Chapter 7
Dúlra and Marion were walking along in total darkness,
they could light a flame as they would give their position away to anyone that was waiting in the tunnel. They groped their way along the wall stopping occasionally to listen for any sign they were nearing something. After what seemed like hours in total darkness they could just make out a sliver of light in the distance. They stopped and watched to make sure that it was stationary and not someone with a lantern coming towards them. After a few minutes they decided that it was stationary and started to move towards it again. They came upon an opening in the side of the tunnel that had torches burning brightly in sconce's on the walls, as their eyes adjusted to this new brightness they looked around and saw that this was carved out of the rock under the city. There had always been rumours that there were dwarven tunnels beneath the city but no one had ever found an entrance before. Looking at the work here though it looked like whoever did this had only recently done it and, given the shoddy quality of the work, they were no dwarf. They moved into this new tunnel Dúlra in the lead with the shield and sword and Marion aiming her crossbow over her shoulder. In such cramped conditions he great sword would be more of a hindrance than a help. The tunnel turned and twisted in its descent through the rock, a rudimentary stairs had been carved into the stone. The two looked around amazed, this must have taken months if not years to carve out, and without anyone on the surface being aware of it either. They pressed on and found came to a junction where they had broken into the dwarven tunnel system. The work on these tunnels was clearly better quality and had well worn paths running down them. The torches carried on further apart now but all going one direction. Crouching slightly so they could walk they carried on along the tunnel. In the distance they began to hear a noise like the sound of a waterfall. They came out onto a ledge high in the wall of the a chamber. A chasm yawned in front of them and they stood there gazing at the scene that greeted their eyes. To their right a waterfall cascaded off the edge of a cliff on the other side of the cave. The looked around for the means to carry on. To their side was a narrow ledge that angled down, wide enough for one person to press themselves flat against the wall of the cave and walk along.
'I hate this kind of thing' Dúlra said as she slung her weapon and shield across her back and stepped onto the ledge.
'I know what you mean' Marion replied as she holstered her crossbow pistol and followed her along the ledge.
They shuffled slowly along the ledge one foot following the other they cleared a corner in the rock and there they found that the ledge widened ever so slightly and that there was a flight of stairs descending into the darkness. There were no torches on the stairs but in the darkness below they could see the distant glimmer of light that suggested the torches continued when they reached the bottom. Gathering themselves after the climb they carried on down the stairs weapons once more drawn. At the bottom of the stairs they paused and looked the tunnel forked in front of them with torches in sconce's going down both tunnels.
‘Marion?’ Dúlra asked, ‘How are we going to find our way back?’
‘Good point’ she replied delving into her pockets she produced a small wedge of chalk. ‘We can follow these marks’ she said, making a barely noticeable mark on the floor by the base of the wall.
They proceeded on down the right hand tunnel careful to watch behind them. Every now and again they paused and listened to in case any sound gave away the position of an enemy. Silently the pressed on the light from the torched began to flicker and they felt a cold breath of wind on their faces. Deciding to follow this breeze to see where it took them they pressed on, each time they took a turn or chose a fork they marked the ground by the wall to guide them back. The breeze was getting stronger as they travelled on but now it was beginning to have a faint whiff of rotten meat. As they followed this became more pungent and more prominent.
It felt like they had been walking for miles when they came out into the chamber that caused their stomachs to turn. High above them there appeared to be stars visible through a round hole in the ceiling and the breeze moaned as it came through the opening. The chamber, however, was filled with scattered corpses. The two stood stock still and stared at the grizzly scene before them. They looked around aghast; the corpses were of a variety of different states of decay and were stacked around the room. Through the middle was a path that had been cleared that lead to the tunnel that continued on the other side. Gingerly they stepped through Marion raising her hand to her mouth to prevent the smell getting to her.
The tunnel after the corpse chamber was in total darkness. Marion and Dúlra looked at each other.
‘Do you think that we should go on’ Marion asked. ‘That tunnel is in total darkness. And most of the others have light of some description’.
‘Let’s go a little way in and see what we find. We can always follow the trail back a few turns and go from there. Though we should probably go back and report in. Getting some reinforcements would be an idea too given the size of this place. I wonder if there’re any maps in the library of these tunnels’. Dúlra answered.
‘Good thinking, lets take a look a bit further down here then’ Marion replied
The wind moaned through the hole in the ceiling as they pressed on into the darkness of this new tunnel. Slowly their eyes adapted to the gloom and the pressed on the moan of the wind following them downwards. They walked about another hundred yards as silently as they could when Dúlra stood up straight and turned to Marion.
‘This is pointless at this stage. Let’s head back’ She gestured back up tunnel. Marion shrugged and turned around to walk back up.
As the y approached the chamber with the corpses they could hear the wind moan through the hole in the ceiling but there was another moaning too. They approached with caution to see some of the corpses had started to move, reanimated by some evil force and sent forth to kill. Marion shot the first one through the eye causing it to slump to the floor. They both knew that they needed to remove a zombies head to break the spell and put the creatures down. In the confines of the tunnel it was quite difficult but Dúlra managed to get to the front with her shield as Marion reloaded her crossbow pistol. Leaning over Dúlra’s shoulder she fired again as the creatures closed on the. Dúlra had her shield pressed hard against her as a zombie pushed, clawing at her face. Her sword swung in a high arch splitting the creatures head in two and it collapsed at her feet. Marion shot again missing the next one by taking the shoulder of one further up the tunnel and pulping it. Dúlra called out in shock and pain as a zombie crawled over its fallen comrade and grabbed at her leg, its claws burying into the flesh at the back of her calf where the armour buckles. She kicked the creature away, stepped forward and beheaded it in one swift movement. For each zombie they killed there were two more to take their place.
‘We need to get out here Dúlra. I’ve only got two shots left and we’ll get tired eventually’ Marion called over the moaning as she shot another zombie through the eye.
‘Right then’ Dúlra’s sword arm swung and she beheaded another of the vile creatures but instead of waiting for the next one to step up to her she stepped into the gap that was created and took the fight forward. Little by little the pair stepped towards the opening of the chamber. Marion took one more zombie down then holstered her crossbow pistol and drew her short sword. Once they were in the chamber there would be enough space for her to be able to wield the great sword successfully but in the tunnel she’d need this. She stayed close behind Dúlra as they pressed forwards, her sword working as hard as Dúlra’s to get them there. Painfully slowly they reached the opening where there was a mill of about twenty zombies. Marion stood back from Dúlra for a moment and as she found the space she reached over her shoulder and grasped the hilt of the great sword hanging there. She never got to draw it. From the entrance at the other side of the chamber a crossbow bolt took her straight in the chest. With a look of surprise she looked over and saw two figures standing in the doorway. One was lowering a crossbow while the other smiled at the hunter exposing her elongated fangs. They looked at her and then around the room. They turned and walked back up the tunnel. Marion’s short sword fell from her fingers clanging on the ground. She looked in a daze at Dúlra fighting with all her might against the horde of undead rotten flesh that was attacking her. She fell backwards and as she fell all she could hear was Dúlra shouting
‘No! Marion! No!’ Dúlra screamed as she battled. She wanted to run to her fallen friend but she knew that if she did so she’d forfeit her life too. She battled on and even though her prowess with the sword and shield was impressive she was hugely out numbered. Rage, pain and grief took her and she killed like a cornered wild animal, tears and blood flooding down her face for no matter how good she was the creatures still managed to injure her with claw or whatever weapons they could find. They never tire they never stop until she removed their heads. As she started to falter through exhaustion and blood loss she saw felt that she would be joining Marion shortly and she found a strange comfort in that yet anger at the same time as they won’t be able to finish their job. As the darkness began to take her she became aware of a person entering the room blade flashing in a blur of speed, killing zombies everywhere it struck. At last this figure killed the final zombie and she collapsed to the floor, unconsciousness taking her.
Marion stood again, this time over her body watching the scene unfold. Tears ran down her face as she looked at Dúlra in the fight, she hated to abandon her like this Dúlra still had so much to learn. Behind her the great gates of the dead opened and with the sorrow for her student waning the joy of her well earned rest took her she stepped through the gates and was gone.
they could light a flame as they would give their position away to anyone that was waiting in the tunnel. They groped their way along the wall stopping occasionally to listen for any sign they were nearing something. After what seemed like hours in total darkness they could just make out a sliver of light in the distance. They stopped and watched to make sure that it was stationary and not someone with a lantern coming towards them. After a few minutes they decided that it was stationary and started to move towards it again. They came upon an opening in the side of the tunnel that had torches burning brightly in sconce's on the walls, as their eyes adjusted to this new brightness they looked around and saw that this was carved out of the rock under the city. There had always been rumours that there were dwarven tunnels beneath the city but no one had ever found an entrance before. Looking at the work here though it looked like whoever did this had only recently done it and, given the shoddy quality of the work, they were no dwarf. They moved into this new tunnel Dúlra in the lead with the shield and sword and Marion aiming her crossbow over her shoulder. In such cramped conditions he great sword would be more of a hindrance than a help. The tunnel turned and twisted in its descent through the rock, a rudimentary stairs had been carved into the stone. The two looked around amazed, this must have taken months if not years to carve out, and without anyone on the surface being aware of it either. They pressed on and found came to a junction where they had broken into the dwarven tunnel system. The work on these tunnels was clearly better quality and had well worn paths running down them. The torches carried on further apart now but all going one direction. Crouching slightly so they could walk they carried on along the tunnel. In the distance they began to hear a noise like the sound of a waterfall. They came out onto a ledge high in the wall of the a chamber. A chasm yawned in front of them and they stood there gazing at the scene that greeted their eyes. To their right a waterfall cascaded off the edge of a cliff on the other side of the cave. The looked around for the means to carry on. To their side was a narrow ledge that angled down, wide enough for one person to press themselves flat against the wall of the cave and walk along.
'I hate this kind of thing' Dúlra said as she slung her weapon and shield across her back and stepped onto the ledge.
'I know what you mean' Marion replied as she holstered her crossbow pistol and followed her along the ledge.
They shuffled slowly along the ledge one foot following the other they cleared a corner in the rock and there they found that the ledge widened ever so slightly and that there was a flight of stairs descending into the darkness. There were no torches on the stairs but in the darkness below they could see the distant glimmer of light that suggested the torches continued when they reached the bottom. Gathering themselves after the climb they carried on down the stairs weapons once more drawn. At the bottom of the stairs they paused and looked the tunnel forked in front of them with torches in sconce's going down both tunnels.
‘Marion?’ Dúlra asked, ‘How are we going to find our way back?’
‘Good point’ she replied delving into her pockets she produced a small wedge of chalk. ‘We can follow these marks’ she said, making a barely noticeable mark on the floor by the base of the wall.
They proceeded on down the right hand tunnel careful to watch behind them. Every now and again they paused and listened to in case any sound gave away the position of an enemy. Silently the pressed on the light from the torched began to flicker and they felt a cold breath of wind on their faces. Deciding to follow this breeze to see where it took them they pressed on, each time they took a turn or chose a fork they marked the ground by the wall to guide them back. The breeze was getting stronger as they travelled on but now it was beginning to have a faint whiff of rotten meat. As they followed this became more pungent and more prominent.
It felt like they had been walking for miles when they came out into the chamber that caused their stomachs to turn. High above them there appeared to be stars visible through a round hole in the ceiling and the breeze moaned as it came through the opening. The chamber, however, was filled with scattered corpses. The two stood stock still and stared at the grizzly scene before them. They looked around aghast; the corpses were of a variety of different states of decay and were stacked around the room. Through the middle was a path that had been cleared that lead to the tunnel that continued on the other side. Gingerly they stepped through Marion raising her hand to her mouth to prevent the smell getting to her.
The tunnel after the corpse chamber was in total darkness. Marion and Dúlra looked at each other.
‘Do you think that we should go on’ Marion asked. ‘That tunnel is in total darkness. And most of the others have light of some description’.
‘Let’s go a little way in and see what we find. We can always follow the trail back a few turns and go from there. Though we should probably go back and report in. Getting some reinforcements would be an idea too given the size of this place. I wonder if there’re any maps in the library of these tunnels’. Dúlra answered.
‘Good thinking, lets take a look a bit further down here then’ Marion replied
The wind moaned through the hole in the ceiling as they pressed on into the darkness of this new tunnel. Slowly their eyes adapted to the gloom and the pressed on the moan of the wind following them downwards. They walked about another hundred yards as silently as they could when Dúlra stood up straight and turned to Marion.
‘This is pointless at this stage. Let’s head back’ She gestured back up tunnel. Marion shrugged and turned around to walk back up.
As the y approached the chamber with the corpses they could hear the wind moan through the hole in the ceiling but there was another moaning too. They approached with caution to see some of the corpses had started to move, reanimated by some evil force and sent forth to kill. Marion shot the first one through the eye causing it to slump to the floor. They both knew that they needed to remove a zombies head to break the spell and put the creatures down. In the confines of the tunnel it was quite difficult but Dúlra managed to get to the front with her shield as Marion reloaded her crossbow pistol. Leaning over Dúlra’s shoulder she fired again as the creatures closed on the. Dúlra had her shield pressed hard against her as a zombie pushed, clawing at her face. Her sword swung in a high arch splitting the creatures head in two and it collapsed at her feet. Marion shot again missing the next one by taking the shoulder of one further up the tunnel and pulping it. Dúlra called out in shock and pain as a zombie crawled over its fallen comrade and grabbed at her leg, its claws burying into the flesh at the back of her calf where the armour buckles. She kicked the creature away, stepped forward and beheaded it in one swift movement. For each zombie they killed there were two more to take their place.
‘We need to get out here Dúlra. I’ve only got two shots left and we’ll get tired eventually’ Marion called over the moaning as she shot another zombie through the eye.
‘Right then’ Dúlra’s sword arm swung and she beheaded another of the vile creatures but instead of waiting for the next one to step up to her she stepped into the gap that was created and took the fight forward. Little by little the pair stepped towards the opening of the chamber. Marion took one more zombie down then holstered her crossbow pistol and drew her short sword. Once they were in the chamber there would be enough space for her to be able to wield the great sword successfully but in the tunnel she’d need this. She stayed close behind Dúlra as they pressed forwards, her sword working as hard as Dúlra’s to get them there. Painfully slowly they reached the opening where there was a mill of about twenty zombies. Marion stood back from Dúlra for a moment and as she found the space she reached over her shoulder and grasped the hilt of the great sword hanging there. She never got to draw it. From the entrance at the other side of the chamber a crossbow bolt took her straight in the chest. With a look of surprise she looked over and saw two figures standing in the doorway. One was lowering a crossbow while the other smiled at the hunter exposing her elongated fangs. They looked at her and then around the room. They turned and walked back up the tunnel. Marion’s short sword fell from her fingers clanging on the ground. She looked in a daze at Dúlra fighting with all her might against the horde of undead rotten flesh that was attacking her. She fell backwards and as she fell all she could hear was Dúlra shouting
‘No! Marion! No!’ Dúlra screamed as she battled. She wanted to run to her fallen friend but she knew that if she did so she’d forfeit her life too. She battled on and even though her prowess with the sword and shield was impressive she was hugely out numbered. Rage, pain and grief took her and she killed like a cornered wild animal, tears and blood flooding down her face for no matter how good she was the creatures still managed to injure her with claw or whatever weapons they could find. They never tire they never stop until she removed their heads. As she started to falter through exhaustion and blood loss she saw felt that she would be joining Marion shortly and she found a strange comfort in that yet anger at the same time as they won’t be able to finish their job. As the darkness began to take her she became aware of a person entering the room blade flashing in a blur of speed, killing zombies everywhere it struck. At last this figure killed the final zombie and she collapsed to the floor, unconsciousness taking her.
Marion stood again, this time over her body watching the scene unfold. Tears ran down her face as she looked at Dúlra in the fight, she hated to abandon her like this Dúlra still had so much to learn. Behind her the great gates of the dead opened and with the sorrow for her student waning the joy of her well earned rest took her she stepped through the gates and was gone.