El-Vador's Travels (17 page)

El-Vador
smiled at the piousness of this priest as he still held his bloody
blade. 'I require rest and supplies in preparation for my journey
further south.'

The
thought of helping a stranger seemed to cause the priest's face to
light up in a disconcerting way. 'my church is not far from this
place, surely for saving my life you would not spurn our hospitality?
Come with me, you shall be well rested and prepared for any future
ventures.'

El-Vador
mused over the offer, deciding not to reject it immediately. He
wanted nothing to do with priests or their religions but they would
undoubtedly treat him better than the slums of the cities to the
south. The thought of a hot meal and a sheltered bed for a few days
without need of coin was very tempting to him after living out in the
wild for as long as he had. He had saved the man's life, after all,
and in his position El-Vador would certainly wish to offer some means
of repayment. A person of good character paid his debts. It was only
fitting that he give the priest a way to offer his gratitude.

'Very
well then, I shall follow you to this church. I can spare a few days
delay if it were to the benefit of my health.'

The
region in which they traversed didn't level out any from his previous
journey south. Harlven explained to El-Vador that it was the Lord's
will that these peaks kiss the heavens so that mortals may be a step
closer to the divine. The Elf listened but offered no comment on the
matter, he wasn't going to be drawn into a theological debate for
fear that it would somehow turn sour.

The
path rose steeply, and El-Vador found that his chatty companion now
seemed more preoccupied with his footing than on making conversation.

'I
am but a novice with the blade.' he finally said, patting the sword
by his side. 'at the church you will meet members of my warrior caste
that dwarf my skills, true masters of the art.'

El-Vador
mused over the possibilities, was there something he could learn from
this journey to aid him against the Orcs?

After
a treacherous trek through the mountains they finally came to the
church that Harlven had spoken of. He had no idea what to expect, the
largest structures he'd ever seen were the houses of his old
settlement. Before him stood a massive stone keep that looked as if
it had been carved out of the side of the mountain.

The
sheer size of it caught El-Vador off guard, it looked impossible for
mortal hands to have constructed such a monstrosity. The closest
thing he had to compare it to was Sarvacts' Orcish stronghold, yet
even that looked like a child's toy compared to the grandeur of this
fortress.

To
El-Vador's youthful eyes it seemed impossible for such a thing to
exist, its size but a trick of the eye, but as they grew closer to
the high walls it seemed to increase in permanence.

Harlven
smiled at El-Vador's expression, clearly he had not been the first to
be affected this way. He led on, El-Vador barely listening as he
expounded upon the history of the vast stone coated in snow.

The
path became steeper, arcing upward to the gaping mouth of the gateway
that still lay some distance away but he couldn't help but feel
intimidated by. His trust in this strange man and his hospitality
took a hit in the face of such a foreboding structure.

Harlven
stopped and cocked his ears to the wind, as if listening.

El-Vador
strained his own senses in the chilly drift and heard heavy breathing
coming from ahead, he peered into the thick snow but couldn't see a
thing. Ahead of them lay a mound of large boulders, it was the only
place the noise could be coming from.

He
listened carefully once more, the breathing had stopped. Had it been
his imagination? If it was then why would Harlven also pause in his
tracks?

A
moaning noise from behind the boulders gave substance to his
thoughts, they were not alone and were still some distance from the
entrance of the keep.

He
had never heard anything such as this, it was deep and resonant yet
mournful in its tone. It also had the misfortune of blocking their
way to safety. El-Vador looked at Harlven in askance, everything
about these mountain passages was new to him and he hoped his guide
wasn't as surprised.

The
man drew his sword and straightened up. 'This is a poor place for us
to be at this moment.'

El-Vador
soon saw what the priest meant by his words.

From
behind the pile of boulders emerged a beast unlike anything the young
Elf had ever seen. It was vast in size, covered in a shaggy snowy
pelt and sporting thick gums and wrinkled features. There was a
madness in its sad grey eyes that made El-Vador take a step back. Its
face was a strange combination of man and beast, feral yet not
entirely so. It seemed to consider the two travellers for a moment, a
semblance of thought passing over it, only to vanish under the depths
of a primal hatred. It lumbered toward them at a frightening pace,
its long arms planting into the snow and propelling it forward
without losing grip. It didn't take El-Vador long to realise that he
didn't want to be in close quarters with such a thing.

'A
yeti!' Harlven shouted, answering El-Vador's unasked question. 'We
cannot fight this with swords alone.'

El-Vador
unslung his bow, never taking his gaze from the target. 'Has it a
weak point?'

'No.
If you have skill enough with that bow to have the chance to blind it
then do so.'

'Can
we not run back and seek cover?' El-Vador asked, knocking his first
arrow.

'A
man is no match for a yeti in the snow.' Harlven said. 'I doubt that
an Elf would fair much better.'

The
yeti continued to bound toward them, El-Vador didn't think he'd have
much luck trying to skewer that tough pelt with his arrow but let fly
all the same.

The
arrow bounced clear of the pelt and away into the drift, apparently
his assumptions had been correct. Knocking a second arrow and aiming
higher now, he sighted the creature's eyes and tried to stay calm as
their gaze bored into his own.

The
arrow streaked out into the cold air and bit home. The yeti let out a
howl and stumbled, unfortunately for its prey the head of the arrow
had embedded itself in the monster's cheek rather than the eye socket
that El-Vador had been aiming for.

It
was with a sense of finality that he realised he wasn't going to get
another shot away before the beast was upon them.

El-Vador
set his bow down in the snow and drew his sword, his tight grip upon
the leather pommel betraying the nerves that had crept into him. 'Any
suggestions?' he asked the priest.

'We
split sides as it charges, it can't take both of us at once,' he
ordered. 'I will take the right flank, you go for the opposite.'

But
before the two could move, the yeti gathered speed, pounding on even
faster now that it had been hurt and then finally launching for them.

El-Vador
leaped to the left of the beast and raised his sword, the yeti landed
where they had previously stood in a spray of snow and howling. It
pounded the ground in frustration and turned to face the priest,
completely blocking him from El-Vador's sight.

He
swung his sword, chopping downward at the beast's exposed back before
it could land a blow upon his ally. The yeti was wary of his assault
and a sweeping arm sent the Elf flying into the air.

It
turned its attentions once more to the priest, roaring at the man as
he tried to slice at it with his blade.

To
El-Vador the sound was muffled, he picked himself off the ground
slowly, staring at the scene before him and wondering where he was.

It
didn't feel like he'd broken any of his bones in the landing, he
picked his sword up off the snowy floor and began to advance groggily
toward the beast once more. Yes, he had to end this thing before it
tore the priest apart, that's what he had been trying to do before he
landed heavily.

He
shook his head, trying to clear his mind and focus on the task at
hand without getting himself killed. Picking up the pace toward the
creature's back he let out a shout in the hopes of gaining its
attention.

The
beast spun, another thick arm came flying out as if to swat El-Vador
away once more, this time the Elf was ready for it. He ducked under
the limb and lashed out with his blade, hoping to find his way inside
the creature's defences without being crushed.

The
blade scoured the side of the yeti's head, slicing clear what looked
like a piece of its ear but nothing more. It bellowed in fury as the
priest's sword opportunely struck it from behind, leaving it confused
in its pain and not knowing which of them to lash out at first.

The
moment's pause was all El-Vador needed, he brought his blade up and
tore through the tough hide of the beast with a thrust that elicited
a groan from its maw.

The
monster coughed blood and blew it out over the Elf's face, then
stared at him in confusion. El-Vador felt a stinging on his face and
bare arms, but also couldn't help but notice that same sadness in the
creature's eyes that he had witnessed before.

The
yeti stared down at the blade and stumbled, Harlven shouted at the
Elf to get to cover and he duly obliged.

The
yeti toppled, sending up a pile of snow, it twitched reflexively as
the blood pooled out of it then stilled, dead.

The
young Elf stared at the dead beast with mixed emotions. He was used
to slaying animals, the Orcs he had killed were sentient yet he felt
no remorse over their deaths. These frozen mountains were this
strange creature's home, he was the foreign invader who had brought
steel and suffering. The tinge of guilt he felt at having to put the
thing down was niggling at him in a most uncomfortable manner. The
appearance of this monster did not seem new to Harlven, who knew of
this beast. Why were the priests here in this great fort if it was
surrounded by such dangerous creatures?

Throughout
my long travels across the land I have often found help unasked for,
it is that reality that has kept me fighting for the freedoms and
peace that you now take for granted. I dare not ponder about what my
impact may have been had I not met such charitable figures along the
way. Or the potential atrocities I would have undoubtedly wrought.

'
D
rop
and roll!' Harlven yelled.

El-Vador
stared at the priest. What was the man talking about? He scanned the
battlefield for more potential threats but he didn't see anything.

'Get
the blood off your arms and face.' Harlven shouted. 'quickly, before
it burns into you.'

At
first El-Vador felt a prickling sensation across his cheeks, that
turned into burning and he dutifully buried his face into the snow in
the hopes of washing clear the blood. The feeling passed as he wiped
clear the pinkish slush from his arms and shivered as it stole what
little remained of his body heat. It looked like his priest friend
had saved his life once again.

He
scrubbed at his face until he was certain it was clean of any blood
and hoped that the substance wouldn't eat through his furs.

Harlven
gave them a once over and seemed satisfied that they weren't going to
be eaten alive.

'We
should be fit enough to make the keep now,' he said. 'I was not
expecting a yeti this close to our church, my apologies. I should
have warned you.'

El-Vador
couldn't help but agree with the man, forewarned is forearmed and he
was still woefully ignorant of everything around him. 'why do you
have such a remote church when these monsters are about?'

Harlven
smiled as he cleaned his sword in the snow. 'It is a test of the
faithful, that we be pitted against such hardship.'

El-Vador
did not return the grin. Harlven hadn't answered his question
directly, that was reason enough to be more suspicious of this
strange man. Was he risking his life for El-Vador out of the goodness
of his own heart or did he have an ulterior motive?

'So
we are unlikely to encounter another of these beasts so close to your
church then?' El-Vador asked, staring back at the corpse they had
left behind.

'No,
they tend to hunt alone and rarely this far from their mountain
homes.'

'How
do you receive new initiates? Do they really risk their lives to seek
you out in this desolate place?' El-Vador asked as they continued
their walk up to the keep.

'Many
are brought here by wandering priests such as I.' Harlven replied.
'though there are a few that know of us by reputation and set out
alone to discover enlightenment.'

El-Vador
imagined that a number of them found things much worse than
enlightenment through these mountain passes, undoubtedly another test
of the faithful.

The
closer they got to the keep the larger it grew, more so than any town
or settlement that El-Vador had yet seen. It would appear that the
priests lived here rather than congregated, it still raised questions
as to why a religious group would need such lofty defences.

The
priest led the Elf up to the huge gateway and signalled to unseen
guards with his hand. A grinding noise split the large doors open and
they were allowed admittance into the bowels of the structure.

The
rich smells of people, animals and cooking flowed out to greet them.
It was as if the place were not a church at all but a small city
contained within these great walls. The sensations reminded El-Vador
just how long he had spent sleeping in the cold away from such
things.

A
high roof appeared above them, as if they had stepped into a great
hall that dwarfed all others in stature. Inside it were streets and
large buildings that stood within, all encased under the rafters of
this great room.