Monday 19 January 2015

Dungeon Crawl - Part 2

Reven and Borengar made their way down Storland Street. Krassner's prize book was in a house at the end of the road. It was several hours after nightfall and the street was deserted. The only light came from a few torches that were burning the last of their wicks. The night sky was full of clouds and the moon was nowhere to be seen. Reven glanced around as he walked and thought to himself what a  perfect night it was for mis-deeds. This was an upmarket residential area and as such wasn't prone to wandering drunks or crowds of rowdy youths that had been turned out of an inn. Reven couldn't help but think the life of a burglar wouldn't be a bad one if all streets were like this. Borengar started to slow as they approached the end of the street. It was a cul-de-sac, with only an alley leading off to the side of the last house that sat at the end facing the street. It was three stories tall and surrounded by a spiked fence that stood 10 feet tall. Krassner's associate obviously took his privacy seriously. They concealed themselves in the darkness of a nearby doorway and surveyed the building. It was set back from the rest so they couldn't go over the roofs. The fence meant it would be difficult for both of them to get over. Borengar's short stature and heavy set frame made a stealthy climb over the fence an impossibility the dwarf without a rope. Reven cursed leaving Fang behind, they could have easily climbed the war hound to make a leap over the fence but it wasn't to be. Borengar eyed the lock on the main gate to the house and removed small tools indicating that he could attempt to pick the lock. Reven didn't fancy going in alone so he nodded his agreement and Borengar crept forward in the shadows and then made his way along the metal railings of the fence to the centre of the street where the gate sat over the roadway. Reven waited impatiently in the gloom of the doorway, nerves on edge. After ten minutes he couldn't take any more and silently stalked over to where Borengar was toiling with the lock. 'What's taking so long?' he hissed at the dwarf. 'Well, I took these tools off a thief in a card game' he said as if that explained everything. 'And?...', Reven pushed him after a short silence. 'He never showed me how to use them' the dwarf said matter of factly. 'So you don't really know what your doing?, your just poking the tools into the hole in the hope that the gate will magically open?', Reven couldn't hide the look of consternation from his face. 'Errr, no. I thought it would be simple. I...errr...' he trailed off and looked sheepishly at Reven, 'Sorry. I'm a dwarf, I thought it would come naturally'. Reven shook his head disapprovingly and turned his attention back to the fence. He ushered Borengar back into the shadows and outlined the plan. Reven would go over the top and climb to a second floor window, locate the library on that floor where Krassner had told them the book would be located and then get out as quick as possible. Borengar didn't like the idea of not being included but conceded it was the quickest way of getting the job done.

Reven made short work of the fence, choosing a spot that was shrouded in darkness near the edge of the house to make his move. He landed gently on a soft patch of grass and stooping low made his way to the closest part of the buildings wall. He took the opportunity to peak inside the first window he came to and was greeted by a well furnished sitting room. Knick-knacks adorned shelves an tables. Statuettes, animal skulls, vases, rolls or parchment and more were scattered throughout the room. Whoever Krassner's friend was he obviously liked collecting junk. He hoped that whoever he was he kept is library in better order than he did this sitting room. Reven moved to the corner of the building. The brick work met each other in an odd manner here where bricks stood out. It made it the best place to start his climb. He glanced over his shoulder to where Borengar would be hiding for reassurance. The dwarf was still hiding in the gloom and despite and knew the nod he gave Reven wouldn't be seen but gave it anyway. He watched as his partner in crime scaled the wall with surprising speed soon making his way to a window at the corner of the second floor. Borengar could see him straining against the frame, it looked like he was trying to rip the window from the wall which is almost what happened. 

Reven had noticed the rot round the frame of the old window and proceeded to pull it apart. It came away a little too easily and crumbled in his hand. As the bottom of the frame came away the glass slipped to the sill and cracked much more loudly than Reven would have liked. He paused waiting for a light to appear in the house in response to the noise but nothing came. The crack that run down the glass had separated it into three pieces and Reven removed these and tossed them away to the grass by the fence. Each one landed silently and after letting a few more rotten bits of frame fall away Reven drew his dagger and made his way through the window. As soon as he stepped inside he knew he'd picked the wrong room for his entry. On his left was a bed which contained and elderly man who was contentedly snoring so loudly that Reven soon understood why nobody had come to investigate the noise of the window cracking. Reven opened the door to the room and shut it behind him again, breathing a sigh of relief as it closed quietly. He stopped to listen for signs of any movement in the house and moved on searching through doorways when he was happy no one was awake. 

When he reached the library he was horrified to find that not only was it massive but that there was also yet another sleeping resident of the house snoozing in an armchair in front of a huge fire that dominated the centre of the  room. He wouldn't be able to leave this one alone and carry out a search of the stacks of books, it would be too noisy. He crept toward the chair that was facing away from him. He could only see the occupant of the chairs head as it lolled onto the chairs brown leather arm. Reven felt the heat from the fire on his skin as he approached and he could now here the intake of breath from his soon to be victim over the crackle of the flames. Reven sidled up the the back of the large leather chair and brought his dagger up as he edged round it to come face to face with a stunningly beautiful woman. He dropped his guard and straightened up, his jaw going slack as he took in every inch of this beautiful being. The woman lay curled up on the chair with a book nestled in the crook between her legs and her stomach. She wore only a red gown that gaped revealing enough of the flesh of her breasts and legs that Reven felt a stirring in his loins. He stood there so transfixed by the brunette beauty who slumbered before him that he didn't even notice the rooms other resident creeping up on his blind side. As Reven bent down to inspect the woman more closely he rested a hand on the book and dropped into a crouch. He felt an overwhelming desire to kiss her and started leaning in closer, that was until he heard the snarl. He turned his head slowly to to see that a dog that looked like a small wolf had padded silently up behind him. The dog was at face height whilst Reven was crouched and he spun his whole body to face the beast whilst rising slowly and backing away from the chair. The dog matched his movements and followed him crouching, ready to strike. As soon soon as it was passed the chair it pounced and Reven caught it  in flight, wrapping both his hands round the dogs neck. He nicked it's nose with the edge of his dagger as he wrestled the animal under control. He rolled on top of it pinning it's body to the floor with the weight of his own and then holding it's mouth shut stared seep into its eyes willing it to stop its attack. The hound ceased its struggle and lay still under Reven as the weight of his will penetrated its brain. Reven had found that his kinship with animals went beyond his bond with Fang and that he could exert his control over most animals he came across. He rolled off the hound releasing it as he did so. As he rolled onto his back he was greeted by the sight of the now wide awake woman who screamed as she launched a vase at Reven's head. He took the blow on the forehead and the vase shattered on impact.  Slightly dazed Reven rolled again and got to his feet just in time to dodge a book that had been hurled by the woman. He ducked the missile and covered the ground between them with lightning speed, banging into her roughly and placing a hand over her mouth to stop her screams. Hi momentum took them to the ground and he landed heavily on top of her causing a muffled scream. He pinned her arms to her side with her knees and spoke quietly. 'Please Miss, I have no quarrel with you. please stop screaming, I mean no harm.' The woman tried screaming again in answer to his words and Reven had to push his hand even harder against her face to stop her cries. 'Fine' he said, 'Here is your book' He showed her the book he had taken from her lap that had been dropped in the struggle with the hound. In return for it I want you to tell me where a book called....' he trailed off as he looked at the spine of the book he was holding toward the woman. It was simply titled , De Regiciener, and at once Reven knew he already had what he sought. 'Actually, never mind my lady. I'll just see myself out.' He jumped off the woman and headed for the library door. The woman was screaming at him as he ran, loud enough that anybody else in the house wouldn't be long in coming to investigate her cries. 

Reven barrelled down the corridor sliding to a stop outside the last door, the one he used to get in. He could hear more voices raised in alarm behind him and before he had a chance to himself, an elderly man opened the door in front of him. The man stood in his night shirt with a look of complete surprise on his face. Reven pushed past him and made for the open window in the corner of the room. Once through he climbed down the bricks again, tucking the book inside his jerkin as he did so. He could here a commotion coming from the front of the house as he hit the ground and saw men running in all directions from the houses front door. Two headed toward him and he wasted no time in running for the part of fence that he had climbed earlier. Hidden from his pursuers eyes he reached the fence in no time and scrambled up the metal railings. The men rounded the corner of the building in time to see Reven sprinting away up the road. Borengar had already taken flight and moved at surprising speed for somebody with such small legs. As Reven caught him he slipped the book out of his jerkin and waved it at the dwarf. Borengar smiled and they continued running off into the night.



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