Ghosts of Gauntcliff: Chapter Five

[ewancummins]

THE WOODS

Gruz nods.
"Okay. We go to the Dodds place now."

Smezel adds ''The Dodds keeps the little one. The Dodds plays with kiddies. Maybe the Chief helps us? He looks in the dungeon;that's where the Dodds keeps the little one."

Gruz walks over to the dead man-thing and picks up the fallen hunting knife in one oversized hand.
''Shiny! Happy!" He slices off the dead monster's fingers and toes, singing off-key; "Snacks are good, snacks are nice."

Smezel straightens the dirty folds of his rat fur robe with a self-important air, and adds-
''I real smart. I find the thin place. We can cut through, go to Dodds-house."

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Having finished his part of the consecration, Dorgio returns to Everline, Petrie, and the others. The priest looks at Petrie's hook and nods. "That may be working! We could try fixing it to a rope and tossing it to him like a grappling hook...but a bad toss might hurt the poor boy. What if we used the rope to lash the hook to my spear, and use that to drag him safely to us?"

[ewancummins]

THE DUNGEON-

Petrie says,

''Sure, I'll use this twine.''

The Forfarian fastens the steel fishing hook to the 'lizard sticker' butt of Dorgio's spear.

''Mind you don't cut yourself while handling it. But better you get nicked than Jonas, eh?'

[Ail]

Eustace abandons his efforts to consecrate the area, as he dejectedly recognizes he hasn't brought silved dust with him. While the rest of the group focuses on Jonas, he watches the rest of the room to avoid surprises.

[ewancummins]

OUTSIDE THE OLD ABBEY



Melmoth sits down a rock to rest.

''I wonder how those crazy fools are getting on in the ruins. Lotta noise, hmmmph.''

Something crunches behind him and he turns to look a second to late to avoid the...

THE CHATEAU

The young chambermaid raps on the door again, louder this time.

''Miss Charlotte, Miss Charlotte, please, please open the door. It's me, Berenice. We are all worried about you!"

[ewancummins]

THE DUNGEON

Everline tries to fish Jonas out of the hidden vault; even as the shadows on the walls begin to grow again, taking on horrific shapes...

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Everline's whole body spasms, but she manages to hold on to the improvised tool.

"Frack, frack, frack!" she curses, foregoing her genteel persona again. Despite trembling like a fawn, the young woman suddenly throws herself flat on the ground in front of the grate and swings the spear again.

"Got 'im!" she shouts, exultation warring with terror in her voice. "Grab me feet, pull us out! Pull us out!"

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"Hold on!" Dorgio reaches out to grab Everline's feet, then braces his legs to start pulling her and Jonas free.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Primeiro also tries to pull Everline and Jonas free. "Keep the lights going!" he yells to those behind him. "KEEP THE ROOM LIT!"

[ewancummins]

THE DUNGEON

With Dorgio and Primeiro both pulling, Everline slides out of the little passage.
The girl holds Dorgio's spear in a white-knuckled death grip. Jonas flops out of the miniature corridor with the fishook tied on the spear butt caught in the seat of his breeches.


Petrie scoops up the boy, deftly removing the hook as he does so.

[steveflam]

THE WOODS

Gruz nods.
"Okay. We go to the Dodds place now."

Smezel adds ''The Dodds keeps the little one. The Dodds plays with kiddies. Maybe the Chief helps us? He looks in the dungeon;that's where the Dodds keeps the little one."

Gruz walks over to the dead man-thing and picks up the fallen hunting knife in one oversized hand.
''Shiny! Happy!" He slices off the dead monster's fingers and toes, singing off-key; "Snacks are good, snacks are nice."

Smezel straightens the dirty folds of his rat fur robe with a self-important air, and adds-
''I real smart. I find the thin place. We can cut through, go to Dodds-house."

"yes you're smart Smezel. Now, we want to find Jonas first. He is the little one, smaller than me or even you. After that, if you can get us out of here, then so be it without the Dodds. Yes the Chief said he would help find Jonas. Let us go see the Chief first."

[ewancummins]

THE WOODS

Gruz nods.
"Okay. We go to the Dodds place now."

Smezel adds ''The Dodds keeps the little one. The Dodds plays with kiddies. Maybe the Chief helps us? He looks in the dungeon;that's where the Dodds keeps the little one."

Gruz walks over to the dead man-thing and picks up the fallen hunting knife in one oversized hand.
''Shiny! Happy!" He slices off the dead monster's fingers and toes, singing off-key; "Snacks are good, snacks are nice."

Smezel straightens the dirty folds of his rat fur robe with a self-important air, and adds-
''I real smart. I find the thin place. We can cut through, go to Dodds-house."

"yes you're smart Smezel. Now, we want to find Jonas first. He is the little one, smaller than me or even you. After that, if you can get us out of here, then so be it without the Dodds. Yes the Chief said he would help find Jonas. Let us go see the Chief first."

Smezel rummages through the dead man-monster’s bedroll till he brings forth his iron knife.

''Got it. "

The one-eyed goblinoid carries the knife in front of him, dangling by a length of string. When the knife swings a little in a given direction, Smezel heads that way.

Gruz, now wearing his jester's cap with bells, tramps along behind the other little monster. He hums tunelessly as he marches.

...

The creatures stop in front of a towering oak tree, a vast dead bulk of rotten wood.
Smezel points to a hollow bole big enough to engulf a horse.

''We goes through there. We finds the Chief. We finds little boy. "


Gruz mutters something about ''Hope we don't find the Dodds..."

[steveflam]

"Let us worry about these Dodds, okay, my friend?" He motions with his hand "After you."

[ewancummins]

"Let us worry about these Dodds, okay, my friend?" He motions with his hand "After you."

Smezel clambers up the tree and reaches into the deep darkness of the hollow with the iron knife in one hand.

In a sing-song voice he recites, ''Iron calt, iron bricht, mak' a portal thru the nicht."

Benn and Jürgen hear a sound like paper tearing inside the hollow. Smezel looks back over his shoulder, his single eye huge and luminous in the moonlight.


''This way. Be quick, it closes soon."


And then the little monster vanishes into the dark hollow.

Gruz begins climbing the tree in a hurry.

[steveflam]

Juergin quickly follows.