The Pearlescent Bridge...

It was time.

It was time for my brothers and me to split up and journey on personal quests that had been plaguing our thoughts and dreams for some time.

Darkos woke us on that cold damp morning with the clattering of pots and pans preparing a breakfast.  He would usually be humming a tune to lift our spirits, and no doubt his own, but his lips were empty that morning.

We ate and went through our morning rituals as usual but no one spoke or glanced at each other.  With our camp packed we were all mounted and ready to move out but we did not ride north as planned.  We stared at each other for a moment.  So much was said without a word spoken.  Sasha started to play up with excitement of what she sensed was coming.  Darkos patted her neck and whispered in her ear.  I looked at Cleombrotus who had a warm smile on his face as he watched Darkos calm his mount.  He then looked at me and I smiled back at him and he gave me a nod

and with that he turned and I watched him ride south.  I turned back to Darkos to see him smiling at me with one of his mischievous grins which usually meant there was trouble ahead.  I smiled, shook my head with a 'what the fuck are we doing?' expression, and turned my horse and rode off.

I headed to the Jarn valley to visit the Mystics and spoke with them of my thoughts and dreams.  They told me my answers would be found on a hero quest along the Pearlescent Bridge.  I had no choice but to accept the challenge hoping I was worthy of fulfilling the task.

I sat by their fire and breathed in the smoke which sent me into what felt like a trance.

I seemed to be floating though my feet felt the ground beneath them.  A narrow icy path lay ahead of me through the Stormwalk Mountains and I confidently walked along it, spear and shield at the ready.  To the sides of the path was a swirling white mist but not dense enough to see through.  I could make out the woods and hills and even catch the sight of birds flying about.

Suddenly out of the mist ahead of me a wyrm materialised, its large body hovering just above the ground.  “I am the Guardian of the road. You must fight me and defeat me to continue upon this path”.  Without any time for me to reply he was swinging his barbed tail at me.  I parried his attack with my spear and lunged back at him slicing one of his wings.  “That will bring him back to earth,” I thought.  He swung again and I parried but this time he followed up with his huge tail and knocked me flying.  I scrambled to my feet, the wind knocked out of me but I controlled my breathing and gathered myself.  As the wyrm turned from his attack I thrust my spear into his face.  Blood sprayed into the mist and the wyrm let out a scream of pain.  He swung his tail at me again but missed and as he was off balance I attacked his exposed abdomen.  As my spear sunk deep into his gut he vanished into a puff of green smoke.  I fell forward from my attack and managed to stay myself with the hub of my shield. 

I knelt for a while and composed myself. “What next,” I thought.  Time to move on.

I carried on along the icy path for what seemed like only a few minutes though I knew I had travelled many miles.  Time and space seemed to have no hold on this plane. 

I could hear voices around me.  I stared into the mist but could not see where the mutterings were coming from.  Then a voice above me said in a childish voice, “what the fuck are you doing here, human?”  I looked up to see a wind child staring at me like I was a piece of shit laying on his path that needed to be swept away.  Then three more wind children appeared by his side.  I bowed before them.  “What are you doing here you fucking maggot?”  The other Wind Children laughed,  I looked up and told them politely of the quest that I was venturing on.  “Well, if you want to go any further, maggot, you’re going to have to pay for our permission”.  “Yeah, what you got?” said one of the children floating behind the ring leader.  I offered them some gold trinkets that I had purchased before leaving for the Jarn valley but they dismissed them.  “We want your magic”.  I knew I could not give up any of my magic items as I relied on them to survive.  “I know some magic card tricks,” I said and brought out a pack of cards and flicked them through my fingers.  This seemed to prick their curiosity.  “Do you like to gamble with cards?” said the head child.  “Yes, do you?”  He paused and then said, “I tell you what, I will wager that we will not hinder your quest and you will wager some of your magics”.  “Do you know how to play poker?” I replied.  “Of course, but you must deal all four of us in.” I Agreed.  I gave each child 30 Lunars to wager with and one by one I got my money back.  They were bad losers cursing and swearing but they honoured the wager and let me pass.  I collected my things and walked on leaving them arguing behind me.

Again I seemed to travel long distances in such a short moment of time and I recognised the landscape beyond the veil of mist. The Upland Marsh.  I dreaded this place.  It holds nothing but bad memories for me here.  The mist on either side of the path in front of me started to converge and blocked the path ahead.  Then leaping through it and straight at me came a mouth of teeth.  I managed to raise my shield just in time to deflect the snapping jaws and was knocked over.  As I fell on my arse, I swung my spear around in a large arc, the tip hopping over the pathway like a pebble on a still pond and its tip made contact with the foul creature’s leg.  It backed off slightly and I got a good look at it.  With the head of a crocodile, the torso of a man, legs of a toad and crab-like pincers for its arms, all stitched together.  This was the most bizarre creature I had ever encountered on my travels.  It came at me again.  It was quicker than me and as it leapt past me one of its pincers took a nasty gash out of my left leg.  We exchanged many blows but my trusty spear found its mark and drove deep into the beast’s chest.  A blood curdling shriek and the creature turned to puss.  I leapt back, not wanting to get any of the ooze on my sandals.  I flicked my spear in disgust to get rid of any slime left on it and gingerly stepped around the puddle that lay before me.

I took time to heal myself and I gathered my strength and continued on.

As I walked on the mist darkened and a rumbling above my head caused me to stop in my tracks.  Looking up I saw a mass of black clouds forming.  “Looks like rain,” I thought.  I took my tarp from my pack and wrapped my self in it. SPLAT.  A huge rain drop fell in front of me and as it spread upon the path, smoke rose from the puddle and an acrid stench filled the air.  I cast protection and counter magic on myself as more and more rain drops fell from the sky.  I sheltered under my shield and as each drop hit me it felt like a blow from a troll’s club.  “I’m going to need a new shield,” I thought as I could here the acid fizzing away above my head. 

The storm passed as quickly as it had arrived and the acid water vaporised leaving no trace other than holes in my shield and one fucked tarp.  I readied myself again and moved on.  The path started to narrow and eventually it became no wider than a knife’s edge.  I slung my shield on my back and used my spear as a balance, as I had seen travellers do this performing in the circuses.  I could not see left or right of me through the white mist and if I was to lose my balance and fall I was sure it would be the longest journey I would have ever taken in my life before finding the ground.

Eventually the path widened and though I felt like I passed a task I felt spiritually deflated.

“Come on, Grant, get your self together!” I shouted. “Focus.” I slapped my face with the back of my hand and with that I marched on.  Sometime had passed, what time it was I have no idea, when I could make out ahead of me a figure just standing there.  I approached cautiously and as I got closer I could see it was a Dragonewt.

The newt stared straight at me, its eyes piercing my mind. “For you to pass I must ask something of you”.  It spoke without moving its mouth but I could here the voice deep in my mind. “A promise I shall ask of you.” I replied, “ask it,” without words passing my lips as I recognised the sensation of mind speech.  The newt paused; he was searching my mind and soul.  “You must never converse with Trolls ever again.” What a strange request I thought. At first it seemed like an easy promise to keep and I was about to agree when I stopped and thought of different scenarios that could occur.  I pictured old Bolg Biter at the Tink Inn, not being able to greet him and then Cleombrotus and his connections with the trolls.  I could not put him in an awkward situation if he were ever to call upon his contacts in our quest to fight the Lunar Empire.  “I’m sorry, but you have asked too much of me,” and I lowered my head in frustration as I felt my journey had come to an end.  I felt the Dragonewt exploring my mind and after a while it said, “I can sense you are on a just cause human, and I respect your honesty and loyalty to your friends.  I will not hinder you any longer.  You may pass with my blessing.” As I looked back up he was gone.

I felt my spirits lift, I felt worthy of this quest and with that I marched on with a

spring in my step. 

Through the mist I travelled, faster than any horse could carry me.  How much further must I go?  I have never been good at travelling on my own though I know it is an important part of what builds and shapes us.  The path twisted and turned and for the first time seemed to slope downwards.  Cautiously I moved forward and yet again something waited on the path ahead.  As I got closer I knew what it was.  The unmistakable form of a walktapus took shape from out of the mist.  No messing I went straight in for the kill.  As I lunged forward I saw it shift to the right, then out of no where one of its tentacles smashed into the side of me knocking me sideways to the edge of the pathway.  I scrambled back up just in time to parry another attack but out of nowhere I was struck again; this time on my back, which threw me towards the foe.  Its tentacles were all over me pulling me this way and that, grabbing at my shield and spear and with all my might I thrust up and forwards to where I guessed its centre was.  I felt my spear quiver with contact.  I could feel it passing through the gelatinous mass with ease.  I yanked the shaft back towards me and looked up to see what could only be its jaw falling to the ground.  Its tentacles stiffened and shivered then all at once they slumped to the path.  A huge sigh came from the beast, and it lay there motionless.

I collapsed to the floor and lay there exhausted.  I don’t know how long it was till I staggered to my feet.  I would have usually eaten and drank to gain some strength at this point, but hunger and thirst did not overwhelm me, it was magic my body craved.  And with that I cast healing on myself.  I felt the spell course through my veins and revitalise my body and soul. 

I brushed myself down and went through the ritual of checking my equipment and examining my body for any unseen wounds that I may have received.  My shield was in a bad way though my body and the rest of my equipment were in good fetter.

On we go.  It was not long before my next obstacle appeared on the path ahead.  This was a Thunder Giant.  With every step it took towards me loud crashes of thunder echoed around me.  The giant carried with it a huge flail, and it swayed back and forth in time with its deliberate slow approach towards me.  I cast magics on my weapons and myself and took a deep breath and readied myself.  With a turn of speed that I did not expect from something so big he sent his weapon crashing down on me.  I managed to get my shield up in time but it shattered into many pieces and I took a bad blow to my arm and was knocked to the floor.  I don’t know what quite happened next, whether it was desperation, army training or pure control and understanding of oneself, but my actions seemed to be taken over by something deep within my psyche.  A surge of absolute power and strength shot up from my feet through my body and I sprung forward with my spear locked fast against my body as though I had been fired from a bow.  Everything I had was in that attack. It did not matter if I failed as I knew I had given it my all. 

I felt as though I had hit a wall of sand bags and my spear was buried deep within it. 

The giant fell on top of me, crushing the butt of my sword into my rib cage.  I let out a squeal of pain and raised my knees to my chest and pushed myself out from under giant’s corpse.  I sat up and stared at the huge mass that lay before me.  I did not how I had slain the giant, it was as though something had intervened.  All I know was that it was dead and that was my spear sticking out of its back.

I had to cut the spear out with my knife and I wiped it down with some cloth.  I looked around to see if I had mislaid anything in the fight, all I could find was shards of wood from my shield. “It had served me well,” I thought.

All of a sudden, the mist started to lift and I could feel myself getting heavier.  I looked down to see the icy path had vanished and lush grass had replaced it. “I knew you would come through, young McKielson” said a voice in front of me.  I looked up to see the familiar face of Forang Farosh smiling at me.