Earthkin, Coaldon and Topple sat for a long time as their eyes searched the surrounding area for signs of life. It was obvious something had caused the wildlife to leave the area. Nothing stirred or made a sound. As they were getting ready to begin their investigation, a crashing noise was heard in the underbrush. Something was moving toward them without any concern about being heard. The noise stopped for a moment then started again. A deep growl preceded its arrival. They pulled their swords as the noise got closer. With a giant leap, the growling animal landed directly in front of Coaldon. To everybody’s surprise, Sid crouched ready to attack.
Coaldon spoke to him in a soft, gentle voice. Sid’s stance relaxed when Coaldon’s voice penetrated the barrier of his bewilderment. The dog seemed to awaken from a trance. He gave a yip of recognition. Sid danced around in a glorious state of excitement. As Coaldon rushed to grab him, the dog greeted him with barks. They jostled onto the ground. The dwarf and wizard smiled as the two friends were reunited.
After the reunion, Coaldon took a close look at Sid. The dog had many small cuts all over his body. Part of the hair had been ripped or burned away leaving scabs covering ugly wounds. Earthkin handed Coaldon his healing ointment. Sid did not resist as the ointment was applied to his wounds. He sat peacefully as the soothing cream sank into the inflamed flesh. Topple touched the dog’s head with compassion. The soft touch gave Sid a charge of healing energy. Sid rubbed his nose against Topple’s robes in friendship.
With eyes on the dog, Topple beamed in satisfaction. The tragedy of the farm became oblivious to him. He was not possessed by the future but found fulfillment in current events. His focus was consumed by his concern for Sid. He allowed life to take care of the small details.
As difficult as it might be, Earthkin and Coaldon knew it was necessary to cross the river. It was essential to examine the farm. Yet, how were they to do it? The water was high for this time of year. A warm spell in the west had melted part of the snow pack. Coaldon’s only boat lay shattered on the opposite bank.
Earthkin finally said, “Coaldon, while you tend Sid I will think about how we will cross the river.”
Earthkin’s eyes shifted from Coaldon to the turbulent river. A churning sense of discomfort flooded his being. He had a fear of water. Dwarves did not like being in water, yet alone in a dangerous river. During his life, he did everything possible to stay out of water. Of course there were times when he had to get wet. Yet, as he looked at the river, his level of anxiety was overwhelming. He struggled to rise above his fear.
Earthkin gritted his teeth, reached into his backpack and pulled out a rope. Without giving thought to his personal safety, he tied the rope to a tree and waded into the cold rushing water. His powerful body fought the current with staggering steps. It was not until he reached the center that fear finally overcame his courage. He felt lightheaded as panic slowly consumed his mind. He became disorientated, causing his foot to slip on a slimy rock. He fell backward. As he submerged in the water, panic limited his ability to move. The muffled sound of the churning water dominated his awareness. Out of some hidden part of his mind, a survival behavior took control. Still holding onto the rope he pushed his arms to the side and relaxed his body. The impact of going over a large boulder thrust him to the surface. Gasping for breath, he rolled over and planted his feet on the bed of the river. Pushing with all his strength, he thrust himself toward the bank. With uncoordinated arm strokes, he churned his way toward the shore. Finally, with heroic effort he crawled upon the opposite bank. He lay on the rocky ground gasping for breath and celebrating his success. Besides a wounded pride, he only suffered from a sore back and a cold body. Given a dwarf ’s innate fear of water, this river crossing was probably the bravest thing he had ever done. To his relief, he still held the rope in his hand.
Coaldon watched in horror at Earthkin’s near disaster. His resurrection on the opposite shore brought an arousing cheer from Coaldon.
Not wanting to waste time, Earthkin tied the rope to a tree on the opposite bank. Earthkin signaled for Topple and Coaldon to cross the river. They could use the rope to stabilize themselves. Coaldon was not surprised when Topple shook his head. Topple’s frail body was too weak to battle the force of the river.
Coaldon exclaimed, “We need to cross the river!”
With a sly grin Topple looked at Coaldon saying, “I will go piggy back.”
Giving a deep, formal bow he said to Topple, “Your lordship, I offer you my service as your royal steed.”
Topple climbed onto Coaldon’s back with a flair of elegance. Topple’s eyes danced with glee. With a grandiose wave of his arm Topple yelled, “Charge!”
In spite of himself, Earthkin could not help but smile.
Following Topple’s command, Coaldon waded into the water. Coaldon used both hands to grip the rope. Topple had the responsibility to hold on for dear life. The rope provided the anchor enabling Coaldon to keep his balance. He carefully took one step at a time as the water rushed against him.
It took all of Coaldon’s strength to keep his balance and footing. When Topple started waving his arms in wide circles Coaldon gave him a strong warning to be still. Topple stopped waving his arms, but continued an explosive outpouring of words. After a long struggle, Coaldon climbed onto the opposite bank in a state of exhaustion. As the young warrior fell to his knees, Topple laughed with delight. Topple had completed a most exciting adventure.
Sid swam across the river with little concern or effort. Earthkin was jealous of the dog’s ability to swim.
The search of the area revealed no immediate threat. After examining the ground they decided a large army of trogs had attacked the farm. No sign of humans were found in the cabin. Part of the personal belongings from the cabin had been removed before the attack. There was no sign of a struggle or fight. The cold ashes indicated the attack took place three or four days ago. Like a dark cloud, the smell of death hung over the valley.
It was decided to set up camp in the root cellar. The travelers’ cold bodies and wet clothes demanded immediate attention. After eating a hot meal in front of a warm fire, it was time to dry their wet clothes and to find sleep. Coaldon and Earthkin took turns on watch throughout the afternoon and night.
While Coaldon was on guard duty, Sid sat next to him under the bright stars. The depth of their friendship held an unspoken bond of intimacy. Even though no words were spoken there was recognizable communion.
During the night Coaldon thought about the forest being void of animals. Why would they leave? He concluded a great evil had driven them away. Over and over he kept seeing images of the destroyed farm. Mental pictures of the burned buildings, the dead animals and the destruction filled his mind with grief. In addition, he ruminated on the fate of his grandparents. The attack was so violent, how could they have escaped? Were they dead or dying, or maybe needing help?
Coaldon did not want to sleep in the cellar. He needed space and fresh air. The morning light filtered through the holes in the cellar roof. The heat from the fire soon warmed the small room. Both Earthkin and Coaldon decided it was time to eat something other than trail food. They chose to put the remaining vegetables, stored in the cellar, to good use. Before long the aroma of bubbling stew excited their taste buds. The hot, tasty meal helped lift their spirits. Topple’s broad smile was enough to express his appreciation.
The travelers held a short conference after breakfast to decide what to do next. Earthkin said, “We need to leave this morning. We do not want to be caught here by the trogs.”
Coaldon nodded, “I agree. We can not accomplish anything here. I suggest we go to the Monastery of Toms. Pacer said he would meet us there.”
Coaldon suddenly became aware of a growing sense of discomfort. This was confirmed when he saw Sid cowering in the corner. Then his sword began to vibrate in rapid pulses.
Topple looked toward the door of the cellar with anticipation. He bent his head to one side with a look of curiosity. Then he said, “The watch dog has fa
iled in his duties. I think we have visitors. This should be most entertaining!”
Coaldon and Earthkin knew Topple was serious. Earthkin carefully peeked out the door of the cellar. He heard the scream of many voices coming from across the river. Hundreds of trogs covered the opposite bank. They had followed the travelers over North Ridge Pass.
In a casual voice Topple said, “I guess it is time to go. Take your time getting your things together. No hurry, just a nice stroll in the woods.”
Earthkin gave a shout of protest, “We need to move and move fast.” Coaldon and Earthkin rushed out of the small room pushing against each other as they went out the door.
Topple found great humor at their show of panic. He laughed, saying, “Haste makes waste.”
Coaldon and the dwarf stumbled into the bright daylight. They were greeted by the cry of hundreds of jeering trogs. Topple slowly walked out of the cellar and stood next to his friends. With a big smile, he gave the trogs a wild wave of greeting. The trogs responded with raised fists and foul curses.
Earthkin said, “I think it is time to get started. Let’s take the east road towards Grandy. I hope the trogs do not find a way to cross the river.”
Topple chuckled gleefully, knowing that the best was yet to come.
As they started to walk down the road, a loud clap of thunder rumbled across the Valley. The trogs started to chant over and over. “Gurlog! Gurlog! Gurlog!”
Topple said, “I told you our new friend was not nice. It wants to play with us. Let’s extend our welcome.”
Topple casually walked toward the river as Earthkin and Coaldon stood in disbelief. To them, running away seemed preferable.
Topple glanced backwards saying, “Let’s not keep it waiting. Remember, fear begets fear. We must show courage and confidence.”
A dark cloud appeared in the west end of the valley. It moved down the valley with unnatural speed. The cloud then abruptly stopped over the crowd of trogs. Another clap of thunder announced its arrival. The trogs fell face down onto the ground in absolute terror. It slowly drifted across the river settling on the ground about 100 strides in front of the three men. The cloud swirled as it formed into a large black beast 10 strides tall. Its huge round body had two legs, two long arms, and a large head. Its face was blood red with tiny features. The small nose, lips and eyes were overshadowed by a large horn that jetted from its forehead. The horn curved down over its face giving it a grotesque expression of evil. With a loud roar of disgust, it focused its attention on the three people standing in the meadow. It turned its head to look at the trogs as if asking permission. The trogs yelled, “Gurlog! Gurlog! Kill! Kill!”
The monster started to walk slowly towards them with rumbling laughter. Topple yelled, “Come no closer unless you wish to suffer death.”
The beast thundered, “Who are you?”
Topple responded, “I am Topple the Wizard. This is Earthkin the Great Dwarf Warrior. This is Coaldon of Rocknee, the Hand-on-the-Sword. Go away and leave us alone. You are bothering us. We want to go for a nice morning stroll.”
The monster stopped in its tracks. Its dense, slow mind worked to remember their names. With a loud shout of recognition, it took several steps backward. It leaned forward to take a closer look. A roar of flame burst from its mouth singeing the ground in front of Topple. In a casual manner Topple pointed his raised hand toward Gurlog. A bolt of lighting burst from his hand striking the beast with a shower of burning sparks. With a grunt of pain it shook with rage. Gurlog took several more steps backward. The trogs burst into a round of chants. “Gurlog, Gurlog, burn their flesh! Gurlog, Gurlog, evil lord!”
Gurlog stood in a state of confusion. It wanted to attack; yet, it felt a sense of doubt. It had never experienced uncertainty in its entire existence. The chants of the trogs enriched its confidence. It roared, “I will destroy this scum.” With a burst of anger it lumbered forward.
Topple shouted, “Earthkin, you retreat backwards. Coaldon, you move to the right. I will go to the left. Coaldon, it is time for you to use the deadly power of the sword.”
The monster took a wide swing at Earthkin with its giant arm. Earthkin had anticipated this move as he rolled to his right. Gurlog then fired a burst of fire from its mouth at Earthkin. Earthkin’s right pant leg burst into flames as the giant pursued his attack. Gurlog burst into laughter as it saw Earthkin’s pant leg burst into flames. Topple struck the beast with another bolt of lighting to draw its attention away from Earthkin. Gurlog staggered in pain when the bolt ripped into its soft underbelly. Roaring in frustration, it turned to attack Topple. This diversion gave Earthkin time to put out the fire. He received only minor wounds.
With Gurlog’s attention on Topple, Coaldon drew his sword. He approached the beast from behind and pointed the weapon toward the monster. He released a surge of energy into the sword. The accumulated power turned the end of his sword into an angry red glow. Coaldon’s knees sagged as a blinding streak of light erupted from the end of the sword. The energy hit Gurlog with such force the beast fell forward into a heap of thrashing flesh. The monster fell directly on top of Topple. A reverse surge of power from Gurlog hit Coaldon as he stood holding his sword. Coaldon felt the bolt pass into his body. A burning sense of evil gripped his mind.
After a short pause, Gurlog slowly rose to its knees in a state of shock. With a surge of energy it staggered to its feet. Smoke started to pour from its large head. It made one step toward Coaldon before its head evaporated into black smoke. The life energy of the monster exploded in all directions. The monster dissolved into a faint whimper of distress. The remains of the beast drifted to the ground in wisps of dust.
The trogs on the far bank of the river stood in silence. Their source of power and leadership disappeared before their eyes. A few started to roam around as if lost sheep. Then one by one they walked into the forest without power or purpose. Trogs were mindless beasts requiring the will power of a master. A new master would need to gain power before the beasts could function as warriors.
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A Time of Healing