Refuge: Kurt's Quest (24 page)

The creature waved its tentacles weakly for a
moment, before they all dropped limply into the water.  The body of the
creature followed, sinking into the deep water.  A monster that had been around
for no one knew how long was dead.  But the Marshal had lost an assassin, seven
mages, four priests, and, from the start of the engagement with the creature,
eleven warriors.

I should have brought all my magic users with
me, and not left any in reserve
, thought the Marshal.  But he hadn’t expected
such disproportionate losses among such powerful Ellala.

“I hope we don’t have any more surprises like
this ahead,” he said, looking over at the Priest.

“We won’t know until we come upon them,” said
Millistara, giving a head nod.  “That is why they’re called surprises.”

The Marshal had to admit the other Ellala was
correct, much as he hated that admission.  He looked over at Krug, who was
standing at the edge of the ledge and staring with glassy eyes toward the
tunnel across the way.

“What is it, Krug?” he asked the giant warrior.

“They are calling to me.”

“What’s calling?” asked the Priest, his eyes looking
intently at the Ogre.

“The blade,” said the giant warrior.  “And the
armor.  They call to me.  They wish for me to wield them.”

“Most probable,” said the Priest.  “They sense
a great warrior of evil intent, and are ready to leave this place and venture
into the world above, so they can again work their dark magic..”

“And the crown?”

“The crown would not contact one such as Krug. 
He doesn’t possess the mental ability to be of use to it, and there are many of
us here who could employ it.”

“Will it be where the blade and armor are?”
asked the Marshal, hoping that it would be an easy grab when they found one of
the artifacts.

“I don’t know, but I seriously doubt it.  The
crown will be even deeper into this place, and may not be able to seek a user. 
The Gods themselves may have used their powers to conceal it.”

“But not the blade and armor?”

“No,” said the Priest, glancing over at the
Ogre.  “This place was not built to protect them.  They just happened to be
placed here by those who also wanted them removed from the world.  So they can
still reach out to whomever they sense nearby.”

“Then we will go get them, immediately,” said
Ellisandra, waving some of his men to the pathway leading around the deep
cavern pool.  “As soon as Krug has them equipped, he will be much more
formidable, and so we will be a more powerful force.”

“We must take care, though,” said the Priest,
watching the Ogre walking quickly in the trail of the Ellala warriors,
obviously eager to get to the objects.  “With his weak mind, he may be
controlled by the artifacts, especially the blade.  They may direct his
actions, and we may have little choice in what those actions are.”

“What do you suggest?  That we keep him from
the artifacts?”

“No,” said the Priest, shaking his head.  “But
I would make sure that no one important is standing close to the Ogre when he
draws that blade.  It has not fed for many centuries, possibly millennia.  And
any life nearby may be seen as sustenance for such as it.”

So maybe I can have the Assassin near him,
which would take care of one problem,
thought the Marshal, looking over at the back
of the Ogre, then at the Priest. 
Now, I just need to think of a way to get
rid of you.  But not before we get that crown, and I can use your skill while
it’s still an unknown waiting for us.

“Follow them,” he ordered the rest of his
people, then stepped onto the narrow path, wanting to leave this place of death
and get the mission over with. 
And if I can learn to use the crown, there
may be many more surprises for many, including the Emperor.

Chapter Fifteen

Kurt felt a little out of place trying to sneak
in full plate armor.  It was like nothing he had imagined when he had been a
soldier on Earth, going on patrols when he had been a mere Oberleutnant during
the Polish campaign, before his infantry division had been converted to a
Panzer Division, and his regiment to Panzergrenadiers.  Then he went forward
sans even a helmet, trying to make as little noise as possible while getting
his own eyes on the enemy position.  Now he was encased in armor from head to
foot.

Only this armor was almost weightless, even to
someone with normal strength.  To someone like himself, it was like carrying a
normal field jacket on his body.  The amazing part, though, was how quiet the
armor was.  He would have expected it to creak and clank with every step. 
Instead, it acted on itself almost as if it were made of cloth, with no metallic
sound.  But, unlike cloth, it was many times harder and tougher than normal
steel armor.  Even magical penetrators would bounce from its facings if not of
high power, and driven in at the perfect angle.

Jackie moved along beside him, sheathed from
ankle to head in magical chain that, while not quite as tough as his plate, let
her move just as quietly.  Even more so with her natural agility and her
leather boots.

[We’re close,] she sent over their mind link.

Kurt nodded, also in on the take from White Paw,
who had settled into some deep shadows in an opening that seemed made for him. 
The wolf was seeing movement in other shadows, shambling creatures that were
moving into hides and waiting.  [They have the reception committee ready,] he
sent, his own ears picking up the shuffle of feet on a stone floor.

[There is also something moving to a spot
directly to your front,] sent the wolf.  [Something, wrong.]

Kurt could feel the terror the loyal beast was
feeling.  Only that loyalty kept it in place, and he felt a shiver run up his
own spine at the thought of what must be causing that fear.  [Stay hidden.  We
will not need you to engage this enemy.] 
Any more than the golems.  Garios
is pretty sure these things will not be affected by mental attacks.

The Immortal glanced to the rear, to where the
Priest was following close behind.  Garios was not as quiet as the Immortal
pair, his armor not as soundless, his step not as agile.  He gripped his shield
tightly on his left arm, his hammer on his right.  His eyes were in constant
motion, his lips moving in prayer, readying himself for the confrontation.  [I
can feel it, friend Kurt,] came his mental transmission.  [The being ahead of
us is a powerful magic user, and evil to the core.]

Kurt kept moving forward, connecting to Fenris
and Drake to see how their parties were doing.  Fenris was leading half the
knights on a looping path to the right, while the Mage was coming directly
behind with the rest of the knights and the two Nords.  Kurt wished he had more
men, though he had led companies in the latter stages of his war with as few
men.

Something stepped out of the shadows ahead, a
figure that was difficult to discern, as its head was wreathed in flames.  It
left the impression of something skeletally thin, wearing what had once been
fine robes, now falling apart with age.

The creature brought its hand back, then
whipped it forward, throwing a bright ball of energy at the Immortals.  “Get
back,” yelled Kurt at the Dwarf, waving a hand, then waiting for the fireball
to strike.  Strike it did, right onto his chest, exploding into a huge roaring
flame, engulfing himself and Jackie.

Kurt stood in the magical fire, feeling a
slight warmth from the flames which otherwise didn’t affect him.  Jackie had
cringed for a moment, then straightened as she realized that this was magical
flame, something which did not affect either of them.  They stood there as the
flames roared, a powerful enough ball that both would have been reduced to ash
and bone chips if not for their immunity. 
And won’t it be surprised in a
moment
, thought the Immortal with a smile creeping across his face.

The fire burned bright for about fifteen
seconds.  There was nothing within its range to catch afire.  The flesh of the
Immortals was immune, and the clothing they wore seemed to benefit from that
immunity, while their armor couldn’t be harmed by anything but the heat of a
mighty forge.  The flames burned high, then died to nothing in an instant.

The skeletal creature was surprised, as
evidence by its jaw dropping open.  The flames on its head died down, and
bright pinpoints appeared in the eye sockets.  It stood there for a moment,
unmoving, then shot a finger forward.  A bolt of electrical power erupted from
the digit.  The bolt hit Kurt, then arced over to hit Jackie, moving from her
to the wall of the cavern, where it bounced away at random.

“You’ll have to do better than that, my
friend,” shouted Kurt.

The skeletal creature clashed its teeth, its
eyes burning even brighter.  Again the hand went forward, and this time a ball
of blue fire came at them.  Kurt could feel the cold from the ball as it
approached, a slight chill like stepping into an air conditioned room.  He was
sure that to someone without his immunity, it would be like the cold from the
glaciers that froze mammoths in seconds during the ice ages.  Again, if not for
his immunity, he was sure he would freeze solid, probably to shatter as he hit
the ground.  The ball struck the floor at his feet and erupted into a blizzard
like flurry of snow and ice.  The floor, ceiling and walls all grew instant
crystals, and one stalagmite broke off from the cold.

The creature glared at them again, its eyes
radiating hate.  “I think we’ve pissed him off,” said Jackie in a whisper,
staring with some trepidation at the litch.

“Good,” said Kurt, nodding.  “Now maybe it will
call the ambush, and we can get on with this.”

The litch opened it mouth and a strange,
undulating call came out of an orifice that should have been incapable of
making that sound, what with the lack of working lungs and such.  It was a
sound that chilled the nerves.  Kurt could feel the goose pimples rising on his
flesh, and his muscles shivered for a moment.  He knew it wasn’t a magical
effect, but more psychological, from the atavistic fears most Earth people had
developed reading fiction and watching movies. 
This is no movie, but this
creature is not as powerful as the fantasies of the films. 
He revised that
thought in a moment.  Maybe the litch was not as big a threat to himself and
Jackie on this world, but he was probably more of a threat to most than any
movie monster.

[They are coming at you from all sides,] sent
White Paw over the mind link.

[How many?]

[Many,] said the wolf, who for all his
intelligence was not good at numbers as a single unit.

“Look out,” yelled Garios, stepping back
forward, raising his hammer and shouting the power words of a quick prayer.

From their left side stepped a score of
creatures wrapped in rotting bandages, moving with shuffling steps.  Mummies,
greater undead of incredible strength, capable of causing a rotting disease in
any mortal they touched, which didn’t include the Immortals.  Most were
unarmed, though some carried clubs of various types, wood and metal.

Even more creatures stepped out from the
right.  Grinning skeletons with glowing eye sockets, all wearing a panoply of
ancient armor, carrying large swords or axes in their hands.  Skeletal lords,
undead warriors incapable of really being killed, since they were already dead,
and retaining all the skills they had practiced in life.  They didn’t run, but
they walked at a much faster pace than the mummies.

Behind the creatures on both sides came more of
their kind, until it looked as if the trio would be facing a hundred greater
undead.  Maybe the Immortals were immune to magic, but not to physical damage. 
They were hard to kill, but death would come to them if they were injured
enough, too much for their regenerative powers to counter.

“Between us Priest,” said Kurt, drawing his
sword and standing in a defensive crouch, Jackie at his back facing the other
way.  He would take on the Skeletal lords, while Jackie would handle the
mummies, who might be more susceptible to her sword fire.  Garios would use his
priestly powers to aid them and discomfit the enemy during the fight.

[Get ready,] Kurt sent to his other teams,
giving them an estimated count of when he wanted them in the action.

[We will destroy many of these abominations,]
sent his sword with a feeling of glee.  [We will send them to the hells which
should have claimed them ages ago.]

Kurt had to smile at the enthusiasm of the
blade.  It really didn’t matter to the sword how many enemies they were facing,
the more the merrier.  It might be saddened if its wielder went down, but would
consider that loss acceptable if it rid the world of multitudes of undead. 
[But I don’t expect you to die,] sent Lenoris.  [You are the mightiest being to
ever wield me, and, as such, I expect you to win.]

The first Skeletal lord moved within striking
range, drawing back its two handed sword and starting its forward lean, when it
would bring the blade in with all its strength.  Kurt struck first, the
Paladin’s blade glowing bright and slicing into the shoulder of the undead
creature.  The blade cut through the shoulder armor and into the bone beneath. 
With a flash the skeleton flared into dust, while the now unoccupied armor fell
clattering to the ground.

Another skeleton struck, and this time Kurt
caught the blade on his, then pushed back.  The skeleton fell back, and Kurt
swung into the spine and sent another set of empty armor to the ground.  Two
more came in, the Immortal blocking one blade and taking the next one on his
left  pauldron.  The sword hit hard, and Kurt staggered back just a bit before
he came off the block to slide his blade into the side of the skeleton that had
scored the hit.

The sword started singing in his mind as he
worked, driving all fear and doubt from the Immortal’s mind.  He felt like a
demigod, Hercules reborn.  He was much stronger than these creatures, that were
each stronger than a mortal man.  But they were starting to swarm now, and soon
he would have more than he could realistically handle.  His armor would protect
him better than most, and wounds that would incapacitate a mortal would only
inconvenience him.  Enough of that inconvenience and he might go down, and he
might not get back up if these things piled on him.

The hammer of the Dwarf, glowing with power,
came slicing into the Skeletal lords at waist level, crunching through armor
and bone, and dropping a trio of the creatures to the ground as flaming bone
chips.  Then the dwarf was elsewhere, aiding Jackie in her defense, leaving
Kurt to again deal with the Skeletal lords on his own.

[Come now,] he sent to his other people. 
[We’ve gauged their strength, and have them all engaged.  So come, attack, and
let’s end this thing.]

*     *     *

Jackie did not like fighting undead.  Even
though she was more than a match for any of them, at least singly, they still
scared the hell out of her.  Growing up in Alabama, where many of the backwoods
folk were still superstitious, and modern media, with vampires, witches and
especially zombies, programed people to be afraid of things that went bump in
the night.  And these bandage wrapped monstrosities didn’t just go bump.  They
went stomp and crush.

The Immortal ducked under one slashing hand,
then hit the arm with
Fire,
holding the sword to the bandages for a
moment to let them flare and catch aflame.  The mummy tried to recovered,
waving the arm, but Jackie sent a hard kick into its side and sent it stumbling
to the ground, where it lay on fire, limbs moving quickly if uncoordinatedly,
and accomplishing nothing as it burned out its existence.

The next one tried to grab her, and she plunged
Ice
into its body, then slashed down.  It didn’t have the same effect as
Fire
, though it did freeze the left upper leg and part of the midsection. 
Another kick, and this one was falling over with a missing leg.  The next one
gave her a fierce hit to the shoulder, a blow that would have dropped most
large warriors to the ground.  She braced her legs and brought her sword up to
cross at the mummy’s head, slicing through and sending the bandage wrapped
skull to roll across the cavern floor, while the body turned and wandered off
in a random direction.

But then there was another one, and another, in
a seemingly endless succession of undead.  Jackie was stronger than the
creatures, and much faster.  But they were attacking four at a time, and she
couldn’t fend off all the attacks.  Another struck her in the head, a blow that
set her ears to ringing as it bounced her helmet almost off of her crown.  She
swung
Fire
into that mummy, slicing through the shoulder and holding the
blade in place for a moment to set it aflame.  That was almost her undoing, as
the next mummy over hit her arm and knocked her hand away from her most
effective weapon.

Jackie hit that mummy with her right hand
balled into a gloved fist, sending the undead creature staggering away.  She
grabbed at
Fire
while the mummy, the blade still stuck in its shoulder,
staggered away, waving its arms and trying to put out the flame.  A mummy
grabbed her by the shoulder, and she shrugged hard to try and get its hand off
her.  Her right hand grabbed the hilt of the blade, as the pain of the natural
fire that was now engulfing the mummy burned into her flesh.