NOVEL NEXT (Book 2) Episode 79: A Cunning Plan
"Better think of something fast," Corwin said, looking down at the dais as Bolg ranted and threatened the prisoners. "I don't think the big goblin has a lot of patience left."
Vash frowned, scanning the cavern, looking for something he could use. A sudden silence descended as Bolg struck the injured man again. The goblins leaned in, almost salivating at the violence on display. Vash turned away in disgust, but he noticed something he hadn't before.
The sound of running water.
He remembered the creek running out of the cave mouth. It was small, but swift. That meant that somewhere in this cave was a moving water source, and it likely carved most of the chambers. Vash gave the cavern a second look, noting the smooth slopes of the walls, indentations in the floor that looked very much like water-worn channels. Then he looked up closer to the top of the cavern and noticed the crude wooden dams.
Clever, Cass said, sounding amused and impressed. They redirected the creek to dry out their living chambers.
It can't be too secure. Look, I can see leaks between the boards. Vash thought, a plan beginning to take shape in his mind.
"What's that look?" Corwin asked, suspicious.
"Hmm?"
"That look you had right then, you get it sometimes." Corwin said. "Usually just before you do something stupid."
"It's my cunning plan look." Vash said, giving Corwin a crooked grin.
"I'll keep that in mind for the future." Corwin said wearily. "So, what's your cunning plan?"
Vash told him.
"And you think my plans are bad?" Corwin said, voice flat.
"Do we have a choice?"
"I suppose not." Corwin said with a sigh. "Just be careful. If things go sideways, there are a lot of goblins out there."
"Just be ready when everything kicks off." Vash said, calling up the formula for Shadowmeld and Shadowalk.
Corwin nodded, drawing his sword and keeping one thumb on the metal of the blade to keep it from ringing as he brought it out. Not for the first time, Vash wondered where Corwin had gotten a weapon like that. Every time he brought it up, Corwin would change the subject.
No use wondering about it now, time to focus. Vash thought, then pushed mana into his Talents.
The world faded to shades of gray; only the brightest colors were still visible, and those were pale and washed out. A deep chill settled into Vash's flesh, and sound became muffled and far away. Vash moved slowly out of the tunnel, keeping to the shadows of the overhang. He trusted his Shadowmeld to keep him hidden from a casual glance, but anyone truly looking would see the shadow moving on its own. He could have used Shadowalk to teleport across the cavern, but he still didn't trust that Talent over long distances. If he accidentally hooked onto the wrong shadow, he could easily reappear in empty air or on the ceiling. Neither option seemed good to him.
Vash crept along the overhang, keeping close to the wall as he moved. Luckily, all eyes were on Bolg as he screamed at his prisoners for information they did not possess.
I wonder why he's so interested in the caravan? Cass asked, listening out of Vash's ears. There are lots of caravans that come this way, and any information he wanted could be obtained more easily with a scout.
I really don't know, Cass. Vash thought, trying to focus on maintaining his Shadowmeld while sneaking around the perimeter of the cavern. I'd love to discuss it with you, but I'm a bit busy right now.
Of course, Cass said absently. I just think it's odd, that's all.
Vash suppressed an annoyed sigh. He was passing above a group of goblin kennel-masters, all holding the leashes of at least one of the goblin dogs. As Vash moved along, silently as possible, one dog lifted its head, nose twitching as it scented the air. Vash stopped, watching the dog warily.
A low growl began in the dog's chest, which was echoed by its neighbors. Soon all the dogs were growling and sniffing the air, looking in every direction, trying to find the scent that they all noticed. The first dog turned, raising its head towards Vash, and let out a coarse, snarling bark.
Vash froze, struggling to maintain a hold on his Talent.
The dog barked in Vash's direction, drops of frothing spittle splattering the stone floor. It strained at its leash, so intent was it on finding and attacking this intruder.
Vash felt his hold on Shadowmeld slipping. He was about to make a run for it, just in case, when the dog's master turned abruptly and brought a switch down on the dog's flank. The dog yelped and whimpered, turning away from Vash and back to its master. The goblin said a few harsh words, and the dog sat down obediently, though it shot a few glances back towards Vash over its shoulder.
Making a note that Shadowmeld was not effective against goblin dogs, Vash continued on his way until he was close to the dam. It was bigger up close. The goblins had obviously carved up a few large trees to form the dam, holding it in place with fraying rope, mud, and bizarre knots. Looking over the structure, Vash thought he spotted where the weakest point would be: a collection of knots about halfway up the dam. Those knots seemed to tie the upper and lower parts of the structure together. If he could cut those, then the whole thing should collapse under the weight of the water behind it. Vash could already see trickles of water finding gaps between the logs, as well as several ropes that had snapped under the strain.
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Vash looked up and found a narrow ledge close to the weak point. A nice shadow shrouded everything above the ledge. Taking a deep breath, Vash reached out with his aura and hooked into the ledge shadow. Once he felt like he had a firm grip, Vash pushed mana into the formula for Shadowalk.
Absolute darkness surrounded him and passed through his body like a bitterly cold wind. He couldn't feel any movement, but had an overwhelming sense of vertigo. As suddenly as it came, the sensation was gone. Vash perched on a ledge no wider than the length of his foot. Dizziness made him wobble for a moment, and he clutched at the smooth stone wall. His Shadowmeld was gone, which was to be expected. He wouldn't have been able to maintain it after the shock of teleportation, anyway.
Vash took several deep breaths, letting the sensations fade. Once again, he reminded himself that he needed to practice that Talent. What good was teleportation if you were useless in combat from the side-effects?
The goblins below cheered, and Vash glanced down. The human Bolg was beating had fallen sideways and was bleeding from a cut above his eye. Blood sheeted down one side of his face. The goblins cackled and cheered, their bloodlust up again at the sight.
Need to work quickly. Vash thought, drawing his dagger and reaching for the first of the knots. The sharp blade made quick work of the old, fraying ropes. Within seconds, Vash had several knots dangling free. The dam started making ominous groaning sounds, and more water leaked through the gaps in the logs.
A steady stream of water was sheeting down the back of the cavern and running past the feet of the goblins. Vash feared the goblins would notice, but they were so caught up in the show that Bolg was putting on that they merely shifted out of the way of the water rather than become curious about its source.
Methodically, Vash kept working, slicing through rope after rope. He started to get concerned. Though the dam creaked ominously, and leaked in places, it didn't seem about to fall apart like he'd expected.
What am I missing? Vash thought, trying to ignore the shouts and cheers of the goblins behind him. He cut through the last of the lines, leaving all the ropes hanging uselessly. The dam remained stubbornly in place.
"Gods dammit." Vash swore under his breath. He climbed up towards the top of the dam, activating Enhance Ability and boosting his Agility. Even so, it was a tough climb, his fingers having trouble with the smooth stone. At the top of the dam, Vash wedged himself against the rock and got his feet into place on the log dam. With a grunt of effort, he pushed against the log with all his strength.
Vash felt the log shift.
Water cascaded down the wall — not a full breach, but noticeable. The goblins noticed their feet were getting wet and looked around to find the source of the irritation. One goblin, a scout, judging by his bow and mud-spattered leathers, finally spotted the leak in the dam. He followed the cascade of water up the wall, and his protruding black eyes went wide when he spotted Vash, wedged at the top of the dam, pushing against the topmost log.
"Eeeeelllffff!" The goblin shrieked, pointing.
The goblin throng all turned to look, spotting Vash at the same time. A great cry of surprise and fury went up from the throng. They surged forward, around the dais, towards the wall where Vash struggled to destroy their dam.
Vash pushed again, feeling panic rising. The goblins were faster and more nimble than he realized. Some had already reached the slope of the back wall and were climbing up towards him. The log shifted some more and released another torrent of water. The new flood hit the highest climbing goblin, knocking him down with a high-pitched shriek.
Again, the dam did not crumble as expected.
Vash looked around, trying to see what might keep the dam together. Nothing was standing out to him, the log wasn't moving anymore, and the goblins were climbing higher.
"Vash!" Came a call from the opposite side of the cavern.
Vash looked up and saw Corwin waving from their tunnel.
Corwin pointed to the far side of the dam.
Vash looked where he was pointing, and he finally saw it. A tangle of wood and rope intertwined with the logs, holding them in place. Cursing, Vash aimed his dagger, mentally pushing more mana into Enhance Ability, boosting his Agility as high as it would go.
I might not get a second shot at this. Vash thought.
He sent out a quick prayer to any god that might be listening and flung the dagger. The blade sang through the air, flying true and straight. It struck the heart of the tangle, slicing through the knotted rope that held the mass together.
Ropes snapped and whipped through the air. The weight of the water behind the dam burst forth, shattering the remaining logs and tumbling down the cavern wall. Vash slid down the rock along with a thunderous wave of water. The cascade scraped the walls clean of climbing goblins, who shrieked and howled, carried away by the surging wave.
Vash tumbled and turned, suddenly submerged. The creek the goblins dammed was more like a small river. Clinging to a broken log, Vash popped to the surface, coughing and sputtering. Almost all the assembled goblins were swept away in the dam's collapse, and he was about the follow them.
Reaching out with his free hand, Vash grabbed the side of the dais, stopping himself from being swept away. Fighting against the current, he pulled himself free of the water and rolled up onto the dais, which was now a small island at the base of a waterfall.
Vash retched, coughing up a lungful of water, then rolled painfully to his side.
A flash of warning from his Danger Sense made Vash continue his roll, just as a heavy iron blade slammed into the rock where his head had been moments before. Sparks flew from the force of Bolg's sword clanging into the stone, sending rock chips flying in all directions.
Vash scrambled back, still recovering from the fall and the water. He tried to get to his feet, but the big goblin was already charging.
"Filthy elf! Bolg gut you! Bolg tear your ears off!" The goblin shrieked, slashing wildly with the rusty iron blade.
The sword clanged once, then twice as Vash rolled to one side and then the next, barely avoiding Bolg's clumsy, but devastatingly strong attacks. Each time Vash tried to get to his feet, the goblin boss was there with another furious chop and howl of fury.
Got to get some distance, Vash thought.
Bolg charged again, raising both hands over his head to club Vash's skull into pulp. Vash slid forward and kicked upwards with all his strength. The ball of Vash's booted foot connected with Bolg's crotch. The goblin's eyes went wide, and he made a choked, gasping sound
Vash scrambled back, finally getting to his feet. He drew his short-sword, looking about to get his bearings. He stood at the far end of the stone dais. Bolg stood between him and the rushing water, backing away and clutching himself, but with his sword still gripped in one hand. Behind Vash huddled the survivors of the wagon ambush.
Along the edge of the dais, goblins were pulling themselves out of the water. They looked disoriented and waterlogged, but Vash knew that would only last a few moments. On the ledge above, Corwin was nowhere to be seen.
Where the hell did he go? Vash thought.
"Filthy elf!" Bolg seethed. "Bolg teach you lesson. Bolg show you why he rule the Thunderhole!"
"Thunderhole?" Vash asked, blinking.
"What?"
"You really call this the 'Thunderhole'?"
"IS GOOD NAME!" Bolg shouted, shaking his sword at Vash.
"Sound like goblin fart." One goblin said, like he was suddenly making the connection. This set off a chorus of chittering laughter among the surviving goblins.
Bolg stalked over to the goblin that spoke. Vash felt a sudden thrum of mana in his Core. Bolg kicked the goblin in the chest, sending it flying across the water to slam into the cave wall. Vash could hear the golblin's bones cracking. It sagged and slowly slid down the wall, leaving a green smear of blood behind.
The goblin boss turned back to face Vash. An ugly smile split Bolg's face, and Vash felt another surge of mana.
"Of course the goblin has Talents."