Death Or Fortune

by James Chesney

  I nodded my head once and quick stepped to catch up with the rest of our friends. I had thought they were just being paranoid. As I had thought we were being followed, they had been sure these old dusty halls were under the watchful eye of Asmodai himself. I was sure they had both been mistaken; we did not see anything other than old mold covered walls. We did not see anything at all until the first zombie reached out to grab Pare.

  22. Dusty

  Now boy, repeat what I said." If you are underground and do not have a map, always follow the right hand wall. This way, if you ever get lost, you can just turn around and walk back out again. "Very good now block." As our swords clashed I jumped up from the dream. I looked over to the door and saw Pare on the floor looking under. I put my hands to my face and tried to scrub away the dream I had just been having. We explored and fought in the underground tomb for hours it seemed like. When I saw Hetaron begin to falter I knew it was time to take our rest. We found a room that had not been in use. We then blocked the door and hoped that it would stay safe long enough for us to get rested.

  I looked around at my friends. Hetaron was in a far corner, reading his book by the light of his staff. Michaels was being Michaels, pacing the floor. The wraith we fought took its toll on the man but he held his ground. He was a good addition to the team. Hans however looked, worried. When I asked him how he was holding up he spoke but seemed to be far off. "Did I ever tell you why I became a cleric, devoted my life to Solarth?" I shook my head no but I don't think he saw me. "I was once like you, a warrior, little more than a mercenary. I was in Eystlund when I met my mentor and the others. It was an interesting group, much like the four of us here. Lomark, a mage very much like that one over there" he said as he pointed towards Hetaron. Who seemed to be paying more attention to us than he was his book. "Zender, who is my mentor, powerful cleric. Very strong in the faith, great believer in justice. He did whatever he saw fit to make sure the innocent were protected. Zackary, another sword arm. His cousin was with us for some time, named William."

  " We traveled together for close to a year. We were sent on a mission of great importance by King Darius. It took us into Toryth Vol. This place reminds me of that. Imagine wave after wave of undead. We were only passing through, I could not imagine going to the center of that hell hole. After we lost William I was shaken to my core. It was Zender who kept me together. Even when we were in a place that the gods have turned away from, his faith was unshakable. He was a pillar of light in a sea of darkness. He is by far the bravest man I have ever met. Remind me to tell you about the dragon turtle one day. When we returned to Eystlund they called us heroes. I followed Zender back to the temple one night. I cast away my sword, cast away everything that I was and gave myself over to the good god. This place, reminded me of who I once was. Reminded me of who I am now and why I started down this path." Since that day, he has spoken of his time before I knew him but it is rare. Most of the time all he will tell me is that man is gone.

  I wanted to ask him a few questions about the story he just told me but Pare dragged me away once again. It would seem something else had stirred up the dead, Pare had seen a group of them pass by the door and he said he could hear fighting. That drew every ones attention, we all gathered around the door. I cracked it open enough to stick my head out, the coast was clear. So we headed towards the sounds Pare had heard. There was a group of about four or five men fighting off the undead. They were all protecting a single man, I felt Hetarons hand on my arm, pulling me back. "We need to move now. We are not ready for him yet." I looked him right in the eye. It was clear he knew who the robed man was yet the details were not forth coming. So we turned and fled that room down a dark hall, deeper into the darkness. We traveled down a slight slope of unfinished tunnel, the walls were still rough.

  Hetaron came up with the idea to trap the path behind us so we did. Using some grease and several jars of acid we left the group behind us a little surprise. Once those were set, we went even deeper and then waited. If they were here for us, they would have to come the same way. If they were coming for us, they would find us ready and waiting. Had we known about the troll we were about to run into we might have saved some of the acid. It stood seven feet tall and was hunched over as it was. Green skin with eyes as black as the starless sky. When it roared at us I knew right away what it had been doing here. The fetid stench of death on its breath, it had been eating the zombies. Now that we were there he saw nothing but fresh meat for him to eat. I stood there sword in hand waiting for the great beast to make a move. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Michaels, standing next to me. "Well, what is the plan sir."

  I told him the first thing that came to my mind, kill it before it kills us. In truth I should have just told him to stay alive until Hetaron can do something with it. I know I did not say anything about charging towards it, which is just what he did. I was to slow to do anything about it. I watched in horror as the beast brought its club into full view. It let loose with a great swinging blow which Michaels managed to avoid. He then lashed out with a blow of his own cutting deep into the trolls gut. Which only seemed to anger it, it swiped at Michaels and landed a crushing blow right into the chest of the new paladin. He must have flown back a good ten feet before he hit the ground. I knew this was something I was going to have to deal with. This was the first time I had a chance to test the strength of this belt.

  The beast saw me moving in and thought to do the same to me. I saw the club coming, I knew I was in its path. I knew it was going to hit me. Yet there I stood and watched it come, I wanted it to hit me. As it got close I rammed my shield up and into the club. The first sound was a great metal crash as it hit my shield, the second was the trolls club breaking in two. For one small moment I thought I saw regret in the eye of the stupid beast as it looked down at its hand holding what was left of his broken club. I then pressed the attack. I could feel the power inside of me as I hacked at the beast. I first slashed at its legs trying to cut it off at the knee. Hoping that it would slow the beast down, make it easy to deal with. There is no such thing as an easy way to deal with trolls.

  Before long Hans had Michaels back on his feet and all five of us were in the fight. In the end we over powered the beast, chopping it down a little at a time until it at last fell to the floor. We stood there and watched it, gallons of its green blood soaking the floor. I looked to Hetaron and reminded him that it wasn't dead yet. He simply nodded, fanned out his fingers and engulfed the creature in magical fire. "I was watching to see how fast it would heal itself." he snapped at me. The smell of the burning beast was horrid. Yet it was the only way to be sure. I could not look away from the creature melting on the floor as what was left of its body was covered in flames. It was the screaming that got my attention and we all knew right away what it was.

  I turned back towards the tunnel that lead to the room we were in. The scream of pain coming from there was enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I turned to Hetaron who had a rather pleased look on his face. It would seem someone had walked right into our trap. We all stood silent, waiting to see if anyone came. For what seemed an eternity all we could hear was the screams of a man who was in quite a bit of pain. When the screaming stopped we could hear two voices, in a heated argument. I inched closer to the tunnel to try to hear just what was being said. "We are leaving Lakarus, we can come back later. It is clear we need more men." Nothing he said meant anything to me but when I turned around, Hetaron was white as a ghost.

  23. Cursed

  We stood there at the opening of the tunnel for what seemed to be an eternity. Waiting for some sign from the other group. Once it was clear that they were really leaving I turned to Hetaron and asked the question we all had on our minds. "Who is Lakarus and what do you know about him?" For the first time I can remember Hetaron had nothing smart to say. At first he did not say anything at all. He just stood there, looking at his hand wrapped around his staff as if it was going to meld with it at some point. I l
ooked to the rest of my friends, who stood by my side, waiting quietly. Well truth be told Pare was poking around in what was left of the troll. I am sure he was paying attention though.

  "I know you have not seen it but there is a dark side to this land. Arcadia has its shadows and there are people who live in them. There are more than a few people who are not pleased with what we did Darmot. There are still a few people who are loyal to this Messiah. A week ago, my master told me that he had a visit from this Lakarus. Said he wanted to kill me, he informed my master of this out of some kind of twisted logic. My master was fine with it as he seems to believe that it will be a good test for me. There is a contract out on our heads Kromwell. It would seem someone is eager to collect mine. You would just be a bonus to him, it is me that he desires." I tried to tell Hetaron that everything would be fine but he would not hear me. He just seemed to pull his head deeper into his hood. When it seemed he had nothing else to say I just asked Pare if he had found anything good. "Nothing good, this cave is a dead end, end of the line."

  I made a mental note to ask Pare in private what he had found later. As we made our way back up the passage we passed a large pool of blood where we set our trap. It was very effective to say the least. We started to explore the rest of the finished areas of the tomb. Looking for a passage that would lead to the dragon. We found a few more undead and carrion beast that seem to infest places like that. We found an empty room that had no dead or anything else in it and figured it would be a good spot to rest. I could feel something in the air. We were getting close to something, I could feel the goose bumps on my flesh. As if we were being drawn towards something. I didn’t pay any attention to it until Hetaron said something. He was feeling it as well. Hans and Michaels were both immune it would seem. Looking back I should have been paying attention to Pare, he was being quiet. Pare always has something to say, I should have known that something wasn't right.

  As we rested I asked Hetaron if he wanted to abandon what we were doing and deal with this other group head on. "They will find us soon enough and he will find me ready." The tone of his voice sent a shiver down my spine. I kept watch for most of the night. I wasn't tired, I was feeling energized and on edge. To this day I do not know what it was that I was feeling that night. As if something had taken hold of me and opened up a never ending supply of energy. I could have run home and back in half the time it would take us by horse. Everyone else was out cold yet I was on fire. I felt as if I was about to jump out of my body. It is hard to put to words the feeling I had. I knew something was coming and my body would not calm itself. If I tried to keep up like that today I would fall over dead before the morning light. That is just the cost of my old age.

  I was awake the entire night. I could not have rested if I wanted to. Once everyone was up and ready I was eager to be moving. For a change, Hetaron walked with me at the head of our little line as we made our way through the old dusty tombs. Almost guiding me along our path. I started to feel a buzzing in my ears. We were so close, when Hetaron grabbed my arm I knew we had found it. He stood looking at the door, almost drooling at the thoughts of what might be on the other side. Had we known what it was, we may have turned away. All I will say is this. When I die, I want to stay dead. I do not desire to see myself continuing on as some kind of monster. Why a man would do that to himself. It is beyond my ability to understand. If not for Hans and Michaels we very well may have spent the next hundred years under the control of a vampire. He could feel us in the tomb, was imposing his will on those of us he could. Drawing us towards him. As we entered the room my mind faded to black, seeing nothing.

  Hans was once again, incredible. How he could ever question his own faith is beyond me. Truth be told I do not remember the fight. The creature was somehow able to hold me at bay yet he could not stop Hans or Michaels. He kept me in a haze, unable to move, see or do anything at all. When I could see again the creature was dead and I saw the vast room we were in for the first time. I was once again feeling that pull. Something was calling out to me. I locked eyes on a large stone sarcophagus and then I could not look away. I could hear Hans talking to me, yet I was gone. I had to see inside, I could no longer resist. He said something to me about warnings, I did not care. "This room is covered by a foul curse, we must leave." I ignored everything he had to say. When Hetaron started screaming, I just ignored him. To this day I still do not know what caused it. From what he would tell me, he was locked in a battle of wills, much like my very own. I always wondered where he found that staff.

  From the writing I was able to read on the lid there was a great warrior inside. I looked down to see Pare by my side and asked him to help me open the top. He just looked at me and said "Ok Darmot." By the time we had the lid open, Hetaron had stopped his screaming. It was just in time for me to start my own. I could feel the evil of this dead warrior, rolling out of the sarcophagus as water rolls up on the shore. Perfectly preserved the warriors face showed the pain of all his evil deeds, in constant torment he spent his living death. Encased in obsidian black armor he held a sword in both hands on his chest. While I know my mouth was screaming, I could not look away. When his eyes opened, the world started to fall away. I stood there at the side of his sarcophagus, seeing all the evil he had committed on his face yet he was commanding me to do something. No words were spoken, just his mind and my own. Locked in silent combat. At first he tried to take control of my body yet something kept him from doing so. Something else I have Hans to thank for. I could feel my hand moving. His voice was in my mind, speaking to me.

  "Sword"

  I was slowly sliding my own blade back into its scabbard.

  "Sword, red death."

  I could see my hand reaching into the sarcophagus. Many hands tried to stop me but Hetaron stopped them. Said that if they tried to interfere that I could be lost.

  "Take my sword."

  I saw my hand grasping the handle of his sword. He held on for just a moment then his cold dead hands let go as I pulled the blade out. My mind and my body was now my own. The blade was incredible. It gleamed as if he had kept it polished during the time he was dead. I could feel the power of the blade, the magic of it. I knew what this was for and I would not waste it. We all stood back as the lid of the sarcophagus began to close all on its own. I could not look away from the blade in my hand. It felt as if it was a part of me now. Just as the lid returned to its resting place one last thought came to my mind from the old warrior deep inside.

  "Redemption."

  24. Clash

  “I don't know what just happened and I am sure one day I will find this funny but that was a little too strange for me." For once it seemed Pare was speaking for all of us. The room held nothing else for us and I knew it was time to find the dragon. From the small map Pare had been keeping, there was only one hall way we had not explored yet, that had to be the way. There was no other way if we were going to do this. Going in the same way the dragon did was not an option. If I was going to be eaten, it was going to be on my feet, not hanging from a rope like some kind of tin plated treat. Hetaron also advised that using his carpet was a bad idea, we all just took his word for it.

  I took one last look at the sarcophagus before we left the room. I still don't understand what happened to me, all those years ago. I have never had anything like that happen to me since, for which I grateful. I looked around to my friends, gave them all a nod and started to lead us out of the room. Having spent so much time with Hetaron I knew a thing or two about magic users. I knew what to look for, knew when a spell was coming. When I saw him standing there at the other end of the hall I knew who he was right away. An older thin man, showing more skin on the top of his head than hair, draped in robes of gray and black holding a thin rod of glass. I could see the men behind him but they did not matter, what did matter was Lakarus was slowly chanting as he raised his hand with the rod towards me.

  With every ounce of strength I could muster I pushed back into the room, yelling for everyone t
o get back. I had just made it back into the room as the lightning bolt raced down the hall. I slammed the door closed and put my shoulder against it I knew it wouldn't be long before we had a fight on our hands. I looked towards Hetaron whose eyes locked with mine. No words were spoken, he just nodded his head and came towards me. "So he wants to play with lightning, two can play at this game." I could hear men on the other side of the door, weapons were being drawn a single voice shouting out orders. "You have made a mistake Lakarus, open the door Kromwell." Hetaron was standing right next to the door and I thought for a moment that he had lost his mind but it was no time to argue.

  I had no intentions of saving a man’s life at that moment other than my own or my friends. As I opened the door an armored man was there, shield in hand ready to rush into me. Knowing I had to give Hetaron a little more time I did the first thing I could think of. I lifted my right leg and kicked the shield in front of me as hard as I could. It had the desired effect as he was sent flying backwards where he slammed into the opposite wall and fell to the ground. He was not touched when Hetaron unleashed his spell. The man who was next in line however was not that lucky. A solid bolt of lightning left Hetarons hand and traveled into the hall, bouncing off the wall. I watched in horror as it bounced back and forth in a zig zag pattern down the hall, killing half dozen men in the process. Some of them were hit more than once.