The Diary of Raoul Grincheux

Part 66

In which our heroes face the Shadow Council…

Waterday, Disorderweek, Darkseason, 614 – evening in the Shadow-Maze

I sez I reckon we’z bout ‘alf way to the middl, now, an’ that gets evrywun talkin’ bout the arky-textur. Oleg sez, “I suspect it’z all mally-a-bubbl – it’z not a bildin’, az such, the hole fing iz a majik construkt”. So it’z shadder-majik – so now I knows.

We get movin’ aggen. After a bit we spots anuvver crees in the floor, but it ain’t like the uvvers ‘cos it looks like this wun splits in the middl – an’ there’z no ledj at the side so we can’t do wot we did before. But Regal wedjis bofe sides an’ then him an’ Redwing flies ova to the far side wiv a rope. We all scrambles along the rope wivout tuchin the floor.

When it’z my turn I ‘ears sumfink movin’ about under the floor – it smells like wun ov them orul hunters, mebbe two ov ‘em!

Not much furver on, Oleg stops us ‘cos he sees a turn up ahed but he finks there’z sumfink funny before that. So Regal takes a gander on the spirit plane – when he gets back to hiz body, he sez it’z a spirit in a body but the body’z all spred out. It wooden talk to him. Then he looks at Oleg an’ sez, “I finks it’z a miazma.” I reckon I remember that lesson – Oleg sed it’z sort ov like a sylf only it poisons yer so you lose the gumf to do enyfink – it naffs yer Power az well.

We looks for traps – there’z sum gratin’s in the floor an’ walls but they dunt look like traps. Regal reckons we shood run frew in pairs but he finks I shood go first az a rat an’ mobilised. I’z up for this but we dunt know wots round that turn so I’z goin’ az I iz, a hyooman wiv a ratty hed, like, so I’z got me sword an’ dagger handy in case ov trubbl. I casts Mobility an’ Silke haz Shimmer in mind. I’z got a torch in me left hand an’ me sword in me right hand an’ I takes a deep bref an’ run frew.

I smells sumfunk weerd but I gets frew it OK. There’z nuffink waitin’ for me an’ no traps wot I can see so I waves evrywun else frew. They all cum frew but Eliza kinda wobbls a bit an’ slows down so she’z bearly movin’ when she gets to us.

Now we’z ‘ere we can see the turn goes rite an’ then rite aggen after ten yards, so we’z goin’ back the way we came only furver in – this maze duz that a lot, I reckon. Evrywun else seems a bit down but nun iz az bad az Eliza – she can’t make herself move. Oleg sez we shood rest for ‘alf-an-hour to let the miazma poison get better. After that we all feels all rite, cept for Eliza, wot’s still woozy.

So on we goes. After a bit, Eliza sez she can ‘ear them chitterers aggen an’ pretty soon we all ‘ears ‘em. Then we cums to anuvver pit in the floor an’ it’z full ov them littl beetly fings. Last time there woz skels waitin’ to ambush us so Hassan duz a detect but sez there ain’t no unded this time.

Lookin’ closer, it duz look a bit difrent to last time – there’z a crees round the edj ov the pit an’ along the wall each side. Blen waves hiz torch down low an’ frites the chitterers away – the pit’s bout two foot deep, like last time.

Regal reckons the ‘were-folk’ shood go ova, like last time – it’z alrite for him an’ Redwing, they’z fliez ova, but I’z gotta scurry frew the chitterers an’ probly be dumped down to fite who knows wot. But then Regal spots a lever on the far side wot he reckons disarms the dumpin’ trap. So he pulls it an’, lumme, the hole pit an’ the chitterers just slides sideways in to the wall! A normal floor cums frew instead but it still looks like a pit trap. So it looks like that crees means it can open up to dump you down below, so you’z fitin’ wotever’z down there an’ mebbe gettin’ showerd in chitterers at the same time. Merde!

So we’z all set to climb ova wiv a rope az uzhal when Hassan sez he’d rarver just run frew the chitterers. So he gets Regal to move the lever aggen an’ the pit wiv the chitterers slides back. I dunno wot Hassan’s finkin’ – last time Oleg had to carry him an’ he still got bit. But he gets a rope round hiz middl an’ Regal an’ Redwing hold it at the far end an’ Stella an’ Oleg at our end. Blen frites the chitterers wiv hiz torch an’ Hassan jumps in the pit…

…but he’z bearly got goin’ when the pit splits an’ Hassan an’ all them chitterers iz dumped down. Lucky he’z on that rope ‘cos uvverwise he’d be down there, wiv the chitterers an’ two fings wot me nose sez iz orul hunters! Hassan’s left danglin’ – the orul hunters bofe jump for him but we all ‘elp pull him back before enyfink nasty ‘appens. The chitterers crawl all ova the orul hunters but Oleg sez they’z got fick skins. Now I sees ‘em close up, I fink he’z rite – they moves ded fast – nasty!

Hassan reckons we shood shoot the orul hunters so we all shoot at the wun on the rite. I hit a leg wiv me crossbow but Regal gets a crack shot in the hed an’ it’z ded. I starts loadin’ me crossbow aggen but then the uvver orul hunter jumps on itz mate (they’z big) an’ next fing it’z out the pit, tween me an’ Stella! Putain!

I drops me crossbow an’ grabs me sword an’ dagger – Silke casts Shimmer, I cast Ironhand. Stella parries bofe claws. Hassan hits it in a leg. Redwing an’ Regal shoot from the far side ov the pit but Redwing hits Stella! Lucky she’s wearin’ good armour. Then the orul hunter bites at Stella but Oleg gets hiz mace in the way.

Regal an’ Redwing shoot aggen an’ this time they hits the orul hunter. Stella parries a claw an’ Hassan hits it an’ I stabs it in the guts wiv me shortsword but it dunt seem to feel it. It’z skin iz ded tuff, like plate! Stella parries anuvver claw an’ Disrupts it in a leg. Regal an’ Redwing shoot aggen – wun hits me! – but bofe bounce.

The orul hunter bites Stella in a leg but then I gets me teef round itz spine an’ sumfink crunches. It kinda twists an’ then falls in the pit – it’z ded! I takes a look at Stella’s leg but Regal’s spirit, Florence, duz the ‘Healin’.

So we crosses the pit usin’ the rope. Hassan falls in the pit an’ hurts hiz arm but he’z hauled up before the chitterers get him. I falls in too an’ hurts me chest, Silke Heals me an’ I get out the far end an’ Heals Hassan. Evrywun else gets ova just fine.

Eliza iz still feelin’ ded woozy so Regal gets Florence to possess her an’ she reckons Eliza’s still poisond from that miazma fing. But Florence reckons she can keep Eliza movin’ till she gets better.

We cums to wot looks like a ded end but on the wall iz a panel glowin’ an’ I can reed the letters, it sez “The veil ov the World (3, 11)”. I’z no idea wot this means but Eliza (or iz it Florence?) guesses ‘The Shadowlands’ an’ the wall opens up to let us furver in.

We’z in a left-right passij. The curv iz ded tite an’ I reckon this is ded close to the middl now. We goes left but we’z only gon about twenny foot when two big stony fings (I means Great Troll sized) wiv poleaxes steps out an arch. They just stands there an’ nun ov us fancies mixin’ it wiv ‘em so we turns round an’ goes the uvver way. We finds a passij on the far side from where we cum in but it’z goin’ out, wot ain’t where we gotta go, know wot I mean? Not much furver an’ it’z them stony fings aggen.

So we gotta fite the stony fings so evrywun reckons we gotta split ‘em up. Regal sez I can hav Bladesharp IV on me dagger – Cor! That’s ded nice ov him, but I dunno wot a dagger’s gonna do gainst them stony fings. Evrywun casts spells, I casts Ironhand an’ Shimmer. Then we forms up – me, Oleg an’ Hassan from wun side an’ Stella, Regal an’ Blen from the uvver.

Az we cums up the two stony fings split so we can take ‘em three on wun, wot iz good. Our stony fing goes for Oleg, wot parries, then it swings at me! Lumme! That woz kwik! But I gets me sword up just in time an’ stab it in the hed. Hassan hits its chest wiv his gratesword. Then I slips into the shadders an’ slide behind it. I’ll take a gander frew the arch an’ then stab it in the back, wot’s probly the only way I’z gonna nick it.

Cross the way, Regal parries their stony fing wot drops its axe. Stella an’ Blen hit it’z chest an’ a big chunk flies out.

When they sees I ain’t where they fort I wood be, Hassan an’ Oleg back off but the stony fing follers ‘em so I dunt know why they bovvers. I cop a look frew the arch but it’z all dark. Oleg an’ Hassan bofe parry but the stony fing hacks Hassan’s arm near off! Eliza drags him back while I stabs it in the back ov the hed.

The uvver stony fing tries to pick up its axe but then Stella hits it in the chest aggen an’ it crumbls!

Regal an’ Blen cum ova to ‘elp wiv our stony fing while Stella goes frew the arch. I’z plannin’ to stab an’ bite the stony fing but sudden-like it spins round an’ swings its axe at me an’ I only just ducks in time! Then it turns back an’ swings at Oleg, wot parries. I stabs it in the arm an’ bites its leg – dunt fink I do much – but then Regal an’ Blen hit its chest an’ it crumbls.

As we’z cleanin’ up, Regal sez I shooden hav snuck out ov line an’ gon round behind the stony fing. I tells him I’z fitin’ like a rat but he sez I ‘shooden do that ion footur’. Blen sez evrywun had agreed to hit the fing in the chest but nowun told me.

Turns out Hassan’s not az bad az we fort an’ dunt need much Healin’.

So we all goes frew the arch wot lites up az we cums in. Rite an’ left iz ramps goin’ up to wot look like ded endz. Next them iz stairs goin’ up to meznin… meezzan… a sort ov middl floor wiv twelv peepl in clokes an’ hoods an’ twelv holes in the walls behind ‘em. The hole room’s bout 70-80 foot across.

A voice wot sounds just like the wun on the door we came in by at the start sez, “Welcum! You hav reechd the Shaddow Council. You’z dun well. You seem to be worthy.”

I wanna sit at the back ‘cos I knows me place (speshully after the talkin’ to from Regal an’ Blen) but evrywun else iz on benches at the frunt an’ I’d be on me tod so I sits at the end, like, an’ keeps me mowf shut az Regal, Oleg an’ Stella splain bout the Troll wiv the Tiara. Wun ov the hoods sez sumfink in that shadder-lingo, Mrak, an’ Oleg tellz us he’z called on the ‘butlers’. I’z seen butlers before – they’z servants wot boss all the uvver servants in posh ‘ouses in Heliopolis – but theze weerd critters cum out wot look like elvz only they’z grey wiv shrooms growin’ out they’z bodies an’ faces – yuck! They takes our drawin’s up the stairs so the hoods can have a looksee.

While all this is goin’ on, I hears the uvvers talkin’ bout the hoods lookin’ like skels but Hassan sez they dunt detect az unded. I sees the Elvz dunt hand the drawin’s ova, just ‘old ‘em up for the hoods to see.

Wun ov the hoods sez he’z seen the Tiara but not the box, wot he reckons looks Dwarven but he dunt fink it iz, like. He sez we can rest for an hour while he finks bout it.