The sun was setting over the horizon, painting the sky with an assortment of pastel hues and a predominantly orange glare. It was almost time for the darkness to settle, for the moons to rise, and for a blanket of stars to twinkle underneath the night sky.
But there was another star shining brightly over the Garden of Sorrow, washing the tall trees with white light as it passed overhead. It was surrounded by other dimmer stars, flying beside it in a wedged formation similar to that of migrating birds. The constellation moved with haste, leaving in their wake a trail of displaced air.
The Rukdam Duo were at the head of this constellation, with the brightest and foremost among them being Adam, whose last name was Sun. A fitting word.
With the infant storm over Casmont behind them, they were free to behold what was underneath their gaze. The wind howled into their ears, pushing against them as they made their way towards the Peaks of Sorrow.
Adam, Ruk, and Caben flew just below a thousand feet, maintaining a speed that was just a short burst away from breaking through the sound barrier. They had been flying for close to an hour and a half. Though their destination was far, they were making good and steady progress.
If any onlookers were to see them, they'd be surprised to behold the constellation flying overhead, even more so if they ever noticed the flying donkey and wagon trailing behind the pair of humans and one large orc.
None of them had spoken ever since they began their flight, mostly due to the fact that the strong winds prevented them from opening their mouths while also obscuring their hearing.
Their forcefield, though meant to shield them, was not thick enough to prevent the air from slamming into them. Adam did this on purpose. If the forcefield around everyone else was thick enough to create a solid bubble, then they would unfortunately run the risk of depriving themselves of air.
It was a valid concern, especially since Adam was unsure just how right his fears were. He wasn't about to test the limits of what Ruk, Caben, or Mr. Donkey could handle. That said, the wagon was an exception, given that it carried supplies and was, as a whole, just a big object.
Speaking of Mr. Mule and the wagon, the group debated leaving both behind in the village and then retrieving them on their way back. However, Caben raised the valid point of scavengers and stragglers, be they goblins or wildlife, swooping in and taking everything before they could return.
Caben spoke from experience, telling Adam and Ruk before they flew of the numerous times he was forced to fend off the occasional predator and goblin scout over the months he spent wallowing alone.
The animals that wandered too close were either killed and made into food or driven off through fright or wound. That said, a tiger almost ended his life a few months back. It was the biggest Caben had ever seen, with bulging muscles and a strong frame. A lucky spear thrust cost the beast an eye, but not before it managed to bite Caben in th3 shoulder, leaving a bad scar.
The goblins, meanwhile, were far trickier to handle. They were quick, agile, and used tools and weapons. Caben fought them to the death, making sure that he either killed them all or they killed him. He wouldn't have it any other way. According to him, goblin scouts came in groups of three to five. They were poorly armed, yes, but there were still armed and the numbers to quickly overwhelm anyone.
But there was only so much a group of ravenous vermin could do against a former knight grieving the loss of his family. No goblin scouts survived him, making sure that his presence within the ruins of Casmont went unnoticed.
After this conversation, Adam viewed Caben in a new light. No longer did he see a grieving father who had allowed himself to wither away, but a desperate man who fought a desperate but losing battle for several months. He had fought. He had bled. But there was still some fight left in him. He held out just long enough for Adam and Ruk to arrive, turning the tide.
The Peaks of Sorrow appeared over the horizon, growing ever larger as they came ever closer. Jagged, steep, and tall, the mountains with the unsavory name were a wall of rock and stone, topped by snow at its highest and surrounded by a thick forest at its lowest.
Adam was right to assume that the memory fragment from the goblin gave him only a glimpse of the mountains' scale. It only further reinforced his assumption that memories were shaped by perception. Given that goblins were short-sighted and narrow-minded creatures fueled by malice, it was to be expected that they failed to fully comprehend or appreciate what was around them.
Adam sent his power forward like an unseen seismic wave. It swept over the Garden of Sorrow, grasping everything within and extending Adam's senses. He sensed everything. The trees. The undergrowth. The grass. The birds. The critters. The animals. They were here in abundance, lurking, perched, or making their way about.
But there was one place that life seemed keen to avoid.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
As his senses began washing over the foot of the mountains, he found a familiar city. Ruined and abandoned, the city stood silent by the base of the mountain. It was barren and old, brought down long ago by a calamity now forgotten. Beyond it, atop a slope, was their target. A mountain hold that had seen better days and better residents.
Adam slowed their speed as he prepared to land. They weren't about to barge into the mountain hold from the air. They needed to plan, to scout ahead and create a strategy of attack. Thus, they landed just within the forest edge bordering the abandoned city.
Their landing was heralded by a strong rush of wind as the wake of their flight gushed forth. Adam, Ruk, and Caben all landed on their feet, but the latter two somehow experienced a rougher landing despite Adam being extra careful. Meanwhile, Mr. Mule and the Wagon came down without much trouble.
The trees hid them from any goblin sentries, and it was good that they did. Adam's psychic senses alerted him to the presence of a vile and malicious sea of thoughts, emotions, and feelings streaming from the mountain hold and filling the surrounding air. It was disgusting to behold and putrid to Adam's senses, causing him to further reinforce his mental defenses, just in case.
He also found goblins lurking just beyond the entrance of the mountain hold. They were armed and numerous, standing lazily while on guard or walking on patrol with barely enough care to take their jobs seriously.
Before the Rukdam Duo could mount a rescue, Adam needed to scout ahead, plunging his psychic senses straight through the entrance of the mountain hold and into the sea of vileness, navigating around ancient halls and rooms that had been squandered and defiled. As unpleasant as such a task was destined to be, Adam reminded himself that innocents were trapped within. To save them, he needed to overcome the immense presence of evil that had gathered within the fortress.
A purge. Adam was repulsed by the very idea, even if it only concerned the monsters that tried to fashion themselves as anything but. Bloodshed was neither his desire nor his forte, but it seemed like there was really no other choice.
Adam remembered his mother's words and steeled his heart. Monsters deserved to be slain. Nay. They needed to be.
"Disgusting." Adam whispered as he leaned over a bush, peeking through to see what was in front of them. The crumbling skeleton that remained of the city's stone walls stood before them, offering multiple avenues of entry.
Ruk and Caben were quick to recover from the flight, falling in beside Adam as they too beheld the city before them.
"Dwarven-make indeed." Ruk said, looking around.
"You're familiar with them?" Caben asked, also taking the time to gaze about.
"Mighty warriors back home but they hide in their mountains too much." Ruk said in a disappointed tone.
Caben snorted in amusement, "Can't argue with that. They don't help anyone not unless it affects them."
Adam held back a smile of amusement and realization as it dawned on him that this world's dwarves sounded awfully familiar. That said, everything that existed here were things he'd find in a fantasy book. With that in mind, he had stopped questioning about most things in this world.
However, something else caught his interest.
"Wait, if dwarves exist back in the Old World, why is this here?" Adam said, gesturing at the abandoned city.
"We don't know. Not yet at least. The dwarven kingdoms have been silent about the matter ever since we discovered these ruins." Caben explained.
Adam frowned, "Do you have any clue as to what kind of ritual the goblins are preparing for?"
Caben's expression turned grim as the gears of his mind turned, giving him answers he'd rather not find true.
"Judging by what you claim to have seen, they're preparing for a blood sacrifice. It's a demonic ritual, meant to call upon Hellish powers from beyond this plane..." Caben paused, "Did you see the ritual circle? How big was it? What did it look like?"
Adam shook his head, "The goblin's memory was intact, but it was narrow-sighted. I wasn't able to notice anything beyond the size of a big slab of rock."
Caben tightened his grip around the wood of his spear. "I see. Well, it doesn't matter. They haven't done it yet."
Adam raised a brow, "How are you sure?"
Caben snorted in disgust, "Because if they had, whatever abomination they have called upon would already be marching towards the nearest settlement."
Adam's frown deepened as he understood what Caben was implying. There were far greater powers at work here, a scale of magic and the supernatural that was beyond anything that Adam could hope to contend with. He hoped that, if worse came to worst, his newly awakened powers should be enough to, at least, give his companions time to run away.
That said, the worst was not yet upon them. There was still time.
The sun set over the horizon, giving way to a dark night where the moon was absent and the stars few and dim. Thunder roared behind them, announcing the slow approach of the same storm they had just left behind.
One hour. Adam estimated that they had an hour before the rain fell and made things more difficult.
The group gathered around, guided only by the soft glow that was still emanating from Adam which proved enough to pierce the dense darkness. Under different circumstances, Ruk and Caben would be asking curious questions about Adam still glowing after their flight. Now was not the time.
"According to the book I read about goblins, they're nocturnal creatures who are most active around midnight. The mountain fortress has been infested with them. I have no doubt that we are currently facing a nest. Which means that we need to wait until morning when their guard is down to strike."
Ruk and Caben nodded, their expressions grim. Mr. Mule snorted from behind the group, seemingly understanding what Adam was saying. That matter was also for another time.
"That said, I'll be using my power to scout ahead and to check on the hostages inside. If I find them well, we'll wait until dawn. But if I think that their lives are in immediate danger, then we'll have no choice but to strike before the worst can happen."
Adam looked at Caben, looking straight into his eyes. Caben looked back into Adam's own.
"If I saw your thoughts any differently, we would have left you to rest and recover back in Casmont. But you're a knight. A soldier. A husband. A father. You deserve to take part." Adam said, earning him a small smile from the former knight.
He then turned to Ruk, his partner. "Are you ready for this?" It was a simple question.
"Yes." Came a simple answer accompanied by a wide grin.
The day had passed with the setting sun, making way for the darkest night. It brought with it the uncertainty of tragedy and the glimmer of a flickering hope.