EPISODE 40:
THE ASCENT
Vash crashed to his knees, lungs burning, legs rubbery with exhaustion. The river flowed just ahead of them, but the run had been further than Vash expected. His had returned after he and Corwin put some distance between themselves and the Shadow Temple. Vash was having difficulty making any sense of the images, however. His mental map had huge gaps, and their current place on it was much further north than they should be.
Vash thought, struggling to get his breath back.
The voice in his head remained ominously silent, and Vash couldn’t feel her anywhere. In their short time together, he’d become fond of her, and strange as it was, there was some comfort in knowing that he wasn’t alone.
Corwin stopped short a few paces from Vash, and leaned against a boulder. The big man took long, controlled breaths, his face covered in a sheen of sweat. Vash could feel the thrum of continuous mana use coming off Corwin. He was likely pouring mana into Enhance Ability to keep up his strength and stamina. Jabez remained draped over one of Corwin’s shoulders. Only the faint glimmer of mana coming from the dwarf gave Vash any sign that he was still alive.
“You…alright?” Vash panted from where he kneeled on the ground.
Corwin gave him a shaky nod. He was carrying Jabez, as well as both their packs and weapons. Vash couldn’t even imagine the strength that his old friend had unlocked when he became a Wayfarer. Corwin had always been strong. Life on a farm will do that to any man, but Vash had a feeling that he had only seen the barest glimmer of what Corwin was capable of.
Vash thought.
Vash thought back to the ease with which Corwin had decapitated the scaleback back at the Shadow Temple. Then further back to the bar fight in Sathsholm. Those Red Caps hadn’t been a threat to him any more than they had been to Jabez.
Vash thought, and it unnerved him.
The angry roar of scalebacks somewhere to the south told Vash that their brief rest was officially over. Groaning with effort, Vash got back to his feet. Everything hurt, the sticky wetness on his back told him that the scaleback slashes had reopened, and the hollow, ragged feeling surrounding his Core started to ache and burn.
Fatigue from Mana Burn washed over him, and Vash stumbled on wobbly legs. Corwin pushed off the boulder and shuffled to Vash’s side, steadying him. “You have got nothing left, Vash.” Corwin warned. “Burning your Core past its limits has serious long-term effects.”
“Yeah?” Vash said, shrugging off Corwin’s hand. “So does a spear to the gut, which is what we’re going to get if we don’t keep moving.”
Corwin frowned. This close, Vash could see the tracks that his sweat left in the dust and grime that coated his face. Dried blood coated Corwin’s neck and soaked his tunic, but the cut seemed to have clotted before becoming too serious. “Point taken. I agree we should get moving, but where in the seven hells even are we?”
Vash began walking, moving towards the river again. “I think we’re much further along the river than we thought we’d be. Maybe that old temple was some sort of shortcut.”
Corwin grunted noncommittally, shifting Jabez’s weight on his shoulder.
“If I’m right, then there’s a fairly big cavern up ahead.” Vash continued, letting his eyes lose focus as he consulted his mental map. Roughly an hour’s walk up ahead was a circular cavern, one that formed over the centuries from a thunderous waterfall, carving into the surrounding stone. “We might be able to lose the scalebacks there.”
Corwin shook his head while he picked up the pace. “Jabez and I dealt with a bunch of these up near Aladur. Once they get a hunt into their mind, they’re single-minded, they’ll track us until they, or we, drop. A hunting party like that…well the big scarred bull leading them is likely using this to deal with rivals or prove his dominance. We either have to get into the territory of something worse that they’re afraid of, or we have to kill them.”
“Doesn’t seem fair.” Vash said with a pained grin. “I mean what with us being heroes of legend and folktales and them just being plain monsters.”
Corwin chuckled. “Well we have had the shit kicked out of us for the last few days. That probably helps even the odds.”
“Probably.” Vash said, voice turning grim. He reached within himself and grabbed onto part of the ragged tatters that surrounded his Core. Grimacing in discomfort, he tore off the smallest portion he could and fed it into the dim hollowness within himself. There was a brief flare of mana as his Core converted this small shred of his soul directly into motes of magical energy. Vitality flowed back into Vash’s body, removing the fatigue in his legs and dampening the pain from his wounds.
With a bitter sigh, Vash set out at a jog towards where the river bent to the northwest. He just hoped that when they reached the falls, that there was some sort of way to climb up and out.
“Gods, that’s a long climb.” Corwin said, staring up at the circular cavern walls.
A great cascade of water tumbled from somewhere high above, shrouded in clouds of mist that roiled around the cavern. A dim light was visible somewhere far above, confirming to Vash that this was their destination: Amical Falls.
“This must be what Bohdri’s Cauldron looks like from below.” Corwin said. “It’s a really pretty sight in the mornings. Apprentices like to hang off the back deck of Cliffside Lodge and spit into the Cauldron for luck.”
Vash gave Corwin a sidelong look.
“Apprentices do dumb stuff.” Corwin said, giving a one-shouldered shrug.
Shaking his head, Vash turned back to the cavern and the problem at hand. “How the hell do we climb this?”
The rocky walls had many outcroppings and ledges, but there were sizeable gaps of smooth, damp stone, not ideal for free-climbing. Vash cursed the loss of his little bag of climbing tools, confiscated when the Knights of the Hidden Star took him prisoner.
Vash glanced at Jabez, still hanging over Corwin’s shoulder. He hadn’t stirred since he had collapsed back at the Shadow Temple. Vash idly wondered how much more Mana Burn he could suffer himself before he collapsed unconscious, like Jabez. He hoped he didn’t have to find out.
Reaching out with his , Vash tried to take in the cavern piece by piece, to see if he could find some pattern that he could use to escape. After a few moments of searching, he found the start of a path to the top of the cavern. A series of narrow ledges ran up the side of the cavern. Mostly, each ledge was close enough to one another that a careful person could climb all the way up into the mists several hundred feet above.
It was the part above the mists that concerned Vash. The crystalline network that formed the dungeons of the Underlands didn’t extend beyond the mists. From that point on, they would have to climb blind.
A roar echoed behind them, far enough away that Vash didn’t feel like the scalebacks were snapping at their heels, but they were still too close for comfort. “We don’t have time to sit around and overthink this,” Vash said. “Can you climb while carrying him?”
“I can damn well try.” Corwin said, firmly, a flinty look in his eye that Vash recognized from their days back on the farm. Wil, Corwin’s older brother, nicknamed him ‘Ox’, because if Corwin got it in his mind to do something, there was very little anyone could do to keep him from doing it.
“There might be a path over this way.” Vash said, indicating the lip of rock that ran around the waterfall’s edge. “It’s pretty broken up, but I don’t see us having very many other options.”
Corwin peered into the misty gloom. “How can you tell? I can barely see anything.”
“Elf eyes, I guess,” Vash hedged, trying to sound nonchalant. “Come on, I think we can find a way up this way.”
They circled the wide pool that formed at the base of the waterfall before it joined the rest of the river. From the force of the water flowing down around them, Vash judged that the falls above must join to another river up in the mountains. The sound of falling water drowned out all other noises so Vash and Corwin had to resort to hand signals. After a few false starts, Vash guided them to a low outcropping a few feet off the ground, which sloped upwards at an angle and would allow them to climb up to another ledge further up. The ledge was barely two feet across, wide enough for Vash’s nimble feet, but awkward for Corwin while he carried Jabez.
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Step by step, they made their way slowly and painstakingly up from ledge to ledge. They were making headway, but it was taking far longer than Vash hoped. While Vash could walk lightly along the outcroppings and ledges, Corwin had to shuffle along, keeping as much of himself against the rock wall as possible. Moving to a different ledge was a complicated affair involving handing off the unconscious Jabez long enough for Corwin to clamber to the next ledge then resettle the dwarf on Corwin’s shoulder.
Vash could feel the time they had gained on the Scalebacks leaking away like sand in a broken hourglass. He kept scanning the ledges behind them and the ground below, looking for any sign of the bloodthirsty lizard-men. So far nothing had caught up with them, but as they climbed the ground became more obscured by the mists from the falls. The erratic placement of Therium crystals in the rock gave Vash’s an incomplete view of the cavern.
. Vash thought, coming to a new ledge, this one at about shoulder height. He grabbed the edge and pulled himself up in a single, fluid motion. Turning back, he kneeled down on the surprisingly wide three-foot ledge to help pull Jabez up so that Corwin could climb.
Corwin was pulling himself up, boots scrabbling as he fought for purchase on the wet stone, when Vash felt it. The low thrum of . It wasn’t the sudden tug that warned of an arrow flying at you or a sword stabbing for your heart. This was the low, irritating buzz of enemies in the area. Vash scanned the cavern, looking for the dark, lithe shapes of the scalebacks.
There was nothing below them, just the dim blue light of glowmoss and the roiling white of the mists.
Vash stiffened.
He turned slowly, looking above him into the shadows that clung to the walls, avoiding the shaft of weak sunlight that shone from above. Irritated, Vash scowled at every shadow that buzzed his . It felt like mosquitoes whining in your ear. A constant bother that distracted him from what he was doing.
Corwin got to his feet, let out a huff of effort, then bent to pick up Jabez.
The flash of that Vash felt was almost like a hammer blow to his chest. Acting on instinct, Vash grabbed both Corwin and Jabez and hauled them back with all his strength. Corwin was overbalanced and toppled over, crashing to the ground beside Vash. Jabez rolled and hung halfway out over the side of the ledge. Vash grabbed Jabez by the straps of his pack and pulled. The dwarf didn’t move any further over the edge, but he also didn’t flop back the way he came either.
“Vash! What the — .” Corwin began, but he was cut off when a dark shape slammed into the wall beside him, shattering stone and raining pebbles down on his boots.
The Hammerworm pulled back, the solid mass it used for its pummeling attack retracting from the creature’s ‘head’. The glistening black mass of its body was only discernible from the shadows now that it moved. With a strange, ethereal grace, the front half of the worm’s body lifted from the rock and it lazily moved in the air, like a snake searching for prey.
“Dear gods, what the hell is that?” Corwin sputtered, pushing back away from the Hammerworm.
“A nasty creature that eats scalebacks for breakfast.” Vash grunted, still pulling back on Jabez and feeling his grip weakening. “Give me a hand here, will you?”
Never taking his eyes from the worm, Corwin leaned over and grasped Jabez by another strap, pulling him easily back onto the stone ledge.
Sensing movement, the worm whipped around towards the prone Wayfarers. The creature’s head expanded, becoming a pale gray as the hard ‘hammer’ in its body pushed into position. With a sudden flick of its body, the worm struck, lashing out at where they lay on the ledge.
Corwin pulled Jabez back while he slid along the stones away from the strike. It was awkward, but it got the job done. Vash didn’t have time to move backwards, instead he rolled to one side, falling off the ledge just as the worm’s head slammed into the stone. His hand shot out and grabbed hold of the ledge, stopping his fall but leaving him dangling a hundred feet above the cavern floor. Instantly, Vash could feel his fingers slipping on the wet rock. Not only that, but the worm’s strike sent deep fissures through the ledge. Vash felt the rock he held onto crack and shift beneath his fingers.
Vash made an inarticulate sound of effort and brought his other hand up, looking for a place to grip. His fingers scrabbled against wet, smooth stone. The rock beneath his other hand shifted again. He cursed his luck as the rock and most of the front half of the ledge broke free and fell.
A grip like iron closed around his wrist. Vash looked up. Corwin lay on the ledge, arm outstretched as far as it would go to stop Vash from falling. A look of strain was plain on Corwin’s face. Vash felt a thrum of mana. Veins stood out on Corwin’s neck as he dragged himself up to kneeling and then lifted Vash over the side of the ledge.
Vash rolled away from the edge, giving himself as much space as possible from the prospect of plummeting to his death. He looked back to where the Hammerworm was again weaving the front of its body in the air, searching for targets.
“We have to get out of here.” Vash hissed, scrambling away from the crumbling ledge.
Corwin nodded in agreement, turning towards the next set of ledges. Vash saw Corwin’s face go pale, his eyes wide. He felt the low-thrum of his and turned slowly. All along the walls, shadows were detaching themselves from overhangs or crevices in the rock. The worms felt their way along the walls, moving towards the commotion.
“Now what?” Corwin asked.
Vash took a moment to consider. Now would be a great time for Jabez to wake up, or for Cass to pipe up with a helpful idea.
Jabez remained unmoving.
No voice spoke in Vash’s head.
“Is there any of that dwarvish swill left in Jabez’s flask?” Vash asked, looking at the remaining ledges before the roiling wall of mist about a hundred feet above them.
“C’mon, there must be something we can do. Beside just give up and start drinking.” Corwin said.
Vash rolled his eyes. “No, I need the Therium salts for the mana. My Core is out and I’ll need at least something to pull this off.”
Corwin looked dubious, but he reached into Jabez’s belt pouch and withdrew the bottle of Tonuraak Brandy. At first it looked like the bottle was empty, but luckily there was barely a swallow’s worth of the amber liquor in the bottom. He handed to Vash.
Without a word, Vash unstoppered the bottle and drank the dregs. Sandy sediment from the bottom of the bottle filled his mouth with grit and a bitter aftertaste. Vash swallowed it down with a grimace. He handed the bottle back to Corwin and waited. After a moment, Vash felt the bloom of mana in his Core. It was faint and hollow, but there was something there to use.
Vash got to his feet. “You and Jabez follow as fast as you can. I’m going to try to clear the way.”
Corwin looked confused, but Vash didn’t stop to explain. In rapid succession he summoned , pushing it to his strength and agility, then he called up , instantly feeling his balance shift.
Vash leaped over Corwin’s prone form, landing with impossible precision on one of the few stones that had not tumbled into the abyss below. Drawing his blades, Vash slashed the worm in two quick strokes. A pair of long gashes leaked a viscous clear fluid and the worm recoiled.
Wheeling, Vash leaped again, landing back where he had just stood, then immediately leaping to the next ledge. This one was thin, barely a foot across. Vash dashed across it like a wide boulevard. He felt the worm react behind him and slither along the wall towards him, following the expended mana.
Other Hammerworms were taking notice, slithering towards him. Vash kept moving. He knew he was on a ticking clock. The boost of mana wouldn’t last long. Behind him Corwin watched, stunned while the worms made a beeline for Vash.
A worm’s hammer slammed down in front of Vash, smashing the stones in front of him, then reared back for another attack. Vash skidded to a halt, struck out with his short sword, cutting through the worm’s rubbery body before it could retract its hammer. The solid mass went spinning into the darkness, followed by a gush of clear goo.
Vash spotted a ledge above him. He jumped, one foot coming down on the back of the worm he just ‘decapitated’ and used it to vault further up.
The worm fell off the wall and tumbled down the shaft, disappearing into the mists below. Vash tossed his dagger into his other hand and reached up to grab the edge of the ledge above him. With a grunt of effort he pulled himself up and rolled onto the ledge. He could feel the telltale fatigue growing, as well as the ragged edges of his soul beginning to burn within him.
. He lamented, but he had no other choice. With a quick kick of his legs he vaulted up to a standing position. Checking over his shoulder to make sure that the worms were still following, Vash took off again. He was close to the edge of the wall of mists, the damp air soaking his clothes and plastering his hair to his scalp.
Vash ran up one ledge, then the next, always making sure that the worms were following. He rose through the layer of mist and was suddenly completely blinded. The thick mists blocked all sight, and his evaporated once he crossed its threshold.
. Vash thought.
Out of the blinding gray fog he saw shadowy shapes. The worms were lashing out all around. It was like a frenzy. They would loom out of the mist and lash out. Vash would have a bare heartbeat to react.
Eventually his luck ran out.
His mana ran out without warning. and winked out. He stumbled, caught himself, continued to run, but the wet rocks were unstable and he slipped. Falling forward, a worm loomed out of the mist in front of him. Vash tried to dodge, to move out of the way, but the hammer caught him full in the stomach and sent him flying. The world spun, a gray haze, then the mists parted and a brilliant blue sky appeared above him. The sun so bright it seared his eyes.
Vash landed in a soft blanket of grass and leaves. He rolled, finally coming to a stop at the bottom of a tall oak tree. Breathing hard, Vash lay for a moment, stunned. Then he saw the worm crest the edge of the hole. It flopped onto the ground, slithering about and searching for its escaped meal. With dreadful certainty, it moved towards where Vash lay.
Unable to do anything more than lie there and dread the inevitable, Vash watched the worm slither towards him. It reared back, hammer forming for a killing blow. Vash resisted the impulse to close his eyes.
The of an arrow pierced the silence. It punched through the worm, erupting out the other side and leaving a massive hole through the creature. The worm wobbled, not sure what was happening. More arrows flew, slicing through the creature with deadly precision. It wobbled for a moment, then collapsed to one side, leaking fluid and slowly deflating.
Soft footsteps caught Vash’s attention and he looked up at the approaching figure. It was an elf, dressed in soft leathers with a hood up and obscuring their face. But Vash could see the tell-tale glow of a true-blooded elf’s eyes. This one’s were a pale lavender, a strange color that he hadn’t seen on a Vanan before. She pulled back her hood enough for him to see her face. The elf was bone-white, with ash-colored hair. Like all elves she had an ethereal beauty, but her features weren’t as sharp as a Vanan, at least any that Vash had met.
“Well now.” The elf said, quirking one ash eyebrow curiously. “That is probably the strangest way to visit Amical Falls that I’ve ever seen.”
