held the torch down low so they could all see the ground. It was dusty. Very dusty. So much so that they could all see their own footprints as they shuffled about.

  Breslin laughed out loud. “Ah. Well, that’s that. Since it looks like no one has been this way but us I’m hoping it’ll stay that way until we leave.”

  Sounds of their footsteps echoed loudly as the five of them exited the previous tunnel and emerged into an even larger one. Breslin silently looked left, then right.

  “Which way? I can’t tell which way leads down.”

  “Which way is east?” Venk asked.

  Breslin and Athos looked left while he and Tristofer looked right.

  Venk rolled his eyes. “We have a stalemate. Lukas, you’re the tie-breaker. Which way do you think we ought to go?”

  Lukas walked over to his father.

  “Do you have the spell bag that Shardwyn gave you? It’s silk, isn’t it?”

  Venk shook his head. “I left that back in the…wait. Aye, I have it right here. Why?”

  “You’ll see. Tristofer, I need a sliver of metal. Do you have something I can use?”

  The scholar patted down his pockets and shook his head sadly.

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “Do you have anything to mend clothes?”

  “I do have a needle and some thread somewhere in here.”

  “Can you find them for me? How about a bowl?”

  Tristofer began pulling things from his pockets.

  “Let’s see. Miniature tools? No, we don’t need that. Spectacle cleaner, emergency herb garden… ah! Here it is. There’s your needle, Master Lukas. What else did you need?”

  “A bowl with some water in it.”

  “Ah. I’ve got a bowl somewhere. Let me check my inside pockets. I brought one in case I need to make a poultice.” Tristofer handed Lukas a small, chipped, shallow bowl. “Will this do?”

  “Can someone put some water in it for me?”

  “Son, what are you doing?” Venk quizzically asked.

  “You’ll see. Father, can you take the needle and rub it along the silk for me?”

  Venk grunted and took the needle. He pretended he was polishing the needle as he rubbed the tiny bit of metal against the silk.

  Lukas selected a leaf from the pile of items pulled from Tristofer’s pockets. He leaned forward and looked into the bowl. No water yet. He poured water from his father’s bag into the bowl until it was about an inch deep. He gently set the leaf into the bowl. Then he pulled a string from the silk bag, threaded it through the needle, and gently placed the needle on the leaf. Lukas watched as the leaf slowly rotated until the needle was pointing back the way they had come.

  “Left,” Lukas promptly told them. “East is to the left.”

  Tristofer squatted down so that he was next to Lukas.

  “Where did you learn to make a compass, my boy?”

  “Master Graemlin.”

  “I don’t remember him,” Venk admitted.

  “He’s the o
ne that said I needed to know how to survive if I ever got lost. He suggested you sign me up for some survival training.”

  “Hmmm, still don’t remember him.”

  “Once he met me he proposed extending the training by a week. Madisonia and I were gone for over two weeks.”

  Venk suddenly smiled. Now he remembered the two and a half weeks he and his wife, Elva, had experienced when both of their children had been whisked away to learn how to survive on their own. For over two weeks their household was blissfully quiet. He looked at his son and smiled.

  “It’s coming back to me.”

  “Anyway, one of the many things Master Graemlin taught us was how to create a compass.”

  Breslin slapped the underling on the back.

  “Well done, Master Lukas. Left it is.”

  As soon as they entered the larger tunnel, everyone noticed that the sounds of their footfalls changed pitch, as if the surface they were walking on had changed its composition. Out in front, Breslin glanced down, too, as he noticed the change. He swept the torch down low and revealed the tunnel had become paved. Large, flat flagstones deftly lined the tunnel floor, extending all the way to the curve of the tunnel walls.

  Even though the tunnel hadn’t been used for centuries, they could see that it was still in decent shape. Every thirty feet or so they’d find several pavers jutting up off the floor, as if an unknown force had pushed them from below, presenting unwelcome tripping hazards. Venk steered Lukas well away from the raised stones so as to prevent any accidents.

  Half an hour later the party had come to a halt as a new obstacle had presented itself. Another door, only this one was the size of a castle drawbridge. The massive arched door was again made of stone and was intricately carved with various scenes. Also woven around the perimeter of the door was a thin, delicate gold border that was no more than an inch wide. A closer examination revealed it to be interlocking gold rings. The intricate golden chain ran along the bottom of the door, up both sides, across the arch, and then ran down the front of the door to create four large interlocking circles. What they were able to see, though, were only the bottom two circles as the top two were too high for Tristofer to reach as he was now cleaning off the door with a small, stiff bristled brush he had produced from one of his many pockets.