THE SOUND OF A THOUSAND SCREAMS
The wedding of Mox and Stevhan was THE event of the year, and everyone who was anyone was in attendance, including representatives of the Sword Lords themselves. The celebrations lasted for over a week throughout the united kingdom, and alliances among the disparate factions of Kardashia were solidified. In the months that followed the royal wedding, Kardashia achieved a new level of peace and prosperity, even as circumstances in Brevoy spiraled ever closer to civil war. By mid-year, a second announcement from the royal family brought even greater rejoicing to the Kardashian citizens…Mox was pregnant with her second child. She gave birth the following winter to another son…Prince Henry. Life was good…and then Spring arrived…
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“A representative from the Fishermen’s Guild, my Lady,” Harold the herald announced.
The old salt stepped cautiously into the throne room, obviously unaccustomed to such opulence and ostentatiousness. He shuffled up to the throne where Mox held court.
“Me Lady,” he sketched a brief bow.
“What news?” the Queen asked.
“There be trouble in the Tuskwater,” the sailor said without further preamble. “A whirlpool, and a right big one at that! It be five-hundred feet if it be an inch, and it be growin’ damn quick! Pardon me language. It already claimed three boats, and the fishin ain’t for crap! Yer pardon again, my Lady. Then there’s them freaky strange birds swimmin’ around in it, pretty as you please! It ain’t natural, I tell ye!”
“I see,” Mox replied, her expression neutral. “This is news indeed. Very well, I shall launch an investigation immediately. Your service is duly noted, Master Fisherman, and greatly appreciated.”
The old man bowed again as he backed hurriedly out of the chamber.
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It didn’t take Mox long to notify her comrades of the situation in the middle of the Tuskwater. Within the hour, the citizens of Veritas cheered as their Queen and her consort took to the air above the castle mounted atop Reggie, whom most of the city folk had come to see as an unofficial, if ghoulish, mascot. Selena, lifted aloft by her own magic, flew alongside the royal couple, while Davrim and Velox literally walked on air above the waters of the lake. Below them, Tungdill transformed himself into a water elemental, and knifed through the water as if born to it.
It didn’t take the companions long to spot the whirlpool the fisherman had spoken of. It was enormous, and it appeared to reach all the way down to the bottom of the lake, leaving a fifty-foot span of the lakebed exposed. Eerily silent black swans congregated in the waters surrounding the vortex. As they were drawn into it, they would fly up into the air and then settle back in the water some distance away, only to slowly drift back into the whirlpool over time. As Tungdill swam near the vortex, he felt himself caught by the current. At first he was not concerned, confident that his watery form could easily break free. It only took a moment, however, for him to realize that, incredibly, the force of the whirlpool was too strong. Shortly after that, real panic set in, as four smaller whirlpools formed within the main one, and began moving purposefully towards him. As they drew near, they began to rise into the air as huge columns of water, forming into the shapes of enormous, watery swans. Thinking quickly, Tungdill transformed himself again, this time into an air elemental, and he flew desperately out of the vortex.
High above, Selena conjured a small ball of ice between her palms, and then hurled it at the water below. As it struck, it burst and formed a vast sheet of solid ice across half the surface of the whirlpool, trapping two of the elementals within it. Then, at Mox’s command, Reggie dove towards the lake. As he dropped, Mox hurled a glittering emerald beam at one of the elementals, dissolving a large portion of its body in the process. Reggie’s tattered wings spread wide as he swooped towards a second elemental, gnashing with his broken teeth at its amorphous hide. Seated on the dragon behind, Mox, Stevhan turned backwards in the saddle and loosed two arrows at the creature that his wife had already injured. Abruptly, he felt something strike him like a sledgehammer as Reggie banked past an elemental that reached out a watery wing and slapped at the ranger as he passed.
From across the whirlpool, another of the elementals charged across the vortex, looking just like an enraged swan with wings flapping as it came. It struck Reggie as the dragon banked skyward. The creature snapped its beak at him as he rose, but a moment later the elemental was engulfed in a column of fire as Tungdill unleashed hell upon it. It reeled back towards the middle of the whirlpool, but before it could escape, Selena sent a blast of electricity streaking towards it from a slender wand in her hand. When the lightning bolt struck, it coursed through the creature, conducted by the water. It reared up again, slamming into Velox as it struck out blindly. The oracle hit back, his blade flaring as it ripped through the creature’s watery hide. Still in the air above Velox, Davrim opened fire with his bow, and Stevhan joined him from his perch atop Reggie. The elemental screeched and roared, but collapsed in on itself a moment later when Mox fired a volley of arcane bolts of pure acid into its body.
Velox hovered for a moment, then turned his opaque eyes on the elementals still trapped in the ice sheet. The oracle unleashed a blast of searing light from his palm at one of the creatures. From above, Mox directed Reggie in a wheeling arc back towards the trapped pair. As the dragon drew near, however, one of the elementals slammed into him, sending him tumbling from the air. Fortunately, he landed, sprawled on the ice and clamped his teeth down on one wing of the elemental. It struggled to break free, but then Tungdill sent a snake of fire winding towards all three of the remaining creatures. In rapid succession, the elementals dissolved, first as Davrim polished off one with his bow, then Mox disintegrated another, while Velox destroyed the last one with a devastating charge. No sooner had the last of the elementals been dealt with, than the central vortex collapsed in on itself, leaving nothing but black feathers floating on the surface of the once-more tranquil water.
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“I was afraid of this,” Evindra said as she turned one of the black swan feathers over in hands.
“What?” Mox asked.
“That whirlpool, those creatures,” the nereid replied. “They were no natural occurrence.”
“We figured that out on our own!” Tungdill barked.
“Continue,” Mox told Evindra, pointedly ignoring the dwarf.
“It was a bloom,” Evindra said, “a First World bloom. An incursion, if you prefer. Nyrissa is preparing her invasion. The bloom was but the first foray. There will be more.”
“How do you know this?” Selena asked.
“This,” Evindra held up the feather. “Use your powers if you doubt me. You’ll find it bears a potent aura of magic about it. It is a token. Call it a trophy if you will. It is link between this world and the First World. It allowed Nyrissa to breach the barrier between worlds just enough to allow some of my world to spill over into yours…the bloom.”
“Well how do we stop them?” Stevhan asked.
Evindra shrugged. “You can defeat them, as you did this one, but there will be more, and more, until finally, a permanent portal will open between the First World and yours, and then Nyrissa will come through with all the powers at her command. The only way to prevent this is to stop her before this happens. You must go to the First World.”
“How?” Mox asked.
“Each bloom will have a trophy token similar to this one,” Evindra indicated the feather again. “Something that links it to the First World. If you have enough of them, you might be able to trigger a portal into the First World…but first you have to find one.”
“And you know where one might exist?” Selena asked.
“Perhaps…,” the nereid trailed off. “I will look into it, but you must alert your people, in all corners of your kingdom. At the first sign of a new bloom, you must act quickly to destroy it, else it will spread like a plague, and Nyrissa’s work will be made that much easier. You must prepare.”
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It was exactly as Evindra foretold. Eight days after the appearance of the whirlpool, word came from the Narlmarches that a foul tangle of enormous mushrooms, molds, and thick fibrous roots had appeared in the middle of the forest. It was spreading quickly and choking out any existing plant life. Furthermore, nearby farms were reporting swarms of tiny, plant-like creatures that were biting the ankles of livestock and children, chasing pets, and sometimes even climbing into the rooms of sleeping farmers during the night to drink blood from exposed necks or arms.
Mox and Selena teleported their companions to Fort Spears. From there, Stevhan led their trek into the forest, and it wasn’t long before they came upon the horrific, fungal growth. It covered everything, and from everywhere there was the smell of rot from where the natural flora was being suffocated. Worse still were the sounds that came from the bloom. Countless tiny cries, not unlike the sound of miniature babies, echoed throughout the unholy undergrowth. It wasn’t long until the companions discovered the source.
The shrieking reached an abrupt crescendo, and as it did, the companions reflexively covered their ears to protect them from the sonic assault. Even so, Davrim and Stevhan were overcome with waves of violent nausea. A moment later, the undergrowth seemed to erupt as thousands of tiny creatures, each no more than four inches high, burst from cover. Each resembled a vaguely humanoid plant, with tiny eyes, leaves for hair, and sharp wooden teeth. They swarmed over Stevhan, biting and scratching, and it was all the retching ranger could do to quickly clamber up onto Reggie’s back. Mox, already perched there, opened her mouth, and as she did so, her eyes became reptilian, and her tongue forked. Acid spewed from her throat, and the creatures died by the hundreds, yet still they came. It was only through a combined assault by Velox, Tungdill and Selena, all of them bringing arcane fire to bear, that the swarm was obliterated. The respite was only a brief one, however, as a second cacophony of shrieks sounded from the forest, and another swarm of the teeny terrors came rushing into the clearing.
Stevhan, still sitting atop Reggie, wasn’t feeling very well. The bites inflicted on his arms and legs by the swarm were starting to throb and burn. His vision blurred, and his head pounded. For a moment, he forgot where he was, even who he was. When his thoughts began to clarify, he realized that he was sitting on a dragon! An undead dragon! Shouting a challenge, he drew Briar and plunged it into the neck of the horrid abomination.
Tungdill conjured another column of flames upon the new attackers, while Mox hurled an explosive ball of fire at them. The swarm fractured, but did not break. Instead it surged towards Davrim. The inquisitor dove through the circular wall of flames that Velox had created around the previous swarm. Fire licked at his clothing, but he rolled across the ground and to his feet once he was in the center of the ring, quickly putting himself out. Unfortunately, though dozens of them died in the process, the little horrors were not deterred by the flames, and pursued him within the wall.
Mox turned when she heard Reggie roaring. She saw Stevhan atop the dragon, slashing and hacking with Briar. Cursing roundly, the sorceress wove a glowing web of magic about Reggie, instantly transporting him to safety, but leaving Stevhan behind. He fell heavily to the ground, and sat there for several moments, bleary-eyed.
“What…what happened?” he asked in confusion.
“You were poisoned,” his wife snapped. “Drink this.” She tossed a flask his way, and he quickly upended it. Within seconds, his head began to clear.
Davrim reached into a pouch at his belt and retrieved a potion flask, which he immediately drank down. His body abruptly felt lighter than air, and he quickly rose into the sky. The swarm, denied its prey, rushed back through the fire wall, and headed immediately towards Stevhan. It never made it anywhere near him. Mox stepped in front of the mandragoras, opened her mouth, and engulfed the swarm in acid, obliterating it completely.
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The Kardashian leaders didn’t receive even a one day reprieve before the next report of trouble reached them. This time, however, it didn’t seem as if another bloom had appeared. Rather, reports came in that Littletown in Pitax had been attacked. It seemed as if a horde of two-headed giants led by a horned warrior had attacked out of the Forest of Thousand Voices, and then promptly disappeared back into it as quickly as they’d come. Rumors began running rampant that the Stag Lord had returned. Mox and Selena acted rapidly, and teleported the companions to Littletown.
The town itself was intact, but the damage was extensive. Survivors and witnesses repeated the account of marauding ettins led by a horn-helmed warrior who wielded a bow with deadly accuracy. It didn’t take much effort on Stevhan’s part to pick up the trail of the raiders where they’d trampled through the forest. From there, it was only a matter of hours until the companions came upon the giants. There were twelve of them, all hulking, massive brutes with equally large axes. Behind them stood a lone warrior. He was bare-chested, and wore a massive helm on his head, concealing his features. Two large horns did indeed curve out of the helm, but when the companions saw that he walked on a pair of goat-like legs, they knew that the horns were not part of the helm, but of the warrior. He nodded silently to his giants minions, and then unlimbered his bow.
Velox, Stevhan, and Davrim didn’t wait. The trio charged across the clearing, deftly dodging the clumsy blows of the ettins as they passed. In seconds, they had the horned hunter surrounding, and they laid into him, their blades flashing, especially Briar. The fey-bane weapon hummed with such power that Stevhan almost imagined the sword was excited. The hunter recoiled under the assault, blood flowing freely from several wounds. Suddenly, his helm flashed, and he vanished, only to reappear an instant later on the far side of the clearing.
Mox saw the horned hunter appear behind her, but she also had to contend with the ettins who were ignoring her more heavily armored companions and charging right towards her, Selena and Tungdill. Thinking quickly, she conjured a large pit directly in front of the oncoming horde. The lead giant couldn’t stop his momentum, and tumbled in…only to fall some sixty feet and land in a pool of caustic acid below. Two more behind the first ettin, despite the warning screams of their comrade, were also too cumbersome to alter their path, and they to slipped into the acid pit.
“Reggie, kill!” Mox commanded the undead dragon.
Reggie leaped awkwardly into the sky, his tattered wings beating the air. He groaned as he turned and flew towards the horned hunter. The satyr began to backpedal, bringing his bow up as the undead dragon bore down on him. Too late. Reggie plowed into him like a battering ram, his rotten teeth tearing into the hunter’s flesh. In desperation, he teleported again.
Selena, now with all of the ettins lined up nicely before her, sent a coruscating blast of lightning into them. It struck the first, and then arced to each one in turn, killing a half-dozen of them instantly. By the time the remaining three had recovered, Davrim, Stevhan and Velox had closed the distance to them, and quickly put them out of their misery.
The horned hunter reappeared at the opposite side of the clearing and looked balefully about the battlefield. All of his minions were slain, and he grievously wounded. He raised his bow in defiance, and prepared to teleport one last time and make good his escape. The last thing he saw was Tungdill shaking one admonishing finger at him, then a flash of black light. Tungdill’s bearded face grinned from ear to ear as the satyr simply collapsed.
“Now that’s how ya kill somebody,” he laughed. “And ya don’t get yer hands dirty doin’ it, neither!”
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For three days, no further news of First World incursions reached the companions. Then, on the evening of the fourth day, Velox had a strange dream…more of a nightmare, really. In it, he had become lost in a bog and stumbled into a pool of quicksand. As he struggled to free himself, thousands of insects swarmed around him, eating him alive. As he was overwhelmed, he saw in the dark, night sky above an immense, black bird looking down upon him. Somehow, he knew, just knew, that it was the bird that had brought him to this doom.
When the oracle awoke, he was horrified to find that the dream had followed him! He was still in his own chambers, and in his own bed, but he was literally covered by thousands of biting, stinging centipedes. He leaped from his bed, only to find the floor alive with the bugs as well. His armor hung on its stand, and his exposed flesh was bleeding from hundreds of tiny bites. Thinking quickly, he called on Iomedae’s power and wove a spell about him which rendered his skin as hard as stone. Then, he summoned a circular wall of flames in the center of the chamber, immolating hundreds of the creeping doom, yet still they pursued him. Like a living cloak, they began crawling all about him. The oracle, in desperation, conjured a wall of whirling and slashing blades across the room, decimating the furnishings. He took a running start and leaped through the barrier, carrying his assailants with him. Though the blades nicked and cut him, they completely shredded the insects. He landed in a heap, sweat and blood dripping from his body. All the centipedes were simply gone. What had just happened?
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The following morning, Velox told the others what had transpired the night before.
“So we are being attacked in our sleep now, is that it?” Mox asked.
“We have to sleep!” Selena exclaimed. “How else can Mox and I regain our spells?”
“Don’t worry,” Stevhan said. “The rest of us can go without. Velox can use his prayers to keep us from exhaustion. All of us will stay in the throne room tonight. You and my lady can rest safely while the rest of us stand watch.
Selena and Mox did not rest easy that night. Mox dreamed that she wandered alone in a desert, while gigantic scorpions dogged her path. Looming over the horizon as she fought for her life was the great, black bird Velox had described. Selena dreamed that she was being mauled by a vicious tiger, and she too saw the bird observing her plight, but unlike Velox and Mox, she recognized her tormentor. Her grandmother had once told her the tale of the Nightmare Rook, a mythical creature said to dwell in the First World. It was said to visit its victims in their dreams, where it would inflict living nightmares upon them. Those who had survived these attacks, were said to have done so by ignoring the creatures in their dreams and confronting the Rook itself, threatening to attack it. Selena tried to force her subconscious mind to do this, but the ferocious attack of the tiger was too distracting. As it clamped its jaws around her throat, she awoke screaming.
When Selena’s eyes flew open, she felt hot breath on her face, and large, slitted golden eyes stared coldly into her own. The tiger’s mouth gaped wide, but before it could pounce, the witch forked her fingers before it. The big cat’s eye lids drooped, and it rolled heavily onto its side, purring deeply in its sleep. Then Davrim was there, plunging his blade through the tiger’s neck. It vanished as it died.
Across the room, three scorpions the size of bulls surrounded Mox. The Queen spewed acid from her mouth upon one, dissolving it to nothingness, while Stevhan and Velox expertly dispatched the other two.
“It’s the Rook!” Selena gasped as she struggled to catch her breath. “Tomorrow night, we have to focus upon the Rook!”
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The following night, Selena dreamed again, this time of being buried alive while the Rook looked on. Selena calmed herself through a great effort of will, and then focused her magic upon the rook, hurling lightning into its face. The Rook, startled by the unexpected aggression, took wing and disappeared into the night sky. Selena awoke as the nightmare ended.
Across the room, Stevhan wasn’t certain what had just transpired, but he suddenly felt Briar pulse with warmth where it lay strapped across his back.