Tenderfoot Part Nineteen
The Doom that Creeps
The Elfling King's army and caravan marched for the better part of a day along lonely roads within the Mushroom Wood. The following morning, the tall mushrooms slowly gave way to wide open grassy plains. It was then that they realized that they had entered the Centaur Realm.
Kilect Ratheet was nearly on the border with the Elfling Realm so the Centaur would not realize the presence of the Elflings until they reached the outpost stationed at the sacred site.
Kilect Ratheet was found abandoned as the Elfling host and its prisoners arrived. The huge stone monoliths were placed in several circles of slabs of stones positioned deliberately to some purpose. Few knew exactly for what purpose, but it was considered a sacred place to all and was defended by a small outpost of Centaurs.
"Your Highness," an Elfling scout came reporting to the Elfling King. The Elfling King wore his battle gear which included white leather armor under his perfectly white robes, a broadsword at his belt named White Adder and a white helm that protected his head of long white hair.
"Proceed," the Elfling King said showing little interest in what the scout had to say. The Elfling King held in his hands an ancient tome.
"The Centaur outpost has been abandoned since before daybreak," the scout explained. "The coals in their fire are still warm. They have detected us for certain and have gone to raise the Royal Cavalry. I estimate we have an hour, perhaps less before the entire cavalry is upon us."
"That's all I need," the Elfling King said with a shake of his hand. "Bring the prisoners," he commanded.
The Scourge, the Shade and the Tenderfoot were dragged out and into the outer circles of Kilect Ratheet. They were still heavily bound in iron chains and guarded by a half dozen Elflings each.
Madame Jordanna and Chief Interrogator Haydeen followed close behind.
"You three manlings," the Elfling King said pointing a bony finger at the three, "have been a thorn in my side for years. Your days of terrorizing Elflings and stealing my magic are over!"
"If you were going to kill us or torture us, you would have done so already in your dungeon," Orion observed.
"True," the Elfling King admitted. "I would relish in the opportunity to torture you three until the end of your days, but you will fulfill a greater cause this day. Ironically, you will be responsible for having granted me total domination of the Realms."
"That is very ambitious," Orion said. "But that is quite a boast to make when the Centaur Royal Calvary is galloping this way at full speed."
"They will no longer matter," the Elfling king said turning as stepping into the inner circles of Kilect Ratheet. "There is a prophecy that says that three special Manlings are the catalyst to open an ancient door to a different world."
The prisoners and their guards followed behind.
"What makes us special?" Patrisa asked. "There are many other Manlings in the Realms."
"You are the most talented and most successful Manlings we have ever seen," he said stepping into the center circle which was a tall stone obelisk surrounded by three long wide altars. "The toll to open this door requires the magic of the Three."
"How nice," Patrisa said smiling. "You could have taken it while in the dungeons and let us move on our way."
"Pretentious fool!" he shouted. "You are not the Three! Allow me to introduce you to the Three."
The Elfling King opened his tome and read carefully.
"Abadon, Master of the Sword," he said. "Arise, Master of the Sword and do my will!"
One of the three altars began to shimmer and shake and it transformed from a simple stone slab into a statue of an ancient Warrior.
"Journia, Mistress of the Spoken Spell. Arise, Mistress of the Spoken Spell and do my will!"
Another altar transformed into another ancient statue of what appeared to be a female spell caster.
"Nyte, the Golden Apprentice. Arise, Golden Apprentice and do my will!"
The third altar transformed into a smaller and younger male version of the Mistress of the Spoken Spell.
"Take each of the prisoners to the corresponding member of the Three," he commanded.
Patrisa was placed in front of the Master of the Sword, Orion in front of the Mistress of the Spoken Spell and Esmeralda was placed in front of the Golden Apprentice.
"Take my offering, wise members of the Three," the Elfling King said. "It has been ages since last you tasted magic. I was young and could remember my name when we last met. Wake again and I you will whet your appetites!"
The three statues came to life and wrapped their stony arms around each of the prisoners holding them tight within their grasp.
"Now what?" Esmeralda asked struggling in the statue’s grasp.
"The Three will need the magic of three powerful manlings. You will give them their magic and they in turn will grant me my wish."
The prisoners were still barefoot and the Elfling King strode over to Patrisa and held her by the top of the foot firmly.
His grip was like steel and try as she might, Patrisa could not break his grip.
"The Great and Terrible Tickle Scourge," he said with his voice laced in sarcasm. "Here I have a foot that can't be tickled some would say. But the truth is that while tickling is the key that unlocks the vault to one's magic, there are keys that unlock one's ability to be tickled."
The three prisoners exchanged confused looks and frowned.
"I know the keys," the Elfling king said. "They are as ancient as I am, but I still remember."
He took his right index finger and traced a symbol on the sole of Patrisa's foot. It was a complex symbol and try as they might, neither Orion nor Esmeralda could follow nor much less memorize the movements.
Concluded, the symbol glowed brightly and then sunk into Patrisa's sole until it disappeared.
The Elfling king then drew a single finger lightly against her sole. The result was explosive.
Patrisa cried out so loud and so suddenly that even the Elfling sentries shook in their armor. She laughed and breathed heavily and this was after a simple stroke of a finger.
"A child could tickle you to oblivion now," The Elfling King said with satisfaction as he strode over to Orion and grasped his foot in the same fashion.
"These are secrets few know among the Realms," he said as he repeated the process on Orion's bare sole.
Orion frowned but he did not fidget or move at all as the rune was drawn on his foot.
"Some are ticklish and use their will to deny it," the Elfling King mentioned as he finished the rune once more and watched the glowing symbol sink into the foot. "The key to ticklishness banishes all notions of resistance."
He drew a finger on the Shade's sole and he laughed desperately and uncontrollably.
Haydeen was shocked to see this. Even having tickled him to submission, never had she heard such a desperate uncontrolled laughter.
"Your will is useless," the Elfling King said sneering at the Master Spell Caster.
He strode over to Esmeralda and took her foot firmly by the top. As he drew the rune, the foot thrashed as best it could in the iron grip of the Elfling King.
"Some try to flow with the tickling," the Elfling King said, "but the key opens the door wide and the tickling when totally uninhibited is overwhelming."
He demonstrated drawing his finger along Esmeralda's foot. She screamed and laughed manically. Not even under the influence of Peter's tickle pills did she feel so totally and uncontrollably ticklish.
"I would tickle you all to kingdom come," the Elfling King said, but I leave the privilege to reward my most loyal subject."
Madame Jordanna stepped into the circle. She looked at her students with her pupil-less eyes and smiled.
"This is where it ends my finest pupils," she said. "I bear you no ill will. It was all for the Prophecy. You will be glad to know that I plan to train a group of Elflings and your personal magic objects will be indispensable for their training."
Patrisa's fighting sticks were tied to Madame Jordanna's back and she held out the magical artifact known as Silk in one hand and the cursed ring that had enchanted Queen Melca in the other.
The three Manlings looked longingly at the magical objects. Words of magic lingered on the tips of their tongues but the iron shackles would prevent any spell they attempted to cast.
"Now we will finish this," she said placing Silk and the box which held the ring into her robes. She pulled three small white feathers from a pouch on her belt.
"Good bye my pupils," she said as she held the feathers on her palm and blew gently. "I do not expect that we will meet again."
The feathers floated in the air as she spoke powerful words of magic:
Kilect eseth rethe dan takact reith lesos, kilect eseth rethe dan wosh on cymer!
The feathers stopped their slow descent and they shot out like arrows at the soles that had been marked by the Elfling King.
The three prisoners had been attacked at one or another time by Madame Jordanna's flurry of feathers. The flurry was so powerful it could deflect arrows and throw her enemies off balance. It was considered to be one of the most unstoppable attacks ever to exist. However, this single feather on their now extremely sensitive soles was a torment far greater than the entire flurry of feathers.
The single feather danced on their soles using the soft end to brush lightly between the toes and then the hard tip to trace the bottoms of the soles.
Their laughter was gruesomely hysterical. Patrisa's foot twisted and turned and shook, but there was no escaping the persistent feather. Esmeralda could no longer laugh; she howled and screamed in agony as they feather broke her down faster and more effectively than any tickling she had ever received.
Orion likewise could not resist the tickling despite his best efforts. He tried to scrounge his toes together in an effort to try to limit the access the feathers had to his foot, but any effort he made was useless.
The Elfling foot soldiers looked away and tried to cover their ears against the horrible laughter and screams.
The Elfling King and Jordanna relished however in the sound of their enemies in agony. To them it was music.
"Alas, all good things must come to an end," The Elfling King said as he walked up to Patrisa and raked his fingers along her soles. Patrisa's already high pitched mad laughter went up a beat before she finally went limp and unconscious as a red jewel formed above her head.
He walked over to Orion and repeated the process and the Manling spell caster succumbed likewise.
Finally he walked over to Esmeralda who despite her best efforts to resist and maintain consciousness was waging a losing battle. She was less than a step away from fading into oblivion.
The Elfling King took the foot that was not charmed by his rune and began to explore the foot slowly testing for a ticklish spot. Her foot was beautiful and soft, and the Elfling King enjoyed this game of cat and mouse. He finally touched a part of her arch with just the right firmness and the foot twitched violently as Esmeralda released a loud and shrill shriek before falling instantly silent and still within the grasp of the Golden Apprentice.
"It is done," the Elfling King announced. "I have completed the Prophecy to the letter. Arise and do my bidding!"
The Three drew upon the magic of their Manling prisoners and the statues came to life standing tall and letting their now harmless prisoners fall heavily to the grassy ground.
The Warrior turned to the Elfling King and spoke:
"You have indeed freed us from our eternal slumber. You have captured three not of this world who have given their powerful magic so we may be released. The Prophecy also states that we will aid the summoner before we return to our world."
"Yes, and aid you will," he said. "Open the vault to the Doom that Creeps!"
The three statues looked at each other uneasily.
"The Doom that Creeps, like our selves, and like the Manlings, is not of this world," the Mistress of the Spoken Word said. "If you release the Doom that Creeps you might not be able to control it and it will devour you before sinking back into its ageless slumber."
"That will be a risk I am more than willing to take," the Elfling King declared. "Wake the Doom that Creeps and return to your long lost world."
"I see you have the Doom's Eye," the Golden Apprentice mentioned pointing at Melca's Gem which Madame Jordanna held in her hand. "That is not fortunate. We gave the Eye to the Fae Child Melca to guard and to keep. If we wake the Doom that Creeps back and it regains use of the Eye it will linger here in your world consuming and destroying all in its path."
"Just do it!" the Elfling King snarled. "Your freedom came at a price; you would grant me one wish within your power. Wake the Doom that Creeps!"
The Warrior sighed. "Very well. But we will flee this world as soon as the Doom that Creeps arrives. You were warned."
The Three stepped together and took each other by the hands and began to chant a spell unlike any of them had heard before. The monoliths of Kilect Ratheet rose in the air and they began to spin round and round until they were no longer visible. The chanting became louder and a howling wind could be heard as they continued to move in circles around the Three. Suddenly the chanting ended and the monoliths fell into their places. Between the three statues the ground trembled and a stone structure surrounded with runes rose from beneath the obelisk. It was ancient and it had not been touched for thousands of years.
"This is the vault," the Mistress of the Spoken Word said. "We assume you can open the vault."
The Elfling King nodded as he drew near the vault's door.
"Our work is finished here," The Warrior said. "I'd bid you farewell in thanks for releasing us, but you will fare no better than any of the other fools who have tried to tame the Doom that Creeps."
The Three stood together again and took each other by the hand as they cast there strange spell that elevated them into the air and then suddenly they shot off into the sky like a rocket. For a brief moment they appeared to be a bright star in the sky until they disappeared completely.
"Now we move on to more important things," the Elfling King said approaching the entrance to the vault. There was a seal on the door to the vault adorned with several important looking runes.
The Elfling King drew a heavy broadsword from his belt and spoke words of magic before finally raising the blade high above his head.
"With this blade, I free you, the Doom that Creeps from your ancient slumber," he declared as the heavy sword descended on the seal.
The seal cracked and broke and then exploded sending the Elfling King reeling back. He raised his sword and instinctively cast a spell that sent a barrier of earth in front of him to protect him from the blast. The others were not so fortunate and were thrown violently to the ground.
"Who wakes me from my slumber?" asked a quiet and weak voice.
"I, the Elfling King, wake you from your slumber to serve and destroy my enemies," the Elfling King stated firmly.
A thin emaciated creature that appeared to be an Elfling emerged from the vault. It could not have been half Haydeen's height and its arms and legs could not be much thicker than a pair of fingers. Its ribs and vertebrae were so visible that even the furthest Elfling sentry could count them with ease. The creature's skin was a sickly dark grey color and its hair a tangled mass of cement colored strands. It pupil-less eyes were dull and seemed to be glazed with drowsiness.
"I would destroy all that you wish me to destroy," the creature said with much difficulty. "But my hunger consumes me and even if I consume your soul, it is only a morsel which will not ward off the terrible hunger that consumes me. I will eat your soul and then I will sleep for another eon."
"Hold!" the Elfling King commanded. "Listen!"
The pounding hundreds of hooves could be heard in the distance.
"My enemy approaches," the Elfling King said. "I offer you the Eye of Doom for your loyalty."
The glazed eyes turned bright and the creature looked anxiously to see if what the Elfling King said was true.
"Give me the Eye and I will lay waste to your enemies. I hunger for their souls," the Doom that Creeps said drooling at the mouth.
The Elfling King nodded to Jordanna who pulled the crystal out and held it out to the wicked and frail creature.
In a flash, the gem had disappeared from Jordanna's hand and the creature had disappeared also.
"Perhaps we've been deceived," Jordanna said. "Surely that small insignificant creature is not the Doom that Creeps."
"Follow me," the Elfling King said as they left the ancient circle of monoliths.
The Royal Calvary was visible and it was approaching fast. Their shining helms and bright banners were clearly visible on the green plains of the Centaur realm. Several hundred strong, there was no other military force with such power within the Realms.
"Shall we call a retreat?" one of the Elfling soldiers asked.
"Set up a perimeter and set your spears," the Elfling King ordered. "I don't expect there will be much of the Royal Calvary left by the time they get here, but it always serves to be prepared."
The Elfling soldier looked at his king as if he were mad. He shook his head and dubiously but gave the command.
The Elfling line was fidgeting uneasily and it seemed that it would break at any moment.
Jordanna also looked nervous. "This is not looking good. Our foot soldiers would not stop a pixie army as it is."
"Patience," the Elfling King said softly.
And then it began. A gray and black substance crept from the ground and tangled the galloping legs of the Centaur Royal Cavalry. One was followed by another and then another and soon dozens were being tangled by the black tendrils. The Centaurs were falling and remained motionless on the field.
The tendrils became larger and longer and bolder and soon they were engulfing the greater part of the Calvary.
The Elflings let out a cheer, but it was muted quickly as they noticed that however strong the Doom that Creeps was becoming, it was not going to stop the Royal Cavalry from reaching Kilect Ratheet.
"Hold your positions, Elflings!" the Elfling King shouted drawing his sword. "I never promised conquering the Realms would be easy. Hold your ground!"
The Elflings held their spears in position, but as the point men of the Cavalry approached the ranks broke and Elflings fled as Kilect Ratheet was overrun by Centaurs.
Laurannis, Princess of the Centaur Realm, broke through the Elfling ranks and rode to the center of Kilect Ratheet only to confirm her worst fears. The Doom that Creeps had been released.
Three of her bodyguards rode with her as they studied the broken seals of the vault that imprisoned the Doom that Creeps.
"What are your orders, your Highness?" one of her bodyguards asked.
Laurannis saw Esmeralda and the other Manling's unconscious forms and she kneeled down to see if they still lived. Satisfied they were still alive, she commanded her bodyguards.
"Take the Manlings on your backs. We must retreat and make a plan of action. We'll do no good to anyone if we die here today."
"I don't think so," said Madame Jordanna calmly as she approached the circle.
"Stay your ground, witch," Laurannis stated as she held her magic lance up ready to hurl it at her enemy. "I'm very fast with the lance. My aim is true and the lance is swift as lightning. I'll pierce you long before you can complete a spell."
Jordanna said nothing. She only smiled at her enemy.
"Men," Laurannis said to her bodyguards. "Take the Manlings. I will deal with the witch."
"I will stop you," Jordanna promised as her hand slipped into her pouch grasping a handful of feathers.
"Murmur a single word of magic and I will let the lance fly," Laurannis warned.
The two women fixed their eyes on each other. Each waiting until a blink or a moment’s hesitation would give an edge.
The moment came.
Jordanna pulled her hand free of the pouch and hurled the feathers in Laurannis's direction.
Kilect hist gril, kilect reh ot thead!
The lance was thrown as promised and it did what no other weapon had ever done against the flurry of feathers. I cut through the whirlwind of blinding feathers like a hot knife through butter. Its aim was true and it pierced the soft velvet robes and drove through the body of the spell caster. Madame Jordanna, Mistress of the Academy, was wide eyed by shock as she fell to the ground and expired.
White feathers and crimson blood littered the inner circle.
"I warned you," Laurannis said as she pulled the spear free from the spell caster's dead body. As she did, she noticed the Scourge's fighting sticks and Esmeralda's magic artifact spider lying around the spell caster strewn like a child’s toys.
Laurannis collected the magical objects leaving the objects that she did not recognize. It was never the practice of a Centaur to rob the dead. But the objects did not belong to the spell caster.
The Doom that Creeps was approaching. She could hear the frantic screams of her brethren as their souls and life forces were wrenched away.
''You were fortunate," Laurannis said grimly to her defeated enemy. "You lost your life but not your soul."
She turned to gallop away after her bodyguards.
"I wonder how many of us will be as fortunate," she muttered under her breath.
* * * * *
"Victory!" the Elfling King shouted as the last of the remaining Royal Cavalry fell to the Horror that Creeps.
He returned to the center circle and was greeted by a gruesome sight. Madame Jordanna's pierced body lay motionless in a pool of blood speckled with white feathers.
Haydeen checked for a pulse and shook her head slowly.
"I liked it more when it was all about tickling and magic," Haydeen said quietly to the Elfling King.
"Some sacrifices had to be made for greatness," the Elfling King said. "Madame Jordanna will be remembered as a martyr for Elfling greatness."
Haydeen shook her head softly again and drew Jordanna's eyelids down over her sightless dark eyes.
"That was refreshing!" said a voice just before the Doom that Creeps reappeared. The voice was no longer frail and the body was now towering over the Elfling King with rippling muscles and twenty times the body mass.
"There is more to take, Doom that Creeps," the Elfling King said. "But we will wait for the Realms to surrender to our might before we continue. All those who do not surrender will be destroyed."
"Wait?" the Doom that Creeps said with a booming laughter. "I cannot wait. Even as we speak the hunger grows within me. I must continue to feed or I perish."
"I freed you and you will obey me!" the Elfling King demanded.
"I obey my hunger, my craving. I obey no one else, least of all you. If you have no more souls to offer, then I will take whatever souls you have."
"Damn you!" the Elfling King shouted as he drew his sword. He swung his sword in a wide arc aiming to cut the Doom that Creeps in half.
The sword cut cleanly through the air whistling softly as it ran its path. But it did not meet with the Doom that Creeps. He had vanished once again.
Elflings began to shout as the Doom the Creeps slid through the ground attacking Elflings just as it had attacked Centaurs only minutes ago. It took a brief touch with the tendrils and the sentries would scream in terror and then fall limply to the ground.
The Elfling King watched in horror as his subjects tried to flee but did so futilely.
The Elfling King cursed but he was powerless to stop the rapid advance of the Doom that Creeps. In minutes hundreds of is subjects had fallen motionless to the ground having lost their souls in battle with the Doom that Creeps.
Dark clouds formed over Kilect Ratheet and it began to rain. Blood and mud and sweat stained the Elfling King's white gowns. He had no hope to defeat the Doom that Creeps, but he could buy the fleeing Elflings time to escape.
"Face me!" the Elfling King shouted. "Fight me, coward!"
At these words there was a pause in the advance of the rampaging and death dealing creature.
"Strange for an Elfling to call anyone else a coward," the Doom that Creeps said amusedly as it grew even more. It was now the size of a Giant with bigger muscles yet and a huge pot belly. "Very well. I will feast on your soul."
"Come," the Elfling King snarled. "I dare you."
"Enough amusement," the Doom that Creeps said. "I hunger as we speak. I must have your soul."
The Elfling King watched as the Doom that Creeps approached and when he felt it was time, he thrust his sword into the ground and cast spells quickly and in rapid succession. A ball of energy formed around the Elfling King protecting him from harm.
The Doom that Creeps pounded with its fists on the shield with tremendous blows that shook the very Earth. The Elfling King continued to repeat the spells again and again to maintain the shield.
"I hunger!" the Doom that Creeps stated in frustration. "It was your place to be the first soul I should have taken. But now I think I will save you for last. So you might continue your cowardly ways until that day."
The Elfling King continued to cast the spells again and again impervious to the Doom that Creeps's mockery.
"Is that the Mushroom Wood I see beyond the plains?" the Doom that Creeps asked.
The Elfling King did not answer.
"I will go there and make it a desert," it said smiling and displaying rows and rows of hideous and decaying teeth. "Until we meet again, Elfling King of Nothing."
The Doom that Creeps disappeared and the grassy path leading back to the Elfling Realm wilted and turned brown with its advance.
The Elfling King released the shield and stood up. He turned his tear streaked face and stared at his homeland with regret.
Unable to hold his weight nor bear the burden of his guilt, he fell to his knees and then crashed to the ground face first covered in rain and mud, drenched in sweat and tears, and surrounded by blood and white feathers.
To be continued....
NEXT: The Enchantress, The Maker and the Pact
The Doom that Creeps
The Elfling King's army and caravan marched for the better part of a day along lonely roads within the Mushroom Wood. The following morning, the tall mushrooms slowly gave way to wide open grassy plains. It was then that they realized that they had entered the Centaur Realm.
Kilect Ratheet was nearly on the border with the Elfling Realm so the Centaur would not realize the presence of the Elflings until they reached the outpost stationed at the sacred site.
Kilect Ratheet was found abandoned as the Elfling host and its prisoners arrived. The huge stone monoliths were placed in several circles of slabs of stones positioned deliberately to some purpose. Few knew exactly for what purpose, but it was considered a sacred place to all and was defended by a small outpost of Centaurs.
"Your Highness," an Elfling scout came reporting to the Elfling King. The Elfling King wore his battle gear which included white leather armor under his perfectly white robes, a broadsword at his belt named White Adder and a white helm that protected his head of long white hair.
"Proceed," the Elfling King said showing little interest in what the scout had to say. The Elfling King held in his hands an ancient tome.
"The Centaur outpost has been abandoned since before daybreak," the scout explained. "The coals in their fire are still warm. They have detected us for certain and have gone to raise the Royal Cavalry. I estimate we have an hour, perhaps less before the entire cavalry is upon us."
"That's all I need," the Elfling King said with a shake of his hand. "Bring the prisoners," he commanded.
The Scourge, the Shade and the Tenderfoot were dragged out and into the outer circles of Kilect Ratheet. They were still heavily bound in iron chains and guarded by a half dozen Elflings each.
Madame Jordanna and Chief Interrogator Haydeen followed close behind.
"You three manlings," the Elfling King said pointing a bony finger at the three, "have been a thorn in my side for years. Your days of terrorizing Elflings and stealing my magic are over!"
"If you were going to kill us or torture us, you would have done so already in your dungeon," Orion observed.
"True," the Elfling King admitted. "I would relish in the opportunity to torture you three until the end of your days, but you will fulfill a greater cause this day. Ironically, you will be responsible for having granted me total domination of the Realms."
"That is very ambitious," Orion said. "But that is quite a boast to make when the Centaur Royal Calvary is galloping this way at full speed."
"They will no longer matter," the Elfling king said turning as stepping into the inner circles of Kilect Ratheet. "There is a prophecy that says that three special Manlings are the catalyst to open an ancient door to a different world."
The prisoners and their guards followed behind.
"What makes us special?" Patrisa asked. "There are many other Manlings in the Realms."
"You are the most talented and most successful Manlings we have ever seen," he said stepping into the center circle which was a tall stone obelisk surrounded by three long wide altars. "The toll to open this door requires the magic of the Three."
"How nice," Patrisa said smiling. "You could have taken it while in the dungeons and let us move on our way."
"Pretentious fool!" he shouted. "You are not the Three! Allow me to introduce you to the Three."
The Elfling King opened his tome and read carefully.
"Abadon, Master of the Sword," he said. "Arise, Master of the Sword and do my will!"
One of the three altars began to shimmer and shake and it transformed from a simple stone slab into a statue of an ancient Warrior.
"Journia, Mistress of the Spoken Spell. Arise, Mistress of the Spoken Spell and do my will!"
Another altar transformed into another ancient statue of what appeared to be a female spell caster.
"Nyte, the Golden Apprentice. Arise, Golden Apprentice and do my will!"
The third altar transformed into a smaller and younger male version of the Mistress of the Spoken Spell.
"Take each of the prisoners to the corresponding member of the Three," he commanded.
Patrisa was placed in front of the Master of the Sword, Orion in front of the Mistress of the Spoken Spell and Esmeralda was placed in front of the Golden Apprentice.
"Take my offering, wise members of the Three," the Elfling King said. "It has been ages since last you tasted magic. I was young and could remember my name when we last met. Wake again and I you will whet your appetites!"
The three statues came to life and wrapped their stony arms around each of the prisoners holding them tight within their grasp.
"Now what?" Esmeralda asked struggling in the statue’s grasp.
"The Three will need the magic of three powerful manlings. You will give them their magic and they in turn will grant me my wish."
The prisoners were still barefoot and the Elfling King strode over to Patrisa and held her by the top of the foot firmly.
His grip was like steel and try as she might, Patrisa could not break his grip.
"The Great and Terrible Tickle Scourge," he said with his voice laced in sarcasm. "Here I have a foot that can't be tickled some would say. But the truth is that while tickling is the key that unlocks the vault to one's magic, there are keys that unlock one's ability to be tickled."
The three prisoners exchanged confused looks and frowned.
"I know the keys," the Elfling king said. "They are as ancient as I am, but I still remember."
He took his right index finger and traced a symbol on the sole of Patrisa's foot. It was a complex symbol and try as they might, neither Orion nor Esmeralda could follow nor much less memorize the movements.
Concluded, the symbol glowed brightly and then sunk into Patrisa's sole until it disappeared.
The Elfling king then drew a single finger lightly against her sole. The result was explosive.
Patrisa cried out so loud and so suddenly that even the Elfling sentries shook in their armor. She laughed and breathed heavily and this was after a simple stroke of a finger.
"A child could tickle you to oblivion now," The Elfling King said with satisfaction as he strode over to Orion and grasped his foot in the same fashion.
"These are secrets few know among the Realms," he said as he repeated the process on Orion's bare sole.
Orion frowned but he did not fidget or move at all as the rune was drawn on his foot.
"Some are ticklish and use their will to deny it," the Elfling King mentioned as he finished the rune once more and watched the glowing symbol sink into the foot. "The key to ticklishness banishes all notions of resistance."
He drew a finger on the Shade's sole and he laughed desperately and uncontrollably.
Haydeen was shocked to see this. Even having tickled him to submission, never had she heard such a desperate uncontrolled laughter.
"Your will is useless," the Elfling King said sneering at the Master Spell Caster.
He strode over to Esmeralda and took her foot firmly by the top. As he drew the rune, the foot thrashed as best it could in the iron grip of the Elfling King.
"Some try to flow with the tickling," the Elfling King said, "but the key opens the door wide and the tickling when totally uninhibited is overwhelming."
He demonstrated drawing his finger along Esmeralda's foot. She screamed and laughed manically. Not even under the influence of Peter's tickle pills did she feel so totally and uncontrollably ticklish.
"I would tickle you all to kingdom come," the Elfling King said, but I leave the privilege to reward my most loyal subject."
Madame Jordanna stepped into the circle. She looked at her students with her pupil-less eyes and smiled.
"This is where it ends my finest pupils," she said. "I bear you no ill will. It was all for the Prophecy. You will be glad to know that I plan to train a group of Elflings and your personal magic objects will be indispensable for their training."
Patrisa's fighting sticks were tied to Madame Jordanna's back and she held out the magical artifact known as Silk in one hand and the cursed ring that had enchanted Queen Melca in the other.
The three Manlings looked longingly at the magical objects. Words of magic lingered on the tips of their tongues but the iron shackles would prevent any spell they attempted to cast.
"Now we will finish this," she said placing Silk and the box which held the ring into her robes. She pulled three small white feathers from a pouch on her belt.
"Good bye my pupils," she said as she held the feathers on her palm and blew gently. "I do not expect that we will meet again."
The feathers floated in the air as she spoke powerful words of magic:
Kilect eseth rethe dan takact reith lesos, kilect eseth rethe dan wosh on cymer!
The feathers stopped their slow descent and they shot out like arrows at the soles that had been marked by the Elfling King.
The three prisoners had been attacked at one or another time by Madame Jordanna's flurry of feathers. The flurry was so powerful it could deflect arrows and throw her enemies off balance. It was considered to be one of the most unstoppable attacks ever to exist. However, this single feather on their now extremely sensitive soles was a torment far greater than the entire flurry of feathers.
The single feather danced on their soles using the soft end to brush lightly between the toes and then the hard tip to trace the bottoms of the soles.
Their laughter was gruesomely hysterical. Patrisa's foot twisted and turned and shook, but there was no escaping the persistent feather. Esmeralda could no longer laugh; she howled and screamed in agony as they feather broke her down faster and more effectively than any tickling she had ever received.
Orion likewise could not resist the tickling despite his best efforts. He tried to scrounge his toes together in an effort to try to limit the access the feathers had to his foot, but any effort he made was useless.
The Elfling foot soldiers looked away and tried to cover their ears against the horrible laughter and screams.
The Elfling King and Jordanna relished however in the sound of their enemies in agony. To them it was music.
"Alas, all good things must come to an end," The Elfling King said as he walked up to Patrisa and raked his fingers along her soles. Patrisa's already high pitched mad laughter went up a beat before she finally went limp and unconscious as a red jewel formed above her head.
He walked over to Orion and repeated the process and the Manling spell caster succumbed likewise.
Finally he walked over to Esmeralda who despite her best efforts to resist and maintain consciousness was waging a losing battle. She was less than a step away from fading into oblivion.
The Elfling King took the foot that was not charmed by his rune and began to explore the foot slowly testing for a ticklish spot. Her foot was beautiful and soft, and the Elfling King enjoyed this game of cat and mouse. He finally touched a part of her arch with just the right firmness and the foot twitched violently as Esmeralda released a loud and shrill shriek before falling instantly silent and still within the grasp of the Golden Apprentice.
"It is done," the Elfling King announced. "I have completed the Prophecy to the letter. Arise and do my bidding!"
The Three drew upon the magic of their Manling prisoners and the statues came to life standing tall and letting their now harmless prisoners fall heavily to the grassy ground.
The Warrior turned to the Elfling King and spoke:
"You have indeed freed us from our eternal slumber. You have captured three not of this world who have given their powerful magic so we may be released. The Prophecy also states that we will aid the summoner before we return to our world."
"Yes, and aid you will," he said. "Open the vault to the Doom that Creeps!"
The three statues looked at each other uneasily.
"The Doom that Creeps, like our selves, and like the Manlings, is not of this world," the Mistress of the Spoken Word said. "If you release the Doom that Creeps you might not be able to control it and it will devour you before sinking back into its ageless slumber."
"That will be a risk I am more than willing to take," the Elfling King declared. "Wake the Doom that Creeps and return to your long lost world."
"I see you have the Doom's Eye," the Golden Apprentice mentioned pointing at Melca's Gem which Madame Jordanna held in her hand. "That is not fortunate. We gave the Eye to the Fae Child Melca to guard and to keep. If we wake the Doom that Creeps back and it regains use of the Eye it will linger here in your world consuming and destroying all in its path."
"Just do it!" the Elfling King snarled. "Your freedom came at a price; you would grant me one wish within your power. Wake the Doom that Creeps!"
The Warrior sighed. "Very well. But we will flee this world as soon as the Doom that Creeps arrives. You were warned."
The Three stepped together and took each other by the hands and began to chant a spell unlike any of them had heard before. The monoliths of Kilect Ratheet rose in the air and they began to spin round and round until they were no longer visible. The chanting became louder and a howling wind could be heard as they continued to move in circles around the Three. Suddenly the chanting ended and the monoliths fell into their places. Between the three statues the ground trembled and a stone structure surrounded with runes rose from beneath the obelisk. It was ancient and it had not been touched for thousands of years.
"This is the vault," the Mistress of the Spoken Word said. "We assume you can open the vault."
The Elfling King nodded as he drew near the vault's door.
"Our work is finished here," The Warrior said. "I'd bid you farewell in thanks for releasing us, but you will fare no better than any of the other fools who have tried to tame the Doom that Creeps."
The Three stood together again and took each other by the hand as they cast there strange spell that elevated them into the air and then suddenly they shot off into the sky like a rocket. For a brief moment they appeared to be a bright star in the sky until they disappeared completely.
"Now we move on to more important things," the Elfling King said approaching the entrance to the vault. There was a seal on the door to the vault adorned with several important looking runes.
The Elfling King drew a heavy broadsword from his belt and spoke words of magic before finally raising the blade high above his head.
"With this blade, I free you, the Doom that Creeps from your ancient slumber," he declared as the heavy sword descended on the seal.
The seal cracked and broke and then exploded sending the Elfling King reeling back. He raised his sword and instinctively cast a spell that sent a barrier of earth in front of him to protect him from the blast. The others were not so fortunate and were thrown violently to the ground.
"Who wakes me from my slumber?" asked a quiet and weak voice.
"I, the Elfling King, wake you from your slumber to serve and destroy my enemies," the Elfling King stated firmly.
A thin emaciated creature that appeared to be an Elfling emerged from the vault. It could not have been half Haydeen's height and its arms and legs could not be much thicker than a pair of fingers. Its ribs and vertebrae were so visible that even the furthest Elfling sentry could count them with ease. The creature's skin was a sickly dark grey color and its hair a tangled mass of cement colored strands. It pupil-less eyes were dull and seemed to be glazed with drowsiness.
"I would destroy all that you wish me to destroy," the creature said with much difficulty. "But my hunger consumes me and even if I consume your soul, it is only a morsel which will not ward off the terrible hunger that consumes me. I will eat your soul and then I will sleep for another eon."
"Hold!" the Elfling King commanded. "Listen!"
The pounding hundreds of hooves could be heard in the distance.
"My enemy approaches," the Elfling King said. "I offer you the Eye of Doom for your loyalty."
The glazed eyes turned bright and the creature looked anxiously to see if what the Elfling King said was true.
"Give me the Eye and I will lay waste to your enemies. I hunger for their souls," the Doom that Creeps said drooling at the mouth.
The Elfling King nodded to Jordanna who pulled the crystal out and held it out to the wicked and frail creature.
In a flash, the gem had disappeared from Jordanna's hand and the creature had disappeared also.
"Perhaps we've been deceived," Jordanna said. "Surely that small insignificant creature is not the Doom that Creeps."
"Follow me," the Elfling King said as they left the ancient circle of monoliths.
The Royal Calvary was visible and it was approaching fast. Their shining helms and bright banners were clearly visible on the green plains of the Centaur realm. Several hundred strong, there was no other military force with such power within the Realms.
"Shall we call a retreat?" one of the Elfling soldiers asked.
"Set up a perimeter and set your spears," the Elfling King ordered. "I don't expect there will be much of the Royal Calvary left by the time they get here, but it always serves to be prepared."
The Elfling soldier looked at his king as if he were mad. He shook his head and dubiously but gave the command.
The Elfling line was fidgeting uneasily and it seemed that it would break at any moment.
Jordanna also looked nervous. "This is not looking good. Our foot soldiers would not stop a pixie army as it is."
"Patience," the Elfling King said softly.
And then it began. A gray and black substance crept from the ground and tangled the galloping legs of the Centaur Royal Cavalry. One was followed by another and then another and soon dozens were being tangled by the black tendrils. The Centaurs were falling and remained motionless on the field.
The tendrils became larger and longer and bolder and soon they were engulfing the greater part of the Calvary.
The Elflings let out a cheer, but it was muted quickly as they noticed that however strong the Doom that Creeps was becoming, it was not going to stop the Royal Cavalry from reaching Kilect Ratheet.
"Hold your positions, Elflings!" the Elfling King shouted drawing his sword. "I never promised conquering the Realms would be easy. Hold your ground!"
The Elflings held their spears in position, but as the point men of the Cavalry approached the ranks broke and Elflings fled as Kilect Ratheet was overrun by Centaurs.
Laurannis, Princess of the Centaur Realm, broke through the Elfling ranks and rode to the center of Kilect Ratheet only to confirm her worst fears. The Doom that Creeps had been released.
Three of her bodyguards rode with her as they studied the broken seals of the vault that imprisoned the Doom that Creeps.
"What are your orders, your Highness?" one of her bodyguards asked.
Laurannis saw Esmeralda and the other Manling's unconscious forms and she kneeled down to see if they still lived. Satisfied they were still alive, she commanded her bodyguards.
"Take the Manlings on your backs. We must retreat and make a plan of action. We'll do no good to anyone if we die here today."
"I don't think so," said Madame Jordanna calmly as she approached the circle.
"Stay your ground, witch," Laurannis stated as she held her magic lance up ready to hurl it at her enemy. "I'm very fast with the lance. My aim is true and the lance is swift as lightning. I'll pierce you long before you can complete a spell."
Jordanna said nothing. She only smiled at her enemy.
"Men," Laurannis said to her bodyguards. "Take the Manlings. I will deal with the witch."
"I will stop you," Jordanna promised as her hand slipped into her pouch grasping a handful of feathers.
"Murmur a single word of magic and I will let the lance fly," Laurannis warned.
The two women fixed their eyes on each other. Each waiting until a blink or a moment’s hesitation would give an edge.
The moment came.
Jordanna pulled her hand free of the pouch and hurled the feathers in Laurannis's direction.
Kilect hist gril, kilect reh ot thead!
The lance was thrown as promised and it did what no other weapon had ever done against the flurry of feathers. I cut through the whirlwind of blinding feathers like a hot knife through butter. Its aim was true and it pierced the soft velvet robes and drove through the body of the spell caster. Madame Jordanna, Mistress of the Academy, was wide eyed by shock as she fell to the ground and expired.
White feathers and crimson blood littered the inner circle.
"I warned you," Laurannis said as she pulled the spear free from the spell caster's dead body. As she did, she noticed the Scourge's fighting sticks and Esmeralda's magic artifact spider lying around the spell caster strewn like a child’s toys.
Laurannis collected the magical objects leaving the objects that she did not recognize. It was never the practice of a Centaur to rob the dead. But the objects did not belong to the spell caster.
The Doom that Creeps was approaching. She could hear the frantic screams of her brethren as their souls and life forces were wrenched away.
''You were fortunate," Laurannis said grimly to her defeated enemy. "You lost your life but not your soul."
She turned to gallop away after her bodyguards.
"I wonder how many of us will be as fortunate," she muttered under her breath.
* * * * *
"Victory!" the Elfling King shouted as the last of the remaining Royal Cavalry fell to the Horror that Creeps.
He returned to the center circle and was greeted by a gruesome sight. Madame Jordanna's pierced body lay motionless in a pool of blood speckled with white feathers.
Haydeen checked for a pulse and shook her head slowly.
"I liked it more when it was all about tickling and magic," Haydeen said quietly to the Elfling King.
"Some sacrifices had to be made for greatness," the Elfling King said. "Madame Jordanna will be remembered as a martyr for Elfling greatness."
Haydeen shook her head softly again and drew Jordanna's eyelids down over her sightless dark eyes.
"That was refreshing!" said a voice just before the Doom that Creeps reappeared. The voice was no longer frail and the body was now towering over the Elfling King with rippling muscles and twenty times the body mass.
"There is more to take, Doom that Creeps," the Elfling King said. "But we will wait for the Realms to surrender to our might before we continue. All those who do not surrender will be destroyed."
"Wait?" the Doom that Creeps said with a booming laughter. "I cannot wait. Even as we speak the hunger grows within me. I must continue to feed or I perish."
"I freed you and you will obey me!" the Elfling King demanded.
"I obey my hunger, my craving. I obey no one else, least of all you. If you have no more souls to offer, then I will take whatever souls you have."
"Damn you!" the Elfling King shouted as he drew his sword. He swung his sword in a wide arc aiming to cut the Doom that Creeps in half.
The sword cut cleanly through the air whistling softly as it ran its path. But it did not meet with the Doom that Creeps. He had vanished once again.
Elflings began to shout as the Doom the Creeps slid through the ground attacking Elflings just as it had attacked Centaurs only minutes ago. It took a brief touch with the tendrils and the sentries would scream in terror and then fall limply to the ground.
The Elfling King watched in horror as his subjects tried to flee but did so futilely.
The Elfling King cursed but he was powerless to stop the rapid advance of the Doom that Creeps. In minutes hundreds of is subjects had fallen motionless to the ground having lost their souls in battle with the Doom that Creeps.
Dark clouds formed over Kilect Ratheet and it began to rain. Blood and mud and sweat stained the Elfling King's white gowns. He had no hope to defeat the Doom that Creeps, but he could buy the fleeing Elflings time to escape.
"Face me!" the Elfling King shouted. "Fight me, coward!"
At these words there was a pause in the advance of the rampaging and death dealing creature.
"Strange for an Elfling to call anyone else a coward," the Doom that Creeps said amusedly as it grew even more. It was now the size of a Giant with bigger muscles yet and a huge pot belly. "Very well. I will feast on your soul."
"Come," the Elfling King snarled. "I dare you."
"Enough amusement," the Doom that Creeps said. "I hunger as we speak. I must have your soul."
The Elfling King watched as the Doom that Creeps approached and when he felt it was time, he thrust his sword into the ground and cast spells quickly and in rapid succession. A ball of energy formed around the Elfling King protecting him from harm.
The Doom that Creeps pounded with its fists on the shield with tremendous blows that shook the very Earth. The Elfling King continued to repeat the spells again and again to maintain the shield.
"I hunger!" the Doom that Creeps stated in frustration. "It was your place to be the first soul I should have taken. But now I think I will save you for last. So you might continue your cowardly ways until that day."
The Elfling King continued to cast the spells again and again impervious to the Doom that Creeps's mockery.
"Is that the Mushroom Wood I see beyond the plains?" the Doom that Creeps asked.
The Elfling King did not answer.
"I will go there and make it a desert," it said smiling and displaying rows and rows of hideous and decaying teeth. "Until we meet again, Elfling King of Nothing."
The Doom that Creeps disappeared and the grassy path leading back to the Elfling Realm wilted and turned brown with its advance.
The Elfling King released the shield and stood up. He turned his tear streaked face and stared at his homeland with regret.
Unable to hold his weight nor bear the burden of his guilt, he fell to his knees and then crashed to the ground face first covered in rain and mud, drenched in sweat and tears, and surrounded by blood and white feathers.
To be continued....
NEXT: The Enchantress, The Maker and the Pact
