They walked a few paces and Haygen stumbled to one knee—wave sickness attacked his senses yet again. He drove Icefang into the rocky red surface to stay the motion in his head. Otis and Anyu offered their hands and helped him up best he could.
"Very little vegetation," said Kayla. Thick, dark, crooked plants sprouted at random guarded by pointy needles. Some were stunted and round.
Anyu nodded. "You will not find many plants here in the Wastes, but the ones you do see are either very deadly, or very helpful."
Wess scanned the nearby mountains for a shelf, or cave for shelter. "Look there." He pointed a bit northwest up the mountain along the coastline. "It's a platform overlooking the sea coming right out of the mountain at the mouth of that cave."
"And there," Otis pointed. They followed his finger to a twisting set of jagged steps that were hewn into the mountain. If one were not looking for them, they would easily be missed. The mountain Dwarf saw it easily. Otis judged the distance, looked at the state of the Barbarian, and then contemplated the situation. "Let's move to the base of the mountain and rest a moment." He looked to Haygen. "Sound right?"
The Half-orc nodded, looking even more green than usual.
It was an hour's hike to the northern mountain base with little sign of life. They spotted only a red striped snake chasing a small blue lizard. It gave Otis a chance to prioritize their situation: shelter, water, fire, and lastly, food. Magic could take care of two of those. The air was very dry and hot, but come nightfall the temperature would drop quickly. Their clothes were soaking wet and the chill of the night would bring their body temperatures down to a dangerous level. They had to dry out their clothes first.
Haygen sat down with a heavy thud and closed his eyes. "Dag! I don't know where we are, but it's a lot better than the boat." He gripped the rocks next to him to steady his swaying.
Anyu kept a careful watch on the horizon and possible scouting positions. "Let us not be hasty when it comes to this land. I would keep two eyes on that cave above us."
"No problem," said the Elf. She stomped her foot and she was completely dry, clean, and perfumed again.
Wesley spun his dagger, Ravenwing, in his hand. "Shall I take a peek inside?"
"Not just yet, Wesley." Otis measured up the shape of the group.
Wesley's cloak, tunic, breeches, and boots were riddled with small holes. Blood ran from his cheek where a bit of acid rain got through. His hardened leather plates were in tact and his chain vest held firm. His gear belt hung a bit loose, but was still in good working order. His multitude of weapons still clung to his belt and parts of his armor. His small one-handed crossbows were loaded in their holsters and ready to strike.
Haygen had not been hit by the acid rain as hard as the stubborn Assassin. He had blood on his hands and parts of his hair were missing. His armor needed a lot of repair around the thinner sections and straps.
Kayla was a bit physically drained and tired, but she was not injured. Her magic shield and her sister's robes prevented any physical damage. She looked like she needed a good night's sleep.
Anyu was not a difficult one for the Dwarf to read. She truly was of this wild place. Not just a survivor, but one who thrived in the wild. He would be more worried about her if she were in a comfortable tavern in civilization. Now, though, she had an arrow nocked on her bow. Her white fur top and shorts revealed that her toned muscles were relaxed and ready. Her watchful eye was a stoic one. He wished he had more like her when he fought in the war.
And me? Wondered the Dwarf. He inspected himself. Bits of acid rain had sprinkled his beard and pocked it here and there. His quilted gambeson and trousers were pelted with holes, but still held together. His belt pouches were all still in one piece.
Finally, Otis turned to Haygen. "Your healing salve?"
Haygen nodded. "All I have left." He reached into his belt pouch and removed two glass vials. One was full and one half full of the green healing salve. His mother's recipe would come in handy.
The Dwarf cleaned the dirt from Haygen's hands. "Hold still now." He knew his friend could handle the pain of his injured hands, but small injuries turned into infections that turned into bigger problems down the road. Plus this gave the proud Barbarian an excuse to sit a moment and adjust his bearings. He used very little of the salve and it seemed to soothe the Half-orc's mind as the jelly numbed his burns. Otis' rolled bandages were damp, but they would keep the wounds clean and he wrapped them around Haygen's giant palms. "There you go," said the Dwarf and Haygen nodded his thanks.
Otis moved to his next patient. "Gods, Whitenuckle, you really are a mess now aren't you?"
"Looks like I need yet another cloak hey, General?" said the Faeling. Dark circles formed under his eyes yet his thin, sharp features gave no hint of dreariness.
"Well, at least you still have most of it," said Otis. "I thought by now you would have lost it to the sea." He prepared his sleeve again. "Let me see you then." Wess wasn't as bad off as Otis thought, but all the same he applied the salve in small dots about his friend's face and hands. With every dab, the Faeling moved a little from the stinging. "Hold still, Wesley. This is all we've got." He applied bandages to his hands as well.
Immediately after, Wess did the same to the Dwarf very neatly and expediently. "Reminds me of the war," said Wess keeping his voice between them. "We didn't have magic, or power of the gods back in those days. You were still there to patch us up."
Otis smiled at that. It wasn't long after the War Under the Mountain when he was called upon by the god, Panadahe, to serve as one of his Guardians. The war seemed like a lifetime ago.
"You're next, young lady," Otis said to Anyu. "How are you feeling?"
The Ranger merely nodded and allowed the healer to apply the salve to her arms and wrap her in white bandages. She kept her vision ever on the horizon.
"Any other injuries?" asked the Dwarf.
Anyu replied with, "I am Tushkar. I have been hurt much more than this, Otees."
He gave her an understanding nod. With everyone patched up and having a moment to catch their breath. Otis said, "Everyone able to move now?"
They stood without a word and readied their weapons for travel. Wess took the lead. They scrambled up the makeshift stairway. Haygen saw no footprints, but he noticed a few tracks of small lizards and snakes. Wess pointed out a few of the stone steps that were loose and eventually they made their way halfway up the mountain to where the stone platform jutted from the face of the rock and led to the maw of a dark cave.
"Something isn't right with that cave," said Haygen. He thrust Icefang out in front of him and when it hit the darkness it connected with a resounding, thunk. "What wizardry is this?"
"It's just that," said Kayla. "Wizardry. It's an illusion." She opened one of her pouches and removed a glass vial containing many shriveled eyes of various kinds. She sorted through them with her finger: Human, Elvish, Dwarvish, Animal, Insect. When she came across the right one—a lizard's eye—she removed it, crushed it in her hand, and threw the dust at the portal. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Bukal Sa Dampeya."
With that, the illusion fell and revealed a smooth stone door with a large metal handle.
The Dwarf eyed the stonework. "Very very smooth."
"It's wizard form, though I've not seen one so...plain before," Kayla offered.
Wess gave the door a quick inspection. He found nothing deadly, but they decided it best to tie a rope around the handle, stand to the side of the door, and then pull it open. They did so, and the door opened wide revealing a pathway. The Assassin knelt down to one knee and found what he was looking for. "Hello," he said to himself. Across the pathway was strung a thing silver wire that cut across the looming shadows inside the cave. Wess dug into his tool pouch. "Let me take care of this." A simple pair of 'U' shaped metal cutters made quick work of the delicate wire. "We're in," said the Faeling.
The tunnel before them was lined with red crystals that emitted a dull glow just enough to see the path before them without the use of magic. It was comfortable enough for them to walk two-by-two with plenty of headroom. Otis dragged his hand along the walls feeling for a seam. The corners were squared off perfectly and the walls were smooth and polished. He decided it was either a master craftsman who tunneled this path, or, more likely, created by magic. The companions followed the path for a long while. The tunnel became more and more damp and cool. The ocean breeze wafted dust and the smell of an aged root cellar.
"We're on a slight downward slope," noted the Dwarf with a whisper.
The end of the tunnel was marked by another door made from exotic purpleheart wood. A twisting silver handle begged them to enter. Once Wess inspected the door, he found it easy to open. Weapons were held at the ready as they entered the room.
A/N Thanks for reading this chapter! This one is dedicated to diavana12