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35. The Way to Dynaheir


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#1 Guest_Kulyok_*

Posted 01 March 2009 - 06:57 PM

The morning was as cold as the previous night. It was pale and misty, and the stream was grey instead of light blue. Its waters looked extremely uninviting.
"We have t-to cross it, regardless," Khalid's face was unusually grim. "From what Minsc told me yesterday, I g-gather we don't have much time left."
"Minsc told you?" Ala turned to him in surprise. "But how does he know? We have been together all the time, haven't we?"
"Boo tells me things, little Ala," the large ranger answered gravely. "He is our small animal companion, and sweet Dynaheir gave him to me to carry, because he is her family."
"Family?"
"I think I know what he's talking about," Imoen interrupted her friend. "Boo is Dynaheir's familiar, is he? So, he feels and sees everything she does, but if she dies, he, too... oh."
"Boo cannot die!" Now there were tears in the ranger's eyes. "And pretty Dynaheir will not die! Minsc is coming to save her!" In a single movement, he leaped over the rail and rushed across the bridge into the mist.
"Good riddance, I say," Edwin snorted. "The ape will be a good distraction for the gnolls. (I even foresee they will take him for a kinsman.)"
Jaheira pushed past the wizard silently, giving him a withering glare. Khalid and the girls followed her.
"Oh, all right," Edwin muttered sullenly. "I'll follow... for now. (I'm half a mind to wait for them here, but no. The mission must be accomplished, and without my supreme magic they will undoubtedly fail. And there is a matter of this ridiculous contract. Preposterous! But I have given my word, and I shall comply... for now. But one year of service! The whole year! I shall definitely have to think on how to evade this unfortunate circumstance.)" Still muttering, he stepped on the bridge and disappeared in the mist.
"One hundred gold! You pay and you cross, or you don't pay and go to feed the fishes!" Two large creatures met Minsc on the other side of the bridge. Both of them wore big halberds with rough wooden handles. Ala slowly drew her bow, catching up with the ranger. A little left, just a little left, and there'll be a very dead gnoll...
"Boo says there are no fishes in the stream, but there are Evil Gnolls about! It's time for the butt-kicking Hamster Justice!" The warrior lifted both gnolls by their necks and knocked their heads together. There was a dull thud, and two bodies fell to the ground. Boo let out a loud squeak as Minsc adjusted his sword, ready to go on.
Panicking, Ala ran forward. "Minsc, please, stop!" she panted. "Look, there are too many gnolls here, we can't kill them all. We need a stealthy approach. All this shouting, the battle cries and stuff, that'll give us away. Please, let me find a safe way in, first."
The ranger looked at her, apparently bewildered, than he nodded. "Boo says he cannot go for everyone's eyes, too. Minsc only has two legs, so we only can kick two Wicked Butts at a time. Little Ala must lead us, and WE SHALL CREEP, SLOWLY AND SILENTLY, TO DELIVER THE MESSAGE THAT KIDNAPPING MINSC'S WITCH IS WRONG! WOE IS YOU, EVIL!"
So much for the stealthy approach. "Right. Just... just wait here. And tell everyone else to wait here. I'll be back." She slung her bow over the shoulder, drew out her dagger and began to move towards the keep.
"I distinctly remember her saying that we were not getting involved in every brawl," Jaheira said acidly, following the girl with her eyes.
"Well, d-darling, it might turn out for the best," Khalid said, brushing his wife's cheek.
"Children," Jaheira muttered. "Reckless children."

"Solid rock," Ala muttered. "Again. Will these catacombs never end?"
The keep was surrounded by a labyrinth of passages that went both down, to the water, and up, to the fortress itself. At first, it seemed a good idea to journey upward all the time, but all the paths she followed resulted in a dead end. The girl leaned to the stone wall, deep in thought.
Of course, there was the front gate. There was always the front gate. But it was not unguarded, and however slick and stealthy the young rogue was, she was sure that she could not sneak past the patrol, even in the mist. So what should she do?
The loud drunken song interrupted her thoughts. The sound was approaching, and the girl rapidly threw herself flat against the wall. Next moment, two gnolls turned the corner and sat down on the ground, their halberds next to them. The smaller one took out a bottle of some liquid, and started to unscrew the cork, cursing. Ala really hoped it was wine.
"S-so... hic! What about that new prisoner?"
"Dunno," a large gnoll pried the flack from his mate's hands and took a large gulp. "The folks are getting restless about the woman. I mean, there're, how many, fifty of us? And only one of her." He took another gulp. "Not enough for everybody. Some of the guys have already left because of that. All this modern delayin', slow roastin'--raw meat was always good, if you ask me. And now she's dyin' up here, and I never liked carrion."
The smaller gnoll nodded uncertainly. "Er, yes. But now we must go down and check on the book."
"Nether tome!" the other one snorted. "Who needs that old rubbish? Nobody ever gonna steal it!"
"Some folks would grab anything as long as it's got 'Netheril' on it, ya know."
"Alrigh', alrigh'," the large gnoll stood up, swaying slightly, "let's check on it, then."
Ala took a deep breath. Now, what book did they speak of?
Slowly, she began to follow the gnolls, but then stopped as the path forked before her. The patrol is gone. The way is clear, and I'm thinking about some stupid book! The girl gave the last look to the pair of gnolls in front and then turned to another direction, her face resolute. Though I might get to this tome... at a later time.
The mist gradually faded, and it became more difficult to stay unseen. But Ala managed to do it, clinging to every shadow, crouching and crawling when walking became impossible.
At last, the girl found herself inside the fortress. It was a rough construction, seemingly carved out of the rock a long, long time ago. There were no walls, either, only platforms with dark eyes of the pits, and long wooden stairwells. The sun had risen high already, covering the whole keep, and the putrid stench of its inhabitants increased tenfold under its gaze. As Ala bent over the first pit, she could barely breathe, assaulted by smells of dog, excrements and carrion.
There was nobody alive there. She couldn't even see a single corpse. But there were body parts. Skinned hands, parts of the leg, a half-chewed chunk of somebody's midriff... She hastily threw herself on the ground and vomited right into the hole, once, twice, three times, until her head started to feel dangerously light.
Shaking, the girl got up and crouched towards the second one, trying hard not to breathe. How many of them are there? And is this Dynaheir even alive?
A long flight of stairs, and another row of pits. Dead, dead, all dead. Starvation, thirst, merciless rays of the sun... Ala shuddered. It could have been me! It easily could have been me, lying there, feeling more and more helpless and weak with every passing day, hoping to the last, but no one would come. No one. And then, perhaps, someone would, but to kill me, not to get me out.
I've never imagined it would be like that. I hoped we'd find the fortress, find the witch, and kill her, either in a duel or in a six-to-one battle. Unfair, yes, but life is unfair. But now that I see it all, I cannot. Perhaps I even wish she was dead, so I wouldn't have to make any sort of decision.
There was a low moan from the nearby pit. Oh. Well, they say hope is a foolish feeling.
A young dark-skinned woman lay on the bottom, on a heap of purple rags. The pit was rather 'neat' in comparison to others: there were only two other corpses there, and these were nearly whole and undamaged.
"Dynaheir?"
"Yes... please..." The woman whispered, as she saw Ala.
The girl nodded. "I'll get you out of here," she mouthed. "Wait." She looked around. Most of the monsters were occupied with fighting practice below, which made it easier for them to talk. But sneaking past them with Dynaheir, unnoticed, was simply not possible. I need help. She chuckled quietly as an idea came to her mind. Edwin's help.




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