“It’s party five!” Bartlebee exclaimed, stating the obvious scene before them. “It looks like they could use a hand, let’s go!” The group nodded in agreement and they all tore off after the Meripint, who had already cleared almost half the distance.
The smell of the Troll grew stronger as they approached, the acrid scent causing Kheeta’s nostrils to burn. They stood about twenty feet from the beast, where Caprice and Soza were stationed. “What’s a Troll doing here? What are you guys doing here?” The questions simply fell out of her mouth, tripping over one another in their haste.
“We’re assuming it’s a surprise exam, we thought it was just us.” Caprice answered as she loosed another arrow, feather deep into the monster’s pectoral.
“The Troll was trying to get to some civilians in the building when we got here… they still need help!” Soza yelled as the creature let out a deafening roar and she missed her ball of light, causing it to collide with the rubble behind her intended target.
“Don’t worry about the civilians we’ll handle them,” Golluk assured them, taking charge of the situation and rushing towards the collapsed building.
“Well wait for us!” Aurora called after the Golem as they sprinted to catch up with his long stride. When they reached the rubble, Kheeta could hear faint sobbing sounds coming from inside the burning building.
The structure used to be a shop with an attached living quarters, though what kind was impossible to tell now. Scanning the broken cobblestones and wooden beams her eyes finally landed on the purple fringe of a small child’s dress. “I think I found them!” Kheeta yelled, running over to where it was poking out. A flash of light made her vision go spotty and she ducked low, a large clawed hand slamming into the wall next to her. I still need to be careful of the Troll, Party five hasn’t finished taking it down yet. She thought to herself as she took a second to observe the fight; Tehsugon dodged a clumsy swing by jumping backwards, before bringing his tooth-hammer down with a loud crunch, several` bones in the Troll’s hand shattering under the impact. Lu’ Roe took advantage of his adversary’s crippling injury to swing his bladed spear around his head in a wide arc, slashing the monster’s leg right behind the knee. Wow, they’re impressive, Kheeta’s thought as she turned her attention back to the trapped civilians.
“Help, help us! Please! It’s going to eat us! Please, my daughter! Save my daughter!” A woman who was pinned across the chest with a fallen beam screamed hysterically as she grasped futilely at the rocks out of her reach.
“Mam’ don’t you worry, we’re going to get you and your daughter both out of here.” Golluk assured the woman taking her small fleshy hand in his giant iron one, “you’re safe now.”
“So, how do you propose we do this?” Tarek asked, for once condescension not dripping from his voice.
“Aurora and Kheeta, do you think you can lift the beam?” Golluk asked turning to the two girls who quickly nodded their heads, eager to get started on the rescue. “Then you guys lift, Bartlebee gets them out and Tarek casts his healing spell, while I make sure we’re not interfered with.” The Party sprang into action, working as one well oiled machine, Kheeta grabbed ahold of the beam that trapped the woman with both hands and pulled as hard as she could. She could feel her skin sink into the wood and her fur began to blacken from the burnt soot it was pressed tightly against. With Aurora’s vines and Kheeta’s help the rafter finally lifted, allowing the woman to gasp in much needed oxygen.
“My daughter! She’s trapped under the rocks!” The woman yelled between labored gasps of pain, she had obviously broken ribs and Kheeta feared there might be internal bleeding.
“We’ll get her out, don’t you worry.” Bartlebee tried to assure the panicking mother as he gently grabbed under her arms and began to pull her to freedom.
Kheeta looked behind her to see Tarek with his eyes closed and his hands stretched out above him as he offered prayers to his God, preparing his healing ritual. As her head swiveled she saw an unexpected sight, three Goblins had turned down the alley to their right and found them easy targets. “Golluk, Goblins! We still have a little girl to get out!” Kheeta screamed to their iron Warrior over the clash of the Troll fight to her left, Party five seeming moments from victory.
Golluk simply nodded in conformation as he stretched his arms and prepared himself. Two Goblins with short swords charged ahead of their bow wielding companion, shouting in their primitive guttural language. Golluk quickly reached out, grabbing each of the creature’s heads, and slamming them together with such force that they merged into one, killing both instantly. His third opponent fired an arrow and watched with wide eyes as it bounced harmlessly off of the Golem’s metal chest. The Goblin, realizing it didn’t stand a chance against the iron behemoth, turned to run; only to be grabbed by the leg and quickly lifted off the ground, slammed back down repetitively until Golluk decided it was sufficiently smashed.
“Kheeta, help me move these rocks,” Aurora said as she shook her head, trying to focus. Pay attention Kheeta, they’re depending on you! She scurried over the rubble to where Bartlebee and the Florae were lifting large stones and tossing them to the side. After a few moments they had dug most of the little girl out; unconscious with several obviously broken bones.
“Is she still…?” Kheeta asked, looking down at the small frail child with tears in her eyes.
“She’s still breathing… for now. We need to get her to Tarek,” Aurora answered as she lifted the final rock off the poor girl.
“Bartlebee!” Tarek yelled from his position a few feet away. “I need my medallion from my bag to finish healing the mother!”
“I’m on it!” The small Bard replied, all animosity between the two melting away in the moment of crisis.
“Look out!” A voice from Party five yelled as they finally defeated the massive Troll, it’s massive body heading directly for the building they were crawling through. Aurora managed to jump backwards towards Bartlebee and Tarek, but Kheeta and the little girl weren’t as fast…
Kheeta looked up as a dark shadow blocked out the sun and her stomach knotted harder than it ever had before. Reacting as fast as her reflexes would allow she managed to use her tails to scoop the little girl up and roll deeper into the building. The Troll’s corpse crushed the entire left side of the structure, trapping Kheeta inside the burning tinderbox and leaving her Party members panicking outside.
Coughing from the thick smoke and covering her mouth with her sleeve Kheeta looked around the room; she was in the residential half of the shop and all around flames licked the wooden framing. She glanced down at the little girl and a moment of relief gripped her, seeing the child’s chest rise and fall laboriously. Injured but still alive… how am I going to get us out of here? Kheeta thought to herself, the fire drying her eyes out too much for them to produce tears. The doorway was destroyed, simply a wall of fire now, and the room she was in had no windows. There’s no way out! Think Kheeta! She screamed in her mind, having a hard time concentrating now. Please someone get us out of here… She prayed silently in her head to no one in particular, I’d settle for just getting her to Tarek. She looked back down at the girl and noticed that the rise and fall of her chest had slowed down now, almost unnoticeable. I need to do something! Determination filled her as she focused intently, a ball of light beginning to appear between her hands. She stretched the orb as quickly as she could, forming a blanket of sorts, to cover her charge.
With the force field of light surrounding the girl, Kheeta turned to stare down the flames of the doorway. Here goes nothing… She charged as fast as she could through the fire, the flames licking at her fur and the smell of singed hair joining that of the smoldering building. The smoke was so thick in the entrance room that Kheeta couldn’t see the front door to try and make her escape. She pulled the girl close and dropped low, blindly crawling on the burning hot floor, blisters forming on her hands, knees, and arms. Before long she had cleared the distance of the room, gasping f
or air, as she bumped into the door she was searching for. Reaching up to grab the handle, the world began to swirl and her head got heavy. “No,” she muttered to herself softly as her eyes fluttered shut in defeat.
When Kheeta finally awoke she was staring at an inky black sky, stained from the raging fires that crackled all around them. “But…” She started, reaching up and staring at her hands; the blisters that had previously marred them gone. “How?” She wondered aloud as she looked around at her surroundings. They had retreated back to their homes and set up a make-shift infirmary in Party five’s cabin, a hole in the roof directly above her.
“Golluk ran around to the front and ripped the door right off its hinges!” Bartlebee explained jumping up and down with grandiose gestures, several people gathered in the room.
“Even though it was strategically unsafe,” Tehsugon added, rubbing blood off a strange looking shield. Kheeta hadn’t noticed in the chaos of the fight, but his shield appeared to be the broken half of his shell.
“Well she’s alive isn’t she?” Bartlebee retorted, his hands resting defiantly on his hips, his tentacles mimicking the motion.
“The little girl!” Kheeta exclaimed loudly, as she quickly sat up.
“Don’t worry she’s safe,” Soza reassured entering the room from what Kheeta assumed was the girl’s.
“Is the Fox-Girl awake?” A voice called out from the room, quickly followed by a blonde middle-aged woman, running up as fast as her legs would allow. “Thank you so much! You have no idea what you have done for me! Truly, thank you!”
Kheeta’s cheeks burned, “you’re welcome, I’m just glad your little one’s safe.”
“Thanks to you!” unable to contain herself the woman threw her arms around the Kitsune, burying her face in Kheeta’s fur, sobbing tears of relief and gratitude.
“Well obviously the test isn’t over…” Tarek pointed out as he walked out of the same room the woman had burst out of. “We’re all still here.”
“What test? What are you talking about?” She questioned, eyeing them like they had lost their minds.
“My point exactly,” the Sylphyte chuckled, almost under his breath.
“Well a Quester’s top priority in a crisis situation, such as this, would be to search for survivors and escort them to safety.” Tehsugon reminded, finishing the final polish on his shield.
“So what? We wander the city hoping that we’ll run into another Troll?” Caprice asked, her voice trembling slightly.
“The main exit gates are through the town square. I can take us there, but the route won’t take us by too many other people.” The woman offered, wanting to help the group that had just saved her family.
“I still feel like we should scout around for other survivors first,” Aurora insisted, looking out the window for any signs of trouble.
“I agree,” Lu’Roe said rising from his chair in the corner of the room.
“Well then I think we should split up.” Tehsugon concluded picking up his hammer and shield.
“So just each Party go their own way? I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Tarek scoffed, eyeing the turtle-man with skepticism.
“You’re right, it’s not a good idea, that’s why it isn’t mine.” Tehsugon continued, as Tarek sneered at his comment, “I think that the scouting party should be those of us that can move quickly and quietly, the last thing we want is to draw unneeded attention to ourselves.”
He’s quite the leader, Kheeta thought, finding herself admiring the Warrior in a whole new light. “Well I think that I should go for sure,” Aurora volunteered stepping forward with a determined expression. Klept, without saying a word, moved to join her.
“Someone needs to be able to heal any wounded we come across,” Lu’Roe pointed out as he too joined the growing Scout Party.
“I want to go too!” Bartlebee interjected loudly, as he ran to stand next to Aurora.
“I said that we need to be sneaky,” Tehsugon reminded the Meripint with a knowing look.
“But… but… I can be quiet.” Bartlebee insisted, feigning injury before a thick green vine wrapped around his mouth multiple times.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he’s quiet,” Aurora assured, shooting Bartlebee a quick wink causing him to flush a deep purple.
“Okay, then it’s settled. You will be the scouting team.” Tehsugon declared with a note of finality. “The six of us will escort our current two charges to safety.”
“How long before the girl can walk Tarek?” Kheeta asked turning to face her Party’s Cleric.
“At least a few hours,” the boy frowned, “she was nearly dead when she got to me.”
“We can’t wait that long guys,” Lu’Roe informed them looking out the window. “There’s four Hob-Goblins and a Troll walking towards the blacksmith’s shop.”
“I’ll carry her,” Golluk offered as he too stood from his spot by the fireplace and stretched his metal shoulders.
“That’ll work,” Tehsugon settled as the woman and Golluk retreated to the back bedroom to grab the wounded child.
“Guys…” Kheeta called out as Aurora, Bartlebee, Lu’Roe, and Klept began to open the door, pausing for a moment to listen to their friend. “Please be careful, and if you can’t find anyone… leave out the main gates.”
“We will Kheeta, and don’t you worry we’re going to be just fine.” Bartlebee replied, smiling cheerfully as the Scouts walked out the door; leaving the new party of six and two civilians.
13 The Dragon’s Maw
The air outside was thick with smoke as Kheeta’s new Party quietly snuck out the back door of the cabin, opting to take the back alleys rather than the main street. The woman led the way, closely followed by; Tehsugon, Soza, Caprice, Tarek, Kheeta with Golluk pulling up the rear, the little girl wrapped tightly in his arms. Their guide led them down one winding street, and up another before taking a sharp left.
“Man she’s a quick one,” Kheeta muttered under her breath as they continued to follow, trying to keep the noise they generated to a minimum. Drawing closer to what was once a bustling courtyard, the woman gasped and quickly covered her mouth.
Multiple bodies of various races lay scattered among the cobblestones, like lifeless bloody dolls, and the presence of the perpetrators forced them to quickly find cover. A massive wooden cart filled with barrels, weapons, armor, food, and multiple crates rested five feet away from a large creature similar in appearance to the Goblins, only eight feet tall instead of four. It lifted a dead man by the leg and began to vigorously shake him, several coins falling to the ground before being scooped up and placed in the creature’s gold pouch. “Hob-Goblin,” Tehsugon seethed, rage twisting his face into a snarl. Kheeta continued to survey the area as the turtle-man fumed; movement to the right caught her eye as she saw two Trolls hunched over by the city stables, swiveling her ears she was able to vaguely make out their conversation.
“I want cow!” The Troll with green patchy fur yelled.
“No, I older, I get cow!” The second replied as he reached for the terrified animal with his long clawed hand.
“You can have horses, I want cow!” The younger Troll insisted placing two large hands on the other’s chest and gave him a shove.
“I knew if we wandered the city we’d run into another Troll,” Caprice complained in hushed whispers.
“Well at least they haven’t seen us yet,” Tarek added as they watched the scene in the courtyard unfold. A second Hob-Goblin had emerged from a nearby storefront carrying a large barrel with fancy grapes inlaid into the wood. The creature heaved his load to the wagon and placed it in the back before turning to the first, who was shaking another corpse, the empty one discarded like an old wrapper.
“What you doing? Good meat, go on cart!” The newcomer scolded as he started to load the bodies on the cart with the supplies, Kheeta gagging at the thought.
“Quickly, while they’re distracted, let’s try to sneak past.” Tehsugon proposed looking
at the Party with confidence. “As long as we’re quick and quiet we can make it to that alley,” he gestured to a dark pathway to their right. They all nodded in agreement and Kheeta watched with baited breath and nail biting anxiety as they slowly crept past their opponents two by two, until it was finally her and Golluk’s turn.
Taking a deep breath she looked at her destination, Soza gesturing for her to get moving. She carefully slid behind a pillar, mimicking the path that her previous companions had taken, their enemies too distracted in their looting and arguing to notice. As her muscles flexed, getting ready to sprint to the next cover, a chilling cackle stopped her dead. What could be laughing right now? She thought to herself in shock as she peered around the pillar to see if she could catch a glimpse.
Another Hob-Goblin, making three in total, entered the square; tossing an armful of stolen merchandise onto the cart. This creature’s appearance differed slightly from the other two, in the fact that he had a large net tied to his back. A net that was bulging with vials and bottles, all full of an orange liquid. I wonder what those do? Kheeta wondered from the safety of her hiding place, but she didn’t wonder for long; as the Hob-Goblin reached back and grabbed one in it’s long fingers. Letting out another spine chilling cackle it threw the vial through the window of the building he had just exited. There was a loud explosion and the glass remaining in the frames shot outwards into the street. Flames already licked every entrance to the structure and the Hob-Goblins were dancing with glee. Kheeta, deciding, that she had waited long enough, scrambled to her next hiding place, allowing Golluk to move up to her pillar.
The loud creak of the Golem’s iron joints made Kheeta’s hair fluff up and her blood run cold. “What that?” The older Troll asked, dropping the cow and turning their direction.
“I dunno’, let’s see.” The second answered simply, as they crossed the courtyard. Kheeta glanced back at the Golem with a worried expression, they’re going to find us any second! We can’t fight this many… She racked her brain trying to think of anything that could save them from the giant beasts, when it finally came to her. It’s risky… but…
Dauntless Dungeon Page 17