Rashemen Book 2

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Kelvados sprinted at Del, diving through the creature, and then jumping up, shivering, pulled his piwafi around Del, then with her being dumbfounded, through her right though the creature's centre.

It cried out as the dark energies of the piwafi unexpectedly went through it.

Delinos shot a ball of dark energy at the things centre as Del rolled out of it. The thing spun and twirled, crying out with pain. Kelvados sprinted just along the cliff around the creature and stood beside Delinos, both of them armed with dark energy.

 

The dark form of water quivered as the dark energy burned and bubbled inside it. Steam spouted out of holes in the top of the form in a high pitched whine. Through its translucent sides the crackling energy could be seen bouncing around.

"What is this?" the water form hissed. "Why, it's nothing more than pure evil and hate! Two of my good old friends. Thank you, young elfling, for your contribution to my power source. Though I'm not sure you're an elf. I've never seen one as dark as you. What happened? Did you fall asleep in the sun for an age? Never mind, it won't hurt when you're dead."

The thing channeled the dark energy inside it down into the ice, a large chunk of which quickly melted and was sucked up into the form, doubling its size. It swirled four jagged shards of ice around then spit them out at high speed at the two mortals weilding the dark energy.


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Sepp crawled up over the ledge of the ice wall, followed quickly by Atten, just in time to see the water form throw pieces of ice at Delinos and Kelvados. He tried to think of something he could do. Without even needing to send out his senses, he could tell that all the water and ice was so excited by the presence of the dark form that it would never listen to, much less obey, any request from him. The Earth was hundreds of feet below the ice, and though there were many rocks and a boulder or two hidden within the ice, the ice would never let them go. Sepp had never had much rapore with the Air, and what could it do against such a dark form of water anyway. That left Fire, and in the distance Sepp saw a thin plume of smoke rising on the horizon, presumably from the volcano, Fire and Earth, but how far away? What choice did he have left?

He jumped into the crevice next to Nakia and Jex, then sent out his senses, rushing over fields of ice to the Fire and Earth of the volcano.

 

Jex was trying to warm his hands, his scimitars were covered in a layer of frost and they were to cold to touch even with the bands of cloth Jex had wrapped around his hands. Useing the scarf that Nakia had give him he wipped some of the frost off. Enough that he could get his hands on the hilts.

Winking at Nakia, he touched his amulet and let the power of the haste spell fall over himself once again. At the same time he fell into bloodlust, and rushed the Ice Monster. He hit the monster hard with his scimitars, to quick for the cold to settle in, even when it did Jex shrugged it off. He knew he had to delay the monster while Sepp reached out to the fire, but just as he went for another strike, his padded boots lost their gripped and Jex slide into a pile of snow.

 

Realising what Sepp was doing, Delinos yelled, "Too far Sepp! Use this!" He sent a fireball into the air. Delinos dodged the ice chunks, and Kelvados was hit in the leg. He fell and shot an Agannazar's Scorcher at the ice creature.

Delinos slid Kelvados across the ice, breaking the Scorcher, and sending Kelvados flying into the crevice. He groaned in pain, but knew that Delinos had just saved him.

Delinos dodged a huge piece of ice just in time, as it stuck solidly into where he had just been.

He jumped into the crevice while the creature was busy with Jex. The fireball had long disappeared, so Delinos conjured an orb of fire. He held it out for Sepp, "I don't know if magical fire will work.. but it's worth a try. Don't worry, it's quite cool." He placed it in Sepp's quavering hands.

Delinos jumped up and shot a condensed version of a fireball at the creature. "Take that, elg'caress!" He yelled at the creature, after it crying out in pain. He popped over onto the plateau and ran at the creature.

 

Maron swept her self backwards, out of range of any projectiles, but her keen eyes still picked out the dark mass of the creature. Ugly thing, she thought as she cried out in supplication, and felt the magic course through her. A pillar of flame shot down from the heavens, and struck the ice. As it disappated, she leapt forward again, smiling widely.

"Did I get it?" she asked.

 

Barren ice swept under Sepp’s senses as he rushed towards the smoke plume of the volcano, hoping that there would be a suitable channel for magma bombs to shoot out of. He wondered if Ma had known that this day would come, that winter years ago when the ice won. She must have, why else would she have insisted it be her way, when she was usually so bending?

The planets had come into alignment, and Nature was having a millenial celebration of Her Power. Ma had let each of them, Gesed, Drell, and Sepp, come with her on one of her dream voyages to experience the glory of the events. Of course, Drell had chosen to go with her and ride a huge wave that the shaking earth under the sea sent halfway across the far side of the ocean. Sepp had really wanted to go with her to be in the eye of a huge hurricane as it crashed into a high mountain range right off the coast of the eastern islands, and Gesed didn’t really care one way or the other, but Ma had insisted that Sepp go with her to a massive volcano that was spewing magma bombs out into the country side all around it. They had began far down under the earths crust, riding the waves of molten metal and rock, feeling the surges as they pulsed and shot towards the surface, building momentum as the channels tightened and increased the pressure, until finally they flew out of the chute with incredible speed, flying up into the upper reaches of Air, before crashing into the Earth in a huge explosion. Yes, it had been exciting, but Gesed’s story of the hurricane ripping the mountain apart seemed more interesting than Sepp’s experience. Yet Ma had known, even then. The knowledge he had gained then might be just the thing to save them all now and enable the Earth’s Heart to be returned.

He was close enough to the volcano now to see the lava flowing. No magma bombs, but –SNAP!

He was floating free, out of control, the winds blowing him this way and that. He must have broken the cord connecting his spirit to his body! Ma had said it could happen. That was why the meditation and preparation before dream walking was so important. But Sepp hadn’t done any of that, just took off towards the volcano like an idiot. It was one thing to send his senses into a stone that he was touching, or the ice wall, or even pull heat that he could feel from the burning huts into his sword and axe, but to attempt to travel across an ice plain towards a volcano on the horizon? How stupid! Such an idiot deserved his fate, floating endlessly on the wind, his body slowly dieing and rotting.

Then he felt a familiar touch grab ahold of him. It was Nakia! She tied herself onto him and he could control where he was going again! He started back towards the volcano, but then felt a great burning sensation in his hands. Nakia gave a strong jerk on the cord and instantly he was back in his body, a globe of fire in his hands, watching as Delinos and Maron tried to burn the water creature up with fire.

For few moments, nothing could be seen but a cloud of steam emanating from where the creature was. As the hissing died down, the creature could be seen, a little bit smaller than before but not much. It rose itself up to a higher, almost humanoid shape.

“HA!” it crowed. “Magical fire? Why, I was extinguishing your ancestors pitiful attempts at harnessing fire for centuries before the Sun paid attention to their supplications and helped them beat me. And when they started to conjure magical fire, I was there again to dampen their feeble manipulations. That time it took the Sun and the Earth to put me down. What could I do, just me against Him and Her? Two gods against one elemental hardly seems fair to me. But now, the Earth has lost her Heart, and the Sun doesn’t seem to care for you mortals anymore. If I had won, there would have been none of you living and dying entities at all. Just water, with some rocks for us to beat into sand, and air for us to invade and rain down again on the land. Well, my time has come, and I’m going to start by drowning all of you pathetic creatures!” The water creature started to shake and quiver, and shards of ice could be seen being sucked up from the ice field into it.

While it had been ranting at them, Sepp had been thinking. It said the Sun and the Earth had gotten together to beat it. One of Ma’s first lessons had been in answer to his question of why the burning rocks burned, when all other rocks didn’t. She had explained that in a long ago age, the burning rocks had been plants and animals that had soaken up the energy of the Sun, then died, but the Sun had been stored in them. The Earth covered them up, and through Her Power the plants and animals were turned into the flaky black rocks his family collected in a nearby valley and used for fuel. Many nights with the goats he and Gesed had spent sensing how the fire slowly burned up the burning rocks. One or two could heat the cave all night, but they burned slowly, because only the outer layer was exposed to the fire at a time. What if he could take all the energy in one rock, and make it burn all at once? How to do that?

He transfered the burning globe of fire to his left hand, then reached his right hand into Pa’s bag. After a moment of feeling around, he pulled out two burning rocks. Closing his fingers around them, he asked all the itty-bitties they were made of to let go of each other, and get ready to all burn up at the same time. He could feel them turn into a powder, except for a thin outer shell he told to stay together. Then he wrapped them each in some of the magical fire in his left hand, putting a cool layer of air around the now flaming balls. He handed one of them to Nakia.

“Here, take this. It’s cool. On three we pop up and chuck them at that thing!” Nakia gave him a quick nod. “One, two, three!”

Nakia and Sepp popped up out of the crevasse just as the creature was starting to flow towards them. The glowing burning rocks went right into it, Sepp following with his senses. Once inside the creature, the burning rocks burst open, and released all of their energy, long ago received from the Sun. Sepp felt Maron channel the power of the current Sun into the fire too, as well as more magical fire pouring into the creature from Delinos.

This time, when the steam cloud blew away, all that was left was a bowl shaped depression where the creature had been, and a slimy black oily slick that was slowly seeping down a crack in the ice.

The wind whispered along the ice wall. “Nice throw,” Sepp told Nakia.

 

Jex climbed out of the snow drift he had fallen in. His hands were bloody and raw and he had a few scraps and cuts. His whole body was shaking as he shivered and his teeth chattered. He attempted to walk, buthis steps were jerky and uneven, sending him sliding to the ground again. He had had to much contact with the water elemental, and with the cold air, he was feeling the effects. After a struggle, he managed to stagger his way closer to the group. A trail of blood drops stained the ice from where he had came. "Healing magicks, my amulet is drained. Sepp, Atten or Maron, can you help me." He whispered his voice laboured and stressed.

 

Noticing how busy the others were, Kelvados ran over to the frozen and bleeding Jex to heal him. He knelt beside him and started chanting under his breath. From Kelvados' mouth came a thin glowing golden strand, spiralling and twirling towards Jex'talin.

The golden strand split when it came near to Jex, and the individual smaller strands entered his wounds, his mouth and ears, warming his body.

Now that he was warm, Kelvados could properly heal him. He muttered a command word, reasti, and Jex glowed blue for a moment, then was awake. Kelvados put his finger to his lip in silence. He took a blanket from his pack, and wrapped it around Jex.

"Shar forgive me." Kelvados backed up, then cast a Resilent Sphere around him.

 

Sepp watched Kelvados heal Jex. He was impressed. Kelvados did a good job. He wondered why Shar should forgive Kelvados for healing someone. Maybe he'd ask later. Thinking that others might be cold as well, he looked up to the steam cloud that was quickly floating up into the sky, as steam was always wont to do. A large wind was blowing by, and he asked it to blow the steam cloud down to the group, then stay over it for awhile til everybody warmed up in the cloud.

 

Jex felt the warmth and the healing magic spead through is body. He was still battered and bruised and felt as if he hand been caught under a dwarven brigade, but he felt better than he had a few moments before hand.

He was also confused as to why Kelvados had asked for Shar's forgivness. BUt he would address that later.

 

Maron watched carefully, but Kelvados had the situation under control. Still, she was about to offer help when he mentioned Shar.
Interesting, she thought. I wonder if Daie is around. He'd be pleased to hear those words. Well, not pleased, but certainly intrigued. No, I cannot bring death down upon this group. I'm sure he will forgive me if I let this one pass.

Stepping back from Kelvados, she shrugged, and mumbled a prayer. A previously large rip in the side of her tunic mended itself, and she nodded, satisfied.

Maron walked to Sepp, and saw him concentrating on the cloud overhead. She felt the temperature begin to rise, and wondered what was happening. That cloud was moving strangely,and she feared another attack. She pondered this as the cloud drew closer, and she saw the others' shvering stop.

"It isn't that cold, you know. It reminds me of home. Flying through the snow as a child" She drifted off, almost literally mid sentence, lost in memory.

 

Grumbling, Delphinae stomped over to where her first arrow had been deflected. "This is why I don't work in groups." She snatched up the arrow, brushed a little ice dust off of it, and placed it back into her quiver with a barely audible command word.

"Well!? Are we just going to stand around, or are we going to return that damn thing?"

 

"Let's get it over with," Sepp said. "It looks like everyone is more or less alright." Sepp looked around and counted everyone in his head. Jex, Nakia, Atten, Maron, Del, Delinos, Kelvados, and Alexi. What a group this had turned into!

He turned and looked at the volcano. From this distance they could just see its top and the smoke plume. How long would it take to walk over the ice?

Sepp started walking.

 

"Is it all ice? All the way?" Delinos groaned, "Well, I'm making the best of this.. I hope we dont get attacked."

Delinos took out of his pack a flat piece of metal he sometimes used for cooking, and coincedentally the same size as his behind. He sat down on it, pulled out his blades, and started to pull himself along. After doing this for a while, he could do a push every so often to keep up with the group, he sliding along the ice.

 

Nakia started to follow Sepp then she saw Atten. He was moving slowly, almost as if blinded. She walked over to him.

"Atten, be you hurt? What's wrong?" He didn't respond but stared ahead lost in a world she couldn't reach. She reached up and pulled on his sleeve. "Atten, Atten! Wake up! Come back to us. We are almost there. We can return the Stone to the Earth."

No response. He just moved slugishly forward.

 

Atten blinked and wondered what had happened. He could not recall climbing the ice wall. All he could remember were dreams of fire and water and air rushing in faster and faster circles around a crumbling boulder.

The living force was weak in him as there was little life in the wasteland he found himself in now. He could not tap into the force generated by the living things in the forest because it was all too far away.

He was not entirely sure he could carry on. He felt powerless without a clear link to the living force.

 

Sepp heard Nakia talking to Atten, then looked closer and noticed how weak and tired he looked. He trotted back to where Nakia was holding Atten's arm as he slowly carried the heavy Earth's Heart.

"Atten, what's wrong?" Sepp asked as he came up to them. Touching Atten's other arm, he immediately felt his weakness. He glanced into Nakia's eyes, asking her a silent question. She nodded her consent. Sepp tapped some life force from himself and Nakia and channeled it into Atten. Not a lot, but enough to give him a little more energy to keep walking.

They trudged on like that for about ten minutes. Sepp noticed Delinos sliding along the ice with little effort on his frying pan. It was almost like that silly story Pa once told about escaping from ice worms on a sailing sled across a frozen lake. He'd never really believed that story, but maybe it was true. It gave him an idea.

A large slab of ice had been pushed up from the ice field by the massive pressures at work in the ice. "Jex, Del, Kelvados, Alexi, come over here," he called, walking over to the slab. "Okay everyone, put your hands up against here and let it down gently when it comes off."

First, he told the exposed ice to stay really hard and retain its shape, then he asked the ice about one feet in to let go of the larger slab. With a nice crack a thin sheet came off, and the group let it down slowly. Sepp took out his axe and chopped some foot holds in it.

"Okay, everyone get on and take off your cloaks or get out your blankets. Partner up and hold the cloaks and blankets between you like this," he said, demonstrating with his cloak and Nakia. They got Atten and the Heart onto the ice sled and sat him down on a blanket. When everyone was ready, Sepp asked a big wind blowing by overhead to come down and blow along the ice with them.

The cloaks and blankets billowed out, but the sled didn't move.

"I think we need some help to overcome the inertia," Jex said. He and Alexi got off and started to push the ice sled. Before long, they hopped back on and put up their sail with the rest of the group.

They were sailing across the ice, must faster than any of them would have been able to run. The volcano was quickly coming closer and closer.

"Gesed's never gonna believe this," Sepp said to himself.

 

Delinos watched in astonishment, then slid after them, pushing himself with the power of air. He had his hand stretched outwards behind him, blowing himself to kepp up with the large slab.

 

They had covered well over half the distance to the volcano. The sun had just set, but its rays still reflected off the sky and the white snow and ice. All at once, the wind stopped. Not a gradual dying down, just an abrupt absence of it. The ice sled slid another fifty feet before slowly coming to a halt.

Without the sun's rays, it was quite cold. Most of the group put their cloaks and blankets back on and around themselves now that there was no wind to fill their impromptu sails.

A roaring sound suddenly came out of the sky. As it neared the ground, it picked up ice and snow and gravel, and the whirling funnel cloud took form as it raced directly at them.

Sepp scowled as he tentatively felt the energies of this new menace. Another angry and malevolent creature, like the dark water form had been. This was new for him. Usually the elements were just happy to be as they were, and would gladly do what was asked of them as long as it wasn't too far different from what was in their nature to do. Ma had mentioned some elemental forces becoming mean and angry on occaision, but until recently, Sepp had never actually met with any. He didn't want to risk getting his senses pulled into that thing, and drew back to his body as the wind started rushing past the group, blowing their cloaks and blankets around.

He yelled over the roar of the oncoming whirlwind, "We fought the water creature with fire! What can we fight this air creature with?"

 

"Earth", screamed Nakia, "But I know not how except by magic! Ice we have but earth?"

She pulled her cloak close to her, shivering. She thought of all her adventurers but this was the weirdest of all. Fear caught at her threatning to make her loose hold of what she knew. Once she had protected Sepp now it was up to him to protect her. She breathed a prayer to Yolanda.

"Watch over your two halflings and those who accompany us. We struggle to get the earth in balance. Goddess who makes the food to grow do not forsake us."