Story Thread: The Remarkable Life of Jacob Dunn

[Velociryx]

Part Twelve - Killing Field

Part Twelve
Killing Field

Randall and his men fanned out…stalking. Staying low to the ground in a crouch as they advanced, weapons ready.

Jacob was positioned just behind Randall, following close and visibly shivering.

He was flanked by two torch-bearers who provided light for the assembled group.

"They don't have far to run, but I still can't see anything." Ashlynn whispered.

"Stay sharp people….expect anything."

They continued toward the center.

"Movement, left flank, I need he…." The soldier's words became a shrill scream of pain as the Nilroggi battle wedge descended on the left flank of Randall's small band, intent on crushing the life out of all present. The new leader of the band, a medium-sized male with a wicked scar on his left cheek, impaled the soldier with a pair of Nilroggi blades and then shoved him to the ground to die. Randall mentally dubbed him 'Scar' and tried to keep track of him.

Lady Ashlynn displayed remarkable reflexes, and was the first to react. She spun smoothly, took half a second to aim in the shadow-laden dark, and let two bolts fly, each at a different creature. The leader of the Nilroggi band answered her quick reflexes with a show of amazing agility in response, actually succeeding in dodging the bolt aimed at him. The creature immediately behind took the hit instead. Both of Ashlynn's bolts found their mark in two different knee joints, and suddenly the human scream of pain was not the only sound shattering the silence.

By the time she had loosed her falcon toward the injured ones (who proceeded to swoop in and harass, clawing at those fearsome heads), the others in the group had turned and begun a counter-charge.

Another of Randall's hand-picked soldiers went down, victim of those crushing mandibles, as one of Scar's Lieutenants got up-close-and personal. The soldier had time to put a hand to his ruined throat and make a soft gurgling noise before he died.

Randall chanced a glance toward Jacob, who had dropped to his knees and was rocking back and forth like a child. Clearly sobbing, though the Fury Lord could not hear the sounds of it from where he was. "Jacob…it's all right…it'll be over soon, I promise….just stay there, okay? Stay with me…we'll get you out of this soon, I promise!"

If Jacob heard, he made no sign of it, and continued to rock back and forth, eyes closed tightly, and tears streaming down his face.

It sickened Lord Randall to see, but there was nothing to be done about it. The only alternative would have been to leave him with the company commander, and in sight of the Hunter.

"You and you!" he shouted, pointing at two other soldiers. "Join the torch-bearers and surround Jacob!" He charged past them in time to parry a wicked blow aimed for a still-reloading Lady Ashlynn, who reflexively (and without breaking her reload rhythm, he was proud to note), shrugged her shoulders elaborately and twisted slightly, in a motion which flung a portion of her cape over her face.

The acid-spray from the blade immediately began eating through the cloth of her cape, and another shrug brought it back down to her side. One reload complete, and one more to go.

Malachai scored the group's first kill as he drew his second scimitar and began fighting Florentine….blades flashing in the torchlight in a dizzying pattern, a human-and-steel wall of whirling death that utterly stalled the battle wedge's advance.

Malachai stopped his whirling attack abruptly, bringing one scimitar to either side of a Nilroggi head, cleanly removing it from the creature's body.

The beast crumpled to the ground, and the two behind him immediately charged forward.

Malachai danced gracefully backwards, and started his blades spinning once more.

"Good show, Malachai, but we need at least one alive, remember." Randall called out as he joined battle with another.

"Got it covered." Malachai said in response as his mastery with the blade became apparent yet again, and one of the two Nilroggi now facing him suddenly found himself disarmed, his blade lying in the grass some twenty feet away.

Ashlynn drew a bead on the two Nilroggi she had hit earlier (easy to spot, with bolts protruding from their knees), and went to work on them again….same strategy, other knee.

One out of two this time, and one Nillrog went down screaming. "Net him! Net him!" She called out to the soldiers carrying the nets.

They rushed forward in response, and Ashlynn drew a mace to cover them, smacking the downed one in the head to stun him as she approached.

Suddenly, the fallen one had a pair of Nilroggi blades run through him, and a strong Nilroggi arm rammed into Ashlynn with bone-jarring force, sending her sprawling. Scar chattered angrily at her, ending his string of curses with a fierce hiss before moving on to do battle with another of Randall's soldiers.

"Did you see that?" She asked as she sat up half-dazed and spitting blood. "He killed his own, rather than risk capture!"

Randall nodded, then ducked and rolled partway under the Nillrog he was fighting, cutting deep into the creature's legs. It went down too.

It was hard, brutal work….but they just might succeed.

Despite the blows they had taken thus far, Randall still had hope.

OoO

The Assassin started toward the battle line almost casually. He had given much thought to the problem of who to be when it came time to deliver the deception that would doom the boy, and settled on what he thought would make a fine choice.

His initial thought had been to impersonate Lord Brian Fury, Master of the House of Fury, but ultimately, he put that notion aside.

Too much. Not that he couldn't have made it believable, but it just seemed….too convenient. Contrived.

No…it was much more natural to select "one of the guys"….someone that everybody in the came was familiar with, and who would have no reason to lie about the condition of the camp.

And in that case, the choice had been a simple one.

He smiled as his features shimmered and morphed….shifting to take on the likeness of 'Chef,' the portly, smiling camp cook that everybody saw twice a day.

For effect, he took the sheep's bladder of blood he had brought with him specifically for the occasion, and splattered it liberally on his clothes, rubbing a good bit on his face.

Then, to make the image complete, he mixed some of the blood with the earth he walked on, and smeared mud streaks onto his face.

There.

All set now.

And before he crested the small rise that would lead him to Captain Harmon's force, he got on his knees to pray, both for him and for the mercenaries who would strike on his command when the time was right.

OoO

"Cap'n Harmon sir….Cap'n Harmon sir!" Came the panic-filled cry of a voice familiar to him.

He turned to look, and saw Chef barreling toward him at top speed, huffing and puffing with such urgency that Harmon felt certain the man's heart was on the verge of bursting.

That he was here at all was surprising to say the least, but given his condition….mud-streaked and covered in blood….

Harmon felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach.

"Ain't no skirmish, Cap'n….they's Nillrog all over the camp! They broke through! They broke through!"

"God's Teeth!" Harmon shouted. Camp was a quarter mile away. In the dark, they would not make good time.

He unhitched his signal horn and blew two signals of three quick blasts, in the sign that the base was under attack. That would send everybody scrambling.

"Men…to the camp!" He shouted as he broke the human wall trapping the Nilroggi, and let his men away.

OoO

As soon as he heard the six frantic blasts from Harmon's signal horn, he began piecing together how things would proceed.

He was willing to bet his life that there was no Nilroggi attack on the camp, which was the *only* thing that particular signal could mean.

Which meant that someone had staged it.

More to the point, someone had staged it to get Randall and his small band alone in the dark.

Which meant they would be coming.

Soon.

"Form up! Forget about taking several, we'll go for one and hold!"

"What about the camp?" Malachai asked.

"If we make it out of this, I suspect we'll discover that the camp is just fine."

"Ambush then?" Malachai asked warily.

Randall nodded. "Think so, yes."

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Thirteen - Ambushed!

Part Thirteen
Ambushed!

"See the one with the scar?" Randall pointed as his men rallied 'round him.

All nodded.

"That's the one I want….take him, two men and myself will pin him, and the rest of you drive off or kill the others in the wedge."

"Will they not just flee if we let them?"

Randall shrugged. "As far as I know, they have no idea what our signals mean….so they think they're still surrounded….I believe they'll stand their ground here….plus, we just saw one kill his own rather than see it captured….we're too close to getting one to allow that to happen, so if it breathes and it's not us, it dies."

Half a second's pause, and then there was simply no reason to delay.

"Let's catch a damned Nillrog." Randall told them as they charged.

Randall led the group, approaching Scar and brandishing his cutlass.

Scar answered back by spinning his pair of thick, cumbersome blades.

Unexpectedly, Randall dropped to the ground just as his two soldiers rushed up behind him bearing the net, which they threw over the lead Nillrog, and seconds after that, the rest of Randall's band struck ferociously, Ashlynn leading off with stinging bolts from her hand crossbows, and the rest of the soldiers charging behind the whirling, flashing blades of Malachai.

And it was working.

They pushed the remnants of the wedge back before the other members could rescue or kill Scar, who was now hissing and chattering violently in the net, spinning and lunging at anything that moved.

It was all the three humans trying to pin him could do to keep him from getting loose, and Randall sought the eyes of someone…anyone who might be free to lend a hand.

Finally, his eyes met one of the torch bearer's. "You…help us! Plant your torch in the ground and control this beast!"

The man strode forward, and soon, the combined weight of four humans pinned Scar to the ground firmly.

Better. Randall thought to himself as he gasped for breath.

Not exactly the flawless execution he had hoped for, but then, the whole plan seemed to have pretty much crumbled apart anyway.

At least they had a Nillrog now, so plan or no, that much could be counted as a success, at least.

With their most battle-hardened male captured, and the few remaining Nilroggi either being badly injured exhausted (or both), the fight did not last long, and soon, silence reclaimed the night.

He stood and dusted himself off as another of his soldiers came to relieve him from his duties of pinning the captured Nillrog to the ground, and he walked slowly over to where Jacob was sitting.

He knelt beside the boy and put his hands on his shoulders. "Jacob…I'm so sorry." He whispered and he gathered him up in an embrace. "I'm sorry we had to do it this way, but it's over now…it's all over now, and we need….I need you to come with me and see if you can talk to the 'gog…can you do that?"

Slowly, Jacob looked up and met Randall's gaze. His bottom lip was trembling as though he might start sobbing again at any second, and there was no shortage of tears in his eyes and on his face, but he was looking now, and at least marginally composed. There was at least a chance, then….at least a chance.

"Can you do that for me?"

The boy nodded, and Randall helped him to his feet.

They would have their answer soon.

OoO
Jaky didn't like the 'gogs…they scareded him….made nany-los bloods and hurted purdies bads. He had seen it with his own eyes….shared their pain….watched them as they made Gone Away.

And as he approached the 'gog, netted, pinned beneath the bulk of four Peoples, he wanted to hate the creature. He wanted to scream at it and make hurteds on it, just like he had seen on the purdies he helpinged.

But he couldn't.

As he knelt beside it and reached his hand out slowly, he saw that the 'gog was hurteds too.

And scareded…like him.

"Shhh….Jaky talkings to you now…no hurteds." He whispered as his fingers brushed against the armor-like, rough skin of the creature's head. It hissed softly in response and clicked its mandibles together very slowly, as if in warning, but Jacob did not remove his hand.

Nor did the creature strike, though it easily could have.

From what seemed like very far away, he heard Ran'all say something, and his Peoples started to make circle around Jaky and his 'gog.

The 'gog hissed again and started to squeal and talkings loud, and Jacob could feel, in the beginnings of the connection that was forming between he and the creature that it was terrified.

Shhhh…. He sent into the creature's mind, grateful that his connection was growing stronger, and almost happy in the sense that here…in this form of communicating, he could be Jacob Dunn, rather than Jaky. He deepened the connection, imagining himself flooding the creature's mind with the light from himself, passing on his own growing sense of calm to the Nillrog. If you stop struggling, I'll make them back away. He told the creature, whose eyes widened in shocked surprise.

I know you can hear me….and I know you can understand me….be still, and I will make them move away so we can talk.

The creature made an angry hiss in his mind as a response, followed by a series of chittering noises and then…something that might have almost been….song.

Whatever it was that the creature 'said,' it was clear that he was none-too-happy. Nonetheless, he stopped struggling.

"Ran'all no moonings close! 'tay way….'gog scardeds now…Jaky tyning talkings." He told them, and the creature before him could feel the frown of disgust toward himself in his own mind.

If they didn't get the entire message, they got enough. "Get back!" Randall told them sharply as he took several steps back himself, guiding the others back as he did so.

The creature remained still, eyes locked on Jaky's.

"What the hell are we doing?" Malachai asked in a muted whisper.

Randall shook his head. "God's truth old friend, I have no idea."

They waited.

OoO

Now do you see that I don't want to hurt you…I made them step back.

Lett….meeee….goooooh. came the slow, echoing whisper in his mind. Letttt meeeeeeeeh goooooooooh…..

I can't do that….the people here want me to talk to you if I can….to find out why you hate us…why we fight.

Yesssss…..haaaaaaate....haaaaaate humaaaaaaaansssss.

But why? Why do you hate humans? What have we ever done to you?

Rememmmmmber.

Remember what? There's nothing to remember…you are the first Nillrog I have ever been in contact with.

Youuuuu lie! The creature told him defiantly. Weeee rememberrrr you….weeee alllll remmmmemberrrr.

Jacob had never been more terrified in his whole life, sitting here in the dark with the smell of danger all around him and….

The smell of danger?

He couldn't smell danger.

He contemplated that a moment.

But….

But maybe the Nilroggi could.

If he was so plugged into the creature's mind that they could communicate like they were, then why not? Why couldn't he borrow the creature's senses too?

"Jaky….you've got to hurry…we have to get you out of here!" He heard Randall say from somewhere that seemed very, impossibly distant from where he was.

He vaguely felt himself nodding in response, and then turned his attention back to the creature.

I don't have much time….There are people….other humans who want to kill me just like your kind and mine kill each other….forgive me for doing this, but I don't have time to banter back and forth.

Before the creature could protest or react, Jaky….Jacob opened up the shutter of the lamp in his mind all the way, and flooded the Nillrog with….himself.

Suddenly, his mind was the creature's mind, and the creature's mind was his.

"Mother of God." Jaky said aloud, in a voice that was perfectly clear and understandable.

Randall's eyes widened in surprise, hearing that….not the voice of Jaky, but of Jacob Dunn. He had no idea what it meant, but here….in this place, it was as terrifying as it was mystifying.

He had no idea how much time passed, but when he felt he simply could take no more, he willed the shutter closed.

Not completely….left it open enough to maintain the connection with the creature, but closed it enough so that they could separate their minds.

What did you do, human?

Jacob noted with some pride that as a result of their minds mixing, the creature no longer sounded quite so alien to him. I….I am sorry…I had to show you that I mean you no harm…and I had to try to learn from you.

You….your kind….you truly do not remember? Nilroggi remember….the Horde is one.

I understand that now, and no…I am the only one in the entire Kingdom who knows, and I only just learned it from you.

What you have learned….is but the dust on the surface….you must….you must tell others, and you must find….find us.

Then I must leave now.

Because your own kind wish to kill you….you come from an insane race….killing your own….that is why we will….defeat you if the fighting does not stop….if not this time….then later….but it will happen….you realize that now.

Yes…and I must make our leaders listen.

There was a strange gurgling sound somewhere behind him, and suddenly the Nillrog exploded in a frenzy of activity, snapping and snarling up to his full height, and then grabbing Jacob and spinning him around 180 degrees.

Randall saw what was happening and reached for his scimitar, but he would be too late. "Jacob, noooooo!"

His attention was so focused on Jacob and the fact that the Nillrog seemed intent on killing him that he didn't even see one of his men collapse behind him.

Didn't fully realize what was happening until he heard the faint-but-deadly phffffffft! sound, and see the trio of arrows pierce the Nilrogg's back, and bite deep.

The creature let out a low groaning hiss and began to slump to the ground.

F….find ussss….. He said into Jacob's mind as the life and light began to fade from him. Find usssss…. Using the last of his energy, the creature sent a map into Jacob's mind, showing the location of a nearby tunnel network….the very tunnel network that had, no doubt, made the Nilroggi raid a possibility, and though Jacob understood it here…he wasn't sure if Jaky had the vocabulary to make it clear to Lord Randall exactly what the Nillrog had given him.

It was a show of courage, sacrifice, and extreme good faith.

Jacob let go of the Nillrog and looked over Lord Randall's shoulder, taking in the sight of a throng of mercenaries closing the distance between them.

Randall had seen them too, and he and his band had turned their full attention to them, although as the Nillrog died, he chanced a glance back at Jacob. "Run!" He said in a hoarse whisper. "For the love of all the Saints, son, run for your life and hide yourself well….one of my family will seek you out…they will never stop looking, I swear it…..now run, and don't you dare look back….I don't want you to remember me as I will soon be, but as I was."

There was no time for goodbye, though Jacob knew that's what this was. Here. This moment….was goodbye. He nodded gravely, fighting back his tears, turned, and ran.

"Did I just see what I think I just saw?" Ashlynn asked, amazed.

"Looked to me like that Nillrog just saved Jacob's life…took the arrow hits himself." Malachai said quietly as he adjusted the grip on his scimitars.

"That's my take on it too." Randall agreed. "And we'll talk about it more later…if there is a later…in the here and now, if you have any favorite prayers, I suggest you say them quickly."

Outnumbered Gods-only-knew how many to one, there was no hope.

And still they stood firm.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Fourteen - Cornered

Part Fourteen
Cornered

Their band was down to five. Only Randall, Malachai, Ashlynn, and two of Randall's hand-picked soldiers remained standing.

Randall had ordered a fighting withdrawal back to a small copse of hardwoods, with the ruins of a low stone wall running through it.

They slowly gave ground till they got to it, and it was there, with their backs covered by the wall, that they were making their final stand.

Because of the terrain, the mercenaries could only approach them frontally, and because of the density of the trees, they could not approach en mass, but rather, had to keep their rush limited to no more than two at a time. Those were the *only* reasons that any still lived. Had they been caught in the open, the sheer numbers approaching them would have simply swept them away and the fight would have ended moments after it had begun.

As it was, they had been holding their ground for more than half an hour, and though their numbers were thinning, they had truly given much better than they had gotten.

Because of the confined space, only one of their number could fight at a time, and so the others were granted a brief rest and respite.

The drawback was that they had to stand idly by and watch their friends and comrades in arms die one at a time, being able only to avenge the death, not prevent it.

"I'll go next." Randall said grimly, as he watched his bravest fight on. The man was tiring quickly though, and could not hold out much longer.

Malachai shook his head. "I can't allow it. No offense, old friend, but I am the better swordsman. If we can hold out long enough, the men of Harmon and West's' commands will make their way back here once the deception has been revealed."

"We can't expect help for at least another hour…I daresay we won't last that long….you're good, Malachai…better than me by far, but all of us together aren't that good."

"We must try." He said simply.

And he was right.

"What I would not give for another brace of bolts!" Ashlynn said hotly. "From this position…with this cover, I could lay waste to the ones waiting."

"Don't give them any ideas….so far, they've conducted the battle honorably, and using the mercenary's code…a series of duels….but if you were to start peppering them with arrows, they would, no doubt, return the favor." Malachai told her.

True again.

Randall winced as the exhausted soldier currently fighting for them proved a fraction of a second too slow and caught a mercenary spear in the belly.

He let out a weary, pain-laden groan and sank to his knees.

Before he had fallen completely, the last of Randall's soldiers had leapt over him to take his place and the man fought like a lion. Fast, brave, and savage.

He killed six before he went down.

Malachai was up next, and he shouldered his way past Randall to take the point. ”See you on the other side." He said almost casually as he began spinning his twin scimitars wickedly, then smiled and wagged his eyebrows at the mercenary up next to fight him. "Let's do this thing." He told his opponent, a thin, fierce smile on his face.

As a swordsman, Lord Randall had never seen anyone Malachai's equal. The man was tireless, fast, and cunning with his blades. Often, his opponents were dispatched mere seconds after they made their approach, and gasps could be heard coming from the ranks of mercenaries.

Code or no, they were clearly interested in looking at other options where facing Malachai was concerned, and more than once, the man next in line to face the wall of flashing steel that Malachai had become, simply turned and fled into the night.

Randall didn't blame them. Had he been on the opposing side, and lined up to fight Malachai, the thought would have surely crossed his mind as well.

He lost all track of both the passage of time, and the number of men that fell before Malachai, but more than once, he remembered seeing his friend pause graciously, pacing back and forth like a caged tiger while mercenaries crept in to drag the bodies of their fallen out of the way so the fighting could continue.

As long as they were content to conduct the battle according to the mercenary code, Malachai was willing to let them remove their dead.

And it was buying them time.

Randall didn't want it, but could not deny the tiny spark of hope he felt welling up in him.

Maybe….just maybe the three of them that remained would all get out of this.

That was a fragile hope though….and ultimately not meant to be.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Fifteen - Rescue

Part Fifteen
Rescue

The assassin watched in grim fascination as the mercenaries lined up to do battle with the three who remained, and he sneered.

Such an antiquated code, and yet, the mercenaries followed it scrupulously when no particular target was mandated, and as the boy was obviously not with those the mercenaries now fought, they dropped back into their tired, worn-out ways….no wonder they fared no better in battle than they did. All this tripe about personal prowess, honor, and individual courage….what utter nonsense.

Results! That was the real measure of success.

The *only* measure of success.

And, after watching the mercenaries stop the fight to clear their dead out for the third time, he had seen quite enough.

With a derisive snort, he dropped down from the low tree branch he had been watching the festivities from and strode toward the battle-in-progress.

"Enough! Stand down men." He ordered the mercenaries under his command as he strode into full view of Randall and his two remaining brethren-in-arms.

He spread his hands wide in a disarming gesture as he drew nearer. "Lord Randall of the House of Fury….you and yours have acquitted yourselves well in battle, and this need not come to a bad end for those of your company that remain. Simply tell us where we might find the boy, and we will leave you in peace. Our quarrel is not with you."

Randall started toward him, but Malachai flashed out a scimitar to block his path. "I don't trust him, old friend…and I cannot in good conscious allow you any closer."

He knew he could have ordered his long-time friend to stand down, but he also recognized that his actions were guided by friendship and concern.

And he had a point. Randall didn't trust him either, so he stayed where he was. "And what, pray tell, has the boy ever done to you and yours? I have worked with him extensively, and I can tell you that never have I encountered one who is more pure of heart than Jacob Dunn."

The assassin sneered. "The boy is an abomination! An affront to the J'honsa, Highfather of the gods, and to all right-minded folk in the basin! In StroudHaven, such children as he are simply drowned before their corruption can spread, and so we are spared the trouble and danger his type represent, but you…."

Now it all made sense.

It was all about religion. More to the point, it was all about the spookily conservative brand of religion found only in StroudHaven. He rolled his eyes and cut the man off in the middle of his speech-making. "His type? And what would you know of his type?! I think you know not what you are saying, and are but a lackey for some other sadly misinformed religious zealot."

"Watch your tongue, Fury! Your House is mighty, but it is not above the edicts of the Church!"

"StroudHaven does not hand down edicts from the Church, though I am sure it would delight your masters back home if they did. That boy….his ability to communicate with other creatures represents the clearest link….the best chance we have ever had of gaining some understanding of our Nilroggi foes, and you would kill him!?"

"He has communicated with the Nilroggi?" The assassin asked in shocked surprise.

"Yes. He has empathic powers and he…." Wrong thing to say he knew immediately, but it was too late to take it back. All he was doing was adding fuel to the fire.

"You admit that the boy is feebleminded….then you tell us that this feebleminded man-child has had a Nilroggi…enemy of our entire race inside his mind, and you would still defend him!? That is tantamount to conspiring against all of humanity! There is no telling how much damage could be caused by Nilroggi more fully understanding the human mind! The boy's corruption has spread to you then! There is no other conclusion to be reached! Men, kill them! Kill them all!" The assassin shouted in disgust.

And while those words were still ringing on the air, almost quicker than the eye could see, his hands moved in a blur and produced a dagger from his belt, which he hurled at Malachai. "Parry this, swordsman!"

And Malachai very nearly did.

Rather than penetrating deep into his chest as was intended, the dagger struck a glancing blow near his collar bone.

The cut was superficial, but it burned mightily.

Poison.

Malachai hissed and brought up his guard as the mercenaries once more charged forward.

As battle was again joined, a hunting horn sounded nearby, and not just any hunting horn, either. It was the long, two-toned blast of a Kellen hunting party, and these days, the Kellens only hunted one thing.

"Form up, men!" The assassin screamed. "Kellen attack!"

Too late.

The Kellen warriors had already struck on the mercenary flanks and were rapidly carving a path toward Lord Randall.

"If you can, press forward so Ashlynn and I can join in the fight….good as the Kellens are, the more swords we can bring to bear, the better our chances!"

Malachai nodded at Randall's suggestion, and surged forward, blades flashing fast and terrifying.

The mercenaries began to fall away from him at once, and in moments, Ashlynn and Randall were fighting by his side, pressing their way toward the Kellens, who had, for reasons known only to them for the time being, decided to lend a timely hand.

Halfway to the Kellen battle line, Malachai stumbled and then dropped to one knee. "C…can't….continue." He said through gritted teeth.

He had gone quite pale and was soaked with sweat and he met Randall's eyes briefly, and nodded.

"I have never had a truer friend, Malachai, and in this life, I never will."

"Keep safe friend….Master." Malachai said thickly and forced himself to stand. "Make for the Kellen line….I will….keep them busy."

Without another word, Randall and Ashlynn continued toward the Kellen line, and Malachai allowed himself to be surrounded by the mercenaries advancing on him.

He took down four more and injured two others before the poison had sapped enough of his strength and slowed his reflexes to the point where the mercenaries could get the better of him.

They beheaded him as he sank back to his knees, having received a deep gash to the stomach, and shouted "Death to the polluted!" as he died.

Tears stung Randall's eyes as he fought, and his heart filled up with hatred.

Vengeance.

Every blow struck against the mercenaries that stood between him and the relative safety of the Kellen battle line felt like a liberation, and every ounce of blood he spilled was a small measure of revenge for the loss he had just suffered.

He met Ashlynn's sorrow filled gaze briefly as the two continued to fight toward the line. "I swear on the name of my family that if I have to burn every tree in StroudHaven, they will pay for this, and for what they want to do to Jacob!"

She believed him.

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Sixteen - The Caves

Part Sixteen
The Caves

Jaky ran blindly, following Lord Randall’s instructions.

He did not care where he ran, only that it was away from the bad peoples who wanted to hurteds him.

Panicked, he did not pay heed to the passage of time, nor to the burning in his legs, lungs, and chest.

There was only running, as fast, and as far from the danger as his legs could carry him.

In time though, there was something else.

An inner voice that guided him, quietly directing him this way, then that, until he came to a hilly place.

There would be brush concealing the entrance to the cave, he knew.

How he knew was unimportant, all that mattered was the cave itself. It was where he knew he needed to be.

Without hesitating, without even thinking, he pulled the brush aside, and slipped into the entrance, pausing only to adjust the brush covering to conceal the way he had gone.

That done, he slowed his pace to a walk, and pressed deeper into the cave…..

OoO

Time passed, and he continued walking. The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, but was much less dark than he would have imagined, thanks to faintly luminescent mosses and lichens growing along the walls. It lit his way with a brightness that easily surpassed torchlight, and made navigation simple.

He noticed from time to time other, smaller tunnels branching off in new directions, but he ignored these, and stayed on the main path, its slope taking him deeper beneath the earth (and toward the mountains, he realized instinctively). He continued, certain of his course without knowing exactly where he was going, until a sound drifted to his keen ears, coming from a side tunnel not far ahead.

Letting his curiosity lead him, he approached the side tunnel, and peered down it.

Like the main tunnel, this side passage was also filled up with glowing lichens, and he could see clearly. What he saw, though, brought him up short, and he knew in an instant that no human had ever before witnessed what his eyes were beholding now.

A new type of ‘gog. A Digger, he decided, watching it work.

True, ‘digging’ wasn’t exactly what he was doing, but the term was apt enough.

The ‘gog was larger than even the largest bull in a battle wedge. Bloated almost to the point of being misshapen, it was both huge and hideous, it’s bulbous head turning this way and that and chittering quietly to itself as it slowly walked forward.

The creature was bathed in a milky, brownish light that seemed to surround it like a bubble, and Jaky saw that beyond its bulky form there was no tunnel. The ‘gog was creating it as it went….moving through the earth as though it were liquid, and leaving a new section of tunnel in its wake.

He changed his mind. A Rock Swimmer. That was what he would call this new kind of ‘gog.

Unafraid, he approached.

Halfway down the newly ‘dug’ tunnel, the ‘gog sensed him and turned his head completely around to stare at him with an expression that might have been….surprised shock at seeing a human here. It chattered angrily at him and hissed, but continued making its way slowly forward.

Jaky caught the creature’s gaze and locked it down, opening the shutter of the lantern within him and establishing a powerful connection in the blinking of an eye, sending the ‘gog before him a barrage of mental images of everything that had happened since meeting Scar.

The creature’s hiss turned into that mysterious song that Scar had begun singing earlier.

‘gog song.

You are…..Chosen. It said in his mind.

Jaky nodded, and the creature held out one of its misshapen hands.

The man-child closed the distance between them and took it, and the Swimmer ‘gog turned slightly, and began arcing the tunnel in a new direction.

The Queen, he realized, not quite certain how the words had gotten into his head. It’s time to see the Queen.

Hand in hand with a creature never before seen by the eyes of men, Jacob Dunn pressed deeper into the earth…..

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Seventeen - Vanished

Part Seventeen
Vanished

As suddenly as the battle had erupted, silence reclaimed the earth. There was only the faint sounds of men gasping their last, weary sighs, and quiet moans of pain.

Nine of the Kellen War Party remained standing, along with Lady Ashlynn, and Lord Randall.

The arrival of the Kellens had broken the spirit of their attackers, and they had lost much of their fight. Those who had not gone down fighting the combined fury of Lord Randall and the Kellens had fled quietly into the night, leaving their dead and wounded where they had fallen.

Randall slumped against a tree, holding a low branch for support. “We owe you our lives.” He told the leader. “What is your name?”

“I am Braal, and in truth, it is not you I came to save, but one called Jacob….Jacob Dunn.” The Kellen saw recognition in the Fury Lord’s face. “You know him?”

“He….is my charge….was my charge….when the battle erupted around us, I told him to flee….I know not where he is, or if he even lives.”

“He lives.” Braal said simply. “I would sense it if it were otherwise.”

“Will you help us find him? I swore an oath to his father that no harm would befall him, and….”

“I owe my life to Jacob Dunn….it is why we are here. We are at your disposal in any matter involving his safety.” Braal said, placing his right fist over his heart in a gesture of his people.

Randall raised curious eyebrows at the statement. That a Kellen owed his life to Jacob Dunn….there was a story there, to be sure, but now was not the time to inquire. Finding Jacob was their priority. Their only priority.

“Very well….you and your men begin searching the area, Lady Ashlynn and I will return to my camp and bring reinforcements….men, dogs, falcons….no effort will be spared to find him….he is important to us….special.”

“He is that.” Braal agreed.

OoO

The Next Day

They searched in shifts throughout the night, and all the next day, beginning at the point where they had last seen him, and fanning out from there in an ever-widening circular pattern.

For a time they were hopeful. No signs of struggle beyond the confines of the battle they had fought….no blood, indicating that he had been wounded, but also….no Jacob.

The dogs picked up his scent at one point, and hope surged again, on the thinking that the animals that Jacob had served so faithfully would now return the favor by leading the men to him with their keen senses, but it was not meant to be.

The dogs led them to a rocky hill, and up to a rock face where it looked like a tunnel should be (the men in the search party even found a brush covering that would have been ideal to conceal a tunnel entrance), but only solid rock was found. No entrance of any kind.

“Jacob!” Lord Randall cried out in frustration. “Jacob Dunn!”

His voice echoed emptily around the hills, and there was only silence in response.

It was as though the earth itself had simply devoured the man-child.

Vanished….

OoO

Two Days Later

Lady Ashlynn met him in his tent, and frowned when she saw the bags under his eyes. “Randall, you must rest….the reason we are searching in shifts is so that no one exhausts themselves utterly in the effort.”

“Yes, but it’s my fault he’s gone missing in the first place….my responsibility.”

She nodded. “And it is clear to all that you take your responsibilities seriously….especially with regards to Jacob Dunn….but you have other responsibilities to attend to as well….responsibilities that are larger than any one man, no matter how special he may be….responsibilities to the Basin itself.” She looked at him meaningfully, letting her words sink in.

Tired as he was, his first impulse was to snap back at her that he knew damned well what his responsibilities to the Basin were, but he recognized the truth of her words, and the concern in her voice.

She was, in short, right.

Absolutely, one hundred percent correct in her analysis.

As important as Jacob Dunn was, the Nilroggi were still invading. His army could ill afford to remain in one place long, lest they lose the initiative they had gained in their recent string of victories.

He sighed bitterly. “One more day. If we still have not found him, I’ll detach a company to remain in this region and watch for his return, and we will continue taking the fight to the Nilroggi.”

“And what of his parents? Shall we send riders to inform them?”

Randall shook his head. “No….we’ll give him time yet to turn up. Braal of Kell tells me that he gets no sense of the boy being dead, so we will list him as missing in action for the moment, and after our tour, if there is still no sign of him, I’ll ride to DunnAcres myself to deliver the news.”

She nodded, and then ran her fingers through his hair affectionately. “You are a good man, Randall Fury.”

He took her hand and kissed it, shaking his head sadly. “Not nearly good enough, I fear…..not nearly good enough.”

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Eighteen - Communion

Part Eighteen
Communion

”We do not tolerate failure.” The voice said sharply, practically thundering through the assassin’s mind.

“Yes, Master….I humbly beg your forgiveness and ask that I be allowed to try again….the untimely arrival of the Kellens threw our attack into disarray. Who could have guessed that he would have such strong allies?”

”Indeed, the fault is not entirely your own, for we badly misjudged the depth of his corruption and how far it had spread….you shall have your wish….the abomination will not remain hid from our sight forever, and when he again reveals himself, you will take decisive steps to remove his unclean presence from the basin.”

“Are all ways open to me?”

”Yes…the ends justify the means in this case, but I am curious….what plan do you have in your mind?”

The assassin told him, and he could almost feel the smile from his Master.

“Truly inspired. Even if he suspects a trap, he will enter it willingly.”

“That was my hope as well….I will leave at once to begin making preparations, so that all is ready when he appears before us again.”

”Very well….J’honsa be with you….our cause is righteous.”

His Master broke their connection, and the assassin tipped back a bottle of ale. “Here endeth the communion.” He said with a tight, thin smile, swearing a silent oath to himself that he would not fail a second time.
OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Ninteen - The Wonders Below

Part Nineteen
The Wonders Below….

With no sun, and no moon, it was impossible to tell how much time had passed, but it felt like they had been walking forever.

Down and down and down, so deep now that Jaky began wondering if they would not surface on the other side of the world.

He was beyond tired. Legs aching and burning, dursdy, farther from home than he had ever been in his whole life, but he continued, with the strange looking Swimmer ‘gog leading the way.

They were close now, he realized. The tunnels here were wider, and he intuited that they saw a lot of traffic. It was not unlike the big roads that ran through parts of the Kingdom above, and it meant something important, but he could not quite wrap his mind around what it might be.

Still, he made note of it, and they continued, eventually arriving at a massive wall of solid rock, with vast pillars on either side, hundreds of feets tall, and easily as big around as ten Swimmer ‘gogs.

There were writings on them, up and down the whole length. Strange ‘gog writings.

Jaky never knew ‘gogs could write, and he suddenly found himself wondering what they wrote about.

Maybe the Queen would tell him.

The ‘gog who had led him here approached the slab of stone and let go of Jaky’s hand long enough to plunge all four of his own into the rock face. Given what Jaky had seen the Swimmer ‘gog do, this came as no surprise at all.

What happened next, however, made him gasp slightly, as the entire rock face began to glow with that same milky brown color that seemed to surround the Swimmer ‘gog when he was making tunnels, and then, the entire slab vanished without a trace.

Tons of rock….gone in an instant.

Jaky could not help but peer inside to find out what lay beyond. If the disappearance of the rock face took his breath away, then the sights that greeted his eyes surely stole it for what must have been a dangerous amount of time.

It was….breathtaking. More beautiful than anything he had ever seen.

The cavern was enormous, stretching out as far as his eyes could see.

The entire place was well lighted, thanks to an abundance of phosphorescent lichens on the walls, and somewhere high above, but at ground level, the moss was thick and luxuriant and green….so inviting that it made him want to take his shoes off and feel it between his toes.

There was water here, too. Two waterfalls cascaded down the side of the vast cavern to his left, and a narrow river with brilliantly clear water flowed through the cavern floor, following a winding, meandering path.

Peering into it, he saw fishes like none he had ever seen before. He could see through them! And stranger still, their eyes were milky and glazed over….surely not much good for seeing.

Stalagmites grew up like a mighty forest from the floor, oftentimes covered in that thick, rich green moss. Some of these were adorned with human heads and other trophies from the topside. Others were adorned with sparkling uncut gemstones as big as both of his fists put together. Their names came to him from some quiet corner of his mind. Amber, Amethyst, Diamond…. Riches beyond imagining.

The ‘gog who had brought him here gave him a slight nudge forward, and motioned to a small, crudely constructed stone bridge that spanned the narrow river.

It was so narrow that he knew he would have no difficulty jumping over it, but if the ‘gog wanted him to use the bridge, he would be a good guest and do so.

This was their space. Their place.

He used the bridge, and his guide led him deeper into the cavern, with each moment that passed revealing some new spectacle that took his breath away.

He forgot all about how tired he was, and walked on as if in a dream.

OoO

Later

Through the mossy forest, across two more bridges, and past what looked like a ‘gog town, filled up with blocky houses and even a gate that looked like it belonged topside, rather than down below, Jaky and his guide finally arrived at a strange circle of bare rock in the otherwise mossy floor.

The Swimmer ‘gog stepped on it, and motioned for Jaky to do the same.

He did, and in a moment, the stone circle began sinking into the earth!

Jaky’s first response was to jump off of it, but he knew he should not.

They were here.

The Queen was just below.

He swallowed hard and waited, not sure what to expect….

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Twenty - In the Hall of the Queen

Part Twenty
In the Hall of the Queen

As the circle of stone sank deeper, Jaky’s eyes got heavier and heavier. He was practically sleeping on his feet, and he didn’t want to….not now! Not just before he met the Queen! Besides, she might get mad at him if he went to sleep while she was talking to him.

But he couldn’t help it.

The stone sank further, and Jaky struggled valiantly to keep his eyes open, but to no avail.

Eventually he lost the fight, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

The Swimmer ‘gog caught him as he slumped to the floor.

OoO

Strange images all around him.

Voices, but….not voices.

High pitched chittering noises and song. Beautiful song…so fragile and magical that it made him want to cry.

It was ‘gog song, he realized. One of the ways they communicated.

He saw shadowy shapes all around him and strained to make out what they were, but the images remained illusive….shadowy.

Wraithes His mind told him. I’m surrounded by Wraithes

“Jaky…..as come to us….freely….Chosen….message for us…..essage to take back to…surface.” The voice was smooth but broken, and he could not make everything out, but it was enough, and he understood.

He heard a hiss which ended in a lilting bit of ‘gog song, and the Wraithes fell away.

A new ‘gog approached….gigantic. Bigger than any ‘gog he could imagine. Bigger than anything he could even dream, and she was beautiful. Double mandibles set in the front, glistening and sharp, six arms instead of four, and what looked like wings on her back.

‘gogs didn’t have wings.

Yet. The voice in his head said with a smile he could almost hear. We were created as fallen angels, and have not earned our wings yet....but we will.

The Queen stroked his face with one of her taloned hands, and without thinking, he opened the shutter of the lantern inside him all the way, eyes meeting the Queen’s sleepily, flooding her with every image from his life, and receiving the same gift from her.

His head got fuller and fuller and felt like it would explode with so many pictures racing through it….so much information….and it hurt….God’s Teeth but it hurt worser than anything he had ever felt. His mind was being filled to the point of bursting, and as it was, he began to understand.

First, there was the mine. The darkness. The Voice of the One.

He saw miners…hundreds of miners, trapped. Scareded.

Human miners….we were you….we *are* you. The voice of the Queen told him.

“They will do.” The Voice of the One said almost disdainfully. “Let the experiments commence immediately.”

Darkness and screams.

So nany-los screams. Miners hurteds bad. He could smell the bloods.

Light, in lots of different colors.

Deformed miners that looked burnded up. Gone Away, but….not.

He tried to close his eyes, but couldn’t block out the images. They were behind his eyes and inside his head.

It was how they shared their history, he understood. They have a….communal mind. They all remember us.

He shivered, and the Voice of the One floated back to him. “…and they will revere us as Gods….we are the Creator….”

Colors swirled around him and the Voice of the One was lost for a time.

“….extremely sensitive to magical energies….xposure of great magnitude….put them on an acceleration curve of unbelievable proportions, causing them to evolve at a terrifying pace….no telling how many variants one could expect to see.”

More colors, and then blackness swirling around him.

Deep beneath the earth, he saw the first Horde Gathering.

Their numbers growing in secret, and more rapidly than the One realized, they organized and bided their time.

Writing….religion…..an expanding awareness and comprehension….the dawning of a new race.

A booming voice filled his head….the First Queen. ….the strong devour the weak….our path to ultimate fulfillment is to devour that which made us….by devouring our God….our Creator….we gain His strength, and claim Heaven for ourselves! Attack!”

The Horde marched, and Jacob gasped as thoughts more advanced than any he had ever had began assaulting his frail mind.

We are their gods….
….they see themselves as being created to populate the underworld…Hell….
….we made them as slaves….a slave race….
….they have….religion…..to devour god is to gain his power…..
….Unified, committed….driven….
…..See us for what we are….makes them hate us more….
…..God’s Teeth….the spell that created the basin…..flood of magic energies…..evolution…..

The world went black around him.

The last thing he remembered was the sound of his own screaming….

OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Twenty-One - Reunion

Part Twenty One
Reunion

Six weeks later

He was dursdy. More dursdy than he had ever been in his whole life. He glanced down at the clay water jug he was carrying and took a healthy swig.

Better.

Purdy jug, too. It reminded him of….

Of course. The ‘gogs gave it to him. They had been in his mind…that’s where they got the picture of the jug.

From him.

He checked his knapsack. Cheese, and snacks….like ma had fixed for him before he left with Lord Randall.

The ‘gogs were still in his mind, too….he could feel them. Close.

We are with you, always….and you with us….Brother. He heard in his head. You are one with us now.

Six nearby…he could feel them all. And scores more on the march to do battle with the humans. They were in his head….and he in theirs.

For always.

He munched idly, drank, and considered this as he walked….not knowing quite where to go, but going nonetheless.

“Must break the cycle of memory.” He mumbled to himself, with perfect, unbroken language, as he walked. “Break the cycle of memory…break the cycle of memory….”

He was still muttering that phrase two days later when a patrol from Lord Randall’s reserve company found him.

OoO

In the Camp of Lord Randall Fury

“They found him! Randall, they found him!” Lady Ashlynn came bursting into his tent.

Randall had been resting in his hammock, but upon hearing those words, he sprang up, a smile growing on his face. “When…where?”

“The rider only just arrived! He was wandering in the wilderness not far from where we lost him.”

“In good health?”

“So it would seem….tired, a bit worn from all his adventures, and saying things that none of the men can make sense of.”

“We’ll leave immediately….you, me, and ten men to guard….we can’t afford to pull the lot out, but I’ll give Captain West command here until we return!”

There was a lightness in his step as he went with Ashlynn to get horses and supplies for their journey.

OoO

Six days later, in the camp of the Reserve Company of Lord Randall Fury

“Ran’ll!” Jaky shouted his name gleefully as he rode into the camp. He dismounted and ran toward the boy, and was nearly knocked down by the force of his embrace. “Jaky no get los’! Talkings wi’ nany-los ‘gogs’s! Jaky tell yu! ‘portant stuffs! Big big ‘portants!”

Of that, Randall had no doubt, but first things first. He held the boy back slightly and looked him over. “They sure didn’t feed you too well while you were in their keeping…..are you hungry?”

“Jaky al’ays hunry!”

They laughed together, and the three of them, Jacob, Lord Randall, and Lady Ashlynn, who had been watching the reunion from a slight distance back, headed off to the mess tent to share a meal together.

OoO

Over dinner, Jacob barely stopped talking long enough to eat, and much of what he said made little sense. Either his ‘Jacob-speak’ was getting rusty, or the boy was having a mightily difficult time trying to explain what he had seen, but it didn’t matter. Randall let him talk. They could sort out the particulars later….it was just so good to see him again.

After dinner, they escorted Jacob back to his tent and saw that he got comfortable for the night, then Randall and Ashlynn moved to his tent to talk.

“With so many reports of enemy troop movements in the area, and as thin as our force is here, I don’t dare use the Amulet to contact Lauren in Trentare, but we must get the Enchantress back here, or take Jacob to her with all possible speed. I want to know absolutely everything he found out during his time with the Nilroggi. I trust my ‘Jacob-speak’ with day to day happenings, but this is too important to miss even one small detail, and the Enchantress is our best hope at getting that information out of his head and into the hands that can use it best.”

“Agreed….when should we leave.”

“Strike camp at dawn, and make toward Trentare….when we’re closer, we can try a contact, but if that doesn’t work, we’ll just take him to her direct.”

“I’d better get some sleep then….it stands to be a busy day tomorrow.” She bent down and kissed Randall’s forehead, then left for her own tent, and Randall allowed himself to hope.

It had been a fierce gamble, that much was certainly true, but now….now it appeared that it would pay off handsomely.

As he settled into his hammock for the night, he found himself so excited that he couldn’t get to sleep.

Sadly, his excitement would prove to be premature….
OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Twenty-Two - The Circle Begins to Close

Part Twenty Two
The Circle Begins to Close

A week later, en route to Trentare

They had just made camp for the night when the messenger approached on a fast horse, riding in from the northwest. Letters from home, no doubt, and reports of the latest rounds of recruitment.

“What news, rider?” He asked as the man drew within earshot.

The messenger’s face was clouded with….something, but Randall couldn’t quite make out what it was. “I suspect you’d better read it for yourself.” He said, clearly uncomfortable.

Randall unfurled the scroll and found a letter addressed to Randall Fury and Jacob Dunn, in the flowing script of his mother, Elizabeth.

My Lord Fury,
Hopefully, this letter finds you and my son well, and that your continuing
endeavor to bring peace to the Basin is proceeding as well as you had hoped.
Lords how I wish the tidings were better here, but alas, as I put pen to
parchment, I do so with a heavy heart.

Unfortunately, Jacob’s father, Hiram, has taken gravely ill, and it
seems likely that he will not survive long. The house of
Dunn is not a rich, nor powerful house like your own, but
as a father yourself, I am sure you can understand his sense of it.
Now that his time is close at hand, it is his final….no, his
greatest wish to see his son one final time before the end. He is
eager for it, and trying desperately to hold on. Make haste, and
ride here with all possible speed, bearing our son with you.

Yours,
Elizabeth Dunn

He read the message, and then read it again. There was something…..he couldn’t put his finger on it right away, but something nagged at the back of his mind.

Nonetheless, the course was clear. The letter was addressed to them both, and his conscience would not allow him to keep such news from Jacob.

Which of course, meant that Jacob would undoubtedly want to return home.

With a heavy heart, and a troubled mind, he went off to find Jacob Dunn, bearing the letter along with him like a curse.

OoO

He read the letter aloud to Jacob, and watched his expression….first joyful at receiving a letter from home, then stunned, as though hit for the first time with the realization that his parents would not live forever, and then….something else. Steely determination was his best guess.

“Jaky goning homes.” He said with conviction. “Fi’ Pop-Hiram.”

Jacob….I know you want to go home…believe me, I understand it….but something about this just….and you can’t use your gifts to fix Pop-Hiram….it only works on Pretties, remember.”

“Jaky lannern.” He said with a nod. “Fi’ Pop-Hiram. We go.”

Randall shook his head. DunnAcres was not far out of their way, and if Hiram was as bad off as the letter seemed to indicate, then odds were good that he would not last long enough for them to get to the Enchantress and back. Nonetheless, it was absolutely essential that they get the information that was locked in his head out so they could use it, and the sooner that happened, the better.

He chewed his lip, thinking.

“Well….we can’t go tonight anyway, Jacob….the horses need rest….let’s sleep on this and make a plan at first light tomorrow….does that sound okay to you?”

Jaky studied Lord Randall for a moment, and then nodded. “Slee’ now….goning homes tomanno.”

Randall hugged him fiercely and sent him to his tent to get some sleep. It seemed though, that his mind was pretty well made up.

Knowing that he would not be able to sleep, he sought out Lady Ashlynn, desperately needing someone to talk to about the nagging splinter in on his mind.

OoO
In the tent of Lady Ashlynn - Later that same evening

She handed the letter back to him and shook her head. "Is it just me, or does the language seem....forced somehow?"

Randall nodded. "That's part of it, yes....and I also don't like the timing."

"What are you thinking? Trap?"

"It's what my gut is telling me, yes. Seems too convenient. Weeks missing, and just after he is returned to us, his father takes deathly ill, in early autumn? A man who was tough as nails when I saw him last, suddenly succumbing to some illness just after Jacob returns? I don't like it....I don't like it at all."

"But we can't keep him from seeing his father one last time, Randall...we can't.....you know that."

He sighed heavily, and nodded. "I know. And DunnAcres is more or less on our way...."

"Then knowing, or at least strongly suspecting a trap, the best we can do is ride with him and keep a sharp eye.....trusting in our abilities to stave off whatever nasty surprise they have in store for him."

"It's just....we're so close Ashlynn....we're on the verge of understanding the Nilroggi better than we ever have....everything we need to know about them is locked inside that boy's head. Everything.....and if we can but get him to someone who can get inside his head and make sense of everything he saw....everything he learned, we'll have it! He is the key....I don't know that there has ever been a time in the history of our Kingdom, save for the First King's coronation, when so much potentially rested on the shoulders of a single individual.....he's that important, and to think that there are those who would see him dead is just...."

"It boggles the mind, doesn't it?"

"Aye....it does that."

She went to him and hugged him tightly, much as he had done with Jacob. "Sleep, Randall. Tomorrow will be a full day, and we must all be at our best."

He nodded, took the scroll with him, and headed back to his tent.

OoO

In the Heart of the night

Randall awoke with a start, not quite sure what it was that had awakened him. Some night sound, or perhaps some....

No....it was the letter.

He knew!

Heart pounding hard and fast in his chest, he lit a candle, and wiped the sleep from his eyes, unfurled the scroll from Elizabeth Dunn, and read it again.

Yes.

Help us....danger.

The first letter of each line.

Coincidence?

Couldn't be.

"Elizabeth, you are one smart cookie....message recieved." He whispered as he blew the candle out.

"Message received."
OoO

[Velociryx]

Part Twenty-Three - Homecoming

Part Twenty Three
Homecoming

Long before the sun came up, Randall took a chance, and attempted to contact Lauren via the Amulet.

No response. She was either sleeping, dead, or had taken it off.

War had not touched Trentare proper, so he felt certain she was safe and sound. Still, how wonderful it would have been if they could have brought the Enchantress to them now….right now, while things were still calm and controlled.

He shook his head, visibly disappointed.

There was no point in sugar coating it. Randall was relatively certain that none of what he was about to say would do the least thing to change the boy’s mind, but he had to get it off his chest, so at first light, he burst into Jacob Dunn’s tent, to find the boy up, dressed, and ready to depart. Somehow, that did not surprise him in the least.

He took a deep breath, and let it all out.

“Jacob, I stayed up most of the night thinking about this….I’m absolutely certain that if we take you home, we will be leading you into a trap. I believe that your mother was forced under threat of pain to write that letter, and there are most likely men waiting for you at your house, who will try to kill you the moment you set foot on DunnAcres….I found a message from your mother hidden in the letter….a desperate attempt at code, I believe, and I must tell you that if we do this, we are almost surely playing into their hands….are you sure you want to do this? If I’m right, then your father isn’t even sick, and you are too important for us to risk you needlessly. Please let me do this my way….let me lead my company forward, attack the assassins, and bring you up once they have been killed or chased out.”

The boy-trapped-in-a-man’s body shook his head. “Jaky ha’ to….i’ Pop-Hiram hurteds, Jaky fi’.” His jaw stiffened resolutely as he spoke, and Randall saw in that gesture that there would be no changing Jacob’s mind. No matter the danger to himself, he was going home to make sure his family was safe. Danger be damned when it came to family….exactly the response he would have given, had their situations been reversed, so how could he refuse the boy?

And he also recognized the truth of the words the boy had not spoken….if he was wrong, and Hiram was fallen ill, odds were good that Jacob would arrive too late to help (and he seemed convinced he could help) if he followed a distance behind the troops.

Would he himself take that chance if his brother Brian lay dying in Fury Keep? In his heart of hearts, he agreed absolutely with him, and yet….

God’s Teeth.

He signed and nodded, resigned to it. He was not at all sure he could keep Jacob safe….so few men, so many unknowns, but he silently swore to try.

Without another word of argument, he gave the order to break camp. They were taking Jacob home.

OoO

Elsewhere
Braal was just about to let an arrow fly into the neck of a buck….fourteen pointer, too. A good trophy, and food for several days for he and his men.

The Death Shiver hit him just as he was about to release.

The arrow went wild, the buck caught wind of him, and ran off into the woods.

No dinner tonight then.

He sighed, and stood.

Jacob Dunn, he realized at once.

Returned to the land of men then, and in danger again.

Without hesitating, he turn ‘round and made for his camp and his men.

Time for a different sort of hunting then, and Kellens were always up for that.

OoO

On the approach to DunnAcres

Randall brought the company to a halt to issue instructions. “Men…I honestly can’t tell you what to expect here….we have no good sense of what we’re up against, or what we’ll see when we reach DunnAcres. All I can tell you is that there is danger here….stay sharp, watch out for each other, and if anything makes a move for Jacob, it dies. He is more important than any of us here, including me….is that understood?”

Nods all ‘round from the ranks.

“Very well. I want the main body to surround the house completely. Nothing gets in or out. I’ll go in first with Lady Ashlynn, and we’ll scout the place. It won't take us long to go over the place and make sure it's not brimming with assassins, and once we've done that, we’ll bring Jacob in….questions?”

There were none.

“Then let’s do it.”

The company marched.

OoO

DunnAcres

As planned, the company raced for the house when they arrived on the property, and surrounded it, keeping a sharp, watchful eye for anything amiss.

The house was silent.

No one came to the wide front porch to greet them.

Randall waited.

Only when he was sure that all his men were in position, did he break ranks with them and start for the front porch, Lady Ashlynn at his side.

Too quiet.

At the porch, he called out. “Elizabeth Dunn, it is Lord Randall, come at your request.”

No response.

“Hiram….Elizabeth….we are here, as you requested. Can you answer?”

Nothing.

His eyes sought out Lady Ashlynn’s, his voice barely above a whisper. “Let’s do a quick check of the house before bringing anyone else up.”

She nodded, and they entered the House of Dunn.

OoO
Ashlynn’s nose wrinkled when they stepped across the threshold. Blood. Fresh, too. Randall’s expression darkened visibly when he caught scent of it. Not a good sign. Warily, they moved deeper into the house, generally toward where the smell was stronger, but stopping along the way to check each room, lest they find themselves surrounded.

The kitchen, Randall said to himself, not really wanting to see the cause of the unmistakable scent in the air. They killed them in the kitchen….one definitely….probably both….dear God….

There was no going back though, and as their search continued, they drew inevitably closer. The archway that led into the kitchen practically loomed before them at the end of the hall. A stream of golden sunlight was drifting through it and into the hall….deceptively cheerful.

He fought off a shiver, and Lady Ashlynn’s hand sought his as they tentatively started down the hall.

Closer.

Closer still.

Each step seeming to be more difficult to take than the one before it, and yet they had to.

They had to.

Ashlynn screamed reflexively as they passed under the arch and into the kitchen, averting her eyes from the scene, and in that grim moment, the scene crystallized in Randall’s mind, and he knew exactly how it would play out.

It ends. His inner voice told him as his stomach turned flips and both the scene before him registered on his brain, and the scene in his mind played out just ahead of the reality.

Time seemed to draw out then, with everything happening in slow motion, and yet, far too fast to react properly to.

He closed his eyes for a moment to block out the grisly scene in the kitchen, but that only made him focus all the more on the scene playing out in his head: Jacob hears her screams, and fearing the worst, charges up to the house, heedless of the danger….

“Noooo! Pop-Hiram! Pop-Hiram! Jaky fi’ you!” He heard faintly from outside as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. It was happening, and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.

Tears.

There would be a great many of those today….of that, he had no doubt.

He opened his eyes again, disgusted at the sick mind that had painstakingly orchestrated the scene in the kitchen.

Elizabeth Dunn, hanging from the main beam of the house where it bisected the kitchen, hung there by her own innards.

Impossibly mutilated, and so much blood…

Hiram lay in the kitchen as well, his chest, arms and hands covered with deep cuts. Looked like he had given them a fierce fight indeed.

His eyes scanned around for….across the front lawn, Jacob’s heavy footfalls pounding up the steps and across the wide front porch….smashing through the door and into the main hall….

He heard Jacob’s booted feet on the porch and practically winced at the sound. He was coming….and fast, too.

I yell out a warning which is sure to be ignored, and turn to try and block his path, knowing that he is bigger, and driven by a primal need to protect his family, and will easily overpower me, and force me backward and out of his way….

“Jacob, don’t come in here!” Randall called out to him, rising and turning to block the boy’s path.

It all felt like a dream. An impossibly sick, twisted dream.

Jacob was closer now, pounding down the hall at full speed, and Randall turned his attention back to the boy. “Jacob, no! Do not come in here! You don’t want to see this…you don’t need to see this! For the love of all the gods, Jacob, no!”

As expected, his warning went entirely unheeded. Panicked by the sound of Ashlynn’s screams, fearing the worst, and determined to help, Jacob barreled into Randall almost blindly.

He was at least four inches taller, fifty pounds or more heavier, and so pumped up with a mix of adrenaline and determination that Randall may as well have been a ghost for all the resistance he provided.

Randall fought to keep his feet as Jacob sent him flailing backwards, spilling back into the kitchen, with Jacob following a fraction of a second later.

His heart broke….shattered, as he watched the expression on Jacob’s face change as he took in the kitchen scene. “Ma?...P….Pop-Hiram? N….no. No….” Those tiny, little-boy words, spoken with the razor-edge tone of despair said so much, and painted all too clearly the depths of pain flooding into the room.

Jacob knew instinctively that no matter what his powers, there was no saving his mother, but held out hope where his father was concerned. Randall could see it in the boy’s face that he made a real effort to block out the image of his mother hanging there as he closed the distance between him and his father and dropped to one knee, placing his hands on Hiram’s numerous wounds and opening the shutter of the lantern inside as wide as he possibly could. Trembling, whimpering, half whispering in his own unique language though, Randall knew that the boy failed miserably to block out the image of his other parent. He wondered if it was even possible.

Light poured out from Jacob as he channeled his power into the body of his father, trying desperately to find some faint thread of life so he could weave the tapestry whole again. “Jaky fi’ yu….” He mumbled to himself over and over again as he cradled his father’s head in his lap and rocked back and forth. “Jaky fi’ yu…lu’ yu….fi’ yu….”

For a moment, he caught the fleeting sense of….something, but it wasn’t enough…..it just wasn’t enough, and on that day, he found the one barrier that his power could not cross.

He tried and tried, stoking the light inside to levels higher than he ever thought he could, but it was just no use.

Pop-Hiram was gone, and the little boy wail that filled up the kitchen on that day was among the most heart rending sounds any present had ever heard.

That’s when all hell broke loose, and his mind struggled to make sense of too many things happening too quickly.

OoO
More footfalls on the porch, followed immediately by the sounds of a scuffle there.

That would be Braal, arriving to rescue Jacob as is the way of his people….detained by well-meaning soldiers who are only following orders, trying to keep a situation they do not understand under control….he will come too late, and from somewhere we didn’t see….

He reached for Jacob and took a step toward him. The boy was still rocking back and forth, stroking his father’s forehead gently, trying to fathom why his remarkable gifts simply would not work here. Over-sized tears flowed down his cheeks….shivering head to toe….overwhelmed by the sight in the kitchen, which was more terrible by far, than anything he had ever seen in the hospital tent.

The hairs on the back of Randall’s neck stood on end before he could close the distance between he and Jacob.

The Hunter.

The Assassin.

Here.

Now.

A crackling noise behind him.

He turned to look, in time to see the assassin morphing out of the wall itself. Some kind of magic that allowed him to camouflage himself….he had been in the room the whole time. Watching their expressions….their reactions to his “work”….biding his time….waiting.

“Jacob Dunn.” His rough voice resonated through the air like thunder.

Jacob met the gaze of the assassin.

“I wanted to look into your eyes as I made the pronouncement of my Order….you are an abomination….an unclean, feeble-minded, traitorous presence in the Basin….you have the Mark of Ollux on you, and now, you will die.

Unflinchingly, he brought his repeater crossbow up and let a bolt fly.

“Noooooo!” Randall shouted, jumping in front of Jacob, and not because of the information in his head. He could not have loved Jacob more had he been his own son, and he….

The bolt took Randall in the stomach, penetrating deeply. He gasped in pain and went down near Jacob’s feet.

“Bonus kill…the poison works painfully slow, too.” The assassin said coldly as he let a second bolt fly.

This one found its mark and bit deep, making a solid, sickening wet sound as it drove more than half of its length squarely into Jacob’s chest.

He made a small, pathetic mewling sound and gasped as his powers fell away from him and blood began welling up from around the shaft, and in that moment, the veil that had clouded his thinking in the waking world for his whole life fell away, and everything became strikingly, blindingly clear.

Footfalls pounding furiously down the hall now, and Braal burst into the room. All eyes turned toward him, and he took the scene in, digesting it with a detached professionalism, he nonetheless could not keep the sorrow out of his eyes, and when he understood, his terrible gaze fell onto the assassin.

“You!” He said acidly, in apparent recognition.

From the floor, Randall gasped. “He….he likely isn’t alone….make s….sure….none live.”

“None will.” Braal told him matter-of-factly as he drew his blade.

Pffft! A smaller bolt than the one from the assassin’s crossbow arced out and found its mark in the assassin’s thigh.

Lady Ashlynn had shaken off the shock of the kitchen scene and was wasting no time now.

The assassin hissed in pain and bolted out the back door in an attempt to escape, but a grimly determined Braal was quickly and easily closing the distance between them. In a matter of seconds, his own screams would be added to the growing chorus of misery that had become the House of Dunn.

The boy stared down at the wound, dumbfounded for a moment, and then realized that his friend was hit as well.

“Ran….dall?”

Randall tried to sit up as Lady Ashlynn ran to them both, biting back a sob. “Oh god…no….noooo……not like this.” She was not a human medic, but had tended enough injured animals to know the basics, and started automatically going through the motions. In seconds, she had produced salve from her knapsack and long strips of bandages.

She stood to find water, but Randall reached out for her to stop her. “N….no…too late….for us.” He gasped again.

“Ran…dall, no….oh no…..” Jacob bent down, hissing in pain as his hands sought the wound in his friend’s stomach.

Randall shook his head. “You first, Jaky….use your powers to…..save yourself….let me be.”

Jacob shook his head. “It’s….Jacob…..my name is….Jacob Dunn, and….can’t use my gift….on myself.”

“Help me….Ashlynn…pull….” he nodded toward the bolt embedded in Randall’s stomach. “Hard and….fast.”

She did, and Randall screamed as gouts of blood flowed up from the wound. Jacob’s hands covered it at once, and it was awash in his inner light.

In an instant, the wound began to close.

“Oh Jacob….” She whispered, stroking his forehead. “I….” There were no words, and her heart broke as she watched him….beads of sweat popping out on his forehead as he struggled to maintain his concentration.

“Have to….save….one.” He whispered. “Have to.”

Outside, he felt his brothers coming, and sent word to them not to attack the humans. There had been enough blood spilled for one day.

More than enough.

Coming to take me home. He realized, as understanding of what that meant sunk in.

It was his time.

Slowly, he took his hands away from the spot where the bolt had hit Randall, and though there was still blood on his tunic, no trace of the wound remained, and he could no longer feel the poison burning through his veins.

Jacob coughed and clutched his chest, blood and spittle flying from his mouth.

Bright red.

Ashlynn closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against Jacob’s. “There’s no….nothing I can…..I….so sorry, honey….I wish….” She lost the words then, and was wracked with quiet, miserable sobs, and he held her close for a moment.

“Shhh….I know….I know….y….you both did….your best….it was….my st….stubbornness that br…ought us here…..had to….you…..know that.”

Randall nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes.

They were instantly replaced by more.

“Oh god Jacob….what have we done to you….”

He shook his head weakly and opened his mouth to speak.

Skreeeecht! A chittering sound behind him.

“God damn your ruinous hides!” Randall shouted as he drew his blade and spun ‘round to face the Nilroggi who had somehow entered the house undetected.

“No.” Jacob told him firmly, in a clear voice.

Randall did not lower his guard, but did not attack.

“N….not much time now….must….tell you.”

Randall risked a glance back at the dying boy. “Tell me what?”

“T….they will not hurt….you….come for….me….to take me…..home.”

“Home? Jacob, what are you talking about?”

“C……ome….close.” He motioned weakly. “Close…..”

Reluctantly, the Fury Lord turned his back on his sworn enemies and knelt beside Jacob, who framed his face in his hands and met his gaze.

“Must….tell you….must try…..” Another coughing fit. “Th….they are…..brothers…..we are….their gods…..weak gods…..what is lost…..in the pages of…..our history….burns bright in….the HordeMind…..fresh……break the…..cycle of…..memory…..save our….people…..r…..resonance.”

The light flared brilliantly inside Jacob one last time, and images began assaulting Randall’s mind. They were weak….fading….and then gone with Jacob’s passing.

He died with his eyes open, his gaze burning into Randall Fury’s, trying desperately to impart at least some of what he had learned. Trying to pass the information on.

At least in part, he succeeded.

He gasped again, and then was still.

The light faded, and then went out all together, and Jacob Dunn slumped forward.

It was finished.

The Nilroggi waited a moment, giving the humans time to say their goodbyes, and then carefully lifted Jacob up, bearing him off to a grotesquely misshapen Nillrog waiting on the lawn just outside a freshly dug tunnel.

The bearers entered the tunnel, and the misshapen Nillrog followed close behind, sealing it behind him as he sank beneath the earth, mending it in an instant back to its former state.

And then, there was quiet.

A stillness on the air.

Jacob Dunn was gone.
OoO

[Velociryx]

Afterward

Afterward

Jacob Dunn died in the year AC 113, killed by the hand of an assassin for being an “abomination”….a polluted, corruptive agent that would spoil the purity of the Basin.

Sadly, although he was able to impart some portion of what he learned to Randall Fury, he took the vast bulk of what he knew about the Nilroggi to his grave with him. There is no proper method of calculating the true cost of his passing on the Basin….no way to properly assess how much damage that singular death caused.

He was made an honorary member of the House of Fury, and though they could not lay his body in their family crypt, he was given a memorial service fit for a Lord of that House.

Lord Randall was never the same after the events of that day. He retired from military service, and spent the rest of his years quietly, on a small farm in Parthaway. He was visited regularly by both the Enchantress of the Silver River, who saw to it that the portion of Jacob’s discoveries that was preserved was put to good and proper use, and by Lady Ashlynn Briggs, with whom he shared Jacob’s memory.

It should be noted that the author has taken some extreme liberties in describing the events that occurred while Jacob was among the Nilroggi. Obviously we have no way of knowing for certain what he saw while in the caves beneath the Basin (though I have attempted to be as factual as possible in my reconstruction, basing my notes on other explorations, and was granted an interview by Lord Randall’s grandson, who told me the stories that have been passed down through his family about the knowledge Randall received from Jacob Dunn). Nonetheless, the details in those sections of the story should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt, and may well be the simple result of this author’s overactive imagination at work.

~ Llankhan the Wanderer - Freeman of Trentare

-Finis
OoO

[Imran Siddiqui]

Jeez, that's a lot of words

Bump... for me to read later .

[Velociryx]

Indeed....when a story idea grabs me gently by the throat, I have no choice but to get cracking! And, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that you enjoy!@

-=Vel=-