The Twice-Enchanted Blade: Part 16

Rhombus, as with most things he did, delivered his story with bravado and confidence.

“Climbing a mountain and taking an egg sounds like a simple affair, right? Sure, you might need some ropes at some point, but those folks a thousand years back made it, so why can’t we? Dealing with that giant bird would be the challenge.

“Well, you would be wrong to think that. Imagine, if you will, a massive spear tip protruding from the earth. That’s what this mountain looked like. It’s completely isolated, any slopes for miles around are mild, and then there’s this stone pillar covered in clouds by its lonesome. Looked unnatural to me, but then again, what do I know about rocks?

“Anyway, most would’ve given up after merely seeing the mountain, but not us. We made a circle around its base, trying to find a good point for an approach. Most of the time, there was just a sheer cliff, but even in more promising locations, it looked like our muscles would give out before we could reach a place to rest. What’s with that smirk, Clossar – I’ve seen the cliffs, you wouldn’t be able to make it either!

“Going back to the story, on one side, we noticed what seemed to be a small cave. That might just be it, I thought. An unassuming passage leading to a place that would allow us an easier climb!

“On that front, I was once again in for a disappointment. The cave was as small as it seemed from the outside. There was, however, a different, surprising aspect to the cavern – it was inhabited.

“In a corner of the cave, an old man was dozing off. He was dark skinned like the Bele Wode, but small and shrivelled, low in flesh yet high in bone, and his white hair and beard were so wild and unkempt we could barely discern his face. He was dressed in some kind of dirty rags of undeterminate color.

“He stirred as we walked in, took one look at us, then addressed us in perfect Manean. ‘Come to seek the egg?’ he asked. ‘Aye, ’ I responded, ‘My name is Rhombus of Tetrahedron, and I have come for the golden egg, so that I can claim the Twice-Forged Blade. ’ ‘I thought nobody would ever come, ’ said the old man, ‘Do you perchance need a hint?’

“Now we were fairly stumped, but I thought we could bash our heads into the rocks for at least one more day before we resorted to begging for help. ‘Thank you very much, ’ I said, ‘We appreciate the offer, but would prefer to figure out how to climb this mountain by ourselves. ’ To my annoyance, the old man laughed at me. ‘So you intend to climb it! You are in more need of help than you realize. In the 5,000 years I’ve been living in this cave, nobody has managed to scale these cliffs.

“Now he had my complete attention. ‘5,000 years!?’, I shouted in shock, ‘How are you still alive?’ ‘Oh, back in the day, I was a sorcerer. I tried to create an immortality spell, but it didn’t quite work as intended,’ he dropped this information matter-of-factly. ‘Well, it seemed to have worked at least somewhat, ’ I responded, ‘since you’re still here. ’ He smiled, ‘Yes, but I am not fully immortal. I still have a good millennium or two, sure, but I am growing slowly and surely older. There was also an unintended side effect of binding me to this mountain, so I am trapped in a prison of my own making.’

“This was all fascinating knowledge, and I wanted to know more, I really did, but I am no Civet and didn’t know what questions to ask. But if you want, we can swing that way again on our way back. I’m sure the old man would appreciate some company.

“In any case, while I was processing the fact that I was talking to a man older than Manea itself, he spoke again, ‘Are you sure you do not want help? Offering it is a part I was given to play in your quest, and it does not come for free – you need not worry about your pride getting hurt.’ ‘What’s the price?’ I asked. ‘To accomplish this quest, ’ he responded, ‘one should be either cunning or supremely skilled with arms – though bravery and valor will be required in either case. If you cannot think of a way to get to the top, you can defeat a biclops champion in an honorable duel, and help will be provided to you.’ ‘What the hell’s a biclops?’, I asked. ‘It’s similar to a cyclops, but it has two eyes, ’ came the response. ‘Isn’t that just a giant?’ I was confused. ‘There’s a difference, ’ the old man pointed out, ‘The eyes of a biclops are arranged vertically. There’s a tribe of them living nearby. Your ancestors orchestrated a deal between me and them – I would treat their sick and wounded, and they would have a champion available should need arise. I got some occasional company from this arrangement, likely saving me from going completely insane, so everybody won.’

“I ended up agreeing to the old man’s terms, and, as it was getting late, we decided to wait until tomorrow morning to organize the duel. The hermit spent most of the night pestering me about what’s going on in the world, and, as generous as I am, I sacrificed some sleep in order to answer him.

“At dawn, we went in front of the cave. The old man brought a large horn with him, into which he blew. Then we waited. Some minutes later, a huge shadow departed from the mountain’s peak and flew away into the distance. ‘That’s the Roc’, the hermit pointed out the obvious, ‘Large, isn’t it? Perhaps you have some idea how you could get up now.’

“I had, but there were a lot of details to think about, and the duel was more my style anyway. So I just shook my head and we kept waiting for the champion. He indeed showed up after some time, flanked by two more biclops warriors. They were about twice my size, greyish-green-skinned, and, just as the hermit mentioned, their eyes were laid out vertically. I could easily tell which one was the champion, as he wore many decorative feathers and his face was covered in war paint. He was carrying a massive obsidian axe, and I began to steer myself for the fight”.