Knights of the Platinum Dragon: A D&D Story

Chapter 5: Escape

Ren's face at once burned and froze as he stood with his back to the wall, his free hand clutching the stonework while the other tightened so much about his staff that his knuckles turned white. As he watched, he heard the ear-splitting boom of Technus shooting a weapon even he'd never seen before, glimpsed Stalk get injured before a gnoll advanced upon him only to be repelled by Arabella, and could see the rest of the pack bearing down on the Cockatrice with every passing second.

'I have to get out of here!' he thought, his heart thundering like a stampede inside his chest. But how could he? Elsa said that door was the only way to escape, and he wasn't going to run headfirst into a pack of gnolls!

But then, amidst the darkness of panic, a light flashed as Ren suddenly realized something.

He didn't have to run into the gnolls... he just had to get behind them.

Fumbling for his spellbook, Ren pulled it free and rapidly flicked through the pages as the clashing of steel and the crunching of bone raged on before him, almost dropping his tome a couple of times as he hurried to find what he needed.

But then, he reached the correct page. Cradling the book under his left arm, Ren lifted his hand as best he could and his long fingers danced through the air as the light around him suddenly seemed to fold in on itself, and he said the name of the spell.

"Invisibility."

The warping field of light closed over his fingers, his hands, his arms and his shoulders, enveloping him like a cloak, and as it swept across his person, Ren saw his own body as a glowing white outline, as if someone has stencilled over him with a pen dipped in glowing silver ink.

It was then that he knew he couldn't be seen, and the actions of the raging fight confirmed this all the more. The gnolls from outside pushed in, forcing Logan and Finnan to back up as the knight was finally forced away from the door. Stalk rushed in with both of his swords drawn to help them, while Technus remained where he was, pumping shots from his firearm into the gnolls one after the other. But even as he kept pulling the trigger and multiples holes were burst through their bodies, the predators kept coming, snarling and slavering and snapping their jaws all the while.

Only Arabella, who was stood at the back, took her eyes off the fight for a moment and looked around with an expression of worry on her face.
"Ren?!" she called, her voice full of terror. "Ren, where are you?!"

Ren's heart was hammering at the inside his own ribcage like a smithy pounding at the anvil. He wanted to call out to her and let he know he was fine, but then what if the gnolls then figured out he was there?

Ren knew that they, like many foul beasts that lurked in Faerun, had a strong sense of smell. And that they could smell fear...

Flicking his gaze back towards the door, Ren could see that all the gnolls from outside - eight of them, by the looks of it - had pushed into the inn, the entrance now open as they were no longer clustered around it. His heart leapt in his chest, and after taking a deep breath, he ran right at the gnolls with his eyes squeezed shut and squeaked "Misty Step!"

In the darkness, Ren felt the ground vanish beneath his feet for a split-second, his legs flailing at nothing as continued to try and run desperately. Then, his boots found purchase, the sound of steps on wood thudding beneath him and the sudden chill of cold, fresh air cooling the sweat on his brow.

Peeling his eyes open, Ren found himself outside the Cockatrice, standing at the top of the steps he and Logan had climbed to reach the front door. The teleportation had worked!

The clashing and bashing of the fight indoors was muffled by the stone walls, but before the noise even returned his eardrums, Ren was clambering down the stairs, almost tripping over his own feet as he scrambled to reach where the boats docked down below.