Jamie ran swiftly and quietly as he could, knowing that he was now leaving Overtonia and making his way into the dark and foul land that was formally known as Lhitchurch before the hordes of darkness had settled in and turned the place into nothing more than a festering shit-hole filled with all manner of evil nasty creatures (and re-named it Vangero and built a colossal evil fortress of doom there). As he moved Jamie could see the slow transition from the snowy wastes of Overtonia to the sharp, jagged and unforgiving landscape of Vangero with its dark stone ground and distant mountain ranges. As the snow reduced to little more than a light covering he pulled up his hood and continued to move, aware that if he was spotted by any of the residents of the land and recognised as a Slayer he would most likely be hounded by a mob that would be more than happy to lynch him should they catch him. He moved along side the main road, aware that the territory beyond this would be extremely rugged and filled with things that would only slow him down one way or another. After several hours of doing this Jamie spotted a group of creatures moving down the road and he stopped, climbing a large tree to the side in order to watch and wait whilst they passed.
As they moved closer he could see that it was a small band of orcs who were dressed in armour and carried large very pointy swords. They were escorting something which he could not quite see, the two orcs in the rear carrying a small cage between them that was no bigger than a small animal, though it was covered in chains and locks that would likely hold the biggest of ogres. Walking behind that pair there was what looked like a semi-domesticated Troll of some kind. As they were below him he caught some of their conversation.
“An besides, If we jus ate it then we could say ‘e ran off?” one of the orcs said to the other who responded “Oh aye, dat sounds like a wel good idea. We wudn’t av to carry it anymore eiver. I don much fancy trekin all da way to the dark wizards cave neiver, we could jus stop n hav a wee drinky along ere somewhere.”
As they did the orc leading the precession shouted “Oy! Shat yer gobs back there. We aint stoppin or doin nuffink. Cuz if we did, da boss would make sure our gobs was taped to each overes asses after we’ve eaten some real nasty shit.”
Shaking his head slowly in almost disbelief at the level of conversation Jamie decided that whatever was being transported by them probably needed help, especially if they were taking it to the dark wizard. The dark wizard was a cruel and horrible excuse for a human, specialising in misery and pain being dealt to others. He was mainly hired out as a torturer or miscellaneous magical wielding prick for those who needed the use of dark arcane powers and had gold or influence to throw around. Leaping from the branch Jamie drew his sword in mid air before slicing it down directly through the lead orc until the blade touched the dirt below him, causing both sides of the creature to slide apart as a generous gushing of its insides spilled out onto the ground.
“Eeek! Slayer – Gerrim!!” screamed one of the other orcs as they stared in wide-eyed awe before dropping the cage with a thud and pulling out their crude weapons and charging him with snarls and other general thuggish noises. It was a simple task for Jamie to deflect their blows and deal death to them one after another, their skill and equipment being more than lacking compared to his own. But as they charged forwards the troll at the back screamed in rage before stomping forwards, crushing one of the remaining orcs in the process and lunging at the slayer with his meaty fist. All Jamie did was hold up his sword pointed forwards and the troll slammed it’s hand into the blade, screaming extremely loudly and thrashing around now. Pulling out his revolver Jamie quickly grabbed onto it’s filthy back, using the rags it wore to pull himself up as it continued to generally ‘thrash’ around he gripped onto its shoulder before quickly hoisting himself up next to his head and ramming the revolver barrel into it’s ear. As he pulled the trigger there was a bloody mess of gray matter that blew it’s way out of his other ear, the troll standing still for a moment before falling forwards as Jamie once more rode the creature’s body to the ground, before simply stepping off and moving towards the cage, pulling his sword free from the creature’s hand as he did so.
He poked at the cage once with his sword and seeing no reaction he sheathed it and moved over to the lead orc before going through his pockets, searching for a key or anything similar. Initially all he found in the orc’s pockets was a pack of nude orc playing cards (which made him shudder at the sight of so much hairy orc flesh) and a melted chocolate bar, but after checking more thoroughly he found a hidden pocket which contained a small metal key. With it in hand he moved over and knelt down next to the cage, his revolver still gripped in his other hand and he pushed the key into the lock before saying “Okay…whatever you are, I’m letting you out now. But be warned I will blow your nuts off it you do anything hasty” and with that he unlocked the chains that were surrounding it before he pulled them off. With the chains removed he could now see into the cage and initially he was confused as he saw what looked like a simple black and white housecat sat grooming itself. After a few moments of staring at it the cat looked up and stared him in the eyes before suddenly saying “So are you going to let me out of here then?” before it continued to groom itself.
“What the crap are you?” Jamie asked slightly bemused at the speaking cat.
“I am Mr Biddle” said the cat introducing himself “To cut a long story short I was captured and have been sentenced to death for spying against Count Morrison’s forces. They have been spreading and seizing civilian towns and villages. I was tasked with finding out why he has been expanding now – as always the order of day is looking to stem the tides of vampirism amongst the people, and they do not see how or why things have changed.”
Jamie thought for a moment before asking “So you are in their employ? Or a member?”
“Yes you could say that” Mr Biddle responded “I am one of the few remaining immortal advisors of mankind and I have chosen my side a long time ago. I have worked alongside the brotherhood of day since I was a small kitten, being their eyes and ears where others could not or would not go. In other words I absolutely fucking hate vampires and have likely done for more years than you have been alive, slayer.”
Shrugging Jamie said “Fair enough. Well I suppose in all of your wisdom and with all of your experience you have found out why the count is aggressively expanding?” a hint of sarcasm seeping into the question. Mr Biddle sat in silence glaring at him, before Jamie continued “Well, I will take that as a no then. What if I told you that in a few days at the full moon he is planning on using the Crown of Blood to become a dark vampiric god, and that I was on my way to his castle right now to stop him and kill him.”
Mr Biddle’s eyes opened widely and he stared in disbelief before saying “Then I would say that hundreds of years of peace, prosperity and not being fucked up by vampires is probably about to come to an end. Why have you not informed the order of day about this? They have lots of slayers who are ready for such situations and would be able to ensure that you do not fail.”
“Oh well, I didn’t think of that!” he responded sarcastically “How long have you been imprisoned? You are addressing the grandmaster and one of the few surviving members of the Order of day. About two years ago their headquarters was attacked and destroyed, with many of the elder members dying in the process. Sadly someone must have gone over to the other side as since then Count Morrison’s goons have been tracking each and every member and one by one killing or turning them to his cause. All aside from me and my partner of course. Until recently we have guarded the crown and kept it hidden, but sadly both she and the crown were captured somehow.”
Mr Biddle listened solemnly as he spoke, shaking his head at the grave news regarding the order before he jumped from the cage and onto the ground, walking back and forth for a few moments before glancing up at Jamie’s hand. In response the slayer held out his left hand, showing the pure silver ring which contained the seal of the grandmaster, proving what he had said. “Well” said Mr Biddle “I guess then I am at your command…Grandmaster” before he sat awaiting instructions.
Grinning slightly Jamie said “Mr Biddle, I believe you should accompany me on this quest, seeing as we are the only two remaining members I know of. Your eyes and ears may indeed be helpful. Did you happen to know of a way to get to the Count’s castle in three days or less? I was planning on going through Vangero until I reached the peak of despair and then travelling further westwards until I reached the castle, though that trip would leave it extremely close, it was the most direct route I could think of without being slowed by the terrain.
Mr Biddle thought for a moment before saying “Well in terms of speed all I can do is show you a few ancient trails and paths which may get us there quicker, though I fear they may not have been used for a great deal of time, and as such evil may have spread there. It could cause further delay if we need to deal with anything on the way, though we already face that risk here in Vangero.”
Jamie also thought for a few moments before saying “I think it is a risk we must take. We cannot arrive after the full moon otherwise this shit will be much much harder to deal with. I’d rather get there soon and put a slug in this fools ass and be done for the day, ya’know?”
With a nod Mr Biddle set off, waltzing up the road and past the corpses of his former captors with Jamie following him briskly. As they went they talked briefly about each other, introducing themselves and talking about the various things they had done. It seemed that Mr Biddle was indeed as old as he had claimed, having been alive for more than 5 centuries and knowing a great deal about historical events and the order’s activities. He also claimed to know the location of the order’s lost vaults and archives, which only the previous grandmasters were supposed to know, citing time spent as both a spy and a historian for the order as the origins for his knowledge.
As the pair travelled they encountered few others, hiding at the roadside in most instances as they passed seeing groups comprising of orcs, goblins and even the occasional werewolf and other foul creature. As they were then approaching the great fortress of Vangero Mr Biddle took them off the track, heading directly towards the nearby deserted mines which had been in that state for hundreds of years. As they arrived they were greeted by an unexpected sight, with the mines no longer being deserted and instead filled with what looked like slaves and other unfortunates, many of them being human though there were also other creatures shackled up and being forced into labour.
“What the hell…” said Jamie, more to himself than anyone else.
“It would indeed seem like things here have changed” responded Mr Biddle “The path we seek is an old escape tunnel from the fortress at Vangero which leads from there to the mines, and then even further on before coming out at the pass of thorns – which is obviously much closer to our destination. If we don’t take the tunnel then we will have to trek overland as you had planned, but we’ve lost even more time now. The only other alternative would be to attempt to push through the Jagged Spine mountain range, but that will be much slower and tougher going and I do not recommend it.”
Jamie thought for a moment, irritated at the turn of events and the additional effort that would now be needed. “Fine. We go through the mines as planned” he said as he lay against a rock staring down at one of the several openings into the mine “If you go down and see what you can see, find out how clear the path to this tunnel is and then come back and get me, we can go.”
Mr Biddle flicked his tail as he sauntered away, heading down towards the many bodies that were moving around and slaving away. Jamie watched as he easily wandered down, past the guards and into the mine shaft, no one noticing the small cat slinking past. With that he turned away and slid down the boulder to sit on the floor with his back lent against it. From there he quickly pulled out and rolled himself a smoke from the many herbs he had collected. He let lose a contented sigh, happy to be sat after so long travelling. This Mr Biddle seemed an interesting character, he thought to himself, someone who may be able to help him understand many of the complex and confusing documents and codexes he had received when he inherited the Order of Day, as well as helping them recover many of the lost archives which contained documents and items gathered from throughout the history of the Order.
After a short amount of time Mr Biddle appeared once more around the rock, giving him a summary of the mine’s layouts and the large number of creatures guarding the slaves. It appeared that the mine had been active again for quite some time now, with many veins of ore and gems being re-discovered. The particular route they had to travel was luckily less active than most of the areas, with Mr Biddle assuming they had not discovered the tunnel seeing as it was still sealed with no signs of travel or additional guards placed there. Jamie placed his hand on his sword and glanced over at Mr Biddle "Lead the way good feline. Quickly as possible and I will hack my way through anyone who gets in our way. We can come back later to try and end this operation another time, when there are less pressing matters" and with that Jamie pulled up his hood and the pair moved forwards from behind the rock.
As he strolled down he kept his hand on his sword preparing to pull it out if needed. To his surprise no one seemed to pay any attention to him, allowing him to make it into the nearest tunnel opening without incident. From there he followed the cat through several tunnels, passing a few slaves who gave him second glances before returning to their work. Ahead a particularly large goblin was stood with a whip, lashing out against the slaves as they moved past. As Jamie headed directly towards him he realised that there would be no way around him and so broke into a light sprint as soon as the goblin noticed him. Rushing past several huddled slaves he leapt over one before driving his sword into the Goblins chest, the creature bringing its sword up a moment too late. Several of the slaves looked around panicked whilst another desperately shouted "help us please!"
Again Jamie hesitated for a moment before grabbing a ring of keys from the dead guard and throwing them to the man who had spoke. "I'll be back" he simply said before adding “Don’t get killed before I return. We will destroy this place and I will free you all… in a few days hopefully at the most.”
With that Jamie turned and continued to follow Mr Biddle, the cat sat waiting for him at the next turning. As they rounded the corner he could see that this is where the mines started to become deserted and had much fewer signs of travel, the cobwebs and dust being practically undisturbed and the old lanterns attached to walls unlit. Jamie took a moment to grab one of the newer lanterns before continuing and before long they reached a branch in the tunnel with one of the passageways being marked with danger signs and a flimsy wooden barrier. Ducking under it Jamie continued to follow, despite his feelings that going deeper and deeper into an abandoned mine wasn’t quite the best idea. As he went further down the tunnel he could see at the end it opened up into a large natural looking cavern, however Mr Biddle paused before this and sat facing the wall of the tunnel, evidently now facing whatever kind of secret door opened into the passageway they were looking for. Following Mr Biddle’s instructions Jamie reached up and twisted a small metal knob that protruded from the wall, barley noticeable as it was hidden behind a wooden support. As he did there was the sound of gears and cogs’ turning for a moment as the doorway was unlocked, the wall itself swinging inwards slightly, releasing an old and stale breeze. With a single glance behind him Jamie stepped in and pushed the door shut behind him, turning and illuminating the narrow passageway he was now in. Gazing up and down he could see clearly how the construction differed, this tunnel being much much older – but apparently devoid of any life of travel whatsoever for a great many years. Mr Biddle was as always stood waiting to lead the slayer in the correct direction, his small eyes as always keenly watching him and their surroundings.
As they walked Mr Biddle said “Did you know that the last recorded use of this tunnel would be… oh about four hundred years ago? When the land of Vangero was still Lhitchurh and it was a green and peaceful land. I believe though there were issues with the ruling monarch, the royal family had grown very unpopular with their subjects especially as this was a time in which King Donovan the second was ruling, or the mad king as he was more popularly known at the time. He had killed his father a few years prior and was shacking up with a particularly malicious and vindictive Vampire women, who he then decided to marry. When it was announced they were to be wed the townspeople rose up in that wonderful way they do, before attacking the castle with even the castle guard joining them in their assault. The pair fled down these very tunnels according to the order, although only the vampire woman was ever seen again. Speculation is obviously that she killed him as soon as he was no longer useful, being that he wasn’t King any longer she had nothing to gain by marrying him, though truly the reason remains unknown.”
As they continued to travel Jamie had to admit that the tunnel itself was an impressive feat of engineering, especially considering it stretched over such a huge area, obviously having taken a very long time to construct. Despite its age it was also in relatively good condition, with it still being intact and there being no cave-ins or other obstacles that they had yet encountered. After what felt like several hours of walking the pair could see that ahead the tunnel widened before opening up into a room of some kinds. As they reached it he could hear Mr Biddle say “Well I’ll be…” before he emerged himself, seeing that the room was some kind of rest-stop along the way. In the corner there was a bed which was more than slightly rotted, the wood having broken in several places and whatever covers there may have been long since rotting away completely. The interesting thing was that laid on the bed was the skeletal remains of King Donovan, the crown still perched atop his head. Moving over the pair examined the body for a little while, looking for any obvious signs of what killed him. Seeing none they decided that it was most likely that the vampire woman had indeed killed him before continuing down the tunnel alone. Before they left Mr Biddle took a moment to further explore the room whilst Jamie pulled the ornate golden and jewelled crown from the skull, wiping the dust from it he could see that it still shone brightly and hadn’t been damaged in anyway. After placing it on his own head for a short while the slayer then placed it inside his pack, wrapping it in his blanket to make sure it wasn’t damaged. As Mr Biddle gave him an appraising look Jamie said “What? It is for the… archives, this is a recovered relic of a bygone kingdom, what else should I do with it?”
With a flick of his tale Mr Biddle dismissed the question before the pair once more continued upon their way, moving down the narrow and hopefully towards the count’s castle. As they went the days of travel and lack of sleep slightly started to affect Jamie, his legs beginning to ache as tiredness started to wash over him. They continued before several more hours before he asked “How long is this damned tunnel? I mean I know its cutting out a few days travel but still…”
Mr Biddle responded “We are almost there I believe. Depending on exactly where it emerges it may be fitting to rest before we leave. It will be the last sleep you have before we have to deal with the count and save the world, after all.”
“Oh yes of course…” he replied, thinking only of saving his beloved “…the world.”
After what again felt like again a far too lengthy period of time they could feel the tunnel begin to slope upwards gently, before finally seeing what looked like the end ahead. As they got closer Mr Biddle let out a noise of irritation, which Jamie mirrored as he saw that the end was in fact a cave in, the tunnel being filled with dirt and rocks. “The exit must not be more than a few hundred meters down this tunnel” said Mr Biddle, jumping up onto the rocks and searching for any opening or gap.
“Do not fear” said Jamie reaching into his pack again and rummaging around “Do you think I’d of let you take me down an ancient tunnel in a mineshaft if I didn’t have a way to clear any cave-ins?” After a few more moments of searching he exclaimed triumphantly as he pulled out what appeared to be a small row of vials wrapped carefully in cloth, each with a large metal stopper on the top with a fuse coming out of it. “Phosphate mixed with a little salt-peter and some dragon bane oil thrown in to give it a kick” he explained taking one of the vials and placing it as far into the rubble as he could. “I’d move back if I were you” he added to Mr Biddle as he took out his lighter and carefully lit the fuse. As soon as it ignited Jamie turned and sprinted back down the corridor, putting as much distance in-between himself and the explosive as he could. There was a moment’s silence before an explosion sound, the blast shaking the ground slightly but ultimately being almost perfect in its destructive range. As the air began to slowly clear again they could see that the rubble had been scattered and there was now a very small crater where it had been. The structural integrity appeared intact, as it became apparent that the cave in was not of natural means and was obviously some kind of trap of failsafe in the event of pursuit or needing to seal the tunnel. Moving past it they only walked for a few more minutes before they came to the end, before them was the back of another secret door with a lever beside it. Stopping Jamie opened the door and took a quick look, seeing that it emerged into what looked like another natural cavern he pulled it closed again before turning to Mr Biddle and saying “Right, finally sleepy time. Wake me in a few hours if I’m not up already, and we can get this done.” With that he leant against the wall before sliding down to the ground and falling asleep mere moments later.
