“This isn’t suspicious at all.” Vash said, watching the ‘scholar’ that had hired them as he excitedly paced the small clearing. Vash slapped at another of the red midges that landed on his neck. Pools of cloudy, brackish water dotted the soft moss-covered ground of the clearing. Small clouds of midges hovered above those pools while massive dragonflies darted back and forth, disrupting the clouds momentarily like a barge passing through a fog bank.
“Quit grousing, not every employer is a cleric of Taella.” Jabez said from where he sat on a nearby boulder that jutted from the marshy ground. The dwarf looked absorbed in carving geometric designs into a large tooth, a tusk from a creature that Vash didn’t recognize. Jabez seemed at ease, but Vash noted that his war-hammer was within easy reach, and he kept glancing at Zakarias and his hulking, silent servants. “Let the man work.”
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It had been a rough morning.
Vash awoke with the sunrise and a loud argument from outside the stable doors. One of Zakarias’ servants was below him in the stable. The servant had brought out the donkey and was loading the beast with a pair of heavy chests and some travel bags. The large man moved carefully and methodically with the chests, ensuring they were secured to the donkey’s back before piling on the travel bags.
The shouting was coming from the doorway, one local was trying to get past Zakarias’ other servant. The man was large, well over six feet tall, and his tattered gray robe strained at the shoulders and over his ample belly. Vash would bet that there was some solid muscle under that fat, and that the big man knew how to use it. The servant glared down at the local with beady black eyes beneath a heavy brow. He had cut his hair short, giving it a bowl shape with ragged ends. The two servants looked similar enough to be brothers, if not twins.
“Dammit, man, let me pass!” The local was red-faced and shouting, but he dared not take a step closer to the hulking brute. “My horse is in there and I’ve got to get out into the fields by midday!”
The servant simply stared down at the local, unconcerned with the difficulty he was causing.
The local seethed in frustration, then spotted Vash in the hayloft. “Hey! Elf! You’re a Wayfarer, right? Working with this lug, aren’t you? Get him to move so I can get my horse!”
As one, the two servants turned to look up at the hayloft. The stare they gave Vash was not one of malice or anger, merely acknowledgment, then dismissal when they turned back to what they were doing.
“I’m not working with them.” Vash said, pulling on his boots quickly. “We’re working for their master. I can’t do anything about them being rude assholes.”
Vash grabbed his pack and jumped down from the hayloft. The servant with the donkey looked at him with an expression of mild annoyance.
“Don’t blame me.” Vash said, putting on his pack and tightening the straps. “If you let the man get his horse, he’d be out of your way without causing a ruckus. Since you two decided to be asses, you’ve caused a problem and drawn attention.”
Vash pointed out the door. A small gathering of locals stood at the mouth of the alley that led back to the Singing Frog’s stable.
The servants looked at the gathering, then exchanged glances. A growing look of annoyance passed between them, then the one at the door stepped aside, allowing the farmer to get to his horse.
“Finally! Thank you!” The farmer huffed and strode past. Within moments, he had the horse harnessed and led her out of the stable. The servant at the door gave Vash a flat stare the entire time.
Vash shrugged and followed the farmer out, heading into the tavern and trying to ignore the unblinking stare from the servants. I don’t know what their problem is, and I don’t want to know.
Inside the tavern were a few patrons, all breaking their fasts and getting ready to head out early. Jabez, Corwin, and Zakarias sat at one table. The scholar had a map opened between them and was pointing out routes and landmarks.
“—it looks like this path used to be a pilgrim road. It should lead straight to the ruin and shave a good few hours off the journey.” Zakarias was saying, pointing out some marks on the map.
Jabez shook his head. “That’s Scaleback territory. They usually avoid people, but if you wander into their marshes, then they view you either as attackers or as prey, not ideal either way. Are you sure that what you’re looking for is in this area? It’s all marshes, not exactly the best spot to build anything solid.”
“Ah, that’s what everyone thinks!” Zakarias said excitedly. “But look here, the marshes lead into this small valley. The surrounding hills are all rock. I’m willing to bet that the builders found some natural caves carved by the marsh waters and modified them to suit their needs.”
“And what were those needs, exactly?” Vash asked as he approached.
Zakarias looked up, his large eyes holding a startled expression. “Well, that’s what I’m trying to find out. It may be part of the early Malconian expansion, or perhaps a temple to a deity of the lesser pantheon, prior to the unification. It really could be anything!”
“We saw a waystone on the Rivermarch Road that said there used to be shadow cult activity in this area. Could this ruin be connected?” Vash asked, taking a biscuit from a plate when Corwin offered.
“Shadow cult? No, I don’t think so.” Zakarias scoffed. “Those folk don’t build structures like this. They usually just make temporary camps in the wilderness.”
“Vash has a point.” Jabez said, sipping from a large mug of tea. “Even if they didn’t build it, a shadow cult can taint an area. Makes it easier for a dungeon to form.”
“My research suggests that this structure was sealed during the Malconian Dominance. Without access to the outside world, the structure could not form a dungeon core, no matter the mana saturation or cult activity.” Zakarias said emphatically.
“It’s been, what, five-hundred years since the fall of Malconia?” Vash asked, skeptically. “You think that it’s stayed sealed all that time? What about entries from the Underlands?”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Corwin gave Vash a surprised look. “When did you become an expert in dungeoncraft?”
“What? You gave me that Gideon book. I started reading.”
Zakarias gave Vash a shrewd look. “That’s why you’re here. Just in case some beast or other has made a home there.”
“If it winds up being a full-blown dungeon, then we retreat.” Jabez said. “We aren’t equipped to take something like that on.”
“You’re the experts.” Zakarias said with a thin smile.
----------------------------------------
The journey hadn’t been bad for the first hour. They followed the road out of Mossfen Hold, which was, although muddy, relatively well maintained. After that, however, they set off through the marshes to the northwest. Sometimes they could use game trails or old paths through the wilderness, but mostly they were stuck slogging through marsh, swamp, and forest.
Jabez and Zakarias worked together to keep them headed in the right direction. At one point, Jabez kept them from straying into Scaleback territory, pointing out the totems hanging in the trees. Zakarias appeared annoyed that the Wayfarers weren’t willing to take on a Scaleback village just to shave a few hours off his travel time.
Vash had heard of the lizard men from travelers and sailors on Lake Marallon. A sizable population had claimed the islands southwest of Sathsholm. The Duke sent several expeditions into the islands. The few that returned claimed that the Scalebacks had eaten the other soldiers, or sacrificed them to their demon gods. After that, most folk just avoided the islands and took care not to aggravate the Scalebacks.
When they finally reached their destination, it was late afternoon. The small valley between rocky, steep hills was a flat expanse of marsh, random boulders, and twisted forest. No sign of any construction, ruined or otherwise. For the past hour, Zakarias had been consulting his scrolls and striding around the clearing, almost giddy with excitement.
Vash was getting concerned.
“So all this doesn’t bother you?” Vash asked.
“All what?” Jabez replied, continuing to whittle.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Corwin said, coming up beside Vash like a huge, muscular shadow. “This whole place screams ‘stay out’. The trees around the clearing look diseased and warped, but they grow so close together they may as well be a wall. The ground is all squishy and all the undergrowth smells of rot and decay. Then there’s our employer.”
“I try not to judge.” Jabez said.
Vash frowned. “I just don’t see this ending well.”
“This was the quest that the Duke set out for us. If you’ve got a way to wriggle out of this and keep your head, I’m all ears. “
Vash scowled. He had no answer for that. His gaze drifted over to Zakarias’ servants. When they had arrived in the clearing, the two of them had unloaded the donkey. They piled the traveling supplies haphazardly, but had carefully taken hold of the two heavy chests. Each carried their own chest, thick lacquered wood with iron banding. They never put the chests down, simply held them while waiting for instructions from Zakarias.
Sensing they were being watched, the servants turned their heads slowly in unison and stared back at Vash and the others, silent and unblinking.
“At least the money’s good.” Jabez sighed.
“The money is pretty good,” Corwin agreed. “Think we’ll survive long enough to actually get paid?”
Zakarias let out a bark of laughter as he swept aside a cluster of vines on a suspiciously shaped boulder embedded in the rocky hillside.
Vash blinked, not believing what he saw. “Is that a skull?”
Corwin looked up and sighed. “Yeah, that’s what it looks like.”
“A screaming skull.” Jabez added.
The boulder was a mottled black and gray stone. A combination of the rock’s natural shape and careful carving had formed it into the likeness of a human skull, its jaws open wide as if screaming in fury.
“If the mouth turns out to be the ruin’s entrance…” Corwin began, but trailed off as Zakarias pressed his hand to a moss-covered rock. Ancient stone ground against itself. Dirt and flakes of rock fell away as the back of the skull’s mouth opened into a darkness that swallowed the weak light from the clearing.
Vash could tell from the wrinkles on the back of Zakarias’ skull that he was grinning from ear to ear. “I hate being right.”
“I don’t remember him looking that evil back in town.” Jabez said, frowning. He put away his carving in one of his many belt pouches and pushed himself to his feet.
“Tavern lighting makes anyone look good,” Corwin said.
Vash let his hands fall to the blades on his hips. “So, what do we do now?”
Jabez made a face. “Guild Law is pretty clear. They offered us a contract, and we accepted. So it looks like we’re going adventuring.”
“You accepted. I don’t remember being consulted.” Vash said, bitterly.
Jabez glanced up. “Are we going to have a problem?”
Vash met Jabez’s eyes. “No, but I think we need to ask more questions next time before we leave town.”
“How the hell did the Guild allow that guy to buy a contract?” Corwin muttered, watching Zakarias pulling vines aside and beaming with delight.
The secret entrance finished opening and Zakarias motioned to his servants to prepare to move out.
“Gentlemen!” Zakarias cried happily, turning to face them. “I believe I’ve found the entrance!”
“It, uh, it looks like a skull, Zakarias.” Corwin said.
“A screaming skull.” Jabez added.
“Does it?” Zakarias asked, turning. “Oh…well, I guess now that you point it out…”
“Yeah, we’ve got some concerns.” Corwin said, eying the servants. They had stopped staring and were crossing the clearing, carrying the heavy chests easily over the marshy ground.
“Really?” Zakarias asked, blinking in confusion. “I mean, it’s ominous, I suppose, but it could mean anything. The ancient followers of Mordis used to put skulls on everything. This may be a pre-unification temple to the god of death, which would be fascinating.”
“You’re sure you don’t know what this place was used for?” Jabez asked, voice steady and eyes hard.
“Not at all.” Zakarias said, giving them a thin-lipped smile. “And I am tiring of having to answer that question.”
Jabez and the scholar locked eyes for a few moments, neither seeming to soften their stance. Finally, Zakarias shook his head and motioned towards the screaming skull cave. “We’re wasting time. Let’s get going, shall we?”
Jabez grunted, hefting his war-hammer as he strode towards the yawning portal. Corwin gave Vash a rueful shrug, then followed their master, drawing his sword and holding it loosely to one side. Vash followed at a slower pace, taking his time and keeping an eye on Zakarias.
The unnerving scholar smiled at him, placidly. “I noticed you remained silent while your companions voiced their doubts. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
I just know better than to tip my hand. Vash thought. Aloud, he tried to sound casual. “I like to reserve judgment.”
“A good philosophy.” Zakarias nodded his approval. “I only wish more people ascribed to such ideals.”
“It’s hard to know who to trust these days.” Vash said, following Jabez and Corwin while being careful to watch Zakarias. “This is a dangerous business, after all.”
Zakarias snorted. “Not as dangerous as all that. The Silent King was destroyed over three-hundred years ago. Monster attacks are down all across the Grand Alliance. I even heard that a dragon died recently.”
“I heard the same thing, somewhere up north.”
“Rumor, perhaps, but even those magnificent beasts have rarely appeared over the past century.” Zakarias said wistfully. “We may be in the waning days of such adventures.”
“I suppose that’s a good thing.” Vash said, contemplating the idea. The Temple said that the Shadow was ever-present and required constant vigilance. What if they’re wrong? They’ve been wrong before.
“Perhaps.” Zakarias said. “But at least today we have this ruin to explore.”
Vash turned to see Corwin disappearing down into the shadowy interior of the skull’s mouth. He hesitated one last moment.
I fear no shadow, for I am shadow.
“Come on, elf!” Came Jabez’s voice from within the stone skull. “We haven’t got all day!”
“Indeed!” Zakarias said. “Let us see what the ancients have left for us, hmm?”
With a deep sigh, Vash nodded. He tried not to shiver as the stone teeth passed over his head. At the back of the ‘mouth’ was a stairway leading down into the earth.
I fear not death, for I am death. Vash thought and tried not to think about being swallowed as he descended the spiral staircase.
Let my Hunt begin.