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cleanse the vermin. Hold positions.” Madarr raised his sword high as he rode in front of
the troops.
The plan was sound. It was not yet daylight and the Elkan forces had positioned
themselves on either side of the cave entrance. The beast guards had not seen them,
but it was clear they had seen the Barbarian force grouped out on the plains. The
commotion gave the attackers an idea of what was to happen; the beasts were
gathering their forces to attack. Past experience told Madarr to hold back his men and
let as many of the enemy get outside the entrance as possible.
Suddenly a black mass of teeth and claws poured out of the mountainside. Beasts, wolf-
like in appearance yet standing semi-erect, they were fearsome looking. Their clawed
hands could grasp and hold; many were equipped with clubs. The faces were as hairy as
their bodies, with dark eyes set in deep sockets and mouths that sprouted yellowed,
sharp teeth.
At first glance they looked like pure beasts, but they were able to communicate with each
other. And even though their attack appeared unorganized, a seasoned warrior could tell
they were using rudimentary battle tactics. Each group of ten or twelve had a leader; he
would emit what seemed unintelligible grunts to his minions, and they appeared to follow
him. Grouped in this manner, at least four hundred of the creatures charged.
The Barbarian forces numbered around one hundred and seventy-five, but stood fast,
facing the onrushing horde. Madarr sat on his horse, calmly watching the beasts bear
down upon his troops. When they had cleared the entrance he shouted, “Archers, take
aim…fire.” The sky darkened and a cloud of wooden shafts descended upon the beasts.
The Elkans on either side of the cave were each of them skilled with a bow. The
creatures had been in such a bloodlust to get at the Barbarians they neglected to watch
their flanks, a fatal mistake.
Madarr’s horse shifted slowly back and forth beneath him; even with its eyes covered the
mount sensed evil approaching. As he patted its back that cloud of arrows fell upon the
beasts. A few of them, those struck in vital spots, fell to the ground. Amazingly, the rest,
screeching in rising furor, continued onwards, arrow shafts sticking out of fur-covered
arms and chests. A few of the Barbarians looked towards Madarr, concern on their
faces. It worried him not, for he knew the abilities of his troops. Let the beasts come.
“Spearmen to the front.” Like a well-oiled machine the first and second lines switched
places, the first now a wall of shields and six-foot spears. Barbarians and beasts met in
a violent, deafening collision. The spears did their intended work, sinking into warm
flesh. As each soldier released his spear he replaced it with a short sword and slowly
began to back up. The second line of troops had dropped back five feet and spread
apart, giving the first line room to pull behind and become the second line once again.
This enabled the warriors to keep up a constant slashing attack upon the beasts.
However, even though the front lines of the creatures met quick death, those behind kept
coming, some of them climbing over their dead brethren before their bodies hit the
ground. Sheer numbers might have overrun the barbarian forces alone, for it seemed the
beasts knew no fear. But Madarr’s plan included the Elkans, and now it was time to
spring the trap.
Atius and his troops, after showering the beasts with arrows, positioned a thirty-man
force just inside the entrance to make sure no reinforcements emerged. The remainder
waited for the signal. Looking around at his people, Atius noted determined looks on
their faces. They were itching to do battle, as was he. The Barbarians were impressive;
none of the Elkans here were old enough to have fought them in the old wars, but they
had all heard the stories of their prowess in battle. Now they watched this prowess
firsthand and Atius was glad he was not on the receiving end. Just as he thought
something must be amiss, a single flaming arrow shot out over the battlefield and
dropped into the horde. That was the signal. With a shout he moved his forces off the
mountainside and towards the Jintai flanks.
The plan worked to perfection. A few of the beasts saw the Elkans coming and turned to
fight. They were cut down and overrun before the main force realized what was
happening. With the box closed on the creatures it was only a matter of time, and one by
one they fell. But the fight was not over yet. Realizing they were not going to survive this
open battle, the creatures turned and worked back towards the mountain. Elkan lines
began to collapse under the weight of the larger Jintai. The Elkans pulled away to either
side, allowing the creatures to move back towards the cave entrance. With the
Barbarians now hacking them from behind, and the Elkans regrouped on either side, the
beasts were dwindling fast. Just as the remaining Jintai thought they had made it to
safety, the Elkan contingent sent to guard the entrance emerged, firing another volley of
arrows almost point blank into the beasts. Howling in frustration, the creatures fought on.
Those of the opposing forces unlucky enough to be pulled into the mass of black fur were
ripped and bitten to shreds. By the time they reached the small Elkan force guarding the
door, the beasts numbered below fifty.
The battle at the entrance was fierce, the Jintai trying to get back in, the Elkans blocking
the way. Chisah led the small force, standing his ground and inspiring his troops. Not
one creature made it back inside the cave. The main battle was over. An eerie silence
descended on the battlefield, broken only by the occasional moan or low growl.
Barbarian and Elkan dead lay scattered about the field, with those still alive attended to
by the healers. Chisah’s force of thirty, now with only twelve men still alive, stood at the
entrance, a pile of corpses almost three feet high lay before them. In spite of the allied
casualties, the beasts were not even so lucky: four hundred of them lay dead on the
ground.
Madarr stood looking down on his horse. It was still alive, barely, but had been clawed
and bitten savagely as the creatures had tried to get at the warrior. With a frown of regret
on his face he thrust his sword into the horse’s heart, killing it instantly. Walking away he
took stock of his own wounds. His left arm sported numerous bite marks, and he had
one on the shoulder and one or two on each leg. They would certainly lead to infection if
not treated immediately, so he offered no resistance as one of the healers applied their
special cures to the wounds. Major patchwork could wait; they needed to get into the
caves.
“Atius, your men fought bravely. If we move quickly we can end this.”
“Yours fought valiantly as well, Madarr. I have my forces gathering inside the tunnel. We
shall be ready to move when you are.” Atius nodded slightly and headed back toward the
entrance. As Madarr watched him walk away he realized the Elkans possessed courage
as well as a sense of honor – valuable allies, indeed.
“Pfimarr, gather the troops at the entrance.” Walking towards them Madarr spotted
Suldany. In the furor of battle he had no idea whether or not she survived. “I hope to see
you at the victory celebration when this is over, lovely one.”
“I look forward to it, my lord.” With a slight tilt of her head she turned and headed towards
the cave.
The combined forces moved into the cave. One out of five warriors carried a torch; light
and shadow was cast on the walls around them. The rest of the fighters held short
swords and shields; a few carried axes but they would be hard to wield in the tighter
spaces.
It seemed different at the lower levels than above. Madarr had been here more than
once, but never this deep. As they moved he looked around. In the torchlight he could
see small areas on the walls glisten and shine, cold to the touch and with a feel similar to
steel. A few of the rooms down here were made of the same thing; Madarr had often
wondered how they came to be. None of the races with which he was familiar could
make a room or door out of metal, and certainly the beasts could not.
The combined Elkan and Barbarian armies moved on. The Jintai would attack in threes
or fours and meet a quick death. If they tried to escape through a tunnel, Elkan assassins
would hunt them down. The plan was working smoothly, perhaps a bit too much so. After
hours of hunting and killing, the caverns appeared empty. Madarr had concerns however,
and called for the tribe’s most proficient shaman. Her name was Dienn. She was
respected universally, and had powers Madarr could not comprehend. At times it
seemed she could read his mind, knowing what he was planning before he had spoken
a word. She had other powers as well, but it was her ability to grasp things beyond the
normal senses on which he was counting.
Dienn scribed three pointed triangles around her in the dirt. Closing her eyes she sat
and began to chant. Slowly a light blue aura encircled her body. After a few moments of
this she stood and faced Madarr.
“There appears to be a rather large number of the beasts below us and to the southeast.
Exactly how many I cannot say, at least forty but probably less than sixty. A few others are
in different locations, but that appears to be the bulk of them.” Without waiting to be
dismissed she bowed slightly then turned and walked away.
Madarr smiled, for he knew her eccentricities as well as her abilities. She would do
anything he asked of her, but walked her own path. If she said they were below and to the
southeast, then that was where they were. “Atius, the creatures are beneath us. We must
find a way down, hold here and send out five-man scout groups.”
“Agreed, Madarr. The sooner we find the remaining creatures the faster we can leave
this vile place.” Atius chose the men who would join the search teams.
After a short while one of the Elkans came running around the corner, speaking
excitedly. “Atius, we have found an entrance. It is partially hidden by wood and debris but
we are clearing it now.”
After conferring, the two leaders took their troops to the spot. It was a square type of
opening, rope ladders were strung across the inside, and it appeared to go straight
down. Madarr walked to the edge, pushing a torch inside. The walls were covered in
mold and algae, but, as he had seen elsewhere, there appeared places that glinted in
the light. This cavern held a secret. He was not a shaman but he could feel it in his
bones.
Madarr dropped the torch, watching it fall into the pit. When it finally hit bottom, some
meters below, he could see dark shadows scurrying about. It would be a trap. The
warrior had planned for numerous contingencies, this being one. Within minutes his
soldiers had wheeled in four large barrels filled with oil. After he was sure the dropped
torch was no longer lit he ordered his men to dump the contents of the barrels into the
opening, then waited, giving the oil time to spread. He dropped another torch. With a
loud whoosh flames shot outwards, following the streams of liquid, while dark shapes ran
off screaming, their furry hides alight with flames. As soon as the fires began to die the
warriors dropped their own rope ladders and began the descent. As they climbed down
rancid smelling smoke, of burned flesh and hair, drifted past. Madarr and seven others
were the first to hit still-hot solid ground. With a torch in his left hand and a sword in the
right the warrior looked around. There lay eight corpses, still smoldering, and at least a
dozen glowing eyes staring at them from the darkness beyond. Luckily the fire had
disoriented them; before they could mount an attack the group of Barbarians and Elkans
had gathered at the bottom of the shaft.
The creatures were suddenly gone; as Madarr guessed he would still find the majority in
the southeast corner, his force headed in that direction. Seasoned warriors looked
around in disgusted amazement as they moved. Bodies were tied to wooden racks, it
seemed most had been dead for some time. The corpses were so disfigured and
beaten it was hard to tell to what race they had belonged. Madarr told himself the dead
would be avenged. When his group had gathered in the next room it halted. From
beyond came the strangest sound, something between a growl and a hum, but multiplied
as if from a chorus. There stood a door between them and the sound, a door with some
type of writing on its steely surface. Madarr did not have time to examine it. What he saw
when he pushed it open caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. Inside was a
very large room with something square, set against the far wall. At least fifty Jintai were
gathered around it, as if honoring someone or something. He quickly deduced they were
praying to their god. His forces had to act quickly; using hand signals he began moving
them into the room along two walls. When approximately thirty were in the room, one of
the beasts turned and saw them; letting out a howl it started towards them.
“Attack,” was all Madarr had time to say. Immediately his troops moved on the beasts,
allowing room for more of his forces to come thru the door.
The Jintai fought to the death, attempting to protect whatever was behind them. Swords
cut through flesh, while clubs rained down on Barbarian and Elkan heads. It was close in
fighting and few escaped without any wounds. Madarr pulled a beast from the pack and
slammed it off the wall. It tore the flesh from his left arm as he put his sword into its throat,
the creature’s growl ending in a gurgling hiss. Suddenly he felt a claw grab him from
behind. Turning to face the threat he saw the beast had been pierced through the heart
from behind. As it fell to the floor he saw who had ended its life: Suldany.
“Thank you, lovely one, I’m glad to see you are still alive.”
“My lord” she whispered, looking him straight in the eye, “until this evening.”
As he turned back to the battle, Madarr had trouble getting that voice out of his head.
When the remaining creatures had been slain, he stepped over the pile of corpses to
see what had been so special to the beasts.
The small room-sized structure looked strange. In some places it had sharp pieces of
something that, when the dirt was rubbed away, he could see through. He was more
intrigued by what lay in the center. There stood a table made of the same metal as the
doors; on it sat an object that glistened. It was round and smooth on either end, as if the
Jintai had kept it polished. He walked closer then stopped; there appeared to be a crack
on one side of it, with some type of dried substance on the edges. Something told
Madarr this was not a good place in which to be. He turned to his troops, all of who were
also looking at the strange thing in front of them.
“Get the wounded to the surface and send patrols through the tunnels to make sure all
the beasts are dead, then meet us at the entrance. I do not know what this place is, but it
gives me an uneasy feeling. We shall let the scholars and mystics examine this place
later. Now it is time to return to our camp and celebrate.”
Walking out the door, Madarr took another look at the strange writing upon it. Wiping the
dirt away he saw what was written:
NO ADMITTANCE
GENETICS LAB #3
Clearance level Alpha only
Moving towards the surface, he hoped the symbols could be deciphered. Intuition told
him they might be the key to something important.