Mud and Magic Ch. 05

"Rhys! Some help, please?" Another kick, another skeleton crumpled to the floor. But instead of a decisive takedown, Borna only managed to add another flailing weapon at ankle height. She dodged out of the tangle of hacking blades, shedding chips of her armor in the process. One hit clipped her left wing, causing it to flap limp onto her back.

Rhys coiled more strands of power around himself, forming them into a trio of incandescent missiles which he aimed at the two skeletons lying on the floor and a third poised to hit Borna from behind. They crossed the hall in a graceful arc and detonated on their targets, shattering bones and armor pieces.

With his free hand, Rhys yanked the battle staff from his belt and touched the sigil on its grip, enlarging the weapon. The two dozen freshly awakened skeletons had drifted his way, almost completely cutting him off from Borna. He tucked in his head and ran, swatting wildly left and right. With blind luck, he managed to break through without catching a blade to his neck or a spear through the ribs.

Borna had resorted to kicks, reducing another of her skeletons to a feebly twitching pile of bones. Her carapace was chipped in numerous places and she sported a long gash on her angelic cheek.

"Why are these things so hard to kill?" Borna screeched, kicking at a skeleton's chest plate. The undead flew across the room, coming to a crushing halt when it impacted the closest wall.

Why indeed? Rhys wondered. He cast another Force Missiles spell, blowing up three more skeletons. His spells worked as intended but mighty Borna, able to normally deal with skilled fighters like Hilgrun and Hagazz easily, had a really hard time laying these skeletons to rest. From what he remembered of the "Tales of Orran," zombies and skeletons were the lowest forms of crypt things, dead bodies animated by-

"It's your claws!" Rhys yelled, swatting at a skeleton aiming for him. "Your claws are wreathed in negative energy! Undead are made with negative energy. See the problem?" The skeleton blocked his second strike with its shield. Its spear shot forward, the tip opening a long gash along Rhys' right arm. He yelped, nearly dropping the weapon. In front of them, a veritable wall made from animated bones and jerkily swung implements of murder loomed. Rhys noted they were rapidly running out of space, with the room's back wall only a few steps away.

"Fantastic. I can't kick all of them to death. Don't you have one of your fancy spells which can help?" Borna stomped down onto a skull, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The decapitated body still thrashed, bony fingers trying to rake her armored shin.

"First, we need more room. I can't cast with these things trying to poke my eyes out," Rhys complained. He swiped his staff in a wide arc, causing the skeletal horde to raise their shields in response. If they had any kind of strategy, we'd be dead already.

"No problem." Borna's tail slapped away two blades aiming for Rhys then she grabbed him by the belt and hoisted him onto her shoulder, keeping him in place with a hand on his back. Ignoring his pained howls, she used her powerful legs to vault over the intervening skeletons, landing on the other side of the large hall. Her left leg nearly gave way.

Rhys gulped air into his lungs. "That stung."

"Sorry. Now blow them up, yes?"

"My pleasure," Rhys muttered through chattering teeth. Borna had pressed him against her body for only two breaths but the icy chill emanating from her claws still hurt like hell. On the other side of the hall, the skeletons turned on their heels now that their prey had vanished. Rhys counted still more than twenty and he and Borna definitely looked much worse for wear, with his arm slit open and her numerous small injuries.

He pulled the Fireball wand from his belt and leveled it at the advancing skeletons. It only took a single strand of power, a tiny nudge and the slender wooden stick erupted, shooting an almost disappointingly small red projectile. It roared as it sped forward, only to detonate in a massive explosion of force and fire, lighting up the burial hall in a blaze of infernal radiance.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Borna said. "Good job. Got one more in you?"

Rhys blinked tears from his eyes and stared. Only a handful of skeletons had managed to avoid the blast. The others had been blown to smithereens. Everywhere he looked, old armor pieces glowed an angry cherry red, cooling off with pained pings.

He passed his staff to Borna and tucked the wand back. "These odds are much more to my liking. No need to waste another Fireball on them."

"If you say so." Growling, Borna ducked low and charged the few remaining skeletons. Punctuating each swipe with a snarl, she dispatched two of them, scattering their remains across the hall. Not to be outdone, Rhys drew in strands of power and focused them into another trio of force missiles, detonating the last three skeletons.

He joined Borna amidst the carnage. It should have been deathly quiet but there was a rustling, a skittering as if a million little claws were moving. A finger bone rolled across the floor, re-attaching itself to a second one. It was happening everywhere around them.

"We shouldn't stick around much longer," Rhys suggested.

"I see it too." Borna passed the staff back to Rhys and looked at her splayed claws. "Am I doing that?"

"No idea. Maybe it's an enchantment placed upon this hall or the skeletons themselves." Rhys gnashed his teeth. "I simply don't know enough. Not even how to properly look for clues yet."

Borna nudged him with her elbow. "The 'hows' and 'whys' don't really matter right now. Let's find that blasted academy before we stumble into another trap."

"That... might pose a problem," Rhys said, scanning the hall around them. "Both exits are sealed tight."

"This day just gets better and better," Borna muttered. She reached over her shoulder and felt up her limp wing. "You don't happen to have some healing potions on you?"

Rhys looked at the bleeding gash on his arm. "No. I knew there was something I wanted to ask Galdor for."

"And no Elara when you really need her," Borna whispered. "Oh well." She walked to one of the exits and tested the stone with her claws. "Solid."

"Wouldn't be much of a trap if it wasn't." Rhys mused. "Wait. Traps need a reset mechanism."

"Would be stupid to have that in here."

Rhys slipped out of his cloak and pulled his shirt over his head. The right sleeve was blood-soaked and useless, so he cut it off at the shoulder. I hate to do that to Dara's gift, but it can't be helped. The left sleeve he cut off too and made a makeshift bandage out of it, to at least stem the bleeding somewhat.

"You know, it would be stupid to have a manual reset to begin with," he said. "I mean, the skeletons are set up to regenerate, which leaves me to wonder if the whole room can reset itself."

"And what good is that knowledge to us?"

"Well, it would at least mean we have a chance to get out of here eventually. Can you hear something, apart from the bones rattling? Maybe gears or running water or the like?"

Borna cocked her head. "Now that you mention it, there is a certain regular knocking coming from...," she looked around, then pointed to one of the alcoves, "over there."

Rhys pulled on his shirt and cloak again then went to investigate. The alcove in question had a suspicious, recessed stone slab set into the floor. Using his staff, Rhys poked the slab. Nothing happened. He leaned onto it, putting his body weight onto the staff, grunting with the effort. A loud rumbling answered him, along with the sound of stone chafing against stone. A sharp pain came from his injured arm, warning him to take it easy. Rhys stepped back. The grinding noises stopped.

"I don't know what you did but the stones blocking the exit have moved a little," Borna said, close behind him.

"I think I have it figured out. Once the skeletons have regenerated, they return to their starting positions, putting weight on at least this one slab, which causes the stone blocks to raise again."

"I really don't want to fight them all over again," Borna growled.

"We don't have to. There are more than enough armor pieces around. Let's pile them up here and hope for the best."

Borna skulked away, picking up shields and chest plate pieces as she went. Bearing two arms full of bent and pinging metal pieces, she returned, dumping everything into the alcove. The grinding noise returned and this time, Rhys saw it too. The massive stone blocks slowly rose upwards, inch by laborious inch. Eventually there was a gap wide enough for Rhys to squeeze through. The sounds behind them changed in pitch and tempo as less but larger pieces tried to join together. They had done some serious damage and he saw several bone pieces which wouldn't attach but a quick count showed at least a dozen skeletons about to return to fighting shape. Not wasting any time, Rhys dropped onto his stomach and crawled through the gap, keenly aware of the massive weight just half an inch above his spine.

"Can you make it through?" he asked Borna. There was a wordless groan and the sound of something breaking then Borna's head appeared under the stone, tears running from her eyes. Rhys heard the scrabbling of her hooves fighting for purchase.

"Give me your hands!"

"No. I've hurt you already," she snarled. Rhys could hear her tail swiping through the air, connecting with something which made a metallic sound. Again, she tried to push herself forward, with little success.

"Never mind that. Do you want to get hacked to pieces?"

Borna sighed then went limp. She reached out to Rhys. Steeling himself against the pain, he grabbed her wrists. Borna's fingers closed around his, sending deathly cold straight through his body. Howling in agony, Rhys pulled with all his might. The sounds of chitin chafing against stone were terrifying, as was the sight of Borna's ruined shoulders where she had ripped out her own vestigial wings. And suddenly she was free. With one last kick against the stone block, Borna propelled herself on knees and elbows, releasing Rhys's wrists. Together, they stumbled through the corridor, towards the next intersection while behind them, the trapped hall rumbled and ground on. Eventually, Rhys slumped to the floor, whimpering softly. His wrists had turned blue from the cold, with claw-shaped bruises running up his arms.

"I'm sorry," Borna gasped, going to a knee beside him, concern on her angelic features.

"Your... your wings..." Rhys muttered.

"They were useless to begin with," Borna snarled. "And they'll grow back soon enough." She winced. "Wouldn't have fit otherwise." She slapped the stone floor. "Let's get this over with already."

"Give me a moment." He tried to massage warmth and life back into his hands.

Borna cocked her head. "Someone's coming."

"We can't seem to catch a break," Rhys moaned, slowly, unsteadily coming to his feet again. He was barely able to move his hands, unable to grasp the strands of power necessary for any kind of spell. And I don't want to risk Sorcerer's Burn either, he thought. He pulled his staff free and prepared, as best he could, for battle. A few moments later, a warm glow appeared around a corner ahead of them.

"Lower your weapon, lad," Thurguz rumbled. "And by the Sea-Lord's shriveled bollocks, what happened to the two of you?" The half-orc and Galdor met them at the crossroads.

Rhys pointed to the room they had just left. "A horde of skeletons ambushed us."

"And they hit harder than Hilgrun on a bad day," Borna added, hanging her head. "I nearly got Rhys killed. My claws and tail didn't hurt them. At all."

"Here, drink this," Galdor ordered, pressing phials of a thick, greenish liquid into their hands. "That should take away the worst pain."

Thurguz looked thoughtful at them both. "If there's anyone to blame, it would be me. I didn't ask if you had any healing potions on you before letting you loose." He cupped his chin. "Negative energy. Why didn't I anticipate that?"

Rhys gulped down the potion, wincing at the unpleasant taste. Almost immediately, the worst aches vanished and a semblance of warmth returned to his hands and fingers. A quick side glance at Borna showed some of the worst gashes in her armor reseal. She sighed in pleasure; a sound so opposed to her fearsome appearance, it caught Rhys completely off-guard.

"Probably because you've been too focused on disrupting Carver's ritual?" Galdor asked innocently. To Rhys and Borna he said: "I can whip up more if you need them."

"I'm good," Borna rasped, flexing her hands. "All I want now is to tear up those clerics who raise such abominations. Then, back at the tower, a hot bath."

"Rhys?" Galdor asked.

The young sorcerer moved his arms then he tried some spell-casting gestures. "Should be enough for now. What are you doing here?"

"We found an entrance into the Academy and came to get you," Thurguz answered. "Before you ask, yes, I placed a tracking spell on the piece of chalk you have. I'd hate to lose two bright students down here."

"Lucky for us then," Rhys said. "Where to?"

* * * *

"Distance is deceiving underground," Galdor said as they trotted through the corridors. "With all these chambers, twisting corridors and elevation changes, you could walk for miles and only make a fraction of that distance."

"Then it was a wise choice I brought you along," Thurguz said, grinning. "Your dwarven nose and all that."

Galdor scoffed. "Thurguz, I've lived most of my life on the surface. I'd even go as far and say that I'm more of a city dweller than you are. Just because I'm a dwarf doesn't mean I have the instincts of a tunnel rat." He stopped at a walled-up section of corridor. "Having said that, there is something fishy about this piece of wall."

"Do we have time for that?" Borna asked, gnashing her teeth. "I'm itching for a decent fight. Having my hide tanned like that made me angry."

"Why not have this wall taste your wrath, oh lady of darkness?"

Borna lashed out with a hoof. If she was aiming at the wall or Galdor's head, Rhys couldn't say. The dwarf dodged at the last second and her vicious kick shattered the ancient bricks like porcelain, revealing a hidden alcove. Galdor ducked into it and returned a moment later with a dusty leather sack. A square piece of leather was attached to the draw strings, displaying the insignia of Storm Harbor's thieves' guild.

"Are you sure it's such a good idea to pilfer that?" Rhys asked.

"Sure." Galdor slung the sack over his shoulder. "I'd say the original owner has long since died and forgot to tell his accomplices about it. Otherwise we wouldn't have found it." The dwarf tapped the sack. It made a jangling and clicking sound. "Coins and gems. I'll even share."

"Good to know," Thurguz said. "That makes four shares then. I'll expect mine promptly."

"Yes, sir," Galdor sighed.

"Now, this way." The half-orc pointed down a corridor branching off their current one. "Just a few more feet."

They stopped in front of an impressive piece of wall.

"Hm. Doesn't look particularly elvish to me," Rhys remarked. "Not that I'm an expert by any stretch."

"Look closer, lad," Thurguz suggested and twiddled his fingers.

Rhys touched the wall. His fingers tingled. "Magic?"

"And a whole lot of it. This is not just a simple illusion. Someone used a mighty creation spell to raise this wall."

"So Borna has to kick it down again?"

"What am I? A living wrecking ball?"

"Easy, girl." Thurguz placed a hand on Borna's back. "No. What magic creates, magic can destroy. Let me show you a neat trick, Rhys."

"What do you want me to do?"

"The process of ending a persistent magical effect or taking a spell away from its caster is called 'dispelling.' Think of it as another way of drawing power. With an unattended spell like this wall it's rather easy. The fun part starts when you try it with a hostile spell caster at the other end."

Rhys touched the wall again. "You mean, this wall is the power source?"

"Yes. It is magical energy made solid. Whoever did this obviously was in a hurry and had energy to spare."

"And what do I do with the power once I've drawn it?"

"You can either let it dissipate," Thurguz opened his hand as if he were releasing a cluster of balloons, "or keep it around you, which is the harder of the two options. When you need to cast a spell afterwards, you'll already have an ample supply of power. It's faster and usually more powerful but keeping the strands close by can be taxing."

"Why aren't you doing it?" Galdor asked. "Since you're the Master and all that."

"Because I only have one Dispel Magic memorized and I'd rather use it on Carver's clerics or their ritual. Rhys here can do it over and over again."

"Until I'm too tired to go on," Rhys said, placing both hands against the wall. He could feel the tremendous amount of energy the spell caster had unleashed to plant a wall of solid rock here. And just like Thurguz had said, the other caster had been in a hurry. There were more than enough loose strands of power still accessible. Rhys latched on to these and began to pull, slowly unraveling the impressive construct.

Somewhere, beyond his cognition, he heard Borna and Galdor bicker.

Not my concern right now. All I need to do is get rid of that damn wall, he thought grimly, gathering up more and more loose strands. The more he pulled and prodded, the more the spell unraveled, until a veritable maelstrom of power whipped around him, way too much for him to hold on to. He stretched out his hand and allowed the energy to flow from his hand in a wave of barely controlled magic. It lashed through the corridor, knocking clumps of earth, brick and plaster from the walls until it had spent itself. Rhys opened his eyes, his consciousness returning to the present. The obstacle was gone, leaving a gaping tunnel entrance. The walls were solid stone blocks and the floor had a strong downward slope. The aroma of salt water tickled his nostrils.

"Still doesn't look all that elvish to me," Galdor muttered. "If anything, it has the air of old dwarven construction." He slapped one of the walls. "Good, solid stonework for the ages."

"And obviously much older than the simple dug-earth corridor we're in right now," Thurguz said, grinning smugly. "We're on the right track." He briskly walked forward, not waiting for the others.

"We're the only ones in quite some time to come through here," Borna said. "No tracks. No smells but earth and salt water."

"Which hopefully means we'll be here before Carver's goons show up," Galdor whispered. "I hate to think of the other option."

"Why would elves build an academy underground anyway?" Rhys asked no one in particular. "I only know Elara, but her whole being screams 'open skies and sun and leaves,' not 'crypts underground.'"

"Elves are not averse to the idea of basements," Galdor said, snickering. "Think about it -- placing alchemy labs and summoning chambers underground makes an awful lot of sense, doesn't it?"

"Shh," Borna hissed. "Quiet."

Even Thurguz stopped in his tracks. Borna squeezed past him, her ear close to the left wall. "We're not alone," she whispered. "And it has already started."

* * * *

A salt-encrusted metal door barred their way. Ages ago, it had been embossed with life-sized guardians but they had been eaten away by centuries of neglect, leaving dark discolorations and fist-sized holes where once beautiful metalwork had been. Borna tore the door off its hinges. The metal broke with barely a sound and she set it against the tunnel's far wall.

Now Rhys could hear it too. Ominous chanting, punctuated by anguished moans echoed through the corridors of the abandoned elven academy. Flickering torchlight reflected off a wall not too far ahead.