The Chaos Blade - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The days passed without incident. Eric and Bill practiced with their new weapons. Both were already considered experts in unarmed combat and knife fighting, but they came to find out their level of expertise might have made them lethal on Earth, but on Viconia it was not quite so skilled. Still better then average, by far, but if their rude awakening was any indication of life on Viconia, they needed to work harder.

Eric, falling back on his experience using Alesha's short sword (which he still wore, though now in a proper scabbard across his back), had acquired a rapier with a basket hilt rode that across his right hip. His curved special forces dagger was tucked into a sheath on his left hip. Bill had trouble deciding on his weapons of choice. In the end he picked up a light crossbow and a score bolts, a single edged battle axe with a lethal looking spike as a counter-weight, and a short sword as compliments to his own special forces knife.

After six days of touring Sanctuary they were starting to wonder what more was out there. After a particularly hot and sweaty training exercise with Alesha and Yamara, Alesha finally broached the topic.

"I think it is time for us to move on," she said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

Between ragged breaths Eric responded, "Where do you think we should go?"

Bill continued to gasp for air. His cigarettes had run out several days ago and now he was suffering from withdrawal on top of not being in shape. Yamara was breathing heavily, but nowhere near as heavily as the two men. Alesha seemed to be the only one hardly affected by the strenuous activity in the mid day heat.

"I want two things," she said, ignoring the drops of sweat that ran down into the cleavage between her breasts and into her armor. In spite of his condition, Bill watched each droplet with growing envy.

"First, as you all know, I want to figure out what is going on with me. Second, I want to find Kelnozz."

Eric was surprised. For her to want to find Kelnozz implied that perhaps she really had reformed her ways. He had been given no reason to doubt her yet, but he remembered all to well the things he had seen. He still had nightmares he woke up from drenched in a cold sweat thanks to her. Then again, maybe she wanted to find him because she thought that this time around she could defeat him. Eric sighed, damn him and his creative mind. Then again, perhaps she was the one that deserved damning more then he did.

"How do you propose to find him?" Yamara asked.

"There are a couple of ways, actually," she answered with a sly grin. "But only one of them is safe. We need to find Luingirth."

"Luin-what?" Bill said, finally having caught his breath enough to participate in the discussion.

"Luingirth is Kelnozz's pet dragon," she said, looking at him for his reaction.

Bill's eyes blinked rapidly a few times. He cocked his head a little to the side, as though trying to figure out what she said. "Pet dragon?"

"Well, not really a pet. More of a friend I guess."

"Oh, right, okay then," Bill stammered. He looked at Eric, who just shrugged. "We're not talking komodo dragon here, are we?"

Eric shrugged again. "Never been here bro. When I met him he came to my world. I've seen a giant four-armed demon with the face of a dog, to me that makes anything possible."

Bill gulped and looked back to Alesha, who was grinning mischievously. He shook his head and remained quiet.

"Thousands of miles from here to the southwest there is an island. Under this island there is a cavern. Not any cavern either, mind you, but the cavern where Kelnozz defeated me the first time and sent me home to Earth."

"That cave possessed the portal to where the metallic dragons where imprisoned, and was guarded by the mythical dragon, Tiamat," Alesha continued.

"Hey, I've heard of her," Eric interrupted. "Used to be a cartoon show called Dungeons and Dragons and the good guys, ironically about a bunch of humans from Earth that got dumped into this magical world, had a couple of chief enemies throughout the series. One of them was a five headed dragon named Tiamat!"

Alesha nodded. "Yes, I remember it too, now that you mention it. But I assure you, this Tiamat was very real and far more deadly then the one in the cartoon."

Eric nodded. "Of course, but it stands to reason that perhaps somebody has traveled from this world to ours before."

"That or maybe all of this is just a sick dream," Bill muttered darkly.

"Are you not enjoying yourself?" Alesha asked him, looking at him kindly. Bill blushed and stammered out his reply, realizing that the gorgeous woman had him wrapped around her finger. Eric frowned, concerned for his friend. Maybe a little jealous as well, though he would never admit it.

"Anyhow, Tiamat was slain by Kelnozz, Nordan, Martin, and Luingirth, as well as a few other elves who's names I never knew. The metallic dragons were freed and well, you know the rest of the story," Alesha said with her eyes cast downward briefly.

"So how does that help us find Luingirth?" Eric asked.

"Luingirth now guards the portal?" Yamara guessed. Alesha glanced at her in surprise. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I believe Luingirth to be the only one left capable of guarding it."

"Thousands of miles away, you say... do you have any suggestions for getting us there?" Eric asked, knowing that with the technology available in Viconia it was a journey of months by horse or by boat.

Alesha suddenly seemed nervous. She stared at the ground at their feet and bit at her lip for several long moments. Confused, everyone else watched her, wondering what was bothering her. Finally she looked up at each of them, finally coming to rest on Bill. "I can get us there in a heartbeat."

"How?" Bill asked. Yamara's eyes widened, she knew the answer but also knew that if she could do such a thing, then she truly was a powerful woman.

"Magic. My magic. Will you let me use it on all of you?" Alesha asked, looking directly at Eric.

Eric's eyes widened. Everyone turned to look at him, following Alesha's gaze. "Well?" She asked him.

Eric took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He nodded finally, not trusting himself to speak. She had given him no reason to disbelieve her intentions, yet this was a greater thing for her to ask.

Alesha smiled nervously. "Very well then, here goes nothing."

---

"Fucking Star Trek!" Bill breathed in awe. They were in what appeared to be a giant cavern, though the light in the room was so faint they could barely see each other or the ground beneath them. The tingling sensation that had overcome them faded just as rapidly as it had begun, leaving it a barely remembered feeling.

"Who art thou and why doth thou comest to Helmsmasher Isle?" A giant voice boomed.

"What the fuck was that?" Bill asked, looking around in the dark and crouching low. He brandished his M-4, flipping the safety off and searching with his senses for a target.

A light soared up straight above them from Alesha's stretched arm, gaining in brilliance as it ascended. In moments it reached a stalactite hanging from the ceiling and affixed itself to its tip, shedding its light throughout the cavern. Bill now had his target, but his gun hung limply from his fingers as he looked upon it.

A gargantuan face glared down upon them. It reminded Bill of a cross between a dog and a bat covered in blue scales. The dragon's eyes scanned all of the sudden visitors, coming to rest at last on Alesha. A deep rumble started up then, which served to terrify Bill, Eric, and Yamara. Alesha remained calm, facing the dragon squarely. After a few moments the three came to realize as Alesha already did that the dragon was laughing.

"Thou hath returned."

Alesha straightened herself up even more then she already was and faced Luingirth squarely. "I have returned," she stated calmly. "And I seek your counsel."

More of that draconic laughter. It was maddening to the humans, listening to it and knowing that at any moment it could end their lives with little more then a thought. All of them save for perhaps Alesha.

"What counsel wouldst thou possess, dark queen?"

Alesha blanched for the first time then. She shook her head slowly and took a deep breath. "I seek Kelnozz, Luingirth. I... I need to find him."

Luingirth regarded her silently for a long time, studying her and thinking about her words. More then just what she said, but how she had said it. Eric, Bill, and Yamara were paralyzed with fear at the sight of the beast. Not only was his head the size of a small house, but the long neck and body attached to it made a football stadium seem like the only place he could curl up to take a nap in.

"Speak thou plainly to me, temptress, or earn my wrath!" He said at last, undecided on how to interpret her words.

Alesha bristled at the dragon's words, angered greatly all of a sudden at how he would dare challenge her. Her fists clenched briefly and then she realized what was happening to her. "Luingirth, I beg of you to take us to Kelnozz," her strong and almost imperious voice was gone, in it's place was that of a scared girl.

She continued after a brief respite during which she strengthened herself mentally. "These people came to release me from my prison, and now I need to see Kelnozz again.

"What wouldst thou do to him?" Luingirth asked, stepping his own anger back a notch at her sudden shift.

"Ask him for forgiveness," she said. "I can never be who I was before I accepted this dark gift, but I can also promise that I never want to be who I was after He gave it to me. I came back to Viconia to try and free myself from it by righting the wrongs I once committed, but already now that we are here I can feel Him trying to seduce me back. I need to find Kelnozz, only he can help me!"

With each passing moment the pulling at the edges of Alesha's mind grew stronger. She felt the urges growing and growing, promising her relief and power beyond imagining if only she would give in. It pulled at her and tempted her. She fought against it, knowing that she needed power to fight it off. A revelation came to her then. The darkness that beckoned her reveled in fear, hatred, pain, and all other fey emotions. Those same emotions she once used herself to increase her power.

Alesha reached out and pulled in the dragon-inspired fear that was radiating from her companions. She channeled the emotions inside of her and converted them into her magic, erecting a barrier around herself to help insulate her. It worked, lessening the stress against her psyche as well as reducing the numbing fear her companions were experiencing, letting them act almost normal. The only adverse side affect was the taste in her mouth that absorbing all that terror had given her. Her intentions were noble, but the application was so very similar to what she used to do that it made her feel dirty inside.

Seeing her calm down, Luingirth spoke, "Hath thou been won back to the darkness?"

Alesha shook her head emphatically. "No, good dragon, I have kept it at bay for now. Let me find Kelnozz so that he can show me what I must do to never worry again. Only then can I give Viconia the penitence it deserves."

"And who art thou that travel with you?"

Eric, Yamara, and Bill looked to one another. They were no longer paralyzed with the unnatural fear the dragon emanated, but now were dealing with a fear that was entirely natural.

"I am Yamara Blackcloak," Yamara said, speaking first. Embarrassed to be beaten to the punch by a woman, Bill piped up next, "Bill Williams, my friends call me Cowboy."

Eric smirked in spite of the situation. He shook his head at Bill and announced himself as well, "Eric Hunt."

"And I am Elvanshalee."

All four turned at the new voice. It was a woman and, upon closer examination, and extremely attractive one. Tall and slim, like all elves (though Bill and Yamara had yet to see one from Viconia), she was also light skinned. Alesha's eyes grew wide and she raised her hands up in front of her guardedly. Remembering a second later about the distinction between dark elves and light elves, Eric drew his pistol and pointed it at her. Bill followed suit with his M-4 as soon as he saw Eric drawing. Yamara remained still, prepared to act but without enough information to do anything about it.

"Elvanshalee is an ally, dark queen."

"Have you turned from your mentor then, Luingirth?" Alesha called over her shoulder.

Luingirth made that laughing noise again. When he stopped he spoke to them. "Nay, I am as ever his companion. She seeks Kelnozz as well, but she is not as her kin."

"Prove it, light elf," Alesha hissed at Elvanshalee, letting some of her darker instincts rise.

"How would you have me prove it? I am too young to have known you by scores of years, yet I heard many tales of you from my father and mother," Elvanshalee said, moving forward slowly. By her staff and the numerous small pouches and strange fetishes that hung from her waist and straps that hang across her otherwise naked chest she was clearly a sorceress.

"Who is your father?"

"Narellin Kinslayer."

Alesha's eyes widened. Narellin had been one of her staunchest allies and supporters, though she had trusted him less then anyone else she had ever known. One slip at any time and he would have been on her, usurping her place and leading the army as he had thousands of years past in the Kinslayer Wars. She had no doubt that as soon as she had been banished he had filled the vacuum.

"Who's that?" Bill whispered to Eric. Eric just shrugged, he was clueless.

"Narellin is the Master of The Lost Lands. He rules Mezarbolle and the armies within it, building them up for a time when he can strike out again at what was begun several millennia ago in the Kinslayer Wars. He was once close friends with Myragordamar, champion of the elven peoples before they were sundered."

"Oh, that guy," Bill said, more at a loss now then before.

"You sound rather proud of your heritage," Alesha said, ignoring Bill and not backing down at all.

Elvanshalee gave her a cold smile. "Proud that I can trace my short lineage back to a time when the elven people were one? Yes. Proud to be related to someone who wishes to enslave or slaughter anyone not of light elven heritage? No."

"I seek to follow in my brother's footsteps. He has allied himself with Kelnozz and become his pupil. I wish no such tutelage, but I do seek to join with him and help fight against my father."

"Who is your brother?" Alesha asked.

"Darakor Kinslayer. He was born shortly after you were defeated."

Alesha bristled at her tone. All four of them were annoyed at her uppity nature, but not so greatly annoyed that they could refute her.

Alesha nodded at the last, saying, "If Luingirth believes you, then I must believe you."

"But does Luingirth believe you?" Elvanshalee shot back. Alesha's eyes narrowed dangerously but like everyone else, they all turned to regard the dragon.

"Now that thou hast all arrived, come! We must fly!" Luingirth said, moving his bulk out from his resting place. All were impressed by his size, even Alesha who had seen Ancaruin in his might. Ancaruin had been larger and older, but Luingirth was an ancient dragon by anyone's estimation, and a friend to Kelnozz since his hatching.

With the aid of a stretched out forelimb they scampered up onto the back of the dragon and settled in carefully. Alesha used her magic to keep them safely enclosed in an air bubble on Luingirth's back when he rose up far quicker then the other three were prepared for and plunged into the warm waters of the Endless Ocean. Yamara was briefly reminded of her past on another world when another woman had provided a bubble of air to keep them safe as they descended into an ocean of dust and silt.

Luingirth swam through the only entrance or exit from his lair and emerged into the bright and warm sunshine over Helmsmasher Isle. They circled the island three times, out of range of the siege engines on the towers and parapets of Helmsmasher Castle. Then, apparently tired of doing that, he straightened out and flew like a bullet to the northwest.

"Why is it called Helmsmasher Isle?" Eric asked, shouting to be heard above the wind. Both he and Bill were unaffected by the sensation of flying and having the wind in their hair. Both had been paratroopers and both had been avid motorcyclists. Besides that they both reasoned that it was never the ride or the fall that killed you, it was the sudden stop at the end.

When Alesha did not appear to have the answer Elvanshalee surprised them all by saying, "In honor of the Barbarian Tribe, Clan Helmsmasher. A woman from their tribe, one of Nordan's first new worshippers, amassed a fortune and built it. It is dedicated to the worship of Nordan and is a school for warriors. In deference to her, only women arise to the position of headmistress of the school, and all take the name Valeria."

Alesha laughed. "Nordan was practically a sexist pig, though a great friend and man in spite of it, I am surprised he would allow such a thing to take place in his name!"

Elvanshalee shrugged. "It is not ours to know the minds of the Gods."

Alesha snorted but remained quiet. Onward they flew, streaking over the ground below them faster and faster.

Continued in Chapter 21

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