Backyard Dungeon 4 Chapter 3

I walked next to Chief Ekneme at the head of the thirty Dolrath warriors as we marched south along the dirt road toward the entrance to the Twilight Region. After all I’d heard about the lower caverns from Amrila and Scourge, I was both excited and apprehensive to see it for myself. The idea I would get to see this whole new region satisfied my intense love for exploration I had found in The Gloom, but I’d also seen the monsters that lived here.

The Trolls, Nictors, and the Pit Wyrm were all pretty crazy, and I didn’t even know what kind of monsters must lurk in the dark of the Twilight that would scare hardy people, like the Dolrath. I’d fought the Shadow Demon that had come up into the Dolrath territory, and the bastard had been shit-your-pants scary.

But from what Scourge told me, there were even worse things down there, too.

I’d loaded half of my mags with Tauric’s special bullets and had one clipped into my Galil. The fact the creatures in the Twilight were even more sensitive to light gave me an advantage, too, since I had my headlamp and the flashlight on my rifle now. But I knew I would have to be real careful how and when I used them, since I didn’t want to accidentally blind any of my friends if we got into a fight.

Amrila, Nileme, and Bhathok were at the head of the column with me, and they helped to put my mind at ease. I knew I could trust them in a fight, and we’d learned how to work together. My Zencarri wife and I almost didn’t have to speak anymore while in combat, since we’d fought and trained together so much. But this was the biggest fighting force I’d been a part of, and that was going to come with new benefits and complications.

I fell back a little so I could talk to my friends without the chief overhearing us.

“What’s the entrance to the Twilight Region like?” I asked in a low voice. “I’ve never seen it.”

Bhathok and Nileme had revealed to me they knew I wasn’t actually a Goblin, but I still wasn’t sure if I should give up the thin ruse in front of any of the other Dolrath.

“It’s called the Spike Growth,” the princess replied in a quiet tone. “There is a village that has grown a maze of spiked vines around the entrance and maintains it for my mother. In exchange, she does not require them to pay the usual amount of duties to her. It is quite a sight to see.”

“Sinister Gnomes,” Bhathok said with a small shudder.

“Do not be unkind, Bhathok,” the dark-haired woman chided the general. “The Gnomes are citizens just like the rest of us.”

“I am as open and accepting as the next man,” the mohawked man replied. “But the Gnomes of Grimthorn are strange, and you cannot deny it.”

“They provide a great service to the Dolrath,” Nileme said mildly.

“They are creepy;” Amrila nodded as we marched along.

“That’s all I’m saying,” the red-haired Elf replied in his defense.

“Creepy how?” I asked as I adjusted the strap of my Galil.

“You’ll see,” the horned woman snorted. “It’s hard to explain.”

When we reached the edge of Grimthorn, I could see the reason for the place’s ominous name.

There was a small village of low, stone buildings built up against a massive tangle of the thick, spiked vines that grew throughout this region of The Gloom. I’d seen patches of the vines that grew wild around the Dolrath territory, but they tended to grow along the ground and up along the stone walls and boulders. This was a wall of vegetation that grew twenty feet tall and was fortified with three inch long spikes.

The village itself looked kinda depressing, with its bleak stone buildings and small vegetable patches that didn’t look like they would yield much. There was a small pen with some scrawny gloom hogs and what looked like goats, but the goats had four eyes, like something off a metal album cover. They also had two pairs of twisted horns, and I tried to take a mental note of what they looked like so I could draw them later. I had a feeling the McMillan boys would go nuts for that and use it as a band logo.

As the regiment got closer, I saw some of the Gnomes who lived there, and they were creepy as fuck. They didn’t look like the other Gnome I’d seen in The Gloom. The villagers here were smaller than other Gnomes, and their skin had a greenish cast to it, as if there was a little Goblin in their lineage. The Gloom mushrooms grew in sparse, thin patches here, and as a result, the Grimthorn Gnomes had developed large, orb-like eyes that didn’t seem to blink as much as they should.

As Nileme called a halt just outside of the village, a procession of Gnomes came out to greet us, as if they’d expected us to come. At the lead of the procession was a withered up old man with a scraggly beard I could not place the color of. The old man was flanked my five Gnomish soldiers in spiked armor, and despite them being only three feet tall, they didn’t look like people to fuck with.

I watched as Ekneme stepped forward and inclined her head to the procession, and the old man bowed with a little help from two of his soldiers so he didn’t topple over. The soldiers all around me quietly stood at attention and watched the chief as she started to make a series of intricate gestures, and the old Gnome gestured in response.

“What the fuck if going on?” I whispered as I leaned over to Nileme.

“The Gnomes don’t speak, so all of the Dolrath chiefs learn their sign language to communicate with them,” the warrior woman explained in a hushed voice.

“They are very superstitious,” Bhathock quietly added as he rolled his eyes. “They believe noise hurts the vines and attracts creatures from the lower regions.”

“So they live their lives in silence?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“For the most part, yes.” The princess nodded.

“So, what are they saying?” I asked as I watched Ekneme and the old Gnome exchange formal gestures.

“It’s difficult to translate,” Nileme answered. “The exchange is highly ceremonial. They exchanged greetings and recognized each other’s role in keeping The Gloom safe. Now they are reaffirming their pledges to fulfill their roles as leaders. Next, my mother will explain how she needs access to the Twilight, and then they’ll thank each other for keeping their part of the treaties.”

“It sounds very tedious,” Amrila sighed, and she impatiently began to shift from one foot to the other.

“It’s tradition,” the Elven woman replied in a reverent tone.

Finally, the Dolrath chief inclined her head again, and the Gnomes bowed in return before they turned and started to walk into the village.

Then Ekneme turned to the soldiers and waved her hand to tell them to follow, and the thirty Dolrath warriors moved forward and entered the Gnome village.

“We must remain silent as we pass through,” Nileme cautioned Amrila and me.

I followed along with the column as we walked past the bleak dwellings. There were no decorations, or the homey little touches that most people would add to their living spaces, on any of the houses.

I wondered what their houses looked like on the inside.

Some of the Gnomes came out to watch us pass with their big eyes that didn’t blink. I tried to be open minded, but this place definitely gave me the creeps. As we came up to the wall of spikes, the soldiers halted and waited in an eerie silence, and since I was at the head of the column, I stopped near one of the Gnomish soldiers and looked over at him.

The man had raven black hair shaved on one side, and three long scars ran across his face like a claw mark. The Gnome had a leather patch over the eye that the scars ran across, and his expression could only be described as stoic.

When the man looked at me with his pale blue good eye, he nodded at me.

I didn’t want to be rude, so I nodded back and smiled, and the one-eyed warrior cocked his head as if he didn’t recognize the expression. Since I didn’t really know what to do with that, I faced forward and watched as the Gnome elder approached the vines and lifted his small hands up to it. Then the elder put both palms one some of the long thorns and raked his hands against them.

Even from where I was a few yards away, I could see the dark blood that appeared black in the dim light on the spikes. Then the Gnome soldiers all turned toward the vines, went on one knee, and started to make a low grunting noise. The rhythm of the Gnomes guttural sound slowly picked up in pace, and I watched to see what would happen. I knew the path to the Twilight was through the vines, but I didn’t see an opening anywhere.

But the Gnome elder started to chant, too, and his soldiers suddenly began to beat their chests with their right hand. Their rhythm changed, and I watched in shock as the vines where the old Gnome had cut his hands started to writhe like giant pythons and start to unwind. Slowly, some of the spiked vines started to peel back, and that seemed to set the Gnomes off into a frenzy.

The sound of their grunts built to a peak, and the rhythm became more complicated until the vines opened to form a kind of wide archway, ringed by the huge thorns. Once the way was fully open, the grunts changed into a deep, harmonic tone that the soldiers sustained for several seconds. Then they all went quiet and still as the old Gnome faltered, and two of his warriors quickly stood and caught him.

Ekneme stepped up to the old man and inclined her head to him again, and then she passed through into the archway while being careful to avoid the thorns. As the column started to follow her, I passed the Gnome elder and saw his green-toned face was ashen, and his breathing looked labored. It felt wrong to just walk by, so as the Dolrath and Amrila went through the archway, I stopped and took off my backpack.

I rummaged around my pack as his soldiers looked at me with confused and apprehensive expressions. Then I pulled out a small bag of trail mix, crouched down so I was on the same level as the elder, and held out the bag with my head slightly bowed. I didn’t know a whole lot about magic, but I figured a boost of calories and a little sugar would do him good.

The craggy faced old man cocked his head and reached out to take the bag, and as he looked at it with a blank expression, I made a gesture like I was eating to give him the gist of what to do with the trail mix. The ancient Gnome watched me with his huge eyes but eventually bowed his head, and then he made a motion with his bloodied hand I didn’t understand.

I chose to assume it was “thank you,” smiled, and nodded at the old guy. Then I closed my backpack, and I stood up and turned to see Nileme as she watched me with a mysterious smile on her face. The rest of the Dolrath had moved through the spiked archway, so I smiled back at the dark-haired woman, walked up to her, and nodded my head toward the opening.

We walked over to the archway and found Amrila, who had stopped to wait for me. Then the ladies and I walked into the Spiked Growth together. Nileme took the lead, and we started through the maze-like growth until we caught up with the rest of the Dolrath.

The inside of the Spike Growth labyrinth was filled with twists and turns that were hard to navigate, and I tried my best to avoid the massive fucking thorns that seemed to want to reach out grab me with every step. But soon we caught up to the main force of Dolrath as they slowly made their way through in almost single file.

I wasn’t sure how long we were in the thorn-filled maze for, but it felt like ages. As I turned one corner, I was shocked to see a small skeleton hanging from some of the vines that had started to grow around it. Then I realized it was a goblin who must have died while it tried to find the way out.

Nileme, Amrila, and I passed the silent, grinning skull, and it only made our journey feel more ominous. The viney walls around us started to feel oppressive, and I wished the column could hurry the fuck up so we could get out of the claustrophobic maze.

Then, very suddenly, the vines stopped as they butted up against a tunnel entrance, crawled up the cavern wall, and shot tendrils into the opening. I could see over the heads of the soldiers in front of me, and there were lights that bobbed up and down ahead, as if some of the Dolrath ahead had lit torches or lanterns. The light didn’t seem as bright as a normal fire, and I wonder what they used to create a light that wouldn’t hurt their eyes.

“How bad is the Twilight region?” I asked Amrila as the murmur of the soldiers’ conversations started again.

I guessed we were far enough from the Spike Growth now that we didn’t have to maintain the unnatural silence any longer.

“There are towns and villages in the Twilight,” the horned woman explained in a low voice. “But it’s not like The Gloom, where civilizations can thrive. The monsters, hoards of feral Goblins, and countless demons make it impossible for kingdoms or factions to grow and advance like they do above.”

“The Goblin kings are the most established,” Nileme added with a sidelong look at me. “They are the only ones who seemed to be able to gain a foothold.”

“But what about Night Elves?” I whispered as I started to notice a notable downgrade slope to the ground. “Or any of the other races? Are there any of them down here?”

“Only a few,” Amrila snorted. “Outcasts and misfits who could no longer make a life for themselves in The Gloom. Not all of them deserved it.”

“We cannot let criminals bring down what many of us have worked so hard to build,” the princess replied as she looked at the red-skinned woman.

“Maybe.” Amrila shrugged. “But the bar is low when the crime is being different or speaking out against a tyrant.”

“On that, we can agree.” Nileme nodded.

“What about the part we’ll be going through?” I asked.

“There is an old path through some forests and swamps that the Dolrath used before the great conflict,” Nileme replied. “It is thousands of years old. Our lanterns will keep most of the Twilight creatures back.”

“Most?” I chuckled. “That’s comforting.”

The tunnel we traveled through seemed to go in a downward spiral, like a corkscrew, but finally the column of Dolrath warriors came out of the other side, and I got my first look at the Twilight Region.

It was much darker down here, and it seemed like the Gloom mushrooms did grow this far down. The only light came from the din, purplish glow of some kind of rock or mineral in the cavern ceiling and walls that occurred in random patches, so it looked almost like purple stars around us.

Where we came out from the spiral tunnel, there were spindly trees with dark, shiny leaves and pale gray bark. I could see fissures in the ground around the path that stretched before us, and the ceiling of the cavern seemed much lower than the soaring roof in the larger cavern of The Gloom I was used to.

If I had to fire my Galil down here, it would be deafening.

Amrila, Nileme, and I pushed through the soldiers who milled around as they waited for word from Chief Ekneme at the front of the crowd, and as I walked past the Dolrath, I could feel the tension as they looked around or shifted their feet.

The chief and Bhathok talked quietly together, and the three of us came to the front of the force as we walked up to them.

“I worried you’d gotten lost,” the red-haired general joked when he saw us.

“Eddie was stopped by an act of goodwill for the Gnome’s elder.” The princess smiled as she looked at me.

“It was just some trail mix.” I shrugged and was a little embarrassed by Nileme’s admiration. “He looked like he could use a pick-me-up.”

“I’m sure that will endear you to the people of Grimthorn,” Ekneme replied with a nod of approval. “Bhathok, please get the troops in order and let’s move on. We will have to camp at least once before we reach the tunnels to the Crardu territory, and I would be loath to spend any more time than needed in the Twilight.”

As the warriors prepared to continue our journey, I turned and caught sight of Vemmen. The vain man pulled at a stray thread on his now ruined silk robes that were covered in snags, and I had to control my impulse to laugh when I realized the thorns in the Spike Growth had a field day with those pale, yellow robes. We hadn’t even marched for a full day, and they were ruined.

The mohawked general ordered the column forward along the path, and I saw the Dolrath with the lanterns arranged themselves on the outside of the column. As we moved on, the cavern opened up, but it still wasn’t as expansive as those in The Gloom. The forest we marched through was filled with the buzz of insects and the sound of wildlife, but the stunted trees weren’t much taller than me. From time to time, I would even catch a small glow like lighting bugs from deeper in the forest, but I was never close enough to see what they actually were.

The ladies and I were back at the head of the force next to Ekneme, and I had a great deal of respect for the chief for her choice. A lot of leaders might have chosen to be in the center of their army in case anything happened, so they’d be out of the way of danger, but Ekneme chose the vanguard. This said to me that she didn’t hold her life to be more valuable than any of her warriors. I didn’t see Vemmen, though, so I assumed he’d placed himself in a safer position.

Eventually, we found the edge of the forest after hours of marching, and the Chief ordered that we make camp. I was glad, too. The Dolrath kept up a grueling pace, and the muscles in my legs had begun to ache. I was in the best shape of my life, but it seemed the Dolrath were on a whole other level.

I smirked to myself as I thought whether or not to pitch Jay’s girlfriend on a Dolrath calisthenic routine.

The warriors efficiently set up the camp and formed a perimeter around it while the soldiers took patrols with the lanterns. I wondered what kinds of monsters might live in this part of the Twilight as I sat down with the chief and the others around a low fire, but then one of the soldiers set a pot to boil over the fire, bowed to the chief, and left.

“Supper at last.” Bhathok rubbed his hands together and started to rummage through a sack as he pulled out small parcels wrapped in linen. “What would you like, my lady? It seems we have some fine hog’s haunches or some lovely beetle thorax.”

“You eat the beetles?” I blurted out in shock.

I remembered the huge, black beetles I’d seen in the Dolrath territory that they used to make their armor. I also remembered they were carrion eaters.

“Only the ones we farm,” the red-haired Elf snorted when he saw the look on my face. “I’m not a savage.”

“For the sake of our guest,” Ekneme said as she smiled with light amusement, “make some soldier’s stew with the haunches.”

“No, no.” I shook my head because I didn’t want to be squeamish. “I’ll try the beetle. I’ve never had it before, and my pop said I should always try new things.”

“Your pop?” Ekneme asked as she turned to me with interest.

“Oh, it’s another word for father,” I replied as Bhathok got his stew started. “Is Vemmen not going to join us?”

I wanted to change the subject before any more questions could be asked, but I also couldn’t shake the feeling that there was just something off about the guy.

“He is pouting in his tent over his finery.” Ekneme rolled her eyes. “Foolish man.”

I tried again to read the expression on the chief’s face, but it was impossible. I made a note to never play cards with the tall woman.

After that, I sat back and listened to the others as they talked about past campaigns and adventures while Amrila busied herself with her swords and a whetstone. As we waited for the stew to be ready, Nileme and Bhathok joked back and forth about their training in the Dolrath army and laughed about mistakes they’d made in fights.

When the mohawked general’s stew was ready, he portioned it into small bowls and handed them out. I looked down at mine, and it looked like any other savory stew except for the white, pulpy bits I assumed were beetle meat. This was the bed I’d made, though, so I picked up the wide, shallow wooden spoon I was given and dug in.

The texture was something else, like an over cooked biscuit dumpling, but it was actually pretty tasty.

A slight nutty flavor added to the vegetables and rich broth, so as long as I didn’t think about where the meat had come from, it wasn’t too bad, and I even took a second helping.

After we’d eaten, the ladies went to their tents to get some sleep, and I waited for Bhathok to do the same since I wanted a chance to talk to the chief alone.

Eventually, the redheaded warrior had cleaned up from cooking, and I got my opportunity.

“If there isn’t anything else you require, my lady, I think I will turn in until my patrol.”

“Thank you for your service today.” Ekneme inclined her head. “The delicious stew was more than enough.”

“It’s my honor.” The warrior bowed and then turned to me with a good natured smirk. “Your Highness.”

“Have a good rest, Bhathok.” I smiled back before the red-haired man left.

Then I turned to the chief and knew there wouldn’t be a good way to say what I had to say, so I bulled forward.

“It’s not any of my business,” I said, “so feel free to tell me to fuck off. But I think there’s something strange about Vemmen.”

“You are very observant,” the chief said in an impressed tone. “He’s a scoundrel, and not to be trusted.”

“What?” I hadn’t expected that reaction. “I mean, I think he’s up to something. Maybe even spying on you for Ursenger. But I’m guessing you already know that.”

“You never cease to surprise me, Eddie Hill.” The chief shot me one of her mysterious smiles. “And yes. Your guesses are correct. I have known for some time. It’s why I believed your wild stories when you first came to my encampment.”

“Then why keep him around?” I asked in confusion. “I don’t mean to be crass, but nobody can be that good in bed.”

“I appreciate how direct you are,” the chief snorted. “And you are right. But I keep him by my side because I find him useful for now. He is not as clever as he thinks he is, and I have gotten far more information from him than he has from me. Occasionally, I can pass misinformation through him to the Mad Chief, and when Vemmen ceases to be useful, I’ll kill him.”

“Holy shit,” I replied with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t fuck around.”

“I don’t have the time to.” Ekneme grinned. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should rest before I take a watch.”

It surprised me that Ekneme and Bhathok both took a patrol with their warriors. It was almost as if rank had nothing to do with status for the Dolrath, and only acted as a way to determine the chain of authority.

“I’d like to take a turn on the watch, too,” I said as I also stood. “Since everyone is taking one.”

“The men will respect you for that.” Ekneme nodded. “Get a few hours of sleep, and I will have one of the soldiers wake you when it’s time.”

I went to the tent I shared with Amrila and slept until one of Ekneme’s warriors came around and woke me up.

I felt pretty refreshed, so they must have let me sleep for quite a while. Then I got dressed and partolled with some of the soldiers. It was actually pretty boring, which I guess was good, since that meant nothing bad happened, but it was nice to get up and walk around and work the stiffness out of my muscles.

Soon, the chief called for the soldiers to strike the camp, and we started out again along the path.

The rocky land outside of the forest started to grow marshy, and ropes of hanging moss grew off the sparse trees and overhangs overhead. Then the cavern opened up, and the minerals that glowed in the ceiling looked even more like dim stars overhead. The Night Elves had never seen the night sky before, but it made sense this place was called the Twilight.

The column entered a swamp, and the light hearted talk between the soldiers stopped almost entirely. I understood why. The swamps of the Twilight were supposed to be the haunt of lesser demons, like the ugly fuck I’d fought with the Dolrath.

But with my special bullets, the Galil, and my headlamp, I felt ready to face whatever the swamp had to throw at me.

The path led through stinking patches of lichen filled water, and the whole area smelled like stagnant water and decay. I glanced at my friends and saw their tense expressions as they looked around at the swamp around us. I could already feel my palms start to sweat, but after an hour or so of travel, I started to relax and think maybe we’d get through it unscathed.

That’s when an ear splitting roar cracked through the cavern, but I didn’t hear it because it immediately hit a decibel level that kicked on my Pro X earphones.

That was one big fucking monster.