High gloom, p.35
High Gloom, page 35
part #6 of The Bad Guys Series
But when I was willing to die, and had the courage to face the horde, all the camaraderie between the two of us disappeared. It was all business now. In some ways, the lack of conversation made the trip back more onerous than the trip out.
I felt an immense relief when I saw the portal and the Gloomguard gates. I thought there might be some fanfare when we returned, but it was, well, dull. We just walked under the portcullis.
As soon as it clanged shut, Karwan turned to face me.
"Our deal is concluded," he said. "Thank you for your patronage."
"Thanks for guiding me," I said. "If I need to going out again—”
"Find another guide," he said sharply, then walked away.
I watched him go for a minute, feeling like it was definitely time to get out of the damn Gloom already.
"Success?" Lux asked.
I spun around and saw that she was right behind me.
"Yes," I said.
"You know, we're supposed to be a party," she said.
"I'm up against a hard timeline, Lux," I replied. "I wouldn't have split from the party if you hadn't been, you know—”
"Out of it?"
"Yes."
She bit her lip, then nodded. "Yeah. I guess that wasn't the best of ideas. Just—”
"Missing friends."
She just nodded again.
"I need to take this," I held up the bag full of bloodcrystals, "to where it belongs, then try and get everyone here to agree to fight some big fight."
"Party, remember," she said. "Which do you want me to do?"
"I mean, I don't want to have to convince people to fight for me, not here, but--"
"Done," she said. "I'll do it."
She flicked her ponytail up and out of the way, and marched off towards the main building.
I had my hand up to stop her, but I realized I didn't have time to argue. And that it wasn’t me who brought up my hand in the first place.
The gray hand made a fist, and slowly dropped to my side.
After a quick few calming breaths, I headed over to talk to the dragon.
80
A small kobold blocked my path. He wore a black robe, and just the end of his red-scaled snout was visible. I could see a small dagger tucked into his golden rope belt.
"The dragon is sleeping," the kobold said in ancient draconic.
"He will wake for me," I replied.
The kobold pulled his hood back and looked up at me.
"You speak the tongue?" he asked.
"I do," I said. "And the dragon is waiting for what I have in this bag."
The little kobold eyed the bag, then eyed me.
"The dragon is sleeping," he said again, firmly, but slightly wavering.
"Buddy," I said, "I don't have time for this."
I cast shadow step and walked around the little guy. When I returned to the real world, I glanced over my shoulder and saw the poor little kobold dancing around with his dagger drawn, stabbing the air in each and every direction at once.
The guards seemed rather superfluous as they didn't challenge me while I walked along the wide open floor to the hulking form laying on the top of an absolutely obscene pile of gold.
One huge eyelid flicked open, and I saw a nictitating membrane slick across the eyeball in a blur.
The dragon's head lifted up, and angled towards me. I stopped in my tracks of no volition of my own. My breath was taken away, and I felt immense and primal fear rocket through my whole body. It took every ounce of courage I had to not fall over.
"You returned quickly," Girgenerth said, breaking the hold my terror had over me.
"Yes," I said through a sigh, "I did."
"And the crystals?"
"Here," I said, laying the bag on the ground in front of the dragon.
"Mind emptying it? Rather small for my hands, and I'd rather not muck about with magical resizing when I've got such a day in front of me."
I declined to comment on his ability to change size, but that certainly made sense as to how he could get in and out of this cavern. I grabbed the bag, and ordered it to empty.
Blood crystals poured forth until they formed a pile about five feet wide and four feet high. The bag of holding rested lightly on top.
Congratulations! You’ve completed a QUEST!
Seek and Destroy Part Two (Part Two)
You have gathered a sufficient quantity of Blood Crystals for Girgeneth.
"You have exceeded expectations again," Girgenerth said, coming close to peer at the crystals. "I feel confident about our ritual."
"I still need to convince Commander Rhal—”
“Just go and tell her I am engaging in a ritual and my powers will not be available for a short time today."
"But—”
"I will send my guard to bolster her forces."
"Girg—”
"Go," he said with such force that I was marching towards the door before I realized it. "The ritual interests me. I will see it through, Clyde Hatchett. Remind Commander Rhal that she serves at my pleasure!"
Congratulations! You’ve completed a QUEST!
Seek and Destroy Part Two
You have gathered a sufficient quantity of Lifeclay for Girgeneth. You have gathered a sufficient quantity of Blood Crystals for Girgeneth. Girgeneth will send the Dragon’s Shadow to bolster defenses while he prepares the ritual. It is no longer necessary for Commander Rhal to agree.
And I was back in Gloomguard.
I took one moment to breathe and make sure I hadn't soiled myself. The dragon had an incredible ability to flip between non-threatening magical picture of wonderfulness and ruler of nightmares. Then, I was moving again, this time to meet with Commander Rhal.
81
Maybe luck was actually on my side. I wasn't sure. Whatever the case may be, I didn't run into any of the more bureaucratic minded lightbringers when I entered the main building. I just ran into Roald de la Rue, who was getting ready to take his shift at the maze.
“Can you help me get to see Rhal?” I asked.
He looked over me, clearly saw that I was unwashed after a long trip through the Gloom, and, maybe, saw that I'd just come from the dragon. "Follow me," he said.
With Roald guiding, I bypassed all the usual rigamarole, and he delivered me right outside her doors. Then, to my surprise, he knocked twice, and opened the door, pushing me inside and shutting the door behind me.
Lux was seated in front of Rhal.
Rhal was standing behind her desk in full lecture mode. The commander glared at me.
"You presume to come--"
"Girgenerth sent me," I said.
Rhal sat down, and took a breath before nodding.
"And?" Rhal asked.
"He told me to tell you that he's going to be busy for a time, working a ritual," I said. "And that we should expect an attack."
"I see. Is this the same ritual Ms. Kvist was discussing with me?"
"I believe so, yes."
"We are to put the entire city of Gloomguard at risk so that Girgenerth may attempt a ritual to benefit just you?"
"When you put it like that, it sounds a bit selfish. But--"
“What could you possibly say to make me agree to this foolishness?" she said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.
"Girgenerth is doing it," I said, "whether I want him to or not. He told me to remind you that you serve at his pleasure."
"That stupid dragon," she said, clenching her teeth.
"He did say he would send out his shadows to bolster our defenses."
"At least he is doing something to balance the playing field," she said, standing up and grabbing her helm. "Master Hatchett, your actions in the previous defense were impressive, to say the least. I expect you to perform similarly in this as well."
I nodded.
"Then we must prepare for battle."
82
It was an entirely different thing to watch Gloomguard prepare for an attack as opposed to react to an attack. Engines of war were hauled up and placed on top of the towers. Massive ballistas with heavy iron bolts nine or ten feet long. Lightbringers massed along the walls, half with large shield and stacks of spears, half with long bows and sheafs of arrows.
Ten minutes into the preparation, the sound of stomping boots came from the back of Gloomguard. Hundreds of soldiers in dark armor came forth, silently marching to the wall. The Dragon’s Shadow had emerged. The lead warrior saluted Rhal, and the entire battalion of armored men and women formed up behind the portcullis, ready to charge through the opening as soon as they were needed.
The regular members of the Gloomguard community came out, taking up their own spots, ready to fight as well.
Within half an hour, the city was ready to receive an army. And from the looks of it, we'd have a decent chance of holding them off. I stationed up at the far right edge of the wall, prepared to climb up on the ceiling if needed.
An odd silence settled over Gloomguard.
There was an audible crack, and all eyes turned to Rhal, standing on top of the portcullis.
"We are the only defense of Gloomguard," she shouted. "We must hold."
Naturally, some things are easier said than done.
83
We waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And then we waited some more.
Shields dropped, and then were rested on the ground. Soldiers started to move from foot to foot as they tried to keep their muscles ready.
Nothing came.
I was still at the wall, though I was sitting on a crenellation with my back resting on the cave.
Commander Rhal strode along the battlements toward me.
"Go check the caverns," she barked.
"Me?" I asked, looking around. But I was the only on there.
"This is all because of you. Go and look."
"Seems like if its all for me, I should stay here, because if I go—”
"Go."
"Okay."
With a smile, I vaulted over the battlements.
I'd like to think she was shocked at my decision. I managed to slow my descent with my spider boots, putting their stickiness to good use. I got to the ground, pulled my big black cloak out of my bag, and wrapped it tightly around myself. I cast shadow step and sprinted for the portal, going through and tucking myself into a deep shadow on the other side.
I waited in the shadow for a moment, and then popped back into reality. It was difficult enough to see from the Shadow Realm into reality when there was plenty of light in the world, but looking from the shadows into darkness was next to impossible. So I had to wait until I was out before I could really get a good idea of what was going on.
Not much.
Which, to me at least, meant that something bigger had to be happening in the next cavern up.
I jogged along the edge, which meant I had to do my fair share of jumping over big rocks and ducking under outcroppings, until I got to the passage to the next cave. I edged along the wall, and peeked through.
Something ran past me just as my head moved. It made me pull my head back so fast it’d make a turtle envious.
A young woman was running flat out.
Thundering steps followed behind, moving just as fast.
Before I could react, a mammoth two-headed ogre thing dashed through the passage, a club the size of a streetlight over one hulking shoulder. The two heads were yelling, maybe at each other, maybe at the girl. Unclear.
The girl was losing ground, and I was really thinking about just letting her meet her fate.
But that's really not my scene.
And yet, wouldn't it be better—
"Shut up corpse king," I said to myself.
There was a scream, and the girl tripped, crashing to the ground.
I raced up the wall of the cavern, and darted across the ceiling, the combination of the spider-boots and the stalactites making the journey almost ridiculously easy.
The two-headed monster stomped over to the girl and grinned lasciviously at her. At least, one head did. I couldn't see the other face, but I assume it was doing something similarly disgusting.
He picked up the girl with one hand, as if she weighed nothing, and dangled her over his mouth like a sardine.
I pulled a dagger out of my belt, and launched myself off the ceiling.
In my head, it was going to be an elegant attack, a simple backstab that felled the beast, and I'd save the girl.
Reality? Not quite.
I jammed the dagger into the spot where his neck met the skull.
Which meant that as the girl was dropped into the beast's mouth, it did not manage to bite down on her.
That head died, tipping over and becoming slack-jawed.
The arm on that side also seemed to lose control, and the girl got dropped unceremoniously onto the ground as that arm flopped down. The monster stumbled a bit as one of his legs buckled out from under him.
I was planning on riding the beast down, but then I realized the real problem with fighting a creature with two heads.
The other head.
It was staring at me, mouth open and full of gnarly teeth, most definitely yellow, and some with what I swear was mold growing on them. Or something. He snapped his jaw shut just as I jumped free, dropping into a roll as I hit the ground.
The two-headed ogre had trouble getting control of its body. He stumbled around, seeming to have forgotten about me. I figured it would be possible to take on the ogre, but looking down the way the ogre and the girl had come, I had no confidence I'd be able to fight the oncoming horde of ogres, goblins, hobgoblins, and other creatures I couldn't name, who were all rushing onward to Gloomguard.
I grabbed the girl's hand and bolted, dragging her along with me.
She managed to get her feet under her. Soon she was running on her own, keeping up with me.
Without looking, I threw a sticky fireball over my shoulder. I heard it explode on the ground, and felt the whoosh of warmth.
It wouldn't stop them long, but it might give us the time we needed to get inside the walls.
We came through the portal at full speed.
"Let us in!" I shouted. "Also, ogre army behind us!"
Ropes dropped from the battlements, and I hurriedly tied a loop around the girl's waist, doing my best to emulate what I'd seen Karwan do. When they hoisted the girl into the air, I just prayed the knot would hold.
It did.
Mine did not. As I was hoisted up, my loop unraveled, and I dropped back down to the ground.
The horde entered the portal just about then, and instead of trying to climb while being peppered with arrows, I cast shadow step and darted over to the side of the cavern, tucking myself into a little black cloak ball in the corner. I'd wait for the battle to begin, and then climb up the side and perch somewhere on the ceiling.
84
The horde paused at the portal, listening to guttural yells coming from the back.
They must have thought they were out of range.
There was a sharp thwang, and a huge bolt shot out from one of the two gate towers. It sailed in a blur across the open space, and impaled an ogre with a dense wet smack, going all the way through the monster into the one behind him, and then still managing to stick out the second one's back into a third.
The other ballista fired quickly, to similar effect.
The teams working the engines of war moved efficiently, and launched six bolts before the attacking force managed to get out of range.
Dead and dying ogres filled that area.
With a creak, the portcullis started to raise up.
I stared with disbelief.
We had the advantage if we just held firm. Why—
Soldiers in black streamed out. The Dragon's Shadows moved into a formation in front of the portcullis.
I had to move along the wall so I could see far enough through the portal. The night goblins, and their allies, seemed as confused as me. They were mostly still milling around as the hobgoblin commanders well to the back were putting their plan in place.
As one, and in silence, the Dragon's Shadows raised their shields, and unsheathed their swords.
Without a word, they charged forward, sprinting at full speed toward the goblinoid horde.
I'd seen a few charges by that point, and most are pretty intense. Terrifying even. But there's something so incredibly disturbing about seeing a group of charging warriors moving in total silence. It's unnatural and unnerving.
The goblins seemed to think so as well, because they started looking around, seeing if their fellows were going to stand and fight or run.
One goblin bolted.
The next went.
And the third.
Suddenly, just like the last time I'd faced the goblins, it was a full-on retreat.
The Dragon's Shadows did get to crash with the ogres, who put up a little bit of a fight. But they were overwhelmed by numbers of better-trained warriors. The armor-clad warriors cut down the ogres in seconds, and were left facing a horde of disappearing goblin butts.
I took that moment to dart back inside the walls.
There was a thrum that filled the air, and the wall began to glow softly.
I shifted into magesight and saw impossibly complicated runes emerge from the stone, glow brightly for a moment, and then settle into place.
The girl I'd saved was in chains, struggling.
"Wait," I said, stepping towards her.
Rhal blocked me.
"She is not as she seems," Rhal said.
"Wait, what—”
"You will leave her to us."
I was about to make my complaint heard, but I felt a tug at my belt.
Behind me was a small circle of black-robed kobolds, all with their hoods up and the snouts poking out the end.
"You are summoned," one said to me. I couldn't figure out which one.
"What is he saying?" Rhal barked at me.
