The Cave Part 31

We followed the elder down a slim tunnel of stairs, the way was steep, but well crafted. Elder Mona bade me to light my staff brightly to guide our travel, and the blue flames showed that the way below began to widen, the walls extending away from the stairs as if we were coming down through the bottom of a conical expanding tube. The path ended in a large chamber, and then I saw the door before us.

First impression made me doubt that it was built by dwarves. Who would need a door so large? The flat iron sheets bound by dark metal bands stood three times as tall as Bjardon, and it was nearly as wide as it was tall. A small ship could be passed through it, or a medium sized dragon. However I was not allowed to stare at it long and hypothesize the uses. Elder Mona was handing a large silver key to Tharkin, and he wasted no time in using it on the simple lock at the center of this intimidating barrier.

"It should swing easily enough," the hermit assured us, turning the key. In spite of the great span of years that had elapsed since this door was last shut, the bolt smoothly turned with barely a sound. A thin line parted the center, and two separate panels swung open as the hermit pulled on a hand sized ring. Each of these appeared to weigh fantastic amounts of pure wrought metal, but the hinges upon which they were mounted let them glide open with ease to the hand touch or pull.

"Real class work," muttered Bjardon, nodding his head in approval.

"Be attentive ya should," whispered Elder Mona, "this not be as it was."

In the light of my staff, I could see into the dark void beyond and what was alarming the elder. It was everywhere. A slick multi toned purple sheet of substance over the floors and sides of the cavern beyond. Some of the stuff had even moved up the walls to hit what stood for a ceiling above. It glittered slightly in the light, as if reflective material inside caught and bounced the illumination back.

"It is Shadow Glaze," said Tharkin by way of an answer, stepping forward and tapping the purple surface with the bottom of his staff. The material was solid in spite of looking liquid, and clicked oddly, as if it were a kind of stone itself. A soft hue of light sprung from where he had touched it with pressure, which then slowly dissipated again, as if in disappointment.

"Material of our realm digested, and then vomited up again by these shadow creatures," continued the hermit, ever the educator. "It makes the way easier for the greater ones to come forth, and oozes power from our world into their bodies."

"Sounds bad for us," I replied, not sure I wanted to walk on solid vomit of shadow beasts.

"It is fairly harmless to us as long as you keep your shoes on and don't touch it with your skin. The greater misfortune is the light glow that is produced by stepping on it that you just witnessed. That will give away our path to the creature if it stalks us."

"Glip will put on shoes now," said my companion. I had noticed the goblin hunter liked to wear soft sock like soles for stealth, but now put on a pair of leather boots for safety. I did not blame him. I had no intention of touching the shadow glaze if it all possible.

We moved forward into the darkness beyond, my sword in hand and staff held slightly before me. I truly wished I had spent more time studying my mystic lore before this, but there clearly was no time for those regrets now. At least Tharkin stood at my side with Bjardon and Glip. The four of us still felt quite inadequate for the task. I still remembered with distinct clarity those black claws of the creature when it tried to dig through the earth barrier high above us in the goblin village, the dark blood hissing as it burned the rock.

"Lock us in, elder," instructed the hermit, handing the key back to Elder Mona. "We will defeat this thing and find our way to the other side of the entrance your people blocked up above."

"We have much faith in ya, our warrior," she replied, looking at me with these words. As for myself I felt less than reassured as the two goblin guardsmen who had attended the elder, assisted her in shutting and locking the two iron panels behind us. These metal behemoths swung back into place with barely a shudder, though I could feel the weight vibrating in the ground. A soft click and the bolt was back in place. At once I felt very exposed to danger I could not escape from.

"Keep alert, be silent, and ready for a surprise attack," instructed Tharkin, gripping his staff tightly with his left hand, and his right glowing softly from a flame held in his palm. The rest of us moved more or less into defensive posture around him, Glip in the center behind with bow ready, Bjardon on his left with two steel hand axes, and I on the right, the least experienced of the team.

"Beastie heard us right enough," muttered Bjardon, ignoring Tharkin's instruction for total silence, but the hermit did not reprimand him. It was the thought that was on all our minds.

We walked quietly forward into the mines, the soft purple glow of light trailing our footsteps on the shadow glaze, which felt as solid as any stone. It was almost like a crystal substance to my mind. And yet we did not come into contact with the creature. Evidence of recent work and unrefined iron ore piles greeted us, but not our quarry. Only when we entered the third large gallery, the last of the dwarven chambers dug out in years past, did we find the new tunnels that led downward.

I recalled then the tale of the fortress the goblins found in the deep, and the waters that ran to hidden seas beneath the earth. We were walking down the way in which the goblins had fled at the coming of the shadow creature, being killed and eaten indiscriminately. It was not a good thought, and trembling slightly, I willed my staff to shed more light. If I was the creature, here is where I would spring out on our party, like a spider striking and hauling prey back to its lair. Tharkin looked at me with a knowing glance but said nothing. Clearly we would have to continue on down into the heart of the dark mystery and meet our fate where it all began.

"Maybe short walk for ya before tower," Glip observed, his face having gone a very sick pale green and his red eyes slightly glazed with memory. "Some slippery places ahead, and maybe bones."

"Well, it wants us to go down," I whispered. "I propose to meet it and get on with this." Calling on some strength buried under the fear, I took the first step forward, my mentor at my back, goblin and orc right behind.