image [https://i.imgur.com/9vHde9d.png]

The mighty horse reared with hysteria. It raised its hooves high above their heads, meaning to crush them if it could manage such a thing. It flailed about, whining worse than a spoiled child.

"Down damn you! Whoa! Whoa..."

Joel tried as he could to calm the thing, though his urgency overcame his patience. He startled the horse further with his frustrated tone and harsh language.

"Let vines take the bitch! Rickum, I've only the two horses now, and this one won't yield."

"Then we'll take the one that does. Sir, miss, we'll take the horse and go west up the river, at the next stable we'll tell them to get a horse ready for you. The elf at the house you see there, his name is Brynald, tell him that you're collecting a favor on my behalf."

He pointed to a house not a half mile away, she saw the three horses grazing.

"Consider it done. Auryen, are you ready to run?"

"Let’s go!"

They began their sprint to the next home, a hard but necessary endeavor. The innkeep helped in hoisting his son upon the horse. There was the crack of the reigns like a sharp whip and a powerful yelp that commanded the horse into a blistering gallop, turning up wet dirt with every landing of its wide hooves. It passed them quickly, and arrived at the home in less than a minute. At the distance, they could not see much, but there was a commotion where the horse had stopped. From somewhere they could not see, most likely from the gate next to the stable, two more horses came sprinting out, circling the innkeep for a moment. One left north, galloping at much the same pace as the innkeep had. Then the innkeep and the new rider rode off against the current, though the other quickly broke off. Two new riders mounted one of the three horses, but two horses approached Auryen and Tannen.

They converged quickly, they recognized the rider.

"Come on you two, we haven't a lot a time to catch up!"

"Gyile?"

The horses reared to a stop, turning about face to begin their run-up river west, Browyn riding with him goaded them onto the horse that they had led. Tannen and Auryen mounted as quick as they could. They reigned the horses back to a steady and quick pace up the river. The speed agitated Tannens wounds, forcing a cough or two as the horses ran, but nothing she could not quickly recover from.

"And more with us, the guard are searching north, and south on the other side of the river. Some others are coming too. Everyone knows Rickum, nobody wants to see him lose anymore. At least a dozen more are coming to help search, either here or on the other side."

"Why is everyone up in arms for finding this boy, but they didn't care about the attacks from the fish-men?"

"They tried but they never managed to find their nest. The guard was vigilant to fend them off but could never venture far enough to quell them. With the fish-men it was enough, but the Ogers are different. They will kill that boy if we can't find him first, and they will smell the blood of Man and Elf. Then they would move to the town."

"So because they know where the Ogers are, they'll move to fell them and hope to find the boy before he reaches them."

"Just about. It is common rumor that the Ogers have been seen at the temple, but their home is still hidden. It was far away enough at least to be ignored until now, much like the fish-men. I'm still surprised you found their den."

"I had no Idea, I was just passing by. Luck and chance saved Blank River, and me."

"With how powerful fate is, you'd think it'd be a god."

Browyn spoke up, yelling above the cacophony of striking hooves.

"There will be time for talk later, ride damn you!"

They rode for a dozen minutes or more. Passing the last archway of the large town and moving along the treeline a hundred strides to their right. The untrod ground rose slightly as they began to approach the first waterfall, the moss like grass faded away and the trail they took turned winding and crooked. They crested up the low ledge of the first fall and saw very far in the distance something strange.

Dark stone again, a spire held by rounded walls. The building mounted the fall like a dam, but held back no water. Pillars held up the small building, it was open and even from a distance they could peer inside through the pillars, though the shade of the slanted roof would reveal nothing until they arrived. There was no path on the south side leading to that place, should the guards not abandon their search north, It would be only the innkeep, his son, the two young men, the scholar and the paladin to investigate it. If the lost boy was searching for something of magic and swords, no doubt that strange structure would be his destination.

A hundred feet ahead they joined with the innkeep, his horse had tired and slowed to a trot, as too had the horses of the strange companions. The rushing, crashing water made a loud and thunderous sound. It was hard to hear the trotting of the horses as they crept up the natural trail, it turned one way and back again rising slowly with every turn, a river unto itself. They caught up quickly meeting halfway up, all breathed heavy. They fought for breath and air, through that, the innkeep's son finally spoke.

"Thank you for coming, all of you."

Gyile reassured the young Man.

"Of course. Browyn was a given though."

"Of course."

The sole Elf interjected, surprisingly politely given the circumstance.

"Now boys, the sounds of the fall will mask us for only so long. We should turn to strategy."

Tannen agreed.

"It's quite obvious where the boy has run off to. We'll search quickly, and spread wide throughout. But stray no further than a half dozen strides away from the one next to you. Should we come to combat with any of the Ogers atop the plateau, Rickum, Auryen and myself will take to the front. You three should-"

The innkeep cut her off.

"No, if it comes to that you should keep up the search. When you find him, it will give us all chance to escape. Those boys knew the risks when they came."

"I'm no frail thing Rickum."

"You can walk, you can run and you can ride. But can you fight?"

"I told you once, I have no need to convince you. I'll fight, if you want otherwise then stop me."

"Then you should carve your name in clay too."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Telling her to kill herself was a shock, but it was said with the intention of bringing her back to her senses. Auryen touched her shoulder with a weight of concern.

"There's no need for martyrdom, he is right, you'd do best searching for the boy."

She sighed, it was a short and heavy sigh. She felt leashed and chained, like her purpose was denied. A paladin was not only meant to embody the tenets of their god, but more so to fight for them, however that might present itself. But she recognized the wisdom in their words. Against her own judgment she nodded in agreement. Auryen continued.

"With her should be the innkeeps son."

"I came to fight too!"

The son shouted, but he was cut off by his father.

"Should it come to it, we'll all fight, but you're to do what we agreed on when I let you come."

Tannen could imagine that the boy felt much the same as her. Auryen again continued.

"Gyile, you saw how it was used, would you take this?"

Auryen simply flicked his wrist out towards the young man. Something moved, though it was nothing that could be seen with the naked eye. Whatever it was, Gyile caught it, he felt his arm in slick motions. With a strong tug the knife appeared from a sudden thick shadow. Gyile curiously asked.

"Startle? But isn't this yours?"

"I haven't the mind to use both at once, trust me, you'll see how taxing just the one can be."

"Well Browyn, I won't be needed this spear, you can have it."

"Of course..."

After Browyn spoke, the innkeep asked him.

"How far behind are the others?"

The innkeep was answered, Browyn peered far out back the way they came.

"Far, I can't even see them from here. I might see a guard, though they move north."

"Then hurry to the falls, the horses have had their rest."

They goaded the horses to a faster pace, the winding kept them slower than they pleased. They crested the final wind and beheld the great building in all its unnatural brutality. Behind it was the mountains from which the river flowed, drawing the gaze to the grand and terrible tower. Tannen recognized the black rock and gray stone from the place in which she had fell. The hexagonal onyx or obsidian pillar stretched high, a dozen Elves could stand atop each other's shoulders and still only barely scratch its strange top. It seemed cut at an angle, the slope pointing down the edge of which it overlooked. Its surfaces were perfectly measured, but harshly weathered. The cage like pillars were made of the gray stone and seemed almost sloppy in their design when compared to the uncanny perfection of the monolith. They made a half circle with an opening at its widest resting on the rushing water. Betwixt each pillar was some heavy and worn metal fencing, denying any entry except from the obvious opening on the other side.

They found a shrub nearby where they tied the horses as they could, allowing them some respite at last. They dismounted and walked quickly to the building. A pyramid was nestled in the building, with the opening leading in. All of it rested on a base that completed the circle that the building suggested. It shook and rumbled with the roar of the fall as all the water rushed beneath it, the sound only subdued by the mass of stone.

"This is a Vault, no doubt. There's no architect in the world that crafts temples such as these."

Auryen spoke, and was surprised to hear Tannen speak after him.

"I've seen one of these before. Browyn, the fish-men were in a place such as this."

Browyn would not get the chance to respond, as Auryen was quicker with his word.

"Other vaults are known to have strange guardians as well, whether they be the unthinking or the monstrous in nature. The entrance is far too small to host an Oger, though I suspect that does not mean they are not close."

"Then let’s be quick about it and head inside."

The innkeep said, before doing as such while the rest followed him. The interior had just as strange a design as the exterior. A wide open space with a great statue in its center. They split apart as they entered to cover more ground, though most the room was already visible. The river water was better heard here, almost deafening, as around the statue in another semicircle was iron grating showing the water below. Browyn and Gyile moved left along a wall that was laid just within, it made long, thin and curved rooms around, more akin to hallways. The walls were only cutoff just behind the statue to look out between the pillars where the rushing water would then wrap around the black tower. The innkeep and his son took to the right while Tannen and Auryen investigated the greater room. Aligning with the walls the grating ended where the open floor showed the entirety of the rushing water below leading over the cliff. Tannen approached the statue.

Like most of the other black stone, its form was meticulous and strangely sharp, covered in algae, mud or some other substance from the scarcely spewing water below. The statue depicted a Man, or an Elf, it was not clear. The shapes were odd but obviously intentional, it was no doubt meant to be ambiguous. It stood upon one foot, and reached upward with a cutting hand. Its body curved in a subtle S like shape. It looked up, confident and strong. The statue imbued a sense of movement, a fluid and effortless movement. The statue was swimming upward with incredible grace. After a moment's inspection, Tannen called out to the rest of the group, and was answered quickly after by the innkeeps son.

"Has anyone seen him yet?"

"No, this hallway leads to nothing. What of you?"

As he asked, the two younger Men walked out from the left, of them Browyn spoke.

"Nothing here either. Not many places to hide in an open room, if he was here we'd have seen him."

Auryen adopted a most curious expression, thinking for a long moment before he too called out.

"Did anyone find whatever Artifact was held here?"

"That isn't important-"

Auryen interrupted the innkeep.

"The one reason the boy rode here was to find it. If it's not here then that means he already has it. Imagine yourself his height then, 'where to next? I have my mythic weapon, what now?'"

"You don't think..."

The innkeeps son gasped the words as Auryen continued.

"Did we see his horse as we arrived? I submit he's already taken whatever Artifact was here and indeed rides to the den of the monsters we fear."

Tannen retreated to thinking in her own mind, but as she did, she was reminded of the statue, and of course the other Vault.

"Auryen, where was Startle when you found it?"

"Well I don't... Somewhere in Wayland."

"No, where in the Vault?"

"I didn't find Startle, my colleague Forthe found it. I don't see how this is helpful."

"Semantics. You've found Artifacts of your own. Were they on onyx pedestals?"

Auryen looked down for a moment in thought, then up to the statue in realization.

"Yes. Yes they were! This statue here, it must have held the artifact."

The others were a bit lost, but trusted that some useful conclusion would arrive from their musings. Though their expressions held that their patience would soon run out if things didn't happen a touch quicker. Tannen and Auryen studied the statue with a deal more attention and devotion than their initial observations. Auryen noticed something strange first.

"There's nowhere for something to be held. Look at the hands, open palmed."

Tannen nodded along with his conclusions and began to circle the statue, where she noticed another odd aspect.

"The grime, it's only on the front. The back is untouched, so is the head. Was it wearing a cape?"

"As bombastic and impulsive, as the boy is, I doubt he'd charge headlong into the den of Ogers with nothing but a cape and a stick."

"Chances are then, the boy is still close."

The innkeep approached, joining them in their investigation.

"Are you two sure?"

"As sure as we can be until he's found. We need to keep looking here-"

She was interuppted, outside, they heard a terrible scream. The horses whined and yelped and a crash brought it all to an end. The six fell to silence and began creeping to the entrance. The son readied and knocked an arrow on the long bow as the forked blade unsheathed from the innkeep's hip. The blade held before the young man, slowing his approach and allowing Auryen and the two other young men to approach the other side of the door. Tannen stuck close behind the group, and though she did not draw her blade, her grip upon the handle was the strongest among them.

The son gagged as his view broke outside, and Gyile nearly followed suite but managed to hold his tongue. Tannen moved enough to see in time the body of a horse being dragged deep into the forest leading up the mountain, leaving behind a shredded leg, though she could not see what was dragging it. The two that remained were dead, crushed instantly by what she could only imagine was a falling tree. But she knew better than to accept such an innocent and blameless accident. The Oger had eviscerated them with a single swing, and dragged the lifeless body of the most convenient corpse away to be consumed and ravaged. Gylie spoke softly, the sound of the falls covered his voice to whatever may be in the forest, the paranoia made him err to the side of caution when he spoke.

"We may be forced to stay here. Even without the boy, do you think we could outrun an Oger?"

"Not one that knows where we are."

Auryen continued somberly.

"Swift and silent then, us sorry six."