NOVEL FROG Chapter 31: Hideout
“Wow, we are going to meet an elven queen! I hope our new clothes will be ready before then.”, Lucy said.
I frowned. “You were never that excited when we met the duke. What makes the queen different?”
“The duke rules over a city state, that is nothing compared to the power of an elven queen. I have always admired them. Strong, beautiful women. While the Empire does not stop women from getting power it does favour men.” Lucy explained.
“I see. So in a way we are meeting one of your childhood heroes?”
“You could say that, yes.”
“So what can you tell me about queen Loriel?”
“It’s said that she is a sorceress but I don’t know anything about her bloodline. She is 427 years old and came to power 219 years ago when her mother died. While the Empire tries to paint her as ruthless and barbaric she seems quite popular with her subjects.”
“That does not sound too bad. I wonder what kind of job she will offer us?”
“It’s likely that she wants us tied to the Dominion somehow. Maybe we can get paid to cause more trouble for the Empire.” Lucy smiled at the thought.
“Speaking of the Empire, are you concerned about your parents? The inquisition is rather angry with us I imagine. Should we try to get your relatives out of the Empire?”
“The Empire thinks I am a different person who just impersonated their slave. It is unlikely that they will go after them. And I am not sure if they would want to leave their village. I would like to see them again though. Maybe we can sneak into the Empire in a year or so when the heat dies down.”
“Alright.”
While we were talking we started looking for a suitable blacksmith without much success. Adjusting the amour of a demon lord was beyond anyone living in Iron Rock. It would require a combination of forging and magic to make it fit Lucy. After the summit we might have to look for a dwarven master smith. I did finally buy a watch though.
The next day we decided to look into the ritual site where Mantus was summoned. Iron Rock had already sent investigators but I was still curious. We left in the morning. The battlefield outside the walls was mostly cleared of bodies by now, but the damage to the environment would be around for some time. The once green field of grass was black. Instead of looking at a lush forest in the distance you only saw charred husks of trees. Of course the forest was massive and only the edge was damaged. If you kept walking for a few minutes you would find life again.
We transformed into our animal forms to travel. We were a lot faster that way. Flying would have been another option but running through the forest was kind of fun. We played around a bit, chasing each other. We also went hunting.
We never asked Emily where exactly the Empire had their base. But it was rather easy to follow the trail of the demonic army. It led us to a spot where the forest bordered the mountains. We saw a small camp of guards and transformed back.
“Greetings, we are Amaya and Lucy. We came to have a look at the imperial hideout.”, I said.
The guards immediately bowed to us. Since the battle we were rather famous in Iron Rock. “Of course my ladies, we are honoured by your presence. The entrance is that way, it looks like a natural cave.” He pointed towards the mountain. “Would you like a guide?”, he asked.
“Thanks, lead the way please.”
The cave did look rather natural at first. A bit further in there were stairs leading down though. I assumed that part was covered by an illusion during the Empire’s use of the base. The first room was a pretty big hall with several corridors leading further into the hideout. The floor was covered in ash, it was all that remained of the sacrifices.
Our guide explained that the base contained rather large barracks, a mess hall, officers quarters and the prison for the demons. Currently they were searching for any records that survived. While demons trashed most of the place they had no reason to specifically target any letters.
We thanked the guard for his help and continued to explore on our own. The prison was massive. There were many large cages, all covered in protective wards. I still wanted to know if my warlock ritual was responsible for the escape of the demons. While the entrance of the base was about 30 minutes on foot from our site, the prison was quite a bit closer. I started my investigation at the edge of the room. This place should have been the nearest and most affected. When I examined the runes of one cage I found certain flaws. The wards would have still worked but severely weakened. Further investigation showed that only one cage was affected. Was it an honest mistake, or deliberate sabotage? Was there really a demonic cult inside the inquisition? Maybe we would find more clues in the officers quarters.