by Eric Vall
“I think that we should do it,” she said confidently.
“Are you crazy?” Rana screeched. “Are we just supposed to ignore all the stuff that he did to us?”
“But he didn’t kill us,” the tall warrior said firmly. “He could have. He obviously has the power to, and he chose not to. He has given us a reasonable offer, and I think we should accept it. Look how easily we were captured, we could use the help.”
“Morrigan, Carmedy, talk some sense into her,” the fox said as she turned her head to each of the other two women.
“I agree with Annalíse, which I admit is indeed a rare occurrence,” the elf said flatly. “It does appear as though we would benefit from such an alliance.”
“I think it sounds like fun,” Carmedy said brightly. “Traveling from continent to continent conquering dungeons and finding treasure, we’ll be famous! They’ll probably write songs about us. Oh, and we’ll be able to eat all sorts of great food in all these different cities! Hooray!”
“I can’t believe this.” Rana shook her head in disbelief.
“Well, Rana, what’s it going to be?” Annalíse asked.
“It’s not like I have much of a choice,” the fox huffed. “I’ve been outvoted, I can’t leave, and I need to get my hands on that treasure.” As she uttered the last few words, her blue eyes flickered with both defiance and determination. Her frustration was clear, and I could see that it would take quite a bit of effort to get the fox-tailed woman to trust me. She would see in time that I was both a trustworthy and valuable ally.
“Fine,” she finally said with a sigh. “I’ll go along with this. But if he goes insane with power and takes over all the realms, I want you all to remember that I. Told. You. So.”
“Fair enough.” Annalíse nodded at the fox before she turned to face my direction. “It’s settled then.”
“Excellent,” I said. Rana was stubborn and strong-willed, but overall the women had been easier to speak with than expected. “Now, please wait for a moment.”
“Wait? Hold on, where are you going?” Rana called out. “Aren’t you going to let us go? You can’t leave us up here!” The fox woman’s face twisted into an angry expression as she groaned in exasperation. But now was not the time for arguments, so I ignored her and floated from the room. After all, she was my minion. She would wait as she had been told. Call it an object lesson.
I moved my presence along the dark passageways until I found the room where I kept all of the possessions from the ill-fated visitors who had ever graced my dungeon. I entered the musty room and looked around. It was filled with chests overflowing with gold and silver currency from various continents and precious jewels of every hue. Cobweb-covered weapons and piles of rusting armor were scattered across the stone floor. But there was one particular suit of armor that had never shown signs of age. This was the object of my search.
I hovered closer to observe the sinister black armor. It had once belonged to a great king. His suit had been crafted by the mages themselves and was said to be woven together with unbelievably strong magic. The king had also carried a rather impressive black polearm, the likes of which I had never seen. He’d called it the God Slayer, and while I’d had some doubt whether it could actually do what its namesake implied it could, the magic hovering around it made me think that maybe, just maybe, it would be possible. The long halberd was bathed in swirling obsidian-and-red symbols were carved into the sharp metal head, which was formed from three distinct blades. A large, barbed spear formed the core as it sprouted from the shaft, while a jagged crescent blade jutted out one side. Backing it was a wickedly sharp dagger-like blade with a downward curve that would prove perfect for punching through heavy plate armor.
This would serve me well.
Much like the armor, the weapon had never rusted or faded. Unfortunately for the sovereign owner, he had fallen prey to my water demons and was quickly stripped of his magic implements. He was unworthy of such precious gifts, but in the hands of a being such as myself, these items would yield great power.
I quickly summoned my shadow slaves to me, and I began to conjure up a human form. A dusty swirl of matter began to materialize, and it stretched and spiraled until it reached the height I desired. A few chunks of the grainy material began to piece together a skeleton from the feet up. The remaining matter twisted and snaked around the bones and combined to form muscle and patches of tanned skin that stuck to the bony frame. My new body was taking shape. When the last piece of skin had adhered, I ordered my shadow slaves to outfit my human form with my necessary undergarments and chosen armor.
As soon as the helmet was placed on the head, I hovered above the freshly formed body and slowly settled into the bones. I cautiously wiggled my fingers and shook each of my feet. It felt… strange. But everything seemed to be in working order. I took a deep breath of the stale air and almost jumped. I could feel my heartbeat. I could feel its strong and steady thud as it pumped blood throughout my body. It was a magnificent feeling. Part of me wanted to take a few more moments to marvel at my new fleshy physique, but my minions were waiting for me.
I took one step, and then another. The first few were shaky, but this was to be expected. I bent over to pick up the God Slayer and balanced its weight in my hands. It was cool, smooth, and unexpectedly light. I gripped the weapon and made my way out of the room. As I re-entered the blackened tunnel and drew closer to my nexus, my ears were met with the women’s voices.
Without warning them, I set foot in the room and abruptly removed the women’s invisible bonds. One by one, they dropped to the floor in heaps of hair and limbs, and their hasty descent was accompanied by gasps and squeals. The groaning women rubbed at their limbs and backsides.
“You could’ve at least warned… holy…” Rana’s voice trailed off as her blue eyes panned up my newly acquired form. “Uhh, you’re not going outside looking like that are you?” She raised a red eyebrow.
“What is the problem?” I furrowed my brow. “I have crafted this body to command respect and adorned it in the armor of a fallen king.”
“You look like some kind of armor-coated demon,” the fox said as she annoyedly threw her paws into the air.
“I think what Rana means is, you look kinda… really… okay… very… scary,” Carmedy said with a wince. “I mean, you’re wearing evil-looking full plate armor, and you’ve got glowing red eyes staring through your helmet, and then there’s that thing.” She pointed to my weapon and shivered. “Is there any way you could be a little bit more… discreet?”
“I see no issue with his manner of dress,” Morrigan said blankly.
“Of course you don’t.” Rana rolled her eyes. “It’s right up your alley.”
“Carmedy and Rana are right,” Annalíse said. “Both the armor and the weapon will draw far too much attention.”
“I see,” I mused as I bit my lip. My appearance didn’t much matter to me, but I supposed that my current state would cause some sort of disturbance once we were amongst civilization. “One moment.”
I leaned my weapon against a wall and turned to leave the room. I returned a few moments later wearing a hooded long brown robe that concealed my armor. I then removed my helmet and placed it on the ground behind me. I picked up the God Slayer and firmly grasped it with one hand and gave it a hard tap on the stone floor. The echo resounded throughout the room and bounced through the adjacent tunnels. It was as though the God Slayer commanded the respect of its onlookers.
I had seen the king who had owned the weapon do this many times, and as soon as the butt of the weapon met the ground, the three deadly metal faces began to retract into the pole until they disappeared completely. The intimidating weapon now had the appearance of a mere staff. Each of the women looked surprised at my weapon’s sudden transformation. Even Rana and Morrigan seemed slightly impressed, or at the very least amused.
“Is this suitable?” I raised my arms and turned in a circle to give them a full view.
&n
bsp; “Yes, but something still isn’t quite right.” The cat tapped her chin. “I’m not quite sure what it is though.”
“It is his face,” Morrigan said callously. The women all blinked at the elf in surprise. Over my time observing her, I had grown accustomed to the pale woman’s terse bluntness, but this was a bit frank even for her.
“His nose, I do not care for it,” the elf said as she shrugged her shoulders.
“I see what you mean,” Carmedy said as she walked toward me with her hands behind her back. She stopped in front of me and squinted up at my face as her tail swished behind her. “It’s too… pointy. Can you, I don’t know, round it out a bit?”
“Is this really necessary?” I said as I folded my arms over my chest.
“Oh, most definitely.” The cat gleefully clasped her hands.
“Very well.” I sighed and began to adjust the shape of my nose.
“A little more, little more, just a tiny bit… there! Perfect,” Carmedy said with a grin. “Morrigan?” the cat called over her shoulder.
“This is an improvement,” the elf said with a slight nod.
“Okay,” Carmedy said as she turned back to me. “Now the eyes. Sorry, but red isn’t going to work. Too creepy. How about… green? Like mine?” As requested, I shifted the color of my eyes to match hers. The cat cocked her head to the side and carefully studied my face.
“I don’t think green suits him,” Annalíse said as she took a step toward me. “How about… hazel?”
“Ooh, I love it,” Carmedy purred. “Hazel please, mister master.” I didn’t see the point of all this, but I silently obliged them. “Much better,” Carmedy said with a satisfied nod.
“How about giving him some hair?” Rana grumbled as she leaned against a wall. “His head looks like a fresh-laid egg.” I had neglected to give myself hair, but only because I hadn’t seen a need for it. After all, many a bald adventurer had entered my dungeon.
“Good idea!” Carmedy clapped her hands excitedly. “What color?”
“I don’t know, brown, curly, it doesn’t matter,” the fox muttered in reply as she twitched her tail in annoyance.
“Brown and curly it is,” the cat said with a smile. After I honored the request, Carmedy took a step back to admire her work. “There you go, you’re a lot less scary looking now!” She beamed up at me. “Handsome, even.”
“He looks alright,” Rana sniffed after she stole a long glance at my face. “Can we go now?”
“Yes,” I said with a nod. “Let’s be on our way.” While I wasn’t too fond of the fox’s tone, we had spent a fair amount of time on my facial changes, and I was anxious to get out of this dungeon. “But first, Morrigan must remove the binding that the mages have used to seal me away within this dungeon.”
Chapter 5
I carried my weapon as though it were a mere walking stick, turned on my heels, and exited the room.
Exactly as I’d thought they would, the women filed behind me one by one. First Annalíse, then a very reluctant Rana, then Carmedy, and finally Morrigan. Save for Rana’s occasional indecipherable grumbles, the women were silent as I led them effortlessly through the tunnel of mazes. There was no need for torches, and I turned each corner and chose each tunnel without hesitation. This had been my home for many centuries, and I knew every stony surface, every rocky protrusion, and every lightless tunnel. But now, after all this time, I was finally able to escape these damp and airless caverns. I would never be bound here again. Never.
As I turned the last corner and stared at the runes etched into the stone near the dungeon’s exit, I couldn’t help but smile. These runes wouldn’t be visible to the normal eye, but I could see them as glowing monoliths of power. Each one had been carefully crafted to keep me trapped within, and though I’d tried various ways to destroy them over the years, I’d never succeeded before.
Then again, I had never had a mortal mage at my disposal before, either.
“Morrigan,” I said as I turned to the elf. “Can you see the runes etched into the ceiling, walls, and floor?” I swept my hand toward them by way of example.
“Yes,” she said as her gaze flicked over them. “Though I am unfamiliar with what they actually do.”
That was unsurprising. These were powerful runes indeed and had been crafted many centuries ago. It was entirely possible that the novice had not learned them or that they had been lost to time. Not that it much mattered.
“They are the runes placed by a group of the most powerful mortal mages that ever lived. They feared the growing expanse of my dungeon and formed a magical barrier to keep my monster minions and I bound within the dungeon. As long as they pulse with magic, I cannot leave.” I took a long breath as I let that information sink in. “You must destroy them.”
“Are we sure we should do that?” Rana asked as she glanced at her party members. “The exit is right past it. We could make a run for it--”
“I will do no such thing.” Morrigan’s narrowed eyes blazed as she stared at the fox. “I have given my word to the entity who lives within this dungeon, and I will not break it.”
“So, you’re saying that because I’m a fox, I’d just go and break my word?” Rana crossed her arms over her chest and harrumphed. “Because that’s the important thing. Keeping our word when we’re about to release an underdark deity into the world.”
“I agree with Morrigan,” Annalíse said as she moved closer to try and see the runes. “We made an agreement, and we should keep it.”
“And besides, I don’t think he’s so bad,” Carmedy said as she moved closer to me and gave me a quick hug. “He did spare us after all.”
“It’s like I’m surrounded by idiots,” Rana said with a sigh. “Lovable idiots, but idiots all the same.” She rolled her eyes before she met my gaze. “What do we need to do?”
“The only one who can do this is Morrigan. She must break the seals, and it is a complicated procedure since the mages who placed them imbued them with pieces of their soul.”
“You mean like the same stuff Morrigan’s birds snack on all the time?” Carmedy asked.
“Yes,” I said as I smiled at the cat. “I’d just had a similar thought.”
“Well, can you clue the rest of us in then?” Annalíse asked as her gaze flicked between us. “Why does that matter?”
“Because it should be no issue for Fea and Macha to consume the soul magic within the runes and render them useless.” Morrigan raised one hand as she spoke and pointed at the glowing runes.
Without another word, the ravens launched themselves forward and settled near the runes. They opened their tiny mouths, and as they did, white magic began to flow from the enchantments and into the birds.
I watched with growing excitement as the runes dimmed moment by moment, and with each passing breath, I felt the binds latching me to this place grow weaker.
When they’d finally finished and the etchings had become little more than scratches in the stone, I took a cautious step forward, half expecting to be repulsed once more. Only that didn’t happen, and I found myself moving forward until the dungeon’s exit came into view, I paused at the sight of the sunlight that reached into the mouth of the passageway. I could scarcely believe my eyes. Actual sunlight. Not a campfire or an adventurer’s torch, but real sunlight.
“Is something wrong?” Annalíse said from behind me.
“No,” I said as a smile begin to creep onto my face. “Not at all.” I could scarcely contain my excitement. I saw no need to explain my feelings to them, they probably wouldn’t have understood anyhow. All I knew was that I wanted to get outside as quickly as possible.
I stepped out of the tunnel and was immediately blinded by the sun’s warm and radiant rays. It was beautiful. As my eyes adjusted, I took in my surroundings. My mouth fell open, and my heart beat rapidly in my chest. My breath began to quicken, and my hands started to tremble. The world outside was truly magnificent.
Before me stood a sprawling forest of en
ormous trees laden with crisp green leaves. The grass was equally green and lush. Wildflowers in various shades of violet, blue, yellow, and orange sprouted up from the ground in scattered bunches. To finally be outside, and to experience it a human body… it felt like a dream. I heard a series of bird twitters and looked up to see two red birds weave through the treetops before they settled down onto a leafy branch. A cool breeze brushed across my cheek, and I touched my fingers to my face in surprise. It was such a wonderful sensation.
“Hey,” Rana called out to me impatiently. “You coming or what?”
I broke out of my elated daze and turned to see that all of the women save for an absent Annalíse were now several yards away from me. Then I watched as they proceeded to load their packs onto a very dilapidated donkey cart. The donkey that was hitched to the cart didn’t appear to be in the best shape either.
“Everyone ready?” Annalíse called out. I turned to see the tall woman emerge from the trees with the reins to something in each of her hands. I expected to see horses or some similar beast at the end of the leads but instead, to my surprise, I saw two great saddled lizards. Their tongues flicked and flitted as they approached with their bellies against the ground.
“What are these creatures?” I asked when Annalíse reached the rest of us. I slowly walked toward the strange animals. Their yellow eyes blinked at me curiously as I laid my palms across their scaly heads.
“They’re riding lizards,” Carmedy said as she bounced up to me. “Haven’t you ever seen one before?”
“No, I have never seen beasts such as these,” I whispered in awe of the massive reptiles. Their physique appeared to be identical to that of their more familiar, smaller counterparts, but they were roughly the size of a full-grown horse if shorter in stature.
“Oh, well, their names are Scylla and Xerxes. This one is Scylla, and that one is Xerxes,” Carmedy said as she pointed first to the green lizard and then to the cream colored one with brown markings.
