Mystic Firestorm 2 Page 6

  “Whose side do you fight for this time?” Packer rested his powerful hand on the hilt of his jewel-encrusted sword.

  “Against the black devils!” Splint Quill continued to keep his stance against the Dwarven Master. “Against you, if need be.”

  Murmurs ran across the small company as Brea studied the situation. She sat and watched the others whisper as Packer grasped his hilt then let go.

  “Not this day,” Packer backed away. “You saved me. My payment is your life.” The Dwarf Master turned away as the others looked on in wonder. Splint Quill sat back down next to Brea and rubbed his tired face.

  “What was that all about?” she questioned him.

  “Forget it. Another time, another age,” his old voice trailed off. “I suggest we finish eating and be on our way.”

  “Where are we going?” Brea followed his movements as he bent over to warm his hands on the fire.

  “East,” Packer interrupted them.

  “Are we your prisoners?” The Wildergirl sat upright.

  “Until it serves my purpose,” the Dwarf Master spat with amusement. “Besides there is no other direction to go.”

  “What do you mean?” Brea's thoughts were preoccupied with his last words.

  “Let him explain it. Right now, I have a dead man to bury.”

  The company's attention was drawn to the still body.

  It took, only a little while for Splint Quill to explain the situation that had developed since her departure from the Maze Mountains. He explained about the happenings of the Mystic’s Domain and the strange turning of the Awakens Deep. The Slavelings, Ogres and Seekers had left the region and marched directly past Impassable Reach while their dark slaves, the Devilings, dispersed into the countryside. It was a few days ago that the creatures had reached the Sunken Valley in droves and burned everything to the ground. The Seekers came looking for something and found it. It was explained that the creatures obtained some kind of weapon to give them added strength. A small group of Gnomes were spotted with a Southlander and a girl both were taken prisoner. The girl tried to escape and was killed. It was then that Splint Quill came upon the encampment of fifty soldiers. The Dwarven sentries camped nearby and discovered the dark march of the Seekers. They did not advance into the Southlands but appeared to be marching directly east toward Sleigh Mish. When Dwarven trackers were dispersed to seek the reason of their mission, they were murdered by the Gnomes and black devils. Due to the onslaught, the Dwarven battalion attacked. Sixty of their men were destroyed on the ridge of Sunken Valley. Messages were sent back, and a disturbance occurred in the Snap. Gnome tribes revolted and waged war with the Dwarven forces near River Run. Thus, a ridgeline war broke out and no treaty has been attempted.

  “What are they doing here so far away?”

  “We were sent to help the Mystic Allenor.” Packer’s brows twisted. “He came to Sleigh Mish and asked for our aid. We were to wait for him to emerge from Awakens Deep, but never appeared. We were to escort him and others to the Snap by Scant.” He took a breath and a lost expression crossed his angry face. “Instead of him, those things came. The Seekers! They came out like a swirling black night darkening the lands with a crimson fire. They sent a wave of destruction through the Sunken Valley. The Devilings were unleashed, a monstrous spawn to comb the outer regions for the Mystic. We tried to stop them, but their power was unbelievable. You witnessed it for yourself.” Packer closed his eyes and deeply thought to himself. He opened them and met Brea's. “Allenor failed in his mission. They have gained power and are directly behind us.”

  Bellower and Dayven, her mind flashed. They were heading into the Snap and into the occurring war between the Gnomes and Dwarves. The Crimson Seekers were marching to the Eastland with an unknown purpose, which only the dreaded Mystic knew. A strange evil had come to the Six Providences with an unstoppable fire. Somehow Brea knew that this was only the beginning. Dayven, was in search of the Mystic to find out about Dunnganon. They had a head start, she thought, but for how much longer? In the distance smoke rose and a charred forest lay wasted by a region of destruction. The air was cold and damp as the company rose. Three returned from burying the dead body of their comrade. The number of Dwarves was four. Smoke began to seep through the forest, and she could smell the burning wood. Flames engulfed the rest of Sunken Valley. There was nothing to do but watch helplessly. A tear fell as she felt a loss of innocence pass.

  There was nothing they could do except hope for a miracle. The camp packed up and stamped out their fire. Darkness settled and the stars were blotted out by a thick white haze. Brea mounted Dreamscape and the others followed Packer's lead. They left the outer region of the timberland.

  Behind them, crimson fire burned deep within Sunken Valley.

  FOUR

  Jarret and Flicker ran down the dark halls of Spirals Keep. Their carefully planned escape had backfired in the past few days. They could not find a way out of the Mystics Domain and remained trapped in the endless maze of corridors, rooms and secret passageways. Jarret stopped and tried to catch his breath as Flicker backed himself up against the wall. Flicker cursed underneath his breath for losing the others. Allenor had found them and then planned to get to an escape route which would lead to Awakens Deep. From there the company would flee to Impassable Breach to lose the minions of the Crimson Seekers. That plan had been quickly dissolved when the company had been forced to split up in order to confuse the slaves of the dark ones. One grave mistake had been made; they had underestimated the numbers of Slavelings that occupied the Domain. There seemed to be over one hundred of those hunched dark cloaked creatures. The Ogres were also combing the entire fortress to find and destroy those who opposed them.

  “You see anything?” Jarret whispered as he listened for any distant sounds of footsteps or commotion.

  “Nothing, but I don't want to stand around here and wait for them to come for us,” his partner replied. He paused and relaxed his aching muscles. “Especially when you have that confounded sword.”

  Jarret secured the sheath and buckled the strap of the Hearthstone. He had somehow ended up with the sword during a harrowing escape. The darkened stone walls gave a grim appearance against their small tired bodies. Jarret could not remember the last time he had eaten, and his stomach growled with a small pulse. Flicker broke the last of a small piece of bread and chewed quickly on it.

  “We better find a way out of here,” Flicker rubbed his tired face, “or we are going to become part of this wonderful establishment.”

  Jarret pushed his friend back against the wall and they vanished in a dark shadow. The two adventurers froze in the still of the Domain, a small shadow appeared at the end of the corridor. It moved with a slow, cautious crawl while it searched for the intruders. A ragged cowl dragged along the stone floor as it half limped making its way toward them like an injured cat. Jarret placed his fingers on the handle of the Hearthstone and held his breath. Flicker inched his body outward to get a better view of the strange creature. It paused as it looked down the bleak passageway, its head appearing to extend away from its crippled body. Never before had Jarret sensed an inconceivable evil that had come from the corrupted power of the Hearthstone. The Crimson Seekers had created the Slavelings with forgery of the magical weapon. They possessed the knowledge to shape change creatures with their black arts. Jarret could not understand why they had left the blade so poorly guarded. The entire plan had worked with ease, but something did not feel right. A shriek blasted the duo as it moved closer to them. Flicker held his breath and watched its two strange green-like eyes blink beneath its hood. The creature stopped and turned with slow moving motion, half pulling, half walking down the corridor. Flicker gave a sigh of relief because the Slaveling was going away. Jarret relaxed his grip as he felt something cold appear in the hallway. The small shadow became meshed in with the cold unfeeling stone which had been built centuries ago. Flicker nudged his friends side and realized the cold sensation that had moved direc
tly into the hall. He peeked around the side and saw the same huge shadow, within the shadow shrieks and screams echoed along the hall. Jarret felt his hair stand on the back of his neck as his eyes focused on the direction of the noise. Both looked in shock as green eyes flashed open at the end of the hall. A large shadow began to collide and move as if the end of the corridor were changing and contracting to crush their lives and seal their fate. Jarret gasped in horror as the huge group of Slavelings sprang towards them. Flicker froze in his place as his mind spun.

  They had been found.

  Allenor locked a door behind him as Llwellyn, Evlander, and Tullamore rushed through the vacant passageway. Allenor turned around as blood dripped from a deep cut across his arm, the Slavelings prevented them from reaching their planned escape route. It was obvious that the Crimson Seekers were monitoring their every move, controlling their exact path which would lead them into an inescapable death. The company rushed forward as the wooden door crashed behind them and the noises of Slavelings filled their ears. Llwellyn fired his arrow into the darkness striking down one of the creatures as Allenor sent a wall of flames to block their path and slow the chase.

  “Keep moving!” Allenor motioned as he turned Llwellyn around and sent him forward. “They will find catch us if we do not get out of here.”

  Tullamore led the way with his sword at his waist. The corridor before him seemed to separate into longer hallways which seemed to expand further into the earth. “We are running out of places to hide, Mystic.”

  “We must keep going until we can find accessible outlet to escape. They appear to have all of our routes cut off,” Allenor stated as he watched for signs of the creatures. “We must keep going until I can think of something.”

  “You better think of something because those things want us,” Evlander turned with his brother in front of him.

  “We have to rest,” Llwellyn gasped for air as he sensed something before them. Allenor rushed past him with a full range of fury as he grabbed Tullamore to keep him from going any further forward.

  “Wait,” he pushed Tullamore back as the adventurers fell silent at his stern command. Allenor stepped forward with his black leather boots clicking on the gray stone floor. He felt an evil presence fill the entire corridor. He sensed a cunning force that could easily destroy them all if they made a wrong decision. The man had felt that chilling force a long time ago when he was young. He could not remember the memory but knew that they could not go down the corridor.

  “What is it?” Tullamore grasped his friends shoulder.

  “We must turn back,” Allenor said with a cold unfeeling tone.

  “Turn back,” Llwellyn looked wide eye. “Do you know that they are after us? They’ll be on us in a minute.”

  “We cannot face what lies down there,” Allenor said while rubbing his forehead. “We must turn back and face the Slavelings.”

  “Great,” Evlander yelled as he watched the mass of creatures converge at the end of the hall. Shrieks and screams filled their ears as the masses stopped in curiosity to look at their trapped victims. The creatures moved in unison as they stormed the corner and slowed their pace. Llwellyn released another bolt which struck the shoulder of one creature and sent it back into the masses.

  “We have to make a decision,” Tullamore pulled on the man's shoulder. “We cannot defeat so many of them, but maybe we can face what lies ahead. We as a team can do it. We must because we have no choice.”

  “What lies ahead is the portal in which the Seekers have opened to bring forth the creatures from the void. It is a surge of energy which can suck us in and trap us for an eternity. That is why they have chased us this far.”

  The others stood silently as Tullamore looked down the dark corridor. Evlander and his brother gave the man a questioning look and knew the answer. Allenor did not have to ask them what their answer was. They had all decided to move.

  Allenor walked cautiously down the stone corridor as the others followed closely. The Slavelings slowed their pace as they sensed the presence from which brought them into the world of Mankind. Llwellyn anchored the company keeping his crossbow cocked, but the creatures had given up chase. Allenor looked directly in front of him and all that was seen was an empty corridor. Faint whispers and noises were heard around them as the company continued to go further down.

  Evlander looked around frantically. “Maybe this void is closed.”

  Allenor returned with a hushed answer, “Quiet, we are near it. It will sense you!”

  Llwellyn kept his guard up as the creatures dispersed into the shadows like a swarm of roaches. “They are leaving.”

  Tullamore was in-between Evlander and Llwellyn and felt a pang of terror. “We are before the void. I-I sense it.”

  Allenor did not move as he looked around at the empty hall

  and felt as if eyes were upon the company. He could sense something reaching out for him. His mind instantly snapped the answer in a slight moment.

  “Away from…”

  Just as he screamed out, brick and stone exploded with a tangle of arms, sharp razor claws grasped at the company. Evlander felt a pain rush through his arm as the creatures tried to pull him into the wall. Llwellyn shot his bow into the wall and howls and shrieks exploded with a hateful rage. Hairy arms and half bodies seemed to explode from the walls and wrap themselves around Tullamore. The Lumberjack reacted with skill and cunning as he ducked and jabbed a knife into the monstrous things that went for him. Allenor took a large blow to the face and blood rushed from a small cut on his lip. He exploded with anger and vengeance. A tremendous blast of white fire came forth and the creatures in the void howled in agony. The Mystic helped Evlander who was being forced back and they released him. Allenor raised his arms in the air and screamed, “close your eyes.”

  Somehow, they all had heard him and responded. Creatures came out of the walls wanting to destroy the company. There was strange feeling that fell over the company as a bright light exploded and drowned out the dark shadows of the Domain. Allenor screamed as he rushed everyone forward, “Move we have little time before they send for others.”

  “What did you do?” Tullamore rushed with Llwellyn following up behind.

  “They're blind,” Allenor stated.

  “Good,” Evlander shook with a small laugh.

  Behind them the quiet stillness of the hall shattered into howling streaks of bloodlust. The company headed deeper into the depths of the Domain.

  Allenor knew that they were trapped.

  Flicker and Jarret slammed a large wooden door behind them and waited in breathless silence. There seemed to be no end to the horrors that stalked the Domain. It appeared that the further they ran the more creatures were found. The Slavelings continued to hunt them down with their tortured, beaten bodies and haggard rags. The Ogres seemed to be sentries that were placed around every few series of passageways. Jarret took out the Hearthstone Sword and looked at the golden handle with its blade cracked and worn.

  “Put that thing away.” Flicker cracked the door to take a peek.

  “I've been thinking,” Jarret stated. “Suppose we use it to get ourselves out of this mess.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Jarret looked at the blade. “It's magic. We can use it to protect ourselves from those things out there.”

  “I don't think it's a good idea.” Flicker looked around a room that was covered with cobwebs. He could see old wooden furniture that was covered with moth eaten sheets. The floor had an inch of dust that their boots softly sank into.

  “Look,” Jarret explained, “we don't know where the others are. For all we know they're dead somewhere. Our only chance is to use this thing to get us out of here. I don't care if I have to kill every single creature that comes before me.”

  “Something could happen to you,” Flicker argued, “something bad.”

  “I'm not going to sit here and argue with you,” Jarret suddenly snapped. “You can come along or sta
y here.”

  “You don't have to yell,” he answered back.

  “The door before them exploded at them as an Ogre towered in front of them. The huge mass went to grab for Jarret, and he slashed the blade at it's trunk-like arm. It screamed with agony and rushed back in terror as a deep slice opened up the creatures arm. The Ogre was stunned by the sword that the boy held. Jarret stepped through the shards of wood and slashed the creature again. This time the wound sliced it’s stomach. It fell back in terror.

  Flicker grabbed his arm and pushed him down the hall. The Ogre laid there in silence. It knew it had failed in its mission to stop the unwanted ones. It looked up and felt a cold chilling presence enter the hall. A black cape and a hooded cowl moved slowly at it. The Ogre was speechless in its master’s gaze. It looked at the Crimson Seeker with tears in its eyes.

  The Seeker released its claw-like hand and released a wall of red fire. Moments later nothing was left expect the charred bones of the Ogre. The Seeker went forward and knew what had to be done.

  Jarret had not met any other creatures along the way. Flicker felt his hair curl every time he looked at the Hearthstone Sword. Somehow, he felt uncomfortable and knew that it was affecting Jarret. In the past few minutes Jarret had become irritable and extremely hostile toward him. They both rested for a minute in a dark corner of passageway that led to three corridors. Jarret felt his body gleam in cold sweat as he felt a cold and eerie force around him.

  “The Crimson Seekers are here,” Jarret held a deep breath and lifted the Hearthstone Sword.

  “I feel it to,” Flicker stated with lost feeling.

  “Wait here.” Jarret slid around the corner. Flicker waited and wondered what would become of them. He had not eaten in a few days and could not stop unquenchable thirst which nagged at his stomach. The day before his stomach had stopped growling and the pains subsided, but now he felt tired and weak and knew if they did not get out of the Domain they would die. Jarret returned as the cold feeling dispersed.