20
The path up to the fortress wasn't the safest, running just along the edge of the cliff, but we also didn't run into any more ogres.
Which I personally found suspicious, but then again we were in the middle of nowhere. He might not have brought that many guards in the first place.
Stopping at the end of the path by an overhanging cliff, Zeek held his hand up to get us to stop before he snuck up closer and peaked around the corner. He stayed there for a couple of seconds before motioning for us to follow.
As we rounded the corner, we could see that the path ended in a closed gate at the base of the fortress. Luckily, the wall next to the gate had a big hole in it.
Nobody in sight.
"Zeek, hold on," I said and reached into my bag to pull out one of the spysects before whispering its orders to it and tossing it in through the hole.
He looked back at me and I motioned him back while raising my arm and activating the feed from the little construct.
"What is that?" he asked quietly.
"Little flying golem," I answered, "Sends back what it sees. It's looking for people."
Samuel looked at me in surprise but then focused on the projection. It showed dark hallways, stairs, abandoned rooms. Dead men.
Skeletons actually, lying where they had fallen in the final battle of this fortress, still wearing their armour and with their weapons next to them.
I let it search for some fifteen minutes before I sent it the recall signal, "Nothing," I said and closed the projector and turned to Samuel, "Where would they be?"
"Main keep," he said without pause, "It's supposed to be in the main keep."
Zeek nodded, "Okay, we do it like this. Darius and me first, then Atreus. Samuel and Zrazta last. If we get attacked, we keep them off the spell casters and you blast them."
We all nodded.
Honestly, it was a good plan.
Still, I would have prefered to pull out my summons for this, but I also didn't want to reveal all my tricks. Also, while sending a frost troll roaring down the corridors and then mopping up what remained was attractive, stealth was more useful right now, and the fewer people the better - even ones as stealthy as Witcher or Rogue.
We made our way slowly into the dark fortress.
Dust. Cobwebs. No enemies. Dust…
I glanced down ahead and then moved up to touch Zeeks shoulder, "Hey."
He and Darius stopped to look back at me and I cast a quick spell to cast a light up to the ceiling of the dim corridor, lighting it up brightly.
"...Good catch," Darius said and gripped his warhammer tighter. The dust on the floor was disturbed, somebody had been here before.
Canceling the light, we continued.
When we got to the courtyard, a glance through the doorway revealed who had been disturbing the dust on the floor. Outside the central keep was a group of twenty people, all of them wearing matching armour. Humans, elves, and even what looked like orcs. They were all wearing dark armour with a sigil of a horned head in a circle on their chest and shields.
Zeek pulled up just inside and turned to us, "Horned rat mercenaries," he said quietly, "They are dangerous and expensive, and are known to hire extra auxiliaries like those ogres. There will likely be at least five more groups of ogres somewhere around the fortress. If we attack, they'll hold us as the ogres fall on us from behind."
"You know that for sure?" I asked and sneaked up to glance around the corner again.
He hesitated and then nodded, "I was a member once," he admitted, "But I didn't agree with their… methods," before he looked to Samuel and Zrazta, "Think you can blast them?"
Zrazta frowned and then shook her head, "Not all, no."
Samuel on the other hand nodded, "Absolutely, give me a second," he said and started to quickly flip through his book.
I glanced at Zeek.
He nodded, "Samuel blasts them, we pick off anyone that's still resisting, and then get into the main keep, giving us a defensive position when the ogres arrive."
Fine enough of a plan. Especially if things really went to shit, Zrazta and I could go to our real forms and maybe pull out some summons.
Samuel nodded, "Ready, I have memorized the spells I'm going to need."
Zeek, "We go at your cast. Everybody get ready."
We stalked up next to the exit before Samuel stepped out into the open. There were yells of warning and surprise from the group of mercenaries before Samuel spread his arms and orange energy flickered between his hands.
Then the middle of the group exploded with a thunderous earth shattering kaboom..
It was complete mayhem, body parts of mercs littered the courtyard as the scream of the dying filled the air.
Well, damn.
Seems like he actually could pull some nice magic off and wasn't just a scholar.
Which I personally found suspicious, but then again we were in the middle of nowhere. He might not have brought that many guards in the first place.
Stopping at the end of the path by an overhanging cliff, Zeek held his hand up to get us to stop before he snuck up closer and peaked around the corner. He stayed there for a couple of seconds before motioning for us to follow.
As we rounded the corner, we could see that the path ended in a closed gate at the base of the fortress. Luckily, the wall next to the gate had a big hole in it.
Nobody in sight.
"Zeek, hold on," I said and reached into my bag to pull out one of the spysects before whispering its orders to it and tossing it in through the hole.
He looked back at me and I motioned him back while raising my arm and activating the feed from the little construct.
"What is that?" he asked quietly.
"Little flying golem," I answered, "Sends back what it sees. It's looking for people."
Samuel looked at me in surprise but then focused on the projection. It showed dark hallways, stairs, abandoned rooms. Dead men.
Skeletons actually, lying where they had fallen in the final battle of this fortress, still wearing their armour and with their weapons next to them.
I let it search for some fifteen minutes before I sent it the recall signal, "Nothing," I said and closed the projector and turned to Samuel, "Where would they be?"
"Main keep," he said without pause, "It's supposed to be in the main keep."
Zeek nodded, "Okay, we do it like this. Darius and me first, then Atreus. Samuel and Zrazta last. If we get attacked, we keep them off the spell casters and you blast them."
We all nodded.
Honestly, it was a good plan.
Still, I would have prefered to pull out my summons for this, but I also didn't want to reveal all my tricks. Also, while sending a frost troll roaring down the corridors and then mopping up what remained was attractive, stealth was more useful right now, and the fewer people the better - even ones as stealthy as Witcher or Rogue.
We made our way slowly into the dark fortress.
Dust. Cobwebs. No enemies. Dust…
I glanced down ahead and then moved up to touch Zeeks shoulder, "Hey."
He and Darius stopped to look back at me and I cast a quick spell to cast a light up to the ceiling of the dim corridor, lighting it up brightly.
"...Good catch," Darius said and gripped his warhammer tighter. The dust on the floor was disturbed, somebody had been here before.
Canceling the light, we continued.
When we got to the courtyard, a glance through the doorway revealed who had been disturbing the dust on the floor. Outside the central keep was a group of twenty people, all of them wearing matching armour. Humans, elves, and even what looked like orcs. They were all wearing dark armour with a sigil of a horned head in a circle on their chest and shields.
Zeek pulled up just inside and turned to us, "Horned rat mercenaries," he said quietly, "They are dangerous and expensive, and are known to hire extra auxiliaries like those ogres. There will likely be at least five more groups of ogres somewhere around the fortress. If we attack, they'll hold us as the ogres fall on us from behind."
"You know that for sure?" I asked and sneaked up to glance around the corner again.
He hesitated and then nodded, "I was a member once," he admitted, "But I didn't agree with their… methods," before he looked to Samuel and Zrazta, "Think you can blast them?"
Zrazta frowned and then shook her head, "Not all, no."
Samuel on the other hand nodded, "Absolutely, give me a second," he said and started to quickly flip through his book.
I glanced at Zeek.
He nodded, "Samuel blasts them, we pick off anyone that's still resisting, and then get into the main keep, giving us a defensive position when the ogres arrive."
Fine enough of a plan. Especially if things really went to shit, Zrazta and I could go to our real forms and maybe pull out some summons.
Samuel nodded, "Ready, I have memorized the spells I'm going to need."
Zeek, "We go at your cast. Everybody get ready."
We stalked up next to the exit before Samuel stepped out into the open. There were yells of warning and surprise from the group of mercenaries before Samuel spread his arms and orange energy flickered between his hands.
Then the middle of the group exploded with a thunderous earth shattering kaboom..
It was complete mayhem, body parts of mercs littered the courtyard as the scream of the dying filled the air.
Well, damn.
Seems like he actually could pull some nice magic off and wasn't just a scholar.
