A Long Way From Home: A Drizzt Do'Urden Fan Fiction

Chapter 5

A time of a few days had passed since Drizzt and Raen’s refreshing stay in the vale. At the moment, they plodded along on an unnamed road and deserted road through the flat fields of the country side. Drizzt stopped in his tracks; he had neglected to do something even once on this journey that he would normally do every few days or so. The dark elf’s hand dropped into a pouch tied at his belt and procured a small figurine of an onyx black panther. “I don’t believe you have met my friend yet.” Drizzt set the figurine down on the dusty road with careful reverence. “Guenhwyvar, come.”

Guenhwyvar’s raised its great head from its large paws; it had not heard its master beckon in some time. Guenhwyvar eagerly rushed from its astral home and leaped through the boundary into the material plane; its master was waiting.

Raen took a wary step back as a dark haze flowed forth from the statuette and slowly solidified into the form of a great hunting cat. The surface elf slowly slid her hand down to the pommel of her sword. “What trickery is this?”

The great cat bowled Drizzt over and pushed its muzzle into the dark palm of Drizzt’s hand. “No trickery; this is Guenhwyvar, he has been my faithful companion for many years now.”

Raen took a careful step towards the cat, testing for any hostile reaction. When none came, Raen ran her hand along the sleek jet black coat of the feline. A rumbling purr issued from Guenhwyvar’s broad chest. Raen smiled and scratched behind the cat’s velvety ears. “Well you’re not such a bad cat after all.”

Drizzt- now free of the cat’s attention- stood and brushed the dirt from his cloak. “Come, we should continue moving. Night will set soon and we have yet to find a suitable campsite.”

As the sun started to dip behind the distant peaks, the party entered the outskirts of an abandoned village. Raen glanced around the decrepit buildings and out of control gardens for any sign of life; seeing none, she came to a conclusion. “This place appears to have been ravaged by plague; we still need to pass through, however.” Within the deathly silent village, even a whisper seemed to take on the volume of a shout.

Drizzt nodded his head and rummaged through his pack for a scarf to wrap the lower half of his face in. Raen covered her nose and mouth with her spare tunic. The elves advanced through the village with their swords drawn and Guenhwyvar padding at their heels.

Raen cursed silently as her booted foot stepped on a dry twig. The crack echoed throughout the village, no doubt alerting anyone who was there to their presence. Drizzt squeezed Raen’s free wrist, bringing her attention to the shuffling forms pouring out from the buildings.

“The risen dead…” Raen quickly cast a spell over her blade; the sword glowed with a golden radiance, dispelling the darkness around it.

Drizzt arched a snowy white eyebrow. “I thought the most difficult spell you knew was a misdirection spell?”

Raen cast a smirk over her shoulder at Drizzt as the undead formed a circle about them. “It is; anti-scrying and misdirection spells are quite difficult to cast, mind you.”

The circle of zombies grew closer and closer until Drizzt and Raen were pushed back to back with Guenhwyvar pacing at their feet. Raen hacked away at the first reaching hand; the animated corpse reeled back as its limb fell away and the magical light from Raen’s sword crawled up the rest of its decaying body and seared it to a charred and crumbling husk.

Drizzt swords whirled in a dance of deadly steel; chopping away limbs and even full torsos as the abominations advanced. “I hope you have more spells like that one, Raen, we’re going to need them.”

No matter how many undead the two elves and the cat felled, three returned to take its place. Raen eyes grew wide as a withered hand there was no hope in parrying broke through her defenses. Drizzt’s scimitar flashed in front of her face and loped off the gnarled hand. “Raen, we need to retreat! There’s too many!” Within the commotion of hungry moans and scuttling feet, only a shout could be heard through the cacophony.