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Chapter 4
Axel and the three elves walked down the corridor leading to the catacombs.
‘I still don’t get it,’ Axel said for the fourteenth time. ‘Why hasn’t the Bane of Knowledge destroyed everything yet?’
‘Because,’ Niggles said patiently, also for the fourteenth time, ‘the Bane of Knowledge feeds off fear. The disappearances haven’t caused enough panic to get the effect of the blind panic that it loves. We should use this time to find out the Bane of Knowledge’s weakness, and trap it.’ They arrived at the archives.
Metal shelves lined the walls, covered with interesting things like hair, death masks, a rifle, and what looked like an elephant’s bone. Axel admired the objects, but the elves walked straight past everything.
‘Where are we going?’ Axel asked nervously, his eyes darting everywhere.
‘We ain’t gonna go anywhere,’ Balg said. ‘oe’re the leader, so lead on!’
‘OK,’ Axel said. Then, they came to an intersection. Axel went right. Suddenly, he hit something with his foot.
‘OW!’ Axel cried, grabbing his foot. Balg laughed. Kelk, meanwhile, leant down to inspect the thing Axel had kicked.
‘It’s a lever!’ she said excitedly.
‘Let me,’ Balg muttered, shoving Kelk out of the way, and grabbing the lever. He pulled. Nothing.
‘A incy bit o elp ere?’ he said to Axel. Axel reached down and pulled. The lever gave way, and clicked. There was a silence. Nothing happened. Niggles groaned.
‘It’s a fake!’ he said. Just then, there was a rumble, and the entire corridor opened up under them. They fell, screaming, into the abyss.
They fell for a terrifying 2 seconds, until Axel hit something soft. Niggles landed on top of him, Kelk landed on top of Niggles, and Balg landed on all of them. Axel shook off the three elves, and looked around. He seemed to have landed on a huge cushion of foam. Around him was a smaller collection of stuff. But it seemed, that this was more rare, exotic things. A huge snake skull. A tablet covered with runes. A sword that seemed to whisper. Axel tried to see through the dark, but he couldn’t see a thing.
‘Wait,’ Niggles said. Axel turned to see him close his eyes, stick his fingers in his ears, and concentrate hard. Slowly, he started to float into the air. Then, with a loud pop, Niggles’ head turned bright blue, and he fell on the ground.
‘What…how…huh?’ Axel stuttered, staring at the bright blue headed Niggles.
‘It’s a trick that all elves learn from youth,’ Niggles said. ‘All elves have luminescent heads.’
They walked through the shelves, and they saw more and more strange objects. A digeridoo. A fish mask. Two flipflops shaped like skulls. Suddenly, Niggle’s head’s light sputtered, and died. Balg bellowed out in pain, slipped and fell onto the ground, clutching at his foot. Axel leant down to inspect the foot, and found a purple shard in it.
‘Qualkinite,’ Kelk hissed in repulsion. The shard was small, but it seemed to be giving Balg great pain. He hissed through his teeth, and his eyes rolled back.
‘What’s Qualkinite?’ Axel asked.
‘Qualkinite is a rare, rare mineral,’ Kelk said. ‘It drains any magical creature’s powers, and touching it is worse. Can you pull it out?’
Axel grabbed hold of it. Suddenly, he felt sick, like he wanted to throw up. Then, the pain started. It racked his whole body, shaking it with fear. Through the pain, he managed to pull it out, and throw it onto the ground. Instantly, the pain stopped.
‘What…what just happened?’ Axel asked.
‘I forgot!’ Kelk cried. ‘You have a magic in you as well. The Qualkinite must have a similar hold on you too. I’m sorry.’ Niggles, who was standing next to Balg, pulled him to his feet. Then, Axel smacked his forehead in frustration.
‘What?’ Niggles asked.
‘I had a torch in my pocket this whole time, and I didn’t even use it!’ he exclaimed, digging his hand into his pocket, and pulling out the torch. He switched it on, and stared at the ground in front of them. It was littered with the Qualkinite shards. And in the center, was a leather case.
Cracked Qualkinite lined the case. It was brown, and ancient. The case was ripped and torn, as if in fury. Balg, leaning against Niggles for support, gasped.
‘The tomb of the Bane of knowledge!’ he exclaimed.
‘This is what contained the Bane of Knowledge?’ Axel asked in amazement.
‘The Qualkinite kept it imprisoned,’ Kelk said, ‘but it must have failed under the fury of the Bane of Knowledge.’
Axel glimpsed something in the case, and moved forward. His shoes squeaked as he moved through the Qualkinite. He reached into the case, and pulled out…an old torn book. Axel made his way to the elves, and stared at the book. The title was, the diary of Terry Embapo. Everyone gasped, as the truth sunk in. The great capturer of the Bane of knowledge had his diary in here.
‘This as to ave useful knowledge on ow to trap the Bane of knowledge!’ Balg grinned excitedly. ‘Open it!’
Axel opened the book reverently. The pages were almost all ripped out, and the ones that remained were half filled. Axel read the parts he could.
‘the great battle…captured the Bane of Knowledge…buried safely…should not have done it…’
‘what does that mean?’ Axel asked.
‘I dunno,’ Balg said. Then he froze. Staring at something behind Axel. Axel slowly turned around. And stared.
A black shadow, with two, scarlet red eyes, stared at him out of the shadows. Tendrils of darkness coiled from the creature.
‘Peek-a-boo,’ it rasped.
Axel and the three elves walked down the corridor leading to the catacombs.
‘I still don’t get it,’ Axel said for the fourteenth time. ‘Why hasn’t the Bane of Knowledge destroyed everything yet?’
‘Because,’ Niggles said patiently, also for the fourteenth time, ‘the Bane of Knowledge feeds off fear. The disappearances haven’t caused enough panic to get the effect of the blind panic that it loves. We should use this time to find out the Bane of Knowledge’s weakness, and trap it.’ They arrived at the archives.
Metal shelves lined the walls, covered with interesting things like hair, death masks, a rifle, and what looked like an elephant’s bone. Axel admired the objects, but the elves walked straight past everything.
‘Where are we going?’ Axel asked nervously, his eyes darting everywhere.
‘We ain’t gonna go anywhere,’ Balg said. ‘oe’re the leader, so lead on!’
‘OK,’ Axel said. Then, they came to an intersection. Axel went right. Suddenly, he hit something with his foot.
‘OW!’ Axel cried, grabbing his foot. Balg laughed. Kelk, meanwhile, leant down to inspect the thing Axel had kicked.
‘It’s a lever!’ she said excitedly.
‘Let me,’ Balg muttered, shoving Kelk out of the way, and grabbing the lever. He pulled. Nothing.
‘A incy bit o elp ere?’ he said to Axel. Axel reached down and pulled. The lever gave way, and clicked. There was a silence. Nothing happened. Niggles groaned.
‘It’s a fake!’ he said. Just then, there was a rumble, and the entire corridor opened up under them. They fell, screaming, into the abyss.
They fell for a terrifying 2 seconds, until Axel hit something soft. Niggles landed on top of him, Kelk landed on top of Niggles, and Balg landed on all of them. Axel shook off the three elves, and looked around. He seemed to have landed on a huge cushion of foam. Around him was a smaller collection of stuff. But it seemed, that this was more rare, exotic things. A huge snake skull. A tablet covered with runes. A sword that seemed to whisper. Axel tried to see through the dark, but he couldn’t see a thing.
‘Wait,’ Niggles said. Axel turned to see him close his eyes, stick his fingers in his ears, and concentrate hard. Slowly, he started to float into the air. Then, with a loud pop, Niggles’ head turned bright blue, and he fell on the ground.
‘What…how…huh?’ Axel stuttered, staring at the bright blue headed Niggles.
‘It’s a trick that all elves learn from youth,’ Niggles said. ‘All elves have luminescent heads.’
They walked through the shelves, and they saw more and more strange objects. A digeridoo. A fish mask. Two flipflops shaped like skulls. Suddenly, Niggle’s head’s light sputtered, and died. Balg bellowed out in pain, slipped and fell onto the ground, clutching at his foot. Axel leant down to inspect the foot, and found a purple shard in it.
‘Qualkinite,’ Kelk hissed in repulsion. The shard was small, but it seemed to be giving Balg great pain. He hissed through his teeth, and his eyes rolled back.
‘What’s Qualkinite?’ Axel asked.
‘Qualkinite is a rare, rare mineral,’ Kelk said. ‘It drains any magical creature’s powers, and touching it is worse. Can you pull it out?’
Axel grabbed hold of it. Suddenly, he felt sick, like he wanted to throw up. Then, the pain started. It racked his whole body, shaking it with fear. Through the pain, he managed to pull it out, and throw it onto the ground. Instantly, the pain stopped.
‘What…what just happened?’ Axel asked.
‘I forgot!’ Kelk cried. ‘You have a magic in you as well. The Qualkinite must have a similar hold on you too. I’m sorry.’ Niggles, who was standing next to Balg, pulled him to his feet. Then, Axel smacked his forehead in frustration.
‘What?’ Niggles asked.
‘I had a torch in my pocket this whole time, and I didn’t even use it!’ he exclaimed, digging his hand into his pocket, and pulling out the torch. He switched it on, and stared at the ground in front of them. It was littered with the Qualkinite shards. And in the center, was a leather case.
Cracked Qualkinite lined the case. It was brown, and ancient. The case was ripped and torn, as if in fury. Balg, leaning against Niggles for support, gasped.
‘The tomb of the Bane of knowledge!’ he exclaimed.
‘This is what contained the Bane of Knowledge?’ Axel asked in amazement.
‘The Qualkinite kept it imprisoned,’ Kelk said, ‘but it must have failed under the fury of the Bane of Knowledge.’
Axel glimpsed something in the case, and moved forward. His shoes squeaked as he moved through the Qualkinite. He reached into the case, and pulled out…an old torn book. Axel made his way to the elves, and stared at the book. The title was, the diary of Terry Embapo. Everyone gasped, as the truth sunk in. The great capturer of the Bane of knowledge had his diary in here.
‘This as to ave useful knowledge on ow to trap the Bane of knowledge!’ Balg grinned excitedly. ‘Open it!’
Axel opened the book reverently. The pages were almost all ripped out, and the ones that remained were half filled. Axel read the parts he could.
‘the great battle…captured the Bane of Knowledge…buried safely…should not have done it…’
‘what does that mean?’ Axel asked.
‘I dunno,’ Balg said. Then he froze. Staring at something behind Axel. Axel slowly turned around. And stared.
A black shadow, with two, scarlet red eyes, stared at him out of the shadows. Tendrils of darkness coiled from the creature.
‘Peek-a-boo,’ it rasped.