(And now for something completely different!)

Chapter Fourteen

Pyre Fierceshot did not like what he was seeing.

"Uhhh… chief… didn't you kill him?" Gron Fierceclaw asked.

"One would think… but I should have figured that old shamans wouldn't stay dead." The Charr chieftain noted. "Stay here, and be on the lookout. I'm going in and scout just what old Flamemane is up to."

"But… he could be reporting to an army!"

"Which is precisely why only I'm going." Pyre retorted, slapping Gron across the back of the head. "If he does have friends, we have a greater chance of being spotted the more we have tramping about down there. You and Bonwar stay here. Keep watch. Make sure I'm not followed. I trust you can follow those simple commands."

And with that, Pyre Fierceshot slid into the cave, on the tail (figuratively speaking) of Grazz Flamemane, and whatever secret the shaman acolyte was hiding.

The trail was surprisingly linear, the tunnel eerily straight for several miles… it took one slight eastward bend before beginning another long straight stretch further into the earth. Pyre began to grow increasingly curious… he must be across the Northern Wall by now… what would the shamans be doing in mostly human lands?

For a moment, the Charr chief began to think that Grazz had made some sort of turn into a secret passageway, but then as the cavern took a steep downward slope, Pyre saw said shaman still advancing forward. Taking care not to drift into the shaman's range of scent, Pyre continued his pursuit.

"How damned far is your base, you sniveling peon?" Pyre muttered to himself. It felt like he had been following this underground river way all day. But, mercifully, just as the Charr ranger thought the accursed tunnel would never end, it finally emerged into a large cavern with a grand towering citadel of shimmering gold and brilliant light filling his vision.

Now, Pyre was not a religious being; in fact, the mere mention of gods or deities or other supernatural beings made him want to projectile vomit, then skewer whoever made such mention and roast said speaker over an open flame. But seeing the majesty of what was known as Atal Ra almost made Pyre mutter a small prayer to some unnamed god that even he had not known existed upon until that point.

In a trance, Pyre slowly strode forward, oblivious to the fact that he was now in the open, astonished by what was before his eyes. This was not the work of the shamans… who… was responsible for such a creation?

An abrupt set of sharp hisses snapped him out of his daze, and at that point, Pyre realized he had been surrounded by a cadre of Asura in tight blue uniforms, holding swords that would have classified as daggers in his hand on him. For a moment, Pyre was startled, then was more amused than anything else.

"How cute; the army is here." Pyre drawled. He took a threatening step forward, and sure enough, the Asura in his path jumped back defensively, still hissing with their disturbingly small, yet sharp teeth fully bared.

"Come on, I don't have time to play with you." The Charr chief said, taking another step forward and chuckling again as the "guards" retreated, all the while trying to be as intimidating as they possibly could. "One of my kind passed through here, and I suspect he's up to no good. So just step aside and let me… URK!"

At that moment, he felt something sharp stick into his rump, but before he could even begin to think on what it was, his entire body felt like it had been cracked with a stinging whip. His body jerked rigid and a mind-shatteringly intense burning flooded him from the top of his skull to the tips of his toes. Even the mighty Charr's hair stood on end and crackled from whatever he had been struck with; and the last sensation he had was what smelled like burning fur before the bliss of unconsciousness turned off his brain…

* * * * *

Elite Guard Kreweman Norrit slowly wound up the wires back into his device while the rest of his Krewe cheered heartily. Norrit's second in command, Elite Guard Kreweman Hewin slapped Norrit on the back, and crowed, "Incredible! The Treated Anode Superconductor and Electricity Redirector works like a charm!"

Norrit agreed with a vigorous nod, "Indubitably. This is truly a far less dangerous and more acceptable way to incapacitate an uncooperative intruder."

"Did you see the way his eyes rolled up in his head?" Another one of the Krewe laughed. "I don't think you'll ever see that expression on a Charr's face ever again!"

Finally, one Asura seemed to show concern for the victim. "Is… is he supposed to do that?"

At that point, attention was drawn to the felled Charr, the large being twitching violently with random spasms, a dribble of drool dripping down from his slack mouth.

Norrit then examined the T.A.S.E.R. with a practiced, discerning eye, and reached the conclusion, "Hmm… maybe we set it too high…"

* * * * *

Gwen did not like what she was seeing.

What was that menace Pyre up to now? She watched him set a couple of his near brain-dead goons at watch outside a cave that appeared to lead towards the Northern Wall. Was the Fierce clan trying to dig into Ascalon for a sneak attack? Or perhaps something even more sinister?

There was only one way to find out.

Getting past Bonwar and Gron wasn't difficult… much like cats teased with a ball of string, a well placed rock making noise in the hedges to the west drew their full, undivided attention for the few seconds she needed to slip past them and into the cave.

Rather quickly, her first fears of the Charr digging a tunnel to Ascalon were dashed. This was a natural creation, probably formed from the earthquakes that opened up the interior of Tyria to the surface world. Perhaps Pyre had found some horrific weapon that he was planning to unleash on the humans…

At times, Gwen lost sight of her quarry… but didn't dare get any closer because she knew first hand how sharp the Charr sense of smell could be. Fortunately, the path was pretty straightforward, and so keeping track of Pyre even without a clear line of sight wasn't difficult. Judging from the light tracks he was leaving, it seemed Pyre was also being cautious with his footing… like he was tracking someone himself.

This short adventure was getting weirder with each passing moment.

And it only got weirder once she reached the end of the tunnel, and into the cavern that housed the heart of Asuran learning… not that she knew that. All she knew for certain was that whatever it was looked amazing… and was also rather hard to look at.

Taking three steps forward into the cavern, she quickly found herself surrounded by a small group of hissing Asura. Clearly, they did not approve of Gwen's presence, and she tried to quell any hostility by raising her hands in a non-threatening gesture.

"Uhhh… hey there." The young mesmer said nervously, twiddling her fingers in a meek attempt at greeting. "I don't mean to trespass… I'm just looking for a mean ol' Charr that might have come this way…"