<a class="proll" href="https://www.Writing.Com/main/campfires/item_id/2130458-Mango-Tango">Mango Tango

Chapter 1: The River of No Return

Jeru, George, and Butch arrived in Darktown late in the afternoon and took rooms at the Darktown Inn.

"This is it," Jeru said. "We're finally here. All we have to do now is cross the river and we will be in the Darklands."

"Easier said than done," George said. "Let's get something to drink. I'm thirsty."

The innkeeper handed them big mugs of cold ale. "You boys look like adventurers to me. Did ye come searching for treasure."

"That we did," said Jeru.

"Want some advice? Turn around and go back home. I've seen many an adventurer cross the river into the Darklands, but I ain't never seen any of them come back across. And it's no simple matter to cross the river. The bridge is guarded on the other side by a fortress and the river is full of Frothies."

"Could be worse," said George. "I just hope we find what I'm looking for."

"What's that?" Jeru asked.

"A Ruskum."

"Heard of those," said Butch. "Big nasty cat-like creatures."

Jeru took a long swallow of ale. "George, why are you looking for a Ruskum? What are you going to do with it if you find it?"

"Try to find a cub," said George. "As it grows up, it makes a good hunting partner, and helps out in a fight. Also, it increases your price, for folks think you must have been fairly tough to tame such a creature. But, it's more like raising a big kitten when you get a cub than trying to tame wild animal if you caught a full-grown adult Ruskum."

"Who do you know that did that?" Jeru asked.

"My father, Gernand Chulim, Commander of the King's Guards."

Butch's eyes widened at this. "I heard about him. I heard he took on a whole army once, and saved the kingdom. Married a princess."

George grinned. "More like he lured the enemy into a trap, where the enemy was funneled into a small space, so that his own smaller forces could turn the enemies' more massive numbers into a liability. As for marrying a princess, now that's an exaggeration - my mother was just a handmaiden."

"How did you father get a Ruskum cub?" Jeru asked.

"Well, he was just a squire, in service to a knight, when he found an adult female in a forest, dead, along with the poacher that killed her, who was also dead. My father noticed that the Ruskum had been pregnant. So, he took a knife, cut the body open, and there was four cubs - three dead, and one just barely alive. He took that cub, and he took care of it, called it Rudi. The knight didn't care about my father taking care of such a creature, thinking it would die, but Rudi survived, and proved to be quite loyal to my father. Saved his life countless times. Even saved my life once."

"What happened?" Butch asked.

"I was with my father, acting as his squire, investigating a report about bandits," George said, quietly. "They attacked. We fought back, but there was too many of them. Father gave his life to protect me, and then Rudi. Rudi killed the leader though, causing the others to run away. I took their bodies back home, where they got the funeral they deserved."

Butch says "So what you are really trying to do is get another Ruskum to replace Rudi."

"You could look at it that way," said George.

A red fox came over to their table. He was dressed in a style like a hunter: green pants and tunic with a leather vest. "Good evening, gentlemen. May I have the honor of sitting at your table and buying a round of drinks?"

"We're not exactly gentlemen," Jeru said, "but since you are buying, then yes, please have a chair."

"My name is Rick the Red," said the fox, "and I am an adventurer like yourselves. I heard what the innkeeper told you about no one coming back across the river. Don't you believe it, for I am such a person."

At the bar the innkeeper, overhearing that remark, rolled his eyes.

Rick leaned forward. "I have been into the Darklands and come back."

"Did you find the treasure?" asked Jeru.

"No, I did not, but I learned enough to convince me that it is there. It exists. I have been waiting here until a band of adventurers as bold as myself should appear. You three appear intelligent and strong to me, the perfect companions for a journey into hostile territory."

"And why would it be to our advantage for you to join our party?" asked George.

Rick sat back in his chair. "Isn't it obvious? I have been there! I know things to avoid. I know ways to make our journey easier. And I know how to get across the river... and get back."

Jeru looked around the table. "What do you think, men? Should we accept Rick the Red as a companion?"

"Well, nothing wrong with that," said George. He looked at Rick. "One thing though, don't be foolish enough to stab us in the back."

Jerry says "Or rob us blind." Butch says "If he tries, I'll run him through with my spear."

Rick put his hands up. "Please! You make me sound like the worst sort of man. I assure you I can be trusted and in return I trust you not to kill me while I am sleeping. Agreed? Now, our first problem is getting across the river. We can't use the bridge because it is heavily guarded at both ends."

"In that case, we use either a boat or a raft," said George.

Butch says "There's a sailboat at the docks, perhaps we could use that."

"Boats and rafts are out," said Red. "Apparently you don't know much about the Frothies."

"Just fish, aren't they?" Butch said. "Vicious fish."

"No," Red said. "They aren't fish. They are an enchanted animal put in the river a long time ago by some forgotten wizard. They are semi-intelligent and live in colonies. They're as big as a man but have fins and a tail."

"How do they find enough to eat? If they are so big it seems like they would have eaten everything in the river by now."

"There are theories about that," Reed said. "I don't know the answer. I do know they will devour anything that falls into the river. And here is the deal with boats and rafts. With a boat they will get under it and start it rocking until it capsizes. With a raft they will get under one end of it and push up until they tip it over. So no, we aren't going across on a boat or a raft."

"How did you get across?" Jeru asked.

"There is a place downstream from here where the river widens and becomes shallow. A series of stepping stones have been placed there."

"Why doesn't everyone just cross there?"

"Many do, but unfortunately, on the Darklands side there is a troll village. What the trolls like to do is come across and steal whatever they can. So on this side there is a guard post manned by a squad of half a dozen guards. They make sure nobody crosses in either direction. Fortunately, one of the squad leaders will let us across in exchange for a monetary gift."

"You mean a bribe?"

"But don't call it that around him," Red said. "He's a sensitive sort. And even after we get across we have to get past the trolls somehow."

George grinned. "The Trolls will be the easy part."

"And why do you say that?" Red asked.

"Take out whomever is in charge, and they'll let you pass," said George.

"And you know this how?" Red asked.

George grinned. "Let's just say that a troll tried to force my father to pay a toll. Father never paid any tolls on bridges that weren't owned by those who tried to trick travelers out of their money. He beat that troll. After that, said troll signed up for the Guard - they follow whomever is the strongest, or at the very least, is the best fighter - very respectful of my father's wishes."

"What happened?" Butch asked.

George stared at his drink. "There was an invasion force, coming from the North, intending to conquer the Kingdom. Father and his guards went to stop them, and the troll went with them. There was a bridge - spanning a thousand foot gorge, both in length, and depth, wide enough for two men to walk abreast, and the nearest point to cross. Next closest crossing was a two days forced march. My father ordered the troll and ten archers to guard the bridge, while he and the rest went around. The enemy attacked, and killed, or seriously wounded the archers guarding the bridge with their own archers, but arrows don't bother trolls. The enemy came, easily a thousand of them on that bridge. According to the surviving archers, he managed to kill a hundred of them, including several high-ranking officers, as he stepped out onto the bridge, and started crossing, but they kept coming. Then, it's said he said 'You pay toll to cross my bridge. The toll, your life!' at which point, he broke the ropes holding the bridge up. Like I said, it was a thousand foot drop. He took out over half of the invasion force, and the rest decided to run."

Butch says "Wow, he sacrificed himself stopping the invasion."

"Yes," George said, "but he was an exceptional troll. I don't suppose the average troll would do the same."

Rick nodded. "Looking at you and Butch I can well imagine you intimidating that troll village. You, Jeru, I cannot imagine intimidating anyone."

"Hey!" Jeru said. "I take offense at that."

"No offense intended, my friend. I take back my words. Even now I am frightened of you."

Jeru said, "Good. How did you get past the trolls when you entered the Darklands?"

"There were three of us in my party and we bribed the trolls with cheap trinkets. They have a fondness for shiny things and no idea of their real value."

"We can try both methods," Jeru said. "We'll take trinkets with us and count on weapons if the trinkets fail. By the way, I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow. Is there a magick shop in Darktown where I can buy some enchanted arrows?"

"There is such a shop," Rick said, "but be warned that the magick in the Darklands is different from the magick on this side of the river."

"Well, maybe we won't need to fight them." George pulled out a rock, and placed it on the table. There was a shine to it.

"What is it?" Rick asked.

"Nothing valuable, but Grix carried it everywhere with him," said George. "He gave it to one of the archers before he stepped out onto that bridge. He said, 'Give this to Commander. If he see another troll, he is to give this to them. They will know my story.' That archer gave this to my father, and my father gave it to me before he died."

"What does that mean?" Butch asked. "'They will know my story.' It must mean something."

"Well, I'm not sure, but, according to my father, whenever Grix touched a rock at the scene of a crime, he could give very clear descriptions about what had happened - who said what, who did what, what they were wearing, and so on, as if he'd witnessed the deed himself," said George. "I mean, if he could do that with a stone laying on the ground, imagine what this stone, which he carried, and then my father, and then myself, could tell a troll. I think they read the rocks, somehow."

"Interesting," Rick said. "I have heard rumors of something like that but I never believed them. I am a very skeptical person. But here is a tale you might find interesting...

"It is said that the stepping stones we are going to use were put into the river by the trolls many centuries ago and that these stones can pick up information from the river that other troll villages put into the river with their own stones.

"I found such stories very fanciful, but I look at them with a new eye after hearing your tale of the rock of Grix. I see now how it could be a kind of diary for him. Perhaps the stepping stones do pick up information somehow from the water."

"Whatever this rock may be," George said, "I will offer it to the trolls and see what they do with it. Meanwhile, my sword will not be far from my reach."

They spent the rest of the day outfitting themselves for the journey and then early the next morning left Darktown for the trip downstream to where the stepping stones were. Here the river widened considerably before it became a swamp further down. The water was only a foot or two deep in most places, too shallow for the Frothies to swim in.

The guards on the civilized side of the river rolled their eyes at yet another band of adventurers off to meet their doom. The old Sergeant said, "If you were kids I would tell you to go back home, but since you are all full-grown, if you want to commit suicide I can't stop you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sergeant," said Jaru. "Is that the troll village?"

On the other side of the river was a collection of thatched roof huts. No one was in sight, but it did not look abandoned.

"Yes, and if you are wondering where the trolls are, they like to sleep all day and stay up all night, but don't worry. They will wake up quick enough when you go across."

"Nice to know," said George.

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Chapter 2: The Troll Village

With George and Butch in the lead and Jeru and Rick following, the party set out across the river on the stepping stones. As promised, there were several trolls awake when they reached the other side.

"Who crosses my river?" growled a particularly large troll.

"He must be the chief," whispered Jeru.

"We are a harmless band of adventurers, your highness," said Butch.

The troll blinked at being called "your highness".

"And we have gifts for you," added George, opening a bag of trinkets and taking several out. He was careful to position himself in relation to the sun so he could make the baubles reflect sunlight into the troll's eyes. The troll's face lit up with joy at the sight of the sparkling gimcracks.

"Oooo, pretty!" said the troll. He was almost childish in his love of shiny baubles. "You eat meal with us. You give gifts. Yes?"

George looked at Rick who nodded yes.

"Yes," said George.

"By the way, a troll named Grix gave this to my father, before he saved the lives of a number of people, and died in the process," George said, as he took his stone out.

The troll looked at it carefully. He then stared at the group. He looked at George. "May I hold it?"

"I guess so." The wolf passed it to the troll, who closed his eyes.

"Yes. I know Grix's story. Your father bested Grix. Grix followed him. There was a war. Grix ordered to guard a bridge. Lots of enemies of bridge. Grix gave stone to archer. Archer watch as Grix slay large number of enemy by bringing down the bridge, along with himself." The troll opened his eyes. "I know your father's story as well. He slay more enemy while protecting you, dying in the attempt, as did the cat-beast he called Rudi." He gave the stone back. "Make your story worthy of the stone."

Tables were set up in an open area. Since evening was falling, torches were lit. In the flickering light from the torches the trolls looked very fierce. Jeru thought how vulnerable the little party of adventurers were if the trolls decided to attack them, but the trolls seemed friendly enough.

Huge platters of steaming meat were set upon the tables. The trolls ate little else but meat, but out of respect for their guests they also set out a big bowl of veggies. The meal proceeded with grunts and growls and what passed for laughter among the trolls, a kind of coughing noise. Jeru saw no female trolls at the tables. They must eat separately.

At one point the chief troll stood up and gave what must have been a speech, but it was in the troll language of grunts and growls and Jeru did not understand a word of it. Finally, well after midnight, the meal was over and the adventurers fell into a deep sleep while the trolls continued to party.

Jeru awakened to find the sun was already up, so he awakened the others. All the trolls were sleeping now that it was daylight again, but the chief woke up long enough to give them a bag of food and wish them luck on their quest.

As they left the camp, Rick said, "I was able to get some more information about the Darklands." He showed Jeru the journal where he wrote all his notes.

"You can speak Troll Talk?" Jeru said.

"A little. It's not a complicated language. I was able to add to my map. I am feeling good about our search. I'm sure we will be successful."

They walked close to the river, avoiding the deep woods where the monsters lived, and made their way upstream on the Darklands side of the Froth River. Soon they could see the towers of the Fortress of Froth.

"Stay low," Rick whispered. "We don't want them to see us. Here is where we must leave the river and penetrate the jungle. I would advise everyone to be very alert."

George withdrew his long sword and used it to hack through the dense vegetation. He also carried a short sword and several knives.

Butch used his axe. Also strapped to his back was a huge hammer, useful against armored enemies and walls.

"Nice night last night," said George.

"If you like listening to trolls grunting and growling," Butch said,. "but the food was good."

"That it was," said George.

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Chapter 3: Kingdom of the Spiders

"I smell something," George said. "It's not any animal I'm familiar with."

"No telling what it is," Rick said. "This forest is inhabited by all kinds of freak animals, monsters if you want to call them that. It's the result of centuries of mutations and overuse of magic, in my opinion."

There was a crashing in the foliage ahead of them and suddenly they were looking a full-grown Nerona flat in the face. For a moment both they and the Nerona were surprised. Then the Nerona roared and charged at them.

"Getting someplace safe might be in order!" yelled George, as he started to run

But Butch stood his ground. "Go hide, you chickens. I'll handle this."

He had his ax in one hand and his hammer in the other. His mighty arms swung as the Nerona grew close and while the hammer hit the Nerona on the nose the ax came down on its neck. It stopped the charge but didn't kill the beast.

Butch danced away from it's snapping jaws and readied another blow. Jeru managed to get off a lucky arrow shot that penetrated one of the Nerona's eyes.

There was nothing but rage powering the Nerona now, but with no depth vision and a bleeding neck wound, it couldn't withstand more blows from Butch. Finally the lion stood over it in a victory stand, breathing hard. "One down and 300 to go!"

"Good Lord!" Jeru said. "I hope we don't have to kill 300 more monsters."

"Just an estimate."

George turned to Rick. "What else lives in this forest? I see you have a lot of notes in your journal."

"Yes," Rick said. "And the trolls told me about a few more I didn't know about. The Nerona is not all that common. I doubt we'll see another one. Those little squirrel like things in the trees called Bandicoots are very common, but harmless unless they drop a big hard nut on your head."

"Do they do that often?"

"Mostly if you happen to approach one of their nesting trees. Oh, and speaking of trees, beware of the Slimewhip Tree. It has flexible branches that whip around and fling poisonous tree sap at you. They are usually easy to spot because they will be in a small clearing by themselves having killed everything growing nearby."

"Nice to know," said George.

Butch whispered to George, "Why did you run away when we saw that Nerona thing? Getting soft in your old age?"

"More like caution," said George. "It might of had a friend, or three, around. These creatures don't always travel alone, and that includes the predators."

For the next hour they made their way through the jungle-like forest without incident. Then they started catching glimpses of a tall tower rising above the trees in the distance.

"That's the Tower of Doom," Rick said. "I call it that because it's where I lost one of my three companions on the trip I told you about. Whatever you do, do not go inside that tower."

"Useful to know," said George.

"If anyone experiences the desire to visit the tower," Rick said, "then tell me immediately. It sends out a hypnotic call that affects some people. Before you know it, you are walking like a zombie right into the tower."

"Zowie!" Jeru said. "Is that what happened to your friend?"

"Yes, he insisted that there was treasure in the tower. We tried to hold him back but he broke loose from us and ran inside the tower. We heard his screams and knew something got him."

"Nice to know," said George. "Let's take the long way around - probably safer."

As the party started to take the long way, something in the bushes was watching them.

"Do you feel something nearby?" Jeru said.

Before anyone could answer, nets fell from the tall trees they were walking under. Soon they were entangled in them. George and Butch began trying to tear through the net with axe and blade.

"Wait!" Eric said. "It's just Tree Spiders. We will not be harmed."

Green spiders came crawling down the trunks of the trees. It was a metallic green with an iridescent sheen to it. Each spider was as large as Rick or Jeru, although not nearly as large as Butch or George. Their faces were a blank mask with two large round eyes like black pearls. Each eye was flanked by three smaller eyes. Their mouths were a grisly looking combination of knives and scissors since spiders chew their food before taking it in, not like mammals who take in their food before they chew it.

One spider who was larger than the others and had spots of purple and red on him spoke to them. "Go quietly with us. We do not want to have to drag you."

"We will," Rick said. Then to the others he said, "They will take us to the web of the Tree Spider King. He is in a conflict with the Dark Lord over who will control this little piece of the Darklands. The Dark Lord wants it all, but the Spider King feels that since it has been ruled by the spiders for a thousand years, there is no reason to give up that rule now."

"But what does he want with us?" Jeru asked.

"The Spider King wants us to pledge to help him and the spiders maintain control here. And he will probably give us a quest to do to prove our sincerity. At least, that's the way it all played out on my previous trip into the Darklands."

"What kind of quest?"

"We'll find out when he tells us," Rick said.

George and Butch had listened to all this without comment, so now Jeru turned to them. "What do you guys think?"

"Father went on more than a few of these things," said George. "Always said to keep dagger hidden in these cases."

Butch asks "What do you know about the Dark Lord?"

"I know a lot of myths and rumors," Rick said, "but very few facts."

"What are the facts? You can save the tall tales for around the campfire tonight."

"He is an old man. Every one is agreed on that. He is tall and skinny and always wears black. He lives in a castle high in the Darklands Mountains with several hundred of his minions."

"Minions?"

"It's a motley crew, Some are paid minions and some are slave minions. He has about a dozen mercenaries that he pays to stay in the castle and do jobs for him. Do you remember Kirk the Relentless?"

"Yes," Butch said. "I haven't heard anything about him for awhile."

"He works for the Dark Lord now. The Dark Lord also has dozens of slaves who do his bidding just for food and a place to sleep and so he won't kill them."

"Best be careful in these cases," said George. "You don't know who is a friend that seems to be a foe, and who is a foe that acts like a friend."

"What do you mean?" Rick asked.

"Father once told me a tale about a black dragon who raised the dead, who controlled a kingdom to the east, and a knight in shining armor who sought to kill him," said George. "When father entered that land, the knight told him that he was the son of the Rightful king, and that the dragon was a cruel taskmaster who killed those who questioned him. However, to find out the truth, father disguised himself as a peasant, and he soon found out what was really going on - while the knight was indeed the son of the previous ruler, that ruler was an evil tyrant, and the son wasn't any better, and it seems that the dragon was an extremely tolerant, even permitting people to give him reasons as to why people would want to overthrow him, so that he could improve himself as a leader. As for the dragon raising the dead - seems he's been given permission from the deceased prior to doing so, and they were used to work in the fields and to protect the land from brigands and the like."

Butch says "Then we better be cautious if we see the black dragon."

The web of the Tree Spider King was large and suspended from several big trees. Trying to walk on it was like trying to walk on a trampoline.

The Spider King had blotches of purple and orange on his green shell. It seemed colors were some indication of rank. Standing near him were four spiders, all of which had blotches of purple, red, and yellow on their green skins.

"You are Rick, aren't you?" said the Spider King. "I remember your previous visit. Were you successful in your search for the treasure? Have you come back for more?"

"No, Your Highness, I did not find the treasure," Rick said. "I have new friends now and we are determined to find it."

"I wish you good luck, Rick. As you know, I permit visitors to my kingdom only if they perform a quest for me. Do your friends understand that?"

"They do."

"Good. Your quest is simple and will use the strengths of your friends. The Dark Lord has built a dam across the river that once provided us spiders with water. Now there is only a trickle coming through. Your quest is to reopen the river. Unfortunately, the dam has a magical protection, but I will send a Spider Sage with you. He will be able to lift the spell for a few minutes."

"That's not much time to destroy a dam!" Rick protested.

"You only need to damage it and the spell that keeps it protected will be ended. Then you can destroy the dam."

"Let's do it," Jeru said. "Can we leave immediately?"

"Yes, of course. This is Bobba Howza, the sage I mentioned."

A spider stepped forward who had a leather pack strapped to one leg and a short wand strapped to the other. "I am ready," said Bobba Howza. "If we leave now we can reach the dam before nightfall."

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"Better not be some sort of trap," said George.

"Say, what happened between that dragon and that knight?" Jeru asked.

"Let's put it this way - that dragon still rules those lands, and that knight is locked up in a tower, especially because when my father discovered the truth, the knight tried to kill him, only for that dragon's spies, who were nearby, to stop the knight from killing my father," said George.

"Wait, before we leave," Butch said. "I might be able to make our job easier if certain ingredients are on hand. Your Highness, do you have any charcoal?"

"We do."

"I need a bag of it that has been ground into a powder."

"We can do that," Said the King.

"What about saltpeter?"

"Yes, we know of that substance. We gather it in the bat caves and use it to preserve food."

"I'll need a bag of it," said Butch, "as fine as sand or finer. And what about sulfur? Do you have that?"

"Sulfur?" said the King. "That one I am not familiar with."

One of his advisors leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

"I am told," said the King, "that there is sulfur in abundance at the volcanoes not far from here in the Darklands Mountains."

"Can you send someone to get a bag of sulfur for me and have him meet us at the dam?"

"I will do it."

"What are you hatching, Butch?" asked Jeru.

"If I can get charcoal, saltpeter, and sulfur, then I can put together a bomb that will eliminate that dam in 10 seconds."

"Ahhhh! That would be good!"

George blinked. "Be careful with that stuff. I've heard about what happens when you mix that stuff together."

Rick says "Charcoal, Saltpeter and Sulfur? Let me guess, you're going to mix all three to make an explosive substance right?"

"That's right," Butch said, "and this must be the dam."

They stood on a little grassy knoll above a small river. Across the river stretched a line of wooden poles pounded into the ground. Attached to the poles were boards that made a crude dam.

"Not much of a dam," Jeru said.

"True," said Bobba Howza, "but don't forget it is protected by magick. It's almost nightfall and your sulfur has not arrived yet, Butch. Let us make camp."

"Oh, goody," Jeru said. "Rick, you can tell us tall tales about the Dark Lord."

Later in the evening, after they had eaten a meal of fish they caught in the river, they sat around a small campfire that crackled and cast a golden flickering glow over Rick's face as he told his tales.

"They say the Dark Lord is over a thousand years old. He remains immortal by eating human babies. Once a year he has his minions steal a baby which he then roasts and eats. That keeps him going for another year."

"Yuck," said Jeru. "That's pretty dark alright. I suppose he also kidnaps young girls and uses them to satisfy his perverted pleasures?"

"Of course," Rick said. "That's what makes him so dark."

"As my father used to say, not every story is true," said George. "We'd best be careful about how we proceed."

In the morning an exhausted spider appeared with a bag of sulfur. "I ran all the way!"

Butch spent the morning mixing up his gunpowder explosives. "Jeru," He said. "How good are you with that bow?"

"Very good," Jeru said. "I can shoot a grape off the vine."

"What about if something heavy was attached to the arrow?"

"As long as it's not too heavy," Jeru said. "Probably the weight of an apple is about the most I could put on an arrow and still be able to accurately shoot it."

Butch pointed at his pile of gunpowder. "I'm going to put this in sections of bamboo that we can attach to an arrow. How about testing it first with a piece of bamboo filled with dirt instead of gunpowder?"

Jeru rigged up an arrow with the bamboo and shot it. It thwacked into the tree he had selected as a target. "As long as I compensate for the distance, it should work fine."

After a late lunch of more fish, Butch's bombs and fuses were dry enough to use and had been fixed to several of Jeru's arrows. Butch looked at Bobba Howza. "Are you ready to break the spell on the dam?"

Bobba Howza says "Oh, I'm ready." Butch says "Then let's blow up that Dam."

"Let's just be careful," said George.

"You worry too much," said Butch.

"My father was a famous warrior, and he was killed by a common bandit," said George. "I have a healthy respect for life."

Bobba Howza worked his spell. He was a smoke-and-chant mage so he built a tiny fire and put herbs on it. He breathed in the smoke and began to chant...

Chamma chamma dey bo
Gibbi wa salaam--

but he hadn't gotten far when suddenly a cloud of bats dropped out of the sky. The bats flapped everywhere, chirping and hissing and trying to bite the adventurers who put up their arms to ward them off.

"I was afraid of that," Bobba said. "My chanting triggered a protective spell that alerted the bats."

"What should we do?" Jeru asked. "There are too many of them to kill."

"We need a net," Rick said. "Then we could toss it over the bats and catch a lot of them at one time and drown them."

"Where are we going to get nets?"

"There may be some along the river bank. The fishermen use them to catch fish."

They ran along a river bank until they spotted a shack by a dock, there they saw a net just laying on a dock but when George tried to pick it up, an old boar came out, "Hey! That net belongs to me! Hands off before I have you arrested for stealing!"

"We're just borrowing it," said George. "Got a flock of bats to deal with."

"I don't care if you have a flock of ringworms to deal with. It's me net and I need it."

Rick tossed him a coin. "Buy a new one if we don't bring this one back."

The boar caught the coin. He could buy three nets with it. "Why didn't you say you were gentlemen? I'll be happy to loan you the net." He decided he would be somewhere else when they brought the net back. Then he would have the coin and the net.

George and Butch flipped the net, expertly catching bats, which they stomped to death on the ground. Rick and Jeru clubbed any bats that escaped the nets. Finally, the air was clear again. Bobba Howza resumed his chant. This time there was no interruption.

Jeru made ready with arrow and bow. Rick stood beside him with a glowing ember to light the fuses.

"Now," said Bobba Howza.

Jeru fired the explosive arrow at the dam and then....

The arrow bounced off.

"Um, I think we might want to run," said George.

The group ran, avoiding the explosion.

"Why didn't that work?" Butch asked.

"Secondary spell," said George. "Or some plate armor hidden on the dam."

"No," Jeru said. "Probably a dull arrow. I forgot to sharpen them. Bobba, is the protective spell still off?"

"Only for a few seconds more."

Jeru turned to Rick. "Quick! Light this fuse."

This time the arrow struck home and there was a satisfying bang. Pieces of wood flew through the air.

"That got it!" Jeru said.

They watched the river flow again and tear down some of the rest of the dam with the rush of water.

"Thank you," said Bobba Howza. "I wish to reward all of you for your efforts. Since you seem to need it, I will put my Eversharp Spell on all your weapons. Now they will never need sharpening. Your blades, George, and your axe, Butch, will always be sharp now."

"Thank you," Jeru said. "Rick, what's your weapon?"

"My wit," Rick said. "Which also needs to be sharp, so I am happy."

"I also have these medallions for you," Bobba Howza said. "They are a sign that the Spider King allows you free access to his territory. Do you want to return to the Great Web with me or go on your way?"

"No offense," Jeru said, "but we need to keep moving."

"Then proceed north along the river bank until you reach the shallows where the river forks. Go across the river and on the east side is Tumblestone Forest. It's the way less traveled so I think you will have better luck. No one who went the other way through Weeping Wood has ever found the treasure."

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Chapter 4: Tumblestone Forest

In his castle, the Dark Lord is interrogating a prisoner, an African crested porcupine all in shackles including his quills, "Marcus Quillshooter, where's your fighting spirit now? Tell me, where is the rest of your rebellion?" Marcus says "I will not talk." Just before the Dark Lord said anything, one of his minions came in "My Lord, the Dam by Whispering Wood has just been destroyed." The Dark Lord then says "I'll deal with you later." He point's to Marcus "Guards, lock this one up for now!"

"Let's avoid the main trails for now," said George. "Patrols will look along those for a few days. Avoid Secondary and Tertiary trails as well."

"In other words," Jeru said. "Hack our way through the underbrush."

In the Dark Lord's planning room, three of his elite guard, all of them Jackals, listened to him.

"You are to proceed immediately to the dam, discover who destroyed it, and track them down and bring them to me. Understood?"

The Jackals nodded assent and left.

The Dark Lord looked at his small Scrying Pool, but it was clear and unclouded with no images apparent. What that meant he did not know. He would try again later.

Soon the party came up to a group and Rick recognizes one of them, "Bella Donna? Is that you?" A jaguar says "Rick the Red, glad you've returned, didn't you hear? The Dam was destroyed and thank goodness for that. the river has it's fish back." "We know, we were the one's who destroyed it."

"Blabbermouth," George muttered. "You never know who is listening."

"You destroyed it?" Bella Donna said. "But it was protected by magick."

"A spider sage helped us," Rick said. "My, but you're looking even lovelier than ever."

The Jaguar giggled. "Rick, you charmer. Have some wine. We've been sipping all day. Now it's time for a party."

"Don't mind if I do," Rick said.

In Bella Donna's party were an elephant and a horse. Soon they were all laughing and telling stories under the influence of the strong Beetleberry Wine.

George glanced nervously around. "I don't think we should be so loud. We might attract attention. Surely the Dark Lord was not happy about his dam getting blown up."

"Aw, join the party," said Jeru. He and Butch had both sampled the wine and found it to their liking.

Soon a Falcon flew down "Bella, we got trouble. I just saw the Dark Lord's elite guards. They're heading this way." Bella says "Quickly, everyone to our hideout, First Marcus now this. Rick, you and your friends should follow us." Butch says "Let them come, I'll tear them apart." George says "Don't be Gung Ho Butch, we have no idea how tough they are."

"And further more, I think I'm the only one who is sober here," said George.

Jeru started singing, "George is sober! George is sober!"

"Shhh!" Said Bella Donna. "Am I the only one who can drink a little wine without falling apart? Oops!"

She said that last as her foot slipped and she sat down hard. Then she started laughing.

Jeru sang, "Bella Donna is falling apart! Bella Donna is falling apart!"

Fortunately, the elephant could hold his wine and he hoisted Rick and Jeru up on his back. The two parties made their way, unfortunately not very quietly, to Bella Donna's hideout.

Fortunately for both parties, they made it to the hideout, the entrance is a hollowed out tree with secret entrances for each member and the interior is underground as the elephant put both parties down, winded from the run.

"Nice place," said George. "Might avoid detection."

Once they were all below ground, Bella Donna brought out the wine again. "Might as well keep the party going."

The Falcon, whose name was Farflyer, said, "I'll have a drop of that, if you don't mind." Ten minutes later he was snoring.

The horse and the elephant went to sleep cuddled against each other.

Jeru yawned. He wasn't used to drinking and the wine made him sleepy.

Soon only Butch and Rick and Bella Donna and George were awake. George still refused to drink any of the wine. "One of us had better stay sober."

The three Jackals had kept up their relentless tracking pursuit. "They were joined by others here," said one of them as he studied the ground where Rick had met Bella Donna.

Rick looked around "Didn't you have one more here? I don't see Marcus." Bella says "Marcus has been captured by the Dark Lord's forces. No doubt he's in his dungeon."

"Let me guess," said George. "You want to save him?"

Marcus Quillshooter, the African Crested Porcupine, sat in one of the Dark Lord's dungeons feeling very depressed. No one knew where he was, he was sure, and it seemed unlikely a miracle would happen.

He studied the dungeon walls. They were as solid as you would expect blocks of stone to be. He yanked and pulled on the iron bars of the door. Also solid. He sighed and sat down heavily. Maybe the best way to spend his last hours alive was just to sleep.

Marcus heard a voice, "Looks like I finally have company." Marcus turned around and saw a regal looking bear chained to a wall. "Who are you?" Marcus asksed and the bear responded, "Name's Douglas Ursonmight." Marcus asks "King Ursonmight?" "The very same, until the Dark Lord took over my castle, now that I introduced me, what's your name?" "I'm Marcus Quillshooter." "Well Marcus, you look like a bright fellow, I bet you can use one of your quills to pick the locks on these chains here."

"You know how to pick locks?" Marcus asked.

"You learn that sort of stuff, in case you get imprisoned," said Douglas.

The bear's cell was across the hall from where Marcus was imprisoned.

"Stand back," Marcus said, "and I will shoot some quills over there."

Some of the quills made it through the bars and the bear managed to pick one up. A few minutes later he was no longer chained to the wall and then a few minutes after that he had the door of his cell open. H

He unlocked the door to Marcus' cell. "And now we must flee before they discover we are loose."

"But how?" Marcus said. "Where?"

The bear pointed at the drain. "I'm afraid it's going to be a stinky journey."

"I don't care," Marcus said, "as long as I am free again."

The bear used his strength to pry up the grate covering the drain and then pounded the opening bigger until it collapsed into the drain tunnel below.

"Let's go," he said. "It will be tight, but if I can make it I know you can."

"Do you know your way out?" Marcus asked.

"More or less," said Douglas. "We have to find a hatch, and we can open it, and take the Emergency Exit out."

"This connects to an Emergency Exit?"

"Yep, and you can't find it unless you know where it is."

Inside the drain was even tighter than Douglas expected. "It's a good thing they had me on a starvation diet or I could never make it," he said.

"How long have you been in the dungeon?" Marcus asked.

"I'm not sure. Hard to judge the passage of time with no clocks and no windows. It seems like months but it might only be weeks for all I know."

In the forest the Jackals follow Rick the Red's scent, but fortunately for him Bella Donna's rebels are one step ahead of them as they lay out a false trail "This is too easy," said the squirrel, "soon they'll be knee deep in mud and slime of Sorrow swamp."

"That don't sound good to me," said George.

In the morning everyone in the hideout had a hangover except George, who was fast asleep after staying up most of the night.

"The only bad thing about that wine," said Bella Donna, "is the after effects. I feel like shit."

Jeru moaned and drank three glasses of water.

The Jackals had finally found the right trail, but they were worried about all the footprints. "At least seven of them now," said the leader. "We need reinforcements if we are going to capture them."

Douglas the Bear and Marcus the Porcupine made their way out of the drain system of the Dark Lord's dungeon. "Now to rejoin the rebels," Douglas said, "and let them know we are okay."

The Dark Lord pounded his fists. "They escaped?! How could you let that happen?"

"I don't know," said the Jailer. "Somehow they got the locks open."

"Well, I'm locking you in a cell. Let's see if you can get out."

As Douglas and Marcus entered the forest, they ran into the Jackals "You!" The lead jackal said as he saw Marcus, "How did you escape the Dark Lord!?" Marcus says "Let's just said I had help," The lead Jackal says "Well, Your going back!" he snapped his fingers and two of the jackals grabbed Marcus only to be impaled by his quills. Douglas says "I suggest you take your men back to the castle to get those looked at. "This isn't over!" said the lead Jackal, "We'll be back we have the sent of some of your friends!" As the jackals left. Marcus says "We better get back to my hideout, Bella Donna isn't going to be happy about this."

George blinked as he watched a strange rat appear, and then vanish. "That's odd."

The Dark Lord listened to the Jackals' report.

"Too many of them for you?" he said. "You boys show a lack of courage, but I understand. Take a team back with you and you better hope that hideout is still good."

"I think it will be," said the leader of the Jackals.

After the Jackals left the Dark Lord, one of the three, who now wore bandages where quills had hit him, asked the leader, "Why didn't you tell him about meeting Marcus? Will not Marcus warn the rebels we're coming?"

"I don't like to give the Dark Lord too much to worry about. If the rebels are there, we'll get them."

Marcus and Douglas got to the hideout and surprised Bella and noticed Rick the Red, "I see you got back Rick and at a better time, Bella we need to move. The Dark Lord's elite guards know where we are." George asks "Butch? Do you still have explosives left over from the Dam?"

"Let me check," said Butch.

"Yes, I have enough for a pretty good-sized explosion. What did you have in mind?"

George says "We're going to booby trap the forest, give the Dark Lord's incoming forces a welcome they won't soon forget."

Rick says "I like the way this sounds, draw up the plans and we'll quickly set the traps."

"And the Contingency Plan," said George. "Always have a back-up."

"Why not blow up the hide out as well?" Jeru asked. "It's not really a hide out anymore is it, now that they know where it is?"

Bella Donna nodded agreement. "If only we could time it to blow up when they were searching it."

George says "I certainly hope you have another location in mind before we start rigging the explosives."

"Got a few of those," said Bella.

"Don't worry," Marcus said. "We have so many hidey holes I can't remember them all. However, this one was the only one big enough that we could all get together inside it. I hate to see it go, but..."

Bella Donna looked around. "Yeah, good memories."

"Do those memories involve wine?" Jeru asked.

"Lots of it! This was our party shack."

George says "Then let's get started, Butch set those explosives at key locations. If you're not sure where they are I'm sure Marcus can help."

"Anything else?" Butch asked.

"Let's make sure to lure a bunch of the enemy in here before we blow the place up," said George.

"I'll take care of that," Bella Donna said, "since I can outrun any of them. I'll dance around until they chase me inside. That reminds me, Butch, better show me how to light the fuse. And then when they are all inside and the fuse is lit I will scoot out one of our secret entrances."

Butch says "Certainly, put a stone under a fuse and take a flint and then strike the stone. I advise leaving the area post haste afterwards."

"I'd also advise moving fast," said George. "As in fast enough to outrun the debris."

Butch got all the explosives set just in time. Fleetfoot the horse came running back after being their lookout, "They are coming!"

All the rebels except Bella Donna and Butch and Fleetfoot left the hide out and scurried off down the trail.

Butch and Fleetfoot hid in the woods and got ready to light fuses. Bella Donna lay stretched out as if she were sleeping. When the Jackals appeared she jumped up and ran into the camp.

Carefully Butch and Fleetfoot lit fuses and then melted away into the forest.

Meanwhile, the Jackal leader said, "After her! Into the hide out and capture the rebels!"

Jeru and George were far down the trail when they heard Fleetfoot approaching. "Butch is right behind me," Fleetfoot said.

"Did you get the explosives lit?" Jeru asked.

That was when the explosion was heard.

"Got a better question," said George. "Who is still alive?"

"I hope Bella Donna managed to get out in time," Jeru said.

Bella caught up, "Whew, that was close. Just got out before the place blew up."

"Good," said George. "Now, let's get going, and make sure the path is clear of tracks."

They traveled all day and then as evening fell Bella Donna showed them a good place to camp. It was under an overhanging bank of the river and their small campfire could not be seen unless someone was in a boat.

Jeru stretched out and immediately fell asleep. Rick and Butch caught some fish to eat for supper.

George kept a lookout.

They sat around the embers of the campfire eating fish and camp bread and some greens Bella Donna had found. "Do you have any idea where you are going?" she said.

"I have some ideas where not to go," Rick said. "I was here before and can eliminate some areas."

"But Bella is right," Jeru said. "We are just wandering around clueless."

"I'll sketch a map of what I know. Maybe it will give us an idea."

"Always useful to know where you've been, so that you know where to go," said George.

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"As you can see," Rick said. "We are in the middle of Tumblestone Forest. I believe the treasure is hidden in a cave in the mountains. So all we have to do is keep going North."

Jeru looked hard at Rick. "But where in the mountains, Rick? That's a lot of mountains."

"I want to show you something." He pulled a small gold ring out of his pocket. "I found that in a stream right here in the Darklands. Does it suggest anything?"

"Somebody dropped a ring?"

"Possible. Also possible is that water rushing through a cave washed the ring into the stream."

"Do you know where the stream is?" Jeru asked.

"I do and that's where we will start looking."

Butch says, "It look like we're going on a treasure hunt."

"We'd best be careful," said George.

"We've been lucky so far," Rick said. "These woods are crawling with monsters and some of them are enchanted by the Dark Lord. Very hard to kill."

"No need to worry," said Jeru. "Monster mashing is our profession. We haven't come across the monster yet that we couldn't mash."

"Best not to get too overconfident."

"In our case it's justified."

Meanwhile at the Dark Lord's castle, the Dark Lord didn't take the news that his elite guards were killed. A guard says, "Surprising. I never knew Bella Donna would distroy her pun hideout to accomplish such a feat." Dark Lord says "She has help, and they too shall pay the price to defy me. Send out the Tree Goblins."

George was watching the trees.

"See something?" Jeru asked.

"Something is out there," said George. "Things are a little too quiet."

"You're right," Jeru said. "All the birds have stopped singing."

"It's like the silence before a storm," Rick said.

"Do you think maybe it really is a storm coming?"

"The only storm around here is the brainstorm in the Dark Lord's twisted mind."

Then everyone heard chittering sounds coming from the trees, "What was that noise?" George asked, Butch just shrugged, "I have no idea." Then Bella Donna bellows out, "Oh no! Tree Goblins!"

George groaned, and pulled out his sword. "Tell me they are friendly."

Everyone was looking upward with weapons drawn.

Bella Donna said, "Friendly? They leap on your back, use their fangs to inject a paralyzing venom, and then drag you into the treetops where they can keep you alive for several weeks while their young feed on your twitching body. Does that sound friendly?"

Jeru gulped. "No, it doesn't. They must be pretty big then to drag creatures up into the trees."

"No, just cooperative. If it takes four or five of them to drag a body up into a tree then they will work together to do it."

Bella Donna adds "Worse of all, they're enchanted by the Dark Lord. So don't expect this an easy fight." Butch says, "A challenge eh?"

"Do they have any weaknesses we can exploit?" George asked. "Also, is there a place we can run to?"

"A head shot is most likely to kill them," Bella Donna said. "Their bodies are all muscle and bone, not an ounce of fat. Their skin is like grey leather stretched tight over their gnarled limbs. But their heads are softer, almost like a bud on the end of a twig. They don't have a big mouth, just two long fangs that inject an enzyme that dissolves tissues. Then the Goblin slurps up the digested insides of his victim like drinking a milkshake through a straw."

Bella Donna made a slurping noise.

Jeru shuddered. "There are only five of us including you, Bella. Do we even stand a chance?"

"Of course we do," Rick said. "Jeru and I will use our bows. We can take out a lot of them before they even get out of the trees."

"And Butch and I can slaughter the ones that make it to the ground," George said.

"I'll use my speed and claws to finish off any that escape George and Butch's weapons," Bella said.

"Sounds like a plan," Rick said. "High five!"

Feeling more confident now, the five adventurers watched as the rustling leaves above them began to materialize into Goblins on the prowl. The Goblins were well camouflaged, but not hard to see once they got into the lower branches.

Jeru and Rick waited with their bows ready, while George held out his trusty sword and Butch held out a Battle Axe all ready for action ready to take on the Goblins as they show.

"So, anyone know of any good whores we can visit later?" George asked. "Might want to pay a visit to one after this is done."

"Maybe the Dark Lord has a sister," Jeru said. "Uh oh, I see a Goblin."

Jeru loosed an arrow and a Goblin fell from the trees with an arrow neatly through his head.

"Good shot," Rick said. "My turn."

Soon Goblins were raining from the trees with arrows in their heads. This drove all the Goblins into a frenzy and they came scrambling down the tree trunks where George's blades and Butch's axe quickly dispatched them.

Bella Donna slapped a Goblin off of Butch's back. "You were two seconds away from being a protein milkshake."

Butch says "Thanks for the help." as he chopped the attacking goblin's skull completely in half, he then turned to the rest of the team, "Careful, they are so many of them."

"Is there a narrow place where we can funnel them into a small space?" George asked.

A loud roar of a beast was heard not far away. The Goblins began screaming and climbing rapidly back up into the trees.

"What's happening?" Jeru said.

Bella Donna said, "It's a Ranx. They eat Goblins. They're huge and have six arms they use to pluck Goblins from the trees."

"Is that all they eat?"

"No. We would also be a tasty snack, but if we kill the Ranx then we'll have the Goblins on us again."

"Finally," George said. "Time to run away."

Butch says "Then let's get out of here before Ranx shows up. Question is, where?"

"Someplace where the big guy can't fit might be a start," said George.

Bella said, "I imagine the Ranx will stay here trying to get Goblins. Why don't we keep going North at full speed?"

"That's easy for you to say," Jeru said. "You're the fastest runner."

Rick gave Jeru a push. "Just shut up and start running."

"Yeah, and don't piss off the big guy," said George.

They ran through the woods. Behind them they could hear the screams of the Goblins and the roar of the Ranx as he snatched them up and ate them.

That all ran into a cave behind a waterfall(which is one of Bella Donna's hiding spots). Bella says "We should be safe here." Butch leaned against the cave wall catching his breath, "I certainly hope that Ranx doesn't have a way to track us down."

"You know more about them," said George.

"Fortunately," said Bella, "the Ranx doesn't like waterfalls. This hide out will keep us safe. Let's get a good sleep and then keep going."

"What about some food?" Jeru said. "I'm hungry."

"Do you know how to fish? There is plenty of fish in the pool under the waterfall."

Butch says "For the record, I do know about monsters. It's the one's enchanted by dark magic that's new to me."

"I know about them as well, but this is one area where I'm not familiar with the locals," said George. "My father never told me much about any travels around here."

"I know nothing about the Darklands," Jeru said.

Rick spoke up. "Well, I know a few things and I know Bella knows a lot of things about the local monsters."

"I caught one!" Jeru said. He had made a fishing pole out of a tree branch and some string. Instead of a hook he used a spear. He tied a tasty looking worm to the end of the string, dangled it in the water, and then speared the fish when it got interested in the worm.

Butch looked at the fish, "That's nothing, feast your eyes on this." He holds up a huge fish almost the size of a shark

George rolled his eyes. "You going to eat all of that?"

"No, I'll share," Butch said.

They built up the fire and roasted fillets of big fish on which they feasted until everyone had a full belly.

Butch says "Oh, that was good. Gonna sleep well tonight."

"Yeah, but first, you keep watch," said George.

"Why me?" Butch said.

"Because Bella and Jeru and Rick are already asleep," George said. " Don't worry. Just stay awake as long as you can, then wake me up. I'll take the second watch."

An hour past through the watch, Butch heard a sound he heard familiar earlier, The Ranx just outside the cave on the other side of the falls. He kept quiet so it won't hear him hoping that it would move on to another part of the forest,

George opened his eyes, and looked at Butch. He looked towards the cave opening. He carefully drew his sword, just in case.

The Ranx roared which woke everybody up.

"Is that thing back again?" whispered Jeru. "I need my sleep. Can you see it's head?"

"Yes," said Butch.

Jeru carefully notched an arrow and moved to where he could get off a shot. He waited until the Ranx tried to look through a gap in the falls and released his arrow. The Ranx roared in pain.

"They will be calling him one-eye Hank from now on," said Jeru with satisfaction.

The Ranx stumbled off into the woods.

"Back to sleep," Jeru said.

George says "I'll got this watch, you can sleep. I'll wake you if that Ranx returns." Butch yawns "Sounds good to me."

George kept an eye out, listening.

Jeru dreamed of being a great warrior. Rick dreamed of treasure. Bella dreamed of... who knows what?

Butch dreamed of becoming a greatest engineer of all time.

George watched, and listened. He then looked over at Jeru - the lizard would take the next watch after him.

George shook Jeru awake. "Your turn."

Jeru rubbed his eyes. "Anything happening?"

"No, it's been quiet."

In the morning, everyone woke up. Butch got up and stretched, "That was an eventful night. I thought we had it when the Ranx came by." Bella says "Thanks to Jeru's quick thinking and marksmanship, he won't be bothering us anytime soon." George says "Didn't you say the Ranx doesn't like waterfalls?"

"Only if there's easier prey to be had," said Bella. "After all, a belt with a brass buckle is more valuable to the one having trouble holding his pants up than a cave that might be filled with treasure. The goblins were easier prey, as we decided to fight instead of just keep running, and a Ranx hates to waste needless energy on a fight, which could do it more harm."

They packed up and headed North. It wasn't long before they reached the edge of the woods. Before them stretched a savannah of tall brown grass and isolated, stunted trees.

"There are some big cat-like monsters in that grass," Rick said. "I don't know what you call them."

"We call them Thunder Cats," Bella said. "Some of them are bigger than Butch and he's a big cat. There are also some Rage Monkeys, very vicious, lots of teeth and a bad attitude. But you kill a few and the rest run away."

"And there are creatures that aren't monsters and will do us no harm," Rick added. "We can eat them."

They all soon came to a village of lions, like Butch, one of them recognizes him "Butch? What brings you here big brother and who are your friends?" Butch says "Vaballa? I thought you were lost? This is George, Rick, Jeru and Bella Donna."