NOVEL WEB Nearing home
For most part the journey was boring and monotonous
I assumed that we’d be going to a nearby town or a city, maximum a few day’s worth of travel away, but instead we were on a six months-long journey. A journey via carriage through the land to a city state that was my father’s home
I still am having trouble trying to understand just how is this muscle-head even a noble
Now that you mentioned it Turin was also a muscle-head and a king...the stories don’t mention him but he was the only person stupid and reckless enough to convince a old cranky dragon, a prideful elf king and an half crazy witch to join forces against Jotun....
We stopped at villages cities and occasionally hosted by a local noble who honeyed up to my father(at this point I won’t be surprised if he is a king) and as usual I was the showpiece to everyone person of importance (the nobles) in casting magic
There were interesting events though
On the way stopped in a large...no massive fort complex which covered three hillocks: Hagiri to the north, Ragiri to the west and Durgiri to the east. The three hills together constitute a fort complex it has no proper name but has been called Theegat (three gates)
This is because originally upon the each hill contains a separate and self-contained citadel with it’sown walls were built later on they were connected forming an enormous triangle, a mile from north to south, punctuated by bastions and gateways giving access to the protected zones at the heart of the complex. The fort walls are 15 Fem (9.3 mi) and the three hills are connected by walls enclosing an area of 12 square Fem (4.63 sq mi).It was built at a height of 850 feet and it’s flanks are protected by with thorny shrubs and stone piece that completely cover the hills and of old this fort used to be at the borders between a former country and the Mezor Empire where it served as a strategic location although now it’s just a impressive gateway and township
We stayed there for only a couple of days to resupply
Beyond this fort the land filled with rough rocky mountains and caves know as the Thousand Caves or Caves of death
The whole area is covered with large twisted trees and moss and thorny shrubs growing on the rocky terrain it also has deep, narrow caves that have claimed the lives of many
According to my father the caves run deep into the earth so deep that even light cannot reach there
He had exploded some parts of the caves when he was young the interior of the caves is a labyrinth of dark chambers, home to bats and wild beasts and wild men(who are the remnant of the old kingdom now living as mountain bandits or deep inside their caves in small settlements)
This dangerous landscape made our progress slow on the fifth day in the mountains we stopped at the half-way clearing for lunch. Here the warriors cut the forest back to a distance that made a surprise attack impossible. The servants quickly unpacked the food and started heating it in the centre of the clearing. I and my family were sitting closer to the head of the caravan
Eric stood on the higher ground in the rear, keeping an eagle eye on the surroundings. Apart from the ones keeping guard, half the warriors had also sat down to eat
It was Eric who heard it first heard the crack of a twig down the road while taking rounds stopping mid-way, he listened intently for another sound. There was none.
The source of the noise was a predator, who realising it had made a mistake, was now keeping still
There was a soft crunch as the foot on the broken twig eased its pressure slightly. It would have been missed by most, except a focussed listener. Eric signalled an nearby guard who immediately put his plate down and left to inform us,
Eric pulled out his sword and fixed his shield on his back giving quick, silent signals to his men to do the same. In a few seconds the entire camp were battle
Me I was made to sit in the carriage safely
How do I know what was going on simple I attached myself (rather my consciousness) to one of the warriors guarding us nothing like taking over his will or anything I just saw what he saw and heard what he heard as a passive viewer
Then Rose’s alarmed voice rang in my ears.
“WILD MEN! TO EAST AND SOUTH!” she shouted, as a rumble of footsteps came from our right and rear we were completely surrounded.
Within second several men wearing makeshift armour and carrying swords axes and clubs rushed to I could see and hear the battle raging at the far end of the caravan despite being outnumbered . The warriors did not need any support. Geared signaled to my man and the others to stay where they were.
The battle was short and fierce. The bandits fought viciously but were utterly routed and they retreated
Nothing bothered us after that... except having to get the dead bodies out of the way
..what you seriously expect that a bunch of poorly armed savages can honestly overcome a well trained force like ours
True, we were outnumbered but please I have seen armies get demolished by a single mage......like there was this one time my wife and I killed nearly two thousand of those Holy guards for interrupting our evening
Either those bandits were really stupid or were really desperate to attack us
Three months later the hills dissapered to give way to fertile plains filled with rivers and lakes one thing broke this landscape
That thing...I saw it before we even reached the city
Coloten the mountain city
It is a colossal mountain that towered over the plains like a giant
A conical mountain more than a mile high. Much of the lower slopes of the hill has been cut away by former country rulers to leave 250-meter vertical sides to improve defences. The only means of access to the summit is by a large draw bridge, with the passage large enough to fit a young dragon (about eight ox carts wide) apart from this there are no other separate exit from the fort, only one entrance/exit This is designed to confuse the enemy soldiers to drive deep into the fort in search of an exit, at their own peril.
The mountain is actually hollow and fits the massive underground marble city of Geojeim (also called in Devgir)