CH. 8: "Wherein our heroes receive the blessings of Meepo, and discover said blessings are precisely as useless as one might first assume."
A short time later, Kirby waved the rest of the group toward him. They approached suspiciously. Meepo the Kobold looked them up and down. “Meepo does not think these look like mighty dwarf fighters.”
“Oh no,” Kirby assured the cult leader. “That’s pretty much all we do all day. Not a one of us will fight anything over four foot tall.”
Meepo made a series of thoughtful gurgling noises in his throat. “You may be allowed to serve Meepo, if you are lucky.”
“Oh happy day.”
“You must come speak Yusadryl. She is human leader.” Meepo led them toward a rough wooden throne in the center of the camp. Dozens of the self-mutilating dragon-cultists fell in behind them, muttering and singing in low tones.
Argent leaned over to Kirby. “Would you mind –“
“Okay, see that doorway? Beyond it lies an abandoned dragon cult temple from the last millennia. It’s not really caverns in there – once you’re past the entranceway, it’s more like a series of narrow clefts with open tops. There are some worship rooms, then a spiral stone stairway down into the rock where the original dragonpriest’s quarters are. And apparently past that is the entrance to a hidden canyon where our elusive Old Man waits with the healing apple.” Kirby looked to Taggart. “They’ve been squatting here for a while until some soldiers showed up. The soldiers kicked them out, set up shop in that strongpoint, and took their dragon –“
“Their dragon?” Alec made another notation in his notebook.
“According to Meepo there, a few months ago figures in black robes arrived. They were surprisingly respectful of the cult and asked for access to the dragonpriest’s chambers below. They rewarded the cult for their devotion to dragonkin by gifting them with a baby black dragon.”
“Impossible,” Taggart said.
Indigo shrugged. “Very few things are impossible. For example, you are doing a good deed.”
“For pay,” Taggart snapped. He ignored his brother rolling his eyes behind him and pressed Kirby. “Why do you keep looking at me funny when you mention the soldiers?”
“They’re Charduni.” Kirby winced as Taggart’s jaw clenched with an audible snap. No way out of this now … Kirby thought.
Yusadryl turned out to be a young human woman dressed in flowing black robes. Her skin was cross-hatched scarred. She had two small onyx horns driven into her skull. Kirby idly wondered how painful that had been. She stared down imperiously at the adventurers. Or, as imperiously as one can stare down from a throne mad of old barrels and wagon parts. “You arrrrre outssssidersss …” she hissed. She couldn’t help but hiss; her tongue was also split down the center. “The other outsssssidersss did not come back ...”
Argent was keeping quiet. He had a hard time reconciling his devout faith with any dealings with these pagans. But that got his attention. “Others? From the town?”
A brief parley revealed that the Hucrele brothers, a female paladin of Corean and some porters had come through just after the Charduni had seized the temple. They’d spurned any warnings from the cult – actually slapped a few of them around – then gone ahead inside.
“We’re different,” Kirby lied smoothly. “See how we’ve come for your permissions and your blessing?”
“Yes! Meepo bring new warriors to rescue our dragon!” Meepo shook his claw. “Meepo make nice, and now warriors obey Meepo!” Some of the crowd oo’d and ahh’d. Meepo puffed up his tiny chest and exchanged glares with Yusadryl. There was plainly a little power struggle going on here.
A few moments later the group stood at the great temple doors. Meepo was conveying some sort of blessing on them. Taggart pointedly ignored him and continued searching the doors. “All clear. Anyone read draconic?”
Alec saw what the rogue was referring to: a series of heavy slashmarks dug into the stone over the dragon-faced door. “I can muddle through. It’s a proper name, probably that of the elder dragon this temple was dedicated to. Leashadran.”
Indigo waved him off as she drew her vast sword. “Dragon is long dead. Concentrate on the living opponents we face now.”
A second later – and a few more hurried kobold blessings – they were in.
******************************
The first few chambers were just foyers with interconnecting doors sunk into the red rock walls. The group moved smoothly – Taggart would check each door, Indigo would open it with Kirby and Alec aiming their bows through the door as they went. Argent brought up the rear, spear ready. They didn’t need light sources. Each room soared some seventy high and had cracks and openings in the ceiling, letting the sun in. The caverns glowed with the filtered red-gold light, a perpetual sunrise deep within the cliffs.
This is actually quite pretty, Kirby thought to himself as they opened the next door. Then somewhere in the back of his head something TWITCHED. He pivoted on his right leg, spinning around and leaning back. Two crossbow bolts grazed his shoulders as he spun beneath them. Ah, now that’s slightly less pretty –
This cavern was wider and the ceiling was completely open – giving them a lovely view of the waist-high stone wall built cleanly across the width of the cavern. Waist high to the party; chest high to the midnight-skinned dwarves on the other side. They were dressed in black leather armor with formal military insignia. The six stout warriors roared and FIRED again. Alec and Kirby fired back, their arrows clanging off the low stonework.
“They’ve got too much cover!” Argent yelled, dodging the volley.
“Only one solution to that!” Taggart yelled back. He rushed straight at the dwarves. Indigo shrugged and followed.
The Charduni fired again. Taggart felt a bolt punch through his leather duster and keep going. He smoothly vaulted the wall, planted his hand on the lead Charduni’s head, SOMERSAULTED over the dwarf and landed behind him. Three of the dwarves dropped their crossbows, drew swords. But even as they pivoted on Taggart, Indigo stager-stepped up the join of the wall and cavern face. She planted her sword point on the top of the shield wall and used it to SWING-kick into the fray. Her heel caught one of the Charduni and put him down instantly.
Within seconds Taggart was weaving and dodging three longswords. His punch-blade snickered out. He couldn’t get a good clean killshot, but he was slicing the Charduni up a bit at a time. He caught Argent out of the corner of his eye. His brother was rushing the wall, spear held high. The priest’s chainmail gleamed in the light, his eyes filled with righteous fury. Argent leapt, planted one foot atop the wall –
-- and slipped. He hit CLANK on his chest then WHACK on his chin and lay on the ground stunned. A Charduni rose from behind the wall, longsword held high.
Kirby was running, his bow in his hand. He dropped to one knee and slid into the base of the wall. As his outstretched leg stopped him, he took a beat to look down on the priest with a grin. “Nice.” Without looking, he let loose his arrow. It buried itself through the Charduni’s throat, straight up into his brain.
Two more of the foul dwarves fell, caught between Indigo and Taggart. Argent rolled over the wall. A Charduni blade chinked on the stones as he passed. Almost instinctively he lunged with his spear. It bit hard. He looked up into the dwarf’s eyes as it died. He shuddered at the hate they held.
The last Charduni broke for a door at the back of the cavern. “NO!” Taggart yelled. “The rest of his patrol will be –“
THUNK. An arrow with bright red fletching skewered the nape of the dwarf’s neck. The soldier walked for a few more steps in a sad parody of life, then collapsed. Argent, way back at the entrance, waved. “Forgot about me, eh?”
Taggart noted the bard had hit a spot the size of a gold coin on a moving target from almost a hundred feet out. “I won’t forget about you again,” he muttered. “Now come on, before their pals catch on.” The next door was heavier than the rest. He pulled out his thieving tools. He blew ash-mix onto the door, into the seams. He lay his head against the wall, looking at the door surface’s reflection in a mirror, checking for glyphs. After running a feather through the cracks – the trick was not to pull the feather, let the weight bring it down and detect any trigger strings or traps – Taggart motioned the others forward. He instinctively used a complex hand signal. Most of the others had no idea just how much information was conveyed in that simple gesture, but they’d seen it enough to know that it meant all was clear. Indigo shoved.
Incredibly, two tons of stone pivoted flawlessly on sunken hinges. The cavern revealed was the largest one yet. Two rows of stone pillars, each carved with draconic images, led further into the room. The natural stone walls had been worked to angular smoothness. A billowing chest high fog hovered everywhere. Taggart breathed some in, coughed. “A little acidic.”
“It’s natural, seeping up from the floor.” Indigo pulled a silk scarf over her nose. “Maybe why they built the temple here.”
The group moved carefully, pillar to pillar. They had a fair amount of cover. As long as the rest of the Charduni patrol didn’t get curious, they’d have the element of --
“SURPRISE!” came a bellowing voice. From behind the last set of pillars in the room poured eight more Charduni. Luckily they’d sprung their trap early. Even as they raised their swords, fired their crossbows, the party charged. Taggart extended his punch blade, raced forward. Argent charged with his spear. Alec neatly side-stepped some crossbow bolts and let loose two answering arrows before he disappeared behind a pillar. Kirby pulled out his rapier, casually tucked the hem of his coat into his belt behind him as if preparing for a formal duel.
Indigo, however, paused. For a massive, barrel-chested dwarf stepped out from behind his pillar holding a wide-bladed gleaming longsword. A Coreanic blade. The paladin’s blade. He raised it over his head in a formal pose. He set one foot. With a gleeful snarl he cried “OATHBLADE!”
Almost absently Indigo punched an approaching dwarf in the throat, dropping him. To the background of screams and shouts and clashing metal, she raised her own bastard sword back over one shoulder, her wrists oddly cocked. She too set one foot, dug the other boot’s toe into the red dust on the floor. The long bare leg revealed by her kilt flexed, all trembling muscle. This was a blade challenge. Her first.
The Charduni bellowed. Indigo snarled back and they RUSHED each other. They were at a full run and still picking up speed –
CLANG! Their swords clashed too fast for the eye to see, sparks flew. A hisssshhhhh as, once past each other, they dug in their heels and skidded to a stop. Each was frozen, still facing forward. Each held their sword in high finishing positions.
Indigo felt something wet on her front. She looked down.
Yep. Those were her insides all right. Outside.
“Crap.” Indigo sank to one knee. Behind her the Charduni Captain slowly turned, laughing…
