Whispers of the Furtive

Corin had left Livia in the grand hall and continued his search around the structure.

As he moved onwards he reached for his pendant and rubbed it.

I heard it for sure.

Cyril, he spoke to me.

Out of all the things that Corin had racing through his mind the one he couldn't stop thinking about was his elder brother’s voice. In the middle of the confrontation he was sure he heard.

Perhaps it was my head trying to spur me to move?

Or maybe he is still watching over me?

After his encounter with the creature Corin made sure to be more careful as he navigated the structure. Corin saw a shiny spear in a different room and he had to resist every fiber of his being telling him to grab it, that it would be safe.

For now Corin stuck to finding the items that Livia had asked of him. They had already found some dragon powder. In his subsequent search he had also discovered some flasks of fire water, but now he was searching for lightning stones.

After some time traversing the hallways Corin felt something was amiss. He felt as if he was not alone. Every now and then he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched.

He would turn around quickly, but would not see anyone. He picked up his pace, eventually going to a full run, but did not hear any other footsteps behind him. He followed the most convoluted paths he could find, just to trick this possible pursuer. Yet despite all of this, and never actually observing anyone after him Corin could not shake this unease that had settled over him.

Maybe this place is just getting to me. It does seem a bit more unsettling now without Livia. I'll just look a little longer and then head out.

Although they had not spent as much as they thought in the structure Corin and Livia had already grabbed a considerable amount of supplies. Once he found the lightning stones they would have enough supplies that they would need to turn back. Livia was in no condition to carry heavy bags so their ability to carry back the supplies was diminished greatly. Corin also did not want to risk running into any more dangerous creatures.

Two more rooms and that's it.

The next room Corin found himself was larger than others, but not by much. It was more akin to a long broad hallway than a room. Inside it there was not much of note aside from various reliefs across the walls. Corin moved along and got to the end of the room. The only thing that awaited him was a door adorned with various indentations that seemed to be sealed shut.

Corin tried pushing on it, but it would not budge.

Not this again.

Corin moved his hands around the indentations and found notches where he could put his hands. He found that he was able to rotate the indentations quite easily with his hands. There were six notches on the door that allowed him to move the different reliefs independent of each other. Corin moved the various reliefs many times but despite his best attempts did not seem any closer to figuring out exactly what he was supposed to do.

Alright what am I missing?

Corin closed his eyes and rubbed the pendant.

Hmm, let me try something.

Corin moved away from the door, about halfway back to the room. He studied the door from this distance.

What am I looking at?

Are those parts of a triangle?

Corin looked at the reliefs around him. He noticed that all the figures with dragons in them had a right side up triangle with a line running through the triangle, parallel to the base of it.

Maybe that’s the key?

Corin went to the door and rearranged the symbols. He had completed three triangle shapes but the door still did not budge.

He once again moved away from the door. There were now three clear triangle shapes going from top to bottom. The top triangle pointed downwards, the middle triangle pointed upwards with a line running through it, and the top triangle pointed downwards with a line running through it as well.

Corin once again looked at the reliefs. He noticed the same upward pointing triangle with the line running through it.

I must be on the right track.

Maybe the order is wrong?

Corin moved up to the door and started shuffling the triangles around. He kept moving them until the door clicked and it swished open.

“Haha!” Corin yelled in triumph.

As the door disappeared a different thought crept in Corin’s mind.

Maybe I should have made a note of what exactly the correct order was?

But Corin noticed something else. He heard not only the door open, but behind him he heard something else move.

Corin turned around to see some of the stone reliefs in the long room behind him disappear into the wall.

Where there had been four stone reliefs previously now there was a gaping hole.

“AAAH-HAHA!” A high pitched voice yelled out.

A small creature, about half of Corin’s size came out of the furthest relief from him.

“What is that?” Corin muttered.

The small creature had leathery skin and was a dark red color. The imp had small wings and little talons. In both hands it held a razor sharp looking stick. As soon as it spotted Corin it started flying towards him.

“Hah, this should be so easy.” Corin laughed as he readied his blade.

In that same instant Corin heard more shouts.

From the other doors that had sprouted Corin saw more of the imps come out.

Corin started counting “Three, five, seven, ten!”

“Ok I spoke too soon!” Corin shouted.

The first of them was already at Corin. As soon as he got near him, he flew back and dove at Corin.

“What is this?!” Corin shouted as he moved out of the way.

The small creature flew past Corin at the last instant. He had not expected the creature to be so quick.

As the creature turned around, Corin swung his blade right at it. He winced in pain as his shoulder was still aching from the bite earlier.

Corin split the imp in half and as soon as he did, the entire creature, weapon included, turned to dust.

“Well that’s not normal!” Corin shouted. He turned to look at the other attackers. Five of them were already next to Corin and were preparing to dive into him.

“Oh no you don’t!” Corin shouted.

He lunged before they could move and grabbed one of the imps by its little spear. The other four were quickly surprised, but before they could react Corin smashed the small imp into three of them.

The force of the impact turned the four of them into dust. The last one dove at Corin.

“I know your trick now!” Corin shouted.

As the imp flew at him Corin sliced him in the air, creating a cloud of dust that hovered around him.

The four other imps picked a different tactic.

“Ay-YAYAYA!” One of them shouted as they kept their distance from Corin.

They moved around him and circled Corin.

“Oh, I see.” Corin said.

“How clever of you.” Corin laughed at the creatures.

“GRRRR!” One of the creatures growled in displeasure at Corin’s mockery.

“ITAYAYA!” The first one to speak shouted.

In unison the four imps threw their spears at Corin.

He barely evaded them as one grazed his shoulder.

“Ok ok, I guess I was wrong you are very clever, but what are you going to do now without your little stabby sticks?” Corin mocked as he prepared to swat them.

The four imps materialized more spears in their hands instantly.

“Oh, damn. I have to learn to shut up.” Corin replied to himself.

“ITAYA-” The imp shouted

“Not going to happen!” Corin lunged at the imp that was shouting.

The imps all threw their spears at Corin.

As they did he dove under the shouting imp. He was skewered by three of the spears and disappeared into a puff.

“AYAYAYAY!” The three other imps cried out as they materialized new spears.

They started throwing the little spears at Corin who continued to weave in and out of them as he swung his blade at them.

POOF!

POOF!

POOF!

The remaining three imps had turned to dust.

“Well that was interesting.” Corin said as he started to move along.

He moved along the hallway, continuing for several more minutes until coming up to a unique room.

It was one unlike any he had seen so far. At first he was terrified since he saw four menacing figures in the middle of the room. He reached for his blade as his heart raced but he quickly realized these were statues and calmed down a bit.

Nothing to worry about.

He tried to calm himself and was doing a very poor job of it.

Corin stepped into the room expecting something to happen, but nothing did. It was a large circular chamber with the four statues surrounding the center. Each of the statues faced outward and seemed to be guarding something.

These look more menacing than some small imps.

I should leave.

Corin started to turn away but stopped. He didn't know why but the fear and trepidation he had just felt mere moments ago was replaced by something else, by a sense of curiosity.

Corin felt as if deep down he just knew that there was nothing to fear here. That going to the center of the large room and grabbing whatever might be there was going to be no issue.

So without a care Corin walked up to the middle of the room. He stood up next to two of the statues. The four of them were identical, each with large stone hammers held in hand.

Corin looked beyond the statues, at the center of the room. He was quite confused at what he saw. In the center there was a stone pedestal with a single item. The grand object at the center of the large room was a pyramid about as tall as Corin's hand with a large hollowed out center.

All this for a stone pyramid?

Despite the underwhelming discovery Corin felt as if it was something he needed to grab. Something within compelled him to grab it. So he did.

He grabbed it and shortly thereafter the stone statues started to stir.

Corin started to backpedal ready to make his escape but the statues froze back in place.

Well that's odd.

Seeing nothing else in the room Corin started to prepare to leave as he placed the statue in his bag.

“Kishtro!” A voice shouted at him.

As he turned around a large metallic being was swinging a large pike at him.

At the very last instant Corin moved out of the way. Where he stood mere moments ago the pike buried itself into the ground.

“Give it back!” The angry voice that came from the metallic being growled at him.

Although Corin could understand the being it spoke with a unique inflection.

Corin realized now that the metallic being was a humanoid covered in resplendent armor. It reminded Corin of the reliefs he had seen earlier in the grand hall.

But this one was real and was getting ready to strike again.

Corin dropped his bag and readied his blade.

I guess today’s theme is violence.

The assailant lunged at Corin who deflected the spear end of the pike with his blade. The shoulder where he had been bitten flared up in agonizing pain, but as his instincts kicked in he felt the pain start to be drowned out. This assailant was fast.

It did not take long for the assailant to reposition themself from the parried thrust, step into Corin's space and push him off balance with their shoulder.

Corin tumbled backwards and fell on his back, but he used his momentum and rolled backwards. As he did he could hear the bladed end of the pike crash into the ground where he had just fallen.

“Stay still, coward!” The assailant screamed at Corin.

“Coward? You came at me from behind!” Corin yelled as he stood up and prepared for another attack.

“AAA-ARGH!” The voice screamed out in rage as it ran towards Corin ready to pounce on him.

Oh, great job Corin you just enraged this thing that is trying its best to cleave you in half!

The assailant abandoned finesse for pure raw power bludgeoning. It started raining down blows on Corin with its pike.

As Corin faced the onslaught he could not help but marvel at the strength of his enemy. He had sparred many times with the strongest of Trinixo and none of them hit as hard as this assailant.

Each blow weakened Corin. He knew that he could not hold out for longer. One more slash at Corin and he dropped his guard, having been overpowered. With no hesitation the assailant kicked Corin in the gut, launching him several feet backwards.

As he flew backwards all the air in Corin escaped him and he dropped his blade.

On the ground Corin could hear his assailant quickly closing the distance.

He reached for his blade but found nothing.

The assailant raised the pike over Corin.

“Your master's are next Kishtro!”

Livia’s weapon! The pistol!

Corin quickly undid the contraption and pulled out the pistol. With no time to aim, Corin shot from the hip.

BANG!

The projectile screamed as if left the weapon and in mere seconds the pike that was sure to split Corin in half clanged next to him, missing him by mere inches.

The assailant grabbed at their side, a blue liquid pouring out of their side.

“What sort of treachery is this Kishtro?” The assailant grunted as they stumbled backwards.

Now’s your chance!

Corin started to move away from the armored assailant. Even with the wound he did not think he could best the assailant. He needed to leave and he needed to do so now.

As he moved away from the assailant he ran into something. He quickly realized that something was a person. He looked up to see a hooded figure. Under the hood he saw something he had not expected. A dragon's face. But the body Corin had bumped into was humanoid.

“What is-” Corin began but the hooded figure grabbed Corin and raised him.

He was face to face with this draconic person and instantly felt his arm snap.

“AAAH” Corin screamed in pain and dropped his pistol.

“Thanks for your help vulgros.” The draconic figure smiled as he easily threw Corin to the side.

He was launched across a large part of the room. This draconic person was much stronger than any other furtive Corin had ever seen, much like the armored being.

Corin lay on the ground agonizing. He was sure the armored assailant had broken some of his ribs and now the hooded dragon had broken his arm. Livia’s pistol was far from him now.

This is it. I am going to die.

Corin struggled to not pass out from the pain.

“Strong Nanaua being struck down by a lowly vulgar human. How pathetic.” The hooded figure sneered as he approached the armored assailant.

The hooded figure also spoke with a weird inflection. Like Simeon? It did remind Corin of the way he spoke.

The armored assailant grabbed at the pike and prepared to attack the hooded figure. But the finesse and swiftness they had earlier was replaced with a sluggish attempt that the hooded figure sidestepped with ease.

The hooded figure struck Nanaua across the face with the back of a blade. The assailant’s helmet flew off, revealing their face. Just like the hooded figure this being had a draconic face. But their features were finer.

“You, Totua. You are the Kishtro.” Nanaua weakly replied.

“Of course I am Nanaua. Did you believe our lord would send a lowly vulgros to hunt you? The mighty Nanaua? No, it was me all along.” Totua replied.

“You COWARD!” Nanaua yelled as she lunged at Totua.

Totua did not even try to move out of the way. This time as she approached him Totua smacked her across the face with his blade. She instantly fell on the floor. Once on the ground Totua kept hitting Nanaua, until he was sure that she would not try to attack him once again.

“As always you have a strong fighting spirit.” Totua said.

“That’s why I knew I could not face you head on. I was waiting for hunger and thirst to weaken you enough, but this vulgros was a nice surprise. He exceeded any expectations I would ever have of his weak kind.” The hooded Totua spoke in a soft voice.

Corin could feel himself drifting in and out of consciousness. He saw Livia’s weapon, the pistol, laying on the ground. He struggled to drag himself with his good arm towards it.

“Your treachery brought a lot of pain for our clan Nanaua. We have worked for generations to secure our place of honor and you would just throw that away? For a vulgros?” Totua continued sounding offended.

“Our place of honor? We are only a few steps ahead of these vulgros that you seemingly despise. What honor is there in that?” Nanaua shot back weakly.

“Nanaua our clan is privileged to serve one of the strongest lords of the land. If you do not see the great honor that has been bestowed upon us then you truly are lost.” The hooded Totua sounded disappointed as he raised his blade above his head.

“Spare me your lectures. If I am to die I would rather my last moments be filled with silence and not your insipid words.” Nanaua replied to the hooded figure.

Corin finally reached it.

The hooded figure was about to strike down Nanaua. Corin thought he would try to take him down after he finished her off but something inside him told him to hurry.

This was the last shot he had before he had to re-arm the weapon. He could not miss.

“Farewell Nanaua.” The assailant added in a somber tone.

BANG!

The hooded figure slumped to the ground. Nanaua looked at Corin with a bewildered look.

“That's why you don't insult strangers.” Corin muttered before his world faded to black.