Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56As the first light of morning appeared, Elysia watched warily as Frey inspected the rubble of the ancient stone arch. The stench of stale air and rotting bones rising from within nauseated him. She turned to look down the mountain, where the surviving outcasts were setting up funeral pyres from the remains of the chariots to cremate the dead. Nobody wanted to bury them so close to the mountains.
Elysia heard Frey growl with fierce satisfaction, and she turned around again. Frey was expertly running his hand over the broken stones, on the surface of which the engraved runes formed a faint web, and then he raised his eyes and gave her a wild smile.
“There is no doubt, catgirl; the runestones that guarded the entrance were split from the outside.”
Elysia looked at him as suspicion washed over him. She felt enormous fear.
“Looks like someone has given the Von Deyl Curse a hand.” she whispered.
♦ ♦ ♦
Rain poured down from the gray sky. The carriage rattled south; Beside him, the River ran at full speed towards its mouth, and the flow, increased by the rain, constantly threatened to overflow the banks. Elysia swung her reins, and the oxen ducked her head and redoubled their effort to move forward over the muddy ground.
Beside her, Krisvel sneezed. Like almost everyone else, she was pale and sickly looking. The strain of the long journey and worsening weather had made them vulnerable to disease.
The road had become endless; they had the feeling that they had been traveling forever and that they could never rest. Even knowing that someone in the entourage had set the undead free was no longer unsettling; certainty had faded to cold suspicion when she failed to discover who was responsible.
Elysia gave Frey an accusing look, as she hoped that Krisvel's sneeze would provoke the usual rude comments about human frailty; but the dark hero was silent and stared up at the Mountains with an expression so determined that it was unusual even for him.
"What are you looking for, Sir Frey?" Krisvel asked Frey.
Frey, however, did not turn around and continued to look wistfully at the scenery. At first he gave the impression that Frey wasn't going to reply, but then he pointed to the silhouette of a cloud-shrouded mountain.
"This place." he said he. “Reminds me of home.”
He spoke in the sweetest voice Elysia had ever heard from him, and the nostalgia he oozed broke her heart.
Frey turned to look at them, and there was such a look of mute misery on his face that Elysia had to look away from her. Frey's crimson cloak was wet and wrinkled from the rain. Krisvel reached out and adjusted his cloak the way a woman might have done with his mistress.
Frey tried to frown at her fiercely, but he couldn't keep it up and just smiled sadly. Elysia wondered if Frey hadn't come this long way just to get that fleeting glimpse of the mountain, and then she realized that a drop of water was about to detach from the lower end of Frey's helmet; it could be a tear or just a drop of rain.
♦ ♦ ♦
"We can't leave them yet." Frey said as he looked directly at Elysia's eyes.
Elysia turned to look at the dilapidated fortified mansion they had found. They could see the smoke coming out in plumes from the chimneys of the newly converted building.
“Why not Frey? They've found an unowned area, arable land, and the ruins of that old fortress. It won't take too much work to defend it. Besides, you know I don't like humans."
“Elysia, we are about four weeks from the point where the river meets the sea. In these mountains live tribes of greenskins, harpies, maybe even Wyvers and who knows what else.”
“I already know that, Frey. We will have to go through the mountains to find the ancient dwarf fortress.”
“I know, but we can't leave yet. You saw the bodies we found in the mansion; their bones had been broken to remove the marrow. The walls are burned, and Dieter has seen the tracks of goblin wolf riders around. The place is not defensible now, but with our help, with my help, I can make it defensible.”
"Why do you think you would be able to do something?" Elysia asked as she arched an eyebrow.
“Because my specialty is defense, I have the knowledge and ability to work with stone and make fortifications.”
Elysia turned to look thoughtfully at the mansion. She seemed like she was analyzing the state of the building; she frowned at the dire state of the structure.
"I dont know." she said at last. “Perhaps not even a master craftsman can fortify this place. He is old, very old.”
"I can do it. I know it is possible.”
"Perhaps. But it will take you a lot of time.”
"Maybe, but I'm sure the baron will pay us handsomely for our services."
Elysia sniffed suspiciously.
"The figure had better be higher than what he pays for adventurers."
"Follow me." Frey said with a wide smile. "Let's go find out."
♦ ♦ ♦
Unable to fall asleep, Frey silently got up, and put on his armor without making a sound because he didn't want to wake up Krisvel. He gently wrapped her in the cloaks they used as blankets to keep her warm, then placed a light kiss on her forehead. She moved, but without waking up; so she took the sword, which was by the entrance of the hut, placed her helm on her head, and went out into the cold night air. "Winter is coming." she thought as she watched her breath condense.
In the moonlight, she walked through the cluster of shacks that nestled in the lee of the new wooden walls that surrounded the mansion. He felt at peace for the first time in a long time, and even the night noises of the camp were reassuring. The fortress had been completed before the first snows, and it seemed that the settlers would have enough grain to last through the winter and plant a new crop in the spring.
He listened to the lowing of the cattle and the measured steps of the sentinel who walked along the top of the wall. He looked up and saw that a light was still shining in the window of Manfred's room; then she thought of his twisted fate. “I never would have imagined that I would settle for a long period in a fortified village on the edge of nowhere. I wonder what my companions in the Castle would think if they could see me now. They would probably die of laughter.” Frei smiled.
The truth was that it was exciting to be in this place. He was overwhelmed by that feeling you get when something is about to start, because the community was still taking shape. “I could have a role as a member of the group.” he thought. “This can be a perfect place to start a new life.”
Somewhat melancholy, Frey looked to the East; towards the place where Damenburg castle possibly stood and then looked around. “I can't, I have a mission to accomplish. Maybe someday."
He continued toward the guard tower, where he knew Elysia was. Catgirl couldn't sleep; she was restless and ready to leave the place. Because of that, she spent her nights standing guard in the tower that Frey had designed.
Frey climbed the ladder and went through the trapdoor that opened in the floor of the guard room. He found Elysia staring into the darkness of the night. Though Frey's arrival made her nervous.
“You can't sleep either, right? cat girl.”
Frey moved forward to stand next to the catgirl, and they both stood looking out over the outer wall, a moat lined with sharp stakes surrounding it. The only easy entrance was the land bridge that overlooked the tower they were on.
"Frey..."
“Yes, cat girl? You have something to tell me?"
“You have done a good build.” Elysia commented, and the dark hero looked down at Elysia and gave her a confident smile from under her helmet.
“I never would have imagined that you would be able to design, plan and build this type of structure. How did you learn to do it?”
"I told you, didn't I? My specialty is defense, I have knowledge of how to defend a location and how to fortify a building.”
"Well I must admit you've done a great job, this tower looks like it will be able to stand for generations."
"We'll find out soon enough." Frey replied as he pointed towards the outside of the fortress.
When Elysia looked where Frey was pointing, she paled due to fear.
The fields were filled with goblin wolf riders. At that time, Frey handed Elysia a horn to sound as an alarm.
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
The Dark Hero Adventures Wolf Riders, Part 9
Elysia ducked just as an arrow splintered the wood of the parapet before her. She bent down to pick up a crossbow from the hand of the guard who had been killed when an arrow pierced her neck. From her He groped for a bolt and struggled to load the weapon with it; finally, she got it.She jumped to her feet. Fire arrows flashed overhead like shooting stars, and from behind her came the smell of burning. Elysia looked down from the parapet, and she saw the goblin wolf riders surrounding the camp like a pack of beasts rounding up a herd of sheep. She saw the green skin of the horsemen gleam in the light of the flaming arrows, which also highlighted the yellow of their eyes and fangs."There must be hundreds of them." Elysia thought, and she mentally thanked Frey for the presence of the moat, the stakes, and the wooden wall that her partner had made them build. At the time, it had seemed like an unnecessary effort to them, and Frey was cursed by everyone; but now the cons
The Dark Hero Adventures Wolf Riders, Part 10
The corpulent corpse of Dieter lay in the doorway of the Baron's bedroom with one side of his head caved in. Elysia imagined she would bolt out the door in a rage when a prepared enemy struck her from the side.She leaped like a lioness over the body, rolling to the ground before standing up and looking around the room. The old baron lay in bed with a knife through his heart, his blood soaking the bandages on his chest and the sheets.The catgirl glared at the chair Manfred was sitting on. He had the sword stained with blood."The curse has been fulfilled at last." the playwright stated in a strained voice, which also contained a high-pitched note of hysteria.He looked up, and Elysia shivered because Manfred's face seemed like a mask, as if something strange was looking at her from inside her."I knew it was my destiny to end the curse." declared Manfred as if making a comment to pass the time. “I knew it from the moment I killed my mother.
The Dark Hero Adventures Troll Hunter, part 1
After the calamitous events with the Von Deyls, we set off deep into the shadowy mountains. It was a long and hard journey, and the mountains we traversed didn't make it any easier. The hunger, the hardships and the constant threat of the goblins that roamed the area did not help my mental state; perhaps I was particularly sensitive when I first beheld the dingy grandeur of the ancient ruined city-fortress of the dwarves, lost among those remote peaks for so long. In any case, I remember that I had a terrible omen regarding what we were going to find in it and, as will be seen, my fears were fully justified...Elysia, 'The Adventures of the Dark Hero', vol. I,Printed in Riverheim, Arcadia.♦ ♦ ♦A scream echoed through the cold mountain air, and Elysia drew her sword and went on guard. Snowflakes were falling and an icy wind ruffled her long black hair. She threw her woolen cloak over her right shoulder to fr
The Dark Hero Adventures Troll Hunter, part 2
“In the name of the son, you have been well! We were in a bit of trouble,” declared the tall, dark-haired warrior, at the same time making the Sign of the cult of the triumvirate on his chest. He was a handsome man despite his rough appearance. His armor, though dented, was of the highest quality, and the intensity of his gaze made Elysia uncomfortable. "Apparently, gentlemen, we owe you our lives" added the sorcerer, who was also richly dressed. His brocade robe was edged with gold thread, and scrolls covered in mystic symbols were attached to rings that adorned it. His long blond hair was cut in a peculiar way, since from the center of the wavy strands rose a crest although it was somewhat short. Elysia wondered if it was the badge of some mystical order. The armored man's laugh rang out like thunder. “It is the prophecy, Johann. Didn't the priestess say that one of our brothers from Lothal would help us? Praise be to the father! It's a good sign, no doubt." <
The Dark Hero Adventures Troll Hunter, part 3
All that long day, as they approached the wall, Elysia realized how much those ancient structures had suffered. What from a distance produced a sense of timeless strength and security, on closer inspection became as dilapidated as the road they were traveling on.The wall that, like a stone curtain, blocked the passage into the valley was four times the height of a man and passed between sheer sheer precipices. The signs of neglect were obvious, like the moss that grew between the cracks in the huge stone blocks, the channels that rainwater had made in them, and the yellow patches of lichen. Some areas were blackened as if by great tongues of fire, and a large section of the wall had collapsed.Her companions kept silent, because desolation covered the group like a shroud. Elysia felt depressed and nervous. She had the sense that the spirits of old were watching them as they pondered the crumbling remnants of that ancient greatness, and at no time did she take her hand
The Dark Hero Adventures Troll Hunter, part 4
From the window of the tower where the dwarfs had lodged them, Elysia looked down the cobbled street. Outside, the snow had begun to fall; behind her, the others argued in low voices."I don't like it," Zauber said. “Who knows how extensive an underground area can be? We could search to the end of the world and not find the sword. I thought the dwarfs were guarding it.”“We must have faith.” Aldred replied, his tone calm and implacable. “The Father wants us to find the sword, and we must trust that he will guide us to it.”“Aldred, if Father wishes the sword to be returned, why didn't he place it in the hands of your three brothers who have gone before us?” Zauber asked, a hint of hysteria creeping into his voice.“Who am I to speculate on the All-Father's motivations? Maybe it wasn't the right time. Perhaps he wants to test our faith. In me you will not find an unbeliever. You don't have to come with
The Dark Hero Adventures Troll Hunter, part 5
“What has Priestess given you, Sir Frey?” Johann Zauber wanted to know, and Frey abruptly put the document in the magician's hand.“It looks like a map of the city, surely a copy created by a Chronicler. It seems to cover all the ground that Prince Beliar's expedition explored.In the light filtered by the crystals above, the sorcerer inspected it, then scratched his head. Elysia looked over his shoulder and saw only tiny runes scrawled and connected with lines of different colored ink. Some lines were thick, others thin, and some dotted."It doesn't look like any map I've ever seen," declared the wizard. "I don't see him head or tail.Frey's lips curved into a contemptuous smile.“I'd be surprised if you turned it on, because it's written in Engineer code. Thanks to a friend, I am barely able to understand it.”"We are in your hands, sir Frey, and in the Father's," the Paladin said. "Lead us."
The Dark Hero Adventures Troll Hunter, part 6
He was waiting in the next room, near the bottom of the long staircase. They passed under an archway carved with demon skulls and saw the beast: an immense ogre, nearly twice Aldred's height and four times his bulk. A ridge of hair rose from his scaly scalp and was dyed, though not just one color, but alternating stripes of black and white. A spiked bracer with a fist shaped like a long terrible scythe covered his right arm. A huge spiked ball attached to a chain hung from his left hand, and it had the appearance of being able to demolish a castle wall. The creature smiled, exposing sharp metal teeth. Behind him crouched a company of goblins with their glossy green skin, clutching metal shields emblazoned with the Skull emblem. Scabs, boils, and pockmarks marked their ugly faces, which smiled repulsively. Some wore spiked collars around their necks, others metal rings that pinched the skin of their torsos. They had red eyes devoid of pupils, and Elysia wondered if this was t
Latest Chapter
- The Dark Hero Adventures
The Lord of the Mutants, part 4
“Take the sword!” Elysia yelled at him.But the stunned Frey was in no condition to heed the advice, and besides, he wanted to spill blood. He took an unsteady step toward Oleg, who was standing where he had left him, howling as he clutched his nose. Then, hearing Frey's staggering footsteps, she looked up and let out a tremendous bellow of anger and pain. He rushed toward his foe, crouching low and arms outstretched, intending to once again ensnare the dark hero in a deadly embrace. Frey remained where he was as the monster charged into a thunderous race towards him, as unstoppable as a runaway horse-drawn chariot.Elysia didn't want to look… The mutant was big enough to crush Frey, but she couldn't look away in horror.Oleg reached where Frey was. His massive arms began to close, but at the last second Frey ducked and dove between the monster's legs, then spun around and lashed out with the chain, which wrapped around the mutant's ankle. Fre
- The Dark Hero Adventures
The Lord of the Mutants, part 3
"Ulber?" I ask. Ulber Roger?"Do not call me that way!" The man's voice approached the scream. "Address me as 'Sir'.""Do you know this idiot?" Frei asked.Elysia nodded. Ulber Roger was a philosophy friend of Elysia's owner before the catgirl had murdered her mistress and escaped from her. He had been a quiet young man, very studious and could always be found in libraries according to his mistress. He had probably never exchanged more than a dozen words with her in the two years he had been friends with her mistress. He also remembered that Roger had vanished. There was a bit of a scandal… something to do with some missing library books, and he also remembered that some Inquisitors had shown interest."Stop!" Roger yelled at him in his thin, irritating voice. "You are my prisoners and you will do as I command for the remainder of your wretched lives."“Will we do as you bid us for the rest of our worthless lives?” Elysia looked
- The Dark Hero Adventures
The Lord of the Mutants, part 2
Elysia noticed that all the patrons were looking at the innkeeper strangely, as if he had spoken at the wrong time, or said something they had never expected him to say. But she dismissed that thought. Maybe they were just scared. Who wouldn't be with a servant of the Dark Powers housed in the castle that overlooked the town?“He is wicked like a dragon with a toothache. Isn't that right, Helmut?"The peasant the innkeeper had just spoken to froze in place like a rat staring at a snake."Isn't that right, Helmut?" the innkeeper repeated."It's not so bad," replied the farmer. "Considering how evil warlocks are.""Why don't you storm the castle?" Frey asked, and Elysia thought that if the dark hero couldn't guess the answer from the beaten-dog looks of those louts he was more stupid than he looked."Because the monster is there, sir" replied the farmer at the same time that he dragged his feet and looked at the floor again."The
- The Dark Hero Adventures
The Lord of the Mutants, part 1
The idea must occur to readers of these pages from time to time that my companion and I were under the influence of some curse.Without any effort on our part, and without any desire on my part, we managed to meet all manner of worshipers of the Dark Ones. I myself often suspected that we were really doomed to oppose his plans without ever understanding why; but such speculation never bothered the Dark Hero.Frey took all such events as they came, with a groan and a resigned shrug, and dismissed any such speculation as that of a useless and vain philosopher.However, I have thought long and hard on the matter, and I have the feeling that if there is a power in this world that opposes the servants of evil, perhaps it was the one who sometimes guided our steps and even protected us. What is certain is that we often stumbled upon some of the most outrageous and malevolent schemes perpetrated by the most unlikely of evildoers...Elysia, 'The Adventures of the
- The Dark Hero Adventures
Demonic Knight, part 15
The desire to kill reverberated through Jasmine's brain, and the darkness rooted in her soul threatened to overtake her completely. Madness bubbled through her veins, and bloodlust flooded her as if she were a drug; her carnage gave him ecstatic pleasure. She wanted to find the black-armored warrior and kill him, for of all the enemies she had faced, he was the most powerful: a worthy offering indeed to the god of Wrath. At the last second, when she was about to brush aside his sword and kill him, her fate, in the form of her own idiotic followers of hers, had intervened to separate them. She wanted to find him again and finish the fight.And then she saw the girl. As if against her will, she gazed at the frightened little face that peeked out from where she was hiding. He knew what he had to do, because it was time to end this once and for all, to take the first step on the path that would end in eternal life, to take advantage of the opportunity offered to him of a glorious
- The Dark Hero Adventures
Demonic Knight, part 14
Jasmine watched as the great cannon blasted the third breach in the city wall, then decided enough was enough. They had to save powder for the next fortification they came to, and the gaps were big enough for their soldiers to squeeze through. The defenders were tired and bewildered, so the time had come. She signaled to the bugler, and he sounded the advance blast. Marching to the beat of the human-skinned drums, the beastmen sprang into motion.Jasmine felt the thirst for blood rise within her, and with it, her desire to offer souls to the god of Wrath. She that night she would make him a great offering.♦ ♦ ♦Elysia watched as the tide of beastmen surged across the grounds, and archers began firing from the ramparts. They chose their targets calmly, methodically, and efficiently, and fired. Arrows pierced the darkness, piercing chests, throats, and bestial eyes. As the infernal drums beat, the relentless bloodthirsty beastmen continued to adva
- The Dark Hero Adventures
Demonic Knight, part 13
Elysia watched the clouds overhead, racing across the sky like a mass that twisted and undulated in a strong wind. The color of the forest had changed from a light green to a darker, more ominous hue; she seemed as if the trees, like everything else, were waiting.She was standing on the parapet at the top of the wooden wall, and she was looking across the fields, straining to catch any sign of movement in the undergrowth. By her calculations, it was the end of the afternoon. Next to her was Frey, who was looking at his sword with disinterest. Every ten paces along the wall there was an archer, one of the woodcutters, men who could hit an ox's eye from two hundred paces, and measuring the distance between them and the line of trees, Elysia realized. realized that this was a slaughterhouse. Any attackers would get bogged down in the plowed fields and be easy targets for archers.She tried to let that thought reassure her, but she couldn't. Night in the woods was not lik
- The Dark Hero Adventures
Demonic Knight, part 12
Elysia looked up at the ornate golden hammer that gleamed in the early morning light streaming through the open door of the temple. The runes etched into the Hammer's head reminded him of the ones adorning the blade of her own sword, but that didn't surprise him too much. Her sword had been the most prized possession of an Order of paladins and it seemed only fitting that the sword be engraved with holy signs.There were few people present; only some old women who were sitting cross-legged on the floor and praying. The babies with their mothers were outside, getting the cool while they could, and Elysia guessed the air might be unbreathable in there with the doors closed.The temple was a simple sanctuary with a simple altar, except for the presence of the Hammer, which was used to bless marriages and contracts. The Father, The Mother and The Son were not very popular deities there, since most of the woodcutters looked to Belial, Lord of the Forests and God of the Eart
- The Dark Hero Adventures
Demonic Knight, part 11
Kat hurried toward the base of the watchtower because she felt the need to be alone. She had grown tired of sitting by the large central bonfire, and not even Frey's presence reassured her. She felt very alone in the midst of all those busy adults; in reality, there was no one with whom she could talk, and for the first time she realized that she no longer knew anyone in this world and that she had no place in it. Her flames reminded him too much of the Kleinsdorf fires. The ladder barely creaked under her bare feet as she climbed toward the trapdoor with the agility of a monkey.Elysia was sitting alone, and she was looking into the darkness. She had long since set the sun like a bloodstain on the horizon; the moon had risen through the sky, its silvery light bathing the surroundings. A gentle breeze cooled Kat's cheeks and made the forest whisper and murmur ominously. Elysia watched him mesmerized, lost in her own thoughts, and she hurried across the tower and sat down besi
