Age of Cataclysm: Book 1-Chapter 27
Imported from SF2 with no description.
Chapter length: 2,412 words
Current novel length: 78,622 words
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Chapter 27
The party arrives at the entrance to the dologrun's cave. They take their time navigating the rocky shoreline that is very slick due to the waves crashing on it, noticing that the rising tide will submerge the entrance soon.
"Should we wait till tomorrow to do this, so we don't have to race against the tide?" Merrick asked.
"I prefer getting this done and over with. With dad and Radclyff's help, this shouldn't take no time at all," Sylfinas responded.
"I got a bad feeling about this."
They descend into the cave man-made from the markings and remnants from the past—abandoned minecarts, broken rails, and pickaxes suggest that the party members are in a mine, most likely producing rune from the history of Port Direrun. Due to the water flowing during high tide, little pool pockets are in the cave, and some contain diminutive marine life. The narrow passage leads into an opening. The chamber is vast; there are stalactites. The distance is seventy feet going left to right, and from the entrance to the wall directly in front is fifty feet across. No dologrun in sight, but there are signs of a large creature living in the cave from piles of excrement.
Jemeir asks Myla a question before progressing further into the cavern. "Do you have any combat skills?"
"No."
"Any magic?"
"No."
"Do you do anything that you believe will be useful to us?"
"I make people feel better."
"Like healing?"
"Yes, Master Sylfinas."
Sylfinas raises his hands. "Woah woah woah. I'm not your master. I abhor that kind of relationship between you and me."
"Ok, Master Sylfinas."
"I'm not your master. Anyway, you can heal injuries." Myla shakes her head up and down.
"So she stays far away as possible from the dologrun, and we make sure it doesn't attack her."
"Exactly what I was thinking, Arven."
Merrick looks at the ledge up top. "So how are we supposed to get up there? I don't see any ladders or anything else useful to climb on."
Jemeir looks at Radclyff. "Want to climb up there and pull us up one-by-one?"
"On it."
He climbs up the wall and makes it to the top, seventy-five feet off the ground. While on the higher level, the Fenri beholds a monster, presumably the dologrun, taking a nap. There is a pile of bones that remains from its last meals. Radclyff stands motionless.
"What do you see up there? Is it a dologrun?"
"Yes, and be quiet, Jemeir. I think we made a mistake coming here."
"Oh, that's reassuring," Merrick retorted.
The dologrun opens its eyes, all four of its eyes. It moves its body as it stirs awake. Radclyff now takes in the size of the creature. It stands thirty feet tall, and from head to tail, it's forty feet long. It's a quadruped with six toenails per foot, and it has a long neck and tail. The teeth are long, sharp, and pointy, and the skin is blue with a bunch of warts on its back. There is an elongated horn protruding from between the eyes. It roars and starts charging at Radclyff.
"We got trouble!" The dologrun swings its tail at Radclyff, and he goes flying off the edge. He makes a sickening thud as he impacts the ground.
"You ok, buddy?"
"That hurt. I'm ok, Jemeir, but we have a major problem."
"I'm starting to realize that too."
The dologrun leaps off the edge, landing between the party and the only way out of the forsaken mine.
Merrick realizes the situation they're in. "Looks like we're fighting."
Arven takes out his weapon, grinning. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
The fight begins with Jemeir outlining himself with green energy and activating Fissure. He charges forward and makes four attacks, with all of them hitting. The skin surprisingly feels slippery to him and caustic.
"Hey, Jemeir, what's going on?" inquired Firmis.
He points at the dologrun. "That."
"Sweet mother of… I almost swore right there. I see why you need me."
Arven takes his turn, and he slashes at it twice. One fails to cut deep into the skin, but the other does, and blood sprays on him. He then feels that his body is on fire. "Don't let the blood hit you. It's acidic." It's also ruining my blade.
The dologrun makes its move, and it does so by spraying acid from its mouth. Arven, Jemeir, and Myla observe the rest taking evasive maneuvers since they are not in the direct path. All, except for Merrick, avoid the raining liquid. Instead of the acid going away immediately like it usually does from spells, it lingers. Sylfinas goes next, and he renders aid to Merrick. While receiving medical treatment, Merrick fires a Witch Bolt, missing it when it moves its neck away. Myla runs over to Radclyff and heals him by merely touching him. The weird thing is that she isn't saying any spell incantation to do the healing.
"Thanks, pup," Radclyff spoke to Myla.
"Your welcome."
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ruin what you did just now. Usse!"
"Radclyff, my man, what do you need?"
"Your fire."
"Must be serious then to request that."
"We're fighting that monster" He points at the dologrun.
"Damn, that bitch is huge! Have as much fire as you need."
"Thanks." Realizing the situation warrants significant power, Radclyff takes his greatsword and cuts himself across the chest as a sacrifice to his ancestors while the blade becomes engulfed in flames. He charges forward and hits twice with Blazefury. Each hit deals with massive damage due to the immolation fueling his strength and the additional fire damage, carving chunks of flesh off the creature—no acidic blood spills from the open wounds. The dologrun responds by hitting Radclyff with its tail and sending him back.
Jemeir looks at Merrick. "Hit me with a Witch Bolt."
"What?!"
"Cast another Witch Bolt and hit me with it."
"Why?"
"I can use your lightning for attacks. I would use the acid though it'll most likely be useless against the dologrun. Trust me, you won't injure me."
"Ok."
The dologrun attempts to slap its tail on Jemeir, but he somersaults away. After cleaning his sword of the acid, Arven swings it, cutting deep into the dologrun's thick skin, and causes a massive wound. Blood flies out, but it's not acidic this time as it lands on him.
"Its blood's not acidic now. Feel free to use sharp objects."
"That's because fire affects the glands that make the blood acidic. Creatures like this always have one-"
"We don't need another lecture, Sylfinas."
"Well, just keep hitting it with fire often, and you will be able to use as many sharp objects as you wish."
"So looks like my Blazefury is really useful for this situation."
"Yes, so don't allow it to swat you away with its tail, Radclyff."
"Not like I enjoy getting hit anyway."
The dologrun takes its turn by attacking twice with its bite and four times with its front feet. Arven suffers the most with the claws lacerating his front side; he can barely stand. Merrick trips and falls backward while retreating from it, crawling the rest of the way as it charges at him, going for a bite. It impacts an electrical barrier as he raises his hands to shield his face.
Sylfinas charges forward and gives healing on Radclyff, and then dologrun sends him soaring with its tail. Merrick does what Jemeir wants him to do, striking him with a Witch Bolt. Jemeir uses the lightning to launch another lightning bolt, aggrandizing its size and power, at the monster and deals heavy damage.
"Keep doing that, Jemeir!" Merrick cheered.
"That took a lot," Jemeir huffed. "I'm maybe good for one more, but that's pushing it."
Myla gets really close to the dologrun as she heals Arven. The wounds disappear, and he wakes up. Drool drips from the dologrun's mouth, indicating it regains his caustic breath. Arven uses his body to shield Myla from the acid. Merrick and Sylfinas get hit as well. Radclyff runs across the field and slides underneath the monster, and uses Blazefury to cut a long wound on its belly. Jemeir notices the water from outside is starting to flow in.
"The tide's coming in. We should think about leaving."
"Jemeir's right," Radclyff spoke. "Let's get moving. We can attempt tomorrow."
Jemeir leaves, and Arven follows while dragging Myla after taking a swing on the dologrun and hitting it. Radclyff tries to leave, but the monster throws him up in the air and swallows him whole. Jemeir snaps.
"Do it again, Merrick."
"What?"
"Hit me again with your Witch Bolt."
"But I thought you said you would be pushing it if I did it."
"I did, but I intend on getting my adventuring partner for many years back."
"If you insist." Sylfinas and Myla do some more healing on the most injured, mainly Arven, while Merrick casts another Witch Bolt. Instead of launching a massive lightning bolt from last time, Jemeir slides underneath the dologrun and shoves both of his electric hands in the wound from Radclyff, unleashing a surge of electricity. The dologrun falls down, and Jemeir pulls the bipedal wolf from the belly.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I need a good bath," the Fenri grunted.
"Looks like you're getting one," Merrick responded.
More water starts flowing in, and the dologrun begins to stir, infuriating Radclyff.
"Oh, no. You're not getting up. Not after what you did to me." Radclyff runs over to the monster's head and, by some miracle, rips its horn off. It roars in pain. "Say goodnight, dologrun." He shoves into its chest, and it falls back down. It doesn't get back up.
"Let's help him cut off its head so we can get out of here. I would like a word with the guard that gave you this task, Sylfinas."
"Same here, Jemeir. Do you think that this was a setup like I am?"
"I'm thinking that as well, Radclyff. That monster was way too powerful for novice adventurers, and it would even be a hassle for a more experienced party." Jemeir turns to Myla and Sylfinas. "That guard wanted you and the Beastgirl dead."
The group members manage to remove the dologrun's head as proof, preparing to leave the cave. The seawater fills the cavern at an alarming rate, erasing all the blood and guts covering them. Radclyff grumbles about the bath he's receiving. Not the bath I desire. The briny water touches any open wounds they have on them, and they feel intense stinging from it. They barely get out in time and watch as the tide consumes the entrance. It is nighttime when they leave, and they manage to locate the inn the guards are staying at. It's definitely hard not to miss it.
Sylfinas and Myla head inside by themselves, descrying Tericius sitting at the table with empty mugs cluttering it. Surprised that they are still alive, he spits out his beer. "What do you want?"
"We're here to give you the dologrun's head," Sylfinas answered.
He spits out even more beer. "Where is it? I don't see it with you."
"Follow us. The head's too large to fit inside the tavern."Tericius and some of the other guards follow Myla and Sylfinas to where the dologrun's head is and where Jemeir and Radclyff plan on confronting him. "There it is." Sylfinas points at the head.
Tericius rubs his eyes. "I don't believe it."
Jemeir and Radclyff reveal themselves from their hiding spot, and Jemeir talks first. "I have a strong hypothesis of why you would be."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Jemeir. This is Radclyff. We are with the Half-Elf that you sent out to kill a monster called a dologrun. Were you aware of what the danger was when you put those two to the task?"
"There's always danger when it comes to taking bounties."
"Yes, but this assignment seems heavily stacked against them. Radclyff and I, along with a couple other people in our group, helped them out. A couple of us are seasoned adventurers with more power and skill than the rest of the group, and we still almost lost our lives. How are two rookies supposed to deal with that?"
Radclyff adds more. "I noticed bone piles close to where it slept. They looked like remains of other people that were unfortunate enough to be granted this task and took it not knowing what they were getting themselves into."
"So what? You gotta have more proof than that if you believe that I would even dare send people to take that thing on knowing full well that they would most certainly die."
"Well, here is the head you wanted. Now you can leave him and the girl alone."
"That wasn't the deal. That Half-Elf and the Beastgirl weren't supposed to get help." Tericius issues an order to his men. "Get those two and execute them!"
Radclyff growls and gets in between. "Take one more step, and I'll tear each and every one of you a new one so hard that your intestines will have difficulty figuring out which asshole to shit from."
Out of fear from the enraged Fenri, the head guard relents. "Fine. They are free to go but know this. Next time I catch them doing something illegal, I will have the entire city descend on them, and they will die. I don't care how many will fight to defend them. Come, men. Let's take this head and collect our reward."
Once they get out of sight, Jemeir tells Sylfinas, "Now that's even more reason for why you're not allowed to leave the Drunken Seagull tomorrow."
"I wasn't planning on doing that anyway, father."
Merrick pats his stomach. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry after that fight."
"Since when aren't you hungry?" Arven retorted. "Let's get some dinner and see if Kaera is feeling any better."
"I can show you the way," Myla spoke with enthusiasm. "Follow me, and thank you for helping."
"Lead the way, Myla, and you're welcome. You have some useful talent."
"Thank you, Master Sylfinas."
"I told you to stop calling me master."
"Sure thing, Master Sylfinas."
Jemeir pats Sylfinas on his shoulder. "Better get used to it, son." They follow Myla back to the Drunken Seagull for dinner.
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