2 Kythorn
"My safety is in the hands of a novice adventurer?" Dynaheir said, which wasn't very nice of her. "But I do thank thee for thy aid, and offer my services in the arts magical."
I didn't reply. Too busy helping her shove an old chest to block the narrow cave entrance.
I knew it was a stupid plan...
The large figures guarding the bridge seemed to be resting, and so I crossed over as quietly as I could. The chasm below looked deep enough that it would muss my hair if I fell through it, and the slats were old and wanted to squeak. Only just after I snuck onto solid ground, I saw a gnoll patrol coming, and gulped down the invisibility potion. Maybe I was cowardly to drink it so soon; I didn't want them to catch me. I ran around, hearing their growls to each other.
"We are sstrrrrong! Eat our foesss!"
"Would rrrratherrr eat witch."
The wychlaran was still alive, like that other gnoll had said.
"Chieftain rrrritual. All ssshall conquerrr!"
They cheered at that.
"Golot, you ssmell funny," one said. "Eating human and not sssharrring? Trrraitor!"
"No, I have not conssssumed flesssh. Ssslanderr!"
I left quickly. The fortress is a large place, with many staircases and paths; I wasn't worried at first because I know invisibility potions last a long time as long as you don't attack anyone, but after a few hours I was concerned. Especially after seeing all the xvarts and gnolls all lined up, guarding their fortification.
I climbed to the top of the stronghold, careful not to dislodge any stones. A large group of gnolls slept, with just one posted on watch; I crept past him and past the sleeping ones. One of them was bigger than the others, wearing more ornaments; I did my best to stay away from him. Near him was a sinkhole, and I looked down in shock to see what was inside it: fragments of human corpses and clothing, smelling like...like I am not going to describe it.
I had to... I went down into it, into the darkness that hid me from the sentry. I really didn't want to get caught and killed. Not like--others. I made myself sm...
Anyway. I got out of the sinkhole to keep searching. Near it was a second hole, and there she was, one gnoll guard dozing beside her. I only meant to look; if she wasn't going to be killed soon, I could just wait for Minsc and Imoen. But the way she looked down there--they'd tied her up, of course, so she couldn't use her hands to cast spells. Her purple robes were tattered and torn, and compared to the gnolls she looked so small and frail and starved, but still her expression and demeanour were so regal and dignified somehow (Queen Biancavere, led to the stake to die for her true love Sir Halberdmuch...). I crouched down on the ground above her, and knocked a small pebble to hit the top of her head. She paid it no heed; I released another, and a third. Thankfully no gnolls were waking up and looking in our direction (objects moving by invisible hands can be noticed, Daddy says when he tells his invisibility story).
Dynaheir looked up in my direction. She didn't say anything; I loosed another pebble with my invisible hand, and climbed down next to her.
"Tasssste....yes, tassssssste..."
I stiffened, and waited; the gnoll was still lying next to the sinkhole. Still dozing. I drew my sword, and placed it on Dynaheir's bonds.
"Art thou here for me? From thy subtlety, thou art not Minsc," she whispered.
"Minsc is coming," I whispered back, sawing through the rope, carefully so as not to hurt her further.
"Have thou nought to do with the Red Wizards?"
"Of course not." Was she going to complain about being rescued? "I...I've...it's just me right now, but I have these sneaky boots that I can lend you, and a necklace the merchant said was magical, though I wasn't paying attention to his description. Have you got spells?"
"Without components, and still less sleep, there is very little I can do. I recommend for us to slip out--thou mayst not attack whilst invisible, and I am all but helpless."
I slipped off the sneaky boots, Sendai's healing potion, and the pretty necklace. Away from me, they shimmered into appearance; the ground was rough and I immediately regretted the boots.
"My thanks to thee. I feel much improved." She drank, and examined the other items. "These boots were made for walking, and that's just what they'll do. Though they do pinch rather, as though completely unsuited for those of my nature." She reached for the necklace; she looked surprised as she fingered it. "This...this contains charges of a spell of mine own school, though 'tis one I am yet unable to memorize. Be certain that I shall cast it to full effect."
"Let's try sneaking, all right?" I hissed to her. I hoisted myself out of the pit, waiting for her; lifting her out might have made some gnoll see me. The sentry still drowsed.
She arose from the sinkhole, moving awkwardly; I tried to discreetly steer her into the shadows. We started to walk back to the stairs, but one of the sentries let out a yell. She reached for the necklace; I saw her smile like a last stand.
"I recommend thee to stay back," she warned, brandishing the necklace as though it was a sword; and the day was suddenly bright. A ring of fire spread almost to our faces. Gnolls screamed and died. The bigger one kept moving, coming toward us with his huge halberd; Dynaheir cast the necklace again, and he died.
"'Twas their chieftain. The rest ought to become disorganized, as a chicken headless." She fired a third blast, further away this time; it cleared us a path. "Come!" she commanded.
Down the steps, xvarts rushed at us, and were held off with flames from Dynaheir. Behind them were more gnolls, coming too close. We ran; they had us backed into the fortress wall. Dynaheir thinned out some of their ranks, but still they came. I strung my bow; I wanted to live through this--I might have been marginally better at fighting than her, but neither of us were Minsc or poor Kagain--
"Trust me, child." I don't know why she called me a child. For all she knew I could have been an ancient five-hundred-year-old elf under the potion of invisibility. She grabbed my wrist--some of the gnolls must have realized there was an invisible person, from their yelling--and she threw us over the stronghold wall.
It was quite a long way down. I remember screaming; then I remember feeling the air soften below us, our fall becoming like gliding.
"'Tis one of few spells available to me in this state. From me it cost much to secure in my mind while in this place."
Gnolls above us, throwing rocks and their large weapons; we ran, keeping to the shadows as much as possible.
"I looked down and saw caves near here!" I called to her. "If we find shelter.."
We reached overhanging rock, preventing the gnolls from throwing any more large missiles in our direction.
"One can only maintain a standing against besieging foes for a brief time," she said. "But else we will surely die. 'Tis better to live for a time, and sell our lives dearly." Xvarts, as blue and loud as in all the stories, were ahead of us; her fire vanquished them. My invisibility seemed to be wearing off anyway, so I took down the last few with my bow. We ran into the first cave, but were massed by xvarts and a horrible white creature I don't know the name of; like a giant bloated wyrm, trying to eat us. I hope I won't ever know it.
"There are limited charges in this necklace," Dynaheir said as she fired it. We fled, leaving the burned creature behind us; the cavern next to it was narrower, seeming a better prospect. Our weapons scattered more of the xvarts; we took it for ourselves.
"The chest," Dynaheir said. We shoved it to partly block the entrance, waiting for the gnolls to come.
"Tell me about thyself, child," she said. "Where didst thee encounter my strong companion Minsc?"
"In Nashkel. He was selling his hamster. Or at least, I thought he was." (I thought I heard her mutter, "'tis a shame", but must've imagined it.) "We were with other friends, but they had to go after a bandit. What brought you here?"
"'Tis known as my dajemma," she said. "My acceptance as a witch of my people." She hadn't needed to define it; I've read about Rashemi wychlaran traditions. "Most interesting times have been foreseen for the Sword Coast. Now let us fight."
The gnolls were upon us.
"Hold! We have slain thy leader, and shalt do the same to thee!" Dynaheir's voice rang out. She did not use the pretty necklace yet; they kept coming.
"I have the kobolds' arrows!" I hissed to her. The flame ones, that gave us so much horror in the mines... "Burning ones."
"Fire, and be quick about it!" she whispered in return.
I aimed; I think my hand shook. The arrow came to rest on the ground before them; a miss, but it burst into hot flames. "We will murder you all with fire!" I screamed at them. It was more likely that they'd do some murdering, I was thinking.
They'd all noticed the arrow; it stopped them, briefly. Trying to be more careful, I aimed another shot; it struck one of the gnolls in the lead in his arm. Flames around him singed two next to him.
"I strongly advice thee to duck--now."
It burned close to me as I flung myself to the ground. The gnolls had been massed together; some of them died. I struggled to my feet. Hurry, Skie--keep them away-- I don't know how I did it. I'm sure my hair must have looked terrible. Dynaheir encouraged me to keep shooting, waiting for them to get close enough together for her fireball blasts to be worth it. The kobold arrows ran out, and the pretty necklace melted away in her fingers like water--it was a shame. I'd wanted to wear it again.
I downed a badly-burned gnoll, and made a second falter; they came, though, to the chest that hardly formed a proper barricade, and I drew my shortsword. The first was wounded and easy for me to stab, lunging over the chest; the second, not so.
"Sssslay you...then ssslay the witch."
"Pardon me while I put up a fight!" Dynaheir threw a chunk of rock from the cave walls at it. I don't think it hit. I reached for my bleeding arm. I was hurt, and I knew we didn't have any more healing potions. Its breath stank; I grabbed my sword with my left hand and stabbed up. I shoved its body on top of the chest, but there were more behind it... I was hurt again, fighting. Dynaheir tried with her rocks, but she wasn't very good.
Then of course they came for us.
"GO FOR THE EYES, BOO! GO FOR THE EYES! EVIL MUST TASTE HAMSTER JUSTICE!"
The voice shouting that battlecry. A figure in pink was the first we saw, sparkling into existence to slit a gnoll's throat, melting into thin air only to suddenly appear again, moving at the speed of a typhoon: Imoen.
"Hey kiddo miss me?" she called quickly, downing another invisibility potion in the blink of an eye; behind her, Minsc fought his way through, unstoppable through similar potions.
"DYNAHEIR! YOU WILL BE DEFENDED! EVIL'S BACKSIDE, MEET MY BLADE!"
I think he is at least a little insane, as he found it very hard to stop fighting, but he and Imoen did rescue us and make it into the cave.
"Ph-ew! Did I tell you that you totally stink?" Imoen said. I flushed. This was very embarrassing.
Dynaheir amazed me after all the complaining she'd done about being rescued. "Do not speak to her thus," she said. "The heroine seen before thee saved my life by journeying among the gnolls' poor, former captives. Take thy battle-spoil."
A book, scrolls, some gold, and three potions I was hardly able to trust, from the chest; it was all very nice of her, but I was bleeding to death. Or at the very least felt like it, and that is the important thing.
"I got some healing potions." Imoen distributed one to each of us; I drank, and felt much better. "Plus this old thrown-out spellbook I figured might... Yup, gotcha." Dynaheir quickly took it from her hands. "Now, our last two potions of speed and you're outta here!"
We recaptured Sendai's horse, and as soon as we reached a stream I burned my clothing and bathed while Minsc watched for peeping toms and monsters. Dynaheir also needed to remove the grime of the gnolls, and Imoen joined us as well; even though it was only a stream out in the woods, I began to feel a little human again. The three of us kept watch during Minsc and Boo's turn to bathe--he is almost the size of the three of us combined--and I swear Imoen peeked, as she made a comment about what they say about Rashemi men. (They say the same thing about halfling men, I've heard from Eldoth's rogue associates, but I didn't notice her doing the same to poor Montaron. Then again I'm not sure if he ever bathed.) As for me, I have a true love in Eldoth.
I read the book and it disappeared in my hands. I don't really believe in those theories on how to instantly gain friends and influence others anyway; it all seems so trite and shallow. But I felt a little better about my appearance after tidying my hair.