Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Gundam Wing and the Quest for the Holy Grail ❯ The Cave of the Hermit ( Chapter 6 )

I am having SO much fun writing this story! Can you tell? XD

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 6: The Cave of the Hermit

Beardley Bog reeked. Roku seemed to be the only one not nauseated by the stench.

“Do you smell that?” Roku exclaimed excitedly. “I think something's dead over there!” He stood with his big front paws just starting to sink into the mud.

“Get out of the mud, Roku,” Wu-Fei said. His voice sounded muffled because of the hand he had clamped over his nose and mouth.

Roku backed up. “Look at that!” he cried. A large white bird took off from farther out in the bog and flew gracefully away.

“Don't chase it!”

“I won't.”

Roku trotted along just at the edge of the trail with his ears perked up.

The trail they were following wound along the edge of the bog. It was marked by little strips of bright red cloth tied to short stakes, fluttering at the edge of the safe, firm ground. An old woman who collected herbs in the bog had told them about the trail.

“It winds all through the bog,” she told them, “but the ground does shift, so you still have to be careful. I usually go out every spring and remark it, but I've only done the nearer edge so far.”

She lived in a hut a short hour's walk from the bog. They'd come upon her working in her small garden in front of her hut the morning after they left Motten Bluff.

“Good day to you, Mistress!” Hagrimore greeted her.

“Good day, gentlemen.” She climbed stiffly to her feet. “You're far from the road.”

“Aye, Mistress. We've business in these parts.”

“In the bog?” She sounded surprised. “Well, you'd best have a care. It's a dangerous place.” She smiled at Roku.

“Do you know the bog, Mistress?” Wu-Fei asked.

“Quite well, Sir. It is where I make my living, gathering herbs for the apothecaries.”

“Does anyone live there?”

“Heavens, no!” She laughed at the idea. “The bog can be navigated by day, but it is much too dangerous at night. The bog monsters have a taste for human flesh, but they can't bear sunlight.”

“Bog monsters?!” Duo asked with raised eyebrows.

“Aye. Most people call them ghouls. The place is thick with them.”

“I don't believe in ghouls!” Duo muttered under his breath in a falsetto imitation of Trowa. “Next time he can face the monsters and I'll go to the nice safe church!” he complained aloud. “How much you wanna bet he and Quatre spent the night…”

“Shut up, Duo!” Heero interrupted him.

“…while we were trying to sleep holding our noses?” Duo concluded in an irritated grumble.

The old woman appeared amused by Duo's outburst. “So what business do you gentlemen have in the bog, if you don't mind my asking?”

“We're looking for a cave,” Heero told her bluntly. “Supposedly, a hermit used to live in it.”

“Oh! The Hermit's Cave. I know of it.”

“Do you know where it is?” Hagrimore asked.

The old woman nodded. “Aye, I do, although I won't go near it myself. It gives me the chills.”

“Can you tell us how to find it?”

“Certainly.” The old woman gave them detailed directions to the Hermit's Cave and bid them farewell.

So now, carefully following the marked path and the old woman's directions, the party made their way somewhat slowly through the stench toward the Cave of the Hermit.

The trail meandered around as it inexorably took them deeper into the bog. Hummocks of land rose up in between stinking mud holes and stagnant pools of water, many of which had ominous looking bubbles slowing rising and popping on the surface. Clumps of scraggly trees and brush grew on many of the hummocks, making it impossible to see very far and cutting the travelers off from any breeze that might have wafted the smell away. Occasionally, the trail would wander up and over the top of one of these mounds.

From the top of one slightly larger mound, a larger row of stony hills dotted with good-sized trees and brush finally came into view. The trail immediately turned in a different direction when it descended from the mound.

“At this rate, we're not going to make it there and back before nightfall,” one knight complained.

“Especially if we must take time to search,” added another.

“Show some backbone!” Hagrimore commanded. “Armed knights have nothing to fear from a handful of ghouls.”

“I'm glad he said something,” Heero muttered. “I wouldn't have been so polite.”

“Papa Wu-Fei, I smell something funny,” Roku said abruptly. He stopped with his nose in the air and his whiskers twitching.

Everyone reined their horses to a halt.

“What does it smell like?” Wu-Fei asked.

“I don't know,” Roku replied, sounding very confused.

“Dismount!” Hagrimore ordered. “I don't want anyone carried into a mud hole if the horses bolt.”

Everyone dismounted, their eyes scanning the bog around them.

“We're not that far from those hills,” Heero said, “and it looks like the place the old woman was describing.”

“I think so, too,” said Wu-Fei. “We should keep moving.”

Heero and Hagrimore went first, leading their horses, followed by Duo, Wu-Fei and Roku. A few of the braver knights had companions lead their horses so they could form an unencumbered rearguard. A few more twists and turns in the trail finally brought them to where an enormous tree had fallen decades before, causing its massive root system to tear a gaping hole in the side of the hill from which it fell, exposing the yawning blackness of a deep cave.

“I think we're here,” Heero said.

“Look, footprints!” Wu-Fei said.

“The weird-smelling things are in the cave,” Roku said.

“Oh, great!” Duo said.

The group tethered their horses to the fallen tree and stepped over to examine the ootprints.

`They look human,” one knight remarked.

“No, the toes are too long,” said another.

“And look how far over the big toe is,” added a third.

Roku was sniffing around the base of the fallen tree. “There are people bones over here!” he called. “They look gnawed on.”

“I'm really not liking this,” Duo said.

Several knights nodded and muttered in agreement.

“But the key's in the cave,” Heero said, “so into the cave we go.” He drew his sword and marched in.

Hagrimore grabbed a torch from the bundle on the back of his horse. Wu-Fei did the same and lit it with a quick breath of yellow flame. Hagrimore held his torch out with an expectant look and Wu-Fei lit it, too. The two of them followed Heero into the cave.

Duo shook his head mournfully. “Come along, Roku. Better you stay where we can see you, even if it is in a dark cave full of flesh-eating ghouls.” He started in after the others, with Roku at his side.

Showing varying degrees of discomfort, from none to nearly trouser-wetting, the remaining knights collected torches and followed.

The floor of the cave was littered with bones, both human and animal. Some looked dismayingly fresh.

It did not smell good.

Several twists and turns quickly cut them off from the light from the cave mouth. The knights crowded forward to light their torches from the ones already burning.

“Check side passages carefully,” Hagrimore instructed, “and keep an eye out behind us. I don't want to get attacked from two directions.”

After several hundred meters, the cave widened into a large cavern.

“Quiet!” Heero ordered as soon as he stepped into the open space.

In the ensuing silence, the only sound to be heard was Roku's low throaty growl.

Then an explosion of guttural barking burst out all around them and the walls seemed to come alive. Every nook, cranny and shelf in the cavern was crammed with ghouls. Their bald, grayish-green skin gleamed with slime in the torchlight. Large, pale-yellow, pupil-less eyes reflected the light, above wide lipless mouths with two rows of sharp, triangular teeth. They had no noses, just slits for nostrils.

The ghouls stared at the intruders, blinking owlishly in the dim light.

And then they charged, with a roar like a hurricane.

Heero leaped forward and hacked through the torso of the nearest ghoul.

“To arms!” Hagrimore cried. He and the knights joined Heero.

The ghouls were not easy to kill. Losing limbs didn't slow them down particularly. Being beheaded or cut in half generally kept them from getting back up, but the knights still occasionally bumped into a headless ghoul that was still trying to slash with its short vicious claws.

Only Heero seemed to be having regular success when it came to hacking a ghoul in half on the first try.

Duo stood close to the cavern entrance with Roku behind him, fighting savagely to make sure none of the ghouls got close enough to attack the little tiger.

“Promise me you won't mention this part to Quatre, Roku!” Duo shouted. “He'll skin me alive!”

“Duo!” Wu-Fei shouted, “Can't you ask that knife of yours where the key is?” He hacked the head off a ghoul and split the body in half.

“What about it, Knife?” Duo said, too busy to take the knife out or elaborate the question.

The key is in a hole in the wall on the other side of the cavern.

“It's over there somewhere stuck in the wall!” Duo knocked a ghoul down with a well-timed punch so he could point. “Heero's closest!”

“Great!” Heero grunted. He began cutting his way through the ghouls in the indicated direction. “How close am I?”

“Another three meters, it says!”

“Kuso! What about now?” Heero was backed up against the wall, fighting four ghouls at once.

“A little to the left!”

“Baka yaro…” Heero snarled. “Can you be more specific?”

“There should be a little hole just above your left shoulder.”

“Would you give me a hand, Wu-Fei?” Heero called. “I can't turn my back on these things.”

“Duck!” Wu-Fei shouted, and he shot a stream of fire in Heero's direction.

The ghouls scattered with startled yelps. Heero immediately stuck his hand into the hole, snatched something out and jammed it into his pocket.

“Ok!” Heero cried, “let's get out of here!”

The ghouls closed on Heero again, but not for long. He cut three down with three quick strokes and bolted for the exit.

Wu-Fei blasted another stream of fire at the ghouls and followed. A ghoul leaped after him and slashed its claws down Wu-Fei's back. Wu-Fei stumbled, but caught himself before he fell, twirled on one foot and beheaded the ghoul with a graceful sweep of his kitana.

Everyone dashed out of the cavern and through the cave, with Wu-Fei bringing up the rear, holding the ghouls off with shots of flame. But finally the ghouls stopped, barking and howling in fury, as the humans entered the comparative brightness approaching the cave mouth.

No one stopped until they were well outside the cave. Wu-Fei slumped to his knees, breathing hard.

Duo picked Roku up. “You ok, kid?”

“Yes, Papa Duo.” Roku's ears were still flattened against his skull. “That was kind of scary.”

“But you won't mention the details to Mama, right?”

Roku licked his cheek. “I like you better with skin.”

“Thanks, sweetie.”

“So what did you find, Sir Heero?” Hagrimore asked.

Heero took the object he'd found out of his pocket. It was a slender metal rod about the length of his palm with four flat, square wings sticking out at right angles near one end, leaving a short, tapered tip.

“That looks like gold!” one knight exclaimed.

“I think it is,” Heero agreed. “It's pretty heavy for its size.”

Everyone crowded around to get a closer look, except Wu-Fei, who was still sitting with his head hanging between his knees.

“We should get moving,” Wu-Fei panted. “We need to get out of the bog before nightfall. I couldn't light a candle right now.”

“Good idea.” Heero pocketed the key. Then he looked at Wu-Fei with a slight frown. “Are you all right, Fei? You took quite a hit back there.” He moved to Wu-Fei's side and examined the gashes ripped in Wu-Fei's shirt. “I don't see any blood.”

“It doesn't hurt,” Wu-Fei said. He rolled his shoulders.

“I bet it's the scales,” Duo said. “The ghoul's claws couldn't penetrate them.”

“Nice!” Heero said admiringly. “I knew those scales would come in handy.”

“Then you grow them next time.” Wu-Fei held out a hand and Heero pulled him to his feet. “Let's go.”

The group mounted up and returned to the trail. Roku rode with Duo, balancing carefully on the front of Duo's saddle. Dusk found them back at the old woman's hut. She came out onto her front step, which was really just a wide, flat stone.

“It is good to see you safely back, gentlemen,” she said. “I was a little concerned when the sun began to set. Did you find what you were looking for?”

“We did indeed, Mistress,” Hagrimore replied. “We are grateful for your assistance in this matter.”

“Well, I have to confess I felt a little guilty about telling you how to find the cave. Did you run afoul of the ghouls?”

“We did, but I'd say they are the worse for it.”

She smiled. “Well, maybe it will make them less bold for a few months. I would offer you my hospitality, but you can see that my home is a little too small for all of you.”

“But your thoughtfulness is appreciated, nonetheless,” Hagrimore assured her. “With your permission, we'll just camp at your front door and move on in the morning.”

“By all means. There's a spring just around to the side of the house there.” She pointed to her left. “And I have a few extra potatoes if you care to make a stew.”

“Thank you.”

The knights set up camp just outside the old woman's garden fence. Her potatoes proved to be quite tasty when boiled up with a few wild herbs and some onions. They kept a watch, just in case the ghouls came looking for a little revenge, but the night passed without incident.

In the morning, they set out for Motten Bluff.

“Do you suppose Trowa and Quatre found the Secret Room?” Duo asked. Roku was riding in front of him in human form, still half-asleep.

“They better have,” Heero said. “They'll have had enough time.”

The group arrived back in Motten Bluff just as dusk was fading into full dark.

Quatre was quite relieved to see them back. He collected Roku from Duo and hugged the little boy close.

“How are you, Roku? Did your Papas take good care of you?”

“Yes Mama. The bog was really interesting. And look, Papa Duo braided my hair.” He pulled the thick dark braid over his shoulder and displayed it proudly.

“That's very nice.” Quatre frowned suspiciously at Duo. “And nothing bad happened in the bog?”

“We ran into a few ghouls,” Heero said with a casual shrug. “Nothing we couldn't handle. We got what we were after.”

“Ghouls?!” Trowa exclaimed. “There were actual ghouls in the bog?” Several people nodded. “I wouldn't have minded seeing that.”

“We can drop by later, if you like,” Wu-Fei said. “We left a few.”

“They eat people,” Roku announced. “There were bones.”

Quatre's eyes widened.

“Now, I know what you're thinking, Quatre,” Duo said quickly, “but I had Roku right beside me the whole time.” Then Duo went pale. “I do know what you're thinking! Try not to have such graphic thoughts quite so loud!”

Quatre smiled sweetly. “If you say nothing had happened, of course I believe you. Come Roku, you can tell me all about it over dinner.” He led the way into the inn.

“I'm dead,” Duo said mournfully. “You don't even want to know what he was thinking. I'm so dead.”

“Don't worry about it, Duo,” Trowa said. “Quatre has just been a little anxious. He'll get over it now that Roku is back and safely in his care.”

Percival decided they should pay for a private dining room so they could discuss what had learned without the locals overhearing. He reported on what had transpired at the church. Then Hagrimore reported on the excursion to Beardley Bog, with an unfortunately high level of detail, from Duo's perspective.

Quatre's glare carried enough heat to rival Wu-Fei's hottest breath.

Roku, still in human form, snuggled against Quatre's side and held his hand.

“You must have been frightened, Roku,” Quatre said at the conclusion of Hagrimore's report.

“I was, but Papa Duo protected me. He fights really good.”

“I'm glad to head that.”

“Well, it seems our next course of action is fixed,” Percival said. “We have the key and we think we know the location of the Secret Room. But how are we to go about this without rousing the whole town?”

“We can't all go over there at once,” said Wu-Fei. “If we slip in a few at a time over an hour or two, maybe no one will notice.”

“The priest will,” Damodin said.

“We'll distract him.”

“Or maybe enlist him,” Trowa suggested. “He didn't seem to believe the stories about Father Valentine. Perhaps his curiosity will get the better of him.”

“Perhaps,” Percival said gravely. “I think we should do as Master Wu-Fei suggests. But we should plan for the bulk of our activities to occur after sunset, when most people have gone home for dinner. The fewer people about, the better.”

Everyone agreed to the plan. Those just returned from the bog also decided it was time for bed and a good night's rest on a proper mattress.

“As this may be my last night on Earth,” Duo said to Heero and Wu-Fei, “I think I would like to spend it getting laid.”

“He's not going to kill you, Duo,” Heero said.

“I'll believe that when I'm not dead in the morning. Just three or four quickies, that's all I'm asking.”

“Just say yes, Heero,” Wu-Fei sighed, “or he'll just keep pestering us.”

“Fine! Yes!” Heero growled. “But you have to stop whining.”

“Thank you!” Duo cried. “And you'll think kind thoughts about me after I'm dead, won't you?”

“Oh, shut up!”