Lazybones
Adventurer
Chapter 55
LOST
“Light,” Jasek said.
The small stone in the thief’s hand flared, casting a steady illumination that fully revealed the small chamber. There wasn’t much to reveal; the entire place was maybe six paces across, the irregular stone walls crowding close to a ceiling that was too low for a man to stand without brushing it in most places. Walls, floor, and ceiling alike were all of that odd banded stone that repaired itself when damaged. There was one exit, a low tunnel that was really little more than a crawlspace.
Falah was on his knees, coughing. Jasek touched the necklace he wore under his tunic; with it he could breath easily, but he could still taste the taint on the air.
“The air is bad here,” he said. “We need to find a way out.”
Falah could not reply, but he nodded. Jasek led the way, fitting into the low tunnel easily. He glanced back at Falah, but the Razhuri followed without comment, his sword scraping on the floor behind him. The man could be single-minded in his actions.
The tunnel continued on, curving slightly to the left. There was one particularly close spot where he feared that Falah would get stuck, but the man merely shifted his sword and then dragged himself through, using his strong arms and legs to navigate the tight squeeze. And then they were through into a larger space. The tunnel opened onto a ledge that ran along the edge of the cavern, which was large enough that Jasek’s light failed to illuminate the floor below. The air was thick and moist; likely there was water below. The toxin in the air was also strong, as Falah’s distress continued.
“It looks like there’s another tunnel at the far end of the ledge,” Jasek said. “Let me check it out. If necessary, I’ll find us a way to get down to the floor of this room.”
Falah managed a grunt between coughs that Jasek accepted as agreement. The ledge was tight, ranging from a scant foot to almost three, but he was used to negotiating such obstacles, and he felt little danger of falling. Behind him, he heard Falah moving forward along the ledge, not really following him, but just trying to find a place where he could maneuver.
Some primal sense warned him, even as a sudden chill filled the air.
He looked down to see a massive form emerge from the darkness below. It was a huge worm, its black hide glistening, sucking the light into it. It moved with silence, and as Jasek looked at it, he felt as though someone had stabbed an icicle into his chest. His heart froze, clenched in sudden terror.
A noise came from Falah, and the thief realized that the monster’s long head was rising toward the fighter, not him. And then a blast of pure, unrelenting cold hit him, swallowing sight and sound and everything except for the feeling of being frozen. He was surprised when it passed, but before he could see clearly again he heard a potent THUMP that nearly caused him to plummet off the ledge.
Stumbling forward, he looked back, and wished he hadn’t.
The ledge was covered with slicks of ice all the way back to the mouth of the low tunnel from which they’d emerged. Falah was no longer there, but where he’d been standing Jasek could see gobs of red clinging to the ice-streaked stone. His gaze shifted to the chamber below, where he could see the black worm, its body rippling at the edges of his light. Its head had turned away, panning a leisurely course away from him, but as he watched it continued full around until it was starting to come closer again.
He didn’t hesitate further, and dove forward. Reckless, his boots just starting to slide on the slick rock with each step, he nearly toppled off the ledge a dozen times. His focus was on the tunnel opening on the far side of the chamber, where the ledge came to an end. It had looked like a tunnel, anyway, when he’d entered the room; if it was just a niche that came to an end, he was dead.
Of course, he might be dead in any case. He could feel the cold of the creature again, somehow piercing even the chill that had suffused him from its cone of cold. A lassitude seeped into him, but he fought it off, knowing that to falter, even for a moment, would end him.
He didn’t have to look back to know that the monster’s head was surging forward to engulf him. An involuntary shriek was torn from his lips as he leapt forward, diving for the tunnel mouth.
LOST
“Light,” Jasek said.
The small stone in the thief’s hand flared, casting a steady illumination that fully revealed the small chamber. There wasn’t much to reveal; the entire place was maybe six paces across, the irregular stone walls crowding close to a ceiling that was too low for a man to stand without brushing it in most places. Walls, floor, and ceiling alike were all of that odd banded stone that repaired itself when damaged. There was one exit, a low tunnel that was really little more than a crawlspace.
Falah was on his knees, coughing. Jasek touched the necklace he wore under his tunic; with it he could breath easily, but he could still taste the taint on the air.
“The air is bad here,” he said. “We need to find a way out.”
Falah could not reply, but he nodded. Jasek led the way, fitting into the low tunnel easily. He glanced back at Falah, but the Razhuri followed without comment, his sword scraping on the floor behind him. The man could be single-minded in his actions.
The tunnel continued on, curving slightly to the left. There was one particularly close spot where he feared that Falah would get stuck, but the man merely shifted his sword and then dragged himself through, using his strong arms and legs to navigate the tight squeeze. And then they were through into a larger space. The tunnel opened onto a ledge that ran along the edge of the cavern, which was large enough that Jasek’s light failed to illuminate the floor below. The air was thick and moist; likely there was water below. The toxin in the air was also strong, as Falah’s distress continued.
“It looks like there’s another tunnel at the far end of the ledge,” Jasek said. “Let me check it out. If necessary, I’ll find us a way to get down to the floor of this room.”
Falah managed a grunt between coughs that Jasek accepted as agreement. The ledge was tight, ranging from a scant foot to almost three, but he was used to negotiating such obstacles, and he felt little danger of falling. Behind him, he heard Falah moving forward along the ledge, not really following him, but just trying to find a place where he could maneuver.
Some primal sense warned him, even as a sudden chill filled the air.
He looked down to see a massive form emerge from the darkness below. It was a huge worm, its black hide glistening, sucking the light into it. It moved with silence, and as Jasek looked at it, he felt as though someone had stabbed an icicle into his chest. His heart froze, clenched in sudden terror.
A noise came from Falah, and the thief realized that the monster’s long head was rising toward the fighter, not him. And then a blast of pure, unrelenting cold hit him, swallowing sight and sound and everything except for the feeling of being frozen. He was surprised when it passed, but before he could see clearly again he heard a potent THUMP that nearly caused him to plummet off the ledge.
Stumbling forward, he looked back, and wished he hadn’t.
The ledge was covered with slicks of ice all the way back to the mouth of the low tunnel from which they’d emerged. Falah was no longer there, but where he’d been standing Jasek could see gobs of red clinging to the ice-streaked stone. His gaze shifted to the chamber below, where he could see the black worm, its body rippling at the edges of his light. Its head had turned away, panning a leisurely course away from him, but as he watched it continued full around until it was starting to come closer again.
He didn’t hesitate further, and dove forward. Reckless, his boots just starting to slide on the slick rock with each step, he nearly toppled off the ledge a dozen times. His focus was on the tunnel opening on the far side of the chamber, where the ledge came to an end. It had looked like a tunnel, anyway, when he’d entered the room; if it was just a niche that came to an end, he was dead.
Of course, he might be dead in any case. He could feel the cold of the creature again, somehow piercing even the chill that had suffused him from its cone of cold. A lassitude seeped into him, but he fought it off, knowing that to falter, even for a moment, would end him.
He didn’t have to look back to know that the monster’s head was surging forward to engulf him. An involuntary shriek was torn from his lips as he leapt forward, diving for the tunnel mouth.