Jeff Inlo - Nightmare's Shad

"A simple plan, but sometimes simplicity is best," Holli acknowledged.

"That's true, but only if we don't face any other obstacles. The thing I'm worried about is Lief. He doesn't want us to destroy his little creation. We have to assume that much. Maybe he won't want to hurt us, but maybe, as you said, he won't be rational. The question I have is, can he stop us? I mean, he's a ghost, right? But just what can he do? What are his limitations, if any? I heard about what Ingar did on the top of SanctumMountain. He was just a spirit, but he had a great deal of power."

"Ingar was a wizard in life, and held a power over magic. Lief never possessed that kind of skill. As a spiritual essence, he might possess new awareness over certain energies, but I honestly doubt his magical prowess will exceed my own. According to Heteera, he couldn't cast the spell required to create the vessel. He needed the sorceress to feed him with magic. Still, we should remain careful and prepared for anything."

"What do we do about Lief when it's all over?" Ryson interjected, not wishing to discount that his friend should also be considered a victim. "I mean, we can't just leave him here."

"Let us hope when the vessel is destroyed, he can move on and rest. It was the spell of Heteera that summoned him. It was her desire to close off the dimension that led to this. With that desire gone, he should be freed. In the end, I believe it will be ultimately up to him. I, for one, will hope he realizes this."

"Optimism," Sy offered. "I can live with some of that right now. Well, let's find this thing quick and get out of here."

Once more, Sy assessed the alien ground to the best of his abilities. He eyed the uneven, faltering trail of the vessel until it sloped down around a break in the horizon and out of sight. He believed he could follow the path. He then considered the strengths of his companions. He needed to utilize all their assets to their best advantage. It was his natural ability to lead, to take command, but he did not view the delver or the elf as subordinates. As he offered a strategy he considered sound, he did so in a manner that revealed more of a request than an order.

"Let me follow the trail. If I need help, I'll ask, but for now, I'd feel better if the two of you keep an eye out for anything that might be a threat. I have no idea what might leap out in this place, so you both have to keep watch."

The captain then waved his arm about the rugged landscape. It was treacherous to be sure, but not to the surefooted movements of a purebred delver.

"Ryson, I think you should continually circle around us, not by more than thirty paces, but enough so I know there's a secure buffer all around. If you perceive anything with those delver senses of yours, call out. Keep moving, use your speed."

Sy then turned to the elf.

"Holli, even with Ryson circling us, I'd like you to concentrate on our rear. I'm going to be focused on our path forward, so if we're vulnerable, it will be at our backs. Also, can you cast some kind of shielding spell around us in case something surprises us? I don't want anything that's going to encumber us or slow down Ryson, but a barrier that might ward off any sudden attack, say from a goblin crossbow, would be helpful."

Holli agreed with the tactic and concentrated on a spell. A green octagon appeared at her fingertips. She flicked her hands quickly but deliberately and the emerald energy flew off her fingers into the air. The magical shape grew into a large churning mass, but then broke into three separate sections. The individual pieces broke ranks and each found a place over delver, human, and elf. The magical energy swirled over their heads and then dropped down about them like sparkling rain.

"The spell is not tremendously powerful," she admitted, "but it is enough of a shield to stop any surprise attack of modest means. If we faced anything powerful enough to shatter the barrier, we would probably know about it before we were attacked."

"Excellent," Sy responded, and then called out to the delver. "Ryson, check your movements with the shield in place. See if there are any restrictions."

Ryson cast aside the continuing sense of foreboding the sword had imposed upon his consciousness. He knew they should not remain in this terror-filled realm, but the need to destroy the vessel urged him on with equal tenacity. He kept the Sword of Decree at the ready as he began to circle about their position.

Running, leaping, and climbing, he moved about the perilous land with controlled speed and adequate caution. The shield about him did not constrain him in any way, but somehow he could feel its magical presence. It was like a blanket of security had been draped over his shoulders, and though he certainly did not feel any sense of invulnerability, he knew his person remained guarded, at least to some extent, by a silent and constant protector.

Opening his senses proved more difficult than patrolling their surroundings. He attempted to define the sounds and scents all around him, but the viciousness of each continued to assault his consciousness. The screams of agony and scent of death lingered so heavily in the distance that the entire area felt ensnared in peril. He refocused his senses on their immediate vicinity and found the threat greatly diminished.

He called out his findings for both Sy and Holli to consider.

"Things are bad in the far distance… things I can't even begin to describe, but I don't sense anything near to us at the moment. It's almost like there's been a clearing of dangerous creatures."

"That would make sense," Holli offered. "The creatures of this world would stay clear of the vessel."

The delver then cast his gaze down the path Sy intended to travel.

"That's probably true, because I also don't sense anything in our path. I can't be sure, but it just seems like nothing is close to us at the moment, and we don't seem to be headed toward anything overwhelming. I think it's pretty clear."

"That's good news," Sy responded, almost cheerfully, but cheer was not a sensation allowed for long. The captain then looked to Holli. "What about you? Do you sense anything?"

"A strong source of magical power… in the direction of the trail. It must be the vessel, and it is not far."

Sy gave a last look to the portal. He noted its position in relation to other landmarks.

"If it's not far, then we should be able to find our way back without too much difficulty. As far as I know, that portal's the only way home. Let's all try to remember that and make it back."

Without further word, the guard captain moved carefully along the trail of their quarry. He trusted his two companions and put his full focus on following the path. He moved faster than he expected, but he still had to contend with a hostile environment.

Thankfully, there were no monumental obstructions in view-no bogs impossible to cross or mountain ranges too high to climb. He could see no dense forests filled with thorny brush or vast lake beds filled with smoldering acid. Even more importantly, there was no army of vicious creatures waiting to tear them apart. There was only the desolate land of a dark and despairing realm.

The ground was uneven and inconsistent, hard and rough in some places, loose and spongy in others. Rocks lay strewn about, some solid and heavy, others brittle and light, easily scattered by a humid breeze.

A light wind finally appeared, but it held not pleasure. Instead, it felt like the hot breath belched out of a diseased volcano. It bore into their exposed skin and left them all sweaty and uncomfortable. Truly, there was no comfort in this nightmare.

There was, however, life in this place to be sure-life beyond the screams of unknown creatures in the distance, but not life easily understood. Trees dotted the landscape, scattered about as if they staked out their territory and did not allow invaders near. They did not stand tall and proud, covered fully with green leaves or pine needles, serving as homes for birds and squirrels. Instead, they grew in twisted, bent curves with gaping holes and half-dead branches. The dying branches seemed to thrive. Upon limbs with apparent life, the leaves that clung to gnarled branches appeared sickly yellow. No animals danced in the higher branches, but strange insects burrowed deep into open slits in the trunks and boughs.