Up the Mountain

[mosaic_archive]

As it turns out, they didn't have to do that much hiking. While Rydia had been seeing to an injured friend - or rather an alt of one - the Waltzes had slipped off to fly up ahead and get PINPoint coordinates. So, after the brief Nexus Detour they were able to skip ahead on most of the trip, leaving only a short distance to go.

Rydia's thoughts are elsewhere, still concerned about the injured Cecil, but they had promised the other survivors from the trade caravan that they would see Mungo the Dwarf safely home.

((Backdated so the pups can take care of this loose end while Cecil's asleep >.> ))
((NOTE on 8/4/2014 - Please ignore the mentions of an injured Cecil alt, as that person deleted their journals and all posts and the events are unrecoverable so I'm considering them as having not happened for the sake of my sanity.))

Comments

[random_xtras]

Silver's doll is finished now, and she's happily chatting away to it about things they're passing and recent events. Her fine silver hair is mussed everywhich way, and her face just acquired a fine coating of dust from where she just managed to fall down in a dusty spot a few moments before. Her blue eyes are sparkling, though. There is no way that anyone with only normal sight who looked at her would imagine her to be anything more than what she seems.

[feathered_mages]

Mungo's grumbling has grown more good-natured the closer the Dwarf gets to his home. He'll have been telling them about it for about the last mile or so. The Hall is entirely underground, with only a small tower aboveground to mark the entrance's location.

The Waltzes don't share the Dwarf's enthusiasm, having a dislike for being shut away from the sky for too long.

What Mungo doesn't know, since they're not quite in sight, is that not much is left of the entrance tower. It's a pile of charred stone rubble, with some scorch-marks on the terrain nearby.

This world seems prone to troubles. Or maybe it's just this range of mountains.

[random_xtras]

Silver suddenly stops short right in front of the dwarf, her head snapping around as she tries to hear something that just touched the very edge of her senses.

[feathered_mages]

Mungo manages, barely, not to trip over the young dragon.

Mistral just makes his way over to tuck a wing over her in concern.

The underground hall up ahead is crawling with goblins and hobgoblins, and a few nastier things. There are some surviving Dwarves barricaded in rooms, but they're badly outnumbered.

[random_xtras]

A little dragonet who is now sparkling softly with silver light as she snuggles.

[mist-caller.livejournal.com]

Well, that solves the lighting problem. They're on a small square room with a single door. Mungo heads right for it and opens it, encountering two dwarves with crossbows. They look relieved to see him instead of something else, and they've barracaded the only other door in that room.

[random_xtras]

Silver's still hiding and snuggling for now, but she can hear what's going on around her past all the hurt and upset that's bombing her senses.

[feathered_mages]

While Mungo's having a few words with the dwarves in here, Mistral's whispering to the other two Waltzes. Silver's upset enough, and he doesn't want her hurt worse, so he's suggesting a change in tactics for now. The other two eventually agree, though not without some disagreements.

The Dwarves explain what little they can. This room is usually a guard room to keep goblins and such out, but for now they're trying to use it to keep them in until help can arrive. The fighting wasn't sudden, and has been going on for some days now - about a day or so after Mungo left to guard that caravan trip. There's a Bugbear leading the caravan, and they think he can use some magic. Also, they're not all that sure how the goblins got inside in the first place. Something had knocked down the tower here, and while everyone was watching for an attack from this direction, goblins had somehow already been inside and swarmed the place. They agree to let everyone through the barricade if they really want, and give Mungo a cure potion in case it will be needed.

[random_xtras]

Silver talks happily, tucking her doll inside her clothes so that she's got two hands to reach out to the rats after they're done with that goblin. She's still unhappy with what's happened here. But Guardian Fae dragons like most other living things. And these rats probably aren't dark or evil... just ratty.

[feathered_mages]

Rydia will put Silver down if she wants, so the dragonet can pet the rats. She doubts they'd be carrying any germs that could make a dragon sick.

And yes, other than the enormous - for rats - size, the squeaky vermin are just normal rats. Well, other than being currently magicked out of being skittish and into being very tame and friendly due to the effects of Mistral's bell.

The two other dwarves are able to give them a heads-up on the next room they were going to search - most of the initial fighting had occurred there and the room contains some two dozen dead bodies, both dwarves and goblins. The Waltzes quickly decide it's best not to go in there, especially since it's already been searched. Though Blaze does offer to duck in and incinerate the goblin bodies before they start to stink up the place. He's likely also thinking about looting them - turning them into toads here has thus far eliminated picking their pockets afterward.

"Are you sure you should use fire here?" asks Arashi, who sounds like he thinks he's caught Blaze doing something stupid. "We're underground, and fire uses up air."

At that, Mungo's eyes go wide. "This way!" And he'll hurry past the others as fast as he can.

[random_xtras]

Silver's explaining to the rats that if they help her friends and especially the dwarves they'll be friends to them and the rats won't have to worry about finding food or something to scratch their backs on anymore. As she chatters in that other language she's trotting along to keep up with her friends. She's also listening to hear what the rats say in return.

[feathered_mages]

The trio of rodents just scamper along. Their wants and thoughts are fairly basic - finding food and a nice warm place to nest.

Mungo's hurried to a hinged grating set in a wall farthest from the entrance, behind which can be seen some trace of natural light. There's a breeze of fresh air coming in here, because that's exactly what it's for. The grating leads to a ten foot square room that rises up and narrows like a massive chimney. It's an air shaft, and he'd thought of it when fire spells using up air had been mentioned.

This close, it's easy to see the latch has been damaged. Mungo peers inside and curses as he opens the grating to step into the 'room' beyond. Looking up, he can see the smaller grating on the surface has been torn from its hinges - probably by the young red dragon.

This was how the goblins and their allies had gotten in. While the dragonlet had attacked the entrance and caused attention to be diverted to the front of the subterrainean hall, the intruders had slipped down the air shaft and taken everyone by surprise. They'll need to make sure more can't come in this way without blocking the air. But one other detail worries Mungo as much as - or more than - the thought of more goblins. "The Beast's gone."

"What Beast?" asks a curious Mistral. The other two Waltzes facepalm. They know that tone too well.

"A Displacer Beast. We kept her here just in case someone tried to come down the air shaft," Mungo says. "Don't see any sign they've killed her, and if she's been turned loose..."

"If it's an animal, I'm sure it won't be any problem," says Arashi. He might have his disagreements with Mistral's habitual collection of pets, but he did respect that it meant they didn't have to worry about any danger from wild animals.

Since the upper end of the shaft is narrow enough that only one creature could climb down at a time, the two dwarves they met in the hall earlier agree to stay and guard the air shaft. They'll make sure, at least, that the number of goblins won't be increasing.

[random_xtras]

"[And I'll help you keep your fur all nice,]" says Silver, knowing that this is a way that cats express friendship. Then she looks up, her bright eyes slightly unfocused as she listens to the walls. "Here comes food. And some's for us!"

[feathered_mages]

Blaze will let the roast drop in front of the displacer - or at least where he thinks she is. It looks for a moment as if she twists her head away from it in her sleep, but that's just because he put it in front of the illusion. Hunger and the smell of meat cause her to start to overcome the sleep spell, and the tentacles on her back give a twitch. Then she opens her eyes and one of the tentacles lashes out.

It looks like the visible displacer strikes at nothing at all, while the roast is suddenly dragged across the floor to a spot a few feet to the side. The illusion bites, and a piece vanishes from the roast.

Blaze just distributes the slightly stale pastries.

[random_xtras]

Silver will respectfully move away from the displacer as she eats, instead going to snuggle against Mistral and check on her dolly. "She can come with us, right? She doesn't have to go live with your pets? If she wants to. She'd be a big help!"

[random_xtras]

Silver blinks at all the sudden sleeping, then lays on her stomach and looks under the table.

[feathered_mages]

Yes, the ratties, too, are napping.

And the Bugbear doesn't know how to change himself back from being a toad. The two formerly-tray-holding goblins had been peaking in the far doorway at the time, and have now fled - but they'll spread the word to the other invaders. Without their leader, the goblins will try to beat a hasty retreat - but with both possible routes blocked by dwarves, that won't go well for them. Looks like things are starting to get under control here.

[random_xtras]

Silver frowns in that way that little kids do when they think, then hops off the table and goes over to hunker down and investigate the toad.

"How long do they stay like this, Mistral?

[random_xtras]

Silver laughs, then goes running at the nearest hobgob. "Rawer!"

She is not scary. But since the critter's scared already....

[feathered_mages]

Indeed it is, and right now more than willing to run and scream from anything that moves. Including Silver.

Mungo, meanwhile, is insisting on looking for the lord of the hall, or at least trying to find out what's happened to them. Rydia agrees and they'll start to head out of the room. The Waltzlets seem torn between following or staying to watch Kitty and Silver play. Mistral knows he has to stay, just in case. Kitty might not be so docile without his bell around.

The problem might be solved when Mungo heads out into the hall. He's nearly knocked over by four frantic hobgoblins, followed by one very hyper and wound-up displacer beast. Looks like playtime has spread to the hallways.

[random_xtras]

Also, one laughing Silver. Who is still hugging that poor toad.

[random_xtras]

Silver nuzzles Kitty, then scritches her chin before turning back to the ratties and mentally showing them a picture of a dog having a bath in a tub, and then being given a Milk Bone. "[Like that.]"

[feathered_mages]

Confused ratties are still confused. That doesn't look like much water to swim in. But they'd like to swim. There is no water here to swim in. Should they find water? Will they get a treat for finding water to swim in?

[random_xtras]

Bright blue eyes seek out a dwarf to ask about baths and treats. "[Let me ask.] Is there somebody of a higher rank here besides the guy that's sleeping?"