‘Rizdok.’ Nelevin nudged his companion who lay on his back, sprawled across the table. ‘Rizdok, wake up!’
‘Leave me.’ He grunted.
‘Get up you drunk! You really should have stopped at the ninth ale you know.’
Rizdok yawned, rubbed his eyes, and slowly rose to the melody of his cracking spine. He stared at Nelevin with vacant bloodshot eyes, and shrugged. ‘I did stop. I only had nine flagons, then I took your advice. I remember it well; you nagged like an old hen until I gave in and stopped drinking ale.’
‘Yes. Then you started on the spirits. I can’t recall how many glasses of poteen you threw back, but I remember when you passed out on that table. I thought I would leave you to sleep it off, seeing as everyone else had started to leave.’
Rizdok swung his legs around and jumped down from the table. Nelevin was impressed at the relative ease Rizdok had dismounted, without even a stumble.
‘Yes, a good night I think. Today is a good day, maybe we will find Guadelin.’
Nelevin looked quizzically at Rizdok. ‘Is that it? You drink enough booze to sterilize a small village, and you can just sleep it off?! Now you want to run off and find death with an angry preacher?!’
‘Yeah, that’s about the size of it. What you standing around for? Let’s go!’
Peaks of grey rock loomed either side of them as they walked. They were in a pass between the mountains of Alldorn, barren rocky behemoths scratching the sky North of their homeland, Hondale. Nelevin had not seen any forms of life for miles, other than some small cacti clumped together around splits in the path, and some insects that moved too fast to appear as much more than just a blur.
‘Is Allchun really this way?’
‘I keep telling you: yes. It’s just passed the next cairn.’
Nelevin let out a sigh. This would be the fourth cairn they would pass since Rizdok first said that. He shouldn’t mind, but he was tired and had no idea what to expect when they finally reached their destination. A priest? They were after a priest? Life had taken a dip in morality, he decided, if he was to kill a holy man. He changed the subject to take his mind off it.
‘How did you learn magik? That’s what you used, against that sorcerer, isn’t it?’
Rizdok grinned. ‘Yep, that was magik alright. I’m no mage though, I just picked up a few things from an old wizard that came to The Guild. He was a strange sort, always muttering to himself and collecting strange plants for no obvious reason. Still, he taught me to incant a few spells and how to channel the energy from my mind and use it.’
'Is it difficult?'
'Yes and no. The difficult bit is learning how to master the energy. Once you have got that worked out, it is easy to do. It takes it out of you though - like sprinting up a hill. That's why I don't use it much, I don't want to waste all my energy and have nothing left to finish them off.'
Nelevin thought about how he had always wanted to learn magic, to become a powerful sorcerer and use it for good. Magic had always been a rich man's pursuit, and he was in no way rich.
'Look,' Rizdok said, pointing ahead of them, 'I told you it was here. Behold: Allchurn!'
Nelevin's gaze followed the direction of his companion's finger, and saw a large gathering of what he thought were ruins. In the centre stood a tall monument, like a giant needle made of white stone, surrounded by small brown buildings.
'That's Allchun?! It looks like a ghost town!' he exclaimed. Maybe they were too far away, and it was just an illusion from high up in the mountains.
They continued down the path, walking away from the jagged rocks and encountering grass and other small signs of life. The wind whistled in Nelevin's ears as they picked up their pace; the path was dropping off and the steepness was sending them down the mountain with gathering speed. He almost lost his footing as his legs frantically pumped beneath him, struggling to keep up with the world rushing by underneath his feet. Before he started to tumble, the ground levelled out again and he managed to come to a stop.
'Finally,' he panted, 'I thought I was going to travel to Allchun in a ball of broken limbs!'
'Yeah, I was almost eating dirt and rock then too!'
They were both bent double, taking deep gulps of air. Rizdok flopped onto the ground, stretching out with his hands behind his head.
'Well, aren't we a pair of fine warriors! Almost defeated by a downhill slope!' Rizdok said, breaking into laughter.
'Nature is definitely the most dangerous opponent we have.' Nelevin said, having caught his breath.
The jovial mood evaporated as the air was filled with a horrific screeching noise. Nelevin rushed to a nearby boulder and peered over it, towards the origin of the sound.
'Rizdok!' he screamed in a whisper, 'I think we might have company!'
Rizdok leapt to his feet and scuttled over to the boulder. Nelevin was right: there were two giants heading their way, bellowing cries as they came. They looked as if they had been sculpted from the rock of the mountains, and that they could crush the pair of them at their will. Judging by the looks on their faces, that is exactly what they planned to do.
Find out what happens next in episode 4!
'Is it difficult?'
'Yes and no. The difficult bit is learning how to master the energy. Once you have got that worked out, it is easy to do. It takes it out of you though - like sprinting up a hill. That's why I don't use it much, I don't want to waste all my energy and have nothing left to finish them off.'
Nelevin thought about how he had always wanted to learn magic, to become a powerful sorcerer and use it for good. Magic had always been a rich man's pursuit, and he was in no way rich.
'Look,' Rizdok said, pointing ahead of them, 'I told you it was here. Behold: Allchurn!'
Nelevin's gaze followed the direction of his companion's finger, and saw a large gathering of what he thought were ruins. In the centre stood a tall monument, like a giant needle made of white stone, surrounded by small brown buildings.
'That's Allchun?! It looks like a ghost town!' he exclaimed. Maybe they were too far away, and it was just an illusion from high up in the mountains.
They continued down the path, walking away from the jagged rocks and encountering grass and other small signs of life. The wind whistled in Nelevin's ears as they picked up their pace; the path was dropping off and the steepness was sending them down the mountain with gathering speed. He almost lost his footing as his legs frantically pumped beneath him, struggling to keep up with the world rushing by underneath his feet. Before he started to tumble, the ground levelled out again and he managed to come to a stop.
'Finally,' he panted, 'I thought I was going to travel to Allchun in a ball of broken limbs!'
'Yeah, I was almost eating dirt and rock then too!'
They were both bent double, taking deep gulps of air. Rizdok flopped onto the ground, stretching out with his hands behind his head.
'Well, aren't we a pair of fine warriors! Almost defeated by a downhill slope!' Rizdok said, breaking into laughter.
'Nature is definitely the most dangerous opponent we have.' Nelevin said, having caught his breath.
The jovial mood evaporated as the air was filled with a horrific screeching noise. Nelevin rushed to a nearby boulder and peered over it, towards the origin of the sound.
'Rizdok!' he screamed in a whisper, 'I think we might have company!'
Rizdok leapt to his feet and scuttled over to the boulder. Nelevin was right: there were two giants heading their way, bellowing cries as they came. They looked as if they had been sculpted from the rock of the mountains, and that they could crush the pair of them at their will. Judging by the looks on their faces, that is exactly what they planned to do.
Find out what happens next in episode 4!
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