Hello, Everyone!
Thank you all so much for every type of engagement with the story of my dear Mary
and her friends! I hope you like reading it at least as much as I like writing it!
Last time we went on a little journey with Mary’s familiars. She let them fly/jump around the Duergar city and they did a lot of scouting. She now has a mental map of Gracklstugh but she also knows what some of the higher-up duergar look like (plus, a dangerous but beautiful drow woman who almost destroyed her tressym Aingels).
Atti was now flying high above Gracklstugh. She scouted the second tunnel exiting the city and made a circle to get back. She saw a fissure but it wasn't the one from Mary's dream. It was a lot wider and too high up on the cave wall.
Mary went back to Aingels.
The tressym flew down the tower, staying away from the highest floor where the duergar council was being held. She went around, peeking through all the windows and trying to find where the dark dwarves kept their prisoners.
She found the place on the ground floor. There was a barred window overlooking a narrow corridor with three cells at its end. A duergar came in, barked something in a language that Mary didn’t understand, and sloshed the contents of a fowl-looking bucket in one of the cells. He left, laughing.
Mary was glad she couldn’t share her familiars’ sense of smell like she did with her sight and hearing. She had the feeling that the stench in the cells wasn’t going to be really pleasant right now.
She was about to ask Aingels to go check who’s kept in the cells but she realized there was a problem. Another duergar was posted as a guard at one end of the corridor. He was watching the cells intently, never moving or turning around. Aingels wasn't going to be able to peek in, unless he was suddenly distracted.
So, Mary decided to utilize Rudhol's help. She sent Aingels to find him in the streets and fly him up to the barred window.
Meanwhile, Atti had just had a success! She'd found the fissure in the ground, at the very end of the city, away from the buildings. It was just like in Mary's dream – very narrow and dark, hidden from view by some rock formations – but could probably let the party through. If he'd swallow his stomach a little, even Bruno could go in.
The tressym and the almiraj familiars were now perched on the windowsill. On Mary’s signal, Rudhol suddenly jumped down, right on the duergar's face and plunged his horn into his body. While the dark dwarf was yelling in pain and waving his arms around, Aingels swooped down, with Mary looking through her eyes, and peered into the three cells.
The first one contained two dwarves, a male and a female, who, judging by their uniforms, were most probably loggers. In the second cell (the one the duergar had splashed the bucket on) there was only one dwarf, less muscular and with auburn hair and beard. To Mary’s utter surprise, the third cell had two elves. Light elves, golden hair and all that. They were both in tattered clothing, dirty and pale. One was a woman and the other a little girl, holding on to her with arms so thin they looked like they could break.
Mary gasped and almost went back to her body. However, she had the piece of mind to have Aingels turn around just in time to see Rudhol get destroyed by the duergar. He crushed him with his warhammer and was left with the thin piece of paper crumpled on the floor. He raised his head to see Aingels and swung at her.
But she was able to fly away just in time. She rose above the buildings and flapped higher and higher.
A bell rang in the tower. Others followed suit and soon, the whole duergar city was crawling with guards.
"They found us out!" Mary exclaimed back in her body. "There are groups of duergar searching the city. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise an alarm…"
"Are they coming this way?" Bruno asked, preparing his hammer for a fight.
Mary jumped into Atti who, along with Aingels, was circling the city from above. A group of duergar was heading right to the alcove where the group was hiding. Mary could count ten or so dark dwarves. Many more than she and her companions could handle without being in danger.
She sent her familiars circle above the duergar. When they noticed them, the tressym and the owl quickly fled towards the tunnel on the opposite side of the cavern. The duergar pointed at the flying origami creatures and yelled something. Then, half of them turned and followed the bait.
These were, after all, the same types of creature that had attacked their fellow guard back in the tower.
About five or six remained. They continued towards the alcove and were just about to turn the corner and see the party, when Mary had another idea.
"Quickly! Group together!" she whispered to her companions and cast Minor Illusion.
In front of them, the image of a wall appeared. From their side it was semi-transparent but Mary knew that from the other it was almost indiscernible from the other parts of the cave.
The duergar peeked into the alcove, didn't see anyone and went on to the tunnel towards the Hammer's valley.
Mary held the illusion for as long as she could, and then sighed with relief.
They were safe.
Phew! This was also close! What is Mary thinking?
Well, nobody died. That's a good thing, right?
Anyway, I hope to see you in the next chapter where we finally get into action. Are Mary and her party going to invade the duergar city, right after they'd raised the alarms? We'll have to wait and see :)
I hope you like the story so far.
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the chapter guide. You're welcome!)