by Drew Hayes
But it wasn’t the gold that moved her feet forward along with the others. It wasn’t any sense of obligation to these two, either; she wouldn’t mind watching Rathgan turn them into bloody chunks. The truth was, Elora was still dealing with these two solely because she wanted to reach the top of the mountain and see if her student made it there as well. Given the rough fights she’d witnessed, Elora couldn’t honestly give Eric and his friends very good odds, but those five had a habit of surprising her. Hopefully, this would be one of those times. She was very much hoping to meet him and the others at Rathgan’s chamber.
Though she, of course, would need to arrive first. Elora did have her pride as a rogue, after all.
* * *
The spears fired out from the walls, stopping only when they were fully extended. Five came from either side, ensuring that anyone who’d stepped into the area would be stabbed on multiple fronts. Gabrielle let out a soft whistle, impressed by the craftsmanship even as Eric worked to take the mechanism apart.
Bulek’s directions had proven honest and useful thus far, leading them away from the lairs of other dragons and warning them about the traps in their path. Either he really didn’t want them dead, or he was leading them toward a very specific end. The farther they went, the more it seemed to be the former.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you this, Thistle,” Gabrielle whispered while Eric carefully wedged a pressure plate free and began to tinker with the device inside. “Why do the dragons have so many traps in their nest? I can’t imagine that many adventurers really try to raid these places.”
“It happens more than you might expect,” Thistle told her. “But you’re right in that this much defense would be excessive. The truth is that most of these traps aren’t here to stop adventurers, they’re here to deter other dragons.”
“Why would they want to kill their own kin?” Timuscor asked.
“They don’t, not really, but dragons are not renowned for their restraint or willingness to share. Contained in this one nest are the lairs—and therefore the hoards—of dozens of dragons. Some would be tempted to amass more gold at the expense of their kin. These traps are here to discourage such thievery. Brutal and deadly though they might be to us, few would do lasting harm to another dragon.” Thistle walked over and carefully pressed his bracer against the spear, then lifted it up to show that not so much as a scratch had been made. “See? Enough to wound another dragon’s pride, while not so strong as to do serious damage to their flesh.”
“Damn. From the way they came at us, I assumed the dragons were a perfect unit. Never imagined they’d have trust issues over petty shit like this,” Gabrielle said.
“Nothing unites a people like an outside threat,” Grumph told her.
There was a small clang from the pressure plate, and slowly, the spears retracted back into the wall. Eric scooted back several inches, staying on his stomach the whole time, then reached out with his sword and pressed down on the pressure plate again. Unlike before, no spears leapt out, though he pressed down on a few more areas of the ground, just to be safe. According to Bulek’s notes, even stepping near the plate was enough to set this trap off.
“Looks like I got it,” Eric said at last, carefully rising from the ground. “Unless I’m remembering wrong, there are only six more traps to go. That we know of, I mean.”
“And several hours’ journey that includes sneaking past the entrances to three different dragon lairs,” Thistle reminded him.
“Right... are we sure this is the easiest path?” Eris asked.
“Probably not the easiest,” Grumph told him. “But it might be the safest. The best fights are the ones you avoid.”
It was hard to argue with that, seeing as they’d barely managed to survive the battle with Bulek. If worse came to worse, they might be able to bring down another hatchling, but if there were two or they met an older dragon, they were as good as corpses. Bulek’s path was their only real shot, so they continued, as quiet and careful as possible.
As they walked, the same fear weighed on all of their minds. What would happen when they reached the end of the instructions and arrived at Rathgan’s chamber? From there, they’d be flying blind, breaking into the lair of an elder dragon to steal his most coveted possession.
Bulek seemed to have kept his side of the bargain and offered them a safe path, after all. And that was what they had asked for, so he could hardly be blamed that they were trekking toward their almost certain doom. That was the choice they had made, and they would see it through to the end.
Whether that meant their end or just that of the quest would only be seen when they reached the elder dragon’s lair.
Chapter 49
“Everyone have what they need? Sodas? Chips? I assume Cheri has a flask tucked away somewhere. Go to the bathroom now if you have to. Obviously, you can take a break during the game if needed; I’d just like to keep this moving as seamlessly as we can once it starts.”
Russell looked out at the excited yet nervous faces of his players. He didn’t blame them for the mixed emotions; they’d worked their butts off to make it up this mountain. What came next was guaranteed to be dangerous but also had the potential to be incredibly rewarding. The hoard of an elder dragon was going to be nuts, even if they did end up splitting it with however many other adventurers the module said made it this far. There would have to be some, otherwise this fight was impossible, and the module had been good about keeping things challenging but fair. Every trap was detectable; every battle was winnable. Not easily, perhaps, but it could be done. And his players had accomplished it; they’d clawed their way along the paths. All that remained was to tackle Rathgan’s chamber.
“I would, as the GM, also like to remind you all that if you trek back down the mountain now, you can use the coin to head back to town,” Russell added. “You all got some decent gold in the giant fight, and you found that small cache of treasure on the way up. If you bail now, you can definitely still call this quest a success.”
“Can’t do it,” Tim replied. “Paladins don’t run.”
“And we don’t leave our friends behind,” Cheri added.
“Wimberly is excited to gather data on an elder dragon,” Bert said.
“Gelthorn, too, would not desert her friends. Plus, she’d like to get enough gold to buy her own forest.”
Everyone turned to Alexis, whose voice immediately quieted as she shrugged her shoulders. “What? She knows how gold works, and she’s got some really solid ideas for her own land.”
“Just surprised and a little impressed, that’s all,” Cheri told her. “Anyway, that’s a consensus, little brother. Crack that book and tell us what comes next.”
Russell didn’t need any more encouragement than that. He opened the module tenderly, flipping past the broken seal to the final section: Rathgan’s Lair.
“Your tunnel emerges into a modest cavern, where the sound of whispering voices bounces off the walls…”
* * *
Mitch was surprised to see a small cooler set off to the side of the table, sodas already peeking out from the half-open top. In the center of the table were several sandwiches, along with a few bags of brand-name chips. Glenn was on those before anyone had a chance to speak, and Terry helped himself to a soda. Moments after they’d settled in, Jamie came out of the back, module in hand. She never left that thing lying about, no doubt thinking they’d flip through it and try to cheat. The fact that she was right didn’t lessen Mitch’s annoyance with the habit.
“Good, you found the refreshments,” Jamie said. Rather than taking her seat, she walked over to the front door. With a quick twist, she locked it, then flipped the small sign that hung against the glass to the “Closed” side. “This is the big battle; we don’t want to be disturbed. Can’t risk customers coming in and messing up the ambiance.”
The risk of that seemed low since none of them had ever witnessed a single customer enter the shop in their time playing with Jamie. It was the
sort of thing they’d have happily brought up, but she’d brought snacks, and no one was inclined to risk those being taken away.
“Anyone who needs to pee, knock it out now,” she instructed. “I glanced ahead, and this is a pretty high-stakes fight. You’re not going to want to miss any of it.”
“Maybe you’re forgetting, but we’re not going to participate in the fight,” Mitch told her. “We’ve been picking off stragglers all the way up this mountain; we sure as shit aren’t changing strategies now. If it looks like the other adventurers will win, we’ll rush in at the last minute to claim a share of the loot and experience. If they lose, we’ll search their bodies when the dragon is distracted.”
“And if you’re the only ones who make it to the top of the mountain?” Jamie asked.
“Then we’ll head back down,” Mitch replied. “No way we’re going to try and fuck with a real dragon on our own. We made a lot on this quest; can’t spend it if we die.”
“I suppose you have a point.” Jamie settled into her usual spot, propping up the screen in front of her and flashing the same unwavering smile she always wore at them. “I’m still going to ask that anyone with business to do knocks it out now, though. Wouldn’t want to wreck the ambiance once things get rolling.”
Glenn finished stuffing the first sandwich in his face, then hauled himself up from the table and headed toward the restroom in the back.
“Wash your hands!” Jamie called as the door shut.
Mitch took a handful of chips and leaned back, looking over his sheet once more. A thousand gold and a half dozen magical items between them. Not bad for a Grand Quest. Not bad, but not exceptional either. He hoped they got the chance to scavenge more, to really load their characters down with loot.
After what happened in that last game with Russell, Mitch wanted to completely own this one. And he’d do it, too, by playing smart, careful, and, above all else, ruthless.
Even if Mitnan was the sole survivor of the party, he’d make it down that mountain. No matter what.
* * *
While not all roads led to Rathgan’s chamber, as Eric stepped out into the modest cavern it became clear that more than just their own did so. All around them, smaller openings coming from both in and outside the mountain led into this area. Presumably, some of these paths had been used by the other adventurers already gathered in the cavern. Some were resting, others were cramming food or potions in their mouths. Nearly everyone in robes was gathered up at the set of golden doors barring anyone from further progress.
“There they are,” Gabrielle said, her whispered voice coming from only a few steps behind. They’d tightened formation as they neared the end of Bulek’s directions, preparing themselves for anything that might spring out and surprise them at the last moment. The doors, however, they’d been ready for. Bulek had warned that Rathgan didn’t care much for interruptions, especially since finding the Bridge, and his mighty doors—which had once hung open regularly—would now open only to his most trusted of aides.
Bulek hadn’t been able to offer much in the way of ideas for how to get through them, as even he was unable to pass, but the party had designated this as a “cross the problem if they reached it” sort of issue. Fortunately, it seemed they weren’t the only ones who’d made the journey, though the number of adventurers remaining was paltry compared to the amount they’d watched charge in.
“Do we think the mages can crack that?” Timuscor asked.
“Best we let them try, for now,” Thistle told him. “Our power is not so considerable that we can afford to waste any of it on the breaching. Especially when we’ll almost certainly have another yet to come.”
Eric pondered the statement for a few moments before he took Thistle’s meaning. “You think Rathgan will have a vault inside his chamber?”
“Aye, that or some manner of enchanted chest, if we’re lucky. If he’s stored the Bridge in any manner of extra-dimensional pocket, we may be out of luck.”
“Call it a hunch, but I don’t think you can do things like that to the Bridge,” Eric said. “If it was possible, no one would have needed to build a whole dungeon to keep people away from that last piece. And... look, this is hard to explain. It’s just that, when I think back to holding a piece of it, there’s a part of me that understands that something like that can’t be tucked away like a sack of gold. There’s no pocket dimension that could contain it.”
“That would be quite fortunate,” Thistle said. “If our only barrier is a lock or a ward, then we’re at least somewhat prepared to deal with both of those.”
“Yeah, it would be a slice of pie if not for the elder dragon trying to eat us alive.” Gabrielle stopped, looking down at Thistle intently. “Wait... are you going to have to fight him? I’m still unsure on what this whole paladin obligation entails, but angry dragon trying to kill people seems like the sort of thing you might have to step in on, whether you can make a difference or not.”
“That is a fair question, and the honest answer is that I’m not sure,” Thistle replied. “I genuinely believe that the best way to stop Rathgan is to steal the Bridge piece from his possession and get it far away from him. Hopefully, over time, his senses will return. Whether Grumble agrees with that plan or not remains to be seen. The fact that I’ve prayed and talked about our strategy without getting stuck to the floor is a good sign, however.”
“It’s an unconventional manner for stopping an evil dragon,” Timuscor remarked. “But Grumble has permitted the unconventional before.”
Eric scanned the room while the others spoke, taking stock of what sorts of adventurers remained for the fight ahead: archers, knights, mages, rogues, even the odd paladin based on the blessings they were laying on their weapons. Not a bad crew for attacking a dragon. Still, based on reputation, Eric couldn’t imagine Rathgan would be that easy to defeat. The kingdom had sent an army of adventurers, and perhaps ten percent had made it to the top. If the lesser dragons could fell that many, one could only imagine what Rathgan was capable of.
The encouraging thing about the sight before him was that everyone seemed to be readying themselves for battle. Swords were being sharpened, arrows double-checked, and armor adjusted. A slight ping of guilt echoed through Eric’s conscience; here everyone was, getting ready to fight, and his team was going to try and run past them right for the treasure, wherever it might be. He soothed the mental thorn by reminding himself that it wasn’t as though they were going to try and take everything. All they wanted was the Bridge, which they couldn’t allow to fall into the wrong hands anyway. Besides, he was a rogue; there was nothing wrong with a little trickery.
After carefully combing through every person present, Eric couldn’t find any sign of Elora. He didn’t imagine for a moment that she’d fallen on the way or that he’d beaten her here. By the looks of things, Bulek’s path, while safe, had also left them among the last to arrive. No, she was probably hiding out somewhere unseen, perhaps watching him even as he searched fruitlessly for her. When he focused, it seemed like he could sense someone watching him, albeit not with the ferocity of when Elora had first trailed them out of Camnarael. Eric smiled in case she could see him and turned back toward his friends.
Just as he started to move, however, the massive sound of metal on stone filled the corridor. Slowly, the giant doors, big enough to permit a full-grown dragon entry, began to move. Inch by inch the golden barriers parted, revealing an upward slope that could only lead to one place.
“They got through the doors?” Timuscor said.
“No.” Eric could see the bewilderment on the faces of the mages as they scrambled back to their respective parties and rapidly brought everyone they could up to speed. “They’re as surprised as the rest of us. I think... I think Rathgan opened those doors himself. As a challenge, maybe?”
“Perhaps.” Thistle carefully checked his daggers and adjusted his sheaths. “Or perhaps he simply preferred to have the battle come when he was ready. We’re fight
ing on his terms now, not ours.”
“It’s the lair of a giant dragon at the top of a mountain we had to fight and sneak our way up,” Gabrielle said, pulling her axe free from its place against her back. “It was always going to be a fight on his terms.”
“Aye.” Thistle looked at the others, who were all taking out their respective weapons, just as every other adventurer in the room was. “We’re all clear on the plan, right? Find the hoard, get the Bridge, and flee as quickly as possible. Eric and Gabrielle are the best chance we have at getting past any barriers, be they mundane or magical, so the rest of us will focus on protecting them while we search for Rathgan’s treasure.”
“Still not sure how I feel about that part,” Gabrielle muttered darkly. “I can protect myself.”
“Leave your pride here,” Grumph told her. “Once we’re in there, we work together to survive. Everyone has their role.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll do it; I just don’t have to like it.”
Near the front of the cavern, the adventurers were grouping together into a massive crowd. Once they made the initial charge, they’d splinter; otherwise, they’d be wide open to a fire-breath attack. Everyone had learned that lesson from the first charge. There was surprisingly little discussion going on, perhaps because there wasn’t much to say. They were about to run into the lair of an elder dragon—no amount of planning would hold up to whatever was waiting inside. The best strategy was to stay loose, adapt to the challenges as they presented themselves, and try very hard not to die.
“Let’s hang a bit to the back,” Eric said. “Since we’re not planning to fight, we don’t need to try and catch him off guard. Better to let the battle start and then try to scout.”
“Hang back, don’t lead the charge, avoid the battle. You all really know how to take the fun out of fighting a dragon.” Gabrielle reached over and smacked Eric once on the back, sending him stumbling slightly forward. He still wasn’t accustomed to that enchanted strength of hers yet. “Relax, Eric. You look tense. I mean, I get why, but you’re at your best when you’re fluid. And we need everyone at their best for this.”
