A Hand-Woven Universe 169 168. Outnumbered

Despite the weight of the drider behind him, Noone moved quickly through the city streets towards the largest building at the very back of Stone-Eye. Many thoughts were coursing through his mind, punctuated by the grating sound of drider carapace against stone floor.

His body ached from exhaustion. As he walked, a slight limp had developed in his left leg from when he had been struck by the drider. He realized, as he choked back some vile blood, that he had probably taken way too much damage this time. His head throbbed in pain and his own blood had begun drying on his face.

At this moment, Noone didn't even have the energy to emote if he wanted to. His face was completely expressionless. He felt numb.

He quietly considered whether or not he was being watched at this moment.

Ever since loosing a bottle of liquid fire onto an entire party of dark elves, Noone hadn't needed to use another. Although he had spotted a few in his peripheral vision while carrying Tobias… none had made a move on him... yet.

Maybe they were intimidated by the drider, he thought. Or maybe they had their own reasons and just wanted him gone and didn't want to waste the energy when he looked to be on the verge of death anyways. He somehow managed to chuckle bitterly to himself.

Noone exited a street only to barely avoid stepping into a pit which had been opened before. Presumably an entire party of soldiers laid dead at the bottom of it as well, Noon thought. He paused for a moment before walking around the pit paying it no more mind.

"Al. I am getting close to the building you were talking about. Now where?" Noone thought directly, hoping Al would still be listening in.

"Yes, I can see. When you get inside the building take the staircase on either side down 4 floors. You will come to a large open set of iron doors. I'm in here. Also, it looks like you won't have to worry about dark elves anymore." Al's responded evenly. Noone could hear the strain of tension on his voice.

"What do you mean?" Noone's thoughts shot back, spine perking up slightly.
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"Two hundred and fifty dark elves are currently preparing to make a full-scale a.s.sault on the three units at the entrance to the cave while the rest dash past to escape the slaughter."

Noone's eyes shot open and he looked back towards the well-lit entrance of the cavern. Although he hadn't been paying much attention, he knew that if there were three units – they wouldn't stand a chance against the battle-trained dark-elves with their backs in a corner.

Noone hesitated for a minute before finally shaking his head. He took a deep breath and chose to continue to the large building. In his heart he said a silent 'stay safe,' but Noone refused to be caught up in it anymore. He had his way out, and if he went back right now – there was no telling what would happen.

Within a large glowing room underneath the center for commerce sat a small and delicate-looking blue-haired wizard. A small smirk painted his lips as he channeled magical ruins into the large silver-etched diagram on the tile below.

The air in the room whooshed and swirled about violently, tossing the wizards robes as he sat uncaring in the cold storm.

His eyes were shut tight. In his mind, his thoughts were split between two different tasks.

On one hand he was focusing on maintaining the teleportation magic which had been building in the large room for hours.

On the other hand, he watched Noone. Carefully observing his expressions and mindset as he fought with the drider, carried Tobias's body back to his companions, and became lost in his own cold thoughts.

When he told Noone of the dark elves plan, he had watched Noone's expression carefully. He waited silently, to see what Noone would do. If Noone turned around to warn them, Alaviv would merely leave Noone behind. He had warned Noone before that he would be willing to help – but wasn't going to go out of his way for the boy.

It seemed though, that Noone had decided to go his own way – cutting ties with the rest of the party.

"Good move." Alaviv chuckled. "Hi! General Armuu. This is Great Wizard Alavivghrehmla Gnucecak. You may have heard of my ill.u.s.trious name before? I am contacting you from inside Stone-eye. Right now, the dark elves are preparing for a full-scale a.s.sault against your three forward Units. The dark elves number 500. Do with this information what you will." Before he could get a response, Alaviv diverted his attention for just long enough to send an image of the situation to the general and immediately cut off contact.

Within the forest outside the entrance to Stone-Eye a large and war-hardened general spit out coffee and proceeded to choke on air for a few seconds. With wide eyes he stared into the entrance to the city, hundreds of thoughts began bombarding his consciousness.

"Alavivgrehmla? That's that gnome wizard, right? What is he doing here?" The general frowned.

Could the voice he just heard be trusted? Was it really that wizard?

"Sir! Are you okay?" A nearby a.s.sistant ran up when he saw the general choking from the suddenness of being contacted through thought transmission. The general forced his body to sit upright as he hurriedly downed the rest of his cup.

"Yes. Quick, bring me all the officers that aren't in Stone-Eye right now. Posthaste." He growled. The a.s.sistant nodded quickly and then scrambled out of the tent to gather the officers.

"If the voice was the gnome wizard… then we have no time. I need to draw back units 1 through 3 or else the causalities will be immense. But... what if it's a trick?" He thought silently. Could he afford the consequences if it wasn't a trick and he was revealed to have known that they were outnumbered and done nothing about it?

"Alright… I will have Units 1 through 3 pull back to the entrance and meet with the rest of the subjugation force before holding the entrance. Even if all of the dark elves rushed out – we would outnumber them and be ready with our own magic."

Several officers began to file into the large tent. They waited patiently for the general to sort through his thoughts.

By the time a proper plan was set in motion, Noone had entered the commerce center at the back of the city. It was an immensely large building which towered over the rest of the buildings in Stone-Eye.

Hundreds of years ago when Stone-Eye was still an economic powerhouse – all exports went through here. Now, dust and stone particles rested on the floor being undisturbed for a long time. The immaculate tile floor now only a ghost of its former glory.

Noone looked around silently before entering a large staircase to his left. It went down – down – down into the deep stone earth several dozen meters below the pit he had fallen into.

The temperature of the inner city was already reasonably cool right now. Without proper ventilation to the outside – the stale air felt cool and clammy against the skin. But as Noone descended the steps the stale and clammy air changed. It became cooler and cooler till it was almost cold against his lungs. It had become crisp in a way that reminded Noone of his fall into the clouds at the end of the world. Noone's lungs began crackling as the temperature cooled.

He frowned and attempted to use his divine sense to feel out the area, before a stabbing pain like a hot knife through the brain reminded him that he had already overused that ability. Noone groaned and grabbed his head, but he continued to limp down the steps.

Soon the staircase opened up into a large lobby – on either side of which there was table after table and chairs scattered throughout. What looked to be a service counter stood on one side, covered in just as much dust as everything else.

Noone silently wondered what Stone-Eye must have been like in it's prime. A dwarven city which dwarfed every town he had been to so far. Noone knew that compared to the big cities of the common realm, even Stone-Eye couldn't hold a candle to them.

At one time the very spot Noone stood in would have hundreds of merchants and traders and travelers pa.s.sing through it every day. Arguing. Bartering. Haggling.

On the far side of the room two large steel doors stood open – a crack only a couple feet wide between them. Intricate designs were inlaid on the metal depicting a majestic scene Noone couldn't decipher.

The doors were immense at almost 20 feet tall, and cast an imposing weight onto the room.

Within the chamber Noone was able to see flas.h.i.+ng lights darting around – magic was being cast in eccentric fas.h.i.+ons just out of view.

Despite the chaos on the other side of the doors – Noone wasn't able to hear a thing.

"That must be where Alaviv is…" Noone thought silently. He approached the doors, but hesitated. After taking a deep breath he managed to squeeze through. Above him right now an entire wave of dark-elves were preparing to rush an unsuspecting army... If he hurried back now he might be able to warn them…

Noone shook his head.

No.

He was so close to freedom now. Although he didn't want any harm to come to Sarah, there was a good chance she would escape alive, he thought.

Finally, he stepped through the double doors. Turning his shoulders just enough to fit between the comparatively narrow opening made by the gnome.