The Orb of Wrath (The Merchant's Destiny Book 1) (16 page)

The skills of the team were varied. Nobody obviously compared to Samar. But Erion was perhaps the second best shooter of the group. Thost was not bad at all, especially with the spear. Mithir and Ithelas felt like a fish out of water in these practices, although in the short and medium distances they had achieved some targets.

They continued to practice for nearly an hour until Thost said they should move to the next exercise. They all picked up their favorite weapon and started beating their doll, in a sequence predetermined by Thost: hit the left side of the neck, heart, right hip, left waist and neck to the right. Samar used a long sword, Mithir a dagger, Erion a short sword, Ithelas a mace and Thost a bastard sword. After they tried some other weapons, but the one that varied the most was Thost: ax, short sword, two-handed sword, mace, war hammer. He seemed to be versed in the use of all close range weapons.

Then Thost matched them to fight each other: Erion with Ithelas and Samar with Mithir. He gave some instructions of what to do to make sure they wouldn't hurt each other, and then let them fight for a few minutes. Thost frequently interrupted them and indicated what they should change: weapon position, body position, feet, how to make a hole in the rival's guard, how to take a defensive stance, what benefits and what weaknesses each weapon provided.

Erion learned that afternoon more about using weapons than he had in his entire life. The world of Oris was a dangerous place and it was important to have some defensive skills. But the weapons had never been a primary concern for him. He had tried to develop other important skills for his "work". Mithir also learned some tricks, but after that afternoon he was even more convinced that he must learn more and better spells to be able to defend himself. He understood that, somehow, he was more vulnerable than he had thought.

Thost said then that they should continue with the equipment exercises. He put all the members of the group: Ithelas and himself forward, with the sword and mace; Mithir behind them, right in the middle, and Samar and Erion with bow and crossbow, also behind next to Mithir. The goal was to sequentially approach the two dummies placed at a hundred steps, causing the maximum damage. The marks on the ground, every twenty steps, indicated the place where they would take the next shot.

They started with the group of five, walking together toward the two "enemies" at once. As they came to one of the land marks, Ithelas and Thost crouched, Samar and Erion fired their weapons, and Mithir cast a spell of magic missiles. Then they began walking again. In the next fifteen or twenty steps, they line of gunners would reload their weapons and prepare the next shot, as they walked in formation with the group. Erion struggled to keep up, because recharging the crossbow was a little more laborious. Samar, however, managed to load and fire her bow twice at the same time. The front line came up and hit the enemies with their weapons in a couple of occasions. Finally, Erion and Samar took up their swords and surrounded the enemy by the flanks.

They repeated the exercise three or four times. Every time they managed to move a little faster, hit the target with more shots, move as a more compact group and, ultimately, improved their teamwork. Thost proposed to raise the difficulty. This time, the line of gunners would stay still a hundred steps from the enemy, while the front line advanced. The difficulty was twofold. On the one hand, the distance was greater and was therefore more difficult to reach the target. On the other hand, it was more complicated to coordinate with Thost and Ithelas. As they came to one of the marks, they stood and crouched. That was the moment in which Erion and the elf should make their shots above their peers. After repeating the exercise several times, they improved their effectiveness.

Thost felt satisfied and led the group to the last area of the training ground: the defensive circle. There they practiced different combinations of Ithelas' defensive spells and Mithir's offensive ones, while the others fired their arrows. Thost sought a protective position, sometimes at the edge of the circle of twenty steps and other times closer to the group, according to the range of the defensive spell Ithelas was using. They tried out different options of attack and defense to alternate with those positions.

During the day everyone could train their skills. And, more importantly, they could understand those of the others. This allowed them to explore options of how to combine them. This made them much stronger as a group but, after what they had read in the afternoon about vampires, everyone wondered if it would be enough to survive their mission.

They returned to the house and began to prepare the equipment. As Phoroz had explained, the portal would open to an area rather close to the valley where the vampire's castle stood. After discussing it for a while, they decided to only take a mule, which they loaded with everything they believed might need. In addition, they each carried their equipment on their back.

Meanwhile, dinner was ready. They sat down to eat while they discussed the thorniest issues. Interestingly they agreed pretty quickly on what they thought would be the most difficult issue: Ithelas would be responsible for transporting the box when they had it in their possession. It was the person that everyone trusted, even Erion. It took a little longer to decide what rule they would follow in case of dispute and the fact if they did not have much time for debate would occur. Erion reluctantly accepted that they would follow Thost's criteria. The young man valued his individual freedom above all else, and he was beginning to understand that forming a part of a larger group or family meant that it was inevitable to make some concessions in this regard.

After finishing dinner, and saying goodbye to Dreshpho, they picked up their weapons and left the house. As they agreed, they would open the portal in a nearby forest, half a league from the Mansion on the Hill. You never know who may appear across the portal, and they wouldn't want to accidentally place an enemy at their home. They finally reached the forest. Under the light of a full moon, Mithir took the scroll that their client had given them and called the portal which opened before them. It was a large oval, about three steps high, with a silver edge that emitted short flashes and looked completely blackened inside.

Everyone wondered what awaited them on the other side. Thost crossed first. Ithelas followed him, pulling the mule, and then Mithir and Samar. Erion cast a look back wondering if it was the last time he would see that forest. Then he disappeared into the portal.

SECOND PART

ASSAULT to the vampire's crypt

PROLOGUE

Azuharr, the black dragon, knew that Tazar, the silver dragon, was nearby and also that he was becoming more powerful every day. Soon he would be more powerful than him. He also understood that Tazar had not forgotten what happened that afternoon nearly a thousand years ago, nor the location of the cave where an immense treasure was guarded. Azuharr had to find him. Time was running out.

He sensed that he had hidden in one of the human kingdoms. He was convinced that he would be helping, in some way, the prosperity and stability of the kingdom. So he devised a plan. If he could significantly destabilize a kingdom and Tazar was in it, he would have to show himself to help the humans. Then he could surprise him and kill him before it was too late.

He only had to decide in which kingdom to begin.

CHAPTER 1: BEYOND THE PORTAL

Erion felt a strange tingle that ran throughout his body and then a kind of brief but violent shaking that gave him a sense of nausea. For a moment he could see nothing at all, everything was completely black; it was total darkness which he had never experienced before, as if hung on an abyss as deep as hell. Suddenly, an intense blinding light forced him to close his eyes. He was back on land. Gradually, as he got used to the intensity of the light, he began to open his eyes again, blinking incessantly.

The rest of the group was there and was watching him. The nausea he had felt for a brief moment had already vanished. They were in broad daylight and the sun shone with great intensity. It must have been late in the afternoon but it was still very hot. Now that he thought about it, he was almost suffocating. He began to remove his leather armor. He was wearing too many clothes for the temperature of the place.

“What a trip! How do you feel? Do you still feel nauseous?” Ithelas asked as he approached him.

“No. I only felt it for a moment; when I was... inside,” Erion said. “I feel good, I guess.”

“It's a normal feeling when you use a long distance portal. But it passes right away. And I've heard that if you use them often you get to get used to it,” Mithir said with gestures.

“Check your gear. Everyone, please! We must make sure we didn't lose anything during the jump,” requested Thost.

The members of the group took off their backpacks and began to check what they had in them. After, Ithelas and Mithir checked the equipment that was loaded onto the mule they had brought. Nothing seemed to be missing.

Erion took advantage to put some of the clothes he had on before crossing the portal in his backpack. It was sweltering in there. He realized he had not stopped sweating since he got there. The others had also considerably lightened their clothes; including Samar. She wore a green short-sleeved blouse, brown shorts and low boots. As usual, she wore her quiver on her back and her bow in her left hand. Erion thought she had never looked so beautiful.

“This vegetation seems tropical,” Ithelas said, pointing to some of the plants around them.

Erion then looked at the environment. They were in a dense forest of tall trees. Multiple green plants surrounded the area. Lush flowers of all colors flooded the meadow with their aroma. He could hear the sounds of many birds and other animals that he didn't recognize. Erion had never been in a place so full of life.

“We must seek higher ground. Then we can try to identify where we are and what direction the cave is. But we don't all have to go. Samar, your eyes can see farther than any of us. Find some nearby hill or some high place and try to figure out where we are. Take the map with you. But it is best you don't go alone. Erion, can you go with her?” Thost said.

“Yes, of course. It's best that nobody stays alone. We are in uncharted territory,” agreed Erion, happy with the knight’s choice.

“All right. Meanwhile, we will finish checking the equipment. We'll wait here,” Thost said.

Samar and Erion walked away, leaving their backpacks to be able to walk faster. The elf led the way and Erion followed paying attention to the flanks and rear. He was responsible for protecting the girl, knowing that maybe she was protecting him more.

They walked briskly for about ten minutes. Erion breathed large amounts of air through his mouth. The intense humidity, coupled with the high temperature made it difficult to breathe. The young man knew they needed to acclimate their bodies to that atmosphere as soon as possible. Although they were not running, Samar was following a steep terrain area, always looking for the maximum slope, which was exhausting.

The elf stopped and pointed to a small cliff ahead. It was the first place where Erion could see rock. Until then, the lush terrain only allowed them to see green. With quick and agile jumps, Samar began to climb the small ridge and, a little later, reached the top. Some large trees had grown there too. Although they were, perhaps, in the highest place they could find, they were still unable to see beyond a hundred steps.

“Wait here and keep watch,” request the elf, while she placed her bow on her back.

Samar then began to climb the trunk of the biggest tree that was on top of the ridge. The agility she had was amazing.  Soon after, the elf had almost reached the highest branch of the tree about thirty steps above the ground. The top of that tree had to be above those of the others. Erion was convinced that the elf would have a good view of the surroundings from there. The young man saw how Samar consulted the map and looked for a couple of different positions in the branch to be able to see in various directions.

After a while, she descended. Samar jumped from branch to branch, always looking for the bottom one. She did it in a completely upright position, leaning only with her feet. It was as if she were walking, literally, through the tree. In a few moments, she was about five steps from the floor in one of the lowest branches of the tree. She fell after holding on to the last branch with her hands. It was a considerable height, but Samar cushioned the fall with great skill, and fell on the floor in a flexed position.

The stunts and movements based on finesse were some of the skills that made Erion stand out, but the young man understood that he'd have to try hard to keep up with that girl. Samar stood and Erion approached her.

“Are you okay? What have you seen?” asked the young man.

“Yes, I'm all right. I think I could locate us on the map,” Samar said as she pulled out the scroll, unfolded it and pointed. “I estimate that we are in this area. Far to the south, I could see the sea. In all other directions there is a very dense forest as far as the eye can see. The terrain is quite hilly in this region but in the far north, there's a large plain. I have not seen any city or town, although I'm sure there will be some scattered farms and small villages between the forests. I think I've spotted the valley where we're headed to the southwest. Closer, in the westerly direction, there's the cleft in the ground where we should find the cave. It's not too far away. Under normal conditions it would be an hour or two of travel, at best. But in this area, it will take us longer.”

“And also this heat,” Erion said. “We better get back to the others as soon as possible and get going. It's going to be night time before we get to the cave. We must find a place to camp.”

The young man watched the elf again. "For Oris, she's so beautiful", he thought. Samar folded the map and handed it to him so he could put it away. When he took it, the young man slightly stroked the girl's hand unintentionally. They looked at each other. Erion felt her pulse quicken. Samar's incredible sapphire eyes looked away after a moment; Erion thought they were magical.

“I'd be best if we continue,” said the elf, almost in a whisper.

They started walking and headed back, trying return through the same path they had just traversed. When they had been going for a while, Erion grew impatient. They should have already found the others, but they couldn't recognize the field. The whole forest looked similar. The young man understood that it was extremely easy to get lost in the thicket.

“The others should be here. It's better if we stop,” proposed Samar.

“I agree. We must try to find them without advancing or we may lose the reference,” Erion said.

“I'll try to climb a tree again to see if I can locate them,” said the elf as she began to climb the nearest tree.

Erion waited impatiently as he watched her quick ascent admirably.

*******

Ithelas was taking samples of various plants and herbs and saved them with great care and attention in his bag. Mithir sat quietly against the trunk of a tree to make some notes in a small notebook while Thost grabbed timber and tried to make a fire. They didn't know how long the others would take, or whether they would have to spend the night in that place, so it was good to be prepared. Although they didn't need the heat of the fire, considering the climate of the place, it would help them scare off some animals, and it was also necessary to prepare food.

Thost used the flint and tinder that he had brought, but even with that help, he was struggling to light the fire. The wood, and everything around them, was quite humid. That was when they heard a roar. There was a strange beast in the middle of the small clearing where they were. They didn't understand how the animal had been able to reach then without anybody noticing. The beast was like a panther but had six legs and was quite larger. Its skin was a curious dark purple color.

Ithelas stood up and reached for his mace as he veered toward the center of the clearing. Thost was surprised. The beast was practically at his side, although it did not look at him directly. How could have it appeared there? Thost drew his sword without a clear idea of what to do next. Mithir took the bag of reagents as he sat up and began to prepare a spell.

The beast began to move slowly toward Thost but it seemed not to approach him directly. It was as if it was going to pass him from the side. Anyways, Thost didn't trust this and was prepared to use the sword if the animal got too close. The young wizard then released his spell and the others watched surprised, they could suddenly see five Mithirs next to each other. Ithelas began moving slowly toward the center of the clearing, wielding his mace to be able to flank the animal with his father's position.

The beast was already very close to Thost and then stopped. It gave a small jump with its mouth open, as if it were ready to attack. But the jump moved it away from Thost slightly, who did not understand what was happening. Ithelas suddenly cried out in pain, something was biting his left arm, but he didn't see anything. He felt it let loose, but the pain was still unbearable. A gaping wound, which occupied his entire forearm, was bleeding profusely.

The five Mithirs ran perfectly synchronized to Ithelas' position while they all indicated to Thost to stay where he was.  The young magician was preparing another spell while walking. When he reached the cleric, he stopped and completed his spell. An animal appeared before him. It was a kind of gorilla, but a bit smaller. Its eyes were lit in an unnatural red. The gorilla ran to attack and launched against the beast and tried to hit it as it reached it. But the blow pierced the space occupied by the monster as if there was nothing there. The gorilla almost falls to the ground unbalanced by the momentum of the blow, that didn't hit anything.

“What I feared,” Mithir said by gestures. “Thost, join us. Defensive position!”

Thost did as they asked without understanding what was happening. In a few strides he came to where the two young men were and put his back against Ithelas', while the five Mithirs watched with them.

They saw then as the animal bit again, but this time no one screamed in pain. However, one of Mithir's images disappeared instantly. The gorilla kept striking the beast without reaching it. It was as if the monster was an illusion.

“Ithelas, Thost, look at my images. Look at the next one that disappears. When that happens, imagine that there is an invisible beast right beside the image that has vanished and attack it relentlessly. Pay attention!” Mithir mysteriously commanded.

Thost and Ithelas didn't understand much of Mithir's gestures, but that they did have to look at the disappearing images and prepare to attack. Everyone waited impatiently. Then it happened again. Another of Mithir's images disappeared and the knight and the cleric launched against the void left in its place. Ithelas punched the air with his mace, making an effort because of the pain that the injury caused him. But he got nothing. Thost threw a few punches, trying to cover the most ground as possible. The first one cut the air uselessly. The second one hit something.

Mithir then released his magic missiles spell, and four orange balls flew at high speed and crashed into whatever Thost had hit. The knight then launched another blow, trying to nail the sword, but his enemy was no longer there. They saw the beast moving through the center of the clearing, ignoring the gorilla, which was going crazy trying to fight his rival.

Another of Mithir's images disappeared, while the strange panther roared and bit. This time it was the cleric who managed to hit the enemy with the hammer. Then Thost continued searching the place where Ithelas had managed to hit, nailing the sword decisively. They saw a patch of blue blood that began to sprout around the sword. Blood was painting a sinister surface that now appeared in midair.