He decided to change tactics.
The Inquisitor stepped back, held The Repentant out before him with both hands, and began to utter a prayer beneath his breath. The sudden change of tactics drew a quizzical look from the ograth, who hesitated before continuing to approach.
The Inquisitor threw his head back as the spell reached its crescendo and he began to channel necromantic energy into the ograth, stealing its life force from within. It all happened so quickly. The ograth convulsed and fell to the hard stone floor, its large frame lying lifeless as its essence flowed into and around the Inquisitor.
The orc behind him witnessed the event and stopped, both horrified and disconcerted by what he’d just seen. Before he could react, Garius swung the mighty hammer right to left, catching the orc in a state of paralyzation. He expended some of the ograth’s life force he’d just consumed, redirecting it as holy energy through The Repentant.
The physical force combined with the burst of divine energy was more than enough to crush the creature’s skull.
Saeunn saw and heard the not-so-distant sounds of battle—specifically a growl—some distance away. She raced into the cavern avoiding the jutting rock formations in the ground, thinking that Garius was only a few paces behind her. As she passed the stalagmites, she found herself running headlong into a group of orcs.
She recognized immediately the symbol of the Bonemasher clan on their shields, which she knew to be the same tribe responsible for both the destruction of Chansuk, and the death of her father. She paused her charge for a heartbeat or three, letting that realization wash over her, before she continued her charge with a howl of anger the likes of which she hadn’t thought possible.
A pure bloodlust fell over her.
The howl continued as she sprang into action, smashing her greatsword across the first orc’s shield, knocking it completely out of the stunned creature’s hands and forcing him to fight defensively with a morningstar. A second orc attempted to thrust a sword into her right side just as a third orc advanced hastily into her left flank.
Saeunn sensed them coming, corded her leg muscles, and sprung forward over the first orc, causing the two charging orcs to slam into one another. One was mortally wounded by a precise, but accidental stab wound to its neck, while the other took a massive blow to his shield arm, causing him to drop it to the ground.
Saeunn landed on her tattooed forearms, scraping them hard on the cavern floor, but she did not care. She used that pain to propel her on. She rolled a few times until she came to a stop and then knelt on one knee. She clenched her heavy blade in both hands and awaited the renewed attack of the two remaining orcs. The furthest one wrapped a bandage frantically around his shield arm as the closest picked up his shield and rushed her, swinging a blade wildly.
“For Chansuk!” Saeunn countercharged.
The orc’s assault was met by her mighty blade, which hit with so much force, that it sent the orc’s weapon flying from his grasp. She continued the spin full circle, driving a back kick in an upward fashion, catching him in the gut with her heel, and lifting him up off the ground. The force of the kick sent him sprawling many paces up and away. He came to rest, eyes wide in disbelief and pain, directly on top of a fortuitously-placed stalagmite, its sharpened tip protruding from the orc’s belly.
“For Scarr!” Saeunn continued sadistically, contented at witnessing the gruesome sight of the mortally wounded orc resting lifelessly upon the sharp stone. She ran off toward the one who had just finished bandaging his wounded shield arm. That orc looked from her and then to his dead companion, his expression bubbling over with anger as he picked up his shield and charged her with sword in hand.
Saeunn met the oncoming orc’s assault. She swung her weapon once more. It bounced off his shield, but caused the orc to drop his arm low, stinging from the impact. The orc did manage a fairly deep slash on her arm, but she was unconcerned. Her only thought—nay, her only purpose at that point!—was to send these orcs to meet their makers. She rolled into a ball and sprung up into another combat stance, feet wide, waving her greatsword before her.
The orc came at her once more. This time she waited, jumped through the air to land just in front of him, timing it so she rolled forward with such momentum that is shot her forward with tremendous impetus. She was able to adjust the blade as she came out of the roll with the sword tip held out firmly. The enormous impact of the collision was enough to easily pass the stunned orc’s defenses as she jammed the sword tip completely through his chest cavity. As an added bonus, the blow hit the orc with such force, that it was enough to break his neck in the process.
She came to a stop, looked at the dead creatures and spat at them. She placed a boot upon the dead orc’s chest, grasped her hilt and shoved him off, retrieving her great blade, which she sheathed without cleaning.
She felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, but felt she needed more to sate the Call of The Champion.
Elec stood only a few paces from Saeunn and could not hide his surprise at having witnessed the savagery and ferocity of her recent attacks.
The legend of their battle prowess is not an exaggeration, he decided unequivocally.
Garius arrived and stood by the side of the powerful barbarian woman. He noticed a deep wound on her arm and moved to tend it. “Allow me—“
“No,” Saeunn growled at him, ripping her arm free from his grasp and ignoring the flow of blood that oozed from the cut. The blood was flowing in such a way as to make it seem like many of her tattoos were changing color.
Rose appeared just then, stepping from the darkness of a shadow to move beside them.
“If there are any enemies nearby, our presence is no longer a secret,” she remarked, Elec realized, in an attempt to lighten the mood with a smile, not knowing what exactly had happened.
Saeunn said nothing, her eyes glazed over with ire as she turned away from them. She hesitated, and then Elec watched helplessly as she stalked away into the darkness of the cavern.
When Saeunn was finally alone, she gazed at the pool before her. She immediately thought to dive in and submerge herself, to clean her wounds and the blood stains from her flesh.
But that would not wash from her mind the various thoughts and emotions she felt—blame, guilt, sadness and hate.
If only it could, she lamented with a tear in her eye. Instead she stared hard, seeing her own reflection in the huge pool, and attempted to let the bloodlust dissipate.
If she hadn’t been in such a vulnerable state, she might have noticed on the opposite side of the pool, the stationary form of a tiny goblin.
Chapter 23
Garius felt like he was losing them.
They were not functioning as the unit he’d intended and he feared that the quest would end with one or more deaths if he couldn’t pull them together—and soon!
He removed his heavy helm and latched it onto his belt as he thoughtfully tugged at a tie at the bottom of his lengthy shock of beard, which kept the braid knotted. He pondered his predicament and searched for a solution.
Saeunn, the barbarian woman, was all but lost to them, he believed. It seemed she was walling herself off from the group. He felt that she was a bastion of fiery rage set to explode at any moment, and understandably so. He had not anticipated running into Bonemasher Orcs along the way. Seeing the orcs and goblins that were responsible for the devastation of Chansuk—and her father!—was putting her tumultuous emotions in charge of her actions. This was a valid concern, knowing that if she continued down this path unchecked, she would eventually get herself, or someone else killed.
He sensed that Rose was still slightly melancholy and possibly losing focus, after having been almost killed by a few well-placed arrows. It was a natural reaction when faced with death, but it was certainly something he sensed she’d overcome. He was not sure that she would transcend the sense of failure she’d admitted feeling, He hoped she would regain that feisty, high-spirited attitude that had set her apart from
most other applicants during their interview in Oakhaven. She had displayed a passion and a sense of adventure that had given her purpose and a distinct fire in her eyes.
And he also considered the brief kiss that the two of them shared might also be a concern. It certainly was for him, he admitted, which was a startling revelation to himself. But, he would always push that aside and focus on his task at hand, as always, knowing he had to realign the group’s purpose.
And then there was the high elf, Elec, whom Garius felt had a good head on his shoulders. But he wondered if the elf’s concoctions, which he so frequently imbibed, were more of an addiction than an enhancement.
Is he overcompensating for a possible loss of self-worth? Are the observations of the elf’s father correct?
He shook that doubt away and realized he would have to watch Elec a bit more closely in order to discern the truth there. He stood deep in thought, waiting for a solution to come to mind.
“Are you all right?” Elec asked Saeunn as she emerged from the shadows to join the group with a calmer visage and demeanor. Her mail chain shirt was covered in blood spatter, but her wound was cleaned and no longer bleeding. Her great blade was strapped across her muscular back and still aglow from Garius’s enchantment, which coincidentally seemed to flicker in time with her breathing.
Her fierce tattoos seemed to almost dance in the magical light of the combined sources. There was a long moment of silence as the group looked at her, awaiting a response or an explanation.
Finally, she answered Elec’s question.
“I have a personal conflict against these orcs of the Bonemasher clan!” Saeunn barked angrily, throwing her hands up in frustration. “I do not want to fail you in our duty and will do my best to help finish it. But I cannot stave off my hatred for these—” she halted as her face twisted with hate, “beasts!” she finally managed before speaking in a dangerously even tone. “I will seek to slaughter as many of them as I can.”
She nodded toward one of the deceased orcs lying lifeless upon the cavern floor. She moved toward it and reared her leg back to kick its remains when a gauntleted hand reached out to halt her.
“You must learn to control your emotions,” Garius stated flatly to her as if it were common sense. She glared at him in response.
He turned to see Rose staring at him. Her grey eyes softened for a heartbeat under his gaze, before turning to the appearance he had known during their interview. She approached him and leaned in as he released Saeunn’s arm.
“You do realize that barbarians let their emotions motivate them, right?” Rose whispered in his ear, facing away from Saeunn. “It is what makes them what they are. And this one doubly so!”
Garius was about to reprimand her impolite boldness, but the words never passed his lips. No, he would need that.
“I understand your fears,” Saeunn stated, clearly hearing the exchange.
Rose shrugged, grasped a strand of her long, red hair and began to twirl it absently as she walked away from the two of them.
“You are right in that my emotions rule me,” Saeunn called after Rose, before directing her explanation to the remaining two. Elec listened intently. “The bloodlust often consumes me. It is the way of my people and it is a common and expected thing among the barbarian tribes… To fight with vigor, allowing emotion to drive us. But, in the case of seeing these…butchers!...I can only respond one way.”
“This bloodlust that overwhelms you is a benefit to you in battle, no?” Elec enquired, understanding what she was getting at. “It is a boost in your physical stamina, speed and strength?” He compared it to the imbibing of his elixirs.
“Aye,” she responded. “And a curse, too. I lose control of all reason when it happens.” Elec regarded those words with all seriousness, seeing the reflection of the barbarian in him with regards to his elixirs. He noted the perceptions of the barbarian as relevant and meant to revisit that wisdom sometime in the near future. That was when Garius’s face lit up with hope.
Garius decided to use that knowledge to his advantage, changing his mind about his entire perspective. He realized that in order for them to succeed, he could not allow them to break down and decided to use the tools that he was given.
“So be it,” Garius stated mysteriously.
Rose spun to regard him suddenly, her expression conveying surprise at the suggestion that he would allow the barbarian to fight recklessly. “If we encounter more of the Bonemasher clan—and I am just about certain of that—then do what comes naturally…what you must do…what you are compelled to do,” Garius accentuated the words, drawing their attention firmly. “We will need the combination of your anger, skill and power to defeat numerous foes. It seems that we may need all of your power, anger and strength if we are to survive… and if these caves are crawling with enemies as I suspect they might be…..”
“Aye,” Elec agreed, understanding the meaning behind his words.
“Then be ready to unleash your fury when called upon,” Garius leveled at the barbarian woman. Her angry green eyes stared back with a look of determination evident, accepting his challenge without words.
Then he turned to face Elec and Rose.
“We will all need to perform at peak strength and must use whatever assets we have if we hope to survive this place and find the acolytes that are hidden within these caverns,” Garius paused for a moment to allow his lesson to sink in.
“If Elec and Rose take the lead again, they can scout ahead far enough to warn us of any approaching dangers,” Garius went on, confirming their strategy. “The acolytes I have to believe are in the passageways below somewhere. We simply need to find them and be gone from here as soon as possible.”
Elec and Rose nodded to one another and strode off into the shadows ahead without so much as a word. Saeunn gave them a head start, nodded respectfully toward the Inquisitor and started off too. Garius refitted his weighty helmet and followed several paces behind, satisfied with his speech and its effect.
“Meeting…was…good?” asked the heavily enshrouded Prishnack, always appearing as if he were existing in several different planes at once. He rarely spoke, which caused Megnus and Phaera to share looks of surprise. His voice sounded hoarse and echoed off the walls of the narrow passageway in which the group navigated. And it was Zabalas—not Megnus—who led them toward the slagfell’s fabled city of Shadowmere. The slagfell were well known in the Subterrane as a presence and Shadowmere was the most prominent of all the slagfell societies.
“It did, Prishnack,” Zabalas decided. “If the Aspect Nahemia is as wise as Phaera says, then we will have our forces stretching not only across the surface of Wothlondia, but beneath it as well.”
Prishnack floated in the air, his red eyes flickering and his body dematerializing in front of them until it turned into a cloud-like vapor. They were marching toward a meeting with King Dolgrath Bloodstone in order for Zabalas himself to personally confirm his allegiance. Megnus was insistent on informing the king of their progress and it was pertinent for the slagfell forces to know how and when to proceed with their plans.
“Are we nearing Shadowmere?” Phaera asked Megnus. He ignored her, removed his helm, wiped the sweat from his bald head, replaced the helmet, and continued deeper into the caverns, still following Zabalas. If he knew where they were, he did not admit it. The group had been walking for a day or more, having long since departed from Ulthon.
The djinni floated beside them, maintaining his pace to keep up with the others. Zabalas simply walked, never complaining and rarely speaking.
“I must stop for a rest,” Phaera commented.
Zabalas stopped and nodded his consent. His helmet dangled upon a hook on his belt and his face revealed no expression of hunger, pain or any other emotion. His cloak moved aside as he spun on her and Phaera noticed a macabre-looking shield strapped to his back with a demonic visage etched into its black surface, which she had never noticed until now.
More surprises, Phae
ra supposed, removing her sword from her scabbard and cutting a piece of fruit she had taken from the surface on their journey to the Subterrane. The surface world had only a few delicacies that she enjoyed—other than the taste of a willing thrall giving up his or her life force to her—and fresh fruit was one of them. She enjoyed the feel of it on her lips and her tongue.
She offered a piece to Megnus, who accepted it and ate it voraciously. The djinni refused anything to eat, as was his custom. No one really knew if they even ate anything at all, she mused. Nor did she want to know.
She offered a piece to Zabalas who refused it with a smile and a nod, walking away from the group as they ate. The more she took notice of him, the more he seemed like something not of this world…or something more than human.
After a long pause, they carried on.
As they neared Shadowmere, Megnus stayed ahead of them. He knew where the scouting points of his brethren were stationed and that they would not attack if they saw him first. Zabalas fell back and allowed Megnus to take the lead.
Slagfell were quite adept at hiding within shadows and could kill from a distance if necessary with deadly crossbow bolts, which were more often than not laced in various poisons or toxins. This was a well-known tendency of Megnus’s people, Phaera recalled hearing. It would be the only way of course for them to challenge the succubi in any manner, she thought with a smile.
A hundred paces later, the cavern started to bend and twist repeatedly. It was an extension of the slagfell lifestyle and was exactly a place one would expect to find them.
The Prince of Shadowmere halted the advance of the group at one particular set of tunnels, and after a hundred more paces, had a brief encounter with the gatekeepers that emerged from the shadows of the passageway. There was a verbal exchange before they proceeded again, many more slagfell warriors showing themselves, poised high above on ledges and on shelves carved into the very stone, crossbows in hand. Many gave the succubus a narrow-eyed glare.
The Beginnings Omnibus: Beginnings 1, 2, 3 & Legend of Ashenclaw novella (Realm of Ashenclaw Beginnings Saga) Page 41
