After he landed at the bottom, the door closed above, leaving him in total darkness. He was on his feet, and while searching for the stairs that suddenly disappeared, a light from an unknown source revealed a steel door directly to his right. He approached, opened the door, and entered a circular room with four stone sarcophagi neatly placed against the wall. He proceeded to the coffin on the right and opened the casket. Inside was the corpse of a young woman in chainmail; she appeared to be recently deceased. He recognized her, but at the same time did not. He opened the next coffin and inside was a man wearing leather armor and holding a sword; he also looked recently deceased. He gazed at the man and again sort of recognized him, but couldn’t place him. The last two coffins contained two little boys holding freshly cut flowers and they too looked strangely familiar.
Torhan was about to leave the room when the door slammed shut, all four corpses rose at the same time and started moaning. He backed up as the cadavers climbed out of their boxes and walked over to him.
“You will join us soon.” The older man said, and the others began chanting. “Join us, join us.”
Torhan grew fearful and backed away until he bumped against the door, and then turned around pushed on it with all his might. The door wouldn’t budge.
The corpses continued chanting. “Join us, join us.”
Torhan panicked and pushed harder as they raised their voices. With one final push, the door opened and on the other side, Tole was standing there holding a pitchfork in front of his body. He was about to say something to the hermit, when Tole viciously plunged the weapon into his stomach, which tore his belly open.
Torhan gazed down to watch his intestines spill slowly out onto the floor. The hermit started laughing. When he looked up again, the dead corpses grabbed him and dragged him back into the room. Tole slammed the door shut.
****
When Torhan’s eyes opened, he was greeted by the sound of a crackling fire and the smell of meat cooking. Remembering the stone, he reached into his boot and was relieved that it was still there. He put it back into his pouch and sat up. Tole and his cat were by the fire with their backs to him, and Katara was still sleeping. He got up and walked over to Katara and squatted down. She looked so peaceful that he hated waking her, but did anyway. A few nudges later and she opened her eyes and smiled.
“Time to get up.” He said.
“I see that our friend didn’t try to kill us.” She whispered.
“No I didn’t.” Tole said surprising them both that he overheard her. “Let’s eat and get this day over with; I have better things to do.”
While they were enjoying their meal, Torhan noticed that Tole was wearing the amulet. “Tole what exactly does the amulet do?” He asked.
After swallowing his tasty morsel, he answered. “The amulet is nothing special. However, the stones are, well at least to my family.”
“What do you mean?”
“Each stone holds information regarding my family’s ancestors.” Tole took another bite.
“Why is it called insight?” Katara asked.
“It has nothing to do with anything insightful. It’s just a name my family gave it.”
“Do you think Fefantor has the other stones?”
“No. He probably sold them, the greedy bastard.”
“Why did he steal the amulet in the first place?”
Tole paused. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Torhan knew there was more to the story, but didn’t press the issue. “Can you show us how it works?”
“I need the other four stones.” He said flatly, lowered his head, and went back to eating.
Torhan looked over at Katara, and they both silently agreed that he was lying.
They finished eating, packed up their belongings about an hour later and left.
Along the way, Katara began noticing that the sounds of birds and small creatures alike was missing, and the normal sounds related to the forest were gone as well. The forest suddenly became eerie.
“I wonder why it’s so quiet.” Torhan stated.
“It is a bit odd.” Katara added.
“Tole, you know the area, do you have any idea?” Torhan asked the hermit.
His cat was also pacing around nervously. “The crypt we’re traveling to holds the evil spirits of the dead, and the animals and bugs alike, must sense this.”
“What do you mean evil spirits, how do you know?”
Tole smirked. “A long time ago, when someone was convicted of a crime, dependent upon how serious it was, the criminal would be thrown down inside of the crypt.”
“Why?”
“The townspeople wanted them to suffer during their last days.”
“That’s cruel.” Katara said.
“Cruel, yes, but well deserved.”
What else do you know about the crypt?”
“You don’t want to be near it after dark.”
“Why is that?” She asked.
“Legend has it; the evil spirits come out at night and drag anyone they find down below.”
“And you believe such stories?” Torhan asked.
“Me? No.”
Shortly after midday, they reached a deserted village. Most of the structures, although still standing, were either burnt out or in such bad shape that they looked like they could fall down at any moment. They didn’t linger very long and followed the hermit northward until they reached a cemetery.
The desolated area was overrun with weeds and vines, and the walls were crumbling apart in many places. Beyond the walls, the statues, headstones and crypts were in different stages of decay; some of which, although weathered, were in near perfect condition, while others were cracked in half, or broken.
“Somewhere in the middle is the crypt you’re looking for.” Tole said and entered through the rusted gates.
They were halfway across the field when Tole stopped suddenly. “There it is.” He announced.
“Where?” Katara asked looking around.
“See the statue of the man holding the staff?” He said with excitement.
“You mean the one down the hill?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
The crypt was buried deep within the earth. The top of the structure and the statue were the only things visible. A stagnant pool of black sludge surrounded the building, making it appear like the ground would swallow it up one day. Tole started walking away.
“Where are you going?” Katara asked.
“To sit down.”
“Aren’t you going to help us open it?”
“My job is done. The rest is up to you.”
“Where is the stump?” Torhan demanded.
Tole scanned the area until his eyes fell upon one in particular. “It’s the one over there with the strange markings inscribed on it.” He pointed to it and then sat down on a nearby log. “You need to move it until it falls over, that should trigger the mechanism and raise the crypt.”
“Sounds easy enough.” Torhan said.
“Do you need help?” Katara asked.
“No. Wait here.”
Torhan walked over to the three-foot stump, grabbed it with both hands and began pushing. At first, it didn’t budge, and then suddenly; it gave way and fell.
A few seconds later, they heard a loud rumbling from the crypt as the building began rising from the muddy water. They watched the mausoleum until it was fully erected, and the door was accessible.
Torhan signaled to Katara to join him. “I want you to wait here while I go down.” He said.
“You’re not going down there alone.” She looked concerned.
“He might lock us down there if you do.”
“He won’t because you still have the stone.”
“He could just wait for us to starve and then get it himself.”
“Good point. I could always summon a Water Tirip from the pond to protect us.” She offered.
Torhan looked over at the water, considering the possibility. “Will it
be the same alignment as yours, given the evil of the area?”
“Hmm, you might be right, it could change.”
“What happens if it does?”
“I’d rather not say.” The look on her face told him all he needed to know.
“Watch your back.” He said and placed reassuring hand on her shoulder.
She nodded and started fishing through her backpack. “Here take these.” She handed him a few small torches, flint, two flasks of oil, and the Ring of Warmth. She hugged him and said. “Be careful.”
After their embrace, Torhan walked over to Tole. “As soon as I get back you’ll have your precious stone.” He stated.
“Please be safe, because I don’t feel like going down there to recover my stone.” He answered, sounding annoyed.
Torhan entered the sludgy water, and his feet sank into the mud and then deeper with each step after that. Eventually, the water spilled over the rim of his boots and pooled around the soles of his feet, numbing them instantly. By the time he reached the steps leading up to the doorway, his entire body was cold and his feet felt numb. He sat down on the wet steps, placed the Ring of Warmth on his finger, and then removed his boots. His feet were irritated and itchy.
“Are you alright?” Katara asked.
“Yes. Don’t walk into the water unless you have to, it irritated my skin.”
After using water from his waterskin to rinse his feet and the inside of his boots, he dried them both, put the boots back on and stood up to face the building. The rusty, bronze, door lacked a handle and a keyhole, so he didn’t think it would just open, but pushed on it anyway. The door remained firmly in place. He searched for a hidden button or something that would trigger the door, and when his search proved futile, he took a step back to study the structure. The statue was definitely too high and lacked any real footholds to climb up it, so he was pretty sure the trigger wouldn’t be up there. His gaze fell upon the word “SEMADTONS” underneath the statue’s feet.
“Tole, do you know what the word SEMADTONS means?” He shouted.
After the hermit lit his pipe, he answered. “The name doesn’t hold any meaning, so maybe it’s the name of the family who owned the crypt.”
“You said the townspeople dumped the bodies of those they deemed evil down there, so no single family would own it.”
“You’re right. I guess it means something else then.”
“Do you think you need to do something with the letters above the door?” Katara offered.
“Like what?” Torhan asked.
“I don’t know, try pushing one of them.”
Torhan took her advice and used a small indentation on the right to climb up and grab the ledge just below the raised letters. After his body stopped swaying, he released his left hand and pushed the first letter on his left. It didn’t move, so he tried the next one and still nothing. When he reached the letter “D” it moved until it became flush and clicked into place.
Torhan tried the rest of the letters and couldn’t get them to move, so he jumped down and pushed on the door. To his disappointment, it still didn’t move.
“Any luck?” Katara asked.
“The letter “D” moved, but none of the others.”
“Maybe they do, but in a certain order. Did you try pushing the ones you already did after the letter “D” moved?”
“No.” He said and climbed back up and started pushing the letters again. This time the letter “E” clicked into place, which was followed by “M," “O," “N," and “S." Shortly after the last letter fell into place the door creaked open, and he dropped to the ground.
“Nice job, what did it spell.” Tole shouted to him.
“Demons!” He responded.
“How appropriate.” Tole commented.
Torhan lit a torch, looked back one last time at Katara and entered.
Nothing but silence greeted him below, and red algae covered the dirt walls and stone steps. He knew that he’d have to be mindful of his footing and took the first of many steps downward. The stairs ended in a ten-foot square room, with a closed gate directly ahead of him. Off to the left side of the entrance was a plaque. He walked over and read the sign.
“Beyond this door lays the most vile, and evil people to have ever walked the face of the earth. Their deeds are the results of their entrapment. Those who enter, be warned that a similar fate will follow you into the afterlife."
Torhan scoffed at the warning and turned his attention to the rusty lock. He leaned the torch against the bars and went about picking the mechanism. After a few tries, it clicked open.
He removed his furs, picked up the torch, opened the door outwardly and entered. He followed the narrow corridor through a series of turns until he was standing in a large room. From where he stood, he could tell the room was circular, but spanned too far to see the end. He followed the wall to the right and came upon a brazier, which was just above eye level and suspended from the ceiling. He reached up with his torch, traced it above the rim and a few seconds later the brazier ignited and illuminated a portion of the area.
The room was large, circular, had several braziers scattered throughout and five steel doors in a row, with a sign above each of them. Torhan lit the other braziers, approached the doors, and began reading the signs from left to right.
“Beyond this door lays the first of the traitors named Ruder, his crimes are as follows. Stealing, rape, treason, and murder; may his soul remain behind this locked door.”
“Beyond this door lays the second of the traitors named Trusten, her crimes are as follows. Stealing, treason, and murder; may her soul remain behind this locked door.”
“Beyond this door lays the ring leader of the traitors named Shoel, his crimes are as follows. Stealing, rape, treason, murder, and leading the retched band of fools; may his soul remain behind this locked door.”
“Beyond this door lays the third of the traitors named Binder, his crimes are as follows. Stealing, treason, and murder; may his soul remain behind this locked door.”
“Beyond this door lays the fourth of the traitors named Aplone, her crimes are as follows. Stealing, treason, and murder; may her soul remain behind this locked door.”
“Tole made it sound like there were a lot of criminals buried down here. I guess he doesn’t know there’re only five.” Torhan said.
He took note that the criminals had exactly the same charges on their plaques, indicating that they were a group of outlaws. He thought about which door he wanted to enter first and decided that if the amulet was down here, then it would be buried with the leader Shoel. The lock on his door was strange; it consisted of raised numbers from zero to nine, with no visible means to pick it. He pushed down the number one, and the digit stayed in place. He had the same result with the numbers two and three. “Maybe it is this simple.” He thought.
Grinning, he pressed number four and the number popped back up. He turned the handle, and the door remained locked. “Maybe it’s not that simple.” He said and went about trying various combinations of numbers. Each time the fourth digit was pressed, no matter which one it was; the numbers popped up, and the door remained locked. Several attempts later, left him frustrated, so he gave up and went to the door on the far left, which housed the criminal named Ruder.
The lock was traditional in style and easily picked within minutes. He was proud of himself for getting good at picking locks and again, silently thanked Grappin for allowing him to use his library. The corridor beyond was dark and musty, and as soon as he entered, he was met by gusting wind that almost blew the torch out. He held the torch off to the side and walked straight ahead. After thirty feet, the wind abruptly stopped, like someone closed a door, and he started feeling uneasy. He took two more steps, and the scabbard suddenly glowed, causing him to stop. He held the torch further outward, and listened intently.
Cautiously, he continued. Several yards later, the scabbard’s glow intensified and the dagger left its home and sailed off into the blackn
ess beyond. It didn’t take long before the first of many non-humanoid shrieks echoed off of the walls. He thought it sounded like an animal of some sort, so he backed away. The battle between dagger and creature lasted for a few minutes and then stopped. He was about to proceed, when the screeches abruptly started again.
Knowing there was at least one more, he crouched with his torch arm extended and sword pulled back so that he could deliver a devastating blow from his sword. It was a basic move, but if applied correctly, should slay whatever it was, or at least wound it enough to drive it away. Poised with his senses heightened, his dagger fought the monster, and then his worst fears came true when he heard more hissing directly in front of him. A few seconds later, a big furry creature that looked like a badger came creeping out of the darkness, with its mouth opened and razor-sharp teeth exposed.
When the animal was within range, Torhan hit it in the maw with his torch and then followed through in a slicing motion with his sword that cut the creature’s throat and spilled its blood on the cold earth. The animal took a few steps back ad fell over. Torhan stabbed it a few times to make sure it would die. When the fight between animal and knife ended, the dagger returned to the scabbard, and the scabbard’s glow diminished. Relieved, he moved ahead and found another four badgers dead. He proceeded down the corridor straight ahead. After ten feet it turned left, right after another twenty, and then left again thirty feet later. As soon as he rounded the bend, the scabbard glowed, and he stopped. From where he was, he could see a hole on the right side of the wall, at least a foot in circumference, and a badger staring at him. It appeared to be guarding the entrance to his burrow and remained motionless. If it wasn’t for the scabbard, the animal might have gotten to him.
A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set Page 72
