The loud clanging caused by the iron gates hitting the stone floor still echoed through the cave. As the six made their way down the tunnels following Red to the supply room, distant muttering voices could be heard bouncing off the walls. The hobgoblin they killed carried no torch with him, and the path was dark. Normally, a human like Cella would have issues in this environment; however, currently, that is not the case for her. Her owl-kin eyes are sharp as ever as she stalks behind the group, eyes darting back and forth, senses heightened, and reacting to every small sound or movement that echoes through the halls. Although Cella is now physically different, the lack of direct moonlight is letting her keep control. The party knows this, and so does she. Her tribe raised her to learn control. It’s just what happens when they leave the cave that scares her. She puts this away from her forward thoughts and resets her focus on the here and now.
Kenson, tailing the rear, is able to look past most everyone, being a 7-foot-tall amethyst dragonborn helps with that. He keeps a steady pace with the line as he holds his hands crossed and rested behind his back in contemplation. Kenson’s dragon eyes and natural senses let him see in the dark, keeping him ready for surprises. His large body, tail, and protruding crystalline structures from his skull make for a foreboding silhouette. Kenson thinks to himself about this Red fellow they are now following. How long must he have been here to know his way around? He pushes this aside for now and continues on, ever vigilant.
In front of him walks Tallis, slightly more cautious. Tallis is neither human nor elf but rather a half-breed of the two. Although elves have the natural ability to see in the dark, not all half-breeds do. Tallis is able to see in the dark, though not as well as most elves. Even so, he is experienced enough to trust his gut and tough it out when need be. He runs his fingers through long dark hair, losing some rubble from it and taking a breath. A lot has happened in a short time, and it’s not over yet. Tallis begins to wonder just how trustworthy Simon and Red are going to be. In his experience, guards are greedy, and strangers are not to be trusted. He understands, however, that there really is no other choice but to trust them for now. Tallis takes this time to gather himself and steel his mind for the next encounter.
Ahead of him, behind Simon and Red, Acini’s elven eyes reveal the darkened path. Her short, slender frame makes little noise traversing the cave quickly. Now more than ever, her feet carry her swiftly, unimpeded by boots, as she trails quietly behind the two in front of her. Acini’s hands have a feeling of emptiness. She looks down at them, brushing away her loose hair and gently clenching her fists. “Damn it all, I need my bow,” she thinks to herself. The feeling of being without it leaves her feeling more naked than actually being so. On the bright side of her mind, she enjoys the cool breeze. The air rushing past reminds her of home in the north. For a moment, Acini begins to feel bad for Cella and all the complaining she has been on about with the cold air. Looking over her shoulder, Acini is promptly reminded that, at this moment, Cella is doing just fine.
“Stop here,” Red whispers to the group in a hurried hush, and everyone in line stops, crouched in waiting. They have made their way to a fork in the cave. The tunnels they have been walking would roughly measure a ten-foot diameter. At the split, flickering lights can be seen down both paths, yet with closer listening, the sharper ears of the party notice sound coming from the right. Simon looks to Red as if to ask what to do now, when Red suddenly bolts down the left pathway without a word. Nearly startled, Simon flinches back for a moment and looks to the party with wide eyes.
Tallis, being the first to act, playfully slaps Simon’s shoulder and then immediately jumps up, taking off running down the left path. Like muscle memory, they all ran together, tightly packed in a formation they knew was trusted and true. Cella would take the lead, usually charging straight into the fray, soaking up as much damage and mayhem as she could handle. Acini would stand adjacent to the others, picking off targets with her bow and arrows. Kenson would be between them, healing mostly Cella with his healing magics and assisting the others with various magics. Tallis would disappear, only reappearing exactly when and where he needed to. However, without their gear, there was little practicality to such tactics at this time.
Another moment standing at the crossroads would have been the end for the party. Faintly heard behind them as they ran were the boot steps and grunts coming from the hobgoblins. Running down these dark cave walls, sparsely placed were small streams of water gently pooling on the ground. Some of the less dexterous group members struggled to not splash on occasion, the cold water numbing their toes as it clung to their skin. They all made their way into a series of tunnels, twisting and winding. This cave system felt like it went on for ages.
Finally catching up with Red, the party had a moment to regather themselves. “Look here all,” Red said, pointing into a dark alcove along the bottom of a long cave tunnel in the distance, gently lit by the torchlight held in the hand of a hobgoblin guard. This one, similar in appearance and gear, also carried with him a large horn visible on his belt. “We cannot afford to mess this one up.” The group grew quiet, assessing the situation; charging in wouldn’t be overly beneficial. “Any risk of him blowing that horn is not one to be taken at this time,” Red finished.
Acini’s head pops up from contemplation, and she points toward Tallis. “Maybe it is a risk worth taking… Tallis, can you find a long way around and stay quiet?” He nods. “Kenson, you know the spell we use when lifting heavy objects to make them lighter?” She yanks the cleaver away from Simon suddenly and hands it over to Tallis. Simon looks a bit surprised and interested all at the same time. “I know it’s no dagger, but Kenson’s magic should help with that.”
Tallis looks at the blade in his hand, understanding the plan. Acini continues, “All we need to do is wait for Tallis to get in place, then we make our move.” Kenson closes his eyes and waves his clawed hands over the blade. A faint purple glow emanates from the cleaver for only a moment before dissipating. “Three minutes,” Tallis says, disappearing without another word.
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Acini kneels down, gathering small stones, and hands them out to everyone else, one by one. “Let’s distract the hell out of him.” Possessing an exceptional sense of time, Acini counts the three minutes perfectly.
“NOW,” Acini yells, springing from around the corner, stone raised above her head. Like ducks in a row, one by one, Red, Simon, Kenson, and Cella all follow suit behind Acini, rocks raised above their heads. “FIRE!” Acini shouts. The rocks sail through the air, and the hobgoblin, having no idea what’s about to happen, is caught completely off guard. One moment, he’s quietly guarding the loot and thinking about his next meal, the next moment, there are five growing lumps on his head.
The hobgoblin jumps to action, letting out a short roar. He begins to turn his body around and grabs for the horn at his side, but suddenly stops. His hand no longer responds to his will. He looks down in confusion as his body fails to obey, and then, darkness. Tallis emerges from the shadows, retrieving the cleaver embedded in the hobgoblin’s skull. He looks toward the alcove now closer in sight: crates, chests, and a few racks sporting arms and armaments. Some familiar, most resembling gear synonymous with the Thistle guard.
The others approach quickly. “Nice work,” Simon says as he heads to the alcove. He stops, recognizing some of the gear. Simon takes a moment to gather himself before proceeding. Cella, gradually transforming back into her human form, pants slightly as she heads straight to the gear pile and digs out the first water skin she finds, gulping it down.
One by one, each member begins to adorn themselves with clothing, armor, and arms. Cella finds her special wrist wraps that enhance her strength. As she straps them on, her arms noticeably become more toned. Acini dons her leathers and finds her trusty bow, adorned with feathers and scales. Her bow allows her arrows to travel many times farther than any average arrow. Kenson slips on his flowing robes and magical accouterments. His robes may flow like cloth, but a blade would find it hard-pressed to even scratch the fabric. Tallis finds his shall-scarf and quickly puts it on, the magical item allowing him to move unseen by others when in shadows.
As everyone gets geared up, Simon breaks the silence. “So, you lot are quite the force to be reckoned with. How did the likes of you all come to be, if you don’t mind me asking?” Acini looks at Cella, but she remains quiet. Tallis looks to Kenson as if to say, “Why not? Who cares.” Kenson takes a second to straighten his robes, then responds in a monotone voice.
“Tallis and I have known each other for a long time and took a job together. Some tribal women had come to our area, looking to find some missing members of their tribe, and they brought gold, so off we went in search of these missing members with them.” Kenson is interrupted by Cella.
“Yeah, and by the time they found me, we had five others already dead at our feet!” Acini places a comforting hand on Cella’s back.
“We?” Simon asks.
Kenson continues, “At the sight of the carnage, the tribal women we were with told us that Cella and Acini had killed them, and the fight was on.” He takes a deep breath. “You see, these women weren’t looking for a missing person. Rather, they were in search of an exile who they believed should have been put to death. Every attempt they made to kill Cella only left more of them dead, so they thought that we could help with their dirty work.”
Strapping on a bandolier of daggers, Tallis speaks up. “After the tribal women were dead and only Kenson and I remained, there was a brief moment of parley.”
“Yes, and lucky for them, they happened to be sympathetic to our cause,” Acini adds.
“Lucky indeed,” Kenson continues. “For these two surely held their own against all odds and left us battered. However, learning of their exile and their tribe’s betrayal sung in the same way Tallis and I have been stung.”
Simon ponders for a moment. “So your common goals united you together, I see. But what is it exactly that bonds you to each other?”
Acini walks over to Cella and wraps her arms gently around her waist, holding her close. Cella brushes the hair from Acini’s cheek as they stare into each other's eyes before kissing passionately, their kisses quietly echoing off the walls. Tallis, holding a coy smile, looks at Kenson, then back at Simon, and winks playfully. Simon’s eyes widen in sudden realization, his cheeks flush, and he quickly turns his back to the girls, hurriedly gathering his things.
“Ahh, well, yes. I see, yes, good, yes, I see,” he stutters, clearly embarrassed. Simon turns to ask Red a question to save himself from further awkwardness, but Red is nowhere to be found.
“Where’s Red?” Simon says in a worried voice. The others stop what they’re doing and begin to look around the dark cave tunnel, but Red is nowhere to be found.
“This makes no sense. Why would he run off like that?” Simon wonders aloud. Tallis walks over and starts to rummage around the pile where he last saw Red standing. It’s strange, Tallis thinks to himself, about how he could have possibly missed Red leaving, but it makes no sense to him. Looking around, he sees a leather pouch with parchment spilling from it. Reaching down and gathering it up, he sees a few broken wax seals sporting the arms of Thistle. Turning to Simon, Tallis gets his attention and tosses the leather pouch to him.
“I saw Red messing with this. Mean anything?”
The others turn their attention to Simon as he inspects the bag. “Warrants, wanted posters, person descriptors...” Simon trails off, rummaging through the parchment. “Gods save us, he’s in the DreadBlades. Not a single one of their documents is here anymore. He must have taken them to know what we have on them. The DreadBlades are run by the criminal we were chasing, so that explains his standoffish behavior.”
Tallis giggles. “Yeah, otherwise lawmen are so much fun to be around.” Simon shoots him an annoyed look.
“Well, whatever the case, it doesn’t matter. He fucked off, and we’re still here. Let’s change that already,” Cella proclaims, crossing her arms.
“Haste is our ally,” Kenson adds.
“Agreed,” says Simon. “I can deal with this later. We have to get out, and I must get back to Thistle to warn them of this army.”
“Then let’s go,” Cella says, already walking in a direction.