Chapter Six: Prisoner
Kyte knelt down next to the corpses of the Charr Commander and his second in command. They had managed to defeat the beasts, but only just. The battle had taken its toll on all of members of their party. Kyte was baring severe injuries to his back and minor burns to his left arm from the bomb explosion he had been involved in while attempting to save Gwen, while Ogden's energy was left completely drained after combating an army of undead. Vekk was in a similar state, though his right arm was in a makeshift sling after one of the undead beasts landed a hit.
"We've searched this entire camp." Kyte muttered, shaking his head ruefully. "There's no sign of the Ebon Vanguard, or if they were here at all."
"Aye." Ogden replied, walking over to his human leader. "I can see now why the girl hates them so much. They fight well… not to mention dirty."
"Gwen will be disappointed that we have nothing to go on." replied Kyte, sheathing his twin blades.
"We'll find something eventually." Ogden assured. "This is the only stronghold for miles, there has to be something."
"Well wherever they are, they aren't here." said Kyte, before a frantic Vekk came running from the vicinity of the prison cells.
"Quick! Come, that bookah girl has gone insane!" he cried out. Kyte and Ogden gave a quick glance at each other before chasing after the small asura. They entered the prison area and headed into a section that had been blocked off by a door before. Kyte saw the charred remains of the door and its hinges and assumed that the bomb explosion had opened the way. He, the dwarf and the asura rushed in to see Gwen taunting a prisoner in one of the cages. At first Kyte thought it was a human, but as he approached he saw the deadly teeth and the unmistakable figure of a Charr.
"Gwen, what are you doing?" he cried out.
"I'm doing my job, killing Charr!" she replied viciously, using her Mesmer powers to force the Charr into submission.
"You are a brave little mouse…" the Charr growled, attempting to resist her magic. "Unlock the cage and we'll see how brave you truly are."
"Shut up!" she cried, increasing her magic. The Charr howled in pain as it dropped to one knee.
"Kill me, and you will never see your friends alive again." the Charr mumbled under his breath.
"Gwen, hold on." Kyte said, laying a hand on her shoulder.
"He's a Charr, Kyte!" she retorted. "Don't listen to his lies, he is no better than the rest!"
"Those Charr you killed are no friends of mine, mouse." the Charr prisoner growled. "They captured my warband and your precious soldiers. Both are marked for death."
"What are you talking about?" Kyte replied, stepping in front of Gwen and staring into the Charr's deadly eyes. "Speak clearly, or I'll let my partner here finish what she started."
"The Charr here, that you killed, were members of the Shaman caste." the Charr prisoner began. "They led our people into worshipping false gods."
"Go on." Kyte said.
"My warband disagreed with the Shamans, and were captured." he continued. "As were your people."
"He's lying!" Gwen shouted. "All Charr are bastards."
"Some of us more than others, little mouse." the prisoner replied.
"Where were they taken?" asked Kyte.
"I want a deal, meat." the prisoner growled.
"What happened to our people?" Kyte asked again, a threatening tone appearing in his voice. He was getting impatient. Gwen could hear that, but she did not understand why he was allowing this Charr to talk him into his lies. The Charr did not deserve to live.
"Here's the deal." the prisoner said. "You aid me in rescuing my warband, and in return I will help you find yours."
"How do I know I can trust you?" asked Kyte suspiciously.
"You don't." the prisoner responded simply. "But if the girl kills me, you will lose the only chance you have of finding them."
There was a moment of hesitation with Kyte, as he thought on the matter. He could not trust the Charr, but in this case he had no choice. They had nothing else to go on, no leads.
"Alright, Ogden, let him out." he said, and the dwarf nodded, moving over to release the cage's door.
"No!" Gwen cried out, grabbing Kyte by the arm. "You cannot trust him!"
"Gwen it's the only lead we have." Kyte tried to explain, but Gwen was hysterical.
"I will never ally with a Charr!" she shouted, before storming off. Kyte turned back to the Charr and his eyes narrowed.
"We have a deal, Charr, but mark my words, I'll be watching you." he warned.
"Point taken." the prisoner nodded, getting to his feet and walking out of the cage as Ogden released the latch. "I am Pyre Fierceshot. Your enemies are mine."
Gwen exited the stronghold and ran into the dark, tears welling in her eyes. How could he? Her closest friend, betray her and ally with a Charr? She had fought so long against the beasts, her dreams were haunted with memories of what they had done to her people and her home. He had no idea how she felt about them. If he was in her shoes, he would think twice about trusting one of them. She ran and continued to run through Grothmar Wardowns for a how long, she did not know. She came to a stop next to a big oak tree and slid to the ground, curling herself up into a ball. It was quiet and calm, just how she liked it. It wasn't long until her thoughts and worries caused her to drift off to sleep…
"Gwen?" a voice called her. "Gwen wake up." she blinked her eyes open and took a moment to remember where she was. She looked up to see Kyte standing over her, attempting to wake her from her slumber. She almost smiled until she remembered why she was under a tree and why she had run from the stronghold.
"Don't." she grumbled, getting to her feet and moving away from him.
"Gwen, listen," he began. "if we didn't take Pyre's deal, we would have nothing to go on."
"Pyre?" she questioned menacingly. "So you two are on a first name basis now? So glad that you're getting along so well."
"I know you're angry with me." he continued. "But please, you have to trust me."
"How can I trust you?" she cried out. "You left me alone when I was a child, and now you betray me to the Charr!" she stopped, surprised at the outburst she had just had, and the words she had spoken. Kyte's silence was enough to send regret up her spine. She spun around and looked into the young warrior's eyes.
"I… I'm sorry." she said. "I didn't mean it like that."
"No," he said, moving into the shade of the tree and sitting down. "you're right."
"No, no I'm not." she said, hurrying next to him. "I know you did your best to find me all those years ago. I do not blame you."
"But you blame me for this." he said, giving her a small smile. Gwen turned away and said nothing. "This could be our only chance to find Captain Langmar and the others. Please Gwen, just trust me on this one."
Gwen hesitated before answering. "And what if you're wrong?" she said. "What if we help him find his warband, and he turns around and kills us?"
"I won't let that happen." Kyte said firmly. "I will not let him harm you."
Gwen gave a little chuckle as she looked at him with big eyes. "I'll be watching him." she said finally.
"I'll be watching him closely as well." Kyte replied. "He doesn't breath without me knowing."
"I'm sorry Kyte." she said softly. "I shouldn't have run off."
"I don't blame you." replied Kyte. "I may not understand how you feel completely, but I get it."
"So what now?"
"We follow Pyre," Kyte explained. "his warband is being held in a dungeon. We need to free them before he will help us."
"I'm still uncertain of this." Gwen confessed.
"Look, if he tries anything, I'll let you be the first to gut him." Kyte said with a grin. Gwen simply laughed and leaned up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks." she said.
Gwen and Kyte made their way back to the camp Ogden and Vekk had set up not far from where Kyte had found Gwen. They had already started packing things up when they arrived, but Gwen spotted the Charr prisoner they had rescued and strode up to him, fists clenched.
"If so you so much as try to-" she began, but was instantly cut off.
"You're partner over there already gave me the lecture." Pyre growled. He did not even glance up as Gwen approached. "I know you don't trust me, but in this case, you don't have a choice."
"If it were up to me-"
"If it were up to you, you'd be nowhere." Pyre interrupted again. "Be grateful, little mouse. As soon as we find my warband, we can find your people, and then we can part ways."
"The sooner the better." replied Gwen. The conversation was cut short when Kyte, Ogden and Vekk appeared beside them.
"Where are we going Pyre?" asked Kyte, strapping his swords to his back.
"We go north, to Doomlore Shrine in the Dalada Uplands." answered Pyre, pointing the way forward. "That is where my warband are being held captive."
"Sounds easy enough." Ogden shrugged.
"It is far from easy, dwarf." Pyre grunted. "The Shrine will be guarded by many Charr and their leader, a Shaman known as Scorch Maulclaw."
"We'll find a way." said Kyte. "How long will it take for us to get there?"
"A days walk." Pyre replied, polishing his bow. "We will be at the shrine by morning."
"Then let's get moving." said Kyte. "The longer we delay, the less time our friends have."
x x x x
The group walked in silence as they journeyed through Grothmar Wardowns and into Dalada Uplands. No one wanted to speak, and no one had anything to say. Not in the presence of a Charr anyway. Gwen could not keep her eyes off the Charr prisoner, of fear he would turn around and suddenly attack. But the Charr did not attempt anything, he simply led the group forward to their destination. It would be foolish to try anything anyway, with four on one, it was suicide, even for a Charr.
Dusk was approaching, and the group made their way up a large grassy hill, which overlooked the Uplands before them. Pyre brought them to a stop and pointed ahead. Gwen saw a large mountainside, and at the base, a structure surrounded and shaded by large trees.
"The shrine is there." Pyre said. "It is heavily guarded, inside and out."
"What's our plan of attack then?" asked Kyte.
"We will attack at dawn," Pyre instructed. "the gate defences can be easily taken care of, if we have the element of surprise."
"And once we're in?" asked Ogden, clearly not looking forward to any sort of Charr confrontation.
"Once inside, we go for Scorch Maulclaw." Pyre growled. "Take down the Shaman, and the rest will fall with him."
"Sounds a lot easier than one would assume." Vekk stated matter-of-factly.
"It does, but it is not." replied Pyre. "Scorch Maulclaw is a powerful Shaman. He can burn an entire stronghold to the ground."
"That's comforting." Ogden gulped. "Remind me again why we're helping this Charr?"
"So we can rescue the Ebon Vanguard." said Gwen, giving Pyre a menacing glare. "And the Charr better keep his word."
"You will have your people, as I will have mine." Pyre replied.
"Make camp here, we move at dawn then." Kyte said.
As the sun broke the horizon the next morning, the party had already begun making their move. They had devised a strategy in order take out the shrine's gate guards. Pyre had scouted the area first, laying traps in tactical positions around the entrance, careful to not give away his presence. He came back a half hour later, giving Kyte the nod.
"It is done." he said.
"Right," acknowledged Kyte. "remind us of the plan."
"You, the girl and the dwarf will engage the gate guards." Pyre explained. "One of you will be the bait, lure them into my traps, I have marked where they are."
"And me?" asked Vekk curiously.
"You will remain with me, on this hill." Pyre continued. "We will provide aid from a distance."
"I… um… are you sure?" Vekk asked nervously.
"Relax, asura." Pyre grinned. "I won't bite, besides, you are injured." he motioned to Vekk's arm.
"Right." Vekk said, not convinced in the slightest.
"Alright, let's move." said Kyte, moving on. "Gwen, Ogden, cover my position from behind that rock, I will lure them into the traps."
"Good luck, human." Pyre said, as he drew his bow from his back. Kyte merely nodded and headed for the shrine's gate.
Kyte noticed that Pyre had marked his traps by planting an arrow in the ground. He moved behind the first one and made his presence known. The Charr guards spotted him instantly as he began shouting and waving.
"What is a human doing here?" one of the gate guards growled, his spear pointed in front of him.
"Kill him and be done with it." another guard shrugged.
"What, too afraid to take me yourself?" taunted Kyte.
"Ignorant fool!" the guard roared. "I will gut you myself!"
Kyte simply laughed and motioned for the Charr to come over and "get him". He slowly withdrew his blades and stood in his position. The Charr guards were approaching. Kyte counted at least six or seven of them. As they drew nearer and nearer to the trap, Kyte began to back up. The first three Charr guards walked straight into Pyre's carefully placed trap. Several spikes shot up from the ground, piercing their legs and crippling them indefinitely. They howled in pain as the fell forward and landed on more wooden spikes. Two of them died as the spikes pierced vital organs. The remaining Charr guards backed up as soon as they realised they had walked into a trap and attempted to walk around, but two more of Pyre's traps activated, sending a massive cloud of dust into their faces, blinding them.
"Now!" Kyte cried out. He charged forward, blades swinging in his hands. Gwen and Ogden raced after him, brandishing their weapons and cutting down the Charr that were too distracted by Pyre's dust traps. Gwen quickly dispatched of two Charr, who were too busy trying to wipe the dust from their eyes while Kyte eliminated the two remaining Charr stuck to the spike trap. They gave no resistance as they fell. Gwen looked over to Ogden, who was combating one Charr, but the other had recovered from the trap and was charging toward him, fangs and claws bared.
"Ogden!" she cried out in warning, but it was too late, the Charr was nearing on the small dwarf. Suddenly, two arrows planted themselves in the attacking beast's back, sending him to the ground where he went still. Gwen looked up to see Pyre drawing two more arrows from his quiver and firing them at the last remaining Charr. The beast fell forward, nearly crushing Ogden.
"Phew." Ogden breathed a sigh of relief and wiped his brow. "There's no way a dwarf like me can fight two massive Charr alone."
"Sorry, Ogden." Gwen said. "We'll be more careful next time."
"Good aim." Kyte said as Vekk and Pyre joined them minutes later.
"You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." he replied. "Quickly, we must hurry."
Pyre approached the gate and grasped the lock on the door. He turned to his allies, who were standing behind him, ready to fight. He used all his strength and snapped the iron lock from the door, and allowing them access into the shrine. He barged in and roared loudly.
"Scorch Maulclaw, the time of the Shamans is over!" he announced. At the end of the shrine stood an altar, where a large, red-furred Charr stood, dressed in white-armoured attire.
"Pyre Fierceshot." Maulclaw growled. "How you escaped the stronghold in Grothmar Wardowns is beyond me, but you will not escape the shrine."
"Today, you die." Pyre spat, raising his bow and firing a well-aimed arrow at the Charr Shaman. The arrow howled towards its target, but before it could reach it, the arrow went up in flames and cindered into nothing.
Scorch Maulclaw simply laughed and motioned for his guards to attack. The many Charr in the shrine were smaller than the gate guards had been, and as soon as the group engaged them in combat, they knew that they were also less experienced. Gwen cut down two, three, four Charr in quick succession, before moving back to defend Vekk, who was handicapped. Kyte protected Ogden, who would easily fall against an army of Charr, even weak, inexperienced ones. Ogden continued to cast protective enchantments around the group, shielding them from enemy projectiles. Pyre roared with rage as he barged forward, killing every Charr that got in his way. He drew and arrow from his quiver and thrust it into an enemy's eye, before mounting it on his bow and firing it ahead, where it struck another enemy in the chest, killing him instantly. The Charr around him were mere annoyances, his real target was Scorch Maulclaw. Certain that his allies could handle themselves, we charged for the Shaman, firing multiple arrows in quick succession. The Charr Shaman cast a protective shield around him, deflecting the arrows the Pyre had fired. As Pyre drew within an arm's reach of his enemy, he discarded his bow and lunged forward, fangs and claws bared, but he had underestimated the Shaman. Scorch Maulclaw grasped him by the throat in mid-air and drew him closer.
"By coming here, you saved me the trouble of finding you and killing you myself." Maulclaw said viciously. Pyre clawed at the paw that grasped his throat so tightly, gasping for air. "I'll burn you alive, you useless traitor." With his other hand, a large ball of flame conjured up. Pyre eyed the fireball, certain that he had met his end, but he would not die without a fight. He spat in the Charr Shaman's face and snarled.
"You dare spit at a Shaman?" Maulclaw roared. He raised his flaming fist, ready to bring it down on his victim, but he cut short when an arrow planted itself into his left eye. The Shaman howled in pain as he dropped Pyre, who clawed his way back several feet to safety. Pyre looked to his right where Gwen stood, armed with his own bow. She fired another arrow, where it struck Scorch Maulclaw his chest, and another, which hit him in the throat. The Charr Shaman choked for air, clutching his throat as blood oozed from his eye. He dropped to his knees and collapsed to the ground, where he finally went still.
"You… saved me?" Pyre said, looking up at Gwen. She turned to him and stared.
"Make no mistake." she said. "I did not do it for you." she walked over to the Shaman's corpse and killed it several times, making sure he was dead.
"Shrine is clear." Kyte said several moments later, as he approached them with Ogden and Vekk lagging behind. "Where are your warband, Pyre?"
"We are here." came a voice from behind them. Two Charr approached them, and Pyre moved to greet them.
"Gron! Bonwor!" he greeted. "You are here."
"Managed to break free after you lot launched an all-out attack." the one known as Gron stated. "A foolish plan, I might add, but effective." he then turned to Pyre. "Pyre, you should be dead!"
"It was the Hierophant's plan." Pyre replied with a grin. "It didn't take."
"And now you're reduced to working with these… meat." Gron replied, glancing at the group. "How the son of Vaatlaw has fallen."
"We just saved your lives!" Gwen butted in. "You dare call us-" but she was stopped short when Kyte placed a firm hand on her shoulder, reeling her back in.
"So this is your warband?" Kyte said, moving the conversation on.
"I am Gron Fierceclaw," Gron said, then motioned to his black-furred friend. "that here is Bonwor Fierceblade."
"Who else of the band lives?" asked Pyre.
"Sear, Cowl and Roan." replied Gron. "The priests have taken them below."
"Below?" asked Kyte, curious.
"To the Cathedral of Flames." Gron answered.
"Then we must follow." Pyre said. "Gron, Bonwor, I will need you two to stand watch out here."
"We can't just leave them alone." Gwen spoke up.
"I thought you didn't like having my friends around, mouse." Pyre said, grinning.
"Just give me any excuse to gut you." she breathed.
"Feisty one you've got here, Pyre." Gron chortled.
"Gwen, relax." Kyte whispered to her, before turning to Pyre. "Pyre, we just want to recover our people."
"You will, human." he said. "But for the moment, you must trust me a bit longer. We must work together."