Darkness

Only two or three more Chapters, left in this story to go before the end, hopefully I will be able to update it soon. G


…For you
I search the outside, search inside
For you…

So on I wait my whole lifetime
For you
So on I wait my whole lifetime
For you

The more I search, the more my need
For you
The more I bless, the more I bleed
For you…

Outlaw torn, Metallica

Darkness Chapter 67 Hold on he’s… Coming!

Eluki the tiny lady dwarf with her sleeping baby tied securely to her back lead the three silent determined males at a steady pace single file down a series of twisted mined out tunnels that inclined downward at a gradual angle, which lead deeper and deeper inside the cave and the mountain. They had been moving further into the mountain for almost two hours.

Their only light in the mined tunnels was from a huge fire torch held by the redheaded demon. But its light was strong enough to reveal to the Dwarf mother, ever so often at intervals, a subtle series of Runes Carved into the cave wall just slightly below her eye level. She doubted if the others in the party took note of the signs for they weren’t obvious unless you knew where to look for them or even what they meant. According to signs they were getting close and would reach the central hub in thirty minutes or so.

The Hub was a dwarf town built deep in an immense round cavern called Proud-Heart. It was a secure sanctuary away from the cruel murderous warring elves above ground. The dwarf town had dozens of mined tunnels or corridors leading away from it in every direction from the central hub, which was the town itself… and at the exact center of the town was small underground lake called the Core that originated from a God spring that provide a constant source of fresh water to the underground lake and to the town as well.

Feles the last in line all at once gave a sudden terrified muffled cry, and when the party all stopped and turned to look behind them they found Feles had completely disappear from sight, and the only thing they saw was the way they came, which was an endless black narrowing tunnel stretching far out behind them. A frantic Drakk began to search all around them with the fire torch thrusting it along the stonewalls and against the floor of tunnel, hoping to find some sign of his beloved Fe. When he didn’t find a trace he cried out loudly and worriedly his voice hard with distress, “We have to stop and find him! I can’t leave with out. And I won’t !”

All at once Drakk felt something tugging insistently on the leg of his leather trousers and looked down to see the tiny dwarf women looking up at him with vary annoyed expression on her tiny face and then she ordered roughly, “Hush damn-it big boy, you'll wake up every vile creature with-in hearing distance that there is a juicy snack coming their way, now bring your big fire torch along with the hot hard one in your pants and follow me!” Quickly then she lead them all back down the stone corridor several yards and then came to abrupt stop.

While Darkness was alarmed by Fee’s sudden disappearance, yet he endeavored to halt a snicker that wanted badly to come out of his mouth, for he was amused at the little dwarf lady’s choice of vulgar wording. Then in a calm soft voice she spoke again, “See that long narrow rise or mound in the flat cave floor, I don’t remember climbing over it before, do any of you? Now give me that fire torch.” As small as she was the lady dwarf manage to take hold of the huge heavy torch and lower it slowly to the floor and press it up against the mound of dirt, suddenly there came a shrill mind numbing squeal and then what appeared to be a fast moving mound of dirt, swiftly slithered back down the dark corridor away from the party at inhuman speed… the strange creature’s abrupt departure revealed a very familiar unconscious human body, total covered in a heavy viscous shiny stinking digestive slime.

By the time everyone in the party took turns covering and rubbing Feles down repeatedly with many handfuls of loose sand and earth in an effort to remove the unpleasant slime, the half-suffocated and barely conscious Feles started to come around and be aware of his surroundings.

“What happen I felt the heavy weight of something falling on top of me from the ceiling of the cave and then everything went dark?”

Replied a laughing Darkness always ready to take an amusing dig at Feles, “Nothing, my Poor dear Feles, accept that something the lady dwarf calls a Fell-Draper, dropped on top of you from cave ceiling and nearly suffocated you with its reeking slime so it could take its time and eat you slowly. Now you smell just like shit, and gods, you smell ever worse than when you serviced that whole platoon of mercenaries, according to Drakk!"

“Stop It! My Lord Seer’ Reign, I never said that, Fee he’s lying…but you do smell pretty bad!” Said Drakk suppressing a wave of nausea, as he carefully helped his lover to feet. He hoping the boy would be able to walk himself, so he didn’t have to carry him for Feles really did smell absolutely awful, for a great deal of the foul residue from the creature still remained on his clothing, even if they all had tried very hard to get it all off of him.

Though somewhat shaky Feles manage to stand up and move around and get his breath back, even if he was no mood to trade insults with Darkness that would have to wait for later. A tiny dwarf hand grabbed one of Feles fingers; suddenly he was aware she was speaking to him.

“Boy you all right can you make it… we have less a half hour’s walk, until we reach the hub and my village and their you can bath and make yourself comfortable.”

“Yes I think I can make it, Lady.”

“Good! Now Darkness you be useful and carry the torch and follow behind me.” She ordered and handed it to him. “And Drakk you bring up the rear and protect us from behind. Feles you stay along side me since these sissies can’t stand a little stink. Truth be told all of us could use a good long bath, in fact at the hub you wont be allowed in the dining hall before you wash. Now lets go, before something else decides we would make a good meal.”

Ooooo The Hub

After walking for over fifteen minute the party followed the dug out tunnel as it grew startlingly narrower and the roof above then lowered abruptly causing them to disturbingly feel as if the weight of the mountain was on top of them. They were forced to stoop down low in order to move forward, then abruptly the tunnel made a sharp turned to the right, and then they found themselves at a high wide open mouth of a huge awe-inspiring brightly lighted cavern. This light apparently originated from a glowing wildly spreading fungus that covered the walls of the huge cave. As they moved forward toward the interior of cavern, they unexpectedly halted when right out of nowhere there appeared a line of dozen or more small stocky armed warriors; each held a tiny cocked crossbow aimed directly at them. And harsh rough dwarf voice call out in a crudely broken human tongue.

“Halt foul smelling Humans, who said you might enter here without our permission? Take another step and you all be screaming in agony before you can cry out to your gods for help!” The loud voice was full of anger and disrespect.

All at once the tiny female dwarf moved out from behind Darkness and stepped forward and helds up her tiny palm in a peace sign. “Surely my brave warrior you recognize your Queen Eluki, now the mother of your new born King, when I went away to greave for my husband, did I not tell you would I return shortly in two or three days. Well I am back and I expect you to respect my position as the mother of your King. These people… these humans are my guests and you will allow us to enter now without any further delay!”

The rude dwarf suddenly threw himself down on his belly before his tiny queen… then in a quiet voice that the party could barely hear he hissed out… “My apologies honored mother and queen I did not see you there… only the awful…tall bloody humans”: he crudely spat out the word “human” most insolently as if it gave him a bad taste in his mouth.

“No doubt, but now you do and you will show my guests hospitality, for the leader of these humans is the reason why your infant king is alive and healthy. Now rise Captain Danus Claw of the Guard and lead us to the baths for we would bath before we inter the great dining hall, so you will tell the cooks of our needs and our hunger and inform the females of my house that I need a private bath and fresh clothing for myself and the baby.” Eluki commanded with elegant poise of a queen.

“Please Mistress might I see the new little king, just once before I go?”

“I suppose if you must!” She replied removing the baby from the sling on her back and then held him out in her arms. Instantly on being handled, disturbed, and stared at so rudely, Bud let out an unhappy shriek and his tiny fists began to shake wildly in the air. Eluki tried to sooth him and quiet him, but the angry baby with his bright angry red face would have none of it. So when Danus leaned in close to examine his new infant king to get an even better look, he was not expecting one of Bud’s small furious moving fists to be shoved so energetically into his right eye that it caused him immediate pain and made the guard step back away from the baby with loud groan rubbing his tearing hurt eye. It seemed more than likely the new tiny angry little king had even given him a black eye in returned for his curiosity.

A laughing Darkness stepped closer to queen and smirked, “Madam Eluki, I think already you son and king, Bud, dares to disciplines his guardsman for their disrespect to you!”

“Perhaps, my handsome tall wizard and friends it’s the disrespect to his guests that he dislikes so much for he has great fondness for you My Lord.” Little Bud continued toss about wildly in his mother’s arms and wouldn’t be placated or stop crying no matter what she did to calm him. “Please my lord Seer’ Reign will you hold him for me just a little while and maybe even use a bit of your most gentle of magic’s to calm and make him go to sleep and rest… for some reason he seems so very stressed at the moment. I shall returned shortly after I have checked on something, with that Eluki reached up and placed struggling Bud gently into the wizard strong arms and Darkness took hold of the baby carefully so as not to drop him. But he certainly had no thought of using any kind of magic on the tiny little thing, no matter how upset or distressed the crying Bud was at the present.

Then the queen walked over to the disconcerted Danus Claw who was still rubbing injured eye as she ordered, “Please, Danus, do as I bid you previously, show our guests to the baths, when you’re able, and then inform my servants of my needs!”

“Yes Queen Eluki!” He started to say something else too her, but she waved him away and turned and walked away, apparently she had no interest in hearing anything else he had to say. But the mistrusting guardsman couldn’t keep eyes from the human wizard who held his tiny crying king, for the insistent wizard, who kept trying with soft words and caresses to stop the baby’s tears. The tiny flushed face was wet with tears from his eyes and a trail of mucus that ran from his wee red nose and over his mouth and chin.

“Hush little King everything is going to be alright now, please I ask you to stop your crying this instant, for you doing terrible damage to my reputation as a complete Bastard and I just can’t have that, for truly I no intention of ending up as your nanny.” Whispered Darkness very softly and quietly to the baby in arms, as his black large leather gloved hand took a corner of baby’s blanket and carefully wiped the baby’s face free of tears and any other moisture that soiled his face. Then he pushed away the blanket that covered the boy’s head away and then gently stroked the fine soft dark hair and warm head by cupping the boy’s head gently with his gloved hand. Bud’s sobs slowed and quieted some and then finally he gave a few more token cries in the wizard arms, then surprising he fell suddenly back to sleep with a soft relaxed sigh, certainly without the need of magic of any kind and for that Darkness was glad.


All once at Feles moved over closer to Darkness, and whispered so only the wizard could hear him …he thought, “Wow that so amazing, who’d have thought you were the motherly type, perhaps we should call you “mother darkness,” instead of just Darkness?”

“Feles, fuck you, if you so much as utter that nonsense again in my presence or anyone else’s, I will mess up your pretty face, until you wont be able to work for a whole month.”

“Don’t worry Fe, I promise I wont let Mother Darkness touch you. After all you belongs to me now! Said the redhead demon laughing under his breath. It was obvious his sharp demon ears had been working over time and no doubt he had heard their previous bickering too. Sometime the big demon was so calm and quietly stoic they almost forgot he was there.

“Come Humans follow me, at the queens order and I will show you to your well needed bath.” But they could tell that one Danus Claw wasn’t totally enthused about his assigned chore, of seeing to his human guests needs… not one little bite.

By the time they arrived at a long narrow barn-like building, which was heated by several fireplaces and contained a series of four low wooden tub 12 feet in diameter and two feet deep full of hot steaming water, Eluki was back along with a bazaar feathered Dwarf Shaman by the name of Canes Yellow Sleeves and of course his sleeves were definitely yellow, but the odd little man was broader in the shoulders than he was high. Canes merely studied the party intently in silence, then with grim frown of distaste and a sweeping arrogant motion of his hand he indicated that they where to continue with their bathing. Eluki smiled quietly up at Darkness and put out her hands to gently take back the sleeping baby from him. Then she spoke so all in party could here her.

“I know you want to go save your friend as soon as possible, but for now you all need to rest as much as you can and soak your bodies clean. My sisters of tribe will take your clothing and clean them the best they can in the short time we have. Then within an hour or so after were all clean and rested, we will gather to dine and decide on a strategy to breech the Castle Eye and rescue your friend.

Almost before the dwarf Queen grew silent or even started to walk away with the sleeping Bud. A small army of a dozen or more dwarf woman gathered and approached Darkness, Feles, and Drakk and stood in a circle around each of them, waited and staring intently at each of them, almost to point of maddening discomfort.

Especially when the little ladies started to giggle irritating and speak rapidly to each other in the Dwarf tongue… their amusement obvious as they made hand signals to each other about who they thought had the biggest male equipment in the party… apparently their consensus was that Drakk the Demon would be the winner for a dozen of the little females stood around him began to laugh loudly as they waited impatiently for him to disrobe just to find out for sure. Even though the big modest demon tried unsuccessfully to shoo them away, they waited patiently just out of his reach for the truth too to be revealed.

“Look hurry and man-up we don’t have time for this stupid modesty crap, we need to save Keylyn…Soon” Darkness yelled out loudly and then rapidly he completely striped out of cloths, boots, armor, and weapon and laid them all in a neat pile at feet.

Instantly the wizard’s display of his nakedness was received with the enthusiastic low ooh and ahs of the female dwarf’s of appreciation, as those nearby viewed the sight of the outstanding male equipment he was packing.

Undoubtedly a few minutes later they were even more surprised and impressed, by Drakk' s extraordinary prehensile demon’s organ with his unusual size and unnatural golden length, especially the organs ability to grasp things and twine its way securely around his muscler thigh. One of the little ladies got actually a little to close him, so as joke he taped her on the back of the head with spade tip, which made her scream and squeal and run back to her laughing friends in alarm Yet, a dozen or tiny dwarf ladies continued to gather around Drakk to watch him, but they stood well back from the huge Demon for clearly they feared his great size and his seemingly quiet controlled ferocity.

While obviously lacking the exceptional and extraordinary intimate tools of his fellow companions, poor Feles, still received numerous gentle token pats of encouragement on the top of his scarlet hair, as he bent down to remove his cloths, boots, along with his many sharp ringing daggers that were carefully removed one at a time from concealment in his clothing.

Darkness felt a small tentative female hand take hold of his hand and lead him over to the far tub. Next a gentle stroke on a bare thigh and then a rude sharp pinch on his bottom along with very wildly encouraging hand motions, indicated that Darkness was to get in the tub, next when a bar of sweet smelling soap was shoved into his hands he was ordered in the dwarf tongue to clean himself thoroughly. It seemed only a matter of seconds later that both a naked Feles and Drakk most eager to escape their multiple embarrassing appraising hosts joined him in the tub too, and just as Darkness had they quickly armored themselves in thick layer of concealing soapsuds from head to toe as well.

In the process of washing his long dark hair, Seer’ Reign noted that their clothing, armor, and weapons had totally disappeared from where they left them. He only hoped the Dwarf Queen was honest in her intention to help them, for it made him more nervous to be with out his weapons than it did his cloths, but at least thanks to Keylyn he had his own magic back and that was something.


Ooooo Clean

By the time Darkness, Drakk, and Feles were clean, dry, and somewhat rested after their baths, each of the companions found their freshened leather clothing, boots, armor, and even were sharpened weapons gathered neatly in separate piles waiting for them, surprisingly along with their own things, a number of additional items had added to each of their piles by their dwarf hosts.

Feles quickly dressed in his leather pants and inner shirt for the sake of decency from the sight of tiny prying eyes that seemed to be always watching and then slipped his hose and boots on to keep his still damp feet warm. Next not feeling so vulnerable and expose he took his time and examined the remainder of his things to see if everything was still there as he had left them.

He quickly discovered along with his regular leather garments that the dwarfs had gifted him with a hooded shirt of lightweight shiny elfin chain mail obviously captured in battle by the dwarfs at some point. So he slipped the lightweight chain over the inner shirt next to his body. To his delight the mail fit his slender body perfectly and wasn’t as heavy as he thought it would be. Next on top of the protective mail, he put his leather knee length long sleeve tunic and fastened the tunic in place with his wide utility belt, which held multiple sheaths for his numerous now sharpen to perfection throwing daggers, as well as a sheath for was his new short sword. Fee wide belt also held a newly added leather waist pouch for his valuables and coin. At last over his other clothing he draped his own long hooded wool cloak, which now smelled fresh and clean and no longer like that filthy foul beast that had tried to devour him earlier.

Looking down at the bench where his things had been, he noticed that there was still four small items remaining for him to examine, a small leather wrapped bundle, a silver ring, and two small bottles with tight stoppers. A brief trace of magic came from the leather bundle, but from one of bottles and the silver ring there came an even strong emanation of some unknown magic. He took a blue silk scarf from an concealed inner pocket of his heavy wool cloak and carefully wrapped it around the tiny bottle, likely a cure potion for Fee recognize the life symbol on it, along with silver ring which gave no indication of its true purpose and he carefully placed them inside his new leather pouch at his waist for easy access. At the same time he noted that the dwarfs ladies had surprisingly discovered most of the hiding places in his clothing that he had concealed coins, for now all his coins were safely inside the leather pouch and not even a single one was missing.

Then while he was waiting for the others to tell him what do next, he curiously examined the leather bundle and the other bottle. A sigh of alarm came from him when he discover the second bottle had the symbol of the death head on it, it was a poison of some kind, most likely the deadly one the Dwarves were known for, that could kill in seconds. Feles made sure the stopper on the dangerous little bottle was tightly closed and he placed it safely down in another one of the deep secret pockets of his long cloak.

Impatient and curious, he next opened the tiny leather bundle next, Feles discover a fancy set of expensive lock picks that most thieves would die for… but never before could he afford such tools in the past, he had to make do with what he jury-rigged on the rare occasion. He never consider himself very much of a successful thief, he found it was much easier and yes even safer to sell his body for the few needed coins. He carefully placed the bundle of picks in another deep pocket of cloak so it to would be safe.

Drakk and Darkness were still in process of dressing and carefully examining their belongings along with the new items they were given. Feles felt a damp lock of his hair fall in his face. Then abruptly he remember that he had failed to brush out his hair after shampooing it, so decided to do while he still had time. Again his hand found its way in to one of the many numerous secret pockets that made up his heavy warm long cloak and quickly he withdrew a brush and a hand mirror. Instantly he vigorously began to brush out his fine damp auburn hair until it became very shiny and started quickly to dry complete. Just as Feles felt he was about done and that his hair was perfect. All at once a hand appeared from nowhere and took a handful of his dark red auburn hair ruthlessly tugged on it and messing it back up. The annoying act was followed by loud smirking sarcastic laugh from Darkness.

“Gee! Feles, my dear must you always be so vain about that scarlet mess of curls? Really its just hair.”

“Damn – it, I am not your dear, My Lord of Darkness, and you Shouldn’t be the one to talk about vanity, you’re the one who wears his long raven black hair way down past his ass, if anyone has a particular hair fetish its you… so there!” Said Feles brushing hair back the way he wanted it, before putting his brush and mirror away in cloak for good.

“Please don’t tell me you two are at it again, don’t you two ever get tired of arguing with each other?” Snarled the demon in annoyance.

“NO” they said almost simultaneously… and then they began to laugh back and forth at each other, as if their behavior was just one long cherished running joke.

Drakk only manage to shake his head at them, as if they were exceptionally naughty and infuriating children who simply brought out the worst in each other. Drakk feared that sometimes their foolishness and feuding would make him so angry, he would loose his temper completely, and then one of these day, both his lover and his friend might be knock unconscious in a wave of his fury and total fustration. It was a good thing Darkness and Feles apparently hated each other on some odd level or the demon’s absolute jealousy on top of that would make the annoying situation even worse…. Perhaps it was simply best for him just to ignore them and their childish mocking word games…. Somehow… that is if he could manage to do it!

Ooooo Strategy, Food, and Onward and Upward

Now clean and somewhat rested Darkness, Drakk, and Feles where lead by a escort of a dozen or so of the tiny giggling female dwarfs and lead to a large central dining hall, where they found tables covered with hot and cold prepared food of every description, including very inviting large mugs of foamy beer. The hungry companions and their escorts joined the rest of the Dwarf community. The humans had only one problem the tables were so very low and small, that they had to sit sideway with their legs stretched out away from the tables. Their hungry was so great they managed to get use to their position at the table quickly enough especially after they manage to drink a mug or two of that rich foamy beer.

They had barely took a mouthful of food, when Queen Eluki approached the table dressed in heavy armor with sword hanging down her back, she was accompanied the stern little Shaman Yellow Sleeves walking on her left side, and little King Bud clinging snuggly to her right hip. All at tables rose to greet her with respectful nod, including the humans who even put down their beer and bowed politely.

“Be seated my beloved clan and my welcome guests enjoy your food and beer, just go easy on beer… for we will need to have all are wits about us later for this night's work. Later tonight we will seek to penetrate castle of that foul beast and get revenge for death of our late king my husband and free the Wizards lover, and hopefully the young man will still be alive to be rescued, when we get there!” Then without another word she sat at the head of table with the softly cooing Bud on her lap and slowly began to silently consuming the plate of food that had been prepared for her, along with several small sips of the beer.

The meal was somber quiet affair with very little talking or laughing as if all who were there, were more than a little bit worried about how they were going to accomplish this attack on the great castle without dying in the process, even the humans found themselves solemn with little to say.

Again after most of the food was consumed and they were full, Eluki rose, and handed off little Bud to one of her female servants she motioned for the dinner attendants to stop serving food and beer, “Its time to plan our strategy, no more beer is to be consumed, if we are to be successful and victorious. Now my brothers, sisters and guests we shall make our plans!"

The plans were laid out in a very precise simple form, a good number of Dwarf crossbowmen would pretended to attack the main gate way into the castle to distract its defenders, while another well-armed group of Dwarfs along with the humans would endeavor to breech a secret portal into the lower fortress from a deep tunnel below the mountain using the appropriate magic items that the dwarfs had provided as they were needed. The strategy wasn’t very complicated, but it obvious that there was little or no insurance it would actually work, for they had to select the precise or correct secret tunnel under the mountain that supposedly lead into the bowels of the castle. A tunnel that hadn’t been used since ancient times, so there was also a great possibility that a cave-in might have made it impassable… but they had so few options and little time …it was their only chance, so they had to take it, and make it work no matter what!


OOOOO