F I R E H E A R T
Legend Of The Paladins
Book One
Chronicles of a Bounty Hunter
Chapter Seven
Deathblade Part II: The Heart of the Sun
Created and Written by Andry Chang
October 2005 – April 2006 © vadis
Enia’s Sanctum
Enia, Fairest Enia
Goddess of Corona, Mother of Eternia
With the graces of
the sun she raises the world
Puts balance on nature, new replaces
old
Vadis brings love and hope
So Enia’s children may grow and
live
Adair brings limit of time
So Enia’s old ones be replaced and
die
Enia, suffer that you are
Blessing and curse merge in one
Trapped
in Vadis and Adair’s fight
Choose whom will you might?
When Vadis makes
you smile
Your joy chops tears to grow life
When Adair bids you
awake
Your hands work things for a change
Enia, nature’s mother is
you
But your children go astray and deny you
Your tears drop all the time,
along your path
Search and protect your children from their fathers’
wrath
When you find lost ones along the way
You embrace and bring them to
stay
Having two lovers is a deed to pay
Will your children love you as
they may?
Ode of Enia, verse 1 – 3
By Lucian Istrevent, Thyrine
philosopher
‘Iris, will you cut that out?’ says Christopher, greatly irritated.
Iris is puzzled. ‘… but why? There are still seven verses to go!’
‘Hey, I know this Ode of Enia is a hit song in Thyrine, but you have sung it five times in a row already!’ says Carolyn, agreed with Chris for a first time since their argument in Ingvhus.
‘Will you be more creative and do something more useful this time… like guiding us?’
‘Hey, hey! You tough girl! I’m doing my job, you see? It’s just your hunting party is so boring that I tried to chill out a little bit. It’s you who should be creative! Make some fun for once! Don’t act like today is your funeral all the time!’ says Iris with a naughty expression on her face.
‘Why you…! Okay, for the first attraction, I’ll zap you to ashes! Magna…’
Andreas and Robert quickly shut Carolyn’s mouth and grab her magical trident Esthagar to prevent her from casting the Thunder Storm spell towards Iris.
‘Carol, stop! Don’t start again! Haven’t you heard my warning? Or should my kiliji does it for you?’ says Robert curtly.
Robert’s words for Carolyn are like a thousand kilijis piercing her heart. She loathes Iris even more for that, but her logic refreshes her resolve again and Carolyn walks away, ashamed with herself.
Robert tries to steer the party on the mission on hand by asking Iris, ‘Where are we now? Are we near Enia’s Sanctum yet?’
‘Oh, yes.’ Iris answers. ‘It’s well hidden, you know. The entrance is like a building carved on a mountain slope. And it’s camouflaged by a waterfall in front of it. You’ll notice if we are very close to the sanctum, we will encounter more and more monsters there. To enter is easy. You just walk through the waterfall to arrive there. Only we, the Thyrinian Elves and Terranovan Dark Elves know this, so naturally the heroes chosen by the dark side will be there, too.’
Andreas asks Iris, ‘Why Kyflynn was chosen by Thyrine, not Terranova? He’s a dark elf, for Vadis’ sake!’
Iris answers, ‘Well, his methods and principles – killing bad guys only – made him an outcast, banished from Terranova forever. Son of Adair he is, and he never cares much about Vadis, but Enia is always in his heart.’
Soon they find out that Iris’ words are all too true. A large concentration of monsters is in their way, trying to prevent them from going into Enia’s Sanctum or simply preys on them. Zombies and undead are also seen among them.
Robert gives a quick instruction, ‘Charge through them!’
Robert launches his Fire Slash once and cuts some of the zombies in half. Chris does his Three-Point Chain Slash; Carolyn casts her Fireblast and Iris shoots several times with her bow to clear up the monsters that are blocking their way and with Andreas they run through them.
Corpses and severed heads of kobolds, goblins, pixies, and several sorts of monsters are scattered everywhere, and also fallen heroes badly mangled and mutilated, as the result of the battles before this.
Amidst the battle, suddenly Iris yells, ‘Guys, Enia’s Sanctum is over there! Don’t waste time, follow me!’
She points at a waterfall in a distance straight ahead. Robert quickly beheads the kobold he’s engaging, and runs after Iris, followed by Andreas and Carolyn, and finally Chris too, just managed to kill his giant bat with a Three-point Chain Slash.
They soon arrive in front of a lake connected with a river, and there is a waterfall on the far edge of the lake. Water rushes down violently, and it’s impossible even to swim below it. No passage whatsoever below the cliff. It’s truly a natural barrier for anybody who tries to trespass to find out the mystery within. Strange, there is no monster around. They might’ve gone in on purpose with the help of the dark elves.
Iris stands in front of the lake, straight towards the waterfall, and then chants a mysterious spell with her hand raised and she gazes upwards, ‘Enia amvuhai um il vardeen nael imwa.’ (Oh Enia The Lifegiver and The Mighty Guardian, please let us in).
Iris’ chant in ancient elfish language, with exact tone and intonation, seems to take effect. The password triggers a rumbling sound below the lake, and stone cylinder-like paths emerge on the surface of the lake forming a line towards the waterfall. And then a tunnel moves out from the waterfall, providing shelter and passage through the violent ramming of the water above.
‘Better use the force of nature than fight it. Better use the waterfall to open the mechanisms than to use magic to stop water from flowing.’ says Iris.
Robert and the others are not very impressed with this display. This is all too easy, and they are going into the cavernous shrine full of booby-traps to outwit and guardians to pass, not to mention the monsters and dark heroes. It’s a sure death for the ones who are not strong enough, smart enough, and lucky enough. Carolyn calls for Chiel, ‘Chiel! Hide yourself in my bag, will you! This will be real rough for a little chap like you!’ Chiel the micha is yearning for more adventure, but it has no other choice but to obey its master, making a disappointed-like chi-chi sound and gets into Carolyn’s bag and hides its tiny wings inside its body.
Robert and his friends walk along the stone paths slowly and carefully. Iris hops along the paths easily. When she arrives at the tunnel, she looks back and sees her friends are lagging behind. She yells, ‘C’mon, you guys. Quick! The entrance is about to shut up any moment now! We must go past the tunnel before it does!’
Robert and his friends tread faster, but when they arrive at the last slippery paths, showered with waterfall, Chris and Carolyn slip and fall into the lake. Robert and Andreas quickly bend to save Chris and Carolyn, and they save Chris successfully with great effort. Carolyn, however, no one is near to her as her friends are far away from her in the tunnel. But before she can think of getting into the tunnel by swimming, the current from waterfall is beginning to force her adrift.
‘Robert! Heelp! HEEELP MEEE!’ Carolyn yells with despair, gasping in panic.
Before Carolyn loses her hope, a hand grabs her, and quickly pulls her up to the path. Carolyn looks up to see her savior, and apparently it’s Iris. Carolyn’s hatred towards Iris vanishes for a brief moment, but she immediately shakes her hand away.
Carolyn walks away on the steps, and without looking at Iris, she says, ‘Huh! I guess I owe you one. Thanks.’
Iris doesn’t respond, but quickly grabs Carolyn’s body and takes her into the tunnel.
Carolyn yells in protest, ‘Hey! I don’t need your help!’ as they arrive in the tunnel.
Iris says in an emotionless tone, ‘Look behind you.’
Carolyn looks back and sees the paths are already sunk below the lake, and the last path is sinking behind her. And now the tunnel is retracting into the waterfall. So Carolyn and her comrades immediately walk forward along the long tunnel into an opening.
Temptation of Nature
As they come out from the tunnel, Robert and the rest of the party find themselves in a narrow valley full of various strange trees as though a jungle. A large stone plaque stands in front of them, roughly carved with ancient runes. Robert turns to Iris, but Iris as though she already knew what Robert is going to ask her talks, ‘We, the guides are given directions to Enia’s Sanctum only and not the details in the secret chambers. The information about it has been destroyed shortly after it was renovated to seal the Kraal’shazar. And of course we understand our own ancient writings. So, we have to decipher and find out the meaning of these riddles ourselves as clues to get pass these obstacles. Let me read it first.’
Iris reads the runes for a while, and after a bit of humming and nodding, she begins to interpret the riddle.
Mother of the Sun
Embraces the ones who are glad
With a heart so pure
That desires none more to add
‘It means we have to be ready on the path ahead, don’t be tempted to get and touch anything along the way. There must be hidden traps along the way.’
Robert says, ‘Well done, Iris. Let’s go, team. We’ll show Mother Enia that we are worthy to protect her.’
With encouraging cheers from the rest of the team, Robert’s party begins to walk along the forest-valley path carefully. There is no monster along the way, just more and more trees with various fruits and flowers, also rare medicinal plants that are known to cure almost any disease, neutralize any poison, and naturally ensure longevity. Among them are oak trees, beech trees, willow trees, mandrake roots, pearl onions, wolfsbane, rare yamimya flowers that are usually used to brew mortal wound healing potions, also kinds of plants that are not naturally exist in the continent of Aurelia: ginseng roots, giant purple mushrooms from Far-East Wushu and Ashura Empire, and spices from the tropical regions in Terra Eternia.
Farther through this long forest passage, Robert’s party find more and more wonders. Friendly, tame animals such as rabbits, squirrels and antelopes, and rare, strange animals, such as peacocks, birds of paradise, and many others fly and roam around, giving out senses of peace and beauty. And some more wondrous creatures come to sight: nymphs, the spirits of nature, watchers and acolytes for Mother Nature Enia, with appearances of beautiful women with shiny pearl, emerald, sapphire, pink-colored skins, not like normal skin colors. They wear no clothes, only their long hair with the same color as their skins and wreaths of leaves are covering their beautifully shaped bodies, enough to stir lust from men with weak hearts. They move gracefully here and there and they look happy all the time, singing beautifully in strange languages. Truly, the greatness of nature is all shown in here. But the passer-bys must remain strong-willed not to even pick anything from the abundance of supplies or drink from the stream that flows by and be content with their own provisions. Even the greedy and ignorant Christopher managed so far to contain himself, with a greater effort and continuous warnings from his comrades.
Suddenly, to their surprise, all things change. The once lush green forest turns into a forest of dead, rotten trees. The path becomes muddy. Leaves, fruits and flowers rot and melt as though showered with corrosive acid rain. The water on the stream turns into a swamp of bubbling poison. The air is not fresh anymore, but somewhat choking and damp. Skeletons and dissolving remains of fallen hunters and trespassing beasts are scattered here and there along the way. Iris becomes alert and shouts,
‘Who touched the things here? Not you, eh, Chris?’
Chris shouts back in protest, ‘No! I ain’t touching anything!’
‘I warn you! Don’t lie! Speak up, anyone!’
‘None of us did! I even put extra effort by looking at you all the time so I don’t have to look for anything else around!’
Iris blushes a bit at Chris’ remark, but before she loses her concentration she finds the answer of all these changes. The nymphs turn into banshees (wild forms of nymphs, nature’s variants from the dark banshees), several plants turn into carnivorous mutant plants, and the once tame animals are mutated into grotesque, horrifying monsters, all attack at once on a large group of hunters. Apparently it was one of them who violated Enia’s warning on the plaque – trying to flirt with one of the nymphs. And the whole contingent including Robert’s party is considered impure and incompetent to enter the sanctum and must pay for this with their lives. And now they have no choice but to fight their way to get into the entrance of Enia’s Sanctum. One by one, hunters meet their demise by the banshees and the mutants.
Robert’s party is among the more skilled hunters that are lucky enough to slay some of the mutants and few of the quick-moving, flying banshees. Carolyn even casts Fireblast once to clear the way ahead, scorching a few mutants in the line of fire.
‘Eshmyr!’ Iris casts Wind Slash, shredding a banshee into pieces in mid-air, but after the banshee wounds her with its claws in split seconds when Iris is gathering wind aura in the casting process. Christopher rushes to aid Iris, but is confronted by two mutants. As Chris is about to strike them with his Three-Point Chain Slash, a flying mutant swoops down and bites his outstretched hand. Then the other two mutants spring forward to bite Chris’ neck and stomach. The first mutant misses Chris’ neck as Chris avoids it, but the second sinks its teeth into Chris’ armor-protected belly. Its teeth break, the rabbit-like mutant roars painfully and Chris quickly decides to end its pain by slashing through the mutant with his trusty sword Wyrthal. Grunting, Chris tries to detach one mutant dangling on his right arm by its teeth but alas, he is intoxicated by the poison from the mutant’s teeth. His right arm is blackened, Chris is weakened and numb. A second before he passes out, he can still feel a jerk of pain as something hits his arm and the mutant dangling on it, parting it from Chris’ arm. Lucky lad! It’s Andreas! The dwarf healer quickly draws out his bottle of mandrake extract and dabs three drops of it on Chris’ wound. The blackening diminishes slowly as mandrake extract works as an antidote for most poisons, it lifts enchantments and brings a transformed being into its normal form.
Chris whispers feebly, ‘Thank you, father.’
Andreas in response lifts Chris up and supports him, saying, ‘Don’t talk now, laddie. Hold on until the blackening vanishes so I can heal the wound. We must keep walking.’
And Andreas is right. The mutants come in dozens, as though the waves of their coming never end. Robert, handling the situation with his comrades, goes back and guards the rear; taking down a couple of large antelope mutants with two-times Fire Slash. Chris gets the urge to utter a commentary, ‘Fried mutant antelopes, anyone?’ but he changes his mind and keeps on walking, staggering with Andreas’ support.
The other hunters and wizards also fight desperately for their lives. A few of them aren’t as lucky as the others. One has his head severed by a banshee with her elongated nails like scythes. A wizard gets his leg bitten by a squirrel mutant, and he burns the mutant on the spot with Agnios spell, setting his own leg on fire along with it, trying to prevent the poison from getting into his body.
‘AAAAGH! My leeeg!’
Without noticing a healer present among them, the wizard runs away, limping panickly and jumps into the swamp to extinguish the fire. But alas! The swamp is very poisonous. So the ill-fated wizard’s entire body immediately turns blue, and he dies with an awful scream of mortal pain, sinking into the swamp.
Four men and a woman fell in this attack, but the men and elves have slain many of the attacking banshees and mutants along their way. More and more attackers coming from every direction and the waves seem endless, but what frustrates the hunters the most is that the slain banshees and mutants are REGENERATING! Their wounds are mended, their severed body parts sprout again in their places, and they come back to life and immediately attack again.
No matter how powerful a man or elf is, he’ll soon be exhausted with this continuous attacks that will never cease until all ‘violators’ are slain. One of the hunters, a bounty huntress falls on her knees, her strength is failing her. She prostrates there and she seems like praying. Strangely, the mutants and banshees don’t attack her. She keeps kneeling there, with her eyes closed and overflowed with tears, muttering something like
‘Please… forgive me… spare my life… I have sinned…’
Andreas notices this and quickly yells, ‘Quick! On your knees and pray! Beg forgiveness from Mother Enia!’
Most of the struggling hunters including Chris are surprised on hearing this, but Carolyn, Iris and Robert who trust Andreas quickly get a grasp of the situation, and kneel at once. And then Chris and the others follow suit. Only a poor soul who thinks of this as an absurd thing to do keeps on fighting. And soon he is attacked by several mutants at once, leaving his mangled, dead body on the way, a horrifying mess of flesh and blood.
And the rest, all wounded in various degrees and certainly exhausted, kneel earnestly, all pray in their own words, for only one purpose, begging forgiveness from the exalted host of Enia’s Sanctum. The banshees and mutants stop their attacks and stand still, although surveying their opponents to get a true account of their behavior. Then, after a while, a banshee starts talking with a hoarse female voice,
‘All hearts are impure. All have sins and flaws. There are only two ways to sort this out. One is to purge the sinners like garbage from the house. We are just the executioners and the tempting scenery here is the trigger.’
Her voice changes into a soft, melodious voice.
‘But for the ones who repent and courageous and honest enough to admit their sins before Mother, they will receive Mother’s forgiveness as you are now. Feel free to eat the fruits and drink the water now, but if you harm the animals or violate the purity of Mother Enia’s Paradise again, we will strike the sinner down on the spot!’
As she speaks in her original soft voice, the forest banshee turns into a nymph again gradually. The mutant animals, carnivorous plants and the entire toxic forest environment also turn to normal again in a matter of seconds. All hunters there sigh in relief, thanks to the repentant bounty huntress. They all now walk carefully along the rest of the forest path and no one of them dares to touch anything at all.
At last they arrive in front of Enia’s Sanctum entrance, with a great doorway and two gigantic Enia statues on the left and right side of the doorway, all carved magnificently and beautifully on the rocky mountain slope. One Enia statue on the left is holding a flaming ball that represents the sun on her outstretched palms, and the one on the right is holding a carved tree on her outstretched palms. Lavennia Iris and other elf guides kneel at once in front of the statue, chanting their praises, ‘Emolë Enia amvuhai, omni Eternia machiche na.’ (Oh Mother Enia the Lifegiver, may all Eternia praise you forever). There is no effect upon the chanting, because it was not a password, just a prayer for Enia’s divine guidance.
‘Enia’s Holy Place’ says Chris, ‘at last.’
Flyin’ Flynn
Robert, Christopher, Carolyn, Andreas, and Iris enter the great gate of Enia’s Sanctum along with other survivors. They all look very fatigued, wounded, and particularly uneasy. Tension remains in their bones and muscles. Even some of them are still trembling from the horrors they just experienced and the deadlier and more dangerous horrors that may and will befall them.
‘This is the main lobby,’ says a senior elf guide. ‘You may all rest here until we reach a sufficient number of people to move on and catch up with earlier groups. With many people we will have a better chance to pass the obstacles and guards there.’
All of them immediately find themselves a spot to sit and take a rest. Only the elves are seem still vigorous and eager to move on. They soon find that there are many others who came in here earlier, a mass of about a hundred chosen hunters, all from different jobs, races and classes. Most of them are bounty hunters, fighters and sorcerers, male and female, humans, elves, dwarves, ogres, and (to Robert’s disgust) orcs and hobgoblins. And they are all chosen by the light side or the dark side. Robert has to rub his ring several times to contain himself not to attack the orcs right away.
Kyflynn the bluish-skinned dark elf assassin is among them, along with his partners Desmond Edmundsen the berserker from Bjordan and Agustina Vyrakova the sorceress from Val’shka. Kyflynn is examining his Maraj’vriad – a pair of elf-made curved daggers that are superbly fine and sharp that after they slice through flesh, no blood is left on the blades. Rumors have it that Maraj’vriad was made from a single, fine mythril ore.
Desmond is half-kneeling as though he is always on guard, holding his great maul resting on his shoulder like an enchanted guardian golem. And Agustina is meditating with a transparent, almost invisible force field around her. Anyone who dares or is foolish enough to step inside it or even touch it will freeze before he knows what hit him.
Andreas spots the three of them as he walks around offering help to heal the wounded. He approaches Kyfylnn and says, ‘Sir, I see you have a big scratch wound on your leg. Perhaps you’ll allow me to heal it.’
Kyfylnn looks up and answers with a smile, ‘And perhaps I allow you, good dwarf. You are not from Grad, I presume?’
‘Aye, Grad is my homeland,’ says Andreas. ‘But I’ve been in Yvais as a priest and a healer. I went back to Grad, but an incident has sent me traveling again with my companions over there,’ he points at his hunting party. ‘By the way, I am Father Andreas Marvellini. And you are – if I’m not pretty much mistaken – the famous Kyflynn the Windwalker, right?’
‘Hahaha!’ Kyflynn laughs pleasantly. ‘I think I’m not that famous. In fact, I’m seen as a misfit, an outcast from my dark elf kindred and other people by my trade. But at least I have my freedom, and earn quite a living with my two friends here, Desmond and Agustina.’
‘A boundary-breaker, real admirable,’ says Andreas.
Kyflynn responds with the same admiration, ‘and yourself also. The first healer dwarf in the world.’
‘Ah, well,’ Andreas blushes a bit innocently upon this compliment and offers something in return. ‘Shall we go on with the treatment, then? Please don’t move. Vitali!’
Andreas’ healing staff glows, and he puts a hand above Kyflynn’s wound. A glowing white light emits from his hand. It touches Kyflynn’s wound and the wound closes in. The frozen blue blood is wiped off; leaving a healthy and intact as though the wound have never took place before. Kyflynn gets up, lifts his leg, stands on one foot, then he does a somersault as if he is practicing his Cartwheel Slash, and lands on the foot that was just healed.
‘Wow! Great, it’s as good as new! Basic healing method is indeed better than Agustina’s, no offense, partner.’
Kyflynn looks at Agustina but she doesn’t budge or respond. She just goes on with her meditation. Desmond didn’t hear that.
‘Too bad you already have companions. I certainly need a good healer in my team.’
‘I’ll gladly heal you anytime we meet again,’ says Andreas. ‘But thanks for the offer, though.’
As he looks at the result of his work, Andreas suddenly sees a glimpse of a glittering, silvery fabric beneath Kyflynn’s shoe. Shock comes into his face. Kyflynn notices this and asks Andreas.
‘Father Andreas, what’s wrong?’
‘N-nay, nothing…,’ says Andreas. ‘I just realized that I need a rest myself to replenish my aura. Well, ‘twas nice to meet you.’
‘The pleasure’s mine,’ says Kyflynn with a slight bow. ‘Thank you, father.’
Andreas walks away full with thoughts. Wasn’t that the Mythril Greaves of Eil’thanath…? Impossible. No way. It was stolen by Sheena Mekh’ta. I was banished again because of that greaves. No. I must confirm that first. Maybe he’s wearing an extra silver cloth to protect his feet, his most valuable assets especially from the sun. It’s no use to confront him now. I must find Sheena to know for sure first.
Andreas finds a spot to rest, but he is still deep in his thoughts.
Even if we confront them, our three fighters are no match for them. Iris is our guide, she won’t fight for our personal vendetta. There’s a more important thing at hand anyway: protecting the Kraal’shazar (Deathblade) and find and destroy the heir.
Hmm… if he indeed has it, let him wear the greaves for a while – it’s better than to lie idly in Grad Vault. I like his principle anyway. Well, as long as my family is safe…
Suddenly a voice breaks Andreas’ chain of thought.
‘ATTENTION PLEASE! As we are over a hundred strong now, and rested a bit, we can proceed now. Please proceed to the room to your right…’ It’s the senior elf guide again. This time he sounds rather commanding as though he is the leader of the entire contingent.
‘The obstacles ahead will sort you out. Hopefully, the guardians can destroy the heir, but we don’t really know for sure about that, right?’
Without listening anymore to the elf’s speech, Robert’s party gets up and gets ready. And they start walking out from the lobby to another chamber at the right.
It’s a medium-sized round chamber with all the walls painted in sky-blue and a marble floor. Around the chamber on the wall, there is a great mural painting of Enia sitting on a mountain peak, her hand outstretches and a sparrow rests on her hand. And how strange, the mural animates! The Goddess Enia in that painting releases the sparrow, and it flies away, joining all other various birds flying around in the sky animatedly, even making warbling sounds. Enia smiles amusingly. And then the sparrow flies around the room and lands on Enia’s outstretched hand again. It’s obvious that the mural is painted with magic.
Like in the waterfall-tunnel entrance, there is also an epitaph here, standing at the center of the room surrounded by four marble poles, which have letters N, E, W, or S engraved on each pole and statue of a flying bird on each top, all facing four different directions that actually are North, East, West, and South. Robert’s party examines the words engraved on it, and it’s yet another riddle in ancient elvish language. Lavennia Iris immediately translates it.
Sun Mother favors the wise,
For wisdom lies in the sky,
Follow the flow is the advice,
Flying away by knowing your way
‘Knowing our way?’ says Carolyn, a bit puzzled. ‘What’s the meaning of this?’
‘Well, it’s quite simple, you know,’ says Iris. ‘Maybe we will understand it at once when we are inside the area.’
Just then the other hunters come in. The room cannot accommodate a hundred people at once, so not all of them are inside.
‘You’re right. It means we must plan our moves wisely and quickly. This room is too crowded now,’ says Robert in discomfort. ‘Now let’s see. There are four doorways in this room, North, South, East, and West. We came from the West door, so we must decide whether we go to one of the doors together or split up.’
Christopher, who rarely suggests anything, speaks up. ‘I think we better split up and try each door. If there are foes ahead we can still join other hunters and fight them. And if any of us comes back here, he or she must wait for the others to share information.’
‘Good one, Chris,’ says Andreas. ‘And don’t forget the riddle: follow the flow and know your way. It’s a strong hint for what lies ahead. And it mentions about flying, so there’s a chance that we will fly in there.’
‘Okay, so we’ll split up,’ says Robert. ‘I’ll go with Chiel to the North, Andreas with Carol to the East, and Chris with Iris to the South. Let’s go now, and may Vadis and Enia be with us!’
Carolyn releases Chiel from the bag, and as though it understands the briefing earlier, it immediately follows Robert to the North door, and the other two teams run to their respective doors.
‘Hey, you all! Wait!’
Robert and his party stop. And they look back to see who’s talking. Apparently it’s Kyflynn’s trio along with other hunters. Kyflynn talks, half-shouting with his hands on his waist.
‘Don’t go there only two-by-two! Wait for us, will ya! We’ll split up too and we all will go together into whatever lies behind those doors.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Kyflynn. Of course we welcome company. We are just trying to act fast, you know. The heir maybe have reached the Heart of the Sun and claimed the Kraal’shazar already. We must act fast to stop him!’ Says Andreas coolly.
‘Haha, you know I’m fast, father. So let’s split up guys! Hurry, hurry!’
Kyflynn chooses to go with Robert, Desmond with Andreas and Carolyn, and Agustina with Chris and Iris. The hunters also split up and follow them into the respective rooms. Kyflynn enters the North door. In the North room, there are six large tunnels: three on the left wall, three on the right wall. There are three large tunnels at the front, large enough for an ogre to walk in. Yet as he approaches the tunnels, he is hit by a violent wind coming from two gigantic propeller fans on the left and right walls, next to the six tunnels. Kyflynn feels that his body is lifted from the ground, apparently it’s like flying. It’s flown by the wind, to be exact.
Kyflynn immediately shouts to Robert, ‘Quick, choose a tunnel!’
‘Center!’ Robert answers hastily, ‘Chiel, follow me!’ And Chiel follows Robert into the center tunnel.
Kyflynn cannot control himself and enters the left tunnel. Rather than resisting it, Kyflynn lets himself fly inside it. The tunnel bends upwards, then left. The sudden maneuvering makes Kyflynn loses control again and bumps into a tunnel wall. Kyflynn grunts in pain, but he quickly regains his concentration as the tunnel bends sharply downwards. He quickly does his Cartwheel Somersault to avoid being hit again. Success! He lands on his feet.
Now all I have to do is to fly by and see what’s ahead. He keeps gliding in there for sometime and doing several somersaults at sharp turnings, and finally he reaches the end of the tunnel and enters a room.
The room looks rather different than the North room. Now Kyflynn enters from one of the three tunnels in the room. There are also two fans on the left and right, but these fans, instead of blowing wind, they suck wind and function as exhaust fans.
Kyflynn tries hard to balance himself, trying not to get himself sucked and minced into the fan. He successfully lands on the windless section of the room. There also come other fighters: a swordsman and a sorceress. The ill-fated swordsman cannot balance himself and gets carried by the suction wind into a big fan, but before the fan blades slices him into pieces. Blood splatters everywhere and his head is severed and flies to a corner of the windless section of the room. The sorceress, however, thinks quickly and casts a spell: Petravia Fyasch! And a jet of water comes from her wand to the wall above the tunnel and pushes her out from the wind. She lands roughly on the safe area. ‘Yowch!’ The sorceress yells in pain.
Kyflynn looks at her and says, ‘Good thinking, ma’am. Poor soul, he is. If only he prepared himself better.’
The sorceress, a woman in her forties, smiles feebly and responds, ‘Years of experience has prepared me much, Mr. Kyflynn. You don’t have to be famous to have a taste of it.’
Kyflynn lips twitches aside. ‘I can’t help being famous, and I don’t want it.’ He says, ‘By the way, we need to keep going. Please help me, madame…’
‘Genilda. Yemima Genilda. Of course, with pleasure. A polite dark elf like you deserves more than just a help.’ Genilda begins to walk, following Kyflynn.
In front of them, there is a big, closed door. Kyflynn says, ‘Guess there’s no other way but forward’. He immediately opens the heavy door with some effort, and enters with the sorceress.
The next room is considerably longer than the previous. It consists of an entrance, an exit and fans on the left and right walls. This time the fans blow wind, but the wind is not so strong that can make humans fly. Kyflynn is puzzled.
‘This is too easy,’ says Kyflynn. ‘Smells like a trap, I say.’
As soon as it is said, two black whirlwinds come out from the fan, and the forms of the whirlwinds are as though they have heads and hands on them. They move in a very high speed, rotating haphazardly around the room, and block the exit. Kyflynn and Genilda are having a hard time avoiding them. A single graze of the whirlwind leaves a cut wound on Genilda’s back, and Kyflynn immediately pulls her to safety. ‘Thank you!’ says Genilda.
‘Damn!’ Kyflynn curses, ‘Now we are trapped!’
‘Jolly holly, we have no choice,’ says Genilda. ‘We must defeat them of go past them to get to the exit. They’re air elementals!’
‘Let’s go past them! I can use wind energy in my skills, but it won’t be enough to divert them! And you?’
‘I’ll try this! Petravia Paradellum!’ Again, a jet of water comes out from Genilda’s wand, but this time Genilda rotates her wand around her and Kyflynn continuously, making a wall of water around them. The air elementals can’t pass through liquid, even when they extend and rotate their ‘hands’ forming two gigantic sickles in a quicker pace. The sickles’ sharpness are somewhat muffled totally that only gentle breezes of wind come through the water wall and hit Kyflynn and Genilda.
‘Wow, great!’ says Kyflynn honestly.
Genilda doesn’t respond. She is still concentrating. Using the moment fully, Kyflynn and Genilda moves on forward and finally they reach the exit door. Kyflynn opens the heavy door, but as the door is barely open, Genilda loses her concentration and the water wall breaks. The air elementals are now attacking brutally using their ‘hands’.
‘Kyflynn… quick!’ says Genilda.
The door is opened at last. Kyflynn reacts. ‘It’s opening! Go! Go! Go!’
Genilda and Kyflynn rush towards the next room and both of them quickly shut the door to prevent the air elementals from breaking in.
‘They’ve stopped. Maybe they are supposed to guard that room only,’ says Genilda.
‘I guess so. Hmm, let’s see what’s in this room,’ says Kyflynn.
It’s the room with two fans and three tunnels again, just like the north room.
‘I think this room is different than before,’ says Kyflynn. ‘Let’s try… the right tunnel.’
‘I’ll take the middle tunnel then,’ says Genilda.
‘No, please don’t. Come with me. I still need your help for whatever lies ahead.’
‘Jolly holly! The famous Kyflynn needs me, the poor, plain witch from Barc’vadon.’ Genilda smiles, and says again, ‘All right then, if you insist.’
Kyflynn smiles and says, ‘So, let’s take the right tunnel for starters.’
They step at once into the wind, and then let themselves be levitated and flown into the tunnel. Kyflynn helps Genilda to balance her body so she won’t bump into the tunnel walls on turnings, and they arrive at the end of the tunnel at last.
This time it’s a room with six tunnels, just like the first room they entered north from the lobby. Kyflynn is confused now. ‘Now what?’ he says, ‘Where should we go? Right or left?’
‘Let’s try right first,’ says Genilda. They both open the heavy door on the right and look inside. It’s the three-tunnel, two-fan room again.
‘Now let’s check the left room,’ says Genilda. ‘I have an itchy-bitchy feeling about this.’
They go back to the six-tunnel room. As they enter the room, they meet a few hunters who are going to the room Kyflynn and Genilda have just left. One of them, an old sling shooter, exclaims with surprise, ‘Lo, you two just came back from there, not goin’ in there?’
‘We want to check the other room first,’ says Genilda.
‘Oh, ‘tis that darn room with ancient runes on an epitaph. We can’t read it, so we went south.’
‘You should’ve waited for your elf guide,’ says Kyflynn.
‘He’s dead, lad,’ the old sling shooter answers with a sigh. ‘A mutant bee stung him squarely into his chest.’
Genilda says sadly. ‘Jolly holly! Looks like we’re back on the starting point. No time to waste now. Let’s try south this time.’
‘Hey, not yet. I have an idea,’ says Kyflynn. ‘Why don’t we wait at the rune room? We’ll gather some information from other hunters first, so we’ll have more accurate combinations of the right tunnels to the exit.’
Genilda says with a mixture of admiration and mild surprise, ‘And lower the risk of being slashed into pieces.’
‘Yes. Good idea. We’ll wait too,’ says the old sling shooter.
All the other hunters murmur in favor of this idea. So they all go to the rune room and wait. Kyflynn speaks loudly, ‘Any of you have gotten into the tunnels and back? Please raise your hands.’
Two hunters except Genilda raise their hands.
‘So, where did you go?’ Kyflynn asks them.
The first hunter answers, ‘Right at South Room, Second room middle, third room left and back at the North Room.’
The second hunter says, ‘I went East, chose right and then redirected to the North Room.’
Kyflynn listens, pauses for a moment, smiling. And then he begins to frown and turns to Genilda. ‘Can you remember that?’
Genilda shakes her head and says, ‘We need to take a note here. Does anyone of you bring a quill and some parchments?’
There’s no answer.
‘I have some.’ A woman’s voice comes from afar. Then the speaker comes out from the East room. It’s Carolyn! She says, ‘What are those for?’
‘We’ll take notes from the hunters who return here, and then send groups to explore and find out more accurate combinations. Who among you can use telepathy?’ Again there’s no answer. Kyflynn talks on.
‘No one? Then we can only rely on our notes. Let’s hope we don’t go into dead-ends.’
‘I’ll write it down now and make a diagram of it,’ says Carolyn. ‘Now give me what you got.’ She takes out her quill and her notebook from her goodie bag. Then, one by one, the hunters, starting from Kyflynn and Genilda tell Carolyn what tunnels and rooms they went into. Carolyn makes a diagram and writes down the information in codes, sometimes murmuring…
‘Yes… north room, left tunnel… N1. Then came out in N2, went in tunnel N23 and returned at South Room. Next!’
And soon, more and more hunters starting to go and return in the rune room. Robert, Chiel and Andreas return together. And then Agustina returns too.
Carolyn and Kyflynn begin to send out groups. The first group is led by Robert and Andreas to the East Room to find out a more accurate route. Some more hunters come, and one of them is Hernan y Parvaez, leading a few wounded hunters, returning in the rune room. He went into the tunnels much earlier than Robert and Kyflynn’s parties, but he never found a right route out.
‘It’s my turn again now,’ says Kyflynn after studying the diagram and exchanging information with Hernan and his group. ‘I have a hunch that the north room is worth some more checking. I need five hunters and Agustina with me into the tunnels. And you too, Genilda.’
‘Oh, no,’ says Genilda. ‘I think I’ll stay behind.’
‘But why?’ says Kyflynn with surprise on his face.
‘This adventure is over for me. You see, I have two kids back home. And the man who went into the fan in pieces was my husband.’
Kyflynn is crestfallen. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. But why did you take the mission in the first place?’
‘Because it was from the Pope. From Vadis. We thought we can finish this up and go home together to our kids. But now that my husband is lost, what will my kids do if they lose me too? My family is everything to me. I’ll do whatever I can here for Vadis’ sake, and then I’ll go back to the entrance through the forest. I’m sure Lord Vadis will understand.’
‘Well, if you must. You’ve been a great help in there. Thank you, Genilda, ma’am. I’ll never forget you.’
‘Jolly holly, it’s been an honor to fight side by side with Kyflynn Windwalker,’ says Genilda. ‘Now go. May Vadis and Enia be with you.’
‘And you too. C’mon, Tina!’ says Kyflynn as he walks into the North door again. Agustina doesn’t answer, but she follows Kyflynn silently, still with her cold, expressionless face.
With the additional information from Hernan’s group, Kyflynn is now convinced that the right route is through the North Room, and then they take the left tunnel again. They fight through the wind elementals successfully in the next room, thanks to Agustina who casts an jokul’me fyasch, her powerful Blizzard magic, turning them into liquid and freeze them so the other hunters can destroy them with ease.
And then in the next room Kyflynn says to his comrades, ‘Guys, we surely must take the middle tunnel. From the info I’ve got, a hunter has tried the left tunnel before and took a longer route before finally returned to the rune room. So, shall we?’ And without further ado, all follow Kyflynn into the middle tunnel.
And then Kyflynn, Agustina and the rest of the group arrive in an identical room as the previous one they’ve gone into. No one has any information about where this room series will lead to. Without thinking twice about the risk and the trap they might find, Kyflynn and his group press on. They meet three wind elementals in the next room, and the positive-thinking Kyflynn says, ‘Well, from the looks of it, I think this IS a progress.’
With Agustina’s magical assistance, once again the wind elementals become sitting ducks for the hunters. As they go into the next room quickly before the fans generate another batch of wind elementals, Kyflynn is now faced with another three tunnels. And as there’s no information about it, he has to figure out which is the tunnel that doesn’t return them to the start again. He begins to speculate, ‘The first is left, the second is middle. So this time it’s a fifty percent chance the right is the right one.’ Kyflynn immediately gives instructions to his comrades. ‘You three take the left tunnel, you two the middle, and Agustina, come with me to the right. And don’t forget to share our route with Genilda and Carolyn if any of us return to the rune room.’
‘Aye aye! Right on! Yes!’ are the various responses from other hunters except Agustina, who doesn’t even nod, blink or move her lips. And yet she follows Kyflynn obediently into the wind and flies into the right tunnel.
They come out at the end of the tunnel into a completely different room. It’s a round room, much larger than the previous ones. As Kyflynn observes it more, he finds three things: First, He and Agustina is still floating in mid-air, tossed here and there by multi-directional wind made by four large fans at the floor. The second thing, there are fifteen tunnels around the room. Kyflynn doesn’t have a chance to count it yet because the third thing comes and takes his full concentration: another wind elemental with the same round head as before, but this time it’s three times larger than the previous ones. And what’s worse, the scythe-like arms are three times larger too, and there are three of them.
Now Kyflynn has a reason to be panicked, but he’s not. He runs at once as quickly as possible to dodge the scythes, and yells, ‘Tina! Do your thing!’. Hearing Kyflynn’s yell, Agustina is now recovered from her hidden shock and casts ‘an jokul’me fyasch!’ in order to turn the giant wind elemental into liquid and freeze it, but this time the Blizzard spell doesn’t affect it much, instead the elemental absorbs the blizzard through his head and blows it out, redirecting the blizzard towards Kyflynn and Agustina. Kyflynn increases his running speed to avoid being hit by it, and Agustina casts ‘an jokul’me prdaj!’ And an ice wall forms in front of her, blocking the blizzard as she can only absorb a part of the cold energy. As the wind elemental finishes blowing the entire blizzard it sucked, it immediately changes its attack mode into Wind Scythe Fins again. Its fins and body break the ice wall into pieces, leaving slash wounds on Agustina. Luckily the wall muffled the slashing force from cutting deeper into Agustina’s vital organs, so the wounds aren’t deep. Agustina runs, points her finger on her wounds, freezing the blood to prevent more coming out from her body.
My blizzard can’t harm it at all. I must defend myself and help Kyflynn find the right tunnel. But how?
Agustina keeps on making walls of ice to block the slashes. Kyflynn on the other hand tries to make a good use of the walls although he got some cuts himself, and his wounds bleed blue blood in several places of his body. He looks up and down, trying to find some kind of clue while the wind from the fans keeps tossing him around. He looks at the walls and the ceiling, and suddenly an idea strikes him. He catapults himself to the ceiling from the nearby wall, and nails a pair of his spare daggers on the ceiling, leaving him hanging there like a spider escaping when its web is being destroyed. With a precise calculation, Kyflynn hooks his legs on the nearby wall. The giant wind elemental can’t reach Kyflynn with its scythes and it can’t elongate himself or climb the walls, because it’s been quite stationary in the wind generated by the four gigantic magical fans below it. So far he’s safe, but for how long? How long can he strain his muscles to hold his daggers? Thoughts are racing in his mind. Agustina can’t stand much longer too, so we have to figure out something, fast! Unfortunately, no ideas come out. Agustina is beginning to get very exhausted too, from her wounds and from draining her mana energy to make ice walls every time the scythes come near her.
As Kyflynn and Agustina are in their wits’ end and they can’t hold on much longer, they hear rumbling sounds from the entrance tunnel. And soon enough, some figures are emerging from the tunnel. And apparently they are Carolyn, Hernan, Iris, Desmond and four other hunters including a dwarf and a faun (half-human, half goat creature but retaining his human face, hands and torso). A hunter flies too close towards the giant wind elemental and is cut into pieces by its scythes. Desmond is also hit, but because of his rock-tough skin he only gets some scratches. Kyflynn yells desperately, ‘C’mon! Attack it now! We can’t hold on much longer!’
The wind elemental reveals its shining eyes on its ‘windy’ head and unleashes its most deadly attack to strike lots of enemies at once, Seven-Split Tornadoes! It splits up into seven regular-sized wind elementals with the largest still stationery the center. They begin chasing the hunters with their scythe-hands spinning ceaselessly. Hernan unleashes his Requiem of the Tides skill on a wind elemental with no avail, but something catches his sight and he begins to speculate.
Then he yells to Kyflynn, ‘Hey you, dark elf! Attack the giant wind’s eye! I don’t know if it works but it’s worth a try!’
Kyflynn hears this and thinks quickly. That must be its weak spot! I’m up here, so only I can do this and this is a one-shot opportunity! Let’s hope my sacrifice can save them!
With this thought he lets go of his spare daggers, takes out his trusty twin daggers Maraj’vriad (A Myriad of Shadows) and dives, spiraling downwards with one of his lethal moves, Soul Splitting Drill. His spiraling move creates a drill-like whirlwind around him to the head of the giant wind elemental. One shot, one target. Hit or all will die. He forcefully thrusts his daggers and it’s a hit! Sparks of red light come from the giant wind elemental’s eye as Kyflynn retracts his Maraj’vriad from it. It lets out a deafening shriek before the whirlwind on its body becomes uneven and bursts everywhere. The six other elementals also dissolve the same way as the giant one. The shattered winds don’t hurt the hunters at all, just blowing them flying everywhere. The faun himself is blown into a tunnel.
The rest manage to stabilize their positions, still floating in the wind stream. ‘Tina, glad to see you safe,’ says Desmond, gliding towards Agustina. But Tina doesn’t answer or even look at him at all. Desmond snorts at Tina’s usual response towards him, and then talks to Kyflynn. ‘Good job, partner. Now what should we do now?’
‘I’m at my wit’s end’, says Kyflynn. ‘Which one among these many tunnels is the exit? We don’t want to get back to the start again now, right?’
‘You got a point there, dark elf. I’m too exhausted of going back to the start again and again,’ says Hernan. ‘By the way, what a nice Whirlwind Thrust!’’
‘Thanks. Actually it’s a reversed Soul Splitting Drill. But anyway, as far as I saw, there’s no clue whatsoever about the right tunnel except for the sun carved around the entrance. I need anything: riddles, numbers, codes, runes – for Enia’s sake!’
‘That’s it! I think… maybe we can use this,’ says Carolyn. ‘You see Iris has sung this so many times so I can remember every word of it. Now, if my memory serves me right…’
Enia, caught in no avail,
The Twins’ fight make you wail,
Thirteen times to The One you prayed,
Only your sacrifice is the way
Plunge into the sea you did,
Be one with Eternia you bid,
The Twins stopped fighting and mourned,
Their beloved they fought for is no more
‘Carol, that’s amazing! It’s Ode of Enia, sixth verse! You remembered every word of it!’ says Iris. ‘I never thought you’d paid attention in the first place!’
Carol responds with a smile. ‘Thanks to you too, Iris. Now we know that thirteen is Enia’s sacred number. People said it has extreme effects on our fate, whether we’ll be lucky or not. So whaddaya say? Shall we try the thirteenth tunnel?’
Just then, Robert, Chiel the Micha, Andreas, and several more hunters and elf guides arrive at the spot. They can hardly hear the discussion between the heroes just now, but they stop and listen to what Kyflynn is about to say next.
‘Hmm, thirteen is our best bet yet. I’m going to try it. But which one is the thirteenth tunnel?’
Iris says, ‘Don’t you guys get it? You see the entrance tunnel? It has a sun carved around it. It’s obviously the starting point. Then we count from right to left, like the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. There it is! Thirteenth to the left, third to the right with the entrance also count.’
‘Okay, okay, I got it,’ says Kyflynn, irritated, ‘Three cheers for my fellow elf’s logic. Now you can freely choose to follow me or choose other tunnels. Let’s go now before they generate another giant elemental!’
Robert, Carolyn, Chiel, Andreas, Agustina, Iris, Hernan, Desmond and several hunters immediately follow Kyflynn flying into the thirteenth tunnel, and the rest of them go into their own choices. After flying for a while, they come out in a completely different room. The room is not as large as the dome of fifteen tunnels, but it looks exactly like the rune room, except the wall is made from large stone bricks and instead of four bird statues on pillars, the epitaph at the center is guarded by two stone gargoyle statues.
‘I guess we have passed the wind tunnels now,’ says Robert. ‘But alas, I just remember something. Where’s Chris?’
Boulder Trouble
Robert’s right. Christopher is not with them.
‘What must we do now?’ says Carolyn. ‘Wait for him here, go back or leave him and go on?’
‘I know what you’re thinking,’ says Robert. ‘You want to go back find him and direct him here, but look, there are two tunnels at the entrance and assuming from the wind that is sucked by those fans, we can’t fly into those tunnels again! If we wait here, well, the heir won’t wait for us. So we must press on and trust Chris! I believe he will catch up with us sooner or later, with that sorceress Genilda’s directions.’
‘What I can’t believe is that “romantic hero” Hernan!’ says Iris. ‘He kept wooing Carol and persuaded her to go with him and be his partner. Shame on him, people said he’s married you know!’
‘Wait, didn’t he suppose to woo you too, Iris?’ says Carolyn slyly. ‘You tried to attract him, and all he said was, “Maybe 20 years later you can be my partner, little girl.” Hahaha! An 80-year old little elf girl!’
Iris snarls, ‘Ah, you shut up! He’s way too old for us anyway! Oops, old-looking, actually.’
Andreas shakes his head and tries to hide his giggle. Robert on the other hand comes between them and says, ‘Enough, you two. We must observe what lies ahead. Iris, help me translate the runes again. Please!’
Iris walks towards the epitaph, and there are already two elf guides near it, trying to decipher the runes carved on the epitaph and the meaning of the riddle written on it. Iris also does the same.
Sun Mother treasures diligence,
A true quality lies deep within,
Never cease and never tire,
Work together to gain a win.
‘Hmm, like before, this is not a riddle,’ says Andreas, ‘But a clue. As I see it, it means a hard work is just ahead and only by working together we can finish it.’
‘But are we supposed to work with those dark hunters?’ says Iris. ‘I mean, those Adair’s chosen lot will try to prevent us! No way they’re gonna work with us!’
‘Or us with them,’ says Carolyn. ‘Kyflynn and Genilda’s cooperation and support might open their eyes a bit, but if hard labor is involved…’
‘All we can do now is going there and find out,’ says Robert calmly.
‘Come what may,’ comments Carolyn.
Robert’s party then walks into the next room and finds that their worries are all too true. It’s a room all made of stone, a lot larger than the wind tunnel chambers with large pillars of stone standing in uneven positions. The way to the next room is shut with a gigantic and extremely heavy stone door, which can only opened magically and manually (if you have them strong enough).
They see Kyflynn’s party and Hernan are fighting against two gigantic Earth Elementals. In addition, the dark hunters who are also fighting the Earth elementals see this as the chance to eliminate the ‘light side’ and attack them too. So it becomes a chaotic three-way fight. The dark side chosen hunters was winning at first, but as the champions of the light side arrive at the spot, the tide turned in favor of Vadis’ hunters, with a considerable number of casualties on both sides. There are even an ogre and a Cyclops among the dark side hunters.
There is only one champion among the dark side, the dark-skinned lady only wearing a half-breastplate and a dancing skirt wielding two scimitars, and Robert can’t mistake her with somebody else as he says, ‘Sheena Mekh’ta! And the stooges, Baxter and Ellephar!’
Andreas replies with a mixture of shock and confusion, ‘Defilers of Eil’thanath! We found them at last! Now we must question them whether they’ve sold the greaves or…’
Robert is puzzled by Andreas’ reaction, ‘Father Andreas! They’ve sold it, you say? How’d you know it?’
Andreas scratches his forehead with an unintelligible grin, ‘Er… eh, nay, nay! I was just… assumed, that’s all.’
‘That’s odd,’ says Robert with a look of distrust on his face. ‘Normally you’d say, “Let’s get it from them”, right?’
And for the first time since their entrance into Enia’s Sanctum, Andreas loses his temper. ‘Just drop it, please! Forgive this old slippery tongue. For once, just be flexible, Robert! For Vadis’ sake!’
‘All right, all right. We’ll ask Sheena later if we have a chance, now we have to…’
THUD!
Something hits Robert squarely on his back, hard. Robert is thrown forward. Apparently an earth elemental clobbered his giant-club hands aimlessly just to counter the attacking hunters, and it happened to be near Robert.
‘ROBEEEERT!!’ Iris and Carolyn shriek together.
Iris and Carolyn rush to Robert’s side, but they are engaged by a hobgoblin hunter and a minotaur shaman.
‘Just where do you think you’re going, ladies?’ the minotaur shaman taunts.
‘Mewillkillya!’ says the hobgoblin, throwing his spear towards Iris. But Carolyn deflects it away with her trident Esthagar. Lavennia smiles thankfully at Carolyn and attacks them at once with her elven dagger.
While his partners are busy with their opponents, Andreas manages to sneak past them and tends to Robert. The white-haired swordsman lies face-down on the floor. He is still alive, although he’s unconscious from the massive blow that must’ve hurt his insides. Robert’s crossbow that hangs on Rob’s back is broken in splinters – the weapon served its purpose for the last time as a shield for its master. Had the blow hit Robert directly, he would be dead for sure. Lots of blood came out from his mouth, making a bloody puddle on the floor. Andreas sighs in guilt.
He’s badly hurt. It’s my fault, I should’ve told him about Kyflynn’s greaves. I’m sorry, Rob. Viavitali!
With his thought only, Andreas casts Great Heal on Robert, putting one hand on Robert’s back and hold his Staff of Healing Hearts with the floating orb on it spinning and shining to generate holy energy. His hands glow white. Robert’s life is saved, his inside injuries are healed slowly and supernaturally. Andreas is trying to maintain his spell, while a few dark hunters see this as an opportunity and immediately attack Andreas and Robert. But before their weapons even touch them, they can only see their weapons fly away or break. And as they look up to see their attacker, they are horrified at a sight of a body so large and massive of a fighter, Desmond the Berserker.
Desmond holds his great maul high with one hand and roars, ‘ATTACK THE ELEMENTALS FIRST! REMEMBER THE CLUE!’
The deafening roar makes the fighting hunters pause for a moment, and some are still fighting the losing battle against the earth elementals. Hernan is having difficulties to defeat an elemental even with his multi-thrust air-to-ground move, Shears of the Falling Rain. Seeing the hunters stop fighting with each other, he grabs this opportunity by saying, ‘Their eyes are the same as the air elementals’! Shoot their eyes!’
Several hunters immediately use their ranged attacks and spells with the elementals’ eyes as their targets. Lavennia Iris uses his arrow and is the first to hit an earth elemental’s eye with her Inevitable Heartseeker wind-enchanted arrow shot. Sparks of red electric bolts come out from the elemental’s eye, and the earth elemental stumbles with a roar. Instead of being shattered into pieces, the stony brute curls itself up and hides his head into his body. The second earth elemental is hard to finish. Carolyn always misses the target with her Polyvoltarus (Lightning Rain) spell and the elemental, realizing that its weakness is known, covers its eye with its left hand and keep clobbering with the right one. And this makes the other hunters can’t shoot at the target too.
At this time of crisis, a brave soul comes forth. It’s Desmond, and despite of his bulky body, he climbs on the stone-golem-like elemental to its head. The elemental can hardly feel something crawling on its body of solid stone, but it keeps moving and swinging to shake off anything crawling on its body. Desmond works hard to maintain his grip, and after a slip and a bump, he finally manages to reach its head. Kneeling on the constantly moving monster, Desmond takes out his great maul from his back, and immediately swings it with all his might on the eye. The eye is shattered, emitting red sparks too and like its ‘room mate’, the earth elemental stumbles and curls itself into a huge, square boulder. Desmond rolls over to avoid being plummeted by the giant boulder. Kyflynn walks towards his partner Desmond and pats his back, and Desmond replies with a smile. But his smile would be fuller if Agustina also comes to him and gives her support.
Agustina just stands far from her partners and observe her surroundings. The door is still closed. Something catches her sight, and she just walks to a corner without telling the others first. Then she steps on a very large tile which seems different than other tiles around it. It has a rune carved on it. The tile doesn’t move at all, but Agustina immediately comes out with a conclusion. Then she talks softly to Hernan, the nearest to her, ‘There’s a switch here. Maybe it will open the door.’
‘Really?’ says Hernan. ‘Let’s try pressing it then.’
‘It won’t come down. I’ve tried it,’ says Agustina.
‘Ah, pity. Of course your pretty legs won’t be enough to press it,’ says Hernan playfully. Agustina immediately turns her head and leaves him in disgust.
‘Hey, you, big guy,’ Hernan turns to Desmond, and then to some other hunters, ‘and all gentlemen in this room, will you please help me? My frosty girl here found a big switch, a large rune-carved tile, and maybe if we all step on it, it will come down and open the door to the exit. And please, stop fighting or we will be short of manpower and we’ll all die.’
Agustina grunts again in disgust. Frosty girl, he said? I’ll make a frosty snowman of him anytime! Who does he think he is?
Suddenly a hunter yells, ‘Oy, mates! I think there’s a switch here too!’
‘Good,’ says Hernan, in a bossy tone. ‘Then we must split into two groups and step on them at the same time. Oh yeah, check if any other switches are around.’
‘Wait, Mr. Hernan – I presume?’ says Sheena, raising her hand and coming forward. Baxter and Ellephar are eyeing Kyflynn, Agustina and Desmond vengefully, but they don’t dare to attack them frontally because they are no match for the hunters who stole their prize, The Mythril Greaves.
‘Yes, my dear? What’s in your mind?’ says Hernan.
‘If we all step on the switches, if the door opens then who will go into the next room? I mean, we have to keep pressing the switches to keep the door open, right?’
‘Ah, yes. You got a point there.’
‘Now, let’s see. There are two boulders here. They are here for a reason, right? Let’s just move the boulders to the top of the switches. Their weights will surely be sufficient to press the switches fully. That’ll give us time to get into the next room before the boulders transform into earth elementals again. I mean, you see the runes on the switches? I think they’ll recharge the boulders with magical energy, and you’ll know what will happen next.’
As Sheena finishes her explanation, she hears someone clapping hands at a corner. It’s Kyflynn saying, ‘Bravo! What a thorough analysis. I know I was right about you. If you gave up being a pirate, you would make for an admiral!’
‘Well, thank you, Mr. Kyflynn,’ says Sheena. ‘Too bad I can’t say the same about you, though. By the way, you and I have a score to settle, and we’ll settle that once and for all after we get out from these traps.’
Kyflynn just snorts with a malevolent smile. He just answers lightly, ‘Yeah, why not?’
Just then Hernan is busy giving further instructions.
‘… And you mages use your levitating spell on the boulders to make them push easier! Okay! On your places, now!’
The hunters are split into two groups. As each group is now gathering near each boulder, Hernan who acts as supervisor yells again, ‘Ready! Get set! PUSH!’
The hunters begin pushing the boulders together. The light side and the dark side, side by side. Thanks to Desmond and Hernan’s initiative, making them all cooperate for their own survival. Even the dumb, brutal Cyclops also gives a big help for his group.
‘Amplifor Eleviant!’ Carolyn, Agustina, Iris and other mages cast Levitation Spell on both boulders. Their combined, amplified spell can only lift and move the boulders a bit from the ground, but it makes the pushers’ work considerably lighter. Then, slowly but surely, the first group led by Desmond reaches the switch first.
The second group led by Sheena apparently takes a longer, trickier route than the first group. Hernan the supervisor sees this and yells, ‘First group! Hold it! Don’t push it into the switch yet! Help the second group push theirs until they’re one step away from the switch! Then go back and push the switches in unison!’
Greatly fatigued, the first group stops levitating and pushing. They immediately go towards the second group and give their assistance, with Baxter, Ellephar and several more hunters yelling continuously, ‘Heave, ho!’
Meanwhile, Andreas, now assisted by Chiel the Micha has completed his Great Heal magical process on Robert and Robert comes into consciousness again. Robert tries to get up, but he is still too weak and his sight is blurry, and he falls on the floor. The first person that comes into Robert’s sight is Andreas.
Robert tries to talk, ‘Unnnh… father… thank…’
Chiel lets out a ‘Chi, chi!’ happily and rubs itself against Robert’s cheek, while Andreas answers Robert calmly, ‘Hush, now. You have to gather your strength first. We must get out from this room when Hernan gives the signal.’
Robert is about to talk again when he hears footsteps from the rune room. He notices one of them, and then he frowns and talks very feebly, ‘Orc… must… destroy…’
‘Calm down, Robert! You must gather your strength! We can deal with him later! Don’t let your personal vendetta destroy you instead!’
Robert raises his shaky hand, and presses his lips on his mother’s ring on his left little finger – his habit that gives him a psychological effect that prevents him to rush into orcs head-on and keeps his head cool. He thinks again about his mother, father, sister…
And Robert is right. There is an orc among the next group, and also a blonde, long-haired knight wearing full plate armor and wielding a great Flamberge sword.
Hernan recognizes the knight and bows to him, saying, ‘Viscount Adler von Bachmann. How glad I am to have you among us. I’m Don Hernan y Parvaez Besso Trinidad, loyal aide for our King Jaime of Escudia, at your service.’
‘And I to you, Don Hernan. You see, we passed the wind tunnels and came here quickly, thanks to the directions from a peasant sorceress called Genilda and a red-haired, silly-looking man whom I thought I saw somewhere before. So what do we have here?’ says Adler in a commanding tone.
‘We’re trying to move the boulders here to activate the switches which will open the door to the exit. We can use some more help, though,’ says Hernan. Then, seeing the slightly wounded orc, he says, ‘Who is this orc? He seems abnormally strong.’
Adler glances at the orc quickly without turning his head to the orc, then answers, ‘Don’t you ever heard of him? He is Dar’gum the Relentless, warchief of The Iron Mount Tribe in Gremion, champion of the orcs. I fought him in the Wind Tunnels, and now his lowly life is in my mercy.’
Hernan only stares at Adler observantly, thinking. This man is not only proud and arrogant. He likes to subdue and control others, even a chieftain or a king! The King of Borgia, for instance, is within his influence. I must be extra careful with him. No wonder he has no friends!
Bragl Dar’gum The Relentless has a big, muscly, massive body like Desmond’s. His skin is green just like orcs’ in general, with his boar-like face and straight large tusks protruding from his lower mouth. He has a Mohawk-styled auburn hair, that is rather odd for orcs in general, but it suits him real perfectly, adding to his real tough look. But judging by the expression on his face, instead of being brutal and ‘relentless’, his face somewhat shows wisdom and tenacity. In spite of all his massive appearance, he seems to have received a sound beating. With a swollen eye, and newly made blade wounds all over his body that proves that Adler really kicked his butt. He is wielding a giant double-blade axe with a spear between the axe blades on his back. This impressive weapon is named il Khâtl J’nadh in Ancient Elvish, meaning J’nadh’s Decapitator. The axe once used by a great orcish warchief, Bragl J’nadh to conquer half of Barc’vadon and establish the orcish realm of Gremion 200 years ago. But later, Bragl J’nadh was decapitated in his sleep by his offspring, Bragl Uvak’ghul. What an ironic end for a king, to die by his own weapon and his own son!
Then, turning to Dar’gum, Adler ‘commands’ again, ‘Dar’gum! Rally your comrades and get them ready to push the boulder over there on my mark! That includes you too, elf guides!’
Dar’gum only answers with a grunt and walks towards the boulder with his fellow orcs and other hunters in Adler’s contingent. While the supposedly ‘real’ real leaders of the group, the noble-looking elf guide and the female dark elf guide follow grudgingly behind Dar’gum.
‘HALT!’ Hernan signals Sheena’s team to stop pushing. Now both boulders are exactly near the switches with runes. Ideas of timing and ‘organized power management’ keep running in Hernan’s mind. Okay, now the next step.
‘Desmond, take half of your team to push the first boulder.’ And when about equal number of men on each team is on its position, Hernan yells again, ‘Levitate… and PUSH!’
The hunters push the boulders and drive them until they perfectly fit on the rune switch. Then the magicians release their levitation tractor beams, and the boulders drop at once with a thundering crash, pushing the switch to the bottom. And then a rumbling sound comes, and the stone door to the exit is slowly lifted up.
And then Hernan sees threads of light begin to crawl on the boulders like glowing worms, from the bottom to the top. He reacts upon that sight.
‘Pirate girl’s right! The elementals are RECHARGING! To the exit, quick!’
Robert, supported by Andreas, Carolyn and Iris walks into the next room, followed by other hunters and champions. They all go hastily, jostling against each other at the doorway. Then the recharging process of the boulders is complete, now the threads of light are glowing all over the boulders. The boulders begin to transform into earth elementals again, and as their transformations are complete, the giant brutes immediately get up and walk away from the switches. The giant stone door comes crashing down, crushing two poor hunters like scorpions trampled by a behemoth. And some unlucky chaps are trapped inside the previous room to battle the two elementals once again, with a much lessened chance of success. The hunters’ screams of death, whether crushed by the stone doors or the re-generated earth elementals fill the air.
‘Poor souls, they are,’ says Carolyn, seeing the dismal sight behind her.
‘Better worry about what’s ahead now. Look,’ says Iris, ‘More boulder troubles ahead!’
Carolyn looks ahead of her and shrieks, ‘Eek! I don’t wanna join them!!!’
Indeed, most of the hunters successfully went through the door, but in this room they are not safe yet, not safe at all. The room is somewhat longer than the previous one, with sturdy stone bridges and slopes in it. It looks like a harder work is just ahead. And adding to their horrors, the room is guarded by not two, but three earth elementals: as big as their two previous comrades, and as brutal.
No need commanding the hunters to use their ranged attacks on the earth elementals again. This time Iris shoots three times before she hits bull’s eye (in this case, an earth elemental’s eye). Looks like this time the elementals are much tougher to shut down. It takes about three straight shots at each eye to drain their energy.
Robert’s strength is nearly completely restored now, and he is determined to help. ‘I must shoot them! I can’t risk people getting clobbered by them like I was.’
But no matter how many times Robert tries to use his Bull’s Eye shots agains the one-eyed brutes, more people do get clobbered by their rampages.
On the other hand, Andreas and two other healers are busy dragging the victims to a corner and apply Vitali and Viavitali spells on them. Whenever a victim is dying and beyond help, Andreas makes The Holy Ankh, The Mark of Vadis in front of him and prays for his soul.
‘Vare jokul’me tyral!’ Agustina casts a Frost Arrows spell that targets an earth elemental when it tries to block another shot from Baxter from another direction, and two of those magic arrows hit straight into its eye. The earth elemental is not shut down yet, but having diminished his strength the elemental clobbers here and there desperately on a final rampage. One of its blows comes directly towards Desmond. With his Megaton Impact blow, Desmond displies his tremendous prowess by hitting the stone fist directly with his great maul. Amazingly, not one of them is pushed back by the impact of that single blow. The elemental’s right fist and the maul just stay there against each other, unmoving.
The earth elemental immediately delivers another blow with its left hand, but Kyflynn’s Soul Splitting Drill into its eye stops it midway. Sparks emit from its eye, and it changes into its shutdown state – in boulder form.
The rest two elementals are finally subdued by the hunters, whose efforts and drive for survival equal the champions in every way.
‘Ah, so many victims this time too,’ says Hernan with a sigh. ‘And look! There’s an orc down.’
Everyone sees Dar’gum with his dead orc companion on his lap.
‘Lokh’tar. Gush’tar. Kraal jughn nu il shlo drakhl’
(My friend. My brother. May death brings you a new beginning). Those are Dar’gum’s parting words in ancient orcish, showing his care and honor upon his brethren. There are words in ancient orcish that are used also in ancient elvish, so the elves can somehow understand Dar’gum’s words, and put their hands on their chests with respect. A minotaur shaman offers to cremate the victims, including the dead orc. Dar’gum agrees. And then the shaman performs a quick fiery disintegration spell on a pile of dead hunters including Dargum’s orc friend.
Feeling that the hunters have had enough rest, Hernan speaks up, ‘Thanks, Akmal of Talag’dhega for cremating the fallen. Now we must move the boulders again. Now split into three groups. Robert will lead group one, Sheena, group two, and Kyflynn, group three. And as usual, Lord Adler, please do whatever you will to help them or anything else.’
Adler responds to this butt-licking request with a slight nod, and he readies his Ulcergash for any necessary action. Had the words came from a commoner, Adler would attack him on the spot. It’s he who should be in command, not another, he thinks.
Meanwhile, thanks to the levitators, although their number has been decimated by the deaths and those who were left behind, the hunters only need to steer and push the boulders – it’s still an easier job than to push the boulders outright. But having to maintain contact and concentration is proven to be very, very exhausting for the levitators. Suddenly, a spell thread is broken. Sheena’s group, with weaker and fewer levitators than other two groups only depends on Iris to maintain control of the boulder. Now that the contact from Iris is broken, the boulder shifts out of control, and stumbles over the bridge where it was being pushed. A hunter gets knocked over by the boulder, falls on the ground floor below, and the boulder falls on him.
‘GYAAAAH!!!!’ It’s too late. It all happened so quickly. Iris is thunderstruck, and falls on her knees. Tears begin to roll from her eyes.
‘Oh, no… it’s… it’s my fault… I was… too tired…,’ says Iris in a broken tone.
‘Stop! Stop at once!’ says Hernan as soon as he sees that incident. The hunters stop pushing at once. Then Hernan and Carolyn move towards Iris and try to cheer Iris up.
‘Actually it’s my fault,’ says Hernan. ‘It was not wise to split you up into three groups like this. I should’ve made a more creative plan, so this wouldn’t have to happen. So, I’ll let Lord Adler supervise from now on.’
‘Oh, no, Don Hernan, please don’t,’ Carolyn interrupts. ‘We’d rather let you supervise than that big-headed baron moron.’
‘It’s viscount, my dear.’
‘Whatever. We are too exhausted, and we can’t expect anybody to give a better advice than this one. Even if “the miracle thinker” Rael’charon is here now, I doubt he can generate better ideas.’
‘Yes… please lead us,’ says Iris.
‘Thank you. And you,’ Hernan turns to Iris, ‘Cheer up and get a rest. Success and failure are in our hands.’
Hernan then turns towards the hunters and yells, ‘People! Let’s get this moving! Now that was my fault, so if anybody wants revenge for that poor soul you can settle it with me now! If not, please excuse me because I need to help pushing this boulder!’ He points at the fallen over boulder and moves towards it. Almost at once, Robert walks weakly towards the boulder, followed by his party members and all other champions including Dar’gum, except Adler. And for the first time in his life Robert seems doesn’t mind being side-by-side with an orc. The pushes and levitations resume, and now the hunters can steer the boulders more easily because the three groups merge into two groups and move the boulders two by two. After about two hours of trial-and-errors, finally the three boulders are set near the floor switches.
With Hernan’s signal, the two groups split again into three groups, and another signal from Hernan begins the ‘levitate-push-and-run’ action, and Iris rejoins her team with a lessened burden in her mind. When the hunters are sure enough that the boulders are in perfect positions, the levitators slowly lower them before finally release them. Thank goodness, no blunder occurs again this time. But now the hunters immediately rush to the exit with the stone door opening. Again some get knocked over, and one even falls and gets trampled by others, what a horrible sight. But the trampled hunter’s life is saved by – unexpectedly – Dar’gum the Relentless. He acted exactly the opposite of his nickname, so it’s probably more suitable to name him Dar’gum the Relent.
I can’t believe this Dar’gum, Robert thinks. But better hurry! The door is closing now!
Robert tries to push forward while Kyflynn behind him does some somersaults and acrobatic moves and leaps with a tremendous speed over people’s heads. Robert, on the other hand, finally makes his way through the door, and so do the other champions. Like the first rushed entry, some unlucky hunters also get trapped shut in the previous room, followed by their screams of despair, knowing that they are surely doomed.
Before the other hunters in the fourth stone room can take a breath, they immediately come into a horrifying sight: Five rock golems, slightly smaller than the boulder-earth elementals, each in different sizes and shapes. They have one thing in common: one red-glowing eye on each head. Two of them have a shape like three balls joined together with a huge morning star each as foot. Another two have a shape like a standing huge missile. And the last, the largest one is the most human-like than others, with hose-like arms and legs. Then the five elementals attack in unison, spreading to all directions.
A hunter gets crushed by a morning star golem, and then a missile golem rams into a group of hunters, knocking them apart. Kyflynn moves like a wind to avoid their attacks.
They are tough, but they’re slow. I’ll attack their eyes when they’re attacking!
Kyflynn deliberately stands on a spot to evoke an attack from a missile golem. The missile launches like a rocket and rams towards Kyflynn. As the missile comes close, Kyflynn quickly does his Backspin Cartwheel Thrust combined with Backstab, stabbing right into the missile’s eye. Kyflynn’s combined and amplified attack strength is enough to make the missile stops in mid-air and falls on the ground, not able to move. Its power generator has been deactivated. That takes care of this rocketeer! Kyflynn lands with his trademark smile on his face.
On the other side, Iris and Andreas are engaging a morning star golem, Robert and Carolyn the other morning star golem, Desmond and Agustina the other missile elemental. Hernan, Dar’gum and Adler fight the main body rock golem. The other hunters prove to be a great help for the champions. Two of the five golems are shut down by brave – but not famous – hunters. A huntress even sacrifices her life by leaping straight to the main body golem and stabs its eye with all her might. But alas! She is grabbed and crushed by the golem’s hand. Hernan uses all his might go release her from that hand, and Dar’gum also tries to sever the hand apart to release her, but it’s too late. Her bones are all crushed into her ribs, like a squished bug.
The main body golem roars as the main power generator in its eye is drained and shut down. But it doesn’t go immobile like the other golems. Instead, it stretches out its hands, pulling the other four golems towards it like a magnet. The two still-operational elementals are the quickest to reach the main body. One of the morning star golems attaches itself on the main body’s right arm, and the main body’s left leg attaches itself into one of the missile golem like wearing a boot. Soon the two other golems also get attached on the main body. The main body roars again now the five golems merge together into one giant rock golem, and a stump comes out on top of the main body. Apparently the stump functions as the head, an eye appears on it and it blares red, signifying that the secondary power generator has been activated.
Without speaking the mantra, a sorcerer casts Erosion on the golem. It seems the giant rock golem is not affected at all by the rock-scraping water blast. ‘Bhgrrrr!’ the giant golem lets out a roar that sounds like it’s been tickled. Angry because of that ‘nuisance’, the giant clobbers the sorcerer with its morning star on a chain that shoots out from its hand. But the morning star only eats dust and hits the ground. The glow of the eye on its head is gone, and the eye on its attacking hand is glowing instead. The golem retracts its chained morning star back into its hand, and when it’s settled, the light on its hand turns off and the eye on its head is glowing red again.
Nobody notices that, because they are all now too busy looking at Kyflynn or anticipating the next attack from the giant golem. Kyflynn is half-kneeling, carrying the careless sorcerer to safety. A cloud of dust gathers on his feet as he brakes to a halt.
‘Th… tha…’ The sorcerer is obviously too traumatized to talk, and Kyflynn cuts in with a quick, short sentence, ‘Know your enemy.’
Hernan is zapped on hearing Kyflynn’s remark. His mind works fast. He’s right! We need to observe how the enemy attacks and its weak point and make a strategy before we strike. This thing’s completely different than the boulder blokes!
Then suddenly, the giant brute makes a stance to gather its strength. Two lights glow on its legs and then fire bursts from its feet. The giant golem is lifted from the ground, and then when it is high enough from the ground, it begins to bend its body, and it flies! It is ramming fast towards a large group of hunters to kill all of them in one blow with its built-in morning stars!.
Hernan and all other hunters are shocked and panicked by so powerful an attack. All try to avoid it by running away with only seconds to spare between life and death. KA-BLAMMM! The giant golem slams the floor, knocking several hunters away from its attack line and crushing two hunters on the floor to death with its morning stars.
Sheena, Adler, Robert, Agustina and Carolyn successfully avoid the finishing blow by placing themselves far enough from the ramming line, but that single attack does some damage to Kyflynn – the wave of its passage sent Kyflynn flying into a wall. He pukes blue blood because of the impact. Dar’gum’s shoulder is bleeding, an additional wound to the wounds he got from Adler. Andreas and Desmond are hit by the debris of the rammed floor, and gets nothing but lots of pain and sore. Looks like the golem’s Super Rocket Ram attack has never been used before, because not many have infiltrated the secret sanctum chambers since it was renovated to seal the Kraal’shazar within.
Hernan holds his injured hand, which was grazed by the great morning star as he moves back to a safer place. The excruciating pain forces him to think faster. Damn! This monstrosity messed my arm - and my hair too! The blast from those feet is too powerful! And the morning stars…. Hey, wait a minute!
Hernan pats his forehead. Why didn’t I notice before? Before it attacks, a red light comes from the part it wants to use either its hands or its feet. The light turns on as the main generator supplies more energy to the attacking parts. And to defend itself, it only needs to cover its main eye with its hand. We must attack the lights to drain its energy, wherever they may glow! I might be wrong about this, but at least it’s worth a try. Here goes nothing!
With his mind made up, Hernan moves forward and yells to his comrades, ‘Spread out! Spread out! Encircle it! Listen to me! Whenever it attacks, lights glow on the parts it uses, so any of you nearest to that spot, attack it! Drain it! Shut it down!’
Roused by this solution, Robert also shouts to encourage others. ‘Yes! It’s worth a try! Come on! May Vadis guide us to pass His test!’
All the champions and hunters quickly take their positions around the giant golem. The golem begins to get confused. Hernan then shouts again, ‘Now, all, run around it! Follow my direction! NOW!!!!’
All hunters run around the golem at once, following Hernan’s lead. The artificial-minded giant golem becomes more and more confused with its ever-moving opponents around it, making it difficult to determine its targets. But some of the hunters who are neither quick nor smart enough to run in the same direction as Hernan and the rest collide with other hunters, stumble and fall. Seeing that, the giant golem immediately seizes this opportunity by attacking towards a fallen – but not dead – werecat hunter.
A light glows on its left arm to launch the chained morning star. Robert who is nearest with the light doesn’t have to think twice to attack the light with two hunters. Knowing that one of the attacking hunters is in front of him, Robert grunts. Idiots! I can’t use long range attacks with them attacking first! He leaps, and after one of the hunters delivers a successful blow on the target, Robert hits it wantonly with his Ten Point Chain Slash. The giant golem roars in pain and attacks Robert with another morning star. It misses Robert because Robert has already landed on the floor, but the light on its right hand becomes the target of Sheena’s attack, with a perfectly performed Wings of the Phoenix move through her double scimitars even Adler the Master of a Thousand Swords will envy. The giant golem roars in pain, having its energy drained by these two attacks. The already launched morning star missed the werecat by inches, only its wave threw the poor werecat away. And now the golem swings the morning star around it to wipe out all its opponents, claiming more and more casualties. The morning star blow comes towards Desmond from his back, but it comes so slowly that gives Desmond time to be alert and he casts An Behmar Letva, the Stone Skin to harden his skin, to protect him against physical attacks, weapons and impacts. He turns around.
‘HEEEEYAAAAH!’ With a great courage to match his great strength, Desmond hits the morning star with his great maul, reinforced with his Megaton Impact skill. But this time, the morning star is too powerful. It breaks Desmond’s great maul in pieces. Instead of being upset, Desmond smiles. He successfully reduces the impact strength of the morning star and immediately catches it with all his might. The floor cracks and small chunks of stone fly everywhere as Desmond tries to hold his ground and divert the impact to the floor. And now he’s holding the great morning star with his two hands. His stretched muscles makes his body looks bigger than ever, and with his gritted teeth, he tries to prevent the giant golem to swing the morning star farther or even retract it. But suddenly his burden is tremendously lessened; at least the strain from the giant golem is gone. Desmond looks at his side, and he sees Dar’gum with his great axe il Khatl J’nadh has already cut the big chain that connects the morning star and the hand. And the floor beneath it is cracked in a line, signifying that Dar’gum used his Landsplitter Quake skill to cut that overlarge, massive chain. Desmond puts the morning star on the floor and raises a thumb at Dar’gum to express his amazement of Dar’gum’s prowess. Dar’gum answers Desmond’s gesture by a nod, with a thought in his head.
That guy is my perfect rival. His strength and skills are similar to my own. I have a feeling one day I will fight him. And we will fight to find out who’s the best between us. I’m looking forward to it, big guy. Lokh’tar, ma naguwa nu. (My friend, I’ll wait for you).
Meanwhile, deprived of one of its weapons, the giant golem now roars more loudly than ever. It attacks Dar’gum and Desmond by blasting fire from its foot towards them. But the attack is too slow and the fire burst is now much lessened as its power is much drained that it gives Desmond, Dar’gum and other hunters around them to avoid it completely. Frustrated with the failed attack, it seems as though it is desperate and crazy now. And then it decides to deliver a final blow to destroy itself and all its adversaries: The Giga Rocket Ram. It accumulates all its remaining power on both legs, the lights are glowing brighter and brighter, it’s dazzling.
It doesn’t take much for Hernan to realize that this will be its final blow, and Hernan instantly slashes one leg with his Albatross Rapier and his trademark finishing blow, Requiem of the Tides, shouting, ‘ATTACK! ATTACK ITS LEGS! IT’LL DESTROY US ALL!’ Robert also shoots his Fire Slash two times to another leg. Robert and Hernan’s finishing attacks drain more energy from the giant golem, but they are not enough to stop it. The fire jet blast from its legs is still powerful enough to levitate it from the ground. ‘An Jokul’me Fyasch!’ ‘Magnavoltari!’ ‘Eshmyriad!’ Agustina, Carolyn and Iris immediately attack the legs, casting Blizzard, Thunderstorm and Hurricane together. Other spell casters also cast their own most powerful, most focused spells on the giant golem’s legs. But no matter how powerful the combined spells are, the golem can still settle itself near the ceiling, and turns its body again to deliver the drop of death to all below it. This time, it will use its head as a battering ram. Chiel, the only creature who have wings in this dome is so terrified at the sight of it although it is relatively safe above. All will be lost if the hunters fail to stop the giant golem.
The golem dives! Many of the spell casters release their spells and run to the walls although the ramming will kill them anyway. But all of a sudden, the golem stops in mid-air. The jet of fire stops bursting from its feet and all the lights on it stops glowing. It seems that the golem has used up the last drop of its energy and the ramming power is halved. The golem still falls anyway, crushing a few unlucky hunters including the werecat it intended to attack earlier. The werecat obviously doesn’t have nine lives at all, or he has already used up his eight lives – we never know. But the others are basically unharmed, and some only get minor injuries. Then the golem lies there still, unmoving. It obviously made a mistake not to recharge its energy while it was still operational or it didn’t have a chance to do it because of so many tough opponents.
‘So that’s the end of the earth guardian. It has done its work well, now it earns its rest, waiting to be rebuilt again,’ says Lavennia Iris with a mixed feeling of relief and pity.
Suddenly two parts of the wall open. They apparently are the hidden doors that lead to the next and the previous chambers. Now the hunters are really too exhausted to go on, and they don’t have any other choice but to rest. Even Hernan is now treated with the Viavitali spell from Andreas because of the injuries and burns he suffered from the giant golem. The somewhat tireless elf guides are still up and ready to go, so Orlevant, Adler’s guide makes a suggestion.
‘Fellow elves, why don’t we check out the next room first? And then we’ll report it to the others? I bet it’ll be another rune room, and our job here is to decipher the meaning of the runes.’
Iris says, ‘Good idea. Let us go then.’
Iris, Orlevant, and other elves walk at once into the next room. The dark elf guides also walk with them. So far the elves and the dark elves, the hunters and champions of light and dark have forgotten about their hatred and rivalry with each other, but for how long?
Strife in the Ice
Iris, Kyflynn and other elves now arrive in a completely different room than before. Now the wall, the floor and the ceiling of this room are made of ice. The atmosphere in this room is chilling all over, as though they are now in the northern end icelands or inner Val’shka. only thing that is not ice in this room is a stone epitaph, with the same shape and size with the ones in the chambers of nature, wind and earth. There are four beautifully carved ice statues of the Goddess of the Sun and Earth Enia around it, so perfectly made as though the statues are alive except that they are transparent.
‘Let me try and decipher it,’ says Orlevant the elf guide, volunteering. ‘Hmm, what does it say?’ After examining it for a while, Orlevant reads the riddle aloud to his fellow elves.
Sun Mother keeps honesty in heart
Though not always so in others’ eyes
Be always cautious and observant
To see what lies behind lies.
Iris says, ‘Right. I’ll leave it to you to decipher the meaning while I’ll tell my friends in the Earth Chamber.’
Orlevant looks at Iris from the edge of his eye. ‘Since when did you get very friendly with humans, Iris?’
‘I’m not sure, commander,’ says Iris. ‘Since I know Carolyn, I guess. She’s been a great friend like a sister to me, although we quarrel a lot.’
‘Carolyn, the half-elf? For whom our queen gave her name? How many times did I tell you, Iris? Stay away from that mortal! If you befriend her, all you’re going to get is misery! Either she’ll betray you or she’ll die first!’
‘With all due respect, commander, we elves are also capable to lie, to betray and to get killed although our lifespan is tenfold than theirs. And one more thing, it’s better to be left for death than be hated for eternity!’
Orlevant falls silent, thinking, I think she gets a point. I’ve witnessed so many cases of betrayal by elves in our everyday life. Although we don’t have much to quarrel about, but it’s mainly about idealism and rivalry. I hate to admit it, but I hate that human Adler for being in charge of our group, not me. But I must keep my grudges to myself. Because he subdued Dar’gum and everybody respects him for that.
To save his own face, Orlevant turns away from Iris and walks back towards the Earth Chamber where the hunters are resting. The badly hurt Hernan and Kyflynn are still under the treatment of the Viavitali spell. And it seems that no one has taken any initiative to lead the whole group. Robert, Sheena and Dar’gum are more concerned about the mission itself, they obviously are not interested to lead, although they sometimes came with useful solutions. Robert’s friends, Carolyn and Andreas are more concerned about Chris who is nowhere in sight, fearing that something bad might befall him because of his carelessness. Desmond and Agustina help treating Kyflynn, assisted with Akmal the minotaur shaman. Baxter and Ellephar are the most relaxed, they’re enjoying their rations with Sheena Mekh’ta.
Seeing this, Orlevant thinks, now it’s my chance. And he immediately shouts, ‘We have deciphered the rune and the riddle, so now it’s time to press forward! We go now!’
‘Just wait a minute, will you? Let them rest first. The Deathblade can wait.’
Orlevant turns to see the speaker. It’s Adler.
The elf high commander is enraged and scolds Adler. ‘Are you trying to override my authority again, Lord Adler? Me, whose title is higher among elves than you among men? I’m the host here, for Enia’s sake! And we are here to guide you! Not the other way around!’
Adler answers with a sinister smile on his face. ‘But you said you and your fellow elves only know the way INTO the sanctum and understand the runes, and not how to solve the puzzles, the right way through the mazes, and how to defeat the monsters! Or maybe you know, but you wouldn’t tell us! What are you playing at, eh? Are you trying to get us all killed, so the heir gets killed too in the process? Or it’s simply reducing our number to increase the probability of finding the heir?’
Some hunters are influenced by Adler’s words, and stare at Orlevant in distrust. A dwarf hunter raises his war-hammer and responds, ‘Aye! By Joldin, they are traitors! Let’s get rid of them before they get rid of us!’
A hobgoblin berserker also shouts, ‘Yaa! Yethink ye can lead us ‘cause you’re superior than us, mon?’
Daiel Orlevant the elf lieutenant-general and commander of the elven elite army is now very angry with those absurd words, readies his sword and shouts aloud.
‘SILENCE! I can’t accept that statement that we are traitors, because we are not! And the so-called “evil plot” has gained on us too! Two elves and one night elf have fallen so far. If we did make a plot, at least we won’t harm our own brethren! Don’t listen to him! Be reasonable, for Enia’s sake!’
Iris also speaks up in defense of her fellow elves, ‘Yes! In fact, it is HIM we should worry about!’ She points at Adler. ‘Look, he uses two-hand swords and fights best with them. He comes here for the sword, he’s a collector! No wonder if Vordac will choose him as his heir!’
‘That’s ABSURD!’ says Adler, stomping on the floor so hard with his iron-plated armored boots. He has lost his temper at last.
‘That is yet another proof of the elves’ schemes! The heir can be anyone, either me or each and every one of you! And my intentions are as clear as you are, protecting the sword from the heir and these maggots!’ He points at Dar’gum, his fellow orcs, and a group of dark hunters nearby and they stare back at Adler with great loathing. And someone scolds Adler with a very loud voice.
‘Human! We sons of Adair have also sworn to protect Kraal’shazar just like you are! We’re here to make sure none of you claims the sword and unseals that blood traitor Vordac’s spirit!’ That speaker is Dar’gum.
Sheena also cuts in, ‘Yes! He’s right! We’ll take whatever treasure that lies there but we won’t let anybody including ourselves touching the sword! I swear it by a pirate’s honor!’
Orlevant snaps, ‘Pirates and bandits have no honor! They’re just degraded creatures like orcs, goblins and monsters!’
Sheena, Baxter and Ellephar don’t wait until Adler finishes talking. They draw their weapons and point them towards the elves, as the response of their insult. Not only them, but also Adler, Dar’gum, the orcs and all other hunters draw their weapons and point them at each other. A chaos is about to erupt – again. Only Robert, Carolyn, Andreas, and a few others seem to move away from the scene.
‘My oh my. What have we here?’ A voice comes from another room. A male voice, obviously loud and powerful enough to penetrate the thick stone door. Then the stone door from the previous stone chamber opens. Some hunters from there go through the door in hurry, but they all give a way for three men. The three men enter the great earth chamber like generals returning from a war triumphantly.
The first man is a rough but tough-looking knight. He is bald with no eyebrows. The only hair that grows on him is only his brown beard. He is fifty-three years old, and scars of experience scattering all over his face and head shows that he has partaken in many battles, and he never wear any helm. Spikes and horns are all over his shoulder pad, making him look absolutely impressive – or just like a walking-talking cactus. He talks again, ‘What a shame. I thought I’d met more mature people here. But apparently your differences are very much the most important matter to you, so you’re willing to die for it.’
Orlevant is really irritated by the bald man’s comment and scolds him, ‘Well, your words are as heavy as your hammer, Lord Paliades.’
The bald man doesn’t protest Orlevant for shouting his name aloud. He raises his great hammer, Terra Nakroβ – Earth Divider, bigger and more menacing than Desmond’s broken maul with spikes on every side.
Paliades answers, ‘It’s partly true, noble elf. I seldom waste my breath for useless, meaningless comments and let my hammer does the talking – to my enemies.’ Then he swings his overlarge hammer threateningly with only one hand, and continues. ‘Pity that the elves don’t know much about anything in here, because my great-grandfather Nikanomikos Theripides and his team of scientists and constructors from Parthenia built it. The elves only planted their epitaphs here in protest, because the Parthenians didn’t wish to leave any clue at all about how to pass these chambers and the guardians within. The elves knew very little about these rooms, so the epitaphs are not very helpful. My grandfather has handed down the entire information to me, an Assis descendant. So it means I’m the only one who knows this place the most. Follow me, and you’ll be safe.’
‘Yes, he has helped us greatly with his precise instructions. Follow Lord Paliades, and you’ll be safe!’ The second man talks in support for Paliades. He is a short, skinny old man. Chunks of his hair are missing, leaving only bald patches and some white strands of hair on his head. From the look on his face, we may presume that he is a sly, deceitful old man, and all he does or thinks are always for his own gain. This man is obviously not a fighter type. His crooked figure is entirely covered with a very long, hooded robe, from head to foot, with a pointy wizard’s hat to cover his bald head.
Orlevant responds to this man scornfully, ‘Well well, isn’t this mister Eidos Crydias, the legendary scientist and chronomage from Parthenia? If so, naturally you do agree with him, because you’re working for him, right? So let’s get this straight. I’ll ask all the champions present here, recipients of the red envelope. Whom do you choose as leader? Lord Adler, me, or this Lord Paliades who claims to be a know-it-all?’
Dar’gum speaks up first. ‘I choose Paliades. At least he didn’t humiliate us or trying to subdue our kind.’
‘I personally choose Kyflynn,’ says Sheena. Everybody stares at her. The fact that the dark side champion, Sheena chooses someone from the light side is surprising for them. ‘That’s because Kyflynn’s decisions has been quick and accurate. I think we’ll better off with Kyflynn than others.’
Orlevant doesn’t want to show his disapproval by turning towards the other champions for support. ‘So, whom do you choose, Robert?’
Robert answers indifferently, ‘I don’t care who our leader is, and I don’t want to be one either. If anybody has any solution to pass these chambers safely, just speak up and we’ll follow. I speak on behalf of my friends here.’
Robert’s answer is greeted approvingly by the rest of his party. And Kyflynn speaks up,
‘I agree with Robert. I say let’s not fight against each other until we see the sword. After that, we can decide who’s our friend or enemy. We need as many help as we can.’
‘Good thinking, Kyflynn. I think Paliades will be an essential help for us,’ says Hernan. ‘For the moment. Let’s just try it first. If his information is as good as he said it is, Thank Vadis. But if he deceives us, anybody may attack him anywhere, anytime.’
Orlevant grunts. He knows he has lost the vote utterly. And Adler, knowing that he also gets no sympathy at all, tries to gain support by asking the third man who came with Paliades and Eidos, standing silently and low-profile at the back, wearing a cloak and a simple traveling suit. Orlevant asks that man,
‘And what do you think, Your Highness, Prince Alexis of Arcadia?’
Alexis!
Robert is shocked. Alexis is here! He is here! Ah, gather yourself, Robert. Just consider him forgiven, not forgotten. Your sword skills are no match for him, so don’t seek revenge, for Lord Walhorn’s memory.
Robert kisses his ring just to keep himself focus. Orcs are here. And now Alexis is here too. But no, better meet Alexis in the battlefield to settle the score – if he ever attacks Lore again!
The third man lowers his cloak to reveal his face. It’s Alexis, all right. Alexis Deveraux, the Red Prince of Arcadia. His appearance is quite different than the Alexis who attacked Lore several years ago. Now he seems a bit older, but still not losing his aura of intelligence and authority that befits a crown prince.
He becomes more handsome than ever. His long, flaming red hair is tied, giving him an impression of his great-great-grandfather Sage Deveraux the Fireheart at the time when he successfully destroyed Vordac the Dark Overlord in the First Crusade and crowned the first emperor of Arcadia. Then Alexis responds,
‘Lord Adler, although we know the majority has chosen Lord Paliades as leader, but you will always have my support, my friend.’
‘I’m glad to hear that, Your Highness,’ says Adler. ‘I’ll fight by your side from now on, and overcome the dangers ahead together.’
Paliades speaks in an impatient tone, ‘Let’s get to business, folks! Don’t let the heir wait or even breathe!’
Robert stares at Alexis from a distance. Thoughts are racing in his mind.
So he is Alexis. He sure looks kingly, a perfect man to rule an empire. I’m sure he’ll be a great emperor someday. But, wait! Chris also has red hair too, does he? Ah, their faces are different, but somewhat familiar with each other.
As he walks on, Robert tries to imagine Chris’ clumsy look, in comparison with Alexis’ cool, mature look and laughs in his mind.
No way! Chris and Alexis are totally different! There are so many red-haired men in this world; it’s no way they can be related to each other!
Then Alexis who is standing near the epitaph stares back at Robert with widened eyes, as though he recognizes Robert. Robert is startled.
Suddenly somebody taps Robert from behind, saying, ‘Hey! Stop daydreaming, Rob! We’re on a mission here! Don’t let anybody catch you off guard!’ Robert is more startled, turns and finds Carolyn there.
Robert forces himself to remain cool, but it only makes him look silly. ‘Oh, there’s something in my mind, that’s all.’
‘Then spit it out! Share it with us, champ! Honestly, I’m quite touched back there when you told everyone that we are your friends. I can’t imagine what it would be if Chris and I met Adler or Hernan. Adler would treat us like his slaves, and Hernan would have all his eyes on me and ignored Chris utterly.’
Robert forces himself not to smile or laugh, although he finds it amusing. Instead he asks Carolyn, ‘By the way, Carol. Don’t you think Prince Alexis looks like Chris in any way?’
Carolyn suddenly becomes nervous, saying, ‘Oh, er… yeah, I mean, no! No way! You see? Their eyes are different. And you know Chris; he always acts like a peasant or a bad jester. There’s no way you can compare him with a royalty! Don’t be silly, Rob.’
Robert shrugs, ‘Oh, well, I guess we better press on to find out what’s in store for us.’
==oOo==
As the hunters are all gathering in the rune room in the ice chambers, they are amazed to see so beautiful a place. Everything is covered with ice – the walls, the floor, even the ceiling. The temperature drops, and the air the hunters breathe becomes steam-like. Ellephar begins to shiver and says, ‘D-uh, ‘tis gettin’ chilly in here, innit?’
‘Yeah,’ says Baxter. ‘Too bad we don’t bring our mantles with us.’
Suddenly a lizardman says, ‘Hey, guyssss, let’s check out the next room. I bet it’ll be colder in theressss!’ It seems he likes the cold temperature, being cold-blooded himself.
Orlevant tries to stop the hunters from going into the ice chambers without a clue, shouting, ‘Wait! Don’t go in just yet! Hear us out first, for your own safety! We’ve deciphered the runes and it said we must beware of “what lies behind lies”! Something’s bound to meddle with our minds!’
‘That’s why we go now to find out what that is,’ says Paliades.
Ignoring Orlevant’s protest, Paliades immediately goes into the next room, followed by a large group of hunters. Robert, Carolyn and Andreas decide to stay behind, waiting until Iris has completed figuring out the meaning of the riddle from the interpretations of her fellow elves.
Iris is surprised that Robert and his party still wait for her when they should’ve followed Paliades. ‘Lo, why are you still here?’
Andreas says, ‘Because you are still our guide, and our friend.’
Robert adds, ‘Yeah. We’ll never forget what you did for Chris, saving his life, and we need you now and always. We must stick together ‘till the end.’
Carolyn also adds, ‘You gave this to me, this token of our friendship.’
She points at the necklace that hangs around her neck.
‘I don’t know why, but since then I frequently find myself in right places, right times, with right solutions. That’s why I cherish necklace very much; a greatest gift a friend ever gave to me.’
Iris laughs. ‘Ah, you do have a knack of clever ideas; you don’t need a necklace for it. But yes, I enchanted the necklace. The wearer will always have good luck and safe from mortal harm no matter how perilous the situation is. But it does have its drawbacks: If the wearer suffer illness or injury, it will take longer to heal even if you take it off when it happened, and you’ll need extra help before all is lost.’
‘Ah, you’re such a good friend indeed,’ says Andreas. ‘By the way, what is the meaning of the riddle?’
‘What lies behind lies… not in one’s eyes… there are many interpretations of it, but as I concluded, it means there will be illusions just ahead, there’s no escaping them, so keep your concentration, and don’t get killed. Er… guys, thank you for trusting us,’ says Iris.
‘In that case,’ Andreas says, pointing his Gloria Vadis healing staff at his comrades, ‘We shall need extra protection. Omnigalatr!”
Andreas casts mass protect, creating a force field that covers Iris, Carolyn, Robert, himself and several hunters and elves in the area, grants them with extra protection against physical and magical attacks on their bodies for twelve hours. It takes a godlike physical and magical attack to breach this protective layer on each other’s skin.
‘Gee, thanks,’ says a protected hunter.
‘That’s okay,’ says Andreas. ‘Now, shall we? Remember, we have only twelve hours before this layer wears off.’
The rest of the hunters and elves follow Andreas to the next room. This time they see a huge room, with huge ice stalagmites and stalactites scattering everywhere, and lots of ice slabs that looks like giant mirrors, big enough for an ogre or Cyclops to see his own full-body reflection. The room is covered with a thin mist that adds to the cold temperature within.
Andreas tries to analyze this situation, saying, ‘Hmmm… this room is huge, and the mist prevents us to see the exit. Maybe we should split up and try…’
Robert cuts in. He sounds a little bit emotional. ‘No, don’t split up. We must stay together from now on. Chris is lost, remember? We can’t afford to leave any more of our friends behind again!’
Andreas shrugs, saying, ‘Aye, all right then. Lead away, lad.’
Robert says loudly, ‘Follow me, my friends! The rest of you,’ turning to the rest of the group, ‘you may follow us or go anywhere you like. Now move! For Vadis!’
Robert goes left, followed by his friends and the rest of the group, although some hunters split up to go to wherever they think is the right way.
As they move further in, Robert’s group finds that the fog is getting thicker and thicker. Realizing something’s wrong, Robert immediately yells to warn the others. ‘Stay with me! Don’t get separated! It’s a trap!’
But there’s no answer. Robert turns to find that no one’s there. Oh, no! This is happening again!
But then, an answer comes. Judging from the voice, it’s not from a human, but a faint ‘chi, chi!’ sound. Robert instantly turns and embraces Carolyn’s pet, Chiel the micha.
‘Thank goodness you’re with me. Now stay on my shoulder, Chiel, and don’t fly away, no matter what!’ says Robert, caressing Chiel. Chiel flies, lands and perches on Robert’s shoulder.
Now I have to find the others, Robert thinks. But I must be careful. These mirrors are here for a reason. ‘What lies behind lies’.
Suddenly, Robert sees someone’s reflection in the mirror, in the fog. He draws his kiliji quickly, saying, ‘Who’s there? Show yourself!’ But that someone charges on Robert fiercely. An enemy! Robert swings his kiliji backwards, blocks the attack and moves back. The orc also pauses for a moment there, staggering from the impact of their weapons. Robert can see his attacker clearly now, but he is shocked to see that he is the orc who raided Arkvale and killed Robert’s best friend, Laetitia, the same orc whom he killed when he was ten years old.
Robert is totally confused. ‘No! It can’t be! I-I killed you! I-I-must-kill-you-again!!!!’
Robert’s eyes are bloodshot. He seems to have lost his mind, as though he is under a spell. He attacks the orc fiercely, causing Chiel to fall from Robert’s shoulder, and barely manages to keep itself aloft by flapping its tiny wings. Chiel looks at Robert, but it only lets out an angry ‘Chi-chi-chi!!!’ and doesn’t attack either Robert or the orc.
Apparently, whatever meddling Robert’s mind doesn’t affect Chiel at all, being a magical light-enforced creature. Chiel is confused that Robert ignored its calls. It decides to go to Robert’s side before he goes out of sight.
Meanwhile, Robert successfully lands a Three Point Chain Slash on his opponent, and in retaliation, the orc inflicted a minor graze on Robert’s arm. Robert grunts. It seems that his orc grunt is very tough, as though a martial arts grandmaster. He is using double scimitars as weapons, and only gets away with minor wounds.
Chiel ‘chi-chi’-s Robert continually, tries to get him back to his senses in vain. Then, Chiel’s body and eyes begins to glow brightly. Then it emits a beam upon Robert and the orc. Robert’s eyes slowly and gradually turn to normal. He begins to see the orc with a clearer mind. Apparently the orc’s eyes are bloodshot too, but the change is not on his eyes, but his entire body too.
And instead of an orc, Robert now sees a woman with tanned skin and wearing only a breastplate and a dancing skirt. There are wounds from the Three Point Chain Slash and a few more minor slash wounds on her. Robert is shocked.
‘Sheena? What the… Did I fight you just now?’
Sheena is more shocked than Robert, as though just waking up from a trance.
‘You… you’re not Kyflynn? Where did he run? Bloody rob…’ She turns to chase ‘Kyflynn’ in her mind when Robert stops her.
‘Wait – wait! I didn’t see anyone here, just you and me, and… Chiel! Chiel, where is it?’
Robert turns around, and his face collides with Chiel who has stopped its action and flies to Robert’s side. Robert is flabbergasted. ‘Oh, Chiel! It’s good to see you! Did you cast that ray?’
Chiel somewhat understands what Robert is saying, and nods playfully. Robert hugs Chiel like a little girl hugging her precious doll, and with his face remains calm he says, ‘Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you.’
Sheena sneers at Robert, saying, ‘You really fond of that animal, don’t you? Looks like we were in some kind of spell here, and your pet there cast Dispel Magic to prevent us from killing each other. But you’re a bounty hunter and you’re reputed on hunting down bandits and criminals like me. If given a different situation, I’d like to continue our fight.’
‘I’m looking forward to it. But for now, here, take this healing potion. I’m sorry that I attacked you just now. I thought you were someone else.’
But Sheena refuses it, saying, ‘I brought my own potion, thanks but no thanks. I don’t take nothing from a hunter like you.’
‘But you did take something from us, Sheena.’
‘Huh? What’s that?’
‘The Greaves of Eil’Thanath, from Grad. My friend Andreas was banished from Grad and separated from his family because you stole it, and our friendship with the dwarves was shattered.’
Sheena laughs and holds her scimitars firmly as though is ready to counter Robert’s attack, saying, ‘Hahaha! Well, the dwarf’s fate is no concern of mine. In fact he should be thankful, because almost all of my victims always end up dead. So, what will you do now? Fight me for it?’
Robert shakes his head. ‘No, Sheena. I’m just asking you to return the greaves to Andreas, so he can reunite with his family. I’ll buy it from you if I have to. So, do you have it, Sheena? Because I don’t see you wearing it”. Robert points at Sheena’s feet that are covered with her own greaves, and no way the mythril greaves can be hidden behind it.
‘I don’t think you can afford to buy the greaves. I’d like to sell it to you, but I don’t have it. We have lost it to Kyflynn, Desmond and Agustina. They ambushed us and killed my entire gang, leaving only me, Baxter and Ellephar alive. You might want to ask them for it.’
Robert thinks, Hmm, no wonder Father Andreas acted strangely when I got clobbered by a rock golem back there. He knows Kyflynn has it, but if we all try to get it from him now, we will fail utterly, and it’ll jeopardize our mission and our lives! So Father Andreas might’ve let Kyflynn wear it for a while because the greaves are very vital for a speed-demon assassin like him! I’ll deal with it later, but for now I must release the others from the spell, with Chiel’s help.
Robert nods and tells Sheena, ‘Don’t worry, I’m not here to arrest or kill you. We’re on a mission for The Trinity, right? Come with us under Chiel’s protection so we won’t be jinxed again, and we’ll release the others as well.’
‘Reasonable enough. All right, then.’
Robert and Sheena walk closely together to prevent being separated by the mist, and Chiel perches on Robert’s shoulder, emitting beam from its eyes through the mist. Robert utilizes his Eagle Eye precision-sight ability and he soon sees two women fighting against each other. They’re Iris and Carolyn with their bloodshot eyes, chanting spell after spell, shooting lightning bolts and razor winds against each other.
Robert quickly yells, ‘Chiel, stop them now!’
Chiel glows again, casting Dispel Magic beam on Carolyn and Iris, turning their bloodshot eyes and addled minds to normal again. The two women collapse on the floor, confused.
‘Wh… what am I doing here?’
‘Did I fight you?’
It seems they didn’t need an illusion to know they are enemies – rivals to be exact. Iris says, ‘We were deluded! The last thing I remember was, I was looking into this mirror and saw Carolyn there too, and then I was lost, completely! Eshmyr!’
Iris gathers her energy and casts Wind Slash to destroy the mirror, but the spell only leaves many deep scratches on it.
‘It’s no use…,’ says Iris. ‘Carol, use your fire!’
‘Pyroagnios!’
Carolyn casts Fireblast, and she keeps the fire flowing from her magic trident, Esthagar, and the ice begins to melt. Seconds later, Carolyn stops casting. At last the mirror melts down.
‘That’s enough. I’ve wasted too much energy just to melt this one. I bet there are a lot more here. I say we find another solution.’
‘Here,’ says Iris, ‘drink this spirit potion. It’ll replenish your magic and elemental energy.’
‘Thanks, Iris. I’m sorry I harbored much hatred on you because of our rivalry,’ says Carolyn, receiving the potion and drinks it carefully.
‘Me too, Carol. From now on, we’ll always work together. After this is over, I’d like to join your hunting party.’
Robert says, ‘You’re welcome to join us anytime. But anyway, we must get going, we have to save the others and find the exit.’
Suddenly Iris says, ‘Wait! Gather up, everyone. Okay… Omninervatr!’
A mild light shines down upon Iris, Robert, Carol, Chiel and Sheena, and a blue layer of light glows once on everyone.
‘Now you’re all protected from magic and anything that tries to manipulate your brain. Careful, the effect only lasts a full day. And here’s more. An Eshmyria Aschi!’
Iris raises her hand up a giant shadowy figure appears above her head. She just summoned the Spirit of the Wind, Eshmyria, a deity guardian of wind and air, servant of Enia, and one of the Nine Mighty Spirits. She looks like a beautiful fairy with four green wings, green skin and wearing a beautiful green dress to match. Her eyes are also green like emeralds – just like Iris’ eyes.
‘Infer Raduyev Eshmyriad!’
Suddenly Eshmyr’s wings flutter and a small typhoon erupts around her. It blows the mist away like a giant rotating fan continually in a short range. Robert and the others are impressed and thankful that they finally have a complete solution for what lies behind lies.
They now walk on, the mist and the mirrors can’t bother them anymore. Chiel releases some more hunters, Adler and Paliades, Orlevant and Eidos, and then Alexis and Hernan from the spell when they are fighting against each other. Adler must face the truth: he has his butt kicked badly by Paliades and was in a brink of losing his life.
Hernan’s condition gets worse as he got some more wounds from Alexis. He is too weak to walk about, now he’s severely injured. Alexis, feeling guilty of what he has done in his state of trance, takes out his healing salve and applies it on Hernan’s wounds. Seeing that Hernan is not out from his critical state yet, Alexis cries out, ‘Is there a healer around? Please, help him!’
‘I’m a healer,’ says a mysterious hunter who doesn’t look like a healer or anyone at all, wearing shabby grey hood and robe, his face is hidden as well. Then he lowers his hood and reveals himself, a Vadisian monk. ‘Let me work at him.’
Robert is a bit surprised to see this. A Vadisian monk! He must be a spy dispatched by Pope Xylen to see the progress of this mission. But why it’s so secret? Pope Xylen’s way of thinking is enigmatic. I must keep my eyes open and keep this in mind at all times. This will help me solve the puzzle.
The ‘search and rescue’ squad moves on. They rescue Andreas who can also cast Dispel Magic but the Mirror of Illusions affected him before he can do anything, and he only masters physical protection spell. And he was in fight with a satyr, neither can hurt the other. Now with Andreas’ help, they can do things more quickly now.
‘That’s the advantage of having many people in one time,’ says Andreas.
As they walk along, they find an elf guide wandering about alone, searching for others. From her looks, she is the elf sorceress who guides Hernan. Iris recognizes her and calls, ‘Ney’varÃth!’
Ney’varÃth sees Iris and the group and greets Iris politely ‘Enia’s blessings be with you, my friend. I see you saved lots already! But I only protected myself against this awful magic! I can’t free everyone from it!’
‘Oh, no, no,’ says Iris. ‘It’s Chiel the little micha here who saved us. I’m not adept in Dispel Magic too – but even I neglected to protect myself and others from magic when we went in. You certainly did better than me, Ney!’
‘Well that’s too bad, but praise Enia that little darling saved you anyway. Ah!’
Suddenly Ney’varÃth moves quickly, hiding behind Iris.
‘What’s wrong, Ney?’ Iris asks her, puzzled.
‘It’s… it’s that Hernan guy,’ Ney whispers. ‘He can’t get his hands off me since I gave him the letter. I tried to avoid him so many times, that’s why I didn’t join you guys deciphering the runes. Oh, how I wish I didn’t volunteer to guide him!’
‘Hey, he’s all over us too! Me, Carolyn, other elf girls, and any pretty girl he runs into! Ohhh, he’s so horrible! If he is not married, maybe I’ll be flattered but… I heard his wife is King Jaime’s niece! The most beautiful woman in Escudia! What more can he expect?’
‘Maybe that’s because they don’t have any kids. You know, husbands tend to take a second wife just to get them a child! But at any rate, it’s still…’
Suddenly Orlevant the elf guide captain interrupts them. ‘Lavennia Iris! Ney’varÃth Ushmiel! Stop chatting, you two, we’re in a mission, for Enia’s sake! And you, Ney! Where have you been all this time? Hiding, eh? So you don’t have to fulfill your duties? Now tend to Don Hernan there, he’s badly injured and is weak in healing process! After this is over, we’ll have a very, very long talk, young sorceress.’
‘But, sir, I have very important information to share with all! I’ve found a way out from this ice zone!’
‘Oh, really?’ says Orlevant. ‘Why didn’t you use it then? You’ve protected yourself from magic and you really need to avoid Don Hernan, so why did you come back?’
‘Because I still have the ones I care of, sir. Iris, other fellow elves, and…’
‘And?’
‘… and you, sir.’
Orlevant is silenced. It’s as though never someone even among his own brethren said care about him before. But to hide the fact that he is touched, he talks loudly, giving an order to Ney’varÃth. ‘Well show us the way, then! To all!’ He turns to all other hunters. ‘Our guide here has found a way out! Let’s follow her and be free from this ice prison!’
Without replying, Ney’varÃth turns around and starts walking to a certain direction, followed by everybody else, including Paliades. Orlevant looks at Paliades with a smile curling on one side of his mouth, with thoughts of triumph in his mind.
You old hoax! You said you know about Enia Sanctum from A to Z and how to pass the obstacles. Oh yeah, you may know about the mirrors, the mist and stuff, but you only told us not to look at the mirrors and not warding ourselves against their magic. My fellow elf indeed can do better than this! After we get out of this, I suggest you give us, the elves, our job back as guides and the true hosts of this holy place!
Paliades walks silently with the others. He seems upset, and this pleases Orlevant more.
Ney’varÃth apparently remembers the way to the exit perfectly, and she arrives at a spot. Orlevant is confused to see his surroundings, saying.
‘Are you sure this is the exit, Ney? I see no door here, only walls of ice!’
The elf sorceress remains calm.
‘Aye, sir. I’m very sure about this. At first, I thought there’s no door here too; I was just looking at my reflection on the walls and mirrors when suddenly at this point,’ she points at a section of the wall, ‘I saw my reflection… and something else.’
Orlevant looks through this section, at a reflection of a different room. He clears his throat, and then talks again in a calm tone.
‘Uhm… very well, then. Now how can we get through this door?’
‘Oh, I just found it, and didn’t try to open it yet,’ says Ney. ‘But since it’s made of ice, I suggest we burn it.’
‘Oh, yes, that’s the very basic way to undo a novice trap. But nevertheless, any idea is worth a try,’ says the elf captain.
‘Let me try it, then,’ says Carolyn.
‘By all means.’
‘Pyroagnios!’
Carolyn tries to melt the ice door with Fireblast, and she keeps the fire flowing for two minutes or so before she successfully makes a big hole on the door, just enough to anyone to walk through. The one Cyclops hunter was lost or annihilated somewhere in the wind tunnels or the chambers of stone, so Carolyn doesn’t have to make a bigger hole for him, exhausting her spirit energy.
Carolyn sips her spirit potion while watching the hunters go through the door she made. She is rather disappointed that none of the hunters thank her for her daring attempt, but feels relieved at once when someone gives her a friendly pat on the shoulder. Carol looks back and sees her best friend (and rival) Iris who has un-summoned her Eshmyria guardian spirit and Andreas with his fatherly smile behind his bushy beard.
But Carolyn’s face instantly changes into surprise. ‘Where’s Rob?’
Iris protests, ‘Hey, don’t you suppose to tail him everywhere? I know you’re developing a soft spot for him, right?’
Blushing, Carolyn retorts, ‘How many times must I tell you? I just think that he’s a REAL man, and every man must be brave and strong just like him, not your ‘Ariel’!”
‘Humph! I don’t care! My Ariel is ten times cuter than your Robby, and as cute as an average he-elf!’
Andreas breaks them apart impatiently. ‘Once again, enough, you two! Stop arguing like babies comparing their candies and let’s find Rob before it’s too late! Look! The doorway is closing!’
Bit by bit, the ice door re-integrates itself. Ice begins to form in the entrance hole. Suddenly a voice chants, ‘an Vyr’me Prdaj!’
It’s an ancient Aurelian spell for the Wall of Fire, the alternative trigger spell for the Valanisian-Parthenian spell Agnioparadh. So it was cast not by Carolyn, but by none other than Akmal, the minotaur shaman from Thalag’dhega Mountains, Escudia. He says,
‘Go, humans! My wall of fire will keep the hole intact for a while, but don’t be too long! My energy is limited! My bodyguard here, Fargothum will guard me here!’
Fargothum is a large Minotaur (or tauren), He’s bluish-grey leathered, and he has long, large ivory horns. He’s holding a giant club, resting it on his shoulder. Carolyn shivers a bit, but Akmal immediately responds to it by saying, ‘Don’t worry, we won’t charge on you whenever we see red. Now go!’
The dwarf priest, the pink-haired sorceress and the green-haired elf immediately run away, searching for Robert together. After a bit of going around, with Iris summoning the Wind Spirit Eshmyria once again to clear the fog, they find Robert there, fighting with Dar’gum. Chiel is there too, flying around cautiously to avoid Dargum’s fellow orcs watching their duel.
Iris talks in a surprised tone, ‘It seems Dar’gum and Robert are both free from the spell, right? But why are they still fighting?’
‘They must be having grudges against each other and want to finish them all right now,’ says Andreas. ‘We must stop them, now is not the right time for it. We have to get out of here with him!’
But the fight is already over before they can stop it. Robert is lying spread-eagled on the floor, exhausted and bleeding on many spots. Dar’gum is on his top, pointing his Il Khatl J’nadh axe at Robert’s neck.
‘A’bong, my brother, here is your enemy, succumbed at my feet. I’ve defeated him for you, and now I’ll offer you his blood so you may rest in peace.’
With those words Dar’gum swings his great axe.
Carolyn shrieks hysterically, ‘NOOOOO!!!!’
Iris can’t act faster than Dar’gum because she’s still busy concentrating with her summoned Eshmyria. And Andreas – look at his figure and you’ll know – is not quite well-built for situations like this.
Carolyn is horrorstruck. The orc champion’s axe is at the floor, with more bloodstains on its blades. The Decapitator has severed yet another head by the look of it. But no! No heads can be found rolling anywhere around here. Carolyn takes a good look at Robert at once and feels overjoyed. He’s still alive! There’s a small but deep cut on Robert’s left arm, blood comes out of it ceaselessly. Dar’gum bends, grabs some blood from that cut, and then he lifts his bloody hand in the air and rubs the blood on his chest.
Dar’gum sounds disappointed when he says, ‘Too bad you fought me in such bad shape, while I was lost to Adler with only minor scratches. Bhra’jul!* There’s no honor in killing you that way! Your blood will only be a stain on my brother’s spirit. I disagree with A’bong’s brutal way, honestly, but he is still my brother! So get up, get yourself in shape and finish your mission here. Then come to me again, maybe you’ll put up a fight worth remembering, Orcbane!’
Footnote :
*Bhra’jul: an Orcish expression of disappointment, just like ‘damn!’
Robert stares at Dar’gum in disbelief, while his friends help him stand and Andreas gives him a quick, emergency Vitali spell.
He spared my life! This orc is nobler than humans in general! He understands the warrior’s code of honor, and he can discipline himself and his brethren too! He wants revenge because I’ve slain his brother, but he’s willing to give it up for a better cause! He truly is worthy of my respect. I, on the other hand should be ashamed of myself, surrendered to my berserk instinct rather than trying to make him understand. Hm, maybe this can change things to the better.
Robert talks to Dar’gum, trying to make peace with him.
‘Dar’gum! There’s another way you can avenge your brother! Since I lost you your kin, let me take his place instead! Treat me like your brother! Maybe we can be friends and support you while we can!’
The orc only answers with, ‘Don’t push it, kid. Ze’boc, Chugal, let’s go!’ And he goes away at once, followed by his two companions.
Robert shrugs. He knows that he made a mistake and this answer means ‘no’. No human has ever been an orc’s friend, in terms of hunting partnerships or at any rate. An orc who befriends a human is punishable by his brethren with excommunication and banishment. And Robert doesn’t understand this. But after remembering what has happened with Kyflynn, now Robert sees the big picture and nods.
Well, I won’t ask him for it anymore, he has given me too much already. But he has proved me wrong about orcs. Maybe it’s time to prove them wrong about humans.
With that thought, Robert walks hurriedly along with his friends to the exit. Akmal the Minotaur stops his Firewall to let everybody in, and then Akmal and Fargothum go in too. Akmal casts Firewall once again to the back to make sure the hole doesn’t close again.
Robert enters the next room with lots of surprise. He sees all the champions and hunters are fighting for their lives against lots of ice elementals, with casualties from the hunters falling every minute. Robert tries not to get panicked because of his wounds, and reminds himself that his friends are around to assist and protect him – as he to them. The white-haired ranger is now examining his surroundings.
Ice elementals! Here, there, everywhere, all over the place. They can be defeated, really, like some living ice blocks. But let’s see here, at the center. It’s some sort of a machine there, with arms like a giant octopus. And what comes out from the shafts on the ceilings? By Vadis, ice elementals! And there are more of them coming each minute! The way out must be in the same way we came in, but we won’t have time for that because of that diabolic machine! We must destroy the machine, not the elementals! And the eye on the machine, it’s just like on the giant golem and the wind elemental! It’s revolving around the machine! Maybe it’s also a power input connector and I must destroy it to cut the power supply and deactivate the machine!
Then Robert sees Iris, Carolyn and Andreas around him, defending him against the ice elementals’ attacks. There’s a good chance that the other hunters have already knew this solution by Paliades’ information, but it’s much harder to execute the plan than to say about it. None of them have any chance whatsoever to even go close to the ice elemental generator. Robert suddenly finds himself a plan, a very daring plan. He takes out his next vial of healing potion from his backpack, gulps it whole to heal as many wounds as possible, and then shouts his plan to his friends.
‘Iris! Carol! Andre! Regroup and listen to me! The situation is desperate, so we can only depend on this plan! Ignore the elementals! Let the others deal with them. Our target is the eye of the generator! Iris, Andre, you two open the way for us through. Then I and Carolyn will attack the eye with our fire skills! Understand? Okay, on my mark! Go!’
Iris and Andreas run, knocking and pushing several hunters and elementals away to make way for the attacking team. Together with Robert and Carol, they shout at the top of their voices several times to make others believe there’s a horde coming to trample them. Some hunters immediately move aside to give them way, and then Iris and Andreas move to the flanks then to the rear to protect Rob and Carol from the elementals.
‘HYAAAAH!!!’ Robert attacks the eye at the same time he saw it right in front of him. He uses a long-distance Crescent Fire Slash. The fire wave hits bull’s eye on the glowing blue eye. Carolyn casts Fireball several times, sending three to the generator but only one hits the target. The eye on the generator lets out some sparks as the power supply is being damaged. As the response of this attack, the ice elemental generator’s artificial intelligence immediately retaliates to defend itself. It aims its octopus-like arms at Robert and sprays a blizzard on him. Robert tries to prevent himself from freezing by accumulating fire energy within him, but alas! Rob is too tired and weakened because of his wounds, and ice immediately covers his entire body. Carolyn successfully dodges the attack from the other arm, but she becomes much panicked to see Robert in that state. Carolyn is going to cast Fireblast to free Robert from the ice. But somebody else shouts,
‘Stop, sorceress! Don’t burn him like that! It’ll leave burnt marks on him and he will be ashamed of his appearance for the rest of his life!’
Carolyn turns, and finds Akmal behind him. Akmal continues talking.
‘You just concentrate on hitting the eye again! My Firewall will melt the ice on your friend here! Fargothum, carry him to the back!’
With a snort and a moo, Fargothum immediately does Akmal’s bidding, of course with Carol, Andreas and Iris protecting the massive minotaur and the frozen Robert from the ice elementals. And then Akmal the minotaur shaman does his magic on Robert.
Meanwhile, the other champions and hunters are still kept at bay no matter how fierce their attacks are. The ice elemental generator adds to the devastation by spraying blizzard from its ever-revolving three arms, attacking all people inside the room including its generated ice elementals, on which the blizzard doesn’t have any effect at all. The champions and most of the hunters are lucky enough to avoid direct hit, but some unlucky hunters get frozen to death. Akmal actually knows that Robert has fire as his inner strength aura, and believes that he can be saved, and he’s right. The thin layer of ice covering Robert’s body begins to melt, and Robert shows signs of life by breathing and shivering. He has activated his aura to resist the freezing effect.
Robert’s friends have neither time nor chance to rejoice at their leader’s recovery, they just have to attack the eye of the generator. The other champions also change their targets, they decide to ward the ice elementals off and attack the generator instead, leaving other hunters to deal with the icy brutes. Alexis hits the eye first with a concentrated Ten-Point Chain Slash through his twin broadswords Im’htaloc and Im’colath. The eye emits more sparks and more cracks appear on its surface.
The generator reacts upon Alexis’ attack, swinging one of its gigantic hands to knock Alexis away, but it is deflected by a single, massive hammer blow reinforced with the Land and Sea Divide skill. It was done by Paliades, and he was flung away by the impact between his Terra Nakroβ hammer and the mechanical hand.
Orlevant then thinks, now it’s my chance! The eye’s coming this way!
He shoots three arrows at one time, enchanting the arrows with fire and wind energy to form Firestorm Drill Arrows, but none of them hits the target. Enraged of his failure to maintain the elves’ reputation as excellent sharpshooters, Orlevant tosses his Wysteria Bow away, draws his Elven Saber and charges on the machine with his multi-slash sword skill Firestorm Devastator. But the eye is already facing another way out of reach, and the elf martial artist’s attack is met by a mechanical hand that immediately sprays blizzard towards him. This fire-and-wind attack can indeed neutralize the freezing blast and send a great destructive force into the nozzle on the mechanical hand. The impact between the two contradictive forces causes an explosion that shatters the mechanical hand in pieces. Orlevant smiles in triumph after destroying it, thinking, one hand down, two more to go. See and learn, Paliades. See and learn.
One of its arms is lost, the generator attacks more fiercely. Orlevant who is enjoying his moment of triumph is shot again with a blizzard. He manages to dodge the blast in split seconds, but his left hand is caught in the line of the blizzard and gets frozen. Orlevant grunts and tries to free his hand by activating his fire aura and slowly melts the ice covering his hand.
Meanwhile, Kyflynn, Agustina and Desmond are having a difficult time, surrounded by about a dozen ice elementals. Agustina’s ice magic is futile here, so Desmond and Kyflynn’s only priority is to protect her and don’t make any attempt at all on the ice elemental generator.
A hobgoblin hunter adds more cracks on the eye with a single hit of his throwing spear, with a great price to pay – an ice elemental cuts the poor hobgoblin’s right hand with its saber-like hand of ice. The hobgoblin screams in agony.
Carolyn is panicked now. She is surrounded by a number of ice elementals which go berserk to finish all enemies off. By Vadis! More and more of them are coming! Where’s Iris? Andre? Robert! Am I going to die here? But… wait! The eye! It’s revolving this way! I’ll hit it with this one single shot! Here goes nothing!
Carolyn gathers her magical aura and shouts, ‘Pyroagnios!’
The jet of fire blasts from Carolyn’s magical trident Esthagar through the ice elementals towards the eye, melting and burning all that come in its way, ice elementals and hunters alike. Carolyn doesn’t think of regretting it now, as it is a desperate shot of life and death. And it’s as though Carolyn’s lucky necklace does its magical effect again, the Fireblast hits the eye right on target, melting it down, destroying it completely. Suddenly the machine stops revolving. Its remaining two mechanical hands fall on the floor and don’t move anymore. The funnels on the ceiling also stop producing ice elementals. But Carolyn doesn’t realize that the eye moved a lot slower than before because Eidos Crydias the time mage already put a Slow spell on it.
The only thing to do now is to destroy the remaining ice elementals on the ground. Robert who is now free from the ice, after thanking Akmal for his help, rushes to Carolyn’s side and destroys some of the ice elementals attacking her with combinations of his sword skills: Power Bash, Dragon Hammering-Down Slash and Rising Dragon Uppercut Slash. Other champions and hunters are now fighting in high spirits, and destroy all remaining ice elementals, without any casualty from the hunters and champions’ side.
At last, the fighting stops. The hunters are victorious at last, and Carolyn is not panicked anymore. I’m very, very lucky. I didn’t expect the last shot can finish the machine, but it did! This is indeed a lucky charm, although I don’t like its side effects and I must be careful not to suffer serious wounds. It’s my decision that counts! It’s my decision that determines my luck and my fate! But my greatest luck is having Robert, Iris, Andreas and Chris as my friends. Oh, Chris, where are you? I wish you are here to share this moment with me, cousin, but now I wish more for your safety.
Carolyn looks towards Robert, Chiel, Andreas, and Iris who come running to her to congratulate her and cheer her up. Iris hugs Carolyn so tight that she almost chokes the pink-haired sorceress, and then Iris lets her go, leaving Carolyn flabbergasted.
I’m not alone.
Robert’s Sacrifice
Robert, Carolyn and Chiel are the first ones coming out from the ice labyrinth. With torn clothes and wounds all over their bodies, one can say that they’re among the lucky ones who can escape the deceitful and deadly illusions – what lies behind lies – that lured them into fighting with each other, and triumphed against the Ice Elemental Generator.
So far their venture has caused many casualties, and halved the number of people in Robert’s, Kyflynn’s, Hernan’s, Adler’s and Paliades’ contingents. But it also produces some heroes as well. Genilda helped the hunters with the accurate route through the wind tunnels. Kyflynn has defeated the giant wind elemental. With Hernan’s coordination, the hunters deactivated the gigantic rock golem. Then Chiel and Robert freed the hunters from the Strife Charm, and together with Carolyn they delivered the finishing blow to the ice elemental generator. So, they have the honor of being the first ones to enter into safety in this rune room.
This time the room is surrounded with unpainted iron walls, just like in a modern factory.
‘Paliades is right! This structure so advanced is definitely Parthenians’ work. The elves only believe in natural and supernatural things, not technology,’ says Carolyn.
‘Indeed, you’re right, miss. Now I hope you’re convinced that my directions are as accurate as they are reliable.’ The voice comes from Paliades, who comes from behind Carolyn at the doorway, followed by the others.
‘Quite so indeed,’ Adler comments with a sinister tone. ‘But I didn’t see you did much action back there to save the day, did I? Maybe it’s better if…’
‘And you didn’t do much either! You place yourself too high, my friend,’ Paliades retorts with irritation. ‘I DO have the clues, I DO have the solutions, but I can’t do it alone, although I made a few hits too. It was so happened that this pinkhead girl was in the right place, right timing, and has the right means to overcome ice. If you can’t learn to set aside for a greater cause since we fought each other in there, you’re free to go first! And go without us!’
Adler falls silent. It seems his plan to discredit Paliades as the leader has failed once again. Then he decides to walk away, finds himself a nice corner to sit, away from others. Then, as usual, Iris, Orlevant, Ney’varìth and other elves gather in front of the epitaph and read the runes.
Of all Sun Mother has done,
This deed saved the day
For the sake of love alone,
She gave all away.
‘I think this means that the one’s sacrifice will be required to pass this area. But when? Where?’ says Orlevant.
‘I’ll tell you when we get there. Sacrifice, eh? It’s an interesting solution,’ says Paliades, coolly. ‘But I need to confirm something first, during our venture in the chambers of iron and fire.’
Iris comments, ‘Is it just my feeling or it’s getting very hot in here?’
‘Oh, of course it’s very hot,’ Paliades answers. ‘That’s because this is the engine room that supplies energy towards the other chambers. To regenerate the monsters within and operate the mechanical-magical devices, such as the giant fans, wind elementals, boulder-recharging switch, giant rock golem, elemental power-core eyes, mirrors of illusion, and so on.’
Iris nods. ‘Oh, I see. It’s a synergy between magic and science. So nicely made, I’d say.’
‘But be careful. Although it’s not a fiery inferno or a lava pit like you expected, this area is not less hazardous and obviously trickier. The engines take in fire energy from the lava pit in an active volcano nearby – Mount Quazar, I guess – and process it into kinetic energy. As the flow of fire itself cannot be controlled, some exhaust valves are also incorporated there for several purposes: to dump excess combustion fire and poisonous residual gases, function as trap walls, and generate Fire Elementals. These functions altogether form a defense system that no being can possibly get through.’
‘Not unless he’s quick enough, strong enough, or clever enough,’ says Alexis coolly. These words may be interpreted as an insult to Paliades, but Alexis buries that thought straightaway by saying, ‘And I trust Lord Paliades possesses those three traits abundantly. Please, guide us through, Your Lordship.’
Paliades doesn’t react to yet another butt-licking smart-talk and shouts, ‘Now let’s cut to the chase. Ready or not, here we go!’
The hunters get ready and get up at once. Although they are not recovered from their fatigue and injuries, but they all risked their lives for this ‘divine mission’ so far, and there’s no turning back now.
A dwarf hunter tries to rally himself and his comrades. He lifts his war hammer and shouts, ‘Get going or die trying!’ Almost all hunters including Robert’s party, Kyflynn and Desmond follow suit. ‘Get going or die trying!’
And then all hunters follow Paliades in an orderly manner to the next room.
The engine room is a vast area with multi-storied iron platforms on a stone floor. Giant steam engines stand in uneven rows, and a series of pipes and valves supplies both fire and water and processes them into steam in the tanks near the engines. And there are also exhaust valves that let out waste, hot steam, excess fire and water from the system or distribute them to other engines and chambers. A vast water reservoir is located not far from the engines, with large valves sucking and transferring water to and from the reservoir with the help from the water pump. The water is supplied from the waterfall at the sanctum entrance.
Suddenly, a flying object flies over Carolyn’s head, giving her a start. ‘Awk! What the hell is that?’ she asks.
‘Oh, that is a maintenance probe,’ says Paliades. ‘They are flying golems assigned to repair and maintain the elementals and other things that are damaged or shut down through the maintenance shafts.’
Iris is surprised to hear that. ‘What? Those things can repair the ice elemental generator, giant rock golem and the wind elementals! Now our way back is really sealed! Perhaps if I destroy it…’
‘No!’ says Paliades. ‘Don’t destroy them! If you do, security probes will come swarming on you and shoot you with their razor beams and you’ll get lots of additional holes all over your body!’
‘Just imagine that,’ says Kyflynn humorously, pointing at his nose with two fingers then he points at every part of his body with the same two fingers. Nobody laugh at that. All seem to be extremely wary of everything around them.
Paliades adds, ‘And be careful of the guardians of this place: the fire elementals. They’ll wait and ambush you in all unexpected places. This area is the hardest test of all: the test of bodily and mental strength, and finally the heart, too.’
Andreas says, ‘Aye! So what are we waiting for? Let’s get going!’
Paliades continues, ‘There are three paths here. We will split into three groups. Robert, you and your team take the lower path. Sheena and Kyflynn’s team take the upper path. Lord Adler, Prince Alexis, Don Hernan, Orlevant and the elves, and Eidos follow me to the middle path.’
Robert says plainly, ‘Dar’gum will come with us.’
Paliades answers hesitantly, ‘Ah… yes. Have it your way, then.’
Ney’varìth speaks up, ‘I’ll also go with Robert’s team.’
Robert’s friends and Dar’gum himself are surprised. Robert the Orcbane actually invited a group of orc grunts to join him after he fought fiercely with the orc champion just now! Even Iris pinches Robert and asks,
‘Er… Rob, is it all right if…’
Rather than explaining his actions, Robert begins walking to the lower paths.
‘Hey, wait up!’ says Iris. ‘Man, he is touchy, isn’t he?’
‘Haha, aye, that’s our Robert,’ says Andreas. ‘Always full of surprises, he is. Anywhere, anytime!’
‘The more you know him, the more you’ll be surprised by him! All we can do is to trust him. He knows what he does,’ says Carolyn with a giggle, following Robert along with Iris and Andreas.
Dar’gum and his comrades decide to follow Robert quietly, despite of their grudge against Orcbane. Dargum thinks, he’s an orc-hater and goes berserk every time he sees an orc. He killed my brother A’bong, fought with me and I spared his life. But just now he acted civil by recognizing us when Paliades didn’t. Hm, this doesn’t settle your debt, Robert, oh, no. I’ll finish things with you sooner or later. Nak Par’dush*!’
*) Nak Par’dush : ‘Mark my words’ in ancient Orcish.
Dar’gum and Robert’s group follow the stairs downwards. Robert and his party lead in front, and Dar’gum and his fellow orcs guard the rear.
‘AAARRGGGHHH!!!’
Suddenly a jet of vapor bursts from one of the valves, and hits a swordsman in the middle of the formation. The poor man falls to the front, lies sprawling on the floor, screaming in agony. His face turns blue in an instant, and blisters come out on his entire body. The hot vapor is indeed poisonous, the by-product of fire-water-air mixture and combustion in the engines.
Andreas takes out an herb from his bag and presses it on the poisoned hunter’s hand. ‘Quick! Eat this! This mandrake leaf will cure any common poison and magical side-effects – in case you don’t know it.’ The hunter immediately eats it, he can’t say that he already knew what Mandrake leaves are for or even think whether Andreas is trustworthy or not. But he’s really lucky this time because the antidote begins to take effect, turning his face from blushing blue to normal, neutralizing the poison within his body. All he must do now is to take out his healing salve to cure his blisters. ‘Th-thank you,’ he says.
‘And there’s plenty where it comes from,’ says Andreas with his usual, unique chubby smile behind his bushy beard and moustache. Robert doesn’t want this delay to last any longer and shouts, ‘C’mon, all, let’s get moving! Keep the formation! Watch out for nozzles and valves around this area!’
As soon as it is said, Robert sees a series of nozzles on the left and right walls that spit fire across the path.
‘Halt!’ says Robert. ‘Let’s check the timing of the fire flow first! They must be following a pattern or something!’
‘Let me at it!’ says Iris. But instead of observing it, Iris shows off her superior agility – again – by doing somersaults and a series of acrobatic moves to avoid the spitfire and goes across the nozzles with ease. And then she shouts as she arrives in a safe place.
‘Well, how ‘bout that?!’ says Iris.
Robert answers in irritation, ‘That’s a nice one, Iris. But unfortunately, not every one of us shares your agility!’
Iris shuts her mouth and with a stupid, childish look on her face, saying, ‘Oops, sorry, chief! Guess I overdid it. But I did manage to calculate the timing. There are five seconds burst and five seconds idle between each burst on every nozzle. And the burst order is: number 1, 3, 5 upper left nozzles, number 2, 4, 6 lower right nozzles, number 1, 3, 5 upper right nozzles, and number 2, 4, 6 lower left nozzles.’
Robert answers still with a serious face, ‘Well, that’s great. We’ll count on you for now on… WATCH OUT!’
Iris is snapped on hearing Robert’s warning. She quickly turns around and quickly attacks her foe with her elven dagger. It’s a fire elemental attacking her from behind! Iris moves to the back of the fiery monstrosity, slashing her dagger trying to split it apart, in vain.
The fire elemental breathes fire on Iris, which she neutralizes with a timely Wind Slash spell. But the elemental is already coming too close to her, it’s almost impossible for Iris to avoid the next attack. The fire elemental is going to give Iris a fiery Bear Hug, trying to roast Iris alive. Iris tries to back away but the monster’s hand is already grabbing her hand. Iris screams in pain. But something suddenly happens. The fire elemental is sprayed with water and lets out an eerie scream before it extinguishes. The remaining water burst also hits Iris, but Iris gets nothing but wet all over – you know how it affects Iris’ looks: all messed up.
Iris then looks straight forward to find out who her helper (and who messed her looks) is. ‘I knew it!’ she says. It’s Ney’varìth! Nearly as agile as Iris is, she is the second person who passed the fire-spitting nozzle series and extinguished the fire elemental with her Petravia (Water Spray) spell.
Without speaking, Iris touches her hair. A magical green glow appears on her hand, and every part of her hair, her face and her body she touches becomes neat and dry again, just before she was soaked with water. That’s a great thing of becoming an elf. Always uses magic in all aspects their life, although sometimes the magic is used for wrong things or with bad intentions, and being all-magical creatures sometimes makes them arrogant, feel superior than any other beings, or just a show-off like our dear Lavennia Iris here.
‘Hey, thanks a lot, Ney,’ says Iris.
‘No problemo,’ says Ney. ‘Anytime you need a shower, just call the water girl here.’
‘Of course… but certainly not here.’
Robert is the third one who gets through the nozzles, and with Iris’ precise calculation, almost all hunters get through the traps successfully. Andreas who, being a dwarf, is not actually quick-footed, gets burnt several times. But the dwarf priest’s protective aura on his body is still active, so he only comes with minor burns and scratches, and it’s nothing that his healing salve cannot heal.
And two hunters are burnt to crisp as a result of miscalculation and forgetfulness. One of them is the hunter who was cured from poison by Andreas earlier. We never know whether Andreas regrets helping that man or anything – he is busy with his own wounds, and something reminds him to do an important thing. He renews the Mass Protection spell to make sure every one in the group is divinely protected against physical and mortal harm.
Two more fire elementals pop in by surprise, ambushing a sorceress, but she and the hunters defeat them with ease, with Ney and Iris’ help, and without anybody getting hurt at all. Then, once again they face another series of nozzles, this time all of them spit pillars of fire from the ceiling. Again, Iris goes in first to determine the timing and order, and shouts her report at the end of the row.
‘Twelve nozzles, two on each row! Two seconds burst, two seconds idle! The order is: row 2 and 4, then row 1, 3, 5, and 6.’
It means you have to be extra quicker to get through row five and six. But this time there are no casualties, because all is protected by the divine protection aura.
And then, after a bit of walking, avoiding steam-blowing nozzles and a few more encounters with fire elementals, they arrive at the water reservoir on the lowest tier. It’s a very wide, deep and big pool of hot, boiling water which is about to be transferred to the ice chambers and back to the engine room as cool water into the cool water reservoir on the highest tier.
‘You see there,’ says Robert, ‘we must get across this pool through these moving platforms and the paths here. I’m telling you, this must be a tricky business so be careful, all of you. It’s not as easy as you think. There may be more surprises in store for us.’
A swordsman comments, ‘This is a big, boiling hot trap!’
Carolyn sees the fear in every hunter’s eyes and speaks calmly, ‘Don’t worry, my friends. As long as we keep protecting and helping each other, and set aside our fears, we can overcome everything! Remember stone chambers!’
Carol’s effort to rally her comrades is indeed fruitful. There’s more determination in everybody’s eyes. If they can do it in the stone chambers, they can do it here. Nothing can stop them now.
Now the hunters led by Robert begin to walk on the platforms, and disperse on their ways of choice. But suddenly a hunter accidentally bumps into a maintenance probe passing by in mid-air as he jumps from a moving platform to a path. The hunter lands safely, but the probe is knocked and falls into the hot water, damaging it completely.
And soon enough, about sixty dragonfly-like and scorpion-like security probes come swarming towards the hunters. They must’ve sensed something or someone messed up with a maintenance probe, and the missing probe must’ve sent a silent alarm signal before it drowned. It’s now thirty hunters against sixty probes and the odds have never been worse.
The mechanical dragonflies immediately shoot razor beams from their round, faceted eyes. Although they are considerably larger in size than real dragonflies – about thirty centimeters long each – the mechanical ones are twice as tough and thrice as fast. The mechanical scorpions on the other hand are slower than the robotic dragonflies, but they are surely bigger, tougher and more lethal. So they’re real tough foes, hard to hit and harder to destroy. The hunters in Robert’s group don’t need to be told about this. They draw out their best efforts to survive. They try very hard to avoid or deflect the razor beams from the dragonflies or being stung by the long, large, lance-like needles on the tails of the robotic scorpions. Many try to hit the probes with whatever skills they can pull out, even throwing things at the probes as the very, very desperate attempt.
Iris yells angrily when her precious wind-enchanted arrow misses a dragonfly probe by less a centimeter away. Ney on the other hand casts Water Blast – Aquepetra and sends three probes crashing into the pool.
Carolyn destroys two mechanical scorpions with Fireballs, but she doesn’t have time to be happy about it because a dragonfly shoots her from behind. Carol’s Galatea’s Force Field reduces the damage of the shot into only a minor wound, and the lucky sorceress moves aside quickly to avoid the dragonfy’s sting, and arrives at the edge of a path. Carol loses her balance and is about to fall into the pool of boiling water.
‘Oh, dammmnnn!!!’
She falls, but lands on a hard surface. It’s a moving platform! It seems Carolyn’s lucky charm works again. But will she always be this lucky? Nobody knows.
Meanwhile, Robert tries to hit the probes with his kiliji and a couple of Air Slashes, but only manages to destroy one probe so far, while he keeps moving to find the way across and stands guard against the robotic scorpions. Dar’gum who wears no armor, relies all his attack and defense on his Il Khatl J’nadh axe. And he can’t help feeling thankful that without the shielding force, he would be utterly destroyed by the rain of razor beams and the scorpions’ stings and tweezers like giant scissors.
Andreas chooses to defend himself and concentrate on finding the way across. Using his long axe-healing staff Gloria Vadis, he is still not quick or strong enough to put any damage on the robotic scorpions and dragonflies. The fat priest swings his staff once, horizontally and hits a dragonfly when it swoops down to sting him, sending it crashing on a platform, broken in pieces. Andreas moves his elbow from the front of his belly to his side, saying, ‘Yesss!!!’ spiritedly but silently, and immediately readies himself for another attack. Suddenly he hears someone shouts,
‘I’ve made it! I’m at the other side!’
Andreas looks at the talker just ahead of him. It’s a weremouse (mouse-man, that is) hunter standing on the other side of the pool to the exit. Andreas thinks, I’m in the right path. I’ll let him stay there and I’ll tell Robert and the others…
‘GYAAAAHHH… HHKKK!!!’
The weremouse screams. It looks like something hit him on the back, and he is struggling to get it off. But it’s too late. He falls to the front, and lies spread-eagled there – dead. A mechanical scorpion stands on his back, its sting went deep into its victim’s body, and it stays there, as though the scorpion is injecting something.
The injection process is finished when Andreas sees a strange, silvery liquid comes out from the dead weremouse’s eyes, nostrils, ears and mouth.
It’s quicksilver! The Galatea’s Force Field cannot protect from inside destruction! These Parthenian scientists really have thought of everything!
The mechanical scorpion takes out its sting from the dead weremouse, looks at Andreas. A red light glares on its tiny eyes and the scorpion attacks Andreas with great speed. Andreas tries to block its attack by swinging his healing staff, and the scorpion grabs the staff and holds it with one of its pincers, and quickly attacks Andreas with the other pincer. When the pincer is already opening on the fat priest and is a split-second away from cutting his neck off, suddenly the pincer drops. Andreas also falls because the other pincer holding his staff also falls and dragging him down.
By Vadis, what happened…
Andreas looks up, and he sees Dar’gum there, holding his legendary great axe. It seems that the axe has split the robotic scorpion in two, right on the slot between its head and body – a convincing display of why the axe became legend. It was made from adamantium, a kind of metal extracted in liquid form from the shells of the hyper-rare 1,000-year old giant adaman turtles (without killing them or breaking their shells, of course). It can be made into weapons of extraordinary sharpness – the perfect rival for mythril – and it can cut through any kind of metal except itself, mythril and the rarest metal of all, eternium. In the continent of Aurelia, giant adaman turtles only live on the cold northern Adaman Sea and shores of Bjordan and Val’shka.
‘Thank you, Dar’gum,’ says Andreas.
Dargum lifts his axe, rests it on his shoulder and walks out from the pool area path to solid ground, saying with a calm, deep voice, ‘The same with the protection field. We’re even now.’
Andreas can’t help but smiles and follows Dar’gum to a safer ground. He takes out a torch and waves it around to inform Robert and the others the right path across. Dar’gum stands guard near him to anticipate any more attacks from the security probes.
Soon hereafter, Iris and Carolyn arrive, followed by Robert and Dar’gum’s two companions, and finally all other surviving hunters too. They have wiped out the security probes. Fourteen out of thirty-seven in Robert’s group fell victim to the probes, no matter how tough the Galatea Protection Field is. Some got knocked over and drowned in the boiling hot water, some got too many wounds or got wounds on fatal points on their bodies, the same way of death as the poor weremouse, or a few other ways.
Robert kisses his ring as the final salute for his fallen comrades, looks at the way ahead and shouts, ‘My friends! The exit is just ahead! Let’s make a rush for it, there’s no time to lose!’
The hunters can’t afford another wave of security probes attack, so they rush to the exit, through an open doorway. Of course the champions are the last ones to get out of the engine room, and Carolyn is having funny thoughts when she sees a glimpse of the room ahead.
It seems as though hell is in the next room.
==oOo==
Robert goes into the next room with widened eyes, although nothing can put surprise or shock on the sad-looking ranger here. No matter how horrifying the situation is. The room is as vast as the rooms for the prime guardians: giant wind elemental, giant rock golem, and ice elemental generator, but it’s multiple times as dangerous. There’s a vast lava pit in there deep down the floor, with only pillars of stone for anyone to walk on. The stone paths are of various sizes and shapes like half-cut meteorites, floating above the pit. and the large ones can be stepped by four or five people. It’s just like a miniature of hell, just like Carolyn’s thought. There’s no choice but to defeat the guardian and maybe the door to the exit will be revealed.
Robert thinks, if this is a guardian room, where is the guardian?
Robert sees Kyflynn and his team are already there, also with Sheena, Baxter and Ellephar. They stand scattered on the stone pillars, and it looks like they are waiting for something to come out from the lava pit. Dar’gum and some hunters from Robert’s group are already there, standing by on the stone pillars although they don’t know what or who they are dealing with.
‘RRRRAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!’
And there it is, coming out from the lava pit. A fiery red dragon comes up with its abnormally long body (or just neck?), with menacing horns on its head and rows of big yellow sharp teeth on its mouth. Seeing its targets, it blows fire to a pillar, and a hunter on it gets scorched and falls into the lava pit.
Satisfied with the result, the dragon goes down to the pit again, maybe to get a second helping of lava to recharge its fire power. Kyflynn, the nearest champion to the dragon seizes this opportunity and leaps to another stone pillar. He somersaults in mid-air and dives vertically, thrusting his daggers to the dragon’s head with his Soul Splitting Drill move. The dagger hits the head but cannot penetrate the hide yet. Maybe Kyflynn believes that the thick hide on the top of the dragon’s head is its only weak spot.
The dragon roars in pain. Its head is indeed its weak point, and there’s a crack on it. It seems that it was hit two times with such a force, and it’s uncertain how many times the head must be hit so the hide will be smashed and one more hit will destroy its brain and kills the dragon. The dragon immediately darts itself up again to bite Kyflynn as a counterattack, but Kyflynn ingeniously steps on the dragon’s snout and leaps to the nearest stone pillar – to safety.
As it leaps, we can see that the longest part of the red dragon is indeed its body, with four legs to crawl on the pillars and to leap upwards. Its tail is like an arrowhead. One can tell that this dragon is not originally from Aurelia – but from the far eastern realms of Ashura and Wushu. One must have been there or from Ashura or Wushu in order to summon it here. It’s called fire wyrm in Aurelia: a cross-section between a dragon and a giant serpent that lives in lava pits.
The wyrm dives, it chomps a huntress before she can do anything to resist or avoid it. The cruel monster moves its head upwards, tosses the dying huntress upwards and eats her whole. Then it dives quickly, directly into the lava pit. Carolyn almost pukes on seeing this brutality, but before she can say or even think about it, the fire wyrm comes up again and shoots fire at the hunters – this time to Alexis.
Before the fire reaches him, Alexis calmly but quickly connects the hilts of his twin swords Im’colath the Black Sword and Im’htaloc the White Sword into a double-edged sword Colathtaloc. Alexis swings it rapidly like a rotating fan, creating a wind strong enough to blow the fire away. The runes on the twin swords glow green, means that it uses wind property to reinforce the Last Stand of the Eagle skill.
And then when the fire ceases and the wyrm comes down, Alexis splits his sword and attacks the wyrm’s head with a concentrated Eagle Fishing on the Lake double-thrust that utilizes water property. But before the thrust lands on the dragon’s head, a second jet of fire hits Alexis on his side, sending him falling into the lava pit.
The fire came from a second wyrm, which came from the pit as the first one went in – the wyrm with the cracked crust on its head.
Alexis in a hopeless state, and thinks, this is it. I’m falling into my own doom… but, wait! What is this? I… I stopped! I’m floating! I’m flying upwards! Someone’s levitating me!
The Crown Prince of Arcadia tries to see his rescuer. It’s a sorcerer with shabby, torn robe like a Vadisian monk, wearing a hood that hides his face completely. But the strange thing is, he’s shorter than average humans, and has odd-looking long ears and long feet like rabbit’s under his robe and hood.
As he lands safely on the stone path, Alexis says, ‘Thank you…’ to his rescuer.
The sorcerer only takes a semi-low bow as response, and immediately treats Alexis’ burn wound with Viavitali – the Great Heal spell.
On the other hand, Iris is greatly alarmed by the fact that there are two Fire Wyrms to deal with now, thinking, wyrms, like dragons, are immune to ordinary magic. I must apply a greater force on this one! Iris summons Eshmyria, the Spirit of the Wind again. And Agustina, who silently thinks of a way to block the fire and assist the hunters, seeing Iris’ action, casts, ‘An Jokulion Aschi!’ She moves her Frost Wand six ways.
Suddenly a portal, a round layer with a shining hexagon appears in front of Agustina, exactly like what happened with Iris when she summoned Eshmyria. The only difference is that from the portal comes the Spirit of Ice, the Frost Knight, Jokulion. He looks like a man wearing and wielding everything crystal: full armor, crystal sword, crystal shield, crystal helm and mask. And he stands as tall as Eshmyria, and they stand side-by-side to face the wyrm.
The wyrm shoots fire at Eshmyria, but the shot is blocked by Jokulion with his crystal shield. Then Iris yells, ‘Now, Eshmyria! Vare Eshmyriad Raduyev!’ Eshmyria sends huge bolts of Typhoon and concentrates the attack on the wyrm’s cracked crust on its head. The typhoons go drilling and slashing, no matter how hard the wyrm tries to avoid them. And Jokulion adds the damage by thrusting and slashing his sword so many times on the weakened spot, creating an effect like Tina’s Blizzard Blast spell. At last the crust cracks open, and the attacks go on and destroy the wyrm’s brain and head. Only after that the attacks cease, and the wyrm falls lifeless into the lava pit.
But then the Jokulion spirit suddenly vanishes. The second wyrm, who appears to be the dead wyrm’s mate, is now real furious to see its male’s death. Being instinctly intelligent, it attacks Jokulion’s summoner, Agustina with another jet of fire. But thanks to the ice aura that covered her during the summoning, the fire didn’t hurt Agustina much but a light burn. As Agustina is standing on a one-man stone path, Desmond, her partner can’t jump there to protect her and he just grits his teeth regretfully.
Iris immediately casts another Typhoon through her avatar, Eshmyria. She obviously hopes that this attack can finish the female wyrm off as well. But to her disappointment, the healthy wyrm can dodge most of her bolts – only three bolts manage to drill a crack on the wyrm’s forehead.
Now it’s Hernan’s turn to spring into action, as he is the nearest to the wyrm and he needs to deliver an attack before the wyrm moves or attacks again. To his delight, the wyrm goes down to recharge its fire power.
Suddenly Hernan feels a surge of power within him, as he feels nimbler and quicker than his usual self. It’s the result of Eidos Crydias’ Haste spell, specially cast to assist Hernan, a very handy spell as ‘the romancing fencer’ is not in his full health. Feeling that no time should be wasted on thanks, Hernan leaps very high above the wyrm’s head. And with a beautiful somersault, he attacks the wyrm’s forehead with Shears of the Falling Rain, a water-based, downward multiple-thrusts technique. The attack makes an open crack on the wyrm’s head. A slash on its brain will send it to the wyrms’ paradise to meet its deceased spouse.
A stray arrow that was targeted to the wyrm hits Hernan’s foot instead – another part of his body that is not protected by the Mythril Armor of Eil’thanath. Hernan roars in pain, and falls way down towards the lava pit. But thanks to his extra speed from Eidos, Hernan manages to grab a thorn on the wyrm’s body and hangs there.
Meanwhile, the wyrm is in pain. It changes its mind, instead of going down, it leaps upwards to deliver a desperate final attack and devour all its attackers. The wyrm tries not to fall into the lava pit at the risk of burning its brain. It lands on a stone path, crushing two hunters standing on it. Robert delivers an Air Slash towards it but misses. The wyrm moves very quickly horizontally, and leaps to another path with Paliades and Eidos on it. Paliades swings his great hammer upwards, and hits the wyrm’s jaw with his Earthquake Epicenter hammer slam, a far more powerful and concentrated skill than Megaton Impact. The one hit alone sends the wyrm flinging backwards.
Meanwhile, Hernan loses his grip and falls, but he is caught by two hunters, saving his life. And Hernan says thanks to them earnestly.
The wyrm’s head comes exactly in front of Adler, the knight from Borgia, who among the champions contributes the least in the entire mission. Instead of defending himself, Adler swings his great sword Ulcergash and attacks the wyrm’s brain with Tusks of the Golden Elephant – a slash-and-thrust combo intended to annihilate a bigger and stronger enemy. Adler keeps on attacking with the combo. We can’t see and determine how many hits Adler inflicts, but he actually hits thirty-eight times, making a mashed potato out of the wyrm’s brain, and knocking it away again.
This time the wyrm – now dead wyrm – is falling straight into the lava pit, joining its dead male in their ever-burning tomb.
Finding no landing spot, Adler also falls, but he is levitated by the hooded man with rabbit ears and feet who rescued Alexis earlier. Seeing that his rescuer is a mere commoner, the pompous viscount just turns away and steps to another stone path without even saying thanks to his savior.
Kyflynn speaks out a playful comment about the guardians of the fire chambers’ defeat, ‘Queen Carolyn must hire a new fire guardian now. These ones are busted!’
Paliades sneers, saying, ‘Oh, that’s a good one, Master Kyflynn. And maybe you’ll be a greater help for us if you can tell us where the exit is, because we see none.’
And the bald paladin is right. There is no door in the entire area, except the entrance. The hunters are champions are like rats in a big, hot trap now. And Carolyn begins to panic – again.
‘By Vadis! H-how can we get out of here? Please, Lord Paliades, you surely know the way, don’t you?’
‘My ancestors only built the mechanical aspects of this sanctum, and the magical and biological things by the Thyrinians. So this room and the wyrms are really out of my hands.’
‘Hahaha! Some leader!’ says Orlevant out loud, scornfully. ‘And you told us you know this sanctum from A to Z! I think it’s time to pay attention to the riddle in the runes now!’
‘Well if that’s what you want, why don’t YOU be the leader now? ‘Cause honestly, I’m sick and tired of you and your petty ambitions. I’ve had enough telling you all about everything technical, and…’
Robert decides not to listen to all these useless arguments any longer, and continues to walk on the stone paths. Then he and two other hunters reach the end of the path. Robert analyzes the situation in front of him.
Ah, so this is where the path ends. But there’s nothing over there but another vast lava pool surrounded by a narrow path as a wall, separating it from the wyrms’ pit. And the wall is where I’m standing now. Because of that, this pit is much hotter than the other one.
Then Robert shouts to the others, ‘Hey! Look at what we found here!’
Several hunters, including Robert’s party, Kyflynn, Dar’gum and Sheena go to the large pit to join Robert.
‘It looks like a sacrificial pit,’ says Andreas.
‘Yes,’ says Iris. ‘We usually give burnt offerings to Enia with the mystic fire from the priests, but we only burn fruits, tree branches and leaves, and they actually dissolve during the process, not burn. And we never use a sacrificial pit to do it.’
‘Sacrifice!’ says Robert thoughtfully. ‘Yes, this is the real meaning of the riddle! We must sacrifice everything we have, even our lives, to pass this area or open the way out for others by jumping into this sacrificial pit, offering ourselves to Enia.’
‘Are you crazy, Rob?’ says Kyflynn. ‘There’s no way I’m going in THERE!’
‘Maybe this is not the place to do it, Rob. And maybe we don’t have to sacrifice our lives, just everything we have,’ says Carolyn, being as logical as ever.
‘Perhaps it is,’ says Robert. ‘But unless you want to try breaking the walls here or going into the wyrm’s lava pit, or going all the way back to the engine room to find another exit, I think this sacrificial pit is the best bet we have.’
‘It’s too deep for anyone who has a big idea to lower a meat in there with the longest rope you can find,’ says Andreas, supporting Robert’s idea. ‘So, who wants to jump first?’
None of the champions and hunters who listened to Robert is willing to do a wild goose chase by jumping into the sacrificial pit. They just keep silent, some even murmuring to each other, uttering excuses or accusing Robert of being the craziest bounty hunter alive.
Aware of that situation, Robert closes his eyes, kisses his ring with a decision in his mind.
Eloise, looks like we won’t be together again at all. I must do this for the hunters here and mankind’s sake. I’ll die taking your love with me. Farewell, beautiful. Mother, father, Jeanna, Tisha… I’ll be seeing you again soon. I hope my deed here will earn my way home to heaven and you all will be proud of me. I’m coming.
And then Robert turns to Andreas, saying, ‘Padre Andreas, please take care of our friends now I’m gone, and Carol, you can have Paeldagrin and all my things. Bye, Iris, and send my farewell to Chris!’
Without waiting for his friends’ response, Robert jumps into the boiling lava in the sacrificial pit! Carolyn screams most hysterically.
‘ROOOBEEEERTTT!!! NOOOOOO!!!!’
But it’s too late. No levitation, teleportation even protective spells can save Robert now. He splashes into the pit very quickly, that no one sees him burn and writhe into ash. He just disappears – for ever.
‘NOOOO….! Robert, why did you do this? We still need you! I need you…’ Carolyn mourns at the top of her voice, the peak of her despair, expressing her true feelings to Robert at last. But what’s the use now? The one and only man she truly admires is now gone, leaving her alone.
Carolyn’s scream gains attention from the rest of the surviving hunters and champions, including Paliades and Orlevant who stop arguing against each other at once.
There’s nothing happening after Robert’s sacrifice. No door appears, no open walls, no exits, nothing. The hunters stare at Robert’s Robert-less party, demanding an explanation. Andreas tells all other hunters, Alexis, Adler, Eidos, Paliades, Orlevant and Hernan about Robert’s sacrifice, the sacrificial pit and the reason of his action in conjunction between riddle and reality.
Adler coldly comments, ‘That is the most foolish thing I ever heard in my life! I’d say we better use another way out!’
‘I beg your pardon, Lord Adler, but through what? I rather die in there now than to die of hunger, thirst and this suffocating heat!’ Carolyn says that, trying to suppress her anger and irritation. ‘That’s it. Good bye, everyone. I’m following Robert.’
No sooner than it’s said, the broken-hearted and frustrated sorceress runs at once and jumps into the sacrificial pit, following the only one she looked up to since she was an over-eager upstart. Tears like pearls and crystals fly out from her eyes, out from sadness, despair and pride because she has defended her beloved’s belief to the end.
The rest of Robert’s group, Andreas and Iris, looks and nods at each other. Both agree that they should think as a unit, a team. Fight together, survive and die together. And they immediately go after Carolyn and jump into their doom. Even Chiel flies into the pit too, not willing to part with its master, Carol.
Four hunters down, but still no exit appears. Kyflynn turns to Sheena, Baxter and Ellephar, saying,
‘Well, I guess I’ll sacrifice myself too. If you want the greaves back, come and catch me in hell. But keep in mind that I seriously admire you, Sheena. You’re one hell of a leader.’
Sheena Mekh’ta the Bandit Queen answers, ‘So, why wait? Let’s settle our score in there now, one on one! Bax, Ellep! Want to see the sexiest lady in Aurelia in action?’
Baxter and Ellephar raise their weapons. Baxter shouts,
‘Of course, Sheena! Wo-hoo! We won’t miss this one, in hell or damnation!’
The dim-witted Ellephar also yells, ‘Way a go, Sheena! You’re rockin’ hot!’
Desmond also talks, ‘Hey, hey. I wouldn’t want to miss the action too. I want to try my skills on you two, must use my fist more often now my maul is gone. Don’t you want it too, Tina?’
Agustina Vyrakova doesn’t respond at all and her face is still cold like a golem. But she follows Desmond anyway, and that makes the hefty berserker put a smile on his face.
Together, Kyflynn, Baxter, Ellephar, Sheena, Agustina and Desmond jump into the pit, followed by several more hunters.
Still nothing happens.
Hernan has his eyes on Ney’varìth and says, ‘My fair lady, would you like to join me and guide me down there? I’d be honored if you do.’
Ney regards Hernan coldly and warily, ‘Yes, but it’s only because that’s a duty I must see through to the end. But I warn you, if you touch me just once, I’ll offer your head to Enia on silver platter!’
‘Is that a threat, ma’am?’
‘Oh yes it is, Don Hernan y Parvaez, sir. With all due respect.’
‘Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!’
Hernan goes to the edge and jumps into the pit, followed by Ney. Orlevant is going to prevent Ney from sacrificing herself, but no words come out from his lips. It’s Ney’s duty after all, he thinks. If that’s the true meaning of the riddle and Enia demands it, then we the children of Enia must obey, and that’s the only way we can find out. This is our final duty, and I’ll let Paliades lead the rest from now on. Orlevant makes his final speech.
‘Fellow elves, let’s follow Iris and Ney and finish our duty to Mother Enia. Lord Paliades, you’re the leader and I’m sorry that I questioned about it all the time. Farewell, may the sun always shine upon you, and the earth gives you life.’
The night elves also speak up, ‘And may the moon bring you good fortune and the stars guide you through the night. We will come with you.’
And then one by one, the elves jump into the sacrificial pit to fulfill their final duty.
Adler is getting frustrated. Still nothing happens! Damn fools! Wasting your lives just like disposing garbage! Now we surely won’t survive at all! Damn!
Prince Alexis of Arcadia now speaks up, ‘Now that we are stuck, the rest is up to you. There’s no exit, no matter how many lives were sacrificed for our sake. And there’s no going back either. I’m going to sacrifice myself – maybe Enia wants to test our faith, and maybe she’ll save us before we are burnt to death. I’m going there, and I hope you too.’
Paliades the Parthenian Paladin walks to the edge of the sacrificial pit, saying, ‘How deep is our love to Enia? If Enia demands our every thing, even our very lives, shall we be willing to give it to her? We’ll find out, now!’
Eidos says, ‘I’ll go with you, Lord Paliades, even into the mouth of hell itself.’
With that last word, Paliades plunges himself into the pit, followed by Alexis and Eidos. It took them long enough to understand, but they did it. Almost all hunters who survive the wyrms also plunge in, following their leaders.
Fools! Even you V.I.P’s can’t grasp the truth behind all this! But look at the bright side. With the Crown Prince of Arcadia and the Grand Marshal of Parthenia gone, it’ll be all to easy for me to claim their kingdoms once I get out of this sanctum! Screw the Deathblade! Screw the Pope, the Elf Queen, Vadis, Enia and Adair! I want an empire for myself, and I’ll be far greater than Sage the Fireheart ever been!
Still with thoughts in his head, Viscount Adler von Bachmann of Borgia still stands on the edge of the sacrificial pit, and spits into the pit. The spit vaporizes before it can touch the lava. Adler sneers.
Fools.
The Ravaging of the Sun
Where am I?
I don’t feel a thing. I’m dead, aren’t I?
It’s all dark. Is this a portal to the afterworld?
My body still feels solid. Or is this my soul?
My wounds still hurt… maybe I’m not dead after all.
Or maybe my soul shares the wounds in my body.
I’m just drifting here, don’t know where to go.
Eh? There are lights there.
I’ll let myself float; maybe I’ll swim there… ah. It’s no use.
Just float and enjoy the moment.
There’s no need to rush judgment.
It’s Robert’s thoughts. He just finds himself floating in darkness, in the middle of nowhere. Now he is wondering whether the lights in front of him is the place for the final judgment, or is it heaven. The mystery in his mind gets more confusing as the lights become clearer and clearer, and sparkling like stars.
What… is that… is that… the universe?
Robert goes into the strangest, most amazing room he ever sees in his life. It’s a miniature model of the universe, with all the stars and planets scattering there like floating dust. The largest thing of all in this room is the sun, the Corona. Robert surveys around, there are at least ten planets there, the largest planets in the room that move very-very slowly, rotating the sun. Robert observes them one by one.
Ah, I think this is Terra Eternia.
The planet Earth is named Terra Eternia that means Enia’s world and planet, the most eternal of all the things inside. Robert recalls a few things the Late Old Duke has taught him about Astronomy. The nearest planet to the sun is Trevus (Planet Mercury in our dimension, modern times). And then Planet Marvella (Venus – Andreas Marvellini was named after this planet), Eternia (Earth or Gaea), Aesis (Mars), Geine (Jupiter), Vazar (Saturn), Caeleth (Neptune), Zebula (Uranus), Xegvis (Pluto), and the smallest and farthest planet of the ten, Nixon.
Robert tries to reach and touch the miniature planet Caeleth, the nearest planet from where he’s falling, but his hand penetrates inside it as it is a holographic illusion. And he keeps going down slowly until he steps on an invisible floor, with the rest of the universe reflected below it. It’s indeed a vast dome, much more spacious than the guardian rooms and slightly larger than the ice chamber and the engine room.
The sun itself is placed exactly in the middle of the Spacedome – as Robert calls it – and it’s a single largest thing in the entire room, abnormally much larger in scale proportion between the planets and the actual sun. Robert feels rather hot in this dome, so he throws a crossbow bolt into it just to find out whether the sun is solid and can emit heat like its real counterpart.
The bolt burns and dissolves into ash as it goes into the mini-sun.
So this sun is real after all. Maybe if I…
Robert’s chain of thought is broken by a sudden yell from above.
‘Robert! Oh, Robert, thank Vadis you’re alive!’
Robert looks up. It’s Carolyn! She agreed with me at last! I must admit she’s truly amazing. I’m glad I chose her as my partner from the start. Now she’s more than I expected her to be. But I hope Chris is all right. His potential is developing too; it’s a waste if his life ends in this mission.
Before Robert can go deeper in his thoughts, Carol lands on the floor and instantly flings herself to Robert and embraces him gladly, like a lover sees her beloved is back alive from death. Robert is shocked to see Carol’s burst of feelings. He just stands there, don’t know what to do. His face remains serious and emotionless as ever, and Robert doesn’t hug Carol back. His mind flies to his one and only love, Princess Eloise of Lore, and he won’t allow anyone stand in their way although Robert and Eloise are far, far away from each other.
Suddenly a voice comes from nearby, ‘… We must find Rob and Carol!’
Hearing that voice, Carolyn is zapped and she immediately pushes Robert away. Anger comes into her face, and she slaps Robert on his left cheek.
Robert is confused, saying, ‘What’s that for?’
‘You didn’t push me away when I hugged you! If Iris and Andre saw us…’
‘Listen, Carol…’
‘You pervert! Taking advantage of a girl’s feelings!’
‘Hey, hey, what are you fighting about?’ says Andreas, trying to end their fight.
‘IT’S NOT YOUR BUSINESS!!!!’ Robert and Carolyn snaps on Andreas altogether.
Andreas whistles, waving his left hand like a fan in front of his beard, talking to Iris.
‘Whew! They’re cohesive, aren’t they?’
‘Oh, yeah,’ says Iris. ‘That’s what happened when two people are closely connected for a long time. They influence each other!’
‘Something’s going on between these two.’
‘Yup. Better leave them in their own world.’
‘YOU FOOL! HOW DARE YOU MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE IN THIS… THIS… SPACE! NOW GET A GRIP AND FIND A WAY FOR US SO WE CAN GET OUT OF THIS PLACE!’ Now that’s Carol’s REAL angry shouts. Chiel who actually just arrives there is puzzled by its master’s behavior.
Soon afterwards Robert and his friends look above and see lots of people floating down into this room – like falling snow in winter or falling leaves in autumn. Then they quietly land on the floor, one by one, and almost all of them are amazed by the miniature of universe in this room. Then we can see the champions of Vadis and Adair, approaching the center of the room one by one. Bragl Dar’gum the Relentless; Kyflynn the Windwalker with his partners Agustina Vyrakova and Desmond Edmundsen; Don Hernan y Parvaez; The elf guides including Orlevant and Ney’varìth, Sheena Mekh’ta with the two rogues Baxter and Ellephar; Prince Alexis Deveraux; and lastly, Nikanomikos Paliades followed by his assistant, Eidos Crydias. Viscount Adler von Bachmann is not around. Maybe he hasn’t jump into the fake sacrificial pit yet. But at least almost all champions are here now, and the miniature sun glows even brighter, emitting more heat throughout the Dome of Universe.
‘Here we are at last,’ says Paliades. ‘The final stage. According to my grandfather, the Kraal’shazar is sealed here. The Great Archmage Azrael led the sealing ritual, assisted by two great Archmages of Light, Carolyn, The Elf Queen of Thyrine and Nikanomikos Theripides, my great-grandfather. Azrael almost drained all his life force performing this ritual, and he died a year after. Carolyn and Theripides then worked together, making additional guardians and traps, combining technology and magic at the highest level. And so, we are yet to meet the final guardian, now we are so close to Kraal’shazar.’
And Paliades is right. About a minute after he said that, the sun glows most fiercely, and suddenly shoots fire to five directions. The lines of fire kill and burn the hunters that stand in their ways, and only a few can barely avoid it, and hit the wall of the Dome of the Universe. There are large things that look like runes, glowing on the sections of the wall which were hit by the fire.
Orlevant shouts, ‘The Five Glyphs of Enia! Vyr, Jokul, Eshmyr, Borg, and Voltar!’ (Fire, water or ice, wind, earth, and lightning). As he says that, the glyphs blink five times, slide upwards and disappear, leaving blank, dark holes like doorways on the wall.
Before the hunters can find out the purpose of this reaction, all of a sudden five gigantic, monstrous beasts come out from the doorways, charging at the hunters and butchering them savagely. Vyr is a red dragon, representing fire. Jokul is an ocean-blue crocodile, representing water. Eshmyr is a green Pegasus with two pairs of fairy-like wings, representing wind. Borg is a brown bear, representing earth; and Voltar is a violet phoenix, representing lightning. Each beast has flickers of each element it represents on its body: Vyr is covered with fire, Jokul has crystal-like scales, Eshmyr is covered with a windy green aura around its body, Borg has stone skin like a golem, and Voltar has flickers and sparks of lightning around its body.
Being a shrewd tactician, Hernan immediately splits the hunters and champions into groups according to their elemental mastery by shouting,
‘Don’t panic! Use strategy! Listen to me! Water masters, Agustina, Ney and I attack the dragon! Robert, Carol and Sheena, fire masters, attack the crocodile! Attack anything your element is most effective against! Go, go, go!’
The champions readily understand Hernan’s strategy, take a moment to think and select their most effective targets and attack at once. Vyr and Jokul are handled according to Hernan’s instructions, and they can fight evenly with the monsters with their combined strengths.
Dar’gum, Paliades and Eidos attack Voltar; Alexis and Desmond attack Eshmyr; and Kyflynn, Iris and Orlevant attack Borg. Andreas, on the other hand, stands in a (relatively) safer place with the healers to give assistance whenever possible. It’s not a test, a puzzle or a trap anymore. It’s an all-out fight to the death now.
The beasts are surely tougher opponents than any other guardians they faced until now. Jokul, for instance, slithers around with its bulky body, big jaws, big, sharp teeth but little feet. But its movement is a great deal quicker than normal crocodiles that it creates a Tidal Wave effect along its passing, trampling and devouring the hunters mercilessly. It catches a frogman hunter between its jaws, snaps the victim’s body into two pieces and swallows them whole. Robert, Carolyn and Sheena are having a tough time defending themselves, thinking hard to find a chance to hit the monster without being swallowed by it.
Just then Carolyn readies her Fireblast spell and aims to the crocodile, saying, ‘Rob, Sheena! Move out!’ And as soon as Rob and Sheena are out of the line of fire, Carolyn shoots.
‘Pyroagnios!’
The fire blast finds its target on the crocodile’s back. It damages some of its crystallite scales a bit, but the crocodile is practically unhurt. Robert is in his wit’s end now.
Darn! This croc is tougher than the golems! Even Fireblast only mark a scratch! What must I do now?
Robert turns around. His face suddenly turns more determined.
Aha! Akmal is here. I can ask him to cast Fire Wall to inhibit its movement and hurt it if possible, then I and Sheena will hit the croc with the best skills we have!
The bearded, old minotaur shaman and the minotaur champion look at Robert meaningfully, as though they share the same strategy with Robert. Robert looks back at them and nods. Fargothum then moves to Akmal’s side, ready with his giant club to guard him. Akmal, on the other hand, aims carefully towards Jokul the giant crocodile and shouts,
‘An Vyr’me Prdaj!’
Pillars of fire erupt from the floor, hitting the crocodile squarely on its abdomen. It lets out a deafening roar. Its abdomen is indeed its weak spot after all – uncovered with the crocodile’s ultra-hard crystallite scale. Now! Seeing that the crocodile is weakened and groggy, Robert and Sheena immediately attack it together. Robert reinforces his kiliji blade with fire aura, slides down between the crocodile’s four legs and strikes its abdomen again with Rising Dragon, the fire-reinforced Uppercut Slash. At the same time, Sheena’s flying Dancing Scimitar, also reinforced with fire, hits Jokul on its head, only to be deflected again by its thick hide. Robert is surprised for a moment on hearing a resounding Clang, Clang when his kiliji and Sheena’s scimitar hit Jokul.
Metal! This monster is a golem!
The giant crocodile is in pain, it stomps forwards, backwards, side-to-side to shake the pain off. Robert quickly moves away so he won’t get trampled by its feet like an unfortunate fellow huntress who tried to hit the abdomen too, but missed and got crushed. A life is wasted, again.
As Robert arrives on a safer spot, he shouts to his comrades, ‘Careful! This thing is a golem! It’s made of some kind of alloy; our mediocre weapons can’t cut through it! We must destroy its insides!’
A thought comes into Sheena’s mind. Wait, if it’s a golem, a spirit must be dwelling inside it! It has a mind of its own, not programmed, but magically invoked! Now it’s time for me to do what I do best!
Sheena boldly runs towards the crocodile and swiftly comes in front of the crocodile’s head. Then she somersaults to avoid its jaws, her eyes glows, and she stares into Jokul’s eye, transferring her instruction mentally to it. Attack the dragon. Attack the dragon. Attack the dragon. The giant crocodile pauses, it’s as though in a trance. Apparently it has a soul embedded in it – a gavial’s soul. Gavial is the true name for were-crocodiles. They are thaumaturgy-engineered humans who have crocodile heads, torsos and tails but retain their human hands and feet so they can stand straight.
Totally hypnotized by Sheena, Jokul turns and looks around, and finds Vyr the dragon fighting fiercely with Hernan, Ney, Agustina and many others. The giant crocodile rushes to the red dragon at once, springs up and bites the dragon’s foot while it is flying in mid-air. The dragon roars, gets furious, and with its beastly instinct sweeps Jokul away with its tail with no avail. Maddened by its fellow guardian’s betrayal, Vyr attacks by breathing fire on Jokul. And then a fight breaks between these two mighty guardians. Feeling safe at last, Hernan says to Sheena, ‘Whatever you do back there, lady, I thank you.’
Sheena responds, ‘You better pray that I’ll be in no condition to apply it on you too.’
Hernan doesn’t answer, he just rushes away to give assistance to his fellow hunters to fight the other three guardians. As he arrives on the scene, Hernan sees that Iris is the only champion fighting Borg the giant bear. An elf guide, a champion has fallen! There lies Orlevant, not far from where Hernan is standing now, totally crushed beyond healing, with Andreas Marvellini and the Valanisian spy kneeling beside him, shaking their heads with regret in their faces.
What actually happened was, Orlevant and Iris attacked Borg wantonly with drills of Typhoon, which proved to be quite effective. Confident that the attack will destroy the bear, Orlevant leaped above the bear’s head to deliver a final drilling blow of Firestorm, but the bear’s hand caught him and drew him to the bear. And Borg rewarded him with a Bear Hug for Orlevant’s overconfidence, no matter how fast he moved. Borg crushed Orlevant’s insides, broke all his bones, and slammed the unfortunate elf captain on the floor, killing him instantly.
Hernan delivers his jumping, spinning multiple-amplified, water-based uppercut thrusts, Albatross Embraces the Clouds towards Borg, and misses the target by a few inches. Then cleverly, he steps on Borg’s body and uses it as a step to leap away from the brutish giant bear golem. Then suddenly he hears a very loud, commanding voice.
‘Guardians! Unite as Chimera, now!’
Hernan immediately recognizes the voice. It’s Paliades! He… he commands the guardians!
Nothing is truer than that. The five guardians stop fighting at once, turn and run to the middle, below the sun, obeying their master’s order. Now what’s going on here? Robert is a bit puzzled and thoughtful. Paliades? He’s the HEIR, the culprit behind all this? And we assisted him to pass the chambers just to bring him to the sword? Damn! Have I known that from the start, I would’ve killed him!
As they run, the five guardians transform their bodies mechanically into strange shapes and break their body parts apart, yet they are forming themselves to unite into… Chimera!??? Chimera is the monster in myths and legends, and actually, part of the history in Parthenia. It is impossible to kill because it masters the five elements (water, fire, earth, lightning and wind) at once and can shoot to any direction it wants. Vyr, Eshmyr and Voltar’s heads with long necks become Chimera’s three heads. Voltar’s torso and wings cover Borg, forming Chimera’s torso, leaving Borg’s head on the front side of the torso. Vyr’s wings attach themselves on the Chimera’s torso as supplements to Voltar’s wings on each side. Vyr and Eshmyr’s bodies become the four legs of Chimera. Jokul’s head and torso become Chimera’s tail.
And there it is, Chimera, the Chime of Sure Death, the last guardian of Deathblade, standing vast and tall. But the guardian is corrupted. Someone’s controlling it. Paliades controls it as if Chimera is his pet, his toy. Paliades is the heir!
All heads turn towards Paliades, and all hunters and champions immediately charge to kill him on the spot. But Chimera immediately comes near its master, protecting him. The heads begin shooting fire, lightning and wind blasts to every direction, destroying a few hunters. Eshmyr’s head with an elongated neck goes down to the floor, and Paliades climbs on it. Paliades comes down into safety on Chimera’s back. Vyr lowers its head and Chimera stops its attack, guarding its master from any attack from four directions.
‘Now you may assume that I’m the heir of Vordac,’ says Paliades. ‘But one thing, you cannot be certain of that until I have the Deathblade in my hands. Now, Chimera! Bear me to the sun!’
Chimera’s three heads shriek at the same time. The wings start flapping, and Chimera starts flying, bearing Paliades into the sun. None of the hunters can avoid them. The Chimera flies too fast to hit by arrows and spells. As Paliades and Chimera are in the sun, the hunters and other champions can only wait, and some hope that the sun burns Paliades and Chimera into ashes. But their hopes are none but empty wishes, because the sun explodes!
Although the hunters are far below the sun, but the impact of the explosion sends Chimera’s enemies rolling everywhere. And not only that, pieces of the ‘sun’ also rain down as fireballs and kill more people who get hit by them.
After the rain of fireballs subsides, the hunters look up and – to their disappointment – Paliades and Chimera are still there, floating in the air, practically unharmed. Paliades looks down at his enemies, and stands firm on Chimera’s back. He is holding two different weapons at the moment, and one of them is unmistakably the great sword, Kraal’shazar, The Deathblade. It’s indeed the ultimate dark weapon with Vordac’s spirit sealed inside. The colors on its blade and handle are jet black and ruby red, with a carved red winged, skull-faced devil on its hilt. Seven runes are carved on it, symbolizing the seven sins, the sources of all dark energy. The great sword itself is surrounded by a thick dark aura; it’s so thick and evil that illusions of shadowy skulls are visible for everyone, even Chiel the micha.
Slowly but surely, his entire body transforms, his muscles get bigger and bigger, his spiked armor shatters in pieces. His face and skin color of the right part of his body change to maroon, and a pair of horns grows from the skull, coming outside the head. Paliades surely looks like a devil now – no, not just any devil – he looks like Vordac now.
‘Now you believe me that I know this place from A to Z. I only tell you the mechanical aspects of it because I need to gain your trust and eliminate as many as possible of your number. So, as thanks for all who helped me to reach this place, I’d like to fill your curiosity before I send you on a one-way ticket vacation to hell.
You see, there’s no one here who can break the seal of Deathblade, because Azrael, the only one who knew how to do it, has died without telling anybody else. Queen Carolyn, of course, naturally, bound herself magically so she will die the moment she tells anyone how to break the seal, and furthermore, she erased Theripides’ memory on how to break the seal when the construction of the trap chambers are finished. So how do I know? Theripides, thanks to him, secretly added his own blood in the seal, so only he and his descendants can break the seal by dropping his blood inside the sun, on the orb Kraal’shazar was in, The Heart of the Sun. And there I was, I did it, the orb opens, and jackpot!
Well, I guess I won’t need this anymore,’ says Paliades.
Paliades throws away his old weapon, the great hammer Terra Nakroβ. Desmond sees it falling on the floor, and carefully comes forward and takes it.
‘Oh, yes, Desmond. Have it for yourself. Terra Nakroβ is its name. And… what a pleasant surprise!’ Paliades sees someone floating down quite far from him. ‘It’s nice to you to drop in, Viscount. I guess you are very lonely up there and want some companions in hell.’
Yes, it’s him all right. Adler von Bachmann, floating down from the sacrificial pit. He finally decided to jump into the pit at last. Whether he’s lonely up there, or he finally saw through the illusion somehow.
Seeing Paliades holding the Deathblade with a dense dark aura around him, Adler springs forward, using his great sword Ulcergash as a step and thrusts with it straight to Paliades.
Paliades sneers at Adler, saying, ‘Oh, jumping straight into the party, aren’t we? Shall we serve our appetizer then, Viscount Grill a la Chimera?’
As if it understands his master’s words, Vyr’s head breathes fire at Adler. Adler barely defends himself with his Whirlwind Slash skill, but the fire hurts him anyway, though not severely. Chiel the Micha flies towards Adler to heal him, but Adler slaps it away. One may say that it’s another example of Adler’s arrogance, but we immediately come to know it to be untrue as a Ball Lightning comes between Adler and Chiel.
Paliades laughs aloud as Chimera descends slowly, saying, ‘I guess we’ll skip Micha Shock Roast then, and here’s the next menu, Hunters Press-to Pancake!’
And as soon as it is said, Chimera lands quickly, stomping on a few hunters who are not lucky or agile enough to avoid its feet, crushing them to death. The three heads and tail roar in unison, and begin to blast and attack to every direction, claiming more and more casualties. All the hunters and champions are totally devastated now. They are not outnumbered, but inevitably out-powered by Chimera and Paliades, The Ravagers of the Sun. None of them have any chance to draw their skills or even hit Chimera with anything.
The heir laughs even louder.
‘Now it’s the time to finish them all! Chimera! Serve the main course, Feast on the Champions! NOW!!!’
The three heads move in sync with each other and breathe out their respective energy blasts. This time the lines of fire are somehow united: fire, wind and lightning as one combined blast. The blast swipes around the room, and wipes the hunters out. Even Ellephar and Dar’gum are badly hurt by the blast. They only escaped with their own lives. A healer – who actually is a spy monk from Valanis – rushes to heal them, but he is burned to crisp by the Chimera’s grand blast.
Seeing that their lives are hanging on a thread, Hernan lets out a desperate yell, ‘Attack the heir! ATTACK HIM! Together! Some of you attack Chimera to keep it busy! ATTACK! It’s our only defense! TOGETHER!’
The champions nod at Hernan quickly, and charge. Sheena, Alexis and Robert launch a frontal attack towards Paliades with their respective skills: Double Ten-Point Chain Slash, Phoenix Rampages in Hell, and Ten-Point Chain Slash. Paliades counters the attacks with Meteor Napalm Rain. The meteor bolts look like skulls because they are reinforced with the dark energy from Deathblade. The attacks are so quick and frequent that the three attackers and Paliades take and give damage and block each other’s blows as well.
Desmond uses his new weapon, the second-hand reject giant hammer from Paliades and hits Borg’s head with Landsplitter Quake, making it dizzy and slightly off-balanced. Seeing this chance, Dar’gum lands several slashes on Eshmyr’s head, applying a different type of Landsplitter Quake using his great axe. Adler hits Jokul’s head with his best combo, The Shattering of Heaven and Earth, inflicting a considerable amount of damage upon it and defending himself from its jaws and ice blasts at the same time.
An impressive display of tactics and beautiful swordplay is shown by Hernan. With his Albatross Rapier, he applies the Whirlpool Polonaise counter-slash on Vyr and Voltar’s heads by blocking Vyr’s head’s direct attack and redirects it towards Voltar’s head. The two heads bump against each other. Hernan continues by slashing around them with beautiful somersaults, actually guiding Vyr’s head so it becomes entangled with Voltar’s head.
Meanwhile the mages, archers, and some other hunters on the other hand use their spells and ranged attacks on Chimera’s body to divert its attention but with care not to hit their short-range comrades.
Alexis’ chest is grazed by the blade of Kraal’shazar and he is thrown downwards by the impact of the dark force. The Meteor Napalm Rain blasts successfully repel Robert and Sheena’s attacks too and hurt them moderately, but after that Paliades falters a bit. A swordsman sees this and hits Paliades with an unknown, not very powerful combo yet it hurts Paliades considerably. Paliades screams painfully and swings the great sword Deathblade horizontally and splits the swordsman’s head in half. Paliades smiles behind his frown of pain, and this turnaround momentum turns against him. The heir’s eyes open wide, and he instantly becomes aware of his condition.
‘Gotcha, you bloody heir.’
Paliades turns his head to his right and sees Kyflynn behind him. Kyflynn the Windwalker just smiles slyly and pulls his dagger Maraj’vriad out from Paliades’ back. It seems the night elf assassin has appeared out of nowhere and backstabbed Paliades.
‘One thing you should know about this dome is,’ says Kyflynn threateningly as he moves very fast to a safe distance. ‘That we are all much lighter here than outside and other chambers in Enia’s Sanctum. About one sixth or seventh of our actual weight, I guess. So there’s no wonder if we floated before we landed. And I feel much quicker here so you were not able to detect my movement just now. Take this as my gift. It’ll ease your mind during your journey to hell with Vordac.’
The semi-devil Paliades twitches his lips and says, ‘But I don’t intend to return to hell now. You see, you forgot one little thing… you know, it’s Chimera, my partner in crime!’ He kneels and puts his hand on Chimera’s body. ‘Chimera! Now I merge with you! Embrace… your master!’
Chimera’s back liquefies, and Paliades sinks into the liquid metal along with Deathblade. After Paliades sinks completely, Chimera’s body transforms. It gets up and becomes erect, standing on its two feet like humans do. Chimera’s abdomen opens like a kangaroo’s pocket, and Paliades comes out from the pocket, and rests there with his chest and upper body bare and free, and his two hands hold and swing the Deathblade threateningly. The merging process is now complete.
Paliades’ body also experienced mutation while he was in Chimera’s body. Now he’s semi-devil, semi-human, and semi-machine, with runes tattooed, embossed all over the maroon-skinned part of his body. It seems Paliades must hold the Deathblade long enough in order to complete the merging process between Vordac and himself.
Robert thinks hard to find a new way to destroy the heir.
Argh! Now the Deathblade, the heir and Chimera are merged, and they are more powerful than us altogether…
Robert is thunderstruck. He just realized something. Then he walks and stands right in front of Paliades-Chimera, points his father’s kiliji on the monster and shouts.
‘Ever since I accepted this quest, I knew this would happen. Destroying the heir would be an impossible task. You may be more powerful than us altogether, but you forget one thing. You are alone, and we are many. Enia has taught us much in this journey: sincerity, resourcefulness, team work, honesty, sacrifice and now, bravery. So, by Vadis, with all we’ve learned here and our combined strength we CAN destroy you! We will send you, Vordac, Chimera, Deathblade, and the lot to oblivion!’
The rest of the champions and hunters’ morale is roused by Robert’s speech, and almost all of them yell ‘Destroy him!’ or something like that in response.
‘Hahaha, nice speech, Robert the Orcbane, but you’re too overconfident! You try to digest what you can’t chew! Let’s see if you can digest this! Doomsday Dessert!’
Chimera’s Final Form, with Paliades’ body and mind merged with it immediately attacks simultaneously, with all three heads and tail. Its feet stomp the ground, creating an earthquake to harm and prevent anybody else to avoid or counter its attacks. Robert will surely die if he gets hit by the series of attacks targeted to him, but he is saved by Kyflynn. The night elf assassin really makes the most of his advantage in this room. He snatched Robert and took him away before the attacks arrive with godly speed.
The mages see this opportunity to attack, as Chimera is busy with Robert, Kyflynn and the rest. Iris and Agustina are both ready with their summoned avatars, Jokulion and Eshmyria. Carolyn, on the other hand, now tries something she hasn’t done before in her life, summoning Aegis the Thunderbird, the guardian spirit of lightning, and Vadis’ faithful pet and ride. She swings her Esthagar magical trident six ways, making a hexagonal portal in front of her.
‘An Aegis Aschi!’
As it is Carolyn’s first attempt, Aegis comes out from the limbo portal with difficulty, but it makes its way through anyway.
There’s no time to waste. Together, Iris casts Typhoon, Agustina casts Avalanche, and Carolyn casts Wrath of the Skies on Chimera.
‘Raduyev Eshmyriad!’
‘Vare Jokulhaups Nek’havr!’
‘Xacravenos!’
The spells hit Paliades-Chimera like a continuous rain. Chimera’s heads roar in pain. Then come cracking sounds from the various parts on Chimera’s head and body. The lightning-based Xacravenos spell really has a disastrous effect on metallic compounds; Avalanche amplifies and spreads the electrical effect of Xacravenos and Typhoon makes Xacravenos more powerful.
No matter how powerful Chimera is, its heads and tail can’t withstand the three guardian forces’ combined and continuous spells. The spells are so focused on one target, so the damage multiplies and multiplies. At last Vyr, Eshmyr, Jokul and Voltar, the heads and tail are broken and shattered in pieces. Paliades roars, still under the pressure of the spells.
‘NOOOO!!! It…. It can’t be! Chimera… the greatest combination between magic and technology! No way can it be beaten!’
‘That’s because there’s no way you can beat the Patrons of Nature, especially when they’re working together,’ says Robert, ‘unless you can focus your attacks on one single target. But you are one, and we are many and unified. With team work, no one can stop us. That’s Enia’s clues and teachings all about. And now the laughs are on you!’
The spells cease, the magicians are drained of their spiritual powers and withdraw their avatars and themselves. Now Paliades only have Borg intact on his body, and together they charge desperately to kill all. Paliades swings the Deathblade fiercely. One by one, the hunters get trampled and slashed and Paliades keeps on rampaging like a blinded boar. He doesn’t care whether he killed a hunter or champion, none shall survive once he’s done.
Just then a sword flies towards Vordac’s heir from quite a distance. It’s none other than Adler’s great sword, Ulcergash. Paliades is aware of it, says ‘Too slow!’ and outstretches his left hand to catch the sword so he can use it for himself.
But something hits Ulcergash midway. Paliades is shocked. It’s Alexis! He leaps and hits the hilt of the flying sword with all his might with his twin swords Im’htaloc and Im’colath, so the great sword darts much faster than Paliades expected. Paliades can’t avoid it because his lower body is merged with the slow and large Chimera, and Chimera’s hands can’t move fast enough to block the sword.
There’s no avoiding it. Ulcergash finds its target on Paliades’ chest, and penetrates the heir’s body to the back. Paliades is now pinned on Chimera, and the Deathblade is thrown from his hand. In front of Death, however, Paliades puts an insane smile on his face.
‘Hee hee heee… You killed me, aren’t you? But I won’t die alone, because in ten minutes, I’ll explode myself with Chimera and you all will die with me in this sanctum! The party ends here! Thank you, and see you in hell!’
With his last strength, Paliades breaks Ulcergash in half with his demonic hand and sinks into Chimera’s abdominal pocket. The countdown begins!
Carolyn shrieks, ‘Oh, no! There’s no way out from this room! What should we do?’
In the first minute of confusion, Kyflynn suddenly remembers something and shouts.
‘Quick! All of you gather here! Father Andreas, please cast Mass Protection on us and cover us from this explosion!’
‘Are you mad, Flynn?’ says Sheena. ‘This alone won’t be enough to protect us from huge explosion! We’ll be dead for sure!’
‘Don’t you get it, woman? The gravity in this room is one sixth from normal! So if we jump at the same time the explosion hits us, the force of the explosion will float us back through the sacrificial pit, into the lava room!’
‘Oh, I get it now. You’re really something, Mr. Kyflynn. You know what, if you can lead us out of here, you keep the mythril greaves. I won’t take it from you unless you give it to me.’
As the hunters are all gathered and Andreas casts Omnigalatr on them all, Kyflynn answers Sheena, ‘I don’t need to deal with you and I can’t deal with you this way. We need all of us to escape, so it won’t depend on me alone.’
Meanwhile, as the last minutes tick away, Hernan sees Adler holding something that makes him alert. ‘Lord Adler!!! Is that the Deathblade you’re holding?’
‘Yes,’ says Adler. ‘So what? Paliades broke my Ulcergash, and I claimed his sword. A sword for a sword, then.’
‘But it’s an evil sword! And Vordac’s spirit is sealed inside it! I don’t have time to fight you if you want to be the new heir!’
‘Can’t you see, Hernan? Paliades has unsealed Vordac’s spirit and is dying with it! See this sword? It’s perfectly safe now. See me? I don’t change a bit!’
‘Yes, that’s true, Lord Adler. Now shall we jump first, then?’
A few seconds after Hernan said that, Chimera-Paliades explodes. The explosion is so powerful; it disintegrates even Orlevant and the dead hunters’ bodies. The survivors jump together and float upwards using the impact force of the explosion, and are completely protected from damage at the same time. That’s Kyflynn’s contribution for the escape.
The Morning Light
One by one, the surviving hunters come out floating from the sacrificial pit. Among them are Vadis and Adair’s champions, Adair’s dark elf guides and Enia’s elf guides: Robert, Adler, Alexis, Kyflynn, Dar’gum, Sheena, Andreas, Carolyn, Desmond, Agustina, Iris, Eidos, Ney, Baxter and Ellephar. Orlevant fell, Fargothum the minotaur, Akmal’s bodyguard also fell, and Paliades turned out to be the heir. Chiel the micha flies into Carolyn’s goodie bag so it is saved and protected from the explosion too. Some of the hunters float too far from the landing path, so the mages use tractor beams to levitate them to safety. The Omnigalatr protective force fields really helped minimize the wounds caused by the explosion. Kyflynn’s plan really worked.
Once all survivors land safely and no more comes from the pit, Hernan shouts, ‘Let’s get out from here before the explosion triggers a chain reaction!’
Without any further ado, the hunters follow Hernan through the floating stone paths above the lava pit where the fire wyrms are entombed inside.
Then they come once again into the engine room. Hernan guides the hunters through the middle path, because he only went through fire pillars and fire elementals there – the easiest path according to him – and this time the hunters ignore the elementals and go through the fire and steam bursts and get no worse than blisters, thanks to Omnigalatr force field.
Suddenly they come across three maintenance probes and ignore them as they are in a hurry, but the probes wail out a deafening siren sound.
‘ALARM! ALARM! DEATHBLADE IS OUT! ENGINE ROOM! EVACUATE! EVACUATE! SELF-DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE WILL COMMENCE IN TEN MINUTES!’
Without waiting for the next alarm, Hernan yells, ‘QUICK! To the exit! GO, GO GO!!!’
Then while running, he looks at Adler still bringing the evil sword Deathblade with him, and Hernan yells at him, ‘Lord Adler! Drop that sword! If you take it to other rooms, it’ll trigger another self-destruction sequence as well! Drop it, I say!
Adler snaps back at Hernan, ‘NO! I’ll keep it no matter what! Otherwise you’ll have to kill me!’
‘No, I won’t kill you, and I don’t want to touch that sword either! You go and guard the back, Viscount! So you can buy time for use before the alarm blares!’
‘I won’t forget this insolence, Don,’ says Adler grudgingly, but he goes to the back of the pack anyway.
And Hernan is right. When the hunters go in the ice generator room, nothing happens. But when Adler comes in with Deathblade, the maintenance probes in the room react and the alarm blares again, giving them another ten minutes to evacuate the ice chambers.
It takes five minutes for Carolyn and Akmal the Minotaur Shaman to clear the ice sealing the entrance tunnel with Fireblast and Fire Wall, and another minute for all hunters to go through it. Even with Ney’s help, the hunters don’t have enough time to evacuate the ice chambers. The self-destruction sequence begins before the hunters are halfway to the exit. The Ice Mirrors of Illusion shatter, the stalactites, stalagmites and ceiling collapse. Shards of ice fly and fall upon the hunters, but barely hurt them at all, once again thanks to Omnigalatr force field.
Once the mirrors are shattered and the fog is cleared, the heroes can now see the doorway to the rune room more clearly and rush towards it. And then they clear up the ice blockades in the ruins of the rune room, and go to the stone chambers.
The maintenance probes repairing the five-in-one giant rock golem react upon seeing the Deathblade in Adler’s hand (Oh, man, I knew this will happen again and again, says Hernan) and sounds the alarm. As it is another ten-minute evacuation time before self-destruction, the stone doors open automatically and they will close again as ten minutes expire.
The hunters rush to the rune room before time runs out, avoiding the rock golems who are active again upon recharging. A few unfortunate hunters become victims in this rush, and those who are lagged behind will surely die.
Almost all hunters arrive at the rune room of the stone chambers in time with Adler being the last one. There are three tunnels in the rune room, two of which were ignored by the hunters the first time they went into this room. Apparently one hunter, a faun with a whip on his hand is staying in the rune room all this time, starving, exhausted, and too scared to go anywhere else.
Robert asks him quickly, ‘My friend, do you know the way out? There’s no way back to the wind tunnels!’
The faun answers Robert timidly, ‘Y-yes, t-t-this one!’ He points to a tunnel on a side of the room. ‘F-follow me! This room is about to collapse!’
The hunters have neither time nor chance to suggest any other way; they all follow the shy and cowardly faun through the tunnel. Adler even sees the entire rune room collapse behind him. Is this faun telling the truth? What if he leads us into a trap?
Adler’s mind rushes in doubt, but he soon that his doubt is but a fruit of his character – he tends to distrust and disdain anybody below his rank and prestige – as he comes into an open space. It’s Enia’s Forest of Temptation outside the sanctum entrance. And as Adler comes outside, the nymphs, plants, trees and animals of the forest instantly react, transform into banshees, carnivorous plants and mutants and attack the hunters simultaneously.
Once again the hunters are in a desperate situation, attacked and surrounded by a mob of ever-regenerating monsters, plus they are exhausted and wounded. Although their victory over the heir lifted their fighting spirit and they’re still protected with Omnigalatr field, those things are still not enough to overcome their attackers. As it is impossible to persuade or even kill Adler to make him drop the Deathblade, the hunters fight very hard to push their way through. They are all far enough from the sanctum entrance now, but still too far from the waterfall entrance. They are all going to perish, there’s no more hope left.
Suddenly a flare soars high into the sky. The hunters are surprised and some look back to see the launcher. It was Eidos Crydias. Nobody knows what that flare for, but they soon find out. No less than a minute later, a loud rumbling sound comes from the top left cliff bordering the forest – the sound of propellers and engines.
And there it is, hovering in the sky. It’s some kind of a ship, but it’s nothing like an ordinary ship at all. It’s big, strange-shaped, a mixture of a ship, a dragon and a mace. It has big propellers on its top, starboard, port and stern, and four wings, wide and big enough to keep the airship flying. A huge spoiler is also installed on its stern to make it easier to turn when flying and floating, and keeps the airship stable. From its bow (or stern), the wings form an X-formation, the function of which is to give more balance to the airship when doing complicated maneuvers like in the air dogfight in modern ages. It is also equipped with twenty cannons on its starboard and twenty on its port, one on the tip of each wing, and one grand cannon on the bow, in the ‘mouth’ of the mace-dragon’s head-shaped control room.
‘Behold the Aurora, the Morning Light,’ says Eidos, ‘my masterpiece, my greatest invention, the first battle airship in Eternia. I and Lord Paliades came here with her, and look; she comes down and lowers the ladders to save us. Let’s go!’
The hunters now begin to climb the rope ladders towards the airship. Nobody has a chance to question why Eidos refers to his airship Aurora as ‘she’, because the banshees are now flying upwards to attack the hunters climbing the ladders and the airship.
A banshee throws a hobgoblin headhunter down from the ladder after the headhunter throws his spear through another banshee. And before the banshees take another casualty, the airship crews shoot a shower of arrows and hit most of them. And the banshees who come too close to the cannons are hit by arrows or get blasted by the razor beams from the cannons. The champions are the last ones to climb the ladder, but they are surely the best at banishing banshees and exterminating other monsters, especially those who are trying to pull the ladders to make the hunters and the airship fall to the ground. And as all hunters are on the ladders and aboard, Carolyn shoots a series of Fireballs and Akmal another Fire Wall as the last resort to exterminate the attackers. The airship Aurora immediately hovers upwards and begins to turn, to fly away from the collapsing Enia’s Sanctum.
Suddenly Dar’gum sees a most bizarre thing and shouts, ‘Captain! Look! Enia’s statue is moving! It’s about to throw its fireball towards us!’
Dar’gum is right! The left statue of Enia is indeed moving and ready to attack from afar, in front of the airship. The Aurora and the entire people aboard are in danger, and they are about to be destroyed with one shot. This is indeed Enia’s final defense against all who desecrated her sanctum and took the Deathblade out from there.
The statue launches its fireball! It darts towards Aurora like a huge meteor. Suddenly something is glowing on the tip of the Aurora grand cannon, and it blasts a huge razor beam right towards the fireball. And – praise Vadis, says Andreas – the Grand Lightblast hits the fireball, smashes it in pieces! But the great blast of light doesn’t stop there; it goes right towards the statue’s face, and smashes the face in pieces too! The statue is now broken and moves no more, and the statue on the right shows no movement either.
All hunters aboard the airship shout victory, congratulations to airship Aurora and its entire crew and thanks for their rescuing them. The airship Aurora turns again while hovering, its spoiler moves to give balance to the turning.
Eidos moves towards the stairs to the control room as the hunters are watching with curiosity and excitement of what will happen next. After a while, Aurora comes in the right position, its propellers start turning, and it flies away from the sanctum.
More explosions come again from the back of the sanctum entrance, and a huge one comes off far, far away, as though a volcano is erupting. Actually it’s the eruption from the lava room, and it also blew the entire engine room, ice generator room, all the way to the wind tunnels and the sanctum itself. Only the forest and the waterfall entrance seem untouched. Maybe they are reserved for Enia’s true followers to rebuild a new sanctum, a new temple which sole purpose is as the place to worship Enia and her grace for all natural (and supernatural) beings.
Lavennia Iris, one of the elf guides, comments gloomily, ‘I think we ought to build a new temple for Enia. This one is sanct no more, desecrated beyond repair. And we (referring to herself and her fellow elf guides) were guilty for bringing these people to our temple just to defeat the “heir”. And hear me, brothers and sisters. I now banish myself from Thyrine, and I shall not return until I find the way to redeem myself from this guilt. And now… h-hey, HEY! Rob, Carol! Andre! Look there! Under there!’
Andreas comes towards Iris hastily, followed by Robert and Carolyn. Andreas responds Iris’ call in a funny way, ‘What-who-which-where-why?’
‘Look! It’s… It’s Ariel! He’s still alive!’
‘Christopher, you mean?’ says Carolyn, correcting Iris.
‘Ariel! I said his name is Ariel, so he is! And he is… Hey! He’s with another woman! Fighting side-by-side! It’s not fair! CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN!’
Meanwhile, the airship Aurora flies very slowly now, as though it’s searching for more survivors down there and found at least a couple of them. At last it stops into the hovering mode again above an open plain so the crews can scan the ground and search back into the forest more closely. The captain of the ship who is going down the stairs with Eidos is surprised on hearing Iris’ rude calls. Eidos, however, is not surprised at all and goes on to meet the hunters and introduce them to the captain.
‘This is Captain Quazar Gykkos-Assis of Aurora. As you can see he’s a centaur. He has incredible skills: navigating and forecasting by the stars, and excellence in terms of intuition and precision. He can shoot anything with the cannons in this airship just like his own bow and arrow!’
‘Ah, Mr. Eidos, you put too much credit on my account, but after all, you’re the owner of this ship now. By the way, welcome aboard in Air Aurora. Our crew will lead you to your decks. Please make yourself comfortable and don’t forget to fasten your seat belts, because this might turn to be a bumpy ride!’
Nobody laughs. This is not supposed to be a joke after all, but as this is the first flight for all hunters but Eidos, the captain’s instructions are enough to make them confused. Iris, on the other hand, is muffled and held by her comrades. She bits Robert’s hand and starts to yell again.
‘CAPTAIN! CAPTAIN! I can’t stand this anymore! I need to come down!’
‘What do you mean by that?’ says Captain Quazar, who was quite distracted by Iris’ behavior that he forgot to give understandable directions to the passengers. ‘Our scouts have found two survivors down there, now we’re lowering the ladder for them to go up, not for you to leave! Are you airsick or something?’
‘No! Grrh, the guy down there is my boyfriend, and now he’s with another woman! I want to go down there and kill him!’
‘Now, now,’ says Eidos, ‘I won’t allow that kind of attitude in my ship. My crew is searching for them now. They must be somewhere within this area. Just take it easy, Miss Iris, and have a rest. You must be as tired as the rest of us, right?’
Iris is about to answer Eidos when Robert cuts in, ‘Please pardon my friend, Sir Eidos, Captain Quazar. She is just eager to meet her boyfriend down there. And we also ask your permission to debark this airship.’
‘What makes you say that, Mr. Robert? Don’t you like the accommodations here? Although this is a battle airship, I’m sure you’ll be comfortable here, don’t worry about that.’
‘Oh, no, it’s not that at all, sir. We would like to join you in this grand and formidable airship, but you see, the man and woman down there are members of my party, so it’s our duty to search for them and take them here, not leaving this matter to your crew.’
‘I see. Well, if you insist on that, Mr. Robert, your group can debark now and search for them. I won’t send my crew. But remember, we only give you half an hour to return here, otherwise we will leave you and your party here.’
‘Thank you, sir. Well, Iris, Carol, Andre, you heard Sir Eidos. We must get going now!’
The prospect of seeing Chris alive, leaving Enia’s Sanctum and completing this mission in full team makes Robert and his party very eager to find and meet their long lost partner. As they climb down the ladder and step on the ground, Robert’s hunting party hastily runs towards the spot in the forest where they last saw Chris.
And there he is, Christopher, pretty much alive but is wounded here and there. The healing salve and potions Christopher brings with him have healed most of his wounds, but now he is fighting a horde of assorted monsters fleeing from Enia’s Sanctum. A woman also fights side-by-side with Chris. Robert tries to recognize that woman, and he is most surprised to find that she is none other than the chubby, plain-looking, but resourceful Yemima Genilda, the witch from Bresconnor.
‘Chris, Genilda! How glad I am to find you here!’ Andreas exclaims happily.
‘Oh, she’s Genilda? I’m relieved now,’ says Iris.
Chris, however, doesn’t return their greetings as gladly and yells, ‘Don’t just stand there, guys! Help us! Look! The next wave is coming!’
Robert warns his team mates, ‘We have to fight-and-run to the plains! We must reach the airship before 30 minutes run out! Incoming!’
Robert’s party and Genilda carry out the hit-and-run strategy on the monsters, killing as many as they can whenever possible, but no matter how hard they fight, when Robert’s party reach the plains, the airship is already gone. Genilda looks at her pocket sand-watch and grunts, ‘Oh no! We’re too late! Now we have to reach a safer place before we can talk and rest!’
Robert responds, ‘Let’s carry on, then!’
And they keep on fighting, but this time they fight harder to annihilate their attackers.
==oOo==
Meanwhile, the airship Aurora has taken off and flies east towards Parthenia. The surviving hunters, Vadis and Adair’s champions and elf guides are having a meeting in the strategy room near the deck. The host, Eidos conducts this meeting.
‘First of all, let us pray for our comrades who gave their lives for the success of this mission. Too many good men have fallen to foil Vordac’s evil plan. And for that, we’ll remember them. Remember Orlevant. Remember the noble heroes. May Vadis secure their way into heaven to rest by his side.’
All the hunters and champions who are present there bow their heads, standing and praying for the souls of those who are departed.
‘You may now take your seats,’ says Eidos. And all champions and guides take their seats. The hunters are still standing as there are only a few chairs in that room.
‘As you all know by now, our mission in the Enia’s Sanctum has ended in a success. We have eliminated Vordac’s heir, who happened to be the former owner of this airship. But in spite of that, we have come into this dilemmatic problem. The Deathblade Kraal’shazar, the dark weapon with Vordac’s soul sealed inside it, is here with us now. Lord Adler von Bachmann has claimed it.’
The impatient Sheena Mekh’ta, one of Adair’s champions, suddenly springs up and protests in a loud voice, ‘How dare he claim Adair’s sword!? This is a mockery, blasphemy!’
Kyflynn, however, responds to this in his usual, controversial way. ‘Hey, hey, calm down, miss. Just think, what drove Lord Adler to claim this sword in the first place? ‘Twas greed, right? Plus he had to sacrifice his own sword, so the Deathblade is very suitable to cover up the loss plus the profit, right?’
‘Watch your mouth, elf,’ says Adler behind his gritted teeth.
‘So, the point is, now the Deathblade is with us,’ Eidos continues, ‘and we are not pretty sure whether Vordac’s spirit has been unsealed, exterminated, transferred anywhere, or is still in the sword – and no one has actually unsealed it?’
‘You mean Lord Paliades was not Vordac’s heir?’ says Alexis.
‘No, it’s not that. But by the way my logic works as a scientist, and as history stated, Vordac’s spirit cannot be exterminated that easily. Deathblade is the proof of that. Remember, he was the hellspawn, Adair’s offspring who rebelled against his own father, so he was finally defeated and banished from hell, and naturally he can’t go to heaven. He is a ghost, trapped here in Eternia between heaven and hell. He incarnated when he first came, gathered dark minions from this world and built the Underworld.
The Underworld has worked in the shadows until they were all set, and invaded Eternia with the entire Aurelia Continent as their first target. But the people in Aurelia fought back, united and led by Sage the Fireheart, the first emperor of Arcadia, your great-great grandfather (indicating Alexis. Alexis nods in response). Vordac was killed and vanquished at last, his body was destroyed but his soul was intact. Vordac’s soul entered Deathblade after he killed Gairon, Adair’s agent who delivered the killing blow on him with that very sword. No one knew the true nature of Vordac’s spirit at that time.
Mandrach Urganon secretly claimed Deathblade and gave it to his bastard son, Mildred, the Regent of Borgia. Mildred became Vordac’s host and with his father he invaded Arcadia, sending Sage and the Empress to exile. Many years later Prince Antoine led the second crusade to free and reclaim Arcadia. He killed Mildred; Vordac’s spirit went back into the sword and was sealed inside by Azrael, the Archmage of Light. Azrael, Theripides and Carolyn then sealed Deathblade in Enia’s Sanctum and many, many years later here it is, the cursed sword, in the hands of another Borgian. Now that you know the historical part, we need to find out what to do next with this sword.’
‘I say we destroy the sword now,’ says Dar’gum.
‘But if Vordac’s spirit is still inside it, it will go to another medium or host.’
Hernan adds, ‘Remember, Lord Adler is holding the sword for quite some time now, and he didn’t mutate or became crazy as it did to Lord Paliades. So our best bet is Lord Paliades DID unsealed Vordac’s spirit, it went into him and when Paliades was killed, it went back into the sword and became dormant because its dark energy was almost entirely spent on Paliades. It will accumulate dark energy again and find a new heir, a new host. But it’s also possible that it DID chose its new host but lies in there, weak and dormant, waiting for another time to rise again.’
‘So, what do you suggest we do now?’ Eidos asks.
‘My suggestion is we must keep our eyes open and monitor our activities at all times, especially the new owner of Kraal’shazar. I now volunteer to accompany Lord Adler so I can be the first to act whenever Vordac does anything or makes a change in him. I’ll write to King Jaime and I’m sure he will give me permission for the best interest of my country.’
‘In that case,’ Eidos nods and responds, ‘as I am a free party now, I also volunteer to keep an eye on Lord Adler and keep him in this airship for the time being.’
‘Sir Eidos, you mean I’m a prisoner in your ship now?’ Adler asks Eidos angrily.
‘No, sir. You can use this airship and go anywhere you like. I and Aurora are at your disposal. You see, sir, the thing is I need a new financial backer now my old master is gone. And I’m sure you’ll be interested, after seeing how much advantage this airship can bring you in achieving your goals.’
‘Very well, then. I can see your point. For a start, I’ll become a hunter with Eidos and Hernan as my partners. But remember, Eidos, from now on you and Aurora belong to me, and you must swear your allegiance to me and me only, not to Borgia, not to the king. Do you agree with that?’
‘I agree, milord,’ says Eidos. ‘I’ll swear allegiance to you after this meeting is over.’
‘And you, Don Hernan,’ says Adler. ‘You must also swear that our partnership is free from political means. Don’t you ever turn as a spy against Borgia. If you do, I’ll cut your head off.’
‘It’s as easily said as done, Lord Adler. Don’t worry about that,’ says Hernan.
‘All agree then?’ says Eidos. ‘Any more suggestions?’
No one answers. Sheena murmurs, ‘Agreed, for now.’ And Eidos takes the others’ silence as an unspoken agreement.
‘Very well, then. We will now go to my workshop in Parthenia to take whatever we need for preparations of our new base in Viscount Adler’s estate, and the rest of you may debark along the way. May Vadis protect us from Vordac’s evil plans.’
The airship Aurora doesn’t change its course, it cruises on towards Parthenia.
==oOo==
Back to Robert and his party, we sure want to know whether they survived the monsters’ attack, don’t we? Well, as you may well expect, they did. Now they are resting with Genilda, camping in a thicket nearby. They are exchanging experiences and conferring about their plans for the future.
‘There’s something that’s bugging my mind,’ says Robert. ‘It’s about you, Chris, how come you didn’t join us to the end of our mission, disappeared just like that until we found you fighting at Genilda’s side?’
Christopher answers him shyly, ‘Well, actually, er… eh, I was chickened out. I was frustrated because I was lost in the wind tunnels and almost sucked and minced in the fan. So I left my half-plate behind and tried different tunnels, but I eventually ended up in the rune room where I started. Then I saw Genilda there, she told me the right route but I have lost my guts and I chose to accompany her and escorted her to the exit.
She was going to go to Bresconnor at first, but when she found out that I am part of Carolyn’s party, she offered to stay with me on the safer area outside the sanctum until you guys come out or at least my cousin’s whereabouts and I said yes. Then when we were having our dinner by the campfire, a horde of monsters came towards us from around the sanctum, and naturally, they attacked us. We fought all night long and all morning until you came for us. That’s our story. Now something’s bugging my mind too. How’s the mission? Did you guys kill the heir? Destroyed the Deathblade? Tell me, please!’
After Iris finds out that Genilda is a widow of her forties, she concludes that no way Chris would fall in love with a plain, fat lady who is much older than himself. So Iris’ jealousy vanishes in an instant, and she gladly tells Chris and Genilda in detail about what happened after they passed the wind tunnels, went through the stages of traps and mortal peril, defeated each and every guardian and finally defeated the heir, blow by blow, step by step. When Iris comes to the point that Adler claimed the Deathblade and uses it for his own, Chris cuts in, protesting.
‘What? How can you let him claim that sword? Vordac’s spirit has departed from there, right? So that sword is no great harm anymore, and anyone can claim it. Why didn’t you take it, heh? Robert, Iris?’
‘Don’t you get it, Chris?’ says Carolyn. ‘Did you forget what you’ve learned from our tutors about the history of our land?’
‘Damn, of course I forgot, cousin! I’m a man of action, not literature!’
‘Huh, we’ll talk about that later. The thing is, we don’t want the sword, and we didn’t find any treasure in there either.’
‘But, if I may ask,’ says Andreas, ‘how come Carolyn summoned Aegis the Thunderbird when we fought Chimera? I don’t remember telling her how to summon it! It’s a very rare gift among Valanisian mages!’
Carolyn answers, ‘Well, let’s say that Aegis chose me. When the sun miniature shattered in pieces, Agustina found a strange orb falling from the inside of the sun. The orb emitted sparks but she felt nothing, no reaction at all when she touched that orb. So she came to me and handed me the orb, saying nothing at all. And when I stared at the orb, it dissolved and turned into a shining, sparkling white bird. The bird then flies into my mouth. I was electrocuted but I was okay afterwards. Tina told me that it also happened in her when Jokulion chose her. So I tried to summon Aegis at that crucial time. I used a similar spell like Tina’s and Iris’. The first attempt was staggering but Aegis came out okay. The rest you already know.’
‘You are so lucky,’ says Iris. ‘May I borrow your necklace sometime, Carol? I can use a bit of good luck too, you know.’
‘Hey, make it yourself! You gave this thing to me, right?’
‘Oh yeah? The materials for this necklace is rare, you know, and it takes a long time and many elves to find the right stuff. Don’t ever…’
The two girls are fighting again, Iris’ voices is unclear anymore, drowned in that loud commotion. Chris also cuts in, trying to protest about something, but is now involved in some sort of a pillow fight, but they use bare hands or anything they can find to make a hit at each other. Andreas waves his hand in front of his beard again and comes to Robert, whistling.
‘What a party you have here, Robert. Teaching those kids manners will be another tough quest for you.’
‘Time will tell, father. Time will tell. As for now, I wonder where we shall go next. I’m thinking about a place where we haven’t gone before, where monsters and jobs are plenty and the bounties are good.’
‘Why don’t you come to my place, then?’ says Genilda. ‘In the city of Barc’vadon, in Bresconnor. Bresconnor borders with Gremion, the orcish kingdom. The orcs and goblins there tend to disturb the peace and safety in Bresconnor, so it’ll be an ideal place for you to prove your name, Orcbane. Come to my home for a cup of tea, and meet my pretty children.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ says Robert. ‘But one thing everybody must remember, I don’t hunt orcs for vengeance anymore. My encounter with that warchief Dar’gum has taught me much. Vengeance will only make me blind and inhibit me to discover my true potential. I will train myself to be stronger, so I won’t be a disappointment again when I must set the score against Dar’gum again and fight Vordac, his heir, his minion, and all forces of darkness.’
‘Good for you, Robert,’ says Genilda.
But as she says that, Chris’ Raven Shield flies and hits the back of Robert’s head. Robert is thrown to the front, his face hits the ground.
This is my chronicle, fruits of my memory.
Many have we passed, many more we
will find.
I’m the witness of all this
This chronicle is my record and my
proof.
In spite of what we have done,
Our adventures are just begun.
I’m Here
I’m here.
A woman is bathing alone in a pool of milk, an indoor marble pool in a big, marble room. She is the same blue-haired woman who heard voices in her bedroom some time back. She is startled to hear that voice again.
I’ve found him, the chosen one.
She holds her head. She is in a greater pain than before. The voice is throbbing in her mind like the poundings of a sledge hammer. It’s threatening her, torturing her mind.
I was delayed, but I was not stopped.
She frowns, her eyes are widened, her teeth grit and chatter.
I’m here. But I don’t come out. Yet.
Her face shows a bit of confusion, but then a grim determination. She tries to fight the pain and catch the message, no matter what.
When the time comes, I’ll come out and conquer all.
Hhahaha…. HAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!
The last laugh is the most painful pressure, a direct blow in her mind.
Then her pain suddenly subsides like a chilly, soothing wind after the storm. The woman is having her own thoughts now.
So this is the ultimatum. Things are becoming clear to me now.
She murmurs to herself. It seems it’s her habit, maybe out of loneliness and all the pressures of responsibilities she must bear for hearing this kind of message.
‘I know what to do now.’
The woman wades along the pool of milk, climbs the steps at the other side of the pool, grabs a very thin, almost transparent cloth, wraps it around her body as a towel and she walks out slowly from the marble room.
End of Chapter 7
End of Book One: Chronicles of a Bounty Hunter
Completion Date: April 8, 2006
