STORYLINE
Instantly, Rollvag regarded the trap door with suspicion.
He barked orders: "Draw weapons! Semi-circle around the door! Longsilver- here, next to me. Byc on my left. Tato- there. Kip over there. Cher- hover. Kuros and Tara with Elkin- watch our backs!" A rough semi-circle formed around the door. "I've had enough surprises for one day." mumbled Rollvag. "Elkin, got any ideas if someone's down there or not? Or what the room is?" he asked. "Yes, it's just a passage that comes out at a hidden door several hundred yarn up to the northwest." Rollvag looked dis- gustedly at Elkin and said: "Why didn't you say so before?" "I did. I told you that there are two other ways out, that's one, and the second is a secret door over by the blackboard that leads through the bastion wall to the plateau just outside..."
"Hmmm," Rollvag said slowly, letting the m's fade into silence; "Better to roll than rot."
Longsilver turned his head slightly. "What?" he asked.
Rollvag accented each syllable clearly: "Bet-ter-to-roll-than-rot."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that action beats discussion. Now, cover me while I pry the trap door open," Rollvag advised. "Cher, I'll need some help. Kuros, a light, earthy or otherwise."
Kuros took out the diamond and held it up. In just seconds, a bright white light emanated from it. While Kuros got into position with the light, Rollvag looked at Cher. "When this opens, throw it back and take off. I'm gonna roll," he said, risking a glance at Longsilver, "backwards. Heave Ho!"
The trap door popped open, and Rollvag and Cher did exactly as planned. Everyone else stood still as the door swung over its balance point and landed on the floor with a loud smashing sound.
Nothing happened for a few seconds. They heard the sound only of their own breathing as they waited tensely for something to happen. Suddenly, two tiny bats burst forth from the opening. They scared everyone except Elkin, flew wildly around the room twice and then swooped out the ceiling door.
Everyone felt relieved that nothing else came out of the hole. Byc laughed and said: "I was so scared that for a moment, I thought I was going to go batty!" "Ha, Ha- very funny," said Cher, "Just be glad that they weren't KING size!" Rollvag got up on his knees and peered down into the opening. A stone stairway led down into the gloom. Elkin handed Rollvag a torch. "Down I go!" said Rollvag cheerfully. Finding nothing but cool air immediately, Rollvag motioned for the others to follow.
One by one, they crept down the stone stairway, as Rollvag took the lead and Longsilver safeguarded the rear. The diamond lit the end of the line and the torch; the front. The stair descended down for forty yarn and then entered a passageway. The passage was four-men wide by two-men tall. They followed it without incident for almost 150 yarn. The air was moist and cool. Surprisingly, they found themselves in a small underground chasm with a path down its center. The lights revealed some spectacular rock formations with stalactites and stalagmites.
"Well, how about this, Byc?" asked Longsilver. "Nothing but bats, Longsilver." They proceeded onward despite the peculiar sulfur odor of the chasm.
Next, they heard the sound of rushing water and spotted a small wooden foot bridge looming ahead. Rollvag approached it carefully and found that the bridge crossed a five-yarn deep stream gully full of water.
"Is this safe, Elkin?" asked Rollvag.
"Yes, it is." Rollvag took no chances and jumped across the gully. The others followed him one at a time. Just beyond the bridge, the chasm narrowed and they beheld another stairway -- this one going up at a slight angle. On they went.
After a five minute climb they came to the end of the stairs. An arched doorway stood in front of them. "Now what, Elkin?" asked Rollvag. "Snap your fingers four times," answered Elkin, "and the door will open."
Rollvag did this, and the door slid silently to the right. "What a trick!" exclaimed Tato quietly. After exiting the stairway, they discovered that they had emerged in the open air behind a rock pile; and that climbing it gave an exceptional view of the valley and bastion below, which was about one quarter kai away.
"Well," said Kuros, "It was a brief detour, but now we know that we have a safe and expedient escape route, not to mention a fine, hidden place to observe the plateau."
Elkin added this: "Now you all have learned how to travel together underground!"
"C'mon!," said Cher, "Let's go get busy with that furnace!" They reentered the passage and tred their way back to the bastion, with Rollvag in the lead again.
At the place where the stairs met the chasm, Elkin yelled "STOP!" Everyone froze. Next, Elkin called Cher over to a spot by the wall. "See that shiny place next to that stalagmite there?" Cher nodded. "Take your stone axe and break it loose."
Elkin encouraged her as she brought her axe around: "Hit it hard, now!" With one clean swoop, she smashed her axe against the wall- shattering the axe head in the process. A big chunk of the shiny metal fell off and landed on the ground with a clang.
"My axe!" cried Cher sorrowfully. "You have lost only the head of it," said Elkin, "And when this is smelted in the furnace, you will have a brand new double bladed axe head! Here, there are still a few fragments for several shris and arrow points..."
Since they had plenty of Emaril, they decided (at Elkin's suggestion) to make the following: 2 Korikai Long Swords (Kar+1/2-used one or two handed-for Rollvag and Tato), 1 Double Bladed Hum (Hum+1/2-used one or two handed-for Cher, again because of great strength), 8 Shris (a primarily defensive dagger used in combination with another weapon), 40 Luai (arrow points for the Lutar).
The cup handles on the swords and shris were the hardest to make, and Cher never would have finished the job without Elkin's help.
By the time they had settled into the bastion, Elkin and Cher had begun to work feverishly. Byc brought in two antelope he had bow-shot and Tara had begun to treat their hides with the intention of making scabbards from them. Rollvag practiced a little cooking as he began to make a stew from the meat and the vegetables that they had remaining. Kuros practiced making sparks with the diamond while he walked around the room chasing the dust away by some mysterious power. Tato, who disliked being cooped up, took up the watch on top of the bastion, while Longsilver watched in the opposite direction.
...they had just finished the stew and returned to their work when Longsilver hissed loudly from the roof: "Everybody! Come up here quick! I see a light!" They climbed up hurriedly, ran to the palisade edge, and peered around the stonework at where Longsilver was pointing. Sure enough, they could see a light.
"There!" said Longsilver.
"Yes, I see it." said Tato.
"But, that's actually four lights..."
"You can see that far?" asked Rollvag.
"Yes," answered Tato, "I have always had a peculiar distance vision..."
"He's right!," interrupted Cher, "there's more than one!" Just then everyone noticed that Byc was in a trance, he blurted out: "Ug-ala Bond-ah...that's Drog speech!"
"You mean there are Drogs over there?" asked Tara fearfully.
"Yes," answered Elkin, "we must be cautious..." Elkin let his words stop and then said: "They're at the Southwest Post..."
That night, Rollvag spoke to Tato: "We, of the Stolen Ones, as Longsilver's song says, are looking for a way home; but along the way, we intend to pay the Drogs a little visit. We might not eliminate them, but we intend to cripple them and scatter them. In the process, we can put Kip back on the throne and get these Seventeen tribes to be a bit more civilized. Nothing much really. In the meantime, we're looking for local reaction and local supplies. I suppose we can also put in a claim for the valley..."
Tato also spoke to Rollvag:
"I, of Toridar, have heard you. I will do what I can to aid you. I am a man of few words, but when I have to speak, I do. I grew up around the Trading Towne of Trader's Nest, the far western outpost of the North Holding. I spent many days playing in the woods and hills of Sparkle Valley. Although an orphan, the Trading Post family of Dwarves raised me; not the least of which is Dingle- The Trader- and his sons Dipple and Dapple. Dingle's daughter Pripple was a mother to me. Dingle will speak for you I am sure... Now I must tell you what I yearn for: I seek my real parents! No one has ever told me of my background. Will you help me, as I am able to help you?..."
Rollvag gave Tato this reply:
"I am a man out of country. I know not if my family lives or dies. I only know that the Systai took me away and the Drog kept me away. It is because of this that I place family and friends as the most important gift. I speak for all when I say; as much as we are able, we will unite you with yours; although I should not, if I were you, forget Dingle and sons."
...the work continued at an even more furious pace...
Elkin and Cher stayed up later than the rest in order to polish and sharpen the weapons...
Tato thought he heard the sound of rustling wings during his watch... Tato blew his whistle and waited for something to happen. Suddenly, Elkin was beside him with an owl on his arm. "Is this what you seek, Tato?"
"How did you know?" asked Tato.
"As you know by now, I am very perceptive, but here." Elkin gave the bundle to Tato. The owl wasn't a great big horned owl, but a little grey woods owl. "His small size makes him easy to carry during the day, but you made a wise choice, because an owl can see and hear things at night that no man is able to sense. It will stay here with the effereet until morning..."
"Thanks, Elkin." said Tato.
Despite knowing of the Drog threat across the valley, they all felt fully rested in the morning. Elkin got up earlier than the others, went outside by himself, and led some goats over to the bastion. He opened the secret door urged you to mount up.
"Come, Come, sleepy heads! We have no time for breakfast this morning, you've all had enough sleep for now!" They left their brief lodging in the same shape that they had found it. Elkin admonished you: "Energy weapons are fine for those who know how to use them, but remember that some day soon I must return to my work..."
They traveled like this: Tato and Cher flew ahead on the left and right respectively. Rollvag and Byc rode side by side in the front, then came Tara, then Kuros and Elkin, and Longsilver brought up the rear. The Taftor (eagle) and Taft (hawk) flew high above and kept watch over the group. Cher blew her whistle. High above came a high pitched squawk: An albatross had joined the adventure....
The trail was straight and level, although it had several turns. Throughout their journey they had a spectacular view of Sparkle Valley. After a while, even the easily agitated Rollvag was enjoying the ride. They rode about seven kai, and then came to a hill-dotted forest... Suddenly, the underbrush got very thick and Tato had to land and walk in order to see the riders.
Cher ended up flying from tree to tree ahead of them. The eagle landed on Rollvag's shoulder. Finally, Cher returned and said: "I think I found the glen!" They walked on, leading their beasts. The trail turned sharply. Startlingly, they couldn't see where it had been behind them! They entered a dark, quiet, flat, square, grassy area about 100 yarn across; surrounded by huge oak trees. Everything was still.
What are you thinking of? (Q1)
What will you practice with? (Q2) The meadow is an excellent place for jousting.
Readiness
- Hone the Edges,
Sharpen the Swords,
Beat back the Hedges,
Train to march forward.
Onward! Onward!
To Baldor once more!
This time with battle,
So train to march forward...
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© Copyright 1999 by Abram Paradies.
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