Elven Escape
In a dungeon beneath a fortified Stronghold, a man shouted in an angry and forceful tone.
“Speak! Where are the designs?” Roared Military Interrogator Graven. “We know the blueprints are hidden somewhere in Sorobhan Forest! Speak now, and lessen your suffering!”
He cracked his whip menacingly at the bleeding prisoner, promising pain. Two guards loomed in the shadows.
But the prisoner said nothing. He had kept quiet through weeks of lashings and beatings, so why would he start talking now?
The Interrogator glared. Stubborn prisoners were always a pain in the rear. The stocky human took no pleasure in torturing others, so he always disliked it when a prisoner dragged out an interrogation. And this latest prisoner, an elf from Harkgeria, had been in these dungeons for the past week.
He sighed and wiped his sweaty forehead.
“Chain the prisoner. We’ll continue this tomorrow.” He ordered the two soldiers beside him, who immediately moved to obey.
The human turned to the dungeon stairs and departed, armor clinking. He’d continue this interrogation again tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. And the day after that too. He’d continue the torture for however long it took the damnable elf to squeal.
The elf was chained up accordingly, and then left to rot for the night
But unbeknownst to the Interrogators, a mocking, victorious grin spread across the elf’s face the moment his captor’s backs were turned. The humans had failed to ignore something very, very important.
As he had left the dungeons, a small piece of metal had fallen from Graven’s armor.
---------
Sorobhan Stronghold was a historic place. It was situated beside Sorobhan Forest, directly on the border between the Human Kingdom of Harrisan and the Elven Theocracy of Harkgeria. Throughout the many wars the two nations fought, the stronghold had been captured and recaptured by each nation a great many times.
It was captured by the elves of Harkgeria in the Elven Holy Wars, and then recaptured by the humans in the Great Harrisan Occupation. Throughout the Demonic Crusades, Prince’s war, and the Century-long Dragon wars, the Stronghold of Sorobhan never seemed to stay in one country’s possession for long.
Currently, the fortress belonged to the humans of Harrisan, who were waging yet another war against the elves.
Said humans had outfitted the fortress with crossbow mounts, the newest Onager artillery, and as many soldiers as they could rustle up from the countryside. The Great General of the Harrisan army had no intention of losing the stronghold in the current war.
Unfortunately, while the humans had fortress defense down to an art, the elves were never lacking in the siege technology.
Their latest design had definitely brought sweat to the Great General’s forehead.
The Harrisan army had dubbed it the Magitrebuchet. It was a behemoth of a siege weapon, capable of using the power of magic and physics to hurl explosives over the horizon with unerring accuracy. Scourge of castles and fortresses, Harkgeria had used the Magitrebuchet to great effect against the neighboring Empire in the previous war.
The moment the elves had revealed it, every nation, kingdom, empire, and theocracy, had wanted to get their hands on the weapon designs. With it, they each thought they could dominate the continent.
The problem was, Harkgeria had always been tight-lipped about their technological advances. Very few of their elves actually knew how to build one, and their armies made sure to destroy any Magitrebuchets that were in danger of being captured.
But some did know. And one such elf was being interrogated inside Sorobhan Stronghold. His name was Ugar Elmar, War Technician of Harkgeria, and he had a plan to escape.
---------
“Ugh. Grruh.”
Ugar grunted as he strained his leg, foot, and toes as far forward as possible. He was trying to grab the piece of jagged metal that had come loose from his Interrogator’s armor. The elf was chained to the dungeon wall, which meant he had to stretch his leg as far forwards as possible and grab the metal piece with his toes.
“Grrgh… ah!”
He finally reached the piece and used his toes to pull it over to him. He then slipped it into a hand and began sawing at the chain connecting him to the dungeon wall.
Metal scraped on metal, making a quiet grinding noise. The only other sound was that of rats squeaking in the damp darkness.
The elf was frantic in his movements. The future of his country rested on his shoulders.
He had to escape, collect the Magitrebuchet designs from where they were hidden in the surrounding forests, and bring them back to Harkgeria. Only then would the technology be safe.
The sawing continued throughout the night. It only stopped by morning.
---------
Military Interrogator Graven woke up bright and early that morning. He yawned, stretched, and headed into the fortress’ mess hall for breakfast. After a decent meal of gruel with flecks of meat, he made his way to the dungeons to meet with his subordinates and begin the day’s interrogation.
But when he arrived there, he found his subordinates nervous, afraid, and in the middle of a forceful argument.
“What do you mean it was my fault?” Shouted one soldier. “You were the one who chained him up!”
“Me? You had the keys!” The other roared back in frustration.
“Hold on, hold on men. What’s going on here?” Called Graven.
Upon noticing his presence, the two soldiers went pale and rigidly turned to face him.
“S- Sir! The prisoner… he’s gone!”
Graven’s eyes widened.
“Gone?!”
The soldiers looked away, unable to meet their superior’s furious eyes.
“Well, search the fortress! We need to make sure he isn’t hiding somewhere! Move! Spread the word! Move!”
The two soldiers scrambled to follow their orders, and ran off to organize search parties.
Meanwhile, Graven rubbed his head, displeased with how his morning was going.
He couldn’t lose that elf. That elf was Harrisan’s best bet to gain the Magitrebuchet design. Losing the prisoner would be the blackest possible mark on Graven’s record.
He’d get that elf back even if it cost him his right hand. The Military Interrogator could afford nothing else.
---------
Ugar the elf crept through the hallways of Sorobhan Stronghold. His footsteps stayed light, and he kept his head low.
His absence had been noticed a few minutes after he had escaped the dungeons. Now the stronghold was swarming with search parties of well-trained soldiers. And with no armor or weapons, Ugar couldn’t afford to be seen.
In fact, at that very moment, he could hear the footsteps of a search patrol approaching.
Quietly, the fugitive opened a nearby door and slipped inside. He would wait for the patrol group to pass the room before resuming his escape.
“Hey!” A voice called out somewhere behind him.
He spun around in alarm, and saw a human in a tunic and chain-mail, putting on greaves. It was a soldier.
Quick as lightning, he rushed forwards and punched the human in the throat, felling the man.
‘Where did he come from?’ Ugar shakily wondered.
Then he looked around, and realized that the room he had stepped into was actually a repurposed barracks, where the soldiers slept. Rows of cots lined the rectangular room, and a window sat on the opposite wall, allowing sunlight to pass inside.
“Oi,” Came a voice from outside the room. “What was that?”
“Dunno. Let’s check it out.” Said another.
It was the search patrol Ugar had been avoiding. He needed to be gone before they were inside.
Going out the door was a bad idea, since that’s where the patrol was coming from. Instead, the elf rushed over to the window and poked his head out. His heart fell as he saw how high-up he was.
Then, he noticed all the clothing strewn around the barracks, and an idea came to him.
---------
Patrol-group two had been making the rounds when a strange sound from the barracks caught their attention.
A shout of “Hey!”, an “Oof-”, and then nothing.
It was suspicious, so they rushed over to see what was going on. But when they stepped inside, all they saw was a body on the ground and a window wide open with tied-together clothes making a rope down.
“Tim!” The two shouted upon seeing the body.
They rushed over to their comrade-in-arms and checked him over. Luckily, he was only knocked out.
“Take him to the medics, make sure he’s okay. I think it’s obvious the fugitive was here.” Said the patrol group leader.
The other group-members nodded, and did as he said. The leader rushed up to Military Interrogator Graven’s office to report the incident.
---------
After a long and tense time of sneaking around the fortress, Ugar had finally found the outer-walls.
They were tall, stone walls with ramparts, more than five meters thick. Atop them walked groups of Harrisan soldiers, each one armed with a blade and on the lookout for him.
His eyes darted around, searching the scene for a way past the walls and to freedom.
The ramparts had too many soldiers, so going over the walls was impossible. Sorobhan Stronghold’s gates were under heavy surveillance by the army, so that was also a no-go. And tunneling underneath the walls would take too long to work.
The elf wracked his brains, trying to figure out a plan to get on the other side of those walls.
It was at that moment that Ugar noticed something. At the base of one of the walls was a waste-pipe. An armored soldier would be too large to fit through the pipe, but it was just wide-enough for a skinny elf like himself to slip through.
He had no better options.
Ugar snuck across the fortress grounds and over to the pipe. He peered inside, making note of the dark interior and disgusting smell of sewage. It was indeed, a waste-pipe.
Suddenly, a shout rang out. He had been seen by a guard on the ramparts above.
No longer able to take his time, the elf held his nose and rushed into the pipe.
Once inside, he found that the pipe went all the way through the wall, but instead of there being a clear opening on the end, there was a metal grate blocking the tunnel’s exit. He was stuck.
Outside the pipe, the soldier’s shouts grew louder. They’d be on him in less than a minute. He needed to do something, and fast.
Cursing, Ugar grabbed a rock and began banging on the edges of the grate, where it was fastened to the tunnel walls.
One bolt slowly came out. Then another.
The clanking of armor grew louder and louder. They were almost at the pipe’s entrance.
The last bold came out, and Ugar kicked the grate as hard as he could. It budged a bit, halfway open. Another, stronger kick burst it completely open.
He hopped out of the pipe’s end, and felt dirt and grass beneath his feet. He began sprinting into the forest. Behind him, the soldier’s outraged cries were music to his pointy ears.
---------
Military Interrogator Graven really wasn’t having a good day.
The prisoner had somehow made it out of the stronghold. He’d had at least seventeen groups patrolling! How did none of them notice the elf until he’d gotten to the fortress walls?!
‘Incomptent!’ He wanted to scream.
But then he thought about it and calmed down.
Elves were known to be slippery, and his soldiers hadn’t disobeyed any of his orders. He shouldn’t be so angry at them.
He should be angry at the elf. What was the elf’s name? Booger? Googar? No, it was Ugar.
He remembered. Graven always remembered his enemies' names. Especially the ones he hated the most.
And that elf had definitely earned his hatred, what with the fool he’d been made. The elf escaped prison and evaded every patrol. Even of no failure of his own, he still felt incompetent.
But despite his anger, Graven wasn’t an irrational man. Even under threat of losing the elf and being ousted from the military for the disgrace, he could think clearly.
He reasoned that before leaving the vicinity of the Stronghold, the elf would gather the Magitrebuchet blueprints that were hidden somewhere in the surrounding forests. That meant that for the next few hours, Graven could expect the elf, Ugar, to be in the forest.
“Hans.” Said the Military Interrogator, causing the soldier next to him to stiffen.
“Yes sir?” Asked the soldier, nervously.
“Gather twenty men and put them on horses. We’re scouring the Sorobhan Forest for that damn fugitive.”
The soldier saluted. “Yes sir!”
Before the soldier exited the room, he looked back at his superior.
“Sir, your horse… should I…?”
Graven considered the question, and then stood from his chair.
“Yes. Ready my horse. I will be joining you on the hunt.”
The soldier nodded, saluted again, and then ran to do as he was told.
Graven walked to the armory. He had an elf to catch.
---------
Ugar sprinted through the treeline, making a beeline for where he remembered the blueprints were. He had no time to waste.
As War Technician of Harkgeria, Ugar had a duty to keep Harkgeria’s technology safe from foreign hands. Not just for his country though. He also had a duty to his family.
Ugar hailed from a military family. His son was a strategist assistant, and a handy spearman. His wife was a powerful mage in the Flammenwerfer division. Should he lose the Magitrebuchet plans, they would be at much higher risk of death in the war.
After minutes of running, he arrived at two conspicuous, wavy trees, between which the blueprints were buried. He began digging, scraping at the dirt with his bare fingers.
Earth moved aside as the hole gradually became deeper. Eventually, the tips of his nails hit something hard. He brushed aside dirt, revealing a small, blue box.
The box was opened, revealing a back-bag and stacks upon stacks of parchment. He shoved them all inside the bag, slung it around his shoulder, and jumped up out of the hole.
Before he could get far from the scene of the digging, the sounds of galloping hooves and shouting men reached his ears. It was the soldiers from Sorobhan Stronghold.
Upon seeing the elf, there were shouts of “There he is!” and “Sound the horn!”. Sure enough, a horn did sound out, blown by a scout. Within a few minutes, the entire search party would be on Ugar.
In front of Ugar, two horses came plodding to a stop. On one’s back was a soldier, who halted slightly behind the other. On the other horse, was a warrior. It was Graven.
His armor was well taken care of, but definitely wasn’t unused. His sword gleamed in the sunlight.
“Ugar.” He said. “You’ve given us quite some trouble.”
---------
“Ugar. You’ve given us quite some trouble.”
Graven was elated. He had the elf in his grasp. Now, he just had to make sure those blueprints on the elf’s back stayed safe.
The Interrogator was well-aware that the elf would destroy the blueprints at the slightest provocation. Harkgerians were always strict about their secrets. That was why Graven was talking to Ugar, and trying to keep him distracted.
“Escaping the dungeons, slithering around our fortress patrols, and slipping through holes in our wall… if I didn’t know better I would say you were not an elf, but a snake!”
For the first time, the elf appeared amused.
“But it’s over now.” Continued Graven. “You will soon find yourself surrounded. Should you surrender, we of Harrisan will not harm you, and will allow you to return to your country.”
This was not an empty promise. The only thing that mattered were those blueprints, and if the elf’s freedom was the price of obtaining them then the country of Harrisan was more than willing to pay. Taking the elf by force could risk damaging the blueprints in the struggle. A surrender was much more preferable.
The pointy-eared person seemed to stop and think about the offer. Graven took it as encouragement, even as his horse nervously shifted beneath him.
The human patted his mount’s neck as he spoke.
“I’m sure you wish to see your family again. Just surrender, give us the blueprints, and you shall be free to go home.”
Ugar quirked his mouth and frowned, considering the offer. A moment of hopeful silence passed, but then he shook his head.
“No.” He said. “Should your Kingdom have these blueprints, my family will only be in more danger.” The elf finished, before bursting into motion.
Ugar began sprinting as fast as he could, lateral to Graven’s position towards where one of the Interrogator’s soldiers stood. Before Graven could shout a warning, the elf picked up a rock and hurled it at his soldier’s head.
The rock sailed through the air and smashed into his subordinate’s cranium, which was only protected by a thick leather bascinet. His man fell off his horse and crumpled to the ground.
“Hyah!” Shouted Graven, spurring his horse.
It seemed the elf had chosen violence.
He began galloping towards the elf, readying his sword. At high-speed, he passed by the elf and made a practiced underhand swing, aiming for his quarry’s head and neck.
At the last second, the elf dodged to the side, his head barely missing the blade. Instead, his arm received the blow in a spray of blood. He grunted in pain.
Graven began turning his horse, looping back around for another pass. He wouldn’t miss a second time.
Ugar scrambled to his feet, and picked up another stone. He desperately threw it but Graven was moving too quickly to be hit.
Graven spurred his horse faster and faster, an urge that the muscled beast easily complied with. Soon, he had the momentum of a charging rhino, and ran to the elf with his blade prepared to swing.
The elf’s eyes darted around. Adrenaline pumped as he looked for a way out. The felled solder beside him caught his eye.
As the Interrogator’s sword bore down upon him, Ugar lunged for the soldier’s pike. He lifted it upwards and forwards with both hands, preparing to spear his foe.
Graven’s eyes widened as he realized what the elf was doing. He then realized that his horse was moving too fast to stop.
Knowing there was no choice, the Military Interrogator closed his eyes, thought of his country, and continued the charge. He would take the elf down with him and let his fellow army members take the blueprints off their corpses.
He opened his eyes. For a second, the world slowed and he clearly saw the elf bracing himself and the tip of the pike in front of him. Then the world continued.
His body hit the weapon at many meters per-second, and continued right through it. Or perhaps it continued right through him. The pike had broken his armor and pierced him through the chest, lifting him off his horse. He was a goner.
But even as a goner, the human warrior swung his sword at Ugar's neck, aiming to kill. Graven closed his eyes.
There was a *shing*, and the sound of parting flesh and bone. Then there was silence.
Graven opened his eyes, trying to ignore the pain and coldness creeping across his chest where he was impaled. He stared at his foe in shock.
Before him was Ugar, still alive and un-decapitated. His arm was up in defense, and he was gritting his teeth in pain.
The elf’s arm was now a stump, bleeding from where Graven’s swing had chopped it off. But the elf was still alive.
“D- Damn you…” Said Graven, his impalement finally getting to him. He had failed to kill the elf. He’d gambled his life for nothing.
The elf released the pike, allowing the human to slump forwards. Graven coughed blood as his vision dimmed.
The last thing he saw was the elf stumbling over to his downed soldier’s horse and jumping on.
The elf looked back at Graven’s prone, skewered form. Ugar raised his good hand in salute, and then rode off into the forest, free at last.