Best laid plans… pt4.

[Tannas]

A near death experience can do one of two things: Scare you into quitting whatever it was you were doing out of self preservation, or invigorate you to become stronger for the next time it happens. Tannas was never good at playing the victim or running scared. He got better at surviving or he’d die. Such is the way of life. Even when close to death, to him, there was almost a peace that came with it of knowing he tried.

Now, there was a fire lit inside him. A fire sparked by the hunt of one who would do harm to another. With a ringing in his ear, and his eyes set on finding the others, he set forth to earn his token back. But first, he had to find this ghoul.

Tannas took his time following the tracks of the ghoul. It was better for the target to feel safe during the hunt. Maybe it’ll lead him to a target rich environment. Maybe it’ll lead him to the others. Hopefully the others are still alive. Ah, hope. Hope can be a dangerous thing. If you put too much faith in it, it can blind you to what’s real. It can create unrealistic expectations that can lead you to failure. Tannas reminds himself this as he shakes his head.

A few hours later, and many unchecked doors passed, the one ghoul, who is now named Reggie, has linked up with four more ghouls. Those four were eating on what looked like the remains of a person. Only one. Reggie joined the others in feast, so Tannas had a quick look around. A few less than eventful minutes later, he returned. He dispatched the ghouls quickly using the element of surprise while they fed. At closer inspection of the fresh corpse, he finds it to be one of the workers. Tannas didn’t remember his name, but noticed the woven bracelet around what’s left of his wrist. He had made note of it days earlier for some reason or another, and asked about it in passive conversation. It was a gift his niece made for him.

Tannas let the thought trail off. Now is not the time to get spun up in things he can’t change. Once he left the room, he started to look for a secure place to rest. Work without rest can kill you faster than a quick blade. About an hour later, he found a hanging cage at the end of a small room. He began to set up indication sites for anyone, or anything that may work their way to him. Noise is good when you want to hear someone coming. When he felt secure enough, he set up a new torch in a sconce on the wall of the hall. As uneasy as it may be, some rest is better than none.

A few hours later, the ringing was still in his ears. Thankfully, he could still hear the chittering of the few rats wandering the floor. Time to get back to business. Once Tannas got out of the cage, he did some light stretching and checked his equipment. Everything was fine until he grabbed the torch from the wall.

A trap was triggered and he fell into a gaping hole underneath him. He instinctively tried to stop the fall with his torch and sword, but he wasn’t fast enough. Sand and dirt fell as he did, filling his eyes. The torch stayed lit enough to distinguish his descent. When he came to an abrupt stop, there was a thud and a crunch. He was fine, but the torch had lost it’s vigor. Faint blue flames rolled over the now dirt covered cloth and rope at it’s wicks end. Tannas rubbed at his eyes and scrambled to prepare another torch, then something caught his ear. Footsteps. Many footsteps.

Not far away, there was a shuffling of feet, maybe a half dozen pairs. Tannas stopped his panicked movements and took a deep, slow breath. His heartbeat slowed. His mind relaxed. His thoughts now focused. The shuffling went on for a few minutes, slowly fading away. The torch had flickered its last in the in-between. Tannas slowly grabbed the waterskin from his day pack as to not make much sound. Then he rinsed his eyes of sand and dirt.

Tannas wasn’t in a comfortable position being at the bottom of a trap. He had to spark another torch if he wanted to see anything. He fished in his pack to find his flint. His sword had fallen next to him. The torch lit on the third strike. Each strike had echoed through the dark, threatening to give away his location. He grabbed a scarf from the pack and tied it around his face. He knew he had to move fast, then took another slow breath and gained his bearing. Focus.

The bottom of the trap was linked to a shaft no more than four feet in height, and narrow. Most likely a drainage point or air shaft. Maybe both. It was a tight fit, in either case. Tannas worked his way down the decline and it wasn’t too far from another opening into a larger hallway.

It was all or nothing. He couldn’t leave the opening without exposing him as a whole, and the torch he had lit was already giving away his position. It looked about eight feet to the floor from where he was. It was go time.

[Author]

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