The wandering inn volume.., p.135
The Wandering Inn: Volume 5, page 135
part #1 of The Wandering Inn Series
“Hay’s still there.”
He plucked a piece of straw out of the doorjamb. Halrac nodded. He held up three fingers and counted down. Seborn waited and then yanked the door open. Both adventurers looked into the room. Halrac trained his bow on the first thing he saw until he recognized it.
“Metal pillar. We’ve been here.”
He nodded at a mark made on the far wall. Seborn squinted at it.
“Recheck.”
“Of course.”
Both [Scout] and [Rogue] used their Skills to check the room for changes. But there was no discernible difference so Halrac motioned.
“The pillar’s a blade trap. Stay to the edges. We disarmed it without you but you never know.”
Seborn nodded and Jelaqua relayed the quiet words to Moore and Revi.
“We can get Moore to hit it on the way back out if we have time.”
“Does that…help?”
“He might be able to grow plants over the thing if he can make a gap. Or just break the mechanisms.”
The adventurers made their way through the room. Again, Halrac and Seborn checked the door. This time they didn’t speak as they made their way to the next corridor. The first room was done. The next one would be random as well. Such was the nature of this dungeon; each room was selected from a group of trapped rooms and so the layout was different every time. It was meant to frustrate anyone trying to enter the dungeon safely.
However, there was a flaw to that kind of dungeon making. With time and patience, a good team could neutralize every trapped room and proceed freely regardless of which room they got. The next room was similarly neutralized; Seborn recognized the narrow corridor.
“Pit trap. Metalbite Slimes. We took out the pressure plate.”
“Understood.”
The two moved ahead. They spoke little, but their conversation alone hinted at the good relationship they had. They proceeded through the fourth room and fifth, each time running into a cleared trap.
“This is a record for us. You?”
“We made it this far before. Took out a trap that tried to boil us alive.”
“You mean burn.”
“Nope. Doubt we’ll get lucky again.”
The [Rogue] pushed open the door and nodded.
“Thought not. Look at that.”
This room was almost insultingly safe looking. A bed had been placed in the center of the room, a lovely-looking king-sized bed. It looked enchanted, which was probably the reason it had held up so long. Halrac grunted.
“They’re not even trying. What is—”
A hand blocked his view. Instantly Halrac jerked back. Seborn averted his gaze.
“Some kind of spell on the bedposts.”
“Clever.”
Halrac had barely looked at the bed but he felt something sting his sensitive eyes. He drew back and Seborn shielded him from the doorway.
“Everything alright?”
Jelaqua looked at the two. Halrac relayed news of what lay ahead. Typhenous stroked his beard.
“Rune trap magic, most likely. I can try to dispel it—”
“Don’t bother. It’s not the only trap. They want us to try and get close to the bed. I’m sure it’ll do something. Turn out to be an illusionary golem or something. We’ll take it out from afar.”
“Ah. Let me know if you need a spell.”
Halrac looked back at Seborn. The Drowned Man was fishing at his belt.
“We could use a [Sticky Webs] spell. Or do you think it’s too risky?”
“I was going to try activating the spell by hitting the post with something cutting. See what we’re up against. We can always block off the doorway.”
“You’ve got something that will work? I could shoot it.”
“Too risky. Might activate and damage your eyes. I’ll hit it blind. I’ve got these bags of flour from that [Alchemist]. I’ll fill the room and make a—”
“Dust explosion. I know.”
Halrac nodded. He was familiar with the idea. Back in his village he’d once seen a mill go up due to that very thing. It had been their only mill, in fact. They never built another one. Lost in thought, he waited, averting his eyes from the room beyond. There must have been a compulsion spell mixed in there too because he wanted to walk in there and lie on the bed. He did not.
Seborn busied himself, preparing the bags of densely packed powder. After a while Halrac spoke absently.
“It’s called straw, actually. Hay is feed. Dried grass, legumes. Straw is dead stalks.”
The Drowned Man looked up briefly.
“Really? I didn’t know that. We don’t get much straw at sea. What’s the difference between a hay bale and a straw one?”
“You don’t feed straw to animals.”
Halrac said nothing more. He waited as Seborn tossed the bags of flour over his shoulder. They fountained up, filling the room with fine particles. Typhenous sneezed as everyone moved back. Then Seborn pulled out a tightly stoppered flask.
“Ready?”
The [Scout] nodded. He braced himself as Seborn lobbed the vial into the room. Then he slammed the door shut. Everyone waited. They heard a sound of something breaking, then a thump. Halrac waited behind the door calmly. The magical doorway held, but when he opened the door the room was in flames. There was something thrashing around in the center. Halrac took one look.
“Mimic. Looks like the wards are covered or obscured.”
“Let me cast a spell first.”
Typhenous stepped forwards. Halrac waited until the mage threw long ropes of sticky webs into the fire and then nodded at Seborn. He stepped out, aimed at the mimic and began loosing arrows. Typhenous threw a ball that ate part of the elongated mimic away and made it scream.
So far, so good.
—-
“Watch it!”
One of the adventurers from Gemhammer snapped a warning. The Gnoll from the Pride of Kelia froze. The Human pointed.
“Loose stone. Take another handhold.”
The Gnoll nodded. The descent continued as the adventurers shook water that fell to the dungeon floor below. They weren’t far up, only fifteen feet or so from the place where water met dungeon. But a fall from that height was still dangerous.
“Good catch.”
Nailren was descending with Earlia. The Gnolls were less burdened and moved faster, but Gemhammer was moving well too. Earlia slowly climbed downwards, grunting, taking care not to let the water slip her up.
“Let us go first. We’ve got shields and your people can get up and down faster.”
The Gnoll grunted in agreement. He growled softly and the Gnolls below him paused to let the Humans go past. Curiously, Nailren stared at the Humans. Gemhammer chose their grips carefully. They were not good climbers compared to the Gnolls, but they seemed oddly certain.
“Strange.”
“Not strange. They have Skills related to mining. We were all once [Miners] before we found out we could kill monsters with hammers and pickaxes.”
Earlia was about ten feet from the ground, next to an overhang that would expose her to the rest of the dungeon. She looked up. Nailren nodded and sniffed. He growled and made a gesture with his paws. He showed Earlia two fingers, then three.
“Shit.”
She didn’t say anything more. She looked at the other adventurers that had paused with her at the overhang. Then she nodded. Earlia grabbed the next handhold and moved down. She slipped, cursed, and then dropped.
“Shields up!”
She screamed an order as the rest of Gemhammer dropped. The adventurers swore as they landed but three grabbed heavy shields and pulled them up. Just in time. Crude arrows shattered on the shields and one struck one of the adventurers in the arm. She cried out but the chainmail had absorbed the blow.
“Attack! Drop and take cover behind the Humans!”
Nailren roared as the rest of the Pride of Kelia scrambled down the cliff. He dropped, ignoring the pain of landing and rolled behind an adventurer with a shield. He saw Earlia dive as she tried to bring her shield up. Arrows were flying everywhere. One missed her head.
“Loose!”
There were shapes in the darkness. Snarling. The Raskghar loosed arrows, unpleasantly surprised that they had been anticipated again. They attacked quietly, sniffing. The Gnolls growled as they smelled an ancient scent. They drew their bows and began to loose arrows, eliciting quiet howls.
“Gemhammer!”
Earlia kept her voice to a low snap. She grabbed her shield and raised it, hunkering behind it. The Humans formed a wall of their bodies and shields for the Gnolls.
“Hold the line! When the warriors come up, I want Timgal, Fea, and Blaik on me! The rest keep your shields up!”
The Gnolls kept loosing arrows and the Raskghar moved back. One began to beat the walls in a quick rhythm with a stone mace. The sound echoed down the corridor.
“Calling for reinforcements.”
Nairlen’s voice was tight as he aimed and loosed. He snarled as his [Double Shot] made a Raskghar fall with two arrows in his chest. Earlia snarled herself.
“It was an ambush! Just like the [Innkeeper] said! Hold tight! We’re getting through this!”
The adventurers and Raskghar fought, the sounds echoing but not too far. Both sides kept quiet for fear of what they might attract. But they were already being watched. And as more shapes moved out of the darkness, the adventurers realized there were a lot of Raskghar. And then the brutal ancient cousins of Gnolls moved in for the attack.
—–
“So this is the secret entrance you were talking about.”
Falene shook her head as she stared down the dark shaft of stone leading down that Pisces and Olesm had found. She peered into the darkness and looked back.
“I assume you checked for traps?”
“We did. Conduct your own investigation if you are so concerned.”
Pisces snapped back. He stepped to the edge as Falene whispered a spell. Behind him Ceria looked on with Ylawes.
“Incredible. A third entrance to the dungeon and this one connects to the crypts. One wonders how extensive this dungeon is.”
Ylawes stared into the pit, looking troubled. Dawil was more practical. He grunted as he squatted down over the edge, not bothered by the drop.
“That’s far down. What’s the plan for getting down there? Jump and [Featherfall]? Or rope?”
“It’s dangerous to leave an exit for monsters to get out of.”
“More dangerous than cutting off our escape route?”
Ceria countered, looking at Ylawes. He shrugged.
“I’d be more comfortable letting Falene toss a rope back up when we need to go. She can do it with [Telekinesis].”
“What if she’s dead? Or hurt?”
The [Knight] paused.
“She won’t be.”
Ceria exchanged a glance with Yvlon. The female warrior looked troubled.
“And if she is?”
Ylawes frowned, but in the end agreed to put down a rope for a quick exit. He waited until Ksmvr had declared it secure with Dawil’s approval before nodding.
“You take that rope down. We’ll go in first.”
“What?”
“I insist. We’re a Gold-rank team and prepared to deal with whatever is down there.”
“There should be just bones. Isn’t that right, Pisces?”
The [Necromancer] sniffed.
“There are bones. It is a burial chamber for the Raskghar. I scouted it with a Shield Spider before and one is down there now.”
Everyone stared at him. Pisces raised his eyebrows.
“Oh, come now. Did you expect us to enter a dungeon without proper scouting?”
He looked pointedly at the Silver Swords. Falene narrowed her eyes slightly. Ylawes looked put out.
“So you intend to scout with…undead?”
“Far better than living beings. Unless one of you has a class specializing in trap detection? How were you planning on exploring the dungeon?”
Falene raised her eyebrows.
“I am quite capable of detecting magic.”
“And floor traps?”
Pisces didn’t wait for a response. He looked at Ceria and Yvlon.
“Once we arrive below I intend to reanimate at least eight of the skeletons. They will form an advance guard and scout ahead. I can also fashion a Bone Horror.”
“One of those things?”
Ylawes looked appalled. Ceria just exchanged a glance with Yvlon. The blonde woman nodded. Her mouth compressed to a tight line but she did nod.
“Do it, Pisces.”
The [Necromancer] smiled briefly and began climbing down the rope. Caught off-guard, the Silver Swords watched him climb down and then saw Ksmvr hurry after him. Ylawes gripped his sword hilt, frustrated.
“Incredible. Are you actually serious about this, Yvlon?”
“You knew he was a [Necromancer], Ylawes. What’s the point in having a teammate with that ability if we don’t use it to survive? His undead have saved our lives more than once.”
“Still.”
The Horns of Hammerad descended one at a time while the Silver Swords took a more direct method. They jumped and slowly floated down. Ceria rolled her eyes as Falene drifted past her, Dawil grumbling about his stomach. When they were in the burial chamber they saw Pisces had already gotten to work. Six Raskghar were standing and two more were striding out of the entrance.
“Feh.”
Dawil wrinkled his nose but Pisces ignored him. He pointed.
“There is a trap ahead. It destroyed my Shield Spider the first time. I suggest we proceed carefully down the corridor checking for traps. There may be more that are only attuned to the living.”
“Indeed. I will inspect the trap, then.”
Falene strode forwards but Pisces held an arm out. Affronted, she stared at him. He looked pointedly at Ylawes.
“Should not a warrior go first? In case of ambush? Perhaps Sir Ylawes and Dawil?”
Ceria nodded in agreement. Ylawes looked irate at being ordered, but he stepped forwards with Dawil. He held his shield up as the Dwarf gripped his hammer.
“Alright! Let’s explore this damn dungeon already!”
Dawil’s voice boomed down the corridor. Ceria nearly bit her tongue.
“Shut up! Do you want to attract attention?”
“What? Oh. Sorry.”
The Dwarf mitigated his voice a bit. Ylawes strode forwards, his eyes searching every direction. Ceria stared as Falene followed after them. Pisces blew out his cheeks and Yvlon paused as Ksmvr brought up the rear.
“Hey Ceria. You don’t think—”
“I think so. Rot, rot, rot. How did we not think of this?”
“They never said!”
“Said what?”
Ksmvr was watching the rear as he had volunteered to do. He glanced at Ceria and Yvlon as they conferred. Pisces was watching the two with a frown on his face. The Antinium glanced at his teammates and shook his head. He had a bow in his hand and the enchanted dagger in the other.
“I never understand what is going on.”
—-
Earlia didn’t know when she began shouting. She flung a bag filled with spreading vines ahead and watched the Tripvine Bag engulf a charging Raskghar. The huge not-Gnoll tripped as it tried to leap at her with club in hand. The club was crude stone and wood, but the monster was huge! A head taller than a Gnoll and a third again as wide! Its head was too small, and its claws could lay open her skin as it thrashed wildly.
No time to hesitate. No time to be afraid. Earlia charged with a shout.
“Cover me!”
She rushed the Raskghar. It was fighting to get free. It struggled up as she raised the warhammer and saw the metal head falling. It raised an arm. Too slow. Too late. The blow cracked the arm and the thing howled.
Again! Earlia’s arms strained as she lifted the warhammer. She brought it down hard. This time the blow cracked the Raskghar’s head. It made a horrible gurgling sound and slumped. The Tripvines continued to spread as Earlia staggered back. Something hit her chest—an arrow, breaking on her chainmail.
“Captain!”
A hand yanked her backwards. Earlia fell back behind the group of her people holding shields. She felt at her chest. The chainmail had held. If it had been a better bow, or if the arrow tips had been made of anything but crude stone—
“More coming!”
The Raskghar were assaulting their position. The Pride of Kelia and Gemhammer were entrenched, exchanging shots while the [Warriors] held their ground. But they were outnumbered and frankly, outmatched. The Raskghar were terrifyingly huge and strong. Earlia wasn’t sure if she’d have been able to beat the one in front of her in a fair fight. But there was still a way to victory.
“Hit them with a Pepperspray Potion!”
She roared at one of her teammates. The man fumbled for a potion and the charging forms visibly hesitated. They retreated, howling, as the man lifted the potion. Earlia grinned savagely.
Yes, that was it! The Raskghar didn’t have potions or alchemical equipment. And they didn’t have levels. One of the Gnolls behind her snatched at the air. Nailren lifted the arrow he’d caught and put it to his bowstring and sent it back into the darkness. There was another howl.
“How’re we doing?”
Earlia shouted at him. Nailren’s ears switched as he sniffed the air.
“Many are here! Many more—coming! They are howling for support!”
“Damn! They really want us dead!”
The Human woman cursed, glancing around. They knew they’d be walking into an ambush, but the innkeeper, Erin, had told her that the Goblins had fought off only a handful of Raskghar. Had they lied? Or had the monsters doubled their watch?
“Captain! More coming from the left!”
A wail came from Fea. The girl was the youngest and her finger trembled as she pointed around her shield. Earlia saw a group of eight Raskghar approaching.
“Dead gods. Get me another Tripvine bag! Or one of our explosives! Hurry!”
She saw the adventurers fumbling as the Gnolls began showering the Raskghar with arrows. But the huge hulking creatures were tough! They charged, howling, impervious to arrows. Earlia shouted and Gemhammer rushed forwards. Their warriors met the Raskghar in a melee of blows.
