Hagrid: I can't believe that we managed to get ourselves imprisoned twice in two days. And by animals and ogres, to boot. If word gets out, we're going to become the laughing stock of the tournament.
It has now been close to six hours since we were teleported to our prison cell. I can tell because my stats device also shows me the hour of the day, in addition to my stats. Otherwise, it would have been almost impossible to find out how much time had passed, because not only are there no windows in our cell, but also no sources of light whatsoever, except for the small light coming from my stat booster's screen.
For the past few hours, we've been trying to shake off the permanent paralysis effect of our prison cell and to come up with a plan to fool the ogre guards into releasing us. So far, we've made no significant progress on either front. Damien and Hagrid managed to remove their paralysis spells temporarily, by focusing all of their magical energy into giving their muscles a powerful jolt, but they were barely able to move three feet before the spell was automatically cast on them once more.
Of the five of us trapped here, I appear to be the only one that can move my hands, even if only slightly. It turns out that partial resistance to paralysis is one of the perks I get for being a thackeray, along with a higher than average resistance to electricity. That being said, this newfound ability of mine hasn't really helped me much, except for being able to take the stats device out of my pocket in order to use it as a makeshift candle.
Seeing that we couldn't free ourselves from the paralysis spell, we decided to shift our focus towards engineering a plan to have the ogres open the door and cancel the spell for us. Unfortunately, despite their renowned stupidity, the ogres were under strict orders to not let us go under any circumstances, and they were much too afraid of their captain to risk going against his wishes.
Rachel hasn't spoken a single word since we got imprisoned. Elyria's betrayal must have really affected her. The rest of us aren't exactly in the best of moods either, but we are far from having given up. Since the ogres are afraid of letting us die of starvation because of our collars, we are expecting them to come bring us food, sooner or later.
And the moment they open the door, Damien and Hagrid will use their muscle jolt techniques and make a run for it, in the short time they have at their disposal before they get paralyzed again. They will then find the control panel that cancels the paralysis spell, and we'll all be free to roam their stronghold at our leisure. It's not a perfect plan, but it's better than to just roll over and accept our fates.
Damien: That accursed cortana! I knew from the beginning that she was plotting something. We were so heavily underequipped for this mission that I had no choice but to accept Lily's help when she offered it, but now I'm starting to regret that I didn't listen to my instincts instead.
Jòn: Actually, I'm not so sure that she really betrayed us.
Damien: Have you gone daft?
Jòn: No, think about it for a second... When she was asked how to deal with us, she purposely omitted the fact that our collars are set to electrocute us if we distance ourselves too much from each other. She only told the shaman about our five days limit. What if she was just buying time, in order to make a plan.
Damien: You're overthinking this, Jòn. It's probably just the fact that the collars would have exploded anyway, after electrocuting us. Running out of the clock was probably the safest way to kill us, otherwise she would have mentioned something else.
Leah: Because of what she said about the collars around our necks... Even if we take into account the fact that the thackeray were significantly more technologically advanced than any of the currently predominant races, there is just no way that such small devices could blow up this entire fort. If there really is a self-destruct mechanism implanted in these collars, I doubt that it could take out more than a roomful of ogres. I think the cortana knew this fact, and she was banking on the ogres' lack of expertise on this particular subject when she lied to them about it.
Hagrid: I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Leah, but this all sounds like wishful thinking to me, You don't really think that the cortana is just going to show up here to open our cell, cancel the paralysis spell and tell us that everything was her plan all along, do you?
Almost immediately after the dwarf finishes his question, we hear one of the ogre guards from outside our cell shouting loudly.
Guard : Halt! You are not permitted to go any further. Turn back now or—
The ogre stops mid-sentence, and the next thing we hear is a loud thump outside of our door.
I hear Rakaia's voice through the stone walls of our cell.
Rakaia: Hah! That ogre must have been so focused on forming a coherent sentence that he didn't even notice his head being cut off."
Elyria: Do you ever shut up?
Rakaia (laughs): Hey, you let me out of this amulet, and I promise you won't hear a word from me ever again!
A few moments later, I can feel the paralysis slowly starting to wear off, as I begin to regain control of my limbs. Shortly afterwards, our cell's door creaks open, and we see Elyria standing in front of us, with her usual displeased expression on her face.
Elyria: Well, what are you waiting for? Get up! That chalice isn't going to steal itself.
Seeing that none of us are saying anything, Elyria starts to speak again.
Elyria: The girl told you before coming here that we had a secret plan, didn't she? Well, this is that plan. I'm busting you out. Now come on, we shouldn't be lingering too much time in one place.
Damien: Yeah, I'm not buying it. I'm much more inclined to believe that your deal with the ogres didn't work out as well as you were hoping, and now you're trying to use us to get back at them. The proof is that you didn't tell us about your plan beforehand.
Elyria: I couldn't tell you beforehand, you oaf. Your reactions needed to be genuine when I betrayed you. The shaman can tell from your auras if you are actually shocked or just pretending. That is the reason why I had to put Lily to sleep. As a cortana, I am the only one who the shaman can't read, because I am in complete control of my emotions, as well as my aura fluctuations.
Damien: Oh yeah? Well, why don't you wake the girl up, then, so she can confirm all of this herself?
Elyria: The stasis I put Lily in cannot be undone forcefully without risking serious complications. The spell usually lasts two days, so I didn't have the time to wait for her to wake up before coming to rescue you.
Damien: How convenient
The cortana frowns at him.
Elyria: If you don't feel like breaking out of this cell, then I'll just take the others with me, and leave you here to rot.
Damien: Oh, I'll come with you, don't worry. But as soon as I get my sword back, you are in for a world of hurt.
Elyria: I see!
She gestures with her hand, and all of our weapons come floating inside of the cell.
She then gestures with her right hand towards us, and my dagger and crossbow get thrown in my lap, while at the same time, Leah's dagger gets thrown into her right hand. The cortana then grabs Damien's sword, and she eyes him intently. Damien tries to get up, but the effect of the paralysis still hasn't completely worn off, so he staggers on his feet. After careful consideration, Elyria finally decides to throw the sword on the ground, in front of Damien.
Elyria: Let's get this over with, shall we?
Damien (picks his sword): Don't worry, I'm going to end this quickly.
The two of them step outside, into the corridor where the ogre guard was killed. The rest of us follow them out of our cell, to get a better view of the fight. So far, nobody seems keen on stopping either of them.
He dashes towards her, raising his sword in the air, ready to strike.
Elyria conjures a water snake out of nowhere, which she grabs with her left hand, and then she swings it towards Damien's wrist. The water solidifies as it reaches him, and the impact of the hit makes him unclench his fist and sends the sword flying out of his hand. The cortana then immediately makes another snake with her right hand, which quickly coils itself around Damien's waist, as it turns itself solid as well. Before Damien has the time to figure out what happened, Elyria pulls on the snake and she flings him with full force into a wall. When he tries to get back up, the cortana creates a water spear out of thin air and she points it at his neck. Despite it being made of water, the spear's tip looks sharper than regular steel. It must be the result of a technique similar to Leah's ice reinforcement.
Damien: I don't understand… How did you manage to throw me like that? It makes no sense!
Elyria: Of course it doesn't. Because it never happened. The fact that I was the one holding the snakes was just a ruse. I only made it seem that way to instill a false sense of security within you. I wasn't the one who threw you into that wall. The snake did so by itself, and I just mimicked the motion with my arm to make it appear like I was the one doing all the legwork. Since you didn't expect a mere child to have so much strength, you left your guard down against such attacks, thus becoming vulnerable.
She pauses.
Elyria:Now then... I don't usually do this kind of thing, but if you promise to stop being an idiot, I am willing to spare your life for Lily's sake. Actually, I think I've worded that wrong. It may well be physically impossible for you to stop being an idiot. Just promise that you won't attack me again, and I'll give you back your sword.
Damien: You're willing to let me live after all of this?
Elyria: Yes, If legends are anything to go by, then you are the kind of man that would rather die than break his word. If I can get you to swear it, then I will at least rest assured that you won't try anything until we get out of the fort.
Damien: Then I'll swear it. By the Old gods and new, I won't lay a hand on you until we get out of the fort.
The cortana frowns again.
Elyria: Fair enough.
Hagrid (grins): The great healer in armor losing to a cortana?
Damien gets up from the floor and goes to grab his sword.
Hagrid: Aren't cortanas supposed to be your specialty?
Damien: I wasn't fighting at my full strength. I would have won if I had my shield.
Elyria: Yes, If you had your shield.
She gestures with her right hand, and a stone dislodges itself from a nearby wall and comes floating out of the hole in the wall, and into Damien's hand.
Damien: You knew where my shield was all along?
Elyria: Of course... It was stashed in the same place as all the other weapons. I hid it before unlocking your cell to make sure I had the upper hand, in case you decided to challenge me again, like you did last night.
Damien: You cheated!
Elyria: I did what I had to do to end this conflict as soon as possible. Time is of the essence here. Any minute we waste fighting each other is a minute that would be better spent making our way towards the chalice. Now, if we're all done here, I suggest we get going.
Rachel: Is that all? Is that all you're going to say after what you did to us?
Rachel asks, with an uncharacteristically furious expression on her face, while a tear is forming in one of her eyes.
Elyria: I already told you, I had to keep the truth from you in order to make sure that your reactions were genuine. It was all necessary for carrying out our plan.
Rachel: Oh yeah? And what about all those mean things you said before we got teleported to our cell? What about when you said that I was too trusting for my own good and that I was a fool for not having listened to Damien? Was all of that necessary too?
As Rachel finished asking her question, I could see Elyria's cold expression change for a brief moment. In that one moment, she almost seemed human.
Elyria: No… It was not. I only said all of that because I wanted to get back at you for not letting me rest the other night. I overreacted. I apologize.
The fury in Rachel's eyes disappears upon hearing Elyria's words. She looks a bit confused. I don't think she was expecting such an honest apology.
Rakaia starts laughing hysterically.
Rakaia: Elyria apologizing? Quick, find a place to hide! Barricade yourselves! The world as we know it may well be coming to an end!
Elyria: I told you to be quiet.
Rakaia: Hey, if you want to shut me up, you can just close the amulet like you always do. Oh wait! If you do that, you'll lose your precious map that we spent all of those hours in the library to put together. I guess you'll just have to put up with me for a while longer, then. Aha- Ahahahahahaha!
I hadn't really paid much attention to the semi-transparent magical hologram floating in front of Elyria until Rakaia mentioned it, but now I realize that it is in fact a miniature version of the ogre stronghold. Not only that, but there are also colored dots inside it that are continuously moving. I can only assume that the moving dots represent the ogre patrols from the stronghold, and that the six dots standing in place on the upper level of the left wall must represent our own group.
Leah: That's amazing! This entire detailed hologram is being maintained by Rakaia?
Elyria: Yes, we've spent a few hours in the library, documenting the stronghold's layout, in order to recreate it as accurately as possible. Rakaia's magical sense is powerful enough that she can easily detect all living creatures in our area, even if their auras are being masked by that pesky shaman spell that also grants invisibility, so she can just display them as dots on the map, for all of us to see. With this much information in our hands, the ogres could not surprise us, so we've encountered no resistance while we cleaned out this entire floor and hid the bodies.
JÒN: Why do the dots have different colors?
Elyria: The blue dots are the mages, the red dots are the warriors, the green dot is the shaman, and the purple dot is the captain.
Leah: She can tell the difference?
Elyria: Yes, If your magical sense is good enough, you can make the distinction quite easily, based on their level of magical power or even their unique aura signatures. Right now, we need to make it all the way to the lowest level of the main building, where their treasury is being located.
Hagrid: Hold on... Before we get going, I think there's still one more issue that needs to be cleared up. The shaman called you 'Elyria of the sacred woods massacre' earlier, and he said that you killed hundreds of guardians without mercy. What was that all about?
Rakaia: Oh, I can answer this question for her!
Elyria: Rakaia, I swear, if you don't shut up…
Rakaia: Hmm? You'll what?
Elyria doesn't say anything.
Rakaia: That's what I thought! So anyway, as I was saying, in order to better understand the events of the sacred woods massacre, I need to tell you a little story first. It is a story about three young cortanas that I decided to take under my wing out of the kindness of my heart a few hundred years ago. Their names were Sidara, Unuri and Elyria.
Hagrid: Wait, you used to be Elyria's guardian?
Rakaia: No, I used to be her mentor. I was the one being that she looked up to the most. I remember the three of them once saying that they wanted to be like me when they grew up! That was before they knew who I really was, of course. I spent years of my life teaching them everything I knew. I taught them how to defend themselves from cortana hunters and white mages. I taught them how to tell when their bodies were starting to reject them, so that they could begin looking for new hosts in good time. In other words, I taught them how to survive.
Leah (sarcastic): That was awfully nice of you…
Rakaia: I know, right? It was all a sham, of course! To tell you the truth, I was starting to get a little bored with the small amount of suffering I could bring to the world while trapped in weak animal bodies. So this time I decided to try something a little different! I spent years of my life, making myself into this sort of motherly figure for the three young banshees, all in order to make it more painful for them when I inevitably betrayed them. But as time passed, my original perspective began to change. As I got to know the three cortanas better, I started to grow fond of Elyria. She was my star pupil after all, and she reminded me a bit of myself when I was her age. So instead of simply having her killed along with the others, I decided to instead shape her in my own image.
Elyria: Rakaia, that's enough!
Rakaia continues, ignoring Elyria.
Rakaia: But of course, in order to shape her into my own image, I needed to utterly destroy her first! So I started to teach her even more than I taught the others. I made sure that she knew all kinds of obscure techniques and that she could control her water element to perfection. Then, when the time came, I led them all into one of the sacred woods. It was easy to get them to follow me. They all trusted me with their lives, and they didn't know that I was taking them into forbidden territory. Poor Unuri and Sidara were no match for the valiant guardians of the forest, and Elyria was not strong enough to fight all of the guardians by herself while also protecting her friends.
Elyria: Rakaia, I'm warning you!
Rakaia: Oh, and Elyria was simply adorable! Did I tell you? Back then she absolutely refused to kill other living creatures unless she had no other choice. She would be depressed for days after changing hosts, because she'd been forced to end someone's life without their consent! Needless to say, even in a dire situation such as this, Elyria still refused to kill the guardians, and simply incapacitated them. I know this, because I was watching the whole thing from above. They didn't understand what I was doing at first. They kept calling for me, begging me to save them like I always did. They saw all of the events unfold before their eyes, but their minds simply couldn't comprehend them. It was only when Unuri and Sidara got impaled that the cold hard reality finally hit Elyria in the face.
As Rakaia speaks, I can feel Elyria's aura starting to fluctuate violently. This is the first time I've ever seen her exhibit such strong emotions about something. Usually, the flow of her aura is almost indiscernible from that of the air around her.
Rakaia: She kept shouting at the animals to let her pass. She kept telling them to get out of her way, but they wouldn't listen. So, in a fit of rage, Elyria exterminated every single one of those guardians, leaving no survivors, and then she hurried over to her friends' side, grabbing their lifeless bodies and shaking them desperately, as if she were expecting them to suddenly come back to life. 'Please!' she said. 'Don't leave me,' she said. 'I don't— I don't want to be alone—' Aha- Ahahahahahaha—
Elyria closes the amulet and grips it firmly in her fist. I can see her hand shaking as she holds onto the amulet, and I think I could almost hear a small crack coming from it, at one point. Just as Rakaia warned her, the hologram of the fort disappeared almost as soon as she closed the locket.
She curtly opens the amulet again.
Elyria: Bring it back
Rakaia: Hmm? Bring what back? Oh, you mean the hologram? The hologram's gone. Didn't you see it go poof? I'll need hours to recreate it again. You should have listened to me when you had the chance, but nooooo, you just had to be your old stubborn self again and—
Elyria (yells): I said bring it back!
A brief pause follows Elyria's words, during which nobody speaks a word.
Rakaia: Alright, fine!
After a while, and she conjures back the miniature ogre fort, with all of its details still intact.
Rakaia: I swear, you have absolutely no sense of humor. I don't know how that girl puts up with you!
Elyria ignores Rakaia, and she turns to Hagrid.
Elyria (coldly): I trust that Rakaia's explanation about the sacred woods massacre will suffice? Or would you perhaps like to hear more details?
Hagrid: Uh, no… I think I'm good, thanks…
Elyria then turns around and starts leading us to the lower levels, as we all follow her, in silence. Thanks to Rakaia's map, we were able to successfully avoid most of the guards as we made our way towards the treasure room. The ones that we couldn't avoid were quickly and silently dispatched by Elyria. Her way of doing things was completely opposite to Lily's. She was cold and calculated, and she would use the girl's athletic prowess to her advantage when going in for the kill. Every time she had to take out an ogre guard, she'd climb one of the walls, position herself above him and then hang from the ceiling to deliver the finishing blow.
It took us less than half an hour to reach the treasure room, situated at the lowest level of the stronghold's main building. There were only two guards at the entrance, who were easily dealt with. However, even if we made sure to hide all of the bodies on our way here, it's likely only a matter of time before an ogre patrol realizes something is wrong and raises the alarm. We're going to need to move fast and get out of here before that happens.
Upon entering the ogres' treasury, I could see that it was filled with mountains upon mountains of gold, as well as dozens of coffers which had all manner of jewels and fineries inside of them. If only I had my enchanted backpack with me now, I would have filled it to the brim with treasure. Still, there's plenty of room in my pockets for me to stash a few of these small expensive gems. The diamonds in particular should fetch me a hefty sum in any respectable market. After all, when will I ever get another chance like this?
Damien sees me filling my pockets with diamonds and rubies.
Damien: Seriously, Jòn? We came here to get the chalice, not to rob the ogres blind!
JÒN: This whole room is full of treasure. A few missing gems here and there aren't going to make much of a difference.
After I'm done with the gems, I join the others, who are now standing in front of a marble pedestal, on top of which lies the chalice we've come here to retrieve.
Elyria (whispers): Don't make any loud noises! The ogre captain and his troops are standing right beyond that wall from behind the chalice.
Hagrid (stares at the map): Which one's the ogre captain?
Elyria: The purple dot. The red dots scattered around him are his troops.
Leah: How come the room they are in isn't marked on the map?
Elyria: It's because it didn't appear in any of the building plans that we studied in the library, It's probably a hidden room that they use for their top secret meetings.
Damien: The way they placed the chalice on top of a pedestal like that just screams 'trap' to me. Was there any documentation regarding the traps they're using to defend this room?
Elyria: Unfortunately, no. And I'm not sensing any magic around it, either. If there are any traps, they're going to be similar in nature to those from the ruins.
She then grabs it off the pedestal and empties it of water, as we all look around us, to see if any traps get activated.
Hagrid: Huh, I guess we overestimated the ogres a bit when we assumed they were smart enough to actually come up with a—
The dwarf doesn't get to finish his sentence, as the floor below us quickly starts to rotate, along with us and the wall behind the pedestal. Two seconds later, we find ourselves standing in a room full of ogres, with the captain of the stronghold grinning at us maliciously.
Ogre Captain: I suspected cortana from start. I told great shaman he make mistake for trusting cortana, but shaman no listen! I knew you come here sooner or later with your friends to steal treasure, so I wait for you in secret ambush room! These are my finest warrior and they all thirst for blood! No cortana or human leave this place alive tonight!
Rakaia (laughs): Is that a fact, fatso?
Damien wastes no time and he rushes towards the captain, but the ogre is ready for him, and he hits him with his club as soon as he gets within range. Damien instinctively places his shield between himself and the ogre's weapon, but the force behind the hit is so great that it sends him flying into a nearby wall.
Hagrid is the next one who dashes towards the captain, and the ogre hits him with his club as well. The dwarf stops the weapon by putting his hands above his head, and the floor below them is beginning to crumble from the impact of the club's strike.
While the two of them duel, Elyria starts to apply some pressure to the other ogres by using her water whips, while doing cartwheels all over the place in order to avoid getting hit by their clubs.
Ogre Captain: Not bad for puny dwarf! But let me ask something. Does dwarf know what lies beneath stronghold floor?
Hagrid: Yeah, it's called a hill. They're kinda like mountains, only smaller. I can draw you a picture to make it easier to understand, if you want.
Ogre Captain (grins wickedly): That is only partly correct, dwarf. It's true that there is hill below us. But inside this hill, there is abandoned mines, which was used by the goblins before us. The wood in scaffolding leading down must be rotting by now. The two of us are stand right above cave wall, but I can't say the same about your friends. There is three hundred foot drop until the floor of mines. Can your friends be flying, dwarf?
The captain then roars loudly, and all of his troops fall back towards the middle of the room. Elyria takes advantage of this, and she uses her water whip to behead them all in a single motion.
She waves to us from the middle of the ogre corpses.
Elyria: Over here! This must be one of the safe areas. Quick!
The ogre captain grins widely upon hearing Elyria's words. He kicks Hagrid out of his way and readies his club to smash the floor from underneath us.
JÒN (to Rachel and Leah): No! Don't move! That's exactly what he wants you to do! Just stay where you are!
The two of them hesitate for a second, but after looking me in the eye, they both decide to trust my judgement and stay behind me.
The Ogre Captain smashes his club into the ground. The floor starts to shatter, but as I predicted, the cracks in the ground stops forming right in front of us. It turns out that we were standing above one of the underground cave's wall, just like Hagrid and the Ogre Captain. Elyria reacts quickly by jumping on a wall, using it to propel herself to our position before the floor crumbled beneath her feet.
Elyria: Well, what do you know... You were actually right.
Rachel: Damien!!!
Looking inside the pit, I see that Damien is hanging from a wooden beam which is beginning to crack under his weight. I had completely forgotten that he got thrown into a wall at the beginning of the fight. He must have still been in a dazed state when the floor started crumbling. As I look below to see if there are any footholds I could use to get to him, I realize that even if I managed to somehow reach his position, there's just no way that I could climb back up. The wooden scaffolding is practically unusable at this point. All that's left of it are some support pillars and a few beams here and there that look like they could break any second.
Damien: Stay where you are! Whatever you do, don't come down here! Don't worry, I have everything under control!
JÒN (to himself):He's lying. At most, he's got half a minute before that beam breaks under his weight, and he has no way of climbing back up. He must be trying to protect us.
Hagrid (clashes with the Ogre Captain): You bastard! You were the one who told the ogres that the middle of the room was a safe area, weren't you? Were those soldiers' lives worth nothing to you?
Ogre Captain: Hah! Those weren't my finest warriors. They were just cannon fodder. All of them replaceable. I alone strong enough to deal with the lot of you. Look below! One of your friends already at end of his rope. The rest of you are going follow him soon.
The beam that Damien is holding onto cracks loudly. He doesn't have much time left. Completely out of the blue, Elyria jumps past us and into the pit. She uses one of the wooden pillars to propel herself back towards the cave's wall, which she then uses to push herself further down into the pit, and back towards the wooden pillar. She jumps back and forth between the pillar and the wall a few times, until she finally reaches Damien's level. She then grabs the cave's wall with her left hand, and she extends her right hand towards Damien.
Elyria: Healer, grab my hand!
Damien: Like hell, I will!
The wooden beam cracks again. This time it looks like it's about to break.
Elyria: Healer, there's no time! Grab my damn hand!
Damien looks at her hesitantly for a few seconds, but he doesn't get the time to think on it any further, because the wooden beam finally cracks under his weight, and he starts falling into the chasm. Elyria pushes herself into the wall with all her strength and jumps towards Damien, grabbing him with her right hand. As the two of them fall into the pit, they start shining brightly, and right before they reach the ground, they disappear and then reappear on the floor in front of us, safe and sound.
Ogre Captain: No!
He tries to smash Hagrid with his club again.
Hagrid (blocks): What's the matter? Didn't you say that you'd easily deal with the lot of us by yourself? You should be glad that you've been granted the opportunity to finish us all with your own hands!
Rachel: Elyria, can't you help him? I don't know how much longer Hagrid can keep this up…
Elyria: The ogre is wearing anti-magic armor from head to toe. This means that I can't make my water sharp against him, so my regular snake attacks and my water arrows are out of the question. Normally, I'd use one of my snakes to pull him into the chasm, but he's just too big and heavy for me to move with the amount of magical energy I have at my disposal. My stronger spells would probably penetrate his defenses, but they aren't designed to hit a single target, so I'd risk hitting the dwarf along with the ogre captain if I used them.
Rachel: There must be something we can do…
Rakaia (shouts): Hey, dwarf! Remember how I told you that the ogres' weak spot is at the base of their necks? It's time for you to put that secret technique I taught you to good use!
Hagrid laughs.
Hagrid (grins): Aye! I suppose it's time for me to stop fooling around!
The ogre captain suddenly stops attacking Hagrid, and he uses his club to guard his neck. Hagrid focuses all of his aura energy in his right fist, and he punches a hole through the ogre's chest armor, making the captain fall on his knees, drop his club, and start coughing up blood. Hagrid quickly seizes the opportunity, by grabbing the ogre's club and throwing it inside the chasm.
Ogre Captain (coughs up more blood): Why? Why did go for chest instead of neck?! Wasn't secret technique supposed to aimed for weak point?
Hagrid and Rakaia both start laughing simultaneously.
Rakaia: There was no secret technique, you moron! I only said that to make you panic and focus all of your defense on a single point.
Hagrid (grins): I guess it only took two of us to defeat you after all. Maybe you should have brought some real soldiers with you, instead of small fries.
Ogre Captain: This not over yet, dwarf, I'm going to crush your puny head, and—
Hagrid doesn't let the ogre finish his threat, and he crushes his head between his hands. As the ogre's lifeless body drops to the ground, the dwarf jumps over to our side of the room, and he grins at Rakaia.
Hagrid: That wasn't half bad for a spirit of joy and laughter. You've certainly earned your quota for the day for making me laugh to my heart's content.
Rakaia: Well, seriously now, I couldn't let them kill the only person in this entire group who laughs at my jokes. You can buy me a beer when I get out of this amulet. I'm not sure how that's gonna work, though, since I'll probably kill you all within seconds of escaping. Aha- Ahahahahaha!
Damien: Have you gone out of your mind, cortana?!
Rakaia: Who, me?
Damien: Not you! The other cortana!
Elyria: Why, because I teleported you out of the pit? You're not seriously going to start claiming that you could have gotten out of there by yourself, are you?
Damien: Of course not! I was about to die, and then you saved me! Why would you save me? My death would have benefited you in every way, and no one could have blamed you if you left me to die! What could you possibly have hoped to achieve from this?
Elyria: I see no reason to justify my actions to you. Figure it out yourself.
Damien's face is so red with anger that he looks like he might explode any second.
Leah: We've got no time for this. Look at the map, all of the ogres that were sleeping are waking up and taking their stations. The others are frantically patrolling the halls, as if they were looking for something. They must have discovered one of the dead bodies and raised the alarm. The shaman has just left his quarters and he's now assembling a team to follow him.
Elyria: That means we won't be able to sneak out of the fort through the front gate anymore. I don't think it's a good idea to fight all of these ogres head on. Luckily for us, the room we are in right now isn't marked in any of the building plans, so most patrols aren't very likely to come searching for us here. Our best bet is to descend into the caverns below us, and then to follow the underground tunnels until we reach the exit at the base of the hill.
JÒN: How do you know that the caverns below us won't lead to a dead end?
Elyria: We found a pretty detailed map of the tunnels in the ogres' library. Rakaia, do you think you can add it to the map of the fort?
Rakaia: Yeah, give me a second
A few moments later, a new level gets added to the fort's hologram, showing us the layout of the underground tunnels in detail. The caverns appear indeed to have an exit, but there are several ogre mages stationed right in front of it.
Elyria: There are guards at the exit, Good. That means that the tunnels are still being used to a certain extent, so there should be no cave-ins blocking our path.
Leah: But how will we get down there with the scaffolding broken?
Elyria: While I was falling earlier, I saw that there was another scaffolding right below the room beyond the wall on our right. It appeared to be in good condition, so there should be no problem in climbing all the way down to the bottom of the mines.
Hagrid: Can't you just cast your teleportation spell from earlier? You know, the one you used to rescue Damien from the pit?
Elyria: No, I can only cast that spell once a day. It's the same for the golden cage spell I used to trap you when we entered the fort. That's why I didn't use it on those ogres while I was fighting them.
Damien: So you could have still cast the teleportation spell now, if not for me…
Elyria: Yes, but the spell only allows me to teleport one other person with me so it wouldn't have been of much use to us here. Plus, it has very limited range, so it's not like I can use it for travel either. I rarely get the chance to use that spell, to be honest.
Hagrid: Alright, then, I'm gonna go smash through that wall so we can get to the other room.
After Hagrid destroys the wall, we see that the floor in the middle of the adjacent room had also crumbled after the ogre's smash. The cave wall from our side of the pit and the one on the opposite side seem to extend all the way to the end of the other room, and probably beyond it as well. Just as Elyria said, the scaffolding below the other room seems to be mostly intact, and it shouldn't be too risky to climb down the wooden ladders until we reach the bottom.
Damien: Let's get going... Before the ogres find this room or the shaman tells them about it.
It takes us a few minutes to climb down all of the ladders, but there are no incidents, and we all arrive safely at the bottom of the mines. The only source of light that we have at the moment is Rakaia's hologram, but it's shining brighter than a torch, and the map of the tunnels is very exact, so there's no danger of us getting lost.
Leah: I think one of the ogre mages that were accompanying the shaman just teleported near the ones guarding the tunnel exit. I saw one of the blue dots disappearing from above and another one appearing below.
Elyria: He was probably sent as a messenger to tell the other ogres to be on their guard.
Rakaia: Yeah, they're turning invisible as we speak. A lot of good that will do them!
Rachel: But won't it be hard to fight them even with the map, while they are invisible?
Elyria: The invisibility spell they are using cannot be maintained during combat. They're only using it for the element of surprise. They'll be forced to reveal themselves once the fight begins. Rakaia's right. This spell will do them no good whatsoever.
As we get closer to the exit, we see that the ogres in the fort are starting to flock towards the secret room, and some of them have already reached the scaffolding. The shaman's group seems to be heading that way as well.
Hagrid: Damn it! The shaman must have tipped them off about the secret room. If we don't pick up our pace, we'll end up getting surrounded.
Rakaia: Wait, don't move! Something's wrong. I can feel it. Give me a minute.
Damien: We don't have a minute! The shaman and his ogres are breathing down our necks. Why would there be something wrong?
Rakaia: I don't know yet! That's why I said I need a minute!
Rachel: Maybe there are traps ahead of us?
Hagrid: I doubt it. Given that there are guards stationed at the exit, I'm guessing that these tunnels are still being used as a potential escape route in case the fort is under siege. I don't see why they would want to risk running into their own traps while they're in a hurry to abandon the stronghold. Those guards should be enough to keep any unwanted outsiders away from the tunnels.
Damien: Yeah! And there was no way they would've had enough time to set up a trap in the few minutes they had at their disposal since they've been announced of our escape. The only kind of trap they might have placed is a magical one, but those can be easily detected by anyone with a decent magical sense.
Leah: Some of the ogres are already halfway down the scaffolding. We don't have much time.
JÒN: We could at least wait until the ogres reach the cave floor. They'll still need another five minutes to catch up to us after that, so we'll have plenty of time left to finish off the guards and exit the tunnels. Remember… the last time we ignored Rakaia, we ended up getting ambushed by a bunch of invisible ogres.
Damien: Fine, but if she doesn't have an answer until the ogres reach our level, we're making a run for it.
Rakaia: I've got it! There's a very powerful magical explosion trap some two hundred feet ahead of our position. Keep going, I'll tell you when to stop.
Damien: What are you talking about? I'm not sensing any traps.
Rakaia: That's because it's really well hidden. I can barely sense any magic coming from it, but it's there. Here, I'll highlight the area so you know where it is.
Soon after she's done talking, a small area in front of us gets covered in blue light. When we get closer, Damien starts waving his sword in the air, as if he were trying to catch the light with it.
Damien: Well, I'll be damned… Stand back. I'm going to disarm the trap.
He then starts slicing through the air in a triangular motion, a few times in a row. Suddenly, we hear a loud popping noise, and then there's smoke coming out of nowhere. The smoke soon disappears, and Rakaia's blue light fades along with it.
Damien: I think that should about cover it.
Rakaia: Yeah, the trap's gone. Only the ogres are left. Give me a sec. I'll highlight them too.
Shaman: Enough!
We hear the shaman's voice, and soon he materializes out of thin air, along with the five ogre mages accompanying him.
Shaman: I don't know how you were able to see through my trap and through my invisibility spell, but now I know why you've been able to avoid all of the patrols on your way to the treasure room.
Rakaia: Oh, don't be so modest, shaman.
She then changes the blue dot corresponding to the shaman into a green color and changes the original green dot's color into blue.
Rakaia: You must have had at least some idea of what was happening, otherwise you wouldn't have purposely taken the magical signature of one of your troops when you came down here, in order to trick my magical sense. What's that decoy that you left behind with your own magic signature, anyway? A clone?
Shaman: No, It's one of my followers, holding an artifact that copies my aura.
Rakaia: Fascinating
Elyria: How did you find out where we were?
Shaman: The captain and I had a telepathic link, which was meant to warn me once he left the realm of the living. You're going to pay for this, you little traitor. My followers are going to turn you all into ashes.
He then raises his staff in the air, and the five other ogres step in front of him, casting fireballs in unison, and then throwing them at us. Hagrid and Damien both step in front as well, in order to form our first line of defense. The dwarf focuses his aura in his fists, and he sends two of the fireballs right back at the ogres, by punching them when they reach him. Damien places his sword in front of him, absorbing the other three fireballs within it. He then slashes his flaming sword towards the ogres, and sends a powerful fire beam at them, which burns them into a crisp.
Shaman: You've done it now…
With a dark look in his eyes, he looks at the ashes of his five followers.
Shaman: I didn't plan to use this on you, but you leave me no choice.
He then smacks his staff into the ground, and the whole room gets filled with a thick gray fog. As the fog clears a bit, I realize that we are no longer standing in the middle of a cavern, but on an open plain, and it appears to be… snowing?
>>>End Of Chapter 12<<<