Chapter 65: Tunnel Through the Trollbones, pt. 2

As he walked on along the long, straight, stony tunnel, Alcar mentally ran through his remaining sorcerous enchantments. He didn’t think that he had a means to break the stone, or to create a new side tunnel.

But then again, there were several incantations that he hadn’t tried yet. Phrases found in the book – a book that he still had in his possession, and which might still have further secrets to reveal.

Thinking this over put Alcar in mind of Lox’aar, and the day that she had handed him the strange book before setting out for her mission into the Great Swamp. Clearly, Master Maluhk wanted him to know about the book’s contents. Perhaps he hoped that he, Aclar, would one day be able to recreate the portals that the book’s author had written about. Enchantments developed in the dying days of the Dathmiri revolution.

It sounded, however, like the next mission for Alcar and his companions might be a second attempt to help Lox’aar and Warlik find whatever they had been looking for in the swamp. What had the lizardwoman archer called their foe? Prokatz, that was it. Prokatz – the wild orc of the swamps.

Alcar shuddered.

He wasn’t at all sure that he liked the idea of going into the swamp at all, never mind facing a terrifying rogue orc that was somehow powerful enough to carve out a dominion, and to survive among the lizard folk and monsters that roamed the area.

But then again, wasn’t that what adventurers do?

With his confidence in his own skills growing, Alcar pondered about how he could be useful – perhaps even essential – to his friends on such a trip. His fire incantation against the troll had worked out, more or less (other than for poor Ubund). Hadn’t it?

It wasn’t that long since he had seen Master Maluhk using sorcery to form blue glowing magical daggers, and using them to stab one of his dwarven abductors. Perhaps a similar trick could be used on orcs, kobolds and the like.

And then there was the magical portal that he had used against the trolls. Man, Alcar thought to himself, if only there were points handed out by some benevolent god for the slaying of monsters. If so, he would surely receive a fair number for that move!

And on the subject of the portal – where did it lead to? That might be one way of getting out of his current predicament: creating a portal for himself and stepping through.

But if there was a single place that all of the victims were ported to, then there were currently a pair of angry trolls, not to mention the giant caterpillar, on the other side.

Was that how it worked?

“Rrrr.”

Alcar was broken from his musings by Brutus’ growl. The dog had stopped at his side, and was staring ahead, nose raised in the air.

He raised his hand, still holding the last flicker of magical light. What was that up ahead? The dog had noticed someting, right enough – there was something lying on the floor of the straight, smooth tunnel.

A person.

Alcar moved closer, until he was standing at the prostrate figure’s feet. “It’s a lizardman, Brutus,” he murmured, looking the unfortunate traveler up and down. “And a dead one, at that.”

Not only was the individual lying face-down in a pool of blood, he or she had a knife protruding from their back.

Glancing around for threats, Alcar moved around the figure and crouched down, gently touching the dead stranger’s face. While no expert on their species, Alcar decided in his head that this was a female of the species, judging by the slimmer build and fine features.

A burned out torch was held in her left hand, and two further unlit ones were stuffed into her belt. A bronze warhammer lay just beside her outstretched right hand, and a damaged shortbow was sashed around her shoulder.

This was an individual who was wary of attack, Alcar mused, and who could handle herself a fight. What had happened to her? Stabbed in the back by one of her own kind, or some other threat? By the clan of dwarves who had mined the tunnel, perhaps?

“Well, there’s no helping her now, boy,” Alcar murmured, speaking to Brutus once again.

But he also knew that there was no sense in leaving the torches, or any other valuables that the dead adventurer might have. His own light was almost gone.

Leaving the spent torch where it lay, Alcar used his remaining magical flame to light one of the new ones, and tucked the other inside his own belt. He didn’t know how long each would last, but would no doubt find out soon enough.

Placing down his staff and leaning the torch upon it, Alcar took a moment to loot the corpse, and in the process, he found the following:

29 arrows (fine)

Flint and steel

Ivory tile showing a single rune

Quiver

Shortbow (broken)

Warhammer (bronze)

Wooden bowl, decorated

No gems or coins, he immediately noticed. Perhaps theft had been the motive for killing the lizard woman, whether by a stranger or a treacherous companion.

Still, there was some loot that was worth taking, in addition to the torches which were perhaps the most obviously helpful items.

He decided to leave both the warhammer and bow behind. The latter weapon was – snapped in the middle, perhaps when its owner had fallen – and the former was heavy and of uncertain use to an untrained user such as himself. He was much more at ease using his staff for self-defense.

The arrows, however, would be useful when he could reunite with Olynka. He left them in their quiver, looping this carefully over his shoulder. He also gently pulled the knife out from the individual’s back, wiping it on her clothing and then tucking it into one of his own side pockets.

The wooden bowl wasn’t of any obvious use, but the fact was that he didn’t have anything else to eat out of, other than his hands. He tucked it inside his robes, along with small tin containing the flint and steel.

Finally, he took a moment to look at the ivory tile by torchlight. It fit into the palm of his hand, and glinted slightly, as if polished. He had no idea what it was made of, but it showed a single rune in the shape of a star made from two intersecting triangles.

“I wonder what the hell this means, Brut,” Alcar muttered.

“Wuff?”

Alcar nodded, making a decision, and then tucked it into his robes as well. He certainly didn’t know why the lizard woman had been killed, or by whom, but it seemed to be the work of an intelligent individual – perhaps someone who could be brought to justice. And it was at least possible that the tile would help to identify the victim.

He would show it to Warlik or Lox’aar if he ever got the chance.

As for now...

“Time to get moving,” he murmured.

Just then, Brutus gave out a growl that morphed into a fearful whine. Simultaneously, Alcar heard a scraping noise behind him, from back the way he had come.

Rats, he wondered?

He turned, raising the torch in his left hand. He peered at first in the direction the ground behind him, but then noticed a dull green glow at head height.

And soon, Alcar could make out where it was coming from. Approaching them slowly, jerkily, but without hesitation, was a pair of animated skeletons.

Each skeleton was walking on both feet as if still alive. Their grinning skulls were intact, and each had a green glow inside, causing their vacant eye sockets to somehow look in his direction. One had a short-sword in one hand and a round shield in the other, while the other clutched a short spear. Otherwise, they had no armor or possessions at all.

The two pairs of bony feet clacked and scuffed across the tunnel floor in near silence as they approached slowly but steadily, without uttering a word.

“Run, Brutus!” yelled Alcar.