Megildur turned inland a bit to find some cover. The sun was high in the sky; from what they could see past the constant layer of clouds covering them. Honoria and Scyleia played around with the fact that they could see each other’s breath. Gaal was thinking about making snowballs to throw at Honoria. Megildur kept to himself, perturbed with the group’s optimism. The Aelfborn Lord decided to make camp after several attempts to keep the others on track.
Gaal blurted out, “Alright. I will grab some wood for a fire, but I doubt we will need much since this cold air is so refreshing.” He sneered at Honoria who was shivering due to the frozen wasteland. Megildur and Scyleia did not look too comfortable. However, they appeared to be able to tolerate the cold compared to the Nephilim. “Is it too cold for you Honoria?” Gaal smirked. The Shade enjoyed teasing Honoria. That and food were his two favorite things during this quest. Honoria just glared at Gaal. The Shade was cold too, but he would not let the Nephilim know.
“That’s enough!” Megildur commanded. “Gaal, go get the wood and make it a lot. Otherwise, I can let Honoria skin you alive for teasing her. The thought of skinning a Thief would please her. I am certain it would change her disposition from miserable to happy, for a few moments at least.” Megildur turned his attention to Scyleia. “Help me prepare some food.” Scyleia was eager to comply, since the activity would keep her warm.
Gaal returned with the wood and created a fire large enough for not only the food, but to warm everyone as well. They did not need to worry about the Dwarves spotting the fire. They were still far enough away from the safehold. Megildur and Scyleia made a stew, with various meats and vegetables they combined. Gaal took the food to Honoria as a peace offering.
“Here you go. This should help warm you.” Honoria reluctantly accepted the food.
“Did you put enough poison in it to kill me fast, or am I to suffer awhile?” Honoria inquired, sniffing at her food like a wild animal. Scyleia glared at the Thief and imagined it could be true. After all, poison training is common among rogues.
“I would not poison your food!” Gaal countered. “I only meant to make amends for how I acted earlier!” Offended by the accusation Gaal spun around to walk away.
“Wait, I am sorry,” Honoria apologized. She grabbed Gaal’s wrist before he stormed off. “Thank you for the food. I did not mean to offend you. I know you were just poking fun at me.” Honoria smiled at Gaal letting him know she was being sincere.
“True, I was just having some fun…at your expense,” Gaal admitted. “Are we square now?” Gaal asked his Nephilim companion while extending a hand of friendship.
“Yes, I agree,” Honoria replied when she shook his hand. “Now sit down with me and enjoy some of this food that Megildur and Scyleia made.” Gaal agreed, received a bowl of the stew from Megildur, and sat down with Honoria and Scyleia. Megildur served himself a bowl and joined his friends for some laughter and tales of old. The Aelfborn Lord did not laugh often. Instead, he kept rubbing his chest and scowling. Gaal kept the fire going so that it would not get too cold for Honoria.
Once they had their fill of stew, the companions got back on their way. Megildur noticed a storm moving in and wanted to find shelter before their visibility of the terrain diminished. Unfortunately, they were unable to find any shelter while traveling northward before the snowstorm was upon them. Gaal spotted a cave off in the distance and since they did not have much of a choice, the group went inside. Megildur took the lead, drew his sword, and surveyed the cave for any unwanted creatures. It was hard to see but Megildur did catch the odor of raw flesh and blood. He did not find any beasts and hoped it was an abandoned shelter…for what type of creature he did not know.
“Well it’s not much, but I fear if we go back outside we would not survive the storm,” Megildur claimed. “It smells like death in here but I am certain death would find us if we braved the storm outside.” The rest of the group agreed and they tried to make the best with what they had. They all huddled close to one another for heat, gathering any wood for a fire was not an option. They stayed close to the entrance since they were unable to see deep into the cave. Hopefully, nothing else was in there with them. Megildur drifted to sleep with the certainty they would survive the night in the shelter, so long as its previous inhabitants did not return.
CHAPTER 29: Icy Adversaries
Megildur whispered, “Gaal, wake up!” He nervously shook his friend and covered his mouth. Gaal’s eyes popped open. “We are not alone in this cave. I need you to vanish from sight and see if you can distract the beast near the back of the cavern. I will get the others out.”
Gaal muttered, “You want me to do what?”
Megildur hissed, “I didn’t say I wanted you to battle the creature, just distract it! Now move so I can get Honoria and Scyleia out!”
Gaal grumbled, “Alright, I will go play with the vicious man-eating monster.” He vanished from sight and reappeared minutes later at the back of the cave, just off to the side of a Shaarduk creature. The Thief made sure he was out of striking range but close enough to attract the beast’s attention. He could see Megildur was ready, so he began flailing his arms to make the beast notice him and not his friends. The distraction began to work, because the Shaarduk creature charged toward Gaal. When the creature turned its back, Megildur woke Honoria and Scyleia.
Honoria mumbled, “What is wrong with you? I was…”
Megildur shushed, “Quiet! The inhabitant of this cave just woke up and we need to go, now! Gaal can only hold its attention for so long!”
Honoria realized he was serious, she turned to see Gaal vanishing and reappearing in different spots, like playing a game of cat and mouse with the enormous, and now angry, beast. Scyleia awakened at that time and noticed the other two looking at the rear of the cave. She turned to see Gaal waving his arms but she did not see the beast.
“Why is Gaal flapping about like a bird?” Scyleia asked. The beast then came into view and she could see why. “By the All-Father!”
“Unless you want to meet Him, move!” Megildur commanded and grabbed both Honoria and Scyleia by the arm. He whisked them out of the cave before the creature noticed.
He found cover for them by some nearby trees and returned to the cave entrance to see Gaal still annoying the Shaarduk. The Shade turned to see Megildur signaling that they were clear, just as the Shaarduk hurled a large rock at Gaal, knocking him to the ground. The beast raced to the fallen Thief, as a predator would. It grabbed Gaal’s leg and opened its mouth. Blood from the beast sprayed all over Gaal. The creature’s head rolled from his body. Gaal looked up to see Megildur standing over the decapitated Shaarduk, holding a bloodied sword. Megildur thrust the bloody weapon into the frozen cave floor and offered Gaal a hand to help him back to his feet.
Gaal exclaimed, “Thank you for finally helping! I thought it was going to disembowel me!” He accepted Megildur’s assistance. “That thing looked infuriated while I was provoking it.”
Megildur laughed at Gaal, “Well you can be very annoying. I can see why people keep trying to kill you. Remember the brute in Thieves’ Den?” Gaal at first glared at Megildur’s laughter but then realized he does have a tendency to upset those around him. However, he was content with this fact.
Gaal insisted, “Well, I distracted the beast for you, but I hurt my ankle. The least you can do is help me outside.” Megildur threw Gaal’s arm over his shoulder. Honoria and Scyleia were waiting. They both were in shock to see Gaal limping and covered in blood.
Honoria exclaimed, “What happened to you? You look like the beast thrashed you senseless.”
Gaal jested, “Thanks, I would not want to look half dead and have nobody notice. At least the blood is not mine. Megildur slayed the beast just before it had me for a snack.”
“Well it’s good he did.” Honoria beamed knowing Gaal was okay, or at least his mouth was. He was still able to make sarcastic responses. “I hear Shades taste horrible!” Gaal glared at Honoria. “Set him
here on the rock and I will tend to his ankle.” Honoria wrapped his ankle with some cloth, to help the injury heal. “Here, drink this bottle. It will help with the pain and allow the injured part of your leg to heal faster.”
Gaal reluctantly accepted the liquid but decided to smell the potion before tasting it. He blurted out, “Oh, I am not drinking this vile swill!” His face scrunched up and the Shade looked like he was about to vomit. “It smells worse than that creature in the cave, I can only imagine how bad it tastes!” He pushed the drink back to Honoria, who by now did not look pleased.
Honoria rebuked, “It’s either this or you will not be able to complete the quest!” She pushed the drink back to him. Gaal still did not want to try the potion.
Megildur interjected, “Either you drink this or I will leave you in the cave with that dead creature! I am sure his friends will be along soon to check on you!” The Aelfborn glared at Gaal.
Gaal looked terrified at the thought of going back in the cave, so he scowled at the potion, pinched his nose, and poured the liquid down his throat. “Yuk!” Gaal exclaimed. “That’s ghastly!”
Honoria scolded Gaal, “Oh, give me that phial you baby!” Honoria took the empty phial from Gaal and put it back in her bag. “I expected a Shade to be tougher than that, I guess I expected too much!”
Gaal glared at Honoria and turned back to look at Megildur, who was busy rubbing his chest. Gaal wailed, “Did you hear her rude comment?”
“Well, you are acting like a baby!” Megildur bellowed, rubbing his chest. “Now on your feet! If you stay on that rock too long you are likely to freeze and never get a chance to regain your manhood!”
Gaal just scowled at Megildur, hoping he was joking but also curious why he was so angry. “It’s lucky for you I am starting to like you, or I would have to regain my ‘manhood’ by gutting you!” Gaal jested, trying to appear harsher.
Megildur snapped, “Try it baldy!” Megildur reached for his sword but was unable to unsheathe it before Honoria jumped between them, restraining the Aelfborn’s hand.
“At least my mother did not have to save me!” Gaal chided.
“She saved you as well, idiot!” Megildur countered.
“Stop it!” The Nephilim hollered, moving Megildur away from the others. She looked at him inquisitively, “What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing!” Megildur released his grip on the sword and began to walk past Honoria. She placed her hand on his chest to stop him. Megildur winced in pain, clutched his chest, and unintentionally exposed part of his wound from the encounter with the Amazons.
“What happened? I didn’t hit you that hard.” Honoria inquired.
Scyleia rushed to Megildur’s side and pulled back his jacket. “Look at this injury.” Both Scyleia and Honoria knew what this meant, looking at each other in horror.
“What, it makes him a creep?” Gaal interjected, now rubbing his ankle.
“No, the scar has disrupted the mystical tattoos. Aelfborn receive these markings upon birth,” Honoria responded. “That explains his outbursts.”
“So it does make him a creep!” Gaal asserted, wiping the creature’s blood from his head and clothes.
“Gaal!” Honoria lashed back at the Thief. “If the markings are not intact, he will die of madness.” She looked at Scyleia, “Do you know where we can find the herbs?”
“In this desolate frozen land it will be impossible to scavenge for any plants,” Scyleia answered. “What are we going to do?”
“Stop panicking,” Gaal interjected. “I know where you can find herbs, but I can’t travel there like this and the old hag will not give you the herbs for free.”
“Let me worry about that,” Honoria replied. “Which direction and how far?”
Gaal pointed east. “It’ll take several hours, but you should make it there and back before night. Do not mention my name. Last time I was there, we had a bit of a misunderstanding.”
Honoria sneered at Gaal and told Scyleia, “Take care of Megildur and Gaal the best you can. I will get the herbs we need and be right back.”
Scyleia agreed as Honoria began her trek eastward. She traveled for several hours without seeing any structures, nor beasts fortunately. Not many guilds settled on the tundra, except Dwarves and Barbarians. The Dwarf safehold was much further north, but Honoria still needed to stay alert for bandits and Thieves. She took her Nephilim form and flew until her stamina faded. Then she walked until her feet hurt. She found a stump on which to rub her feet. She looked up from her foot massage and noticed a smokestack rising in the distance. It was coming from a small hut surrounded by rocks. She put her boots back on and approached the front door. She was about to knock when a foul stench overwhelmed her senses. She restrained her desire to vomit. She knew Megildur’s life depended on her success.
Honoria was about to knock on the door when a voice told her to enter. She pried the door open and saw what looked like an old woman standing over a boiling pot. The old woman had her back to the door and did not turn around. Honoria entered, “Excuse me, I am here…”
“I know why you are here, and what you want,” the old woman interrupted. “Do you think you can fix that boy’s mystical markings? It takes a skilled hand to perform the ritual.”
Shocked by the woman’s knowledge, Honoria responded, “Yes, I have seen it done before and even assisted once. I just need…”
“I know, I know. I am not a dolt!” The old woman cut in again. “Now, can you pay for the herbs it will require?”
“Of c-course,” Honoria replied. “I have this necklace…” Before she could pull the chain over her head, the old woman made the necklace levitate from Honoria’s neck to her decrepit hand, without even touching her.
“Yes, yes, this will do nicely.” The old woman touted, with her back still facing Honoria. “Chaos jewelry is so enticing! Here’s what you require.”
The old woman made several circling motions with her index finger. This action pulled numerous herbs out of jars on a nearby shelf, once again, without the old woman even touching a single item. When complete, all of the required herbs danced through the air and piled into a leather pouch. Honoria grabbed the bag of herbs and shoved it into her knapsack. She turned to thank the old woman and found herself face to face with her. The old woman had no eyes, only stiches where lashes and lids used to be. Her complexion reminded Honoria of withered fruit left out in the hot sun, and it smelled the same. This caught Honoria off guard.
“Y-your eyes!” Honoria squealed out.
“Everyone has a price to pay,” the old woman chuckled. “Now you tell that pasty Thief that the ‘old hag’ still expects him to pay for what he has taken from me. I will accept gold or personal belongings from him!” The old woman shrieked.
“I will relay the message,” Honoria shouted, scurrying to the door. “Thank you!” She ran into the wilderness toward her friends.
“I got the ingredients!” Honoria shouted upon reaching the camp. “Here, can you mix them?” She handed the herbs to Scyleia, who agreed to mix the herbs. Honoria turned to Gaal next, “Nice woman you sent me to.”
“You asked,” Gaal retorted. “Did she mention me?” He seemed a bit worried.
“Yes, she expects payment for something you took,” Honoria answered. “In one form or another.”
Gaal shuttered at the response, “Sure, I’ll get right on that.”
Honoria did not have time to worry about Gaal. They needed to repair Megildur’s tattoos before it was too late. The Nephilim picked up Megildur. His body drenched in sweat; he kept rambling nonsense. His insanity was growing worse. She placed him further away from the fire, on the ground, so he would not thrash around too close to the open flame. Scyleia approached with the herb mixture in a small bowl with a brush dipped inside. The mixture made a dark ink with a glimmering metallic substance flowing throughout. Honoria exposed his torso and wasted no time with repairing the mystical markings. She wielded the brush with precision and haste. Sc
yleia chanted in a language Gaal had never heard before. When Honoria finished the last stroke, Megildur let out a deep sigh and passed out.
“He will need to rest now,” Honoria told the others. “He should fully heal by morning.” Scyleia smiled at Honoria, but Gaal looked skeptical.
In the morning, Megildur awoke feeling better, as Honoria predicted. The Aelfborn stretched, rubbed his chest, and approached Honoria and Scyleia. “You repaired my tattoos. I was a bit out of sorts last night, but I remember you painting on my chest as Scyleia muttered something.” He gave a slight smile to both of them. “I didn’t know you possessed the skill of doing that. Thank you for saving me.”
The four of them traveled at a slower pace for most of the morning because of Gaal’s injury. Once they stopped to rest, Gaal had a bit more time to recover and the medicine seemed to be working. The pace was faster for the afternoon, now that Gaal did not need assistance to walk. The group traveled for as long as they could in the harsh frozen wasteland, trying to compensate for the time lost. Exhaustion overcame all of them and Megildur had to find shelter, hopefully an empty shelter this time. The best he could find was a large grouping of rocks that formed a circle. It blocked the wind while Megildur worked on getting the fire ready. Normally Gaal would have done this task, but Megildur felt guilty over the way he treated his friends during his bout of madness.
“There, that should keep us warm for the night,” Megildur claimed after he started a roaring fire in the middle of the rock formation.
“Now that the emergency is over, I was meaning to ask. What was that thing that attacked Gaal in the cavern?” Scyleia inquired.
“Oh, you mean the Shaarduk creature.” Megildur began. “They stand on two legs like a man, but resemble a bear, and they have the temperament to match. These fierce beasts are indigenous to this region. I had never seen one until now, but I have heard stories. Once the inhabitant of that cave awoke, we became unwelcomed guests.”
Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn Page 18
