Chapter IV: The Oscillith Labyrinth
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Stone stood up and peered into the far horizon. A large land mass appeared before his eyes. Agily, Stone manuvoured his small boat in that direction. It has been five days since Stone left his comfortable hometown of LeonCita, embarking on an mission and to fulfill an agenda with the dark lord Diantre. The boat was small, yet sturdy and trustworty, made out of oakwood, it was capable of withstanding terrible storms. This, he bought it from a fishing house near the harbour. The weather was relatively calm on the five days of journey, too peaceful and quiet perhaps, for it seemed like calm before a raging storm. The waves slapped against the wooden planks of his boat. Occassionally, a whale surfaced and greeted Stone with a blow of its snort.
It was now nightfall. For twenty years, Stone has not stepped foot onto foreign land, this was his first time, yet it may be his last time. The river Morden was now in sight. Stone carefully rowed his boat towards the entrance of the river. He carefully tied his boat to a large rock and continued his journey on foot. The air was stale and damp, filled with a horrible stench of decomposing material. Stone became anxious, for he does not know what lays ahead of him.
"Master Thande was right." Stone thought to himself. There was no one guarding the entrance to the river. Quickly and steathily, Stone made his way upstream along the river bank. The river was sandwiched between two precipes; so high and tall that Stone was unable to determine its height. He ran upstream, and uphill, until he reached a waterfall. Large amounts of water come tumbling down with tremendous force and the sound given out was deafening. The waterfall smashed down onto the rocks, water droplets fluttered through the air look like small fireflies when illuminated by the moonlight. Stone suddenly thought of his father, images of the monster smashing his father's skull surfaced in his mind. To the side was a small door, emitting a faint blue light; on its top etched three large words: Gata De Morden.
"This must be the Gate Of Morden." Stone thought to himself as he took out the map that Thande handed to him.
"Whsshh"
"What was that?"
Stone felt that someone was watching him in the shadows, waiting for a chance to attack him. Stone felt uneasy. With all his might, Stone heaved the door open. A musty and damp smell immediately filled his nostrils, making Stone cough and wheeze as he took a few whiffs of the stale air. "What evil lies within these tunnels?" Stone thought to himself.
The view that came into his eyes doesn't seem very inviting. It was dark, very dark. Stone could hear water droplets dripping from the ceilings of the underground cavern. The sound of the droplets as it hit the floor gave out a sound that seemed like and explosion as it echoed throughout the cavern. Each time, sending chills down Stone's spine.
A crooked flight of stairs lay in front of him, leading deep into the underground labyrinth. The stairs seemed to be carved out from the stone and the face of the cliffs many years ago. It curved upwards. Stone moved forwards, careful not to fall into the deep abyss below the stairs.
Stone had been feeling that he had been watched ever since entering the gate of Morden. But, he was unable to see the presence of anybody anywhere. Using the map as a guide, Stone reached the bridge of Hakdum. Crossing the bridge is the only safe passage if he wanted to avoid the monster living here for the other route brings him past the Devil's Lair.
The Bridge of Hakdum was an overhead arched pathway, made of Stone from many years ago.
Suddenly, as Stone was about to cross the bridge, two arrows flashed across the silent air.
"Whoosh!"
Sensing a motion in the air currents, Stone flipped backwards, the arrows narrowly missing his head and his chest. Stone sought refuge behind a large rock lying near the entrance to the bridge. His eyes shifting from place to place as he observed his surroundings.
The two evil men tasked to guard the bridge remained hidden high up in a safe place and out of Stone's view. "Who is that?" Stone thought to himself. He dared not make any sound or any sudden movements for he did not know how many enemies there were and he did not want to reveal his whereabouts. Stone was at an advantage because he would be able to detect the locations of the two archers if they made any attack. Whereas the two men could only aim by listening for movement.
Stone picked up a rock and threw it towards the bridge. "Thud!", the piece of rock made a deafening sound as it echoed throughout the cavern. "Swoosh!". Again, two arrows sliced through the air, this time, not towards Stone, but the piece of rock.
Knowing that the enemy was blind, Stone picked up a few pieces of rock and started to move towards the bridge, taking each step slowly and treading softly, each time, throwing a rock to distract the two unknown enemies.
Just when Stone thought that his plan was working, the arrows stopped suddenly. "They must have given up." He thought.
"Boom!" A loud explosion erupted.
Stone and rubble plummetted through the air. Stone was thrown backwards by the impact of the explosion and fell hard on all fours, large pieces of rubble hitting his body. Stone picked himself up quickly, only to see more arrows coming towards him. Stone ran backwards, to the hiding place behind the rock.
"Damn." Stone shouted.
The ruckus stopped.
The bridge was no more. What's left behind was a cloud of white smoke and debris. "I'd better get out of this place quickly." There was only one way left --- past the Devil's Lair.
Drawing his swords, Stone headed in the other direction and ran as fast as he could.
After a while, silence resumed. Stone could hear his heavy breathing after the escape from the bridge.
He came to a large cave. It was filled with skulls and bones. Pieces of tattered clothe still hanging from the gruesome remains. "This must be the Den of Bones." Stone thought to himself. He walked in to examine the remains. A large pile of skulls lay in a corner of the cave. Stone picked up a skull. There was a cavity in the skull. In fact, in all of the skulls. "What weapon could have caused such a hole in the skull?" It was terrible.
"What?!" A dark figure lurked past the entrance of the cave.
Stone turned around went out to check.
Nothing, no one was there.
Stone was starting to feel afraid now. His hair now matted against his forehead, tamped down with sweat trickling down his forehead. He moved steathily, with his back against the stone walls, hoping that the monster had not noticed his presence within these tunnels.
Stone stopped at the entrance to the Devil's Lair.
As if being attracted and mesmerized by what he saw, Stone walked into the Devil's Lair. It was a very large hall, supported by 8 huge stone pillar columns, each carved with drawings and pictures. The place was an undertaker's paradise, the same coffin-like view in every direction, dark walls tapering faintly toward a hazy point of convergence in the darkness. It was magnificent, yet eerily scary. Stone walked closer, carefully examining the drawings on the pillars, totally forgetting the imminent danger that he is facing. The carvings depicted scenes of a battle, a war that involved the world.
"What is this?" Stone thought.
The pictures show a man wielding a sword and fighting against a man on the horse. The man on the man is hooded. The swordsman seems to be losing, but at his dying moments, managed to slay the horsed-man. "Huh!! This must be the Sword of LightBringer Master Thande spoke of!"
Stone continued to the other columns.
Oblivious to his surroundings, Stone did not sense the presence of another person in the hall. At the end of the hall, placed a large wooden chair, it seems to be a throne. On it,sat a person, carefully observing Stone's every movemnt, his hands toying with the skull of a dead man. By the side was a wooden chest, holding his treasures of the slain adventurers and those who roamed the labyrinth.
"Who are you? How dare you barge into my hall!" The voice was cold and hard as steel.
Shocked, Stone turned to face the man to get a better view of the man who was talking to him.
Stone quickly calmed down. He was unable to see his face.
"I am Stone from the city of LeonCita across the sea. I seek safe passageway into Oscillith through these tunnels, only to be attracted by the magnificance of your halls."
There was no response.
"Who are you then?" Stone asked as he moved closer, trying to get a better look at the silhouette figure.
The figure let out a low chuckle.
"You would not want to know. I am hungry now and you can suffice my hunger!!"
With that, the "thing" stood up from its seat and charged towards Stone. Its bony hands outstretched, aiming for Stone's neck.
Stone raised both swords and formed a 'X' in front of him to defend against the razor sharp bony claws. "Clink" The sound of bone met with the sound of metal. The evil being was fast, as soon as his hands met with the sword, the devil disappeared right in front of his eyes. The monster circled around him, hoping to catch Stone from behind. But Stone was equally fast and agile. He ducked and rolled forward, the bony claws missing him by only a fraction.
Stone turned around.
The figure was not there.
"What the...!!"
Stone became more nervous now. The bony figure was fast, Stone could not determine the location of the monster. Stone quickly retreated until his back came into contact with a stone pillar, his swords constantly hovering and swinging from side to side, preparing for another attack from the monster.
The monster was already waiting for Stone. It was on top of Stone, clinging onto the stone pillar. It moved downwards slowly, its fingers aiming for Stone's brain; so that he could feed on the cranial juice and the blood that served as his food. He raised his bony arm, ready to thrust its fingers and penetrate them into the skullbone.
"Argghh!! No!!..."
White smoke emerged from his hood as Stone pierced his sword into the monster's face, the monster's claws hanging in mid-air still scratching his scalp. The monster fell down onto the floor, its remains coagulating into a wasted heap, its bones disintegrating into a small mound of white powder. Stone heaved a sigh of relief.
He went forward to the the large wooden chair and rummaged through the wooden chest, looking for any equipment that might help him in his journey. At the bottom of the chest, Stone discovered a false compartment. He ripped it open with his sword and discovered a mithril vest studded with numerous fine diamonds.
The vest fitted Stone nicely.
Donning the vest, Stone made his way to Thorin's Gate.
It was now nightfall. For twenty years, Stone has not stepped foot onto foreign land, this was his first time, yet it may be his last time. The river Morden was now in sight. Stone carefully rowed his boat towards the entrance of the river. He carefully tied his boat to a large rock and continued his journey on foot. The air was stale and damp, filled with a horrible stench of decomposing material. Stone became anxious, for he does not know what lays ahead of him.
"Master Thande was right." Stone thought to himself. There was no one guarding the entrance to the river. Quickly and steathily, Stone made his way upstream along the river bank. The river was sandwiched between two precipes; so high and tall that Stone was unable to determine its height. He ran upstream, and uphill, until he reached a waterfall. Large amounts of water come tumbling down with tremendous force and the sound given out was deafening. The waterfall smashed down onto the rocks, water droplets fluttered through the air look like small fireflies when illuminated by the moonlight. Stone suddenly thought of his father, images of the monster smashing his father's skull surfaced in his mind. To the side was a small door, emitting a faint blue light; on its top etched three large words: Gata De Morden.
"This must be the Gate Of Morden." Stone thought to himself as he took out the map that Thande handed to him.
"Whsshh"
"What was that?"
Stone felt that someone was watching him in the shadows, waiting for a chance to attack him. Stone felt uneasy. With all his might, Stone heaved the door open. A musty and damp smell immediately filled his nostrils, making Stone cough and wheeze as he took a few whiffs of the stale air. "What evil lies within these tunnels?" Stone thought to himself.
The view that came into his eyes doesn't seem very inviting. It was dark, very dark. Stone could hear water droplets dripping from the ceilings of the underground cavern. The sound of the droplets as it hit the floor gave out a sound that seemed like and explosion as it echoed throughout the cavern. Each time, sending chills down Stone's spine.
A crooked flight of stairs lay in front of him, leading deep into the underground labyrinth. The stairs seemed to be carved out from the stone and the face of the cliffs many years ago. It curved upwards. Stone moved forwards, careful not to fall into the deep abyss below the stairs.
Stone had been feeling that he had been watched ever since entering the gate of Morden. But, he was unable to see the presence of anybody anywhere. Using the map as a guide, Stone reached the bridge of Hakdum. Crossing the bridge is the only safe passage if he wanted to avoid the monster living here for the other route brings him past the Devil's Lair.
The Bridge of Hakdum was an overhead arched pathway, made of Stone from many years ago.
Suddenly, as Stone was about to cross the bridge, two arrows flashed across the silent air.
"Whoosh!"
Sensing a motion in the air currents, Stone flipped backwards, the arrows narrowly missing his head and his chest. Stone sought refuge behind a large rock lying near the entrance to the bridge. His eyes shifting from place to place as he observed his surroundings.
The two evil men tasked to guard the bridge remained hidden high up in a safe place and out of Stone's view. "Who is that?" Stone thought to himself. He dared not make any sound or any sudden movements for he did not know how many enemies there were and he did not want to reveal his whereabouts. Stone was at an advantage because he would be able to detect the locations of the two archers if they made any attack. Whereas the two men could only aim by listening for movement.
Stone picked up a rock and threw it towards the bridge. "Thud!", the piece of rock made a deafening sound as it echoed throughout the cavern. "Swoosh!". Again, two arrows sliced through the air, this time, not towards Stone, but the piece of rock.
Knowing that the enemy was blind, Stone picked up a few pieces of rock and started to move towards the bridge, taking each step slowly and treading softly, each time, throwing a rock to distract the two unknown enemies.
Just when Stone thought that his plan was working, the arrows stopped suddenly. "They must have given up." He thought.
"Boom!" A loud explosion erupted.
Stone and rubble plummetted through the air. Stone was thrown backwards by the impact of the explosion and fell hard on all fours, large pieces of rubble hitting his body. Stone picked himself up quickly, only to see more arrows coming towards him. Stone ran backwards, to the hiding place behind the rock.
"Damn." Stone shouted.
The ruckus stopped.
The bridge was no more. What's left behind was a cloud of white smoke and debris. "I'd better get out of this place quickly." There was only one way left --- past the Devil's Lair.
Drawing his swords, Stone headed in the other direction and ran as fast as he could.
After a while, silence resumed. Stone could hear his heavy breathing after the escape from the bridge.
He came to a large cave. It was filled with skulls and bones. Pieces of tattered clothe still hanging from the gruesome remains. "This must be the Den of Bones." Stone thought to himself. He walked in to examine the remains. A large pile of skulls lay in a corner of the cave. Stone picked up a skull. There was a cavity in the skull. In fact, in all of the skulls. "What weapon could have caused such a hole in the skull?" It was terrible.
"What?!" A dark figure lurked past the entrance of the cave.
Stone turned around went out to check.
Nothing, no one was there.
Stone was starting to feel afraid now. His hair now matted against his forehead, tamped down with sweat trickling down his forehead. He moved steathily, with his back against the stone walls, hoping that the monster had not noticed his presence within these tunnels.
Stone stopped at the entrance to the Devil's Lair.
As if being attracted and mesmerized by what he saw, Stone walked into the Devil's Lair. It was a very large hall, supported by 8 huge stone pillar columns, each carved with drawings and pictures. The place was an undertaker's paradise, the same coffin-like view in every direction, dark walls tapering faintly toward a hazy point of convergence in the darkness. It was magnificent, yet eerily scary. Stone walked closer, carefully examining the drawings on the pillars, totally forgetting the imminent danger that he is facing. The carvings depicted scenes of a battle, a war that involved the world.
"What is this?" Stone thought.
The pictures show a man wielding a sword and fighting against a man on the horse. The man on the man is hooded. The swordsman seems to be losing, but at his dying moments, managed to slay the horsed-man. "Huh!! This must be the Sword of LightBringer Master Thande spoke of!"
Stone continued to the other columns.
Oblivious to his surroundings, Stone did not sense the presence of another person in the hall. At the end of the hall, placed a large wooden chair, it seems to be a throne. On it,sat a person, carefully observing Stone's every movemnt, his hands toying with the skull of a dead man. By the side was a wooden chest, holding his treasures of the slain adventurers and those who roamed the labyrinth.
"Who are you? How dare you barge into my hall!" The voice was cold and hard as steel.
Shocked, Stone turned to face the man to get a better view of the man who was talking to him.
Stone quickly calmed down. He was unable to see his face.
"I am Stone from the city of LeonCita across the sea. I seek safe passageway into Oscillith through these tunnels, only to be attracted by the magnificance of your halls."
There was no response.
"Who are you then?" Stone asked as he moved closer, trying to get a better look at the silhouette figure.
The figure let out a low chuckle.
"You would not want to know. I am hungry now and you can suffice my hunger!!"
With that, the "thing" stood up from its seat and charged towards Stone. Its bony hands outstretched, aiming for Stone's neck.
Stone raised both swords and formed a 'X' in front of him to defend against the razor sharp bony claws. "Clink" The sound of bone met with the sound of metal. The evil being was fast, as soon as his hands met with the sword, the devil disappeared right in front of his eyes. The monster circled around him, hoping to catch Stone from behind. But Stone was equally fast and agile. He ducked and rolled forward, the bony claws missing him by only a fraction.
Stone turned around.
The figure was not there.
"What the...!!"
Stone became more nervous now. The bony figure was fast, Stone could not determine the location of the monster. Stone quickly retreated until his back came into contact with a stone pillar, his swords constantly hovering and swinging from side to side, preparing for another attack from the monster.
The monster was already waiting for Stone. It was on top of Stone, clinging onto the stone pillar. It moved downwards slowly, its fingers aiming for Stone's brain; so that he could feed on the cranial juice and the blood that served as his food. He raised his bony arm, ready to thrust its fingers and penetrate them into the skullbone.
"Argghh!! No!!..."
White smoke emerged from his hood as Stone pierced his sword into the monster's face, the monster's claws hanging in mid-air still scratching his scalp. The monster fell down onto the floor, its remains coagulating into a wasted heap, its bones disintegrating into a small mound of white powder. Stone heaved a sigh of relief.
He went forward to the the large wooden chair and rummaged through the wooden chest, looking for any equipment that might help him in his journey. At the bottom of the chest, Stone discovered a false compartment. He ripped it open with his sword and discovered a mithril vest studded with numerous fine diamonds.
The vest fitted Stone nicely.
Donning the vest, Stone made his way to Thorin's Gate.