The jor walked with a noble bearing neither Hilde nor Belynda was accustomed to seeing. A casual observer might have thought that he owned the place. As he led them through the entryway and out into what was a beautiful, and curiously constructed underground city, he talked about the neighborhood, people, and idiosyncrasies of this … Continue reading Fight, Swear, Loathe; Chapter 22

As Hilde and Belynda walked cautiously up to the spot where Cinder was sitting, they watched for any sign of trouble. It wasn’t clear which of them first saw the spider totem carved in the rock wall, but they looked at each other, and sighed heavily. This was unmistakably the territory of the drow. There … Continue reading Fight, Swear, Loathe; Chapter 21

Hilde and Belynda went back through the cavern to fetch their bags, and the two unknotted ropes, then returned to where the gigantic spring was wedged into the opening. Nothing was getting through here, unless it was Cinder-sized or smaller. About a foot worth of rubble had been broken down from the top, and there … Continue reading Fight, Swear, Loathe; Chapter 20

Without having Cinder around to keep watch, Hilde would have been very reluctant to continue this adventure in this way. The rocks and formations were so tall, it was like navigating a stone forest. There were no paths, and so many places the beholder could be hiding. Cinder stayed well ahead of Hilde and Belynda, … Continue reading Fight, Swear, Loathe; Chapter 19

They both knew what they were up against now, and neither of them were thrilled about the prospect. Belynda had found several maps of the caverns, caves, and tunnels that meandered out and downward from this settlement. The fortification that Belynda had described in the journals was labelled, and Hilde assumed that the horror remained … Continue reading Fight, Swear, Loathe; Chapter 18

Hilde and her squire took the elevating bowl contraption all the way back to the smelting room, and set about making camp. Cinder went immediately back to exploring the rooms around them, and Belynda made quite a meal from the food they had on hand along with a generous dose of magical summoning. It wasn’t … Continue reading Fight, Swear, Loathe; Chapter 17

Uncertain as to the time when they awoke, the two women had stirred at almost the exact same time. Cinder had been bouncing about already, her whiskers twitching furiously as she explored the area around where the adventurers slept. Belynda prepared a quick meal, and then helped gird Hilde in her armor. They didn’t have … Continue reading Fight, Swear, Loathe; Chapter 16

It took quite a while for the great device clicking away in the bowels of the earth to complete its task, but when it did, Hilde and Belynda were both duly impressed. A great iron cauldron sort of bowl rose up from the pit, and on one side was a large platform apparently for workers … Continue reading Fight, Swear, Loathe; Chapter 15

Releasing the rope as it swung out, Hilde yanked it back and snagged the next chain. If nothing else was to come of this exercise, she was getting really good at this. She pulled the rope towards her, and grabbed the chain, once more setting the hook on the edge of the chute behind her. … Continue reading Fight, Swear, Loathe; Chapter 14

In the morning, the household awoke and began to set to doing the day’s work. Belynda bundled up Cinder, and tucked her into her cloak. Nathalie and Hilde got the donkey into its harness, and then saddled up Tinza. The cart already had all of the baggage on it, so it wasn’t long before they … Continue reading Fight, Swear, Loathe; Chapter 13