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Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
This is a first draft of a story set in the world of Greyhawk.
It is based on a home campaign so some of the people, places and things
may be different. Any helpful comments or suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks
Jason Zavoda
There was blood in his eye's, it burned like fire till the
tears washed out the congealing stain. Talberth shook his head to
scatter the drops and blinked, he could not move his arms and blinded
he could not see what held them.
He was standing and something bound around both his elbows
and his wrists kept him upright. His head had been down, his chin on his
chest, but as he moved he could feel nothing behind him, he was not up
against a wall.
Talberth's knees were bent, he braced his feet against the ground
and stood. There was a pulling at his arms, whatever held him would not
give, not when he tried to free himself, not even enough to let him stand.
As he moved his legs he felt the bindings which were wrapped around his
legs. His ankles were within unyielding cuffs, metal most likely, the
bands around his elbows and wrists felt the same.
To the right a deep voice laughed, a rough barking sound, Talberth
was not surprised when he heard the orc called Boss begin to speak.
"Got you, got you." the orc laughed. "Bone men got you, Hah!"
"Got you too," said Talberth, "Didn't they."
"You shuddup." Boss yelled.
Talberth obliged the orc, he squeezed his eyes shut and slowly
opened them. His sight was blurred but he could see. The light from
his amulet lit the room, he was more surprised to find himself still
wearing it than he was to find the orc.
The room around him was bare, an empty rectangle with a
long pit at its center running down what appeared to be its entire
length. Talberth was held at the far end of the long chamber, squinting
he could see the dim shape of an opening far off opposite from where
he stood. The mage looked down and saw the rings that held him were grey,
they seemed to be of stone, the same with those that held his arms.
Next to him were a row of identical rings set near the floor and
at the same height along the walls, but they floated in the air attached
to nothing that he could see. The ring that circled his foot was frozen in
place, suspended above the floor it would not move despite the pressure
he put against it with his legs. Talberth couldn't see the back of the
rings which held his arms but he knew that they must be enchanted just the
same.
"Pull, pull," laughed Boss, "maybe pull arm off." the orc waggled
his own bound arms, dark blood coated the rings which held him, he'd
tried to free himself till he rubbed his flesh raw and strained the
muscles in his arms and shoulders.
Talberth let himself relax, but his shoulders were sore and his
back ached. His head ached as well and an open wound, now caked with
half-dried blood, stung with every throbbing pulse that ran through the
veins along his temples.
"What happened to the others?" Talberth found himself asking the
orc.
"Gone, bone men take them." Boss said unconcerned.
"How did you get here?" Talberth wanted to talk, it calmed him,
distracted him from his aches and let him think more clearly.
"Look for stuff," Boss told him, "follow tunnel, find doors.
Bars come down and... magic...magic like you... doors not real. Old
room full of dust and bone men. Chop them up no problem. Then ragmen
come and they too strong. More bone men bring us here, bring you here
too."
Talberth shook his head, he could do little else.
At the far end of the hall a door opened, a strange pulsing light
glowed from somewhere beyond it. Dark shapes appeared within the
frame though they did not block the light. A dozen skeletons clacked
toward them, bones clicking on the floor, scraping softly at the tiled
stones.
Boss roared at them, "Him! Take Him!" a stream of orcish curses
escaped his lips, but the skeletons did not pay him any mind.
* * *
(To Be Continued...)