Four Horsemen: Chapter 36 Part 1 of 2

Chapter 36:

Desari drew on her bow, seeing the movements of the creatures as they swam through the ground.

“Two in the ceiling front, two at our sides in the ground. One in front!”

They pierced through the rock, surfacing and releasing a grey breath.

Petor deflected two breaths from above and beside. Valter was only able to stop the breath to his front, the second hit him in the side, stone spread across him like ice spreading through water.

Desari dropped and rolled, the drake behind breathing at her, following her as she came to her knee, the winds at her back throwing back the breath as she released her arrow, turning into a glowing red stream as the air aided it.

The arrow hit the beast under its eye and above its mouth, tearing through scales and leaving a glowing wound as it closed off its breath and wailed.

Mya struck the stone on Valter with the back of her blunderbuss.

Shattering half of it as runes glowed across his armor, cracks appearing in the remaining stone.

Petor hurled his spear at the beast in the ceiling missing it and hitting the rock around it.

Desari drew another arrow as the rock above was shoved away from the spear, the drake tried to recover scrambling as the roof crumbled, its mass too much for the little stone it was gripping to.

It’s wings snapped out, slowing its fall, it landed in the brambles, shaking the very ground as it crushed dozens of vines under its bulk. Thorns stabbed into the spaces between scales and burn marks appeared on the drake’s stomach and limbs where it came in contact with the brambles.

The beast was as tall as two men and as long as seven, thin like a eel, covered in dull grey scales. Steely eyes, razor sharp talons.

Petor cast out with plant growth, turning his shield to defend against the drake to the right.

It breathed stone. Petor’s shield parted the hurtling rock as his feet cracked the ground and were pressed into it, weaker than he. The ground on either side was smashed apart or covered in growing stone.

Valter’s stone covering shattered, just in time to interpose his shield against the remaining drake in the ceiling, arrowing their breath.

Mya stored her blunderbuss and fired a pistol at the drake to the left climbing out of the ground.

The shot turned into a shimmer just as it touched the beast’s cheek.

It stumbled to the side and collapsed.

Her second shot had a wrongness to it that arched Desari’s spine away from it. Necrotic.

The shot hit the roof of the drake’s mouth. It shuddered and coughed out blackened blood.

Desari imbued her arrow, pouring in mana, finesse was all good, but they needed to slim down their opponents.

She needed to deal with it and fast, if it got off an attack it would hit everyone in the back.

She drew back her bow nearly halfway. Time slowed as mana flowed through her body, her muscles straining, the Epic weapon disdaining her strength as she lined up her shot for the space where the drake’s neck scales met its chest scales, creating an opening.

It turned its scarred face, inhaling its next breath as she released.

The arrows turned blue on its flight as it punched a hole through the scales, tearing a cutting into the beast as its breath wheezed, its lungs punctured.

“Fucking sucks don’t it.”

Petor drew his sling and spun it, layering spells on the brambles. It once again started its rapid growth, its thorns sharpened and digging into the stone drake like chains.

The beast pawed at the ground and flapped its wings, trying to escape, even as it tore off some of the vines others used them as a hold to stretch up the beast’s legs and arms.

He let loose with his sling, the stormvine piece was already sparking and creating a nebula of charge around itself as it passed through the air, connecting with the right drake on the ground who had hit him with their breath attack.

The drake shifted to the side, raising its wing taking the hit.

It spasmed and shuddered, dropping its side, its wing twitching and burnt as it roared.

Essence flowed into Desari, the left drake on the ground giving up its mortal shell.

Petor called back his spear as Mya glowed with ghostly white threads of power that also appeared around the dead drake.

Its head twitched as it began rising, undead fires flickering in its eyes.

Valter brought out a new arbalest, if it could be called such a thing, it would had looked more appropriate mounted on a fortress wall. Metal arms as thick as Valter’s hand, hooked to gears and woven metal cabling held a half-meter long bolt.

He fired at the left drake in the ceiling as it dropped towards the ground. ‘Clipping’ them he took a chunk out the side of the beast and snapped away its wing.

It howled in pain as the ground deformed to receive them and they disappeared into the ground, cutting off the sound.

Desari released another arrow at the drake to the rear, killing the beast. She turned, drawing back another arrow, aiming at the drake trapped in the brambles.

Two drakes tore out of the ground, aiming for Petor and Valter with their mouths.

Valter shoved his shield into the mouth of his drake as its claws stabbed into his leg. The runes on his shield activated, concentrating and igniting the air in front of it, right into the Drake’s lungs.

It coughed blood onto his shield and him and he swung out with his arbalest, hammering its limb through the beast’s eye and into its brain.

At the same time Petor disappeared from where he was standing, appearing beside the drake, it snapped at empty air in confusion.

Petor drove his spear forward, under the drake’s wings, through ribs and into its chest.

The inscription flared on his armor and up his spear. The beast let out a cough like something was caught in its throat before collapsing.

Essence flowed as Desari released her arrow, condensed with air and fire mana.

The blue arrow flew true, piercing where the scales of the bramble-caught drake met.

It collapsed as she hit something more vital than the last drake.

The last drake hit the ground, casting some effect that bounced the debris around it into the air and unleashed its breath attack.

The undead drake spread its wings and took the attack back on, the stone breath slid off of it, but the sharp stone caught within it tore through scales and wings, leaving damage that would have crippled or killed another drake.

The undead Drake crashed into its opponent with wings, claws and teeth.

Petor appeared back next to Valter.

The brambles were spreading through the stalagmites now and starting to entomb the drake Desari killed.

Desari drew an arrow. Valter tore his Arbalest free and reloaded. Petor loaded hellfire thistle.

Mya had a long gun.

The two beasts crashed with one another. The animated dragon roared in pain as the undead tore into it, not caring for wounds that might have given it pause.

They smashed through stalagmites on the ground slashing wings and piercing scales.

The undead drake bit the drake’s neck, driving claws into its stomach and chest as the other drake tore through its own ruined stomach.

Desari searched for a clear line on the creature, cursing as they fought back and forth.

The living drake’s claws tore into the undead’s chest, washing out the smoky flames from its eyes.

The drake shook its undead brethren free, its jaw and teeth still clenched around its own neck.

Desari, Mya and Valter searched for the shot.

Petor appeared next to the beast, his spear coming down like an axe. Its blade glowed with emerald light as it cut through the drake’s neck.

The beast slumped on top of its brethren.

“Well shit.” Mya raised her rifle, pointing it at the ceiling. “I nearly had a shot.”

Petor flicked his spear clean and stepped away from the drakes. Desari caught the flash of teeth drawn in a smile.

“Sometimes you just need a good ole spear.”

“There’s an inappropriate joke in there somewhere,” Valter said.

“Hey! I nearly had one!” Mya complained.

“Come on, we’ve got the guardian left. Lets get this cleaned up and keep moving,” Desari said, essence flowing into her core.

“Did not like dealing with an extra drake, must’ve been hiding underground looking for an opportunity,” Petor looked around the room as he moved towards the bramble patch in front of them. “When did you build that?” Petor gestured at Valter’s siege weapon.

Valter drew back the string on the weapon with only a slight grimace, cranking on the reloading wheel and placing down another bolt.

“I borrowed it from a fort I was defending, came in useful so I kept it.”

“Their fault for not securing it enough,” Mya said, checking the loot.

Valter stored the arbalest as they reached the edge of the brambles. “They had it bolted into the wall, five points of contact. Took some jiggling to get it free, cut off the locking bolts and the mounts, then added on a better firing mechanism and the stock. Fires like a dream.” Valter squatted down, gathering the remains of the terracotta soldiers and their loot.

Petor appeared among the brambles and cut out with his dagger, the brambles stilled and disappeared with the stone drake they’d wrapped around. He held his chest and kneeled, mana was drawn to him, in increasing amounts before steadying and he rose again.

“Welcome to yellow flecked with green,” Desari said. He felt more solid, an increasing depth to him.

“Thanks.” He looked down at his hand opening and closing it, then at the stone drakes, shaking his head.

We’ve left mortal limits long ago. Desari studied under her arm, there were no signs of the spear that had gone through her.

“The small terracotta warrior statues you can throw out and they’ll turn into friendly troops that you can use for one full day,” Mya said, pocketing one.

“Got a scroll here,” Petor shook off the dust and tossed it over.

Mya studied it for a second.

“Scroll of the Stoic Guard, wraps the user in stone plates to defend against attacks.”

The work was quick and efficient, with most of the dust collected into spare containers Desari had.

They checked their wounds and Mya quickly added some leather to where Desari had caught the spear.

“Lets get going,” Valter said.

Petor moved up to the front, Valter behind him with Mya, Desari trailed at the rear.

***

Petor slowed his steps as he reached the edge of the main room. The stalagmite gave way to a broken landscape of rocks, cliffs, hills, craters and crevasses covered the one hundred meter wide circular room.

Through the broken terrain a jagged crystal of brown gained a golden hue that suffused it, building to cover it all, spilling out radiant light before pulsing with mana that radiated out into the ground and through the bones of the dungeon.

Nearly as strong as Jorai’s power being drained into that altar.

Several somethings shone with that radiant light. A bounty of the earth, gems and metal veined stone lay at the base of the elemental font, the core of the dungeon.

Petor focused on the materials, a sense tickling the back of hie head.

The gems shifted and moved as the ground rolled over. Revealing a head as big as his chest.

Great. Petor studied the rest of the room, taking out the map of the room, making a few light notations in pencil.

He backed away and waved the others back to a defensible cut out in the stalagmites.

“The Golem is asleep right next to the dungeon core which is as described. The terrain has shifted and changed. It looks rough, like a bunch of earth mages were waging a war in there. We have rises here, here and here.” He pointed them out on the map, going over the altered terrain. “I’m thinking the best would be to sneak up from several directions, use the elevated cliffs to look over it, we drop all of our strongest attacks on it while its sleeping and don’t let up until we can claw away enough of its exterior that we can get to its core.”

“Stealthy is the way to go. You and Valter are quieter in your armor than most, but Mya and I don’t have as much metal clanking together. We can move around to these higher land features.” She waved to an area.

“I’ll go left you right?” Mya asked.

“Works,” Desari said.

“I can move to the right here.” Valter pointed to one of the lower rises. “Hit him with cold, should slow him, then lance him up with bolts, got a few wall crackers still.”

“Then I’ll take a position up here on the left, closer to the entrance.” Petor tapped on the map. “Give you two a minute head start?”

“Make that five, you never know when you’re moving around trying to be quiet what will happen,” Desari said.

“Sounds about right,” Mya said. “I’ll get as close as I can and see if I can hit him with a cannon. That should open him up nicely.”

“I’ll use ice arrows so we’re not working against one another.” Desari looked at Valter.

“I’ll hit him from far with thorns, but if he starts moving I’ll push in to leech,” Petor said.

“Sounds like a solid plan, lets get to it then shall we?” Mya said, shifting her gear around as she talked.

Petor checked his pouches and checked his sling. Loaded and ready for what was to come.

Desari held out a potion vial to him.

“This is Magician’s Reserve, it allows you to increase the amount of mana you can store. Once it runs out then your whole mana system will be strained and you will only be able to draw on a small amount of your mana.”

He looked at the grey silky potion that shimmered blue metallic in light randomly.

“Got it,” He tucked it away in his vial holder, keeping his hand there for a second to remember its position clearly.

Desari and Mya paused before the entrance to the final room, heads moving to take in the room. Then they slipped inside, moving without a noise.

Petor lowered himself to his knee, scanning the room, the gem pulsed with its built up mana.

“Five minutes,” Valter said quietly, putting away his fine watch.

“See you on the other side.” Petor rose to a crouch and moved quickly but surely forward, taking care not to step on loose rock, his gaze bouncing around the room to where his next footfall would be.