The Diary of Mikola Ludmilova

The Jewel of the Wildëa, part 9

In which we meet and free the Djew El-Wildëa

Windnight, Harmonyweek, Seaseason, 611 – mid afternoon

Nadya and Anya have a private conflab; when they come back, Nadya produces four vials from her bag, saying, “I’ve kept these for ‘the end’,” which is now, apparently – they are potions of kykeon of the highest grade. Najinski suggests she uses them to heal people – his right arm is hanging limp, much like my left leg, which is re-attached to me but still feels numb.

Taking the hint, Tatiana gives first aid to Najinski as Anya explains that she thinks she can open the big mechanical doors. She observes that we must have noted the large bag she’s been carrying – some of its contents will open the doors, properly applied, but she’s also got three ‘chains of office’, which will protect herself and two others. She thinks Nadya and Tatiana will be best. She wants the rest of us to wait out of the way.

But she admits her ‘intel’ isn’t as ‘precise’ as she would like, “If the chains don’t work, the Dragon may eat us”!

…she said ‘Dragon’ – I heard her distinctly.

Najinski keeps whining about his arm but I think Tatiana has enough of this, or maybe, like me, she’s a bit thrown to hear we might be facing a Dragon, and she demands to know what’s through the doors, “The time for secrecy is over!”

I really could not agree with her more but Anya claims she just doesn’t know. I’m still feeling a bit woozy and find myself wondering if this whole labyrinth with all the traps, automats and demons might not be just one enormous joke by the Selenites and we’ll break down the doors to find a room empty except for a punchline. I giggle to myself – that would be pretty funny.

Anya suggests we hide in one of the alcoves but I can’t walk. So Nadya downs one vial of kykeon and Heals Najinski and me – it’s not perfect but I can feel my leg again so I get up and limp over to the alcove like a good little drover. That line of powder we saw turns out to be sera or ‘brimstone’, to give the Lunatic. The line was broken by the wolf that came out of here; we scuff up the rest. I’ve no idea why it’s here.

As Anya gives a private briefing to Nadya and Tatiana about opening the doors, that woolly-minded feeling goes away and I can think again.

The three openers are examining the big mechanical doors carefully. I overhear Tatiana suggest lubricating the doors with some of that oil we found in the workshop but no one goes off for it. They argue over which gear or lever does what. I get the feeling that Anya has some tools or pieces of mechanism but none of them are quite sure which bit goes where.

So Anya puts something in the door. Someone says something about “it’s not a snug fit”. Then we all hear a rumbling noise, which I can feel in the alcove through the floor I’m sat on. Out in the chamber, by the open doors we entered by, the flagstones jump, shake and crack.

Then a hidden door we’d not noticed opens in a corner and another Automat comes out. At the same moment, a huge shape erupts through the floor in front of the entrance – it’s an enormous Golem! I’ve heard of these, they’re demonic things created from Earth Elementals, much like Stygia’s Fiends are created from Shades. It’s huge, bigger than Najinski!

The Automat is about Tatiana’s size with a strange cuboid head with eyes all round. They just stand there. I hear Zod casting a spell. I try to hide behind Najinski. Off to one side, in front of the mechanical doors, I see Tatiana brandish her chain of office. Anya is out of sight, I think she’s doing something with the doors.

With a metallic, slithering clang a shield folds out of the Automat’s left arm, then it takes it’s time scanning the chamber – I notice its head turns slowly one way while its body turns the other way. Then, perhaps a dozen seconds later, it speaks… in Trollish… “Password please!” It says ‘please’ but it sounds more like a command than a question. Something starts flashing on its body and Zod says it’s numbers, counting down…

When it gets down to fifteen seconds, Anya says, “Jewel of the Wildëa” to which the Automat replies, “Negative!” Then she says just “Wildëa” but gets the same result. I hear Zod cast Protection on Najinski – we’re readying for a fight but I have so little Power…

Anya calls out to Najinski, asking if the Automat and Golem are illusions but he replies, “They’re real!”

The Automat counts down to zero and a heavy sword blade extends out of its right arm. It demands we leave immediately. Anya turns to look at the door again. Zod casts Bludgeon on Najinski’s maul. I ready my own.

Then they move – the Automat advances toward the Golem but it’s barely moved a step before the Golem turns ponderously and stomps toward the four of us in the alcove. It’s cramped in here with the four of us so Zod says, “Follow me!” and leads us out to surround the Golem. Behind it, the Automat reaches the entrance, turns a right angle, and advances on the openers, Anya, Tatiana and Nadya. It’s shield folds away and its arm turns into a mace.

As I lift my maul and close with the Golem, I can’t help thinking of my Lunatic studies. Among the ‘required reading’ was a book by Thomas Chancer called The Loonz Tales, a collection of stories told while on pilgrimage from Moonguard to Loonz – one of the tales featured the phrase, ‘In goon the spears fall sadly in arrest’ – replace spear with maul and that’s exactly how I feel now.

But before any of us can swing our weapons, the Automat swivels its head and there’s a loud ‘bang’ – it’s got one of those vile karlik bang-sticks in its head! It hits Najinski in the leg as he parries the Golem’s fist, but the force of the blow still clangs off his helm.

Meanwhile, Tatiana parries the Automat’s sword. Then I parry the Golem – its blow buffets back my maul and connects but my armour saves me. The Automat shoots at Najinski again but this time it misses.

I think we’re all holding back, timing our blows to make sure they really count. Tatiana puts a dent in the Automat’s head and Nadya does the same in its belly. It parries Anya.

In our fight, Najinski hits the Golem in the head – splinters of rock fly out. Zod hits its belly and so do I but I barely scratch it with my maul. I think I need to cast Bludgeon on my maul. Splitz doesn’t damage it either.

The Automat shoots Zod but his armour saves him. Then Zod parries the Golem’s fist but his shield is destroyed and only his armour and magic saves him from a nasty leg wound. The Automat damages Anya’s shield.

My heart is lifted by Najinski’s perfect parry of the Golem but then the Automat shoots me in the arm – it’s just a scratch but it came out of nowhere. Luckily it doesn’t put me off casting Bludgeon on my maul.

Suddenly, Anya reels about and falls to the floor – is she alright? I know she’s a nark but she’s still my sister.

Tatiana misses the Automat. Nadya hits but her blow is weak.

Meanwhile, Zod hits the Golem hard, knock a chunk out of its chest. Then Najinski smashes an even larger lump out – but the thing is as tough as stone, of course.

Looking past the Golem, I see Anya trying to regain her feet, so she’s alive, but possibly a little stunned. The Automat shoots Splitz but he doesn’t seem to notice. Najinski parries the Golem – again it smashes through his maul but again his armour saves him.

The Automat batters Nadya’s shield – Don’t hurt our Healer! I execute a beautiful parry of the Golem’s fist. I grin and bring my maul round for a telling hit, enhanced with Bludgeon, when suddenly everything goes black and I wake up some time later when it’s all over. I only find out what happened with the rest of the fight hours later…

Of course it was the Automat that shot me in the head. It then parries Nadya but Tatiana manages to scratch it. Meanwhile Najinski hammers the Golem hard in the chest with an enormous chunk coming out. Zod barely scratches it but I’m sure if I’d not been unconscious I could have inflicted the killing blow.

The Automat shoots Zod again but his armour wins. But then disaster! Najinski misses his parry and the Golem’s fist smashes in the side of his head and Najinski is down. (He later tells me he thought he was dead but then realised he wasn’t – Great Trolls are so stupid, but what with his Brain Damage and the Selenite demons, he’s got only half the wits he was born with.)

But even as he goes down, Najinski destroys the Golem’s head with his maul – it’s a pity that it has no other effect at all, the Golem fights on…

The Automat strikes at Anya as she lies on the floor but she manages to parry. Meanwhile the Golem misses Splitz. The Automat shoots Zod yet again but once more it bounces. It parries Tatiana and then misses Nadya – Xenoire caring for her worshipper. Tatiana hits the Automat’s belly but Anya’s hit, as she lies on the floor, doesn’t even scratch it.

Then Zod and Splitz both strike the Golem’s chest and it crumbles to rubble!

Just the Automat to go; now the Golem is down, Zod and Splitz move across to it. Anya is still struggling to regain her feet. Nadya backs out of that fight and runs round to see to me and Najinski.

The Automat shoots Tatiana in the head, which hurt, but she still parries its sword and Zod parries its mace. Then Tatiana hits it in the head and Zod takes a lump out of its leg. Anya barely touches it, still prone as she is, but Splitz middles its belly with a massive blow and suddenly it crashes to the floor – it’s still going but it’s much reduced.

Nadya binds Najinski’s wounds. Anya is finally back on her feet. The Automat shoots at Tatiana but misses. Zod executes a beautiful parry of its sword; Splitz parries its mace less beautifully but it’s still effective. Zod hits it hard in the chest. Splitz and Anya also hit but do little damage.

Nadya heals Najinski’s head. As he comes round, she moves across to me.

Zod parries the Automat, which batters his shield. Then Tatiana smashes it in the chest…

…And the Automat explodes!

Shrapnel flies across the room, hitting Anya in the belly, Zod in the arm, Nadya in the leg, Najinski in the guts and me in the right leg. Tatiana is hit but her armour saves her. Splitz is hit in the head but it’s just a scratch.

With the sentinels vanquished, they start wrangling the door. Since the chains of office have not proved useful, the openers ask all of us to lend a hand. I only find out about this when Nadya Heals my head (she says I was nearly dead, bleeding from wounds in my head, arm and both legs) and I limp over to help out. I spot a bit where a certain bolt fits with a certain hole, leaving just one.

We all get back in the alcove, save for Anya, Tatiana and Nadya. Then Anya does something, cogs grind, there’s three loud thuds and the mechanical doors swing open!

The three openers call out that they can sense series of suits of metal armour on stands down both walls of a broad passage leading in to darkness. Just inside each door is a small stool, occupied by cowled figures. That on the left suddenly sprints away into the darkness, while the other moves to the centre of the doorway, one hand lifted in a calming gesture.

Then, lights are lit in the distance. A few minutes later a figure approaches up the passage, flanked by two flunkies and backed by a host of zombies. The figure wears robes of a very fine black cloth and an iron crown!

One of his lackeys carries a severed head carried in a glass jar full of liquid. The black figure scans the three openers, noting their chains of office, and gestures to the flunky with the head. Said flunky pulls the head out, still dripping, while the other produces a hand-bellows, which he fits into the underside of the head. Then he works the bellows and the head speaks…!

“Who might you be? You who wear the emblem of Singidun. I take it the Empire has fallen?” Evidently the head is speaking for the crowned figure. Anya confirms the Empire has fallen. The head asks, “…To the Chaotic evils of Selene?” She says ‘yes’, then it introduces himself as “Djew El-Wildëa, scourge of Chaos!”

Anya produces her credentials. The crowned figure scans them. “So, you represent the Imperatritza? This offer made on her behalf is acceptable. We shall once again be the bane of the Selenites.”

He asks for a short period to muster his forces. Anya warns him the way out is plagued by traps but he’s happy to ‘waste a few zombies on the way’. He asks her to show him round the complex.

About six hours later, we’re all outside a couple of hours after dark – I never thought I’d be so glad to see the stars.

Djew’s forces turn out to be 30-40 wights, lyches and similar plus four or five hundred other undead! He refers to the head with the bellows as, ‘the Mouth of Djew” – it was once his secretary!

He advises Anya that he’s not as ‘extreme’ as some of his fellows from ‘the old times’. Djew is very grateful for being freed and gifts her with his mace, a handsome thing made of fossilised bone – he tells her it is baned against Selenites!

He asks if we still use money; while Anya mumbles something about capitalism, he throws her a pouch of gem which Tatiana later values at 2800 groats.

Windnight to Moonnight, Harmonyweek, Seaseason, 611

So we go back to the river. We camp during the days but the undead army does not rest, which is just as well because they are a little slow. Djew assures Anya that he’s following the instructions given in her letter.

We experience no trouble in reaching the River – strangely, no one wants to mess with several hundred undead, though I’ve heard this part of the Moonguard borders is rife with Humakti. Someone says they’ve spotted a squadron of wyverns; I don’t see them but I wouldn’t be surprised if Moonguard has sent aerial reconnaissance – I would if I were them.

As we reach the river, three vessels rise out of the waters – all have rotten timbers, shredded sails and are covered in waterweed. Someone says they’re from Davey Jones locker – sunken ships called from the deeps. Djew assures us they will bear all of us across the River. He will then leave us because he has specific instructions to go to a special place.

He once more thanks us for releasing him from centuries of incarceration and importunes us that, when we die, we should do so in his presence, for he thinks we all look very fit… (He doesn’t say for what but I can guess.) Until then, he wishes us long and fruitful lives…

Moonnight, Harmonyweek to Firenight, Deathweek, Seaseason, 611

Once over the River, we head home, with Anya giving us pointers on how to read and write Darkik. While on the way we cast lots for the Power crystal, which goes to Tatiana, and for the red bean we got from the Broo, of which Splitz is the lucky winner. We all get a lot of cash once we sell the gems, which I spend on upgrading my armour.

Mother welcomes us and congratulates us on completing our mission so successfully. Naturally, I bask in her approval but, while I tell no one, I have a sinking feeling in my heart. With all the traps, barriers, automata and demons defending his prison, the release of Djew must have triggered a spate of visions and Divinations all over Moonguard, Freetown and Sunbury. There will be repercussions…

…and I don’t like undead! Nadya was very quiet on the way back, I don’t think she likes them either.