Raiding Party

Sophia leads a raid into Gelden's hideout in Westmark in an attempt to free the kidnapped royal couple.

17.

Raiding Party

 

“Alright everybody, wake up; it’s time!”   Sophia’s voice brought all those sleeping in the dungeon cell awake with a start.

Through the thick haze of Dart’loxinchu smoke, they could see that the Drow sorceress was on her feet, animated and excited and she spoke to them as she paced back and forth, “I’ve watched Ant through the brooch all night - it is just after dawn now- and I think we need to raid Gelden’s hideout immediately.”

“In broad daylight?”   Jevon asked.

“Yes, though it isn’t actually daylight - there is a heavy rainstorm moving over the city, which is why I want us to act now.   They won’t expect a daytime assault, especially in the rain, and two of the three wizards guarding the Losasidhe king and queen have gone to get some breakfast.    They’re not expecting anything right now, so this is the perfect time to act.”

Sophia hurried over to one end of the cell where her husband Khord stood beside a pile of equipment.     “Khord has gathered what all of you will need, so come and get your gear ready quickly and we’ll go into action.”

“Surely you aren’t going to go with us!”   Shel said to the hugely pregnant Drow woman.  

Sophia just nervously stuck another Dart’loxinchu cigarette between her lips, lit it with a flame Cantrip and took several deep drags as if she hadn’t smoked for days, “I do indeed plan on going!”

“In your condition?”   Rick asked.

Sophia put her hands on her hips and struck a proud and defiant pose, “Yes indeed!    I’m tired of sitting around not doing anything.     I’m miserable whether I sit and wait or lead you on a raid, so I’d rather be more productive.”

“But… your baby-“  Shel protested.

The Drow lady exhaled a plume of smoke straight upward, “Babies, actually - that is why I’m so big.    But don’t worry, Shel; I have enough magical protection on me to make me and my babies safer than if I was wearing enchanted plate armor.”

Shel looked at Rick and the other Practical Magicians, who shared their skepticism.

“I appreciate your concern, but I assure you that I am in no danger.”   Putting her Dart’loxinchu cigarette between her lips, she slipped out of her wizard’s robe.    The skimpy sorceress’ outfit was little more than a metal bikini, along with hip-high dark purple leather boots with ridiculously high heels for any woman, especially one extremely pregnant.    Her swollen belly should have neutralized the Qi generating effect, but Sophia seemed to almost glow in her pregnancy and was startlingly erotic in her maternal state.

Uneasy at her effect on them, Rick and Jevon glanced at each other, then to Mutt and Tadd, to confirm by their expressions that each of them weren’t crazy - the Drow Sorceress was generating Qi even in her expectant state.

“Unbelievable,”  Rick mumbled to Shel, who was also amazed at how confident and sure of herself that Sophia seemed.

“Hurry up, everyone; we have a raid to make,”   The Sorceress said to them, leaning against the dungeon wall and smoking as she spoke.

 

***

 

Less than ten minutes later they all were ready.    Tadd and Mutt wore small chainmail shirts, leather armor and carried short swords, while Rick, Jevon and Shel wore chainmail shirts over leather armor and bore long swords and footman’s maces.

All of them had some weapons training, but were still apprehensive about their skills in combat.

“Don’t hesitate to use Cantrips or spells, as long as you can cast them quickly.    Used smartly, a Cantrip can be as effective as an offensive spell,”  Sophia instructed them as she took up a magical wizard’s staff, “Spells are cast far quicker by magic device than from memory, which is why I use this staff.”

“Weapons are quicker and always reliable,” Khord commented, glancing at Shel, who did not know any spells or Cantrips, “But let me lead the way.”

“Behind me,”   Sophia corrected with a playful look to her husband.    She seemed so cavalier about the raid that Rick and his fellow Practical Magicians were unnerved.  

“Are we all ready?”   The Sorceress asked happily as if they were preparing for a surprise birthday party.

Rick couldn’t stand it any longer, “Ma’am, aren’t you the least bit nervous about this raid?”

Sophia gave a nonchalant shrug, “I’ve been in many dangerous situations, young man, and I’ve learned that staying calm is best.”

She just smiled patronizingly at him and walked to the door of the cell, “Okay, everyone, follow me.”

“What is the plan, Lady Sophia?”   Tadd asked as they followed her through the open cell door, “We have no strategy.”

“We don’t really need any, Tadd.    Just follow Khord and me and do what we tell you to do, okay?”

“But-“

“Shh!   No questions, please!   Trust me!”   She smiled so alluringly that Tadd blushed and nodded, quietly falling in line.

 

***

 

Ten minutes later they were standing under a dripping awning of a candle-maker’s shop, across the street from the compound of the Faesidhe Wizard.   The rain came down relentlessly, though Sophia had cast a Repel Water spell on them as they trudged across town to their destination.

“That perimeter wall is about 15 feet high,”   Mutt commented.

“I see sentries crossing in front of the gate every few minutes,”   Jevon added.

“So what do we do?   Rush the gate?   We’ve no battering ram,“ Rick asked Sophia grimly.

Sophia just smiled confidently, “I’ll show you how it’s done.   All of you wait here; you’ll see when to join me.”

She kissed her husband as if she was going to a trip to the market, and just happily walked out into the rain.   Though unbelievably huge with twins, she was extremely graceful on her feet.   She strutted like a streetwalker in her high-heeled boots, through the puddles, never missing a step, heading straight for the gate of Gelden’s compound.

They all watched in puzzlement mixed with amazement at her performance.      She slowed down as she neared the gate, walking like a prostitute prowling the street for a client.

In spite of her extremely obvious advanced pregnancy, somehow she gave off a confident, erotic and slightly exotic air.   Her spell kept the rain off of her, which only added to the mysterious effect.

A sentry passed the gate, saw her nearing and stopped to stare in amazement at the surreal sight of a beautiful Drow woman, massively pregnant, wearing a revealing metal bikini, slowly approaching the gate.

The sentry was soon joined by two others.   

Sophia smiled seductively at them, holding them with her bedroom eyes as she casually brought out her Dart’loxinchu case and with purposeful slowness pulled out a cigarette, then lit it with a flame Cantrip.     As she neared the gate, she flirtatiously turned away from them, walking parallel with the gate until she was nearly out of their line of sight.    Then, turned at a slight angle to them, she leaned against the wall and casually smoked her cigarette.

A few moments passed and then two more Faesidhe guards joined the others, clustered around the gate to see the strange woman.

Finally, one of them called out, “Hey!    Who are you anyway, and what are you doing out there?”

“This is a private residence; you need to take your tricks someplace else!”   Another voice yelled to her.

Sophia pushed off from the wall and strutted over to them, “What’s the matter, boys?    You don’t like what you see?    Don’ t let the belly fool you; it just means I’m willing to do anything.”

The Faesidhe men’s eyes were glued on her, though they were acting as if they were disgusted by her.

“We don’t want any of what you’re selling, dark elf.     You are clearly used merchandise.”

Sophia turned to them with one hand on her hip and snapped her fingers with the other.     There was a red flash of light and the wizard’s staff that she’d left across the street appeared in her hand.

“I’m not selling anything, boys; I’m giving it away,”  She said, dangling her Dart’loxinchu cigarette as she raised her staff.    They began to back away, realizing too late that she wasn’t what she seemed to be.     With a snap of her wrist, there came a loud booming sound and the gate of the compound was ripped free of its hinges and thrown violently across the yard, taking the five guards with it in the force of the blast.    

The echoes of the explosion were still rebounding off buildings when Sophia strutted into the compound, unhindered.   She gestured for those watching in amazement across the street to join her.

They hurried to comply with her request.

 

The blast had sent the Faesidhe guards in the yard fleeing for their lives, terrified of Sophia’s show of power.

But one Faesidhe man stood there smiling, waiting for them, which puzzled Rick until the features of the man began to shift and change as if they were melting away.

“It’s Ant,” Jevon said to his friend as the group came up to the Changeling.

Sure enough, her features morphed until they took on the white statue-like features of her race.

“Lady Sophia, that was quite impressive.   I did not expect any activity so soon.”

“We hoped to surprise the Faesidhe,”   The Drow lady answered.

“Well your show of force has terrified the guards.    They have retreated into the lower levels of this complex.     This could pose a problem, however, as that is where they’ve concentrated their magic for defense.    Yet this is where the Losasidhe king and queen are kept.   It will be difficult to fight our way down to them.”

Sophia’s eyes twinkled, “Perhaps not; let’s all go into the building out of the rain and I will share my plan.”

Without waiting for a response, the sorceress led them the rest of the way across the compound as casually as if it was her own estate.    She tried to pull the main door open, but the fleeing Faesidhe had Wizard Locked it.    She just took her staff and touched the double doors lightly and they were flung open as if an angry Ogre had kicked them in.

Rick expected to see the Faesidhe guards waiting on the other side of the doors, but the hallway and receiving court were deserted.  

“Where are they?”   Shel asked him as they followed Sophia, Khord and Ant inside.

“I guess they’ve fled to the lower levels,” He answered, having no more idea of their whereabouts then the Orc girl did.

 

“Oh, they’re massed in the lower levels, alright,”   Khord told them, “It is the safest part of this building to defend.”

 

As if she knew the layout of the building (and perhaps she did from having seen what Ant saw by using the magic brooch), Sophia walked into the receiving room and motioned for them to be seated in the various chairs all around.    Several of the chairs had been knocked over in the Faesidhe guards’ hurry to evacuate, which Rick and Tadd turned over for some of them to sit in.

With confusing leisure, Sophia allowed them all to be seated while casually lighting yet another Dart’loxinchu cigarette.

“Shouldn’t we be hurrying to find and free King Eiolmoel and Queen Synthaeia?”   Rick finally asked in frustration, “What if they kill them?”

“They won’t; not without Gelden’s direction,”  Sophia responded, “And I’ll wager that they are too confused and terrified to find a crystal ball to contact him.”

“So then what is your plan?”   He asked the Drow lady.

Sophia smiled, leaning back and rubbing her belly as she spoke, “Well, first I want to give instructions to all of you, then I’ll tell you my plan.    My plan will cause all of those walled up in the lower levels of this building to come rushing out, desperate to escape the building.    All of you will have to guard the doors and windows, for we don’t want any of them escaping.   If they surrender, that is fine; strip them of their weapons and make them lie down on their bellies on the floor.   But I wager they will be absolutely desperate to get out of this building and too wild to think of anything else.”

“Why?”   Shel asked.

“Because I’m going to shake things up a bit,”  Sophia grinned mischievously, pulling a wand out of the bag of holding hanging from her waist, “This is a wand of illusions - I tell you this because with that knowledge, the magic I’m going to use won’t seem so realistic to you.   However, to those who don’t know, it will seem terrifyingly real.”

“So you’re going to use an illusion?”   Rick asked, skeptical, “How do you intend to get close enough to them to use it, ma’am?”

Sophia pushed herself upright with difficulty due to her belly, “That is the wonderful thing about this wand, Rick - it can be cast from a distance and produces ‘environmental illusions’.”

“What are they?”   Jevon wondered.

“Illusions that replicate something in the environment.    I could make a snowstorm, a volcano… or an earthquake,”  The pregnant Drow’s red eyes gleamed when she said this.

Her companions realized then what she had in mind.

“Only Drow like underground settings,”   Khord told them, “The other Elven races are somewhat claustrophobic and prefer the open air of the forest to the dankness of the underworld.”

“Will it be a realistic earthquake?”  Tadd asked Sophia.

“Oh yes, it will have all of the characteristics of an earthquake for all of the senses - sight, sound, even smells.”

“They’ll be horrified!”  Jevon exclaimed.

Sophia chuckled, “Exactly, which is why you need to contain them.    The illusion will last about two minutes and I hope that all of them will be out of the lower levels by the time the illusion dissolves.”

“They’ll be violent - like trapped rats,”   Mutt commented.

“That is the dangerous part - so all of you will need to be ready, as we don’t know what they may try in their panic and desperation to escape.”

Sophia waddled across the room to take a position to the side of the doorway leading downstairs, “To keep them contained, I will wizard lock the door leading upstairs to the second floor.    That will leave only the front exit as an escape route.     Logic will say that when they come rushing up the stairs, they will head for the front entrance, which means that they will rush through this foyer.     As there are no windows here, this room will be the perfect place to contain them.    They won’t go back downstairs, the upstairs path will be Wizard Locked, and you all will be blocking the front door.   As for me, I will stand here to the side, and then slip downstairs when they’ve all passed by, to release the king and queen.”

“What if they kill them before they rush upstairs?”   Shel asked.

“They’ll be too panicked to waste any time.”

“Are you sure, ma’am?”

“I know Faesidhe mentality and none of them want to die underneath the ground, trapped like rats.    They’ll be desperate to escape.   Now, are you all ready?    We need to implement this plan immediately.”

Khord gestured for the group to follow him to the other side of the room.     Sophia pointed her staff at the door leading into the front entrance way and said a few arcane words, the door glowed red for an instant and she sighed contently, “There!   It is wizard locked.    A group of them can still bust it down, so you’ve got to keep them busy and intimidate them into surrendering.   Most of them will probably be without their weapons in the rush to escape before the ground caves in on them.”

“We’ll contain them,”   Khord assured his wife.

“Okay then, I’ll begin the spell - remember, it is all an illusion, so don’t panic.”

Leaning her staff against the wall, she began waving the wand around, chanting the spell that would generate the illusion.    Three times she tapped the floor of the room, the last time as she completed the spell.

At first there was nothing changed, but then, slowly, a deep rumbling could be heard, and then felt.   The sounds of boards and stone cracking came from all around them and pieces of wood and brick crumbled and fell away from the building as they struggled to stay on their feet.

“Wow!   This is just an illusion?”   Shel asked Rick, who shared in her nervousness of the realism of the earthquake.    A large chunk of wall fell to the floor with a crash, startling them all, but though Rick could see the debris, the wall that it supposedly had fallen from had no piece missing.   It was just an incredibly realistic illusion.

“Are we in danger?”   Shel asked Sophia while anxiously glancing at the ceiling where cracking noises were heard.

“It is not real, everything is as it was before,”  Sophia replied while staring at the locked door leading into the lower levels of the building, “Just stay focused on those who will be coming up from below, very soon.”

The pregnant Drow lady put her back against the wall and just calmly stood there.

The sound of the illusionary earthquake seemed to worsen and more phantom debris fell.    They could even smell dust in the air.   A minute, then another passed, and Rick had just began wondering if the spell’s effect had reached into the dungeon when they heard shouts and the wild sound of terrified people frantic to escape, coming toward them from below.

“Get ready,”  Khord called out to every one and almost immediately the door to the lower levels flung open and a flood of hysterical Faesidhe elves poured into the building’s receiving room.   They were wild eyed like a stampede of cattle and they didn’t seem to even see those standing in front of the door.

“We’re about to be crushed!”   Rick exclaimed, as an idea came to him.   Rushing forward, he quickly chanted a Glue Cantrip.   It was used to temporarily bind two surfaces together during an enchantment or when constructing something.  It wasn’t a powerful spell, but he hoped it would slow down the Faesidhe rushing at them.

Rick touched the floor with his hand, sliding it left and right and then pointing toward the oncoming mass of people.    This would place the area of effect and keep all of his companions (except for Sophia who was standing to the side of the doorway) free from the effect.

It was instantaneous.   Their feet stuck to the floor as if they were in deep mud.   They could pull free from it, but not without some effort, and most of them fell down and their hands and bodies got stuck.    In a few moments’ time, the mob was no longer rushing forward but was screaming and cursing as it tried to free itself from the glue-like effect of the spell.

They kept crashing into the room, falling over each other, as the earthquake illusion kept going.

“Brilliant, Rick!”  Jevon said to him, chanting the same Cantrip as the spell effect began to wear off.    Freed from the stickiness of the floor for a moment between the spells,  Sophia stepped through the doorway leading downstairs (as the stampede from below had ended), giving Rick and Jevon a thumbs up in approval of their work.

A moment later she disappeared through it as she hurried downstairs to find the Losasidhe royals.

By now the earthquake illusion was slowly fading away, leaving a bewildered group of about thirty Faesidhe men struggling to free themselves from the arcane stickiness of the floor.  

“Can I have your attention, gentlemen!”  Khord yelled out, his loud voice hushing up the men’s curses and exclamations, “You are all under arrest by order of King Eleazar.    You will throw down any weapons you are still holding and lay down prone on the floor.”

“Like hell we will!”  One man growled, flinging a throwing knife at the Drow.   With lightning speed, Khord deflected the knife with one of his swords.

But the Faesidhe man’s defiance struck a nerve with his companions and at once they began to free their arms and find knives or daggers to assault them with.

A dagger whizzed by Rick’s head and bounced off Shel’s shoulder; her chainmail shirt deflecting the missile.

Tadd was already chanting the Glue Cantrip to keep the area sticky, but Rick knew more was needed.     The Faesidhe men no longer feared an earthquake and sensed that there were only a limited number of them opposing them, so they were growing bolder by the minute.

He had to neutralize that boldness before one of the spell casters among them thought of casting spells upon them.

He chanted the common Darkness spell, pointing forward to the mass of Faesidhe elves.    Immediately a ball of blackness surrounded them, and that stopped the knives and daggers.

“That won’t hold them for long,”  Khord said, and at that same moment, a Faesidhe wizard in the group cast a Dispel Magic spell which neutralized both the darkness and the Cantrip.

“Uh oh!”   Mutt exclaimed as the elves leaped to their feet and rushed the smaller party of seven.