Chapter 15 ( Into the Salt Mines )

Meanwhile back in Kansas……..

Kerari and her younger sister were camping just east of the salt mines. Firelight lit their faces as they discussed the day ahead. Kerari heard a sound in the woods behind them and turned quickly, shifting effortlessly, camouflaging herself silently and slinked back into the darkness to investigate the noise. Sniffing her way back about a hundred yards she could make out a small fire burning low and issuing no smoke. 

Stalking closer she saw Valudaz sitting at the fire reading the small journal in his hands and wiping tears from his eyes. He had been reading a poem his late wife had written after she had lost their child. How sorrowful she had been losing him and then losing their baby. Now it seems it was he who had lost them both. The beautiful elf’s heart went out to this elf whom she knew from so long ago. Valudaz could still draw her to him like a moth to a flame, without even knowing he had done so. Will he ever know she exists? She wondered why Goddess had put her in his path if they were not supposed to meet again. They had so much fun as children in the grove. They had been the best of friends, they shared everything even though he was older there were not that many children in the grovre and well someone had to play with the younger ones. As she grew older they grew more intimate. Shaking it off and backing away slowly she stepped on a twig and he turned his head to see what made the noise. 

Seeing nothing he turned his head back to the journal and began reading more. Kerari went back to their fire and spoke lightly.” There is another elf on the other side of the woods in a small clearing. He seems to be harmless, It looks like Valudaz Stormyst.  Ok sis, let’s just get ready to go into the mines." she said as she continued Reaching down she picking up her rucksack . Kerari began ruffling through it, looking for something and trying to hide the tears that threatened to fall. Looking up at her from the fire, Sherari spoke quickly.” Ker, I need something to keep my ability to heal you when you get hurt. You know It is difficult to heal you when I am in cat form. If there were something you had that could just help me maybe sling it sideways while in a battle. That alone would shave minutes off and keep me from having to resurrect you.” Kerari looked up from her bag and pulled three bottle of purple goo looking bottles and said.” Here, use this when you need it do not drink it , rub it on my wound or anyone's wound and  it will flash burn heal it. It is a bit painful but it does do the job quite effectively. Do you remember those old packages of quick clot we found in that old ambulance ten years ago? Well I broke the compounds down to a few things then mixed them into this goo. Ok grab your bag and let’s get into the mine, it is a long way down to the bottom chambers.”

 The girls tossed their packs over their shoulders and Kerari sheathed her blades while Sherari slung her staff over her shoulder while heading across the clearing nearby. Tattered signs pointed the way to the underground salt museum. Many years had passed but the museum had still retained its structural integrity. However, some evil things had taken up residence below in the tunnels where the salt deposits of the ancient Permian sea once was. The ancient Americans seemed to think the salt mines could preserve the artifacts and keep them at a constant temperature allowing  the pieces to slow down natural decomposition.

The girls came close to the entrance and heard the howling of wolves drawing closer to them. Kerari unsheathed her sword and dagger and dropped into a battle stance while her sister pulled her staff and began to spin it lightly. The alpha female advanced towards them with the pack surrounding the beautiful elves. Back to back they turned watching the wolves step closer and closer. Suddenly, the alpha female snarled and lunged for Kerari . Deftly,  she slipped sideways and pounced on her back stabbing her dagger into the wolfs ribs and instantly releasing. She pushed off the wolf  and she flipped backward off her back into a run. The wolf snapped wildly in the air trying to grab the elf and bite down but they were both too quick for her. 

Kerari spun quickly around as her sister began to twirl the staff knocking  the wolves back from her . They all emitted angry whelps of pain. The wolves advanced again with relentless ferocity as if they hadn't eaten in twenty years. Sherarie shifted effortlessly into her tiger form and began slashing with her claws and tearing at them with her teeth while her sister slashed at them with her sword and dagger. Few minutes of fighting passed and the two sisters stood in the middle of a pile of thirteen dead wolves. The druid sniffed loudly and shifted into her elven form and began skinning the wolves and taking their teeth and claws to use in her leather working and jewelry making. " I am sure someone can or will have use of these at some point. I am thinking of taking the hair off these hide and making them soft and supple. I think the only one Ill work with the fur in is the alphas." She said matter of factly as she leaned down , a section of hair fell forward over her shoulder  as she  cut the alpha female’s front paws off and handed them to her sister who deftly tossed them into her pack and shouldered it and both headed towards the front doors of the museum.

The ladies stepped through the broken rubble of glass and metal and advanced towards the metal doors that blocked the way to the descent into madness. Kerari slid her pack off and opened the flap. Reaching in her pulled out a bag of lock picks and began working on the lock while Sherari stood watch ready to strike at a moments notice. Quickly, the lock was opened and the doors were opened with a grind of rust and dust. The girls shoved the doors with a great amount of pressure to get it open enough for them to slip through into the darkness beyond.

Sherari opened her pack in the dark and pulled out a bottle of phosphorescent goo and rubbed some onto the jewel atop her staff and held it out before her. The light emanated before them lighting the way down a wide corridor about twenty feet across heading in a slight downward slope. Remnants of a train track rusted now beyond repair led the way into the depths of the mine. She had gleaned the phosphorescent good from fish in the ocean.

Meanwhile Valudaz sat up and began packing his bag placing Alitha’s journal into the depths. Cinching up the neck of the bag he slung it over his shoulder and sheathed Excalibur onto his waist sheath and began to stomp out his fire. Turning, he walked through the woods to the clearing and headed towards the mine muttering to himself. Near the entrance of the mine he saw a pile of freshly killed wolves and wondered who had killed them. Shrugging it off slightly he made his way to the doorway and found the metal doors had been picked and stood open for him. He pushed the doors a little more to open slightly  more to allow his large frame through the doorway and passed into the darkness beyond. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and could see a soft light about three hundred yards down the corridor and realized ultimately that he was not alone.

The girls stopped to rest for a moment and get their bearings. Sherari sat her back down slightly and felt a stone slip and click. Kerari stopped short and listened quietly holding her hand up for Sherari to be still. “ Damn it sis, you popped a trap.” Listening intently they could hear slight shuffling and squelching sound coming out of a room midway down the corridor from where they were. Sherari lifted her staff high and could see slight shadows of something moving their way. Looking harder, they could see puckwudgies thought to be an ancient Native American legend

. However, apparently not a legend but something seemed a bit off. They didn’t move like something alive they moved as if they were dead. As they advanced closer the girls could see the little men were all but vestigial skeletal remains moving as if powered by a marionette. They could see little nanobots glistening in the light of the goo hurrying around the skeletal remains to keep the creature moving until the last of the muscle falls away leaving just a heap of bone. Both readied themselves to strike and began cutting their heads off and watching the headless skeletons fall to the ground. The stench of death permeated the air as the girls fought the ancient creatures." Ker, kick the skulls away from the body so the nanobots can't cinch it back together. That shit was the craziest vaccine ever. I don't know how the world even made it through this. How much you wanna bet one day we will meet someone who hasn't rotted to hell and back , still alive running around like it was 2020." Sherari shouted over her shoulder.

Valudaz hearing the scuffle, began to sprint down the corridor and came upon the two women fighting off the beasts. The little things just kept advancing in a relentless force. Suddenly! There was a bright flash of light knocking back the front of the pack. Looking over her shoulder in shock was the elf she followed. Kerari yelled quickly, “Get the one off my sister!” Daz quickly moved and slammed it off of Sherrie’s back with the broad side of Excalibur as it lit the darkness. Sherarie shifted back to elven form and began slinging her staff wildly about knocking heads off of the creatures quickly. Ten minutes passed and the three got the last few down and stood there struggling to breathe. Kerari stood up and breathed deeply then spoke quickly.” Thank you Daz, Good to see you your Royal Highness.” The elf spoke slowly with sort of an eerie tone to his voice.” You are most welcome,  Why are you even in here?” Kerari smiled and said, “ There is supposed to be an ancient set of leather armor down here. Why are you talking this way?You are a Stormyst. There is NO Plaguemyst in Avalon.” Daz looked her up and down and glanced slightly over to her sister and knew they were not any danger to him but sensed he had felt Kerari’s presence before somehow but couldn’t quite place it and wondered if this was one of those mystical moments his grandmother went on and on about over the last two thousand years.” I am Valudaz Plaguemyst and you are?” He said with a clean British accent. “ I am Kerari Melwreth and this is my younger sister Sherari.

You are Arch Druid Valudus Stormyst's son, Daz, we lived in the grove together for many years. even though you became a man the same time our father did” Memeories flooded back in a horendous blur making him nauseated. He reached his arm out to steady himself on her shoulder as he turned and wretched . He sat down and nodded. "mI recently came upon a bit of trouble and Lucifer killed my mother and tried to kill me. " Kerari and Sherari gasped and both said," Oh No! May Gaia's embrace give her peace." Daz looked ar her and said," There is no peace, Lucifer put those damned nano bots in her and now she has to consume blood as well as regular foods." He looked at them again and said with his rememberance,” I know your father quite well we went through our manhood ceremonies together in Avalon when we were very, very young.” Cocking her head sideways she said nothing but ,” Ok any leather armor is mine I don’t know what you are here for but why don’t we split the loot equally among us.” Valudaz looked at her and responded,” There is rumored to be a king’s ransom of gold down here. I have need of gold to bribe the tribes of the Blackwell to fight with me upon Gahenna.”The two girls looked shocked and nodded quickly.” I heard the gold was down in the very bottom behind a vault door. Time and pressure would have weakened the door by now. We can help you, gold is quite heavy. Where does it need to go? Well it needs to go to the shores of Avalon first then my father and Rahnyah will tell us where from there. I am thinking Buenos Aries.”

Daz looked at her and thought a moment and decided they could help.” Kerari smiled slightly, how are we gonna get all that gold to Avalon? With no way to move it are you simply out of your mind or just daft like me? You do know each bar weighs 27 pounds.” There are some trucks down here and enough oil to get them to Rage Gale where we can find a mage to open a wormhole to Avalon.I am sure ”

Sherari raised her hand. OK says the gold is still here and there are trucks, how do we know they will even work after all they are ancient relics are they not?”

“ Yes the relics are old but I have a feeling with a good bit of magic we can get those trucks going. Ok let’s hit it, dig through these guys and let’s get what we can before we move on.” Sherari rolled one guy over and reached into his pocket to find several severed fingers rotting from the bone. Turning her head to the side she retched violently and Daz pushed her aside and found three rings and a sweet little belt and flipped them over his shoulder to her swiftly. Sherari wiped her mouth and grasped the items and said quickly,” Yo, Thanks, that was awfully kind of you to help like that.” Valudaz said nothing but nodded and something struck him again as odd and looked at Kerari yet again. Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulder revealing her bare back. Her leather halter fit all the curves of her seven foot frame. She was deftly slender and her leather breeches laced up her thighs in zig zag pattern and tied at her hips. The leather fit her every curve yet had enough give to allow her to kick high with ease. Her red suede boots also laced up to her thighs with several pockets along the outside . where he could see she had little daggers and throwing knives hidden in them. Little sharp pieces of fun all up and down her legs that could be reached in an instant and thrown into any mark she suited to throw them at. Her sister was the most demure of the group her leather armor was more classic attire. It fit her curves but no bare skin showed through on any palace but her arms between her bracers and shoulders. He mused at the stark differences of the twins and nodded slightly.

They moved on in silence for a few moments when Valudaz held his hand up and motioned for them to stop. Looking at Kerari he motioned with the index finger and middle finger of his right hand indicating for her to move into point and fade into the shadows and go scope out ahead. The young woman nodded and faded into the black of her surroundings and slinked her way ahead . Sherari quietly shifted into a pristine white Siberian tiger and sat down on her haunches licking her front paws waiting for her sister to return to them. She telepathically thought to him." Well, what are you gonna do after this is all over? " He mused back, I don't know? What are you going to do. Find arabbi somewhere and give birth to a litter of angel babies?" Sherari scoffed loudly and then stiffled it quickly so they could remain undetected by the things that lurked in the unknown.

A few minutes passed and Daz shifted slightly on his feet and slid Excalibur silently from his scabbard. Fingering the scabbard lightly his mind went back to the time of the coming forth into the land of men once again. So many kings had held this sword before him, it seemed fitting it should end up back into the hands of an elf. Then suddenly he realized this was the only thing that had kept him from completely turning into the monster Satan had desired that he become. The betrayal still stung beyond belief. The hurt to fresh as Alitha’s lifeless body flashed into his mind. Everyone else had figured it out but him as to why he was alive and not undead.

 Shaking his head and readying himself for what may lay ahead he took a ragged breath. Sherari looked up at him and sensed his unquiet. Quietly, she placed a hand on his arm and cascaded all the peace and tranquility she had within her soul into him. Tiny little shards of glittering peace fell like rain upon him. Turning to her he nodded his head in thanks. Now he was able to think clearly.

A few more moments passed and the rogue slinked her way back to her sister and the paladin. Standing before him she observed in the pale illuminated darkness the elf before her. She herself was one thousand five hundred fifty five years old and knew her father became a man well before the lifting of the mists. She stepped closer and breathed in his scent as if she was compelled by an unknown force. A slight shiver ran down her spine as he looked her directly in the eyes. She began to materialize there in front of him . Brilliant green eyes first looking into the hurt of his soul or what remained of it followed by the rest of her body. Her eyes took his breath away. They were brilliant green but a green like he’d never seen in an elf before. They were a deep grey green with streaks of yellow that edged out to the outer iris a deeper shade of greyed green.

Whispering she said,” Down about a hundred yards seems to be some odd critters that look like dogs with quills like porcupines nesting near a doorway. A little beyond that is a chamber filled with glass windows and some things I can’t see. I think there is something hiding in there. The hair on my neck stood up on end when I entered the room. I just couldn’t see what it was.”

The Paladin took point and led the way downward trailed by the women. Sword drawn he dispatched the quilled beasts quickly, then pulled a quill from between the plate in his armor. He noticed that the spot was numbed significantly and motioned for the girls to come close.” The quills may hold some medicinal purpose. It might behoove you to harvest them before we move forward. Where I pulled this one out is really numb. I have been  almost dead so It might affect me differently than it would someone else”

Kerari unsheathed her dagger and grasped a handful of quills and cut them off at the base putting them into a sub pocket of her rucksack. In a moment or so she had all the quills harvested and they moved a bit closer to the room she spoke of. The trio drew close to the door and slowly stepped in and illuminated the darkness. The walls were lined with glass housings of all shapes and sizes that held ancient things some of it made sense and other things she had no clue as to what it was. There was this plaque with a red and blue suit that said” Donated by: Christopher Reeves Super Man 1985. Who would wear such armor  as this? doesn’t seem like it would protect very much. “Moving along the wall she came to a glass cage with a whole ancient set of Samurai armor. Taking a sharp breath in her let it out slowly. Reading aloud ,” O_yoroi armor from the late tenth century of the third age. Looking up at Daz light shining in her eyes with delight as she also noticed the matching Katana and dagger sheathed beside it. The paladin nodded and spoke.” It’s quite nice, however, the blades may be in disrepair it has been many many years since anyone has touched them.” Looking up she said a quick prayer to Gaia.” Oh please let them be of use!”

Just as she raised her hand to crack the glass and take her prize, a shadow moved in the back behind a large map of South Eastern Asia. Daz turned quickly, readied for the attack. A deep guttural growl issued from the throat of the large beast in front of them.