The Tale Goes On

"I like this not." Chuc coughed. "I'm telling you, we're on a fool's errand here. Belboz..."

"You shut your bloody mouth before I shut it for you." Val hissed, and Fredric stepped between them.

"Quiet down, you two." Fredric said peevishly. "You're each as bad as the other."

"Don't compare me to this craven." Val spat, turning to continue down the passage. "I wouldn't abandon a girl in danger like he would."

"I'm just trying to be rational here." Chuc sighed. "Where are we going to find human chess pieces for Belboz? There are no other humans in these caves, I can tell you that much. And orcs, or goblins or some such fairy trash? Without weapons we can't subdue them, and even if we did, how would they take to standing still and then moving when told? Do goblins even play chess? The whole thing seems batshit insane to me."

"We'll find weapons." Val said. "We'll find chess pieces. We'll do whatever it takes to get Elashi out of there, away from that madman."

"And with a savage cry, the Saint Heretic lifted the bastard sword Grim Angel over his head." Elashi was saying. "Princess Merylin was screaming, and the gathered high priests were..."

She stopped as she realized Belboz was asleep. Still curled up comfortably in his reading chair, he was now snoring gently, eyes closed. For a moment, Elashi felt insulted. Was her storytelling really that bad? But no matter. She slipped her hands out of the chains. Whatever spell the crazy old man had used had apparently been meant for larger beings, though she had wisely not told him that.

Now free, Elashi crept past Belboz on tiptoe. He stirred, and Elashi froze, but Belboz only smacked his lips and changed position in the chair, snoring again. Elashi kept moving. The entrance to the cave was now blocked by a massive boulder, apparently magicked there by Belboz. Elashi bit her upper lip in frustration. She crept back, past Belboz again and down through another passageway into Belboz's laboratory. It was full of magic implements, jars full of strange liquid and squirming cave rodents, lengthy glass tubing for brewing strange potions and countless scrolls and tomes Chuc would no doubt have given an arm and a leg to look at. Elashi wisely decided to touch none of it. Looking around for an escape route, she noticed...

1. An escape route - a low, narrow cave passage sloping down sharply into darkness.
2. Belboz's familiar, the demon chihuahua Robert, which even now was stirring awake at the smell of her.
3. A shiny mirror set in the wall, which showed Val, Chuc and Fredric stalking somewhere through a twisting passageway.
4. Another young girl chained to the wall. She was fast asleep, long golden curls spilling over her face.
5. A fresh turkey sandwich sitting on the table. It was made with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and... mayonnaise. Elashi's mouth watered.

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