Underground Caverns, Troug, 13th.

Olea Munroe

I watched as the men approached our holding cell.

I had figured it was about time I got some one-on-one time with the big bad, maybe do some banter and some back-and-forth villain on hero monologuing. You know, a proper bond type exchange.

I was not expecting it to be so soon, at least not before I had set up my clever trap and gotten all my pieces in order.

It could not be helped though, it seemed as if the timer had run out and now I could have my big meet-and-greet with one Andrea Avery.

Maybe we would share a cup of tea and discuss something trivial like the birds outside her poshly decorated chambers and then lead into how I was so like a bird caged already that I should lay down and accept my fate. For the good of all, or some such nonsense.

“Olea…” Mouse had caught on to some of the evil-going-down vibe, and apparently it was time for her to add a voice her worries.

Quinn took her by the shoulders beside me even as the men were lining up outside the cell door, making a proper presentation for their captain to approach.

“Stand back!” shouted the stern looking fellow near the front of the column as he produced a key.

A taller fellow approached, rounded slightly in the waist as the key was turned and the heavy locking mechanism was removed. He had no remarkable features other than his ability to stand straight with all that forward facing bulk to drag him slanted. My inner dessert lover applauded his ability.

I had once dreamed of getting to a ripe old age, old enough not to care about a few extra pounds; or a few dozen extra pounds. In those little fancies I would usually be sporting a cane or walker of some sort and resting on the porch with some lemonade while surrounded by cats and listening to my future husband or lover working somewhere in the yard. My dreams were never very focused, much like me every single-,

“I said stand back!” came the guard again.

At first, I was not sure what he meant as I was still standing near the rear of the cell with Quinn and Mouse behind me, but then I saw Derek.

He had stepped up from beside us without me noticing, possibly because I was very busy thinking of important topics.

Never mind that, the boy should not be standing there in front of us while he was still nursing what were sure to be bruised ribs. The folly of youth on full display.

“Stand back, Derek. Just let the nice gentleman come in and do his job.” I said, trying to give him an out in this situation. I knew how important a young man’s pride could be in such a situation, they needed a logical and socially acceptable reason to step down or else they would stand until they were beaten to death and could no longer support their own mass. It was oh so brace of him at the same time as it was totally the wrong approach for the given situation.

But I could not fault him. I bet his father would be very proud, assuming, you know, Derek did not just turn into a corpse today.

“But…” stammered Derek through gritted teeth. I could tell he was worried, probably near to wetting himself as the large man entered the cell with another man; another man who was sliding a cudgel from his belt-loop.

“It’s okay,” I said, “I am sure the kind gentleman only wishes to talk with us.”

Said gentleman looked to me with a slightly confused look before he smiled and nodded.

Derek took the offered out and backed away, stepping beside me as he did so. I guess he was letting me know that he had me in a fight if it came to that.

I had no intention of fighting a group of men with the same willingness to do others harm as was on display only a few short hours prior. Had it even been more than an hour, I did not think so.

I stepped forward leaving Derek at my back and approached the older man.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Up?” He looked confused for a moment, even glancing at the ceiling for a second or two. Honestly, I would expect as much from a wise-cracking friend back on earth as part of some joke, but I believed then that I had truly confused him with a simple greeting that he had just not had the opportunity to hear before. He could consider himself blessed with future insider knowledge, some day it would be hip; I swear!

With a shale of his head, he turned from me and pointed to Malory.

“Remove this one.” He barked at the soldier next to him.

I looked at Matilda and saw confusion and some sort of question in her gaze, though I saw no fear or surprise.

Odd, that.

“Malory?” I asked the name, somewhat louder than a whisper.

She continued looking ahead as she followed the guard who had taken her by the arm without complaint. She kept walking even as she exited the cage, not the slightest tremor in her step.

I knew it… A damned turncoat-mole. I had been hoodwinked, bamboozled, and betrayed. I should have seen that coming as well, with all the odd looks and increased questions from her over the past day or so and her reluctance to get involved when Mouse and Quinn had been injured earlier.

Malory only seemed to show a hint of uncertainty after she had left the cell and taken away from the door. That was when the other guard at the rear of the line bent down and slapped the binding around her exposed ankle.

Malory seemed to droop suddenly as if she had had some of her strings cut and was barely able to support herself. I imagined there must be some initial magical dampening in the rune work.

“You, come with me.” I was taken away from observing Malory’s reactions as the captain turned on me next.

“Me?” I said helpfully pointing a finger at my chest.

He seemed to sigh and tighten his shoulders for a moment, a very odd display of irritation and acceptance, or some other emotion I had no word for. I think he was upset and probably a little disbelieving of my ability to reason.

Probably.

I complied and followed the man, several guards stepped in beside me as I left the cage and the final guard locked up the cage behind me,

It only took me a few moments to recognize that we were headed for the exit tunnel, it seemed that I would get my chance to speak with Avery after all. I loved being right, not that it was rare, okay.

It was nice.

You have killed: razor-backed catfish [Level 14]

50 Experience per level of creatures, plus ten percent bonus for the creature being one level higher.

Fifty percent experience bonus for creature killed being of a higher rank than yourself.

Total Experience Gained: 1,155. Experience till Next Level 2,110.

Also, nice!

I was momentarily surprised by the notification from my busy little water elemental and decided I should look in on her actions soon, I was pretty sure Shared Senses could be used to get a peek in and catch the fights as they happened.

“Move along!” I heard as I also felt the sharp stab in my ribs from a heavy cudgel. I would have fallen over had the guards flanking me not anticipated my doubling over and grabbed me under the shoulders.

I was now being carried along by the guards, all thoughts of dignity flying right out the window or down the chute. Either metaphor should work down here, though my education was a little sparse and maybe metaphors were something done by a butterfly.

No matter, that cudgel hurt too much for me to disparage even my spotty school life for more than a passing moment.

We stopped at the base of a steep incline.

There was a long tunnel leading upward to a corner that I could make out with aid from the lights illuminating the way. I missed most of the layout as I was unconscious for the trip down, I was shamefully uninformed on the structure of the facility and would also need to remedy that if I were to make my escape soon.

Before that though I still had some proper monologue to get to!

“So, where we headed? Is Andrea somewhere close?”

“Hrmn?” came the response from the large man in charge.

“Were we not going to visit miss Avery, the boss lady?”

The man laughed then, ending in a low mirthful chuckle as he said, “No, no. You my dear are to be held away from the others, in a place of high esteem where everyone can keep an eye on you.”

He nodded in the direction opposite the tunnel leading up and I saw there set in the wall was a small hollowed out cell, fully barred at the front and with a small, raised hole at the rear. I saw one keyhole on the door that did not match the others I had seen out in the general area.

I doubted my stolen key would work here.

“In you get.” He motioned for my holder-uppers to toss me in and they quickly obliged.

I landed on the hard stone… hard, of course.

It was stone!

“You will get the standard two meals a day, we will not be letting you out for your daily constitutionals. You will eat, sleep, and defecate here until you are released into the tender care of your new owner. I am sure he will have much better accommodations if you are willing to facilitate him in his meeting his daily needs.”

The smile on the fat man was now gone, replaced with a sardonic grin that hid no intent, the bastard was probably picturing me in some very lude positions even now.

I was, however, thankful for being spoken for already, as it gave me a way to avoid any of those specific treatments before I was taken by my new owner.

The door was quickly locked and locked again. Apparently, the captain had a special lock that he had been saving that attached somehow to the lock that was laced around the bars of the door. I was unable to see how it worked exactly from my position on the floor where I was busy making mean faces through the pain of a badly scraped knee.

I shall be honest here; I was a wee bit angrier about the new rip in my clothing.

The captain turned around and walked away, leaving me to settle into my new accommodation.

At least now I would have time to look in on my familiar.

Your Summoned Familiar has been slain by a Sand-borne Salamander.

Well, crap.