by Warhammer
It was sweltering hot down here. All of their faces glistened with sweat. Felix felt like he had been stuck inside an oven. He looked over at Katja. There was a peculiar look of triumph on her face. She must be very pleased at getting so close to her father’s treasure, he thought. Or perhaps it was something else.
‘Be careful,’ she said. ‘Try not to step on any of those lines.’
‘Why not?’ Gotrek demanded. ‘Scared it will bring us bad luck?’
‘No. They form some sort of protective spell here.’
‘Now, how would you know that?’ Felix asked, but she ignored him. She was already edging closer to the door on the far side of the chamber, carefully moving along the channels formed between the lines. It was like walking a labyrinth, but she eventually got to her goal without incident. The dwarfs followed her. Gotrek shrugged and then did the same. Felix watched them carefully. There was something very wrong here, but he could not quite put his finger on it. Then he noticed that the runes along Gotrek’s axe were glowing. He touched his own elvish amulet. It was very warm, more so even than the heat down here would suggest. Perhaps Katja was right. Perhaps there were sorcerous defences here.
He doubted that it would make much difference if he told anyone. The dwarfs’ faces were transformed by goldlust and Katja’s by a strange exultation. Even as he watched, Gotrek touched a series of runes, obviously depressing some sort of pressure plate. The massive vault door slid open silently to reveal another chamber beyond.
The dwarfs gave a cry of pure pleasure and leapt through it, oblivious of Felix’s shout telling them to wait. Felix could see the glitter of gold in that room, and of something else. Hastily he pushed forward, walking through the mazy pattern on the floor.
The chamber inside was smaller than the outer one, and it held gold indeed. There were piles of it on the floor. Some of it was in the shape of strange square coins with holes in the middle, some of it in the shape of odd draconic masks. There were also chests full of silver and gold that looked more modern and of human design.
For a moment, Felix felt himself being carried away by greed, just like the dwarfs were. They were, beyond a shadow of a doubt, rich beyond their wildest dreams of avarice. There was a king’s ransom here. But it was what lay beyond that got Felix’s attention.
At the far end of the chamber was another large lava pool. A pathway ran out into the centre and from the middle of the bubbling lake rose a stone spike carved with strange runes. Atop the spike was a huge gem. It glowed blood-red with its own internal fire. It was very beautiful and even to Felix’s untrained eye, it was obvious that this was the greatest treasure present.
Certainly Katja thought so, for she ignored the heaps of gold amid which the dwarfs played and strode straight towards it. Only Felix and Gotrek watched her. The rest of the expedition were too busy whooping with joy. Despite his present avarice, Felix was watchful. He had been in many other treasure chambers and he had never found things so easy. Surely there must be some guardian present.
He was not disappointed. Even as Katja set foot on the walkway, lava gusted up from below. The heat in the chamber, already intense, became more so. Lava had begun to slop up over the edges of the pit.
In defiance of gravity, the lava continued to flow upwards and it flowed into a massive humanoid figure, at least half again as tall as a man. Its skin was molten stone. Veins of darker fire flowed across its surface. When it spoke, its words came out like the bubbling of a pool of magma.
‘I am the guardian of this place, mortals. Begone, lest you bring doom upon yourselves and this island. The fire mountain’s heart is not for you. Be warned the Ancients bound me here to protect their handiwork and see their spells did not fail. I will not fail in that trust!’
Katja stood for a moment and then looked over at Gotrek. ‘Here is a foe worthy of your axe.’
‘Indeed,’ said Gotrek.
The lava creature bellowed, and stepped over the side of the pit. The floor bubbled where it set foot. There was a stench of brimstone in the air. The dwarfs hastily stuffed their knapsacks and pockets with loot, torn between greed and fear. Fear triumphed as the lava man advanced. A wave of heat came from it that was like the open door of a blast furnace. Gotrek licked his lips and moved towards it.
‘What is that thing?’ yelled Felix, kneeling to stuff a gold necklace into his own tunic and snatch up a fistful of the strange ancient coins.
‘A fire elemental trapped in a body of molten stone,’ Katja replied. ‘Do not fear. Its long imprisonment has weakened it.’
‘I recognise you now, sorceress,’ bellowed the elemental as it reached for the woman, ‘You failed the last time you came here. You will fail now. I am still strong enough to kill you all.’
‘That remains to be seen,’ said Gotrek, charging. Felix considered the monster’s words. He could not help but feel they were making a terrible mistake here. What did the elemental mean about the last time Katja had been here? Surely she could not have come here before. And why had it called her a sorceress? A terrible suspicion filtered into Felix’s mind.
The elemental gave its attention to the Slayer. Flames danced over its body. Molten stone extruded from its left forearm to form a shield. A sword of stone and fire appeared in its right fist. It met the swing of Gotrek’s axe with the shield and riposted with the blazing blade.
Sparks flew on impact, showering over the Slayer. Even from where he stood Felix could smell burning hair and flesh. If he felt any pain, Gotrek gave no sign. He returned the creature’s blow with one of his own which cracked the creature’s shield and bit into its forearm. The elemental emitted a bubbling howl and struck once more. The weight of its blow drove the Slayer back. The creature strode forward again, and Felix could see that it left a blazing footprint in the stone behind it.
Taking advantage of the guardian’s distraction, Katja had stepped onto the narrow platform, and advanced cautiously towards the glittering gem. Felix was astonished at her greed. Now was not the time to be thinking of grabbing loot, now was the time to follow in the footsteps of the crew, and beat a hasty retreat.
Briefly he considered doing so himself, but knew he could not. He was obligated to at least witness the Slayer’s doom before making a run for it. No, more than that, he thought, he was obliged to make an attempt to fight the beast. The gods alone knew how often Gotrek had saved his life. Even if he sought his own death, Felix was honour bound to help him. Steeling himself, he advanced into the chamber.
With every stride the heat became more intense. It radiated from the blazing figure ahead. He was not at all sure how the Slayer withstood it. He forced himself to put one foot in front of the other, even though his skin felt like it was about to crack and his eyes felt dry as the desert sands. Even the dreadful heat of the deserts in which he and the Slayer had almost died of thirst was nothing compared to this.
Gotrek and the monster continued to exchange blows. The creature was much stronger than the Slayer, but Gotrek was quicker. He ducked the burning sword and sidestepped attempts to knock him from his feet with the stone shield. His counterblows bit into the creature’s flesh, sending lava splashing like lost blood onto the floor. But the very success of the Slayer hampered him. Lava splashed onto his flesh, burning him. Nor did his blows appear to be effective. Each time the creature was hit, its molten flesh flowed together again, and it came on, apparently unharmed.
Felix wracked his brain for a plan. They had faced many monsters in the past, but this one appeared all but invincible, a product of pure sorcery, and it looked like only pure sorcery could stop it. Unable to think of anything better to do, he lashed out at the monster with his sword.
It was like striking rock. The shock passed up his arm along with a wave of heat. He noticed that even the tip of the magical blade glowed cherry red, and it was a weapon that had withstood dragon fire in its time. The elemental responded by lashing out with its shield arm. A wave of crackling heat preceded the blow and Felix threw himsel
f backward to avoid it. He landed on his back and rolled to one side as the monster followed through. Its fist impacted on the floor and sent up a spray of molten stone that set his cloak smouldering. Felix was suddenly very glad to be wearing his armour.
A swift glance around showed him two things. Katja had picked up the gem, and Gotrek had aimed an enormous swipe at the distracted creature’s back. Such was the force of his blow that the elemental broke in two. Its substance seemed to lose all shape and it became a pool of molten stone on the floor.
‘At last, I have it,’ said Katja. ‘The Heart of Fire is mine.’
Her face looked almost daemonic in its triumph and, not for the first time in their career, Felix suspected that he and the Slayer might indeed have made a terrible mistake. She reached out and picked up the glowing gem. As she lifted it on high, the earth shook. From deep below, in the lava pit came a sound like the roar of a dragon.
‘Foolish mortal, what have you done?’ bubbled the elemental as it rose once more, taking on its human shape. ‘You have doomed yourselves. That stone was all that kept the mountain quiescent. It was all that preserved the city until the master’s return. Now…’
The elemental’s words were cut off when Katja gestured and uttered a spell. A wave of cold swept over the monster. Its skin turned greyer as it cooled. Gotrek took advantage of the moment to strike it again, smashing it into a thousand pieces. Then he glared up at the woman.
‘What is going on here?’
‘I thank you for your aid, Slayer. You made a better ally than Goldtusk ever was, even before he turned traitor. Now I suggest you depart this place. Terrible things are going to happen here.’
‘One of them will happen to you, girl, if you do not tell me what is going on.’
‘This stone is an object of great magical power. Long have I coveted it… since before I was wed to Redhand. He was not strong enough to overcome the guardian. You were. Now I bid you farewell.’
Even as she spoke, her outline shimmered, and before either Felix or the Slayer could move. It faded and the woman with it.
‘Wizards!’ said Gotrek. Felix looked at the space from which the woman had vanished. He was still confused as to what had happened but he needed no great insight to tell him it was time to go. The whole structure shook and lava was beggining to bubble over the mouth of the pit. The Slayer seemed to agree, for he too turned to leave.
As he raced up the stairway, Felix considered what the elemental had said. In Albion, the elf wizard Teclis had told him that ancient leylines underpinned the continents, keeping some of them stable. It seemed that the same thing had happened here and that the power had been focused through that ancient gem. Now the gem had been removed, it seemed like terrible volcanic forces had been unleashed.
As they entered the old palace, he heard the howls of orcs and goblins coming from all around. The greenskins had followed them and were now trapped. From all around a terrible orange glow told him that lava was going to swallow the city. Briefly he wandered what had happened to the other dwarfs, then dismissed the thought. Now was a time to think about saving their own skins.
A yell from up ahead told him that he and the Slayer had been spotted. The corridors seethed with orc and goblins. Behind them lava bubbled upwards. The temperature had risen. Given a choice between being boiled alive and facing the greenskins, there was only one decision to be made. Ignoring the fact they were outnumbered a hundred to one, they charged directly at the astonished goblins.
Gotrek’s axe lashed out, killing everything in its path. It clove right through spears and shields and bodies, leaving red ruin in its wake. Felix booted a goblin out of the way and took another through the throat with his blade. He strode along in the Slayer’s wake, protecting his back, from any of the greenskins that sought to flank him. In two minutes of hard fighting, they had battled their way into another huge chamber. All around them the earth shook. Pillars had started to topple. Behind them orange light spoke of the onward rush of the lava. Felix knew that they had to get out soon or the palace would fall on top of them, and bring the Slayer’s inglorious career to end with no one left alive to write its epitaph.
The sounds of carnage had obviously attracted more and more greenskins; confused and scared by the eruption, they seemed to be drawn towards the fight. In the centre of the chamber was a plinth, where once some statue had stood. Felix looked at the greenskin horde and realised that the end had come one way or another. He exchanged a glance with the Slayer, and saw only mad battlelust in Gotrek’s one good eye.
‘Let’s go,’ he said and launched himself forward into the fray once more.
They battled forward through the horde, hacking and slaying as they went. All around them was a vast press of greenskin bodies. Felix did not bother with subtle swordplay. He merely lashed, killing as he went. In these circumstances, attack was the best and only form of defence. Slowly, they pushed forward through the throng.
All around, Felix could see leering, gibbering faces. Drool dribbled from their lips and glistened on yellow teeth. Plate-sized goblin eyes glared up at him, lantern bright in the reflected light of the lava. Small figures thrust spears at him. Some he parried with his blade. Others were turned aside by his mail. Some scored his flesh, leaving bloody weals. He knew it was only a matter of time before one of them hit something vital. Nonetheless he fought on.
Ahead of him, Gotrek hewed and cleaved as if possessed. Blood flowed from dozens of small cuts, but nothing slowed him down. The terror he inspired in the greenskins worked to his advantage. Sometimes foes froze for a crucial instant before the axe connected. Sometimes they turned to run, and hurled themselves into the press of their companions, tangling themselves with others and leaving them easy prey for the Slayer. Gotrek moved among them like a tiger among small dogs, smashing skulls, pulping limbs and breaking bodies with every blow. Each time the axe swung forward there came a terrible slaughterhouse noise, like a cleaver smashing through flesh and bone, and more foes fell.
It seemed impossible that anything could stand in his way, but driven on by weight of numbers and the inexorable push of the crowd, the goblins kept at it. Ahead of them, Felix could see the plinth. A bound took him onto it, and a heartbeat later the Slayer followed. Together they looked out over a sea of green faces. The goblins screeched and yammered at them, brandishing spears and shields. Felix could make out details of individual faces now with their long noses and huge eyes and sharp, sharp teeth. Some wore collars festooned with spikes. Others frothed at the mouth as if rabid. At the back of the chamber, he could see Goldtusk with his bodyguard of orcs. The orc pirate recognised him and bellowed with hatred. He and his followers started to push their way through the throng. Felix thought it would be a good idea to avoid them.
The noise of falling stone and toppling pillars was deafening. The heat was intense. Searing yellow-orange light illuminated everything. In one brilliant instant the whole scene was seared into his mind, then the goblins pushed forward again, swarming over the base of the plinth and into combat once more.
Felix lashed out with his blade, severing hands that reached for his ankles. He stamped down, crushing the fingers of those who sought to clamber onto the altar. He smashed his sword into faces, slicing flesh and exposing bone. Goldtusk and his lackeys had pushed their way almost within striking distance now. He roared a challenge at the Slayer, brandishing both cutlasses high above his head.
Bellowing in defiance, Gotrek threw himself forward into the on-coming mass, like a swimmer diving into a sea of green. For a moment, it closed over him and then he surfaced, clearing a space around himself with his terrible axe, killing anything that came within his reach. Felix followed swiftly.
In a heartbeat, they were engaged with the orcs. Several of them swarmed towards Gotrek. Felix found himself once more engaged with Goldtusk. The orc’s blows did not seem to possess their former savagery. ‘Where is she? Where is that treacherous witch? Where treasure she promised? Tell me and you d
ie quick. Else you die slow and painful.’
‘That’s an attractive choice,’ said Felix, lashing out with his blade, determined to seize any advantage he could. Goldtusk wanted him alive; Felix had no such desire to preserve the orc’s life. Sparks flew as their blades met. Once more Felix caught a glimpse of how appallingly strong the orc was. Even pulling his blows, he had almost managed to drive the blade from Felix’s hands.
A spear point blurred in from the right. One of the goblins had obviously decided to take advantage of his distraction. Felix batted it aside and realised that he had left himself wide open. It was fortunate indeed that the orc captain wanted him alive, he thought, otherwise he would now be a headless corpse. As it was he barely managed to duck in time as Goldtusk smashed the hilt of his sword down on Felix’s head. Even the glancing blow sent stars dancing before Felix’s eyes. He felt strength drain from him like spilled wine. Desperately, he gathered the last of his strength and put it all into one savage blow at the orc. Goldtusk laughed as he parried it easily with one cutlass. He laid the point of the other against Felix’s heart. ‘Tell me or you die!’ he said.
‘Over there,’ said Felix, pointing behind the orc. Goldtusk half turned his head. He did not see Katja, instead he saw Gotrek who had just finished butchering his lieutenants. The Slayer grinned evilly at the huge orc and attacked.
The duel was brief and intense. Axe and cutlasses flickered almost too fast for the eye to follow. Goldtusk sprang forward, aiming a sweeping blow down at the Slayer. Gotrek parried it with the blade of the axe. The second cutlass swept round and for a moment Felix feared that it would connect, but the Slayer brought up the haft of the axe, and the blade rebounded from the ancient rune-encrusted shaft. Gotrek jabbed the butt of the shaft into Goldtusk’s belly. Air was expelled from the orc’s lungs as from a blacksmith’s bellows. He bent double, presenting his neck as an easy target. The blade flashed downward and Goldtusk’s severed head rolled on the floor. Gotrek had only a moment of stunned silence in which to enjoy his triumph before the goblins let out a horrified roar and charged forward once more.
