Lazybones
Adventurer
Thanks for the posts! This little side-quest will resolve by the end of the week, with a double-length post slated for Friday.
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Chapter 274
THE BREATH OF LIFE
Anku was a brave man, but the sudden appearance of his own face in the visage of an alien creature unnerved him. He was a veteran warrior, but he was also infused with the superstitious dread of his people at spirits and the dark powers of the netherworld, and in this foe he found both in copious quantities.
That vulnerability made him susceptible to the magical power in the creature’s stare, and it darted eagerly forward as the barbarian froze, temporarily paralyzed.
Esir shared his companion’s fear, but the little rogue was much more used to encountering strange and terrible things in the course of looting tombs. He mastered his fear and acted, his hand darting into a leather pouch at his hip. He drew out a long leather whip, which he uncoiled and lashed out with practiced ease. As the long strand flashed in the air, sparkling twists of energy flared around its tip. The whip tore through the creature, but while it failed to get a purchase on its insubstantial form, it was clear from its sudden howl that Esir had managed to hurt it.
It dove for the thief, one of its arms coming down at him like a scythe. For all the seeming mistiness of its form, the concentrated blast of air struck with the force of a battering ram. Esir, however, was already moving, diving forward in a roll that carried him around the creature, already drawing up his whip for another attack. The blast of air from the creature’s strike actually aided him, adding to the momentum of his tumble, and he escaped serious injury.
The last creature flew toward Tammuz, but its gaze attack held no terrors for this man. The mystic calmly lifted a hand and invoked some dread power. Something dark and mysterious flowed through the room, and each of the three creatures shook as black sparks erupted through their bodies. His foe lunged at him in a violent fury, but Tammuz merely withstood the blow, grunting as it lashed a solid blast of wind across his torso.
Anku’s enemy drifted up until the tribesman and the creature were almost touching, face-to-face. The nebulous thing hovered in front of the paralyzed tribesman, and then swept forward, its substance brushing his lips in a twisted mockery of a kiss. As it drew back, tendrils of glowing essence flowed out from the man into the creature, which swelled as it drank deeply from the well of his strength. Anku became pale, but the look of fear in his eyes was replaced by a growing rage, as he fought against the fell power holding him captive.
Esir dodged away from the creature pursuing him. He lashed at it again with his whip, but it was clear that his intent was merely to harry it, to buy time while keeping his distance from the thing. The monster was fast, but the wiry rogue was quicker, and as he ducked under another wind-lash he tumbled back toward his companions. The whip darted out again, this time slicing through the back of the one threatening Anku. The monster, flush with the energy stolen from its victim, barely registered the hit.
The distraction, however momentary, gave Esir’s foe an opportunity that it exploited. It spun and came at him from behind, striking him hard across the shoulders. The rogue rolled with the force of the impact, but as he came back up to his feet, it was clear that he’d felt this latest hit keenly.
Tammuz did not bother to attempt evasions from his foe’s assault. As the creature hissed and raised its arms for another attack, he merely thrust a hand into it, and invoked his power once more. Black bolts flared from his outstretched fingertips, and the monster dissolved with an airy shriek.
Anku’s foe pressed its advantage, seeking to draw more breath from the body of the barbarian. But this time, the creature failed against Anku’s resistance, and as it recoiled from him, he roared a challenge and swept his falchion around in a wild but powerful arc. The blow clove the thing in two, and while it survived the cut the way that a fully physical creature could not, it was clearly weakened, suffering damage that undid the strength it had stolen and then some.
Esir tumbled away as his foe sought him again, keeping away, not letting it get close enough to suck at his breath. It continued to attack him with its wind scythe attack, but the rogue was too fast and too canny to let it get in a second telling hit. And his own blows were doing damage, cutting gashes in its airy form that left trailing bits of mist behind it in its wake.
Anku’s adversary rose up into the air, out of reach of the tribesman. But now that he had his mobility back, he would not be undone. The barbarian crouched and sprang into the air, rising up surprisingly high without magical augment or other artificial aid. The creature clearly had not expected such an assault, and it failed to get away before the barbarian clove it again with his curved blade. This time the creature could not absorb the damage wrought, and it came apart with a soft hiss.
Anku’s leap off the stairs carried him out far over the chamber, but the ten-foot fall he faced was not a difficulty for him. Esir glanced up and altered the trajectory of his latest tumble, drawing the creature almost to the spot where his companion landed. The monster realized too late that it had been outmaneuvered, and before it could escape it, too, was struck by blade and whip, and it dissolved into nothing.
Tammuz walked down the stairs slowly to join the others. The three men stood there, alert for any further attacks, but nothing further stirred from the dark openings scattered around the perimeter of the vault.
“What were those things?” Esir asked.
“They are called breathdrinkers,” Tammuz said. Anku frowned, checking his falchion, but the creatures had left no mark or ichor upon the blade. “It is fortuitous that you had magical weapons; I doubt that normal blades would have affected such.”
“Fortuitous as well, that we had your power against them,” Esir said.
Tammuz turned to the nearest of the dark passages. “We should press on.”
The tomb robber held up his hand. “Nay, we should pause a moment, take our rest, eat something. There is no rush; we should be fresh when we confront further trials. I suggest up there, on the ledge; it gives us a commanding vista over the chamber.”
The others agreed, and they returned to the ledge. Anku broke out a wheel of traveler’s bread and a smaller disk of hard cheese, which he shared around. Tammuz offered to treat the effects of the drain suffered by the tribesman, but the man demurred. He finished his meal in a few bites, and then excused himself to attend to personal functions, moving to the far end of the ledge as a courtesy to his companions.
Esir watched Tammuz with a keen eye as the other man washed his cheese down with water from his goatskin bag. He indicated the tribesman with a slight inclination of his head. “He is troubled, not so much by your power, but by what he sees as his own failure in the battle,” Esir said, his voice quiet so as not to carry over to his companion.
“The creatures used magic; there is no fault. Had our luck been poor, you or I could just as easily been affected.”
Esir nodded, and popped a hunk of bread into his mouth. “Your accent, it is very good,” he finally said.
Tammuz’s look sharpened, but he did not respond.
“I normally do not seek to intrude into the privacy of others,” the thief said. “Especially an employer. But the tomb of Amar-Sina... that is an atypical matter. One must know what one is dealing with, in such a circumstance. You understand?”
“I imagine it would be difficult to slip something past you.”
Esir smiled as he cut off another piece of cheese with his knife. “I am not only known for my plundering of tombs; I am also widely renown as one of the great liars of this age.”
“A useful skill.”
“Indeed.” He popped the cheese into his mouth. “Do not fault your disguise; it is very good. But you rely overly much on magic, to my thinking. A little powder on the skin, some crushed abrath reeds—for the scent, you see—that would be more effective and less susceptible to detection.”
“I take it you can pierce illusions, then?”
The rogue nodded, and tapped the patch covering his left eye. “I cannot use it all the time, or it gives me truly fearsome headaches.”
“A valuable item.”
“Indeed,” he said again. “So, man of... Camar?” He waited for Tammuz’s nod, which came after a moment’s pause. “So, what brings you to this place? Not simple treasure, I assume.”
Tammuz finished the last of his bread, which gave him a moment to consider before he spoke. “I seek the Tears of the Gods.”
Esir rubbed his chin. “Ah. So they are not legends, then.”
“No more than the tomb of Amar-Sina.”
The thief smiled. “Indeed, indeed. Precious, those stones would be. Priceless?”
“There are very few things in this world that one cannot put a price upon.”
The thief chuckled. “Well said.”
“You have been very frank with me, so I will be equally forthright. I did not lie when I spoke of the treasure to be found here. You and your companion will find the prizes well in excess of our initial agreement, or I will make up the difference myself. But the Tears, those come with me. I do not seek to challenge your honor with this statement, but this must be known, up front.”
Esir finished the last morsel of food, and licked his fingertips. “So long as there is enough wealth to go around, good sir, then you will find my friend and I boon companions. And I suspect that there will be more dangers ahead, deadly trials that will be hazardous enough without us looking over our shoulders.”
Tammuz nodded, and looked up as Anku came back over to them. “Are you ready?” the tribesman asked them.
“Are we?” Esir asked, looking to Tammuz. The mystic nodded. “Then let us be on our way,” the thief said, springing to his feet, brushing his hands to clear away the last remnants of their meal.
A detailed search of the chamber below turned up two exits from the vault; a third passage was blocked by rubble just a short distance down its length. After a few moments of investigation, Esir suggested the tunnel to their left, and the companions set out again. Their awareness was sharpened by the memory of the traps they had encountered above, and of their battle with the breathdrinkers. Esir’s instincts served them well once more, as he detected another trap just a short distance down the tunnel. This one had a number of interlocking triggers set into the floor and the surrounding walls, and it took them a good half hour to make it safely past, with Esir marking a safe route on the flagstones using a bit of chalk. At one point, he hammered a pair of spikes into cracks in the walls, creating a step and handhold that they used to bypass a wide stretch of trapped floor. Anku and Esir could have perhaps leapt across the dangerous trigger, but Tammuz lacked that degree of agility.
“Let us hope that we are not compelled to return this way in a great rush,” the thief said, as they made their way past the threatened zone.
The tunnel continued for almost a hundred feet, then bent sharply to the right. They passed through an empty room that Esir scanned carefully for traps, before directing them to proceed. The passage continued on the far side, and ultimately deposited them on the edge of another, significantly larger chamber. This place had a floor several feet lower than the passage, accessed by a series of broad stone steps. Another similar exit was visible to their left, but it seemed as though their destination lay ahead, on the other side of the room.
The far side of the room was dominated by a large mural that covered much of the wall. Tammuz held his light aloft as they approached; the scene was still discernable despite its obvious age. Crafted of colored tiles set into the stone, it showed several scenes of men engaged in a variety of scenes. The men were dark-skinned and muscular, clad in skirts that covered them from navel to knee. The mural was a history of sorts, showing those men building cities, engaging in wars, and worshipping ancient gods. Over them all, rising up onto the slanted ceiling above, was the god-ruler, the emperor Amar-Sina, seated on a throne that resembled a giant ziggurat. The ceiling portion of the mural had lost the most tiles, and parts of the emperor’s body were covered with gray patches, as though he’d suffered from a pox.
The mural overlooked a broad arch in the far wall that sheltered a deep alcove. A pair of pillars of weathered stone flanked the alcove, and they could just see the outline of broad steps, twenty feet wide, leading up into another area deep within. The steps led up to a pair of massive stone doors that stood slightly ajar.
The three just stared at the scene for several long, quiet moments. The reality of the place seemed to strike them in its full impression then.
Anku finally moved forward, bits of fragmented tile crunching under his boots.
Esir sniffed the air, and frowned.
Tammuz merely waited.
A sound echoed back from the alcove. It came from beyond the stone doors. A creak of metal, that grew louder, closer.
Anku’s falchion came into his hands; the tribesman fell into a wary stance.
Esir shot a glance at Tammuz. “Another guardian?”
The mystic did not reply, his attention focused on the doors. His hands wove a pattern before him, as syllables of magic seeped from his lips.
They did not have long to wait. Mere seconds passed before the source of the noise appeared at the doors. A bulky head poked through the opening, followed by a long, sinuous body.
It was a serpent. But that was where any reference to the natural world ended. It was made of bronze, a massive, deadly construct, its body formed of segmented metal that echoed oddly the scales of the real creature it imitated. Its jaws sprang widely open, and as they watched, flaring sparks of electrical energy arced between the long, nasty fangs set around the rim of that opening.
“By all the gods,” Esir whispered, as the unliving guardian slithered forward to greet them.
* * * * *
Chapter 274
THE BREATH OF LIFE
Anku was a brave man, but the sudden appearance of his own face in the visage of an alien creature unnerved him. He was a veteran warrior, but he was also infused with the superstitious dread of his people at spirits and the dark powers of the netherworld, and in this foe he found both in copious quantities.
That vulnerability made him susceptible to the magical power in the creature’s stare, and it darted eagerly forward as the barbarian froze, temporarily paralyzed.
Esir shared his companion’s fear, but the little rogue was much more used to encountering strange and terrible things in the course of looting tombs. He mastered his fear and acted, his hand darting into a leather pouch at his hip. He drew out a long leather whip, which he uncoiled and lashed out with practiced ease. As the long strand flashed in the air, sparkling twists of energy flared around its tip. The whip tore through the creature, but while it failed to get a purchase on its insubstantial form, it was clear from its sudden howl that Esir had managed to hurt it.
It dove for the thief, one of its arms coming down at him like a scythe. For all the seeming mistiness of its form, the concentrated blast of air struck with the force of a battering ram. Esir, however, was already moving, diving forward in a roll that carried him around the creature, already drawing up his whip for another attack. The blast of air from the creature’s strike actually aided him, adding to the momentum of his tumble, and he escaped serious injury.
The last creature flew toward Tammuz, but its gaze attack held no terrors for this man. The mystic calmly lifted a hand and invoked some dread power. Something dark and mysterious flowed through the room, and each of the three creatures shook as black sparks erupted through their bodies. His foe lunged at him in a violent fury, but Tammuz merely withstood the blow, grunting as it lashed a solid blast of wind across his torso.
Anku’s enemy drifted up until the tribesman and the creature were almost touching, face-to-face. The nebulous thing hovered in front of the paralyzed tribesman, and then swept forward, its substance brushing his lips in a twisted mockery of a kiss. As it drew back, tendrils of glowing essence flowed out from the man into the creature, which swelled as it drank deeply from the well of his strength. Anku became pale, but the look of fear in his eyes was replaced by a growing rage, as he fought against the fell power holding him captive.
Esir dodged away from the creature pursuing him. He lashed at it again with his whip, but it was clear that his intent was merely to harry it, to buy time while keeping his distance from the thing. The monster was fast, but the wiry rogue was quicker, and as he ducked under another wind-lash he tumbled back toward his companions. The whip darted out again, this time slicing through the back of the one threatening Anku. The monster, flush with the energy stolen from its victim, barely registered the hit.
The distraction, however momentary, gave Esir’s foe an opportunity that it exploited. It spun and came at him from behind, striking him hard across the shoulders. The rogue rolled with the force of the impact, but as he came back up to his feet, it was clear that he’d felt this latest hit keenly.
Tammuz did not bother to attempt evasions from his foe’s assault. As the creature hissed and raised its arms for another attack, he merely thrust a hand into it, and invoked his power once more. Black bolts flared from his outstretched fingertips, and the monster dissolved with an airy shriek.
Anku’s foe pressed its advantage, seeking to draw more breath from the body of the barbarian. But this time, the creature failed against Anku’s resistance, and as it recoiled from him, he roared a challenge and swept his falchion around in a wild but powerful arc. The blow clove the thing in two, and while it survived the cut the way that a fully physical creature could not, it was clearly weakened, suffering damage that undid the strength it had stolen and then some.
Esir tumbled away as his foe sought him again, keeping away, not letting it get close enough to suck at his breath. It continued to attack him with its wind scythe attack, but the rogue was too fast and too canny to let it get in a second telling hit. And his own blows were doing damage, cutting gashes in its airy form that left trailing bits of mist behind it in its wake.
Anku’s adversary rose up into the air, out of reach of the tribesman. But now that he had his mobility back, he would not be undone. The barbarian crouched and sprang into the air, rising up surprisingly high without magical augment or other artificial aid. The creature clearly had not expected such an assault, and it failed to get away before the barbarian clove it again with his curved blade. This time the creature could not absorb the damage wrought, and it came apart with a soft hiss.
Anku’s leap off the stairs carried him out far over the chamber, but the ten-foot fall he faced was not a difficulty for him. Esir glanced up and altered the trajectory of his latest tumble, drawing the creature almost to the spot where his companion landed. The monster realized too late that it had been outmaneuvered, and before it could escape it, too, was struck by blade and whip, and it dissolved into nothing.
Tammuz walked down the stairs slowly to join the others. The three men stood there, alert for any further attacks, but nothing further stirred from the dark openings scattered around the perimeter of the vault.
“What were those things?” Esir asked.
“They are called breathdrinkers,” Tammuz said. Anku frowned, checking his falchion, but the creatures had left no mark or ichor upon the blade. “It is fortuitous that you had magical weapons; I doubt that normal blades would have affected such.”
“Fortuitous as well, that we had your power against them,” Esir said.
Tammuz turned to the nearest of the dark passages. “We should press on.”
The tomb robber held up his hand. “Nay, we should pause a moment, take our rest, eat something. There is no rush; we should be fresh when we confront further trials. I suggest up there, on the ledge; it gives us a commanding vista over the chamber.”
The others agreed, and they returned to the ledge. Anku broke out a wheel of traveler’s bread and a smaller disk of hard cheese, which he shared around. Tammuz offered to treat the effects of the drain suffered by the tribesman, but the man demurred. He finished his meal in a few bites, and then excused himself to attend to personal functions, moving to the far end of the ledge as a courtesy to his companions.
Esir watched Tammuz with a keen eye as the other man washed his cheese down with water from his goatskin bag. He indicated the tribesman with a slight inclination of his head. “He is troubled, not so much by your power, but by what he sees as his own failure in the battle,” Esir said, his voice quiet so as not to carry over to his companion.
“The creatures used magic; there is no fault. Had our luck been poor, you or I could just as easily been affected.”
Esir nodded, and popped a hunk of bread into his mouth. “Your accent, it is very good,” he finally said.
Tammuz’s look sharpened, but he did not respond.
“I normally do not seek to intrude into the privacy of others,” the thief said. “Especially an employer. But the tomb of Amar-Sina... that is an atypical matter. One must know what one is dealing with, in such a circumstance. You understand?”
“I imagine it would be difficult to slip something past you.”
Esir smiled as he cut off another piece of cheese with his knife. “I am not only known for my plundering of tombs; I am also widely renown as one of the great liars of this age.”
“A useful skill.”
“Indeed.” He popped the cheese into his mouth. “Do not fault your disguise; it is very good. But you rely overly much on magic, to my thinking. A little powder on the skin, some crushed abrath reeds—for the scent, you see—that would be more effective and less susceptible to detection.”
“I take it you can pierce illusions, then?”
The rogue nodded, and tapped the patch covering his left eye. “I cannot use it all the time, or it gives me truly fearsome headaches.”
“A valuable item.”
“Indeed,” he said again. “So, man of... Camar?” He waited for Tammuz’s nod, which came after a moment’s pause. “So, what brings you to this place? Not simple treasure, I assume.”
Tammuz finished the last of his bread, which gave him a moment to consider before he spoke. “I seek the Tears of the Gods.”
Esir rubbed his chin. “Ah. So they are not legends, then.”
“No more than the tomb of Amar-Sina.”
The thief smiled. “Indeed, indeed. Precious, those stones would be. Priceless?”
“There are very few things in this world that one cannot put a price upon.”
The thief chuckled. “Well said.”
“You have been very frank with me, so I will be equally forthright. I did not lie when I spoke of the treasure to be found here. You and your companion will find the prizes well in excess of our initial agreement, or I will make up the difference myself. But the Tears, those come with me. I do not seek to challenge your honor with this statement, but this must be known, up front.”
Esir finished the last morsel of food, and licked his fingertips. “So long as there is enough wealth to go around, good sir, then you will find my friend and I boon companions. And I suspect that there will be more dangers ahead, deadly trials that will be hazardous enough without us looking over our shoulders.”
Tammuz nodded, and looked up as Anku came back over to them. “Are you ready?” the tribesman asked them.
“Are we?” Esir asked, looking to Tammuz. The mystic nodded. “Then let us be on our way,” the thief said, springing to his feet, brushing his hands to clear away the last remnants of their meal.
A detailed search of the chamber below turned up two exits from the vault; a third passage was blocked by rubble just a short distance down its length. After a few moments of investigation, Esir suggested the tunnel to their left, and the companions set out again. Their awareness was sharpened by the memory of the traps they had encountered above, and of their battle with the breathdrinkers. Esir’s instincts served them well once more, as he detected another trap just a short distance down the tunnel. This one had a number of interlocking triggers set into the floor and the surrounding walls, and it took them a good half hour to make it safely past, with Esir marking a safe route on the flagstones using a bit of chalk. At one point, he hammered a pair of spikes into cracks in the walls, creating a step and handhold that they used to bypass a wide stretch of trapped floor. Anku and Esir could have perhaps leapt across the dangerous trigger, but Tammuz lacked that degree of agility.
“Let us hope that we are not compelled to return this way in a great rush,” the thief said, as they made their way past the threatened zone.
The tunnel continued for almost a hundred feet, then bent sharply to the right. They passed through an empty room that Esir scanned carefully for traps, before directing them to proceed. The passage continued on the far side, and ultimately deposited them on the edge of another, significantly larger chamber. This place had a floor several feet lower than the passage, accessed by a series of broad stone steps. Another similar exit was visible to their left, but it seemed as though their destination lay ahead, on the other side of the room.
The far side of the room was dominated by a large mural that covered much of the wall. Tammuz held his light aloft as they approached; the scene was still discernable despite its obvious age. Crafted of colored tiles set into the stone, it showed several scenes of men engaged in a variety of scenes. The men were dark-skinned and muscular, clad in skirts that covered them from navel to knee. The mural was a history of sorts, showing those men building cities, engaging in wars, and worshipping ancient gods. Over them all, rising up onto the slanted ceiling above, was the god-ruler, the emperor Amar-Sina, seated on a throne that resembled a giant ziggurat. The ceiling portion of the mural had lost the most tiles, and parts of the emperor’s body were covered with gray patches, as though he’d suffered from a pox.
The mural overlooked a broad arch in the far wall that sheltered a deep alcove. A pair of pillars of weathered stone flanked the alcove, and they could just see the outline of broad steps, twenty feet wide, leading up into another area deep within. The steps led up to a pair of massive stone doors that stood slightly ajar.
The three just stared at the scene for several long, quiet moments. The reality of the place seemed to strike them in its full impression then.
Anku finally moved forward, bits of fragmented tile crunching under his boots.
Esir sniffed the air, and frowned.
Tammuz merely waited.
A sound echoed back from the alcove. It came from beyond the stone doors. A creak of metal, that grew louder, closer.
Anku’s falchion came into his hands; the tribesman fell into a wary stance.
Esir shot a glance at Tammuz. “Another guardian?”
The mystic did not reply, his attention focused on the doors. His hands wove a pattern before him, as syllables of magic seeped from his lips.
They did not have long to wait. Mere seconds passed before the source of the noise appeared at the doors. A bulky head poked through the opening, followed by a long, sinuous body.
It was a serpent. But that was where any reference to the natural world ended. It was made of bronze, a massive, deadly construct, its body formed of segmented metal that echoed oddly the scales of the real creature it imitated. Its jaws sprang widely open, and as they watched, flaring sparks of electrical energy arced between the long, nasty fangs set around the rim of that opening.
“By all the gods,” Esir whispered, as the unliving guardian slithered forward to greet them.