The Chronicles of Hugo Blacke
Book 1, Chapter 2: The travels of Lord Malice
Read Chapter 1 here if you haven’t already:
It was a considerably blustery day on the mountainside that Gabriel Baker was traveling along. That wasn’t why he was feeling so shaky, though. He smiled slightly to himself. It was ridiculous. He had planned this out for… He shook his head; it had been so long that he couldn't remember when he started his quest.
He stopped by a river. The sluggish sun sat suspended in the sky. He would've cursed it if he weren't where he knew he was. But that's just what happens in the Valley of Purus; it seems to make time and space do an odd, kind of lopsided two-step. He first heard the local legend in a town near this valley. He sat down in the shade and drank some water. Now that he thought about it, Gabriel would guess it was about 10 years ago. The day itself stood stark in his memory.
The first time he made this journey, he was on a research mission to try to learn about Ignatun culture. While he did, he heard the story about how this valley got its name. Ever since, he’s been prepping to find the Vault of Purus. Tomorrow will be the day he will find it if all his research is right.
A bush rustled behind him, and Gabriel jumped up and turned around. Out limped exactly who Baker was waiting for.
“Hello Juno Gabriel greeted the goblin. Juno was a bout 3 heads shorter than him, and she had a prosthetic wooden leg. He looked her in her seemingly fathomlessness inky eyes, nestled underneath her long, bushy eyebrows. Her pointy ears and upturned nose were the poignant result of her race growing and evolving in deep caves.
“Hello, Gabriel,” she answered. Her voice was sharp and harsh, as if she lost the custom of using it. “Join me on my stroll.”
Silently, Gabriel paced next to her. After a couple of minutes, he broke the silence, “where are you taking me?”
“Back to my home, the spell you need only works at night. Besides, you need as much rest as you can get before.. before tonight.” Gabriel noted the sorrow in her voice.
They walked on in silence, and the sun beat down on them; at least, it did seem to go down a bit. As they reached the bottom of the valley, Gabriel caught sight of the vault in the distance. It was huge, though it only appeared as a spec in the stretch between mountains.
“Down this way,” rasped Juno, and she disappeared behind an elm. Looking behind the gnarled tree, Gabriel saw a void of pitch. “Of course,” Juno mused, “you aren’t able to see in this darkness.” she snapped her green tinted fingers, and sparks flew, lighting the buglights along the path. Gabriel saw what looked to be a stone staircase leading down the mountainside for what seemed to be a half mile before it turned out of sight.
When they found the cottage next to the river, Juno snapped her fingers again, and Gabriel heard a click. The door opened before them into a surprisingly lit but low ceilinged room. More surprising was who he saw inside. Goblins were well known for being secretive and distrusting humans most. But there she stood, Evanna Highly, a Hydros Mage he first met all those years ago in the village.
“Hello, Gabriel.” Evanna said in a murmur that none the less carried across the silent room.
Gabriel silently stiffened. He knew what was about to come. As he surveyed her, Juno came back into the room. “Your bed is ready, Gabriel.”
When he woke up, he wasn’t sure what woke him up. He looked around the dark room and jumped when he saw two huge, lamplike eyes staring at him. Evidently, Evanna wasn’t the only local that lived here.
“Oi, the name’s Mordo,” said the eyes, “Juno sent me to get cha; it’s time.” The next couple hours were a blur. Maybe it was because he was still half asleep, but the next thing he remembered was standing in front of a vault gate. Standing in a triangle encompassing a circle, as Juno muttered her encantation. All of a sudden, Gabriel was plunged into pure darkness. As he looked around, looking for some source of light, a voice that echoed both around him and within him. A voice that spoke in a language he both didn’t recognize and understood completely.
“What, pray tell, brings you to the vault of Pūrus, mortal?” Rumbled the voice. It sounded like a thousand hurricanes, but Gabriel didn’t feel the slightest breeze. Two ginormous, crimson holes opened beneath him, and it took Gabriel a moment before he realized they were eyes.
“I’m looking for a way to become a Sorcerer Lord.” Gabriel shouted at the eyes. His voice echoed in the glow.
“I see,” Rumbled the voice, “I can help with that, but you’ll have to help me as well.” A laugh that rumbled like thunder shook the darkness from somewhere.
“I’ll help you, I’ll do anything.” Gabriel shouted, and a moment later, he heard it echo back. But no rumbling laugh, and no echoing growl. And in a moment the eyes closed and everything went black again.
