Galeman said:
i'm sure my rent will be going up for this
Yes. Yes it will. I think it's time to reintroduce the appliance levy and the bathroom tax.
Anyhow, thanks to all of those who have posted, it's nice to see that people are enjoying reading about our game because we're sure enjoying playing it. Shayla however, is currently in England/Europe for the next month, so the game is on hold for a while. It's quite possible that withdrawl will encourage me to be a little more timely with the next update, but I make no promises...
* * * * * * * * * *
"Ah, yes," Khalid interrupted. "I'm sure, yes, quite sure that I don't need to remind you that I can't be seen in public here in Gem-Sharad."
"Not to worry, my friend," Arbaq replied. "Malakai's operations are to the east, a week and a half through the desert, in the foothills of the mountains.
Khalid sighed. He didn't know which was more depressing: the prospect of another grueling trek through the desert or the fact that it seemed like a better alternative than staying in Gem-Sharad.
"Right," Gorak grunted. "So how do we find this guy, and what are we gonna steal."
Arbaq smiled slightly. "Straight to the point, as always, Gorak. Very well then. Malakai has reopened an old abandoned mine in the eastern mountains. He has amassed a small fortune refining a particular ore found only in that mountain range, and perhaps only in that single location. Despite my best efforts, I can find no other supplier of this particular metal."
Khalid arched an eyebrow. "Ah, what exactly is it?"
"Adamantine." Arbaq paused for a second, but seeing only blank stares, continued. "Unprocessed, it's a dull grey colour, but once refined it turns black, like obsidian. It's also incredibly hard, and as I mentioned, unbelievably rare."
"So Malakai won't sell it to you?" Shayla asked.
Arbaq shook his head. "Unfortunately, I have run afoul of Malakai before. He is very particular about who he deals with, and has so far been able to sniff out my agents with disturbing ease."
"Alright," Gorak growled, "so we boost it then. What are we up against?"
"Malakai has employed a tribe of goblins to provide the manpower and security for his operations." Arbaq replied.
"Goblins?" Gorak grunted. "That sounds unreliable."
"Under normal circumstances, perhaps, but Malakai is himself a goblin, and this tribe seems to have a peculiar sense of loyalty to him. The fact that he's making them fabulously wealthy probably has something to do with it."
"Yes, quite." Khalid smirked.
"I need only a single ingot, and will pay two thousand sultanas for it. If you manage to obtain more, I will purchase those as well. If you are unable to obtain the refined metal, the ore will suffice, but I will need a significantly larger quantity of it."
"How much more?" Shayla asked.
"Eighty pounds, at least."
"Well, it won't be a problem carrying it, if it comes to that." Shayla patted the backpack they had taken from the cleric's house. But there's still the little matter of how we're going to get it."
"Wait nearby in the desert," Gorak rumbled. "Watch for a shipment, track it down and take what we need."
"That might work," Arbaq agreed, but his skepticism was evident. "But this particular metal, while valuable, is not in high demand. You could find yourself waiting weeks before a delivery is made and face several dozen goblins.
"Goblins," Gorak snorted, "we've dealt with worse."
"Do not underestimate them," Arbaq cautioned. "This tribe has a particularly nasty reputation. Couple that with Malakai's wealth and resources, and you've a formidable opponent. Besides shipments are likely to be no more than a single ingot or two, and the carrier will be difficult to identify."
"Alright then," Gorak growled, his temper wearing thin. "You've obviously got a better idea. Let's have it."
"Indeed." Arbaq replied. "There is perhaps a better way."
Jalaal, who had been watching the proceedings in silence, spoke up. "I have spent a fair bit of time, exploring the mountain pass between the East and West, for various reasons." He glanced at Arbaq, who motioned him to continue. "Well, it would seem my friends, that there may be another way into Malakai's mining complex. Some time ago, I noticed a small crevice, about a mile into the pass. It is difficult to get to, but I have some experience in these things and I believe that we can all reach it safely."
"Ah, yes, but what makes you think that this fissure leads, yes, leads to Malakai's mine?" Khalid asked.
"I took the liberty of doing some scouting, and I can assure you my friends, that behind the opening is a cave, which delves deep into the mountain." Jalaal continued. "I found evidence of worked stone deep within."
"I have researched the area fully," Arbaq interjected, "and I have no reason to believe that there are or were any other mining operations in the vicinity. It is my opinion that this is the best option available to you. With a little luck, you can sneak in, obtain the ore and leave the same way."
"Ah, perhaps my knowledge of current events is somewhat, yes, lacking, but isn't the mountain pass full of soldiers?" Khalid asked.
Arbaq dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "The pass is indeed blocked, but the fortifications are much further into the mountains, close to the Eastern city of Draknor. It is possible that there will be patrols, but you will not have to venture far into the mountains. I am confident you will be able to avoid them."
Khalid dubiously nodded his agreement as the conversation turned to more mundane matters. Khalid's attention wandered as the group discussed the supplies and equipment that would be required. Mentally running through the spells in his repertoire, Khalid began to formulate a list of the scrolls he would need to make in the next few days. He was shaken from his reverie however, when Gorak spoke up.
"Fine, so we've got camels to get us there. But how we gonna get back?" he rumbled. "We could come outta that place with a tribe of goblins hot on our trail."
"Indeed," Arbaq agreed. "However, there is little I can suggest except to picket your camels nearby and hope they still remain when you return."
Gorak grunted in annoyance. "The terrain around there is pretty unforgiving, from what I've heard. Camels will probably pull free and leave. If we tie em down good, and we're in there too long, they'll be too weak to run. That's if they ain't found by whatever patrols come outta the pass."
At this point, Khalid spoke up. "Ah, yes, I may have a spell that will help."
Shayla raised an eyebrow, and leaned forward. "Really?"
"Ah, I have the means to summon horses, yes, horses. One for each of us, if the need arises."
Shayla slumped back in her chair. "How pedestrian," she remarked, obviously disappointed.
"But what if something happens to you, or we have to leave in a hurry and you ain't ready?" Gorak grumbled.
Khalid fought down the little surge of panic that accompanied Gorak's all to reasonable question. "Yes, well I will create a scroll and instruct Shayla on its use. That way we will be sure to have the means for a hasty escape close, yes, close at hand. Yes, quite."
The conversation continued for a while longer, with Gorak, Arbaq and Jalaal compiling a list of gear and supplies. Khalid threw out an estimate of the sultanas he would need to create scrolls, and Gorak doubled it. Arbaq nodded and said, "Jalaal will acquire whatever it is that you may need. I will remain in Gem-Sharad for the next several weeks, but I may not always be available. If you have anything you need to discuss with me directly, I will endeavor to meet with you as soon as possible."
As the meeting dissolved, Arbaq returned to his ledgers, while Jalaal left to gather the items on their rather lengthy list of supplies. Gorak, Shayla and Khalid returned to their rooms to attend to their own preparations.
* * * * * * * * * *
The days passed quickly for Khalid as he labored to craft as many scrolls as possible before they departed. His fingers stained with ink and his back aching from hours bent over his desk, Khalid stretched and considered his handiwork. The sheet of vellum he had been working on was now bordered with a line of runes that transformed the page into a receptacle capable of storing his magical energy. All that was left to do was inscribe the first rune of the three spells he would be binding to the scroll. He picked up a tiny silver knife and gritted his teeth. This was the part that he hated about making scrolls. Glancing down at his left hand, crisscrossed with a number of tiny cuts, Khalid sighed and decided it was time for a break. Placing the knife back on the desk, he stood slowly, groaning as the muscles in his back protested.
Khalid briefly considered tracking down Shayla but then decided against it. She'd been cooped up in Arbaq's palace for three days now with nothing to do, and wasn't likely to be in the best of moods. Instead, he decided to seek out Gorak, and discuss their eventual departure. Khalid wandered out into the garden, and was immediately struck with an unpleasant odor. Following the scent back to its source, he found Gorak sitting cross-legged in front of a simmering cauldron of brownish ooze. Muttering to himself in orcish, Gorak grabbed a handful of something that looked suspiciously like mud and dropped into the pot, which began to bubble furiously. Glancing up and seeing Khalid standing there, Gorak grunted a brief greeting while he stirred the mixture.
"Ah, by the lost gods," Khalid gagged as a shift in the wind blew the smoke from the cauldron directly into his face, "please tell me that's an unguent. Yes, quite."
"No such luck," Gorak growled with a smirk as he ladled the steaming mixture into a vial.
"Ah, well then could you at least strain out the, ah, lumps?" Khalid asked plaintively.
"Nah, they're the best part." Gorak corked the bottle and tossed it to Khalid. "Now what's so important that it dragged you away from your desk?"
"Ah, nothing really, I just wanted to see how you are progressing, yes, progressing." Khalid replied.
"Well enough," Gorak grunted. "Three more days and I should be finished everything. Anything after that is a bonus."
"Indeed. Perhaps we should leave on the morning of the forth day then, that will give me time to finish my scrolls and instruct Shayla in their use."
"Good luck with that," Gorak rumbled with a grin.
Remembering the last time that he had attempted to instruct Shayla in the use of a scroll, he glanced down at his wounded hand and sighed. "Ah, perhaps I'll finish up the scroll I'm working on first."
* * * * * * * * * *
Khalid sighed and shifted slightly in his saddle. The discomfort from four days under the relentless desert sun was matched only by the tedium of the surroundings. He drew out his waterskin and took a long pull of fresh, albeit warm, water. Gorak and Jalaal were conferring up ahead, discussing the route to the next oasis, a subject upon which Khalid had little to offer. He only hoped it was more tranquil than the last one. Yesterday afternoon they had approached an oasis to water the camels and rest for a bit, when they were set upon by a tribe of bedouin raiders. The encounter still rankled Khalid. The lizardmen had snuck up on them unawares and surrounded them from the dune tops with bows drawn. Gorak's bravado had brought the ransom down from everything they were carrying to two sultanas each. Although it cost them nothing more than a few pieces of Arbaq's gold, it still left a foul taste in Khalid's mouth. He detested being bullied and would have almost preferred to run the thugs off, howling into the desert. Almost. They did have bows after all.
A decision was apparently reached between Gorak and Jalaal, and the group changed direction slightly and began to follow a ridge of weathered stone that rose out of the desert sand. Hours passed, and the miles fell away beneath the hooves of their camels. Eventually the ridge sunk once more beneath the sand, leaving the group amidst a sea of rolling dunes. Jalaal appeared confident however, and led them onwards towards the jagged peaks of the mountains.
It was almost dusk by the time they reached the oasis. The sun was a huge red orb settling on to the western horizon when they glimpsed the first palm tree. The oasis was little more than a tepid pool surrounded by stunted trees and scrub brush; a smudge of green upon the brown wasteland of the desert. Khalid sighed and longed for the baths at Arbaq's estate as he dismounted and led his camel over to the water. Shayla too evidently missed the comforts of Arbaq's, Khalid mused, judging from the stream of muttered curses as she knelt down in the muddy sand to splash water on her face.
Suddenly, Jalaal shouted a warning and Khalid spun around. Lumbering towards him was a creature he recognized all too well from the great arena of Gem-Sharad. The ogre was almost nine feet tall, with sand colored skin and greasy black hair. Its shoulders were so heavily muscled as to be almost deformed, and its arms were grotesquely long. The expression on its face was one of mindless rage and trailing behind it, clutched in a massive hand, was the shattered remnants of a palm tree. Khalid realized with horror that there was nothing between him and the charging beast but a few meters of sand.
Fortunately for Khalid, that was enough for Gorak. With a bellowing shout, Gorak threw his arms out and the sand erupted into a surging morass around the creature. The ogre immediately sank to its waist in the rolling sand. Enraged but not completely snared, the ogre continued to drag itself forward towards Khalid.
Jalaal and Shayla took advantage of the delay, with Jalaal drawing his bow and sinking an arrow deep into the creature's chest. Shayla, with a casual flip of her hand tossed a handful of glowing disks at the creature, drawing lines of blood on the ogre's forearms as it flailed about trying to protect its face.
Khalid, recovering from his initial shock, turned and leapt over Sousee, who had slithered forward at Gorak's command. After removing himself to a somewhat safer locale, he began to chant quickly. Arcane words rippled off his tongue and he began to gather his strength for a summoning.
Gorak drew his bow and joined Jalaal in firing arrows at the enraged beast. The ogre had almost struggled free of Gorak's spell, and had one foot planted on firm ground when Sousee lashed out and bit him behind the knee. With a roar the creature brought it's club crashing down on Sousee, pounding the snake into the ground and raising a huge cloud of sand. It could only stare stupidly however, as the enormous snake slithered away, somewhat tenderized but relatively unhurt.* The brief delay however, proved fatal to the beast, as Gorak's spell seized it and dragged it down almost to its chest in the sand.
Shayla flung two glowing orbs of force that ricocheted off the creature's skull with thunderous reports. As the beast reeled back in confusion, Khalid finished his spell. Behind the ogre, a shadowy mist coalesced into the form of a mastiff, which immediately lunged forward and bit the ogre just below the armpit. A huge fountain of blood gushed forth and stained the desert sand, as the ogre's roars of anger became shrieks of pain. Then, abruptly, the desert was silent again as Jalaal buried an arrow to its fletching in the ogre's neck. So deeply mired in Gorak's spell was the beast that it didn't even topple forward, it simply sagged slightly as the desert reached up to consume it.
Khalid, still breathing heavily from the excitement, raised his hand and dismissed his summoned hound, which had become helplessly trapped in Gorak's spell. Looking around, he asked, "Ah, yes, where did that thing come from?"
"Behind that dune over there," Jalaal pointed to the south. "My friend, if I hadn't been getting something from my pack, it would have been on top of us before we could react."
"Looks like it hunts this area," Gorak rumbled. "I'd say that's where it got its club." He gestured at the stump of a palm tree near the oasis. "Should be fairly quiet around here now."
"Ah, lets hope so," Khalid said. "This is supposed to be the easy part. Yes quite."
* * * * * * * * * *
The rest of the journey to the mountains was uneventful. The party traveled as they had before, racing through the desert on Arbaq's camels during the day, and safe within the confines of Khalid's extradimensional space at night. On the thirteenth day, the desert had given way to foothills and scrub grasses replaced the sand. Gorak had managed to find a small stream coming down from the mountains, and they had decided to picket their camels and continue on foot. This close to the mountain pass, there was an actual path through the hills, worn down by the passage of countless merchant trains. However, with the advent of the war, trade ceased and the wild had begun to reclaim the area.
Lost as he was in admiring the change of scenery, Khalid stumbled into Jalaal who had stopped walking. "Ah, what is it?" Khalid asked with some trepidation.
"Nothing my friend," Jalaal replied, "I was just thinking that perhaps we should rest here and approach the pass in the morning. Once within it, there will be little room to conceal our camp."
Khalid glanced at Gorak, who shrugged. "Ah, yes, very well then. We shall camp here and proceed, yes, proceed in the morning."
The mood in the camp was subdued, as each of them tried to prepare for the coming ordeal. Khalid had never been in a cave, but he figured it couldn't be much worse than his hovel in Gem-Sharad. In fact, he reasoned, it would probably be cooler. Still, it was a long time before he and the others fell asleep.
The next morning, unsurprisingly, dawned clear and hot. The group made their way up the path towards the mountains. Before long, the pass itself lay before them. It was as though the range had been struck with an enormous axe here, so clean was the break in the mountains. Steep stone cliffs rose up around them almost immediately, shrouding the path itself in shadows. It was about fifty feet wide at the entrance, although Khalid had read that it narrowed considerably in some places.
As the sun rose, the shadows gradually disappeared, and Khalid felt somewhat more at ease. Jalaal was intently studying the south wall as they moved, looking for the location of the cave. After they had traveled for half an hour, he snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "Aha, my friends, it is just up ahead."
Khalid peered at the south wall, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. "Ah, yes, are you certain? I see nothing, yes, nothing."
"I see something," Gorak growled. He was shading his eyes and looking further down the pass. "What's that?"
Jalaal squinted and looked down the pass. With a sharp intake of breath he cursed, "That is not supposed to be there, it should be much farther east. My friends, we must hurry."
At that moment, Shayla uttered a startled little shriek as four riders moved into the center of the pass from shadowy alcoves lining the mountain walls. Each was adorned in glittering platemail, and held a steel tipped lance. Khalid turned to Jalaal with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach and asked, "Ah, and I suppose those, yes, those are…"
"Dwerro." Jalaal replied as he drew his enormous scimitar.**
* * * * * * * * * *
*Heh, stupid snake took like max damage from that hit, and still had hps left. That hit would have dropped any one of us, including Jalaal I think.
**Dwerro = Dwarves
