Nyla Uncanwander raced down the cobblestone streets with abandon, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. She loved the excitement of the chase, the thrill of imaginary danger chasing at her heels. Imaginary because all she did was borrow an apple off of ole Gurmish’s food cart. Gurmish was grumpy, but he was one of the kindest dwarves Nyla had ever met. This was Nyla’s fourteenth spring and she had lived a fairly sheltered and innocent life full of youthful wonder and mischievousness.
An old grayish black dog lunged at her from the side, barking wildly, but she quickly dodged right and jumped into the back of a merchant cargo wagon speeding its way in the opposite direction of her escape.
Always observant, she realized quickly that she had hoped into an elvish wagon due to the size of the cart and its high sides. At four feet in height, Nyla had to climb up them in order to see over.
“Gurmish!” Nyla yelled as she passed his cart.
“I will get you for this Littlefoot!” Gurmish exclaimed as Nyla smiled at him from the back of the speeding wagon.
Nyla sat down in the wagon and took a bite of the apple she had borrowed. It was delicious. While eating, she stared intently at the elvish letters on a shipping crate in front of her, almost wishing she had spent more time studying than sword fighting with her annoying cousins. Nyla and the majority of the people in her city were Hauflins, which according to legend where direct descendants of the elves off of the green dragon Domogortus bloodline. All this being said, Nyla might as well have been trying to read her three year old niece’s chicken scratch.
Hauflins were very similar to elves but smaller, averaging about a foot and a half shorter than there majestic cousins. A five foot tall male hauflin would be extremely rare. Nyla was slightly taller than most females her age pushing close to four feet.
After finding some more fruit from a stash in the back of the cart, she nimbly jumped out of the wagon about a dozen miles outside of her village and quickly lunged herself into the surrounding forest.
Nyla knew she was in the farmlands close to her home city of Algro’s Roost, but she pretended she was a heroic ranger of the city guard on a secret mission and she must not be detected. The sound of horseshoes on cobblestone alerted Nyla and she raced to the nearest tree for cover, bear hugging it will all of her might.
Trained hauflins had an innate magical ability to camouflage into there surroundings that they called “blending”. Nyla had practiced blending thousands of times but it still required a huge amount of effort and concentration. She closed her eyes. Master Odulo had taught her to imagine herself as a mouse when she was blending.
“No one sees the mouse, no one knows its ways.”
“No one sees the mouse, it can hide for days.” The old master would chant to her.
A new and strange feeling of euphoria and dizziness came over Nyla and see feared she might faint. She slowly opened her eyes and the whole world was a blur. Cautiously she peeked around the tree to see if the riders had passed. At first everything was extremely blurry but thankfully her vision and hearing began to start working again and she could not believe what she saw. An entire Dwarven caravan! It must have been a half mile long from lead to trail wagon. There was also a motley crew of dwarves and humans starring in the forest in her direction with swords drawn!
No one sees the mouse, no one knows its ways.
No one sees the mouse, it can hide for days. Nyla thought to herself with eyes closed.
The euphoria of the magic intensified exponentially inside her and she had to force herself not to gasp.
“Magic!” Someone yelled from the caravan and Nyla almost giggled as she watched the henchmen run for cover behind wagon wheels and jump into carts.
Instinctively, Nyla felt for her dagger on the left side of the tool belt she was wearing. She slowly wrapped her hand around the daggers hilt, its familiar embrace felt comforting given the current predicament. The dagger was a gift from her father, who was captain of the city guard, for Nyla’s tenth birthday. She also had a hand crossbow in her small travel backpack, and began to weigh the options of retrieving the ballistic or to continue frantically clinging to her tree concealment.
Movement from the road grabbed her attention as she noticed a huge figure walking towards her general location. It was a Minotaur! She knew him to be Borgol the Brute by the large dragon skull necklace that he wore. This was not good. Every time she would try to follow him in the past he would always turn and stare at her with his hideous amber eyes, no matter how sneaky she was he would always catch her.
Something else caught her attention too. It was a strange “blur” walking beside Borgol. It was humanoid shaped and it seemed to turn its head periodically towards the minotaur and then look back in her direction.
The minotaur and blur man stopped about stones throw from Nyla, a little off the road but not yet entering the forest. Slowly the rest of the guards began to show themselves and take there positions alongside the caravan.
A wagon door opened and out came one of the most attractive dwarves Nyla had ever seen.
He must be half dwarven, Nyla thought to herself.
That didn’t make sense because he still had the stocky shape that was typical of the dwarven race. But he was beardless! Which was extremely rare and this was the first time Nyla saw a beardless Dwarf, it was very interesting.
Corbin Kingsmantle made his way slowly towards Borgol and as he passed the soldiers regained there composer slightly nodding and some greeting him. Nyla admired the way he walked. Just the way he moved was so conspicuous, she would defiantly have to practice this. He strutted up to the minotaur and blur man then turned and looked her direction. Nyla froze in place.
“Does she have to be alive.” said Borgol with an evil chuckle.
Terrified, Nyla ducked behind her tree and wondered franticly what she was going to do next.
*******
A few hours before Nyla encountered the dwarven caravan, Ilgras was getting dressed after enjoying a hot bath with Loraclytrin, his mysterious handler who he had never seen leave the Elutharius dimension. He didn’t want to think to hard about her motives because he was pretty sure his silver haired lover could easily read his mind. Ilgras knew he was playing a dangerous game associating himself with Hollowburn and his lackeys, but the pay was worth the risks and he also had several magical ways to escape if he absolutely needed to.
Ilgras carefully watched as Loraclytrin slowly got out of the oversized bath and put on her dark orange armor plates.
“Follow me.” The seductress commanded as she finished strapping on her chest plate.
Ilgras was thinking more clearly now and he almost paused and questioned her, but he knew it was just best to follow for now and be cautious. She turned around and with a quick wave of her hand opened up a shimmering white portal and walked through it, disappearing from the room. Ilgras knew by the color of the portal and how easily she made it that they were not leaving Elutharius but that this would lead simply to another part of the blue world. It could be stones throw away or something as distant as a nearby moon, there was no way to know so Ilgras was forced to roll the dice and step through.
On the other side, he was in a thick forest that seemed familiar some how but he could not quite place it. Loraclytrin closed the magical portal soon as he stepped though and came to his side placing her hand on his back and leaning in to whisper in his ear.
“Now we wait.” She said softly.
She was intoxicating to Ilgras, but he did manage to nonchalantly place his right hand on his dagger and grab her hand with his left in a soft, romantic hold.
Casting spells in the blue dimension was extremely dangerous for visitors like himself. The magic here was raw and wild. But Ilgras, being the quintessential survivor had practiced some basic spells. Each time he failed the punishments were severe, even costing him a hand once, which took him a while to magic it back to normal. The one thing he could do well, even since he was a kid, was create a small rose from the ground.
Loraclytrin was now resting her head on his shoulder, he was tempted to kiss but figured he better stay focused. Next to the pine tree on their immediate left, a small stem burst from the ground and bloomed into a rose with a very deep shade of violet in a matter of moments. It defied the dull blue tones around it and stood almost half the size of a hauflin.
“That is very dangerous.” Loraclytrin berated harshly. “Don’t do it again.”
Ilgras nodded with a slight smile on his face.
Ilgras was not courageous so when the beasts arrived he would have ran if Loraclytrin had not held him in place. They were tall, roughly humanoid, with a mantis shaped head. There large eyes studied Ilgras and his partner and the surrounded area almost robotically and quite unnaturally even for a half man, half insect beast. There carried large polearms that’s stood double the size of Ilgras.
After the initial adrenaline surge, Ilgras realized that his lover was holding him very tightly, her strength was extraordinary, he could barely move within her grasp. He decided to relax for now, he still could quickly escape the same way he created the rose earlier.
Ilgras has seen and studied hundreds of different types of giant spiders, but the one that slowly crawled toward him was extremely unnatural, and very sinister. When it passed the two mantis guards they both lowered there polearms , bowing until there heads where almost touching the ground. This was obviously the spider fiend showing who was boss around here. The spider stopped a few paces from Ilgras its head about as high as the caster’s belt when it stretched its front legs.
“You will mind meld with our friend here.” Loraclytrin purred. “He will help us with our quest.”
Ilgras closed his eyes, he had to think, even if it was just for a moment. He decide to roll the dice, he really didn’t have anything else going for him.
My name is Qul’lannaxilnul. Said a voice telepathically inside his head. Do not resist the intrusion, it will be deadly for you if you try.
Ilgras decided to keep his eyes closed, he knew from his studies that many magically creatures used there eyes in order to hypnotize their prey.
I accept your offer Qual’lan. Ilgras communicated back to the spider and noticed it cringed very slightly at the abbreviated nickname. Ilgras relaxed his mind and let the telepathic surge of energy wash him into a dreamlike state. For moments all was black, he could not smell his lovers beautiful aroma or even feel her beside him. All he knew was blackness.
He was back in the place where it all began. The box. The box had been his home for many days and it seemed to be all he ever knew. He was a small boy, powerless, kidnapped and placed in a wooden crate. His rejection at school had gotten him here, had taken him to the lake crying. While the other kids in his caster class created swords and shields, he created this dumb purple rose and was humiliated for it. He heard the footsteps again and knew the pain would soon follow. But when the crate opened it wasn’t the two hauflin captors, but the evil spider starring at him with its grotesque eyes.
He let the spider crawl on top of him and and even relaxed as the two large fangs entered his body. Qul’lannaxilnul felt victorious with the mind meld and relished in his triumph. But as the spider was leaving the makeshift prison, it passed a crude mirror and in absolute terror noticed a dozen or so roses growing from its back.
*******
Stay here and take care of this nuisance. Corbin communicated to Ilgras.
Yes, Master. Ilgras replied.
The caster was currently under an invisibility spell, but the one thing that was strange is that he could not see Nyla watching them. He knew she was there, he saw her turn invisible, but he could not see her. Typically when an invisible person encounters another person under the same cloaking spell they see each other as a blur. This was not currently the case with this annoying hauflin. Ilgras did not tell his concerns to Corbin. He figured it would not matter soon, his spider friend would make short work of this annoying hauflin and Ilgras would make sure he was there to watch.
Corbin and the rest of the caravan slowly began to take there positions either inside the wagons or riding beside as security. The caravan started up again moving slowly away from Algro’s Roost and leaving Ilgras behind to tend to hauflin.
Nyla waited until she could no longer hear the sound of wagon wheel grinding against cobblestone before she loosened her grip on the tree. She wondered why so many dwarves were leaving the city. Most of the dwarves in Algro’s Roost were part of the Kingsmantle Bankers clan, a guild that minted coin and provided capital for the city council.
Nyla let go of the tree and began to brush the dirt off her fine leather breeches and tunic when she started to get a strange feeling that something was watching her. The hairs on her arm stood up and she almost shivered with a feeling of dread throughout her body. She turned her head slowly and noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Instinctively, she threw her back against the tree and pulled out her dagger. All Nyla could see was two huge bluish eyes staring at her. They were the size of a dwarf’s fist and the black pupils displayed small points of light.
Nyla was mesmerized. She didn’t know it at the time, but brandishing the dagger had saved her life, for she was surrounded by four giant spiders called nightcreepers. Looking into the eyes of these monsters would put the victim into a trance and then they would bite there prey and the poison would do the rest.
A small beam of light reflected off of Nyla’s dagger into the cornea of her captor breaking the spell and Nyla let out a scream as she saw the monsters surrounding her. The nightcreepers hoped backwards as Nyla produced a short sword and got into a basic fighting stance. Then, in unison, the apex predators began to slowly stalk towards the small hauflin.
“Help.” Nyla tried to say, but the words were lost in the unending galaxy of the nightcreepers eyes.
*******
Ilgras watched from across the road as the nightcreepers crawled towards the paralyzed hauflin. He would enjoy watching this little one suffer and was about to leave his cover from behind the trees to get a better look when he felt a magical disturbance so powerful that he almost started to run.
Palthorian casters were trained to create many long lasting beneficial spells called “auras”. Invisibility, Flight, and also the various shield spells are all auras that casters use in order to protect themselves and amplify their abilities. One of the first auras that a caster is taught is called Magic Detection and is crucial in order to determine if someone is about to throw a massive fireball at you or manipulate the world around them using magic. After years of casting the same auras daily, casters become attuned to Elutharius’ energy and some of the effects will persist even if the spells are not cast.
Even if Ilgras carelessly had forgotten to cast his auras that day, which happened more times than he cared to admit, it would not have mattered. What he sensed was possibly the most powerful connection he had witnessed in a long time. The disturbance was probably a days journey away, but it was moving incredibly fast and heading towards Nyla and the spiders. It was time for Ilgras to leave, and so he did. Ilgras did not know that it was Nyla’s mentor, Master Odulo, who was the source of the disturbance and that he was on his way to save his friend and pupil. He just had to get there before it was to late.
*******
“There is no time.” Nyla heard the eerie words echoing through her subconsciousness. She was in a dream state, totally controlled by the nightcreepers spell.
Qul’lannaxilnul relished in the fear and fantasy of the young mind as he slowly crawled his way towards the trapped hauflin. He wasn’t from this world, he had been summoned by an incompetent mage with orders to kill this hauflin.
Kill her now! His summoner, Ilgras Nurmstan, demanded as he watched from the relative safety of his dimensional window, the same spell he had used earlier before to make sure it was safe to go to Elutharius in the first place. Qul’lan knew he would have to obey, but he would take his time and enjoy himself in the land of the mortals for as long as he could. The dimensional spider considered killing Ilgras, the mage had made several errors when performing the spell to summon him and he could take advantage of his inexperience. For now he would play with this hauflin.
The spider fein forced Nyla to place her hands to the side and drop her weapons. Then he placed one of his legs on her chests and slowly unleashed two claws sheathed at the end of the appendage.
Cut her throat! Stop wasting time. Ilgras demanded.
In defiance, Qul’lan backed away from the hauflin and ordered his minions to do the same. This was a mistake.
Master Odulo abruptly ended his supernatural sprint a hauflins foot distance away from the nightcreeper just left of Qul’lan. Such a quick stop would kill almost anyone, but the master monk knew how to manipulate kinetic energies around him. In less than a second, the hauflin fell to one knee and thrust both hands forward, palms outward.
To the credit of the nightcreeper, it almost dodged the kinetic assault, but Qul’lan grabbed the weaker spider and used it as a shield.
Odulo unleashed the energy with a mad roar and the spider forced to be a shield exploded in Qul’lan’s grasp with the force still knocking the spider fein back several stones throw. The kinetic energy sent the remaining two nightcreepers smashing into trees, with there lifeless bodies falling to the ground.
Surprised that he was still alive, Qul’lannaxilnul phased himself back to his home dimension Elutharius. He knew he had to return soon and fulfill his mission back on the mortal plane, or the summoning spell that the fool Ilgras casted on him would eventually kill him, even it was done by an amateur mage.
Nyla slowly snapped back into reality, leaving the trance that the nightcreeper had placed her in. She saw her master in front of her, but something was different and she wondered if she was still in some sort of dream state. But then he turned to her and smiled warmly, and Nyla rushed towards him and embraced the master monk. Nyla was about a hauflins palm taller than Odulo and almost knocked him over.
Tears ran down Nyla’s cheeks as she let go of her master. She stared intently at the monk, while the sunlight would occasionally dance upon her face causing her green orbs to have a bluish tint.
“What is happening?” She asked softly to Odulo.
Odulo just smiled and reached up and placed his hand on his pupils shoulder. Nyla accepted the caring embrace as the tears flowed and the adrenaline cooled. Odulo knew that war was coming, but that could wait a moment, somethings were just more important.