Shades of Grey
Chapter 38: The Cave City

ACAVIA— MAY 1843

Forma and I followed the Treptik clan for what felt like years. We leapt over fallen trees, trekking through thick marshes and navigating twisting dirt roads until finally we arrived at their camp: a thick stone wall surrounding a vast, wide entrance to a dark cave. Forma and I took shelter in a thick brush along the edge of the forest as the Treptik guards broke through the forest and crossed a large field that stood before the cave.

“Forma, can you see inside the cave?” I asked, watching them drag the poor girl across the field.

“Give me a moment,” Forma replied, changing into a snake and slithering through the field towards the cave.

I waited patiently as she followed the guards into the cave, wondering if I was assuming the worst. Yet again Forma was going ahead to tell me what was waiting for me. I had a sudden strange sense that I was cheating. I would have to stop doing this in the future. Perhaps I would go ahead to scout for Forma…

I cried out suddenly as something closed around my foot and lifted me off the ground, holding me upside down in front of a very large eye.

“WHO ARE YOU?!” roared the great creature who, from what I could discern upside down, was an incredibly large and battle-scarred Treptik, his horrid red eyes filled with predatory anger. I actually feared for a moment he would eat me if I did not respond.

“I’m no one, I swear!”

“Why are you spying on the Treptik camp?” he spat, literally.

“I’m not spying. I was simply passing through on my way to Vikka…”

The large Treptik roared and held me closer to his eye, inspecting me with the precision of a sentry.

“Why do you need a Vanguard?”

He snorted, blowing my hair and my cape backwards with brute force. Quickly, I formulated a plan.

“Vengeance,” I answered honestly. In the span of a few seconds, I reached up and withdrew my unlit Flamesword before slicing easily into the beast’s hand. He reflexively released me and I easily flipped to land on my feet, observing the giant Treptik fully.

He stood at least 20 foot high, his bulging muscles littered with battle scars and something that looked like a skin disease. Patchy, rotten armor covered some of his extremities but his bare midsection showed several tribal tattoos and splotches of strange jaundice: he was the picture of feral strength, and I had just angered him.

“You are a Hunter?” he asked, nodding to my Flamesword.

I ignited it and he took this as a yes.

“Then I’m going to enjoy this even more.”

He took several lumbering steps towards me, preparing to slam his large, bleeding hands down over me, but I ran behind him just as he did. The forest shook under the blow.

“What was that?” Forma asked.

“I’ve got company out here. Could use your help if you’ve got a moment,” I replied, dodging another blow from the Treptik sentry.

“I’ll do my best, but things are not so great in here. They’ve got hundreds of captive slaves working their machines.”

I leapt over the sentry Treptik and landed on the ground behind him, right as he attempted to sideswipe me.

“That’s terrible but not unusual,” I replied, blocking the sentry’s attack as he tried to crush me with his large mace.

“Grey, I think these might be the lost population of Cambrian Elves.”

I was so shocked I actually froze for a moment, allowing the sentry plenty of time to whip his large hand backwards and propel me into a tree.

The Cambrian Elves had been missing for at least five hundred years from their home in the Elf city of Baile. They were well hidden in the hills of Ireland, but a mysterious force attacked them one winter morning. It was never uncovered exactly who the opposing force was, for the entire city of Baile was gone the next morning: every inhabitant, every building, every parasite had vanished. If Forma was right, we had an enormous opportunity to put to rest a mystery that has baffled Hunters for generations.

“Are you sure?” I said, running up the length of the sentry’s arm and slicing at his fat neck.

“No, but I can replace out.”

I landed on the other side of the sentry with confidence, excited that Forma and I could possibly solve the mystery of the Cambrian Elves. I would be rememebered for centuries for this…

With a newfound energy coursing through me, I prepared to deliver the final strike, but the sentry raised his arms and swung towards me, knocking me powerfully to the left and propelling me into another tree. The entire forest rattled with the force of the blow and I crumpled to the floor along with several branches from the forest canopy that had been knocked loose.

I stood slowly, gasping for breath. The waves of pain from my bruised ribs turned into waves of angry energy and soon I began running towards the sentry, loading my crossbow and letting three arrows fly as I leapt over his huge hulking form once more.

The sentry let out another roar of pain as the arrows pierced his neck and, irritatingly enough, the shock of such a sound caused me to trip upon landing. I rolled over twice and stood just as he slammed a huge mace down against the ground where I had landed only moments before.

I dodged the mace as fast as my legs would allow me, causing the sentry to fumble in confusion as he struggled to replace me.

I ran even faster, determined to make him so dizzy he could not even grunt. I turned and prepared to deliver the final strike to the sentry, but before I could, I felt a hot arrow pierce my shoulder and within seconds I was unconscious.