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She watched, transfixed on the life-assuring sign of the heave of his chest. She worried over each ragged breath he drew in- afraid she might miss the last.
Maai entered the meeting, and shut the door slowly behind her, looking back at the rest of them questioningly. Pausing a moment, she began, "Alright ... what's the plan... or is there one?"
"Look for this guy; Mish talked to in Kaladim, right?" Ax suggested.
Yu shook her head, sighing. "Poison is easier to make than cure- the likeliness that we'd find the man, if he's even still there, and he'd be able to create an antidote is well... slim to nill."
"And even then, he could charge anything .. he wouldn't even have to take our request." Maai chirped in.
"Hmm... well maybe I can ask other rogues? u kon leogd powuwq adef*" He murmured to the air.
"We can try some of the bigger trade places..." Corqren meekly chirped.
Yu put her hands together. "I am sure that the master of the temple of Mithanial Marr would be of some assistance."
Mi stepped out of the room silently, closing the door gently once more. "I can transport you... those places are far from Faydwer...” she looked up slowly. "I want to help ..."
"But... how do we get back...? We all want to go to different places..." Corqren mumbled.
"Sheesh for someone taller then most of us you are a meek thing...."Ax grumbled. "Hope I don't have to slit a few throats for the damn anti-venom...." Ax tossed his dagger from one hand to another.
"I .. didn't think of that ..."
Maai chuckled. "Aw? ... Afraid of a little hike, now?"
“Just-what if one of us has to go all the way across Norath, and you're not there...? what if one of us has the anti-venom and we don't get back in time and he dies... what if.." Corqren squeeked
"SHUT UP ALREADY! If you keep talking like that it WILL happen!" Ax snarled at him, grabbing him by the collar pointing the dagger to his face.
"The gods LOVE to toy with us mortals like that! If they keep hearing you being so pessimistic it WILL happen, Corqren!" Lyn walked up, swishing her tail trough the full leather armor she wore, a trusty gnoll-hide lariat at her side. The Kerran Beastlord flipped her long brown “mane” behind her. Mi looked up as she walked in, her conscience and confidence thrashed from the evening's events.
Yu stood up. "Set a time ... if we make sure .. she can check on us .. just make sure that if you're going to have a pick-up you're at the pad on the hour."
They nodded. Lyn became curious, having misse the entire reason for the meeting in the first place. She wiggled her way past Mi and into the room where Mi Shen lay.
"Ooh! what the hell happened to him? did Crush 'crush' him?" she looked at the warrior attending him. She nervously chuckled "Uh... don't mind me, mister warrio-master..." she slipped out again.
Mi gulped in air-a good impression of a fish out of water taking dying breaths. "He- it's ... Dragon venom."
"A drunk stabbed him in the shoulder with a poisoned dagger ... and was too stupid to realize WHICH dagger ..."
"Ouch... so I take it it's rather BAD. Hmmm... need my help? The more eyes searching, the better." Lyn put her paws on her hips in determination.
"Sure .." Mi nodded quietly, forcing a smile.
"Poor Mish. it was only awhile ago that he offered to help me.... of course, he only had leather then..." she purred as she walked past mi.
Mi felt a shiver go up her spine as jealousy inched in instinctually. "That ... musta been... nice."
"Yeah well we gonna go save him or what? I gotta pay him back for helping me." Lyn chirped as she used ax's shoulder as a leaning post.
"Yes ... give me a moment ..." She raised her hands together, fingers interlocking with the spell itself. "Give me... just a moment of meditation."
Maai gulped. "M-Mi ... don't we need to be at a spire?"
Yu felt a bit of sweat fall down he face. "Mi are you sure you know what you're d-doing?"
Corqren gulped and held onto his drum like it was life itself. Ax cleared his throat and closed his eyes tight. Lyn yawned, it appeared she had gone through this before.
"SHUT UP AND LET ME CONCENTRATE!" She yelled, squeaking as she felt the ether strands separating. "Oh SHI-" She didn't have a chance to finish before a light flashed up from the floor around them.
"Wha...what the?" ax stammered as he felt an immediate cold. He shivered uncontrollably. "Where are we... Mi...? Mi...?" he looked behind him and only saw a shivering, annoying half-elf.
"What the hell?! Where're the others?! And why are YOU here?"
"I du-dunno..." he sneezed. "I think we might be in H-halas..."
“Get...off...me...you...huMaN OAF!”
Yu blinked, looking down, a sweatdrop forming over her forehead. "Oh... sorry Lyn ... hey WAIT! I'm NOT a human!" She huffed up. "I'm Elven!
"You're a heavy elf... that's all I'm saying..." Lyn groaned as she was finally freed. "Ow.. you were sitting on my tail..." she rubbed the kink where it was turned under. "There's gotta be an easier way for you to get a cheap thrill..."
Yu looked around. "Where are the others? AX!"
“Psh... knowing his luck he's with Corqren someplace cold and wet-“
Ax sneezed, a new splash of slush coming down over his hastily created vest/ umbrella over his head. “I hate you...”
“The feeling is mutual.” Corqren grumbled.
She looked around as she stood up. "This looks... like... Iksar territory."
Lyn squeaked. "ik...iksar...?!"
Lyn looked around, scoffing. "Oh, big deal .. just a bunch of spineless .. liz .. ards ... eep"
"What? .. What is it, Lyn?" Yu asked in concern, and having a reason to be as she turned, multiple spears pointed towards them.
"Ik..iksar right...?" lyn chuckled meekly and whispered to Yu. "They friendly with ANYONE?"
Yu blinked, getting an idea as she looked at Lyn. "O- only .. a few of the dark races ..."
They both stared at each other a moment, and whimpered. "Mi! .. HURRY!"
Maai looked up at the point of light that was rapidly decreasing in her vision's range, and the wind that came up and around her out of nowhere. She was falling, and she was going to die eventually... whenever an ends was found to this means. All casms had a bottom, and it seemed she'd find hers soon.
"Lookit that-that girl-she's an elf-at least she's not human."
The young girl flickered her wings a moment in thought, her brows furrowing.
"No .. she's not bad, but she is HUMAN. Help? .. why should I? .. true, she won't hurt us .. but she's still-OW!"
The nearby dragon pecked at her “affectionately”.
"Ow! Okay! I know, OW! Yes, fine! I'm going! OW!"
She swooped down in a iridescent sparkle to follow the girl into the bottomless The Jaws of Velious.
Ax panted as he ran up to a Barbarian rogue. "I need your help... I need to find a cure for dragon's venom!!!”
The gargantuan man eyes him and tosses a scroll at him. "Here you go, kid .. not that it'll do you any good. you couldn't make it if you tried ... "
"WHY YOU!"
"Simply put, you're at no level to challenge me, and also, the ingredients will force you to the ends of the earth"
Ax growls in anger.
"I WILL, however, sell you some!"
-and immediately fell on his face.
Mi blinked slowly, pushing herself up from the harsh wood floor. "Oof ... damn... level-whatsit- magic-that-I-shouldn't-be-using-yet..." she rubbed her head, feeling an ache starting somewhere behind her eyes. "Now I have to figure out where they all went too ..." She whined slightly as she began to retrace the spell. "It's going to be a LONNNNNGGG .. day."
"Boo!"
Yu jumped up, and immediately glared at Lyn. "Shutup before they figure out we're not in our cell anymore!"
"Yeah right... like those lizards can’t hear us way down here..." Lyn whispered, snickering under her breath.
"I don't want to give them the chance! And why are you whispering, then?" Yu whimpered as she turned back to shuffling through the temple's papers. "Damnit... if only these were in anything but... whatever these are in! ... doesn't help to find a cure if I can't read it ... Besides, didn't you say something along those lines just before we were captured?"
"Oh shush... I'm on guard, NOW..." she looked around. "I didn't know they were there... hmmm... those look like they're in lizardman..." she looked over Yu's shoulder.
Yu blinked. "Don't... don't tell me you can actually READ this chickenscratch, can you?"
"A little." she squinted at it. "Hmm... dragon...poise? no ...poison... ummm... Sarnark’s blood... ewww..." she shuddered. "Yuck... I don't like the sound of that..."
Yu's eyes suddenly grew big, and she turned around very slowly. "Do you realize I'm this-" she held her hand up, two fingers nearly touching each other. "-close to KILLING YOU?" she yelled. “Why didn't you mention this beforehand?" She began to shake Lyn by the collar. "Mish's life depends on us!"
"So what? It's not like we'll be getting back anytime soon anyhow... You never asked anyway... The cure sounds really disgusting, too..."
"Like it matters, if it cures him ..." She picked the scroll from the shelf and ran her hands over a few nearby volumes. "Wish I had time to read them ...”
Lyn grabs HER by the back of the color "Come'on SCHOLAR!" Yank.
Maai blinked rapidly. "You-you're just going to let me HAVE this?"
"It gets you gone, doesn't it?" Kyrie scrunched up her nose.
"Well yeah-but-"
"But NOTHING! Get lost, HUMAN!" She yelled, making Maai jump. Maai looked back a moment before walking back from the scale ring to find the wizard spires.
"What do you mean 'be nice to her' ... of course I don't like her! she's human!" she grumbled, the dragon by her silently laughing.
Peck. "Ow!"
Peck. “Stopit!"
Peck Peck PECK. "Ow-ee! Alright, I'll go! .. But .. I'll miss you-OW! Alright!” Kyrie ran off after Maai as the dragon was about to give her another "love tap". It smiled.
"It's better she be closer to her own kind ..." Its inner thoughts softly rumbled to the others who lay in hiding.
"Soo... what you're saying is... I'm going to have to run around ALL over Norrath AND give you 200pp?" ax tapped his foot glaring impertinently at his fellow rogue, only he had to look up at the face of the barbarian. "THAT'S NUTS!"
"Well, fine then.." the rogue began to walk away.
"GET BACK HERE!" Ax ran after the guy, Corqren jogging behind him.
"It's YOUR friends life on the line... well you didn't specify .. but I'd expect a guy'd be more generous for a girl than a guy ..." He rubs his chin. "... 100 pp and all the food you've got on you, my final offer."
"ALL our food..? Ax...?" Corqren whispered.
"Deal." Ax shook the hand of the rogue. "Now... I’ll meet you at the bank in a few..." Ax walked off, grabbing Corqren by the arm. "How much money you have in the bank?" He grumbled harshly at him.
"40 pp... why?"
"’Cause I only got 70. YOU'RE going to help me pay for it.... plus your food too."
Maai tapped her foot restlessly as she stood against the wizard spire, eyes beginning to droop. "Iz ban... 3 hours... no sign of Mi... why am I always the lat to be... zought... off ... " Her head drooped down a minute, and she was nearly asleep when she felt a strange rush. "Hmm .. magic?"... she looked around and glared, her vitality immediately returning with the anger she felt. "ABOUT DAMN TIME, MI!"
She laughed nervously. "HEY! I DID have to find you first! Not my fault you wound up on Velious!"
"Actually .. it is ..."
Mi heaved against the door to Mish's room a moment, and slid to the floor. "Ohhh .. tired... at least... it should be a bit before the others make their way back from the spires-" She regretted her words as she was flung against a different wall as three different pairs came rushing through the doorway.
"Where... where's Mi Shen?" Corqren stuttered. The bed was empty and it seemed it hadn't been occupied for a couple hours.
"Wasn't he in so much pain he could hardly stand... let alone walk?" Ax boggled at the bed. Mi rubbed her head, reeling after they had barged in, and crept behind the crowd slowly to open the door.
“How long has he been gone...?" Corqren looked around for Regren, finding no one.
Mi opened the door, and glared at it as it let out a loud, high pitched squeak. All heads suddenly turned to her.
"Mi, where’d he go?"
"Where is he?"
"Do you know?"
She whimpered slightly.
Regren walked through the door, bumping into Mi. "Pardon me, miss.." he walked into another room.
"... ok... WHERE'S MI SHEN?! REGREN!" Ax shouted at the warrior master.
"I haven't seen him since two hours ago." he said calmly, glowering at Ax's impertinence.
"What was he doing two hours ago?" Mi said, still feeling her head spinning.
"He said he wasn't going to just lay down and wait. he left in much pain with his falchion and lariat." Regren sharpened his sword. "He said he was going to go and help Kelethin... he probably meant that he was going to kill Orcs..."
"Oh great. Orcs..." Ax grumbled. "He perchance didn't head off for Crushbone, did he?"
"Probably.."
Mi squeaked and ran out of the room.
Maai tried to grab her, but wasn't quick enough to do so. "MI! DAMNIT ...." She glowered as she ran off. "Come on guys! We gotta find Mi Shen! Before he... erk... HURTS himself."
Ax and Corqren ran after them. "Mi, slow down! He's not going down easy!" Ax got out his dagger as Corqren drummed to catch up.
Yu blinked a little bit, still in the room as the rest went out to find the warrior. She blinked, and slowly left the room ...
"Er .. wait for me?"
Lyn sat down. "Forget it... this cat is tired..."
"Ditto ... and running from those lizards before Mi saved our ass wasn't exactly the highlight of my day ..." she plopped down next to Lyn.
As they entered Crushbone, homeland of the orcs, they looked at the corpses of others who were unlucky to have bitten off more then they could chew.
"Ooo... I hope we find Mi Shen soon." Corqren mumbled with his Tarnished Scimitar in his hand shaking.
"I hope we find MI soon .. she's in more trouble than Mi Shen, she's nothing without someone to watch her back... one too many Orcs and she can't even cast." Maai looked around as well, inching a bit closer to Corqren.
Mi shen sweated and groaned as he fought sword to sword with a Legonaire. "Uugh... ugh.." His eyes unfocused and focused again, making him dizzy and nauseous.
"Hurgh! Legonaire winning against elfy warrior!"
"ugh..." He slashed violently at the Orc, cutting off it's arm. The Orc then made the mistake of holding his arm, giving Mi Shen a chance to attack again, give out more damage, and kill it. He panted and fell to the ground, pain searing through him as he held his gut. "Uurgh..." he passed out.
Mi tread carefully over the tainted earth, looking around a corner as she continued her search for Mi Shen. She sighed, leaning against a pillar of the Mineshafts. She looked out over the Crushbone camps dismally. "How could that big dummy bring himself so close to death like this? .. Didn't he trust us to help him?"
"Dummy? .. Who's the dummy?"
She jumped, turning to look the Legionaire in the eyes. She gasped, and didn't even have a chance to move before he had both her arms pinned above her head in one rough, slamming movement.
"King gives good reward for inky TRAITORS!... or better yet... dark skin sells well on the slave market!" he grinned with a strange look in his eyes.
Her eyes grew wide as she tried to pull her arms free, her feet no longer contacting the ground. "NO-!”
Maai dropped down to one knee just as her sibling ran up behind her. Yu looked over her shoulder as the Ranger began to bandage Mish's arm.
" ... ..."
"WHAT?" Maai could feel the shadow over her.
"... You're doing that wrong."
Maai glared up at her from over her shoulder.
Corqren bent down and felt Mish's forehead. "He's burning up..."
Maai turned here thoughts and head away from Yu as she realized with concern what kind of condition Mish had gotten himself into. "Anything you can do, Yu?" She muffled a snicker as she realized it rhymed.
Ax stood there, tapping his foot, feeling, and being, useless. Mi Shen coughed harshly and seemed to fight the urge to hurl, raising his hand to his mouth.
Yu forcefully pushed his hand back down to his side as she placed the other on his forehead. "You big dope... what the HELL were you thinking?" She began to concentrate on stabilizing his condition, shoving Maai aside for the moment.
“Going out with a bang sounded ...good..." he gulped down the bile. "ugh..."
She blinked, suddenly realize her own futile motions. “Oh yeah! I got the cure!" She held up the scroll. Ax raised an eyebrow.
"YOU got the cure..? but we have the cure..." He held up a potion in a green bottle.
Yu held up her scroll. "How to cure reptilian venoms-volume one-dragon"
Maai held up the vial. "Wyrm's blessing, and the blessing of a worm."She grinned at the strange memory.
Mi Shen opened his eyes. "Soo... which one is it...?" He moaned. "Or do I have to tajke everything at once....?" he closed his eyes again.
They all looked at each other with an evil grin. "CoUlDn'T hUrT ..."
He gulped. "Well then, give me your worst..." he grinned weakly.
Maai put her arm under him from one side, and Ax with his under the other, both supporting him as he attempted to swerve from side to side.
"Oog .. what hit me?" Mish said almost with a drunken tone.
"The cure... feeling better?"
"Not really..." He bent over and threw up. "Uuuurgh...."
Maai raised and eyebrow as she and Ax let him fall to the ground.
Maai's ears flicked slightly. "You... you guys hear anything?"
Yu cupped her hands around her ears. "Too bad we don't have Lyn's help on that issue. " .. buy .. yeah .. it .. er ... heh" her face went white. "Sounds like an Orc battle charge... coming from the direction of the castle..."
Maai's eyes widened, and she pressed the side of he head to the ground. "That too... now .. but before... also... I heard a scream." she gulped. "And it sounded ... a lot ... like Mi's"
"M...mi's?" Mi Shen picked himself up from the ground, almost falling down again. "Come on.." he nearly fell once again as he tried to run, being caught by Corqren.
"Hey, take it easy!"
"Come on!" Ax led the way.
Maai watched his futile attempts to return to battle. "Mish, you can't do this! She doesn't want you dead, even if she IS in trouble! You'll only get yourself killed!"
"Wouldn't you do the same thing for Corqren... or Yu for Ax?"
Maai's mouth hung open as she blushed, muttering, "Damn you," under her breath.
Mi's eyes glared outward on the world; hands shackled and abilities held useless, she watched for what lay in her future. She tilted her head, hair falling away from it's shielding position, allowing vision once more.
She knelt, transfixed on a face she had never before seen in person, but knew all too well.
"D--ambasador D'vinn?"
"Hmph, well what do we have here? Well... besides a traitor, that is ..." The malignant gleam of his eyes was echoed by a cold, unearthly smile.
The chains shook slightly as she cringed, wanting to become as small as she could, but still held against the wall. "Who-what do you want?"
"I don't WANT anything-as you see I take anything I want. And now, I HAVE you. You should feel privileged-few elves leave here in hands even close to the size of their own."
She couldn't break her eyes from his, until finally she realized she had to do something. She began to move her hands within the cuffs-hoping even simple movements would be able to bends the magical waters. But these ripples did not go unnoticed, and before very long the stream was damned-her hands pinned firmly together by his.
"Now... is that any way to treat your OWNER?" he smiled, obviously enjoying an excuse to cause injury-and get away under the protection of retribution. "Do you realize how tainted you've become? Everything about you REEKS of tainted mortal hands ..."
"But... we are mortal as w-"
He put his palm to her chin, holding her in a grip she was afraid to break. He glared, locking her eyes with his, before moving on. He looked down, scoffing at her clothing. "High-elven ... hmph, you would even be able to enter that wretched town? Let alone so blantantly support their backward views? Hmm... though it does look so well on you..." He slid the hand from her chin and down her neck.
Her face reddened slowly as he slid it over her chest, down her side. "STOP IT!" she cried at last, as he held his hand over her stomach.
He smiled with satisfaction at getting a reaction from her, and pushed her chin up slowly, forcing his mouth upon hers, as his hand traced something along her chest. As he broke away from her she gasped, realizing what spell he had just written. "No .. NOT Th-" her voice broke suddenly, and there was silence. He stood, looking down upon her, the smile spreading slowly across his lips. "And this, is a gift to you-that you might revel in the only kind of punishment I can inflict upon you-to live without those things which give you confidence. To live without power, or strength."
She felt the bindings of the spell around her constrict almost physically as he uttered the last word of the spell, "mute"
Mi glanced up at the dim of the chamber between nearly-shut eyelids and yawned. Her arms were feeling tingly Probably the cuffs cutting off circulation, she supposed. She began to stand, but found it hard as the cuffs refused to lift higher than a foot off the floor. "This must be how he intends to keep me here." she thought, sitting back down again. "I'll be killed if I return to Neriak ..." And that’s probably what he intends. A sacrifice to subdue the masses... or a slave to shorten the dark nights... She grimaced as spat the bad taste from her mouth.
Yu looked up at the tower and gulped. "We don't have to go up there, do we? Orcs hate us... so do Dark Elves ..."
"Most likely. It’ll be a bitch though... considering our one man destruction team is out of the picture..." Ax nodded back towards Mi Shen as he slumped against Corqren, who was helping him walk.
Maai grumbled. "Told him not to come ..." she watched him from the sides of her vision before careening her neck to stare up at the tower.
"This is definitely the direction the voices came from... and I don't see any other girls in this camp, do you? Unless it was some OTHER wussy little high-pitched Wizard being torn limb from limb instead-“
Mish glared at her without hesitation. "It had to be Mi... I did’nt see any other people come through the entrance..."
“I’ll scout ahead. They won’t see This thief.”
Ax hid and sneaked into the castle. An Orc Centurion tumbled out of the entrance shortly after. Mi Shen moaned and sat down with Corqren’s help as he started his hymn of restoration. Mi Shen’s eyes drooped as he was soothed and slowly healed by his brother’s song.
Ax ran out from the castle, shuddering, in a huff, and past the others. They all stared as he jumped into a bush to retch. He walked out again with a disgusted look on his face.
“What’s wrong with you?” Mi Shen raised an eyebrow towards the bush.
“We need to ... “ He wiped a bit of spit from his mouth “Get Mi outta there- ...NOW!”
“Huh? Why?”
“Two words ... BAD PORNO ...”
“Okay we’re heading in!” He stomped off towards the tower.
“No WAY you’re dragging ME back in there!”
Mi Shen turned slowly, smiling maliciously.
“I don’t LIKE that look ...” Ax whimpered. “It seems ill for my health ...”
“ .... COME ON!” Mi Shen grabbed Ax by the scruff of his shirt.
“NOOOO! NOOOOO!” Ax cried as he dug his heels down. “I don’t wanna go back to that!”
Maai snickered like mad besides Yu. “Looks like the worst injury Ax’ll have is rug-burn, Yu!” She continued to giggle.
“I’m not ON my Ass!” He glared at Maai and her commentary.
“Are you coming like a newbie, or a man, thief?” Mi Shen looked down at Ax with exasperation.
“I’m a rogue, thank you! And I’ll come as a wood elf!”
“Newbie it is!” He grabbed Ax’s foot and continued to drag.
“Ow .. o owOW! There are ROCKS!” He said in time with his head hitting the ground.
“Well ...” Maai stopped laughing with an eery quiet. “Would you wish that on YOUR girlfriend?”
Ax stared a moment before scrambling up from the ground. “Let’s go ...”
Mi Shen sputtered a moment as Maai walked by. “T-that was nice... thanks I guess.”
“You’re welcome-I still hate you.” She walked by.
Corqren glares as he brushed past. Last time I heal him from near-dead ... He grumbled “Throat’s gonna be sore for a week.”
Mi Shen blinked in surprise at his brother’s temper.
Maai licked her lips as she drew back the bowstring. “I can hit him right through the ear from here... one-hit kill ...”
“Oh come on! It’s never THAT easy!”
“Oh well ..” She grinned. “I’m shooting anyway!”
“NOO! WAIT!” They jumped for her. She shot off the arrow and it ricoqueded around the throneroom.
“DAMNIT! You threw off my shot!”
The Orcs turned their heads towards the noise. “ELFS! GIRLS!”
Maai sweat-dropped. “Yu-you should run ...”
“LOOK WHO’S TALKING, Maai!”
Maai threw her head back proudly. “I can take care of myself!” She said-self-assuredly.
“I hate to break up the competition-but you should ALL RUN!” Mi Shen growled. “I’ll take them on-FIND MI!” He pushed them out of the throne room as he charged in.
Ax looked around the darkened room with interest. His eyes gleamed as they passed over the key that was held by the Orc slaver. He licked his lips as he snicked. “Keys...” He sneaked behind the Orc quietly enough to thrust the dagger into it’s back before it could even realize it was dead. Ax spun the loop around his finger with glee as he set off back down the hall.
A squealing groan echoed from the passage ahead.
“What’s that?” Maai wondered aloud.
“Ax .. “ Yu stated flatly. “He musta found something ...”
A set of keys floated out of the darkness, clanging together at random points. They stopped, midair.
“AX?” Yu yelled.
“Sorry-they didn’t take the camouflage spell ...”
“Find Mi yet?” Maai asked.
“No-but she’s gotta be in here SOMEWHERE ... can’t be that many slaves in here ...”
Maai and Yu stared a moment. Multiple voices echo down the halls, “Help! Let us out! Save me!”
“Okay- so there CAN be that many ...” ¬_¬
“We should find Mi before she doesn’t have a boyfriend to go BACK to!” Maai grimaced. The keys shook up and down a little.
“Yeah- Yeah .. not my fault he went in there alone ...” The keys began to move down the hall, unlocking a few doors on the way by.
“BE FREE!” They heard down the hall.
“Thank you, floating keys!” One of the escapee wood elves said.
“I’m a rogue-baka!”
“You know-I wonder why Mi hasn’t heard us yet for all this commotion-” Maai glared towards Ax’s keys.
“Yeah... nothing has sounded like Mi so far... I haven’t heard any insults...”
“Well-it’s not like they could have-”
Yu covered Maai’s mouth. “DON’T FINISH THAT ...”
“One retching a day-please ...” Ax covered his own mouth momentarily at the thought. He grabbed one of the slower escapees by the arm. “Seen a dark elf... “ He waved his arm around in small circles as he spoke. “Chains... High-Elf gab...?” He left the statement open.
“Oh... the dark one was screaming... and then it stopped-” The slave pointed down the hall
Ax let her arm go and shivered. “Mish’s gonna kill us ...”
Maai looked down the hall. “We should hurry then ...”
“Like before D’Vinn finds us?” Yu reminded them.
“That too ...”
Ax peeked into the cell that held Mi, his camouflage dissolving. “Hey Mi-no welcoming committee?” He grinned, but his grin faded as she looked up at him. “What’s wrong? ... “ He blinked. “Can’t speak? Voice sore from yelling?”
“Something like that ...” A voice spoke from behind him.
“Why do I get the feeling it’s a really high level NPC?” He whimpered.
“You could say that.” D’Vinn grinned malciously.
Mi Shen gritted his teeth as he held his Axe above his head to fend off the Orc’s blows. “FUCKERS!” He said, lashing out with a wide swing of his Axe.
He looked down towards the staircase. “Won’t let me flee ... damn .. smarter than I thought...” Mi Shen mouthed silently as he breathed with the strain of a long battle. “Where the hell are they?”
Maai sneered towards D’Vinn. “Teach him for ignoring me.” She yelled as she cast the rooting spell.
Ax stood frozen, as D’Vinn began to actually realize what she had done.
“AX! BAKA! OPEN THE DOOR! HYAKU!” Yu yelled from behind Maai.
Ax scrambled, almost tripping, and fiddled to open the door as D’Vinn glared, snapping off smaller branches in attempts to break the spell. He scrambled into the cell, snapping Mi’s guantlets and dragging her out.
Corqren brought his drum out quickly. “Hasty retreat anyone?”
“All those in favor-RUN!” Maai and Ax yelled together.
Suffice to say the decision was unanimous, as Dvin yelled in fury down he echoing corridors of the castle.
Mi Shen looked up from the wall he leaned against, spitefully cursing the Orc’s damage. He held his side, where a bit of blood dripped down from the gash across his ribs. “I need a smoke...” Mi Shen said sarcastically. He looked up as the rest of the group came racing down, breathless. Mi Shen glared at the motley party. “TOOK YOU GUYS LONG ENOUGH!” He yelled, wincing and leaning back against the wall.
Mi ran past Corqren, who had been leading her before, and jumped towards Mi Shen without warning.
“GACK!” Mi Shen said, pinned against the wall. “Someone’s happy to see me ...” Everyone seemed to be looking away from them.
“Whaa?” Mi Shen wondered. “Ok guys, what's going on?” He looked around at the litter of bodies at the foot of the Orc castle and shivered. “How about we get out of here first though?
"I'm not gonna protest the 'run for our lives' part."
"Me either."
Ax is already half way out by the time they make a decision. "Coming?!"
Corqren grabbed Mi Shen by the arm and nodded his head towards the exit jerking him and Mi along for a second before they started moving. Maai ran along with the rest as they exited. "This little parade's nice and all-but how long do you think it'd take D'Vinn to charge Kelethin, if any time at all?"
"If he's smart he won't... There are way too many guards and guild leaders there!" Corqren squeaked out as much as he could with his raw throat.
Maai thought about this a moment. "Maybe... but still..." she looked back at the tower. "That's if we reach Kelethin.”
"We will! What do you think we got a freakin' bard for?!" Ax grumbled out as he ran ahead of the group. Corqren glared at the back of Ax's head as he started to drum out a quick beat. Maai touched Corqren's arm and gave him a quick grin of encouragement. Yu tripped a bit, but recovered. "Ax! Wait up!" She tried to catch up with him a bit, not being as fast as the other adventurers.
Ax stopped and hurried the others ahead as he decided to wait up for Yu. "Come on!"
"Easy .... for .... you to ... say ..." she said between breaths, holding a hand over her mouth, looking less than peachy.
Mi looked back a moment before getting tugged back along by Mi Shen. Maai stopped as the others passed her. "Come on guys... just a mile more-we're nearly to the entrance now ..."
Ax grabbed Yu's hand and smiled at her. "I ain't losing you no matter what!" he ran after the group a good distance behind them. Yu smiled a little as she ran with Ax, being pulled along faster than ever. Corqren panted with all the others as they finally got to the tree city. "Anyone else up for getting to the topmost platform and staying there for a while?" He chuckled nervously.
No one argued with the resolution.
*I can speak the thieve’s cant) a special dialect that rogues use to identify each other.
