As the magic thrummed around him, Will's head broke the dark sand of the Elf Stones near the castle. He and his two friends, after brushing off the last of the dark sand, rise into the air on a wave of magical power and shoot off at speeds that most would balk at. Will was a focused man, and when they arrived at the gates, the guards took one look at Will, who was not wearing his enchantment to conceal his strange looks and panicked.
An alarm bell rang, and several wizards and knights descended upon him, only to be pressed to the ground on their stomachs through sheer force. Will grit his teeth and spoke, "I am Will Garrow, Princess's Man. You are impeding my duties. Do so a second time at your own peril."
He then swept away at speed, dragging his friends with him. The guards and wizards rose to their feet, and one who had seen Will in the harvest festival contest of strength prayed for the poor bastards who had angered the Princess's Man.
[Illicia]
Illicia's ears perked up as she thought to herself, "I know that sound! Those are the guard bells for the castle! I'm home?!"
As she walks, Tipless and Limper are walking behind her. She feels a pulse of energy that tells her one thing. Will is near. She knows he is probably unable to sense her, but both Tipless and Limper notice the wave of energy as well; Tipless speaks first, "Fuck me, how in the hell did he get here so damn fast. What kind of monster is he."
Illicia chuckled, "He is not a monster, at least not to me. He is simply the Princess's Man, and he is going to find me. You should probably let me go; that way, he has no reason to find you."
Limper prodded her with a stick they had been using to guide her so that they stayed out of her range, "Not happening. We already let our boss know, and now that Viltar seems to be out of the equation, well, he is stepping up his game, even arranged transport for us."
They led her down a tunnel that sloped deeper and deeper underground. At the end of the tunnel stood a door. Tipless knocked, and a slot opened up, and two deep black eyes stared back for a moment, and then the slot closed, and the sound of many mechanical locks disengaging could be heard, then a creature that Illicia had only heard of in legend stepped forward.
He looked like a dwarf, but his skin seemed to absorb light with how pitch black it was. Illicia gasped, "Nighthammer Dwarf!"
The Dwarf looked at her and smiled, its teeth a deep shimmering white that contrasted intensely against its skin, hair, and eye color. Its voice was as deep as she had ever heard and sent a shiver down Illicia's spine, "Aye, lass, we exist, though we don't advertise it much. Many of our brethren were hunted for various reasons. We don't want to end up like the Gilsheribrum, so we remain hidden. I personally have taken to working in transport for certain people."
"Fair enough, when I get out of this, I would love to chat with you and see some of the cities that you and your people have built. In the legends, you are stone masons of unparalleled skill." Illicia said excitedly, forgetting she was bound and a prisoner for a moment.
"Oh, aye, Lass, if you ever make it back to Kolt, find my tunnel, and I will happily have a chat with you." The Dwarf chuckled darkly, "For now, why don't you focus on staying alive. Now, everyone in the cart."
As they walked, the Dwarf led them to a large cart with many seats set on dark metal rails. The Dwarf spoke once more, "It's a day and a half, but unless you have a transporter or enough magic to access the Elf Stones, this is the fastest way. All aboard."
They climbed into the cart, and the Dwarf threw a lever, and suddenly, they were moving rapidly in pitch-black tunnels.
Roughly thirty hours later, the dark, queasy movement that had become her normal was interrupted by the sudden light, and the cart rolled to a stop. The Dwarf let them all off and then jumped back on his cart and surged off again. Illicia looked around at the well-lit tunnel she was now walking up. At the end, there stood another door, which Tipless knocked on and opened. She now stood in a hall with nearly twenty people in it.
Tipless and Limper lead her forward, with Tipless speaking to the person on the throne at the end of the hall. "Mardok, as we stated in our communication, we have..."
The man on the throne interrupted. "Princess Ilicia Ter Koltshelg, it is an honor. Gentlemen, I thank you now as to the payment we discussed."
Two arrows sprouted from each of the men next to Illicia, and Tipless and Limper dropped dead. Mardok stepped forward and cut the rope from Illicia, "Now, princess, I think that you know that only bad things will happen if you fight. So, for now, why don't you consider yourself my guest and go along with what I say."
Illicia nodded, knowing deep down that any chance of her making her own way home had just gone out the window. She wished Will would hurry up.
[Will]
It had been nearly thirty hours since his arrival in Kolt, and he had been unsuccessful in finding any more leads on Illicia.
"Your majesty, I wish to reach out to my grandparents to see if they have learned anything new," Will said to the King.
"Of course, Will," The King said, gesturing to a mage who stepped forward and cast a communications spell. An image of Will's grandparents filled the air in front of the King. "Greetings Got'Ro, Greetings Yilan."
"Your majesty," They said in unison, and then Yilan caught sight of Will, "Will, I have no news."
Got'Ro interrupted whatever the next expression from Will would have been, "Will, I have some, shall we say, less than legal, and less than savory friends that I can reach out to. If I hear anything, I will pass it on. Do not give up; we will find her. If the entire collective must come forth to scour the continent, I will make it so."
Will nodded, and the magic was terminated. Will looked at the King and nodded before heading out to search farther afield for Illicia.
