City of IF

[JezSharp]

Chapter 5: Grave Trouble

It was just past mid - day of the following day when Elvendor and Alex passed out of the South gate of the city, riding atop two qualms (pronounced qual - mms). The qualms were four legged, grey, bull like creatures with horns, and could reach speeds three times that of a human when pressed. For now though they cantered along at a fast trot.

“Well that certainly worked out well!” exclaimed Alex, with good reason. The Mayor when he heard that they intended to take up his offer, not only provided them with two qualms but in addition had given them shields, food and re - imbursed the cost of Alex’s sword. In addition to this he had also given the two an extra one hundred Goldents starter fee. Overwhelmed by such generosity, both had been near speechless, and after thanking the Mayor and eating a quick lunch they set off. As they left though Elvendor’s mind ran over Alex’s latest comments. It’s worked out too well, he thought, I’m sure something isn’t right. No, I’m just being paranoid again, he probably just wants us to succeed in the mission…what other explanation could there be?

***

The Mayor scrutinised his maid, Betty, who was trying not to look inquisitive at his unexpected generosity. Today he decided to enlighten her a little as to the way he worked.

“You’re perhaps wondering why I chose to give them so much?” He queried with a slight smile, reclining back in his large red chair. Betty started slightly and straightened up from dusting one of the library bookcases.

“Why, yes Sir,” she replied. Betty had been the main domestic in the Mayor’s grand city mansion for well over three years now, and of all the staff was the most trusted and liked by the Mayor. She knew that Constantine was in a good mood right now. In her time serving the Mayor she had learnt that the Mayor wasn’t really as reclusive and unfriendly as many thought, in fact he was an incredibly pleasant man at times. That didn’t mean however that he wasn’t ruthless, driven by his desire for knowledge and power, but not quite as much of a monster as was commonly thought.

“Well then I’ll explain myself,” he continued, a little smugly. “Clearly there is a reasonable chance that they may run off with the equipment and fail to return...before or after completing my task. In which case my action does seem foolhardy, however with the knowledge I gleamed from the note you gave me, they will be heading towards something far greater, wherever it may lay. It wouldn’t do for them to fail either on the quest I’ve given them or more importantly the quest that the elf is subconsciously on. Thus I equipped them well for the journey ahead - they are the trackers who will hopefully lead me to ‘The Jade’.”

“But how…” Betty broke off, remembering the fair haired stranger who had dropped in earlier, a jet black raven upon his shoulder. The Mayor saw the flash of understanding gleam in her eye and smiled to himself. That girl’s smart as well, perhaps I should change her job description to secretary and let someone else handle the cleaning, she certainly has a good understanding of what‘s going on…the Mayor’s thoughts drifted off elsewhere…Understanding leads to knowledge which leads to a better world...how true. Letting one of his favourite memorandum’s float about his mind the Mayor poured himself another glass of wine and pulled out a cigar, this had been a good couple of days, now he could only sit and wait for events to unfold .

***

It was about half an hour after the two travellers had left the city that the South gate once again opened, to let a fair haired, sharp eyed man out. His hazel eyes belied the experience that many who saw his youthful frame would not credit him with. Calmly he gazed out down the track, his clothes light, plain and yet expensive. The most striking feature about him however was the large raven that sat upon his shoulder. The bird’s bright yellow eyes flashed brightly, scanning and surveying all it saw.

“Ready to go then Gail?” quizzed Regan as he stroked the large bird. Gail crackled appreciatively and the two set off ambling down the rutted track that led to Haifa.

***

It was early evening when Elvendor and Alex entered the Southernmost human settlement of Haifa, which was spookily similar to Timburton. Eight buildings lay arranged in a circle about a cobbled square. The Inn here was simply called The Rusheldon Hills Tavern, the sign swaying slightly in the cool summer’s breeze. They stopped off at the Inn and stayed the night, leaving early the next morning, as the feeling of uneasiness that had been present in Timburton was echoed here. As they left, a brown cloaked figure slipped into the village and ordered breakfast at the Inn, asking the occasional question and prying into who the travellers were and what they were talking of, whilst feeding his large black bird various titbits.

***

Elvendor and Alex now found themselves following a barely worn single file track, slowly rising up the first gentle slopes of the Rusheldon Hills. The hills gradually became steeper and more rocky as they travelled further in, the arable farmland replaced by the occasional field of sherpas', then slowly even they became sparse. Elvendor and Alex followed the narrow winding valley’s through the hills, most carved out by narrow gurgling springs that later fed the Kostenton River amongst others. As they paused for lunch by the side of one such spring Elvendor paused to take in the sheer beauty around him.

It’s amazing how clear the water is up here, certainly compared to the Kostenton River lower down! He thought as he scooped up some water to drink. How wonderful it is too, blue sky with the occasional fluffy cloud, the warming rays of the sun building up - then diffused by a mild cooling breeze. Then the hills with their thick grassy slopes and speckled grey rocky outcrops rising all around. If only life would freeze at this moment of beauty forever... He sighed as he finished lunch, which had included cold chicken slices and a delicious juice made from Haden berries (small round purple berries, not dissimilar to grapes except sweeter in taste). The Mayor has certainly done us proud, he thought as Alex asked,

“Ready to go Elven?”

“Yes, I’m ready” he replied happily, as he swung himself upon his mount. So far, he mused, there hasn’t been a sign of any trouble at all. Far from being ecstatic about this however, Elvendor, with all the naivety of a new adventurer was becoming restless, wanting something to happen. A chance for excitement and danger, a chance to prove himself. As they travelled up and along the wide valley’s, and slowly led their qualms up the steep and slippery slopes, no such adventure appeared to saturate his growing thirst.

* * *

That evening they set up camp on some soft mossy ground within a valley having again eaten well. It was hardly any time in fact before both had drifted off into a deep sleep…

‘thud…thud…thud…Thud…Thud…” Elvendor woke, bleary eyed, his heart starting to race. Quickly he gained control over his emotions, his elfin tutorage helping him to avoid panicking. Alex awoke seconds later, jumping to his feet and looking round wildly.

“What is it?” he hissed in a slightly rushed voice.

“Thud…Thud…THUD…THUD…” Then Alex and Elvendor saw what was causing the noise, color draining from their faces as they started to take in what was approaching, along the rocky and uneven valley floor, from the South. It almost looked like a white carpet from a distance. As it drew closer grinning faces and clunking ribs emerged from the whitewash, more and more of them appearing as the horde drew closer. It was like a vision from a nightmare playing out before them. Limbs continued to sway and rattle as the skeletal figures approached, a faint humming noise slowly building up around the travellers, eerie and spine chilling. The skeletons all moved in unison as one, never faltering, never rising or falling, never changing pace - filling out across the valley floor. Their bodies weren’t a shiny polished white but instead a dull patchwork of grey and dirty white, yet they still seemed to emit a phosphoric glow that illuminated them against the backdrop of the pitch black night (no moon orbited the world so only the distant stars gave any backlighting from the sky above). All were carrying gleaming silver swords and bright red and yellow circular shields with metal caps at the front. They continued to step ever closer to the group taking long strides forward across the valley floor, drowning out the sound of the bubbling stream that flowed past where they were camped.

Elvendor did a quick count, there were at least a hundred…maybe more, although his sharp eyes picked out that something wasn’t quite right. Something was wrong with the way they moved. Desperately his mind raced to translate what he was seeing into what it meant, however the hypnotic synchronised movement of the skeletons kept clouding his mind from understanding the anomaly that hammered away at his thoughts. The humming noise continued to rise in pitch and volume, causing ideas to swirl and scatter, numbing his mind. Elvendor put his hands over his ears to give himself some chance of thinking the problem through.

“Let’s go Elven”, cried out Alex as he hurriedly loaded the qualms. Elvendor heard Alex cry out, turned and took in what his friend wanted him to do. Still he hesitated though, his mind collating all of the information they had received about the creatures of these hills. There was at least one similarity between all of the incidents that had occurred up here recently, perhaps coincidence - but he wasn‘t so sure.

The skeleton army drew ever closer. All looked similar…in fact identical to the next. Every single detail and feature was the same, right down to the size of their pitch black eye sockets. The group was less than a hundred meters away now. Elvendor looked back to see that Alex had mounted his qualm and was waiting for Elvendor to do the same.

“Come on Elven let’s go!” He cried, puzzled by his friends hesitation.

Once again Elvendor had a crucial decision to make, this time however only a matter of seconds to make it in. Should he flee and if so where? Considering all he knows about the recent events in the Rusheldon Hills and what he has just seen, is there a better alternative to this? You decide.


Author’s Note: If you're a regular player/follower of this sg then pls don't forget to add it onto your favourites list at the top right of the page :).

You can jump straight to Chapter 6: Mind Games here.

[Chinaren]

well, the skeletons are obviously an illusion. At most there would be one of them. Throw something at them, quickly, to decide your (my) suspicions*. If it is correct then you can stand your ground to some degree.

Be careful though, someone has conjured them up!

Nice chapter.


*This is a PPP suggestion.

[solus.serpen]

Oh, obviously an illusion are they?
How so?
... *****If you look at the mayors speach about the rusheldon hills at the start of chapter four...
Quote: “Well if it’s adventure that you’re looking for, then I have just the quest for you,” he said. “For many decades, perhaps centuries efforts have been made to progress through the Rusheldon Hills to the South of here. Every time that a group has set out, they have either become lost and disorientated, or fled at the sight of some of the things that they have seen. The last group to go was chosen by me personally and they made it further South than any other group previously has – reaching the ruins of an abbey, that was never fully completed, before the monks building it had to flee. They stood firm against a group of orc slingshots who tossed rocks past their heads and a giant arachnid - apparently the size of this building, during the night. The spider threatened to attack them once or twice but retreated when the men began to jab at it with spears. By the time they reached the abbey, the men I’d sent out were less than happy and tired from keeping watch. It was while they were getting ready to sleep on the abbey floor though that something really unsettled them.”

The Mayor downed the last of his wine before continuing, “according to Malthas, the captain of the group, white skinned, fanged creatures with black wings and bloodshot eyes began circling the abbey, making diving passes at the huddled figures. All had to grab their weapons and ward off the intruders. Several of the men claimed they heard rasping voices and saw horrific bloodied faces materialising from the dark. The combined effect was that the group refused to travel any further and so they left to report back to me.”
The parts in dark red show that the other groups came across similar difficulties to what Elvendor and Alex are facing now. It also shows that they stood their ground and warded off the enemies. If it was an illusion I think the mayor would have mentioned it, as it is clear he wants them to succeed in this mission, and subsiquently the other quest they are on.
So, If it isn't an illusion...then it puts them in some real danger. The mayor didn't mention how many orcs there were for the other group but even so, I get the impression that there were enough to put them in danger, yet they still stood up to them, thus the option,
-stand ground and fight, isn't actually such a bad one. I agree that just to make sure, they should throw a rock at the skeletons, plus this is also a form of defensive attack, and would come under this catagory.
Before we go into any more options, I think we should look at some of the 'hints' I think the author has put into the story:
Quote: Elvendor did a quick count - there were at least a hundred…maybe more, although his sharp eyes picked out that something wasn’t quite right, something was wrong with the way they moved. I don't think this is one of the major hints but I wanted to find out what was wrong with their movement anyway, and I think I found it.
Quote: The skeletons all moved in unison as one, never faltering, never rising or falling, never changing pace - filling out across the valley floor.
Quote: The hills themselves gradually became steeper and more rocky as they travelled further in,
I fail to see how the skeletons could possible not rise/fall or falter when the hills are steep and rocky. That is of course, unless China is right on the illusion front - it was my first impression when I read the chapter too.
Quote: Still he hesitated though, his mind collating all of the information they had received about the creatures of these hills. There was at least one similarity between all of the incidents that had occurred up here recently, perhaps coincidence - but he wasn‘t so sure.
The first part of this refers to going back and looking at what the mayor said about the hills to them in answer to their enquiry of a quest, but the second part talks about a similarity between the incidents. so then, going back to what the mayor said, lets look for some common factors between the 'attacks'...
Quote: they have either become lost and disorientated, or fled at the sight of some of the things that they have seen.
The skeletons humming and the hypnotic movement is starting to disorientate Elvendor and Alex, and if they flee now, they may well get lost.
Quote: They stood firm against a group of orc slingshots who tossed rocks past their heads and a giant arachnid - apparently the size of this building, during the night. The spider threatened to attack them once or twice but retreated when the men began to jab at it with spears. (At first I thought these incidents happened at the monastry, but Jez says they took place before they got there).
Well, in both of those incidents, the group were not harmed. The orcs didn't hit them with the slingshots, instead they went over their heads. The spider threatened to attack them once or twice, but didn't actually, retreating at the first sign of agression from the other party.
With the vampires too, there doesn't seem to be any harm done. And all in all, I think the similarity between all the incidents is that they don't hurt you. Their whole point is to scare you away, why is something that we will, no doubt find out later if we continue on our hill quest. Before I went through this text, and this thought process, I thought up some more ideas, I am rather loathe to tell them, as I don't want anyone to vote for them, but I may as well voice them, people can make their own minds up.
-Get on the qualms and ride back a bit, to gain ground.
-Get on the qualms and ride around the skeletons.
other options:
-Flee
-Run into the midst and fight
-Stand ground, qualms ready so they can jump on and leave if need be.
Riding back to gain ground is ok, but then you need to decide what to do, and it is slightly pointless.
Riding around the skeletons was, probably one of my better options, as you can outrun them on the qualms and if they are not intending to hurt you, standing your ground or riding round them doesn't make much difference, you are outsmarting them both ways.
Flee is a rubbish option as far as I am concerned, they might well get lost as it is night and they do not know their way around the hills, plus the humming noise will disorientate them and make it even more liekly to get lost.
Run into the midst and fight is also a bad idea. I still don't think they are an illusion, although they may well be a summoning. If you are going to fight you may as well play safe.
Which leaves the last option. I think this one is the best idea, followed by going around the skeletons.
Just hurl rocks at them, maybe retreating slightly if you need some more time/space between you and the skeletons. They are there to look impressive, not to fight.

:shock: Damn, this book is taking over my life! :shock:
However it is good, and if Whitey nominates it I'll second it :).
Excellent new chapter btw, Jez.

Solus.

*****PPP SUGESTION.

[Chinaren]

SS wrote: Oh, obviously an illusion are they?
How so?

I can't see anything in your post that would convince me these were not illusions. In fact it seems to reenforce my point.

Quote: Every time that a group has set out, they have either become lost and disorientated, or fled at the sight of some of the things that they have seen.

Becoming disorrientated is a classic illusionist plot.

Quote: The spider threatened to attack them once or twice but retreated when the men began to jab at it with spears.

Again, it didn't attack them. An illusion may well back off, if it isn't working.

All your points seem to back up my illusion theory. Of course, you are closer to the author than me, so you could have inside info! ;)

Anyway, I stand by my suggestion. Throw some stuff at them. If it goes through, my theory is validated. :D If it doesn't go through, then back off and go around.

[solus.serpen]

Ah...yes. Jez pointed out that I was contradicting myself :oops: .
Its true, I agree that it is an illusion, its just I didn't think it was when I started the post. I have a habbit of changing my mind throughout posts if I'm writing down my thought-process. eg. At the start I think they are in danger, then I change to say that the skeletons are absoloutly harmless :?.
Anyway, me being the sister of the author doesn't change anything, just maybe makes what I say more likely to be wrong as he was intent that I didn't get this one :(.

Solus.

[Chinaren]

Quote: Ah...yes. Jez pointed out that I was contradicting myself .

:rofl:

:tempt:

[JezSharp]

Hmmm, it seems that between you two you've pretty much solved the problem already ;) , obviously the viewing public/Elvendor are/is incredibly observent :) .

Still assuming they are illusions ( :lol: ), is chucking rocks at them the first and best thing to do? I'll leave the discussion open for just under another day then I'll put up the poll.

[LordoftheNight]

Just because they are illusions, doesn't necessarily mean they are incorporial. A competant conjurer could possibly enhance the image to give it form as well.

[Chinaren]

JezSharp wrote:
Still assuming they are illusions ( :lol: ), is chucking rocks at them the first and best thing to do?

It is the most convenient* considering the position. Neither of them, as far as I know, are wizards of any distiinction.

Actually, here is another suggestion:

Elfy** does have a couple of magical cantrips at his disposal, and casts a 'detect illusion' spell.

I'm out.


*they have to decide quick like, andchucking a couple of rocks is about the easiest and fastest option.
**I am quite drunk now, it isn't easy to type, let alone remmeber names.

[JezSharp]

Quote: Just because they are illusions, doesn't necessarily mean they are incorporial. A competant conjurer could possibly enhance the image to give it form as well.

This is very true :) - in this case though there are a few things that solus pointed out that would seem to go against this in this particular case.

Quote: Elfy** does have a couple of magical cantrips at his disposal, and casts a 'detect illusion' spell

:lol: , unfortunately neither of these two have any 'magical' ability, and in fact have never come across magic before (along with most if not all of the people they've met so far, it can be assumed).

[Edit]

poll will be going up within the next 12 hours - last chance for any last suggestions as to what they should do, atm the following will be in the poll:

Throw rocks at the skeletons (China)
Jump on the qualms and ride around the skeletons (solus)
Flee from the skeletons (solus) althougth she thought it was a 'rubbish' option I am going to have to put it in for now as the only other distinct suggestion that makes some sense as I hate to have a poll with just two options.

[solus.serpen]

Although this isn't much different from the rock idea...Elvendor has arrows which he could use instead, and might be a quicker option.

solus.

[The White Blacksmith]

Not really anything I can suggest, as you lot seem to have all bases covered, so I'll just say that the nomination is duly in.

And is that the Lake District in the picture?

[JezSharp]

Thanks Whitey :) ...yes they did cover most of the chapter's points betwen them, but still even they might have overlooked something ;) .

And the picture...kind of, it's the Yorkshire Dales - so a little further East...I think, but not too far away from the Lake District.

Anyway without further ado I'll throw open the poll that will run until Friday :) .

[solus.serpen]

Damn you, Jez!
Now I feel like finding that point too :twisted: .
Hmmmm, maybe later...

Solus.

[OldJoe]

Ah went fer the stone throwing.

[JezSharp]

Ok, Final chance to vote if you haven't already, Poll will close in about 17 hrs time. Hopefully the next Chapter will then be up sometime later on Friday :) .