On the seventh day of their grueling expedition, Bishop's warning drifted out through his parched lips, ravaged by the scorching sun and a fierce thirst, barely audible, "We've arrived at the Reptile Pass. Stay alert."
Hitherto, their journey had consisted of an endless crossing of hills of varied sizes and unyielding sands. However, as they set foot on Pharah, at the dawn of the tenth day, they stumbled upon a rugged path. More accurately, a canyon lay hidden between large hills, bearing veins of red rock on their surfaces. Traversing a road that was shielding them from the sun's sizzling heat for the first time was a boon for the caravan. As they delved deeper into the path, the shadows kept expanding.
"I can hear whispers hissing like the wind," Raaz commented.
Indeed, a faint sound of the occasional breeze could be heard in their ears, reminiscent of a bell ringing. Vegetation slowly began to emerge. Dry shrubs, clover grasses, and yucca trees with prickly trunks, clinging to the red surfaces of the hills that concealed the path, came into view. They even caught a glimpse of a desert fox on the steep slopes, but the creature vanished as soon as it set eyes on them.
"I reckon we should rename this place Shadow Path," Baaz said, feeling much better.
As they reached a winding bend where the path narrowed significantly between fallen rocks and descended, hundreds of scorpions suddenly materialized in front of them. Their red bodies and yellow limbs, some almost a meter long, brandished their spiky tails in the air, threatening the vanguard soldiers.
Bishop's raspy whisper pierced the air, "Retreat, swiftly. These scorpions pack a venomous punch."
The front-line orcs scurried off in terror. The pathway and surrounding boulders were teeming with white scorpions. The caravan hurried to a secure haven in response to the surprise invasion of these toxic predators. The scorpions remained motionless, biding their time.
"You called it the Reptile Pass, didn't you? Seems like the Red Bane Scorpions have gobbled up every last reptile," Baaz taunted, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Bishop didn't dignify the comment with a response, instead giving Baaz a withering glare.
"By the gods! They're too numerous. What's the next course of action?" Raaz inquired, concern etched on his face.
"Obviously, we'll build a raging inferno to scare them away from the path. You two, take a handful of orcs and harvest abundant timber from the hills' trees," Bishop ordered with conviction.
The two elven scouts sprang into action, climbing the hills with ease, leaving the orcs who were struggling behind. Baaz, bored with the task at hand, spotted a steep hill with sharp-edged cliffs arranged in rows, making it appear unclimbable. It resembled a mushroom cap, sloping inward before tapering outward at the peak.
"What are you up to, Baaz? Get back to work," the other elven scout snapped, scowling at him.
"I'm scouting. We might need to chart a different path," Baaz retorted, his voice laced with defiance.
He tested the power of his sinewy arms and nimble fingers, hunting for a stable rock to grasp. The ascent was a test of his agility and finesse, a veritable gymnastic feat, fraught with risk. In a matter of minutes, he ascended to the summit, vanishing from sight.
Allendra offered her astute observation, "Once, this land was a coursing riverbed." Bishop, having just dismounted the camel and deposited the diminutive girl, heard her utterance but elected to remain mute. "Take yourself to the rocks yonder and prepare. We may yet require to conduct the ceremony this eve," he commanded.
Allendra acquiesced in silence. Their throats were parched, and their limbs, weary. The encroachment of the scorpion army had drained their morale. Bishop's own misgivings, concealed from all, gnawed at him.
"Where, pray tell, are their queens?" he pondered, casting wary glances in all directions.
Allendra scowled as she settled down and unfurled the vellum parchments proffered by Bishop. The ominous script of the runes loomed before her. She scrutinized each intricate form and struggled to correctly intone their meanings. Weaving together the incisive and cutting emphasis that cleaved through her soul was an onerous task for the girl.
Baaz, who had vanished from view after departing the canyon, bellowed from a lofty perch, alerting Bishop to his presence.
"As far as I can deduce, this canyon takes a bend to the east and broadens beyond that bend. Allegedly, a tunnel lies in wait at that juncture. But, alas, a daunting rocky façade impeded my progress. I might have scaled those crags with the aid of a spider climb spell, had I possessed the requisite magical materials. Strangely enough, not a single spider was to be found in this vicinity."
Bishop shrugged nonchalantly. His divine spells didn't require any magical components; he only needed to supplicate his deity, Therion The Lord of Darkness, and channel the raw energy that emanated from the god's absolute ownership. His greatest obstacle was the sporadic failure of his entreaties to reach the ears of his deity or to be deemed worthy of an answer.
"I discerned the resounding clamor of water emanating from the bowels of the rocky formation," Baaz chimed in.
The black-cloaked cleric's eyes glimmered with anticipation.
"We must locate a way to transverse to the other side of this canyon. In all likelihood, there might be another grotto or water source to be found there. We must devise a scheme to attain our objective."
Baaz nodded assent and vanished without a trace. They never heard from the mist elf after that. Time fleetingly flowed by, and the sun had already passed its zenith. Bishop mused about sending Raaz in search of him but swiftly discarded the notion. The martial mist elf had deduced from the anxiety-ridden gaze of the black-robed priest that he was retaining certain secrets, as he was prone to do.
As dusk encroached, Bishop's edginess ratcheted up. He directed the orcs and ogres to amass boulders and heap up sand to erect a bulwark. The obscurity became more obscure as the day gave way to night.
"I sense an air of concern about you, revered Bishop," Raaz remarked, unable to hold back.
"If we do not discover a way to depart this place ere the night descends..." the priest's sentence was interrupted.
"So we are ensnared. Shall we turn back?"
"No, we cannot. This passage is our only way to our destination."
"What do you expect to face?"
The priest gestured towards the scorpions. "We shall come face-to-face with their queen, somewhere in this vicinity. Her powerful aura can be felt."
"How large is she?"
"According to legend, she is sizable enough. Curse that Baaz, where has he disappeared? We require every man. Stay vigilant, warrior."
Raaz stretched out in anger. "I am forever prepared," he declared. He retrieved a pitch-black obsidian stone from the pocket of his dark grey robe and began honing his sword with fervour.
Allendra had surreptitiously eavesdropped on their conversation, and the little girl's terror had intensified. When Bishop noticed, he scowled and firmly warned her to keep memorising.
The anxious waiting persisted until late afternoon. The sun was on the brink of setting. Baaz's prolonged absence, the scorpions' disquieting footfalls, and the sounds of their tails striking the rocks, gradually grew louder like a beating drum.
Raaz stood with his sword clutched tightly, bracing himself for the impending attack from the enemy, and reported to the venerable priest, "All is ready for the rite."
The priest, running his sand-filled, grey-streaked beard through his fingers as he observed the setting sun with care, commanded, "Ignite the flames. The ritual shall commence anon."
They set the scrub they had stacked between themselves and the scorpions ablaze. The dense odor of prickly foliage enveloped them, and billows of black smoke ascended into the heavens. Then, as if out of nowhere, the sky darkened with stormy clouds, as a blood-curdling wail rang out from the north. The ground began to quake, and Raaz knew that the source of the tremor came from the high plateau beyond the hill that Baaz had scaled. Mounds of sand showered upon them.
The Bishop sprinkled some powder onto the flames, releasing a burning and overpowering aroma.
"Listen well, little one. The scorpions will imminently attack us, and it is time to demonstrate your knowledge. You will recite the arcane incantations, and I shall channel the energy emanating from the obsidian smoke towards them. Should you fail to maintain the inferno and flee in terror, all will be lost, including yourself. This is a battle of life and death. Do you comprehend?"
Allendra nodded, her voice quivering, "Yes, sir."