The Harrowmark: The Twisted Oak, Part 9

Piercing the Veil

The rout at Freebooter's Tower had costed Kalyustar many days. Unable to clearly match the indications in the map to the overgrown paths of the Harrowmark, he and the Cursed Company had slogged on slowly, often having to backtrack once realising they had taken a wrong turn. Worse still, discordant shanties and guttural calls had regularly reached Kalyustar's hears over the constantly howling winds. The Rotmoons were following them, never getting close enough to be confronted.
But now, the Cursed Company was close to their objective, the Charybdis Occolum. According to the map, the Twisted Oak was near the arcane observatory, the final clue to its location hidden in the ruin’s engravings.
'How do you intend to deal with the orruks, Soulchemist? They seem to have outsmarted you over and over again recently...' cold sarcasm tinted the Shadeglass Skull's voice.
"They have not! I listened to those that are below me and cared for the safety of what are nothing but minions..."
'And once again, you were left with nothing but thy soul to keep. So I ask you again, what do you intend to do now?'
"Follow the teachings of the Master. Be merciless and cunning and patient". Coils of Shyishian magic writhed around the necromancer. They latched onto Grellem Vallkern and a clutch of skeletons, puppeteering them back into the deep of the woods.
"They will slow down the orruks. Failing that, I'll call upon them to secure the Twisted Oak once I decyphered the arcane inscriptions on the Charybdis Occulum".
'Good Soulchemist, good'.

As he approached the Charybdis Occulum, Kalyustar felt dark energies emanating from the gnarled saplings growing around it. The wood of only one of them would act as a thaumaturgic compas to the Twisted Oak, said the map. One, dripping blood-like sap, was already within his soldiers' reach.

As expected, most of the Rotmoons showed up, immediately rushing around one of the sapling crawling with poisonous spiders.

Intoning Van Hel's Danse Macabre, Kalyustar sent his skeletons to clash with the incoming orruks, securing a third sapling emanating an aura of palpable dread and protecting the gore soaked one.

Kaptain Da Leeva and Dragante climbed up the Occolum platform, stopping Rhedgar and a swordmen from reaching the sapling feeding on the arcane energies of the observatory.

Ignoring the fights, Kalyustar approached the walls and started reading the inscriptions. From now on, the Cursed Company only had to keep the Rotmoons where they were, even if that meant they were crushed to boney dust.

Krunti and Tollich joined the fight on the Occulum, but Dragante and the Kaptain fought with typical orruk fury. The skeletal duardin, Rhedgar and an halberdier were quickly smashed to pieces.

Another skeleton fell to the Rotmoon deckhands defending the dreadful sapling.

Only around the gore soaked sapling, the Cursed Company managed to fend off the orruks' attack.

Finally, Kalyustar found the answer he was looking for. The arcane inscriptions couldn't be more clear. Poisonous is the sap of the Twisted Oak and poisonous creatures will lead to it.

Kalyustar turned to the sapling crawling with spiders. With glee he saw the Rotmoons had left only Awkwardo to guard it. With an imperious tought, he summoned Grellem and his skeletons to emerge from the woods behind the unaware deck hand.

Then El Doctoro came forward, Waaagh! energy fizzling around him and his mates. They were headed for the dreadful sapling.

Kalyustar summoned Rhedgar back onto the Occolum platform, just in time for the Skeleton Champion to be felled together with Tollich by the raging Kaptain and Dragante.

Kheinrich stood alone, surrounded by el Doctoro and his crew, amidst the scattered remains of two skeletal henchmen.

At the gore drenched sapling, a single swordmen still hold on, his companion's remains crushed under a fallen orruk.

Leaving the minions to be pummeled by the orruks, Kalyustar strode confidently towards Awkwardo. Grellem and his retinue shambled forward, leaving only one escape route to the terrified orruk.
As Awkwardo disappeared in the undergrowth, Kalyustar unstoppered one of his vials. The smoke emerging from it coiled around the sapling, killing it and scattering the spiders. After a few seconds of frantic scuttling, the critters formed into a compact swarm and crawled away.
With a chilling laughter, Kalyustar started to follow them, the Cursed Company behind him keeping the Rotmoons at a safe distance.

***
Saul's side of the story is here.