Chapter 9
The companions were awakened several hours later by Garth, who informed them that the passage that led to the grimlot's chamber would be clear within the hour. Damion roused the others, then he and Sly quickly explained their meeting with the dwarven king while they prepared themselves for the battle that lie ahead.
Kariah was furious when she found out that she and Dar were to be left behind while they faced the beast. Even a detailed description of the horrid creature failed to convince her that she should remain behind where it was safe. “You cannot just leave me here to sit and wait for you to return! I want to help!” She stomped her tiny little foot angrily.
Damion shook his head. “I’m sorry, but you must remain behind where it is safe. It's going to be very dangerous, and I don't want to have to worry about you being injured.”
“Who do you think you are telling me what to do?” She demanded with a fiery look in her eyes. “I can take care of myself!”
He groaned inwardly. “There’s absolutely no way I'm going to allow you to put yourself in danger, even if it makes you hate me afterward. I'm much too fond of you to let you go and get yourself killed!”
Her expression suddenly grew soft. “You are?”
Damion began to blush a violent shade of red, then he smiled and took her tiny hand in his. “I am. So please, stay here with Dar where I know you will be safe. We will return as soon as we are finished.”
Kariah stared at him for several moments, then sighed. “Very well. I will stay behind, but only because I do not wish to distract you.” She grasped him firmly by the front of his tunic, and pulled him down to kiss him gently on the lips. “Be careful, my fierce warrior. I will be waiting for you to return.”
He blushed again, then nodded dumbly, his senses reeling from the electricity of her soft lips.
Sly snorted in amusement, then laid hand on Damion's shoulder. “Are we ready?”
Damion grinned foolishly, a slightly dazed look on his face. “Ready for what?” He continued to stare at the young elf maiden with adoration.
Sly sighed in resignation, then grabbed Damion firmly by the arm and followed Garth from the chamber.
They followed the dwarven prince through a maze of passages that twisted and turned in every direction, passing through numerous chambers that were bustling with dwarves scurrying about their daily business. After nearly an hour of seemingly aimless wandering, they finally rounded a corner and stopped abruptly. The tunnel ended in a large pile of rubble that was steadily being removed by several dozen dwarven diggers. The walls of the surrounding tunnel showed the signs of recent work, and were not carved or polished like the walls and chambers closer to the throne room.
One of the dust-covered diggers trotted up as they approached, and murmured something quietly to Garth. He nodded to the digger, then turned to Damion and Sly. “The entrance has been cleared. Are you gentlemen finished with your preparations?”
“We are as ready as can be expected.” Damion grunted.
The dwarf smiled hopefully. “Do you have any idea how you are going to defeat this creature?”
Sly shook his head. “Grimlots are very unpredictable. There's no telling what will happen once we enter the chamber. Just have your diggers ready to seal the entrance in case we fail. You definitely don't want to have it finding its way into the rest of the caverns.”
They carefully made their way through the jagged opening to the grimlot's cavern. A cool breeze gently blew against their faces bringing an unidentifiable stench that nearly caused them to gag.
“By the gods! What is that smell?” Damion's eyes had begun to water, and he had to forcefully repress the urge to vomit. “It smells like it has already died!”
“It’s not dead.” Sly assured him. “It’s said the smell of a grimlot can render some men helpless.”
“I can believe it. I'm beginning to get a little lightheaded myself!”
They slowly moved deeper into the enormous cavern with their swords drawn and at the ready. The inky darkness was nearly impenetrable, and after a few moments Sly stopped, having nearly tripped over an unseen rocky outcrop. “I can't see anything in here!” Sly complained in a loud whisper. “We need some light! Can you do anything about that?”
Damion drew his magic about him, then willed another fiery ball of light into existence. It floated high into the air and hovered near the roof of the chamber, lighting up the entire cavern.
The cavern was even larger than they had first guessed, and contained a large lake that engulfed nearly half of the cavern floor. There were hundreds of stalagmites and stalactites growing from the ceiling and floor, providing numerous places that even a large creature could conceal itself. They slowly continued in their advance, alert for any sign of movement by the grimlot. They stopped in the center of the cavern, seeing nothing unusual among the rocky outcrops.
“It doesn't seem to be here.” Damion commented, gazing around with penetrating eyes. “Maybe it found a way out.”
A sudden piercing scream echoed throughout the chamber, causing them both to jump in surprise. Looking at the chamber ceiling directly above them, they spotted the grimlot looking down at them with milk-colored eyes, its powerful claws dug deep into the stone. Its blind eyes were locked on their position, and its great nostrils flared as detected their scent. The short piercing needles that covered its body were rippling in waves down its back as it sniffed the air, then its eyes suddenly narrowed and it screamed another terrifying scream.
“It’s going to drop!” Damion roared to Sly in warning. They both threw themselves forward and rolled clear as the huge beast released its vise-like grip on the stone ceiling and dropped nimbly to the floor. Damion quickly regained his feet, slightly taken aback at the sheer size of the enormous creature. He glanced over to Sly who had scrambled to his feet and stood staring at the massive creature, his sword held at the ready.
The grimlot slowly turned to face Damion, its great nostrils carefully testing the air for their scent. It stopped facing him, then began to sway rhythmically in an almost hypnotic motion. It suddenly crouched catlike, the thin poisonous spines on its back pressed tight against its body as it prepared to attack.
Damion narrowly avoided a lightning fast slash from the creature's razor-like claws as it hurled itself forward, screeching with a dreadful hunger. Its claws only found air as he rolled clear, and it screeched once more in frustration. He sprang to his feet and lashed out at the snarling beast, striking it on its broad side, but his sword merely bounced harmlessly off its armor-like spikes.
The grimlot reacted instantly to the blow, and he was forced to duck under two wild swipes and scramble behind a rocky outcrop to avoid being ripped to pieces.
Sly quickly circled the creature as it searched for Damion, trying to locate a weak spot in its natural armor, but found that there were few places on the beast’s huge body that was vulnerable to an attack.
To their surprise, a number of dwarven diggers suddenly rushed into the cavern and began pelting the grimlot with fist-sized stones in an attempt to distract and confuse the beast.
Taking advantage of the sudden distraction, Sly darted in and slashed the beast across the only vulnerable place he could spot, the creature's huge unarmored nose. It reared, screaming in pain, and lashed out blindly, forcing him to fall back out of harm’s way.
The grimlot screamed again, then suddenly drew a deep shuddering breath. Its body instantly expanded to nearly twice its size, sending a shower of poisonous spikes flying in every direction. Damion and Sly instinctively dove for cover as the needles whistled passed their faces, but several of the dwarven diggers fell twitching convulsively as the grimlot’s poison coursed through their veins.
Damion emerged dripping from the lake where he had thrown himself to avoid the deadly barrage of needles, and began to search for Sly, hoping his friend had been able to find cover. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the little man reappear unscathed from behind a roc
ky outcrop, then turned his attention back to the grimlot, which was sniffing the air once more in an attempt to locate its prey.
The massive beast slowly turned to face Damion once more, breathing deeply through its enormous cavern-like nostrils. Its milk-colored eyes narrowed as it caught his scent, and it reared back on its hind legs swiping at the air wildly. He nimbly darted under the wild swipes, and drove his sword with all his strength through its spiked armor deep into its belly, snapping his blade off at the hilt. He dove for safety as it lashed out once more, screaming in rage and pain, then rolled to his feet near the edge of the lake, searching for something to use as a weapon.
A sudden cheer came from the cavern's opening as dozens of armored dwarves charged towards the injured grimlot, led by the dwarven prince Garth. The sturdy little dwarves began chopping at the spike-covered creature with vicious looking battleaxes, heedless to the danger of the poisonous needles.
The grimlot suddenly lunged forward and lashed out with a spike-covered forearm, sending several dwarves flying backward through the air where they crashed into their comrades with hundreds of poisonous needles buried deep in their bodies. One of the dying warriors crashed into Garth, knocking him back several feet where he crashed hard to the stone floor and lay motionless in an unconscious heap.
The creature screeched in fury once more, then sent another wave of spikes flying through the air, forcing everyone to dive for cover once again.
Damion dove back into the lake, then emerged dripping once more, a little frustrated that he had no longer had a weapon. He watched as the beast turned, sniffing the stale air of the cavern, then slowly began to amble towards Garth, who still lay in an unconscious heap. “Oh, no you don't!” He bellowed, drawing in his magic as he sprinted forward to place himself between the grimlot and the fallen dwarven prince.
Somehow sensing his presence, the beast reared back and lashed out blindly. Damion easily avoided the blow, then focused his magic into a great incandescent ball of fire that erupted from his fingertips. It struck the still rearing beast full in the chest and exploded with incredible force, sending the huge creature hurtling backwards into the unforgiving stone wall, a huge gaping void where its chest once was. It collapsed hard to the stone floor and lay unmoving, the remains of its body still smoking.
An enormous cheer went up from the dwarves, and they immediately surged forward and began hacking away at what remained of the grimlot.
Damion and Sly rushed over to Garth, who was slowly regaining consciousness. The dwarven prince gazed around the cavern dazedly and spotted the dead grimlot, then struggled unsteadily to his feet. “What happened? Is it dead?”
Sly pat the dwarf on the shoulder. “You missed all of the fun. That grimlot was preparing to have you for lunch, but Damion used his magic to kill it before it had the chance.”
They helped Garth back to the throne room to report their success, leaving the remaining dwarves to the task of dismembering and disposing of the beast's carcass. After his wits had cleared a bit, the dwarven prince reported the battle back to his father in a nearly blow by blow account.
When his son was finished with his story, the dwarven king turned to Damion and Sly. “We are in your debt. Not only did you rid us of the grimlot, you also saved my son from a terrible fate! You and your friends will always be welcome in our caverns. If you ever have any need of our assistance, do not hesitate to call upon your dwarven friends!”
“Actually, I could use a new sword.” Damion said, feeling a pang of loss for his broken weapon. It had been a gift from his father, and he had treasured it like it was a precious jewel.
The king broke into a wide smile. “I will have a new sword brought to you immediately. I will also have a guide ready to lead you back to the surface once you have rested and recovered from your trials.”
Damion and Sly bowed respectfully, then wearily followed Garth back to the chamber where the others were anxiously awaiting their return.
Kariah flew into Damion's arms with a relieved cry, nearly knocking him from his feet. “Damion! I'm so happy that you are safe! I was terrified that something may have happened to you!”
Damion smiled. “Do not worry. Everything is fine. The grimlot has been destroyed. We will be leaving for the surface after we have rested.” He walked over and threw himself into a pile of large cushions in complete exhaustion, leaving Sly to fill in the details of their battle with the grimlot.
A few hours later, Garth appeared looking a bit bruised and battered, but otherwise healthy. “My friends!” He greeted them in a booming voice. “Are you planning to leave so soon? I was hoping we could stay and enjoy the celebration my father is planning!”
“You're still planning to join us?” Sly asked in surprise. “I thought you would have changed your mind after nearly being knocked out of your boots by that grimlot.”
“Aye. I'm still planning to join you, although my father is opposed to the idea. But it's my decision to make. I will join you on your quest, and search for my beloved Gretta.” He gestured to three servants who entered chamber bearing several wrapped bundles. “My father sends these gifts, and hopes you will accept them with the thanks of the Dwarven people.” He unwrapped one of the bundles and presented Damion with a superbly crafted suit of armor, and a fine sword that was encrusted with precious gems. “The armor was forged centuries ago for a half-giant, half-human who died before he ever had chance to wear it. The sword was forged by my father himself during his youth. They will both serve you well during your journeys.” He unwrapped the other bundles and presented Sly with a pair of jeweled daggers with diamond encrusted sheaths, and then informed him that several casks of the ale in which he was so fond was being taken to their horses as they spoke. For Kariah, he produced a beautiful emerald necklace with a pair of matching bracelets. He presented Dar with a thick chain crafted from the finest gold, and he even presented Snowfeather with a glittering gold collar encrusted with jewels, which he hesitantly draped over the huge owl’s neck.
Snowfeather fluffed out his chest feathers proudly. “This complements my feathers rather nicely, don't you think?”
Damion chuckled, then bowed to the Dwarven prince. “We are overwhelmed with your generosity.”
Garth shook his head. “We can never repay you for your help. The cavern that the grimlot occupied contained a fresh water lake that is teaming with fish. There are also several miles worth of unexplored tunnels adjoining the cavern. My people will never be cramped for living space again!”
“We are happy to be able to help, my friend.” Damion said sincerely.
They followed the dwarf through the maze of tunnels until they emerged into the enormous chamber where they had left their horses. They were welcomed by a huge cheer from the dwarven people, who had gathered together in a large crowd to wait for the companions to appear.
“It seems my people have turned out to show their gratitude.” Garth laughed.
The companions gathered their horses together, then followed the dwarf through the cheering throng. Damion noticed the dwarf that had been ordered to care for his stallion was now covered with bumps and bruises, and one of his arms was in a sling. He had a relieved look on his bearded face as Damion led huge warhorse away, obviously happy to be rid of the aggressive beast.
Damion fixed Storm with a disapproving look. “What did you do to that poor dwarf?”
The fiery warhorse snorted and looked away innocently, giving the injured dwarf an indifferent flick of his tail.
Damion rolled his eyes, then patted the great beast on its broad neck and followed the others through the cheering crowd.