“Commander Jabari Ihana…leave this place before I do you too!” ordered Mason boldly. He winked to the dwarves around him as he waited for the proper response from the dangerous leader of the forces under the mountain.
“You…die…I…kill…now” stuttered Jabari in an absolute rage. He grabbed for a huge chunk of rock to hurl at the defiant dwarf. As he pulled ferociously at the wall without realizing how unstable the entry was now. His excessive usage of wall fragments had caused the tunnel to visibly shake in its weakened state. With a final tug at the rock he had selected, the arch gave way completely. Dust filled the killing field as the archway collapsed. Everyone close to the collapsed entry coughed roughly as the air filled with stone particulates.
“I wonder how the battle goes down below.” King Dagnolir wondered aloud. He had not slept well since the beginning of the siege and his exhaustion was becoming difficult to hide from others. When tired he was exceptionally irritable and he paced incessantly.
“If my information is correct, Mason has personally killed Commander Aruwurd. He also tricked Commander Ihana into collapsing the tunnel entrance” supplied the warrior druid placidly. He was looking out the window at the latest blizzard that assailed the mountain side. His face was inscrutable as he stood next to his friend.
“How do you know this?” The king’s exhaustion evaporated at this unexpected news. It was great news which was much needed. He just wondered how is mystic friend had gained this knowledge.
Nariko looked sideways at his friend before pouring water from a pitcher in his hands onto the floor between them. He closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath. As he opened his eyes he knelt down on the floor beside the pool of water. He then leaned gently to one edge of the liquid and blew softly over the surface. The water turned a silvery color and shimmered for a moment. Then the bowels of Dagnolir’s fortress came into view. There were several burnt trolls, dwarves, and goblins lying all over the floor. Mason appeared and looked directly at the king and druid.
“Can he see us?” asked King Jarvis quickly. He was stunned by what the druid had done right before him. He had not seen such obvious uses of magic before. He thought that this particular use of magic could prove very useful. I am so glad my friend is such a powerful druid. We could really use more druids like him.
“Course I can…what can I do fer ya?” asked Mason gruffly. His beard and face was covered in blood with a fine layer of dust on top of it. He looked like he had been through quite an ordeal. The mixture between blood and dust made him look as though he had just come from the underworld.
“Lord Neb taught me this trick. He felt that this would work better than sending runners up and down Dagnolir all day and night” offered Lord Nariko with a knowing smile. He knew that this new method of communicating will help the continued war effort.
“Mason, what is your status?” asked the king as he eyed his druid friend with a smile of relief. The king’s irritation evaporated at the news and the amazing magical communication method that Nariko had provided.
“We have killed all rock trolls who had entered the fortress…including that big bloke Toan. Jabari collapsed the tunnel through the force of sheer stupidity. We finally have a chance to regroup” reported the bloodied war hero. His armor was covered in black blood from his deadly encounter with Commander Toan. He was panting slightly from his latest heroics. He did not boast about what he had done…that was not his style. That did not mean he did not enjoy others showering praise on him.
“It seems that the gods are smiling down on us…we too have been afforded an opportunity to…” began the king slowly before Mason cut him off.
“If that is all, I best be getting back to work” Mason said indifferently. He then walked out of the sight of the shimmering two way mirror.
“Do not be offended my lord…he is all business. He has things under control down there” Nariko said with a sly grin. He chuckled silently at the gruff nature of his old friend Mason. He was definitely a dwarf of action and not one for talking. If there was work to be done then he would make sure it was attended to. He was not politician and did not waste energy on such endeavors like social interaction. He preferred to be left alone which also led to the mystic status given to him by other dwarves.
“I am not worried…I am just relieved for this break. Do you have any news from the guardians?” the king asked as he stared at the disappearing puddle of water. He chuckled slightly at his exchange with Mason.
“They will visit soon to assist with our fight. However, they are rather busy at the moment with the massive siege of Landen. We are not forgotten…I believe this weather has been their contribution. What do you plan to do now?”
“We can outlast these idiots, but that will take more time than we have. We need to help our brethren and friends in this fight against that vile witch Kana. I have some ideas…” began the king determinedly. His demeanor calmed as they began to talk.
The two dwarven leaders discussed strategies through the night as the snores from the brown bears of the north battled with the howling wind from the latest blizzard. General Yuki’s army had slid all the way to the base of the mountain and resigned themselves to waiting out this latest weather development. Nariko and Jarvis knew that they needed to make repairs in addition to planning new defensive stratagems. The warrior druid felt that they should use their furry allies to wreak some havoc on the unsuspecting trolls and goblins down below. By the following morning their plans had been laid and the fortress of Dagnolir came to life as their plans were put into motion.
Visit to Nairi
The obsidian walls of Kana’s temple sanctuary seemed to absorb all light that touched its evil looking surface. The closer the lone figure came to the forbidding exterior, the more this unwanted guest felt the vibrations of the magic pulsating from the smooth exterior of the eerie complex the fallen guardian had created. It was difficult to avoid the evil feeling that this unholy place had. The solitary individual was cloaked in a robe that was as pure white as the snows in the harsh northlands. The sun shone a reddish color overhead as it began to wane. There were no clouds in the sky, yet the area around the temple was somehow dark and misty.
Milling around at the entrance to the dark monstrosity were two massive wolves that were clearly from the southlands. They both had black fur with fierce, deadly eyes that quickly focused on the stranger in white. They stopped in their tracks and began to slowly back towards the temple. The hair around their shoulders and all the way down their spines rose up as they began to growl menacingly at the mysterious visitor. After a few paces of retreat, they came in contact with pillars that were on either side of the entry way.
“Please tell your mistress that she has company…I do not relish being here, so if you would fetch here right now I would be very grateful” said the stranger from under his cowl. Brilliant blues eyes flashed with great intensity from under the cowl. His mere presence commanded respect…even from his enemies.
The dark beasts whimpered slightly as they turned tail and ran into the depths of the temple. Adair smiled slyly as he listened to the wolves howl in shock and anger as they searched out their master. As he peered into the black through the entry way he saw a flash of red light from within. Roars of pain echoed through the halls within and then there was silence. The ground shook with extreme intensity for a few moments and then all was still. A tall figure of a beautiful woman suddenly appeared right in front of Lord Adair. She had a fierce look on her face as she stared at her adversary. Once he was her master…now it was clear that she had a new one.