Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave naively estimated the journey back to Vasquer would take ten to twelve days. As it turns out, Argrave was not particularly good at estimating the length of fantasy backpacking trips. The journey took, altogether, seventeen days… and that was only to make it to the mountain highway.

It was not because of slow movement—indeed, Argrave actually found himself enjoying things when they traversed across the black sand dunes. Anneliese had described the Burnt Desert as having an ‘austere beauty,’ before, and Argrave fully agreed with that assessment. Without scarred lungs and weak bones making things agonizing, the hike was pleasant.

But that was when they were hiking.

Though the first week had passed quickly, once they strayed far from Sethia, the air became unbearably dry once again. That dryness brought with it sandstorms. They were stalled by sandstorms twice—the first had lasted but one night, while the second lasted three whole days. They sought shelter within the mountains. Though offering plenty protection, they were too steep to traverse, halting all progress.

Argrave had been worried the second sandstorm would never end, and they would starve. He’d already planned to eat Galamon first. He was sure the elven vampire would agree. But the relentless barrage of black sand did end, eventually, and they finished out the journey.

With a heave, Argrave pulled himself over a cliff onto stark gray plateau, pulling his legs up just after. The movement had been quick and smooth, and he felt some pride as he recalled the climb at the druid’s camp where Galamon had needed to help him up. Every day felt like a gift now that his body had gone from a liability to a reliability.

Anneliese was already waiting with their four Brumesingers, her long braid of white hair whipping about as she turned and examined the architecture of the highway. Argrave turned around, where he received Durran’s backpack. Soon after, the man climbed up, boots scraping against the stone wall. Argrave gestured towards Galamon for his backpack, but the vampire simply climbed up as easily as one might climb out of a swimming pool. Between his plate armor and his heavy pack, such a thing was a ridiculous show of strength.

“Show-off,” Argrave said to Galamon, turning to the highway ahead.

The abundance of gray metal made the highway seem nearly industrial. Metal sconces had once held magic lamps, but salvagers had come through here, stripping each and every sconce of their magic light. The closest ones reminded Argrave of exposed rebar. But the road kept winding up the mountain, dangerous cracks and cave-ins marring most of the road. Up high, one could see better maintained bits, where salvagers dared not tread.

The stone road was steep and required climbing at the points where it had collapsed. Iron statues with bizarre faces were half-buried in the rubble. Their faces resembled nutcrackers, though intricately wrought out of now-rusty iron and morphed in exaggerated emotion. They were angry, full of rage—though rather than terrifying, the expressions seemed like mockery.

“I cannot fathom how these highways were used…” Anneliese pondered.

“Transportation of troops between mountainside forts,” Argrave stepped up beside her, putting his backpack back on.

“Mountain climbing with heavy packs,” Durran said, catching his breath as he leaned against his glaive. “I missed all the signs. I’m travelling with morons.”

“Other options; abomination-ridden underground passage jam-packed with diseases, necromantic creatures of the Order of the Rose, and a knightly order who has vilified me,” Argrave raised one finger. “Or… we can ask the Lionsun Castle to open the gates for us. Barring these highways, there’s no other way over these mountain peaks.”

“Underground passage… this is Nodremaid, that city Garm spoke to me about,” Durran caught his breath.

Argrave nodded, surprised Durran knew more than he thought. Anneliese walked up to a pile of rubble, touching one of the iron statues. “Don’t be so carefree,” Argrave called out. “Some of these statues are functioning golems.”

“These are the golems you mentioned?” Anneliese asked, surprised. “The Veidimen say golems are myths. And moreover, metal golems…”

men. The sconces, the golems… they were made by

did not mention them in our plan for this place,”

at least from here,” Argrave shook his head. “Their

him frowning and took

right? he gave himself a pep talk internally. This is your chance. Come on. Kill it. In truth, it was less ‘mountain climbing’ and more ‘rock scrabbling.’

was strenuous, both mentally and physically, as they needed to plan out a path up the uneven road and then execute that plan. Durran voiced his skepticism frequently but kept pace with them despite hefting

with a pleasant chiming song, then vanished into it, traversing their brume as they had in the tomb of the southron elves. They would reappear at higher elevations, lounging and playing with each other as though this was a casual stroll rather than a treacherous climb. If Argrave didn’t have such affection for the creatures, he might’ve gotten a

and Anneliese stepped on them. He boosted her up, and then grabbed her backpack, placing it up beside her. After, he did the same for Durran

must ask… for a break,”

to catch his breath. After a time, he responded, “Take all the time you need. And rest easy, because that was the last bit of climbing we’ll need to do.” He

glass orbs, even if they were dead by now. Argrave looked back beyond them. From up high, the Burnt Desert was even more beautiful. The distant and elaborate cities of the Vessels seemed like stars in the sky or shining

and placing his elbow on his knee. “Going

to muster laughter at Durran’s constant derision. After everyone recovered from their fatigue, they gathered their things and

the comically angry metal statues they walked by. Though still rusted, they were upright at this higher section, and most bore metal rods in hand. They took ridiculous poses,

rods… something was cut off there, severed. You can

was once there?” Argrave pressed amusedly, knowing the

unsure. They could be spears, longmaces… jeweled scepters of some kind, perhaps. It would explain

trekked forward, a

you so amused?” she frowned.

a hand to shrug. “You’ll see

golems, if they just let whatever they held be cut off and

he’d had his eye on, its arm rocketed forth and the rod it held slammed into the ground. The coin had been caught perfectly, smushed around the edge of the rod. Its arm clicked like a wind-up toy, cranking back to its original position. The silver coin hung at the edge of

ones are stationary. They attack anything that enters into their line of attack,”

coin, and then glanced at the silver smudge left behind where it had been beaten around the

of those things to test it,” he said a little

grass growing up through the stone had left great cracks in everything. Harsh winds

tunneled into a mountain. In that tunnel, the path

through

of the statues. “I would never,” he scolded, retrieving another coin. He tossed it, and its right

atop the rod, balancing carefully as it clicked and rose back up. Once it was at its highest point, he stepped

down. “Rescue anyone in

practically beaming in anticipation. He kicked a rock towards the golem, then leapt atop the thick rod once it slammed against the ground. He rode it upwards to the top, and they stayed