“Worse,” Gierig replied, “Elves.”
Ritter made a face of disgust as Gierig continued, “It was at a time that we had some trust for the foul creatures. Yet luck holds for us. The treacherous elves threw the hammer away in their betrayal of the Halz. Records were found that indicated what had happened to it, many found in the recovered texts of Center Point itself.”
Ritter swooned at that. Center Point was a ruin of the ancient kingdom of the giants. He wondered what exactly the giants had been doing in that ruin when it had been whole and new. He pondered why records of the Hammer of Ruin would have been there.
“So if they found the records in a human controlled area, you think the humans want that little dwarf weapon too?” Kava asked, “I bet it has to be more awesome than your rusty axe.”
“There are few tales of the Hammer of Ruin,” the silver-haired Gierig stated, “It is mostly just stated as the weapon wielded by the founder of that clan. It certainly has a lofty title.”
The blonde-haired Ritter spoke, “Kava may have a point though. If the people that wanted the axe learn of the hammer, they may seek it as well.”
“Especially if they think it is powerful,” the vodyanoi croaked, “Everybody loves power.”
“Do you know a lot about this?” Ritter asked Gierig.
“Quite a bit actually,” Gierig replied, “As I was in Center Point at the time, I aided in the recovery of the texts and read them myself.”
“Then perhaps this Unity needs to learn of the hammer. And learn of its many mighty magical powers,” Ritter said.
“Magical powers? I thought dumpy here said it was just some old leader dude's favorite toy?” Kava asked.
“Yes, but Unity does not not need to know that,” Ritter said, “Then we can lure them out.”
“Not a bad idea,” Gierig stated, “I would ask how we get the humans to believe it, but I think I actually have an answer for that.”
“Oh?” Ritter asked.
“I read those ancient texts for a reason,” Gierig said, “They were carved into stone, so actually moving them would have been difficult to say the least. Unless one was a giant. So they are still there. Unity has people that can read Halz runes. We just need to convince someone to look.”
“A few rumors could take care of that,” Ritter said, “Seeing the runes would make them believers. Although I am uncomfortable with them knowing the location of the relic. Even without power it is a great historical artifact.”
“I know where the hammer should be. We just need to be there first,” Gierig replied, “The expedition should still be there as added backup.”
Ritter nodded, “It sounds like a solid plan, depending on what Enzi learns. We can run it past him when he returns. Perhaps he will have more ideas to add.”
Enzi's Irregulars #0023
Enzi looked quite displeased when he returned to the wagon, “We need to move. I avoided detection, but trackers will be on to us soon enough. I just do not have a sure location to go to.”
“We may have an idea,” Ritter replied, then explained all that he had learned from Gierig.
Enzi nodded, “Not a bad idea. A few dropped clues here at camp might get things rolling. If nothing else, at least it is a direction to go.”
The group packed up their gear and leapt into the wagon. They rolled off eastwards. As they rolled along, Enzi revealed what he had learned. It was not good news. Unity had complete control of Center Point. Several mercenary groups had been paid off to track the Irregulars. Enzi wondered how he had missed such a group taking over so much of the trading post. Having Gharaf as a member had certainly helped. Likely he had bought up much of what was needed. A few bribes and a little blackmail could work wonders.
Unity seemed like it was a group that was well funded. Mercenaries always gravitated to such people. Ritter had a hard time imagining how they would escape a grisly fate. The Halz wondered what could possibly be more profitable than a bounty for a powerful organization.
***
The Tarvoni standing in the circle had light blonde hair, though age had faded it considerably. He was just short of five and a half feet tall. Like most Tarvoni, he was shorter and thinner than most of the other races. His foe had once been his mentor, a man whose hair was quite gray with his old age.
“Laesiethys,” the younger Tarvoni said, “Your time has ended.”
“Yes, Raen. I knew this time would come. Your magical prowess has grown to match mine, even when I wear the trappings of leader. I have taught you well.”
The two spoke in the tongue created by the Abyss cult, a language that had formed based on the magic they wielded. The Abyssal tongue had terms for all known magical phenomena. Many of its words could be used to enhance the very flow of magic itself. When people used magical words in their spells in other lands, those words were familiar to the Tarvoni. It was part of their language.
“Some new leaders would slay the old,” Raen said to the elder Tarvoni, “I do not see the need. Our friendship can continue. After our losses at the odd dwarven tower, we need all our mages.”
“I agree,” Laesiethys replied, his red eyes still sharp, “I had long prepared for your ascendance. I relinquish now the leadership of the Abyss. Now Raen Nychte shall lead us, for good or ill.”
“Long have I developed plans to deal with our enemies,” Raen said, “Now they shall be set in motion. Agon will be crushed. Whether by war or coup, their country shall not survive. Long have their Magehunters come for our kind.”
The elder Tarvoni smiled, “I knew you had begun moving pieces of some plan. I knew when Gree Vanier disappeared.”
Raen returned the smile with a devious look in his eyes, “Yes, one of the greatest of our summoners. He has gone to aid the goblinoids. They have a new weapon. Along with the power of the summoners Gree recruited, the goblinoids will wage war upon the civilized nations. I do not expect success in this venture, but that is not the goal.”
“Of course not,” Laesiethys said, “The alliances of the north will crush the goblinoids. But not without serious losses. Especially depending on this new weapon.”
“Perhaps new is the wrong word,” Raen said, “It is an old weapon, stolen by Ahk separatists in Feergrus. Our agents liberated it, and made sure it was delivered to the goblinoids. The true owners will be quite displeased when evidence that the Feergrus stole it is laid at their door. All the world will be at war while we watch. Then when all are weakened, we make our next move.”
“Our next move?”
“We shall place a new king on the throne of Agon, one which will be favorable to us,” Raen said, “We shall be the ones to decide the heir to Agon.”
“Interesting,” Laesiethys said with a nod, “What if the plan should fail?”
“Then it fails,” Raen replied, “Our enemies will still be weakened. We shall use mercenaries where we can and not expend our own strength unless we have to. The war will bring a great bounty of experienced mercenaries to us. Nothing is as juicy a job as war for a mercenary. When the war is over, many will be desperate for work. We shall provide it.”
“Do you have further plans beyond that?”
“I have some thoughts,” Raen said, “But it is too far into the future to think about them in detail yet. Perhaps when the war is over and the plan for the coup of Agon is moving along, it will be time to look at them in more detail. Who knows what opportunities may come by then?”
***
Surprisingly the Irregulars made it to their destination without being harried. They were near the southern tip of the Nuvro Range. The sign of stonework had drawn the eyes of the two Halz. Someone had been digging into the rocks of the mountains. What had once been a rubble strewn cliff now showed signs of being cleared. However, it was far too quiet.
Enzi, the Irregulars, and Gierig proceeded on foot. The first sign of trouble was found quickly. Ritter knelt beside the body of a fallen Halz. The normally solid black eyes were a solid white. That Halz was d
ead. Arrows had pierced the stone-kin. They were obviously of elven make. A quick investigation found a trap had been hidden in the plants that grew on the mountain side. Warned of the possibility of traps, the group moved carefully forward.
They found one trap after another that had been set off. The Halz who had been excavating the site had obviously gotten more careful after losing one of their own. However, Ritter was worried. The slain Halz would have been cleaned up after the area had been secured. Something had obviously happened to the rest of the expedition. Then they saw the bodies. The stone-kin had been cut down in battle. Someone else was there.
A lilting voice spoke the Halz tongue with obvious disgust, “Ah more of your blight has come to my home. You brought foul monsters with you as well. Perhaps you will be more of a challenge than the other rock born abominations.:
A creature stepped into the light. It was perhaps half a foot taller than five feet. Long and ragged blonde hair cascaded from the creature's head, but the unkempt locks could not conceal the pointed ears. Its skin was pale with an almost porcelain sheen. The creature was far too narrow to be human. Its build was unmistakable. It was an elf. Tales of them often called them thin, but that was the wrong word. While reaching human height, their body shape was differently proportioned. The widest part of them were perhaps the hips or shoulders, and even the largest elf did not pass a foot wide.
The Halz had a broad build, so the narrow shapes of the elves struck them as particularly alien looking. Even to human, the elves looked odd. Their skulls were too narrow. Their eyes slanted heavily to fit. It gave their features a very pointed look. This elf wore no armor but his curved blade was stained with the blood of the slain Halz.
The elf watched the Irregulars with an unnerving stillness. Elves had an uncanny ability to be very still. They showed no emotion either. While the Halz supposedly had the stony faces, that meant that any emotion the dwarves made was exaggerated as their faces had limited movement. The elves were capable of extremely subtle movement instead. Rumors also told of their lightning speed when they actually did move.
Enzi did not understand the Halz tongue, but spoke in Abyssal, “Fair elf, we come not as enemies.”
“Ah, the human speaks,” the elf replied in Abyssal, “You bring monsters including two dwarves and think to say that you do not come for war?”
“We did not even know you were here,” Enzi replied calmly.
“That matters little, you are here for the Hammer of Ruin.”
“We were here to stop murderers and thieves who will be coming for the hammer. Investigating the slain Halz is a logical part of that.”
“You appeal to my intellect,” the elf said, “You are a cunning foe indeed. The hammer shall not fall into anyone's hands. Now I must eliminate you, as I will all who find this place. If there are no survivors, none will tell of this place again.”
“What of the path that allowed anyone to learn of this place at all?” Enzi asked.
“As it seems to bring the dwarves to the slaughter, it seems fine to me. The less of such traitorous monsters in this world the better. It has been entertaining to speak with something that is not dwarven, but you are no more clever than they in the end.”
The elf moved with a blur. His curved blade slashed at Ritter, but Gierig's shield caught the blow.
“Sorry treacherous elf, but this Halz is not yours to slay,” Gierig said in the tongue of the stone-kin.
Gierig's axe slashed through the air at the elf, but it was fat too slow. The elf seemed to dance past the weapon with practiced ease. The elf leaned suddenly then Ritter saw why. One of Eurysa's arrows sailed past his head. He had never known her to miss like that. Certainly bad conditions or a touch of luck could make her miss, but this was not even close.
“You have never faced an elven warrior, little dwarf,” the elf said, “I have trained in combat for over two hundred years. I have experienced true combat many dozens of times. Your pitiful little group is no match for an elven...”
Suddenly he lurched and mad an odd sound. Between his legs laid the vodyanoi Kava. She was stealthy when she wanted to be and her small size allowed her to maneuver past the two Halz. They nearly blocked the entrance to the cave and access to the elf.
“Don't know what you were saying buddy,” Kava croaked in Nuvro, “But I didn't like the tone. You seem human shaped enough that I hopefully just skewered you in your most sensitive area. I figured that would work as a nice little attitude adjustment.”
Blood dribbled from the mouth of the shocked elf. His stoic face showed no emotion except his eyes. A fire of rage, pain, and confusion seemed to flow from the green colored orbs. He raised his blade and sought to drive it downwards into the prone Kava but Gierig's axe chopped into the elf and finished him off.
“You were quite right,” Gierig said, “He was being rather insufferable. We may not agree on many things, but I must admit admiration for taking that useless creature down a peg or two.”
“That is two you owe me then,” Kava said.
“Two?” Gierig asked.
“Oh you still owe me for causing trouble at the auction slaughter. I'll think of an appropriate payment for all your debts eventually.”
Enzi's Irregulars #0024
All the mercenaries stepped over the dead elf except Eurysa. She stayed to watch the cave entrance. Mayitso looked back once as the group traveled on. He stayed in the rear, keeping his sharp senses ready. With his speed, he could aid the gorgon is battle quickly. That was assuming that their goal was not much further inside the cave tunnel. Soon the group came to the back wall of the cave.
The wall had obviously been built there. It appeared to be perfectly flat and smooth. However, there was writing upon it. The flowing script was almost certainly elven. No one in the group could read the language. Gierig merely snorted and kicked the wall. There was a loud cracking sound and the treacherous Halz grunted. Enzi soon had the group rearrange themselves so that Aldebaran was at front. The massive minotaur was able to break down the thin wall quite easily.
Beyond the broken wall sat a vast domed cave. The lantern Enzi had with him only lit enough to show the walls seemed to be as smooth as the one they had broken through. The floor also looked perfectly smooth. In the center of the room sat a pedestal. On the pedestal sat an enormous dwarven maul. As he was in the lead, Aldebaran took the first steps forward. However, as soon as his hooves stepped past the debris from the shattered wall, they slipped.
The minotaur hit the ground with a loud thud and Enzi spoke in Nuvro, “So the floor very nearly is perfectly smooth. At least we have been provided a solution. The debris and the damage done here gave some traction. This floor, like the walls, seems easily damaged. So let us make a path.”
This time Ritter led the way. Using his warhammer, he smashed the floor and any rocks the mercenaries tossed forward. It made for a path that was treacherous to walk upon, but far safer than the smooth and slippery floor. Ritter sheathed his weapon and stowed his shield as he stood at the base of the pedestal. With both hands he grasped the enormous maul.
The weapon was extraordinarily heavy. The Halz was not expecting that and it nearly slipped from his grasp. The mighty two handed hammer hit the floor with a loud reverberating thud. Ritter felt his ears pop from the sudden change in pressure in the room. The floor rippled from where the hammer had hit and the ripples continued until they hit a wall. Suddenly a section of that wall shifted backwards.
At first the group thought it was some sort of secret door, but the engineer in Ritter told him the truth. The stone had been compressed by the hammer. It had been used to create the room they were standing in. It puzzled him that the compressed stone would be so brittle and easy to damage, however. That went against his knowledge of materials. He wondered if the properties that allowed the hammer to shift stone like that also weakened the stone somehow. Certainly weakening stone could earn the maul its title as the Hammer of Ruin.
“I didn't think the ha
mmer was supposed to have any power?” Enzi asked.
Ritter shrugged, “No stories tell of that. I am as surprised as you. I expected a less fantastical reason for its name.”
Mayitso raised his head suddenly, sniffing the air. He growled then turned and ran down the tunnel back towards Eurysa.
“That can't be good,” Kava said, “But I sure hope its fun.”
The group rushed back towards the entrance. Eurysa's bow was at the ready as Mayitso sniffed the air. Ritter could see shapes moving outside, but the transition between the dim cave and the bright outdoors made it difficult to ascertain exact numbers.
“Leave the hammer here,” Gierig said, “Lets go meet these foes as a wall of Halz forged steel.”
Ritter nodded, putting the dwarven maul down and drawing his shield and warhammer for battle. The two heavily armed dwarves led the way. Out side sat a ragtag collection of mercenaries.
One of the armored men swaggered forward and spoke in Nuvro, “Ah, Gierig. First you brought us our axe, now our hammer. How nice.”
“So where is the axe?” Gierig asked.
“Oh, we couldn't leave the dwarf weapons apart. We brought it with us.”
“That seems foolish, do you think this band of mercenaries is enough to stop even two Halz, let alone the rest of the warriors here with us?” Gierig asked.
The man shrugged as the two Halz moved forward. The rest Enzi's Irregulars came out of the cave, maneuvering so that all could fight.
“Finally some room to fight,” Kava said, “Too bad there are so few foes.”
The male mercenary who had addressed the two Halz smiled, “Well, we can certainly fix that.”
Dozens of soldiers in heavy armor made their way out from behind rocks, as more stealthy warriors rose from behind the grassy hills. A small army now faced Enzi's Irregulars. Eurysa and Enzi glanced back at the cave and the strategic cover it provided.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” the mercenary leader said, “We have more than enough crossbows trained on you to kill you all. I don't see the hammer.”
“If you could see it, we would already be dead,” Enzi replied.
“True enough,” the man said, pulling out the magical heirloom of the Silveraxe clan as his own weapon.