Swords And Spiders

[ALikdoril 10]

The desert winds were piercing. Powerful, and hot, like the breath of a great animal.

Zar’Zak could feel it all around him. In the sand it carried to his eyes to blind him.

He could smell it, even as it tried to steal the breath in his lungs with its searing heat.

Taste it in the sourness of the sweat on his lip. Hear it in the howling of its constant movement. He was not sure how long he had been wandering. It was days, of that he was certain. But however long it the winds that had once gently guided him had suddenly turned against him as a butcher that guides the lamb to slaughter. And to make matters worse. He was starving. It had been days since he last eaten his fill. He had some trail rations, but nothing more filling then stale moldy bread at this point in his journey. Hunting had crossed Zar’Zak’s mind several times. But the storm raging around him he had been unable to find any game. Not even a pond to fish in or gather fresh water. Thankfully he still had water in the glass bottle he carried with him. But soon even that would be empty. But even so he pressed onward. In the direction that he had been going for the past few days, meter by meter, to what he was sure would be the next relic for him to recover. But first he had to get out of this sandstorm.

If only there was a small cave or some sort of ruin to take shelter in. At least until the storm had passed. Wait, what was that over there? Zar’Zak brought his hand upward, attempting to keep the sand from them long enough to get a sure glace. He could barely make out the shape, but he was sure of it. There was a cave to his right. He carefully shielded his eyes, turned and walked to what he assumed was the cave’s mouth. It felt as if he was walking through mud. The winds attempting to push him back with every step. Then there was nothing. The blue orc unshielded his eyes for a moment. The storm raged all around him like a visible curtain of wind and earth. Looking up to the sky he could see the area he was standing in was clear. The night sky was shining through like a patch of daylight after stormy weather. He was in the eye of the storm.

“Dis be omen.” Zar’Zak thought to himself. “But iz it Bub’hosh or nub?”

When no answer to his silent inquiry came, the Orc shrugged and stepped into the cave mouth. He stood there in the gloom of the cave as his eyes adapted to the sudden shift in light, though once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness he found the cave to be unsettlingly gloomy even for his Orcish sensibilities. The shadow danced about him, making faces and hinting at hidden or nonexistent dangers. Still though, at least he was out of the storm for the moment.

He sat alone in the gloom. Watching the mouth of the cave for a change in the weather, sadly the sandstorm continued to rage outside. He could hear its howling. It was almost like it was attempting to call him back. To put an end to his trial in the most ultimate fashion, this only motivated him more to wait out the storms fury.

However the longer he waited the more he found his eyes being drawn away from the caves mouth and into a side tunnel leading deep into the earth, was that a trick of the light? Or did something move down there? Eventually his curiosity got the better of him. Rising from his seat, Zar’Zak grabbed his gnarled staff, and unsheathed his finely crafted iron sword and moved to investigate. The passage in the rock dipped deep into the earth. Twisting and turning like a spiral as it descended lower and lower. Paradoxically despite moving farther away from the surface the brighter the cavern seemed to get.

After a few minutes he came to the bottom of the passage. It opened up into a large rectangular room of stone brick. Several red stone torches lined the wall. Several large mossy stone columns stood scattered throughout the room at even intervals of about five feet. Looking around Zar’zak counted about ten pillars. Cobwebs dotted the room, covering most of the floor and several of the pillars. The right end of the room emptied into a large pit with no distinguishable bottom. At the left end of the room stood a large coffin of stone with a faded statue of humanoid shape carved into the cavern wall above it. The statue appeared with its fist raised to the heavens, a bone totem resting in the grip of the other hand.

“Wut dis?” Zar’Zak muttered aloud. He felt himself drawn to the tomb. He walked briskly to the stone coffin, being sure to avoid the cobwebs scattered across the ground. He stopped about afoot away from the coffin. His eyes transfixed on the bone idol in the statue overhead. “Wuz.. dis a shaman?” He muttered to himself. Zasr’Zak’s gaze fell onto the stone coffin. With a shrug he began to lift the heavy stone slab his muscles straining as he pushed the stone lid to the floor. The lid was about half way off when he first heard the noise, a faint bug like chitterling coming from somewhere behind him. Grunting Zar’Zak turned around his blade drawn. Standing in the shadowed gloom of the Redstone torch light stood a massive spider, even larger than even Zar’Zak. Its red, beady eyes staring at him hungrily, drool dripped from its dark hair covered mandible. Its eight legs twitched as it raised itself high exposing its large thorax. At the end of the spiders long body stood an erect black stinger, dripping ichors.

With a mighty screech the spider launched itself at him! With a grunt Zar’zak jumped out of the way. With the sound of cracking stone the large spider crashed into the stone coffin. Zar’zak quickly turned around and slashed at one of the spiders eight legs. The spider let out a scream of pain as it felt the cold bite of iron. The spider lifted one of its legs and swiped at Zar’zak, knocking him into one of the many stone columns. His sword making a mighty clang as it hit the floor a few feet away from him. Again the spider leaped at the Orc landing on top of him. The spider then stabbed at him with its mighty stinger. Zar’Zak quickly rolled away from the spider’s deadly sting. A searing pain in his arm was his reward as one of the spider’s spandrel legs slammed into him. Again it stabbed its prickly stinger at the orc. This time Zar’zak did not roll away but instead curled into a ball at the last moment. When the spider’s stinger hit the ground the blue Orc released the tension of his curl kicking the spider in the abdomen with a mighty crack. The spider fled back from the sudden kick freeing Zar’Zak’s hand. With a quick roll Zar’zak took his sword from the ground. With one fluid motion Zar’Zak spun around severing one of the mighty legs of the spider.

Green ichors leaked from the wound where the spider’s leg had been. Anger flashing in its alien eyes it spun around again attempting to smack him with one of its other mighty legs. Zar’Zak saw the attack coming and positioned himself in a low crouch as the leg passed over head. Rising quickly Zar’zak stabbed the sword into the spider’s thorax and cut length wise along its body. There was a sickening thwack as the blade cut both flesh and bone. The spider let out a groan of rage as it began to lash out wildly. Zar’Zak quickly shifted away as the spider lashed out. He then stood and watched as the spiders thrashing turned to half hearted swipes, and then nothing as the body went limp. Zar’zak let out a victorious war cry. His scream echoing off the walls of the tomb. Letting out ragged breath’s Zar’zak Reproached the now broken stone coffin. The long rotted skeleton of an Orc lay still on the stone floor. The body was dressed in ragged, torn clothing similar to the garb a shaman would wear, On its skull rested a large leather circlet of immaculate condition. Somehow not worn or aged despite the state of the body that wore it in macabre fashion. A small black pouch lay strapped to the dead Orcs belt.

Nodding as if he understood the significance of this, Zar’Zak reached into the coffin and took the leather circlet, slowly putting it on. Zar’Zak then reached in and took the black leather pouch attaching it to his belt. With a grunt of respect Zar’Zak closed the coffin as best he could and left for the surface.

[Jarkarll 314]

(( MOAR :P .))

[Dretus 14]

(( Very nice ))

[Bawg 494]

[Alik, can your charecter write IC? If he can, he should make orc stories for the cubbies! They will enjoy your stories for sure!]

[ALikdoril 10]

((Well he can read signs and such. So i imagine Zar'Zak icly is literate. Though this is a medieval setting so literacy is probably at a premium... Yeah he can write.))

[Bawg 494]

((Well he can read signs and such. So i imagine Zar'Zak icly is literate. Though this is a medieval setting so literacy is probably at a premium... Yeah he can write.))

(Then your charecter should write stories for the cubbies IC! We do have a book plugin where you could write in it!)

[ALikdoril 10]

(Then your charecter should write stories for the cubbies IC! We do have a book plugin where you could write in it!)

(I'll consider it. DOn't know how to work the writing plug in though. :) ))

[Danny 2232]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.