Chapter 03 – Day 21
Rain, cold and steady, fell upon Altanus as he and his friends continued the ride to Kalsgart. It was fairly light, enough so that their cloaks were doing a pretty decent job of keeping them warm and dry – at least so far. It didn’t look like it would let up anytime soon, however, which meant that, eventually, it would soak through their cloaks and then their clothes as well.
The threat of a soaking was not enough to dissuade Altanus from leading onward. He wanted off the giant infested road as quickly as possible. Without some kind of shelter, stopping wouldn’t really help much, anyway. The tents that they had were probably no more waterproof than their cloaks.
While he hadn’t been willing to stop, that didn’t mean Altanus wasn’t concerned for his friends. Every few minutes, he glanced around, checking on each in turn. Most of them seemed to be handling it fine. Zareth and Rania appeared typically unphased. Adria looked miserable, but it could just as easily have been from her recent moodiness as from the trials of being a wet cat. Elric was holding up, but clearly not happy about it. Lastly, Terra looked absolutely miserable as she huddled under not one but two cloaks to hide from the rain.
Content that his friends were fine for now, Atlanus turned his attention back toward the issue that had been bothering him since the battle in the ravine. As he did, his hand dipped toward the hilt of his sword. Altanus had no delusions that he was a master of the weapon, but he had always trusted in its lethality. With a clean hit from a charging mount, he would have been confident in killing anything he struck. That hadn’t been the case during the battle, though. His strike hadn’t just failed to kill the giant, it hadn’t even been enough to seriously hinder its ability to fight. That was worrisome.
What was even more worrisome to Altanus was that his sword was not the only weapon to prove ineffective in the fight. Elric’s crossbow had been even less useful than Atlanus’s own attack, and even Terra had struggled to do meaningful damage to the giants. She had refrained from using more powerful magic, though, so there was at least some hope on that front.
The few effective attacks the group had made were not inspiring to Altanus either. Adria had taken down a giant with a single blow, but only with a charge and she’d not only lost her the weapon she’d used for the battle, but had broken it. There wouldn’t be spare spears lying around for her to take in the mountains. Rania had also been effective, but Altanus doubted anyone else could reliably hit someone in the eye, even if it was a giant eye. That left the final member of the group, Zareth. He had been effective, but Altanus had no way of knowing if it was related to his weapon, his obvious strength, or the tactic that he had used.
Glancing toward Zareth, Altanus couldn’t help but frown. The demon hadn’t shown any hints of betrayal, had even been helpful, but the noble still didn’t trust him. His reason was abundantly clear as, even at that moment, Zareth rode right behind Terra. Unless given some task that pulled him away from her, the demon always lingered near the elf, like some kind of loyal watchdog or obsessed stalker. Altanus still hadn’t figured out which, and until he did, he didn’t like having to rely on the demon, but at that moment, there was no option.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Altanus tugged on the reins to slow his mount, letting himself drift back in the walking order. Once he was across from Zareth, he guided his horse over toward the demon. There, he matched the demon’s pass, so that they could ride abreast.
“How can I help you, Lord Altanus?” Zareth questioned as the lord drew up next to him.
“I wanted to talk about the fight with the giants,” Altanus answered. “You seemed to know how to handle yourself. Have you fought such things in the past?”
Zareth nodded. “Yes, I have on numerous occasions.”
“Great, because I was hoping you could provide some strategic suggestions,” Altanus explained.
After a moment’s consideration, Zareth tilted his head uncertainly. “I would like to be able to help, but there is not much to say. The strategy that Master Elric suggested before the last fight covered the critical information.”
“No, I meant more fine details like weapon choice, where to aim, things like that,” Altanus clarified. “We had a lot of issues landing meaningful hits last fight, and I don’t want that to happen again.”
“I see,” Zareth acknowledged. “In that case, the biggest issue is understanding the limits of your reach. This is not merely an issue of whether you can reach any particular spot on a giant’s body, but whether your attack can reach the vitals underneath. Giants have much more meat on them and thicker bones, so it is difficult to penetrate the first and futile to try to break the latter. As such, outside of particularly powerful attack options, such as using a spear during a mounted charge like Adria did in the last battle, it is best to either attack the knees or ankles where tendons are easy to damage or harry the creature until blood loss claims it. With long or ranged weapons, you can also aim at the eyes or throat.”
Those suggestions earned a dubious look from Altanus. “That’s it? Either cut it’s legs out from under it or just hope you can hit it enough time that it bleeds to death before it can squash you?”
“Those are the only strategies that I have ever seen used effectively,” Zareth confirmed neutrally.
Altanus wasn’t sure what he’d been hoping for, but Zareth’s answer definitely wasn’t it. The last battle had gone well for him and his friends, but that was largely thanks to the sacrifices of the caravan guards. If the giants had been not already been tired, wounded, and distracted, he doubted they would would have won unscathed. They might not have even won at all. The impending trip up into the mountains just got all the more worrisome for him.
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The wooden palisade that surrounded Kalsgart could not have been a more welcome sight to Elric. Hours of travel in the icy rain had long since left him cold and soaked. His friends were not any better, all equally miserable, except for Terra who was even worse. The elf was shivering enough that it seemed like she might vibrate off her horse. It was a testament to just how awful it felt out in the rain that Elric didn’t even find the elf’s suffering amusing.
While Kalsgart was a welcome sight, it was not a welcoming town. The wooden palisade was quite high, designed to be a significant barrier even to a giant. Several sections of the wall were also covered, allowing cloaked figures to huddle around braziers for warmth while they peered warily into the gloom that would soon darken to night. Those figures also watched over the wall’s single gate, a large set of thick wooden doors that were kept closed.
“Who goes there?!” one of the cowled guards called out as the group of friends approached the gate.
“Lord Altanus Calidorn and company!” Altanus yelled back over the patter of the rain.
There was a pause before another question was yelled down. “What business do you have in Kalsgart, Lord Altanus?!”
“Just seeking some place to get out of this blasted rain for the night!” Altanus answered. “Now, let us in already!”
Another pause was followed by a creak as the gate swung open. It moved with painful slowness that had Elric tapping the pommel of his saddle with impatient. A small group of wary guards waited on the other side, gripping weapons tightly. One member of that group raised a hand to wave Altanus forward, while the rest watched the gray haze beyond the company warily.
Eager to get moving, the group of friends hurried the gate, passing by the watching guards. As soon as they were through, those guards hurried to get the doors closed behind them. Once they were, a huge wooden bar was set on the door to hold it closed.
“Sorry for the caution, m’lord,” the guard that had waved the friends inside apologized once the gate was closed. “With the rain, we can’t see very far, and the sneaky brutes have used prisoners to get us to open the gates in the past.”
“That’s quite alright,” Altanus responded in understanding. “Just tell me where I can find the Isan home.”
Nodding, the guard turned to point toward the far end of town. “Far side, near the path leading down to the mines.”
“Thank you,” Altanus responded before kicking his mount to head off in the indicated direction.
Kalsgart was not a big town, not even quite the size of Lyr. It was also huddled together in a tight little half circle. On one side was the palisade which protected the town from the giant attacks. On the other was a somewhat sheer cliff face that dropped off into a small canyon below. Down in that canyon was where the actual mining happened, accessible only by a narrow path that wound down the cliffs or by the pulley systems that the town used to move ore up from the canyon.
Thanks to the town’s small size, the friends did not have far to go before they found the home they were looking for. The Isan family were the lords of Kalsgart, and their home was as rugged and unwelcoming as the town itself. While the rest of the town was built from wood gathered from the surrounding pine forest, the Isan home was made of stone. While it was all one structure, the outer wall had towers and parapets like a castle. Altogether the place looked more like a squat sturdy fort than a noble’s home.
Like with the town itself, in spite of the Isan home’s unwelcoming appearance, Elric was glad to see it. The sturdy structure promised dry rooms, warm food, and cozy fires. That was all that mattered to him.
When the group arrived at the place, Altanus dismounted, passing his reins off to Elric before hurrying to the doors. Unfortunately a knock did not cause them to open. Only a small view hole popped open to allow a guard to peer out from inside.
“Name?” the guard questioned curtly.
“Altanus Calidorn, Lord of Lyr,” Altanus supplied for the second time since reaching the town.
That claim earned a frown from the guard, but also a nod. “One moment.”
As soon as those words were said, the view hole slammed shut, leaving the friends to just look at the door. It did not immediately open like one would expect. In fact, quite a bit more than a moment passed as the rain continued to beat down. It took just enough time for Elric to start seriously consider breaking down the door before finally there was the clack of a lock being worked followed by the door opening.
Flanked by two guards, a tall, broadly built man with gray streaks in his muddy brown hair and beard waited on the other side of the door. The man had a very gruff look to him with stern features and hard eyes. One of those eyes had a nasty looking scar above it right where his eyebrow would normally be. In spite of his grizzled look, he was dressed well like one would expect from a noble.
“Well, I’ll be, it really is you, Altanus,” the man remarked, his tone much heartier than one would expect from looking at him. “What’s a soft prairie lord like you doing this far up into the mountains?”
“Mostly getting soaked,” Altanus remarked flippantly, trying to match the man’s familiar attitude.
“Ah, of course, come in. Come in,” the man instructed, beckoning Altanus inside. After he did that, he turned toward the two guards. “Take care of their horses for them.”
Both guards scowled at the prospect of having to go out in the rain, but they did not argue with the man. Instead, they flipped up the hoods of their cloaks and started outside. Quickly, they got the friends dismounted, so they could gather up the horses and hurry off toward the stabled with adjoined the main house. That left the group free to enter behind Altanus.
The inside of the Isan family home was much more wholesome than the exterior. It looked much like a hunting lodge with animal furs covering much of the hard wood floors and trophies and weapons dotting the walls. It wasn’t particularly grand, sporting small rooms with relatively low ceilings, lending the place a surprisingly cozy feel.
“You weren’t kidding about getting soaked,” the man remarked as he saw the sopping wet friends file in behind Altanus. “You all look like soggy toast.”
“And we feel like it too,” Altanus joked. “I don’t suppose you’d mind pointing us toward a fire and some warm food.”
The man nodded in understanding. “Yeah, sure thing. I’ll go get the cook to whip something up for you. Hearth room’s right through that door there.”
“Thank you,” Altanus responded, bowing his head graciously.
Waving off the thanks, the man turned toward the kitchen. “Just go warm up already.”
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The hearth room of the Isan family home definitely deserved its name. The central fixture of the room was a decidedly massive fireplace, in which burned a similarly massive fire. The rest of the room was furnished to take advantage of that blaze with several plush seats encircling the flames.
Taking advantage of those features, the friends had made themselves at home. Wet cloaks had been hung off the mantle to dry; joined by equally wet boots, and even a few pieces of outerwear, sitting on the hearthstones below. The owners of those garments had scattered out amongst the furniture. Adria and Elric were curled up together on a sofa, stripped of most of their clothes and sharing a blanket. Rania and Zareth had taken a more conservative approach, removing only their cloaks before each took a chair to themselves. Meanwhile, Terra had forgone a seat entirely, choosing to sit on the floor right in front of the fire. Even though she had stripped off everything but her shift and huddled under a blanket for extra warmth, she still shivered as she sat there. The final member of the group, Altanus, was absent, having left a short while ago with the man that had greeted them at the door.
“But you smell like wet cat!” Elric complained as Adria snuggled up against his chest.
“Well you’ll just have to deal with it then, because we’re snuggling, and that’s that!” Adria retorted without budging from her spot.
Sighing in defeat, Elric shifted his arm so that both it and the blanket were better draped over his wife. “Just like a cat, lying wherever you want regardless of who it inconveniences.”
“Mmhmm, that’s me,” Adria purred smugly as her eyes drifted closed in contentment. Her eyes didn’t stay closed for long, though, popping back open a moment later. “Hey, sweetie, who was that old guy Altanus left with anyway?”
Elric shrugged. “Not sure. Seemed like the lord of this place. If so, I think his name is Ralph or something.”
“Rolf Isan, Lord of Kalsgart,” Zareth corrected helpfully. “And yes, that was he. He is a good man.”
“You know him?” Elric asked in surprise.
Zareth shook his head. “Only by reputation, although, we did meet briefly when I was last in Kalsgart.”
“That explains why you seem to know so much about this area,” Elric remarked. “What brought you to a place like this, anyway?”
“Lord Rolf, actually,” Zareth answered. “He was one of the nobles I considered serving prior to finally pledging myself to Lady Kalena. I spent a few weeks in Kalsgart, learning about the lord and his domain before deciding that it was not a good fit.”
That information caused Elric’s eyes to widen in surprise. “Wait … you fought for her willingly?”
“Certainly not,” Zareth denied. “I merely agreed to serve her, an agreement that she used to bind me to her will just as she did the others. Otherwise, I would have left her service long ago.”
Adria scrunched up her face in confusion. “Why would you ever agree to serve that bitch in the first place?”
“Lady Kalena is an expert at making herself appear to be whatever others want her to be,” Zareth explained. “I wanted a lord that was honorable, diplomatic, and rational, and she led me to believe that she was those things. Once I was under her thrall, however, she abandoned the deception, returning to her cruel and manipulative ways.”
“So she pretended to be something she’s not in order to trick a man into a lifetime of servitude? Sounds like almost every woman ever,” Elric remarked sarcastically, earning himself a punch in the gut from his wife that had him groaning. “Ow … I said almost!”
Adria rolled her eyes at her husband’s defense. “Yeah and that almost made you not a pig.”
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“That’s some awfully strange company you’re keeping these days, Altanus,” Rolf commented as he closed the door to his study and started one of the seats by the fire.
Seated in the other seat by the fire, Altanus shrugged. “I suppose, but they’re good people.
“I’m sure they are,” the old lord conceded as he sat down. “But a feelan, a kredger, and a demon? You even have one of those accursed following you, and who brings an elf with them into the mountains?”
“They’re my friends and that’s all there is to it,” Altanus answered curtly, wanting to get off the topic.
Seeming willing to oblige, Rolf just nodded in acceptance. “Alright … well … what are you doing up here anyway?”
“I guess you could say that I’m on a quest,” Altanus answered, feeling a little silly to be saying that for real.
“A quest?” Rolf questioned incredulously. “Back on the front, they used to have to drag you from a whore’s bed before every battle just to get you to fight, now you’re going on a quest?”
“People change,” Altanus responded cryptically.
Rolf scrunched his face up skeptically, but he didn’t bother trying to refute the claim. “Fair enough. Can you tell me what this quest is?”
“I’m going after Caledwyr,” Altanus informed the lord, figuring that he might be able to help.
“That holy sword those idiots lost when they thought they could exterminate the giants?” Rolf queried.
Altanus nodded. “That’s the one.”
“Well, then I’ll tell you the same thing I told them back then, you’re on a fool’s errand,” Rolf replied. “That sword is either buried and forgotten in some random cave or sitting atop the mantle of some giant chieftain as a trophy. Either way, it’s long gone.”
“Perhaps, but I am going to look for it all the same,” Altanus stated resolutely.
Sighing in exasperation, Rolf shook his head at the stubborn lord. “I guess you haven’t changed that much after all. You always were a fool. Now, you’re just a stranger one.”
“I have no problem being called a fool, Rolf,” Altanus told him. “The question is, are you willing to help one?”
“Of course. Fools are basically the only people I ever do help,” Rolf agreed. “There’s not too much I can do for you, though. Best I can offer is whatever supplies you need and some maps of the mountains with the path that old expedition took marked on them.”
Altanus’s eyes lit up at the mention of the maps. If they knew where the expedition went and where they were lost, it would be much easier to find the sword. “That would be wonderful, thank you.”
“Glad to help. I’ll let my quartermaster know to give you whatever you need, and I’ll hunt down those maps later tonight,” Rolf told Altanus. “You need to be careful up there, though, Altanus. The mountains sent a whole army running once. They can do a lot worse to a little group of only six.”
“We’re hoping that with only six of us, the whole mountain range won’t be trying to kill us,” Altanus reasoned.
“The Vandurens don’t care if you’re one man or a thousand, they try to kill you all the same,” Rolf warned. “Don’t take ‘em lightly.”
Altanus nodded solemnly. “I never intended to.”
“Good, good,” Rolf mumbled contentedly. “How long are you planning to be up there, anyway? I need to know when to give up on you.”
“Not long,” Altanus answered. “I plan to be back in seven days.”
“You came an awfully long way to only spend a little over a week looking,” Rolf noted.
Altanus shrugged. “It’s all the time I have to spare at the moment. Hopefully, it will be enough to find the sword.”
“Yeah, hopefully,” Rolf answered as he rose from his seat. Stepping forward, he offered a hand to Altanus. “Good luck out there, my friend.”
Reaching out, Altanus clasped the hand firmly in his own. “Thank you.”
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Creative Illuminations 