The Ogre and the Highelf

Dungeon Danger

After much planning and discussion, they ventured forth from the little shack that had been their shelter and headed north through the hills, skirting the tower by the road until finally they came upon a large cave entrance. There they found a safe place to set up camp. That first night Pud scouted the area while Fel prepared some food, careful to keep a low fire with little smoke to mark their camp. When Pud returned they sat over the low fire and discussed their strategy while eating the rat pie Fel had made and washing it down with water she had summoned with magic. Soon the night sounds settled down to a low murmur, the fire died out to small glowing embers and Pud and Fel curled up in each other’s arms. As he held her he felt the frailty of her body and such a rush of protectiveness came over him he almost crushed her. He loosened his grip when he heard her giggle. Pud grunted and started to stroke her long auburn hair, his rough callused hand gently sliding over the tips of her pointed ears until at last it came to rest lightly on her shoulder. He heard her sigh and felt her snuggle tighter against him. As he drifted off to sleep, he vowed he would never let any harm befall her.
Morning found them breaking camp and stealthily slipping into the cave entrance. Pud had eliminated the guards and so far, their presence was not known. Quietly they slipped through the maze of caverns, slowly but steadily eliminating the gnolls along the way. Fel used her power to boost Pud’s armor, Pud kept Fel at his back for both protection and as a rear guard. As they killed gnolls, they gathered items to show as proof. A scalp, a tooth, a weapon, anything that was gnoll went into the packs. Several hours later found them in the bowels of the gnoll caverns in a room far from the heavily trafficked areas. Quietly they set up a cold camp. Fel dug sandwiches from her pack and water she had summoned earlier. As they ate, they spoke in soft whispers deciding weather to go further or not. Finally, Fel convinced Pud they should take their full packs to the guards at the city gates and show them what they had done. Perhaps then, Pud could enter the city. After a short rest, they gathered up their things and started out of the room. Unbeknownst to them word of their carnage had reached the gnoll king and a large group of gnolls were setting up an ambush.
Slowly they retraced their steps and headed toward the cavern entrance. As they slipped through the caverns both had an uneasy feeling of eyes spying on them. Pud stopped once and motioned Fel to his side and with hand signals indicated to her that she cast her best protection spell. She moved closer to the large ogre, murmured a few incantations and a soft glow surrounded both of them. As they crept into the last large chamber before the entrance, Pud stopped and sniffed the air. “Gnolls”, he whispered. Fel readied herself for the fight she knew would ensue. They both stood quiet against the wall, eyes roving the area straining to see into the darkness. Far in the distance, a light could be seen marking the other entrance into the chamber but in between only shadowy shapes could be made out. Finally, Pud signaled Fel and she cast a spell that lit up the room briefly. What they saw in that blink of an eye would have sent any sane man or woman screaming for their life. The chamber was full of gnolls, angry, snarling gnolls. The light blinded them shortly, just enough time for Fel to cast a harm spell that sent the closest ones reeling to their deaths. Pud sprang into action and started swinging his claw and axe. They had their backs to one another. Fel would use her weapon on the ones nearest to her and when the opportunity arose, she would cast a spell on those out of her weapon’s range. Slowly, keeping close to the wall of the chamber they inched their way around to the far entrance. The gnolls kept coming, the closer they got to the far entrance the more frenzied the gnolls became; attacking with ferocity unknown to Pud and Fel. They tore at Fel’s armor, they tried to strike the weapons from both their hands, and they bit and clawed at them drawing blood at every strike. It was all Fel could do to keep up with fighting the gnolls and keeping herself and Pud healthy enough to survive. They were only feet from the entrance they fought so hard to get to when suddenly the chamber went quiet. The gnolls stood like statues. The air hummed with energy, Pud and Fel both looked at each other out of the corner of their eye, not daring to relax in this seeming calm in the middle of the storm. Their breathing was labored, blood ran from many wounds. Pud’s muscles were twitching with the strain of swinging his weapons and connecting with gnolls. Fel’s hair was plastered to her head, rivulets of sweat running down her face. Fel took a chance, in the calm touched Pud, and caused some of his more serious wounds to heal. The pause gave them some much-needed time to collect their waning strength. Pud reached behind him and squeezed Fel’s hand indicating she was to stay with him and he slowly started to move forward, his eyes on the gnolls around them. None moved, none tried to stop them but their eyes followed them. They were both concentrating so much on those enemies close to them they failed to see what was happening at their goal, the exit from the chamber that they had fought so hard to reach. Suddenly Pud became aware of movement ahead of them and turned to look. What he saw froze him in mid step. His grip on Fel’s hand tightened causing Fel to look at him then beyond to what he was staring at. The apparition that met her eyes was nothing but total horror. A form stood in the entrance blocking all but a minimal amount of light. It was taller than the gnolls around it and the only way to describe its movement was lumbering, at best. As it stepped into the large chamber, firelight lit its form and Fel shrank against Pud. He put his arm around her in a protective manner and stared, shocked, awed and very wary. The hulking mass of hair and flesh turned toward them and they got their first look at the Gnoll King. The hair on his head was white but matted with dirt and all manner of filth, his face was large, his large yellow eyes seemed to have a faint glow to them, his nose, almost bulbous like, was centered on his face and the color of putrid dirty orange. It had been broken many times by the looks of it and now it was covered with large bumps and many scars. The mouth underneath was scowling, the long teeth that showed, dirty and yellowed with age and wear, several were broken and spittle ran down his chin. What parts of his form that was not covered by ragtag armor and garments was a mixture of flesh and hair. The flesh matched the color of his nose; some places seemed darker than others did. The hair that covered the backs of his, for lack of a better word, hands and was found intermittently along his arms and legs and covering the tops of his feet was matted and dirty or dirtier than the hair that was on his head, if that was possible. His ‘hands’ were almost animal shaped, paw-like yet they had opposable thumbs which allowed him to grasp the large great shield in his one hand and the spiked mace in his other. The Gnoll King slowly scanned the chamber, eyeing his army, seeing the many dead bodies heaped around him and the massive amount of blood that had already been spilt. Eventually his gaze rested on the ogre and the high elf, he sniffed the air, shook his great head and swung the great shield in his right hand. The gnolls fell back making a small open area. The king leisurely stepped into the center then he turned and faced Pud and Fel. He gestured again, this time with his left hand and the gnolls closest to him fell back to avoid the large mace again, clearing more of the area in the chamber. Pud could feel the tension in the air. He and the king stared long and hard at one another and Pud knew what had to happen. He dropped Fel’s hand, took a small step forward and pushed her between him and the wall. Fel started to protest but with a squeeze of her arm, Pud silenced her. Terrified she watched the mammoth quivering mass of flesh and hair, she knew, as Pud did what was going to happen. They heard a sound like nothing they had heard before, it was a cross between a lion’s roar and a banshee’s screech. “You, you who invade us, you who try to exterminate us, come forth, come forth and fight me!” Pud did not move, he stood like a statue in front of Fel and stared at the gnoll. His hands gripping his weapons, his knuckles white, he stared at the gnoll with all the hatred he had bottled up for many years. His muscles flexed, he turned his head slightly and quietly ordered Fel to move toward the exit when he engaged the gnoll. Pud knew all eyes would be on the two of them in combat and Fel could probably slip away without being harmed. Fel never responded but he knew she would not obey him. He told her again and still no response, once more he told her this time he felt her body tense and he heard one word. NO! Pud sighed, he thought maybe, just maybe he could kill the huge gnoll and get past what was left of his army, he realized the chances were slim to none but it was better than no chance at all. With Fel there he knew they would both die. He tried to convey this to her but she was having none of it. Finally he gave up and turned his full attention back to the hulking gnoll that stood in the center of the makeshift arena.
For a brief second in time it was as if the gods held their breath and time was suspended. Then the ogre stepped into the arena, the gnoll snarled and for his size he moved with great speed, the ogre roared, hate and frustration could be heard in that awful sound and the two great bodies met in the middle. Swords clashed, sparks flew and blood spilt. The gnoll king had a large one-handed sword and a shield made of some hardened substance that easily deflected the ogre’s, well placed attacks. However, Pud’s greater dexterity and long hours of training and fighting enabled him to thwart the gnoll king’s attacks and get under the great shield and score hits. That is not to say the gnoll king wasn’t connecting. Pud had many open wounds on his great form, as did the gnoll. Periodically he would feel a calming heal come from Fel, which told him she was near. He knew her healing powers were good only from a certain distance. He knew the gnoll king was getting the same treatment from one of his own. It seemed to sustain both of them, enabling them to continue but not quite enough to finish one or the other off.
The battle between the two behemoths raged for hours. Each knew they could not sustain much longer and were trying to end it but just as a killing blow was struck either Fel or the gnoll king’s minion would give them enough healing or stamina to continue but not enough to finish. The great chamber was sweltering. The heat of the battle, of the bodies, of the magic that filled the air added to the dampness of the area. Sweat ran down the bodies of the two combatants like water sliding down the side of a wall. The salt stung the eyes and the open wounds. The great chamber’s heavy air was starting to sap the strength of the two warriors causing errors in judgment. The gnoll king barely avoided a killing blow from Pud’s great claw. However, the glancing blow left a large open wound along the gnoll’s midsection.
Soon it was apparent to everyone there the two great fighters were slowly loosing stamina and unable to continue. The gnolls forming the arena area were getting restless, several darting in to take a stab or swipe at Pud, most of the time missing but not always. When she could Fel sent a charge through the gnoll that was responsible, but her main concern was trying to keep Pud alive and being as unobtrusive as possible, not drawing attention to herself. She had ignored him when he told her to go, but she did line herself up with the exit, yet kept close to Pud so she could heal and encourage him. She could see that he tired, as did the gnoll king. She tried to send him strength to go on. It didn’t always reach him. She knew her abilities were being drained. Unable to rest and recoup them she had to be careful what she used and how. Healing was important but she did not have the magical strength needed to use her most powerful healing spell so she had to rely on a lesser one. Time was running out and she knew it. If Pud did not get a killing blow in soon, they both would die. If the king, himself didn’t kill them, the rest of his army would. She was frightened, more than she had ever been in her life. She saw Pud struggling to maintain his position but slowly he was being forced backwards into the army of gnolls. Yet, he always seemed to gather unseen strength and pull away, slashing at the king in a rage, doing damage but not enough. Then a flash of light appeared behind her. It filled the huge cavern, blinding all inside. Fel, shielding her eyes turned to see what could cause such magic, for she knew only magic could do this. The only thing she could discern was a dark shape in the middle of the light. Then from the dark shape a bolt flew out and engulfed Pud. For a moment he became immobile, then a growl emanating deep in his throat and growing Pud attacked. His strength and stamina regenerated, his wounds disappeared. It was all he needed with two deft strokes the gnoll king was dead. For a moment there was silence. The gnolls stared at their fallen king, Pud stood over him, chest heaving and Fel surrounded his form with magical symbols to protect him from the onslaught that was sure to come. Suddenly from the entrance, a commotion arose. The bright light was slowly fading and beyond it, was a horde of people flowing down the ramp and engaging the gnolls in battle. Within a short period, it was over. Bodies littered the cavern floor and those left alive had scurried for the dark neither regions. Pud had joined Fel she checked him over but saw only minor wounds that were healing. The mass of people that had swarmed into the cavern were going through the bodies checking for life and booty.
A diminutive figure approached them, slight of stature, with the pointed ears of an elf yet half the size. His form was incased in the light armor of a druid and he introduced himself as Ja'Ru, wood elf of The Grove. He apologized for being late to the fray and hoped it did not cause undo concern. Fel smiled at him, “well since we really didn’t expect anyone, you are not at all late. In fact, I would have to say your timing was impeccable.”
“Well then, shall we join your large friend and celebrate your victory?” With that, Fel turned to see an amazing site. People surrounded Pud, guards from the large port city were Fel would go to get supplies, merchants and townspeople all slapping him on the back speaking to him as if he was a long lost relative and congratulating him on his victory over the gnoll king. As Fel and the druid approached, a path was cleared and Fel ran up to Pud and gave him a hug. “You did it my love, you did it!”
Pud looked at her through glazed eyes, she could tell the attention he was getting was overwhelming his senses. She stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, “they like you, in fact they LOVE you.”
Pud stared at her and then the crowed in disbelief. Fel pulled the druid close, introduced him to Pud, and explained he was the one that gave him the energy needed to plant the killing blows. Pud gaped at the druid then suddenly his face split in a huge grin and he swooped up the druid and put him on his shoulder. Looking at the crowd he said, “Dis ittle man help Pud. Pud no able to kill widout his help”.
For a moment, the mass of people were silent, digesting the information, then a roar went up and everyone converged on the two.
Later that evening in a tavern in the port city Pud, Fel, Ja'Ru and many citizens were sitting around talking over the day’s events. The great cavern entrance had been magically sealed, the gnolls had gone in hiding and that evening everyone felt safe thanks to the ogre and the high elf.