Thanks for reading my stuff. I'm really grateful that people still enjoy my stories, and I'm really glad if I can inspire other.
Merry christmas people
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Step at ThomocemirThe road from Asuciro to Thomocemir was rather short – less than a day, but for the two travellers, the time flew even faster. The travels, fights and blunders of their trip had Kashi and Takru taking a liking on each other. Even tho Takru never renounced to her Osmite alliegence, her behavior during this last month of travels had convinced Kashi that she could be relied upon.
Besides, when he looked at the map to Bosangasma, the capitale city of Osmestobûb, Kashi noticed that they would have to cross a big mountain range, in order to stay clear of the dark pits, dug up along the shortest route. Such a detour, necessary to avoid goblin patrols, would lenghten significantly the part of the trip spent far from civilisation... to the point he would not be able to find shelter in a step village for one or two days. This predicament, benign for a group of people, become deadly to the lone traveller – as the darkness covering the land each nigh routinely devours them.
As much as Kashi didn't want to involve Takru on an operation against her homecountry, he still needed her help to at least get there.
They arrived at Thomocemir, where they rested for a couple hours. Takru didn't liked the fortress of the Riverguard very much – as much as it saved her from the violence of her homeplace, she never thought of it as her home. Maybe it was its overmilitarized population, its pearlite culture and foreign technology. Or maybe it was the pile of corpses, left to rot in the open field to the east of the fortress.
Whatever the case, seeing this wooden fortress inwhich she spent already seven years filled Takru with melancholia – probably the same melancholia which, a month ago, led her to join Kashi in his travels a month ago.
They discussed the matter – travelling with Kashi was now life for Takru. And so it was decided that she would act as a guide one more time. After all, she was familiar with the region, and her presence alone was keeping darkness at bay.
This picture of Takru was gallantly drawn by Caffeine, as a christmas gift, all thanks to himKashi borrowed a bronze sword in Thomocemir's armory – considering the dangerosity of his mission, he decided to use every advantage he could get. Against the borrowing of this comparatively high quality weapon, the clerk helped Thomocemir people to clean the corpses on the death field – it took him a couple hours after what, they were gone.
The lost fortressAlthough Kashi had studied the map at Thomocemir to prepare his mission, his map were lacking in many aspects. One of which was, ity didn't show settlements of low importance. Such was the ruined dwarven fortress of Vucartogum.
When she saw her companion approaching the gargantuan mountainside ruin in curiosity, Takru had an epidermic reaction.
« I wouldn't go there if I were you » she warned him. « There's nothing here for us – nobody to rescue, nothing to steal and nothing to document »
Built on the side of the mountain surrounding southern Osmestobûb, Vucartogum marked pretty much the border between the empire and the western kingdoms, that now has cristalized as the main frontline of the war. The huge mountain range, which earlier provided protection to the dwarven defenders of Vucartogum, covered the advance of the experience mountaineers of Osme, who attacked it by surpize in summer 141, and sacked it of all its valuables.
A year later, in 142, Islas « Wild Swordsaint » and Erith « Glimmer in the dark », travelling adventurers, tried to explore the ruins, only to find out they were still occupied by a very impovrished and aggressive population, ruled over by what the goblin warlord who conquered it. Vucartogum was not even re-attached to Osmestobûb, and its ressources were so mismanaged that even in late 149, the once mighty fortress still hadn't recovered.
Kashi saw a corpse laying in the middle of the massive entry hall, and heard a group of people talking further into the darkness, Kashi decided that Takru was right and left the premisses of the lost fortress.
Maybe, later, this place can be reconquered, but for now it was nothing but a bandit den.
The road to hell is paved with wildflowersAlthough it was cold and rainy, the trip through the mountain range was very different that what Kashi expected. It was a rather lively treck, full of wildlife. Mountain goats ran free among the wild flowers while ravens, geese and eagles shared the skies. Streams of pure water were rushing down the mountaintops and flora was blooming everywhere.
Extremely different, indeed, from the desolate landscape Kashi was expecting to witness.
The walk, however, was very long and was only halfway done when the sun started to sink under the range they already crossed. At this point, they could keep on their treck and maybe arrive at Bosangasma before the morning, but conjsidering the danger of the mission, they decided to campi here instead. They made sure that no patrol was about, lightened up a small campfire, eat a meal made of the grilled meat of a wild goat they hunted and dried lettuce they gathered from Asuciro's village and quickly felt into deep sleep.
Night ended soon enough, and the early dew woke the two travellers. They climbed down the mountain at dawn, walked on the valley and then stopped short of the last hour of travels to Bosangasma.
« Takru, give me a name, Kashi asked his companion.
-A name ?
-Yes, a name ; I'll try to sneak around, but in case I'm caught, I want to pretend I'm a Osmite visitor. »
Takru stopped to think, a bit puzzled, then she turned to Kashi again :
« Your Osmite name will be Uno.
-Uno ? What does that means ?
- It means « burial ». 'Cause if you get caught and try to pass for an Osmite, that's where I'll see you next time. Your whole garment screams foreigner from miles away, you're human and wearing bronze armor with no trace of corrosion, you'll never pass for an Osmite in a hundred years.
-What about...I pretend to be a traveller ? Like a travelling scholar ? Like...a philosopher ? They are a wierd bunch, arn't they ? And people do not question them anyway – I believe it can work. »
Takru remained skeptical – but Kashi was satisfied with his plan. Pretending to be a travelling philosopher was but a plan B anyway – his main goal was to remain undetected and leave with the kids without being seen.
« What about me ? » Takru asked. « What do I do ?
-You stay here and you wait for me. We'll go back to Kima together when I have the kids.
-And if you don't come back ?
-Then the world is your oister, I guess ? Come back to Kima alone, or rejoin with Osme, or start a new career as a travelling goat herder ? If I'm dead, I don't really mind. »
At this point in time, Kashi trusted Takru. Her loyalty was something he knew he could rely upon. What he feared was, to the contrary, that she would antagonize osmite soldiers, blowing up his cover or otherwise getting killed.
The clerk did not really care for his own life, and the travel to Bomrek-Laltur opened his eyes about the scale of the world's issue, way to important for him to have any meaningful impact on. But Takru – he cared for. If anything, he wanted the goblin he now considered as his closest friend to live happy, far from the war and far from Osme's corruption.
After taking a long inspiration, Kashi, or rather Uno, travelling philosopher, walked toward the dark fortress of Bosangasma.
Aslu and the bartenderTo go to the fortress stricto sensu, Kashi had to cross a large field of connected trenches, whose intersections were marked by the presence of multiple stop-houses with solid wooden doors and crenelled roofs ment to accomodate archers. Even if, from a distance, Bosangasma looked like a big pile of stones and mud, from up-close the defensive purpose of its architecture was made very clear.
Long corridors of dirt would prevent an assailant to use a local numerical superiority to their advantage, while the stop houses and their servents would reduce their numbers and reduce their advance by raining projectiles on them.
Those stop-houses, however, were strangely empty...
Only in one was a single bartender, a human of strange ethnicity, sitting alone in what seemed to be a small tarvern. But other than its apparent owner, it was empty.
Not wanting to reveal his presence, Kashi pressed on.
Earlier, the clerk feared not to be able to spot the entrance of the fortress itself, but as soon as it saw it, he recognized it immediately.
The building was immense, extremely tall and very large – sounds of grinding and loud yells coming from inside.
Kashi took a moment to prepare himself to enter the building and...was immediately stopped by two people – a girl of small stature, black of skin with piercing blue eys, and the tavern keeper Kashi saw a minute ago. The tavern keeper spoke first.
The tavern keeper Asno Zolaknokast: Greetings. My name is Asno Sinfulmuck.
You: Hello, human. I am Uno Childsavior. Don't travel alone at night, or the bogeyman will get you.
The tavern keeper Asno Zolaknokast: Everything's good.
Kashi let out a silent sight of relief. Not that he was a particularly good liar, but Osmite people were not very inquisitive and did not question him at all. They had a short conversation in which Kashi asked them vague questions and spoke evasively, and the tavern keeper went back to his tavern.
The girl, however, was more insisting. As soon as the bartender was away, she jumped on Kashi.
« -Save me ! She muttered under her breath.
-Hold on, Kashi answered. What the hell is going on ? Save you from what ? »
The girl, whose real name was Aslu, was captured as a child by Osme. Prior to her abduction, she was the daughter of two travellers of Egapesor origins, a wandering merchant and his caravan guard he ended up marrying.
« I'm looking for a kid called Uquur. » Kashi admitted to her. « Help me find him, and I'll get you out of here. »
The girl nodded and the two of them entered inside of the dark fortress.
The tale of two trolls
After crossing an antichamber that was used to store slumbering beakdogs, th two entered in the main hall. It was an empty stone room with trolls and beakdogs hanging out in the back of the building. Some trolls had an occupation, banging stones together or working with wooden sticks to craft crude bows and arrows. They did not seem to know how to talk but were wearing clothes.
Kashi was about to press on, but another girl threw herself in front of him.
« You're not from here, are you ? » it was a girl of pearlite, or maybe amegilian origins. « Please help me ! I need to get out of here ! »
Kashi nodded, but as soon as he did, a muscular troll wearing a cloak made of gremlin skin noticed them and charged them at full speed. Clearly, the beast had understood what was going on.
The clerk elected to rush forward into the depths of the fortress, closely followed by Aslu. Kashi could maybe defeat the troll – maybe – but fighting here would be a death sentence. His cover would have been blown, and the rest of the castle denizen would turn on him immediately.
The girl wasn't as lucky. The troll seized her, and after a short struggle, stranggled her and left her limp body on the ground, before starting to wander about, searching for the other two.
This troll could not talk and as such, could not explain to the other trolls the reason of their sudden outburst – if they could, they would probably have joined the hunt. Kashi needed to be more prudent. He could not afford to be caught in the open by one of these monsters. He had little doubt he'd had to fight it on the way out, but hopefully he could ambush it far from the other monsters and maintain his false identity.
Behind them, another fight broke out. Another troll, armed with a silver great axe, had a physical altercation with the troll boyer – the altercation escalated quickly, but only stopped when the axe was jammed deep into the boyer's skull. The axe troll then also wandered in.
Kashi signed to Aslu to remain calm and hidden. The two murder trolls were very close by and Kashi wanted to observe the situation before taking action.
The axe troll passed by – Kashi was hidden.
Apparently the troll was wounded in the scuffle and distress was readable on its face. The clerk wasnt sure to understand, but he tried to talk to him in the absolutely softest voice he could.
The creature could not see him, and could not talk back...but clearly it understood his intonation. The sound of the voice of Kashi clearly calmed it down. The young man made some key-jiggling jokes, which amused the beast – which sound muttered its own name - Stothosmumxu. The only thing he knew to articulate.
Kashi felt understood. A shame, he thought, that the troll cannot speak nor even understand complex phrases. Kashi would have freed him also.
He signed to Aslu to follow him, and they went deeper into the fortress.
They soon arrived at the jail cells – they were empty. The prisonners were outside, helping with chores and expecting rescue. No amegilian kid to be found. They went deeper, scouting the area during long minutes, until....
Clear-voiced prisoner: Please help me!
You: Come with me and I'll bring you to safety.
Clear-voiced prisoner: Thank you!
The troll Nakoukuz attacks the clear-voiced peasant but He jumps away!
It was the same troll that had kill the girl, earlier – and as for the prisonner, his tan skin, golden hair and amber eyes identified him as an amegilian. Maybe it was Uquur ? Kashi had to stop the troll now.
The prisonner was hit in the shoulder by the troll's massive paw and rolled on the floor, before standing up and booking it. The monster followed him at full speed, Kashi pursuing them both.
That's horrible – he thought. If that prisonner is indeed Uquur, he is going to die in front of me. The chase in the fort was nervewracking – but short. Soon enough, the murderous troll bumped into Stothosmumxu, who stopped them with a violent hacking of its silver axe.
The axe wasn't really sharp and the troll was solid, the hit barely wounded it – but it allowed the prisonner to flee.
At this point, Kashi could escape aswell. The trolls were now pitted against each other, and the two solid creatures would probably take a long time before wearing each other down. But Stothosmumxu had saved the prisonner, and Kashi could not leave it to die. He drew his two swords and jumped on the beast's back.
The fight was short, and soon the creature was down on the fortress gloor. It was time for the clerk to book it as fast as he could.
But before he would, he turned to the troll who saved his prisonner.
« Stothosmumxu, come with me. I can get you out of here » he said.
No response.
« I'm serious ! You don't have to stay in this hell pit. I can find you a place in the kingdom of pearls ! »
The monster looked at him with his glazy eyes, smiled faintly and said nothing. Kashi had to go.
He soon rejoined the running prisonner – the small amegilian man and Aslu. The three of them ran outside the fortress – nobody tried to stop them.
The amegilian prisonner was wounded, but could still walk. Soon, they were outside the fortress and on their ways up the mountain.
By the will of the gods, the prisonner was indeed Uquur, the long lost grandson of lord Athem of Amegil. He was about 35 now, but malntutrition -or was it goblin curses?- had frozen him at his teenage size. For all his adult life, this grandson of a lord had been slavering away in a goblin pit – an undeserved fate for an amegilian noble.
The group walked in the valley to get Takru, who looked genuinly surprized to find them alive.
It was time to head back.
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Topic: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls (DF 0.47.05) (Read 236372 times)