The plan was risky, but he had no other choice. Anything down there could kill him. X better understood how to navigate the hidden passages and manipulate the raalt'vens, though his weak body kept holding him back. In one of those passages, he found Droffiqillia.
“Ekk's! You came!” exclaimed the dwarf, clearly surprised.
“Of course... I gave you my word,” replied X, breathing hard and deep.
“Good!”
“Were you searching for me?” inquired the elf.
“Ah, what can I say...”
“Nothing.”
“And... where’s your stuff? Your flute?” The dwarf noticed the elf came back empty handed.
“Don’t worry about it. With my magic, I’ll get those creepy fellows in line.”
Droffiqillia had his doubts but didn’t hesitate. “I’m sure you will!”
“Well then, let’s plan this out,” said X.
“Right! Come to my room.”
After arriving, the elf demanded more nutrients and received a cup of the green thick liquid.
It’s better than nothing, whatever this is... It does tastes funny though.
X took a sip and stared at Droffiqillia. “Don’t be shy now, tell me your plan,” spoke the elf.
“Oh right! Give me your map, I’ll explain.” The redheaded elf took out the map Droffiqillia had given him last time and extended it on the table. “This square marks my room as you know. Straight ahead, is the throne room.” The dwarf then drew a circle around it. “And this is the main territory of the Swarm, it seldom leaves it.”
“Okay...”
“The plan is simple,” continued Droffiqillia. “You find the Swarm and lead it into the throne room, where I’ll be ready to lock it up.”
“Again... Why don’t you do this yourself? Tame the Swarm?”
“I told you I cannot be certain the Swarm will obey my commands, and to lock up the throne room I need time. The levers are timed... I cannot fail. It has to be done on the first try.”
“How long will it take you to lock it up?” inquired X.
“Once in the throne room, five minutes.”
“Five?!”
“But once inside, while I pull the levers, I’ll start taming it. I’ll help you.”
“With what, an eighty-twenty chance?”
Droffiqillia shook his head.
“Sixty-forty?”
“A little less... Think thirty-seventy.”
“You crazy—” X deeply exhaled. “Could be worse... Uhh... So, I lead the Swarm into the throne room for you to lock it up. Where will you be?”
“There’s a passage behind the throne room. Do you remember seeing me there, through the barred window?”
“Yeah, that happened. And where’s the Swarm now?”
“Last I know... it was near the disposal chamber. It’s here on the map.” Droffiqillia pointed at its location on the map.
“It’s at the other side...”
“What?”
“Nothing. Er... well... time’s upon us, humans are coming. And... after we lock this thing, then what? We lock ourselves down here? Will humans find us?” X questioned further.
“It depends if they can use raalt'vens or not. I don’t know if they can. But even if they could, they don’t know the layout... It would take them a considerable amount of time to reach this part of the dungeon.”
“And when they do?”
“We lock ourselves up in the throne room. That’s the most secure part of the dungeon. The mechanism to open it is more complex than simple raalt'vens.”
“We’d be locked in there? With the Swarm?” X’s eyes remained wide open.
“In the passage leading to it. Though we might have to fall back... inside, which I don’t think we’ll have to.”
The redheaded elf took a deep breath. “I understand. But didn’t I easily used the mechanism you talk about?”
“You’re an elf!”
“So creatures keep reminding me. And what if they brought one?”
"I don’t recall the specifics.” said Droffiqillia, scratching his chin. “Dureld’s dwarves are the only ones who can use its raalt'vens, and only a few dwarves amongst us can operate the Hermetical Orbs. As for elves, I’m uncertain. The treaty’s ancient history. But if they brought one... Let’s pray they didn’t."
“Hermetical... Orbs?” exclaimed X.
“They’re special magical objects that hold advanced magic, used to create gates, stairs, and much more. You know about them, right?”
“Of course, I do. I’m just cross-checking the information. But yeah, it’s pretty much as you say. And ah... it's now or never, let’s do this,” spoke the elf.
“Agreed. You can take anything you need from here.”
X glanced around the room, wanting to grab everything he could, but knew it would only slow him down. “Nah, I’m good,” he replied.
“Elf magic is something else.”
“It is,” agreed X, walking towards a raalt'ven.
“I’ll be waiting for you in the throne room,” said Droffiqillia.
“See you on the other side.” X opened the raalt'ven and stepped through it.
Droffiqillia had mapped out several routes to and from the disposal facility for all eventualities. X knew that it was do or die; his possibilities dwindled by the minute. If Droffiqillia’s calculations held true, humans would soon enter the dungeon, leaving nothing standing, advancing room by room, passage by passage, razing everything in their path. He quickened his pace down the hallways, like a death row inmate begging for immediate execution. Waiting became a heavy burden, but meeting it head-on brought some relief. Sweat poured down his face as he made his way, knowing the creepy insects spelled trouble. But he had a plan.
After trudging along corners and doors, he came to a stop. The elf had arrived near the disposal chamber. On the map, it appeared small with clearly marked entrances and exits, but fear made him tense up. Those critters could be anywhere. He continued to march on as quietly as possible, his mind lighting up like a Christmas tree. Shadows seemed to lurk everywhere, pernicious sounds creeping in, and even his own breath sounded loud enough to give away his position.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The redheaded elf stood before the last raalt'ven, the disposal chamber awaited on the other side. X took several deep breaths before opening the last door, which led him inside. Upon entering, he felt a jolt run through his spine at the cold and silent atmosphere. The area where he stepped in seemed clear, and he cautiously made his way through the large and eerily quiet room where Droffiqillia's kin kept everything they wanted to get rid of. The floor was littered with all kinds of waste, from organic matter to steel, wood, bones, and glowing items piled up in heaps. The room smelled of rotten flesh and was filled with tables, strange tools, mechanisms, and a dark hole at the back. X surveyed the room carefully, keeping an eye out for any movement or sound. Only the darkness filled the empty spaces of this dump. He relaxed. Perhaps it wasn’t here after all. It wasn’t a good sign, not for his plans, but he smiled nonetheless. After a final look around, he knew there was no reason to linger and prepared to move on.
Funny.
A twisting shadow at the back of the room caught his eye. He focused his sights and saw nothing but pitch blackness, making it difficult to discern any shapes or movement. Suddenly, a shadow fell over the piles of garbage at the other side of the room, followed by dozens more. X looked up and saw multiple sets of violet eyes beginning to glow in the darkness.
“Holy daaaarn!” he exclaimed, before turning and running as fast as he could towards the nearest exit. The Swarm had locked onto him, and he could hear the critters gaining ground.
“Freaking hell!”
The redheaded elf stumbled over piles of garbage, his foot catching on every stray piece, until he reached the nearest raalt'ven. As he manipulated the magical door, time seemed to slow down and the cacophony of creepy noises grew louder. Hundreds of insects flapped their bug extremities, their movements getting closer and closer. X swore he could feel them already on top of him. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he closed the raalt'ven behind him and took off running again. He dared a glance over his shoulder.
“Yes! I’m so freaking good!”
His plan was working flawlessly. The elf had carefully considered how to lead the Swarm and had been observing the raalt'vens for some time. He discovered that he could time their opening and closing, allowing him to direct the Swarm wherever he desired. Although it would be slow, it was a feasible plan.
“Freaking monsters, dumb as crap insects!” X laughed. “I got you where I want you.”
Feeling victorious and elated, he strolled towards the raalt'ven at the other side of the passageway.
“Eh?”
But then he saw something strange. One little guy crossed the raalt'ven, as if by magic, passing straight through the wall. Then another, and another, until there were exponentially more.
“Fuck—! Aaahh!” His stomach churned with pain while he scrambled towards the next raalt'ven. “Darn it! Argh! Crap just went to hell!”
X had made a terrible miscalculation.
“But of course, you craphead! How the hell does it freely move around this dungeon?!”
[Hindsight is always twenty-twenty, until some otherworldly insectoid eats you.]
The voice reverberated in the enclosed corridor and was soon consumed by the hundreds of insects. The advantage the elf had kept vanishing. His body was reaching its limits, and the Swarm was closing in. Their little jumps clawing near. As he widened his steps, he took out his map and quickly scanned it. However, in that moment, a black shadow swooped in and devoured the map in one bite. X stumbled backwards.
*
Droffiqillia stood in the dark, narrow passage behind the throne room, anxiously waiting for the elf to arrive.
“Where the hell is he?! Time’s running out! Shit, I hope the Swarm hasn’t eaten him yet.”
It had been an hour and a half since X left to bait the Swarm, and the dwarf knew the humans had already entered his dungeon.
“Fuck!” yelled the dwarf.
At that moment he heard a scream and the buzzing sound of the Swarm.
“Start the lockdown, now!” X crossed the throne room’s raalt'ven and closed it behind him. Hundreds of critters crossed the wall right after him. He stood before the incoming black mass, holding tight his bloodied left hand. “These filthy little bugs bit off my pinky finger! Ah, you freaks will regret it!” he exclaimed.
The Swarm continued to pour in, forming a towering black mass that loomed over the redheaded elf. “Droff, do something!”
“I'm pulling the levers now!” shouted the dwarf.
Droffiqillia began pulling the levers with all his might, each one making a loud crack as it came down. Deep rumbling noises echoed throughout the walls, a hidden mechanism came alive with each lever activated.
X backed away as the Swarm advanced towards him, but he stumbled over piles of gold and fell.
“Droff!”
The elf covered his head with his hands as the Swarm closed in but found himself still alive when the insects were just a jump away. They had lunged towards a couple of golden coins that had rolled off in the opposite direction. Without thinking, X started rolling as many coins as he could far away from him. The Swarm kept lunging into those coins, swallowing them and spitting them back over the piles. After sending another batch, he saw a way out into the hallway and took it. After securing its treasure, the Swarm resumed its hunt. The redheaded elf was exhausted by the time the Swarm finally struck a magical barrier.
The barrier erupted with a loud bang just in time to shield him from the Swarm.
“Hahaha! You little creeps!” shouted the elf.
“Ekk’s?! Is that you? Are you still alive?” Droffiqillia’s voice echoed across the throne room from the other side. His faced popped out of a window.
“Hah! Look at my finger!” X gasped.
“What?”
“Gone! And I liked that one.”
“But you’re alive! Isn’t that what—”
“Oh... Droffy, Droffus, Droff...”
“It was a success! The Swarm’s safely inside with the treasure,” said the dwarf.
“Is it?”
“Everything’s alright? I mean, apart from your finger.”
“You can drop the act, Droff, anytime now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tell me, Droff, why?”
“I’m not following...”
With the barrier in place, X had completed the puzzle, or forced it to match. It didn’t matter. The end result turned out the same.
“The gullible act. You’re not that good of an actor,” stated X.
Droffiqillia’s semblance showed a serious tone. “What’s all this about?”
“Why are you still alive, Droff? Come on, we’re friends. Tell me how you managed to outlast everyone else. No? But you see, I know how, because I’ve done it myself. Oh, yes, I do know why, Droff. There are times that you’d do anything to survive: lie, steal, hide, betray, kill... anything. But Droff, you’re a slimy little worm in a hole too big for yourself.” X smiled and took a deep breath. “It must suck to be you, right? You freaking coward! You let everyone else die, and that's why you never returned to your people. Instead, you're here pretending that you stayed behind to tame something that you can't. You're so ashamed that you can't face your own kind. And yet, here you are, hiding in the hole you dug for yourself, the very hole that you created inside you." X leaned over, hands on his knees, recovering his stamina. "You're a coward who sacrificed everyone else just so that you could survive. That's how you managed to outlast them all. And now, you're just running away from reality, hiding down here in the center of your corrupt soul, a fugitive of your own darkness, rotting, acting all high and mighty before strangers about problems you made yourself. And you’re still failing at this simple task— no, you’re failing at everything... Well, not everything. You became a one-of-a-kind loser.”
Droffiqillia’s face didn’t flinch. His fingers pressed against his palm, making a fist, his teeth imperceptibly ground themselves to dust.
“You should go outside more often. Being all cramped down here by yourself is making you go bonkers.” X reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny, round object. "Hey, look at this golden coin. It's so pretty. I think I'll go outside and surrender to the humans. I'll show them the maze, your treasure, where you are, where your thousand lovers live, and how to imprison them... my friend."
Come on, Droff, don’t disappoint me, you gotta freaking do it!
“You were my friend... but now... why...?” Droffiqillia’s voice faltered.
"Do you think this is how your kind felt when you betrayed them? Did they ask, while being devoured, why? Why, Droff?"
"I was going to lock you in here with the Swarm, but I decided against it because I thought you were my friend!" exclaimed the dwarf.
"Not even now can you drop your act. You do deserve each other. Oh, and I got myself out of your trap, you freak!"
Whatever the dwarf decided to do, X wasn’t staying one more second in there. He turned and walked away, shouting back at Droffiqillia. "What happened, Droff? Did the bugs speak to you and tell you to feed them your kind? All of them? Even your friends?”
“Arghh! You betrayed me! I should have killed you back there motherfucker!” shouted Droffiqillia, rage surging within him.
“That’s more like it, Droff! Stop hiding yourself in this hole!”
The redheaded elf arrived at the other side of the hallway, found the Hermetical Orb, and manipulated it, causing the slope to become steps.
Freak wasn’t lying!
Loud noises echoed through the area once more. Droffiqillia pushed the levers; the barrier would drop any second. X rushed upstairs with a smile.