Grym burst through the door closing it behind him and pressing against the slab as if holding back an enemy force. The dwarf’s eyes were wide as he hissed.
“They’re at the base of the stairs – hurry!”
His two companions glanced up from the desk they were ransacking. The female gnome – Lunish – working the lower drawers while Glynfir hurriedly flipped through paperwork on the surface.
“I think this is it!” the wizard whispered excitedly as Lunish craned her neck to see past his larger form, finally hip-checking him to the side to get a look. Grym started across the room towards them but before he could reach the desk there was a loud click, and a section of the bookcase across the room flew open spilling in five soldiers.
They were in the commander’s office at the top of a three-story tower in the heart of the garrison town of Chagrothlond. As an active cell of an intelligence-gathering network called the Radiant Guardians, they were tasked with confirming a change to the beneficiary within Commander Duval’s will and, oddly, the name of the barrister that had signed it. Breaking into military offices, however, was not their wheelhouse. Most assignments involved gathering information more organically from a variety of less formidable adversaries.
“Take them!” barked the first soldier that entered – clearly in charge. He then stepped aside, allowing the others to move towards the startled occupants.
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“Shit! Shit! Shit!” was all Lunish could muster taking a step back, putting Glynfir between her and the guards.
“Of course, there’s a secret door!” She heard Grym mutter seeing his hand instinctively move towards the axe on his belt. The dwarf rolled his eyes and shook his head, disappointed in himself.
“What kind of military leader wouldn’t have another way out of his own office? Especially when it’s at the top of a Gonddam tower! Should have known!”
“Let’s worry about it later – we’ve got to go!” Glynfir barked “You both know the plan - rally at the south gate!” He spoke this last part louder, ensuring their adversaries could hear him.
The wizard’s left hand began to draw patterns in the air as he reached into his satchel with the other and extracted a small block of resin encasing an eyelash. Lunish immediately regained her senses and summoned her magical essence. With a flash, she shifted form into a mouse and scrambled up the back of Glynfir’s robe and into his satchel.
The wizard hurried his reluctant dwarven companion towards their only available exit – the door he had just come through - as he muttered the words of his incantation. Pulling the door closed behind him, disrupting the line of sight of their pursuers, he placed a hand on Grym’s shoulder and released the spell. The two of them disappeared in a purple flash.
Hearing the din of the ascending troops, and certain of what lay behind them, Grym hustled down the half flight of stairs towards the oncoming guards, consciously controlling his upper body movement to minimize the noise of his chain mail and axe. As he reached the landing six uniforms appeared from below rounding the corner and hugging the interior railing in single file with military precision. The office door above them burst open and their pursuers started to descend. They were trapped. Alarm bells began to ring from multiple locations, further amping up everyone’s anxiety level. The adrenaline started to flow and Grym once again instinctively thumbed the haft of his axe.