GoCorral

Chapter 8 – Second Tries

The quartet of adventurers looked down from the hillside at the shell structure once more. It remained as it had before, silent, imposing, and devoid of any external guards. The structure’s blue spindle loomed over the valley like an accusatory finger.

Before the structure lay the battlefield. The bodies of the slain lingered where they had fallen. Dozens of strong warriors that had fought alongside Blendegad, Tereman, Galandir, and Stenvall. Their weapons and armor sat beside them. Left in the dirt, not even worthy of claiming as an honorable prize by their foes. Wolves and crows gnawed on the abandoned corpses.

The group prepared for battle. They strapped on the pieces of armor they had carried in their packs. The group had a few new pieces from the Shalerton villagers. Stenvall had an old but reliable spear. It was a sturdy piece of ash with an iron head nailed in place. The counterweight was a solid stone held on by well-wound waxed twine. Despite the crude nature, the rock was balanced keenly against the spear head. Stenvall and Tereman also received wooden round shields from the Shalerton residents. After affixing their armor and readying their equipment the group stared at the field of bodies before them.

Galandir said, “My friend, Godrick lies down there. You know what he would say about so many people dead?”

Tereman asked, “What?”

“We’ll get more of the reward if its only split four ways.” Galandir gave a slight smile.

Blendegad chuckled. Stenvall joined and soon the four of them were laughing. The black comedy of death helped steel their courage against their coming challenge.

They left their packs at the top of the hill and walked down to the same place they had failed before.

Blendegad sniffed the wind. The blood from the bodies was still all around. The ground absorbed the life’s liquid and the corpses were rotting in the sun. The stench of iron and filth rolled around in his mouth.

The animals eating the bodies captured Blendegad’s interest. The life force of all these mortals was wasted on the ground, but the animals… He signaled for the group to stop.

Blendegad said, “Galandir, could you use your pull spell on the animals to prevent them from running off.”

“Some of them, yes. Why?”

“Just do it.”

Blendegad crouched down and slowly approached the wolves and crows on his own. The other three shrugged and followed in the same fashion.

The wolves ears perked up. They’d heard the group. Their heads swiveled to stare at the new appearance on their buffet. Were the newcomers friend, foe, food, or nothing?

Blendegad maintained his crouch while increasing his speed. The other three stood and followed at a slow jog. The wolves decided the newcomers might be dangerous and turned to trot away.

“Now Galandir! Now!” Blendegad shouted.

Galandir stopped in his tracks. He swallowed and brought both his arms forward. His right hand held his sword and his left was empty. Galandir shouted his spell, “A’dant!” His spell coiled around the wolves and crows on the battlefield. Holding down the crows was nothing. The wolves were another matter. It strained Galandir’s abilities as the wolves pulled to run away.

Blendegad reached the first crow on the high end of the battlefield. He reached down with his right hand and grabbed it. The choice he offered was to run or die. Unable to run, it died. Blendegad took its energy into himself. He moved to the next and did the same.

Wolves next. Blendegad reached a wolf. It snapped at him. These were not paralyzed foes. They couldn’t run, but they could still fight and even approach Blendegad. He shoved his sword into the wolf’s mouth. It couldn’t retreat and the sword slashed across its face. Blendegad lunged with his right hand and grabbed the wolf’s shoulder. The drain started. The wolf’s struggle stopped.

Galandir shouted, “Blendegad! Hurry it up! I can’t hold them for long.”

Blendegad wiped his mouth. He channeled the wolf’s energy into his legs. The additional power allowed Blendegad to dash between each of the trapped wolves. The crows were nothing now compared to the lupine energy. He took one after another, sucking them dry. Dark red flames licked around his body as more and more life force filled Blendegad to the brim and beyond.

Galandir lost the spell. There were too many targets, too far away, and held down for too long. Tereman jogged forward to make sure Blendegad wasn’t overwhelmed by the released wolves. He needn’t have worried. The wolves ran from their predator.

Blendegad let out a primal echoing scream. He’d never drained so many animals at once before. He poured life force into his limbs making him faster and stronger. He put it into his eyes and ears making him more aware of his surroundings. It would leak away quickly so he had to use it just as quickly. Blendegad took off at a hyper sprint towards the adlishar’s spindle structure.

Tereman shouted back at Galandir and Stenvall, “I’ll keep an eye on him! You get the villagers out of there!”

Galandir had no time to catch his breath after the exhausting pull spell. His endurance had been tested before in his practice sessions. He took a deep breath in through his mouth and nose. Down deep into his belly. As he released he took off at a jog.

Stenvall followed Galandir. She had checked to make sure he was ready. She quickly passed him to lead the way toward the valley bottom and the adlishar building. The rounded sides were dotted with open air windows and doorways. Galandir cast the armor spell on himself while they jogged. Sweat appeared on Galandir and Stenvall’s bodies as they approached the enemy’s base. He completed the spell, giving himself an additional measure of insurance against the adlishar’s attacks.

Blendegad entered the building before them, followed by Tereman. They heard the screams of the adlishars from within. Blendegad was killing them. Boots and the scrapping of swords came after the screams. The adlishar response to the attack had begun.

Stenvall reached a different doorway than the one Blendegad and Tereman had entered by. Galandir caught up to her a second later.

Stenvall told him, “Stick together.”

He nodded in agreement.

They entered through the arched doorway. Inside was a smooth-walled and rounded passageway. The bottom half of the walls were milky white. At navel height a gold line separated the top half which was dark blue. Magical lights on the ceiling illuminated the hallway.

Stenvall and Galandir jogged down the hallway. The passage turned right and they went right with it. They came to a T. Stenvall paused and looked to Galandir for direction.

“Go left, we want to go deeper.”

The left passage ended in a strange doorway. It was rounded to match the walls of the hallway. The door was split in half from left and right. A knob was set back within the door’s panel on the left side.

Stenvall grabbed the knob. She turned the knob and pushed the door. The left side opened while the right remained there. Stenvall was thrown off balance by the odd door. She stumbled and found an adlishar running towards the door on the other side

The left hand reached for the forehead. Galandir stopped it, “A’dant!”

The adlishar snarled in frustration. This one wore leather armor with black spots matching the cheetah pattern on its skin. It carried the same flowing silver sword they all did. The sword stabbed for Stenvall. She caught the blade on her shield.

Galandir came to the doorway. With his sword in his right hand he focused the a’dant magic into a rope ensnaring the adlishar’s left hand. He pulled it down away from the creature’s forehead. His left hand shot a push at the adlishar with, “Fleed!”

The alien monster threw a bolt of force back at Galandir. He took it on his chest. His own armor proved its worth.

Stenvall stabbed at the monster’s left armpit. The spear plunged into the adlishar’s torso. Blood poured out and the left arm went limp. Galandir released his pull spell as the threat from the left hand was now dead.

The adlishar swung with its sword once more. The strike was in vain. Stenvall easily blocked with her shield. She withdrew her spear. She stabbed it into the creature’s chest. It pierced the heart and the creature’s body shook backwards. Stenvall pushed it off the ash shaft of her spear.

Beyond the adlishar was another hallway.

Stenvall asked Galandir, “How are we going to find our way out of here?”

Galandir looked down at the adlishar. “Follow the bodies.”

Tereman followed Blendegad into the spindle structure. Blendegad got ahead and normally the twists and turns would’ve prevented knowing which way he went. Fortunately, the commotion as Blendegad found a group of adlishars directed Tereman where to go. Tracking the sound brought him to a bloody room.

Several desks filled the room. Various loom-like devices without thread covered the desks. Tereman thought it odd that the adlishars would have a textile making factory in the middle of nowhere. The walls of the room had a shiny black coating. All around the room lay dead adlishars. The creatures had been slain by quick cuts from Blendegad’s sword.

Tereman followed on. Blendegad’s boots had been sprayed with blood, allowing Tereman to know the direction he’d left the room from. After a moment of navigating the twisting passages, Tereman found Blendegad in another room.

The second room held a giant stone egg on a dais at its center. The egg had a rough texture that seemed to imitate dragon scales. Magically created light from orbs on the ceiling bounced off the egg as it slowly rotated.

Blendegad had taken a knee by the egg. The room was similar to the first in one respect. The space had recently been redecorated with the blood of Blendegad’s enemies.

Tereman said, “Got you. What’s going on?”

“I used it all up,” said Blendegad. “I just have my own life force now.” He brought his orange eyes up to meet Tereman’s brown eyes. Between breaths he said, “What a rush. It was unbelievable. I’ve never felt such power.”

Tereman heard sounds from rooms all around and above them. “We don’t have much time, Blendegad. Those monsters are organizing. They know we’re here.”

“Just a little more then,” said Blendegad. He stood and looked around the room. His eyes landed on an adlishar body close to the door they had entered from.

Blendegad said, “That one.”

He marched over to the body. His hands closed around the creature’s throat. “Still alive, but not for long.”

The life force flowed from the creature into Blendegad. A small trickle, but every bit helped.