Hello, Everyone!
Last time in our heroes’ adventures, they had to save some prisoners who were being taken in the dark elves’ city. They had to fight two drow which at first seemed like a piece of cake, until one of the enemies cast a Darkness spell. That rendered almost everyone useless and the drow quickly got the upper hand. Mary discovered that her Patron had given her a special kind of darkvision but she didn’t have to use it too much, because Bruno cast his powerful Light of Creation spell and it was now the drow’s turn to be helpless.
However, they decided to seize fighting and start negotiations, holding some of the prisoners at their blades’ edge.
The tunnel between Gracklstugh and the drow city of Menzoberranzan was shining with Bruno’s holy light. The cart was still, and so were all the people around it. Mary’s companions had just lowered their weapons, fearing for the lives of the prisoners. The two drow were currently holding their scimitars against the dwarves’ necks.
“Ok, let’s talk,” Bruno said. “We just want to save our friends. We don’t mean you any harm. We can just let you go!”
The drow stood still and seemed as if they were studying him carefully through their blindfolds.
“We have a task to bring the prisoners to Imenoth,” one of them said. “She won’t be happy if we don’t.”
“What does she want them for?”
The drow’s sharp teeth glinted in the light.
"Fun.”
Mary’s stomach turned. She remembered Nurvureem’s idea of ‘fun’ and didn’t want to imagine what that might mean for the dark elves who were famous for keeping slaves and torturing them for entertainment.
“There is odds of your people sparing you if you go back without the prisoners,” Bruno said, “but no such chance with us if you hurt them.”
Silence fell on the group.
“I find it that negotiating is easier when you know the other side’s names,” Mary stepped in.
She was still on edge. The connection with her familiars was strong and they were ready for action at any given moment. The drow didn’t seem to have seen them yet.
“I’m Essos,” the elf with her spider under his armor said, “And this is Imagos.”
Imagos, who’d suffered a lot of damage by Paulina’s bear form earlier, took a healing potion from his belt and chugged it in one gulp.
“Whose consequences are you worried about if you don’t bring the prisoners to your city?” Mary asked. “Who gave you orders to move them?”
“Indra.”
“Is that the elven woman in Gracklstugh?”
The drow nodded.
“Look, if you fear your people’s punishment more than you fear dying here, you can come with us,” Bruno suggested. “We won’t hurt you if you do.”
Another silence fell and made Mary want to fill it with words.
“Why do you wear blindfolds?”
Essos smiled. This time his sharp, straight, pearly-white teeth didn’t glint. There was no light to shine on them. Bruno’s holy magic had faded while they had been talking.
“Kyone Veldrin,” the drow said and, once again, the world switched to shades of grey.
It all happened so quickly! The Darkness fell around Essos and Mary didn’t have time to even scream before Imagos, who had a score to set with Paulina, rushed towards the bear and slashed across her chest, immediately--and for the second time--reducing her to her dwarven self. Essos ran after him and Mary watched in horror how their scimitars plunged in her friend, again and again, until her body fell on the ground, unmoving and covered in blood.
She couldn't do anything… She was too far away! There had to be someone… No, nobody could see in the Darkness... Nobody could see!
But they could hear.
She must have screamed Paulina's name, because she saw Aurum move to where he knew the dwarf girl should be. He reached down, patting the ground, until he found her body, grabbed it and pulled, and managed to move her out of the Darkness.
Mary covered him with an Eldritch Blast until he could heal Paulina, and then stepped ahead, positioning herself between the two of them and the drow. She braced herself. She was going to get hit but it was worth it if it’d save her friends.
Bruno was still in the Darkness. Mary saw him try and find a target with his hammer but he missed.
"Boys, push the cart back!" he called out to the chained dwarfs. "Distract them!"
The wheels screeched and moved, and the cart slowly started reducing the space the drow had for their movement.
But they didn't need much. They were already next to Mary. When she felt the pain of Essos' blade she thought how strange it was that she was taking the hit for someone else when just a few days ago her friends were protecting her in the same way.
Her peripheral vision registered something. Fennec had moved forward. Not seeing a thing but raising his weapon, the dwarf had finally gathered the courage to enter the fight.
But he didn't have the chance to fight. Imagos descended his scimitars on him and he crumbled to the ground. His blood spattered on Mary's face.
"No!" she shouted.
She pointed at Essos and the bells of Toll the Dead filled the air. He grabbed his head in pain. A streak of blood ran down his chin and he raised his blindfolded eyes in surprise.
“Yes,” Mary snarled at him, “I can see you.“ Then she yelled back hoping that someone could do something. “Fennec is down! Please help!”
Paulina, who'd just risen to her feet, rushed to Fennec with healing magic in her hands. Then, a bolt of celestial light flew from behind Mary's back, went around her as if it had a mind of its own, and hit Essos straight in the chest.
“And I don’t need to see you,” Bruno said while the drow was clenching his wound with one hand and his blindfold with the other.
The dark elves finally looked really hurt. They were still holding concentration on their Darkness, but Mary could see that the wounds she and her friends had inflicted were making them uneasy.
And just when she was beginning to think that they had a chance to win this fight, Essos and Imagos turned and ran.
“Oh, no, YOU DON’T!” Aurum shouted.
He darted after them. They passed the prison cart and started down the corridor. Still running, the bard reached into his pouch and took something out. He crushed it in his hands.
At this exact moment, with a sudden ringing noise, Essos’ head just… shattered. The Darkness dispersed and the world returned to color.
Imagos turned to his companion, mouth agape, and then the walls of the tunnel cracked, the ceiling gave way and collapsed, crushing their bodies under a ton of rubble.
Oh, my! Such a violent end! But this guy deserved it. He fell Paulina AND Fennec. The bastard!
Anyway. Did you like the fight? I hope you did. Mary was very brave in this one. She even tried to protect her friends. So cute!
See you next time!
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide and the Glossary for the series. You're welcome!)