Oldhollow and the Seaworm of Gallus Read online

  Among the mountains, a great valley was beginning to receive the waking hours’ treatment of the morning star as the grassy bottom came to life, with sparkles of dew giving resplendent glamour to the valley. A small river ran swiftly across smooth, rounded pebbles in the water that eventually opened at the mouth of the ridge, where a lake collected the mountain water. A few deer gathered at the river to drink of the mountain runoff when a thundering sound gave cause for alarm.

  The deer turned their antlered heads further into the valley where the mountains began their long, perilous road for anyone intent on ascending their majestic summits. A massive humanoid golem of ruby began taking slow, deliberate steps towards something. From the growing sunlight, the golem reflected a blood red colour from its body as another shape, roughly equal in size, headed out to meet it.

  The second creature was also a golem, cut from emerald with a light green shine coming from the sunlight hitting it. It was steadily approaching the ruby one, both gaining speed. The two were at a steady hustle when they finally clashed head on, both taking a mighty blow at one another.

  Both golems were created from two prolific wizards some time ago: Zelkov was made first, by a malevolent wizard, to chase down and snuff out anything coming through the mountains. The other wizard, a kind and protective soul, crafted and enchanted the emerald Oddemus to stop Zelkov from harming any adventurers or travelers. In the middle of the valley, there was a half-elf and half-human named Gracie who stood at ground-level, watching, frozen in place, awed at the grand battle.

  Zelkov landed two mighty blows that sent Oddemus back a few paces. Regaining balance, Oddemus charged back with a series of blows of its own. A heavy left and a thunderous right jarred Zelkov, shards of red jewel coming off. The two pressed into each other with a barrage of various blows, each exchanging and receiving in kind. Oddemus swept a kick low, catching Zelkov in the knee, followed by grappling its waist and rushing forward. Lifting its red adversary off the grass, Oddemus hoisted its opponent onto its right shoulder, tucked its head down, jumped, and tilted forward into a voracious tackle that shattered one of the surrounding boulders.

  Zelkov sparked a crimson bolt of lightning: the phylactery within was beginning to run out of energy from the sustained damage and fighting. Getting up, Zelkov stood shakily as Oddemus wasted no time in resuming its assault. Zelkov attempted to throw a right straight out, only to be caught by its arm in an armbar. Oddemus quickly jerked down and smashed the elbow joint into its knee. Shards of ruby debris exploded forth as the arm snapped at the joint and broke off.

  Zelkov went on one final assault and charged forth for its opponent, managing to knock it back with a shoulder tackle. Kicking a leg out, the red combatant landed a solid blow and pressed forward. However, it was the last one it would land. Oddemus ducked below its punch and countered with a jarring uppercut that stopped Zelkov in its tracks.

  Following another series of blows, Oddemus took Zelkov in a headlock and sharply twisted the head clean off, sending a sharp ‘thrack’ sound through the calm valley. The ruby golem went limp and collapsed in a heap of stones on the grass.

  Oddemus then turned its attention to Gracie and slowly made its way to the half-elf. Reaching her, it knelt before her. A low voice seemed to echo in the air and said, “Fear not, Gracie. As you know, I’m the guardian of this valley. My master put me here long ago to guard against the murderous ruby golem that now lies fallen before you. You may pass onward through this sacred valley.”

  Across the vast open space, peace once again returned as the clouds gave way to the sun, lighting up the mountain path. All was right and calm in the valley again.

  Chapter 3 The Shamadan Mines

  “We’re here at last. Are you ready to make the descent?” Neo asked his rodent friend perched upon his back.

  Bailey looked down to his companion, a large black and white cat, and replied with certainty, “Yes. It certainly lines up with the map, so there’s no mistaking it. Sav was correct.”

  Bailey, the white and brown splotched hamster, held the map at Neo’s eye height for his bright, intelligent yellow eyes to see. Neo read the map, then nodded, and said, “Then, let’s prepare before we head in.” Hamster and cat both began checking their equipment as the dark, foreboding skies lined up with black clouds, a chilly wind blowing through and the scant sense of rain threatening in the air.

  Neo sported a light steel chainmail shirt that just fit around his barrel chest, leather straps which snugly held down pauldrons on his haunches, and a protective amulet around where a collar would normally be. On his paws were iron gauntlets, tailored to accentuate his natural claws, with spikes on the end for added lethality.

  Bailey took a metal blade out from the scabbard which gleaned with expert craftsmanship. In the hands of the hamster was an extension of his latent fighting prowess. Bailey checked over Neo’s armour to be sure it was secured snugly, then his own iron chainmail shirt, before saying to Neo, “All ready. Let’s see if this legendary sword is all it’s rumoured to be.”

  Neo responded, “That blade is a regular metal sword. It’s not this relic you keep thinking it to be. Now let’s go, then. We’ve wasted enough time as is. Now, we have no idea what’s in the mines, so stay alert.” The two entered the small gap in the rocks and began their descent.

  The mines were normally dimly lit and difficult for most humans to see. For Bailey and Neo, their natural night-vision kicked in and made it no more trivial than a sunny walk in the fields. Neo’s ears perked up as they made their way to an area that expanded the room and hissed in a quiet voice, “There’s movement ahead. Sounds like three pairs of wingdags, to my estimation.” Bailey silently pulled his sword from the scabbard and took cover behind some stones as Neo hugged the ground. Within seconds, a trio of bats came rushing into the room, squeaking madly at the two adventurers.

  “We can take them! Let’s put them down!” Bailey cried as he swiftly scampered along the group of rocks. One detected his movement and turned to pursue him. The bat spit a small gob of hissing, bright green fluid. Bailey dove into a roll and came to his feet, only to see the rocks behind him had burned through where the spit landed. “Acid! Neo, get me airborne!” Bailey cried, dashing for his friend. Neo leaped back from another bat spitting more acid at him and retaliated by swiping a rock off the ground and smacking it out of the air. The other two bats began flying for Neo as he tucked in and sharply spun around. As he did, Bailey leaped on to his tail mid-spin, crouched, and soon was sent flying for the bats as Neo finished his turn.

  “Eat sword, you dark beasts!” Bailey shouted as he tucked into a somersault and flipped towards one with blinding speed. A series of slashes splattered blood on the mine walls as the bat screeched in agony. Bailey stabbed it in the wing, pulled its head back, and leaped upwards as another shot of acid from the other bat hit its comrade in fatal error. It would be the last shot it ever took as Bailey brought his descent down upon the bat, a powerful stroke of his sword that cleanly took its head off.

  Landing with grace, he looked to Neo as the black and white cat said, “Well done, Bailey. Come, let us continue.”

  The pair traversed down many winding paths and saw the torches there grow more sporadic, their light reaching out in vain as the dark grew heavier. After some time, Neo said to his hamster pal, “Bailey, I know you’re not the best with directions, but please tell me we’re not lost.”

  Bailey quickly replied, “Neo, I may be a dunce at times, but I know my way around tiny spaces! We shouldn’t be too far from the location now.” As the duo continued, a dull rumbling was felt inside the tunnel, raising alarm for the two. Bailey asked with grave concern, “W-what was that?”

  Neo, just as uneasy, replied, “I’m not sure. We should get what we need before we find out.” Over the stretch of what felt like half an hour, the two wandered until they finally entered a room which had piles of smooth, shiny stones.

  Neo and Bailey went to inspect the jewels and their fac
es lit up with joy as Neo said, “Incredible, Bailey!”

  Bailey nodded and cheerfully cried out, “The rubies! Come on, let’s gather as many as we can!” Neo began digging with his iron claw gauntlets as Bailey used his sword as a pick, dislodging the blood red prizes. Ordinarily, warriors didn’t use their weapons for mining, as it would dull the blade. Bailey, however, believed he had one forged of a particular make, which would hardly dull easily.

  The two worked quickly to fill the saddle packs strapped to Neo with the blood red gems. When they couldn’t fit anymore, Bailey tightened down the pack flaps and ran the buckle punch through the leather strap hole. As the two looked around the room in awe of the abundance of rubies, another rumble shook the room. Neo turned to Bailey and said, “We should go.” As the pair began heading back to the tunnel, a loud burst of rocks and jewels exploded from behind them. Turning to see what just joined them, their eyes fell upon a massive four-eyed mole. A dark blue sheen coated its fur and it had two sharp mandibles protruding from its jowls, dripping with some sort of black fluid which neither cat nor hamster wanted any part of. Squeaking in fright, Bailey leapt atop Neo’s back as the two tore off for the tunnel.

  “Neo! What IS that thing?!” Bailey cried, drawing his sword in one hand while gripping tightly to Neo with the other. Neo felt a strong vibration to their side and, with his feline reflexes, dodged sideways as a massive head crashed through the rocks. Both hamster and cat got a much closer look at their assailant and wished they hadn’t. All four eyes had a stare of hunger and malice, with the black fluid slobbering from its mandibles. Easily triple the size of Neo, the pair knew they had no chance against the mole in the cramped space of the tunnels.

  The duo dashed onwards, with Neo either leaping over a sudden burst of a mole attack from below or sprawling down from an attack from the ceiling. The run seemed to last forever as panic and fear were barely held in check to keep their thoughts clear.

  The torches began to grow in numbers as Bailey shouted to Neo after another attack, “The torches! We’re almost out of here!” Neo mustered the last reserves of his endurance for a final sprint. Both cat and hamster flew through the gap and back outside of the mine entrance. Catching his breath, Neo’s eyes darted around, awaiting the horrid creature to strike.

  Another burst of rocks made Neo jump, this time a bit late, as he was knocked off his feet. Bailey leaped from the impact, his tiny frame soaring even higher yet. Looking down as his ascent reached the apex, he saw Neo scrambling on his side, clawing and snarling at the massive mole. The ground burrower now had its body out of the ground as two legs struggled to grab the brave cat. Neo desperately kicked, clawed, and fought with all he had, but between the mad dash in the mines and just having the wind knocked out of him, he knew he was in a perilous situation.

  Bailey felt a rage come over him and, out of the burning need to save his companion, he furiously loaded a swing up as he began his descent, screaming, “Hey! Your fight is with me, now!” Plummeting down and gaining speed, Bailey finally met with the terrifying mole and let loose a barrage of slashes. The mole let out a gurgle and small scream as one of its pairs of teeth were lopped clean off, blood gushing from the wound.

  Bailey plunged the blade into the mole’s head and began stabbing away, fury taking over his senses. The massive assailant writhed madly, swinging every which way until it finally dislodged Bailey with a quick jerk. Sending the swift hamster flying again, it swung its head and smacked Bailey with great force, sending the warrior sailing into the rocks. Neo, recovering with the respite from Bailey jumping in and seeing his friend take a mighty blow, meowed with vengeance and sprung up for the mole’s head. Digging all four claws in, Neo swung around to the neck area on the underside, dug his two front claws in, bit it on the face, and began kicking with all the strength he had.

  Blood went flying all around, smattering the ground as iron and natural claws sundered the soft underside of its neck with dazzling speed. The mole gave one last sickening gurgle and crashed to the ground. Neo clawed all four of its eyes out and tore off the other pair of teeth, taking no chances with the vile creature before stopping to catch his breath.

  After a moment, he exclaimed aloud, “Bailey!” and ran for where he last landed.

  “Bailey!” Neo cried, finding his friend lying motionless on the rocks. Concern rising in his voice, he said, “Come on, old friend! Wake up!” Taking a paw, he gently shook his fallen friend. Bailey came back to consciousness with a gasp, his tiny eyes popping wide open. Neo sighed in relief and asked, “Bailey, are you alright?” Bailey nodded and struggled to get to his feet. Neo grabbed him by his chainmail shirt and plopped Bailey onto his back.

  Bailey, panting, muttered, “I’m okay, old pal. Whew, that was a close one!”

  Neo chuckled and replied, “You did fantastic, mighty one. Now, let’s move on to our next destination of this map.” Eying the bag of jewels, he continued, “These rubies will come in handy - or at least make us rich, yes?” With that, Bailey stretched out on Neo’s back to rest as the two began their trek back, narrowly avoiding an untimely death in the mines and walking away with a hoard of well-earned jewels.

  Chapter 4 Awakening

  Aboard a huge ship in the stormy waters off the coast of Llewellyn, the wind was blowing unforgivingly and stirring the dark waters into a volley of tossing waves. The ship had eight giant oars on the port and starboard of the hull. A sturdy craft of cured and reinforced wood, it was laden with embedded rubies all about. A three-tiered mast of sails with blood red markings were painted, with the top sail showing a red jewel. The rain had subsided earlier in the day but gave little respite to the crew rowing the ship.

  A green creature was walking around below the top deck, making sure the rowing team of sandmen were doing their job. Around their ankles and wrists were heavy iron shackles to ensure the captive crew’s compliance and prevent an escape. Satisfied with what he saw, the creature thought to next head down another deck to check on the prisoners.

  Exiting the rowing deck, it then made its way to where a brig was. Within, many people were lying about, nearly all looking rough from the conditions. Some of them were holding their mouths, blood flowing through their fingers and down their arms. The creature snarled at the captives, “Don’t think we’re done yet! You’ve lots more teeth to give me for His Lordship!” The people winced at the mention of teeth pulling, as the humanoid exited the hatch and headed for the ladder well.

  Heading up to the top deck, the green creature made its way to a pallid-white, grotesque-looking creature of some sort. Standing roughly the size of a large human, it had no limbs - just an elongated body and a gaping mouth of sharp teeth. The green humanoid knew this was the first mate of the ship, a seaworm not unlike His Lordship.

  Turning to face the green crewmate, it said in a gurgled voice, “Is everything running smoothly with the crew, Mr. Norris Nobbler?” The green creature went to reply until something caught his eye.

  Up at the helm, another seaworm wore a ruby pendant around what would normally be the neck of a human. Around him stood three large insectoids that each wielded a shield and spear, roughly the height of a dwarf. An elf was tied up and cried in despair, “Please, I don’t know anything else!”

  The seaworm grew closer to him and growled back, “Lies! Your deceit will cost you.” Turning to the shield bugs, he gurgled, “Toss him overboard!” The shield bugs complied and grabbed the pleading elf as they walked to the side and heaved him over. A human musician also stood topside, watching the madness unfold before him.

  Hitting the stormy, freezing water, the elf struggled to swim with bound wrists while fighting against the raging sea. One shield bug said to the seaworm, “My Lord, is there anything else you need?”

  The seaworm, looking in the water, saw a large creature start to head for the elf. He snapped back immediately, “Throw some oil over and get ready to reel in our catch. Our elf friend here makes wonderful bait.” Another shield bug grabbed
some barrels from the bridge, smashed the lids open, and threw them near the elf.

  A guard on watch drew a bow, nocked an arrow, dipped the head in a small splash of oil on the deck, lit the arrowhead in the flame of a lantern, and loosed the shot for the elf. A blaze of flame erupted on the surface, followed by a shrill scream of horror and powerful splashing that eventually died down.

  Turning to the musician with his yaybahar, the seaworm commanded, “Play me something to calm my nerves, servant.” The musician immediately began playing a slow, haunting tune that carried across the decks and captured the brief attention of the crew members that were topside.

  Amidst the flames, two shield bugs used a long gaffe to hook whatever the explosion of flame took in the water. As the elf struggled against the waves, the shield bugs directed him to hold on to the gaffe as well. Hooking in the defeated creature, both elf and sea beast were hoisted up to the deck. A dark, scaled, shark-like creature with rows of teeth - triple the size of a human - came up with the elf. The elf, panting, looked at his dead assailant and gasped, horrified at what he saw. The seaworm looked down at the shark with piercing yellow eyes and said, “Pluck its teeth. They’ll be a fine addition to the dam.”

  Norris swallowed nervously and replied to the other seaworm in a grating tone, “Yes sir, all is running smoothly. The ogres and sandman are doing their part and the freshly caught unicorn is locked in with another magical beast we’ve gathered. The captives we’ve caught are all in the brig and locked up.”

  The creature gurgled, “Very good. I believe you should go check on our recent captive.” Norris grinned with a yellow-toothed smile and headed down to a compartment that held individuals alone. Opening the door, a woman in a black top and orange skirt was chained by her feet to the wall. The woman looked up and her eyes lit with rage.

  “Norris, you treacherous zorgo!” she spat. “I’ll have your head for this!”