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The minute it took for Glenn’s lungs to heal was the most terrifying he’d ever endured. It was like he’d inhaled molten lava, and then proceeded to suffocate, surrounded by fresh air. Laying on the furnace floor, gasping to no benefit, he wondered if his spell succeeded.
It came down to being able to heal enough hit points to enable his respiratory system to function. He was so terrified that he hadn’t noticed Stephi sit up and grasp him in a joy-filled embrace.
Her emotional shift from elation to alarm coincided with Glenn’s first successful, yet anemic breath. He sat up and returned the embrace, with each breath that followed renewing his strength and vigor.
Glenn’s eyes snapped wide, remembering Ron was in the building, the same room as those battling magical creatures. Had the warrior druid heard his shout that he’d found Stephi? Or was he still seeking her? Or worse, injured or slain by the fiery beast or glass maidens?
Orange flickering light shone through the furnace’s porthole.
He pushed Stephi away and held her at arm’s length. His mouth and throat were parched-earth dry, but he still managed to say, “Go. Find Petie and Gurk.” He pointed at the exhaust pipe for emphasis. He’d purposefully mentioned the two closest things to her heart. No way he wanted her flying through whipping fire tentacles and slashing crystal daggers.
“What about you?” she asked.
The gnome healer got to his feet. Still pointing and without much of a voice, he said, “That’s faster. Petie and Gurk.” He coughed and swallowed, trying to wet his tongue and throat. “I’ll be out in a minute.” He didn’t add, “Maybe.”
With amazing speed and agility, Stephi tucked her wings and darted into the pipe. Seeing her leave, Glenn trotted around the raised circle and hauled himself up and began squirming through the porthole. He hadn’t thought about the monsters until he was halfway out—just in time to see the two glass maidens turn and face his direction.
Flames licked along the edges of several toppled cases, but the fire elemental was gone. The shop must’ve had some sort of ventilation system because less smoke filled the room than before.
The two maidens moved his direction, their movements no longer swift. They came on, slow and ungainly, looking like wax figures that some sadistic goon had gone to town on with a blowtorch.
Glenn felt like Winnie the Pooh after eating too much honey and trying to squeeze out of Rabbit’s hole. He wasn’t fat, but the furnace’s porthole wasn’t built to crawl through, not even by a gnome. There was probably some latch or other mechanism to access the furnace, but he hadn’t taken time to discover it. He squirmed forward, knowing he’d plop down on the floor just in time to become a perforated gnome.
Ron stood and leapt over a toppled case. He took the glass guardians from behind with his spear. Glenn was sure Ron’s first strike was true, but it merely glanced off the female guardian’s molten-slashed back.
Glenn remembered, in the game, some creatures required silver, or magical weapons, to score damage. The warrior druid had some magical rings added to his ringmail armor. That improved his armor class, but he had nothing magical to attack with. Derek’s sword was the party’s sole magical weapon.
The warrior druid’s maneuver, however, drew the glass guardians’ attention, allowing Glenn to escape the furnace and drop to the floor. He picked up his shield and cudgel and prepared to aid his friend. His cudgel’s business end had bands of silver worked into it. They might prove effective—if he managed to hit. Compared to a second rank warrior’s ‘to hit’ table, his healer’s one was crap.
“I shall occupy the glass golems’ attention,” Ron said, backpedaling around a fallen cabinet, “while you depart.” He deflected an award dagger thrust with his spear shaft. The second glass guardian closed in on him. “Tell all to make haste to Rendezvous One.”
Glenn nodded and remained still until the backs of both guardians were to him. He then clambered over the counter and made a dash for the door. It was closed, but not locked. He kicked a broken board onto the threshold so the door wouldn’t close and looked back over his shoulder. Even a half second’s delay to open the door might spell Ron’s doom.
Glenn shouted, “I’m out!”
Ron dodged one attack, but caught a glancing dagger thrust in the shoulder. Grimacing, he ducked a third awkward slash and broke for the doorway.
Glenn raced toward the street, nearly crashing into Derek. Stephi fluttered above the big warrior’s shoulder.
“Lysine’s coming,” Glenn said, clearing the doorway. “The glass warriors’ll be chasing him.”
Kirby shouted from around the corner. “Two guard dudes coming!”
All subtlety and subterfuge of their sabotage attack was gone.
“Run, Gnome,” Derek ordered. “Fly Girl Barbie, the thief’s gonna need help. You’re with me.”
Derek took off, sword and shield ready, followed by Stephi and Petie. The latter wasn’t flying nearly as nimbly as he normally did, even at night.
Glenn ran the opposite direction, toward the underground. It wasn’t the direction of Rendezvous One, but he could turn right at the corner and get out of sight. He might be able to outrun the glass women, damaged as they were. Then again, maybe not. He bet they didn’t get tired.
He circled back around, toward the right direction... he hoped.
Glenn crouched in the shadows of a half-collapsed brick wall, once part of a two-story building. He was five blocks south of Krogman’s Wagon Repair Shop. The small well house across the street was Rendezvous One, and near the shantytown’s stench.
Petie arrived first, landing on the round well house’s slanted roof. Glenn sighed in relief. Stephi was okay, and on her way. Petie wouldn’t be so calm if things were desperate. Glenn looked around before stepping out of the graying shadows. Sunrise was about an hour away. Glenn guessed the laborers and artisans were stirring in their beds, preparing to face the morning and long work day.
Glenn waved to get the bird’s attention. The blue jay flew over and landed on the broken wall. He warbled and chirped, telling Glenn to wait.
A few minutes later Glenn spotted his friends. Ron was leaning heavily on Derek’s shoulder. Kirby trotted ahead, carrying the big warrior’s shield and the druid’s spear. Stephi followed a short distance behind, flitting from building to building. If Glenn hadn’t been looking for the fairy he wouldn’t have seen her. Actually, she must have failed her Concealment roll, or he made some sort of detection roll. Either way, it didn’t really matter.
Ron looked pretty bad, bruised and bleeding. Probably a single hit point remaining.
Glenn waved to get their attention, then ran toward them.
“Hey, Jax,” Kirby said, grinning. “We all made it, dude.”
Glenn grinned back and they gave each other a high five. The gnome lost track of Stephi. She was probably Camouflaged, because he failed some roll. He was pretty sure she’d put on her leaf and bark attire. A pang of guilt tugged at his disappointment.
“Gnome,” Derek said, “stop playing patty cake and heal Lysine.”
Derek lowered Ron against the wall of a cooper’s shop. “Thief, come with me to get the horses.” He looked over his shoulder. “Jumbo Tinkerbell Barbie, until Lysine’s one hundred percent, make sure the gnome doesn’t do anything stupid.”