Burning Road

Hell's Fury- Part III

"He's awake again," said the short dwarf.

"He's alive, babe!" Golan shouted. He and the dwarven shift leader, Ingrid, were on watch.

The bellows of hundreds of tormented spirits echoed up and down the passageways through gates and up stairwells. The entire complex was alive with the cries of the dead. Madness prevailed over everything. Mimi looked back at the dwarf, Runt, who watched over the wounded; Loc the dwarf, Vhalova, and DotPrince.

She, Golan, and Cyril had delved deeper into the factory, passing a score of holding cells and torture chambers where spirits were restrained and broken. They stumbled upon their friends by chance. Golan had been about to choose a different doorway when the sounds of fighting caught his attention. They traced the noise down a dark ramp into a hall where dwarves fought for their lives. That's where she found Vhal, that's where she saw a spirit choking DotPrince.

Ragdhyl had paralyzed the creature with a quick script, and Golan grabbed them both. While Mimi and the others fought their way back to the upper levels the guards tried to contain the mounting number of escaping inmates. The spirits were compelled to attack the living, but whenever they came upon more of their trapped brethren they pulled the levers, releasing them. What started as two hundred grew to almost a thousand.

Miminda had caught sight of the spirits rampaging through a parallel passage and knew their only chance was to slow the horde's progress. If the two groups crossed paths, the creepers would join the spirits in death. Mimi couldn't allow that to happen. She'd found her family, now she needed to get them out of The Cauldron alive.

So Golan and Tunneling Team Shift Leader Ingrid stood watch while Mimi and Ragdhyl hastily covered the passage in runes. Cyril and Runt tended to the wounded, Muggle and Priyal the naga guarded their escape route. Miminda finished her last rune, a masterpiece of scripting with sleek lines and perfectly curved loops, and dusted her hands over Rag's tiny pouch so not to let any dust go to waste. Ragdhyl continued to draw strings of runes, while Mimi ran to Vhal. The pixie held her side while Cyril sewed a rushed column of stitches.

Mimi looked away as Vhal flinched. Her eyes settled on the human woman clinging to DotPrince's hand.

"What is your name?"

"Yo... you speak English?" the human asked.

"Yes, and so do you," Mimi said, her words thick with sarcasm. "What is your name?"

"My name is Nathalie Sophia Richard-Martin, of Paris France."

"And I am Miminda Akka Yodiha, and this is Vhalova Dove."

"Like the bird I lo-"

"Vhalova could use your help, and if you can't help her then we have no fucking use for you." The words rolled out of Mimi's mouth sweetly, but ended with a dangerous growl. "Get over here and hold her side."

Nathalie recoiled, surprised by the goblin's ferocity.

Mimi didn't wait for the human to move, she just rose and went over to Khouri. As the goblin approached Nathalie rushed to comply. DotPrince laughed though he tried to hide it.

"That was harsh," he whispered, "but necessary. Is Val going to be okay?"

"It is Vhal, Vh-hal," Mimi corrected. "She has suffered worse, we all have. The Under is a tough place."

"This isn't The Under."

"And Vhal is tough."

DotPrince could only nod. He winced and rubbed the space between his eyes.

"Your scar hurts?"

"No, I have a headache. I might have overdone it with the magic."

"But you did not hit your face? Good. That is bad luck."