Читать книгу The Great Horror: Discovery - Patrick Mew - Страница 2

Chapter 2

A gale swept down the mountains to the north and was bitter for this early in the year. It bit through the canvas tent and into the blankets, yearning to devour the warmth of their bodies. The night wandered by without incident however, and the chill of the next morning brought a light coating of frost that clung to plants and tent alike. It cracked and fell away in flakes as they stirred and broke camp. Rations of dried meat and hard bread would have to do for the early trek.

“I already miss my bunk and a hot meal,” Algan complained as they trudged through the brush. Thorny branches scraped at his armor and occasionally snared on the scales before he broke away. The vegetation was dense and hard to negotiate on the path, and near impassable away from it.

“It is a hard life to adventure and we’re just getting started. Do not get used to anything less than what we have seen so far. Last night was fortunate since nothing came by to disturb us.” Even with her smaller frame the vines snagged on her robes and threatened to halt their progress. The goblins, on the other hand, had an easy time moving through here as they were much smaller and more agile; there was scarcely a broken branch or clump of dead greenery anywhere on the path except what the pair had torn down behind them. “Seems they use this trail frequently; it is packed down well and clear.”

They didn’t have long to admire the beaten path, however. Rustling in the trees caught their attention and their eyes darted wildly, looking for the source. Two arrows stuck firmly in Algan’s shield and a third narrowly missed Kunya as mad laughter echoed around them.

“Goblins!” Kunya shouted, murmuring the words of a protective spell as Algan readied his spear. “To the north, thirty meters or so!” The hulking warrior rushed forward at his best speed, plowing through the undergrowth with the presence of a giant. Laughter soon gave way to screaming as sharpened metal tore through flesh.

“Got one!” he answered, the lifeless body falling to the side through the leaves. Smaller spearheads poked ineffectively at his scaled armor and his shield, their blows turned aside easily. He retaliated with a vengeance, cutting the small creatures down and quickly dispatching them. “Two more! Another down!” he chanted, the noise of combat deafening the woods to all else. After a moment it was quiet again, and the silence of the wilderness surrounded them once more.

“Just a scouting party,” the wizard stated, scanning the trees for more. “Probably out hunting, I doubt they expected us.” She turned over the bodies, looking for anything that might give clues to the location of the den or any information about the raiding patterns. She found nothing but a few pouches of coins and the equipment they wore, and any that weren’t dead were scurrying away through the shrubs in terror. “Nothing but a little money and their awful-smelling gear. Let us move on.”

The day dragged on, and little else happened until they came to a clearing. It was enormous, at least sixty meters wide in all directions, and trash of various kinds – bones, old leather, and other refuse – lay strewn about in great heaps. In the center of the clearing stood a large mound of stones and mud plastered together. It likely served as an entrance to a goblin lair.

“I think we are here,” Kunya whispered. There was no sign of activity since the goblins usually rested during the middle of the day. “They are usually more active at night, so any that are not scouting are probably at home in there.”

“What are we waiting for, then?” Algan said, preparing his arms. “I’m going to show them a little trick.”

“Oh, will you now? I would enjoy seeing this.” She giggled, attempting to visualize what the inexperienced warrior might do.

Algan charged headfirst into the hole, spear leading the way. It didn’t have long to find a place to rest; not five meters inside one particularly ugly specimen found itself getting very intimate with the pointy end. It howled for a moment before being dropped to one side as Algan cut down several more and blocked the passage between them and Kunya. The pair marched down the passage, the clink of spearheads against armor coming from both sides as the warrior exchanged blows with the ugly humanoids before him. One or two ran away, but the rest met a grisly end from the courtesy of the great weapon Algan bore. Silence enveloped the cavern again before long, and Algan panted as he recovered.

“I don't care how tough I am, getting stabbed still hurts,” he grunted as one of his wounds closed before his eyes. A pale yellow light faded away from the injuries. “What's left?”

“There are three passages ahead, one forward and one on either side. I would guess that down the frontal passage there are a couple more splits, probably to accommodate rooms for storage or sleeping. Goblin lairs are relatively straightforward.” Torches lined the stone or earthen walls about every twelve meters and the passage was slightly twisted and wide considering the size of a goblin.

“Fine with me.” Algan stepped forward and heard a small click from the floor underneath. A javelin shot from the floor below, embedding itself deep in the flesh of his leg as he winced. It was pried away with a groan. “Why do they have to use so many spears?!”

“Traps? That would be new... I have not known the ones from here to use those in their own homes. Perhaps they were prepared for and expected a counter-raid?”

“I don't know but I'm not going to take chances now.” He walked to the left carefully, occasionally pressing the shield on the ground to check for switches like the first one. The caution was fruitless and they wandered into a rather large room, about ten meters circular. On the far edge were a couple of crude weapon racks, some crates, and a rather small wooden chest. A lone figure stood in the corner, whimpering as it watched the two move in.

“Oh? It looks like one has run in here.”

“I'll take care of it. Do you speak their language, wizard?”

“I am afraid not. You will have to negotiate, or translate for me.”

“I don't talk very well so I'll take the second option.” He knelt before the small creature, dropping his shield to the side and using the haft of the spear to keep himself steady.

The goblin almost squeaked as its voice broke. Algan began translations as it did so. “What do you want? You gonna kill me too?!” It quivered as it stood to face the humans.

“Hardly. I would like your help, if possible. I have no reason to kill those who do not cause problems.” The warrior translated for Kunya, it responding in a chittering, squeaky voice.

“My help? So your kind can slay me later, and exterminate us? I give you no help, I'm just a warrior. I just want to protect my kind from you filthy humans, and your elf and dwarf friends!” The creature cowered for a moment, then scurried forth without weapons and past the two. Neither made a motion to strike and they let the goblin run into the wilderness.

“Hmph. A creature that won't fight back doesn't deserve my blade. Let's move on.”

“Are we not claiming their goods?”

“Later. I don't want a spear in my back while I'm messing with a box of who-knows-what.” He moved forward across the hall to another room about the same size. Blankets and bedding lay scattered across the floor in great heaps. Moths flew from the cloth as they checked the room for anything that might be alive but it appeared that none sought refuge within. They moved to the right this time, into what would be the central path when looked at from the entrance. Surely as Kunya had said, it forked again into two tunnels about twelve meters from the crosswise intersection, and commotion stirred from both.

“Left or right?” the wizard asked in a whisper.

“Left.” Algan surged forward and caught himself in another javelin trap at the fork. He winced as it struck his armor ineffectively and he leaped into the room. Sailing over the heads of a half dozen goblins he lunged at a particularly large one. It deflected his attack with an equally large spear of its own and retaliated to no effect. Algan had paid no heed, however, to the two other figures in the back.

“An orc?!” Kunya cried out as she cast a shielding spell on her partner. “What is one of those doing with goblins?” She didn't need to wait for an answer. A large axe, big enough for an ogre, appeared in its hands from the wall behind as it swung at Algan. The blow connected and a twisted, toothy grin appeared on its face as crimson surged along the blade. It went for a second attack and collided with a large shield this time as the human reeled from the hit. Kunya appeared to glow for a second as she drew mana again to close Algan's wound. The warrior grinned.

“Ha, a worthy opponent!” he decreed, drawing his weapon from a small corpse on the ground. “This will be fun!” He swept the wooden haft about himself and dispatched the remaining little ones before bringing the point to bear, lunging again. The orc parried it easily and Algan ducked away from the riposte as the axe whistled a hair's breadth away from his scalp. The large goblin joined the fray, keeping the human on his toes as spear and axe bit the air around him. After a minute or so, Algan landed a solid blow against the goblin and scored a lucky hit against a vital spot. The creatue growled and gurgled as red stained the ground, then it fell forward lifelessly and landed on the stone floor with a resounding thud.

“Now it's just you and me, ugly,” he mumbled in Orcish, smiling madly as he enjoyed the battle around him. For having no prior experience, the soldier relished combat. The orc merely chuckled in answer and a bright light erupted in front of Algan's eyes. Pain followed as a beam of white-hot fire struck him, searing his flesh to his armor. Kunya narrowed her eyes and chanted the same word as when she'd first showed Algan the basics of magic, sending a similar beam in return. It scorched a goblin in robes that was barely peeking from behind a large rock. Kunya followed that spell with another bout of curative magic. After another pause a white globe of energy that streaked around both the human and orc, striking true on the goblin. It screeched and dropped to the floor in a ragged heap.

The wizard shook her head clear and watched as the orc and Algan exchanged swings and thrusts. Nicks and cuts slowly whittled down the beast's vitality as spots of red speckled the walls and ground, then a decisive blow to the chest sealed the fight. The orc cackled and pulled the spear further into himself, dragging the human closer as it reveled in the adrenaline rush just before death, then it went limp as its toothy, drooling mouth hung open in what could only be described as a mix of joy and agony. The warrior grimaced as he freed the weapon from the body and cleaned it off. The silence of being underground enveloped their senses again, with only the occasional crackle of a burning torch to break it.

“Ooh... I hope there isn't much more to this. I'm bushed.” He sat and rested against a rock, watching the room's entrance in the dim light as Kunya stood beside him. Sweat dripped from the wizard's brow and the robe she wore clung to her skin; using offensive magic clearly took a lot more energy than she was used to spending.

She wheezed for a moment and wiped the moisture from her face. “There is one more passage to our back and then I believe that will be the end of this lair. I am hoping we do not encounter any other mages down here, since dealing with numbers is difficult enough in these tunnels.” She cautiously peered around the corner, hoping to not be noticed. A wall of spears greeted her vision, and she paused to scan the group. Another six goblins and an orc. She hesitated too long however, and a beam of black energy shot past her head. Algan noticed it hit the ceiling and hurried over, pulling the wizard back whether she wanted to move or not.

“Slay them!” the orc bellowed in the common tongue. “Feast upon their flesh!” The spears rounded the corner and gnawed at armor and shield, not landing a direct blow. A crossbow bolt flew past Kunya and a second chewed its way into her shoulder.

“Augh, those cheeky beasts,” she said through gritted teeth as she removed the bolt and healed herself. Two more bolts flew into the wall behind him as she ducked behind her fellow. “Do you see anything on the orc that looks odd?” Algan ducked and weaved between the spears and cut the goblins down one at a time, like so much wheat in a field.

“He has some symbol on his armor. Looks like a big – whoa – red eye,” he answered, ducking from a thrust aimed at his face. “That helpful?”

Kunya paused and mulled it over for a second, then her eyes widened. “A priest of the One-Eyed Conqueror? What is one of his doing here?” The warrior replied with a confused grunt, deflecting a spearhead from this chest. “Just as I serve the Sun, there are other entities that people serve. The barbaric god has his own followers, and that orc is one of them.” The black beam appeared again, landing a hit on Algan. He groaned as old wounds appeared again, blood flowing freely from them before Kunya healed them. “And he's clearly evil, since he's using the negative side of magic like that.”

“Tell me something I don't know,” he winced, charging recklessly past the remaining two goblins to strike the priest. His armor nudged the blow away and the orc grunted, mace swung wide for retaliation. The bestial cleric landed the hit and knocked the human breathless, then turned his attention to Kunya. Another crackling dark beam flew by, landing in the gap between the wizard's arm and chest as a beam of fire returned to the orc. It landed squarely on its forehead and blistering heat surged into the creature, forcing it to lower its guard just long enough for the spear to pierce its abdomen. Dark blood poured from its mouth and it slumped to the floor. The two remaining goblins dropped their weapons and ran for the exit; neither cared to die just yet. The pair let the goblins flee and took a breather once again.

“I think that is all of them. It appears that this chamber has no other tunnels, either, so we should be able to gather up anything we care to take from here and head back to the town.” This room was about the same size as the rest and had nothing of note in it apart from the ubiquitous torches that lined the rest of the cavern. Splintered bits of wood and fraying pieces of cloth littered the floor here and there, and tiny pieces of ivory bone lay against the walls as they did in the other chambers. “I think we should check the crates and chest for any valuables or usable supplies; we may need them ourselves.” Algan nodded in agreement.

The young man pried the crates open to find rations, pungent cheese, and other foodstuffs; clothing and leathers; and raw metal that was ready to be worked. The chest and numerous pouches on the slain goblins contained various copper and silver coins. A few pieces of gold lay sprinkled in the chest among the lesser metals as well. They scraped it all together and, with the help of some rope, managed to set up a makeshift rack to carry the goods back to town. Little disturbed their journey back and, despite the abundant wildlife and presence of food, nothing sought to bother them.

Ice once more coated their tent the night before they returned, and their breath hung in the air like so much fog on a grassy field as they set out the following morning. They held blankets close as the path moved underfoot. The road came into view and then it was warm enough that the two weren't shivering. Gray clouds formed a sheet overhead but the wind had settled down from the previous couple of days, allowing the sun to peek through once in a while and leaving patches of bright light on the road and fields.

They had little to say to one another as they walked the highway back to town. Algan was bored with the march and Kunya was still fatigued from drawing so many spells the day before. The gates were a welcome invitation as the day came to a close, sun low on the horizon and what little sky they could see lit in brilliant yellow, fiery orange, and flowery pink. Live music met their ears as they walked together toward the Fair Maiden and stepped inside. One of the local troubadours played a fiddle as he stood upon a table, patrons cheering and passing copper coins to his feet. Others chatted among themselves, the occasional elf or half-elf among the humans, and the bartender waved them over to the counter. The smell of burning lamp oil, flame-roasted meats, ale, and fresh bread hung heavy in the air inside, and oaken furniture of all sorts carpeted the open space for its patrons.

“Oh, Algan, you're back! How'd it go?” she asked, her hair flowing over a low-cut top. The young man stared downward for a moment before Kunya elbowed him.

“Oh, uh... it went pretty well. We cleared out a den of goblins and killed a couple orcs while we were in there.” The music drew his attention away from her and he feigned it as such.

“Sounds exciting! I'm sure you want a nice, cold mug after all that?” She giggled quietly, not oblivious to his sudden shift in gaze.

“Make it three, haha. I'm parched and forgot to take some with me on the trip.”

“I see, that's unfortunate. Who's your friend here?”

The wizard interrupted Algan's attempt to answer and spoke for herself. “I am Kunya. I went with him to help ensure his safety, and to make sure he did not end up lost. I would like a drink and a meal myself, fair madam.” Her cheeks turned the barest shade of pink as she hurried to fetch their requests. “And who might the lady be?”

“That's Amira, and she owns this place. She's very charming, wouldn't you say?” Algan answered. “Oh, she enchants me so...” He paused and let his thoughts carry him away until she returned, mugs and plates on a tray that she sat between the two. The plates were piled high with roast pork, warm bread, and a fresh, creamy cheese. “What's all this?”

“Oh, well, Miss Kunya there made a special request for you both while you were daydreaming. Said she wanted the finest we had, so I brought it. I hope you enjoy it!” The wizard forked out five silver pieces and turned to Algan. Amira giggled at the warrior's clueless expression before she returned to attending the rest of the tavern's requests.

“Well, eat up while it's hot. It smells wonderful, no?”

“Ah, well...” he began, flabbergasted. The aroma took hold though and he ate in earnest. The meat was tender enough to cut with a fork and seasoned generously with local spices, and the bread cleared his plate of leftover juices nicely. The cheese, smooth and mild, made a nice pair with the strong ale and made an excellent finish. With full stomachs and satisfied grins they left for their respective homes shortly after nightfall. The chill had returned and white flakes fell gently from the sky.

“Snow... winter is finally here, then,” Algan observed absentmindedly.

“Indeed. A light dusting for the morning will make the children of the town happy. As for us, we have things to do tomorrow. Get some rest; I will not expect you early. Either wait for me in the tavern or meet me there, depending on which of us awakens first.” She waved as she walked toward her home, the tower looming through the snow, and Algan headed for his own bunk. Night passed, and another chilly morning greeted the town the next day.