Message-ID: <21729asstr$944860201@assm.asstr-mirror.org> From: eriadoriii@aol.comnospam (EriadorIII) Subject: {ASSM} The Ring of Power Part Six X-Original-Message-ID: <19991210025510.01107.00000545@ng-ch1.aol.com> Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 16:10:01 -0500 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation X-Story-Submission: X-Moderator-ID: dennyw, gill-bates, newsman Two passages left this end of the chamber. They picked up there stuff and fled down the one on the right. The tunnel was much wider than any they had previously traveled. Perhaps twenty feet wide, all three of them could have moved side by side, but at first they moved in single file, Liselle in the lead with the torch, the wounded Mercyn just over her shoulder and Erin bringing up the rear with her bow ready to fire. The darkness and the isolation began to take its toll on the trio. The torch provided little light and they could see only a few feet in front of them. Frequently Liselle thought she saw a dark figure loom before them. Each time her heart jumped in her breast until the light of the torch revealed the illusion but then she would jump again, as a warm breath fell on her neck. It would take her a moment to remember it was only Mercyn. The tunnel was silent for the most part, the heaving breaths of the trio and their slapping feet on the earth were the dominant sounds. But the oppressiveness of the environment warped even these. Mercyn felt the presence of something watching, something looming just beyond the light of the torch. He waited for it to pounce but it never did. Erin, for her part, would frequently slow and look back over her shoulder, sure that a grommen lurked in the shadows, ready to pounce. They ran for about a quarter hour before another, smaller tunnel broke off from the larger, running to the right. Liselle paused before the opening and turned to Mercyn questioningly. He nodded at the passage. "We always go right." This tunnel was much thinner, allowing only one person at a time to slip by. At one point the tunnel was so narrow that Mercyn needed to turn sideways to slip by. The tunnel also jogged around sharp corners that blocked the light of the torch and the elf constantly found herself momentarily bathed in darkness. Each time the darkness came, a chill ran up her spine and she pressed closer to Mercyn, both because she was comforted by his presence and because she was closer to the light. The smaller passage ended in a much larger passage, this one even larger than the one they had recently left. It stretched away in either direction, moving in a line straighter than any tunnel they had seen previously. Mercyn leaned against the wall of the tunnel and gritted his teeth against the pain in his shoulder. The light-headedness was still present and he could still feel the warm, searing ache of the wounds along his ribs. A quick reconnoitering of his bandages revealed a shirt soaked through with blood that was even now seeping through and dripping down his sides. Liselle came up and checked the bandages also, a horrified breath escaping her lips at the amount of blood. Seeing the paleness of his face and the pain-driven sweat, she pressed her hand against his forehead. The worry in her eyes increased. She turned to the elf. "He has lost a lot of blood and a fever has set in. I don't know how much farther he can go." "Far enough," he grumbled, though he wasn't sure if he said the words aloud or just spoke them in his mind. Erin didn't answer at first. She was staring at the wall of the passage and ran her fingers along it. "Look at this. Look how smooth they are." Mercyn didn't need to look as he could feel the smoothness against his back. Liselle also ran her hand along the wall. "Man-made, they must be." "Made by someone, though I doubt men could live this deep underground," the elf retorted, caution in her voice answering the growing hope in the other woman's. "But they still might be here. Perhaps they can help us," Liselle's eyes unmistakably shifted to Mercyn. "Just as likely they will kill us for trespassing," Erin answered. Liselle confronted her with her hands on her hips in that familiar pose. "Do we have a choice?" Erin looked at Mercyn. The warrior leaned against the wall, his eyes closed tightly and his breath shallow. He didn't seem to even hear the two women. "I guess not." Liselle took Mercyn's hand and gently pulled him away from the wall. They headed to the right and moved down the passage. The rest seemed to have sapped much of the adrenaline from Mercyn and his body had a difficult time responding to his fevered mind. Liselle found herself having to guide him and, at times, she had to support much of his weight. This was difficult as he was much bigger than she was and because she was trying to hold the torch in one hand. Once, the warrior stumbled and Liselle dropped the torch. For a horrified moment they watched the torch land on the floor of the tunnel. The flame sputtered once, twice and then the flame regained strength. Breathing a sigh of relief, Erin bent and picked it up. Against her better judgement she held onto it as they proceeded. She would not be able to use her bow while she held the torch, but it was a better choice than losing their only light. The elf dubbed the tunnel, the Avenue, because it reminded her of the large streets in the cities aboveground. The size of the Avenue was daunting to the three travelers. Walking down the middle of the tunnel made them feel exposed and vulnerable. The trio hugged the right wall and it made them feel a little more secure, though the light from their torch didn't stretch to the far wall and the shadows were omnipresent. The minutes stretched to hours in their minds as they trudged along. Mercyn rapidly was losing his strength and when the elf called a rest he sagged against the wall and slid to the floor. Erin had called the halt because she had noticed a strange scrawling on the wall. She peered at the writing under the light on the wall and then shook her head in puzzlement. "I can't make out any of it." Liselle looked up from wiping Mercyn's face and glanced at the wall. "I was never taught to read." She was too tired to defend her ignorance. She dismissed the strange writing and returned to tending the warrior. "Come on," the elf turned away from the wall. "If we don't go now he may never get up." The elf helped the woman pull Mercyn to his feet. All strength seemed to be drained from him and his fever was obvious to the two women. He was barely conscious and the part of him that was aware was lost in delirium. He muttered words in a language that neither of them understood but he echoed one name, over and over again. Tara. Liselle looked scared and somewhat jealous when the warrior first called the name. There was so much longing in the call as he yelled it at the top of his longs; so much sadness in the tears that rolled down across his cheeks; so much hopelessness in his sobs. Erin did not doubt that this person was the reason Mercyn had set out on this quest to begin with. It was soon obvious that Liselle would be unable to carry the weight herself. When Mercyn's bulk threatened to overburden the girl, Erin was forced to take hold of the other side of the man and take half his weight on herself. It was also soon apparent to the two women that they could not continue on this way. But they trudged on as the time stretched out and the Avenue continued on into darkness. They were about at their limit when they could suddenly see a light shining in the distance. It appeared suddenly, far in the distance, and it did not move, only sat there. The light never flickered either, just cut brightly through the darkness. Liselle and Erin exchanged looks, wondering what that light meant. Liselle shifted the weight of the now comatose warrior and shrugged her shoulders. They really had no choice. Hope now strengthened the women and they were able to increase their pace. As they approached the light the Avenue began to widen. The women traced a direct path towards the light and were forced to move away from the side of the tunnel. The darkness then seemed to surround them, stranding them in a tiny island of light in the giant sea of darkness, with only the light ahead to guide them. Finally, the Avenue abruptly ended in an immense cave. The two women gasped at the tableau before them. They stood on a ledge overlooking a vast, underground city. The Avenue split to either side, sloping down to the floor of the great cave a hundred feet below and then meeting again directly below the two women. The Avenue then split the city, running straight until it split again, circling a tall, white tower and then meeting again to proceed into the darkness. It was from this tower that the light sprang. The light from the tower played dimly across the city below, hiding as much as it revealed. Amidst the shadows the women could see the forms of buildings and fountains, plazas and towers, markets and temples. None of the buildings reached the height of the ledge and none were even half the height of the white tower. No lights shined from any of the buildings, no sounds echoed through the cave and nothing moved in the shadows. They paused only briefly to take in the scene of the city before they started to descend to the city, their burgeoning hope suddenly joined by a deep foreboding of the deserted city. Neither of them wanted to approach the tower, but they had no choice. The city itself seemed extremely well preserved. Everything was made of stone and none of the buildings had doors or windows, merely openings. The Avenue was cobbled, each stone carved with a strange rune. The several side roads that split away were similarly cobbled, though they held no runes. Statues stood proudly, dotting the sides of the Avenue in a regular pattern. They stopped long enough to stare at one of the statues, seeing the image of a young man dressed in a long robe, standing on a pedestal, a scroll clutched high in the air and a shout of exaltation lighting his face. Another statue revealed a woman similarly garbed but with a wreath encircling her head. She held a sword point down into the pedestal and glared defiantly back at the trio. A fountain was elaborately carved with a coiled dragon. The eyes of the dragon reflected red when it caught the light of their torch. Compared to the ornate quality of the statues and the fountains, the buildings seemed drab and lacked even the smallest adornment. Everything seemed new, as if it was built yesterday and then abandoned. The white tower was the only building with a door. A large oaken door, the only wood they had seen in the city, stood slightly ajar, opening inward, the faintest light creeping through. They could see no windows on the tower, only the opening far above from which the mysterious light spilt. Like all the other buildings, the tower was very plain, seeming to be a column of solid marble rising into the sky. The women hesitated when they reached the door. Rampant hope warred with caution inside their minds as they looked at each other. Finally, without words, Liselle shouldered Mercyn's entire weight and Erin unslung her bow. When the elf was ready Liselle reached out with her foot and pushed the door open. The door opened into a round room that took up the entire bottom floor of the tower. The room was well lit, though the source was unclear. The walls were bare and the ceiling was high. Two soft leather chairs stood next to a bed. A small table stood next to the bed, platters of meat and bread and cheese stood next to two silver pitchers and three silver cups. They were the only furnishings in the room. Opposite the door a stairway curved around the wall and through a trapdoor in the ceiling. The trapdoor was open and a man stood at the top of the stairs. He was extremely thin and wore flowing white robes. "Oh my, you are early," his voice was pitched high and disappointment coursed through his words. "I was just coming to get you." The women didn't know what to do. They stood inside the door and stared as the man scampered down the stairs. "Come in, come in. Everything has been made ready for you." -- If you enjoyed this work, take a moment to email the author. 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