5. Escape

The Datolhhem hissed and bared its fangs dripping with poison.

                 “Alright, Haldemoth,” said Zenith, “you may have healed my arm, but I will kill you. You are a vile creature.”

                 “Hah!!!” the Datolhhem laughed. “A vile creature? Datolhhems are one of the most majestic and ancient races alive! We used to be considered gods to everyone.”

                 “Well, not anymore!” Zenith said. “Everyone used to think Datolhhems were extinct. But I guess not.”

                 “Extinct? No…definitely not. Datolhhems prefer to live secluded in the mountains. There is a large breed of them over in those mountains near Wartlaht. They are hidden away in the mountains and are considered great royalty in Wartlaht,” the Datolhhem said. “I am King there. King Wafrohx. I am like the highest deity there, and everyone wishes to do my bidding. I am a legend among people.”

                 “Well, Wafrohx, see how your people like you, when they find out that you were defeated by…” he stopped talking. He could hear rustling coming from near other houses. It was dark, but, as usual, he could see perfectly. Suddenly, a blood-curdling screech erupted from the nearest house, and Zenith saw a large, red-winged creature with a long barbed tail that ended in a burst of flame crash out of the roof. He heard more howls and saw more of the flame-tailed creatures erupt from the houses around him. The first monster circled around the house and spotted Zenith, Grith and the Datolhhem. Zenith saw flaming malice in its eyes as it streaked down toward them. Wafrohx hissed and then suddenly started growing and growing until he was the size of a mountain giant. He towered over his own house and grabbed at the flame-being.

                 “Z-Z-Zenith…” Zenith heard Grith groan from beside him. “Th-those are In-I-Infernal D-D-Demons of the Ab-Aby-Abyss.”

                 “How do you know?” Zenith asked his poisoned father.

                 “You forget that y-y-your grandfather was o-one of the m-mo-most mighty f-f-fighters ever. H-he told me many m-monster stories,” moaned Grith.

                 “Well, it looks like King Wazzlewuzzle has them under control,” said Zenith with a forced grin.

                 Zenith looked up at King Wafrohx. The demons were flying around him, breathing fire and lashing at him with their claws. Every time one went really close, Wafrohx would bat at it and send it reeling off.

                 “Zenith, n-now’s our ch-ch-chance. We can es-esc-e-escape,” groaned Grith.

                 “But what about you?” Zenith asked.

                 “I think I can stand up,” said Grith. “Th-that poison w-was temporary. I-I’m getting over it.”

                 “Well, let’s go,” Zenith said. They silently ran off into the center of town. When they reached the middle of the town, they crouched by a building in the shadows.

                 “How did Infernal Demons of the Abyss get into this town?” Zenith asked Grith.

                 “That’s what I was thinking, but I’m pretty sure I know,” Grith answered.

                 “How?”

                 “I think that they have the Idota curse,” said Grith. “Remember when we first came here, and it was night?”

                 “Yes.”

                 “And we saw the fire in the window, but it didn’t look like candlelight?”

                 “Yes.”

                 “Well, I was thinking about that when we went to sleep, and while I was sleeping, a heard one of those bloodcurdling shrieks,” said Grith. “I thought it was just from a dream I had, but the shrieks from just now match it exactly.”

                 “How does someone get the Idota curse?” asked Zenith.

                 “That’s hard to explain, but I’ll try,” said Grith. “Okay…the way people get the Idota curse is if someone in the town dies, and they are sent to Hell.”

                 “That’s it?” asked Zenith.

                 “No,” said Grith. “So the evil person is sent to Hell, but nobody knows about…except evil Necromancers and people like that, but…if the person was sent to Hell, then they are punished by facing their worst nightmare 24/7…” He paused as a Demon flew out over the building, scanned the ground, and then went back to the fight.

                 “But,” Grith continued, “if a person sent to Hell disobeys The Devil, and he does it multiple times, The Devil becomes angry, and he casts a curse upon the town from which the person came, and the curse is that they become Infernal slaves of The Devil every time the moon is out. It’s sort of like a type of lycanthropy.”

                 “So what happens while they are Infernal slaves of The Devil?” Zenith questioned.

                 “The Devil controls your mind from Hell, and makes you do terrible things, such as pillaging villages and destroying towns,” Grith said.

                 Suddenly, the house they were crouching by smashed, and they saw the body of one of the Demons lying amongst the rubble. They looked up and saw King Wafrohx looking down at them, his evil eyes boring holes in them.

                 “Run!” Grith shouted.

                 “What about you?” Zenith asked.

                 “I’ll be fine!!! I need to get our weapons!! Now run!!” Grith shouted.

                 “There’s no time!” Zenith yelled. “They may be the family heirloom, but we can’t risk taking the chance of getting them!”

                 “Too late!!” They heard Wafrohx hiss from above them. They saw him bring his massive foot down onto his house. It crumbled as if he was stepping on an anthill.

                 “Run!!” Grith and Zenith said together. They raced through the village, not aware of where they were going. They dodged past tree after tree and house after house, all the while hearing King Wafrohx’s loud footfalls behind them. Finally they reached a large, rocky area.

                 “I have an idea!!” shouted Grith over Wafrohx’s footsteps. “Climb!!!!”

                 Zenith started climbing as fast as he could. Finally he reached the top. He heard Grith climb up behind him.

                 “Help me push this big rock onto all the other rocks!!” Grith told Zenith.

                 “But that’ll create…an avalanche,” Zenith said as he realized what his father’s plan was. He helped Grith push the colossal rock down onto the other rocks. It rolled down the slope, bringing all the other rocks with it. The big one crashed into Wafrohx first, then all the other ones. Zenith and Grith started climbing and climbing. They heard a gargantuan crash, and looked down. Down below them was King Wafrohx’s form, slowly shrinking into his normal size, then, with a puff of green smoke, Haldemoth’s scraped and banged-up body reappeared. Then one final big rock rolled to a stop in front of him. Then, as though pushed by an unseen force, it rolled forward and crushed Haldemoth’s body.

                 “Whew,” they both said.

                 “We can’t risk staying in this town any longer, Zenith. We’ll have to go through these mountains,” said Grith. They climbed up the mountain until they reached the top. At the top, they both looked around to see the landscape. In front of them were more mountains as far as they could see. To the left of them they saw a large mound of boulders. But when they looked to the right…

                 “Dad, look!” Zenith pointed to a large rocky outcrop. “That has some sort of door in it. Maybe we can pass through the mountain in there.”

                 “Well, we could give it a try. There might be more Datolhhems on the mountain, and I don’t want to see one for at least another day,” said Grith. They walked over to the door and knocked. Nothing happened.

                 “Well, I guess we can just go in,” said Zenith. They pushed with all their might until the door squeaked open. Inside was pitch black except for a torch at the end of a long stone hallway. They walked part way inside.

                 “Well, I guess it looks safe. Of course, we’ll need a torch,” said Grith.

                 Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind them, and a voice that echoed off the walls said,

                 “Welcome to the Kaalzaar mountainsss. Now that you are in, you shall not passs through.”
4. Thaltraw << | Contents | >> 6. The Kaalzaar Mountains