The Well Of Dragons
November 20, 2007
The monk was stuck by a vicious swipe from the dragon’s claw. Even with his uncanny balance and coordination, the sheer amount of force from the claw lifted him off the floor and cast him across the room. Blood droplets rained to the floor as his body past through the air nearly striking me, leaving a red trail back to the dragon. The dragons head swooped down, reaching out, opening in a manner meant as much to swallow the attacker as much as damage him. The bite missed as the still moving monk bent back, avoiding the bite that would have ended his life. Twisting his body while tumbling, and then somehow landing on his feet, the monk’s momentum stopped, and he faced the dragon. Sweat poured off the monk as he stared down the dragon and his body tensed as he made ready to attack yet again. He clenched his fists, ready to pound against dragon scales in another brutal attack. But the dragon had been damaged by those pummeling fists, and she moved herself to a more defensible position. I can’t imagine how mere fists could harm such a large creature.
A call from the other end of the room suddenly was audible over the chaos of the battle, “She moved off the well! Everyone down, quickly!”
I took a chance and glanced over at the person yelling. It was one of the Halflings, gesturing and trying to get all of our attention. Attention that even now was fully on the dragon and his two minions that were attacking us. Arrows flew overhead and landed in a meaty sounding thump as they found their targets in one of the minion. A bellow of rage roared out of the small attacker, but it didn’t cause the dragon to even pause and look away.
“Lisha is through, move it cleric!” cried another voice. I suddenly realized it was directed at me. And it was in song? The bard Reece had worked his cry to me into his never ending song, a song that both inspired and helped me focus my mind. He was nearly to the well himself, continuing to sing to bolster our attacks even as we headed towards the inevitable exit that was the well opening. Only Lathander himself knew what awaited us at the bottom of the well, yet nobody paused.
Unfortunately, I had one last task to finish before leaving. Looking inward, I concentrated on the power within me, pulling it forward, and forming it into the form that would do the most good in such a short time. Even as I started moving towards the now open well, power coalesced in the palm of my hand. I reached out with the energy towards the bloody and torn monk.
Seeing me pause, Notch cried out “Go through, I’ll hold her off!” His sheer veracity causing a smile to cross my lips as I release the energy built up in my palm. “Heal!” I cried, and an invisible wave moved towards the monk. To my eyes, a shimmering momentarily engulfed the monk, causing him to glow from head to toe as the power of my spell surrounded his body. Immediately the effects could be seen as the cuts across his body sealed up and vanished, his heavy breathing quieted closer to normal, and the sweat evaporated off his body in the blink of an eye. Except for the torn clothing and blood stains, it was as if he had never been touched.
“I’m through, hurry!” Cried the ranger Arindal, as three more arrows flew past and sank deep into another of the minion. Even as he had released the arrows he was jumping down the well, pulling his bow in close as he dived into the dark oblivion and disappeared.
Even as I saw him go, I realized that I was next. I could smell a damp rank oozing up from the well. But this was in fact the whole point of our quest, the main opening that we had been looking for. I glanced back one last time to ensure the monk was still coming before plunging in.
Notch was punching the dragon again, buying us time, flecks of black chipping off its scales at it moved back to get room for another claw attack. I could tell Notch was moving to jump, something he could do very well, and would be at the well in just seconds. I was certain he’d easily avoid the dragon’s claw this time.
The sound of metal sang and I suddenly saw Julia, how had I missed her? She was swinging her long sword in long powerful strokes against the other minion, the one without arrows sticking out of it I noticed with a chuckle. The thing looked as if it wouldn’t last long. Even so, I could see that after her last attack, she was leaving it stunned and heading for the well. In a moment, I would be in the way, with a couple hundred pounds of armored woman and tumbling monk crashing into me. I thought about that image for just a moment, and leapt into the well.
Falling, down into the black well with no idea what was on the other side…wonderful. As I fell the light started to vanish from above, leaving me in darkness. I could vaguely hear the bellows of the dragon over the opening of the well. Could the dragon fit through? Magically, it would be possible, but would she try? Or, and this sent a shiver down my spine, would she throw the minions down to catch us while still falling in the dark!
That was it; I pulled a coin out of my pocket. It was a special coin, one I had cast a permanent light spell on. It filled the well with light, illuminating my plummet to the bottom. Down I fell, with the meager light from the coin illuminating the brick walls. I was pondering how deep this well was when I noticed the light from my coin was dimming. How odd? I looked more closely, and was able to tell that the magic light it produced had significantly lessoned. At the same time, I started feeling a pressure in my head, and a dizzying sensation. I was getting a headache? Really? That hadn’t happened since I was a young apprentice and tried to cast a spell I wasn’t ready for. It had actually...and the pain intensified, a knife edge being wedged into the top of my head. Even as I fell out of what was now a portal in the sky, the pressure was building in my skull. I looked down at the landscape below. A three-hundred foot drop at least. The landscape was dark as if the soil and rock were made of obsidian. A large collapsed area as if the top of a volcano was directly below us. No clouds in the sky could be seen, but what looked like shimmering holes scattered around mimicking the twinkling of stars. More portals I thought to myself, I must remember which one we fell out of. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Arindal start to slow his decent. At that same instant, a white hot poker felt like it was crammed into my head. Finally I understood. I had cast a spell to enable us to fly earlier, it was still active. As my companions activated the spell, the links in the weave that maintained it flowed from me, and it hurt! My eyes went red as I fought to keep from blacking out as others in the party activated their ability to fly. Blood pounded in my ears drowning out all other sound. I was maybe a hundred feet off the ground, and I hadn’t activated the fly spell on myself. I wasn’t sure if I could. I pressed my hands against my skull to keep it from exploding, and activated the ability to fly. The screaming started to ease, and I realized it was me. I was hovering, not moving, but at least I wasn’t falling any more. Reece appeared in front of me, looking closely at me, recognizing that something was wrong.
“The spells” I croaked, “I can’t maintain them, and everyone must land quickly!”
I wasn’t sure if he heard me, but I could see him motioning for everyone to land. I felt a hand on my arm, Lisha was there guiding me down. First one through the well, but she had waited for everyone. She guided me down to the ground. Once my feet touched the solid surface, I collapsed to my knees. All the spells I had cast, some improvements and the fly spell, were released all at once. The pounding in my head stopped, but the pain was still there as a reminder.
“I wasn’t sure if I would make it. The spells, I had to concentrate to maintain them. They are all gone now.” I sat down on the ground, trying to compose myself.
“That doesn’t bode well,” said Duece. Then glancing around he continued, “It sure looks like we made it though to the right place.”
The landscape was barren. Sharp broken rock sticking up like knives from the ground bent on cutting us where we stood. Nothing living could be seen anywhere; no green, no water, just rock and bones. Yes, bones, littering the ground all around us. Some piles were relatively close but of undeterminable origin. Others in the distance seemed to form small buildings made from rib cages, as if from some massive beast, or more likely, dragons.
Rusted and smashed weapons and armor were scattered throughout the area as well, with hilts and crushed remnants of wars long past lying among the bones.
The normally quiet Julia commented “This may not be the dragon’s graveyard, but a graveyard it is none the less.”
Deuce looked at me, realized I wasn’t going to be any help, and looked instead to Reece, “Well, what do you think?”
Reece concentrated a moment, humming a small melody with his eyes closed, then stopped and looked around. “Well, the black rock and bones all around us, on top of the portals in the sky, definitely indicate we traveled to another plane. But I’m just not sure if it’s the correct one. Jaden? What are your thoughts?”
Before I could answer, quiet but fierce female swearing could be heard coming from right next to me. I glanced over and saw that Lisha had thrown her gear on the ground and was physically punching it. Noticing the quiet, she stopped and looked at us.
“The damn bag won’t open. I was trying to get a drink, but it’s like someone is playing a trick on me, I can’t get in.”
Immediately everyone checked their bags, and discovered the same problem. Deuce was started swinging his pack and pounding it on the ground, as if trying to force the contents out. All of our bags had been sealed shut.
Julia pulled a small dagger out of a pocket and spun it in the air. “Not all of our pockets,” she said, “only the dimensional ones. Is something interfering with the magic?”
“Ahhhh,” comented Reece, “of course. We are in a different realm, a different plane. The haversacks and such operate by hiding things in a different plane. They must not function here.”
“But what about my portable hole?”
“You’ve got a portable hole?” I asked back. But was quickly forgotten as everyone started talking at once about what they couldn’t access now. Glancing in my direction, Arindal suddenly spoke up. “Maybe we should rest up a bit and maybe bandage our wounds?”
Oh right, my job. In my pain and sudden weariness I’d forgotten to do my job. “Does anyone require healing or bandaging?” “Me please,” said Julia. As I looked at her I could see she had been cut in several places, large gouges along her left leg were still oozing blood unto the black rock. But being the quite one, had said nothing until prompted. I decided to try the healing wand I had been given, and was able to heal her wounds. Talk continued about whether to rest or not and how would we hide in such open country, when Deuce suddenly turned and shushed us, gesturing for us to get down low.
“What the Deuce?” called out Reece quietly. Low groans came from Nortch and Lisha, an old joke I would guess. “Something large is in front of us….” Said Duece, as a roar echoed through the caldera, causing rocks to shudder and fall. We scrunch low and follow Deuce off at an angle from the source of the noise. After a few hundred yards, we come to a small clearing in the rocks and bones. Sparkling as if new, a great-sword with it’s tip wedged in a rock was lying right before us. A beautiful blue cloak of some sort of scale could be seen flapping from another rock off to our left. And Notch, brushing the dirt off with his sandal, uncovered a wonderfully crafted spear casting a soft green light.
“Magical,” called Reece, “but is it the sword we were looking for, already?” Everyone kind of shrugged, but in this place of death and desolation, nobody was any too quick to just pick up something that could be cursed. Everyone looked at each other and had the exact same thought. It was almost comical. Here were riches just lying on the ground, and nobody wanted to pick them up!
I decided to speak up. “I can identify them, but it will take time. The spell is 8 hours, and in this place, could take longer. I can try and create a secure shelter for us. It might be safer than being in the wide open.”
“But will you have to maintain it? Like the flying spell?” Reece asked. Sometimes that bard is just a little too smart. I sigh and look back at the group.
“I’m not sure,” I reply, “let me check in my spellbook. See if I put any notes about the spell next to it.”
“Fine. I’ll use my detect magic to see if I can find anything else out about these items.” He continues. The whole party turns to watch him work, anticipating that we have found something valuable, and maybe even the sword that we were questing for just minutes into our search.
And with that, I start looking in my book while he inspects the items we found. Deciding the spell would work and not need me constantly maintaining it, I started casting the spell for the hut. Bent over with my back to the party, concentrating, I begin to reach into myself and call forth the magic from the weave. Unlike my healing, this magic flows differently. On this barren plane the magic flowed slowly, almost slippery as if trying to wiggle loose from my thoughts. And it screamed like a Halfling trying to break free of me. Screamed? I glance over my shoulder, trying to maintain my concentration.
Deuce was missing, I couldn’t see him. Notch was punching and kicking at air, as if shadow-boxing. I suddenly saw that Reece was also on the ground wrestling with nothing. . I had no idea where Lisha was, but that wasn’t uncommon. She could hide in a glass house. Arindal drew his bow and began shooting arrows into the open field.
“Invisible attackers!” cries Julia, as she starts swinging into nothingness. Blood flows from the end of her blade; she had hit and cut the invisible beast. I grunted and released the energy of the spell. Wisps of light glowed and faded to nothing between my fingertips, the energy conjured lost in the attempt. I turned to the group, and started a new spell. Powered by my anger over loosing the energy of the last spell, I push the weave out in a net, blanketing the area, covering it in magic. Everywhere it touched magic, it pulsed brighter, indicating the presence of magic beneath. I pulled the net back, and with it, the energy out of the spells keeping our attackers invisible.
Five giant lizards were revealed. I had never seen their like. They were almost like standing miniature dragons, except all in lizard skin instead of scales.
A flash of lighting ripped through the lizards as Reece, still pinned on the ground by one of the beasts, releases a lighting bolt into their midst. “Haha, take that! Not so tough when you’re not invisible, are you!” The smell of ozone and burnt flesh permeate the area.
I now spot Lisha, she is also pinned by one of the lizards, and cut up pretty badly. I call fourth the power deep within me of healing….but it won’t come. I press harder, focusing my will. Finally, the power fills up into me and collects in my palm. I push it out to Lisha as I yell “Heal” and watch her wounds close. Arrows twang into the fray, as I see feathers grow from the sides of the attackers. Arindal does not even pause; arrows just appear in his hands and flow from the bow. Another bolt of lightning flies, only I could swear it came from the Halfling Deuce? What trick is this? When the afterimage leaves my vision, one lizard is blackened on the side while the other seemed to have avoided most of it, only a black streak across its leg to show it was even hit. But then arrows sprout out of the lizard’s skull, its eye’s cross, and it drops to the ground.
Looking around, Deuce climbs out from under the lizard he had killed, and Julia was already wiping the blood off her blades. Everyone takes stock; nobody dead from our group, it was a good battle after all. I contemplate creating the hut again, thinking the battle is over. I can hear Deuce talking about how he could have taken all five if he had seen them. It was amazing they could relax so quickly after what started out as such a serious threat. As this thought went through my head, more invisible attackers threatened us. I could hear their growls, see blood flow from my party member’s cuts, and heard the drawing of Julia’s sword that she had just put away.
“Quick! Dis-spell the invisibility again!” I had thought to cast a spell to speed everyone up, allow them an extra attack first. But yes, the dispel would work better. I quickly pulled forth the net of energy and through it out in the area. And promptly let it go. I hadn’t been concentrating enough, it was an easy spell, one of the first I learned, and I had let it get out of my hands. Eye’s looked back at me, everyone in the party waiting for me to finish the spell. I’m sure I was a site. A look of shock on my face, my jaw hanging open with my hands out in front of me, empty. I blew it.
They were quick to react. Reece began singing an inspirational tune. Arrows rang out, and the fighters watched the ground and waited patiently to be hit so they would know where to attack. They were getting hit because I blew a spell taught to acolytes. Not again. I relaxed and pulled from deep within myself. I could feel my magic fading, as if I was almost out of the ability to cast. It didn’t matter. I pulled forth the power into my palm, pushed it into the area around the party. Again, five different points were lit up by the spell. I held, and pulled back with all my strength. They were revealed to the party and quickly vanquished before I could even think to cast a second spell. This time, everyone grouped up after the battle, looking outward wary of a third attack. Glances were made in my direction, I must have looked worse than I felt.
“Maybe you should try to make that hut again Jaden, so you can get some rest.” said Reece.
With a totally beaten voice, I simply respond “Sure, I’ll get right on that.” I turned back to the small opening and began work on creating the hut.
Rocks and bone start to build up, as walls and then a roof are created from the materials at hand, forming into a small hut. I look at the simple structure and decide, good enough. As I’m about to go in and lay down, Notch comes running back to the group and starts talking. “I ran out and around the perimeter. I found the tracks of a giant lizard like creature. It must be huge, maybe as big as a dragon.”
The others began looking at the items again, afraid to touch them. I cast detect evil and look at the items. “They are safe,” I begin, “I don’t see any evil on them or through them. If your still not sure, use Deuce’s gem of true seeing, that should show you anything hidden. Now, I’m going to sleep. If the giant lizard decides to attack during my rest, wake me.” And I laid down on the ground.
From outside I could hear Deuces comments. “I don’t see anything wrong, but I’m still not touching it!”
I awake with no sunrise to pray to and my brain feels like it’s in a haze. I open my spell-book to memorize my spells. I can’t concentrate. My prayers are not fully answered and my spells won’t stay in my head. It’s almost as if I didn’t sleep. Everyone else looks rested. I silently grumble to myself. Then I decide I better let everyone know.
“Um, I have a problem. Most of my abilities didn’t come back with the sleep. I’ve been neutered.” I say meekly to the group. Everyone looks at Reece. “I’ve still got most of my spells, but I didn’t cast many yesterday.” They look back at me. Notch inquires “How few spells can you cast?”
“One Heal.” I answer. Their eyes grow as big as saucers. Suddenly a new start on a new day has become a rush to get out of here. No healing means no big monsters, or lots of pain after a battle. Reece makes a decision. “Alright then. We will look for only what we can use, and quickly, and then get out of here.”
Everyone nods their heads in agreement, and we head out across the bleak landscape. Our party moves along in silence. Occasionally, we come across other clearings that are full of magical weapons. Between Deuce, Reece, and Lisha’s appraisals, everything is thrown back as not worth keeping. Actually, without the use of our backpacks for storage, there just wasn’t anywhere to put the items. I think Deuce was physically in pain the time we dropped the electrically enhanced long-sword. Only one item of any use was found. A dragon-tooth dagger. This moderately enchanted weapon was of dragon-bane design. It was given to Lisha as the only dagger wielder of the group, and many a joke about the damage the Halfling would pose to a dragons shin lightened the mood of the group, if only momentarily.
About two hours into our searching and Deuce motioned for us to stop moving and crouch down. “It looks like there are three large beasts sleeping a couple hundred yards ahead.” I reached for my spyglass to look but it was trapped in my haversack, damn.
Reece used his detect magic and announced to the group “There are more magic items there than anywhere else we have been so far. I bet they are guarding the sword we need.” The general consensus was that he was right.
Deuce suddenly stood up “I’m going to try and sneak up on them and maybe take one out. Possibly a coup-de-grass attack if I’m lucky.” I didn’t understand the language he was referencing, but I understood his intent.
I looked at the Halfling, all three feet of him, and then looked at the large bodies lying on the ground. I could only make out mounds, and the mounds were huge. When I looked back, the Halfling had vanished, sneaking up on the beasts I presumed. I prepared my next spell, the spell to hasten the actions of my comrades if we were to get into battle. I was just ready to cast it when a roar echoed from in front of us. The beasts were awake, and Deuce was nowhere to be seen.
We were a couple hundred feet away, and I could hear arrows flying. I looked, and Arindal was shooting at what could now be seen as giant lizards. Not dragons, but with teeth big enough that I could see them from where I was standing. I could also swear I saw fletching sticking out of the sides of those giant lizards. How good a shot was this guy?
Deuce was nowhere to be seen, which wasn’t unexpected from this distance and his hiding ability, but still I was concerned about his well being. Suddenly the monk is gone in a flurry of arms and legs, I had no idea he could run so fast. I realized he has just left before I cast my spell, so without another thought, I concentrate and begin casting. It is just as hard as the day before, but I keep my thoughts under control and release a spell to increase everyone’s movements. I open my eyes, unsure of who is still standing by me. I can see Julia shooting arrows at the lizards, but I’m unsure if they are hitting due to the distance.
Suddenly, a bold of lightning shoots from “inside” one of the lizards. Was Deuce eaten? Did he actually fire a lightning bolt from inside the lizard? If so, he’s going to need my help. I start the long trek over to their position, forgetting to check if the warriors are following. As I’m getting close, I can see the monk leaping two into the air and kicking the giant lizard in the head! The thing must be thirty feet high, but Notch is practically running up its body and pounding on it. Suddenly the lizard sways and falls to the ground. I think he actually killed the thing! I hold my position, still unable to see the Halfling.
Arrows continue to fly above and around me; I can hear the audible thunk as they sink deep into the giant beasts. A winter blast of cold passes by me, as Reece has moved up to my position and focuses a cone of wicked cold at the monsters. As I see Notch bouncing off the top of one lizard, the crack of lighting echoes from between the lizards, obviously the work of Deuce. Three arrows appear in the head of one lizard’s skull, and it drops to the ground with a loud smash. Suddenly the monk jumped off the head of the last lizard and landed on his feet, as it too falls to the ground dead. All three are down, the battle is over.
We run up to check on our friends. I can’t believe nobody died. I see Deuce holding his gem up looking around. I can hear him pointing to swords and such around us, saying “that’s magical, grab it. There’s another item there.” Arindal, Julia and Lisha start picking up the items and putting them in a pile next to us. I walk up to Deuce and use the wand to heal him as he’s pointing out what to pick up to the others.
All the while we are working; Reece is watching to ensure we are not attacked. His arm goes out and points overhead “Wait everyone, look!”
I look where he’s pointing, a bunch of metallic dragons are flying overhead. We’ve been spotted by a group of dragons. Great. Deuce stops what he is doing looking at the dragons. “There is no way we could out fly them, they will catch us before we get to the portal.”
Reece looks at me “Can you teleport us out of here?” There is a slight pleading in his eyes. I can’t believe anybody in the group thought to ask before now. Fortunately, I had thought of just this problem earlier when my brain was clear.
“I can wind walk us out of here, it will make us ethereal. As long as we don’t run into any shadow dragons or other ethereal creatures we will be fine. Of course, we won’t be invisible, so they can still try and attack us.”
Reece nods, the escape method will work for him. “Everyone pick something up from the pile of magical items. We will just have to hope we get lucky and have the sword.”
“Alright”, I say, “Everyone hold hands.” I can see the dragons starting to descend; this is going to be close. I concentrate, ignoring the dragons, ignoring the pounding in my fuzzy brain, just think about the spell. Divine power flows through me; it feels like it’s coming from a long way away, as if flowing through a long tunnel. I channel it into myself and then out into the others. I can feel the world start to slip away, and I open my eyes to look upon the party. They look normal to me but the world doesn’t seem as sharp, the spell worked.
I direct myself upward with a force of will, and our ethereal bodies begin to float. Wherever I go, they are pulled along behind me. I push harder with my mind, trying to float at maximum speed. The ground is a blur beneath me as we move across the broken landscape. In a very short time, I find what I’m looking for, the hut I had built. But there will be no rest in the hut this time; two chromatic dragons are sitting around the hut. As we come into view, both look directly at me, we are spotted yet again with amazing ease.
They dragons begin to take flight, their great wings spreading out as they stare at their quarry, us. Rock and bone fly away in a cloud of dust as they take off quickly. Using the hut as a reference point, I look into the air for the portal and our escape from this horrid land. I see many portals above us, shimmering in the sky, and realize we didn’t do anything special to mark which one we came through. What an amateur mistake! I’m older than that, I should know better. Looking at the hut, I make a guess, what’s the worse that can happen right? I don’t even tell the rest of the party, they will find out soon enough. With metallic dragons behind us and chromatic dragons approaching from below, I pull the party into the shimmering portal and fall into the unknown…..
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