Glynfir knew combat was a losing proposition. He also knew his dwarven friend would see it as the only option. Grym impulsively defaulted to violence before considering other possibilities. In this case, two against ten and outflanked, the outcome would be disastrous. Their only advantage was their invisibility.
The tower’s split staircase landings were wide. Designed to accommodate the flow of larger numbers, maybe they were wide enough… Reaching one arm around the shoulders of his friend while putting the other over his mouth. The wizard got right behind Grym’s ear and exhaled a very quiet shushing sound as he pulled the dwarf back towards him, retreating as far into the corner of the landing as the space would allow. He could feel Lunish moving around in his satchel as they pressed themselves against the landing’s exterior wall and collectively held their breath.
Nothing if not predictable, the rising guards maintained their formation up the inside of the stairwell across the landing and halfway up the last set of stairs, oblivious to the proximity of their prey, before the emerging group from above began to shout.
“Did you see them? It’s that halfie caster who took our silver playing dice last night”
“We saw no one. You mean that prick with the mustache?”
“Yeah! He was a with a dwarf and a grubby little boy.”
While the confused soldiers traded questions and accusations regarding the whereabouts of the intruders, the pair seized their opportunity. Releasing Grym’s shoulders, Glynfir gave him a nudge towards the now vacant descending staircase. The two of them tiptoed several feet across the landing then took off down the stairs towards the open courtyard two and a half floors below. All attempts at stealth were abandoned and it became obvious to everyone how heavy-footed a dwarf in chain mail truly was. The race was on. With ten shouting pursuers in tow, the pair flew down the stone stairs. A bolt from a hand crossbow whizzed past Grym’s ear as the guards began firing in the general direction of his clinking. Both invisible, the pair couldn’t see each other and Glynfir was certain, from what sounded like someone dropping an entire chest of cutlery, that Grym had tumbled down the last few stairs in front of him. He also picked up a muted groan amidst the clatter.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“You okay?” he asked the seemingly empty space in front of him.
“Yeah…” Grym’s hesitant tone suggested he was more embarrassed than injured
“We need to split up. You know where to meet. Be careful!”
With that, the wizard rounded the corner of the tower and ran headlong into unexpected chaos.
The normally sedate courtyard was in complete disarray. Bells ringing, groups of soldiers rushing in multiple directions. All the shops and stalls on the south side of the quad were either shuttered or in the process of doing so. He pressed his back to the tower wall and drew a deep breath silently observing as several of their pursuers poured into the courtyard behind him, looking for any clue as to their whereabouts. Several raced off towards the fortified town’s main entrance – the south gate. Foot soldiers started forming a phalanx in front of the closed metal and wooden barrier and a group of about six wizards were casting a variety of spells on the ground between the tower and the gate. So, they knew the group was invisible. Despite what he had said upstairs, there was never any intention of trying to leave that way. It had been a deliberate piece of disinformation that was part of their escape plan all along. While inexperienced in this level of espionage, it was just plain foolish not to have another way out should their original plan go sideways. Recalling his druid friend in mouse form, the wizard checked in.
“Can you hear me, Lulu? Give me a wiggle.” He whispered
He felt movement against his hip from within the bag and, after pausing to allow another group of guards to vacate his proximity, he continued in the same hushed tone.
“Troops everywhere, but it looks like we’re still good. They are all gathering by the south gate. Stay in form a while longer. I’ll pull you out when we’re clear.”
Feeling another confirming wiggle against his hip, Glynfir shifted his gaze to the north side of the courtyard, where a series of catapults stood at the ready to defend the mountain pass known as Stonebreach. This was their way out.