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They kept following the road steadily until they reached the point where the Plain of Dust disappeared under the thick foliage of the trees that were part of the firs boundaries which described the entire span of the forest of Silvanesti. The road was swallowed by the trees, sucked in by the relative darkness of the woodland.
“I suggest you to be careful.” Suddenly, First Scout Frey bolted out.
“Why so?” Asked Aliranne, turning the horse she had summoned a few hours before towards him. “Have you seen anything of notice?”
“It’s more of what I haven’t seen that bothers me.” The draconian explained. “There were clouds of dust on this same road a while ago, while we were still in the plains, as if someone or something was running towards the woods, but there was nothing of visible matter that I could see.”
“Are you sure that your eyes were not deceiving you?” Interrupted Saphanael.
“No. I’m not called -First Scout- without a reason.”
“In any case,” Kon es Kaz trotted in front of the group, “we’d better get a move on: the sun is almost setting and I do not wish to spend the night trying to find a shelter in the darkness of a forest inhabited by elven bandits and other creatures.”
“It’s just a forest!” Murmured Frey with irony “What kind of creature do you think we will find in there? Were-wolves? Dragons? Undeads?! Don’t make me laugh..”
“Me and my smartass mouth...”
Frey was cursing at himself while he stood over the corpse of one of the undeads who had attacked them as soon as they put a foot inside the forest. He bent down, trying to get back as many arrows as he could from the elven skeletal figure.
“We could have met rabbits, deer, maybe some elves, but undeads? I swear to the gods, if we’re going to meet even were-wolves or dragons I’m quitting my career as a Scout to become a fortune-teller..”
The attack wasn’t of big proportions, the forces of the enemy were rather weak, but they succeeded in almost killing the elf who was now trying to rest under one of the trees, helped by the mage and the minotaur.
“The sun is going down quickly.” Kon es Kaz observed as he gave Saphanael another one of his healing potions. “We need to find shelter, otherwise we will completely without a cover.”
“Leave it to me.” Murmured the draconian, pulling out the last intact arrow from the undead below and taking its bow. He then proceeded towards the woods, abandoning the main road.
“Don’t get lost.” He was mocked by the kothain warrior.
“I never get lost.” He answered, not even turning his head.
After less than ten minutes, First Scout Frey was back to where the others were still resting. He waved slightly, accompanying his words with a nod of his head.
“There’s a tree house not too far from here. Looks like who lived in there left it in a hurry but it’s still intact and well furnished just for a night sleep.”
Kon es Kaz gave a hand to Spahanael to bring him back on his legs. Aliranne nodded in the direction of the Sivak , uttering in her calm and collected voice.
“Make way.”
They woke up the next day refreshed and relaxed. They sure were in need of a long night sleep and the tree house was the perfect place for such a thing: still in good conditions but completely hidden from an inexperienced eyesight, it offered the party a perfect cover for the night.
The draconian stretched his arms, yawned, stretched his wings and then started to walk towards the main door of the tree house. Behind him he could hear Aliranne yawning, Kon es Kaz dressing up in his armor, Saphanael drinking another health potion, some kind of other noise that resembles a snoring....
‘...a snoring?’ he thought to himself confused, turning around immediately. At that same time, all the other adventurers seemed to have noticed that strange noise that filled the air and had directed their eyes to were the sound seemed to have an origin: it was Ruru Rovospino, the great kender hero, sleeping nex to Aliranne as if nothing was wrong.
“How in the Abyss was he able to arrive here?!” Kon es Kaz almost shouted in surprise.
“I have no idea... I didn’t even notice him!” the white mage mumbled. “Shall I... wake him up?”
“Of course, he’s one of our group and we can’t simply leave him here.” The minotaur replied.
At Kon’s confirmation, Aliranne shook Ruru by the shoulder a little.
“Ruru? Ruru, wake up..”
“..uh? Oh, hullo!” The kender jumped to his feet, trotting around with all of his energy “G’dday to all of you! Boy if that was a good night sleep! Long time no see, uh? How are y’all?”
“We’re fine, Ruru, thanks for asking.” Kon es Kaz nodded slightly before turning towards the rest of the party. “Now, let us get onto our horses, we have a long journey ahead of us...”
At those words, they all started packing their things and descended the hidden staircase which had brought them to the top of the tree house the evening before. Reaching the bottom, First Scout Frey and Kon es Kaz found their horses waiting for them while Aliranne and Saphanael had to summon theirs using the spells they had learned during their life. It took them no longer than fifteen minutes total and they were right back on track, while the draconian kept scouting the area around them to make sure that no other undeads were going to attack them in the middle of the road.
Suddenly, Kon es Kaz, from the saddle of his horse, murmured:
“We need to go on faster or we’ll never reach Sargasanti in a decent time.”
“So, we’re still going with that plan, uh?” came up Ruru. “But what about me and Saphanael? You can surely bring Aliranne with you as a slave, but we’re going to be dead if someone sees us inside the city!”
“And what am I going to do?” Frey asked. “Babysit the elf and the kender?”
“Of course not, you’re coming with me and Aliranne! You can say that you are a mercenary or something... you know, that kind of stuff you race does.”
The draconian shrugged “Fine for me. But I still don’t get it: why do we have to go there? I mean, I get it it has to do with libraries and stuff, but is it really possible that the minotaurs will let a human slave inside a library just because you said so?”
“I’m the brother of the General, I’m not just a simple soldier there, my merits will be recognized.”
Saphanael’s face shifted to a sickening shade of white.
“Y-you are... the BROTHER of the General who led the attack against the city of SIlvanesti?!?”
Feeling the air of tension, Aliranne was quick to intervene and block the elf right where he was.
“That must mean that you can give us access to the library even in less time that it would require normally, it’s fantastic!” She grinned unconvincingly.
“That’s not the only reason I’m going there.” Kon admitted, slowing down his steed a little. “Before leaving, I discovered this temple hidden in the forest... maybe there is something important about our mission inside of it.”
“And why do you need to go inside the -city- to find this temple in the -forest-?” the elf crossed his arms, not convinced.
“Because... I have no idea where it is, actually. I would be able to remember the road I took from the city, but I have no real knowledge of where it is... aside the fact that it’s near the sea.”
“Ah, yeah, sure, easy to find...” Frey laughed out. “... when the entire south and east boundaries of the forest are surrounded by the sea!”
“I’m not here to argue with you about geography, Frey.”
“It’s FIRST SCOUT-“
“Yeah, yea, as you wish!” Aliranne was getting exasperated “Can we please keep focusing on the mission ahead?!”
“Shall we keep focus on that band of minotaurs too?” The innocent voice of Ruru broke the fight going on. They all stopped bickering and concentrated themselves on the road ahead. The kender wasn’t wrong: in front of them, going luckily in a direction that let it blind of the group, there was a party of minotaurs, probably a scouting group, that was wandering through the ruins of an abandoned city made of houses that were half unified with the trees of the forest.
“We’d better take another way...” Aliranne murmured, starting to lead her magic horse off the road.
The others followed her shortly after, keeping a steady pace along the forest grounds.
“What was that?” Asked Saphanael.
“It sounded like... arrows being shot.” Frey answered. “Probably elven bandits.”
“...and I can see the minotaurs fighting!” Kon es Kaz shouted as he pointed towards three muscular figures with swords unsheathed that were defending themselves against other slender figures. He brought his horse to a gallop “I’m not leaving my comrades to fight alone!”
“Kon wait!!” Aliranne yelled behind him, but it was too late: he had already gone towards the fight.
“I’m not letting him kill any of my kind!!” growled Saphanael, bringing his horse to a gallop too.
“Saphanael, not you too!!” But the words of the mage went unheard for the second time.
“Calm down, Aliranne, they will probably reach them once the fight is already over.” Frey said with nonchalance.
“I’m not worried about that.” Replied the white robe. “I’m concerned about the interaction between the two of them! Come on, First Scout Frey, we have to get them before they do something stupid.”
At that point, even Frey and Aliranne brought their horses to a faster pace.
“But what about me? My legs are short and my backpack weights!” The voice of Ruru was drowned by the noise caused by the hooves of the running steeds. “Oh, yeah, don’t worry about me!” the kender yelled opening his arms widely “I’m just a kender, I can take care of myself! But if you expect me to run behind you without even a pony on which to ride, then I’m going to only catch up with you one year from now!” This being said, his arms fell back onto his side as he started to toddle towards the distant figures of the other. “At least when the equine lady was here I could ride on her back...”
When the kender reached the others, he found a rather peculiar scene: Kon es Kaz and Saphanael were one in front of the other, weapons raised at each other’s throats while beneath them lay the body of a dying minotaur. Frey was standing right next to them while Aliranne was trying to get between the two to break them off. Around them, the corpses of other four minotaurs and five Kagonesti lay on the ground
“I’ve told you one and I’m not telling you again.” Hissed Kon es Kaz, his words sharp. “I’m not letting you kill one of my kind.”
“But you wouldn’t have heisted to kill one of mine.” The elf replied. “It’s only logical for me to put an end to the life of this minotaur.”
“Guys, please, there’s no reason to fight.” Interrupted Aliranne. “Can’t you two just get along and see this not as a minotaur but as a living being? Who are we to decide who dies and who lives?”
At those words, both the minotaur and the antimagus seemed to calm a little bit. The slowly separated themselves from one another, sheathing their weapons. Kon immediately bent down on the wounded and unconscious minotaur. He raised his head towards the draconian.
“First Scout Frey, can you fix him?”
Frey uncrossed his arms and stretched them over his head.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He replied.
As the Sivak was tending to the wounds of the fallen kothian warrior, the other gathered around Kon es Kaz, even Saphanael ever so reluctant. The warrior spoke in his thundering voice.
“This is the plan. I’ll go with First Scout Frey and Aliranne inside the city to bring the wounded to the temple. After such a deed is done, I’ll look for my brother and ask for his help to track back the road to the temple. Once we’re on the road, Aliranne will send Muninn to you two and he will guide you to our position in the forest. Is that clear?”
“Aye, aye, captain...” Saphanael answered with sarcasm.
Kon had the impulse to smack his face with his fist but he was interrupted in his thoughts by the raspy voice of the draconian behind him.
“The minotaurs has been tended to. But he won’t survive unless we reach the city quickly.”
Kon gave the elf a half snarl before turning around sharply, picking up the wounded minotaur and putting him on his horse. The unconscious warrior was already losing a lot of blood.
“Wait, let me give him this...” said Aliranne nearing the furry muscular body of the wounded. She put a necklace with a strange stone at the end of it around his neck and the bleeding seemed to stop. “I don’t know if it’s doing him any good... but in any case, it’s better if we get moving.”
Kon and Frey nodded. The Sivak, just before departing, turned his head towards the elf and the kender.
“Get in one of those barracks if you want to be more protected.”
“Who are you to give us orders?” Asked Saphanael
“It wasn’t an order, just a mere suggestion.”
And so the draconian joined the other three in their journey towards the city of Sargasanti/Silvanesti.
They reached the city in a three ours ride. The soldier seemed to have stabilized, but they were still decided to reach the temple as soon as possible. They proceeded with their horses into the city, aside for Aliranne who had to dispel hers to keep up the act of being a slave. Sargasanti, or as it was known Silvanesti, was a charming city: some elven construction had been kept intact but most of them had been razed to the ground to make space for more spartan abodes, typical of kothian culture. The gardens, on the other hands, were the most flourishing and well tended gardens that one could possibly see in their entire lives: elven gardener tended the flowers, bushes and trees with love and care under the ever watchful eye of the city guards. Frey licked his lips, remembering the sweet taste the meat of a Silvanesti has while melting into the mouth. In front of them all, in a north-east direction, erected itself a giant elven tower on which soared the house emblems of the Kothian Emperor.
But the group was not directed towards the tower. After asking for direction, they found the right way to reach the Temple where they were going to ask for help for the poor minotaur soldier. The temple was majestic in view: with a simple yet efficient rectangular facade, it had two statues on the sides, one with a hugging couple in combat attire and the other a representation of Sargonnas, which gave to the overall look a sophisticated hint. The inside was as rectangular ad the exterior, with a small impluvium in the middle. One of the minotaurs inside the temple, an old looking one with a white robe over his body, neared the group of adventurers almost running towards the wounded warrior.
“Oh, in the name of Sargas, what happened?!”
“A gang of Kagonesti attacked the scouting party near the ruins of an elven settlement. He was the only survivor.” Answered Kon es Kaz.
“Oh my... bring him to my alcove, hurry, hurry!”
The group did as it was instructed and soon the eldest minotaur started taking care of the unconscious soldier.
“He was rather lucky. Without you, he would have probably died.” The old cow murmured. He stopped a moment as he glanced at the necklace with the stone.
“That’s mine.” Uttered Kon es Kaz, almost reading the thoughts of the healer.
“Oh, I’m sorry, here you go..” he took it off the wounded and gave it back to the kothian warrior. He then shot another glance, this time at the lot of them. “But... may I ask you... who you are?”
Kon straightened his back in pride.
“I am Kon es Kaz and these are Aliranne, my slave and interpreter, and Frey, the mercenary.”
“Kon es Kaz?” The eldest blinked “Brother of Kolot es Kaz?”
“Yes indeed.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry for not recognizing you before, my lord!” He bowed in front of the minotaur in deep respect.
“No need to make a scene.. I just wish to know one thing before I leave this temple.”
“You ask your question, I’ll try to give it an answer.” He didn’t stand up from his bowing.
“Where is my brother, right now? I would like to visit him.”
“He’s in the Tower of the Stars, reading, my lord. It’s the biggest tower, you see, you cannot miss it.”
“Why, thank you very much.” He nodded back in respect at the eldest before giving him one hundred steel coins. “A small donation to the temple.”
The healer took the money and regarded the group with a large smile.
“Your donation is very appreciated by the temple and it is sure to be remembered, my lord.”
Kon es Kaz smiled and started walking out of the building, Aliranne and Frey followed him slowly while the words of the eldest minotaur still echoed behind them.
They reached the Tower of the Stars in no time. The giant elven building erected itself over the various rooftops as if it was there to guide them through the darkest of night. It was left untouched, aside for the Emperor’s emblems which were waving above the top, clear sign of his conquest. But what was awaiting the three was not outside, so they quickly passed through the threshold of the entrance and directed themselves towards a flight of stairs which led to the library upstairs.
A pair of golden robed elves passed by, smiling in welcome to the group. As an answer, Frey licked his lips and showed his teeth. Kon es Kaz saw him in the corner of his eyes and was clearly not amused: he stopped in his footing as the two elves got away as quickly as possible from the silver draconian.
“Stop behaving in such a way.” He ordered, his voice like a whisper.
“Why? I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“You are upsetting the slaves and many minotaurs will not receive such a behaviour with clemency.”
“Ok, ok, as you wish..” Frey shrugged.
Kon gave him another harsh look before again proceeding towards the library of the elven tower.
The library was exactly as the elves had left it: all the books were intact and he infrastructures were completely untouched, like the outside of the tower. Bent over a table in the middle of the room, another minotaur in a golden armour with a velvet cape and various war emblems in metal disks attached to both armour and cape stood there, reading something from various parchments and books. Kon es Kaz paced forward before stopping, assuming a more respectful pose and announcing his presence to the other anthropomorphic cow.
“General Kolot es Kaz, your brother Kon es Kaz is here.”
The general stood up from the table. He turned around, looked at the minotaur who had just spoken and then ran towards him, embracing him in the most powerful hug one could ever witness.
“Brother! What a nice surprise, I did not expect to see you here!”
“Long time no see!” Replied Kon as the life was squeezed out of him.
Kolot let go of him shortly after, putting him back down on the floor.
“No, but seriously, you could have written a letter or something! I would have told my servants to prepare you a banquet or anything you would have liked! Oh, by the way, give me a second...” he turned around back towards the libraries. “Come out, I don’t need your protection now, you can return to your normal duties.”
Suddenly, from behind the various rows of full bookshelves at least a dozen of armoured minotaurs appeared , directing themselves toward the stairs and leaving the building.
“It’s my personal body guard, being the general who conquered this city also has its disadvantages... but now, brother, tell me! What are you doing here and...” Kolot made a few steps towards the three. “...who are these two that you are travelling with?”
Kon cleared his throat lightly before answering with a smile.
“They’re Aliranne, my slave and interpreter, and Frey, the mercenary. They are accompanying me during my travels to help me in my adventures.”
“Such peculiar servants you have.” He nodded grinning. “Yet, you still haven’t answered one of my questions: why are you here, exactly?”
“I mostly wanted to visit you, my brother! And I’d love to know more about what happened since I left. How is the family going?”
“Oh, everyone’s filling the name of es Kaz with honour! We’re doing good, doing good. We’re pushing our conquering armies towards the eastern side of the forest and, soon, beyond the ocean, right into Kendermore. What do you think?”
“Oh, I think that...”
The two kept on talking about politics, geography and plans of conquest for at least half an hour. In the meantime, Frey had started drawing down a portrait of the general while Aliranne looked around the books of the library, just to spend some time. Finally, the tone of the conversation changed.
“...but I have to go.” Uttered Kon.
“Go? But where? You just came here!”
“Yes but... there are others who I travel with that are awaiting for me back in the forest and... I don’t want to leave them there for a long time... I also need to reach that Paladine temple I saw near the shore.”
Kolot was confused.
“Other party members? Why didn’t you bring them with you? And why do you need to find that temple?”
“It’s rather... complicated.” The minotaur cringed. “But... why don’t you come with us instead? It’s been a long time and... maybe you remember the road better than I do.”
“Sure thing, brother. I’ll ask the guards to prepare my steed! You go gather yours, we’ll start going as soon as we can.” He started pacing towards the exit before he turned around slightly. “Oh, and where are those other party members of yours going to catch up with us?”
Kon glanced slightly at the crow of the mage.
“Along the way, don’t you worry.”
“Do we have to stay here for a long time?” Ruru asked the sitting Saphanael in a shrill annoying voice.
“I have no idea, Ruru.” He had been answering that same question for the fiftieth time that afternoon, he was starting to grow tired on it. “We only have to wait for the crow of Aliranne to come to us and guide us.”
“Hm-hm” The kender was growing more and more impatient. He had started walking around, scavenging the abandoned huts and houses, but he soon found out that those places hid noting but dust and bones. Not even one butterfly was flying in the ether that day to lighten up the afternoon of a bored out kender. So he started poking Saphanael. At first with just one finger, then with two, until it was the whole hand. Eventually he started doing it with his reaper, but he was stopped by the elven blade of the poor creature that had to endure all that.
“Uff, you’re no fun!” Ruru pouted.
“And you’re annoying as the Abyss.”
“Well, maybe I wouldn’t be if I had something to do instead of sitting here with you with nothing in sight!”
“As I said,” Saphanel continued, calm and collected, “we have to wait for Muninn to show up. If we start wandering around, the crow may not find us and we might never find the rest of the party.”
“Could you really call that a party?” Ruru started drawing on the dirt with the point of one of his throwing knives. Five lines, two big, two medium and one small. “Kon and Aliranne are ok, but that draconian? Heck, I don’t even know WHY he’s still following us.”
“He gave us a hand against the dwarves in the tavern.”
“Yes, but he also could have done that to infiltrate us!”
“...are you seriously suggesting that or are you just messing with me again?” Saphanael raised one eyebrow.
“No, think about it! He doesn’t even want to give us a reason!” the kender insisted.
“Maybe he doesn’t have one and simply wants to help.”
“He’s a draconian!”
“And you’re a kender.”
Ruru blinked.
“What does it have to do with anything?”
“Exaclty... he may simply have nothing better to do. “
“And what about you, uh?” The point of his knife stopped over one of the two medium sized lines “What’s your reason for keeping it up with us?”
“I took a vow.” He answered solemnly.
“And I took a piss a few minutes ago, but I still cannot understand.”
Saphanael shook his head and stood up from the ground. He dusted his trousers and looked at the sky.
“It’s normal you don’t understand, kenders are usually afraid of commitment... oh, would you look at that!”
In the clear blue sky, approaching the two, a small black dot was flying steadily.
“Get on my horse, Ruru.” The elf uttered. “Muninn has come.”
“So you told your crow to go and fetch the others?” Kolot seemed impressed. “Kon, your servants are rather diligent on their part!”
“Yeah, yeah, they are..” He murmured in answer.
Kon was the head of the line. On his horse, Aliranne rode with him. Kolot was right behind them while Frey followed them all from behind.
“What’s the matter?” The golden minotaur asked. “You sound rather... distant.”
Kon sighed. “I’m just.. thinking.”
“Whatcha thinking about, then?” the general insisted.
“Maybe he’s thinking about how to tell him that one of the party members we’re waiting for is an elf while the other is a kender..” Frey murmured to himself.
Kolot’s horse trotted nearer.
“Come on Kon. You still haven’t told me who these other party members of yours are.”
Kon was rather ashamed to even say a word. Abruptly, Frey snarled at the row, squawking out.
“Aw, come on, just tell him already than one of the party members is an elf!”
The general almost fell from his horse.
“Kon... you... you travel with an elf?”
“..and a kender too.” He added under his breath.
The voice of Kolot was hard and cold.
“Unbeliavable... of all the minotaurs I know... blood of my blood..”
“Can we please avoid this topic?” Kon lowered his head but trotted on. “I do not wish to spend the rest of the journey in a petty argum-” He stopped. The minitaur looked around, eyes lost in the forest, seeing something that the others could not.
“Kon? Why did you stop?” Aliranne poked his shoulder.
“You mean you can’t see them?”
“See what?” Came Kolot.
“The butterflies, they’re showing us the way..” Kon changed the direction of his horse, venturing way more inside the forest.
Kolot followed him, confused yet intrigued.
Frey stood behind for a moment.
“Am I the only one wondering about that cow with legs mental sanity? Am I? I mean, he’s saying that he can see butterflies others can’t see, maybe there’s something going on in his brain!”
But the others were already almost gone completely through the woods.
“Oh, screw it.” He murmured under his breath, bringing his horse to a gallop and catching up with the other right where the woodlands gave space to the plains which then later transformed into the shore of the sea.
“There is no wildlife here.” Observed Frey. “That’s rather innatural.”
“Maybe it was the kender who scared away all of it.” “I did noooot!”
Two voices came from behind the group, followed by the cawing of a crow. A few instant later, Saphanael and Ruru, both on the same horse, had reached the rest of the party, now with the new addition of Kolot es Kaz. The general did not look at the two but limited himself at staring with disapproval at Kon es Kaz while Saphanael too tried to ignore the golden minotaur.
Aliranne dismounted, followed shortly after by all of the others.
“Where now, Kon?”
The minotaur observed the shore and the cliff that gave way to it.
“I think it was on the cliff, but I’m not sure...” He started walking towards it, examining every single inch of the surface. “...oh!”
“ ‘Oh’?” echoed Kolot.
“There’s something here..” He kneeled down, testing the ground. “..yes, there’s definitively an entrance here, some kind of hatch..”
In a few moments, the hatch was opened and it revealed a staircase going towards the bottom of the cliff into the ground, into the darkness.
“Aliranne, light up my sword for me, will you?” Kon asked the white mage which quietly obliged.
Using the sword as a torch, Kon es Kaz guided the others down the staircase. At certain points, from the walls of bare dirt, small dancing lights appeared in front of them, shedding some light over the steps they were traversing and showing them the bottom floor. Keeping their weapons at the ready, the six adventurers reached the lowest point of the staircase which disappeared into a layer of well-trod soil. In front of them rose a big wall made of stone, carved in the shape of a door.
“Kon, can you move the sword a little bit on the left?” Asked Aliranne “There’s something written over there..”
Kon obliged and the carvings on the door were radically clearer.
“..There are five hands in the middle and four words above them all.” Murmured Ruru.
“What do they say?” Asked the kothian general.
“Faith, strength, willpower and...” Frey Squinted his eyes. “S... S-A... something that begins with ‘s’ and ends with ‘a’ for sure... but I’ve never seen such a language before.”
“Me either.” Uttered the mage.
“Well now, what are we waiting?” Kon es kaz neared the carved hands, fitting his one inside the biggest of the all. “Let’s open it.”
“Are you sure about it?” The white robe was rather skeptic.
“Come on guys!” Even Ruru approached the door and put his hand, this time in the smallest alcove.
Saphanael and Aliranne tried the other three until they found the one that best engulfed the palm of their hands. One last hand mould stood empty.
“Frey, we’re waiting for you.” Kon growled.
“Ya kidding? Look at it, it’s too little for my hands!” The draconian protested. “Also, I’m just travelling with you and I had no part in all of your Chaos-on-Krynn thing! If anything, I would say that golden cow-with-legs here may have more chances at being the one needed to open that door than me.”
Kon turned around, his eyes glaring at the Sivak.
“I won’t tell you again, put your hand in the mould NOW!!”
Frey, intimidated by the minotaur, immediately went to put his hand over the cold stone. As he approached the surface, vines from the ceiling fell down over it, covering it, transforming it, making it bigger: big enough to almost embraced the whole hand of the draconian. As soon as his scaly hand was on the door, that same stone surface started to shift. Opening in front of the group there was a long corridor with columns made of marble and wood on the sides. As soon as the first one of them put a foot inside, the columns lighted up, a magic light shining brightly above them. The corridor was completely empty and it didn’t lead anywhere, but the most peculiar thing was another one: on the left side there was no stone wall. Instead of solid stone, a sort of invisible barrier separated the inside of the tunnel from the sea floor. Looking through it, the group could see school of fishes swimming through, the light being reflected by the waves above and the seaweed dancing along the marine currents.
“Hey look! It moves!” Ruru was touching the barrier and all the other five present could clearly see how, by doing so, the kender was slowly pushing away said barrier, as if it was made of cloth or leather.
“Would you look at that...” the Sivak started imitating the kender. “When you push hard enough there some sort of change in temperature going on... as if the water was going to freeze...”
“Why don’t we try what we did back at the entrance?” Aliranne suggested, starting to push the barrier herself. Saphanael and Kon es Kaz joined her shortly after.
As soon as all of the hands were touching the barrier, the water behind it froze. In the crystallized glass, now, five different figures were starting to appear: the first one, five humanoid creatures under the symbols of all the gods of Krynn; the second, a sphere surrounded by shards; the third one, a crooked humanoid figure with some of the shards in their hands; the fourth one, a humanoid figure with a dragon twisting around them; the fifth one, a dragon roaring flames into the sky.
Frey immediately took off his hand and started to draw down all of the five drawings.
“What do they mean?” Asked Kolot, reaching his brother.
“I have no idea, but we’ll have to find ou-”
CRACK
An ominous sound filled the air. All six adventurer turned around to look at what the cause was. Where the stone wall on the right once stood, now a big crack had formed. From it, four creature started to slip out, like the sins crawling on your back during midnight. At that moment, they all knew that they were going to have to fight them.
“Mainaggioia.” - draconian word for “I’m too tired for this shit.”
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They kept following the road steadily until they reached the point where the Plain of Dust disappeared under the thick foliage of the trees that were part of the firs boundaries which described the entire span of the forest of Silvanesti. The road was swallowed by the trees, sucked in by the relative darkness of the woodland.
“I suggest you to be careful.” Suddenly, First Scout Frey bolted out.
“Why so?” Asked Aliranne, turning the horse she had summoned a few hours before towards him. “Have you seen anything of notice?”
“It’s more of what I haven’t seen that bothers me.” The draconian explained. “There were clouds of dust on this same road a while ago, while we were still in the plains, as if someone or something was running towards the woods, but there was nothing of visible matter that I could see.”
“Are you sure that your eyes were not deceiving you?” Interrupted Saphanael.
“No. I’m not called -First Scout- without a reason.”
“In any case,” Kon es Kaz trotted in front of the group, “we’d better get a move on: the sun is almost setting and I do not wish to spend the night trying to find a shelter in the darkness of a forest inhabited by elven bandits and other creatures.”
“It’s just a forest!” Murmured Frey with irony “What kind of creature do you think we will find in there? Were-wolves? Dragons? Undeads?! Don’t make me laugh..”
“Me and my smartass mouth...”
Frey was cursing at himself while he stood over the corpse of one of the undeads who had attacked them as soon as they put a foot inside the forest. He bent down, trying to get back as many arrows as he could from the elven skeletal figure.
“We could have met rabbits, deer, maybe some elves, but undeads? I swear to the gods, if we’re going to meet even were-wolves or dragons I’m quitting my career as a Scout to become a fortune-teller..”
The attack wasn’t of big proportions, the forces of the enemy were rather weak, but they succeeded in almost killing the elf who was now trying to rest under one of the trees, helped by the mage and the minotaur.
“The sun is going down quickly.” Kon es Kaz observed as he gave Saphanael another one of his healing potions. “We need to find shelter, otherwise we will completely without a cover.”
“Leave it to me.” Murmured the draconian, pulling out the last intact arrow from the undead below and taking its bow. He then proceeded towards the woods, abandoning the main road.
“Don’t get lost.” He was mocked by the kothain warrior.
“I never get lost.” He answered, not even turning his head.
After less than ten minutes, First Scout Frey was back to where the others were still resting. He waved slightly, accompanying his words with a nod of his head.
“There’s a tree house not too far from here. Looks like who lived in there left it in a hurry but it’s still intact and well furnished just for a night sleep.”
Kon es Kaz gave a hand to Spahanael to bring him back on his legs. Aliranne nodded in the direction of the Sivak , uttering in her calm and collected voice.
“Make way.”
They woke up the next day refreshed and relaxed. They sure were in need of a long night sleep and the tree house was the perfect place for such a thing: still in good conditions but completely hidden from an inexperienced eyesight, it offered the party a perfect cover for the night.
The draconian stretched his arms, yawned, stretched his wings and then started to walk towards the main door of the tree house. Behind him he could hear Aliranne yawning, Kon es Kaz dressing up in his armor, Saphanael drinking another health potion, some kind of other noise that resembles a snoring....
‘...a snoring?’ he thought to himself confused, turning around immediately. At that same time, all the other adventurers seemed to have noticed that strange noise that filled the air and had directed their eyes to were the sound seemed to have an origin: it was Ruru Rovospino, the great kender hero, sleeping nex to Aliranne as if nothing was wrong.
“How in the Abyss was he able to arrive here?!” Kon es Kaz almost shouted in surprise.
“I have no idea... I didn’t even notice him!” the white mage mumbled. “Shall I... wake him up?”
“Of course, he’s one of our group and we can’t simply leave him here.” The minotaur replied.
At Kon’s confirmation, Aliranne shook Ruru by the shoulder a little.
“Ruru? Ruru, wake up..”
“..uh? Oh, hullo!” The kender jumped to his feet, trotting around with all of his energy “G’dday to all of you! Boy if that was a good night sleep! Long time no see, uh? How are y’all?”
“We’re fine, Ruru, thanks for asking.” Kon es Kaz nodded slightly before turning towards the rest of the party. “Now, let us get onto our horses, we have a long journey ahead of us...”
At those words, they all started packing their things and descended the hidden staircase which had brought them to the top of the tree house the evening before. Reaching the bottom, First Scout Frey and Kon es Kaz found their horses waiting for them while Aliranne and Saphanael had to summon theirs using the spells they had learned during their life. It took them no longer than fifteen minutes total and they were right back on track, while the draconian kept scouting the area around them to make sure that no other undeads were going to attack them in the middle of the road.
Suddenly, Kon es Kaz, from the saddle of his horse, murmured:
“We need to go on faster or we’ll never reach Sargasanti in a decent time.”
“So, we’re still going with that plan, uh?” came up Ruru. “But what about me and Saphanael? You can surely bring Aliranne with you as a slave, but we’re going to be dead if someone sees us inside the city!”
“And what am I going to do?” Frey asked. “Babysit the elf and the kender?”
“Of course not, you’re coming with me and Aliranne! You can say that you are a mercenary or something... you know, that kind of stuff you race does.”
The draconian shrugged “Fine for me. But I still don’t get it: why do we have to go there? I mean, I get it it has to do with libraries and stuff, but is it really possible that the minotaurs will let a human slave inside a library just because you said so?”
“I’m the brother of the General, I’m not just a simple soldier there, my merits will be recognized.”
Saphanael’s face shifted to a sickening shade of white.
“Y-you are... the BROTHER of the General who led the attack against the city of SIlvanesti?!?”
Feeling the air of tension, Aliranne was quick to intervene and block the elf right where he was.
“That must mean that you can give us access to the library even in less time that it would require normally, it’s fantastic!” She grinned unconvincingly.
“That’s not the only reason I’m going there.” Kon admitted, slowing down his steed a little. “Before leaving, I discovered this temple hidden in the forest... maybe there is something important about our mission inside of it.”
“And why do you need to go inside the -city- to find this temple in the -forest-?” the elf crossed his arms, not convinced.
“Because... I have no idea where it is, actually. I would be able to remember the road I took from the city, but I have no real knowledge of where it is... aside the fact that it’s near the sea.”
“Ah, yeah, sure, easy to find...” Frey laughed out. “... when the entire south and east boundaries of the forest are surrounded by the sea!”
“I’m not here to argue with you about geography, Frey.”
“It’s FIRST SCOUT-“
“Yeah, yea, as you wish!” Aliranne was getting exasperated “Can we please keep focusing on the mission ahead?!”
“Shall we keep focus on that band of minotaurs too?” The innocent voice of Ruru broke the fight going on. They all stopped bickering and concentrated themselves on the road ahead. The kender wasn’t wrong: in front of them, going luckily in a direction that let it blind of the group, there was a party of minotaurs, probably a scouting group, that was wandering through the ruins of an abandoned city made of houses that were half unified with the trees of the forest.
“We’d better take another way...” Aliranne murmured, starting to lead her magic horse off the road.
The others followed her shortly after, keeping a steady pace along the forest grounds.
“What was that?” Asked Saphanael.
“It sounded like... arrows being shot.” Frey answered. “Probably elven bandits.”
“...and I can see the minotaurs fighting!” Kon es Kaz shouted as he pointed towards three muscular figures with swords unsheathed that were defending themselves against other slender figures. He brought his horse to a gallop “I’m not leaving my comrades to fight alone!”
“Kon wait!!” Aliranne yelled behind him, but it was too late: he had already gone towards the fight.
“I’m not letting him kill any of my kind!!” growled Saphanael, bringing his horse to a gallop too.
“Saphanael, not you too!!” But the words of the mage went unheard for the second time.
“Calm down, Aliranne, they will probably reach them once the fight is already over.” Frey said with nonchalance.
“I’m not worried about that.” Replied the white robe. “I’m concerned about the interaction between the two of them! Come on, First Scout Frey, we have to get them before they do something stupid.”
At that point, even Frey and Aliranne brought their horses to a faster pace.
“But what about me? My legs are short and my backpack weights!” The voice of Ruru was drowned by the noise caused by the hooves of the running steeds. “Oh, yeah, don’t worry about me!” the kender yelled opening his arms widely “I’m just a kender, I can take care of myself! But if you expect me to run behind you without even a pony on which to ride, then I’m going to only catch up with you one year from now!” This being said, his arms fell back onto his side as he started to toddle towards the distant figures of the other. “At least when the equine lady was here I could ride on her back...”
When the kender reached the others, he found a rather peculiar scene: Kon es Kaz and Saphanael were one in front of the other, weapons raised at each other’s throats while beneath them lay the body of a dying minotaur. Frey was standing right next to them while Aliranne was trying to get between the two to break them off. Around them, the corpses of other four minotaurs and five Kagonesti lay on the ground
“I’ve told you one and I’m not telling you again.” Hissed Kon es Kaz, his words sharp. “I’m not letting you kill one of my kind.”
“But you wouldn’t have heisted to kill one of mine.” The elf replied. “It’s only logical for me to put an end to the life of this minotaur.”
“Guys, please, there’s no reason to fight.” Interrupted Aliranne. “Can’t you two just get along and see this not as a minotaur but as a living being? Who are we to decide who dies and who lives?”
At those words, both the minotaur and the antimagus seemed to calm a little bit. The slowly separated themselves from one another, sheathing their weapons. Kon immediately bent down on the wounded and unconscious minotaur. He raised his head towards the draconian.
“First Scout Frey, can you fix him?”
Frey uncrossed his arms and stretched them over his head.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He replied.
As the Sivak was tending to the wounds of the fallen kothian warrior, the other gathered around Kon es Kaz, even Saphanael ever so reluctant. The warrior spoke in his thundering voice.
“This is the plan. I’ll go with First Scout Frey and Aliranne inside the city to bring the wounded to the temple. After such a deed is done, I’ll look for my brother and ask for his help to track back the road to the temple. Once we’re on the road, Aliranne will send Muninn to you two and he will guide you to our position in the forest. Is that clear?”
“Aye, aye, captain...” Saphanael answered with sarcasm.
Kon had the impulse to smack his face with his fist but he was interrupted in his thoughts by the raspy voice of the draconian behind him.
“The minotaurs has been tended to. But he won’t survive unless we reach the city quickly.”
Kon gave the elf a half snarl before turning around sharply, picking up the wounded minotaur and putting him on his horse. The unconscious warrior was already losing a lot of blood.
“Wait, let me give him this...” said Aliranne nearing the furry muscular body of the wounded. She put a necklace with a strange stone at the end of it around his neck and the bleeding seemed to stop. “I don’t know if it’s doing him any good... but in any case, it’s better if we get moving.”
Kon and Frey nodded. The Sivak, just before departing, turned his head towards the elf and the kender.
“Get in one of those barracks if you want to be more protected.”
“Who are you to give us orders?” Asked Saphanael
“It wasn’t an order, just a mere suggestion.”
And so the draconian joined the other three in their journey towards the city of Sargasanti/Silvanesti.
They reached the city in a three ours ride. The soldier seemed to have stabilized, but they were still decided to reach the temple as soon as possible. They proceeded with their horses into the city, aside for Aliranne who had to dispel hers to keep up the act of being a slave. Sargasanti, or as it was known Silvanesti, was a charming city: some elven construction had been kept intact but most of them had been razed to the ground to make space for more spartan abodes, typical of kothian culture. The gardens, on the other hands, were the most flourishing and well tended gardens that one could possibly see in their entire lives: elven gardener tended the flowers, bushes and trees with love and care under the ever watchful eye of the city guards. Frey licked his lips, remembering the sweet taste the meat of a Silvanesti has while melting into the mouth. In front of them all, in a north-east direction, erected itself a giant elven tower on which soared the house emblems of the Kothian Emperor.
But the group was not directed towards the tower. After asking for direction, they found the right way to reach the Temple where they were going to ask for help for the poor minotaur soldier. The temple was majestic in view: with a simple yet efficient rectangular facade, it had two statues on the sides, one with a hugging couple in combat attire and the other a representation of Sargonnas, which gave to the overall look a sophisticated hint. The inside was as rectangular ad the exterior, with a small impluvium in the middle. One of the minotaurs inside the temple, an old looking one with a white robe over his body, neared the group of adventurers almost running towards the wounded warrior.
“Oh, in the name of Sargas, what happened?!”
“A gang of Kagonesti attacked the scouting party near the ruins of an elven settlement. He was the only survivor.” Answered Kon es Kaz.
“Oh my... bring him to my alcove, hurry, hurry!”
The group did as it was instructed and soon the eldest minotaur started taking care of the unconscious soldier.
“He was rather lucky. Without you, he would have probably died.” The old cow murmured. He stopped a moment as he glanced at the necklace with the stone.
“That’s mine.” Uttered Kon es Kaz, almost reading the thoughts of the healer.
“Oh, I’m sorry, here you go..” he took it off the wounded and gave it back to the kothian warrior. He then shot another glance, this time at the lot of them. “But... may I ask you... who you are?”
Kon straightened his back in pride.
“I am Kon es Kaz and these are Aliranne, my slave and interpreter, and Frey, the mercenary.”
“Kon es Kaz?” The eldest blinked “Brother of Kolot es Kaz?”
“Yes indeed.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry for not recognizing you before, my lord!” He bowed in front of the minotaur in deep respect.
“No need to make a scene.. I just wish to know one thing before I leave this temple.”
“You ask your question, I’ll try to give it an answer.” He didn’t stand up from his bowing.
“Where is my brother, right now? I would like to visit him.”
“He’s in the Tower of the Stars, reading, my lord. It’s the biggest tower, you see, you cannot miss it.”
“Why, thank you very much.” He nodded back in respect at the eldest before giving him one hundred steel coins. “A small donation to the temple.”
The healer took the money and regarded the group with a large smile.
“Your donation is very appreciated by the temple and it is sure to be remembered, my lord.”
Kon es Kaz smiled and started walking out of the building, Aliranne and Frey followed him slowly while the words of the eldest minotaur still echoed behind them.
They reached the Tower of the Stars in no time. The giant elven building erected itself over the various rooftops as if it was there to guide them through the darkest of night. It was left untouched, aside for the Emperor’s emblems which were waving above the top, clear sign of his conquest. But what was awaiting the three was not outside, so they quickly passed through the threshold of the entrance and directed themselves towards a flight of stairs which led to the library upstairs.
A pair of golden robed elves passed by, smiling in welcome to the group. As an answer, Frey licked his lips and showed his teeth. Kon es Kaz saw him in the corner of his eyes and was clearly not amused: he stopped in his footing as the two elves got away as quickly as possible from the silver draconian.
“Stop behaving in such a way.” He ordered, his voice like a whisper.
“Why? I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“You are upsetting the slaves and many minotaurs will not receive such a behaviour with clemency.”
“Ok, ok, as you wish..” Frey shrugged.
Kon gave him another harsh look before again proceeding towards the library of the elven tower.
The library was exactly as the elves had left it: all the books were intact and he infrastructures were completely untouched, like the outside of the tower. Bent over a table in the middle of the room, another minotaur in a golden armour with a velvet cape and various war emblems in metal disks attached to both armour and cape stood there, reading something from various parchments and books. Kon es Kaz paced forward before stopping, assuming a more respectful pose and announcing his presence to the other anthropomorphic cow.
“General Kolot es Kaz, your brother Kon es Kaz is here.”
The general stood up from the table. He turned around, looked at the minotaur who had just spoken and then ran towards him, embracing him in the most powerful hug one could ever witness.
“Brother! What a nice surprise, I did not expect to see you here!”
“Long time no see!” Replied Kon as the life was squeezed out of him.
Kolot let go of him shortly after, putting him back down on the floor.
“No, but seriously, you could have written a letter or something! I would have told my servants to prepare you a banquet or anything you would have liked! Oh, by the way, give me a second...” he turned around back towards the libraries. “Come out, I don’t need your protection now, you can return to your normal duties.”
Suddenly, from behind the various rows of full bookshelves at least a dozen of armoured minotaurs appeared , directing themselves toward the stairs and leaving the building.
“It’s my personal body guard, being the general who conquered this city also has its disadvantages... but now, brother, tell me! What are you doing here and...” Kolot made a few steps towards the three. “...who are these two that you are travelling with?”
Kon cleared his throat lightly before answering with a smile.
“They’re Aliranne, my slave and interpreter, and Frey, the mercenary. They are accompanying me during my travels to help me in my adventures.”
“Such peculiar servants you have.” He nodded grinning. “Yet, you still haven’t answered one of my questions: why are you here, exactly?”
“I mostly wanted to visit you, my brother! And I’d love to know more about what happened since I left. How is the family going?”
“Oh, everyone’s filling the name of es Kaz with honour! We’re doing good, doing good. We’re pushing our conquering armies towards the eastern side of the forest and, soon, beyond the ocean, right into Kendermore. What do you think?”
“Oh, I think that...”
The two kept on talking about politics, geography and plans of conquest for at least half an hour. In the meantime, Frey had started drawing down a portrait of the general while Aliranne looked around the books of the library, just to spend some time. Finally, the tone of the conversation changed.
“...but I have to go.” Uttered Kon.
“Go? But where? You just came here!”
“Yes but... there are others who I travel with that are awaiting for me back in the forest and... I don’t want to leave them there for a long time... I also need to reach that Paladine temple I saw near the shore.”
Kolot was confused.
“Other party members? Why didn’t you bring them with you? And why do you need to find that temple?”
“It’s rather... complicated.” The minotaur cringed. “But... why don’t you come with us instead? It’s been a long time and... maybe you remember the road better than I do.”
“Sure thing, brother. I’ll ask the guards to prepare my steed! You go gather yours, we’ll start going as soon as we can.” He started pacing towards the exit before he turned around slightly. “Oh, and where are those other party members of yours going to catch up with us?”
Kon glanced slightly at the crow of the mage.
“Along the way, don’t you worry.”
“Do we have to stay here for a long time?” Ruru asked the sitting Saphanael in a shrill annoying voice.
“I have no idea, Ruru.” He had been answering that same question for the fiftieth time that afternoon, he was starting to grow tired on it. “We only have to wait for the crow of Aliranne to come to us and guide us.”
“Hm-hm” The kender was growing more and more impatient. He had started walking around, scavenging the abandoned huts and houses, but he soon found out that those places hid noting but dust and bones. Not even one butterfly was flying in the ether that day to lighten up the afternoon of a bored out kender. So he started poking Saphanael. At first with just one finger, then with two, until it was the whole hand. Eventually he started doing it with his reaper, but he was stopped by the elven blade of the poor creature that had to endure all that.
“Uff, you’re no fun!” Ruru pouted.
“And you’re annoying as the Abyss.”
“Well, maybe I wouldn’t be if I had something to do instead of sitting here with you with nothing in sight!”
“As I said,” Saphanel continued, calm and collected, “we have to wait for Muninn to show up. If we start wandering around, the crow may not find us and we might never find the rest of the party.”
“Could you really call that a party?” Ruru started drawing on the dirt with the point of one of his throwing knives. Five lines, two big, two medium and one small. “Kon and Aliranne are ok, but that draconian? Heck, I don’t even know WHY he’s still following us.”
“He gave us a hand against the dwarves in the tavern.”
“Yes, but he also could have done that to infiltrate us!”
“...are you seriously suggesting that or are you just messing with me again?” Saphanael raised one eyebrow.
“No, think about it! He doesn’t even want to give us a reason!” the kender insisted.
“Maybe he doesn’t have one and simply wants to help.”
“He’s a draconian!”
“And you’re a kender.”
Ruru blinked.
“What does it have to do with anything?”
“Exaclty... he may simply have nothing better to do. “
“And what about you, uh?” The point of his knife stopped over one of the two medium sized lines “What’s your reason for keeping it up with us?”
“I took a vow.” He answered solemnly.
“And I took a piss a few minutes ago, but I still cannot understand.”
Saphanael shook his head and stood up from the ground. He dusted his trousers and looked at the sky.
“It’s normal you don’t understand, kenders are usually afraid of commitment... oh, would you look at that!”
In the clear blue sky, approaching the two, a small black dot was flying steadily.
“Get on my horse, Ruru.” The elf uttered. “Muninn has come.”
“So you told your crow to go and fetch the others?” Kolot seemed impressed. “Kon, your servants are rather diligent on their part!”
“Yeah, yeah, they are..” He murmured in answer.
Kon was the head of the line. On his horse, Aliranne rode with him. Kolot was right behind them while Frey followed them all from behind.
“What’s the matter?” The golden minotaur asked. “You sound rather... distant.”
Kon sighed. “I’m just.. thinking.”
“Whatcha thinking about, then?” the general insisted.
“Maybe he’s thinking about how to tell him that one of the party members we’re waiting for is an elf while the other is a kender..” Frey murmured to himself.
Kolot’s horse trotted nearer.
“Come on Kon. You still haven’t told me who these other party members of yours are.”
Kon was rather ashamed to even say a word. Abruptly, Frey snarled at the row, squawking out.
“Aw, come on, just tell him already than one of the party members is an elf!”
The general almost fell from his horse.
“Kon... you... you travel with an elf?”
“..and a kender too.” He added under his breath.
The voice of Kolot was hard and cold.
“Unbeliavable... of all the minotaurs I know... blood of my blood..”
“Can we please avoid this topic?” Kon lowered his head but trotted on. “I do not wish to spend the rest of the journey in a petty argum-” He stopped. The minitaur looked around, eyes lost in the forest, seeing something that the others could not.
“Kon? Why did you stop?” Aliranne poked his shoulder.
“You mean you can’t see them?”
“See what?” Came Kolot.
“The butterflies, they’re showing us the way..” Kon changed the direction of his horse, venturing way more inside the forest.
Kolot followed him, confused yet intrigued.
Frey stood behind for a moment.
“Am I the only one wondering about that cow with legs mental sanity? Am I? I mean, he’s saying that he can see butterflies others can’t see, maybe there’s something going on in his brain!”
But the others were already almost gone completely through the woods.
“Oh, screw it.” He murmured under his breath, bringing his horse to a gallop and catching up with the other right where the woodlands gave space to the plains which then later transformed into the shore of the sea.
“There is no wildlife here.” Observed Frey. “That’s rather innatural.”
“Maybe it was the kender who scared away all of it.” “I did noooot!”
Two voices came from behind the group, followed by the cawing of a crow. A few instant later, Saphanael and Ruru, both on the same horse, had reached the rest of the party, now with the new addition of Kolot es Kaz. The general did not look at the two but limited himself at staring with disapproval at Kon es Kaz while Saphanael too tried to ignore the golden minotaur.
Aliranne dismounted, followed shortly after by all of the others.
“Where now, Kon?”
The minotaur observed the shore and the cliff that gave way to it.
“I think it was on the cliff, but I’m not sure...” He started walking towards it, examining every single inch of the surface. “...oh!”
“ ‘Oh’?” echoed Kolot.
“There’s something here..” He kneeled down, testing the ground. “..yes, there’s definitively an entrance here, some kind of hatch..”
In a few moments, the hatch was opened and it revealed a staircase going towards the bottom of the cliff into the ground, into the darkness.
“Aliranne, light up my sword for me, will you?” Kon asked the white mage which quietly obliged.
Using the sword as a torch, Kon es Kaz guided the others down the staircase. At certain points, from the walls of bare dirt, small dancing lights appeared in front of them, shedding some light over the steps they were traversing and showing them the bottom floor. Keeping their weapons at the ready, the six adventurers reached the lowest point of the staircase which disappeared into a layer of well-trod soil. In front of them rose a big wall made of stone, carved in the shape of a door.
“Kon, can you move the sword a little bit on the left?” Asked Aliranne “There’s something written over there..”
Kon obliged and the carvings on the door were radically clearer.
“..There are five hands in the middle and four words above them all.” Murmured Ruru.
“What do they say?” Asked the kothian general.
“Faith, strength, willpower and...” Frey Squinted his eyes. “S... S-A... something that begins with ‘s’ and ends with ‘a’ for sure... but I’ve never seen such a language before.”
“Me either.” Uttered the mage.
“Well now, what are we waiting?” Kon es kaz neared the carved hands, fitting his one inside the biggest of the all. “Let’s open it.”
“Are you sure about it?” The white robe was rather skeptic.
“Come on guys!” Even Ruru approached the door and put his hand, this time in the smallest alcove.
Saphanael and Aliranne tried the other three until they found the one that best engulfed the palm of their hands. One last hand mould stood empty.
“Frey, we’re waiting for you.” Kon growled.
“Ya kidding? Look at it, it’s too little for my hands!” The draconian protested. “Also, I’m just travelling with you and I had no part in all of your Chaos-on-Krynn thing! If anything, I would say that golden cow-with-legs here may have more chances at being the one needed to open that door than me.”
Kon turned around, his eyes glaring at the Sivak.
“I won’t tell you again, put your hand in the mould NOW!!”
Frey, intimidated by the minotaur, immediately went to put his hand over the cold stone. As he approached the surface, vines from the ceiling fell down over it, covering it, transforming it, making it bigger: big enough to almost embraced the whole hand of the draconian. As soon as his scaly hand was on the door, that same stone surface started to shift. Opening in front of the group there was a long corridor with columns made of marble and wood on the sides. As soon as the first one of them put a foot inside, the columns lighted up, a magic light shining brightly above them. The corridor was completely empty and it didn’t lead anywhere, but the most peculiar thing was another one: on the left side there was no stone wall. Instead of solid stone, a sort of invisible barrier separated the inside of the tunnel from the sea floor. Looking through it, the group could see school of fishes swimming through, the light being reflected by the waves above and the seaweed dancing along the marine currents.
“Hey look! It moves!” Ruru was touching the barrier and all the other five present could clearly see how, by doing so, the kender was slowly pushing away said barrier, as if it was made of cloth or leather.
“Would you look at that...” the Sivak started imitating the kender. “When you push hard enough there some sort of change in temperature going on... as if the water was going to freeze...”
“Why don’t we try what we did back at the entrance?” Aliranne suggested, starting to push the barrier herself. Saphanael and Kon es Kaz joined her shortly after.
As soon as all of the hands were touching the barrier, the water behind it froze. In the crystallized glass, now, five different figures were starting to appear: the first one, five humanoid creatures under the symbols of all the gods of Krynn; the second, a sphere surrounded by shards; the third one, a crooked humanoid figure with some of the shards in their hands; the fourth one, a humanoid figure with a dragon twisting around them; the fifth one, a dragon roaring flames into the sky.
Frey immediately took off his hand and started to draw down all of the five drawings.
“What do they mean?” Asked Kolot, reaching his brother.
“I have no idea, but we’ll have to find ou-”
CRACK
An ominous sound filled the air. All six adventurer turned around to look at what the cause was. Where the stone wall on the right once stood, now a big crack had formed. From it, four creature started to slip out, like the sins crawling on your back during midnight. At that moment, they all knew that they were going to have to fight them.
“Mainaggioia.” - draconian word for “I’m too tired for this shit.”
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Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1280 x 709px
File Size 1.52 MB
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