The Four as One

by R. F. Pace

     The two groups were full of anxiety while they waited for her to arrive.  After 15 minutes and no Sara, Jake started to get very worried that something might have happened to her.   Jake asked Taragin to cast his location spell and see what was going on in the area.  After a few seconds, Taragin said, “We have a group of four heading in our general direction.  They should be here in about five minutes at the pace they are moving.  I have detected a second group approaching our campsite and three more groups just behind that one.”  Jake said, “I hope Sara can stay ahead of them.  We need to get out of this area fast.”

       He paused for a second and then continued, “Let’s circle around to the right side of our campsite and see what is going on in that area.”  Jake didn’t wait around after he spoke, he took off without another word.  He check over his shoulder several times to make sure everyone was still following, and they were.

       Jake was so worried about Sara that he wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings.  On several occasions he stumbled and almost fell.  He was struck in the face by several lower branches.  Ralnor grew exasperated, finally stopped him and said, “You are a danger to this whole party right now.  You have lost your focus over one person.  There are still six of us, seven counting you that are depending on you to make the proper decisions.”  Ralnor couldn’t have slapped Jake in the face and gotten a more deserved reaction after that.  Jake started focusing on the task at hand - to get everyone back safely.  Every time he started to wonder about Sara, he told himself he could do her no good if he was dead.

       Jake was so lost in thoughts, when Taragin tapped him on the shoulder, Jake almost jumped out of his skin.  Taragin was now smiling, “We have avoided the one group that was heading into the wooded area.  They have continued through that area and are now moving away from the cave.  The other group that was moving toward our camp has circled back to where they came from and the three other groups that were following are now gone too.”

       They arrived at the camp and Rotan moved to the entrance to check the status of everyone inside.  The rest of the group that had remained behind were waiting patiently and everything was fine.  Sara, Fontun and Stirgan were sitting there waiting for them to return.  Rotan went outside and signaled it was clear.

       Jake was the first to go in.  When his eyes locked on Sara, he went straight for her and said, “I was so worried that something bad happened to you.”  Sara smiled and said, “No.  I was too far away with too much ground to cover to get into the wooded area.  I started to go for the woods when I noticed movement.  It was a small patrol of kobolds so I decided it was safer to head back to camp.”

       Jake held her in his arms for a couple of minutes, letting go when Halfar said, “I was sitting in my tree watching my area when I heard the loudest thump I have ever heard in my life.  A dragon falling from the sky wouldn’t have been as loud.  The next thing I saw was four people trying to kill themselves getting out of the cave.  What happened in there?”  George said, “Jake had a bit of gas from Fontun’s cooking and busted one.”  Sara and Tammy lost all composure.  The others didn’t know what George was talking about and looked at the girls like they had lost their minds.  Between breaths, Sara was able to explain it.  Once she finished, the others thought it was the funniest thing they had ever heard, except Fontun.  Fontun got a hurt look on his face, which make it even funnier.

       When Jake regained his composure, he told everyone how the rock wouldn’t move so they applied more pressure to the logs.  The rock broke loose, flipped over and landed flat on the cave floor.  “It not only kicked all kinds of dust and debris in the air, but it also made the maximum amount of noise possible,” Jake said.  Everyone, including Jake, were smiling at image of it.

       Ralnor said, “I think it best we call it a day and continue tomorrow.”  There were no objections.  The atmosphere in the cave was relaxed with everyone enjoying the break from the dusty and dirty work.  While Fontun was busy preparing the evening meal, George and Stirgan left to check on the horses.  Returning quickly, they joined the others as they kicked back resting and telling various stories.

   

  ***

   

       Fontun announced it was dinner time, and served everyone a nice plate of stew.  George sat down near Tammy and started eating when he noticed something on his plate move.  He thought he was seeing things, so with his spoon he pushed at a piece of meat.  A giant dragon head popped out from his plate and was less than an inch from his face, roaring at him.  George started screaming like a little girl and dropped the plate.  He backed as far against the cave wall as he could.  Tammy abandoned her seat as well, moving far away from the monster.   Everyone else froze.  Fontun fell to the floor laughing so hard he almost wet himself.  The other wizards and then the wardens all roared with laughter.  Jake then realized that George was the victim of an absolutely perfect practical joke.  Sara realized about the same time and both fell into a fit of laughter.

      George on the other hand was covered not only in his stew, but also in Tammy’s when she tossed it in his direction.  George was still in a bit of shock, but the laughter brought him out of it. Fontun said, “Talk about gas in the food, that plate was full of it.”  Everyone started laughing harder, even Tammy now that she knew it to be a prank.  George had a smile on his face and was thinking, ‘I’ve got to pay Fontun back for that.’

       Sara concerned, said, “We are making a lot of noise.  Something in the area will hear us.”  Fontun said, “I cast a silence spell around the cave a bit earlier to prevent that.”  Taragin said, “I do not recommend we use that spell too many times.  It will bring attention to this area by anyone passing through.”  Ralnor and the other wardens were thoroughly enjoying the entertainment.  Ralnor said, “It is never like this when we camp.  Everything is always quiet and orderly.  You are the funniest people I have ever met.”

  CHAPTER 32

   

       The next day the first group, Jake, George, Ralnor and Rotan, were back in the cave surveying the results from the day before.  When they got through the entrance, the rock that made so much noise was lying out of their way in a suitable area.  Seeing the rock caused everyone to smile at the thought of it flipping perfectly into place.  As they entered, they saw that the dust on the ground showed no signs of being disturbed since they had left.  Jake was relieved that no one had found the cave.  The area where the rock had been, now left a small hole in the debris pile.  The group felt encouraged by the sight of some progress.  They continued clearing debris and two hours after they started, there was a clearing big enough to slip through.  Ralnor said, “We should stop now and send Rotan inside to scout the cavern’s passageways.”

       Once inside of the tunnel, Rotan was checking for everything; traps, signs of life, good areas to hide or anything that could be of use.  The tunnel had not been used in many years.  He checked each branch of the tunnel, with most coming to a dead-end.  The remaining ones that didn’t dead end continued for a long ways or looped back to the original spot he had started in.  As he worked further into the mountain, he crossed several areas that had minor cave-ins but were still passable.

       The tunnel was a natural formation that had not been altered by humans.  After an hour of exploring, he came to an area where he could hear foot traffic ahead.  As he proceed toward the noises, he spotted movement ahead.  Rotan blended into the shadows and continued to work his way forward.  Rotan could see the tunnel he was in intersected into a larger, smooth one.  That tunnel had been cut through the mountain by use of some very powerful magic.  From what he could see the walls and floors contained no seams, or other flaws of any kind.  Rotan had seen enough to be able to report back to Ralnor, so he backed away.

       Jake, George, and Ralnor patiently waited near the debris entrance for Rotan.  About two and half hours after entering, Ro
tan was crawling back out.  Once he was clear of the entrance, Ralnor held his hand up to prevent Jake from blurting all the questions he wanted to ask.  Ralnor suggested they return to camp and brief everyone at once.

      The four of them, along with the four posted sentries, returned to the campsite.  Once inside, Jake simply said, “So tell us what you found.”  For the next hour Rotan informed them about what he had seen, answering their questions.  Ralnor said, “We have found what we were looking for.  We now have a back entrance into the Dwarven Caverns.  May I suggest that Rotan and Trueway explore more deeply and thoroughly inside before your group goes in?”

       Jake wasn’t really sure what he meant by that but agreed with him, Ralnor continued with, “Rotan and Trueway, pack light and enough for a couple of days inside the tunnels.  You will need to travel quietly while there is little traffic and hide during the times traffic is heavy.”  Taragin said, “There are several spells we can cast on items that could be useful if the circumstances dictate.”  Ralnor nodded and said, “They may need all the help they can get.”

       Taragin asked Ralnor, “Do you not think Jake should accompany them carrying Yatuku?  Yatuku will be able to guide them to where the stone is located.”   Ralnor said, “As true as that may be, we don’t know what obstacles lie between the entrance and the stone.  As we have all seen, there are a lot of creatures inside the cavern.  It is just too much of a risk now.”  Jake said, “I don’t mind going with them.  I know the risks involved.”  Ralnor smiled, “Be patient.  I know you would have no problem, but right now it is just too risky to send you with them.  Rotan and Trueway have trained for over 900 moon cycles to do searches of this kind.  You have only begun traveling and have not been trained.”

       Sara said to Jake, “Ralnor is right; leave it to the experts.”  Her fond look at him made Jake feel a little better.  As he thought about what Ralnor said, he didn’t like staying behind, but knew Ralnor was right.  Jake finally said, “I guess you’re right.  I’ll stay here until we know more.”  Ralnor nodded toward him.

      Taragin said, “I will need a short time to prepare and cast the spells.”  Taragin and the three other wizards walked over to their area and retrieved their spell books from the packs.  The four had a long, in-depth discussion about what spells to use.  After they finished, Taragin asked Rotan and Trueway for their cloaks.  The two removed their cloaks, handing them to Taragin as requested.  Taragin and Haralin took the cloaks and started chanting over them.  Once they finished, Taragin returned them saying, “Store them until you need to hide.  Once you put them on you will be invisible for a short time.”  Fontun handed each of them a bird feather.  He said, “These will allow you to be weightless for a short period of time.  They don’t allow you to fly, but will help you to climb with ease and remain at the top without falling.”  Taragin handed them each a small rock, “If you run into a problem, toss the rock and say, “Big.”  The rock will grow until it fills the circumference of the tunnel.  Use it in a tunnel, but not in an area much bigger than that.  Once it’s activated, you should have time to escape what is pursuing you.”

      Rotan and Trueway grabbed their packs and left for the cave.  It only took about 30 minutes for them to get there.  They waited for another 30 minutes to ensure the creatures were settled for the evening before they entered through the debris.

  CHAPTER 33

   

       Rotan and Trueway followed the route Rotan used earlier.  The ground showed no signs of being disturbed, so it put them at ease traveling the first section.  As they approached the high-traffic area, they slowed to a snail’s pace.  Ahead, the man-made tunnel was illuminated in an unnatural yellowish light.  Again Rotan figured it was a magical spell that had been casted long ago.  There was still quite a bit of traffic going to and from.  When the traffic was clear, Rotan moved to the right inside the main tunnel.  He crossed over to the other side of it, went about 25 feet, then into another natural tunnel.  A few minutes later Trueway joined him in this new passage.

       They followed this line for about 30 feet when the tunnel split into a Y.  Choosing the branch to the right, didn’t go very far before it dead-ended.  Backtracking, they took the one to the left.  This passage was narrow with many twists and turns.  It contained several small, short tunnels that didn’t go very far and weren’t very deep.  They would make great hiding spots if needed, but nothing more.

       The tunnel ran for a total of 100 yards before it came to a T-intersection.  As Rotan approached the intersection, he could hear a small group approaching from the right.  Trueway slid into a nearby small alcove to hide.  Rotan moved into the shadows and blended into the background where he could see what was heading towards them.  Three trolls were walking from right to left.  One was carrying the carcass of an animal over his shoulder.  The other two appeared to be trying to talk him into giving them the carcass, but weren’t having any luck.  At first it looked like the three would pass by Rotan’s tunnel without any problems occurring, until one tried to grab the carcass.  The troll carrying the carcass swung it at the one that tried to grab it.  The carcass knocked him into the same tunnel as Rotan and Trueway.  He got right up and charged at the troll carrying the carcass.  Rotan watched in disbelief as the charging troll missed his target and struck the cave wall head-first.  After he hit the wall, he turned and looked at the other trolls, and did a face plant in front of them.  They started laughing at him and just walked off leaving the unconscious troll behind.

       Rotan backed toward Trueway and explained what had just happened.  It took great effort for the two of them to not laugh.  Rotan said, “Now we must wait until the stupid creature wakes up and moves on.”  Trueway said, “I hate to spend the night watching a stinking troll sleep.”  The two settled back and waited.

       It took a couple of hours before the troll woke up and tried to get to his feet.  The two wardens watched as the bloody faced troll stumbled around like a drunk.  After several minutes of trying to get his bearings, he trudged away in the same direction the other two.

       Rotan and Trueway wasted no time moving out, heading in the direction the trolls had come from.  This tunnel was partly natural with some areas that magic had widened.  It had numerous tunnels branching off.  The first branch to the right and left side were short and dead-ended in about 20 feet.  The next branch to the right went about 30 feet then ended at a locked door.  Trueway smiled and said, “I didn’t think I would get any lock-picking practice down here.”  Rotan had a concerned look on his face hoping Trueway had brought his lock-picking equipment.  Trueway walked up to the door and checked it for traps, then pulled his picks out.  Within seconds he was grinning back at Rotan, holding the door slightly ajar.  Trueway said, “That was so easy you could have done it.”  Rotan just shook his head and grinned.  “The only reason it’s open is because it was never locked.  If it was locked, you would still be there trying to get it opened,” he responded.  Trueway smiled back at Rotan and motioned toward the door saying, “Shall we?”  Rotan slowly opened the door to reveal a big pile of junk.  There were old broken crates, empty barrels and rope that had long ago rotted.  When Rotan closed the door, Trueway relocked it.

       The next branch to the right was also short and a dead-end.  There were several indentations on the left, then another door on the left about three feet in.  Like the first one, this lock was no match for Trueway’s skills.  Without stopping to think about what he was doing, Rotan reached for the door to open it.  Trueway grabbed his arm, stopping him just before he got a hold of the door.  Trueway pointed and said, “Trap.”  Rotan froze, saying, “Thanks.”  Trueway disarmed the simple noise trap and opened the door.  This was a ten by ten storage room.  It contained various pieces of old armor.  Most was dinged or dented and had far outlived its usefulness long ago.  A few pieces may have been salvageable, but they we
re too cumbersome and not of great value.  Trueway was about to lock the door when they heard noises coming from the area they had just been.  The two wardens slipped inside the storage room and pulled the door closed.  When the footsteps continued on past them, they departed the room and locked the door.

       Rotan followed behind the creature that had walked by making the noise.  When the footsteps stopped, Rotan slipped into the shadows and observed.  Ahead of him was a grunting troll, trying various keys on a locked door. The troll grunted some more, then Rotan heard the click of a lock.  Squeaky hinge noises filled the air as the troll opened the door.  The next sound he heard was the thud of the door being closed.  The area was once again quiet.  A few minutes passed before Trueway made his way over to join Rotan.

       Trueway whispered, “Where did it go?”  Rotan replied, “Just up ahead of us.  It unlocked a door and went inside.”  Trueway nodded, then slipped across the tunnel into a dead-end section and hid in the shadows.  They waited for about 10 to 15 minutes before the door hinges began to creak again.  The thud from the door being closed echoed through the tunnels.  The troll locked the door and started walking in their direction.  Rotan got a good view as the troll passed by him.  It was carrying a very old and big book bound in dark leather with aged faded writing on it.  Rotan could not make out what the writing said.  The troll continued the way he had come from and in a matter of seconds was gone.

       Trueway returned to Rotan and said, “If that doesn’t make you wonder what is going on… a troll carrying a book?”  Rotan said, “I’ll bet you my bow it’s not for him.  And if it’s not for him, it means only one thing. There is a human in here.”  Trueway said, “We need to take a look in that room where the troll was to see what’s in there.”  “We can do that on our way back out of here.  I have a feeling this is a storage tunnel and dead-ends up ahead,” replied Rotan.

       Rotan was right.  It did end just after it curved a little way down from the door the troll opened.  Rotan said, “I’ll head back down and keep watch for you.”  Trueway nodded and went to work on one of the two locked doors that were there.  He picked the lock, checked the area and started opening the door.  The hinges began to creak even louder than the last time.  He opened the door just far enough to see it was a small room filled with empty bottles of all sizes and shapes.  There were no books in this room.  He closed the door as quietly as possible then locked it.  He then moved to the other door and started working on its lock when he heard Rotan signal someone was coming.