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Chapter 71: Cat’s Eye – Mortal Kombat

Chapter 71: Cat’s Eye – Mortal Kombat

The dragon glared. Cat’s Eye could see the lizard woman’s evil intelligence was spinning in her head. Vevic clicked her heel on the floor. “Well I don’t know about you, but I’m not exactly a team player and so I guess that makes us enemies then, doesn’t it?”

“What?” The dwarf laughed. “You don’t like competition?”

The dragon lifted her chin. “I don’t see competition. I see silly little prisoners. And I think I’m going to execute you now. It’s settled. I’ll have the gallows ready in the morning.”

Vevic’s gaze traveled to Cat’s Eye, who shrugged. She didn’t see any reason to contribute to what the dwarf had just said as she knew that even if she confessed as to why they were there, then Vevic would likely just execute them anyway.

After a silence, Vevic straightened her jerkin and turned to the door. “Fine, my guards will see to you in the morning.”

After the door had shut, Cat’s Eye whispered to Grumner. “What do you think is happening with the rest of the crew?”

The dwarf shrugged, “They’re probably either dead or escaped is my guess.”

“I’m worried about them,” Cat’s Eye said. “If they escaped the trap, then they’re either stuck here on the mountain or they’re stuck here in the fortress somewhere.”

“I wouldn’t be too worried about Calista. She’s a delver. She can probably get herself out of anywhere.”

“Yes, but the other two are rather foolish,” Cat’s Eye retorted.

Grumner rolled his head to look at him, “I thought the duck was rather sensible.”

“The duck’s an idiot.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s a duck.”

“But what if it’s a smart duck.”

“But what if it’s not?”

“Why wouldn’t it be a smart duck?”

“Smart ducks don’t hang out with wizards like Lefty. I’ve never met a Lefty before and I don’t know what it does.”

They sat there in silence as the water dripped in the next cell. Outside, the moon was high in the sky and somewhere in the distance, a wolf was howling. Cat’s Eye’s mind was spinning. He did not want to be executed in the morning, he wanted to go back to Yandmouth and get back to business. He was not an adventurer, he was a businessman and he didn’t enjoy getting pulled into adventures against his will.

However, that did not change the seriousness of the situation. He was sitting on a prison cot and a dragon had just threatened him with execution. He had to get out. Cat’s Eye looked over at the dwarf, but Grumner was still lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“We have to get out of here,” Cat’s Eye whispered.

“Actually, I was thinking of waiting around here until morning to see what happens,” the dwarf said quietly.

“This is not the time for jokes. You’re not funny. Don’t be funny.”

“Who said I’m being funny?”

“You’re not the funny one, you’re the hairy one. Now how are we going to get out of here?”

“In all seriousness, I don’t know yet.”

“Well that’s not helpful.”

“You’re helpful.”

“I’m not helpful, you’re supposed to be helpful. You’re the adventurer. I’m just a little goblin who’s cart got stolen.”

The dwarf let out a long, frustrated sigh. “It would be easier if I could get a good look around. I’ve never been here before and I so I don’t know the layout.”

Cat’s Eye nodded toward the door. “That’s easy. Out this door is a hallway that leads to the guardroom and then there’s another door that leads out into the courtyard.”

“Well what’s in the courtyard?”

“Probably a lot of gnolls and goblins.”

“Well that’s not helpful.”

“I know that’s not helpful, but what do you want me to say?”

“I’m not saying anything. I’m thinking.”

Cat’s Eye looked at the door. “I’m going to try something.”

“What are you going to try?” asked the dwarf.

“Just watch.”

Cat’s Eye then got up off his cot and stepped over to the cell door. It was iron bars arranged in a grid with a lock box at the center. Down the hallway, he could see the flickering light of the guardroom. The gibbering voices of gnolls echoed against the walls. It sounded like they were playing cards.

“Hey!” Cat’s Eye cried.

The gibbering stopped. A shadow appeared, bouncing against the light until a gnoll appeared in the hallway. It looked annoyed. When it arrived at the cell door, it hissed at Cat’s Eye and said, “Szzhizzerazak-ak-ak-gagh.”

Cat’s Eye stood firm, “Stop that. I know you speak common.”

The gnoll growled. This one was a male and judging by his looks, not bright one. “What do you want, meat sack?”

“I want some water,” Cat’s Eye said.

“Ggggghhh,” the gnoll grunted, but then walked away.

Cat’s Eye watched the hyena man disappear down the hallway. He then turned to Grumner. “Okay, now when he comes back. I want you to throttle him and take the keys.”

“They’re not that stupid. The keys are hanging in the guard room.”

Cat’s Eye shook his head. “Nope, I saw then hanging on his belt.”

Grumner sat up. The dwarf had a pained expression. He rubbed his eyes. “What?”

Cat’s Eye gestured to the hallway, “He had them hanging on his belt. What do you think this is? Maximum security? Those are gnolls. They have an intelligence only slightly higher than goblins and they don’t like work.”

Grumner silently stood and walked over to the cell door. Down the hallway, the shadow was loping its way back. Cat’s Eye could see it had a flask of water in its hands. Grumner slipped behind the wall. With a look of disbelief, he shook his head as he readied his hands.

Cat’s Eye shot a wink at the dwarf just as the gnoll arrived. “Why thank you, mister gnoll. I didn’t think you’d …”

In a flash, the dwarf reached through, grabbed the gnoll by the throat and throttled it against the bars. As the hyena man fell limp, Cat’s Eye snatched the keys off its belt. Flipping through the keys, he picked one out and tried it at the lock box. Click.

Down the hallway, the gnolls were moving. Swords were being unsheathed as claws clattered against the stone. Grumner let go of the gnoll as Cat’s Eye pushed the door open. As the dwarf stepped into the hallway, he grabbed a scimitar off the dead gnoll and gave it a good twirl as he turned to face the gnolls. Cat’s Eye ducked down and grabbed a dagger off the belt and then stepped behind the dwarf.

The hallway was narrow enough that the gnolls were advancing single file. The first gnoll came with a spear. Grumner whacked the spear aside, grabbed the gnoll by the throat and ran him through. He then tossed the first gnoll into the second, batted it’s spear aside and punched it in the throat. It crumpled to the floor. The third gnoll did not know what to do, and so stood there shivering for a moment. Grumner looked at it with distaste and then grabbed it by the head and snapped it’s neck.

The dwarf looked back at Calista, “What do you think we should do now?”

Cat’s Eye examined the dead bodies and then said, “I think we should wait in the cell.”

“And just why should we do that?” Grumner asked.

“Because I think it’s the safest move,” Cat’s Eye replied.

“I don’t get it. I thought you wanted to get out of here.”

“I did. I wanted to see how easy it was. It’s easy now. We just keep the keys and stay in the cell and wait to see what comes for us.”

“And why would we do that?”

“Because we can leave any time. And if we leave these bodies here, someone will wonder why we did that and why we didn’t leave.”

“I still don’t get it.”

Cat’s Eye grimaced and rubbed her nose. “Look, do you think you can kill everything out in the courtyard?”

The dwarf shrugged, “It’s a maybe.”

Cat’s Eye sighed, “Then let’s get back in the cell and wait for things to die down.”

The dwarf still looked uncomfortable. “So we’re going to keep the keys, hide our weapons, and wait things out?”

“Yeah, I think that’s a really good idea.”

Now it was the dwarf’s turn to sigh as he looked down on the corpses. “Fine, whatever you say.”