Tales of New and Old, Tales of Good and Evil: Part 2

Part 1 for "Tales of New and Old, Tales of Good and Evil" started us on a journey that will last for several parts. A familiar character discovers a book in his library that weaves tales of strange lands and ancient legends. Where a mysterious crystal emits a force that exists both in good and evil forms. Is this the only familiar character that we will see in the story? Read the future parts as we find out together! In Part 1, Jeryaldar reads a story in the book about a person's life which had changed around in a most terrible way.

What will we discover in Part 2? This half of the story brings back someone else that should be familiar to you. If you've been reading along with all the previous short stories, you will recognize this creature in several different forms. Just as a reminder, this is a two part prelude to a four part series that will conclude the adventures that Jeryaldar and the other characters started.

Dredging through the mud and loose rock, it became more difficult to clear away the path ahead as they burrowed further down. Boddytwiss, his partner here in the mines, was working to clear away a section of wall while he built the base for the structure that would go behind it. Without a constant support within the mine shaft, the whole structure would collapse under them. Tired, but under a lot of pressure to see through this new section, he prodded Boddytwiss to speed things up a little.

"I'm working as fast as I can! What do you think I'm doing with this?" Boddytwiss held out a long pickaxe, the perfect tool for digging in the mud and rock.

Tivn gave him a good slap in the rear with his own pickaxe. "We're under orders to clear this out by next week and the way your working we won't get this here done for another month!"

Boddytwiss slammed his fist into the wall and threw his pickaxe to the ground. "Boddytwiss, we don't even know yet if we can break through this section into the next." He gave the mud wall a good hit with his fist again. "For all we know it could take another month to dig through it and your constant yelling at me isn't going to speed up the process." Boddytwiss picked up his pickaxe and began digging again, muttering occasionally about the lack of a good spell or two when they needed one.

Tivn left to explore some other sections of the previous tunnels they had already dug out. The lamp oil was running low and they could tell from here that it was already late afternoon outside. When it began to get dark the bats and other creatures living in the tunnel would flight outside. Somehow they knew even though this section of the tunnels was nearly a half kilometer underground.

Being so close to the ocean had its advantages. With only a few paces from it once you reached the surface - part of the reason why it was so muddy down in the tunnels to begin with - they usually would spend a bit of time swimming before heading home. Right now he could think of nothing else but home and a warm bed. If only it wasn't so damp down here he wouldn't mind spending time amongst his work. Boddytwiss continued digging for another few hours before the lamp light dropped so low it was hard to see what he was digging at.

Dropping his pickaxe, Boddytwiss pulled out a cloth from his belt and wiped away the mud and sweat on his forehead. Enough was enough; he needed a break, if only for a few minutes. It would be nice to occasionally find a vein of gold or other precious metals. While that wasn't there objective, it would have made the days go by a heck of a lot faster. The only reason they were down here was because someone got the idea of extending the sewer system closer to the ocean. That was until they found tunnels previously at where there shouldn't be any.

"I'm gone for a few hours and look at what happens." Tivn came around the corner, catching Boddytwiss sitting on a nearby rock. "You're lazy and a shame to our race. This wall looks the same as when I'd left. Where is the progress?" Tivn held up his finger to his chin with a puzzled look on his face. "Oh wait, that's right, you were sitting down on the job so how can there be any progress?" Tivn stared at Boddytwiss, resting on his own pickaxe waiting for an answer.

Wiping sweat off his forehead again, Boddytwiss picked up his pickaxe and pointed at the wall. "I've worked for hours on this while you disappear off to who knows where. You're not my boss, you're not in charge, and it's late enough to be everyone else's bedtime. I'm tired, wet, and I'm going home. Let the warden deal with it in the morning." Boddytwiss swung the pickaxe up to his shoulder and headed up the tunnel.

"You're not going home until we finish making some progress on this wall! I came back here to help you and we're going to at least make it look like we've accomplished something." Tivn shouted back at Boddytwiss, pumping his hands in the air.

Boddytwiss let out a shout, grabbing the pickaxe with two hands, swinging it in a wide arc towards the cave wall. "I said I'm going home. When I wake up I expect to have a new partner because I'm certainly not coming back to work with the likes of you around." He stared at Tivn for a moment, expecting an answer. Tivn stood there with the oddest expression on his face. It almost made Boddytwiss giggle. It was unusual to catch Tivn off guard. "What? What is wrong now? Did I shock you just a little bit?"

Tivn walked toward the pickaxe that Boddytwiss threw at the wall. It was still stuck in a thick chunk of rock and mud that jutted out from the surface of the tunnel. "I hear something. It almost sounds like someone whispering." He cocked his head towards the wall, listening intently.

Tivn stood there for several moments, moving up and down several paces, trying to track the hidden source of the sound. Boddytwiss didn't hear a thing but he was more than happy to see Tivn actually doing some work. Standing by, he watched Tivn pull the pickaxe out from the wall and begin to dig furiously. Even Boddytwiss himself doubted he could have kept up.

Suddenly, on the last stroke of the pickaxe, a large section of the wall collapsed around Tivn. Piles of rock and mud continued to rain down upon Tivn until he was completed buried.

"Tivn! The warden is going to have my head for sure if he sees that you were hurt." Digging Tivn out, Boddytwiss managed to free him while clearing more loose debris from the crumbling wall. Luckily Tivn was in decent shape, with only a minor scrape here and there.

After securing the immediate area, they poked their heads inside what was one of the most fascinating caverns they ever stepped in. They knew someone had previously built the tunnels centuries ago, but had not imagined a room like the one they were in now. It felt like an old cathedral built right out of the cavern itself. All around them were candles of fire, infinitely burning on gold pikes that rose up almost to the ceiling, which was so high it had to be close to the surface itself. Looking around they discovered empty rows of shelves, with the occasional broken cup or piece of pottery. It was obviously a huge repository of some sort, long since decayed and vacant. Not a single valuable piece of anything was within site, except for the cavern itself.

"This is amazing! I take everything I said back, Boddytwiss. We're going to be rich with this place for sure!" Tivn jumped with glee as he trotted off towards the other end of the cavern.

"He'll be the one to reap the profits, that's if this place is worth anything to begin with. First he'll blame me for the crumbling wall, risking both their lives, and then Tivn will tell the warden it was himself who discovered the cavern. It was typical gnomish selfishness." Boddytwiss spoke out loud to himself.

He leaped into the air when he thought he heard Tivn come up from behind him. Instead, it was a strange melodious voice, unlike Tivn's rather deep throated racket. The voice spoke to him from somewhere in the far corner where a bunch of bookshelves were pushed together against the wall. Torchlight flickered above, causing shadows to jump between the shelves in a strange dance that mimicked the voice. Boddytwiss walked over and attempted to separate the shelves.

In the middle shelf, sitting on a pile of rubble, was a book covered with dust that had to be more than an inch thick. He could only tell it was a book from its rough shape and the gold plating that covered the hinges. Rich indeed and he had first dibs! Eagerly taking the book and dusting it off, he looked it over to see if he recognized its origins. He did not.

Flipping the book over, he noticed an engraving of six spikes around what looked to be a double pyramid in the middle of the spikes. Each spike pointed out from the double pyramid along each of the pyramids flat sides, with two pointing directly up and down from the top and bottom points. It was a very strange engraving. His dirty hands only smeared some of the mud and dust around. He suspected that if the book were clean it would be rather spectacular, and worth a higher price on the market.

"What is that? I've never seen such a book before." Tivn came up from behind him, attempting to grab the book from him.

Boddytwiss wrapped his arms tightly around the book. "I found it first and I'm not letting go of it! Go search for your own book if you're so interested." Tivn looked as if to protest but decided that might be a good idea. He left Boddytwiss alone with his prize.

He was already entranced by its intricate design. The gold outline with a strong and sturdy cover, gave the book a weight unlike most others. The entire book was mostly covered in a black felt like material, with hinges made of gold. The engraving on the back was placed in the center of a small circular silver metal piece. The engraving on the front was the same but with a gold metal piece. Nothing else was contained on the books cover. He checked several times to ensure he wasn't holding it backwards. Flipping it open, he began reading the first section.

The book was absolutely horrific in almost every way imaginable. It wove tales of battles in lands he hadn't even heard of. Something about a land called Lavastorm, where the creatures there closely resembled the hideous bat-like monsters that currently reside in the mountains. It was a sad time, with people seemingly unhappy in most parts of the world. There were several accounts of a city called Grobb. To think that a city could be built in the middle of a swamp! What a nightmare that would be to try and construct. As difficult as it was to contemplate, he couldn't help but continue to read on. Creatures, dungeons of unknown depths, and battles between familiar species in their own time, riddled the book. A few pictures dotted here and there, where appropriate. Those weren't necessary though as he could just imagine what those creatures and places looked like.

As hellish as the accounts were, he suspected and hoped that it might all be fictional. Whoever had journeyed through these lands and encountered all of these creatures, was someone to be reckoned with. Boddytwiss had seen some amazing things in his time, but nothing that equaled the scope of the stories in this book.

Just then, a wind from nowhere picked up and caused the pages to flip rapidly over. Before he had a chance to stop the pages from flipping, the wind had ceased and the book lay there open to another section. Boddytwiss looked around for anyone who might be watching, including that snoop, Tivn.

Boddytwiss continued reading through the text with the point of his finger. The new section's title read, "Part 1: Tales of Good." He began reading, speaking softly out loud to himself as he followed the story.

"A bolt of blue fire shot out of the staff she carried. It careened towards him as he dove for a nearby cluster of trees. Kicking up leaves and debris, he pushed himself up as he wove from tree to tree, continuing to dodge the attacks. She moved with such fluidness he wouldn't have guessed was possible at her age. Watching out of the corner of his eye he noticed her easily skip over fallen logs as she weaved her way towards his position. It wouldn't have surprised him if she began to fly. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run. Without a weapon of his own he didn't stand a chance against her."

"Even in such a dire situation he would never give the artifact back to her. Such a powerful and awesome force was not to be held by a weakling such as her. She had power for the moment, but only for the moment. Birds and other creatures in the forest came to life at their battle. Nearby trees would shake and drop their leaves when his attacker would fire another volley of thunder and fire at him. Diving for a nearby stream that ran downhill and over several rock formations, he managed to hide from her, for awhile. For what seemed like hours ago when the battle started he noticed her kiss a bird that had fallen dead out of a tree she struck. As soon as she touched lips with the limp bird, it miraculously came to life and flew away. The forest was her home and her domain. He learned that well from living with her."

"She shouted out to him, demanding the return of her artifact. Yes, he had stolen it from the school, twice now, but with a reason this time that demanded precedence over all else. It was thought that the artifact had powers that enabled the wielder to survive somewhere outside of their own existence and to drawn on power that was only meant for the gods themselves. Several times she would visit Qeynos or a nearby village and miraculously cure someone's disease or heal their wounds, simply with a pass of her hands. Most of the townspeople in the village where the school resided were respectable citizens. Even then she still stood out of the crowd as a beacon of light. She had a morale center he had recently touched upon, and hoped he never again would experience it."

"Once, she had visited his town of Freeport . Even amidst constant threat of being captured she walked amongst the streets, healing those in need. One evening as she was passing by on the opposite side of the street, he caught a brief glimpse of her power. A small crystal held in the crook of her hand glowed and pulsed in a way that called to him. He smiled, almost feeling giddy at the thought that such power could be so close. Hiding in the shadows, he followed her for days around town until she finally headed home. Tracing her steps all the way back to a small school village, deep in the forest outside of Qeynos, he waited in one of the rooms for three days before she went on a field trip with her students."

"Luckily, he encountered no such creatures while going through her main chambers in search of the crystal. Hidden beneath a small stand near the window, he located the crystal and hastily retreated back through the forest without a single incident. He had no idea what kind of a future lay ahead. The crystal was warm beneath his hand, showing off just a tiny fraction of its power to him. A small prelude to what was in store for him."

"The lady was there watching the whole time, and had actually wanted him to take the crystal. After he had retreated back to Freeport , he locked himself away, unable to speak with anyone. For awhile he wasn't sure what he was thinking. Several times he thought about visiting old enemies and asking for forgiveness. As the days passed, he become aware of the changes he was affecting others around him with. People would become thoughtful and caring at each other, simply in his presence. One time he even caused a fight in the middle of the marketplace to break up, simply because of his presence. Things were clearly getting out of control and as time went on he became more and more thoughtful. Angry at his pure compassion for others and his continual embarrassment he caused himself when on duty; he retreated back to a spot out in the desert where he could spend some time to think. Eventually a clarity and purpose he never before possessed took control. He felt empowered to head to Qeynos for unknown reasons, never to return to Freeport ."

"His good deeds grew as he stayed in Qeynos. Wondering how he could have possibly been such a horrible creature in the past, he began to wonder at what possibilities Qeynos now offered him. Thoughts of home and the life he knew were all but gone. The school teacher found him one night as he was roaming the land, helping others with menial chores such as gardening and herding sheep. She offered to teach him the ways of good and all that Qeynos offered. He smiled, agreeing without a second thought. He even gave the crystal back to her as an assurance of his good will and sincere apology for taking it in the first place."

"For years he helped her in Qeynos and at the school, cooperating with her students and assistances in countless acts of goodwill. As time went on however, something eventually turned inside of him. For reasons he couldn't quite grasp, he would steal someone's money or do something against the ladies wishes. Eventually he recognized what was happening. He felt the power of the crystal that had once captured him in such a glorious adventure, being to wear away. A small part of him felt disgusted at his recent actions; while another part that was steadily growing back had him feeling confused. Heading back through the forest and to the village, he went on a quest to attempt to recapture the crystal and hold its power for himself, once and for all. The life he had known, the life that the crystal offered would be his once more and for himself this time. The thoughts of his old life and the possibility of ruling Freeport returned to him in a clarity that even surpassed his experiences in Qeynos."

"The battle continued. Finding fewer and fewer hiding places, he managed to back around where she couldn't get a good aim with her staff. With only the crystal in his hands, he was able to dodge around trees much easier than her. There were times where he almost thought she was missing him on purpose, as if she wanted him alive or simply couldn't bear to truly kill anyone. The warmth of the crystal pulsed as his own heart raced. The crystal kept them intertwined in a way that he found almost impossible to resist. Even with years away from it, it still drew him in, and to her."

"Finally deciding the battle was futile, he knew nothing else to do but to at least destroy the crystal, hoping that the insanity in his mind would end. Momentarily throwing himself out of harms way, he swung his hand around in a wide arc, attempting to throw the crystal into the stream, where it would surely wash away and be buried for all time. As he threw out his arm however, she managed to strike with a deadly bolt of lightning, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground. He watched as his hand hit the ground, the crystal flew high into the air. Just before he was struck with yet another bolt, he watched as the crystal continued to sail through the air. It made a wide arc, landing on a nearby rock and shattering into a dozen pieces. Birds began swarming around the area of the shattered crystal."

"With each breath his focus and attention of things grew worse. Hearing her come up behind him, he watched her sit down near the crystal and weep. Then everything went black. For a moment just before death he had hoped she would come to his rescue and cure him. That rescue would never happen."

Boddytwiss flipped the page to continue reading. There was nothing. No words, no writing of any kind, absolutely nothing but an empty page.

The wind picked up again, causing the pages to flutter in the breeze. He managed to shove his hands between the pages lest he lose the spot he was at. A cold shiver ran up his spine as he recognized the figure coming towards him in the low light of the cavern. It was the warden!

As it approached, he stood up and at attention. Showing disrespect by sitting down in a situation like this was a crime. "Sir, how may I be of service at this hour?"

The warden looked him up and down. He, or rather it, had eyes of fire behind a cloak that covered most of its body. One of the creatures commanded by Lucan, it had jurisdiction over the entire cave system they were digging in. Flowing around him, he could almost see right through it, as if it had no substance at all. This was only the third time he actually came face to face with the warden.

"You have till tomorrow to clean this mess up. I want to know what is all in here and I want to have it cataloged in this book." The warden threw at Boddytwiss a small leather bound book. In his haste to catch it he accidentally dropped the one he was reading. "What is this?" The warden picked the book up. It was still at the blank page Boddytwiss had previously turned to.

Flipping through the book, the warden noted half of it was almost entirely blank. About to question Boddytwiss, he noticed on the first blank page a ghostly text appear near the top. It read, "Part 2: Tales of Evil."