A Record of Ash & Ruin: The Grieving Lands

Chapter 28: Loss

“There is always sun above the darkest of storm clouds.”

- Avian Guard motto

“Only one thing could be responsible for this whirlwind of destruction…an orc in a berserk heat,” the dwarf answered stoically in response, “Combine that with the pain from the collar, and you have a recipe for a natural disaster.”

Remembering the orc’s hulking physique and brutish appearance from our team, it came as no surprise that he could wreak such destruction. I didn’t know what I feared the most; coming into contact with more Echo-Stalkers, or reuniting with our fearsome former team member.

Still, we were fortunate that the berserker had cleared the way for us. After walking down it a while, Durhit raised a hand for us to stop as we reached the entrance to another of the perfectly round tunnels. He sniffed the air, placing an ear to the wall. “Running water, and close,” he stated matter-of-factly, looking down the new path. “Let’s go quietly, perhaps we will be able to sneak by now the hive is distracted.”

Like the main shaft, the broken bodies of Echo-Stalkers lined this new path at almost uniform intervals. We passed by the shattered shaft and head of a pickaxe, both halves of the tool buried in two separate bodies that still oozed fresh ichor. The wake of the single orc’s destruction was impressive.

Following the trail of death, and Durhit's unerring sense of direction, we navigated through the network of tunnels as quickly and as quietly as we could through the gloom. Sometimes the dwarf led us downwards, but more often now he would guide us in a slight ascent through abundant twists and turns.

It passed without event until we heard the sound of free-flowing running water for ourselves. The Dwarf’s prediction had proven true. We picked up our pace, abandoning the last vestiges of stealth as we powered down through the tunnels.

Just as we turned the corner of a tunnel, we ran suddenly into two more Drones, and a larger, more heavily armored, deadly-looking Echo-Stalker. This new enemy I quickly mentally dubbed the ‘Soldier’ variant, and it bristled with cold threat as it gazed at us with unfeeling, arachnid eyes. They raised their deadly weapon arms and threatened us with death with their rapidly clicking mandibles.

The man-mountain Kidu needed no further prompting, thrusting his new spear into the larger Soldier Echo-Stalker before it could mount a defense, stabbing deeply. Momentarily distracted by Kidu’s martial prowess, I almost allowed one of the drones to stab me in the chest. I dodged at almost the last moment, the chains at my wrists and ankles jangling as I turned a potentially lethal strike into just a glancing one. Still, my Health was reduced by a full twenty-three points.

Capitalizing on its missed strike, Durhit smashed it with his pickaxe, gouging a great wound down its trunk with a mighty blow. Recovering from my shock, I swung my pickaxe in a rough uppercut that brained the insect, the point of my tool firmly lodged in its cranium.

You have slain an Echo-Stalker 30 experience gained

Mentally brushing aside the notification, I saw that Durhit had moved to help Kidu, who was dueling with the weakened yet still very dangerous Soldier, his spear striking out like a darting snake.

I turned to see if Elwin needed any assistance, yet he already had the situation well in hand. His opponent was bleeding from a multitude of wounds across its limbs, with one weapon arm drooping weakly as Elwin danced around him. The Drone’s antennae seemed to be following the Rogue’s knife as he passed it from hand to hand. Seeing it distracted, and wanting a slice of the experience, I raised my Pickaxe. I smashed into it from behind with all my might with a Power Strike, which ended its life instantly as another notification crossed my vision.

You have slain an Echo-Stalker 30 experience gained You have gained 1 Dexterity

Taking a quick breath, I turned to see what had become of Kidu and Durhit’s fight, but was disappointed to see that they had already put down the savage beast. Feeling a little frustrated, I absently kicked a loose stone on the floor. I was just a few points away from my next level. Kidu bent down to rip out the beast’s impressive scythe arms as another battle trophy, only to stop when the sound of further fighting drifted from down the path. A bestial roar of fury and frustrated rage could be heard.

“Don’t tell me that is our next destination?” Elwin began weakly, looking a little paler even in the gloom.

“Sound of running water is coming down from there, so that is where we must be going manling. Let’s just pray to the gods of the hearth that the orc can distract them for a little while longer,” the dwarf replied dourly to the inquiry.

Faster we journeyed down our path until we could clearly hear running water, the sound of battle joining it. We continued past a corner to see that we came to a cliff path, a small dark river running swiftly below us in a vast cavern that reached up to unending darkness. To our left, I could feel a weak breeze and the taste of fresh air. But higher up along the path to our right we saw a most impressive sight.

The lone orc juggernaut was frothing at the mouth as he battled an entire hive of Echo-Stalkers on the ledge, smashing them left and right, many of them plunging to their deaths in the swift current below. His great bestial warcries drowned out the sound of the flowing river. He held a pickaxe in his right that cut through rigid chitinous armor like it was paper. In his left he clasped a ripped-off scythe arm from a Soldier, which he used to stab with lightning quickness at the never-ending horde of monsters.

“That way!” hissed Durhit where the tunnel met the cliff path, pointing emphatically to our left, “Go! Go!!”

Just as we passed Durhit, a dark shape dropped from the ceiling, its chameleonic skin making it almost invisible in the gloom. It planted two sharpened scythe blades through Durhit’s chest that burst out the other side. His eyes widened in shock and pain as he coughed up blood. Kidu with a great snarl thrust his spear with both hands at the new monster, striking it squarely where its neck should be, twisting savagely as dark viscera exploded from its new wound.

“No! No! No! No!” I screamed in rage and loss. Durhit was one of my first friends and companions in this cruel, barbaric world. Memories of our shared comradeship flashed across my mind as I raised my hand to strike out at the monster. I swung a wild horizontal attack that connected solidly with its trunk, the chains at my wrist also hitting it a moment later. A blow so powerful it smashed the creature aside, even as Durhit toppled to the ground.

You have slain an Echo-Stalker 30 experience gained You have learned Flails (lvl.1)

I barely registered the death notification as I rushed to hold Durhit in my arms, all thoughts of the battle lost with my friend dying. I tried to summon a Heal, but it would not heed my call, my Mana being so perilously low.

Hollowly, I read the notifications looking for a way to save the Dwarf. I found nothing, save for the fact that this game had counted the chains of my slavery as flails.

“My sister Evenes…Bronzegate Hold…tell her…” the dwarf gasped his last through bloodstained lips.

Someone began shouting in my ear. Feeling devoid of all sensation I almost ignored it, but the voice was persistent.

“We’ve got to go NOW!” Elwin yelled in my ear, attempting to drag me up, while Kidu stood guard over Durhit’s corpse.

Stumbling up as I released Durhit, I noticed that the Echo-Stalkers had redoubled their assault. Some of them had run up across the walls past the orc, only to be met in turn by Kidu’s lightning spear, which skewered them against the cavern rock. Slowly we began our fighting retreat, with the wildman taking up the rearguard.

Since we were at, what I presumed around forty meters from the orc, I cast Rust on him in a pique of rage and frustration. I barely heard the dark whispers, nor felt the unwholesome energies as I released the spell’s black lightning into the orc’s slave collar. This only incensed the creature to further heights of rage, his bestial roars echoing throughout the cavern, stunning the Echo-Stalkers in front of him with its intensity. Whether it was the adrenaline, my high Constitution, my new skill Mana Regeneration, or simply just my inability at that moment to feel, I didn’t notice the usual wave of fatigue that came with reaching zero Mana.

All thoughts of fighting left us then. We beat our retreat, clutching our weapons tightly. I held my helmet to my head, my pickaxe in my other, as we sprinted at full speed through the cavern, following the ledge and the course of the river.

The darkness of the cavern began to lighten before we eventually burst out into glorious sunlight, almost blinding us after what felt like an eternity of darkness and blue gloom. The river fell from the cliff into a cascading waterfall, that fed into a large lake. We all skidded to a stop then to avoid falling off, before we noticed an animal trail that cut down across the cliffs and into the woods. As I stepped out of the cavern I was granted a notification that brought hot tears of joy and grief to my eyes.

Quest Complete: Escape from the Slavery Pits of Ansan

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