Chieftain Macaw or rather the demon in the form of the chief, stood and looked upon his clan. He had taken many chances over the past few months most of them were probably ill advised he realized, hindsight and all that I suppose it thought to himself.
This was evident from the men that pursued them. Their followers would not even be here, were it not for the destruction of Aberdeen and Goshen. He believed these followers were most likely a war party from one of these villages he destroyed.
They would have to be dealt with immediately he rationalized. He could sense many things about this group most of which concerned him but, in the end, he decided to divide his army into two equal parts. Half would be sent back to deal with the interlopers and the others were going continue on to the science facility to carry out the plans given to him by the ancient red dragon.
He had doubts that the nearly three hundred Eerikye sent to destroy these men would succeed as the aura's he sensed in some of the beings following him were quite strong. The flow of magic through a few of them was stronger than he had felt in a long, long while. And yet one of the auras was oddly familiar to him.
The demon cared not for the loss of so many as this was not a concern of his. His main concern was in getting to the science facility and destroying it prior to the adventurer's arrival. With any luck the army he sent after the adventurers would be able to detain them long enough to make this happen. Who knows maybe they would have more luck against the group then he thought? He immediately dismissed that idea as illogical agreeing at the same time that the loss of life on this plan mattered little.
The demon smiled; acidic drool crept down the side of his chin as it often did when the air was heightened with the anticipation of death.
He had marched his army hard over the last four days but with the end in sight his reward (total chaos) was soon to be his.
~~~~~!!!~~~~~
The adventurers at the behest of Syrus quickened their pace. It was obvious that they were catching up as the signs of the Eerikye trail were fresher today than they were the day before. Yet they were not close enough Syrus thought to himself, as he knew in less than two days' time they would be leaving scorched earth (the Eerikye territory).
It would be another two days before they were at the science facility and if the Demon and the Eerikye reached it long before the adventurers it would be too late for everyone currently located at the facility. This saddened Syrus as he had many friends there, also there was Kyjus' father and mother and although he rationalized his actions often over the last month, he could still not help but feel responsible for the precarious position they were now in.
With a growl of determination, he urged his horse on, the others would simply have to keep up he mused to himself.
Captain Skye noted the change in demeanor in the mage and also understood the actions that drove Syrus. He would not let Syrus pay, with his life, for a mistake that the old mage did not make. No one could have understood what was happening in scorched earth. He was put in charge of watching over the Eerikye these past few months and until very recently he did not understand what was going on within the clans.
If he a constant and experienced observer could not fathom what was happening then how could, someone who observed the birdmen for only a day or two at a time be expected to understand.
He brought this up to Syrus their first night out from Borensia hoping that it would bring the mage some small measure of support.
The captain spurred his horse on and encouraged his men do likewise. The other adventures for various reasons of their own needed no encouragement to quicken their pace.
The day blended into night and even with the mages light spells it became far too hazardous to continue with their attempts at travel.
The next two days were mostly a blur as the landscape all seemed to blend together; the group was determined to keep the horses at a speed that was well past that of a normal trot. It was obvious that the horses and their riders were becoming fatigued.
Syrus was about to call a halt to the procession on the fifth day out, it was midday and time to take a break. Right before he could call for the break however, Weemus put his right hand up motioning for the procession of riders to stop.
Syrus moved his horse up to where the gnome was and dismounted moving over to where the gnome was bent over studying the earth.
"What do you see my little friend," he said in a soft calming voice.
"It rained last night as far as the eye could see," he replied to the old mage.
"Aye that it did, what are you getting at," he asked the little ranger. He knew there was a good reason for why Weemus was directing the conversation along this line of questions, but he could not contemplate its meaning.
"The footprints about a half mile back stopped having any type of water in them," he responded.
"Evaporated do to the hot day sun," Syrus replied although he knew the sun to not be that hot on this particular day.
The little gnome shook his head. "The compacted earth with a person's footprints retains water twice as long as normal soil. Plus, if you look at these footprints they are not as deep as they were about a mile back," the gnome said hoping to further his point.
"Perhaps it did not rain much here," Syrus replied. He was trying to play devil's advocate at this point for now he too suspected they were getting close to their prey.
The little ranger again shook his head. "My instincts tell me different. I believe most of the rain concentrated its heaviest in this area," he said as he looked up.
Pointing toward the sky and the trees he continued, "if you noticed the birds are flocking over towards this three-mile stretch. They are flocking this way; this means they are most likely coming to eat here which means the other areas are drying up and the food is farther into the ground and not obtainable. I am thinking that these tracks were made after the rain stopped and had started drying up a bit," the gnome concluded.
"You are right of course," Syrus agreed. After all it was seldom wise to argue with a ranger when it came to the things that dwelled in nature. He smiled at the gnome and thanked him kindly.
"There is something else perhaps a spot of more good news. Would you like to hear it," the little ranger asked?
Syrus nodded.
"In the last ten miles of earth we have covered I did not see a camp site. That is one of the reasons why I delayed offering my findings. However now I am convinced, there was no campsite because the demon is traveling without resting his army. While the bad news in this is that he most likely knows we are coming the good news is that his army will not be rested when they fight us. Although the demon most likely will not tire easy I am guessing the same is not true for the Eerikye that follow him," Weemus said with a hint of a grin etched upon his face.
"Excellent news, I too am of the opinion that he knows we approach. I think we should rest and get food and water. It appears we will be going to battle soon," Syrus said to the little gnome.
Syrus directed the adventurers and Captain Skye to set up a temporary camp site for lunch. "Rest and relax" he said to them, "we leave in one hours' time. We will soon see battle."
With that statement you could just see the excitement and the anticipation of almost all of the soldier's faces for this is what they lived for. Skarnum too was eager to pull his broadsword from its sheath and put it to good use.
The magus, Syrus and Hawk were all impassive at the thought of battle. The little gnomes seemed a combination of both groups as they did not like battle, but they were eager to serve their gods and revenge their people.
Kyjus and the princess were the only ones that showed any nervousness about the upcoming battle. Mostly because of their lack of battle experience and not from any real threat they felt of being harmed. They were confident in their groups abilities based on their encounter with the basilisks.
Kyjus took his meal of bread, dried meat, and fruit over to an old, dried stump. Leaning up against the stump he pulled out his spell book and his book about the abyss. Turning to the section on balors he continued to read.
After he finished, he smiled a bit as he now thought he had the information he needed to help defeat this creature of evil. He opened up his spell book to the appropriate sections. He was proud to see how his book went from a book of blank pages to a book that was nearly half complete.
The young mage smiled again as he turned to the appropriate pages in his spell book. He would be ready he vowed to himself.
True to his word Syrus had the group on the move about an hour after they stopped too rest. The three masters, along with Weemus, Deemus and Captain Skye had huddled much of the break discussing what was to come and what their best course of action in dealing with the upcoming battle.
None were overly familiar with the layout of the land over the next five to ten miles but at the end of a long and somewhat drawn-out conversation an agreement was reached on how to proceed in the pursuing of the enemy.
Most noticed the change in direction, but none openly commented about it, trusting fully in their leaders and the battle plans that had been drawn.
They had traversed the remainder of the fifth day in a due west direction. They had guessed at being only a mile or two to the south of the enemy but whether they had caught up or surpassed their location of longitude the group could only guess.
Syrus noticed slight changes in the terrain as the sun set into the horizon. He knew, as did most of the rest of the group, that they were about to leave scorched earth. This was good in the fact that the terrain would be hillier and much more favorable for an open attack on the Eerikye.
It was also bad however, as the group was less than sixty-five miles from the science facility. That was about two days of hard travel, give or take, over this hilly terrain. It had been a long day Syrus thought to himself and was about to call a halt to their journey for the day when he noticed Captain Skye proceeding his way.
"I was about to call a halt to our progress for the day if that is your inquiry, Good captain," Syrus said as Theodius eased his horse up into hearing range of the old mage.
"I would advise against that Arch Magi," the captain replied.
Syrus frowned at the use of his mage title never being one to stand on ceremony he felt not the need for titles. He decided to let its use pass and get onto a more direct line of data transfer.
"Why do you advise against it, Captain Skye," the old mage questioned.
"We are getting into slightly familiar territory for me as I on occasion had the need to frequent your science facility for rare herbs. I should let you know that about three miles to the northwest I know there to be a very large, abandoned campsite. It has several cabins, although last time I was there some were partially burned, however I am of the opinion that it would be a great spot to set up camp. It would be much more defensible then tents should the birdmen choose to attack us this evening," the captain said with confidence in his voice.
Syrus pondered the idea for a minute. On the one hand he hated the idea of another thirty to forty minutes of travel as that would put them dangerously close to dark again when they stopped. On the other hand, it could possibly mean a more comfortable stay and a more defensible position for their group.
In the end the deserted camp won out so he decided they would keep moving. "Just a few more miles," he said as he turned to the adventurers. "The good captain has suggested that there is an old, abandoned camp up ahead a few miles so we are going to endeavor to find it so that we may rest easier for the night."
Syrus then turned to the captain. "Kindly relay that information to your men and then take the lead with Weemus. He may need your guidance to find the place," the old mage said to the captain.
Captain Skye nodded in the old mages direction, "it shall be done as you request Arch Magi," he responded.
"You are dismissed," Syrus said with a frown.
The distance to the camp was closer to five miles than three or four so it took the better part of an hour or more before the group arrived at the abandoned camp. During the groups travel to the camp the sun passed its setting point, so the casters of the group cast spells of light so the groups could see. Torches were also lit to help guide those the light created by the mages, did not reach.
After they arrived at the campsite, it took much less time to set up camp since several cabins were still usable.
After a quick dinner, Syrus and Magus Shepplin went about fortifying the encampment by casting spells of warning on some of the trees in the area. Should any strangers come into the area they would be alerted.
Deemus also cast spells of detection that would amplify his light spells that were placed within a few worthless gems. He placed these in areas that he felt were the most likely to see Eerikye activity.
Lastly and perhaps the most reliable of all of the warning precautions Weemus talked to several of the local nocturnal critters, giving them specific instructions to wake Gabby (the Taquka bear), as he now called her, should the Eerikye enter the general area.
She would then in turn be responsible for waking Weemus and the camp. A job that the little ranger knew she was more than qualified to handle.
The group of adventurers and soldiers alike, slept through the night without incident. There were guards posted in two-hour shifts. Other than a leash of foxes that happened to wonder to close to camp much to their disappointment, as Gabby made short work of chasing them off without incident, there were no threats encountered this night.
Up at dawn on the sixth day, there was a meeting to discuss the daily battle plans. Syrus, unbeknownst to anyone else, enacted a scrying orb to locate the Eerikye. He had located the clan of birdmen some miles directly north of their current position. The only problem that old mage noted was that they were no longer moving but rather they seemed to be camped.
They appeared to be camped just inside a large wall amongst trees and three extremely large boulders and shrubbery. He knew the exact spot. He had already guessed this would be there best spot for an ambush as the area was constructed for exactly that purpose by the engineers of the council. Luckily for the adventurers Syrus had been privy on the construction of the entrance and knew all too well how to combat their disadvantage.
Lastly Syrus noted the Eerikye only numbered around two hundred give or take. They also seemed to be minus a demon as the chieftain was nowhere in sight.
He explained the results of his scrying orb to the group gathered in front of him.
The good captain interpreted the results of the dream and gave his thoughts to the group. "This must mean the demon and the rest of the army pressed onward the remaining fifty miles toward the science facility. If my calculations are correct, they will most likely find the facility and be able attack it in approximately two to three days' time."
The captain paused looking at the faces of those around him, confident the others had also came to the same conclusion he continued, "Without any warning to prepare for the invasion the demon by himself, would almost have his way against the facility and its occupants. Commanding two or three hundred of the Eerikye to wreak havoc and keep the small regiment of guards entertained it will have its way with the place," Captain Skye said in a somewhat solemn tone.
"Agreed, that is why we have to push past the encampment of birdmen that lay ahead of us. They are fatigued and with only a slight influence of the demon within them so they hopefully will not be any match for us," Syrus said to the group. He then paused as the Captain again indicated he wished to speak.
"I have seen the diagrams for the place in which we must enter. It was created to be defensible even should the gates have been breached. They will have the odds and they will have tactical advantage should they act accordingly to the lay of the land," the captain said trying not to sound too disgusted with the situation.
"Your analysis of the situation is spot on of course, Captain Skye. However, I was in fact a part of the team that designed the entrance through the gateway. Given that fact I have had a very long time to look over the situation I believe I have had ample time to come up with an appropriate counter-strategy," Syrus said to the group.
The captain was truly intrigued by the fact that Syrus felt there was a way to counterattack the defensive advantage the Eerikye would be given.
Seeing that he had everyone's attention the old mage proceeded to lay out his plans for the battle.
"We will enter the courtyard through a fifty-foot expanse here," Syrus said as he began to draw a diagram on the dirt with a stick that was located near last night's fire pit.
"There will be very congested giant shrubbery that adjoins to each wall, here and here," he continued making the appropriate marks in the dirt.
"They are impassable on both sides. The ground in between the shrubs is laid with brick. On the left side of the line of shrubs you can immediately see three huge boulders. On the other side of the right sided shrubs, you can see a large lake. If the birdmen have archers, I look for them to place them on top of the boulders located behind the left line of shrubbery," he said as he picked up three rocks and placed them to the left of the shrubs on the left-hand side of the road.
"We will enter the gates hopefully undetected. Weemus, I know you are particular found of nature and foliage, so I need you to enact a spell to move the shrubbery in this section here," the old mage said as he pointed on the right wall section of brush very near to where the shrubs met the wall.
"We will need enough room so that two riders on horses can get through. Can you handle this," he said as he looked at the little ranger?
Weemus nodded, "it's an easy enough spell," he said confidently. "It will last no more than five to ten minutes depending upon how thick and deep the vegetation is," he added as an afterthought.
"That should be plenty of time by my calculations for if it's not we have bigger worries then our reasons for needing this spell," Syrus responded.
"Captain Skye, I need your best archers and fastest horses to come along the outer stone wall approximately five hundred or so feet. Magus Shepplin and I will summon grappling hook ladders. Your men will need to hoist these up the thirty-foot wall and as quietly as possible climb the wall at this point," he said as he placed an "x" on the ground, directly below the wall at a point that was between the second and third rock slightly to the north.
"Once they are on the wall they can crawl east or west if they miss the mark. The wall has segregated altered stone at the top to provide protection and there is a three-foot-wide expanse to crawl on. In addition, they will have a two-foot-high deference from the lowest rock to the floor of the wall so this should be the easiest part of their mission. I am not anticipating that the birdmen have the resources to get to the top of the wall but just in case I will use a scrying orb once we are outside the gate so that your men are not heading into a trap of the Eerikye's accord," Syrus said as he looked to the captain. He could tell just from the look he was getting that there was concern etched on the captain's face. With his enactment of the scrying orb the concern on the captain's face quickly ebbed away.
"These men will immediately locate the forces of the birdmen and relay there location to you with the use of this", Syrus said as he handed the captain two scrying crystals.
The captain nodded his understanding.
"Once we have confirmed their location is where it was last night and once your men on the wall have indicated they are in position, the rest of us will enter the gates and edge up along the left side of the shrubbery. We will need to keep as close as possible to the shrubbery as this will offer protection from the arrows that will most likely be raining down upon us from the birdmen on the rocks. Once your men hear the commotion, they can open fire at the group of Eerikye." Syrus said to the captain.
He waited for the captain to nod his understanding and then continued. "Deemus will have enacted missile shield spells upon the dozen or so archers that we will be sending up the wall to help further protect them from being hit so I am expecting minimal to no casualties from our archers. Give instructions for your men to shoot any Eerikye standing on the rocks that do not have a bow and arrow as they are most likely shaman. Defeating these men will be critical to the success of this part of our mission," Syrus said looking back at the captain in an attempt to read his reaction on the matter.
Once satisfied the captain understood he continued, "Weemus my friend I am afraid we are going to need another opening in shrubbery but this time it will be on the left side. It will need to be big enough to get a man or rather an earth elemental pet through. The hole will need to be closed again so when I give my order to close, please be prepared to do so," the old mage said as he looked over to the little ranger who quickly nodded his understanding of the situation.
"I am sorry Arch Magi, but I am confused. I mean I understand our desire to capitalize on every advantage but how much damage can a lone earth pet do. Would it not be better to keep it with us to help protect the casters," the Captain asked confused.
"You are correct in one aspect but wrong on many others. First off, the pets may very well do more damage and destruction if it were with us and yes, they would be able to guard the casters. However, my good captain that is you and your soldier's job as you will be charged with creating a buffer between the Eerikye and the casters of our group. Oh and of course you will have Skarnum and Hawk to help and let me assure you that they are a formidable duo in anyone's mind, so use them well," Syrus paused to let his words sink in before he continued.
"Second, the purpose of the pets is primarily to serve as a distraction, if they think we are coming in from the rear they will send more of their brethren to combat our unexpected attack. This will play to our advantage in that we will have less Eerikye to fight through before our flight to the science facility," again Syrus paused.
The captain nodded his agreement of that fact and was suddenly glad to have one as wise as the Arch Magi along for this fight.
"Third and perhaps the most grievous of your errors is in the fact that there will not be one elemental pet going through Weemus' portal but rather there will be three earth pets heading through the opening, and most probably and acid flail," Syrus added the last part as an afterthought.
"Three", the captain said. He had obviously forgotten Magus Shepplin and for that he looked apologetically his way but who was the third. Certainly, he did not mean the boy the captain thought to himself, from all that he had heard the boy had been in training a mere three to four months. It typically took a year or more to summon a proper pet but then again from what he had heard about Kyjus he was far from your typical mage.
"Yes, my good captain, I believe you are forgetting Magus Shepplin who can summon a formidable pet in his own right and then there is our young master Kyjus who can summon a decent enough pet. Remember we are hoping for a distraction not a wreaking of havoc from our pets and that means the more the merrier," Syrus said with a smile.
Again, the captain was beside himself and without an answer. This crazy scheme may just very well work he thought to himself.
The captain just kind of smiled and shook his head.
"I know its madness, but I think it's our best chance," the old mage said to know one in particular. To which he received many nods of affirmation, including one from the captain himself.
"Ok so when our enemy enters the road ahead your men will do their best to form a line in front of the casters. The line will go two deep for as far as you can across the pathway. I am not sure but if they can span the entire width of the path, but you will need to stretch them far enough to make sure they will be able to protect the casters," Syrus paused and looked at the captain waiting for confirmation of the plan.
The captain again nodded.
"The elementals and your archers should have the birdmen on the rock well under control but if any of the shaman are trying to engage us, I will have the princess dispatch a spell over the area that should more than keep them entertained," the old mage said with a smile.
"Once we engage the main force the casters will provide as much distraction as we can as early as we can, primarily with our area of effect type spells. However, once a lane through the pass opens up, we will make our way through it. It will be up to your men to destroy or scatter the rest. Once this has been accomplished make your way toward the science facility," Syrus said to the captain.
Captain Skye nodded his understanding.
Syrus had guessed he had hinted at his choice of how the fight would go and he had thought the captain had understood but this was not enough for Deemus who was first always, a child of the light.
"Remember captain, the Eerikye are not our enemy as they are merely pawns of a greater evil. Fight only when you must, scattering them to the winds, once this has been done get your tail caught up with us as quick as possible as we will need you and your men to battle the true evil of this land. It is our preference not to have to battle the demon without your help," the little gnome said first looking at the captain and then to Syrus.
Deemus had hoped he did not overstep his boundaries in this conversation, but he felt it needed to be said.
Syrus smiled at the gnome and then turned to the captain. "Our little friend could not be more right. I urge you to not prolong the fight against the Eerikye any longer than needed. Once you and your men can get safely through flee through the passage on horseback and catch up to us. Should some of the enemy follow you we have two mages in this group that can open a trans-dimensional portal to the science facility once we are in eyeshot of it. This means that having an enemy at our back will not be an issue," Syrus said as he concentrated on the captain.
"Now is not the time for heroes, if we are to be successful, we will need everybody's efforts at the science facility so make your way with all haste," he reiterated telepathically to the captain, who nodded his understanding.
"And what about my men on the wall," the captain asked knowing full well that Syrus had already thought this plan through to a necessary and just conclusion.
"Once your men see the casters of the group make their way through the army or once they run out of arrows, whichever would come first, have them dismount the wall down the ladder and ride their horses through the opening that our ranger has created for them," Syrus said as he gestured toward Weemus.
"Excellent, most excellent, too victory," the captain said as he withdrew his sword and held it high pointing it toward the center of the group.
"Too victory," they all shouted following suit.
* * * *
Once the plans were laid out the group made their way north toward the impending attack.
The science facility was nicely nestled in a thick expanse of forest, which was great as it made it very hard to see from the ground or the air.
To its distant east and south (some thirty miles in both directions) were thirty-foot rock walls, which ideally kept out the uninvited intruders. The rock walls went on for nearly twenty-five miles to the west and almost twenty-six miles to the north. The walls were being built to encompass the entire area including the science facility. When completed the total thirty-five-mile square area would be nicely enclosed within the wall, with the science facility being nestled in the northwest corner of the enclosure.
The facility was built on some of the most fertile land of Minlas which was odd in itself considering the lack of fertility of land directly to its east. However, it was less than a quarter of a mile from the Dachstilles Mountains and the water from the snow that often crested these mountains at night would melt from the sun during the day. The water would help cultivate the land in this area into a lush fertile area. In addition, they also provide some security to the facility to the north and part of the west. They made the facility all but impenetrable from the rear. At least they would once the large wall was built to the designs specifications.
The large wall would actually be tunneled into the mountains twenty or so feet. The sides of the mountain would then be sheered to make it so that intruders could not just climb the mountain to circumvent the wall.
The idea was to have a large wall encompass all of the facilities including the land on which the scientists would utilize during the gathering of materials / reagents. There would be cabins strewn throughout the compound to make the gathering easier as the scientist would only be required to return to the facility when they had completed the gathering of components in a given section.
However, with the tidings of war looming large for the Minlavian council the workers were pulled for other projects and the walls were not completed.
It had taken almost six years to get the twenty-six miles of wall completed on the southeastern wall heading north and the near twenty-five miles of wall from the southeastern corner heading west.
It only stood to reason the wall heading north was farther complete as its crew mainly consisted of dwarves. They are of course the hardiest of workers with stone and iron.
It was estimated that it would take another ten to twelve years to finish the project since there was still nearly one hundred miles of wall to build. The project would have to wait until the war was over, however. It would be completed by putting a large twenty foot high fifty foot wide three-foot-thick wooden gate at the expanse in the southeastern corner. The one they were to traverse this very day.
This of course would be guarded at all times. With the gate and the walls in place the scientist could work in relative seclusion and with the belief that they were safe. These were not exactly the conditions that existed today.
In additions to the walls and cottages, there was a small expanse of road that meandered diagonally through the territory. It started at the front entryway (or gate area) and ended at the science facility. From start to finish the path was nearly fifty miles long.
The group could elect to divert and go around the walls to the south or the east but in doing so they would lose a day or more of travel. This was debated about in the meeting the day prior but was quickly discarded as this was time the people at the science facility just did not have and therefore it was time that the adventurers could ill afford to lose. So, it was onward they went into battle against the Eerikye. With any luck they would be through the barricade and navigating the forest path prior to nightfall of this very day.
* * * *
The large walls came into view some two or three miles away. Syrus pulled his horse over to Kelsee and Kyjus and filled them in a bit on their part of the plan. "You have the spells memorized that I suggested to you last night," he asked in a calm and soothing voice.
They both nodded. "In addition to those spells we are going to open a gateway in the shrubbery once we get inside the walls, and you will be able to send a pet through. You won't be able to see the pet as it will be on the other side of some tall and thick brush, but you can give orders to attack (not kill) on sight and there should be plenty of things that will keep its attention. You will need to give orders to injure or cause to flee but avoid killing it at all possible," he said to the chosen.
Kyjus nodded his understanding. The princess however was somewhat saddened. "If I cannot see my summoned flail and its targets then I cannot control it; it will just stand there doing nothing," she said with a frown.
"Oh, I see, well fear not my princess for we will have plenty of use for your many other talents," Syrus responded with a smile.
They were just over a mile away from the entrance to the outer walls when the pathway divided into two directions. One went left going down into one of the stone quarry's the council workers used to dig and shape the stone for the wall. The path to the right bypassed the quarry and was a more direct route to the entrance.
It was here that Kyjus had an idea, so he nudged his horse over toward Syrus. "We should consider taking the route into the quarry," he said to the old mage.
"I understand it may take twenty to thirty minutes longer, but I would propose that the pets that we could create out of rock would be somewhat more formidable than those summoned out of dirt," he finished with a smile.
Syrus pondered the question a bit although this would mean controlling the summoned creatures for a few miles this would not be too terribly taxing on the mages. They would simply need to issue the command to follow and nothing else, which would help to reduce the amount of taxation the pet would cause on the casters. Of course, young Kyjus was right in his assessment that a rock elemental was indeed more formidable then an earth elemental.
So, in the end it was decided that the mages would descend into the depths of the quarry and the rest of the group would continue upon the current path. They would wait at the adjoining of the two pathways on the other side of the quarry.
The three mages descended into the quarry searching its rock base for signs of durable solid rock from which their pets could be constructed. The magus happened upon a bed of partial limestone and motioned for the others to join him.
Each mage took a small piece of the rock and held it in the opposite hand of the one that held their staff. Syrus had noticed that Kyjus had taken some else and put it in the same hand, but he chose to ignore its meaning.
Holding their staves out and clutching the rock in the other hand they said the word to complete the spell, "blok elementas".
Their staves flickered and the rock in their hands dissolved into dust. Syrus and Magus Shepplin both noticed that Kyjus grimaced in pain as smoke come from the hand that held his small piece of limestone.
"Are you alright," the magus asked.
Kyjus nodded," just a bit of pain is all. I have noticed that when I try and summon a reinforced pet the metal burns in my hand and is somewhat painful."
"Reinforced pet," both the mages asked simultaneously.
"How do you know how to go about summoning a reinforced pet," Syrus asked.
"Yea, I mean I had always thought that to be more a myth than anything else," the magus added.
"Too be honest I have only tried it a few times and with mixed results. Some of the reading I did of Copernicus' work turned me onto the possible idea. He was always adding and trying new things. That is how he got his alleged golem to summon is it not," Kyjus posed this more as a statement than any question.
"At any rate one night in my room I got to thinking, most of our armor and weapons are made of metal. Wouldn't it be nice if we could have a pet that was reinforced by metal," he again phrased this as more a response and not a question?
"Actually, the first thing that I had thought was wouldn't it be nice to have a metal pet but all my attempts to summon one of those were not only painful but were dismal failures. But then I thought why not an earth pet with a protective metal coating, so I tried adding metal to the jaspers and dirt I used to summon the earth elementals. The result was not quite what I had hoped but it was dare I say, quite an improvement," the young mage said with a smile.
He then gestured toward his pet that was nearly finished forming in front of him, "have a look for yourself."
Both mages walked over to the pet mumbling things like incredible, most extraordinary and the like. When the mages arrived at Kyjus pet they could see that the creature was not incased in metal but rather the metal was entwined throughout the body of the creature. They could also see the creatures arms were formed at the end with a solid mass of metal almost like a hammer.
This pet was a full two feet shorter than the pets that Syrus and the magus had summoned as those stood slightly over six feet. It was also not as wide and stocky but if you were to look at the composition and the solidness of the creature and then you were to look at the massive solid metal hammers that ended at the end of each arm than there was little doubt that this pet would be able to hold his ground against either of the other two, or perhaps even against them both.
Syrus and Magus Shepplin smiled as they turned their back to the creature and headed back to their respective horses.
"Well done lad," the magus said to Kyjus as he passed him on his way back to his horse.
"Well done indeed," Syrus said as he mounted his horse.
They all three gave their pets the command to follow to which each one fell in place directly beside its master as it walked up the pathway on the other side of the quarry.
Nearly twenty minutes after they separated the mages and pets were reunited with the rest of the adventurers, the captain, and his men.
After a brief look over the pets the captain paused at Kyjus' elemental. He thought of commenting but then he took a closer look at the creature and noticed the subtle differences in the infrastructure of the creature.
He was somewhat shocked at what he saw but he managed a slim smile as he pulled his horse away and motioned for the rest of his men to follow. It was amazing, still an Acolyte and a first or second trimester one at that and not only could he summon a pet he may have appeared to have found a way to summon a better pet.
The captain merely chuckled to himself. What else should he expect from a direct descendent of Merlin Ambrosius.
* * * *
The group of a dozen archers broke off about a quarter of a mile from the gateway. They headed west until they reached the approximate distance requested by the Arch Magi (Syrus).
They went at more of a full run until they were within a hundred or so yards and then they nudged the horses down to a slow trot until they were at the last fifty feet. At that point the group dismounted and walked the horses to the wall. They had hoped this would minimize the amount of noise which in turn would not alert the birdmen to their presence.
Taking out the ladders summoned by Syrus and Magus (Kyjus had attempted one, but it was worn and frayed and was kindly discarded before the ladders were presented to the captain), much to the delight of the young mage; the strongest of the two men separated the ladders out and made sure they were straightened and untangled.
With a hoist and a heave upward, the ladders flew toward their destination. One of the ladders was short of its mark but the other made the distance, however it failed to securely fasten. And so, it went on for a few long tortured minutes until finally one of the ladders was secured at the top.
By the time the second ladder was secured all but four men were at the top of the wall. One of the men at the top of the wall made sure the second ladder was secured before anyone used it.
Moments later all men were in position, they awaited the start of the battle, their signal of the elemental pets or Eerikye activity on the rock would be easily spotted from this vantage point.
The leader of the archers relayed to the captain that they were in position.
The group of adventurers, Captain Skye, and his men then entered the open gateway. The air was foul with the stench of trespassers. Gabby's fur bristled as she emitted a low rumbling growl, she too could sense that the birdmen were near. The giant female Taquka had not forgotten that these were the creatures responsible for the death of her three cubs, but she kept herself inconspicuous and at bay as she did not want to disappoint her new allies.
A stealthy approach was somewhat out of the question with nearly four dozen horses and three large rock creatures that sounded like stone grinding when they walked. Luckily for the group of adventurers there was no cause for stealth as the plan Syrus' concocted required no element of surprise for execution. In fact, it may play out better if the birdmen knew they approached.
Syrus turned toward the little ranger nodding toward him indicating he was to perform his trickery upon the bushes. It appeared the battle for the science facility would soon begin.