The young mage woke with a groan. He struggled to open his eyelids and found that barely possible with his throbbing head. His vision was blurry, and he slowly blinked, trying to clear his sight. The land in front of his face possessed a dull gray sky, and the dirt he lay on was thick and cracked like the bark of a tree. He could feel the ground crying for light and love. I must be in the Frontier , he thought. There was no sign of the cave from which he and his cat fled. And speaking of which, there was no sign of his cat either. Perhaps if he turned his head and faced the other way...
Ghaleon groaned again and rolled his head in the opposite direction he was facing. He could now see drag marks leading off towards the hills. His friend must have pulled him along after he crashed into the rock. I should have ducked , he chided himself. Of course, if the cat never ran under the stalactite in the first place, none of this would have happened. But I suppose that's wishing for a bit much. At least we're alive, I think.
But where was his cat? Ghaleon struggled to sit up, and was almost immediately assailed by a haze of nausea. He sat still, allowing his vision and mind to clear. There was a withered tree off to his left. There really wasn't any doubt about him being in the Frontier any longer. Only this seemingly goddess-forsaken land could fit the descriptions he had heard. The last glimpse he saw the Frontier was in a bit of a rush. He had been riding dragonback at the time as well, so he didn't have a good look at the landscape up close. And yet the grayness of the terrain was unmistakable.
Ghaleon slowly stood, fighting the headache that was throbbing his brain. He felt as though a troupe of Meribian dancing girls had done the flamenco on his head. The young premier rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and attempted to stand up straight. But then he found himself nauseated and sprawled on his back on the ground. This was no way for the premier of Vane to appear in public! For nausea was not the only reason he was now down the the ground. Unable to react properly because of his headache, Ghaleon's backwards lurch was the only thing that saved him from being skewered by a spear who's shaft was now sticking out from between his legs.
"Oo! Oo! Look at what I found!" a deep voice cheered in a guttural tone.
Ghaleon observed a group of shadows emerge from behind a rocky outcropping into the light. They were four lizardlike humanoids dressed in a sort of guardsmen uniform. One of the lizard guards was gesturing at him and was apparently pointing out how he scared the little human. Ghaleon immediately knew that they had to be members of the Vile Tribe. And meeting them in his current condition simply wouldn't do. He had to be in control of the situation, and here he was not even in control of his own movements. The young mage gathered his legs under him and prepared to stand.
"What do you know? He isn't scared stiff," commented one of the lizard guards.
"Well, these humans must have some guts, otherwise we wouldn't be stuck in here, even though the weaklings did have goddess Althena on their side," pointed out another.
"I never understood why Althena in all her strength would choose to support the weak," grumbled the one that had thrown his spear at Ghaleon.
"Maybe we should test this one's mettle, eh?" snickered the fourth.
The second speaker hefted his spear and took aim. Ghaleon knew he had to react. Perhaps a spell of deflection, or maybe he could simply run away... He began to move his arms, even though he hadn't consciously chosen an action to perform yet. He pivoted at his waist, and then as his nausea struck again, he found himself rushing back down to the ground. And just then, the lizard guard let his spear sail.
A loud roar leaped over Ghaleon and landed with a thump between him and the lizard guards. Ghaleon's cat growled, the opposing spear neatly caught in his jaws. The great cat's emerald eyes locked dangerously with that of the lizards guards. He snarled, and the spear snapped beneath the pressure of his jaws. The useless weapon shaft fell from his mouth and he licked his maw, catching the stray wood chips on his tongue on his fur and then wiping them off with a huge paw.
After the initial face off, one of the lizard guards finally yelled, "Get it!" and drew his sword. But it was unclear whether he was refering to Ghaleon or the cat.
And Ghaleon's cat wasted no time in leaping to his friend's defense.
From behind the scuffle, Ghaleon shoved himself back up into a sitting position and rummaged through the folds of his tunic. He found the calm herb he was searching for and felt deeply grateful that he decided to bring so many of the leaves. Ghaleon quickly ate the herb and felt his headache and nausea rapidly vanish. He silently praised the efforts of whatever being first discovered the use of calm herbs and then stood up.
The premier noticed that his sword was lying a few feet from him, no doubt his cat had pulled it along with him when they left the cave. He quickly cast a simple levitation spell and floated the sword into his grasp. Despite the fact his cat was holding his own in the battle with the lizard guards, now was as good a time as any to begin using his magic. A display of power should get him the information he desired.
Three of the four guards were pretty weak, while his cat was barely scratched. Ghaleon began to feel demonic, the words to a spell coming to his mind. His saber-toothed cat leaped back from the fight, responding to Ghaleon's unspoken command. The premier uttered a few words and then swung his sword at the lizard guards. When his blade was aligned with the group of them, he shouted, "Thunder Bolt!" Blue lightning rained down upon the Vile Tribesmen who shrieked as the electricity struck them through their metal armor. Their eyes widened and glossed over. And the exit of all the energy that passed through their bodies was far messier than its entrance.
Ghaleon barked a short laugh. He had gauged his opponents' power correctly. One of the guards, and only one, was still alive. Ghaleon cast a minor spell, causing himself to move quickly enough that he seemed to teleport right into the dazed tribesman's face. The premier held the lizard guard by the neck at his eye level and held the tip of his sword against the underside of the tribesman's head.
"You will tell me what I need, or this blade is going to wind up stabbing through your brain," he warned.
The lizard guard's eyes began to focus.
Seeing that his hostage was getting in better condition to hear him out, Ghaleon continued to speak. "I know you Vile Tribe members respect might more than anything else. I have proven my strength over your's. And if you want to keep living, you'll take me to the leader of your tribe."
"Gaa..." gasped the lizard guard.
"And if it's any condolence to you, I have no intention of making enemies of your tribe. In fact, I may have a service to offer you."
Ghaleon's voice was hard, and the lizard guard did not miss the coldness in it. He debated for a moment about whether or not he should listen to this pointy-eared man. The lizard guard had never heard of pointy-eared humans before, but his leader might know what this foreigner truly was. Perhaps this strange breed of creature would benefit that tribe like it said.
The lizard guard grunted, "Okay, follow me. The tribe's headquarters are far to the east, but we have to go around the mountains first, so we must take a lengthy detour to the south. It is several days' journey."
"That's fine with me," replied Ghaleon. "But don't try double-crossing me. My cat and I will be watching you."
The lizard guard shuddered involuntarily, not wanting to have anything more to do with the cat that fought like a demon or the lightning wielding foreigner.
Back to Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures.
Back to the Shrine to Ghaleon.