Deemus was out of the fight from exhaustion. Weemus was nearly out of arrows and would soon have to enter hand to hand combat should he attempt to try to be of further use to the group. This option did not sit well with Weemus if the truth be told.
The Magus was nearly drained of mental energy and was succumbing to exhaustion beyond being functional.
Hawk was unconscious from being blasted by the wave of sonic energy.
The princess was fully engaged within her flail spell. Which it looked like she would have to release soon due to her exhaustion and in all truths of the matter the spell was doing little damage toward its intended target.
They were down to three, the young warrior, the acolyte mage, and the wizened veteran mage in Syrus.
Syrus took note of the effectiveness of Kyjus spell and smiled. He knew enough not to cast that spell again as the original casting most likely removed most of the moisture from the air. He also figured that Kyjus would not know of this and would most likely cast the spell again as he relished the initial result.
It was for this reason that he would concentrate on a different kind of spell entirely. One that might be risky, but he had to believe the rewards would hopefully outweigh the risk.
Pulling a special silver stud from his pocket, Syrus checked it to make sure that it was indeed the one he was looking for. This silver stud had been immersed in a special type of low burning oil. It was then shaken in a container of coal dust. After this it had a frost spell cast upon it to preserves its current state. Once the studs were altered, they were then placed in a container for storage until use, which for this particular stud happened to be now.
Syrus could still feel the coolness of the core of the object and knew this to be the correct piece of silver.
The old mage looked at Skarnum as he began to concentrate on his next spell. Envisioning a perfect shield of flames around his target Syrus cast his spell.
"Incendie Bloc", the old mage said in a deep booming voice.
Instantly flames shot up around the upstart warrior.
At first Skarnum thought the spell was cast upon him by the creature that stood in front of him but when the flames did not burn, he had his doubts.
As he neared the Wyvern the creature repositioned himself to put more distance from the flames. It was at this point that Skarnum new one of the mages must have been responsible for the flame spell that shielded him.
As soon as the flames outlined the young warrior Syrus dug deep into his pocket for the components of his next spell. He had the energy left for perhaps only one.
From his left pocket he pulled out a small piece of coal. And from his leather pouch strapped to his side, one that was very similar to the one that he had given Kyjus, he pulled a vial with a clear oily type of liquid.
The old mage quickly uncorked the vial and poured the contents of the vial onto the small piece of coal. He then took the oily coated piece of coal and rolled it around on the ground so that the rock would be coated with the soil or dirt from the caverns floor.
The mage having been in countless battles knew this spell was going to take what little mental energy he had but he was very hopeful that it would be enough to weaken the creature enough so that the young warrior could easily kill it.
Concentrating on the area that surrounded the Wyvern, the Syrus pointed his staff at the creature.
"Vulkan Furia", the mage shouted. Streaks of lightning shot forth from the tip of the mages staff arching towards the creature. The streaks of lightning were not intent upon hitting the Wyvern, however. These streaks struck ground perfectly encircling the monster.
As they struck the ground the cavern floor began to shake, cracking the floor of the cavern around the beast. From the newly formed cracks, fire shot out of the ground straight up into the air.
Some of the fire struck its target directly, singeing scales upon contact. Lava then began to seep from the ground melting the beasts tail and feet and any other part of its body that it came in contact with.
The wyvern roared in pain as it began to flap its wings hoping that it could easily navigate out of flames and lava that were erupting from the ground.
The lava and fire was barely felt by the young warrior as the shield of flames continued to hold, preserving the warrior with its shielding warmth. He continued as best he could to dodge them both as he was not one to take any unnecessary chances.
As Skarnum made his way toward the creature he noticed that it was extending its wings as if to fly. Not even knowing if this was possible, he paused for a second in an attempt to figure out his next course of action.
The Wyvern was able to get his body in flight even if it was only a few short feet off the ground. It navigated to the right of the circle a few feet (further away from the river). It still felt the stinging heat from the flames but the lava that had melted its legs and backside was no longer an issue as it was running down the expanse of the cavern away from the foul creature. The molten substance sizzled as it hit the water.
Kyjus watched with fascination as the ground erupted and the cavern began to shake. He watched as the ground expanded and cracked. He watched as large sharp angular rocks shot from the ground allowing molten rock and ash to spew from the space they just vacated.
In short, he watched in awe as the volcanic spell unleashed its mighty fury. He so admired the devastation that it caused and the fact that he would someday be able to cast this spell against a deserving foe made him feel good.
The young mage heard a thud off to his right, he looked fearing what had happened but suspected it from the onset of the spell. Syrus fell in a heap face first into the pavement. The two cataclysm spells he had cast were far too close together. The result was another mage left in the state of exhaustion.
The old mage did not see the Wyvern move from within the circle of devastation it had created. He also did not see the fierce beast as it lunged at the young warrior, nor did it see its barbed tail as it drove itself into the chest of Skarnum.
~~~~~!!!~~~~~
It felt like a giant had beaten him in the chest with such ferociousness did the tail meet his breastplate. The young warrior staggered backwards quickly trying to reorient himself. The last thing Skarnum wanted to do was to remain dazed in front of this creature.
In truth the Wyvern stood staring at the Warrior, so surprised it was that this mortal being was still standing after such a vicious contact from his tail. Never before had he ever heard or seen any type of humanoid possess such fortitude and toughness that it could withstand such a hit.
The shock of the beast saved the young warrior. Well, that and a well-prepared gnome and mage.
Weemus heard the loud thud as the mass of bone met the breastplate of the young warrior. He too was stunned as the warrior still stood with his broadsword at the ready.
On impact, the gnome ranger had thought the warrior downed and quickly ran to face the Wyvern. He fully expected to be its next victim but he would in no way allow himself to live as the monster ravaged through his friends.
Without a care for his own life, he threw himself forward, toward the beast. Thoughts of Deemus and Kyjus flooded his mind. He must save them and the others.
It was the thought of Kyjus that caused him to glance over at the young mage. He could see he was standing, holding his staff forward. He was still in this fight the little ranger realized. Weemus had witnessed the destructive force of the young mage and thought that if he could keep the attention of the Wyvern long enough for Kyjus to get a few spells off they still had a fighting chance.
The little Gnome advanced toward its quarry; a new plan was formulating in his head. His old one was more of reckless abandon with great risk and little chance of reward. With Kyjus still actively involved in this encounter their chances of surviving were somewhat increased.
As the little ranger advanced, with both short sword and knife in hand, another movement off to the side had caught his eyes. The proud or stubborn, however you want to look at it, prince staggered forward towards its adversary.
Shaking his head Skarnum reoriented himself preparing for the upcoming battle.
The Wyvern raised its head to avoid the long slow-moving arc of the warrior's broadsword.
Quickly, the creature brought forth its maw its intent was to snap Skarnum in two. The warrior was quicker than anticipated and the Wyvern was only barely able to graze the side of the warrior's leg. The metal crimped but as the wyvern began to bite down the fire shielding spell severely burned his mouth and face.
Surprised, the beast released his grasp upon the warrior's leg. The pain from the pinching metal fully awakened Skarnum from his current stupor.
The spell that Deemus had placed upon the warrior was operating furiously to attempt to clear the cobwebs from the proud prince. It was also working on fixing the armor that was bashed and pinched upon his body as well as the damage that was inflicted upon his body during his recent battle.
The spell abated before completely healing Skarnum, but it had healed him enough that his adrenaline rush greatly overshadowed any pain that he was feeling.
The young warrior fought side by side with the little ranger. Weaving in perfect harmony to keep the monster at bay, more often than not their attempts did not make contact and truth be told those that did were not severely hurting the Wyvern. The two continued the fight doing the best they could to keep the Wyverns attention.
Weemus could not be sure if the proud Warrior knew his place in the battle was to serve as a decoy or not so fierce was the effort the young prince was putting forth in this battle. If he was aware of his role then the little Gnome noted that Skarnum was playing it to perfection.
The Ranger also performed his task well as he continued to keep the creature off balance by sticking it in parts of his body that were singed or in places where the scales were burned off.
Weemus still did not possess the strength to fully penetrate the thick hide of the monster, but he had no doubt that his swords were inflicting pain, much in the same manner that a lemon-salt mixture would on an open wound.
The tiny gnome risked a look back to Kyjus after he and the warrior traded semi-painful strikes upon the Wyvern. His hands were fully extended, and staff was pointed upwards.
The gnome had a cold chill enter his body as looked back at the young mage. He looked at Skarnum and he knew instantly what Kyjus was about to do.
The warrior heard a loud hiss, he assumed that his fire shield had just worn off, but he vowed that this would not stop him from closing in upon the vile creature before him.
Skarnum heard some noise from behind as the mage was apparently casting a spell. He felt a sudden chill around his feet, ankles, and knees. The ground became ice and the warrior very quickly had trouble keeping his footing.
His initial thought was to curse the mage but then when he looked at the vile creature in front of him, it was also having similar problems as it was now encased in ice half the way up his torso. The only problem he now faced was getting to the creature with a severe lack of sure footing.
Weemus smiled at the spectacle, but he questioned the mages thought process. They had the creature of darkness distracted so he was free to rein all types of spells upon him. Why did the mage cast an immobilization spell?
He knew the creature was in pain from the ice spell, but he knew too that the young mage most likely had more destructive spells at his disposal if he could cast the Chains of Ice spell. What exactly was the young mage thinking?
He then looked toward Kyjus hoping to get some sort of hint at what the young master was planning. He had his staff upheld pointing it forward towards its target. The only problem was that the staff appeared to be pointing directly toward the ceiling of the cavern.
Looking up the little ranger knew exactly why the mage had done what he did. Furthermore, he knew exactly what the young mage was planning.
The tiny figure slid this way and that as he battled to stay upright atop the ice.
"Weemus caught the Princes gaze and saw the terror mounted on his face. It's time we make our retreat" he said to Skarnum as he pointed above to the top of the cavern.
The Prince was about to argue at the mention of retreat and then he caught a glimpse in the direction he was pointing. To forestall any delay, he continued. "He's fixing to bring the entire roof down us," he said slipping to the ground.
Trying to pull himself up off the ground, the little ranger looked over at Skarnum. The warrior had not moved as he stood with his hands out to his side not really knowing what is going on.
"I said run you overgrown son of an orc," Weemus said as he bolted with all haste away from the next spells target.
The proud warrior was less than thrilled of being called the son of an orc but he understood the premise of the message so putting one foot in front of the other he followed the gnome as quickly as he could.
The young mage smiled as his ice trap spell had worked to perfection. The ice shields that he had placed on Weemus and Skarnum appeared to have allowed them resistance to at least the immobilization portion of his spell.
He did not know how much time he had before the spell would be broken by the beast, so he knew he had to move quickly.
Reaching into his left pocket he fiddled for the item that he needed for his next spell. In his speed to find it he accidently poked himself with it.
"Ouch", Kyjus said as he quickly withdrew his hand. Silently he cursed himself as his hand once again went into his pocket. Pulling out the piece of copper wire he began concentrating on the target for his next spell.
"Kilat Baut" he said as he extended his staff upward.
Several bolts of lightning shot forth from the staff impacting a large stalactite just above the unsuspecting creatures head. The ground began to shake as the sharp rock began to pull away from the ceiling. With a loud crack it began to plummet towards the cavern floor.
The Wyvern knew something was amiss as his foes began to retreat. He did not peg them as being the cowardly type so what was up if that was not the case? He could not be for certain.
He then saw several lightning bolts as they released from the bothersome mages staff. Oh, how he wanted to sink his teeth into that one. He knew this mage to be extremely powerful despite the crudeness of his ability.
These were lightning bolts however and the Wyvern knew he was very resistant to those types of magic. Smarter mages and wizards stuck with spells from the fire or frost line but as the Wyvern had discovered this mage was still new to magic, so he had not been at it long enough to understand all of magic's subtleties.
Or so the Wyvern thought.
In truth Kyjus was aware that arcane spells (i.e. magic missiles and bolts of lightning) were not having a lot of success on the vile creature. He was fairly sure, however that a large sharp piece of rock falling on the creature's head would be effective.
The Wyvern smiled as the bolts clearly missed him. They were not even close at all he mused. The smile disappeared shortly after he heard the loud crack from above. The beast quickly shot a glance upward as he suspected foul play. He turned skyward just in time to lay witness to a large stalactite ripping free of the ceiling.
In their retreat Weemus had grabbed Hawk and pulled him back as far as time permitted. Skarnum grabbed both Syrus and the Magus and did the same with them. Following their queue, the princess had stopped wailing with her magical flail, partly because she was able to put the pieces of the fight together and knew was about to happen and partly because it appeared the spell was giving her more of a headache then it was her target. She then grabbed Deemus and began to drag him away from the encounter.
All of his friends were now behind him and hopefully safe. Weemus turned toward the young mage as he passed by him, Kyjus was now standing, watching, and yes smiling at what he had hoped would be the end of this newly found nemesis.
In a panicked last-ditch effort to save its life the beast fought the chains of ice that were forged by the young mage. Pain racked its side, as patches of burnt skin pulled from its body as it tried to wrangle from the icy prison. Gone were its desires to kill the group in front of him, gone too were the desires to lay waste to the young mage, replaced both they were with the simple desire of escape and healing and living its life anew.
In the end however, the jagged piece of rock swiftly descended down toward the beast moments after it tore apart from the cavern above. Several tons of rock slammed into the foul beasts head driving it into the ground.
There was a loud snap, as the bone of the creature's neck or perhaps it was the skull itself, broke from the impact. Kyjus could not be sure as he diligently watched the pile of rubble for movement and signs of life.
"Great horny toads laddie, that was some mighty fine shooting," Weemus said as he was staring at the mess that used to be the Wyvern.
Remembering his brother, the little ranger quickly made his way over to the fallen cleric. Deemus moaned as his brother bumped into him. Slowly Weemus helped his brother to a sitting position.
~~~~~!!!~~~~~
Skarnum stood at the edge of the ice ring that still stood firm around the Great Purple Wyvern that he and his group had just slain. Out of his peripheral vision he saw something move off to the left up against the wall.
It was Hawk. The young warrior made his way over to his trainer to see if he could offer any help to the veteran.
"Are you OK," he said trying but failing to hide his smile.
"Woah, my head hurts, bad. I think I will be alright though," he groaned in response. "Do me a favor and fetch me my pack will you."
Skarnum nodded.
~~~~~!!!~~~~~
Syrus pulled himself to his feet as the collision of the tons of rock (or more precisely the death of the beast) pulled him out of his brief mental stupor. Looking around he could tell that Magus and Deemus were experiencing similar revelations.
"Do you understand what just happened to us," the old mage asked of Magus.
"I believe so," he responded.
"Care to share with your old friend," he asked jokingly of the gangly Gnoll.
"It is my belief that an anti-magic spell was utilized when the creature entered the room. Whether he placed it upon the three of us individually or whether it was over a given area I cannot say but however the beast did it I could feel some of my mental energy being drained almost like water in a sieve. That was my first indication that things were not as they seem," the Magus explained.
Both the princess and the young mage had made their way over to them.
"Find handiwork their Kyjus," Syrus said to the boy as he looked down toward the ground to see an open spell book lying on ground near the young mage.
"Most excellent work I do agree," the Magus too responded.
Kyjus smiled as he walked over and bent down to retrieve his spell book.
"Of course, you made it painfully obvious you don't know the first thing about Wyvern's or alchemy with this spectacle you put on here," Syrus said.
The Magus looked concerned for a second but then as he realized what the old mage was doing, he had to turn his head to keep from giving away the punch line.
"I am sorry sir I don't understand what you mean. I encased the creature in ice since it did not seem to have a resistance to the substance and then I cast the lightning bolt upon the stalactite hoping that it would dislodge from the ceiling and bury the creature under a ton of rubble, "Kyjus replied somewhat concerned at the recent change in demeanor.
"He killed the stupid beast what more do you want," the princess piped in defending Kyjus in what a strange turn of events was.
Both Syrus and Magus Sheplin looked at each other, each could not help but smile as they were thrilled that Kelsee was sticking up for Kyjus. They weren't thrilled that she was being negative toward them but seeing any type of bond between those two overrode any feelings of angst toward her rebuttal towards the two of them.
"Well, what I mean is that you buried the beast under a ton of dirt. How in the world am I to get at its eyes and front claws? Those ingredients are rare indeed every opportunity should be utilized to preserve those components for alchemy purposes. Now what I am to do now that I can't get to them," Syrus asked in the most serious voice he could.
Kyjus was on to their games though and he was not about to let the two of them get the best of him again. "So let me get this right. The next time we get attacked by a large, dangerous, and very rare type of beast I should devise a plan to kill it so that I don't forgo any alchemy components the creature may possess," the young mage posed it like a question.
Both of the old mages nodded and smiled.
"Well I guess I could have let it eat all of the old farts so it can die on the denture cream and Ben- gay. Then when it's dead I can come back in and gets its claws and eyes or whatever the body parts that are needed," how's that for a plan.
Syrus' smile dissipated. "Ingrate", he mumbled to himself.
He then directed the upstart mage to go about making sure all of the packs were placed within the cart.
Magus smiled as he was glad to see the young mage had a bit of spunk about him. Of course, the smile quickly disappeared as Syrus directed his attention back toward his direction.
"Think its funny do you," he said to the tall gangly Gnoll.
The Magus merely shrugged innocently.
"Well, I am glad you appreciate his choices and his sense of humor," Syrus said as he handed Magus Sheplin a small shovel and a large knife that was concealed in its holder.
The Magus gave an inquisitive look as he noticed that the Magus also noticed the old mage also had the same materials.
"You are going to help me see if there is anything salvageable on these creatures now let's get moving, times a wasting," Syrus said to Magus Sheplin.
The Magus' smile disappeared as he cursed his luck.
~~~~~!!!~~~~~
The Magus was not the only one that was cursing his luck. Scanning the cavern Skarnum recognized that the mules and the cart were in the opposite corner of his current location. As far away from the fighting as they could be no doubt.
The warrior quickly made his way over to his destination. He grabbed the pack and then a few carrots off of the front seat.
Holding the carrots in front of the mule he coaxed the creature back over to a more convenient spot. The warrior then fed the carrot to the mule and scratched it's head before leaving it to make his way to Hawk.
The young mage and the veteran Elf both watched the scene unfold with mild interest. It would appear there was more to the prince then originally surmised.
Skarnum ran the pack the rest of the way to the Elven Warrior, who immediately opened it and began digging thru it. He found a deep amber color potion and unstopped it. He sniffed it, a course of action he had gotten accustomed to prior to drinking any potion or elixir.
There is a story behind the earth being to be sure but that was for a later time. Once the veteran warrior was satisfied, he began to gulp it down. Immediately the healing potion began to cure his minor bumps, bruises, cuts, and scrapes. It removed part of his throbbing headache and restored much of his energy.
He replaced the stopper back in the flask and placed it back in its rightful place in his pack. He then pulled out his crucible and began mashing up several pieces of larkspur and his last bit of coriander. These would need to dry out he reasoned. Tonight, he would, hopefully underneath the open sky, brew these down into several different potions.
The brewing of both of these herbs together would allow for several ample healing and rejuvenation potions. If today was any indication of what this journey was going to be like then they were amply undersupplied, the Elven Warrior mused to himself.
Placing the contents of the crucible into an almost plastic type of jar he then placed the containers and their contents back within his pack.
Hawk did a quick surveying of the area. His immediate concern was the foul beast that thwarted their advancement. Seeing that it was enclosed in a circle of ice and buried in rubble it was no immediate threat. It was apparent that one of the casters brought down part of the ceiling upon the beast.
Thankfully it was just part of the ceiling he half laughed to himself. With further investigation the Elven Warrior saw that the princess and the young mage were both busily reloading the cart and Syrus and Magus Shepplin were busy looking about the rubble, most probably trying to salvage anything off the creatures that could be used for their alchemy trade.
Weemus was helping Deemus up from the floor and over towards the cart.
Hawk instructed Skarnum to help the other chosen in their efforts to load the cart. Once all packs were gathered and placed within the cart for their voyage out of the cavern, he should find him for any further assignments.
To his credit, Skarnum nodded without comment to the situation. He was apparently learning, or so the Elven veteran had hoped.
Hawk then approached Magus Shepplin, "your handiwork I presume," he asked of the mage.
The gangly gnoll shook his head indicating that it was not.
"Archmagi Syrus' then," he asked although in truth he had already guessed that it was not.
Again, Magus indicated it was not.
"The whelp then," he asked somewhat relieved and surprised.
Both mages nodded in unison that it was in fact the handiwork of the young mage.
"Most impressive," the veteran warrior said to no one in particular.
"I am assuming the frost spell was his and since the creature is still encased in ice, a magnificent spell it must have been but how did he get the ceiling to fall in upon the beast. Was that his doing as well," Hawk questioned.
"It was indeed his doing and from his relay of the events to me it was done via a lightning bolt spell. And the funny thing is he didn't have the spell memorized or had even practiced it much. When all was said and done, I saw him pick his spell book up off the ground. It was opened, I think he reviewed the bloody lightning spell in the middle of the battle" Syrus said trying and failing miserable to hide a smile.
The crafty veteran warrior simply shook his head and laughed at the absurdity of it all. He then looked to Syrus who looked extremely proud of the young mages efforts.
It was tough to say why he had so much pride in Kyjus' work and abilities; he was after all not his direct trainer. It was no doubt, more a grandfatherly kind of bond or charm that he felt with the boy. It was very difficult to explain but it had been there almost since the day of their first meeting.
~~~~~!!!~~~~~
In a short hour the party was able to remove the parts of the monsters that they knew could be utilized in their alchemy processes. When all was said and done, they had four basilisk eyes, two tongues and several good size claws.
From the Wyvern they were able to get to a large piece of its tail, some of its back claws and several nice size in-tact scales, although these were going to be utilized to make some nice armor and not for alchemy.
Smiling Hawk placed all of the items in a large burlap bag. He then sat this bag in the back of the cart.
The group took a minute or two to rest and down some drink before heading down the middle passageway that was now vacant of traffic.
Although they had to go up to get to the middle passageway from inside the cavern and up a bit further still once, they were inside the passageway. It was not long after their entry into the tunnel that their general direction had them plunging back down into the depths of the mountain.
This descent went on for what seemed like hours. It was most likely past midday up in the outside world and Syrus knew they were well past their time. He said little and did not hurry as the mood all things considered was more a joyful one and not the tired and bleak one, he had anticipated.
There were many congratulations offered to the young mage and warrior for their outstanding efforts. All of them were taken in stride. Even the princess commented several times about how proud she was of them both. And more specifically pointed to Kyjus she complimented on how she could not believe how great he was doing.
On many occasions the young mage noticed her gazing his way, he smiled at her briefly and then looked in another direction. He was more than a little uncomfortable with all of the attention.
They continued to descend until Kyjus had thought they may never start to ascend through this stupid mountain. It was not long after he had tried to put that fact and his hopeless lack of control of the situation out of his mind when the group finally started to ascend their way up the back part of the mountain.
For the most part the ascension through the tunnel was much like its dissension; controlled and palatable. There were several instances however, where the angles of the tunnel became so steep that the poor mule could no longer pull the cart but instead began to slip back down the hill.
On these instances Hawk, Weemus and Skarnum would stand behind the cart and using the creases in the rock floor they would give the cart a push helping propel both cart and mule up the steep incline.
Several hours had passed and the tunnel had its ups and downs but now the bulk of it was more flat than anything. The air was now becoming much thicker and more vibrant, as if they were getting close to exiting this godforsaken place. It was then that the party spotted something almost foreign to the place from which they had just come.
It was the light of a torch. Although they had the light sources of three mages which was vastly superior to that of any torch there is just something about the light from a torch, the way it flickers and dances in a slight breeze. It would often give one the sense of being alive, it gave a purpose or, so Kyjus thought to himself as he strained to make out the reasons for the torch up ahead.
The group then entered a room that was almost in the shape of a pentagon. There were three other entrances into the room. One was straight ahead and the other was a close left and the last a more distant right.
"Which way," Hawk asked as he brought the rear of the procession into the chamber.
He had spent much of the recent leg of the voyage at the back helping to push the cart, but he was now ready to resume his position as lead when he heard a scraping noise coming from the tunnel on the right.
"Straight ahead and be quick about it or we are going to have company," Syrus said in response to the Elven Warrior's question.
The group had made it almost all of the way across the large open chamber when a furry white creature popped out of the tunnel. It had the face of a canine, with a somewhat smaller snout extension. It also had pointy ears on the top of its head, sharp teeth, and a body covered in fur.
Kyjus would have sworn this was a dog except for a few distinguishing characteristics. First and foremost, this creature walked on two very solid legs, about three or four times the width of a dogs and almost equal to that of a human.
Second the creature had arms that although they were in fact furry more resemble the features of a human, not a dog.
Lastly, it appeared that whatever this thing was had only four digits on his feet and hands and not five.
The creature then did something that totally caught Kyjus off guard. It spoke.
"So nice of you to trespass into our home it is. This will not be taken lightly into your situation good sirs," the female creature said to no one in particular.
Kyjus had assumed it was a female as the voice sound feminine and he could see the hint of breasts beneath the fur, which in all honestly creeped him out more than a little.
As she finished talking, Kyjus understood what she meant by our as seven of the same type of creatures entered the chambers. Three came from the same chamber that the original female had entered.
Each of these seemed a bit smaller than the female that stood approximately five feet tall. They each carried small swords which seemed somewhat out of place on them. At least it was out of place according to the concepts of what Kyjus was accustomed but then again, the concept of a talking dog was somewhat humorous.
From the tunnel directly ahead of them two very large creatures entered, each had a tan colored fur instead of the white that the others possessed. They were larger than the other four and carried long pointy steel spears.
From the tunnel closest to Kyjus he got the best look at these creatures as two entered the tunnel from off to the left. One was about half the size of the other and was very cute. Kyjus took a step forward as if he were going to pet it and both of the creatures growled showing their teeth.
Quickly the young mage was reminded that creatures were not puppies or dogs and that they meant business.
The princess quickly helped him to return to his position closer to the wagon.
"I apologize for the intrusion my lady," Syrus said with an obviously well-rehearsed bow. "My dwelling is on the other side of the mountain, and we have traversed this tunnel so that we may depart the other side in route to Borensa. We do not mean to intrude upon your space and will be vacating here and be on our way."
"The other side of the mountain you say, then how did you get past the Basilisk cavern. Answer me that," the female questioned the old mage.
"Regrettable as it is to say those creatures left us no other course of action when they attacked us without provocation. We were forced to destroy them," Syrus said trying to play the part of a disheartened being.
"What! You destroyed them," the female said surprised. She immediately signaled something to one of the creatures on the other side of the chamber. It was the smallest of the creatures, the one that Kyjus had thought to be a puppy.
The creature signaled back and then bolted down the corridor from whence it came.
"I have sent Marf to verify your story. If you are not trying to deceive me with your news of death you can depart here a friend to the Gomagi. If you are not being honest with me," the female let the threat hang.
Kyjus cautiously walked around to the other side of the vehicle up to where the old mage stood.
"What is a Gomagi," he asked in a hush tone.
"That is their tribe's name," he replied.
"What manner of creatures are these, sir. I do not recall seeing anything about them in any of the books that I have read," Kyjus said as he continued to question the old mage.
"They are hobgoblin's, and they are quite dangerous let me assure you. You would rather fight a half dozen Basilisks then a den of these creatures. They are much like the badger or wolverine is on your planet. They are not terribly large in comparison to many creatures, but they are deceivingly quick and powerful," Syrus said with a hint of anxiety.
"Given our current state of exhaustion they might very well have their way with us. I would delve into that book of yours and concentrate on your pet spells and immobilization frost spells. I doubt this turns ugly but just in case it is nice to be prepared," the old mage said with a smile.
Kyjus nodded his head to Syrus indicating that he understood. He then returned to the back side of the carriage and pulled his spell book.
He had not read for very long when the smaller hobgoblin had returned. The creature ran over to the lead female which took him dangerously close to Kyjus who cautiously peered up as he or she passed by.
Marf slowed down and smiled, if a hobgoblin does smile, as it passed the squatting mage.
Marf and the female got into a discussion in a language that Kyjus could not understand and then went into position behind the female. She then barked a command, also in a language not familiar to the young mage. The remaining hobgoblins proceeded from their posts they had so stoically guarded back into the corridor behind the female.
They disappeared within the confines of the tunnel.
The lead female then walked up to Syrus. "We are in your debt in seems kind sir. Might I know your name and your purpose traversing through my home," the female said much less guarded this time then when first she spoke.
"My name is Syrus. I am a mage of some renown and as I said earlier my house is on the other side of the mountain and the only way through it is by foot through this cavern, which unfortunately is your home," Syrus said.
He was lying of course they could have transported to Borensa but since the good people of Borensa were not accustomed to that sort of thing this would have been a violation of council decree and would be strictly forbidden. It's a shame really as all of this would have been much easier, but rules were rules and laws are laws for shame whenever the two did agree. At least that is what Syrus' father always said. He never fully understood what that meant.
"Syrus huh. I am Lyla," the creature said with a slight nod.
She continued, "I am sure you have good reason for doing what you're doing but to keep my conscious clear I need to know you're not going to harm the good people of Borensa especially my good friend Flodius," the female said her voice bringing Syrus out of his thoughts.
It was a melodious voice for a creature that was so menacing, it just did not fit the persona or, so Kyjus thought to himself as he listened for Syrus response. He was fairly sure they had no intentions of harming anyone from Borensa and if they were he was sure Syrus was smart enough to work around the situation should he need too.
"Flodius, your friend, most peculiar, I dare say I know not how you are friends with the old coot. Full of surprises that one always has been. I can assure you that it is Flodius we will seek once we leave here but I will also assure you that absolutely no harm will we bring to his doorstep," Syrus responded.
"Excellent then, you are free to go. The exit is down that hall," Lyla said as she nodded her head towards the hallway to her direct right.
Lyla turned as she was about to exit. "You will of course be followed to make sure your words ring true proud mage. Once we are satisfied you will see us no more. Luck be with you," she said with a toothy grin.
"I have a gift of thanks for you and yours Mistress Lyla," Syrus said wanting to observe the custom of the hobgoblins. He went to the cart to begin to rummage through his pack. He pulled out one of the large cod and walked it over to her.
Lyla shook her head no. "Your gift has already been received in the form of freedom for my family. With the three foul beasts that dwelled below us dead my family can now hunt in relative peace. This is a gift beyond measure, I can accept no other."
The female hobgoblin gave a brief bow and then exited the chamber through the tunnel from whence she came.
Syrus nodded his appreciation as he stood waiting for the female Hobgoblin to disappear from view.
The mage placed the fish back in the burlap pack and cinched the cord back up. He then called for Hawk to proceed forward.
They exited Lyla's home in the manner which she instructed. It was the corridor directly across from where they entered the chamber and of course Syrus already knew this, but he had nodded his thanks, nonetheless.
Once past the hobgoblin chamber their path leveled out significantly. The air became cleaner and less stale as it now smelled more like the outdoors then the dank corners of the cavern below.
There was a reason for this Kyjus soon found out as they rounded one final corner. The path opened into a larger cave that had a small tunnel on the other end. At the end of that fifty or so foot tunnel Kyjus could see the out of doors.
He was relieved.