Persepera

The 25th of Elaphebolion

The Year 4631 in the Era of Mortals

Arche and Tess sprinted back the way they came, toward the rest of their group. Neither of them said anything since seeing the hound, but the primal fear that accompanied seeing an enormous, people-eating monster transcended all need for language. Arche had no idea how he was supposed to fight that thing, only that he had to find a way or they were all dead.

Tess had been especially introspective since they had left the cavern. Her face was a perfect mask, betraying no emotions, though Arche had enough of a sense of her to tell she was deeply conflicted behind her stoic demeanor. Arche slowed down after his Stamina was beginning to lag, dipping down to thirty percent. For a moment, he thought she was going to keep going, but she slowed as well, coming to a stop a few paces in front of him before grabbing her knees and panting.

“Needless to say,” Arche said between breaths. “We’re in over our heads.”

Tess stared at him, as if already analyzing a response to words she had yet to say. “If we fight that thing, we’re dead.”

“I’m inclined to agree.”

“So what do we do?”

Arche threw up his hands.

“I am open to suggestions.”

There was a brief pause as they both considered their options.

“We should talk to the others but I don’t see how we can defeat that.”

“I think we’re going to have to, not just to complete the quest but also to keep the village safe. Plus, I’m not comfortable leaving those prisoners behind.”

“There are limits to what we can accomplish. To fight a force that large, we’ll need help. Perhaps we should return to the village and recruit more fighters.”

“Maybe,” Arche hedged. “I’m not sure that’ll work. We should discuss that play as a group, though.”

After a couple minutes of rest, they sped off again. Arche led the way through the tunnels this time, the lack of traps they faced the first time gave him confidence that they would make it back unscathed. Whether by calculation or serendipity, they made it safely back.

Lyssa met them before they could barrel into their own traps. Arche hadn’t considered that he and Tess would have had to cross the trapped passage and felt a flush of gratitude for the elf’s foresight.

“I was wondering if you two were going to be gone all day,” Lyssa remarked as they approached. “I was beginning to think you’d been captured.”

“Captured? Us? Not likely,” Arche replied with all the false bravado he could muster.

It was all he could do to keep standing.

“You’re right, they would have killed you and hung you from the ceiling to ripen, Greenstick.”

“I’d have caught in their throats and choked the whole lot.”

Tess didn’t allow herself to be drawn into the banter. Instead, she glanced back the way they had come, brow furrowed in thought. Lyssa, perceptive as ever, caught Tess’s expression and turned serious.

“Follow me.”

Through Lyssa’s careful guidance, they weaved their way through quite a few pressure plates, false floors, and tripwires before rejoining the rest of their group.

“So,” Abraxios said after they had a moment to collect themselves. “What are we up against?”

Arche and Tess launched into descriptions of the cavern and what they had seen, shoring up any details that slipped in the other’s retelling. When they spoke of the wolf-like creature they had seen, the others looked hopeless.

“Titan’s Bane,” Odelia murmured. “What are we going to do about that?”

“What can we do?” Abraxios followed up. “We came here to fight a few bands of beastmar, not dismantle an entire army and destroy a huge monster single-handedly. We’re ill-equipped for such an endeavor.”

“You’re right,” Arche said. “This is more than you signed up for. More than any of us signed up for, really. I won’t blame you if you want to leave, but I’m staying.”

“Arche, be reasonable,” Lyssa said. “There is only so much we can do alone. To retreat and return with greater numbers is not cowardice.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“This isn’t about bravery,” Arche said. “Every second we waste, more of those prisoners are going to die. I won’t abandon those people. Besides, even if I go back, Callias is going to get in my way. At best, arrested; at worst, killed. Call it a gut feeling, but if he wanted me dead before, he’ll want me double-dead now that he thinks I’m trying to steal his money.”

“We don’t have to stay here,” Lyssa pointed out.

“I know.” Arche ran a hand through his hair. “But I’m not just thinking about me. The quest I have practically says that if we don’t find a way to stop this, then this creature will destroy the village. I can’t walk away from this. Callias won’t do anything to protect the village, he’s already made that abundantly clear. I can’t see him committing his guards now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we shouldn’t try.”

Arche paused, trying to gather his thoughts.

“What’s your plan, Arche?” Tess asked.

“I’m staying. I intend to see this through, one way or the other. None of you are under the same obligation.” He made eye contact with each of them, holding Lyssa’s eyes the longest. “You can go back, take the reward from Theodorous, try to convince Callias to send his guards, or leave and try to find a better home elsewhere in the likely event that I fail.”

There was quiet for several moments as everyone considered the options. Abraxios was the first to speak.

“I am sorry. I know you mean well, but this is not a fight we can win. I cannot be a part of it.”

Odelia nodded. “I know you said you would stay, but we can’t fight something like that. There are too many of them and I don’t think any of us could rightfully fight that creature and hope to live. I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Arche had thought it would come to this. Expected it, even. It still felt like a punch to the gut. The loss of their spells would hurt, especially in the darkness of the underground. He extended one hand and withdrew the map of the dungeon from his inventory, holding it out to them.

“I wish both of you the best of luck. If we fail here today, get yourselves and as many as you can to safety. Callias be damned, that fool isn’t worth dying for.”

“We will try to rally help for you above and return as quickly as we can,” Abraxios said as he collected the map.

Arche had no doubt that the tengu would attempt to do just that, but he held no hope for reinforcements arriving in time. He turned to Tess and Lyssa.

“And your decisions?”

“Where you go, I follow, Greenstick. Someone has to temper your schemes with sense.”

Tess was uncharacteristically quiet. Arche could see on her face she was struggling with her decision. It was not lost on him how shaken she had been by the whole ordeal, how much she had already risked, how close she’d come to death.

“You don’t have to stay,” he said in a low voice, trying his best to sound reassuring. “Your choice is your own.”

“I…” Tess hesitated. “I don’t know. I need to think.”

Abraxios met Odelia’s eyes, a moment of unspoken understanding passing between them.

“We will wait a half hour before we depart for the surface,” the tengu said. “After that, if you decide to leave, you must make the journey by yourselves.”

Arche nodded his agreement. If they left together, they would have the best odds if they ran into any spare patrols, and the map should help them navigate back to the surface. On the other hand, a delay in leaving meant a delay in reinforcements arriving, but Arche knew better than to count on help. As long as they remained safe on the journey out, that was what was important.

“Very well. I will leave you to your preparations,” Arche said, noting with mild surprise how formal his words sounded to his own ears.

Perhaps the world was rubbing off on him or perhaps this was a remnant of the man he used to be shining through. If the others noticed, they didn’t say anything. Abraxios and Odelia stepped away, holding the map between them to plan their route back. Lyssa took Tess by the arm and gently led her away to talk in private, leaving Arche alone with his thoughts.

It had been such a long time since he had relatively nothing to do that he was at a loss. Their initial plan of luring beastmar back into their traps was still their best bet, as far as he was concerned. With their numbers reduced down to a reliable two and with no healing magic, they would not be able to afford open combat. That meant trickery, traps, and downright unsportsmanlike conduct.

It wasn’t going to be the glorious battle that part of him craved. A little voice in his head told him to meet his foes on the battlefield and make them regret the day of their creation. To destroy them, see them cast down before him, and to hear the wailing of their wounded.

Alas, there were too many lives on the line if he failed, including his own.

Asymmetric warfare didn’t provide the same rush but it was a good way to kill a lot of beastmar at least risk to himself and his allies, so it was clearly the better choice. How they would kill the rest, well, that was a problem for future Arche. Getting to that point was the problem for current Arche.

He tightened his grip on the Tridory, feeling the weight of it. The coarseness of the metal left indentations in his skin. Focusing on the sensation helped him focus on the situation, on the present and near future, and helped keep his attention from wandering. The beginnings of a plan began to formulate as he stared down the expanse of trapped hallway. He had almost convinced himself it could work when Lyssa and Tess returned to him.

“I’m staying,” Tess said, meeting his eyes.

Arche glanced to Lyssa, who nodded. He fixed his eyes back on Tess.

“And this is your choice?”

“Yes. Do you have a plan?”

“I’m working on it. We should inform Abraxios and Odelia of your decision.”

“Already done,” Lyssa said. “They left a couple minutes ago.”

Arche blinked in surprise and turned around, finding that the tengu and halfling had, indeed, gone. He even went as far as to check his Adventuring Party menu to see that both names had disappeared.

“I didn’t see them go,” he said quietly.

“They’ll be okay,” Tess reassured. “I’m not sure anything in here could stop them from running if they set their minds to it, between his speed and her ground control they could probably get out of here within the hour.”

Arche nodded. He didn’t doubt that they could get out on their own, but it was still surprising that after all they had been through together that they hadn’t even said goodbye. He put it from his mind. Their situation demanded it.

“All right, here’s the plan…”