Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ghostknight" data-source="post: 3414072" data-attributes="member: 15338">Chapter 16A blazing fire awaited them in the throne room.  The room echoed as they walked, emptied of all but D'Wiglo, and one who sat seated upon the massive stone throne.  The room was well lit, balls of light hung suspended from the roof and illuminated the floor carved with marvellous frescoes of ancient battles, heroes banishing the enemies of the dwarven race.  As they came closer, the Emissary and Sister Egrit could see why D'Fir had objected when they had first met with Secheriab.  In all ways but height, the chair that had been provided was a mirror image of this one.The group stopped before the throne, and followed D'Fir's example as he bowed low to the grey bearded figure."Greetings, your Majesty.  I have returned from the task set for me, and I bring an ambassador from the court of Duke Secheriab, representative of the Lord of the Eighth circle of Hell."  D'Fir straightened, gesturing with a wide arm movement for the Emissary to come forward."I present myself to his august Majesty, King D'Mier, Lord of the Fortress of Livian.  I, Eria the Red, am the ambassador of the Duke Secheriab, the mighty servant of the Lord of the Eighth Circle of Hell, and I humbly request your acceptance of my mission to your court."  The Emissary's words were fair, delivered in a soft, diplomatic voice.  The two that had travelled with him gave a start when he mentioned his name; at no time in the time since they had first met him had he been called aught else but "Emissary". The king stood, his back bent but his shoulders still straight and proud.  If not for his age he would have stood as tall as his sons, but his eyes were bright, his beard long, and it was still his muscles that defined him, rather than the ravages of age that distorted so many.  He spoke, his voice gravely with age but still strong."Welcome to Our court, Eria the Red.  Long may the alliance between Fort Livian and court of the Eighth be peaceful, and mutually enriching."  He gave a quick bow before he sat down once more.  From the side of the throne D'Wiglo now stepped forward."As seneschal to my father's court, I welcome you to our midst, Ambassador of the Court of the Eighth.  Quarters will be arranged, and you need but speak, and name your desire.  If we can, legally and morally, deliver it unto you, so we shall."The laughter of Eria filled the hall.  His fangs showed as he smiled when his laughter cut-off.  "I am honoured that you felt it necessary to clarify your diplomatic greeting for me.  Never fear, I can control myself and assure you that your citizens; children, maidens and all, are all safe from me.  Though I fear I may loose my reason and attack your kitchens if I cannot get a meal shortly.  Your guards did take an inordinately long time to bring us to you, and left us bereft of food and drink, a subtle torture of sorts, perhaps?""We are remiss as host.  Food, beverages and chairs for your rest shall be brought forth immediately.  We greet also your companions, my son, and you, Sister Egrit, representative of the Tower Arcane.  We shall all dine together, and you shall speak to Us of what has happened since you left the conclave of the Priests of the Forge Father."  D'Wiglo bowed to his father and stepped through a door set to the side of the throne.  A short while later he returned, followed by servants in the livery of the city.  The muted black and grey of their clothing made them shadows against the wall as they deftly laid a table out at the foot of the throne.  Around the table, they placed five chairs, high backed and comfortably cushioned in each place, the one at the head of the table differing only in the gold crown etched onto its raised headrest.  The king stood up and walked down the stairs from his throne.  He took his place at the table and seated himself.  He indicated to Eria to take the place of honour to his right, D'Fir to his left.  Sister Egrit’s seat was next to D'Fir, the place next to the fiendish ambassador left for D'Wiglo when his duties as seneschal were completed.  D'Wiglo nodded to the servants who filed out, returning with platters laden with fruits, plentiful examples of both exotic and common varieties were laid before them, followed by trays laden with roasted meat sliced into paper-thin slivers, steaming hot and covered with thick gravy.  Further platters were laid down, along with tall, fragile crystal glasses, quickly filled with wine.  All set for the meal, D'Wiglo finally took his seat, and watched as the king was served, his choices placed upon his platter.  As the king started, servants came forward, placing the food indicated by each diner upon their plates, remaining discreetly nearby in case of need.Soft music filled the hall as they ate, and the king kept the conversation light, allowing only the stories of the journey that did not require discussion, and some inconsequential chatter.  Only when the meal was finished did he steer the conversation to matters of import."We have need of information, Ambassador.  What forces has your master committed to this battle?  Will your forces join ours upon the fields and on our ramparts?"  The king's eyes fixed upon Eria, and he watched as Eria spoke, the words from the Ambassador told him as much as the manner in which they were said."We will do what we can, your Majesty.  Understand, though, that unless you have the means to open up gates and summon many of our people to your city, we cannot bring large numbers to bear.  Though it would appear to be an enticing option, it is not really a viable one.  Such action would be all too easy for Jelial, and his minions, to detect and sabotage.  My Master has few servants, but he will use those as best he can to find further allies to our cause, and to provide intelligence to guide our actions."The king looked at Eria, and snorted.  "The Lord of the Eighth will not risk too much in this venture will he?  If he can use us to gain what he chooses, it will be well for him, but if we fail, it will not hurt his cause overly much back home.  As for the allies to whom you guide us, are they all going to be disaffected fiends, more problems for us to deal with once your goal is achieved and Jelial dethroned?"Eria looked pain, his face reflecting hurt and wounded pride.  "You do us an injustice your Majesty.  We merely pointed to those groups that we knew of at this time, I am sure that we will, shortly, find other allies!"The others around the table did not believe the act of the Ambassador, but diplomacy prevailed.  Talk moved back to the inconsequential and the extended audience concluded shortly thereafter with the travellers dismissed to rest and find comfort within their own private sanctums.***For three days Mekior, Gyv and Jeria scoured the mountainside.  If there were any inhabitations close by, they hid themselves too well to be found.  Wearily they sat around a campfire and watched the flames throw sparks into the night sky, though they kept the flames low and dampened down as much as they could to avoid attracting unwanted attention."So, is it time for us to admit to defeat and call on Secheriab to bring us home?"  Mekior placed the question before them, knowing each thought it but none wanted to say it."I would prefer to search for longer."  Jeria's voice carried over the crackling of the flames in the fire.  "Let us take our time and investigate longer; I still say there must be caverns or such in this area and we have yet to find them.""Jeria, hope is an unfounded emotion in our lives.  When has hope ever helped?  I hoped to see my family again, and they are dead or enslaved.  You hoped to become an Outwalker to serve and protect Weald hall, and Weald Hall lies destroyed, buried under a mountain of rubble.  Let us admit that we are on a fool's errand and return home.  Maybe we can find some of the renegades that Secheriab spoke off."What would she say if she knew one was sitting here with her, undetected, making love to her at nights?  She speaks from despair, much has happened since I last sat with her so long ago.  Mekior looked at the two, knowing he did not want to give in to the despair that radiated from Gyv, despair that grew each time she investigated her ruined face, and looked upon the scars that covered the entirety of her body.  Yet he, too, felt that perhaps the optimism of Jeria was misplaced and that it would be better to investigate alternate options."Let us search a while longer, no more than a week.  If we still do not find anything, we can return.  We have plenty of food, and, aside from the calls of birds, we have neither seen nor heard any other wild life in this area.  The other two nodded; Jeria because he agreed, Gyv too apathetic in her despair to care.For three more days, they continued to search.  They scoured the mountainside and the nearby forest eaves.  They found nothing, and, as is usual in such situations, fate stepped in; pure chance guided them to that for which they searched.Jeria, frustrated with their lack of progress, climbed the ridge and, he sat astride a rock, peering down into the valleys on either side.  It was near noon, and few shadows could be seen.  Thus the darkness, which did not vary and stayed the same, neither shrinking nor contracting, caught his eye.  Excited, he climbed down towards the bottom of the cliff that sheltered the darkness.  It felt cooler as he approached it.  A wind seemed to be coming from behind the rocks.  Jeria stopped, innate caution driving him to draw his axe before he stepped forward.  He reached out, preparing to run his hands against the stone, to use the rock as shelter as he snuck forward, but instead of rock, his hand fell into nothing...Illusion!  Excitement coursed through his body, the hair along his back rising in anticipation of what may be beyond.  His innate caution pulled him back again and sent him in the direction of his companions.The three gathered, Mekior gazing within the illusionary area.  "Any ideas?  Do we just go in or what?"  Mekior kept his voice low, loud enough for Gyv and Jeria to hear, but low enough that it would not carry.  With the evidence of others within their vicinity, he was taking no chances."Walk in and see what's there."  Jeria shrugged, "I don't see what else we can do.  I will go first as my eyes will let me investigate what lies within without the need for light.  You two can follow after, with lit torches to find your way if it looks safe."Gyv cursed silently under her breathe.  The only positive aspect of the taint from which she had suffered was the ability to see in the dark.  That, too, had disappeared when Secheriab removed the last remnants of the taint.  She watched as Jeria prepared to walk through the illusion, not concentrating fully on what he was doing, too much of her concentration on the lack of feeling on the scarred areas of her body which made her worry that when the time came to fight, her abilities would be hindered, diminished by her lack of feeling.Mekior, sitting to the side and watching the other two, could see the despair that had begun to afflict Gyv.  It came through when they lay in each other's arms, not even his continued closeness and admissions of love seemed to convince her that they could be as they were before.  If I were one of the mighty, one of the powerful, perhaps there might be something I could do.  The powers from my fiendish blood are weak, all my power concentrated in the illusion of humanity and the masking of my fiendish nature.  I wonder how much magic Jeria carries; and does not know how to use.  His ability to see in the dark is the least of it...So the two watched as Jeria disappeared, the illusion covering him as he entered within. The sun shone down, the early afternoon sun sending lengthening shadows from the forest towards the rocks on which they sat.  A few birds could be heard singing, the cold breeze coming through the illusion enough to be felt, but no more.  They sat in silence, on guard for trouble coming from ether direction, aware that whatever lay within could be as dangerous, if not more so, than what lay hidden within the forest.***Jeria stepped through the illusion, a slight tingle and the hair on his arm rising, the only indication that he walked through something other than air.  The area beyond was dark, a dim light penetrating through the illusion, illuminating a small area beyond entrance.  The rest lay hidden by the shadows and deepening darkness.  He stepped forward, and felt the floor crunch beneath him.  He knelt down and ran his fingers through the sand, feeling the roughness of the soil, and saw broken bits of bone mixed in.Something has used this cavern as a lair.  Not too large, though.  All its prey are small, I see no bones of nothing larger than a squirrel here.  He stepped further into the cavern as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, bringing the details beyond the lit area into focus.  The cavern walls were plain rock, the ground likewise, but it lay covered in the tiny skeletons, a carpet of bones.  Jeria continued in, a faint smell growing as he continued in, further and further.  The smell of rotting meat, with the smell of blood underlying, and beyond, so faint he thought he was imagining it, the smell of roses.He wandered what was going on, and pushed forward, heading towards the back of the cavern, with the roof getting lower as he moved on.  In the darkness, he thought he saw a glimmer of light ahead.  The faint light ahead enticed him further in, drawing him onwards like a moth to the flame.  As he moved into the glow, he felt a breeze from above, pushing past him and out past Gyv and Mekior, carrying with it the smells of the outside.  The glow intensified as he moved towards it, along with the stench of blood and rotting meat, the smell of roses more pronounced.In the glow, Jeria could see the dampness on the cavern walls, a slight red tinge on the rocks, stained from the water dripping in from the cavern roof above.  Jeria moved closer, and saw that the glow radiated from the rear wall of the cavern.  It sunk down out of sight, and reached up beyond his eyes, a mass of glowing runes and intricately marked patterns.  The brightness of it hurt his eyes as he examined it, the runes meaningless, the patterns guiding the eye into a meaningless chaos of whirls and curves.  He stood fascinated, and watched as, from the gap in the ceiling above, through which both wind and water entered, a dark furred squirrel came forward, its red eyes gleaming, blackish spittle dotting its lips.Shocked, Jeria stepped back, careful to make no noise and not wanting to attract the attention of the tainted creature.  He stood still and watched as the squirrel moved forward as if entranced; its attention was focussed wholly on the glowing wall.  For all the attention it was paying to the cavern and its contents, Jeria could have been dancing and banging on cymbals and it would still have ignored his presence.  It crept up to the wall, swaying slightly, its eyes not blinking, the spittle coming out its mouth now a continuous stream.  Mesmerised, it stood before the wall, a statue of a squirrel.  Jeria watched as it pushed forward the last few steps, shuffling more like an ancient man than the smooth, graceful movements one would expect of the small mammal, tainted or not.  It reached forward, sniffing, its nose inching towards the wall.  Its nose finally reached the wall, touched it, and the squirrel exploded, as did the sweet smell of roses as if evoked by the meeting of taint and rune.Jeria stood there, bits of squirrel falling off his body.  He was not mesmerised in the manner of the squirrel, but still he just stood there, immobile in his shock.  What would have happened if I touched that wall?  And why did that squirrel, all these squirrels and other creatures come down here, attracted to the wall?  In all the time we have been encamped outside, I have not seen a single tainted creature and then the first one I see crawls up to a glowing wall, touches it, and ends up spread across the cavern!The questions ran around Jeria's head on his way out.  He had not found any hidden fiends and no city lay within. Just that wall, extending unbelievably in all directions, mesmerising and destroying tainted creatures in the area around it. What was that wall; and what secrets lay hidden beyond the protective runes?</blockquote>

Verification