Part CVI: Holed In
Date: Kapton 12th, 114 A.U.
Slowly, Reynyagn pushed the door open, almost fearful about what traps they might find next. He opened the door into darkness as he thrust his torch out. All around them, gold glittered as gems hung on the wall. And at the end of the hall filled with treasures was the Arglem, shining out on its perch.
“The Arglem,” Flek said. “After our long search we have it.”
“Maybe that means I won’t have to keep following you all around throughout Arquenia then,” Hagion mumbled. And then, there was an explosion in the distance.
“Keep moving!” Emperor Jaigran roared, as the rocks piled down into the now-larger hole, consolidating as they began to form a ramp downward. More engineers worked and more rocks tumbled, now making a better slope as elven soldiers began to move downward into the caves.
“We have them properly caught now,” Unyihi Garum rumbled. “Shall I lead my battalion of orcs down into the caves to take them?”
“Go,” Jaigran replied. “Leave the Sla’ad, the augger, and the goblin alive, but kill all the others. I wish to question the Sla’ad and the augger, them being the two leaders of the group, especially since we have not heard of these auggers before. As for the goblin? The Watcher wants him, and I will not question his decision.”
“Yes, zar!” Unyihi replied. And with that, he gave a bellow to his orcs and they descended along with the elves.
“They will fare no chance,” the Watcher said as he watched them go. “The Xavier Team is trapped.”
Zarien quickly moved inside the vehicle as the elf fell down beside him, the bloody knife now in Zarien’s hand as he moved quickly through it, Sereth and Hazael following him.
“How many more guards?” Hazael asked.
“Hopefully no one else is in here,” Zarien hissed as he moved to the control panel of the Xavier Team’s ship. But there might be some still in here trying to find stuff out about us. You and Sereth can go check while I contact the rest of the team.” Sereth shot him a warning glance about him ordering her around, but Zarien ignored her. Quickly pushing buttons, Zarien strained his memory before remembering how to work it, quickly bringing up the communicator to contact the rest of the Xavier Team.
“Zarien to the Xavier Team. Zarien to the Xavier Team. Do you read me?” Zarien waited, hoping for a response. After two minutes, a reply came.
"This is Reynyagn.” The voice was curiously devoid of much emotion. “What do you want?” The response puzzled Zarien for a bit before he realized why Reynyagn was acting this way.
“Hey,” Zarien said. “Look I get it that I could be just Jaigran’s manipulation or an imposter or anything, but let’s move beyond that. I’m currently in your ship aboveground. The elves have found you here. If you heard an explosion within the past ten minutes, it’s because the elves just created an easy passageway down to the cave systems and have the entrance up here heavily guarded. I really hope that you know of some other exit down there, because otherwise, basically you’re trapped. And Jaigran’s sending a whole boatload of troops down there to find you.”
Reynyagn kicked at the ground anyways. “Shoot,” he finally said.
“Well, I guess that settles it,” Monty mumbled. “If he was an imposter, I don’t see what Jaigran would gain by telling us this. Because assuming that he’s telling the truth…”
“We’re in huge trouble,” Reynyagn replied. “And if he’s lying, we don’t have much to lose. We need to get out of here—fast.”
“How?” Flek asked. “You heard them—right? The only exit out of here is blocked!”
“The Sla’ad have to had put another exit in here—some method of escape or easy entrance without exploding their way into this place,” Reynyagn snapped, quickly running through the hall of treasures as he threw them aside. “There has to be some exit—otherwise from what Zarien said, we’re doomed.”
“Speaking of Zarien, he’s still on the other line,” Number 994 said, taking the walkie-talkie from Reynyagn. “I’ll talk to him and see what he can come up with.”
“There’s a lot of writing on the walls,” Jroldin murmured as he looked at the archaic lettering. “I can’t make out what it says, though…”
“It’s a tribute to their king and their cause, whom they’re hailing as martyrs,” Flek quickly said. “I don’t know how I know that,” he quickly interjected, uncomfortable from all the stares that he was now getting. “I don’t know when I learned that language, but that’s just what it says, okay?”
“I won’t question it,” Reynyagn said, picking up the Arglem and its sheath and strapping it onto his belt, bending down to look at the pedestal the Arglem had been on.
“We’re really doomed,” Astrid said nervously as she grabbed a gun off the walls. “I don’t feel prepared to take out scores of elves, and I don’t think-”
“Yes—I’ve got it! A map!” Reynyagn yelled as he held up the aging parchment, quickly scanning it. “It’s a map of the Caves of Dragla! We’re here… and it looks like we came in here.”
“There’s another exit,” Augger murmured as he looked at the map.
“Aye,” Reynyagn said, grim-faced. “And from the looks of it, we can get there, but the only route that connects us to that part of the cave system is right between us and the invading elves.”
“So you’re saying-“ Jroldin began
“We’ve got to get to that route before they do unless we want to fight our way through all those elves. Otherwise, we’re doomed.”
Date: Kapton 12th, 114 A.U.
Slowly, Reynyagn pushed the door open, almost fearful about what traps they might find next. He opened the door into darkness as he thrust his torch out. All around them, gold glittered as gems hung on the wall. And at the end of the hall filled with treasures was the Arglem, shining out on its perch.
“The Arglem,” Flek said. “After our long search we have it.”
“Maybe that means I won’t have to keep following you all around throughout Arquenia then,” Hagion mumbled. And then, there was an explosion in the distance.
“Keep moving!” Emperor Jaigran roared, as the rocks piled down into the now-larger hole, consolidating as they began to form a ramp downward. More engineers worked and more rocks tumbled, now making a better slope as elven soldiers began to move downward into the caves.
“We have them properly caught now,” Unyihi Garum rumbled. “Shall I lead my battalion of orcs down into the caves to take them?”
“Go,” Jaigran replied. “Leave the Sla’ad, the augger, and the goblin alive, but kill all the others. I wish to question the Sla’ad and the augger, them being the two leaders of the group, especially since we have not heard of these auggers before. As for the goblin? The Watcher wants him, and I will not question his decision.”
“Yes, zar!” Unyihi replied. And with that, he gave a bellow to his orcs and they descended along with the elves.
“They will fare no chance,” the Watcher said as he watched them go. “The Xavier Team is trapped.”
Zarien quickly moved inside the vehicle as the elf fell down beside him, the bloody knife now in Zarien’s hand as he moved quickly through it, Sereth and Hazael following him.
“How many more guards?” Hazael asked.
“Hopefully no one else is in here,” Zarien hissed as he moved to the control panel of the Xavier Team’s ship. But there might be some still in here trying to find stuff out about us. You and Sereth can go check while I contact the rest of the team.” Sereth shot him a warning glance about him ordering her around, but Zarien ignored her. Quickly pushing buttons, Zarien strained his memory before remembering how to work it, quickly bringing up the communicator to contact the rest of the Xavier Team.
“Zarien to the Xavier Team. Zarien to the Xavier Team. Do you read me?” Zarien waited, hoping for a response. After two minutes, a reply came.
"This is Reynyagn.” The voice was curiously devoid of much emotion. “What do you want?” The response puzzled Zarien for a bit before he realized why Reynyagn was acting this way.
“Hey,” Zarien said. “Look I get it that I could be just Jaigran’s manipulation or an imposter or anything, but let’s move beyond that. I’m currently in your ship aboveground. The elves have found you here. If you heard an explosion within the past ten minutes, it’s because the elves just created an easy passageway down to the cave systems and have the entrance up here heavily guarded. I really hope that you know of some other exit down there, because otherwise, basically you’re trapped. And Jaigran’s sending a whole boatload of troops down there to find you.”
Reynyagn kicked at the ground anyways. “Shoot,” he finally said.
“Well, I guess that settles it,” Monty mumbled. “If he was an imposter, I don’t see what Jaigran would gain by telling us this. Because assuming that he’s telling the truth…”
“We’re in huge trouble,” Reynyagn replied. “And if he’s lying, we don’t have much to lose. We need to get out of here—fast.”
“How?” Flek asked. “You heard them—right? The only exit out of here is blocked!”
“The Sla’ad have to had put another exit in here—some method of escape or easy entrance without exploding their way into this place,” Reynyagn snapped, quickly running through the hall of treasures as he threw them aside. “There has to be some exit—otherwise from what Zarien said, we’re doomed.”
“Speaking of Zarien, he’s still on the other line,” Number 994 said, taking the walkie-talkie from Reynyagn. “I’ll talk to him and see what he can come up with.”
“There’s a lot of writing on the walls,” Jroldin murmured as he looked at the archaic lettering. “I can’t make out what it says, though…”
“It’s a tribute to their king and their cause, whom they’re hailing as martyrs,” Flek quickly said. “I don’t know how I know that,” he quickly interjected, uncomfortable from all the stares that he was now getting. “I don’t know when I learned that language, but that’s just what it says, okay?”
“I won’t question it,” Reynyagn said, picking up the Arglem and its sheath and strapping it onto his belt, bending down to look at the pedestal the Arglem had been on.
“We’re really doomed,” Astrid said nervously as she grabbed a gun off the walls. “I don’t feel prepared to take out scores of elves, and I don’t think-”
“Yes—I’ve got it! A map!” Reynyagn yelled as he held up the aging parchment, quickly scanning it. “It’s a map of the Caves of Dragla! We’re here… and it looks like we came in here.”
“There’s another exit,” Augger murmured as he looked at the map.
“Aye,” Reynyagn said, grim-faced. “And from the looks of it, we can get there, but the only route that connects us to that part of the cave system is right between us and the invading elves.”
“So you’re saying-“ Jroldin began
“We’ve got to get to that route before they do unless we want to fight our way through all those elves. Otherwise, we’re doomed.”
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