Oldhollow and the Seaworm of Gallus Read online

  Oldhollow

  and

  The Seaworm of Gallus

  MC Holloway

  PUBLISHER

  TITLE OF THE BOOK: Oldhollow and The Seaworm of Gallus

  Copyright © May 2020 by MC HOLLOWAY

  ISBN# 978-1-xxxxxxx

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without prior permission from the publisher.

  Requests for information or permission should be addressed to:

  PUBLISHER/AUTHOR

  [email protected]

  Table of Contents

  Prologue A Clash of Magic

  Chapter 1 A Meeting of Chance

  Chapter 2 The Springstone and the Valley

  Chapter 3 The Shamadan Mines

  Chapter 4 Awakening

  Chapter 5 Trapped

  Chapter 6 Cackle Crag School

  Chapter 7 The Council of Alliances

  Chapter 8 The Rally of Gorobow

  Chapter 9 The Fall

  Chapter 10 Ascension

  Chapter 11 Preparations

  Chapter 12 Into the Darkness of War

  Chapter 13 Victory and Defeat

  Epilogue

  Prologue A Clash of Magic

  “Marcendes!” The voice thundered menacingly, mixing roughly with the deafening roar of the lava that swirled and swished beneath the rocks where they stood. Anyone would have cowered under the sound of that voice and broken out all over in goosebumps.

  The old wizard Demanonis had built a reputation for instilling a bone-deep fear in humans and faeries alike, with a single pointed glance. He knew this and exploited it at every given opportunity. Demanonis only had to glare at someone, his left eye turning bloody red, and they would experience a chilling rush of panic and sudden fear. All the residents of Oldhollow lived in fear of him, always either trying to avoid him or appease him. All the residents, except Marcendes, the good old wizard who lived on the hillside on the outskirts of Oldhollow.

  “How dare you speak my name, Demanonis?” boomed the voice of Marcendes. “You are not worthy. You are evil, and today I shall expunge you from the face of the earth!”

  Demanonis laughed; a strangled, gurgling sound.

  “Nobody is stopping you, Marcendes. No one could have stood in your way if you decided that you wanted to enjoy the wealth of the people of Oldhollow, just like I did.”

  “It belongs to them!” Marcendes replied, his face flushed and his veins beginning to bulge with righteous anger.

  Demanonis simply laughed in response, full of spite for his upright counterpart.

  “Your false notions of modesty have kept you living in poverty for decades, Marcendes. You are nothing but a great fool.”

  “Be silent!”

  “No, Marcendes. Think about it. If you had vast wealth available to you, your son Cyrian would still be ali—”

  Crrrrrraaaacccck. There was a loud clap of thunder as Marcendes fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice to the gods, for strength. Because Demanonis had just crossed a boundary that no one should ever cross. He had disrespected the memory of Marcendes’s child.

  As the pair stood on the brink of the active volcano, the only thing on each wizards mind was to destroy the other while staying safe. Surrounding the volcanic mountain was a pulsing, deep green sea which was home to many monsters.

  Demanonis watched his display and laughed.

  “The gods won’t save you, Marcendes. You shall die today. Whether you die in the volcano or in the sea; it is your choice to make.”

  “There’s only room for one of us on this earth, Demanonis, and it is not you!” With that, Marcendes rose; his robes flashing in the golden orange reflection of the lava below. He slammed his huge magical staff into the ground, causing bright blue electrical sparks to fly about, contrasting the colours of the volcano beneath.

  With a mighty roar, Demanonis summoned his staff too, and held it with both hands. “Let’s see about that,” he said.

  With an expert’s dexterity, Marcendes swiftly swung his staff in the air, chanting incantations, and spells. As it was about to fall, he pointed his fingers at Demanonis and the staff ploughed straight into his stomach, sending him crashing to the floor.

  “Aaaaaarggghh!” Demanonis stood up and charged at Marcendes with the speed of a lightning bolt. But he ducked swiftly and raised his staff up again.

  In response, Demanonis also raised up his staff.

  “Gods and goddesses of my progenitors, keepers of the gates of evil and of wealth, fight for me!”

  Suddenly, his staff was transformed into something big, beastly, and unexplainable. The wood became longer, stronger, and seemed to breathe. It began to spit out red sparks, angry and menacing.

  Marcendes stepped back for a second, stunned. Then he recovered and lifted his staff up, intending to bring it down on his opponent’s skull and crush it. But Demanonis was ready, willing, and able. He brought his staff up at that exact moment, stopping the staff of Marcendes mid-air.

  Then he swung it around and lifted it high up in the air, drawing it down with terrible force on Marcendes’s back.

  Marcendes cried out in pain and tried to stand up. But the blow was extremely forceful, and he was a frail, old man. Demanonis, sensing weakness, lept up to his side and lifted his staff again, ready to strike.

  “Demanonis!” Marcendes bellowed with all his strength, “Remember who you were? This was not the kind of wizard you were trained to be!”

  “Only I can determine that, Marcendes. Only I can determine what kind of wizard I was trained to be. But that shall be after I kill you,” he finished, baring his teeth with a grim little smile.

  “You shall not!” shouted Marcendes as he flew back up, suddenly infused with strength from the gods. Within seconds, he used the advantage of surprise to flip Demanonis over and had him sprawled on the ground.

  “You dare not kill me, Marcendes. You call yourself a good wizard.”

  “And that is why I must rid Oldhollow of scum like you!” By now, Marcendes had his hands firmly clasped around Demanonis’s throat, snuffing all life out of him.

  Grunting inaudibly, tears began to roll from Demanonis’s eyes, as his life flashed before him.

  “I shall change. I swear on my mother the goddess Dionysia.”

  That stopped Marcendes, for a man’s word was highly esteemed in those days. And it was unheard of for a wizard to renege on a promise he swore in the name of his mother.

  “What did you just say?” he asked, slightly letting go of his neck.

  “Let go,” pleaded Demanonis. “I shall live a new life, as I have sworn.”

  Marcendes stood up, leaving the choking man on the floor.

  “Get on your knees and swear that to me again.”

  Demanonis, a trickster to the bone, got on his knees and of course, attempted to grab Marcendes by the foot and throw him into the volcano.

  Marcendes, nearly going blind with anger, grabbed his staff with violent rage and swung his hands back as far as they could go, then deftly drew it forward right into Demanonis’s torso, causing him to fly off the rocks, over the volcano’s mouth and right into the sea, never to be seen again.

  Chapter 1 A Meeting of Chance

  Dusk had fallen upon the town of Oldhollow as a looming blanket of sunset-soaked sky gradually darkened, like a candle glow dimming at the end of a wick. Between the rough roads, old houses, shops closing, and bustle of people running their final errands, one place gained attention as the night dre
w nearer yet. The Hollowed Elm, a tavern built with the same wood of its namesake, was experiencing an influx of its evening clientele.

  The tavern has a reputation for pulling patrons of questionable character, some of which went there to do more than just partake of their evening libations: deals in dark corners went down, adventurers recouping their strength over mugs of ale, local gangs meeting for their respective operations, and sometimes even politicians of the town attended, due to the fact many turned a blind eye to their presence. This night was no different, as both an armoured cat the size of a large pig and a hamster the size of a normal cat slunk in through the door.

  The duo made their way to a small table in the back and perched on the top. As they did, a beautiful woman in a black top and orange skirt made her way to the table. She smiled at the pair, put down two smaller wooden mugs, and said, “Ah, newcomers, I see! And heroic looking ones, at that. May I fetch you something to drink?” Her bewitching black hair complimented her shining brown eyes and fair skin, freckles only adding to the allure of her lovely facial features.

  “Er, yes. How did you know we weren’t from here?” the cat asked.

  The waitress laughed and replied, “Well, we haven’t had a cat or hamster as large as either of you visit. You’re the first. Name’s Sav, by the way.”

  The hamster replied, “Name’s Bailey, and this is Neo! I’ll have a cider, and a milk for my pal.” Sav nodded and took their mugs to the bar for the bartender to pour their drink. As the two took in their surroundings, Bailey saw a group of men in a corner with daggers on the table, playing cards with a respectable amount of coin in the betting pot. Neo raised his eyes and saw something that made him blanch. Bailey looked to his friend and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Look at some of the food and drink here,” Neo answered, uneasy at what he saw. Bailey turned and gasped to see one table had a plate of dismembered fingers in a pile of noodles with what seemed to be blood running down the pile. Eyeballs were arranged at the top, no less bloody and unsettling. Another patron took a swig of something slimy, green, and bubbling, which Neo swore he saw a tentacle briefly reach out of.

  Bailey huddled closer to Neo and stammered, “W-what is t-this place? You don’t t-think this is a w-witch’s house, d-do you?”

  Two mugs were immediately placed on the table, startling the two as Sav spoke, “Not my house, but my tavern. Yes, I am a witch; the people here know it and like it that way.”

  The two looked to Sav’s beautiful face, smiling at them. She continued, “I know the food and drink can seem outright appalling at first glance, but it’s part of the charm here.” A small green humanoid figure carried a plate with bloody, dismembered rats to a table of sandmen, humanoids with a rough grained sand build. The creature wore a mask - which Neo determined to be made of dragon bone - and he had a purple ponytail. Sav explained, “That’s Norris Nobbler, my kitchen assistant. Yes, he’s a zorgo, which are very peculiar beings.”

  “You’re a witch? You don’t look the part,” Neo said back, assessing Sav to make sure he wasn’t seeing an illusion.

  Sav giggled, put a hand on her hip and said, “I’m flattered! I get that a lot. Most think witches are ugly: we’re people too, you know.” As she looked to the door, a sight caught her attention and she smiled.

  Entering, a young half-elf, half-human girl looked around until she saw Sav in the back. Smiling with relief, she immediately made her way to the back table. The two embraced as Sav said to the girl with brown hair, “Gracie! I was expecting you!”

  She, too, was beautiful with long brown hair, tied up and showing off her small pointy ears and sparkling eyes. She wore a green dress with an emerald necklace around her neck, her skin bright with youth. Gracie happily replied, “Sav! I finally made it here!” Turning to Neo and Bailey, she said, “Oh! I’m sorry to bother you two!”

  Bailey chuckled and responded, “What a polite girl! Say, why don’t you sit with us? I’m Bailey, and this is Neo.”

  Neo, the more cautious of the two, added, “I normally don’t care for strangers, but we are in Sav’s establishment and should respect her friends.”

  Gracie and Sav both pulled chairs in as Gracie said, “Listen Sav, we’ve got trouble brewing.”

  “What’s wrong?” Sav asked as Bailey poked his head into his mug to drink of the tart cider.

  Norris delivered a drink and pointed his ears towards the conversation. Gracie clasped her hands together and said, “Back home in the elven port town of Llewellyn, a huge ship has been repeatedly sighted of late. Also, my fellow townspeople, as well as nearby townsfolk, local animals, and even beasts have been going missing. The scouts have reported that a strange creature has been sighted on this ship.”

  Sav’s face, now serious at the recounting, said, “This is bad. Tell me, do you think the legend of the seaworm beast has come to be true?”

  Neo’s ears perked at the mention of seaworm and interjected, “Seaworm? The one that was apparently at rest 500 years ago?”

  Bailey pulled out a map he and Neo had obtained in an expedition to an old temple and laid it out. Neo pointed with his tail to a location called Frostfall and said, “I’m sorry for interrupting, but there’s been rumors that a seaworm was seen here on occasion. Could it be the same?”

  Gracie put her hands to her lips and replied in a whisper, “It could be.”

  “What does it mean if it is? What is this seaworm?” Bailey asked, also now intrigued by Gracie’s story.

  Sav looked to him and answered, “The seaworm of Gallus is a legend from 500 years ago. A powerful seaworm creature was born from an evil wizard and would collect bodies to form his own army of lesser seaworms. It sounds silly, but this seaworm is apparently intelligent and powerful. If it truly has been sighted, then we’re all in grave danger.” Turning back to Gracie, Sav asked, “This could spell fatal danger for us all. What do you plan to do?”

  “I’ll start with traversing the swamps and make my way to the mountain range where the Springstone is kept,” Gracie advised.

  Sav nodded and agreed, “Good plan. The Springstone could lend you power to help deal with this. I will happily aid in part of your journey there. After all, strength in numbers.”

  As Neo went to speak, Bailey jumped up in his chair and blurted, “We’ll help too!”

  Gracie looked to the duo and said, “Are you sure? I don’t want to burden you with a quest that I was tasked to do.” Neo calmly replied, “Forgive Bailey, he’s a wee impulsive. But yes, I know the grave extent of what this means if the seaworm of Gallus is indeed alive.”

  Gracie smiled at the two and said, “Oh, thank you so much for your kind support. I surely didn’t expect two strangers to aid me in something like this; you have no idea the depths of my gratitude for your fast friendship.”

  Bailey nodded and replied with gusto in his tone, “If something this bad is going on, then we should help stop it!” Pointing to the map, he continued, “This map can help take you to where you need to go. We’ve a stop to make in the Shamadan mines but can re-join you after.”

  Sav looked to bailey and said, “The Shamadan mines? I don’t know what your business is there, but I know of a secret entrance to help you both get in. Though, I can only travel to there: I cannot leave my tavern unattended for long, or else trouble will break out.”

  Gracie felt a wave of joy wash over her as Neo said, “Well, I suppose it’s settled, then. Let us prepare and head out by dawn.” The group all agreed and immediately began sorting their things out for their new mission.

  By dawn, daylight struggled against the grey, cloudy sky as Gracie, her witch friend, and her new cat and hamster companions set out for their respective destinations. The next several days of travel were stormy as the winds blew strong, the rain fell hard, and the clouds gathered thick. Fortunately, Sav had spells to cast that protected them from nearly all the weather. It wasn’t long until they all reached the Shamadan mines. Standing atop the overlooking rocks, Sav ca
st a spell that parted a grouping of large rocks into a small gap.

  “This is where I gather stones for some of my spells, as well as fund my tavern by selling them. Do not, and I mean DO NOT make this spot known, or you both will have a legend of your own: how I put you on my tavern menu,” Sav warned.

  Neo and Bailey nodded as Neo said to them, “We’ll take what we need and say nothing. Now then, we’ll be off. Lady Gracie, please be careful. Lady Sav, do you have spells to communicate over distances, by any chance?”

  Sav smiled and said, “Yes, I can scry to you with a jewel. That mine should have rubies in one area. We can use one to stay in touch. All I need is something to trace you with.”

  Neo nodded and replied, “Very well. We’ll have one on hand at the ready. Give us a day and contact us by tomorrow afternoon.”

  Bailey plucked a small tuft of his fur, gave it to Sav, and asked, “Will this do?”

  Sav inspected the soft fur in her hand, put it in her belt pouch, and replied, “Yes, Bailey, this is perfect. Now, be on your way and be careful. I’ll be in touch by tomorrow.” Looking to Gracie, the two embraced as Sav said to her, “You especially be careful. I know you have your locket and I have my sapphire that we used to keep in touch: if anything happens, please reach out to me.”

  Gracie nodded and replied, “I will, Sav.” Looking to Bailey and Neo, she knelt down and patted both - to welcome reception - and said, “You two, be careful as well. Sav will be our link. Good luck!” With that, Sav began her trek back to Oldhollow as Gracie advanced for the swamps. Bailey and Neo stayed upon the rocks to begin planning their descent into the mines.

  Chapter 2 The Springstone and the Valley

  Across a misty mountain ridge, the chill of the autumn morning air lovingly met with the rising sun as fog drifted like a slow-moving smoky haze above the rocky tops. The sun was spreading its illuminating reach across the plains in the distance below, as sunlight painted a warm, orange glow across the landscape.