Jump to content


Rock and a Hard Place


  • Please log in to reply
No replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Bibbi_*

Posted 21 March 2004 - 02:01 AM

“There must be at least a thousand soldiers waiting,” Tybalt calculated. “Quite a scouting force.”

“And they’re right in front of the exit,” Valygar growled. Behind the Drow forces a small but noticeable opening broke through the darkness of the caverns, permitting sunlight to light a patch of stone.

“Whatever they’re guarding must be important,” Jaheira said. “And if my mysterious friend was right, Irenicus lies beyond.”

“And Bhodi,” Tybalt added, steel in his tone.

“Where are we near the surface?” Aerie asked.

“I would think somewhere near the Forest of Tethir,” Valygar said. “We have come some miles from the Umar and Windspear Hills.”

“I heard my mother talking of a great Elven City in that forest sometimes,” Aerie mused. “If it’s nearby, could that be what the Drow are attacking?”

“Nonsense,” Jaheira snorted. “While the Drow would like nothing better than to kill their surface relatives, what would Irenicus want with such a battle? The Drow have not been engaged in such a large scale skirmish for centuries, in any event.”

“But they are now, whoever they’re fighting against,” Aerie pointed out. “And I don’t know what Irenicus could want, but what better way to obtain a Drow force than to promise them a chance to defeat their hated enemies. I would hesitate to involve them in anything less to gain their cooperation.”

“Dealing with the fiends at all is a sign of the wizard’s vileness,” Ajantis scoffed. “The sooner he is dead, the better.”

There was no arguing this, so they set about finding a way through the Drow to the surface. There was no other exit within a few miles, so this was the only way to find their prey.

“I lost my powers on the island,” Tybalt thought aloud. “So I couldn’t use them to get by.”

“We wouldn’t ask that of you,” Jaheira asserted. “If that sort of thing can be avoided, all the better. If Yoshimo was still with us…” Everyone awkwardly looked away. They hadn’t mentioned his betrayal except to acknowledge that it had happened, the same way that they didn’t talk about Imoen, or Haer’Dalis, or Xan, or Suna Seni. Their last encounter with Irenicus had hurt them all, and they had gained nothing.

“We should have the upper hand,” Tybalt said. “Irenicus fled to look for another base of operations. If we find him soon enough, he might not have recovered his strength or resources. Bhodi seemed none too eager to face us; she is afraid of losing. They both saw the damage we wrought in their fortress and aren’t eager to face it again. We can beat them, and kill them once and for all.”

His speech cheered everyone slightly, though no one looked cheery. Aerie fingered the Moonblade. Cerebus rubbed his head against Jaheira and looked at her with his deep brown eyes. She gave a small smile and patted his head.

“I’ll scout the area,” Valygar said before slipping away silently.

“I’ll see if my divination magics will work,” Aerie suggested. “Or we might try illusions to slip past unnoticed.”

Tybalt, Jaheira, and Ajantis moved away to let the elf concentrate. “Tybalt,” Jaheira began, “about Imoen-”

“I don’t know if she exists, anymore,” Tybalt cut off. “I had a dream when I lost…when I lost my soul. Imoen was there, and she told me that she was another Bhaalspawn, that she had lost control over herself. She turned into the Slayer, Jaheira.”

“Dreams mean different things as any wise woman will tell you,” the druid reassured. “Imoen has taken some form in your dreams before, hasn’t she? This is just another-”

“No. When I saw her with Irenicus, she was empty inside, just like the dream. She didn’t know who she was anymore, I could tell. He drained her, and all her left was Bhaal’s taint. It consumed her. I don’t think she can fight that kind of power.”

“You are, aren’t you?”

“I’ve had time to deal with his influence. I’ve warded him off in my sleep so much that I’m used to him being here with me. She never had to deal with that. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“We’ll find her and take her away from that bastard,” Jaheira said vehemently. “There is nothing else we can do.”

“Perhaps,” he whispered, but she didn’t hear him.

Valygar came back in an hour, reporting that there was a ledge above the Drow party which they could climb. It was far enough not to be noticeable but close enough to the ground that they could jump and make a run for the exit with the proper distraction.

Aerie said that she could try to make the appearance of a silver dragon charging down the tunnels when they were ready. Such dragons were one of the Drow’s greatest fears as Aerie had discovered through her divination, and one kept a lair not too distant from here. The Drow would not doubt the veracity of the dragon and fight or flee the illusion while the party made their escape. With luck, they could be gone before the illusion proved harmless.

They moved into position, scrambling up the rock ledge as quietly as possible. Aerie had to cast a silent spell on Ajantis, whose armor rattled against the rocks and threatened to echo throughout the caverns. They went indeed unnoticed by the dark elves as they negotiated the narrow ledge above the Drow camp. When they were above the exit way, Aerie readied her spell.

They waited tensely for the illusion to begin, hoping that the Drow would believe it and react appropriately. After a moment, a roar shook the cavern and a silver sheen emerged from behind a rock outcropping. Several Drow pointed and shouted at each other, warning the rest of the encampment as the fake dragon’s form came into view. It was still some distance away, allowing the Drow time to ready for its coming without realizing its insubstantiality. The group readied themselves to climb down the rocks to the exit as the Drow advanced.

Aerie remained concentrating on the illusion, commanding the spell’s motions and the dragon’s actions as the dark elves readied themselves for battle. Most of the guards near the cavern exit had left, so Valygar and Tybalt dropped down. They stealthily disposed of the distracted soldiers, allowing Jaheira and Ajantis a chance to follow. They signaled for Aerie to end the spell and hurry down before the illusion was discovered.

The first of the Drow had reached the dragon and discovered its formlessness. A shout rang through the ranks as the threat became a deception. Several elves looked around for signs of a trap; the Drow were as accustomed to treachery as breathing, and it didn’t take long for them to spot the group running to the exit. Aerie had dropped the illusion once the dragon had been reached and climbed down after the others. It was now a race of whether they could reach the daylight before the Drow.

Bolts twanged past their heads as they ran. They batted away a stray solider or two, but their path was mostly uninterrupted. As they made the surface, the first ranks of the Drow forces reached them.

“Their equipment can’t stand sunlight!” Jaheira cried. “Go into the light!”

The five raced into the fading daylight and as far from the cave as possible. A few foolhardy elves followed, cursing as their weapons and armor dissolved under the sun’s glare. There was little time to spare, however, as it would soon be dark and the Drow would have another chance at capturing them.

“We are safe for now,” Jaheira said.

“That’s a matter of opinion,” a voice stated from behind them.




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users

Skin Designed By Evanescence at IBSkin.com