The Tail of Thorns

Far from the verdant shores of Dodanjuka, and across the Dan’utto Sea laid Izzoduka. Along the northern shores of this largely unexplored continent were the Outlands of dodeeja expansion. The Outlands teemed with barbarians and ferocious monsters which made it a dangerous location, and slow to settle for cultured dodeeja.

Long untouched by cultured civilizations, the dodeeja were the first to land and build their outpost fortress, which eventually became Port Zaodan. This port city, which specialized in export of mysterious herbs and slain monster parts, attracted many strong warriors from all the kingdoms in their lust for adventure and power.

Years after it became Port Zaodan, the Province of Izzoduka expanded North and built the Outpost of Zo’uddan. This outpost was to be where the strongest warriors from the military and the religious order were to congregate in an attempt to claim the lands for the Empire of Thorns.

***

Following North from the stone and woodwork of the outpost palisade, the canopy of the forest trees cast a colorful light on the group of dodeeja below as they made their way through the untamed forest in Fall. The four of them traveled with little concern, trampling the leaves beneath them, surrounding them with the noise of crunching dried foliage. Three of them wore very plain dark green cassocks, while the one at the front was more decorated; having armor fitted to key locations and intricate patterns drawn with symbols of his virtue, honor, and faith.

The male at the forefront of the group paused and turned. His eyes narrowed slightly as he noted that one of their numbers was falling behind. He rested a hand upon the head of his flanged mace, while the other kept his sack secure over his shoulder. He took a stern tone. “We should be only a few hours out from our destination, so let us not tarry.”

Shuffling from the rear, the older dodeeja wiped his brow. “My apologies, High Inquisitor Isaad. I am not as young as I used to be.” He was plumper than the others, and had no weapons upon him, but carried a sizable backpack, and a plain brown book.

“Good monk Heath, you did not have to come along,” Isaad retorted with authority. “I did not want to put your health at risk, as a teacher of the young.”

As the others waited, Heath came before them and breathed deeply before responding. “High Inquisitor, I may be no prime buck, but I stay faithful. The Grand Inquisitor saw some place in this for me.” He smiled politely in a way which reminded Isaad of his grandfather. “Don’t worry of me, High Inquisitor, and don’t worry about the children; we have Todozu taking care of them.”

Isaad raised a brow so high it almost upset his silver circlet. “The newest inquisitor stays behind to comfortably protect children in an abbey?”

One of the other two, a male dodeeja of near-black fur interjected in the conversation. “The newest, and youngest, High Inquisitor. I don’t think she has any combat skills yet.” He smirked as he winked at Heath.

Isaad shot him a harsh glare. “Inquisitor Tayin, have you so quickly forgotten your own Trial of Fire? One cannot finish it without proving prowess in combat!”

The fourth member of the group interjected. Her voice was sweet as she spoke with a soft tone. “Unless she has wits sharper than any knife… or hidden combat magic.” Whispee, the one to speak, was mostly relieved she was no longer the newest inquisitor.

Isaad turned his glare to Whispee. “Prowess nonetheless.” He was met with her simple smile.

After a moment of standing in silence, Heath hefted the backpack into a good position and stated; “I think I’m rested. Shall we continue?”

The High Inquisitor turned his back on the others and continued onwards. “Yes, let’s.” Isaad and the others knew the importance of reaching their destination by night-time. Dodeeja enjoyed the night more than the day, but so did most of the monsters on this continent.

***

As the sun dipped below the edge of the horizon, Isaad and his group approached an old and forgotten place. The top of a decrepit castle tower poked from the earth, where over-grown vegetation and time had opened a doorway where there once was a window.

Pushing aside the browning ferns, Isaad could see that half of the stone archways which made up the roof still held, giving them an area to enter into. “We’ve made it,” he declared, turning to the others.

Heath gave a deep sigh of relief as he looked to the setting sun. “Just in time. Normally now would be the time to wake up, but I’m afraid I’ve become quite tired from this trip.” He set the pack down outside of the entrance and dug into it for a pair of torches.

Tayin took a look inside of the opening. “Yech! It’s over-grown, mossy, and who knows what diseases I’ll be leaving with,” he exclaimed with a wry expression.

Isaad shoved Tayin, forcing him into the opening. “You’re going in first.”

He stumbled and grabbed one of the old support pillars. It groaned with his weight, and he planted his feet and jerked his hand away. Eyeing the ceiling with a worried look, he brushed his hand on the side of his cassock. “Careful,” he warned the others without shifting his head, watching the roof and half expecting it to start collapsing.

“Look for a way down,” Isaad commanded Tayin before he addressed to the others. “We should get inside as soon as possible to avoid any unexpected company.” He held up a hand as Heath pulled flint from the backpack. “Don’t light the torches until we’re well inside.” He knew that while the monsters of this land were of little danger to him, he did not want the others to come to harm.

Heath and Tayin simultaneously replied with; “Yes, High Inquisitor.” This caused Heath to smile warmly, while Tayin turned and scowled, searching in the decrepit room for some form of passage.

Pushing aside loose dirt and weeds, Tayin found a wood frame fitted around a door made up of old wooden planks and rusted steel that was covered in moss. He turned to the others and called out. “I found a door, but I may need help opening it.”

Isaad felt like he was working with children when it came to these two, having put more years in the Inquisition than they have been alive. Tayin was up until recently the youngest of the inquisitors. Whispee had spent the last few years of her life training her magic prowess just so she could follow in her uncle High Inquisitor Ruufus’ footsteps, but was still a child compared to Isaad. He had the two of them, plus one elderly monk. It felt much more like a babysitting task, as opposed to a dangerous quest to retrieve an ancient and important artifact. His heavy boots sent small clouds of dirt fleeing as he entered the decrepit ruin.

From Tayin’s point of view, Isaad’s muscular figure, silhouetted by the fading sunlight, cast a fearful presence, making him suddenly feel very small. As Isaad came closer and stood over the crouched Tayin, he spoke very directly. “You’re in my way…”

“Oh, uhm…” Tayin stumbled over his words, “yes, High Inquisitor.” He backed away quickly, not wanting to stay in the High Inquisitor’s path.

Isaad dismissively waved a hand as he hunched over at the side of the old door, and with all three of his companions watching, he drove his metal clawed gauntlet into the edge of the frame. Wood shards flew up from the impact as the steel layer bent inwards, throwing off shards of rust. Straightening up, the door lurched with his hand as the hinges groaned and squealed from the pressure before snapping abruptly. The door leapt when it was loosened from the hinges and vibrated in his grasp. With a heavy thud, he smashed the end into the wall, and dropped the other end against a dug-in section of the floor so it could act as another support. Dust settled about Isaad as he straightened up, looking down at a stone staircase. He took a deep breath and flexed his shoulders with a light grunt.

Tayin was transfixed on the door in its new location. Without realizing it, he had backed himself into a dirty corner. Even Whispee, who had seen amazing feats of strength before, stared on with her mouth agape.

Heath broke the momentary silence by shuffling into the entrance of the tower, dragging the backpack and holding the torches. “Well done, High Inquisitor. That looked to be nothing for you.” He broke Tayin’s stare by putting a torch into his hands and smiling warmly. “For you, Inquisitor,” Heath said calmly.

Tayin took the torch and blurted loudly, “Thank Uzzadujoza!”

Whispee blinked and shook her head, following the others into the tower. She glared at Tayin. “Quiet! Who knows what monsters could be about?”

As Isaad descend the old stairway, Tayin mumbled. “I no longer fear monsters.”

***

The ancient passageways felt haunted. Even as the torch shone its light upon the decrepit stone walls and the cracked floors, the darkness beyond sight sent chills down the spines of at least two members of the group.

Whispee trailed the group with Heath. She tried her best not to touch the dirty walls and jumped now and then when a larger than average critter made its way across her vision. “I wonder how all of this got underground,” she commented as they passed a recessed window, beyond it was only dirt and clay with a mound encroaching inwards.

“Nobody knows anymore,” Heath replied. For the past hour the old monk had been following behind Isaad, just outside of his tail’s length. He kept reading the words embroidered on the High Inquisitor’s cassock’s lining. The symbols were small, so making them out with his old eyes kept his mind occupied. “This castle was built before history records were kept,” he continued, motioning towards Whispee. “We only know it was found during one of Izzoduka’s scouting missions, and the Grand Inquisitor sensed we needed to investigate further.”

Tayin stopped suddenly to sneeze, causing the light on his torch to flicker. Whispee immediately reacted, “Donji!”

With a nod and a sniffle, Tayin replied “Ku. So, why is it that we are the ones who are here? If it’s important, why not all of the High Inquisitors?”

Noticing Tayin was no longer following at his side, Isaad stopped and turned. The torch in his hand added a feral element to his fierce gaze. “Because Grand Inquisitor Coldclaw commanded that it be us. If you would like to disobey the Grand Inquisitor, then you may return on your own, Tayin, and I shall make sure to let him know.”

Tayin shook his head. “Sorry, High Inquisitor… the length of our expedition grows on me and so my mind wanders where it should not.” Tayin knew there were severe punishments for disobeying the orders of a superior, and even more so if that superior is the leader of his Order.

“I shall be sure to test you for madness when this is all over,” he said sternly before continuing on. The group followed him from the hallway and into a massive dining hall. Lifting his torch, he could see the shadows of cobwebs cast upon the walls. They were covering almost everything, from chairs and tables to the old silverware. It was here that he saw the bodies. There was a heap of decrepit bones, corpses that were smashed through combat, or deteriorated from time. “Dodeeja,” he commented, recognizing them as his group’s own species.

Heath shuffled past Isaad as he began to prattle off his knowledge. “Fascinating! If that’s so, then they could be from the ancient kingdom of the Kaotu Kaoton To Dujindao. This means that they could be a part of the first kingdom after we were saved by Uzzadujoza!” The old monk picked up a derelict cloak with a decorative pin and hand-sewn design upon it, excitedly lashing it through the air. Tayin and Whispee immediately covered their mouths and began to cough as dust exploded around them.

Isaad put a hand on his shoulder. “Heath, as much as I understand your enthusiasm, I think doing that inside is not the best idea.” Isaad handed him the personal sack he had been carrying. “Put it in here for now. I’ve eaten all there was in it, anyway.”

With a short bow and a warm smile, Heath accepted the bag. “Thank you High Inquisitor, you are certainly kind to your elders.” He just about cooed with excitement as he rolled the cloak up and stuffed it into the sack, which was in turn added to his backpack.

Coming to the back of the hall, Isaad the torch revealed a heavy wooden door with an intricate design etched onto it. The design depicted a dodeeja with a large horn coming from his head, surrounded by an army of his kind giving him praise. His eyes scanned the door for a handle, and he noticed his gauntlet giving off a very soft green light. This indicated to him that there was a source of magic nearby, which was a handy tool for finding illegal enchanters.

After a moment’s pause, he turned to Tayin. “Inquisitor Tayin. Your expertise includes opening doors, so I want you to find a way to open this door.”

Audibly, Tayin gulped as he approached. “Y-yes High Inquisitor,” he stammered. He did not want to let down the most intimidating member of the order he had ever met in person, but if Isaad couldn’t spot the means to open it; what hope did he have? Whispee followed him, and held the torch as he started searching the door with his hands.

“Careful, Tayin,” Heath mentioned, “the engraving on that door holds more history than you could imagine. The Order will want to clear this castle out when we are done, and I’m sure they will want it without your claw-marks in it.”

Tayin continued to work, moving his lips with each word the monk said in imitation. Suddenly, his fingers grasped something that moved a little when he tested it. “Ah-hah!”

“You found it?” Whispee asked excitedly as she leaned in closer.

As Tayin grinned with achievement, the latch clicked, and the old door started to creak open. After a few inches, the door stopped, snagged on something. Tayin rose a brow and pushed lightly, hearing another click as the door continued to open. He jumped as the ceiling started to rumble and a series of mechanical thumps sounded in the walls above them.

Isaad sighed and rubbed the temples of his forehead as the other three began to panic. Whispee was the first to exclaim; “We’re going to be caved in on!”

Calmly, Isaad grabbed Tayin by the hood of his cassock, and turned him face to face. Glaring into his eyes, he grimly advised him; “Next time you open a door, be sure it is not trapped first.” Tayin was filled with fear, now assured that this mission would be his last.

The rumbling ended when another heavy thump resounded from inside of the ceiling. Whispee took a quick couple of breaths to try and compose herself, rolling her shoulders as she faced the door. “High Inquisitor, I detect a gathering of magic.”

Isaad pushed Tayin from his hand and hastily proceeded through the open door. There he saw a dirt-covered multi-sectioned stone dining table with a golden box resting in the center of it. The walls were made of a darker and cleaner stone than the rest of the castle, and on three of them were large carved faces with mouths wide open in agony. Their eyes burned with purple fires, and streams of black energy fell from their mouths, seeping into eight skeletal bodies which rested in stonework chairs. The dodeeja skeletons wore ornate steel armor, and each one was equipped with a different form of weapon. One by one, the recesses of their eyes lit with purple fire, and as they did, they grabbed their weapons and stood from the table, facing Isaad.

Heath watched with a grim expression as he recalled the ancient texts he read to prepare him for this venture. “Eight great soldiers of Uzzadujoza pledged themselves to death and beyond to protect His greatest treasures. This must be what the scriptures mean! High Inquisitor, surely you’re not going to destroy them, are you?”

The skeletal warriors advanced, and the ones at the forefront emitted an unnatural hissing sound as their mouths hung open. Isaad drew his flanged mace and tightly gripped the leather handle as he took a ready stance. “I don’t think I have a say in this combat.”

The first skeletal warrior leapt at Isaad, striking down at him. He dodged sideways, and responded with a horizontal swing at the skeleton’s torso. He was surprised at how powerful the undead soldier’s response was, as it deflected his mace with its shield.

Tayin whipped out his short swords and prepared to assist Isaad, when Heath put himself in Tayin’s way. He flailed his arms frantically and pleaded with the inquisitors. “Please! You have no idea how much their armor would mean to us intact!”

A second strike came for Isaad, which he stopped with his gauntlet. He yanked the blade to the ground, where he stood on it. About to take advantage of his disarmed opponent, a second skeleton thrust at him with a barbed spear. Isaad diverted the momentum of his swing, parrying the attack with his mace.

Tayin tried to move the portly old monk as he shouted, “it’ll mean nothing if we die here!”

Isaad grunted as he stopped one skeleton’s attempt to smash his face in with its shield, pushing it away forcefully. He simultaneously defended his side from another spear thrust, twisting the shaft up into the crook of his armpit. “This is not the time!” Another enemy charged at him, swinging a menacing axe at him. He pushed backwards, meeting the axe with the spear’s shaft. He winced as with the crack of the shaft, the barbs tore at his armpit.

Heath turned in time to see the spear broken into two pieces, one half wielded by a skeleton who shifted combat stance for what was now a staff. Heath’s hands covered his eyes as he whined, “I submit!”

Isaad released the spear head from his armpit, and punched the axe-wielding skeleton in the skull, throwing it back a bit. He roared as he grabbed the edge of the other skeleton’s shield and pulled it aside, making a clear path for his mace to strike. It smashed through the ornate helmet, and scattered bone fragments as the rest of the bones fell to the floor, once again inanimate.

As Heath maneuvered out of the way, Whispee got a clear view of the room and worked on a spell. Her hands moved in a spherical motion before her chest, and she muttered words relating to the Magic Force of Storm. Light blue crackles of electricity gathered, following her hand motions.

Tayin saw his opening and scrambled into the room. “Zhudoja!” As the command word left his mouth, his swords both began to glow red along the edges. He charged the axe-wielding skeleton, and made a scissor-swing with both blades, easily slicing through the undead’s spinal column. As the torso fell, his eyes grew wide, and he leapt, twisting back and narrowly avoiding a bolt made of black and dark purple flame. “Two archers and an undead caster at the back!” He shouted for the others.

Isaad toppled a section of the table and ducked behind it as two arrows came in his direction. They deflected off the stone and found home in the far wall. He then fell back to avoid the ball head of a mace, which smashed into the overturned table. Pushing himself forward, he swept the offender’s legs from underneath it, dropping it to the floor.

Tayin advanced on the skeletal torso, which was crawling after a sword on the ground, but was interrupted by a blow to his side from the staff swinging skeleton. Tayin took the surprisingly hard blow and stumbled against a wall. As the skeleton advanced on him, he could also see another coming up beside it. This one twirled a spiked ball flail above its head. Tayin shouted, “I need help!”

Isaad left his current quarry to ensure Tayin’s life, charging at the staff wielding skeleton. He roared as his mace slammed down into its skull, shattering it with the blow. He moved through the falling body as the primed flail came at him. Narrowly ducking the swing, it marred the stone wall, sending dust and small debris scattering. The skeleton holding onto the flail followed Isaad with its head and hissed out a sound like scraping stone.

Whispee’s eyes filled with white energy, and her hair lifted slightly with an electrical charge. Static coiled around the sphere floating between her hands as her incantation came to an end. The skeletal enchanter at the back, dressed in a flowing black cloak, raised a wand made of bone. The end of the wand was a circular cropping of finger bones, which began to burn with dark purple and black flame. These flames quickly extinguished when Whispee’s lightning arc met them. The fierce blast of electricity coiled down the wand and ripped through the body of its wielder. He let out an unearthly howl as the blast incinerated his cloak and lit his frame with a bright flash. With a thunderous boom, the static exploded, and his body scattered, flinging bits of the skeleton all over the small room.

The blast staggered both archers to the side, and the sound disoriented Tayin, who dropped his weapons. Momentarily, his vision blurred, but he snapped out of it quickly when skeletal hands grabbed at his leather boots. He shouted “get off of me” and twisted, trying to kick the skeletal claws from his leg.

Isaad grappled the skeleton before him and grabbed the chain of the flail. He twisted it and yanked it from the undead warrior’s grasp, but yelled in pain as the creature bit him hard enough to crack his armor on his upper right arm. Growling, he slammed the butt of the flail against the back of the creature’s neck until he heard it break. Dropping the flail, he wrenched the skull from his arm and crushed it in his gauntlet.

Tayin twisted his leg and grabbed one of his blades, sweeping it at the grappling skeleton. Severing its hand, he rolled out of the way as the undead warrior slammed its sword into the floor. Tayin sprang to his feet, barely parrying a horizontal swing from an incoming ball mace. The flat of his blade clanged loudly as he pushed the mace shaft away, avoiding the spiked tip.

Isaad’s eyes snapped to the archers in time to dodge away. One arrow tore across the side of his arm, slicing it open just below the bite wound where his armor was exposed. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the end of the spear he broke earlier. With twist, he hurled the end of the spear at them and jumped up onto solid sections of the table to follow after his projectile. The spearhead impaled one of the archers in its ribcage, and the impact sent it stumbling against the far wall.

Tayin parried another swing at his side, and dodged away from the next downward strike. He felt his heart racing and he was forgetting to breathe. Backing away from another swing at his head, he felt his back meet the edge of the doorway. The horrifying undead warrior hissed as it swung again. Tayin spun to the side and got out of the way as the mace crashed through the stone, sending a head-sized chunk of rock scattering across the main dining hall. His brain was locking up from fear, as he couldn’t figure out what to do next. Just as his panic hit its peak, he saw an arc of electricity connect with the skeleton’s body. Tayin turned and ducked, covering his ears as another thunderous boom shook the ground, and rattled his insides. Bone fragments scattered against his back as he took a few rushed deep breaths.

Isaad charged across the table and met the other skeleton as it notched another arrow, he smashed its skull between his mace head and the stone wall. Turning, he grabbed the back of the other archer’s head and smashed it into the end of the table, breaking it into fragments.

Whispee’s eyes lost their glow as she closed her hands, and the gathering of magic dispersed, but not without leaving her hair disheveled from static. She pointed to the crawling torso and shouted, “Tayin, be careful!”

Tayin couldn’t hear her. He needed a minute, and between the tough battle and her lightning, he was numbed. Whispee tried calling again, but he still didn’t react to her.

Isaad ran around the table and charged to Tayin’s aid for the second time. The skeleton had its sword raised and ready to strike, but Isaad stomped on its skull with his heavy plate boot, shattering the bone and scattering it in shards.

Without a word, Isaad walked back out of the room and turned to Heath. “It is done. Perhaps some pieces of armor can be salvaged.”

Heath turned slowly and looked Isaad over. A look of concern painted his face as he approached. “High Inquisitor. Your arm! You’re hurt.”

Isaad nodded and said, “You’re right. It looks a lot worse than it is.” He assured Heath. “You can bandage it in a moment.”

Heath nodded lightly as Isaad walked back into the room. Whispee followed beside him as he approached the golden box. Isaad sighed heavily and said, “We have fought hard for this artifact. Let’s celebrate that we have passed Uzzadujoza’s test.”

As he opened the lid, he heard another click, and a small metal dart flew out of the cracked lid. It hit his steel chest-plate with a loud tink, and fell to the floor harmlessly. He exchanged a glance with Whispee, who put her arms up and shrugged gently. Turning back, he opened the golden box and took a look inside.