Leaving Gran Soren yet again with her Pawns in tow, Katrine couldn't help but feel as if she was starting to become part of something bigger than herself. She'd obviously already been a part of it, being made into the Arisen by the Dragon, but until now she hadn't actually felt like she was a part. She was starting to become someone important. Entrusted by the Duke to help defend his lands, working with Mason against Salvation, leading her pack of Pawns, wearing actual armor made of dragonleather, even... It made her feel like for once in her life she was actually accomplishing something she set out to do.
Lost in her thoughts, Katrine was letting the Pawns lead her along and not paying too much attention to the road... That is until one of the Pawns began to shout.
"A Griffin! It comes!"
Katrine spun, looking for the Griffin, expecting to find something like a bird or a harpy... she was not at all ready for what came screaming, screeching down out of the sky toward her. The thing was massive, the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, wings outstretched as what looked very much like lightning crackled underneath. Katrine dove out of the way as the thing's claws raked the ground just feet away from her, the lightning, for it was actually lightning, under its wings sending sparks and tremors through the earth as it struck underneath as the Griffin passed. Katrine stood, her hair standing on end from static and turned to face the massive creature, already turning in the air to come back for another pass.
The Arisen unstrung her bow as Hiei did the same, Scellia took up a position before them and Tyri began to charge her spells. When the Griffin completed its wide, banking turn and came back around they were somewhat ready for it, Katrine and Hiei pelting it with arrows, though few found their mark against the winds and lightning buffeting around the creature.
"It cannot fly if the wings are alight!" Cried Tyri as she unleashed a fire spell toward the Griffin, though it rolled to the side and avoided the hastily shot spell, coming out of its roll just above the group, more lightning striking the ground around them as it whooshed by just overhead, scorching the metal of Katrine's breastplate and sending her hair standing on end where it wasn't covered by her helmet. Scellia let out a cry of pain as she took the brunt of the electrical blast, her metallic armor turning her into a lightning rod as she crashed to the ground, writhing as electricity coursed through her.
"Take my fire!", cried Tyri, sending out balls of light to the group and Katrine gasped her daggers and bow lit up a glowing orange.
"What did you do!"
"Fire at the Griffin, Arisen! We will take care of Scellia." Tyri and Hiei rushed to their stricken friend's side as the griffin turned for another pass and Katrine took hold of her bow once more.
She took careful aim and waited until the Griffin began to approach for another pass, sending arrows up toward it as quickly as she could. This time it was the Griffin's turn to screech, though this time in pain rather than anger, wings and down along it's back bursting into flames as one of her enchanted arrows found purchase in the beast's flanks. It quickly banked and aborted it's the newest attack, the lightning under its wings sputtering out as the thing turned off to the west. Katrine fired several more arrows, but as the Griffin winged away from them all it left behind was a slight smoke trail in the sky and the ghastly stench of burning feathers. With the Griffin driven off, Katrine rushed to the side of her Pawn, though Hiei and Tyri were already helping Scellia up off of the ground.
Katrine made sure that her companion was alright, then once they were certain the Griffin was driven off and wasn't coming back for round two, they set off again toward the tunnel Ser Maximilian had mentioned. It was a relatively quiet journey aside from the customary packs of Goblins that seemed to have overtaken most of Gransys, but if they'd managed to take a fort then that might explain their presence so far and wide through the country. It was perhaps another hour or so before they finally arrived, large blocks of white stone announcing their arrival. As her Pawns had explained in their customary way of spouting random bits of information as they traveled, she'd learned that the 'tunnel' was actually an old mineshaft that happened to come out on the other side of the mountain range and had been repurposed as a way for travelers to cut down on travel time.
The old mining village in front of it had been long abandoned, however, the only sounds coming from within those of spiders and other insects eating away at the rotting wood of the semi-collapsed homes. They passed through in short order and it was only another few minutes' walk until they found the tunnel they were searching for, though it seemed to be closed, judging by the few merchants Katrine could see milling about near the entrance. "Hello there, what's happened here?"
"Ah, hello..." One of the men gathered around outside stepped up as they approached, carrying a large bag of supplies on his back. "As you can like tell from the look of me, I'm at my wit's end." He certainly did look bedraggled, an old frock on his chest and a hood over his head to keep out the rain.
"What seems to be the problem?" Katrine stepped up closer to him and put her hands on her hips, waiting for the man to continue.
"I've need to travel south through this mine, but the accursed gate won't budge. Despite the dangers, I came this way hoping to shorten my journey... Some shortcut, eh?" He shook his head and extended his hand out toward her. "Name's Alon."
Katrine took his hand and gave it a shake, then looked back to the mine as well. "We have need to travel through here too. We're on the way to the Shadow Fort ourselves."
He shrugged. " 'Tis a fine waste of time if they gate cannot be lowered."
Katrine tilted her head to one side. "Lowered? What do you mean?" She glanced back at the mine entrance, it looked like a fairly normal door to her, nothing to be lowered about it.
"There's a gate further inside the mine that's locked somehow."
"Ah!" Katrine turned back to him and gave him a nod. "Well, we've need to be through here ourselves so we'll get it back open for you, won't we?" She turned back to look at her Pawns.
Around that time Tyri decided to pipe up. "Tis a passage that connects south and central Gransys."
The Arisen pursed her lips slightly and turned back to Alon, who just chuckled. "Pawns, eh?"
"Pawns. Well, we'll get that gate open for you."
"D'you mean that? You'll actually see it opened? Aye, 'twould be a most welcome boon." He hesitated for a moment. "But are you so certain you can make it so? You do seem a strong enough sort, I'll warrant..."
Katrine nodded. "We'll certainly do the best we can for you. If we can't make progress then we'll come let you know." Katrine gestured for her Pawns, then, and the four of them ventured off into the mines proper and through the doorway to see what they could do.
Upon first entry, Katrine's first impression was of dark and damp, like this area hadn't seen much use at all in recent years, though she could see some crates and other detritus discarded around the entrance that appeared to be relatively recent, so someone had been through here. She pulled a lantern out of her pack as her Pawns did the same, making sure that everyone had a supply of oil, they'd made sure to stock up on necessary supplies back in town while they were waiting for nightfall the night before. The room they were in lit up before them, exposing more rock walls, some old, mined-out places that had likely contained ore deposits, as well as more quarried rocks, some of which hadn't been moved from where they'd been carved out of the stone.
They traveled further in, making slow progress and going carefully, until her Pawns drew her attention to a rock wall just taller than her head. "This way, Arisen."
Curious, but willing to follow them, Katrine clambered up after her Pawns, revealing another passage leading off into the dark. They scrambled ahead of her, though she could hear her calling back. "I see a gate! Closed fast."
Katrine hurried ahead, as quickly as she could while keeping her footing on the uneven floor before her, to find her Pawns standing around some kind of dias on the floor. Scellia put a foot upon it and it moved slightly. "It seems the panel responds to weight, Master."
The elf shrugged and stepped forward, her Pawns joining her as she did. With creaking of ancient joints and what was most certainly metal somewhere below them, the whole of the panel began to drop into the ground, rumbling beneath them. "Who on earth puts a mechanism like this into a mine?"
Her question was met with blank stares and silence from her Pawns, and their impromptu ride downward on the panel ended after a minute or two of very loud grinding. Katrine stepped off, half expecting it to begin rising again, but no such thing happened. The gate before them lurched downward after another couple of moments with a loud snap, perhaps suggesting something in the mechanism had broken. They quickly moved into the room but found little of interest, save for a very old looking key resting on another one of those quarried blocks. "Why's this in here?" Katrine muttered to herself as she picked it up and pocketed it, assuming it would be useful for something, or at the very least she could take it back to Gran Soren and perhaps give it to the scholar to study. You never knew with these old artifacts.
They cleared out the room, there wasn't much to find, then turned back down the path they'd come and dropped down the little wall to continue onward. However, Katrine's ears picked up something ahead and she motioned for them to be quiet, the elf slinking forward and shuttering her lantern to hide the light. Around the bend, there was more light coming from ahead, as well as the soft crackles of a flame... Someone had definitely been here before. She snuck up to the corner and leaned against the stone, listening for anything that might give away who was here, and once she grew accustomed to the flames and could tune them out somewhat, she could hear whispering from ahead.
"Sounded like someone opening that old door. We put that key in there because of the ogre, remember? Didn't want anyone heading ahead and pissing it off."
"Yeah, probably some lost traveler. We'll go have a", the male's voice chuckled. "Talk with them, won't we?"
The second male laughed and said something that Katrine couldn't make out, but the two figures soon enough wandered past her hiding spot. She crept out behind the two bandits and pulled free her blades, the first time they'd really be tested against something that wasn't goblin hide. She slipped her dagger into the side of the one to her left, almost shocked at how easy it was for her to take another life, and before the second could react she'd plunged her other blade into his neck from behind, the two of them slumping to the ground. The first man twitched in pain and shock, his kidney pierced through, the pain enough to close his throat and prevent a scream... She wasn't sure how she knew that; all this 'Arisen knowledge' was still new to her, though she soon ended his suffering with a blade to the neck.
Katrine slipped back to her Pawns and held up a finger to her lips, motioning for them to come forward. "Bandits, ahead. They hid the key to keep an ogre trapped, I guess they moved in after it did."
The three of them nodded and the four walked together up to see what else was going on, but unfortunately for them, someone had come to see where the other two were gone, and he shouted an alarm before Katrine could silence him. "Armed rogues!" cried Hiei, and the four met the many in the stifling mines.
One of the bandits carried some kind of maul or large hammer, and this one ran ahead of the rest, several more of them came pouring out of a side passage, shouting the alarm and calling for more. There didn't appear to be a massive number, ten in all not counting the two they'd already dispatched, but ten was more than enough to give Katrine and her Pawns trouble. Scellia surged ahead and blocked the man's hammer with her shield, turning it away and letting the large head slam into the stone, sending chips skittering across the ground. "They're left exposed after a grand strike!", called the Pawn, and she ended him with a sword thrust to his chest.
Their new equipment served them well, and with Pawns at her side, their organization soon proved to be doom for the bandits. The final one fell as Hiei lept upon him from behind, allowing Scellia to deal with him with several quick strokes of her sword. The room stank of blood, but at least silence once more prevailed in the dark.
Katrine gestured for the Scellia and Hiei to follow her, leaving Tyri behind to sort through their belongings and see if there would be anything of use among the corpses. The side room proved to be where the bandits had been calling home within the mines, plenty of provisions and other items, likely taken from merchants just like Alon outside who'd attempted to pass through the mine recently, along with several large stacks and sacks of gold coins. Katrine doled the load out between her Pawns... they might actually have to find a bank within Gran Soren, or maybe she could pay off some of her debt to the Duke with all this.
They returned back to the mine proper to find Tyri stacking the bodies, though thankfully she wasn't trying to burn them. She'd set aside anything useful, a few more coins, some healing droughts, some herbs, nothing too substantial. With this part of the mine secured they moved on, traveling further within the dark and the deep. Ahead, the mine opened up slightly, though they could hear something... unsettling coming from the rooms further on, a deep grunting and crunching, cracking sound. Katrine crept forward and peered around the corner, finally able to see what the bandits had done to get rid of the bodies of the merchants they'd killed... The ogre they'd mentioned was ahead, the cracking being the bones of those it was currently eating. The air was stale and thick with the scent of rot and corpses, not helped by the natural stench of the ogre itself.
Katrine bit her lip, remembering the last time they faced one of these only days before, though this time they were more experienced and much better equipped than they'd been then... Tyri stepped out from the wall behind her, pointing at the Ogre with her staff raised. "The sight of women excites it!"
Katrine slapped a hand to her face as the Ogre roared, groaning nice and loud. "Pawns." She slipped out from her hiding place to find the Ogre already on the way, she slid to the side on a knee, finding that her pants were actually quite protective versus the ground underneath, her arm outstretched with her blade drawn. Contrary to what happened last time she tried, this time her new weapons found purchase, biting into and cutting through the thick mats of hair to find flesh and muscle underneath. She actually grinned at that, realizing that they had a much better chance against this one than the last, which was good as she hadn't spotted any convenient ravines to get rid of this one!
Scellia stood before it, slapping the flat of her blade against her new shield, setting up a cacophony that drew the beast's attention. As it swung she redirected it's attacks, sending them off her shield to either side, stabbing where she could with her blade. Tyri kept up a barrage of flames at the beast, sending its hair smoking and actually in flame in others while Katrine snuck around the back. When it stood still for more than a few moments she lept upon it like she had the Cyclops so long ago, her daggers digging in being a most satisfying feeling.
With their new equipment and knowledge of how to defeat the Ogre, the thing fell inside of a few minutes with a mournful wail, leaving Katrine and her Pawns to rest, their hands on their knees and breathing hard, made somewhat difficult by the fact the air was thick and stagnant here. After a minute or so of rest, they stood back up, Katrine giving her Pawns knowing and thankful smiles... Being able to fell the Ogre, despite it still being a difficult battle, just proved to her that they'd made plenty of progress, even in just a few short days. New weapons, equipment, armor... She actually felt like they had a fighting chance.
Up ahead, deeper in the tunnel, was another of the gates with the plate in front of it. Katrine and her Pawns climbed up onto it and waited for it to come down, the air beyond smelling much better than it had in the rank room with the Ogre and now the Ogre's corpse. The gate sank down with the same loud noise as the last one, lurching into place... Though with it came a sound that Katrine most certainly hadn't wanted to hear. The sounds of a goblin's horn, as well as another Ogre yell... Followed by another. She turned to her Pawns, already able to feel her face turning white. "Shit."
They quickly retreated back into the main room they'd come from, despite the smell, Katrine and Hiei both drawing their bows. First through the gate came Goblins, skittering and dancing in their strange way, only to meet a hail of arrows from the two, cutting them down. Scellia remained behind, letting them draw out the foes away from the gate, helping to limit what they'd have to fight at once. Tyri saved her strength for when the Ogres came... they didn't have to wait long.
The Goblins parted as the Ogres emerged, both of them already flushed red from the sound of the Ogre dying, hooting and jumping up and down when they saw the corpse with the Arisen and Pawns standing before it in front of them. Katrine launched one last arrow, felling one of the remaining goblins as Hiei drew back behind her and Scellia stepped forward. There was an awkward pause, deep in the mines, as the two sides faced one another, two angry Ogres and several Goblins standing among other Goblin corpses, the Arisen and Pawns standing in front of one foe they'd already defeated.
The two Ogres charged almost in unison, forcing the group to split, Scellia and Hiei dodging one direction while Katrine and Tyri went the other, one Ogre to each group as the few remaining Goblins danced forward. Katrine ran between them, cutting at the Ogre's legs and trying to get it to fall, eliminating Goblins where she could. Tyri conjured lightning, striking the Ogre several times and filling the air with the scent of ozone. Katrine's dagger's cut the head clean off of a Goblin, sending the body crashing lifeless to the ground, though she had to dodge the Ogre as it stumbled backward. With it distracted by Tyri's spells, she was able to slip her way beneath, cutting at hair and sinew and flesh, little by little chopping away at its legs. She could hear a cry of pain from someone behind her, though it sounded more like the Ogre than her Pawns.
The Ogre she fought soon stumbled under their onslaught and Katrine moved to use it to her advantage, slicing again and again at the one leg the Ogre seemed to have a stable footing on. With a mighty slice and a kick, she felt it recoil and howl, the Ogre crashing over onto its back. She lept upon it before it could attempt to rise, stabbing her daggers into its face and neck until the Ogre moved no more, splattering herself with blood and gore. She didn't give herself the time to wipe off her face, instead turning to the other Ogre and the one remaining Goblin, the others cut down or pierced with arrows.
Scellia dove between the Ogre's legs as it brought down both hands in a strike that surely would have crushed her, and as it turned to chase her down Katrine arrived, putting into play her favorite tactic so far of leaping up onto a foe's back. Her daggers bit deep as she started to climb, her head spinning with fatigue and the horrible air this deep in the mines, certainly not helped by the now many dead Goblins and dead and dying Ogres. She didn't notice the huge arm sweeping back at her until it was too late to react, crying out in pain as the Ogre's hand wrapped around her middle, pressing the metal-reinforced leather against her chest and making breathing hard. She was lifted up and over its head until she was face to face with the beast... If she'd thought the air down here was bad it was nothing like the Ogre's breath.
The thing stared at her, ignoring the Pawns for now, then licked its lips. Now most certainly afraid Katrine let out a scream of alarm and fright as she began to struggle, though that mouth began to loom ever closer, letting her see those blunt, flat teeth good for crushing bone. She could find no purchase to wiggle herself free, her feet kicking fruitlessly in the air, she could feel hot, most breath washing across her face, so rank it was almost making her pass out until a voice rang out and made her look somewhere else.
Scellia cried out, her sword and shield wreathed in Tyri's magical flame. "NONE MAY TOUCH THE ARISEN!" She leapt forward, her boots landing on the beast's knee and propelling her upward as she forced herself into the air with a grunt, her sword arm outstretched. Katrine could only watch in amazement as her Pawn seemed to fly through the air for moments far longer than it could have actually been until her sword found its mark. The Ogre let out a scream of pain as Scellia's blade lodged into its jaw and sunk upward into its skull, Scellia hanging from the weapon now lodged within its brain.
The Ogre's arm released Katrine, leaving her to fall in a pained heap on the ground, the creature flailing senselessly until it crashed backward, dead, upon the ground. Katrine could only watch in amazement as Scellia as casually as ever pulled her blade free, not even bothering to wipe it clean on the Ogre's fur as she made her way back toward the elf. "Master! Are you hurt?"
"Uh, no. Not really." Katrine stood and brushed herself off with Tyri and Scellia's help, glad for the chance to catch her breath. She glanced around them, noting that the mine had fallen back to silence. "I think that's got to be everything... If they aren't attacking now after all that I can't imagine they'll accost any merchants. And I need a breath of fresh air."
She motioned for her Pawns forward and they began the long trek back to the entrance of the mines to tell Alon what they'd done.
Soon enough they returned to the midsummer day's air, much to Katrine's relief, and she took some long moments just to breathe, the smell of the Ogres and goblins still thick in the air even as they ventured back out from the mines. She didn't realize why until Alon let out a cry of shock and pointed at her, at which point she remembered she'd never cleaned off her face. She shuddered slightly and had to fight the urge to retch before she took a cloth from Hiei and some water to quickly wipe herself off.
Only once she felt clean and the cloth didn't come away red did she finally approach the merchant who was keeping a healthy distance. "All clear, then?"
Katrine nodded and closed her eyes, still having to calm her stomach. "As clear as we can make it. Several ogres, goblins, bandits. It'll need some serious cleaning out but it's clear now."
"Happy news, that! You are a wonder, ser." He reached forward and took Katrine's hand, pressing another small bag into it as he shook it. "I'll not tarry about, then! With this route once again open, the merchants of the capital will have an easier time bringing in goods from afar. 'Tis a fine thing for sellers and buyers alike, having trade on the rise." He let her hand go and started off toward the mine. "I'll be sure to tell the trading camp on the other side!"
Katrine nodded and looked to her Pawns with a little grin. "I think it's time to stop and rest for lunch before we head back in there. Maybe the air will clear a bit."
The three nodded and Katrine and her loyal companions set up a small meal, mostly small because the Pawns didn't eat, on one of the large stone blocks near the Quarry, letting Katrine relax and rest and eat after their ordeal in the mines.
They didn't rest too long, however, not wanting to keep the fort waiting, and soon after Katrine finished eating they dove back into the mines along the passage they'd cleared. When they found the bandits they saw that Alon must've rooted through them as they had been disturbed, and they even found signs that he'd been through the bodies of the Goblins and Ogres. When they finally arrived on the other side of the mines, however, he was nowhere in sight, meaning he must've long ago moved on to elsewhere.
Katrine consulted her map and turned them Northwest toward the Shadow Fort, their real goal this far out in Gransys. Another trek, this one over what felt like open country rather than a road or path, through even more goblins, soon enough saw them within sight of the large Fort, though the smoke rising from the interior didn't bode well for it's current state. "By the looks of it, 'tis a grand and sturdy fortress."
Katrine smirked a bit and looked at Tyri, who'd spoken. "Not sturdy enough to stand against goblins, I guess."
They soon made their way inside, the outer wall not defended that they could see, pushing through a large wooden door in order to get into the inner courtyard. She could see signs of a battle here, human and goblin corpses alike strewn about every which way. Closer to the large stone stairs and another, much larger gate, she could see some more soldiers with the Gran Soren crest on their shields standing at the base of the fort, having made a small makeshift camp. Katrine held up a hand as they approached, trying to signal that they were friendly, two soldiers who'd noticed and begun to hold up their weapons standing down. One of them even pointed toward a man sitting by the fire who stood up as they got closer.
He called to them as they approached. "Well met, ser! I take you for the Arisen. A messenger arrived not long past stating that you would be on the way, but he hadn't seen you when you set out. Were you delayed?"
"We were, unfortunately. We were told to take the tunnel-"
"The tunnel? Blocked with ogres, how did you escape?" Some of the men moved closer at the news.
"Escape?" Katrine laughed a bit, putting her hands on her hips. "We killed them. Cleared the mines out. How do you think we got here?"
"Surely you jest. The same way the messenger did, the long way." One of the men close to the Captain spoke up though he received a cuff to his shoulder for his troubles.
"No. We cleared the mines and traveled through them to get here."
The Captain turned to one of his men in lighter armor and motioned for him to head off. "Verify this." He turned back to Katrine and her Pawns, looking them over with new insight. "If what you say is true, I would ask you to spearhead our force here. We are not many, so our tactics are as such: We aim to strike from the front gate, the only way into the Fort, but lack the time and means to batter down the doors. I ask that you pass through the hole you see there and open the gate from within." He gestured to a large pit in the ground behind himself. "It is how the Goblins assaulted the fort, but our men cannot pass through." He pointed to Scellia. "She would not fit either, she would have to remain with us and assault the Fort when the gate is open."
He turned back to Katrine and looked her up and down once more. "I cannot say what may await you within. The danger is great, but I trust you will prevail."
Katrine nodded, then turned to Scellia and gave her a nod. "Wait here with the soldiers. When that door opens, you help them, then come find us, understand?"
"As you wish, Arisen."
