3
Snowy Confessions
Furryclaws and Jake entered the cave to BlackBurrow quietly. Slowly they made their way in unnoticed. For Furryclaws it was easy, he was after all a Vah Shir, a slender, cat like people who knew how to sneak very well. No invisibility spell was needed here.
Growls could be heard from within BlackBurrow. Gnolls were stationed nearly everywhere, so sneaking was a bit difficult but manageable.
Jake wandered his own path, also unseen, for he remembered that gnolls, whom were dog like, hated tigers and attacked them no matter the consequence.
Furryclaws always liked the beauty of the dungeon. It had an opening to the sky, which was still dark over head, with a beautiful view of Luclin, Furryclaws’s home land. The dungeon was tranquil, if you tuned out the ever growling gnolls, for it had a water fall that ran all the way down to the bottom of the dungeon. Furryclaws made his way past the patrolling gnoll and into a cave section that lead to Everfrost Peaks.
Furryclaws looked around, searching for a hint of orange and black, the color of Jake. Not seeing any he then turned around, facing back to the cave opening. All he saw were three gnolls, one with a rusty spear in one hand, and the others, which were weaponless. Finally Furryclaws turned back and there Jake was, swimming in the stream that led to the water fall.
“Sheesh, you wait till now to take a bath?” Furryclaws whispered sarcastically.
Furryclaws , wanted to call his warder by name, but that would attract unwanted attention. Furryclaws took out his spell book from his belt pouch and memorized his summon companion spell, highly one of his favorite spells.
Silently Furryclaws said the spells name, at least as silently as he could, and be hold, energy began to rise from his hands.
Jake swam silently, enjoying the chilly water as it passed by him and he searched for any lone fish to tackle. When all of a sudden, a stream of energy balls encircled him and a bright light flashed, and the next thing he knew, he was soaking wet and standing right next to his companion, Furry.
Jake let out a hiss of displeasure, but he wasn’t too mad.
Furryclaws began to say something but barking could be heard from all over. The gnolls, began to gather around the two cat-like intruders, and they began to show their teeth while growling and snarling.
Furryclaws could easily take down at least thirty three gnolls himself and his warder the same, but he had hoped to go by unnoticed.
“Oh well!” Furryclaws exclaimed, and his shoulders shrugged. Then out came his fists, which were all he needed here.
Jake understood the call and he jumped out and clawed two little gnoll pups to get himself started. He was being hit with rusty weapons, but he hardly felt them, Jake was twice or more the size of any gnoll present, with at least three times the strength. In the span of three minutes, Jake had slain twenty gnolls, and even though more were coming from deeper down in the dungeon, Jake never cared a bit.
Furryclaws began on the defensive, as most of the gnolls went for him, especially the ones with weapons, but Furryclaws blocked and dodged better than the best, only letting few shots hit him directly. His offense was mainly counters on attacks on him. But soon that changed, as he began to get a feel for the fight. Letting his fists do the talking, he was slaying around twenty two gnolls about every two minutes.
Soon the minutes began to drag on and more and more gnolls kept coming out from beneath the dungeon. Jake was starting to feel the pain, but Furryclaws kept him healed up really well. Furryclaws was still performing amazingly, not slowing down a bit.
The gnolls were being totally depleted, and they didn’t have the force to compare to the beastlord and warder. The gnoll guardsman were hardly getting any hits in on the swift animist and the commanders were too few in numbers to fully help out and tire out this savage combo.
Gnoll bodies were everywhere and were starting to limit the space Furryclaws had to dodge around with. Furryclaws was thinking that they had killed them all, and he began to slow down his body. Until, four elite gnolls, whom were very large compared to their brethren, stepped up from the rising piles of corpses.
Barking was coming, and one of them said. “You have ruined your own lands, you will not ruin mine!”
“Ruined my own lands?” Furryclaws thought, “Have you even been to Luclin?”
The four elite guards attacked all together. Jake leaped up and pounced on one of them and bit down hard on it’s neck. The other three came in quickly on Furryclaws. Furryclaws had a little trick to play, and he cast flash of light on one of them, blinded it and it turned and ran. The other two came in quickly, Furryclaws held up his arms and got ready to block. The two elite gnolls hit with all they had, and to their credit, they hit the hardest of any gnoll Furryclaws had faced that day. But, also to their discredit, it still wasn’t enough. Furryclaws unleashed his fury out on them and they were slain quickly. Jake finished slaying the one he had, and the one that was blinded, got his sight back in time in witness his friends’ death. The now lone elite gave out a howl. Almost immediately, every gnoll began to file back in deep back into the dungeon. The only living things on the top floor of the dungeon were Furryclaws and Jake. After looting the many, many corpses they found the passage that led to Everfrost Peaks and left quietly, well after of course a celebration hug after a job well done!
They followed the twisting and dark cave passage way leading down to the snowy fields of Everfrost quickly. They spotted a few gnolls along the way, but were sneaky enough to go unnoticed.
The passage through the snow was very uneventful, slow, and of course cold! They followed the ways around the high peaks and valley ways as Furryclaws was shown the first time he came here.
Furryclaws, growing tired, decided to make camp and gain rest. He waited for the winds to die down a bit, then he pitched a tent for him and Jake. They slept for hours, partially warm in the thick bear skin blankets they carried.
When they awoke it was daylight, but the winds had died down some. They didn’t even stop for breakfast, they just packed up and headed back down the valley.
Soon Furryclaws led the way unto a fire place with two very stout barbarian guardsmen, wielding big claymores with one arm. They were standing at the bottom of a large ramp, which led to the pathway to Halas. Furryclaws knew these guardsman some what, not by name but he recognized there faces.
“Hail!” Furryclaws shouted, with a smile on his face and a hand in the air.
“Hail, Furry!” Both guardsmen shouted back together. “We have been expecting you!”
“I am here, it’s been a journey.” Furryclaws replied as he walked up the ramp. “I am here seeking Kyma—“
“Yes we know my friend, Kymac MacMohen is expecting you!” said one of the guardsmen. “Hurry to him, he dearly wishes you present!”
“Present?” Furryclaws whispered to himself as he reached the top of the ramp.
Furryclaws made his way past the merchant barbarian ladies and he walked down the frosty corridor to Halas.
As Furryclaws made his way around the tunnel he came to a bed of water, with a boat docked. Furryclaws looked down to where Jake was standing, whom passed by the guards unnoticed.
“Well, I know your not using the boat!” Furryclaws teased.
Jake then jumped and plunged into the water, and Furryclaws shortly followed and they both swam up to the next dock and surprised the barbarian crowed as they dried off with a frenzied shake.
The city of Halas wasn’t spectacular looking, but it was easily defendable and pretty simple. The right pathway led directly to the merchants, black smiths and pubs. The left pathway led to the bank, then the lonely priest of discord. It then leads to homes and shaman and beastlord guides.
Furryclaws took the left pathway, and walked it until he found Kymac’s house. Furryclaws dusted the snow off his shoulders and gave Jake a pet, then proceeded to knock on the wooden door that led into Kymac’s den. *Knock* Knock* Knock*
“Who is it?” spoke a shivering voice, sounding sick.
“It is Furryclaws Strongpaws, Vah Shir beastlord, whom seeks the great Kymac MacMohen!” Furryclaws spoke proudly.
“Furry my dear friend!” Kymac shouted, but still he sounded very weak. “Please come in!”
Furryclaws opened the door, only to see his great friend and mentor, laying down on a bed soaked with blood, and a stench of urine in the air.
“KYMAC!!” Furryclaws shouted at the first sight of it all. “What happened to you my friend?”
Kymac held his hand up in the air to hush Furryclaws. He pointed to a chair and his expression told Furryclaws to sit down. Out of pure respect for the barbarian he did just that.
“I am dying Furry,” Kymac started, “I am sick and old, and I don’t have much time.
Furryclaws began to shed tears, for Kymac was like a brother to Furryclaws after all, a mentor, and friend.
Kymac sat up, as much as it hurt him, and used is staff to slam the door shut.
“Now listen here Furry,” Kymac whispered aloud. “I need you to take this stone to weapon master Rahoul is Shar Vahl. He will tell you where to go from there, I am too old now and my time is up!”
“What is this for?” Furryclaws whimpered as he took the stone from Kymac.
“It is perfect acrylia ore my friend.” Kymac explained. “It will be used to make one of the greatest weapons a beastlord can wield.”
Kymac stood up high, using his staff to stay up right. Furryclaws stood up as well.
“Life begins and it ends Furryclaws…” Kymac explained as he re opened the door, and motioned Furry to follow, Jake did as well. “I will be gone soon, but I need a favor from you.”
Furryclaws followed silently and listened.
“A great evil is here on Norrath, something more powerful than anything you can ever imagine. All races and classes will team up together and fight this evil, for the right to exist on Norrath.” Kymac said and then smiled. “Furryclaws, I need you to lead them! I am too old and I will not be around forever. Will you lead the beastlords of this world for me friend? Please my friend?”
Furryclaws felt the pain of the news, both of the near death of his friend and the extreme evil he will soon face. There was no doubt whether he would help him friend out, there is only the pain and grief of accepting that Kymac will die.
“Yes I will.” Furryclaws whimpered, then he went into a total sob and cried in his hands for hours, even after Kymac took him back into his house.
Soon it became dusk, and Kymac laid back down on his bed, fading fast he was when he saw Furryclaws come over.
“I will not fail my friend, I will lead the beastlords and deliver the ore as you request. I will miss you my friend.” As Furryclaws finished his statement he put his hand on Kymac’s head, where it stayed until Kymac passed.
Furryclaws cried for sometime, then he buried his friend in the Halas graveyard and had the blacksmith create the biggest tombstone ever built in Halas, which stands tall and strong still today.
Furryclaws couldn’t stay long in Halas, he couldn’t take all the memories. He packed up everything he needed and hit pathways of snow, with Jake by his side.
They headed back to luclin, to break the news of Kymac’s death to the Vah Shir beastlords, and the news of the great evil on Norrath.
My journey is never ending. Just when I have a handle on things something throws me off. I have news of tremendous evil coming to Norrath. I wonder who else knows besides me. I will never forget Kymac, whom helped me be the best I could be. I will visit every beastlords guild starting with the Shar Vahl one. I will become the journeymen of the beastlord class, and I will spread all that I can, urging them to fight on my side. I am to become a great leader of my people. Will I bring us to victory? Or will I fail? I will not fail!!!
--Furryclaws Strongpaws