Quest for the Lyre of Orphaeo

[Philomel]

Securing her sword in its sheath against her side, Philomel readied herself. Fists clenching and unclenching she breathed in as she looked around her. By her side Breaker stood, equal in prowess and in tension, and trusted beyond all measure.

Before them, admist the pale red and grey trees, was a low-lying building. Unimpressive at first glance, it had no place amongst the Red Forest, yet had harmlessly merged with the vegetation. Strong vines grew up its single-storey walls, then onto the tiled roof. Spare, ugly flowers burst into bloom at corners and on the verge, as if attempting to fill the world with joy, yet not quite having the personal enthusiasm to do so. The entrance was an arched, doorless gloom, and beyond that nobody could honestly know. Overall the building, nestled within the forest, had the doomed appearance of an aged tomb, a constructed barrow of terrifying delights, and were it not for the plain wording above the doorway that read, 'ORPHAEO,' Philomel would have guessed they were in the wrong place.

A flickering movement beyond, and the faun tugged Breaker deeper back amongst the cover of trees. The tomb was not so much built within a clearing as it had been shoved amongst the trees already there, and thus there were shadows aplenty around. It meant that the two warriors, plus their vulpine companion, could approach from a covered sighting.

Philomel crouched lower now, Veridian smoothly taking a place between her hooves. From the darkness of the area behind the tomb a shadow moved, lumbering slow. With baited breath she waited, Breaker close by, as the being, or beast, continued. Dim beneath the tree cover it was not certain who or what it could be. The form was somewhat difficult to make out, as if it was actually made from shadows itself, and so it took time beyond minutes as the companions waited.

Slowly ... finally, the form became real, stepping out from the gloom. And as it did, a lump formed in Philomel's throat, as ugly and as uncomfortable as a dead baby in a womb. Her body tensed, and very slowly she turned back to Breaker, catching his eyes with hers. Catching it, as another creature came, and then another with that. Three definite beasts that were horribly, horribly familiar. Beasts that skulked around the tomb entrance and roared with a low, dark rumble in the back of their throats.

Very slowly, she mouthed the word.

"Maul."

With as much unease as her own, Breaker nodded. Veridian slunk back against her, his tail between his legs. Silence fell between them all - stark, utter silence, that was eclipsed with a horror full of ages past. And it was not good. It was not light.

Nor was it delightful.

~*~

From the entrance of the tomb there was a ramp that began. It was a sharply descending, slightly twisting tunnel that led deep into the earth. Long was it, and lit by nothing but the natural light emanating from a trail of glowworms and fireflies grouping in their nests. Sometimes the flies would be spiralling in swarms, lighting the path in a brillance of glory, and other times there was no way of light save for a distant shimmer.

No-One, however, had other ways of illuminating their path. With her gloved hand outstretched before her she willed a small orb of white intensity. Floating above the heads of her and Feardon it provided the way with which to see by. Feardon noticed the individual rocks in the walls of the tunnel, and saw the few skulls littered about. He noticed the cobbles that made up the ground, placed their by whatever smiths had built the tomb in the first place, and also small written inscriptions on the walls. As they walked he picked out a few: "Take me home," "I am free," and, "life is an adventure."

Finally they descended into a flatter floor and the tunnel ended. Instead the space now expanded out into a huge, natural cavern. No-One's orb floated gently upwards at her command as she gave a flick of her wrist - and then it brightened up. Like a minature sun it pulsated gently, glowing more with each new beat. From where they stood a raised area extended out, a sort of natural stone dyke, surrounded by a sea of rocks. The platform drew away from the tunnel for a long thirty metres ahead - then it ended. And at its end there was a stone altar.

"We are here," No-One finally spoke out. "We are finally here."

Feardon looked over to her, his hands around the hilt of his mattock tightening. He breathed slowly in, eyes wandering around the collosal cave.

"We are," he said quietly.

Slowly, she turned around to him. Her singular eyes were glowing with a joy quite unlike any other, and beneath her mask she smiled, slowly.

"I will thank you, my companion, for coming here with me. You have been very helpful so far."

Feardon nodded slowly. He watched as her hand twisted, and the orb that lit their way twirled around.

"Yeah," he mumbled, "I wasn' too sure when ye summoned those Mauls from the fores', but I guess i' got you here."

Her eyes glinted, "it got us here, Feardon, and that is what important."

Confused at her sudden inclusion of his importance the barbarian paused, but nodded back, a small gesture in terms of it all. "Yeah, I guess. Us ..."

"Exactly," she nodded, now curling her hand into a light fist. The orb floated down, lower, making the light around them dim, and her appearance be lit by a more unearthly, uplit resonance. Feardon watched with cautious eyes. "Exactly." Underneath the mask, she slowly grinned. "Exactly. Us."

His eyes widened as he watched the fist suddenly tighten. Then close. The light shot out, straight at him, and it was the last thing he saw. It was the last thing he did. Feardon the barbarian fell, down, the orb becoming physical on contact and able to hit straight through him, outwards at the back. Blood splattered, the world went dark, leaving him to hear the last thing to his ears a dark, empty laugh.