The Ruins on Stone Hill

by F. P. Spirit

  The skeletal mage was instantly turned to dust by the ball of fire, but the force of the explosion extended far beyond that. It fanned out from the center of the tower, blowing the other two skeletons right off the top of the circular structure.

  Seth’s and Lloyd’s quick reflexes were all that saved them. Both man and halfling dove for the ground just in time. They were buffeted against the parapets, but otherwise were not blown off.

  Glo was not so lucky. The force of the explosion hit him full in the face. Had he been any closer to the blast, he would have been badly injured. As it was, he was thrown back through the doorway and into the stairwell. Glo lay on the landing, the world spinning around him.

  After a short while, the whirling stopped. He slowly raised himself up on his elbows and looked around. A small crater stood in the center of the stone floor where the cauldron had been. It was surrounded by a huge burn circle, smoke still rising from that area. All five of the skeletons were gone.

  Lloyd and Seth slowly rose to their feet. Glo sat up further, but his eyes blurred. His head pounded and his body felt sore. He blinked a few times and his vision finally cleared. He checked his arms and legs but nothing felt broken.

  At that moment, a voice sounded from underneath him. “Do you mind?” He looked down and saw that he was sitting on top of his gnomish friend.

  Glo quickly got up. “Sorry, Aksel.” Unfortunately, the swift movement brought another way of dizziness with it. Glo felt a steadying hand grab him.

  Lloyd stood next to him wearing a big grin. “Those were some fireworks!”

  Seth sounded less enthused. “Yeah, way to go, Glo. It’s a wonder you didn’t wake the whole keep.”

  Glo leaned on Lloyd for support, his face flushing with embarrassment. “Guess there must have been oil in that cauldron,”

  “You think?”

  Aksel interrupted them, his tone even and calm. “Easy, Seth. There’s no help for it now.”

  Seth continued to glare at Glo but said nothing more.

  Aksel turned to Lloyd. “How’s that shoulder?”

  Glo noticed a small hole in the armor of the shoulder that he was leaning on. Lloyd must have been shot during the scuffle.

  “It’s fine. Just a scratch. The arrow barely made it through my armor. I already pulled it out, and it’s not even bleeding.”

  “I’ll check it later just to be on the safe side.” Aksel peered around at the others with concern. “Is everyone else alright?”

  Glo pushed away from Lloyd. His head was clear now, and he did not want to lean on the young man’s shoulder any longer, especially if it was wounded. “I’m fine. Just a little sore is all.”

  “Okay then. Right now we have bigger problems. Everyone in the keep must have heard that explosion, and we’re sure to have company soon. We need to get back downstairs as fast as possible.”

  Lloyd nodded. “Right.” Without another word, he bounded back into the stairwell.

  Seth shook his head. “Warriors.” He took off after the young man.

  Aksel shrugged. “Guess we’re running.”

  He and Glo took off after the others. As they descended the stairs, Glo relit his staff. He sorely wished that his little stunt had not alerted the entire keep, but there was no help for that now. This little mapping expedition had suddenly gone way wrong. He prayed that they all would make it out alive

  Through a Mirror Darkly

  There was a bright flash, followed by a feeling of disorientation, and then the world around him slipped away

  When they reached the first floor, Brundon and Titan were braced against the door to the courtyard. It rattled fiercely, as if it was about to come off its hinges. Eerie moaning came from the other side. Lloyd rushed across the room, dropped his hammers, and pressed up against the door next to them. His added weight stopped the rattling.

  “What’s out there?” Aksel cried.

  “Zombies. A lot of zombies,” Brundon said between gritted teeth.

  Zombies. Just great, Glo thought. Skeletons were bad enough; Zombies were worse. They were reanimated corpses, totally mindless and impervious to pain. You could hack at them all day, and they would just keep coming. Zombies also had a terrible hunger for living flesh; any living thing they caught, they would devour. As if that was not bad enough, some zombies carried a disease—those infected by it became zombies themselves after they died. All around, they were grisly enemies. The only way to truly stop a zombie was to either decapitate it, chop it into little pieces, or burn it to ashes.

  Titan turned to look at them as she braced the door. “What happened up there? We heard an explosion, and the whole tower rocked.”

  Seth responded first. “Glo decided it would be fun to blow up a vat of oil.”

  Titan’s eyes narrowed as she surveyed Seth and Glo. “You can’t be serious.”

  “More or less.” Glo bowed his head in chagrin.

  Aksel fixed his eyes on the halfling. “That’s enough, Seth. We need to concentrate on the problem at hand.”

  The halfling smirked, but otherwise remained silent. Aksel’s eyes remained fixed on him. “Now, do you think you and Brundon can pull off that rope trick once more?”

  “Sure. Piece of cake.” Seth swiftly removed his pack and pulled out a length of rope. He ran over next to Brundon. “Here, take this.”

  Brundon hesitated, casting a glance at Titan.

  She nodded her approval. “Go ahead. We’ve got this.”

  Brundon reluctantly let go and grasped the rope. The door rattled slightly, but together, Lloyd and Titan managed to hold it in place.

  “Just make it fast,” Titan said through gritted teeth.

  Seth gave Brundon quick instructions. “Lay it on the ground so the door passes over it.”

  Brundon knelt with the rope as Seth shot across the doorway underneath the two straining warriors. The halfling quickly scurried another door length along the wall. He turned, knelt and then called out to Aksel.

  “Ready.”

  “Okay, when I say three, let the door go and step back,” Aksel said to the warriors. They grunted in acknowledgment.

  Aksel and Glo stepped back a few paces as Aksel counted down. “One…two…three!”

  The two warriors let go at the same time, leaping back from the doorway. The door rattled violently, then flung open, nearly coming off its hinges. As it banged into the inside wall of the tower, a group of sickly-looking humanoid creatures came shuffling through the entrance. They spied the two warriors and headed straight for them.

  “Now!” Seth cried. He and Brundon pulled on the rope. It came up taut, the first row of zombies tripping on it and falling face forward to the ground. The senseless creatures immediately behind them rushed onward and fell over their downed comrades.

  The tenacity of these monsters was working in their favor. They had been so intent on reaching their prey that the impromptu trap worked. A group of zombies were now tangled in a pile on the ground.

  Before any could get up, Lloyd dashed in, his blades aflame just like they had been back in the Bendenwoods. He sliced away with deft precision, his swords scorching the creatures with each blow. Still, he appeared to be favoring his right arm, using his left far less, and then Glo remembered. That’s right, that’s the shoulder he took an arrow in earlier.

  Even so, Lloyd still managed to dismember a couple of the creatures before they could get up. At the same time, Titan tore into the zombies. With a great overhand swing of her longsword, she cleaved a monster right down the middle.

  Yet even though a few had been destroyed, there were still more of them on the ground. As they began to rise, a couple more zombies shambled in from the outside courtyard. Heedless of their brethren, these new monsters climbed over the others, pushing them back down again.

 
Lloyd and Titan met this new charge with swords swinging. They sliced through the air in savage arcs that cut deeply into the mindless monsters. The zombies, unperturbed by their wounds, continued to push forward, and the two warriors found themselves hard pressed to halt the advancing tide. On top of that, the zombies on the ground were now getting up.

  That’s when Seth and Brundon entered the fray. Seth flew through the air, slamming into the nearest zombie with both feet. It was knocked off-balance and sent tumbling into the other creatures. Brundon had his sword out and hacked away at another of the monsters from behind.

  A sudden rapid movement caught Glo’s eye. It was Lloyd. The warrior had taken a step back, his arms moving in swift, intricate motions. He stopped suddenly, then winked out of existence, only to reappear a moment later behind the zombies!

  With two incredible slices, Lloyd lopped off first one head and then another. The bodies fell, twitched for a few moments, then lay still on the ground.

  Seth knocked over another zombie with a mid-air kick while Titan cleaved another. Brundon managed to cut off the head of a third. It was all over in a few minutes. The zombies lay on the ground in a putrid pile of rotting flesh. The smell made Glo want to retch.

  Seth held his nose. “Ugh, these things stink.”

  “Did anyone get scratched or bitten?” Aksel said to the entire group. Miraculously no one had.

  The warriors backed away from the pile to catch their breath. Titan clasped Lloyd on the shoulder. “That was some trick…disappearing and ending up behind them like that.”

  Lloyd grinned. “It’s a spiritblade…technique.”

  Titan grinned back. “Think you can teach me?”

  Lloyd never got to answer. At that moment, Glo felt a sudden wave of panic wash over him. This time he knew immediately what it was. He swiftly explained to the others. “We’ve got trouble. I sent Raven aloft to watch the ruins, and something just spooked her.”

  As if on cue, they heard shouts and growls out in the courtyard.

  Seth’s expression grew grim. “Sounds like they’re coming this way.”

  Aksel waved everyone back from the door. “I think it’s time we retreat. Another battle and someone might get seriously hurt.”

  Glo retreated with the others, listing off their options. “Well, up is a dead end. And there are still skeletons patrolling outside. That just leaves down.”

  “Then down it is.” Aksel ushered everyone toward the stairwell.

  Seth grunted as he led the way. “Would have been nice if I could have checked the basement out first.”

  “He’s never going to let that go,” Glo whispered to Aksel.

  “Heard that,” Seth called back over his shoulder.

  There were more noises out in the courtyard as they filed into the stairwell. Seth and Brundon led the way downstairs. Glo followed, holding his staff high above his head to illuminate the dark stairwell. Aksel was next. Lloyd and Titan brought up the rear.

  At the bottom of the stairs they found a single door. It was locked, but Seth quickly picked it. The door creaked as it swung open, exposing a circular room similar to the one above. The only difference was the dank smell and the stacks of old wooden crates and barrels that sat here. Glo stepped in behind Seth and Brundon, lighting the entire room.

  Brundon swiftly scanned the room. “I’m not seeing any other doorways down here.” The tracker moved further out into the room.

  Aksel barked out directions. “Seth. Search the walls.” He spun around and faced Lloyd and Titan. “Set up on either side of the door. Worst case we catch them coming through and bottleneck the doorway.”

  The two warriors nodded and positioned themselves on opposite sides of the door. Glo moved to the center of the room, spreading his light as far as possible.

  Seth rushed forward and scoured the walls, knocking here and there, checking for airflow between large mortar blocks of the basement walls. Brundon, after observing Seth, began to do the same on the opposite side of the room. Shouts and growls echoed down the stairwell from above.

  Aksel turned to Glo. “Can you make out what they’re saying?”

  Glo listened intently, his keen hearing picking up most of the conversation. “It’s bugbear. They found the zombie bodies.”

  Glo continued listening. About half a minute later he heard the words he was dreading. “Get ready everyone, they’re headed down here.”

  Aksel called out to the halfling anxiously. “Seth?”

  “I’m going...as fast as I…” Seth suddenly stopped at a section of wall on the south side of the tower. “I found something!” he said in a semi-hushed voice.

  Aksel strode over toward him. “What is it?”

  Seth scanned the wall feverishly. “There’s definitely a blank space behind this wall.”

  Aksel spun around. “Lloyd. Shut the door behind us!”

  Lloyd reacted immediately, pushing the heavy door shut. Titan picked up a barrel and placed it in front of the door. The two warriors continued to stack up crates and barrels. Meanwhile, Seth had focused on a specific stone, working his small hands intently around it.

  Heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs outside. Lloyd and Titan backed toward the others, weapons drawn.

  Aksel spoke between clenched teeth. “Seth, open it now please.”

  Seth didn’t take his eyes off the brick he was trying to move. “Just a minute.”

  Aksel looked over his shoulder. “We don’t have a minute.”

  The heavy footsteps had stopped just outside the basement door. After a few moments, the handle started to turn. Click. Something tried to open the door, but the crates and barrels blocked the way. There was some loud growling then the door began to slowly push inward.

  “Seth!” Aksel hissed.

  “Got it,” Seth whispered, a smug smirk on his face. There was an audible click, and a section of the wall slid open.

  Everyone piled into the open space behind the wall. Lloyd and Titan grabbed the sliding door, pushing it closed behind them with a quiet thud.

  Aksel elbowed Glo in the side and nodded toward his lit staff. Glo immediately understood—the slightest crack in the wall might give them away if the light seeped through. Glo reached up and extinguished the staff.

  Through the wall, the companions heard the sound of cracking wood followed by a crash. Heavy footsteps entered the room they had just been in. Excited grunts and growls accompanied the noise of trampling feet as the bugbears moved around the basement.

  Aksel whispered to Glo, “What are they saying?”

  Glo listened intently, trying to decipher the guttural speech. The bugbears were extremely excited, and thus hard to follow. “They don’t know what to think. It sounds like they’re scared.”

  The grunts and growls continued for a while longer. Finally, the sounds stopped and the heavy footsteps receded. The companions waited a bit more, but the basement remained silent.

  Someone sighed. “Phew. That was close.”

  Glo couldn’t have agreed more.

  Aksel tugged on Glo’s robe. “Any idea what all that grunting and groaning was about?”

  “I only caught some of it. If I heard right, they found the pile of zombies and the crater at the top of the tower.”

  Brundon’s voice sounded behind him. “Do they know who’s responsible?”

  Glo turned around, although he couldn’t see the tracker in the dark. “That’s the strange part. They seem to think that they were attacked by a large angel-warrior with a huge flaming sword.”

  Seth snorted. “That sounds like Lloyd alright. Although the flaming part could be you too, Glo.”

  “Yeah, yeah, enough with the fire jokes already.” Once Seth found something funny, he did not let it go.

  Aksel cleared his throat. “So th
en, shall we find out where we are?”

  “Certainly.” Glo pulled out a piece of glowing material from his bag, touched the end of his staff, and said the word, “Lux.”

  The tip of the staff began to glow once more, lighting the area where they stood. It took a few moments for their eyes to adjust. They were in a long, wide corridor, the walls of which were smoothly chiseled stone block, and the floor flat stone slab. It was impossible to tell how far it went—even with the light from his staff.

  Aksel turned to Seth. “Care to scout out ahead?”

  Seth shrugged. “Sure, why not.” He crept down the passage and disappeared from sight.

  The others waited in silence for Seth to return. Glo noted that the corridor was cool, but not musty like the tower basement; there was only a hint of dampness. The walls were smooth and dry to the touch. A short while later Seth returned.

  “The corridor only goes about one hundred paces, then dead ends at another wall. I think there is a hidden door there, but it will be harder to find without any light.”

  Aksel glanced around the group. “Okay then, let’s have a look, shall we?”

  Seth led them down the corridor. Glo observed unlit torches attached to either wall at regular intervals, more evidence that this passageway was man-made. Once they reached the other end, Seth searched the wall and indeed found another secret door. After listening cautiously, Seth triggered a hidden lever and the wall slid open.

  Glo stepped through the doorway with his staff. On the other side was a hallway perpendicular to the corridor they were in. It looked identical to the passageway they had just come through, with stone block walls and a slab floor. Based on the direction and the distance they had just traveled, the companions realized they were now below the main keep.

  As a group they were eager to move forward, but they were also exhausted and had sustained some minor injuries. They reached a unanimous decision to close the door and stay in the secret corridor for the rest of the night. It was well hidden, and therefore as good a place as any to rest.