SESSION 8
Having a brief rest, only to catch their breath, the party continued to move on. This was not the time, nor the place to stop for any length of time. Denal took lead and using his maps, took the party back along the known path, hoping to avoid the Orc army that was out looking for them. Trouble was, there was a large gap in their map. Any number of corridors (damn Gnomes) could link their corridors up to the known ones.
Denal was almost past the blank spot on his map when he did encounter a few orcs, led by an Ogre. He engaged the enemy, hoping that the party would slip past and get away. Anson had other plans and stepped up to help. Agatsu and Talgor moved towards the known exit, along with Arik. Arik turned back to the others, he saw that several orcs were moving in to cut Anson and Denal off from escape. Arik started casting another spell. The party felt their actions coming to them quicker, and that they could do things faster. Talgor moved up to engage an orc, when two stepped out from a side corridor to engage him. Anson was toe to toe with the Ogre, when a swipe from his club sent Anson into a wall.
The orcs took one look at Talgor and became infuriated by the swinging holy symbol around his neck. Their attacks became more vicious. Talgor could not defend enough and two lucky hits from the orcs took him down. Arik, seeing the predicament they were in, cast a couple magic missals, downing the ogre before it could hit Anson any more. Once the Ogre was down, the orcs were taken out without more casualties. Agatsu knelt down at Talgors side and found that he was breathing, and not bleeding. He was out of danger. The party picked Talgor up and continued towards the exit.
The party continued along until they got to the small room by where they encountered the dragon. They brought Talgor into the room and closed the door, Agatsu taking up position at the door to watch for pursuit. The party rested for a moment and heard the familiar voice in their heads. "I see you are back."
Anson looked at Denal and smiled. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Denal got out the key and then unchained the doors. Anson opened up the doors and confronted the dragon. "I've got an proposition for you. There is an orc army chasing us. They are your captors. We'd like to free you so you can take revenge on them. What do you say?"
The dragon looked at Anson and thought about it. "Come to me." he said.
Anson looked a bit nervous. "You are not going to eat me are you?"
The dragon replied: "No. You fed me all this food. I'm stuffed."
Anson started into the room. He clung to the wall as he moved towards the dragon. The dragon eyed him cautiously. Anson moved around the dragon to the back side of him, where the chain was. He examined the chain and saw that it was going through the wall, a hole was carved out of the wall. He peered inside the wall and saw the chain extend out into another room and link to a large block. There was no way of removing that chain. He then looked at the chain as it connected to the dragon. He saw the clasp around the dragons leg and saw the lock. he also noticed that the lock was too small for the large key that was used to lock the double doors leading into this room.
Anson pulled out his dagger and started digging at the lock, hoping to spring it. He succeeded in only bending the dagger and dulling the blade. He then looked at the chain. He pulled out his sword, the magic one he found days earlier. He started to hack at the chain. Sparks flew as his sword glanced off the chain, time after time. He caused no damage to the chain.
He told the dragon that maybe if it was heated up, it might be more effective. The dragon told Anson to stand back. Anson moved out of the way and then the dragon breathed on the chain, effectively making the chain glow hot. Anson moved back in and hacked at it again. Nothing happened. he continued to hack at the chain. The dragon looked bored.
Denal started to come into the room when the dragon quickly spun his head around and glared at him. "Do not come any closer or I will eat you." Denal, with a look of shock on his face, backed up and out of the room. he decided that Agatsu might be better company, at least Agatsu wouldn't eat him.
The dragon turned back to the struggling Anson. "Perhaps if you had a hammer and anvil." it said to him.
Anson looked at the dragon. "Well I have no anvil.. but....." He sheathed his sword and ran out to where talgor lay. He picked up his War Hammer and and brought it back. "Breath on it." Anson told the dragon.
The Dragon Drew back a breath and lit up the chain. Anson hauled back and brought the War Hammer down on the chain. Sparks flew, but so did a chip of the chain. Anson continued to pound on the chain. A couple more chips came off. He asked the dragon to stretch the chain and try to snap it. The dragon ran out to the full extent and the chain went taught. The chain did not break or bend.
Again the dragon breathed on the chain and Anson hacked away at it more. several more chips came off. He had the dragon try again with snapping the chain. The dragon reared and yanked on the chain. The weak link bent. Anson Swung onto it, snapping the link. The dragon, still pulling on the chain, stumbled towards the door and stood inside the doorway smiling as only a dragon could.
"I'm free!!!!!" It yelled in everyone's head. It walked into the other room, shaking his back foot at the dragging chain still attached to him. He walked over to the limp Talgor.
"Your friend looks dead. can I eat him?" He said.
Anson came into the room. "No, you cannot. He's not dead."
The dragon sniffed at Talgor's body and said, "He smells of orc, but only partly."
Anson then showed the dragon the door. "Can you fit? that is the only way out."
The dragon ambled over to the door, Agatsu backed away with the elf, to a safe corner. The dragon stuck it's head through the doorway. He started through the door, only to find that his back end was a bit too big. He scuffled forward, lodging himself in the doorway. He scraped on the walls with his hind feet. to get himself through.
About that time, Anson heard the dragon roar menacingly. He could then smell the acrid smoke of burring orcs. There must have been a patrol coming down the corridor. Anson saw the dragon was stuck and started to chip on the wall. Denal was sitting in a corner watching all this. he was strumming his fingers thinking how wonderful Dragon armor must be, and how much it was worth.
Anson kept pounding on the wall when pieced broke off and the dragon wiggled out the door. "I'm free!!!" It yelled. The dragon sat down and started licking it's scales where a couple had come off from the doorway. Anson turned to the party and told them it was time to go. He went out into the corridor and told the dragon where the orc army was, and that the party was going the other way, towards the exit. The dragon had a gleam in his eye as he started off in the direction of the orc army.
Anson and Arik picked up Talgor and started to head towards the entrance under the mayors house. They did not get far when they heard a scraping sound. Anson looked back and saw the dragon coming towards them. He stopped. Anson said, "No, you cannot come this way. The exit is too small for you."
Agatsu piped up with, "What about the cave I came through? It should be plenty big enough." Anson agreed and told the dragon about that exit and that he should go that way. The dragon agreed and followed the party. When they got to the junction where the dragon had to go, Anson told the dragon, "The exit is that way, freedom is there. We must go this way."
"I thank you Anson Ral-North. I owe you a debt." The dragon said. He then headed towards his exit and freedom. Anson and the rest of the party continued towards the mayors house and found guards standing at the entrance. They told them to put the town on alert and that they need to see the mayor asap.
