What is the deadline, because along with this chapter I'm entering, I have almost finished Spirits Unleashed.
The Darkness of Lake Halvend
The night grew darker as the company passed the haunted and treacherous Lake of Halvend. The blackness of this
particular area was an effect of the Goblin Siege. Advanced Darkness some called it, as naught else could be seen but
the never ending nothingness and a dark abyss. Encaduo looked about him, aware that something else was in the
group’s presence, gliding through the shadows like a bird. The Elf gently lowered his hand to his sleek silver scimitar and
stood still. The blackness was engulfing him now. There was a red glow to the area now; the other presence was so
close. Then, a hand laid itself on Encaduo’s shoulder.
With a high battle-cry and a move more agile than lightning, Encaduo drew his weapon, swivelled round and faced his
brother. Encaduo scowled in annoyance and sheathed his scimitar, then sighed with heavy relief.
“The creature you seek in this everlasting abyss is Uncanoto, the mountain guardian,” Warlicano whispered. “His lair
leads an easier way across the mountain, though none who tread in there ever return. Uncanoto is not an evil being, he
only wishes to protect his territory. He has no reason to hinder any of us. Leave him be and it will remain that way.”
After Warlicano finished speaking, the red glow’s source was found. A pair of eyes opened in the darkness across the
lake. They nodded in approval and respect. But a more stubborn member of the group did not take this lightly. Garlonofi
stood before the cave and growled like a hungry wolf.
“Is Uncanoto by any chance a stray Goblin that has adjusted to life in a cave?” he asked mockingly. “Come forth you vile
monster and show your face! We will gain entry to your mountain in whatever way it takes, by force of my wrath, or your
surrender!” He drew his ancient Dragon-forged battleaxe and waved it in a challenging way. “Come on!”
And then he saw his mistake. Towering at over fifteen feet tall, Uncanoto looked down at Garlonofi in disgust. The red
eyes were bloodshot and glowing, and he wore the rags of his Goblin imprisonment. It was obvious that he did not live
alone in the mountain, as he had many fresh and bloody wounds on his torso and legs. Garlonofi shook with terror, but
raised his battleaxe higher to prove he wasn’t afraid.
“Finish it.” The Ogre’s voice boomed darkly like the call of a thousand drums.
Uncanoto raised his club to the sky. It was made from the bark of a rare tree, and had Dragon-bone spikes encrusted in
it, exposed to the starlight above. He brought it down to deal a finishing blow to the brave Dragon-descendant, but stopped
when Encaduo leapt in front of the club. The great Ogre was taken aback when the Elf swerved his scimitar and raised it to
a defensive position.
“Young Elf warrior, my quarrel is not with you but this smart-mouthed Dragon weakling who had the nerve to defy me.”
Uncanoto signalled for Encaduo to move aside, but Warlicano attempted to stop him too this time.
“Uncanoto, please do not kill my stupid companion, he shall trouble you no more.” Warlicano spoke with amazing
confidence, but it was not enough. Uncanoto was becoming impatient and would have attacked the two Elves as well.
Though, in fear of the Tefotuant killing their friends, Jorno, Farakka and Tellyn ran in front of the monster and drew their
weapons. Warlicano shook his head at them as Uncanoto roared in incredulity.
“Stupid Tefotuant, you have awoken the wrath of Vrintor!” yelled Tellyn with enthusiasm. “Go back into your cave and do
not let us see your face again. I banish you into your mountain, never to return from inside!”
Uncanoto took this as an insult and went into a great frenzy. His bloodshot eyes began sprouting more popped vessels,
and the lake grew brighter by the minute. No matter how much Elf magic Encaduo could muster, the giant could not be
calmed. He had lost his sanity, and the company seemed to have made an enemy.
“Stupid, am I Vrintorian?” The smile that was on Tellyn’s face had faded quicker than light, and then Uncanoto clubbed
Tellyn against a wall, which disappointed the Ogre as no spikes had impaled him. Tellyn lay drifting further and further into
unconsciousness. That was when Warlicano made his decision.
“ATTACK!”
Jorno drew his Nymph dagger and began exchanging strikes with the Tefotuant. He pushed the club away from him and
sliced a mark in Uncanoto’s hand which didn’t really make an effect. He began again but was thrown into Tellyn with the
great club. Luckily, the Forest Nymph wasn’t hurt and started throwing green knives at the beast.
Warlicano glanced at Tellyn and tried to revive him. “Helfontua Arak Natoforkana Helto!” The Elven Healing Chant worked
but could not wake the unconscious. Warlicano groaned but carried on warding off Uncanoto.
“Give me a volley!” shouted the new commander, Warlicano, as he blew a horn. It was to attract any allies in the area.
Each of the company drew a specially fletched bow and some Dragon arrows, then stretched back the string. They
lowered their faces to align the arrow with their target. “Now! I want an arrow volley!”
They waited for the signal… “FIRE!”
The black rain fell down upon Uncanoto as he tried to wave it off. The arrows were lodged in his grey hide firmly.
Garlonofi attempted to attack the giant. He hewed at the huge torso, but was kicked into Lake Halvend, but managed to
swim to land and collapse. Jorno raised a Boadatoh dagger as the Ogre brought down his foot on him. Pulling it out, the
sprite looked over Lake Halvend in shock. Pure and utter shock.
“Please no. Oh, please, no!” It seemed that the Tinkana Horn did more than summon allies. It summoned Goblins. A
band of around one hundred and twenty Goblins crept around the rock summit, the only part not lit up by the bloodshot
Tefotuant eyes. As the battle raged on with Uncanoto, Jorno crossed the lake clandestinely, in fear of being spotted by the
Goblins.
Warlicano, meanwhile, was firing double shots at Uncanoto’s back. He wanted not to kill him, only to get answers.
Farakka hewed at the sinew at the back of the Ogre’s knee with a mighty pickaxe. The bow was his normal choice of
assault but one bow made little difference to this humongous giant.
Back on the opposite side of Lake Halvend, Jorno was taking out the Goblin scum. Assassinating them stealthily and
secretly, he slit the necks of around ten, before choosing to sever their spinal chords. It was much more effective and a lot
less bloody. It was also swifter, which was helpful as he did not have time to kill. Archers were already aligning
themselves on the east bank and foot-soldiers were running around the lake to attack from the rear. The archers had
already drawn back their bow-strings; they meant to kill Jorno’s company and re-capture Uncanoto.
That was when Jorno decided to sacrifice himself. “Listen to me now, you creatures of shadow and curses,” he shouted
with both fear and confidence. They all turned their green and scaly heads. “To kill my quarry you must first rid yourselves
of me. Go back to the spawn of the beast you came from!” Several of the creatures hissed and snarled at this, assuring
the leader that he was an enemy. That was when the Forest Nymph laid eyes on him. It seemed he had witnessed Death
itself.
“You stand upon thin ice, fairy.” The Goblin that spoke was feared by all that had been born. He occupied all nightmares.
He infested dreams, and slaughtered all good that was left in the corrupted world. He was responsible for the darkness
across the land, he and his line were the reason anything evil ever touched the earth beneath his feet.
He was Ungathorn, the Goblin Lord. Jorno felt like screaming for help. The sprite was drained of his power in the
presence of him. But he couldn’t do anything now.
“Nasnath,” hissed Ungathorn sickeningly. “Dispose of this Nymph at once.” The Lord’s lesser, Nasnath, crept forth
wearing a dark and corrupted smile. The hunchbacked beast obeyed and drew a cruelly wrought iron scimitar while
calling the names of Renesklu and Redosp. The line of archers turned around to redraw their arrows. The three goons
before him were a big threat. They were obviously trusted enough to be doing the work of Ungathorn.
Encaduo was now engaged in combat with the troll-like monster, but ducked under the powerful legs to see the line of
archers. He also saw Jorno being surrounded by the three Goblins. He picked up a rock and lobbed it at one of the
bowmen. He gave a cry and threw more, knocking the archers into the lake. With a group of foot-soldiers grouped around
Jorno he could not save him, but the Elf at least attempted to be the saviour of the rest of his company. Only seven archers
left, Encaduo could do no more as he was picked up by Uncanoto.
Jorno could not do anything any more. He was dead and he knew it. But he would die fighting. He swung a bigger blade
at the surrounding crowd, decapitating around four of the scaly creatures. Then, the Nymph worked Boadatohan witch-craft
and created a green force field around him which sent the crowd away in shock. That didn’t work on the three hit men of
Ungathorn though. It didn’t affect one of them at all. Renesklu remained in the same position, only this time he winked at
Jorno.
That was odd, thought Jorno. He wondered if the Goblin had an eye infection. It was more than likely. Only that…
Wham. Renesklu took from his “team mates” their weapon hands, both in one scimitar strike. Nasnath’s and Redosp’s
weapons and hands fell to the ground with a soft thud and a hiss from the Goblins who ran back around the rock summit.
Renesklu was knocked out with the grip of the Boadatoh dagger, while Jorno rapidly took care of the archer line. He sliced
through their bows, rendering them harmless, and bound their limbs with rope. He decided to leave them to the
imagination of Uncanoto. But he had forgotten about Ungathorn. The Nymph sliced the Lord’s bow in half, but could not
stop him even then. He drew a black throwing knife, whispered the incantation of the Goblin Lord’s blood-line (a dreadful
curse which originated at the source of these dark times) and threw it.
Jorno chased it across the lake, becoming faster as he hovered further, but to no avail. It pinned Uncanoto in the chest
and he fell into Lake Halvend. The colossal tidal wave that erupted from the ripples of the Ogre’s clash awoke Tellyn,
Champion of Vrintor. He saw not his company and a drowning giant, only Ungathorn, Lord of Evil. Steadily arising from the
mountain terrain, he waded through the shallow part of the lake, treading over the remains of Uncanoto’s prey, and literally
threw himself at Ungathorn. Tellyn drew Glamthaus, the champion sword of Vrintor and began to exchange strikes with the
Lord of all Goblins. Ungathorn prevailed in a heavy blow and kicked down Tellyn. He repeatedly planted his foot in Tellyn’s
face. His kicks were strong and powerful, made worse by iron trimmed boots.
A few seconds later, the Vrintorian would have given up, if not for the little strength that was left in his body. He drained it
all, unsheathed Glamthaus the Sword of Light and sliced Ungathorn’s arm straight from its socket. Ungathorn may have
been little more than a corrupted soul with no heart or respect, but he knew defeat when it spat at him in the face. Looking
at the small amount of Goblins he had left in his presence, he screamed at the top of his voice in total agony, “RETREAT!”
He began to sprint away with the rest of his band, but stopped to take a last look at his severed arm, weapon still in hand.
Farakka fired a warning shot at him, then he went away.
Tellyn was now knocked out and Jorno was attempting to revive Renesklu. Meanwhile, Farakka, Encaduo, Garlonofi and
Warlicano had pulled Uncanoto from the Lake of Halvend and were interrogating him.
“Uncanoto,” Encaduo panted, feeling weary from his immense battle. “Uncanoto hear me now!” The Tinkana Elf worked
more magic and the Ogre listened to him in silence. “You have been shot by the Goblin Lord. For millennia, they have
used the same curse to ensure a fate worse than death for their enemies. This wound will never heal,” He yanked the
arrow from it, threatening the Tefotuant to put it back in if he attacked him. “Even after death you will feel its accursed sting,
and you will be damned to an eternity of suffering. It shall haunt you forever more. But I can change that.”
“I and my brother shall perform a ritual that will lift the Curse of Ungathorn I, under one circumstance,” explained
Warlicano, waving the cursed arrow about in his hands. “Just one. You are to watch and protect this mountain with your
life. Goblins are now your sworn enemy. Do we have a deal? Excellent.” He and Encaduo began to chant the anti-curse
to rid Uncanoto of his nightmare. If performed wrong, this anti-curse would not only stay with Uncanoto, it would inflict on
the chanters the exact same curse. But this was going perfectly.
At the end of the anti-curse, a spirit lifted itself from the wound. It was known as Ungathorn I, a deceased Goblin which
gave birth to the line of Goblin Lords. In despair, it drifted away, back to its living hell. Uncanoto arose and took a deep
breath of mountain air. He was free once again.
“Remember, you are to keep your end of the deal Uncanoto, guard this mountain and Lake Halvend with your life,”
Encaduo said. The grand Ogre nodded and departed the lake and thudded back into his cave. Now it was a race against
time. Ungathorn was not far away, and if left alone he could awaken the Goblin Army of the Ages, and end the world that he
loved.
“Come friends, we have no time to lose,” Garlonofi sighed, lifting his battleaxe over his shoulder. “The Goblins head east;
we must follow them for the sake of the earth that we stand upon.” Tellyn woke up just in time to join them in their new
mission. Stop the Goblins at all costs.
Pronunciations and Cultures
Encaduo (En-car-doo-oh) Renesklu (Ren-esk-loo)
Race: Tinkana Elf Race: Goblin?
Warlicano (War-lee-can-oh) Redosp (Red-osp)
Race: Tinkana Elf Race: Goblin
Garlonofi (Garr-law-no-fy)
Race: Leprantio Dragon-descendant
Uncanoto (Oon-car-no-toe)
Race: Tefotuant Clubbing Ogre
Jorno (Jor-no)
Race: Forest Nymph of Boadatoh
Farakka (Fa-rack-kah)
Race: Craidfetta Dwarf Bowman
Tellyn (Tell-inn)
Race: Man of Vrintor
Ungathorn (Un-gah-thorn)
Race: Goblin Lord
Nasnath (Nass-narv)
Race: Goblin Hunchback
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