DDW: The Sound of Marching Feet

[Jim Roberts]

[Feb 5 – The Waterworks]

> “No, you are VERY good,” Lomi insisted fiercely. “Inspired, even.” Her
> expression was unreadable.
>
> “They break my heart; every time,” Tramma sighed, ignoring a tear
> rolling down her cheek to reach out a hand to Lomi. The others had the
> impression there was a lot more to that moment than the two friends
> cared to explain, especially when the silver-haired chanteuse quickly
> shifted the mood.
>
> “We need to get moving, though,” Tramma continued briskly, before
> anyone could ask questions. “We are after all on the clock with all
> those buffs.”

The bard’s words were entirely true. Pausing only to confirm that the
ladderway leading up to an SJE village was intact, the Away Team
concluded their business at the late Gnarkill’s lair, and began
retracing their steps. They did indeed have a deadline, as the “medium
term” buffs were running through their allotted time, and all wanted as
many as possible to be available when they reached one of the two last
sightings of Ecru.

Fortunately, there was a fair length of tunnel that they had already
covered, ever since they had selected the eastern fork that led off
towards their rendez-vous with Gnarkill. From their current spot all the
way back towards the site of the Heroes’ Feast was a section that they
had already seen. The dungeon savvy among them knew that was no
guarantee that some sort of wandering Nastie, either mere “yard trash”
or something more formidable might not have wandered in behind them, but
at least there were no large, static dangers in this section of already
covered tunnel.

This allowed the Away Team to make haste along this already “patrolled”
section of tunnel. They were by no means running ahead at a foolish
pace, but they were able to proceed with considerable expedition.
Laurelin allowed her Glowing Globe to expand its circle of human visible
light, allowing the humans to move quickly without fear of tripping over
barely seen obstructions. To counter the additional illumination, the
elves opened the distance somewhat between themselves and the humans,
still allowing elven nightsight, and above all, Laquendi’s Darkvision to
still function.

So it was only a matter of minutes before they were back at the site of
their Divine Feast, and a moment later, at the crossroads that had led
them down Gnarkill’s branch. Now, it was time to turn almost due north,
once again entering a tunnel section never before seen by them. Seen by
other menaces, however, was all too real a possibility.

But there was still a need to move forward expeditiously, if not
hastily. Laurelin commanded her Globe to reduce its human visible range
to only a bit bigger than its earlier dim glow, still giving the humans
enough light to move forward in moderate confidence, but enough to allow
the elves to close the gap between themselves and the rest of the party.
And so at a pace in between their normal cautious approach and their
almost jog through “previously cleared” territory, the Away Team
advanced northwards, extending ever further into the furthest Depths of
the Waterworks.

Some minutes later, they were at another crossroads, with a branch
leading off to the west, and another to the east. In the normal course
of affairs, they would cover each side branch before extending
themselves ever deeper, quite probably using the ancient “Right Hand
Rule” to choose between equally attractive directions. But after a brief
consultation, they decided to proceed directly northwards towards the
potential Ecru sighting. If they moved now, they SHOULD still have a bit
of run time left on the medium buffs. Clearing each side passage would
remove those buffs from the table.

But now, they advanced at their usual, cautious pace, Finfin
occasionally referring to something usually worn in a pocket secured by
a light chain that he casually called an “Amulet of Timekeeping” to keep
track of the remaining life of their “medium term” buffs.

They were now well into the final section of this northeastern fork of
the Waterworks tunnel complex. The most recent crossroads was some ways
behind them when both Laurelin and Lomi at roughly the same moment held
up a clenched fist in the universal gesture for an immediate halt.

The two scouts looked at each other, and nodded. “Footsteps,” Lomi
observed quietly, and Laurelin nodded. “Lots and lots of them, ahead.
And almost… like they’re marching.” Not surprisingly, the glowing globe
was silently flashing an azure warning.

“If the intelligence gathered by the Foreman is correct, the ‘hundred
footsteps’ *could* be as few as twenty-five spider minions to Ecru,” the
silver-haired Drow posited. “If that is the case, mass-effect magics
would be preferred.”

“As *FEW* as twenty-five?” Jeyshann exclaimed incredulously.

“I don’t like this,” Lomi muttered urgently, looking not forward toward
the sound, but back the way they had come. “That four-way we just passed
has virgin territory behind us, and an unknown threat in front of us.
Check six.” She seemed to be listening intently and peering into the
darkness behind them.

Laurelin fingered her spell component pouch and mused aloud, “if we
start unloading area zotzs we should use a rolling barrage pattern so we
maximize coverage of the critters marching toward us.”

“I could cast invisibility, spider climb, and Stoneskin - alternatively,
just spider climb - and skitter ahead to see what marches like an army,”
Laquendi posited. “More alacrity, less safety.”

“Got it, Laurelin is for a barrage, Laquendi is in for solo scout, Lomi
is concerned we have left uncleared territory behind us,” Tramma’s
silent voice sounded to each of them over the Speak with Allies spell
everyone but her seemed to have forgotten. “What do the rest of you think?”

“I think I’d like all of you to be quiet so I can decide if that’s an
echo behind us,” Lomi’s silent communication came back instantly,
perhaps jumping the queue but she seemed to feel that warranted. Finfin
didn’t say anything yet, but his expression eloquently spoke volumes.

Volumes that perhaps went unheard, as two of the senior clergy discussed
various barrier magics that they could erect to punish an encroaching
enemy from a static defence. Something that was not the elven officer’s
preference if there was even a remote chance that they might be facing a
two-front battle by staying in place. If there WAS something behind them
causing Lomi’s ears to perk up, he would rather have that confirmed so
as to perhaps enable manoeuvre warfare and defeat each subgroup in
detail, rather than stay put and risk facing the whole amalgamation at
once. IF there was something behind them.

“A moment of silence for our tailguard scout, please?” Finfin asked over
Tramma’s magical voiceless conduit, a bit of steel sneaking into his
otherwise mild request.

“I am almost sure there’s another one coming up one of those side
passages we passed,” Lomi put in. “Magic is all good and fine, but we
COULD just leg it back and try to beat them past the intersection, so
both of them are north of us.”

“Far too simple,” Jeyshann snarked dryly, shaking her head.

Finfin nodded curtly. “Best case, we get to the south of them. Worst
case, we hit them in series. Both are better than letting them pincher
us. Let’s move, team.” Gone was his usual diffidence when it came to
giving orders to bodies of people that included one of his Ex’s.

Lomi, Tramma, and Jeyshann all three turned, and moved south while
making room for the heavy combatants to get past them if necessary.

Laquendi uttered a phrase in an obscure language that those with Tongues
spells running could parse as, “Let’s haul ASS!” Laurelin, too,
indicated emphatic agreement, and an instant later the Away Team was
hauling proverbial ass, trying to get to the southern side of the nearby
intersection before becoming “pinchered” by two different sources of
marching feet.

They almost made it. At the intersection, a veritable walking wall of
bug could be seen coming at them from the eastern branch. Laurelin
stopped at the eastern fork of the intersection with Finfin only a step
behind. Clearly, the high priestess was set to do battle with the
onrushing bug, whatever it was, and was anchoring this flank, ready and
able to keep the oncoming menace off of the group’s more vulnerable
members.

Finfin approved, though he might have been even happier if his Ex had
chosen to make the southern exit from the intersection her anchor point,
rather than the eastern edge. But she had made her play, and she was the
elf on the scene, a few feet ahead of him, and so he would do his best
to make her play work. Frantically, he waved the less combat oriented
members of the Away Team onwards, urging them to continue their retreat
to just south of the junction, even as he stepped beside her,
positioning himself so that he could join in the defence against the
eastern bug, as well as anything that might be chasing them from the
north. Grimly, he slid the shield that had spent the whole day on his
back around to his front, easing his left arm through its straps. It had
been some time since he’d fought with the classic “sword and board”
combination of an arming sword and shield… but he was confident that he
still remembered how.

Ben, too, fell into line on Laurelin’s other flank. Mr. Bug, whatever it
was, would have a hard time pushing through the trio of defenders.
Laquendi hung back just a bit, closer to the northern end of the
intersection, ready to fill in wherever needed. And when it became
evident that her current location was safe enough, she opened a tiny
pouch of dust. Some glittered in Laurelin’s Glowing Globe’s light, and
some looked obsidian black. The silver haired elf began to chant, even
as she began to scatter the dust all about her. Her hands began to weave
a red latticework of glowing lines as they moved, and wherever she
scattered the dust, it vanished in a cascade of yellow sparkles.