Blood of Liscor: Book 8, page 95
part #8 of Wandering Inn Series
“Raskghar?”
“Yes.”
Halrac had heard the distant barking sound. He raised his bow and Typhenous lifted his staff. The Raskghar team was heading their way. Griffon Hunt moved stealthily ahead, Revi keeping her summoned creatures back lest their glow give the team away. Halrac’s eyes pierced the darkness ahead. The instant he saw movement he held up his hand. Typhenous raised his staff.
The Raskghar approached, sniffing the air warily. They were a group of archers, probably on reconnaissance. They didn’t smell Griffon Hunt in time. Halrac waited until he could see one of the Raskghar perfectly and then spoke.
“Now.”
He loosed the arrow at the same time Typhenous cast his spell. The arrow flew and caught a Raskghar in the shoulder. Typhenous’ staff spat black liquid which spattered across the corridor and hit two Raskghar. Not perfect, but it would do. The Raskghar howled in surprise and the one struck grabbed the arrow in his shoulder and tore it out.
“Revi!”
Halrac snapped. Revi charged forwards and her summoned warriors and Corusdeer filled the hallway. The Raskghar spotted the Gold-rank team and hesitated. There were ten of them, but Revi’s summons evened the odds. They yipped loudly and howled before fleeing. Halrac drew another arrow and aimed high. The Raskghar fled as his arrow flew past them. Halrac didn’t bother drawing another arrow.
“Got them.”
He turned to the others. Revi nodded. She was looking paler than before. The Stitch-Woman’s dark skin looked far too light, and Halrac recognized it as the first symptom of mana exhaustion. Typhenous looked worse. The [Mage] seemed to lurch, and then he spat out a stream of liquid. It took Halrac a moment to realize that Typhenous had thrown up.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m—”
Typhenous wavered before saying ‘fine’. Halrac stared at him and then at Revi. He knew they should fall back. But his mind refused to say it.
“One more corridor. If we can ambush another group…”
Revi and Typhenous didn’t protest. Griffon Hunt made their way back down the corridor rather than pursue this group of Raskghar. Revi kept stumbling as she walked, though she refused help from anyone, even her summoned warriors. Halrac found his gaze unfocusing and he had to remind himself to watch ahead.
They were exhausted. Griffon Hunt had pushed further and farther than any team. Enough so that they’d began running into the Raskghar. But now they were in a dangerous situation. Halrac wanted to keep going. He knew that finding the Raskghar again would be difficult. But his team—
“Who goes there?”
Someone shouted the words up ahead. Halrac’s head snapped up. He grabbed for the arrow, realized he hadn’t poisoned it, and cursed. He shouted.
“Griffon Hunt!”
“At last! Don’t fire!”
Halrac saw a group appear in the darkness. He should have spotted them—the dim glow of their lanterns and [Light] spells gave them away. Eight adventurers appeared. He recognized Jelaqua, Ylawes in his stupid reflective armor, Dawil, Bevussa…the adventurers looked relieved to see him.
“Dead gods, Halrac! We thought we’d never catch up! You must have cleared twenty corridors!”
“What are you doing here?”
Halrac snapped at them. He felt uneasy. If they’d been Raskghar, they would have ambushed his team. He shifted as Jelaqua strode towards him.
“We spotted the bastard that got Ceria.”
Griffon Hunt immediately jerked to attention. Halrac focused on Jelaqua.
“Where?”
“A few corridors back. But no one’s going after them. We need to leave the dungeon. And get that damn group of Silver-ranks!”
Bevussa interrupted Jelaqua. The Garuda eyed Typhenous and Revi and turned to Halrac.
“You need to come with us.”
“No. We’ll go after the Raskghar.”
“You’ll do no such thing. Your [Mages] are nearly dead and you’re tired. If you go after the Raskghar they’ll ambush you. There’s too many of them. We had to fight through a group of twenty. And if they’re sending out scouting teams that big, there must be hundreds or thousands of them, just like that Cave Goblin claimed.”
Bevussa folded her feathery arms. Halrac knew she was right. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and looked at Revi. She swayed.
“I can go.”
“No.”
Halrac said it and felt the energy leave his arms. He looked at Bevussa and the other adventurers.
“We’ll go back. What’s this about Silver-rank teams?”
“The Horns entered the dungeon. This idiot—”
Ylawes turned towards Keldrass. The Drake gave him an affronted look.
“—didn’t stop them. They went after the Raskghar that Jelaqua saw. We need to go after Yv—after them!”
Jelaqua nodded wearily.
“They can’t have gone far. There’s monsters everywhere. We’ll run after them, pull them out.”
Keldrass growled, eying Ylawes.
“They might have gone farther than you think. I told you, that [Necromancer] had Bone Horrors. At least six of them!”
Halrac’s face twisted. Bevussa nodded.
“All the more reason to grab them. They’ll be a huge target.”
“We need to get them fast.”
Revi bent as the others looked at her. She straightened, still looking pale.
“Bone Horrors probably suck mana way more than lesser undead. I can barely summon that many spirits and I’m an expert. Pisces won’t be able to maintain that many undead for long. He’s probably pushed himself too far. Idiot.”
No one paused to dwell on the hypocrisy of her statement. The Gold-rank adventurers turned. Bevussa looked at Halrac.
“Can your old [Mage] move or do we have to split our team?”
Typhenous frowned at her slightly cross-eyed.
“I…am quite able to keep up, you feathery young lady. Lead on!”
Halrac nodded. Bevussa hesitated, and then turned.
“Okay. We’re searching for the Horns! Follow me!”
They set off at a jog through the dungeon.
——
“Dead gods.”
Issa muttered as she passed by another group of dead monsters. This one was a cluster of worms—ordinary earthworms, really—except that they were twice as long as she was and had barbs along their body. It was another group of monsters that Griffon Hunt had slain. She thought of the six corridors her team had killed and felt a bit embarrassed. The Oldblood Drake chanced a glance back at Halrac, Typhenous, and Revi. They were lagging behind the brisk pace the others had set, but they were still keeping up.
“They killed that many monsters? Are you sure they’re only a Gold-rank team, Bevussa?”
She leaned towards her Captain, Bevussa. The Garuda was someone Issa looked up to and admired greatly. Ironically, it was Issa who was tasked with pretending to be the captain of the Wings of Pallass in public. It just wouldn’t do for a Garuda to lead a team of Oldblood Drakes, no matter how much more qualified she was. Bevussa turned her head and regarded Halrac.
“They’re good. I’ll give them that. If there’s any team ideally suited for this dungeon, it’s probably theirs. That [Scout] especially. I’ve heard of his name. They call him Halrac the Grim.”
“He’s even got a title? He must be a Named Adventurer, or nearabouts!”
Bevussa nodded as she glanced ahead down the corridor.
“And apparently they lost a team member. One of the better Gold-rank teams. But it doesn’t surprise me they’re not Named Adventurers yet, or that Halrac isn’t.”
“Why’s that?”
“Look at the monsters they killed. That group.”
Bevussa pointed. Issa stared at several crumpled forms they passed.
“Face-Eater Moths. Not too big.”
Not compared to the ones attacking Liscor. These ones were ‘only’ the size of ponies. Bevussa nodded and eyed them.
“Right. But that’s not the important bit. Look at how they died. No spells, only an arrow to their abdomens—they were poisoned.”
“Poison?”
Issa looked back at Halrac. Bevussa nodded.
“They said they were using a tactic they employed against Griffins. I asked about it at the Adventurer’s Guild. One of the [Receptionists] looked up what that might be.”
“And?”
Bevussa shrugged her feathery shoulders.
“Around three years ago, there was a massive Griffin colony plaguing the Nameless Heights—that’s a group of hills and valleys in the north eastern part of the Human lands. Hundreds of Griffins. Apparently a group migrated across from Terandria and they had a massive mating season the year before. Well, they began destroying farms and villages and even attacking cities. Griffon Hunt was one of the teams called in to kill them. They managed to wipe out over two hundred Griffins by themselves, but they were fined and nearly lost their Gold-rank status.”
Issa gaped at her Captain.
“How?”
“Plague and poison.”
Both Drake and Garuda jumped. Typhenous had caught up with them. The [Mage] looked weary, but true to his word he’d caught up with the group. He raised one grey eyebrow at the two adventurers.
“If you wish to know about the event in question, why not ask us?”
Issa’s scales turned bright red and her wings quivered in embarrassment. Bevussa ducked her head.
“My apologies, Mister…Typhenous, is it? We were curious.”
The [Mage] bared his teeth in a very Drakeish smile. Issa had to remind herself that Humans didn’t smile like that to be friendly.
“Many are. The truth is simple. Our team was called upon to deal with this crisis. As experts in Griffin hunting, Halrac and Ulrien contracted my services and Revi’s. We dealt with the Griffins as we felt we had to when it became clear that the adventurers and local armies couldn’t handle the Griffins.”
“So you poisoned them. And spread diseases. I take it that there were consequences?”
Typhenous nodded.
“We poisoned their nests and killed hundreds of Griffins. But the plague got out of control. My spells…I used the wrong ones. The resulting sickness killed off almost every livestock animal and three cities and numerous settlements fell ill. We were lucky to keep our Gold-rank status.”
“But you killed the Griffins!”
Issa felt that wasn’t fair. But then she remembered the strict standards Gold-ranks were held to. Typhenous shook his head.
“We erred and people died for it, Miss…”
“Issa.”
“Miss Issa. Thank you. We made mistakes no Gold-ranks should have and were punished accordingly. The cost…drove away some of our former members. Halrac and Ulrien stayed with Revi and I, and we have worked hard to regain our status. I never thought we would employ the same tactics in the dungeon, but the Raskghar are not Griffins. And the cause is dire, despite the consequences.”
The entire short story made Issa want to protest on Typhenous’ behalf. In Drake cities, his team would probably have been commended, even if people had fallen sick. Two hundred Griffins versus a plague? But she bit her tongue on her reply. Typhenous walked next to her, looking weary, but determined. He had probably adventured three times longer than she had. Issa had risen to Gold-rank so quickly in part due to her Oldblood heritage and joining Bevussa’s group.
“Apologies. We didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s important that you know. We’ve attacked three Raskghar groups and let them run each time. We hope they’ll bring the poison and sickness back to their camps.”
“What about the Gnoll prisoners?”
Typhenous hesitated and glanced at Bevussa.
“I didn’t use the same spells as…previously. This spell spreads by contact. The Raskghar will rot from within and convey the sickness to anything that touches their infected parts. Unless they’re close to the Gnolls, they should be fine. The disease takes days to kill. If we reach the prisoners, we can cure them. And if not…”
If not, the Gnolls would be dead either way. Issa shuddered, and then wondered what Tier that spell was. And how did Typhenous know it? She opened her mouth to ask and then paused. Ahead of them, Seborn had raised a hand.
“Hold up!”
The eleven adventurers paused. Halrac walked forwards and then he and Seborn motioned. The adventurers moved ahead warily and then they saw it. Issa gasped.
“Dead gods. What is that?”
“Bone Horror!”
Something was walking down the corridor towards them. Something tall—six or seven feet—but far wider. A—a spider made of bone was the best way Issa could describe it. Only, the spider’s legs were meant to stab and cut, and it had no head, no eyes. It had been designed to kill, not ever to live. It was an undead creation. A Bone Horror.
Bevussa stared at the undead in alarm and disgust. The headless spider turned towards them. Its razor-sharp, barbed legs were covered in gore. It scuttled towards them, fast. The adventurers tensed, and then they heard a shout.
“Pisces, stop!”
The undead spider paused. The adventurers saw someone appear from behind it. Yvlon Byres walked forwards. She held her enchanted sword in both hands. Her arms and blade were bloody. Behind her, a giant monstrosity of bone opened its jaws. An armored bear-thing twice as large as it should be lumbered forwards, its spikes covered in blood. Issa imagined what would happen if it charged and rammed into her team. She gulped.
“Yvlon?”
Ylawes’ voice was disbelieving. He stared at the Bone Horrors, absolutely appalled, and then called out to Yvlon.
“Yvlon! Are you unharmed?”
“We’re alright. We’ve been fighting down this way. Is the route behind you clear? Pisces! It’s the Gold-ranks! Everyone, get over here!”
Yvlon shouted back the way they’d come. The Gold-rank adventurers saw a wave of Silver-rank adventurers behind them. They all looked like they’d seen combat, but, amazingly, the teams were all in one piece. It looked like they’d been heading down this corridor, fighting everything they came across. And by the amount of gore on their weapons, they’d found a lot.
“Dead gods. We told you Silver-ranks to stay put!”
Bevussa exclaimed as she saw that several adventurers had recently healed wounds—bad ones. Earlia grinned as she lifted her warhammer.
“Well, you know us. We don’t listen to orders all the time. Glad we found your team, though. We’ve been fighting an hour and I think Pisces isn’t doing so well.”
She gestured behind her. Issa saw a pale young man walking forwards with white robes. There was nothing sinister about Pisces’ appearance—he looked like any other Human male, really. But she shuddered. A [Necromancer]. Even so, Pisces looked quite pale and unwell. Someone—an Antinium, another shudder-provoking sight—was supporting him by one shoulder.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Mana exhaustion.”
Revi tried to push Ylawes out of the way and failed. She walked around him and strode up to Pisces. She stared at both Bone Horrors, appalled, and then at the smaller ones.
“You’ve got too many creations summoned! Look at the size of that thing! Get rid of them or you’ll burn yourself out!”
“I’m fine.”
Pisces’ eyelids flickered as he glared up at Revi. She glared back.
“You’re about to burn yourself out. You can’t sustain this! If you keep going you’ll injure yourself. Or die.”
The other adventurers turned to look at him, concerned. Yvlon wavered.
“Revi’s right, Pisces. We’ve been fighting over an hour and you haven’t slept. We can rest, try again in a bit.”
Pisces shook his head violently.
“I can keep going. I can—”
He faltered. Revi looked around, then made a fist. Before anyone could stop her, she punched Pisces in the side of the face.
It wasn’t a good punch. In fact, as punches went, it was more like being hit by a very soft rock. But it was enough. Pisces blinked, and then lost control.
One of the Bone Horrors took a step. The armored monster raised a foot and it broke apart. Bone scattered across the floor and the undead collapsed. Yvlon caught Pisces as he dropped.
“He’s out of mana. Someone give me another potion—”
“Don’t. He’s had too many already. He needs rest. Someone gather up those bones and let’s get him out of here. I’m nearly tapped myself.”
Revi wavered. Ksmvr lifted Pisces up.
“I can carry him, Miss Yvlon. Please take the buckler.”
He offered her a buckler which was surrounded by a shining force field. Yvlon shook her head.
“Deactivate it. You keep it, Ksmvr. I can’t fight with it as well. My arms are slower—I’ll use this.”
She lifted her sword in both hands. Ylawes frowned at her.
“You weren’t taught how to fight like that, Yv. A sword and shield is how the Byres family fights!”
“Shut up, Ylawes!”
Yvlon rounded on him. Ylawes opened his mouth to argue. Dawil clapped his hands together sharply. Everyone turned towards him. He frowned at Ylawes and Yvlon.
“Argue as much as you want, you two, but do it when we’re safe! While we’re all standing here braiding our beards, we’ve got monsters climbing up our arses! Back to the dungeon entrance!”
The adventurers looked at each other, but no one argued. They turned and followed the way the Silver-ranks had come. Only when they reached an intersection did Halrac turn.
“We have fresher adventurers. The Silver-rank can support me. I’ll head forwards with Jelaqua and pursue that armored Raskghar.”
“No, Halrac—”
Exasperated, Bevussa tried to argue with him. But the [Scout] was already heading down the corridor. Jelaqua and Seborn followed him. The other adventurers wavered for one second and then Keldrass, Yvlon, Dawil, Ylawes, Earlia, and a whole host of Silver-ranks followed. That left only a handful of adventurers behind and after they realized that, they followed too.
