CHAPTER 15
Lyndryell's spirits rose as he approached the mountain's peak. The sun shone on his face and he could feel it's warmth coursing through his body. They had gone through so much to get here. Attacked by Minotaurs, Orcs, and Giant Spiders. They had been caught in an avalanche and nearly buried alive by a huge wall of snow. Still, he had enjoyed seeing the look on Aenarion's face when he realized that Gilchrist had taken to using his Fine Bretonnian Wine to "Take the chill off" as he had put it.
"Well, finally they were reaching the top." The downhill trip can't be any worse than this," Lyndryell thought to himself. He paused so the others could catch up. "100 paces to the top," Garrick said happily as he walked by Lyndryell. Breaking into a run as he did so, forcing the others to do the same. When he reached the top, Garrick stopped abruptly and surveyed the landscape before him. He was on a large snow-covered plateau walled on all sides except for a bridge of some sort straight across from him. It crossed a giant chasm and connected to another plateau. But on the far side was a giant cave entrance in the shape of a skull. "By the Gods, what is that?" He heard Enrico's voice behind him. "It appears to be the entrance to some sort of cave," came Aenarion's reply. "I guess that means your sources failed to mention what we were supposed to do when we reached the top," Gilchrist said looking accusingly at Enrico. "All they said was that the trail would take us over the mountains. They didn't say anything about this. Perhaps you would like to walk back down and ask." "Let's just keep moving," Garrick stated motioning the others to follow.
They were halfway to the bridge when Lyndryell noticed a movement off to the side, then another. Large forms were beginning to take shape on the fringes of the plateau. First one, then two, suddenly a whole group of figures were closing in on them. "Hurry, to the bridge!" Aenarion shouted urging the others onward. "We'll never make it in time!" Enrico shouted back. "We must make a stand here," Gilchrist said, leveling his pistol at the closest shapes. They all turned to meet the oncoming charge. Enrico pulled his pistol and Aenarion readied an arrow. The figures loomed closer and the quintet were finally able to see them clearly. The two creatures in front were giant white bears. But these were no ordinary bears. They were as big as two men, wore armor plate around their body, and carried a club as big as a tree trunk. Following them were three little creatures that looked similar to Goblins but were more powerfully built. Instead of spears, they carried small swords made of ice. "Ice Gremlins," Lyndryell muttered. "What?" Garrick asked. "Ice Gremlins," he repeated. "I heard tales of them as a boy. Stories would come back from the Pine Crags of scouting parties being attacked by strange snow beasts. Polar Warbears, Ice Gremlins, and also Yeti." As if to put emphasis on his statement, a strange howl filled the air. As Garrick turned to find the source of the noise, he was hit in the head by a giant ball of ice and sent sprawling to the ground. He looked up and saw two giant beasts on the other side of the chasm readying more of the deadly projectiles.
Garrick climbed to his feet as Lyndryell met the charge of one of the Polar Warbears. Enrico and Gilchrist had both let off a volley from their pistols and slowed the other one down considerably. Garrick ran to help Lyndryell with the huge beast, but felt something poke his side. He wheeled around and there were three Ice Gremlins jabbing him with their swords of ice. He shook them off and was finally able to regain his feet. Blood was flowing freely from the wounds they had inflicted. Another iceball flew by his head, missing him by inches. The Ice Gremlins, seeing him distracted, lunged again but he was ready, bringing the full force of his axe to bear on the hapless creatures, cleaving them in two with one mighty swing. He tried again to rush to Lyndryell's aid but felt a hand on his waist. He turned to strike, but his axe hit nothing but air. He reached down to his waist and cursed out loud. The third Ice Gremlin was running toward the bridge as fast as it could and Garrick was missing some of his gold.
Gilchrist knew there was no time to reload, he pulled his Sabre and waited for the Polar Warbear to come. Enrico holstered his pistol and threw his dagger at the beast but it just bounced off its armor and fell harmlessly into the snow. Aenarion kept firing arrows at the Warbear but it just kept coming. It reached Enrico first, roaring and swinging its mighty club, it knocked him to the side. Then it struck with its giant paw, five razor sharp claws narrowly missed Gilchrist's body as he dove out of the way. Enrico regained his feet and drove his sword deep into its side. With a pain-filled roar, the Polar Warbear swung his mace again but this time Enrico was quicker and dodged the blow. As he rolled to the ground, he could see Gilchrist holding his amulet high in the air and chanting to Sigmar for divine intervention. Aenarion, seeing Gilchrist call upon the power of the amulet, charged the beast to divert its attention. The Warbear swung its club and Aenarion dodged to the side, but he was not quick enough to dodge the giant paw as it threw him across the snow-covered plateau. The creature turned to Gilchrist just in time to see a bolt of pure energy surge forth from the Witchhunter's upraised hands. It hit the Polar Warbear in the chest. It shrieked in rage and pain as its armor melted and it was sent plummeting into the chasm.
Enrico, momentarily blinded by the bolt's brightness, scrambled to his feet and tried to adjust his vision. As his eyes began to focus, he could make out Aenarion about 20 paces away lying in the snow, struggling to get to his feet. Gilchrist was running toward Lyndryell and Garrick who were fighting for their lives against the other Polar Warbear. He started toward them but did not get far as a giant iceball grazed his head with such force it knocked him back to the ground. Aenarion managed to get to his feet, shaking off the grogginess caused by the blow he had received from the Polar Warbear and started to shoot arrows across the chasm at the Yetis, trying to slow down the constant barrage of iceballs flying their way.
Garrick could feel the hot breath of the Polar Warbear as it moved in for the kill. He had started to swing his axe and slipped on the frozen ground. He could feel the weight of the creature slowly crushing him as it stood on him and sniffed his body. Garrick did not move, having learned the art of playing dead from a drunken soldier in a tavern. He had called the man a coward, "But, I guess discretion is the better part of valor in some cases," he thought to himself as he lay totally still and tried not to move or even breathe for that matter. The Warbear sniffed and nudged him with its snout. Garrick was trying to ignore the putrid breath and the rows of jagged yellow teeth, but was finding it increasingly difficult. Finally, just when he thought he could take it no more, he felt the pressure ease off of his chest and then heard an earth-shattering roar. He dared to look and saw Lyndryell on top of the beast's back driving his twin swords between the shoulder blades. The Warbear, reared back on two feet, as it did, Garrick drove his axe into the beast's underside with all his might. He could hear bones shatter as it staggered back. Lyndryell had just enough time to jump off of the its back as it toppled over into the snow.
Lyndryell ran over to Garrick to see if he was injured when Enrico ran up to him with Gilchrist trailing several paces behind. "We've got to get across the bridge," Gilchrist shouted still dazed by the hit he had taken from the flying iceball. "Enrico, you and Gilchrist reload your pistols and take a shot at those Yeti. Garrick and I will try to cross the bridge, Lyndryell yelled. He could see Aenarion still firing his bow across the chasm. "Aenarion!" he shouted, "Keep shooting, we are going to try to get across the bridge." Aenarion nodded and resumed his attack. Lyndryell and Garrick ran toward the bridge, dodging iceballs as they did. On reaching the bridge, they could see it was the backbone of some giant animal, probably a Dragon judging by the size, stretched across a seemingly bottomless chasm. Lyndryell cautiously stepped onto the bridge. It was very sturdy, and he continued across, Garrick following closely behind. Lyndryell could see one of the Yeti rushing to the bridge. He knew he could not get all the way across before it reached him. He looked for a spot to make his stand. He found a wide bony plate about eight paces in width and prepared to meet the charge.
The Yeti had just reached the bridge when two shots rang out. Lyndryell could see the creature's fur was quickly becoming stained with blood. But it kept coming. He braced himself, knowing that with one wrong move he would either fall into a bottomless chasm or be torn apart by the vicious beast. The Yeti rushed toward him, taking no heed of the dangerously narrow bridge, man and beast slammed together. The force threw Lyndryell back into Garrick who had just reached the platform. Garrick could feel himself falling. He hit the bridge with a thud but his momentum carried him over the edge. He scratched and clawed for a handhold, he legs flailing wildly in open air as he desperately tried to keep from plummeting to his death. He was finally able to catch hold of a bony ridge. He tried to pull himself up but he couldn't get a strong enough grip.
Lyndryell regained his feet and tried to help Garrick, but the Yeti was on him in an instant grabbing him in a powerful hug. He could feel the air being squeezed out of his chest as the huge arms were crushing his ribs in a deadly embrace. Enrico and Gilchrist seeing the spectacle unfold before them quickly made their way out onto the bridge with Aenarion a short distance behind. Enrico reached Garrick and grabbed his hand but, the narrowness of the bridge made it difficult to maneuver. Gilchrist grabbed his other hand but Garrick's weight, combined with his body armor, was too much for them both. Enrico could feel Garrick's hand slipping. He looked around. Aenarion was busy trying to free Lyndryell from the Yeti's iron grip and could not help them. Gilchrist desperately tried to hold on to Garrick's other hand but it slipped. Garrick was now dangling by one hand over the chasm. Enrico knew he would have to act fast, as his grip was weakening and Garrick had only seconds to live. "Gilchrist, take the blue vial out of my pouch." "What in God's name are you talking about." "Just do it, fast, there's no time to explain." Gilchrist quickly grabbed the vial out of Enrico's pack. "Now, unstopper it. Quickly!" Gilchrist opened the vial of blue liquid and handed it to Enrico. Garrick looked up and screamed as he felt his hand slip. His life played out before his eyes as he could feel himself falling into the chasm. His childhood, his family, his brother and father. Oh how he missed them. How he longed to be back at home. But no, this was it. He could see Enrico's face as he fell away from the bridge. He would miss his friend too, Enrico had been there through it all. Suddenly a sparkle of blue caught his eye. It was a blue so intense that a sapphire would pale in comparison. It was falling toward him. It was some sort of liquid. It splashed on his face and into his mouth, which was still open in a silent scream. He fell into the darkness and was gone.
"No....!" Enrico screamed, his heart sinking. He looked on horrified as his friend disappeared into the chasm. He just sat there not knowing what to do. He felt a hand on his shoulder. "I am truly sorry, Enrico, he was a friend to us all. But we have other friends who need our help." Enrico turned to see Lyndryell caught in a smothering embrace by a Yeti and Aenarion desperately trying to free him." Gilchrist was right, they must help their friends. As he got up he saw the Yeti release Lyndryell and knock Aenarion back with a swipe of his great paw, only his lightning quick reflexes kept him from going over the edge. Lyndryell slumped to the ground, trying to catch his breath. Enrico and Gilchrist rushed the beast as it was preparing to grab Lyndryell again. They hacked and slashed at it until its fur was covered in blood, but it just kept coming as if driven by some unseen force. Gilchrist was knocked off of his feet, Enrico was deflecting blow after blow, but the Yeti was pushing him back until he was teetering on the edge of the bridge.
Lyndryell looked up and saw his friends in grave danger. Then he heard a thundering roar from behind as the other Yeti started making its way toward the bridge. He bowed his head and prayed to Orion and Ariel to give him the strength to help his friends. He and saw both of his swords were emitting a faint red glow. It increased in intensity until they looked as if they were on fire. They had been blessed by the Gods. Lyndryell jumped to his feet, renewed by the power flowing into him from the twin bladesEnrico and Gilchrist, who had managed to get to their feet, were very near to falling in the chasm when they heard an ear-splitting scream come from somewhere behind the beast. Aenarion heard it too--he was just getting to his feet after being stunned by the blow from the Yeti. "What manner of deranged creature is upon us now!," thought Enrico to himself, "As if this one isn't enough." He looked up just in time to see Lyndryell flying over him.
* * * * * *
Garrick closed his eyes not wanting to see what he would hit when his descent finally stopped. He was falling fast and knew he would hit at any time. But just as he had resigned himself to his grisly fate his descent began to slow. "My mind must be playing tricks," he thought to himself. He opened his eyes, he could still see the canyon walls, but they were going by very slowly. Then, they stopped going by altogether and he was floating in the air, not moving. He looked up and saw the bridge, a black speck seemingly miles above him. "By the Gods, what is happening to me." He wondered also what had happened to his friends. Then, he abruptly started rising through the air. It was as if he was willing himself to do it. He concentrated and started rising faster, ascending toward his friends before it was too late.
* * * * * *
Lyndryell bellowed the ancient battle cry of the Wardancers. He usually reserved it for when he was in the forest with fellow Wardancers, but the power coursing through him burst forth and the Wardancers' ancient dance of death was consuming his body, heart, and soul. He leapt into the air doing a somersault and then crossed his arms as he flew toward the Yeti. When he got close enough he uncrossed his arms, and with precision timing the twin swords uncrossed, slicing the beast's neck in two, severing the head from the body, sending it plummeting into the chasm. Lyndryell landed on his feet and turned to meet the charge of the other Yeti"Lyndryell!" Gilchrist cried, "We must get to the other side." Gilchrist was interrupted by a deafening roar, as the other Yeti came charging onto the bridge. As the four were preparing to battle the remaining Yeti, they were surprised to see Garrick come floating into view. Everyone looked on, stunned as he floated over to the group.
"Garrick, go to the other side, and see if there are any more of them" cried Enrico. "Say no more," he replied drifting off through the air. "What the...." "Save it Gilchrist, I'll explain later," Enrico said answering the unspoken question. “right now we've got bigger problems," he pointed to the charging Yeti. "You three take care of this one, I'm going to help Garrick," Lyndryell said. At that, he broke into a run, charging directly toward the beast. Just when it looked like he was going to run head first into the Yeti, he leapt into the air, doing a somersault as he sailed over the Yeti's head, landing behind him and dashing off toward the other side.
* * * * * *
Garrick landed with a thud, "Ouch! Well I guess whatever it was that was making me fly couldn't last forever," he said as he picked himself up off the ground. He looked around cautiously there were no creatures in sight. Only the cave looking at him ominously. The entrance was formed from a giant skull, "Probably from the creature whose body was used to make that bridge," he thought to himself. As he approached he could hear heavy breathing, then a low growl that resonated through the air making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Whatever it was it was big and Garrick wanted to strike first. He crept up to the cave entrance, lifted his axe up over his head, and then stopped cold as a streak of blue lightning shot toward him.
* * * * * *
Enrico, feeling a surge of adrenalin rush through him charged the Yeti and held it at bay while Aenarion continuously fired arrows at it. Gilchrist quickly followed and mounted an assault of his own. "His plan had worked, by the gods it had worked!" Enrico smiled, ducking low to avoid a giant paw. He had paid a small fortune for the potion at an alchemist's shop in Nuln. A potion of levitation. He thought it would come in handy if he fell in a pit trap or something. He had just poured it on Garrick's head hoping some of it would get into his mouth. "He had better pay me back."
* * * * * *
Garrick was thrown to the ground with such force that it knocked the wind out of him. He could only lay there as the giant beast walked out of the cave. It was enormous. It had an elongated snout like a Polar Warbear and huge powerful arms like the Yeti. It was also covered in white fur. But something was different about this creature. It had an aura surrounding it. A magical aura. But how could that be, this creature with the long jagged teeth, powerful jaws, and claws the size of daggers. Then he saw its eyes. Terrifying, red eyes belied a savage intelligence. He struggled to get to his feet, his whole body ached from the force of the blast. The creature was closing in on him. Garrick rushed the beast as he did not want it to invoke another spell before he got a chance at it. As he neared the creature, he dove to the ground into a somersault and rolled underneath the swinging claws of the creature. He then came up and struck it in the chest with his axe. It fell back into the cave and roared in rage as it knocked Garrick back again with one swing of its mighty paw. While lying on the ground, Garrick could see the beast begin the motions of another spell, but he was to far away to stop it. All he could do was lie there and wait.
* * * * * *
As Lyndryell ran across the plateau, he saw a flash of light near the cave entrance but he was too far away to make out what was happening. As he drew nearer he saw Garrick pull himself up off the ground and run toward the entrance of the cave. He heard a savage roar and then saw Garrick come flying out of the cave, landing with a bonecrunching thud about 20 paces away from where he had started. Lyndryell ran as fast as he could, praying to Orion and Ariel for the speed to save his friend. He was rapidly closing the distance between Garrick and himself when he saw the hideous beast Garrick was fighting. It was standing in the entrance to the cave, but instead of going in for the kill, it just stood there, and raised its arms up over its head. There was a large scepter in one of its huge paws. Lyndryell, who was just a few steps away from Garrick, could see power beginning to build up in the scepter. It was glowing bright blue. He had to reach Garrick before the beast could finish its spell. He dove the last few steps and knocked Garrick to the side just as a bolt of pure energy burst forth, disintegrating the ground Garrick had just occupied. Lyndryell rolled to his feet and brought his swords up in front of him. The beast wheeled and let loose another powerful bolt of energy from its scepter. Lyndryell dove again, narrowly escaping a fiery death. Garrick got back to his feet and again moved toward the beast. He swung his axe in a wide arc, catching it on the arm. With one swing of its huge paw, it backhanded Garrick, practically knocking him unconscious. Lyndryell was upon the beast in an instant, hacking at the monster with both swords, the power of his gods Orion and Ariel flowing through him and he managed to wound the beast several times. However, the beast would not go down. It just kept coming, relentlessly attacking. It knocked Lyndryell to the ground. Lyndryell could see it moving its hands, tracing an unseen pattern in the air. Lyndryell was too slow. He could feel his body start to go rigid. His limbs felt as if they were turning to ice--first, his legs, then his torso, his arms, and finally, his head. He struggled to break free of the spell that held him captive but he could not. As the creature moved toward him, he could see Garrick out of the corner of his eye lying on the ground, unmoving. No help would be coming from there. He watched in horror as it raised its scepter and began another spell.
* * * * * *
The last remaining Yeti was faring badly against the combined assault. Renewed by the miraculous escape of Garrick from certain death, and driven by the sheer instinct for survival, the Yeti was overwhelmed by the slashing swords of Enrico and Gilchrist. It also had numerous arrows sticking out of its blood-soaked fur. Finally, Enrico feinted with his sword and when the creature moved to block he brought up a booted foot and kicked it square in the chest, sending it tumbling into the chasm. Aenarion quickly dashed to the far side of the bridge--toward the cave entrance. He had been watching as Garrick had been thrown to the ground and he knew Lyndryell was in trouble. He sprinted across the plateau, stopped, put one knee on the ground, pulled an arrow from his quiver and let it fly. It struck the beast in the shoulder, forcing it to lose its concentration and drop the scepter. Garrick, seeing the beast distracted, jumped to his feet and managed to get in a couple more blows on it before being thrown to the ground again by the giant paw. Enrico and Gilchrist were across the bridge and halfway across the plateau when they saw the beast throw Garrick to the ground. Aenarion fired another arrow and quickly followed the other two. The monster turned to meet the oncoming threat. Howling in fury as another arrow embedded itself in his arm, the creature started swinging wildly as Enrico and Gilchrist charged it with swords drawn. Gilchrist got too close and was knocked sideways by a huge clawed hand, sending him tumbling into the snow. Enrico deftly dodged the blow aimed at him and struck back, jabbing his sword into its ribs. The beast reared back, taking Enrico's sword, still stuck in its ribcage, with it. A surprised Enrico went sprawling to the ground face first as the sword was wrenched from his hand.
Aenarion notched another arrow and surveyed the scene. Garrick lay in the snow trying to get up, but his battle with the creature had left him badly hurt. Lyndryell was standing there frozen as if some unseen force was holding him back, not letting him move. Enrico and Gilchrist were doing badly as well. This creature was like none they had ever faced. It was extremely powerful, and was highly intelligent, unlike other large beasts, a very deadly combination indeed. Enrico was trying to fight it with his dagger and Gilchrist was doing well just to keep the giant claws from tearing him to pieces. He had to act fast. Letting loose of his last arrow, he quickly scanned the ground and spotted the beast's scepter half buried in the snow a few yards away from the fighting. He sprinted to where it lay. He touched it and quickly withdrew his hand shuddering as he did. This thing was truly Evil. He had just barely touched it and could feel the hatred and malice locked within it. He looked up just in time to see Enrico go down hard and Gilchrist was tiring rapidly. "I must do it!" he thought to himself. "It is our only hope." He went for the scepter again, grabbing it with both hands. It seemed all of the Evil in the world was locked up within it just waiting for the opportunity to be set free. "Help me!" it cried to Aenarion "I am nothing but a toy to this beast. He uses me to control a bunch of mindless monsters on top of a desolate mountain. But you are an Elven wizard, you have many ambitions. I can help you rule the world. Together we can enslave entire races. Possess me and you will be invincible." Aenarion hesitated, "If I use the scepter it could enslave me, take control of my mind." He didn't have time to think any further. He looked up and the beast was nearly on top of him. He instinctively released his mind to the power of the scepter. It gleefully took hold and let loose a bolt of lightning so powerful that when it struck, the beast was lifted it off its feet and slammed it into the rocks near the cave entrance. Leaving only a bloodied mangled corpse. Then, everything went black.
* * * * * *
When Aenarion awoke, the sun was high overhead. Lyndryell, who was busy cooking what little provisions they had left, was the first to hear him stir. "How are you, old friend?" he asked. "My head hurts" was all Aenarion could reply. He looked around to try and get his bearings. He was just inside the mouth of a large cave. Outside there was a snow-covered plateau. All at once it came back to him. He closed his eyes and the memories flooded through his mind like a river out of control. The battle on the bridge, the Frozen Horror, fighting for his life against the powerful monster. The scepter, yes, the scepter. It had spoken to him, it was a sentient being. But it was utterly evil. It had nearly consumed his mind. "Is everyone well?" he asked Lyndryell without opening his eyes. "Yes," Lyndryell answered "we are well, at least as well as can be expected. But we were beginning to worry about you. It has been a full day since the battle and we were not sure if you were going to wake up." "Something happened to me, that scepter was so utterly evil, it tried to corrupt me, made me see the world through its own twisted view, almost as if it were alive." "You are correct in that assumption," Gilchrist said as he sat down beside them. "I have been studying it, being careful not to touch it, of course, just touching it set off an onslaught of thoughts so evil I can't even describe them." He shuddered at the memory of the scepter trying to seduce him. "Anyway," he continued, it seems to be a sentient being, probably an evil spirit trapped by a sorcerer's spell." "A very powerful spirit!" Aenarion added remembering the grip it had on him. "You are lucky Aenarion, had you not blacked out and dropped the scepter you could very well have been consumed by its evil." "Where is it now?" Lyndryell interrupted. "Garrick has it, it does not seem to affect him as seriously as it does us, if at all." "Why?" Aenarion asked. "That is another mystery," Gilchrist answered without bothering to explain. "But he will carry it in his pack until we can destroy it properly. We do not want it to fall into the wrong hands again."
* * * * * *
Aenarion opened his eyes slowly. He had dozed off again and it was nightfall. His head did not hurt nearly as bad as before and he decided to get up and take a stroll. The others were by the fire several paces from where he had slept. "Good evening, it appears I have been of little use the last couple of days. Is there anything I can do?" "Nonsense!" Lyndryell said. "You saved our lives! If you had not destroyed the Frozen Horror I would still be a block of ice." "Yes, sit down." Enrico agreed, "we were just talking about getting off this cursed rock."
