Chapter 11
They reached the banks of the Misty Lake late the following evening after trudging all day through the drizzling rain. The rain made the rocky terrain slippery and very dangerous on horseback, forcing them to lead the horses to avoid injury. They finally emerged just after dark onto a rocky beach that was shrouded in an eerie fog that made it very difficult to see the lake before them. It was only by the sound of the booming waves that they knew they had finally reached its banks.
The air smelled stagnant, and there wasn’t even a hint of a breeze. The unseen waves that crashed against the shore were nearly deafening, and they were forced to yell to make themselves heard to one another.
Snowfeather disappeared into the mist and located the covered dock that housed the ancient raft a couple of miles down the beach. They eagerly set off to seek out its refuge, almost desperate escape the swirling fog. After nearly an hour, it finally loomed into view through the mist. A set of large doors opened into a surprisingly pleasant-looking dock house that stretched nearly a hundred feet out into the churning lake. They carefully led the horses to the far end of the dock, and discovered a large fire pit whose contents had long gone extinguished.
Dar located a large bin of old driftwood against a nearby wall, and quickly had a large fire blazing. “I think we can all use a good hot dinner, don't you agree?” He began unloading equipment from their packs.
Sly was examining a number of stout-looking poles he had discovered in a corner. “Does anyone feel like fresh fish?”
“Fish?” Garth asked curiously. “Where are we going to get any fish?”
“We are on a lake, you know.” The little man snorted in amusement. “We can heat up some nails in the fire and make hooks, and use some twine for fishing line. We will have dinner in no time!"
They quickly crafted several crude fishing poles, then Damion, Sly, and Garth made their way down a ramp that to led to the enormous covered raft. A thick, sturdy rope was anchored securely to the dock and threaded through the covered cabin of the raft and stretched the length of the craft, where it disappeared through another opening in the cabin wall.
Garth stared at the rope in confusion. “What is this used for?” He moved to the front of the craft and stared out of the hole. The rope disappeared into darkness, seeming to be almost swallowed up by the mist.
“The rope is tethered on the other side of the lake.” Sly explained, fixing a piece of dried meat to the crude hook on his pole. “All we have to do his pull on the rope and move the craft across the lake. It's going to be rather strenuous work with the horses and all, but we should be fine.” He opened one of the sliding panels on the wall of the covered craft, and cast out his line into the churning water of the lake.
In less than an hour they had nearly two dozen respectable-sized fish lying about the deck, so they gathered their catch and returned to the top deck. They were soon enjoying a hot meal of fresh fish, and delicious ale that had been a gift of Garth's father. Even Snowfeather enjoyed a nice meal of fish, gorging himself until he could eat no more.
After they finished their feast, they unanimously agreed to rest for the night, and set off across the lake the next day. They settled down around the remains of their dying fire, and one by one drifted off to sleep.
They were awakened a couple hours before dawn by a strange wailing howl that echoed eerily through the swirling fog.
“What was that?” Garth exclaimed, sitting upright in his bedroll and grabbing his battle-axe.
Sly rolled from his bedroll, then shook his head and stared out of the window intently, his keen eyes searching for any movement in the swirling mist outside.
Another inhuman howl echoed through the night, much louder this time.
“Whatever it is, it’s getting closer.” Damion murmured, gazing into the fog surrounding the dock. He spotted a large dark object slowly drifting through the mist near the shoreline. “There!” He pointed to the shadow as it drifted slowly towards the dock. “It’s moving this way!” He tore the Dragon Sword from its sheath, then ran back towards the front of the dock, followed closely by the others.
They emerged from the covered dock and into the dense swirling fog just as another inhuman wail pierced the night, causing them all to jump nervously. It was very close this time.
“What is it?” Garth's face was completely devoid of color, and he gripped his battle-axe tightly in his hands.
Sly shook his head. “I never heard anything like that before.” The little man stated uneasily. He fingered his sword nervously as he peered into the fog for the source of the howls.
The strange wail echoed once more through the night, then an enormous dark shape materialized from the swirling mist, lurching clumsily towards the companions. The dark form howled another frightening wail that sent shivers rippling down their spines.
Kariah screamed in terror, then ran back into the covered dock, and out of harm's way.
The beast that emerged from the fog was like something from a horrible nightmare. It had nearly a dozen malformed heads that were perched precariously on top of long snake-like necks. Dozens of writhing misshapen limbs protruded from its scorpion-like segmented body, and it had a long whipping tail that lashed back and forth angrily.
Dar groaned loudly. “It’s a creeper!” He yelled to the others frantically. “Be careful! If it gets a hold of you, it'll tear you limb from limb faster than you could blink your eyes!”
Damion swore vehemently. “How do we stop it?” He waved the Dragon Sword in an arc in an attempt to keep the creature at bay.
“Use your magic!” The childlike sprite answered in a squeaking voice. “It’s our only chance! It will just keep attacking until we, or it, is dead!”
The creeper suddenly lurched forward with surprising speed, its many heads lashing out at Damion, forcing him to fall back several paces. He ducked to avoid the creature’s thrashing tail, then drew his will and formed a flaming fireball from the insubstantial air. He hurled the fireball at the creature with all his might, striking it hard in its armor-plated chest. The creeper shrieked in pain from its numerous heads as the fireball exploded, throwing the creature backwards several feet. The smell of charred flesh permeated the air as the flames engulfed the beast's body, causing nearly everyone to gag on the horrible stench. The creature righted itself clumsily, then lurched at Damion, its heads all howling insanely.
Dar suddenly darted forward and tossed a handful of a strange glittering dust full into several of the creature's faces. The dust instantly flashed into white hot flames that engulfed the creature's entire body. It shrieked horribly, then scrambled blindly towards the shoreline, and threw itself into the churning water to douse the flames.
“What was that stuff?” Sly asked the childlike sprite, watching as the creature thrashed about in the water.
Dar smiled slyly. “It’s just a little something that I carry for just such an occasion.” He patted one of the many small pouches that hung from his belt.
The creeper rose shakily from the water, and slowly began to advance on the companions once more, unwilling to give up its attack. Several of its limbs had been lost in its desperate attempt to extinguish the flames, and four of its heads had been snapped off, or simply hung limply on their long, broken necks.
Damion formed another fireball into existence and hurled it at the creature. It exploded against the beast's lower torso, once again engulfing it in flames. The creature shrieked in agony as it thrashed futilely against the flames, but he continued to focus his magic on the writhing beast, willing the flames to burn even hotter. The creature wailed once more as its distorted limbs suddenly gave way and it collapsed into a flaming heap. It continued to thrash and writhe in pain for several more minutes until it finally succumbed to the blazing inferno.
Damion relaxed his will and allowed the flames to die out, leaving the creature to smolder on the beach. The powerful stench of the charred beast was nearly overpowering now, so he quickly led the o
thers back into the covered dock house.
“Well, now we know why no one lives in these parts.” Sly grunted, relaxing against cabin wall with a tankard of ale.
“Where did that thing come from?” Kariah asked in disgust, her arms locked firmly around Damion's waist. The young elf maiden seemed to be drawn more and more to the huge warrior, and rarely strayed far from his side now.
“No one really knows.” Dar answered as he checked the horses, which were tethered to the wall of the boathouse. “Most folk have never even heard of a creeper. They are just another dark creature that has infected this world with their presence.”
The young girl shivered, then nuzzled closer to Damion, who smiled gently, and wrapped his arms around her protectively.
Snowfeather, who had watched the fight from the safety of the boathouse, glided over to his master's side. “Well fought! It seems you are getting better at this adventuring business!”
“I guess.”
"A now that you have the Dragon Sword, you can finally track down this human and take your revenge." The huge owl chirped. "I just hope that you do not let your thirst for vengeance consume you. Remember, you don't want to become that which you are fighting against."
Damion settled down to rest next to the fire pit, his arm still draped protectively around Kariah, but instead of sleeping, he spent the rest of the night considering his familiar's wise words.