20 - Don't ever Knock a Good Walking Stick

Anilith and Orion stood at the bottom of the hidden stair, each holding a torch and staring out over a spacious room.

“Should we tell him it opens up down here?”

“Nah, let him keep watch up there. Not much to see down here, anyway. At least not much he’d be interested in seein’.”

The room before them didn’t contain much, not unlike the treasure room they’d found earlier. A small chest sat on a raised dais. Other than that, the room was bare save for a mosaic that spanned the three walls. It appeared to show a history of some kind, but what story it was actually telling was beyond Anilith’s understanding.

“What do you think the pictures mean?”

“Well, I’m no scholar, so I can’t really hazard much of a guess, but it looks to me like it's some kind of warnin’, goin’ in a cycle. See how each wall starts with similar lookin’ figures? Those look pretty normal there, for monsters, anyway. Each time they pop up, though, they look worse an’ worse. An’ those people facin’ them, there’re less an’ less of them on each wall, while the monsters keep growin' in number. Seems to me, it may be warnin’ us about exactly what we been seein’ all day. I could be missin’ somethin’ though. Shit, I usually am.”

Anilith considered the three wall-sized pictures, still not able to make heads or tails of them. “That’s a better guess than I'd have come up with, probably best we don’t think too hard on it, though. Stick to our strong suits, eh?”

“Yeah, yeah. When I need somebody to act first an’ think later, I’ll let you know.”

“I’ll have you know that I have a stellar track record of making it out of impossible situations. Maybe I could be a little better about not stumbling into them in the first place, but it’s part of my charm.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll believe that when I see it.” Orion swept his arm out, indicating the chest. “Care to do the honors, oh vanquisher of the mighty Warlord?”

“I mean, I’m always game for opening a mysterious chest. Not sure I believe that was the Warlord, though. The brute out front put up a better fight.”

“I’m sure that’s a mystery we’ll find the answer to sooner than later. Mysteries have a way of fallin’ apart with you around.” He slapped her on the shoulder, causing her to stumble a few steps towards the chest. “Get on with it, kid, about time we got a reward for all this nonsense!”

She stepped up, seeing that this chest had a hinged lid, unlike the last one, which had been more of a box, really. She threw the lid open and looked inside, excited to see what they’d earned.

Her face fell in disappointment as she beheld their reward. “Gods, that might be more of a let down than the fight upstairs.”

“What? It can’t be that bad?” He stepped up to her shoulder and peered inside.

Three belts lay at the bottom of the chest, along with a plain, unassuming rock.

“…well, I my old belt was getting’ a little worn. Thanks, I guess?”

While Anilith just stood there, stunned and dejected, Orion reached in and took his belt, along with the rock. Hefting it, he noted that the stone’s only defining feature was a smoothness not natural in a rock, not unlike an eggshell. It wasn’t a polished stone, but neither was it natural. The man felt something more about the stone, but couldn’t place the sensation.

The girl finally claimed her prize, storing it with a thought, before reaching in and grabbing the third belt as well. “What is Razhik even supposed to do with a belt?”

A shout erupted from the aperture, “DID YOU GUYS CALL ME?”

Razhik’s head snaked out of the hidden stair, far too quickly for him to have been keeping a proper watch up there.

“Oh goody, a collar! That’s for me, right? Think I can finally get a cape, if I attach it to that, Ori?”

“Razh, I am never gonna understand what you feel you need a cape for, it just…”

“I’m a King, of course. Kings need capes. Everyone knows that!”

“…you know what, sure, you can probably tie a cape to it, fat lot of good that will do.”

“Glad to see you’re finally seeing reason!”

Anilith raised an eyebrow at the two, not bothering to ask any of the questions her mind threw at her after that conversation. Some things were better left unknown.

Aiming to curtail any further distractions, she said, “Maybe it's time we get out of here, eh?”

“Yeah, yeah. Nothing left to see here anyway.”

Orion led the way up the stairs, the hidden room sealing itself when they all climbed back into the great hall. He felt a tug from the rock he still held, as if it had somewhere it needed to be.

“Huh, that’s weird.”

“What’s weird?”

“Oh, nothin’, just follow me, I want to check somethin’ out.”

“And here I thought I was the one who was supposed to act first, think later.”

“Bah, just bite your tongues and follow me, you two.”

“Great,” Razhik exclaimed excitedly, “where are we going?”

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“Phenomenal job, old man, you’re found a dead end, and one we’ve already been to, at that. Where shall we rush off to next?”

“Shhh, there’s somethin’ different about this spot, somethin’ we didn’t see before.” The rock practically shouted at him from his hand, drawn to something at the end of this hallway.

Orion held his hand out, holding the rock in front of him. Closing his eyes, he let the object guide him where it might. His body moved seemingly of its own volition until he realized the stone had pulled him to a particular block on the dead-end wall. As he opened his eyes, he saw the block retract, leaving an indent that looked suspiciously like the stone in his hand.

“See, I told you it was somethin’ special!”

“So what, even a broken sundial is right once a day.”

“No…it really isn’t.”

“Just wait, that saying will catch on one day.”

A laugh came from their serpentine friend. “I’ll lose all my scales and become a soft-skin before that day comes.”

“Careful what you wish for, Lord Razhik." Turning, she added, "You gonna put that in, old man, or just sit around flirting with the idea all day?”

A shock of red colored his cheeks, but Orion slotted the stone into the impression. Instantly, the wall began separating, leaving them standing before an archway when the blocks finally settled.

Above the archway, words were inscribed in a flowing script, emitting a soft light.

“Well, well. Wouldn’t you know, I can’t read it,” Orion said, staring at the inscription.

Anilith stepped forward, running her fingers over the script. Mouthing the unfamiliar words at first, she spoke the meaning her mind found in them.

“Welcome to the Dungeon Within, the true Stronghold, where yet greater tests await you.”

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“Gods damn it, of course you can read this shit. Somethin’ is very, very wrong with you, kid.”

She just shrugged before asking, “Shall we, then? After you, old man.”

Before either of them could take a step, Razhik burst ahead, crying, “This place stinks of secrets. Onward!”

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“How long have we been walking? It feels like forever.” Razhik grumbled as they continued down the dark hallway. Their torches wouldn’t stay lit, and they’d long since given up trying. “Turning around wouldn’t even help at this point, just be another long walk in the dark,” he grumbled.

“Just relax, we’ve got to be getting close to…somewhere at this point.”

“Oh, just relax, she says. Just ignore the darkness and keep marching right on, not knowing where you might be headed. Sure! I’ll get right on it!” Under his breath, he added, still clearly audible, “Silly soft-skin and your soft-skin thoughts.”

“Razh, your complainin’ ain’t gonna help anythin’. The damn Dungeon opened the path, so it’s gotta lead somewhere.”

“Well, it makes me feel better. And that’s an awful lot of trust you’re putting in something that’s only tried to kill us, even if they were poor attempts.”

“Yeah, bud, I don’t think that was the Dungeon. Those monsters might live there, but somethin’ tells me there’s more goin’ on there. Call it a hunch, but there just don’t seem to be any real connection.”

“Fine. I’ll just be quiet then.” A sparse handful of seconds passed. “It’s just that…wait, you guys feel that? The little twisty…AHHH!”

Razhik disappeared with a pop, his absence hardly noticeable in the darkness.

“Shit. Well, at least it's quiet no..”

Anilith kept walking, alone in the darkness. She palmed her rock, focusing on the sensation of the stone under her feet. “Figures those two would leave me alone here.” Feeling the vibrations her feet made in the stone, she felt something sweeping down the hall towards her, conspicuous only for its lack of a vibration of its own. It was a dead zone in her senses, a ripple absent in the pattern.

Not seeing the sense in prolonging her time in the dark, and unable to shake the idea that this had something to do with the others’ disappearance, she counted down the moments until she walked into the disturbance.

All at once, sunlight hit her, blinding her after the complete black of the tunnel. Her eyes shut involuntarily. Anilith’s earth-sense expanded, vibrations giving off a feeling of airiness after the solidity of the stone. The denseness of the stone was gone, replaced by something less compact, something that shifted from the movements of the living.

A sound beside her jarred her from her private view, and her eyes snapped open, still adjusting to the light.

“Hey, kid, good of you to join us.”

“WE’RE ALIVE,” Razhik screamed, rolling in the grass.

“Yep, he’s been doin’ that since I got here, too.” Orion shook his head with a smile. “Hard not to appreciate the sunshine after so much darkness, though.”

Anilith looked around, seeing a lush meadow running up to the base of a forested mountain. Not too far away, she saw an immense body of clear water that stretched to the horizon. “That’s great and all, but where in the names of the gods are we?”

“Still tryin’ to figure that, myself. Ain’t never heard nothin’ like this reported from a Dungeon, an’ I think I’d remember that.” He pointed to the mountain. “Look closer, up there.”

Atop the mountain stood an immense fortification, visible even from this distance. “If that ain’t ominous, I don’t know what is. I have a feelin’ we might have found that Warlord of yours, though.”

Razhik jumped to his feet. “There’s time for your doom and gloom later, I’m gonna go for a swim. You guys coming?”

Orion started to get to his feet with a groan. “Right behind you, buddy.”

“You gonna be alright there, old man? Need me to find you a walking stick?”

“Hey, don’t ever knock a good walkin’ stick. A man could ask for less.”

The two set off after Razhik, the sound of his splashing reaching them long before they reached the water.

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The sun had finally dried Razhik’s scales as the trio made their way back towards the mountain. His wound was looking much better after his swim, even if the scales left near the gash had lost their luster.

“That was so refreshing. You should have come in the water, though, Ori. Sword-girl was at least smart enough to wash the blood off of her. I’ve got a pretty sensitive nose, you know, and you stink.”

“Yeah, I’m good just knowin’ we have a fresh water source and refillin’ our skins. I’m sure there’ll be a stream somewhere, not a big fan of any water that deep, anymore.”

“Your loss, it was hot after I took my collar off…” The creature fanned himself with a long, taloned paw.

“Not really sure why you bothered takin’ it off, Razh.”

“Even I know that you aren’t supposed to get leather wet. Sorry I like to take care of my things, unlike some of us.” Razhik glared pointedly at Orion’s patched-up, bloody cloak.

“This beaut has seen me through a lot, and besides, it kept me plenty cool just now.”

“It honestly wasn’t so bad. I probably wouldn’t have gone in, myself, if I didn’t need to get the blood off of me.” Anilith shivered before looking back at her serpentine companion. “Aren’t you the king of the swamp, or something, Lord Razhik? Pretty bad look getting overwhelmed by a little heat, if you ask me.”

“…you know I spend most of my time underwater, right?”

“Well, there’s plenty of water back there if you want to dive in again.” She gestured over her shoulder towards the distant shore.

“Yeah, but there was nothing in the water. Literally nothing. There better be food around here somewhere.”

“Only you would complain about there not bein’ anythin’ in the water. Gods know I wouldn’t want to run into anythin’ that lives out there. An’ we have plenty of rations still, so quit your gripin’.”

Razhik made a face at the man, but held his tongue.

“So, what do you think we’re gonna find, old man?”

“Place like this is bound to have some secrets, but I’m sure they’ll be well guarded. A fight’s my best guess, especially from the looks of the stronghold up there.”

“I figured that was a given. I was more thinking about what we might find on the way there. This place seems too big to just be a funnel to the top of the mountain.”

“Couldn’t tell you, kid. Really depends what you want to get out of this little adventure. We goin’ on a treasure hunt, possibly spending gods know how long here, or are we here to stop a problem from becomin’ a bigger problem?”

“I mean, when you put it like that…but if we saw an interesting place on the way, it would be pretty irresponsible not to check it out, right? Make sure there’s nothing dangerous there.”

“Hey, I’m with bloodless, here. Second time today she’s shown some sense. Got you beat there, buddy.”

“Alright, fine." Orion threw his hands in the air. "Buncha children I’m dealin’ with here. If we see any dangerous lookin' ruins with potential for loot and monsters, I’ll pull this cart right over.”

“Thanks, old man. We could use some excitement after the downright relaxing day we’ve had.”

“Not sure what day you’ve been having, but I, for one, would not call today relaxing.”

“What, would you rather a day where we don’t nearly all die for stickin’ our noses where they don’t belong?”

Razhik asked with a tempestuous snort, “Do you even have to ask?”

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They were approaching the tree line that marked the foothills of the mountain when Anilith held up her hand, pointing to the left of their chosen path.

“There’s something funny over there,” Anilith said, “feels like there might be an open space underground.”

“…what do you mean, ‘feels like there might be an open space underground?’ Since when have you known anythin’ about that? Gods, it was bad enough hearin’ you go on about listenin’ to the wind, now you’re feelin’ the ground?”

“Don’t ask me, I’m new to this magic thing. You’re the one supposed to be teaching me! I’m just trying to keep an open mind with all this; can you blame me for finding some success? It’s kinda been a long day.”

“Maybe it’s like how you can feel when you need a drink. You do that a lot, and I’ve never questioned it, right, Ori?”

“Astute, as always, Razh. How did I get stuck with you two…" Orion chewed his lip in thought. "Alright, so you can feel things too now, I’ll just roll with it. How far, how much space, and can you at least tell if there are enemies?”

“Feels like it’s just inside the tree line over yonder, about half the size of Rock-stomper’s great hall, and how am I supposed to know that?”

“You’re tellin’ me you can feel an underground space, but can’t tell if there’s anythin’ movin’ over there?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Kinda new to this. Can you believe this guy, Razhik?”

The group began to move cautiously towards the underground chamber.

“Lord Razhik,” the creature muttered to himself. “Can you explain how you managed to find where that rock went, out of all the dead ends in the Dungeon? Nah? Well, maybe we’re just gonna have to go ahead and accept that some of us are still getting a handle on the mysteries of magic, old man.”

A booming rumble swept through the field, shaking the earth in a slow rhythm.

“Uh, guys…I think I felt something moving.”

“Oh? You don’t say, kid!”

“You guys are gonna get me killed. I should never have left my swamp.”

“I thought it was a Mire, buddy.”

“Oh, shut it, you stinking bloodwart,” Razhik huffed at the man. “We’ve clearly got incoming, again.”

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