by Hans Bezdek
"Ah, but I did find them food," said the elf, her bright glow suddenly dimming. The light twisted and became a dark shadow, hovering and shifting around her. The elf's skin paled and her white gown turned blood red. Her emerald eyes turned a dark red and she smiled wickedly at The Delinquents. "You."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The caravan to the wall had been a peaceful ride for Zane and Perkins. Tomm's friends had been very welcoming to the two, especially once Tomm explained how the two of them had saved him from the pirates. Their journey along the winding road was filled with tales of Tomm's younger exploits, and how each of them had met the dwarf.
While Zane appreciated the stories, he was more interested in making a mental map of the surroundings. Assuming things went well, he'd need to figure out a way to get back to Julius' Port so that he could escape back to the U'Raze Kingdom before Aodh began his reign of destruction. The first stretch of the well-kept road from where they landed had been open grasslands, with farms dotting the horizon. The road cut through four separate forests, each not much longer than a fifteen-minute ride. More farmland took up the space between the forests, with very small towns set up that offered a place to sleep and eat.
Unlike the roads back home, which were now being heavily patrolled by guards since the trolls attacked, Zane had only noticed a handful of guards on the roads. They were also busy protecting carts that were moving along the road, and not concerned at all with any of the average civilians crossing each way. This meant that as long as he and Perkins kept to themselves and didn't act threateningly toward any travelers they probably wouldn't be harassed or asked for papers.
The caravan slowed as they neared the towering walls for the first time. They had again entered a forested area and the foot traffic had completely disappeared for the time being.
"This be it," said Tomm, hopping off the caravan with a rope and grappling hook.
"We've really got to hop the wall here?" asked Zane, eyeing the tall structure warily. It was taller than he expected it to be. If what Tomm had said about the Lund's mysterious magic was true, it was probably for the best.
"Aye," nodded Tomm. "Unless ya wanna go through one of the forts that be guarding it. Don't think that'll be any easier fer ya, though."
"It's best to avoid more eyes on us, you know," nodded Perkins. He took the grappling hook from Tomm, spun it over a few times, then chucked it at the top of the wall.
It bounced off the edge and fell back to them.
"Uh, been a bit since I've used one of these things," admitted Perkins, the elf's ears turning red.
After a few more failed attempts, the elf managed to get the hook stuck on something at the top of the wall. He tugged at it a few times, then nodded to Zane that they were ready to go.
"I suppose this be where we part," smiled Tomm sadly. He stuck his hand out and Zane shook it.
"Thanks for everything," said Zane. The paladin hesitated as the dwarf nodded and turned back to join the caravan again. "Tomm... I know you don't like the sea, but it might not be a bad idea to leave the Crescent sometime soon."
"Oh?" asked Tomm, turning back and raising an eyebrow. "That be yer way of invitin me to come say hello in U'Raze?"
"Something like that," said Zane, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. "Just... Be careful."
"I'll do me best, lad," smiled the dwarf. Tomm rejoined the caravan and they were off.
"Feeling guilty yet?" asked Perkins.
Zane glared at the elf. "If you think what we're doing is such a bad thing, then why agree to do it in the first place?"
"Something to do," shrugged Perkins, taking hold of the rope and scaling the wall. "I also never claimed to be that moral of an elf. Besides, everyone's going to die sooner or later, you know."
The two of them climbed the wall, resting briefly on the top to take in the black wood and silver leaves of the trees that greeted them on the other side. Zane felt a blip of nervousness, then descended the rope into the Lund. He had to push through any concerns or fears he had. They had come this far already.
"I don't think we'll be getting that hook loose anytime soon," said Perkins when he landed next to the paladin. "Might as well leave it here, you know. We can use it to escape on the off chance we live long enough to make it back here."
"We'll be fine," said Zane, venturing off into the forest of the Lund. "I have faith that our king wouldn't steer us wrong."
"Said every dead fighter," mumbled Perkins as he followed after him.
The two of them crept through the Lund, eyes peeled for anything living in it that might come for them. Perkins slowly pulled out two swords after half an hour of walking, causing Zane to grab hold of his mace.
"Did you see something?" asked Zane.
The elf gently shook his head. "Heard."
"Which direction?" asked Zane calmly.
"One up ahead to our left, the other up to the right."
"I'll take the left if you want to handle the other," offered Zane.
"Works for me."
The two of them rushed forward, veering off in their designated directions. The paladin could immediately hear the rustling that the elf had mentioned and zeroed in on its location as he ran. Zane whispered a prayer to Nera as he closed the distance, and his mace shone with a bright light. He brought his weapon back as he broke into a slight clearing, then...
Stopped.
The creature standing before him was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It held the vague shape of a horse, but with a lizard's tail and skin. He might have assumed it was a young dragon, save for the creature's dark blue eyes that shimmered like ghostly flames.
Lower your weapon, fair paladin.
Zane gasped, hearing the scratchy voice of an ancient being in his head. He lowered the mace as he was asked to do, but didn't let go.
"How did you know I was a paladin?" asked Zane quietly.
I heard your prayer to Nera, came the voice. Besides, not many others carry a hammer that glows with divine light.
"Ah... I guess that makes sense..."
What has brought you and your elven friend to this land known as the Lund?
Zane thought quickly. He reasoned that Perkins was probably speaking with another of these creatures, which was bound to ask him the same question. When the two of them gave separate answers, that could spell trouble for them. He needed to try and guess what Perkins would reply with.
"We've come to... explore," said Zane, keeping it vague.
To explore... and kill?
"Not if we don't have to. We only have our weapons at the ready because we heard of how dangerous the Lund can be."
Wise for those foolish enough to choose to enter here of their own will. The creature turned and began to walk away. Others in this land aren't as friendly as we. Best of luck in your exploration.
"Wait," said Zane, holding out his free hand.
The creature paused.
"How... How do we get to Death's Eye from here?"
The creature turned to face him again. The dark blue flames examined Zane carefully, causing the paladin to feel horribly uncomfortable.
I know not what you would want with such an accursed place. I recommend you shift your attention elsewhere.
"It's the main thing we came here to see," admitted Zane. "I'd appreciate your help, but even without it we are heading there."
The horse-like creature turned and began to walk away. Zane's shoulders sagged as he realized the being wasn't going to help them find Aodh's location. While the rustling of the creature faded, he heard louder rustling behind him.
"You wouldn't believe what I saw," said Perkins, shaking his head as he walked out from among the trees.
"A horse with blue flames for eyes?"
Perkins blinked. "What an uncanny guess!"
"I just spoke to one, too."
"Oh," chuckled Perkins. "Since you're alive, too, I take it the creature didn't fight you either?"
Zane nodded. "At least for now.
What did you tell yours?"
"That we were out here exploring," shrugged the elf. "Couldn't think of anything better than that."
The paladin relaxed. Assuming the two creatures spoke to one another, Zane and Perkins' stories lined up. While they would be suspicious of why they were headed to Death's Eye, there wouldn't be a reason for them to come back and fight with them.
"I tried to ask mine for help finding Death's Eye, but it just walked away," said Zane. "No worries, though. I'm sure we'll be able to find it on our own."
Perkins glanced to the side and did a double take. "Um, did the horse thing disappear that way?"
"Yeah," said Zane, glancing back. "Why do you... ask..."
Zane realized that the area the ground where the horse walked away was now sparkling with a light blue substance. The paladin walked over to the sparkling area and looked up ahead. The substance continued on in a path through the woods as far as he could see.
"You know, I'm thinking it decided to help you after all," smirked Perkins.
"I think you're right," smiled Zane back. The paladin put away his mace and jogged down the path. "Let's hurry before it disappears!"
CHAPTER TWENTY
The demonic imps let out a collective high pitched scream as they rushed from the cave to meet their prey. The Delinquents tightened together, Khuwa now pulling out her second axe while Farr formed his lightning bow.
"So you're a warlock, too," Yri said to the supposed Goddess of the Wild. Yri continued to hold Cupcake without making the slightest move to go help the others combat the demons.
"Astute observation," sneered the elf.
Farr brought his string back and let loose several bolts of lightning at the demons. Each one that he hit let out a screech and lifelessly bounced away. Unfortunately, whenever one fell, five more took its place. Farr continued the barrage as the demons closed the distance, hoping to at least lower the number of the creatures before he and his friends were overtaken.
Grex had more success, at least initially. Holes appeared underneath the imps at random spots, causing the creatures standing above them to tumble into the ground. The holes immediately closed whenever the imps disappeared. After about ten of the demons fell for this trick, however, the rest of the imps either took to flying a few inches off the ground or jumping over the holes as they appeared.
"You were able to take some control over Cupcake not because you were some goddess, but because you've practiced the demonic arts," reasoned Yri.
"Uh, we could use a bit of help, you know!" insisted Farr.
"I was worried you'd know what I really was when you first laid eyes on me," replied the elf with a nod. "After all, having a low level of mind control over demons is such a basic skill. Mere apprentices are capable of such things, at least for a brief time. Thankfully, you're not even at the level of one so weak in our art."
"Why would I want to get into the mind of a demon?" scoffed Yri. "All they do is tell you lies and taint you. I bet this horde of imps has got you under their thumb."
The elf's laugh still made Farr's heart skip a beat, but now for a very different reason. The cackle sounded otherworldly and harsh.
The first line of imps reached them. Thankfully, Khuwa knew better than to try to come to a peaceable agreement with demons. The orc jumped into the first wave with a twist, twirling her two axes out in front of her as she landed in the middle of the line. Six imps were cut in two immediately, and four more quickly followed as Khuwa slashed out to her left and right in quick succession.
"While a minor warlock can be tempted by a demon's influence, someone of my innate ability can easily overpower them," said the elf. "It's too bad that you never learned the skill to read their minds before your unfortunate end here. You can learn all sorts of things from them. Where their master is going, what they're trying to stop from happening, and how weak the bond that ties master and demon is."
Yri's eyes widened briefly. "He... He told you how weak our bond is?"
The elf's dark red eyes sparkled with glee. "Oh, did he! He was practically begging me to turn him against you so that he could be under the power of a real warlock, and not some hack."
Another wave of imps came at The Delinquents, so Khuwa sprung once again to action. After cleaving another dozen or so, a third wave pushed at them. Farr pointed at Khuwa's axes and sent forth some of his magic. The axes burst into flames, causing the imps to hesitate and take a few steps back.
"Looks like they fear fire more than my blades!" remarked Khuwa. "Keep this up if you can!"
"I'll do my best," nodded Farr. This bought them some time, but his magic energy would eventually run out. They needed everyone fighting. He glanced over at Yri. "Quit talking and help us!"
"Oh, she's not going to be of any assistance," chuckled the elven warlock. She waved at Cupcake. The demon floated away from Yri.
"Cupcake... Kill your master!" hissed the elf, raising her hand and pointing it at Yri.
The demonic pig turned in the air and faced Yri.
"Oh no!" said Yri, covering her mouth with her hand. "No, Cupcake!"
Farr pointed his lightning bow at Cupcake while keeping the flames going on Khuwa's axes.
"I can try to get the ground of the cliff to protect Yri, but it will only slow him," said Grex.
Farr hesitated. He hated the concept of having to fight and possibly kill Cupcake.
The pig opened its mouth, forming a small ball of green flames.
Farr was running out of time. He had to make a choice and stick with it.
"Don't! Don't do it!" said Yri, her voice almost muffled by her hand.
The green fire disappeared as Cupcake's mouth closed. Then he laughed.
Farr lowered his bow. "Huh?"
"You're such a horrible actress!" oinked Cupcake, shaking his head. The pig's eyes were no longer gray. "You made me break character!"
Yri's hand slipped from her mouth to reveal a big smile. "I'm sorry! I couldn't take you seriously. It took all I had to not double over!"
"W-What...?!" asked the elf, her head tilting to the side.
"Aw, are you not able to get it?" asked Yri, pouting mockingly at the other warlock.
"Now, now," said Cupcake, spinning around and facing the elf. "It's not her fault I planted false thoughts in her head."
"I-Impossible!" stammered the elf, taking a half step back. "The others already confirmed you were coming here!"
"Exactly," nodded the pig. "And you really helped us out, just like I hoped you would. You realize the mind reading thing goes both ways... don't you?"
The elf blushed and didn't respond.
"I knew that you lived close to where we were going and that you could get us here far quicker than we could. I gave you enough truth to make you believe me, then I lied about how weak the bond is between Yri and me."
There was some movement out of the corner of Farr's eyes. Spinning around, he shot another bolt of lightning at an imp that got too close to Khuwa for comfort.
"Is now really a good time to be talking?!" shouted Farr.
Cupcake rolled his eyes. "Fine. Let me take care of these rodents for you."
The pig shapeshifted into something vaguely humanoid, then grew larger and larger. The demon's skin became blood red, and every inch of him was covered in muscle. Giant wings shot out of his back as four horns grew on top of his head. The demon's face jutted out with long, sharp teeth, while his black sunken eyes looked like they were made of shadows.
The fighting had stopped. Farr, Khuwa, and Grex were speechless. The imps looked up in horror at the far more threatening demon.
The red demon crossed his arms. "How about we do this. I'm giving you imps a chance and I'm breaking your bond. Return to our realm, or I will eat each and every last one of you."
The imps all nodded frantically, then there was a barrage of pops. One by one the imps disappeared, not one of them looking like they were planning on challenging Cupcake.
"W-What are you doin
g?!" screamed the elven warlock. "Come back! I demand that you come back and protect me!"
"Just as you thought you could break our bond, he broke theirs," explained Yri.
"No!" hissed the warlock. "It's one thing for a powerful warlock to do such a thing, but an ordinary demon?"
"Hey, calling me ordinary hurts my feelings," said Cupcake, turning back to the elf and frowning.
"Plus, it's inaccurate," shrugged Yri. "Cupcake isn't a normal demon. He's a demon lord."
The elf's dark red eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head.
"That's more like it," smiled Cupcake.
"For him to tell you our bond was weak meant that he knew you'd try to break it," continued Yri. "We've been trying to break the bond between us for years now. We'd love nothing more than for you to break it, but based on the type of demons you chose to control... it's clear that isn't happening."
"By trying to get me to go against my master without having the strength to match her, you set me free," concluded Cupcake. "I haven't heard of warlock trying to mind control demons in a long time, so I didn't have my guard up against it since I can remember. I guess the new school of warlocks have forgotten their history."
"T-This can't b-be happening..." mumbled the elf, taking a few steps back.
"Cupcake," said Yri, raising her hand toward the elven warlock. "Kill."
The red demon dove at the elven warlock with frightening speed, tackling her to the ground before she could take another step toward her cave. There were a few swings of Cupcake's claws, a crunch, and then he stood up.
There was no trace left of the evil elf.
The demon shifted, growing smaller and turning pink. As fast as he had turned into a terrifying demon lord, Cupcake was back to his flying pig self.
"I'm full," said Cupcake, patting his stomach. "Anyone want to check out the cave and see if there's any dessert inside?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It had been a somewhat uncomfortable night's sleep for Farr. Thankfully, It had nothing to do with their sleeping arrangement. The cave that the fake Goddess of the Wild had was well furnished, with comfortable beds and couches of fine quality. There were numerous books that Yri and Grex scanned through, while Khuwa was happy to find a stockpile of fruits and vegetables in the back of the cave. They could hear the constant crashing of waves on the far side of the cave, but that soon became almost soothing.
