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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7226775" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 85</p><p></p><p>Kurok stood in the narrow entrance to Scar Canyon. He was tired and hungry, and wanted nothing more than to avail himself of the hospitality, limited though it might be, of Usk’s people. But he could not shake the feeling that something was off.</p><p></p><p>From where he stood he could see the feature that gave the place its name, the jagged fifty-foot cliffs that looked as though they had been hewn from the surrounding rock by a giant serrated knife. He could only see a handful of the hundreds of hundreds if not thousands of caves that pocked those cliffs, extending along the canyon for almost a mile before they ended in an almost sheer drop into an even deeper canyon below. It was said that creatures of Shadow dwelt within that hole, in places where the light of the sun never reached.</p><p></p><p>Kurok had no fear of shadows, but he was beginning to suspect that something was wrong here.</p><p></p><p>He made his way forward cautiously, staying close to one of the almost sheer walls of stone that flanked the trail leading into the Scar. Usk’s people should have seen him by now, should have seen him coming before he’d approached the mouth of the canyon, but the caves he could see were dark and empty.</p><p></p><p>He’d only advanced maybe fifteen or twenty steps before he found something. The route into the canyon was not perfectly straight, and there were numerous places where one of the surrounding walls curved inward or bent around some protruding obstacle. Behind one such obstacle, a sharp jut of granite buried in the ground like the point of a massive spearhead, were several bodies.</p><p></p><p>He smelled them before he saw them, but neither until he was almost on top of them. They had been dead for a few days at least, but it was difficult to tell more from a casual glance, even how many there had been. The bodies had been… <em>melted</em> seemed to be the closest word that fit. Pale white bones jutted up from the tangled mess. The surrounding rocks were discolored, likely from splashes of whatever had killed them.</p><p></p><p>His senses on high alert now, Kurok crept closer and bent over the remains for a closer examination. The gashes in his hip twinged in pain as he knelt, but he quashed the feeling with an effort of will. A small pack of crag cats had decided to make a meal of him a few nights back. He’d dealt with them, but the minor wounds he’d suffered had been an annoyance. Had he not been in a hurry he would have made a coat from their hides, a reminder to the other predators of the mountains that he was not to be trifled with. Another annoyance.</p><p></p><p>He felt no fear as he examined the bodies, but he was starting to wonder if he would find anything left of those he had come here to meet. There wasn’t enough evidence for him to conclusively identify what had done this killing, but could make a few educated guesses.</p><p></p><p>He resumed his progress down into the canyon. At one point he heard a sharp cry from somewhere high above, a deep sound that echoed off the surrounding walls. Kurok tensed and slipped deeper into the shadows along the cliff wall, but the cry was not repeated. It did not sound like the source had been close, but it confirmed one of his suspicions.</p><p></p><p>After a moment he started forward again, moving faster now, stealth replaced by speed. His weariness and wounds did not slow him, not after the jolt that shriek had given him.</p><p></p><p>He passed the outermost caves, glancing at them only to confirm that the sentries that he had expected were not present. He’d never been to the Scar, but he’d seen maps, and knew that the deeper caves that connected to the underground complex were further in. The nearest of those was a good ten feet off the ground, accessed by a narrow ramp that left anyone approaching completely exposed to attack from other caves higher up. No attacks came, which was not unexpected.</p><p></p><p>He had to bend low to fit into the cave, but after the entry it grew a bit more spacious. A familiar scent greeted him, not the foul stink of death from earlier but the earthier air of those he had come to meet. It might have been old, but he didn’t think so. He thought he could smell something else on the air, a tangible waft of fear. It might have been a projection of his own desires, but he didn’t think so.</p><p></p><p>The cave sloped down slightly as he made his way deeper, then widened at the end into a proper corridor. There was a small niche there, and as he started to turn into the passage a figure emerged from the darkness and lunged at him with a spear.</p><p></p><p>He almost blasted the attacker by instinct before his brain took over. Dodging back out of the way of the clumsy thrust, he pointed a finger and said, <em>“Halt”</em>.</p><p></p><p>His attacker froze. It was a goblin, the creature’s eyes wide with fear.</p><p></p><p>“Do you know who I am?” The goblin could barely shake its head, and Kurok said, “I am of the Blooded.”</p><p></p><p>If the goblin had been afraid before, now it trembled with terror. As the effects of Kurok’s <em>command</em> faded it collapsed to the ground in front of him, all but throwing its spear away. “Forgive me, great one!” it squealed. “I did not know!”</p><p></p><p>Kurok gave the creature a desultory kick with his boot, not enough to injure it severely. “Get up,” he said. “I want you to take me to Usk Bloodrider.”</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Author's Note: Earlier I had posted a note that I would be taking a break from this story during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I’m going to start the hiatus in October, so there won’t be any new posts in October or November. I do intend to wrap up the story and already have most of the Silverpeak Valley arc completed in draft. I will probably end at least the ENWorld part of the story with Book 6 (we’re in the middle of Book 4 right now). I’ve been keeping notes for how I might convert these stories into novels (mostly removing all of the game-specific content and trimming down the random encounters), so that might be option down the road.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7226775, member: 143"] Chapter 85 Kurok stood in the narrow entrance to Scar Canyon. He was tired and hungry, and wanted nothing more than to avail himself of the hospitality, limited though it might be, of Usk’s people. But he could not shake the feeling that something was off. From where he stood he could see the feature that gave the place its name, the jagged fifty-foot cliffs that looked as though they had been hewn from the surrounding rock by a giant serrated knife. He could only see a handful of the hundreds of hundreds if not thousands of caves that pocked those cliffs, extending along the canyon for almost a mile before they ended in an almost sheer drop into an even deeper canyon below. It was said that creatures of Shadow dwelt within that hole, in places where the light of the sun never reached. Kurok had no fear of shadows, but he was beginning to suspect that something was wrong here. He made his way forward cautiously, staying close to one of the almost sheer walls of stone that flanked the trail leading into the Scar. Usk’s people should have seen him by now, should have seen him coming before he’d approached the mouth of the canyon, but the caves he could see were dark and empty. He’d only advanced maybe fifteen or twenty steps before he found something. The route into the canyon was not perfectly straight, and there were numerous places where one of the surrounding walls curved inward or bent around some protruding obstacle. Behind one such obstacle, a sharp jut of granite buried in the ground like the point of a massive spearhead, were several bodies. He smelled them before he saw them, but neither until he was almost on top of them. They had been dead for a few days at least, but it was difficult to tell more from a casual glance, even how many there had been. The bodies had been… [i]melted[/i] seemed to be the closest word that fit. Pale white bones jutted up from the tangled mess. The surrounding rocks were discolored, likely from splashes of whatever had killed them. His senses on high alert now, Kurok crept closer and bent over the remains for a closer examination. The gashes in his hip twinged in pain as he knelt, but he quashed the feeling with an effort of will. A small pack of crag cats had decided to make a meal of him a few nights back. He’d dealt with them, but the minor wounds he’d suffered had been an annoyance. Had he not been in a hurry he would have made a coat from their hides, a reminder to the other predators of the mountains that he was not to be trifled with. Another annoyance. He felt no fear as he examined the bodies, but he was starting to wonder if he would find anything left of those he had come here to meet. There wasn’t enough evidence for him to conclusively identify what had done this killing, but could make a few educated guesses. He resumed his progress down into the canyon. At one point he heard a sharp cry from somewhere high above, a deep sound that echoed off the surrounding walls. Kurok tensed and slipped deeper into the shadows along the cliff wall, but the cry was not repeated. It did not sound like the source had been close, but it confirmed one of his suspicions. After a moment he started forward again, moving faster now, stealth replaced by speed. His weariness and wounds did not slow him, not after the jolt that shriek had given him. He passed the outermost caves, glancing at them only to confirm that the sentries that he had expected were not present. He’d never been to the Scar, but he’d seen maps, and knew that the deeper caves that connected to the underground complex were further in. The nearest of those was a good ten feet off the ground, accessed by a narrow ramp that left anyone approaching completely exposed to attack from other caves higher up. No attacks came, which was not unexpected. He had to bend low to fit into the cave, but after the entry it grew a bit more spacious. A familiar scent greeted him, not the foul stink of death from earlier but the earthier air of those he had come to meet. It might have been old, but he didn’t think so. He thought he could smell something else on the air, a tangible waft of fear. It might have been a projection of his own desires, but he didn’t think so. The cave sloped down slightly as he made his way deeper, then widened at the end into a proper corridor. There was a small niche there, and as he started to turn into the passage a figure emerged from the darkness and lunged at him with a spear. He almost blasted the attacker by instinct before his brain took over. Dodging back out of the way of the clumsy thrust, he pointed a finger and said, [i]“Halt”[/i]. His attacker froze. It was a goblin, the creature’s eyes wide with fear. “Do you know who I am?” The goblin could barely shake its head, and Kurok said, “I am of the Blooded.” If the goblin had been afraid before, now it trembled with terror. As the effects of Kurok’s [i]command[/i] faded it collapsed to the ground in front of him, all but throwing its spear away. “Forgive me, great one!” it squealed. “I did not know!” Kurok gave the creature a desultory kick with his boot, not enough to injure it severely. “Get up,” he said. “I want you to take me to Usk Bloodrider.” * * * Author's Note: Earlier I had posted a note that I would be taking a break from this story during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I’m going to start the hiatus in October, so there won’t be any new posts in October or November. I do intend to wrap up the story and already have most of the Silverpeak Valley arc completed in draft. I will probably end at least the ENWorld part of the story with Book 6 (we’re in the middle of Book 4 right now). I’ve been keeping notes for how I might convert these stories into novels (mostly removing all of the game-specific content and trimming down the random encounters), so that might be option down the road. [/QUOTE]
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