TIME OUT
Blood steamed as the bodies cooled. A pair of figures still stood - a Fighter and a Dwarf, covered in gore, mostly not theirs.
“Hells. That much noise is bound to bring trouble. We need to get out of here!” grunted the Dwarf.
Wiping his sword clean on the nearest Orc, the Fighter said, “not until we gather the spoils,” he looked around, “and our dead.”
“We ain’t got time for gathering bodies, Fighter!”
Staring at the Dwarf, Fighter said, “you get to work, I’ll prep for recovery.”
Drawing a dagger to harvest Orc ears and belt pouches, Dwarf said, “what d’ya mean, prep for recovery? Look, we’re in a hurry, right? We’ll just take our friends’ heads with us in a sack. That is all we need for Speak with Dead and Resurrection spells. Lemme find you an Orc axe.”
“Like hell! We’re taking the bodies with us.” Fighter finished clearing space in the middle of the corridor, then pulled a piece of black cloth from his pouch. Lying it on the ground, he began to unfold the cloth until it was ten feet in diameter. “Help me out, huh?” Fighter grunted as he rolled the Elf’s body into the circle, where it disappeared with a thud.
“No,” said Dwarf, “heads in a sack. It cuts down on undead, too.”
“Beheading is too much work, you know,” Fighter said as he pulled several arrows out of Wizard, then tossed the Wizard down the hole, “besides, I owe Wizard. We’ve been together through the Caves of Chaos, the Dungeon of Dread, the Forest of Fear, the Maze of Mystery, and the Pits of the Pod-People. After all that, a decent burial and maybe a Raise Dead is the least I can do.”
Tossing ears and belt pouches into the open hole, Dwarf moved among the fallen, seeking out things of value. “So much alliteration. Why haven’t you tried something with less of a ridiculous name? Maybe one using a kenning or just a proper noun?”
“That’s why we’re here, Dwarf, in the Endless Tunnels of Enlandin. And see what happens when there is no alliteration? People die.”
“But at least the loot is good,” said Dwarf as he ringed the hole with a golden necklace.
Pausing with his search, Fighter said, “Hey, have you seen Thief in this mess?”
“Haven’t seen him since the ambush started,” Dwarf cut off another ear, “d’ya think he cut and run?”
Clearing the area around the Cleric, Fighter said, “maybe. We brought him along to pick locks and disarm traps, not to be loyal.”
“Still,” grunted the Dwarf as he cut, “you’d think he’d have stuck around, if only for safety in numbers.”
“Cowards. I can’t stand them,” said Fighter.
“Me neither,” said Dwarf, changing subjects, “didn’t I see you and Sister Cleric slip off early last night?”
Gently removing the spear that pinned Sister Cleric to the wall, Fighter said, “Damn, but Ogres are strong. I thought that spear would never come out,” he lowered Sister Cleric’s body to the ground, “and yes, you did see us slip off, Dwarf.”
“Elf disappeared early from the party, too.”
“He did,” Fighter said as he dropped Sister Cleric into the hole, “and he joined us.”
Staring in disbelief, Dwarf laughed aloud, “Elf joined you two? Do I want to know?”
“No. No, you don’t.” Fighter visibly shuddered, “can we change the subject?”
“Sure,” chuckled Dwarf, “I’ve collected all the ears and loot, anyhow.”
Folding the portable hole back up, Fighter asked, “you ready to head back?”
Sheathing his dagger, Dwarf said, “all done. Let’s go before the Rats, Ghouls, and Gelatinous Cubes head this way for a free meal.”
“Maybe we’ll find Thief on the way,” said Fighter as he picked up Wizard’s still-glowing staff.
“It might be best for him if we didn’t,” Dwarf said as he followed Fighter back the way they had come.
