Hadlan’s Pillars were slate grey rocks that appeared to have been carefully stacked, one on top of the other in two piles that stood so tall that they towered over the surrounding trees. Glonn shambled through the forest towards them. His mind was a fog. He no longer remembered his name, where he was, or why he was here. All he knew was that he had to go to the Pillars, and all he could feel was rage. He did not know what the reason for his rage was, but it was all consuming, and if a foe were to appear before him now, he would gladly turn it into dust.
Every so often, a thought managed to pierce through the fog in his mind, warning him that something was amiss. Glonn couldn’t quite put his finger on what. There was a nagging feeling that perhaps he shouldn’t continue on towards the Pillars. However, though he found that he lacked the will to change course, he managed to slow his pace.
“Why have you slowed down?” a familiar voice demanded.
“Who… are you?” Glonn asked.
“The Master,” the voice growled.
That caused a moment of confusion. Master? He had no master. The voice, however, why was it familiar?
“You must obey the Crown’s Will,” the voice insisted. “Quicken your pace!”
The fog cleared a little more, allowing Glonn to come to a stop. “What Crown?”
The fog began to grow stronger, but Glonn fought it off through the sheer force of his will. The sword vibrated on his back and then he remembered. The sword could talk and had a will of its own. However, it seemed that it too was subservient to this Crown.
“What is the Crown?” Glonn repeated out loud.
“That is no business of yours,” the sword hissed. “Get moving. You do not want to incur the Master’s wrath!”
“I have no Master!” Glonn protested. “Release me from this foul spell!”
Glonn’s voice was cut off as pain wracked his body. The fog descended again, and the desire to reach the Pillars overrode everything else. Slowly, he began to plod, but a kernel of doubt remained in the corner of his mind.
As he drew closer to the pillars, his instincts screamed danger. The sword at his back too seemed to be on the edge, causing the fog to recede. Then, the ground trembled underfoot, and Glonn came to a stop.
Loud cracks split the air, echoing through the trees, and the rock piles began to vibrate. The rocks at the top began to topple, but they did not separate from the pile and before his eyes, the piles took a humanoid shape. Seeing the two massive creatures standing before them caused a spark of recognition in the depths of Glonn’s mind as he drew the sword. He had to be careful. These stone colossi were far larger than the ones that killed his lieutenant.
Glonn frowned. Lieutenant? The image of a ghastly winged beast with the snout of a wolf flashed in his mind. Then, he recalled the fight at the temple, and how two more had fallen to the treants that protected it.
“What are you doing?” the sword demanded as the men of stone took lumbering steps towards him. “You must fight, or we will both be destroyed!”
The closest stone colossus raised a mighty foot and was about to bring it down on top of Glonn’s head. He stepped and avoided it easily as it came down with a thundering crash. Glonn then swung the word with all his might against the giant’s foot. Rock shattered under the force of the blow, but the creature was too large, and the wound was but a chip in its massive ankle.
Glonn blinked as the fog cleared. He remembered who he was and that this had happened too during his previous encounter. The fog cleared a little and he remembered how he had bested them. The two colossi he faced now were far larger, however, he too was stronger than he was then.
“I will need your help if we are to survive this,” Glonn warned.
The creature planted its foot and prepared to smash him with its fist. Unphased, Glonn took a step forward and thrust his sword into the slate grey stone of the colossus’ foot. The stone cracked and the sword vibrated in his hands as it absorbed the magical energies that were animating the stones. As larger boulders crashed to the ground as they shook themselves free from the stone colossus’ upper reaches, its partner attempted to crush Glonn with a stone fist.
Brimming with power, black lightning crackled from Glonn’s eyes as he pulled the sword from the first colossus’ foot and let out a roar as he swung it at the second’s fist. The creature’s slate grey fist turned black before shattering into thousands of shards when it made contact with the sword. As the first creature crumbled into a pile of rocks, Glonn scurried away to avoid being crushed under the second’s foot.
“I’m drained,” the sword warned.
“But you ate so much,” Glonn snapped back.
“Watch your tongue!” the sword hissed.
Glonn struck at the colossus’ foot as he dodged another stomp but this time, his sword glanced off the surface.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“You’ll have to do better than that!” he roared at the sword.
“I don’t have the power to compensate for your lack of technique anymore, you clumsy oaf! I used most of my power to bring you back from the mortal wound that elf girl inflicted on you!”
“Then think of something or we’re both finished,” Glonn snarled back as he ran between trees to evade the creature. However, the colossus splintered them as though they were matchsticks as it pursued him.
“There is a gem on the colossus’ chest. It will be easier to shatter than the boulders that are this thing’s feet,” the sword said. “I can give you the strength to leap and reach it.”
“Do it,” Glonn said through gritted teeth as he narrowly avoided being crushed by the creature’s foot.
He whirled around and saw a dull blue crystal about the size of his fist affixed to the middle of the creature’s chest. He took a deep breath before leaping with all his might. His legs cried in agony as the sword’s magic pushed them beyond their limit. He felt the muscles in his thigh snap as he soared into the air.
The gem shattered like glass as the blade pierced it. The colossus rumbled as it fell into pieces and Glonn, too, fell to the ground like a brick, and his legs snapped sickening under him as he landed in a heap. He gritted his teeth from the pain and sheer determination was all that kept him conscious.
“You did that on purpose!” he raged.
The sword cackled with malevolent glee. “Do not blame your clumsiness on me. I merely lend you my power. How it is used depends on you.”
“You treacherous swine!” he roared as he gripped the hilt tight.
He attempted to will the sword’s energy into his body. The sword hissed and vibrated in his hand as it fought back.
“No, what are you doing?” it cried as Glonn forced the sword’s foul feeling energy into his legs. He could feel them begin to mend but soon, the energy trickled to a halt.
He could feel the malice from the sword weaken and knew instinctively that it was running low on energy. He looked up and saw the boulder that had made up the stone colossus’ chest had landed nearby. It was the size of a house, and he could sense the latent energy within.
Glonn dug his fingers into the dirt and hauled himself over to it. With the last of his strength, he slammed the sword into it repeatedly until it pierced the boulder. He could feel magical energies flow from it into his sword and willed it into his legs. Soon, he was able to stand and let out a triumphant roar as he pulled the sword from the boulder.
“I am your master!” he bellowed. “You will obey me!”
He felt the fog encroach into his mind and gritted his teeth as he drove it back through the sheer force of his will. The sword hissed and rattled in his hand. Its hilt grew hot to the touch, but he held on stubbornly, ignoring the searing pain in his hand as he wrestled with it both mentally and physically.
“You serve me!” the Master’s voice boomed in his mind.
The air was filled with the stench of burning flesh, but Glonn recalled the various injustices he had suffered and refused to relent.
“Obey me!” he ordered.
At length, the sword’s hilt began to cool. “I acknowledge your determination,” it said at length. “But I will not acknowledge you as my master until redeem yourself from that embarrassing display with the elf girl.”
A wicked grin twisted Glonn’s lips. “It so happens that I was itching to settle that score myself. Lend me your power and I will prove myself worthy.”
“You have my power,” the sword said. “Until then.”
Glonn felt the fog encroach slowly and dispelled it with a hate filled roar. “We had a deal!”
“The Crown of the Dark King grants its wearer dominion over those who wield the Dark Gods’ power,” the sword said. There was an amused lilt to its voice. “However, I will fend its attempts to control you off as best I can.”
“That’s generous of you,” Glonn remarked dryly. “Why?”
“Because you amuse me,” the sword replied. “The current bearer of the crown bores me. You, on the other hand, possess a drive that I find promising.”
“You were locked away for thousands of years,” Glonn pointed out. “How are you so familiar with him?”
“You have felt his pull despite him skulking away in the mountains,” the sword pointed out. “Where he fancies himself some master strategist. That is not the way of the Dark Ones.”
“So, you will help me wrest this Crown from him?” Glonn ventured.
“After you’ve proven yourself,” the sword replied.
Glonn looked to the mountains to the east and broke into a crooked smile.
“The Master has been recognized by the Dark Gods,” the sword warned. “His possession of the Crown is proof of that. He will not be an easy foe.”
“He attempted to turn me into his minion,” Glonn said. “For that, he will pay.”
“How is that any different to what you did?” the sword ventured.
“Because he did it to me.”
The sword began to cackle. “Yes, that is a good answer. I like you. I do hope you restore your honour. I think we will get along very well indeed.”
“Consider this as a token of my good faith,” the sword said. “Three of the Master’s minions approach. I would be wary of them.”
Glonn turned around to see three figures emerge from the trees to the east. They were imposing figures, the shortest of which stood over seven feet tall with stocky frames to match. Their skins were green and long tusks protruded from their jaws.
“Orcs,” Glonn muttered to himself. They were a rare sight in the Empire. So rare that many believed they were the stuff of legends and fables.
“So, you are the carrier of my sword,” the largest among them remarked jovially. His voice was guttural and barely intelligible. “We must thank you for dealing with those big things. The Master has been trying to get us past ‘em for weeks now.”
While the other two were armed with crude steel scimitars, this one carried an ornate longsword at his hip that possessed a jewelled hilt. A prize of war, no doubt. He caught Glonn’s eye almost at once.
“Could you tell me more about the Master?” Glonn asked.
“He’s the King of the Mountains, he is,” one of the other orcs said proudly. “I have to say, he didn’t expect you to be alive after dealing with those two movey mountain things. I suppose he’ll want to meet you.”
“King of the Mountains?” Glonn frowned. “Is he a dwarf?”
“That’s the King Under the Mountain,” the largest orc snapped indignantly. “Our Master has loftier ambitions than that midget.”
“I take it you are proud of your skills with the sword?” Glonn ventured.
The large orc grinned revealing a mouth full of fangs as he held up his jewelled sword proudly. “I am the first amongst the Master’s swordsmen, yes.”
“Then you will make a good training partner,” Glonn remarked as he raised his sword.
The orc squinted at Glonn suspiciously. “Say, you’re not under the Master’s spell, are you?”
“That is because I’ve broken free,” Glonn said as he raised the sword. “Under different circumstances, I’d offer you the opportunity to become my minions, but that will have to wait until after I’ve slaughtered you.”
The three orcs drew their weapons and snarled.
“Don’t hold back now,” Glonn teased. “Or it won’t make for good training.”