Chapter Eleven: Dark Forces
Led by Harald they arrived at a vast chamber, ahead of them was a host of heavily armed and armored dwarves, "These green skinned bastards ave done what they be wantin long enough, find the bastards and wipe em out!" The booming dwarven voice sounded from the head of the dwarven lines, a cheer came from the war host and they began to funnel down the two tunnels at the end of the room.
"That'll be the general" Harald instructed, "Ye'll be seein what we're up again, once we be moving in to the tunnels ourselves." Harald wasn't mistaken there was an endless cobweb of tunnels ahead of them winding in every direction, had the dwarven army not split into several smaller groups and proceeded to flood every path they'd be at it for days.
Harald looked at the tunnels arrayed before them "Me instincts say we be goin this way" Dayn and Ziri looked at each other before following the gruff man in. Harald continued making his way in avoiding any of the paths where dwarves were moving towards them, his instincts turned out to be sound as they quickly found there way to a battleground.
They had set foot into a wider chamber that reminded Dayn of the Kanyran slums, poorly constructed housing constructed wherever it would fit between crude paths of worn rock. Beyond the slum they could see a massive wall if what looked to Dayn like sharpened tied up tree logs. It reminded Dayn of a picture of a British Fort he had seen in a history textbook while he was in high school although more primitive of design.
Small skirmished had broken out all over the slums between groups of dwarves and goblins, more could be seen swarming the chamber from small cave openings in the outer rock wall, Harald pointed at the wooden stockade. "That'll be where ye be findin the Iron Orcs, we'll be seein to that" he then pointed to a small side tunnel leading away from the Goblin Slum "I suggest ye be headin that way may lead to where they be keepin the townsfolk."
Harald ran off to join the nearest skirmish plowing into a group of goblins his twin axes swinging wildly, "Should we head that way then?" Sieri asked. Dayn and Ziri looked about the room, the battle had degenerated into a brawl, "Might actually be less dangerous then trying to fight alongside dwarves" Dayn observed, Ziri agreed.
They proceeded down a long windy tunnel, the ground had been cleared of debris and was relatively clean for a location controlled by orcs, as they delved further down the path they began to hear noises. A faint cough here, whispered conversation there, when they came around the last bend they found themselves looking through a well lit doorway.
The chamber within was well lit by torches, several iron barred cells lined the walls, within were the battered and beaten townsfolk of Sartann, On the far end of the chamber was a figure swathed in black robes. Flanking the figure on the left side was a sickly looking dwarf his skin was pale and his fiery red beard sagged and looked like it had begun to lose its hair. Dayn immediately recognized Agni and moved into the room his weapon in one hand, "Agni, what's going on here why do you seem to be helping this person?"
The robed figure moved at the sound and slowly began to turn around, Dayn noticed a long thin knife in the beings hand dripping fresh blood onto the cold stone floor. Beneath the hood long silver hair cascaded out the front nearly concealing beautiful green eyes, luscious black painted lips turned up into a smirk as she looked upon the would be heroes.
The villainess waved a hand at the corpse behind her resting on a long stone slab, it stirred, it jerked to a sitting position then slowly climbed off its cold earthen bed staggering to its feet. Dayn looked on what had once been a man in disgust, his stomach had been opened and entrails now spilled to the floor.
"Necromancer" Dayn the word in disgust, the lady smiled at him, "Why should you be disgusted?" she asked arrogance thick in her voice "It is after all human nature to search for a way to defeat death." Dayn continued to look on her a sickened "Spare me, your kind justify playing with corpses in all manner of ways." The lady appeared amused at this accusation, "You think I'm just making zombies?" she asked, she began to laugh mockingly "Hardly they're just the end result of my research." The woman held up a large black jewel, white forms could be seen swirling within one of the shapes stopped for a moment an expression of terror and pain could be seen on the faint caricature of a face.
Sieri looked like she was going to be sick, her voice came out in a small and horrified manner "She's stealing their souls." The woman snickered at Sieri's revelation "Very good little girl, you can do much more with a soul then you can with living flesh." "Any fool who still believes they can improve upon necromantic minions after countless years of research by lets be honest much more skilled men and women is wasting their time." "Souls, that's where the future of our craft lies, and with a simple illusion" she said waving her hand in the air, her form shifted and they were looking upon a beautiful orc shamaness. "I can get my hands on all the test subjects I could possibly need."
"Enough!" Dayn shouted taking his weapon in both hands he advanced upon the woman "Your foul quest ends here" The woman laughed mockingly "Oh does it?" she motioned to her minions and they shambled towards the young man. Sieri fired her pistol at the woman, the shell hit a shimmering translucent wall and bounced harmlessly aside. The woman continued to laugh her sanity appearing to be less then stable, Dayn mentally apologized to Agni as he drove his sword through the chest of his zombified remains.