Dungar and Garette followed the lake
shore around to the east and south until they reached the small town of Anionce
in the early afternoon. After buying a
few supplies with their limited funds, the duo would then need to head towards
the coast. Deciding that they really
couldn’t afford an inn, they traveled as far south as they could before
nightfall. Halfway to their
destination, it became too dark to continue.
Garette built a fire while Dungar contrived a stew from their meager
supplies. Once Dungar started cooking
Garette laid back and looked into the night sky. He reveled in the feeling of the soft grass beneath him, the cool
autumn air rejuvenating his spirits. He
breathed a sigh of relaxed contentment.
“Tenaria favors us with such a fine night.” He said.
“Huh! She could have favored us with
a nice warm inn!” Dungar returned.
Garette chuckled. “How long has been since the two of us have
traveled alone like this?”
“About a little more than a year or
so I guess.”
“Yeah, we have had some interesting
times over the years, haven’t we?”
“Aye, that’s one word for it.” The
two lapsed into a nostalgic silence for a few minutes. Each knew what the other was thinking,
Garette voiced it first.
“Dungar, will you be able to do
this?” The silent pause conveyed Dungar’s embarrassment and rage about his shame. “I figured since it’s just you and me, you
might be more inclined to talk about it.”
“I’m not sure, but what choice has
I?”
“What happened to you to cause
this? Was there something in your past
that did this? I mean, I know that your
race is not fond of water, but you’re down right terrified.” He could almost
feel the burning red that Dungar’s face must be. “It’s all right Dungar. Think of this as a kind of confession. Whatever you say is between you, Tenaria,
and me. It’ll help, trust me.”
The old dwarf groaned, cleared his
throat and began to speak. “I was just a boy when my parents made a trip to
Kryastal Main. I don’t even remember
why we’re makin’ the trip, but that doesn't matter. We were almost to the shoreline when a ship of pirates attacked
us. Our ship was small and didn’t have
any real arms. Unfortunately the other
ship was the opposite. It fired its
cannons into our starboard side. The
force was so strong it tore the ship in two.
Me, my parents, and the rest of the passengers were tossed into the
sea. A second blast shattered the
remaining sections of ship.
“My mother was able to get me out of
the water and onto a large floating piece of debris that was near us. Just as she was pulling herself up onto it,
the waves surged up causing her to slip and fall back into the sea. She struggled against the current, but all
it did was make her weaker. Each time
she got anywhere near me the waves would pull her back. Finally the sea claimed her. My last view of her was of her eyes. I remember the terror that filled them.”
Dungar stopped and thought over his past.
With an unsteady chuckle he said, “You would think that after a little
more than a century it would have gotten less vivid. Yet, I can still see them
as clearly as I did then.”
“I’m sorry Dungar, I had no idea.”
“Aye, luckily my father survived,
but every time I come within seeing distance of the damn stuff my mind just
locks up. I just see her eyes, its like
I’m already drowning. Everything loses
meaning, it’s only her eyes that I see and... the water.”
“With that kind of an experience
attached to it, I surprised you could hide it as well as you have. I’m surprised you’re even able to move at
all around it”
“For the longest time I couldn’t,
but my father forced me to face it. He
was able to break the fear enough for me to at least move when faced with
it. The fear still remains as strong as
ever, though.”
“Tomorrow will be the ultimate test
for you Dungar. If you wish to remain
on the shore while I go after it, I will understand.”
“No, I will come. If nothin’ else, just to shut that walking
tin can’s mouth.”
“Alright, just remember that I will
be there with you as well as Tenaria.”
“Well if she’s in such a helpful
mood, maybe she’ll go grab it for us, while we grab some sleep.” Garette simply
laughed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning came and found the
two once again heading towards their goal.
They found a small fishing village nearest to the location of the disc,
according to the map. As they entered
they drew curious and suspicious glances from the people. Moving their horses slowly they headed to
the beach behind the village. There
they found several small boats in the sand above the high tide mark.
“These don’t look like they could
keep a cat a float, let alone us!” Dungar’s attempt at humor was failed by the
strain in his voice.
“Don’t worry Dungar, they’ll hold.”
Garette assured. He dismounted from his
horse and then helped the dwarf off of his.
“You need to go on a diet!” The cleric grunted.
“Just help me off of this thing and
keep the comedy to yerself!” They
tethered the horse to a near by rail and set off to find some assistance. A short way down the beach they found a
small child.
“Excuse me, who do I speak with if I
want to borrow a boat?” The child
looked at him blankly, then pointed to a house down the beach. Garette nodded, then moved to the
house. When Garette arrived at the door
he lightly rapped on it. An older man
answered it.
“Can I help you?”
“I hope so; we need to borrow one of
your boats.”
“I am sorry, but I can not help you
right now. My daughter is ill.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She has had a fever for the past
two weeks. She is too weak to even move
and none of the medicine we have has done anything for her.”
“If you want I could look at
her. I might be able to help.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“No, but I do have some medical
training.”
“We’ve tried everything else
already, please do what you can.” The
man led them through the small house and up a set of stairs. The second floor was one large bedroom. At
one of the beds sat an older woman. She
was wiping sweat off the forehead of the sick girl. She looked up at them upon hearing their footsteps. When they reached her, the man made
introductions. He told her that Garette offered to help them. She moved aside so he could work. He knelt by the young girl.
She was in her late teens and quite
beautiful. Her red hair was dark with
sweat, her face thin from lack of food, and her fever was still burning
fiercely. He checked her pulse; it was
galloping faster than a horse.
“She is quite ill. What gods do you worship?”
“We really aren’t very religious,
except for the occasional prayer to the goddess of the seas.” He answered.
“I am a cleric of Tenaria. I may be able to heal her with my goddess’s
power, but I must ask your permission first.”
“Yes!” The woman yelled desperately,
“Yes! Anything, just help her!”
Garette nodded and turned his
attention back to the girl. He placed
his hands above her face. Closing his
eyes and taking a deep breath he began his prayer. “Tenaria, goddess of light
and beauty, hear my plea. Grant me the
power of your divine hand and banish the illness from this girl.” A pale white glow radiated from his
hands. Slowly he placed them on the
girl’s face. The glow flowed into her,
as it did so the face seemed to relax.
Her breathing slowed and she fell into a peaceful sleep. Garette touched her forehead with the back
of his hand. The fever was still
present, but it was rapidly losing its strength.
“I think most of it is gone, but
watch carefully that she does not lapse back into it.” The woman rushed over and began holding the
girl. When Garette rose he staggered,
almost falling to the floor.
“You all right?” Dungar asked.
“Yes, that was a big spell. I just
need a moment to rest.”
“Come with me, for what you did for
us I shall see that you eat well tonight!”
“I’m beginning to like this guy!”
The dwarf said.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
After eating the man gave them
permission to borrow one of his boats.
Garette and Dungar rowed the boat out to the ocean. In order to keep from weighting the boat
down they left everything, with the exception of the map, back with the
horses. Garette was careful to keep his
eyes on Dungar. He needed to make sure
he didn’t panic. His weight could easily
capsize the boat if he made any sudden movements. As of now he just sat in the middle clutching both sides tightly,
breathing and sweating heavily. His
eyes were filled with his terror. My god!
I didn’t fully realize the amount of terror he would feel. I hope his heart can handle it. Garette
thought.
“According to the map there will be
a coral formation sticking up out of the water. It has several smaller spikes
around one large one.” Dungar grunted a response. They rowed for a short while, the shoreline growing smaller all
the time.
“How much goddamn further is it?”
Dungar barked.
“To be perfectly honest I’m not
sure. It doesn't really mention it on
the map.” Garette replied. He stopped
rowing and examined the area. The late
afternoon sun reflecting off the water’s surface was making it hard to
see. After a few frustrated minutes of
searching, he figured it would be better if they kept moving. So, they rowed onward for several more
minutes when a shadow to his left caught Garette’s attention. The elongated
shadow merged with the coral shape he described earlier, a little further into
the distance.
“Dungar, I found it!” He
shouted. Hearing no response from his
dwarven companion, he turned to him in concern. He was still sitting there clutching the sides of the boat,
staring hard at the floor. Garette
touched him light lightly on the shoulder. Dungar recoiled from it like it was
a snake. “Dungar?”
“I…I…gotta…get out…of her…here!” He
stammered. In his rush to find this thing he had forgotten that Dungar was
dying of fear.
“Okay, all I have to do is grab the
disc and then we’ll leave.” Garette
returned to the oars and began hurriedly rowing to the formation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When he had first seen it he had
been glad, seeing it as the end of this journey. However, the closer they got the more terrible they looked. It made him think of a skeleton hand rising
out of the water. Using as much haste
as he could safely use, Garette rowed them into the grip of those skeleton
fingers. He looked about for the disc,
but nothing remotely like it was visible.
He quickly pulled out the instructions and read them over again. He reread them several times, yet they
yielded no more information.
“We followed all the instructions on
this damn map, so where is it?” Garette yelled in frustration. As he tried to figure out the enigma a
strange feeling came over the air. It
became cooler and still. The duo both
felt the change and glanced around them.
“Something’s not right.”
“What’s happening!?” Dungar said
with even more apprehension. The sound
of bubbling water caught their attention.
A few meters to their left, near the center of the formation, an area of
water was a bubbling froth. With each moment the water surged higher and
higher. A spout of water finally
erupted into the sky. They watched in
fascinated silence as the water, spun, twisted, and molded itself into various
shapes. Soon the water smoothed itself
out and settled into a form. It
appeared as a woman with incredible detail, even down to the individual strands
of hair.
“An elemental.” Garette whispered in
awe.
The creature stood over them gazing down with its watery eyes. For a few moments silence reigned as they
faced one another. Then it spoke: “That
which you seek, lies beneath.” Its
voice seemed to come from everywhere, yet from nowhere. It had a musical tone to it. “Find it you will, see it you can, leave you
must, or pay for it thus.” With that
last part said it dived back into the water.
After a moment the water became calm once again.
“What the hell just happened here?”
Dungar asked.
“I’m not exactly sure. It said,
‘What you seek lies beneath’. Does that mean under the water?” There came a sharp cracking sound. Garette saw the splintered section of boat railing
in Dungar’s hand. A small trail of
blood ran out from under his hand.
“Perhaps I should do that part alone.”
“I…I…I…”
“It’s alright Dungar. I’ll be
fine.” Garette slowly stood up in the
boat. He moved as carefully as he could
so as not to tip the boat over. He
closed his eyes and clasped his hands together. “Saldonna, mistress of the sea, in the name of the heavenly
mother I beseech you. Grant me your
divine protection so that I may complete my task.” As he chanted an aura of soft blue-green light appeared around
him. When he finished the glow was nearly
blinding.
“What did you do?” Dungar asked
shielding his eyes.
“This spell will protect me from the
water. I can move and breathe as
normally as in air.” He turned to the
area where the elemental had appeared.
“Hang on! The boat will rock a bit.”
“What the hell do you think I’ve
been doing the whole damn trip?” Garette laughed and then leapt into the water.
He passed through the surface as if he were a ghost. Not a single splash or
ripple showed. Dungar watched as his friend sank down into the darkness of the
sea. “Okay lady, he paid his dues, now
it’s your turn.” Dungar whispered.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Though having no more lift or heft,
Garette’s decent was slow and controlled.
Soon his feet came to rest on the sea’s sandy floor. Patches of pure darkness covered the horizon. The glow that was bright in day was intense
in the darkness. It illuminated a large
area around the cleric. Coral
formations, schools of colorful fish, and the various other sea life all came
into his line of vision.
He stood mesmerized by the shear
beauty of the sea. The vibrant colors
and rich textures were a wonder to behold.
He raised his hand into a school of fish swimming near him, feeling
their smooth scales as they passed. He
walked forward looking at everything that past. It wasn’t until he saw the sunken ruins that his original purpose
came back into mind. Several yards away
were the remains of a sunken ship. In
the side of the hull was facing him, there was a large ragged hole. Long strands of seaweed swayed in front the
gap. The scene reminded him of the
lairs of huge Neppanin spiders that he and Dungar had encountered years
ago. With caution he approached the
wreckage.
One of the things Garette was quick
to notice about his senses under this spell was that his hearing was almost
non-existent. He couldn’t hear much of
anything, not the sound of the ocean, or even the sound of his own
breathing. He was, however, able to see
very well and he could feel sounds.
Each noise was like a strong vibration against his skin. So, with only these two senses at his
disposal he watched for danger as much as he could. With his aura lighting the way he entered the ragged hole.
The ship must have sat on the bottom
for a long time; the water had rotted the entire interior away. The few remaining chunks broke apart the
moment he made any kind of contact with them.
As he looked about the cleric noticed something glimmering in the back
of the ship. He approached the shining
object. Drawing closer, he saw that a
pile of rotting wood formed a crude kind of alter upon which sat the disc he
was after. The disc was about a foot in
diameter, made entirely of stone with a crystal center. Strange symbols were carved into the surface
of it. That must be it! He reached out with both hands and grasped
it sides, slowly lifting it from its resting-place. He waited for one tense moment, when nothing happened he breathed
a sigh of relief. Taking an extra
moment to look at it Garette saw that in the blue light of his aura the crystal
shined black as night. While examining
it he began making his way out of the wreck, it was then that the ground began
to rumble. As the shaking intensified
the hull of the ship began to break further apart. Garette ran out of the collapsing wreck. He was just out of the ship when he saw the
water elemental awaiting him. Its face
bore an angry expression.
“For that which you take,” Its eyes
sparked to life with an eerie glow. It
slowly raised its hand towards Garette.
“Your life you must forsake.”
That same light that filled its eyes appeared around the hand. Garette felt an odd sensation as if
something was being pulled from him.
The ocean floor was suddenly falling beneath him. No it wasn’t falling; he was rising.
The water was starting to regain its
physical substance. He could feel his
robe growing heavy and damp. His hair
clung to his head in clumps. The air
was growing salty and thin, the scent of brine filling his nose. The darkness of the ocean floor was creeping
forward like a stalking cat. It was
then that Garette fully realized what was happening; his protective aura was
failing. Quickly he began to try and
swim his way up through the materializing water. With each movement his weight seemed to grow, slowing his ascent
even more.
He was further hindered by weight of
the seal. Having to hold it under his
arm, it prevents him from using it to swim more properly. The power of the water pressure was become
stronger with each second. At this
moment there were only two possibilities for the cleric, either the water
pressure at this depth would crush him or he would simply drown. Either option
was unfavorable for him. So, his mind
raced for a solution to the problem. A
sudden rush of cold throughout his body interrupted his thoughts. The aura had finally lost all of its
power. Visibility was ending, but as
his sight was leaving him he saw one last thing. The water creature hovered before him. It wrapped its hands around his head. “Your life you must
forsake.”
Slowly he felt his life leaving his
body. The lack of air and the frigid cold
was ebbing his strength. He could
scarcely move let alone swim to the top.
One last thing came to his mind, a spell all priest cast on the
dying. He began to think his last
rites. Tenaria bless the soul of this fragile life as it prepares to meet the
Rose Elven Mistress, the goddess of death and of life. The moment the thought finished a warm
sensation passed through his fingers.
He gazed down at the disc, the runes along its surface began to burn
with an azure light. He then remembered
that the old wizard had used elemental magic to create the disc. That led him to the realization that it may
be imbued with the power over water.
Water suddenly rushed past him as he
ascended; the crushing force, however, passed away. Above him the light of the afternoon sun shined through the
water’s surface. Garette burst through,
like an arrow shot !from a bow. He fell
back into the sea with a loud splash, drawing the attention of his
companion. Dungar saw the cleric bob
back up to the surface. After some
thrashing the drenched old cleric made it to the boat.
“Did ya get it?” Dungar asked. In response Garette lifted the disc up and
dropped it in the boat. “All this for that!?”
“You wanna help me out here!?”
Garette said testily. Dungar grabbed
his hand and started to pull him in. The elemental then raised from the water.
“Your life you must forsake.” It thrust its hands forward, causing a wave
to surge up into their boat. Dungar
lost his grip and Garette was once again in the water. Once the boat was stable, Dungar turned to
see Garette several yards away. Caught
in the waves and struggling for breath, Garette fought. Each time he made it up for air, the waves
would just pull him back under. The
scene struck Dungar like a lightning bolt and paralyzed him.
His mind locked and that familiar
hand began to squeeze his heart as he looked out to the sea. The terror in Garette’s eyes was clearer
than crystal to him. What he saw was
not just Garette, but his mother as well.
Her eyes were the same when the sea claimed her. The two images began to overlay one another
and shift rapidly in his mind. He forced his eyes tightly closed, trying to
kill the images. He ground his teeth
and growled in frustration. The image
of his drowning mother still haunted him.
With each surge of the waves, each splash, each time the scent of brine
filled his senses, the image would return.
There was no escaping it for him.
The fear was intense, but it was only a mask of the true feeling he had: shame.
Dungar had always blamed himself for
his mother’s death. Her efforts to save him were the cause of her demise. As a young boy his mind couldn’t grasp the
concept of this shame. Not knowing how
to deal with it, he pushed it down in his mind. This became the root of his hydrophobia. The shame was what he
feared, the water was merely the trigger.
Even now the threat of losing his greatest friend was not powerful
enough to diminish the fear.
Garette…I’m…sorry.
I…I can’t. Dungar thought. Tears
burned in his eyes. He tried to will
himself to grab the oars and row to Garette.
Yet his hands remained locked on the boat’s sides. The water’s ability to carry sound was in
perfect working order as he heard Garette’s gasps and yells. The dwarf struggled with his fear as the
desperately as his friend struggled with the waves. “I…I can’t.” he pleaded.
Coward!
A cold, metallic voice yelled. Dungar’s surprise over powered the fear for
a moment. At first Dungar wasn’t sure
what he heard, then the voice spoke again. Coward
and you call yourself a dwarf?
“Who the hell are you?” He screamed
to the sea.
Hiding
behind a memory, your ancestors would be disgraced to see you now!
“Bastard! How dare you!”
The
truth is always hard, especially since the truth is you can save someone.
“I was only a child.”
Yes,
you were only a child then. No one can
rightfully blame you for that. However,
you are no longer a child. Your
mother’s death isn’t your fault, but if Garette dies then this time it will be your fault. The cold logical truth struck a vein even
deeper than his powerful fear. He
looked to the sea and saw Garette. The
elemental had enveloped him in a sphere of water. Garette was in full tilt panic, each time he tried to pass
through the sphere's outer shell he met resistance. His movements were becoming weak and sluggish. The creature all
the while was still chanting, “Your life you must for sake!”, like a deranged
mantra.
You have a choice this time.
What shall it be?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garette was now merely trying to
remain conscious. He was now overcome
with a feeling of comfort and sleep.
The water was no longer cold and sleep wanted to cover him like a
blanket. With the soothing effect of
the elemental’s voice, sleep was even harder to fight. He knew that he would soon pass out and from
there death would quickly follow. He
said another prayer for his comrades and awaited his end. Slowly his world began to fade to black, as
he was drifting into unconsciousness a force grabbed him and pulled him. The darkness disappeared in a brilliant
flash of light. He felt the cool air
rushing over him as he flew, then a sharp pain as he crashed into the boat. His
oxygen starved head ached fiercely, even more so as he tried to avoid the
bright sunlight.
“Wha…what happened?” He looked up to see the elemental and its
watery sphere. Inside Dungar struggled
to free himself and Garette now knew what had happened. “Dungar.”
He tried to stand, but tripped over something. Looking down he saw the stone disc. An idea came to mind.
Dungar thrashed his arms
around wildly. He couldn’t tell which
end was up or down, the idea of direction in the dark watery void lost all
meaning. His heart once again began to
throw itself against his ribs, threatening to burst out. Dungar felt as if he were in another world,
a cold, dark world. The feeling of the
water pressing against his skin was an unbearable force. Cold leeched his strength from him. It was like being embraced by the reaper
himself. Dungar couldn’t help but
wonder if this was how his mother felt when the waves claimed her. Mother...Dungar thought as he closed his eyes. Soon the dwarven warrior floated still and
calm.
A sudden blow to the back
of the head caused Dungar to open his eyes and scream out. He coughed and gagged as the remaining fluid
left his lungs and mouth. Stars danced
before his eyes. Between the hit and
the lack of air his head felt like it was ready to fly apart. Slowly the world came back into focus. He found himself back in the boat, Garette
standing there to his left. It looked
like he was holding a small blue sun, however it was only the disc.
“Gar...Garette Wha...”
“This disc has dominion
over water, our liquid foe is powerless at the moment. You alright?”
“I’ve been better.”
“You well enough to row
us?”
“I think so.”
“Do it then. If we can
get to shore we will be fine.”
Dungar grasped the oars
and began rowing in haste. He risked a
look behind him, the elemental floated after them. It looked angry, but still maintained a good distance behind
them. It took them almost an hour of rowing
to reach the beach they started from.
The whole time Garette stood, gaze unwavering with the elemental,
holding the disc like a shield. It’s
sapphire light burning on. Several
times the creature surged forward to attack them and each time the light of the
disc flared, driving it back again. As
the sun touched the horizon, their boat beached on the sand. Once on the sand Dungar jumped out of the
boat as if it were on fire. Garette
slowly stepped out making sure to keep an eye on the watery apparition. The creature itself slowly moved towards
them, determined to catch its prey.
Garette joined Dungar further back from the waves.
“What will it do now?”
“Not much of anything in
a moment. Hold this a second.” He
handed Dungar the disc and then stepped forward. “That disc’s powers may be limited, but my prayers are not. Watch carefully Dungar. This is one of the rare times you‘ll see me
save the day.” Garette held his arms
outstretched with hands open palms facing the water being, closing his eyes he
began. “Hear Quantivillis, lord of thunder, in the name our Beloved Mother lend
me your power!” Powerful tendrils
of lightning danced around Garette’s hands.
He opened his eyes and they glowed too with lightning. “Now, you waterlogged demon, BE GONE!” He brought his hands forward releasing the electrical
surge. It shot straight forward
colliding with the elemental. The water-woman
screamed as the bolts went into it, until it finally exploded in a large cloud
of sparking water. Soon all traces of
the elemental and Garette’s spell disappeared.
Once everything settled, Garette turned to Dungar. His breathing was quite labored. “I’m
getting too old for this crap.”
“Amen, brother!” Dungar
responded.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The soaked pair made
their way their way back into the village.
As they did, each took note to the silent and vacant streets. Not so much as a child was heard or
seen. With the fading twilight, people
would be heading indoors, but some should still be out. It unnerved the duo.
“Something is seriously
wrong here.” Garette said.
“What happened to all the
people?”
“I feel a powerful
presence.” The cleric of Tenaria turned his head and looked directly at the
dwarf with eyes full of great concern, “A powerfully dark one.” He surveyed their
surroundings. Dungar meanwhile removed
his axe from its loop on his belt. He
walked over to one of the house nearby and checked around it as fast and
thoroughly as he could. There was a sudden
snapping of cloth, followed by
something falling to the ground. Dungar
spun around to find Garette sprawled on the dirt street.
As Dungar approached him he saw a
large red mark on the side of the cleric’s face, a small trail of blood flowed
from the right side of his lip. Dungar
saw his chest rising and falling.. He’s
only knocked out, but by what? I wasn’t even gone a second. Frantically he looked for the unseen
threat. His eyes searching every
shadow, every space, yet nothing was seen.
Then he heard the rustle of cloth behind him. He turned into a wave of blackness that overcame him. It would be a long while before Dungar would
remember anything else.
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