Heartstone

Grand Dungeon Tour

YAZ

Yaz listened as Arwin walked by the skeleton's cell door a second time to go upstairs. The skeleton scowled. Well, the Drearian certainly seemed popular with their host. Probably wasn't suffering too much in her horny, evil hands. Arwin was probably eating it right up, too, loving every second of it. Give it another couple of nights, and he'd probably become the woman's eager little puppet. The two of them would probably forget all about Yaz and leave him down here alone and collecting dust for a few hundred years. So much for their rescue mission and the ogre village. So much for finding Epheria anytime soon.

The realization of just how negative he was being struck Yaz like a slap in the skull. He mentally kicked himself. Then he smacked the back of his head against the stone wall for emphasis. T

here was nothing wrong with Arwin; it was Yaz's depression talking. He wasn't being fair. Arwin didn't seem to be the kind of guy who would abandon his friends. Sure, it was a little too early to tell, but something about the man just felt different. There was something good about him. Despite the fact that they were literally from two different worlds, Yaz and Arwin clicked. It was like they were made to be friends.

Hearing Arwin leaving his cell was probably triggering jealousy in Yaz. The Drearian was able to walk around. That presented opportunities. Opportunities Yaz would like to take advantage of so that they could escape. Or where he could run a nice steel blade through the witch upstairs and end that magical menace to Heartstone forever.

Yaz sat up straighter. Moping and depression weren't helping. Heroes didn't win the day by pitying themselves or giving up. Success is, and always has been, defined by getting up one more time than we've been knocked down.

Yaz had been knocked down as much by his own feelings of failure in regards to finding Epheria as much as by the Dark Enchantress's words. He needed to get up. He needed to escape, and, what's more, Arwin would probably need his help at some point. The Dark Enchantress, by all accounts, was very smart and twisted. Whatever games she was playing with Arwin, she was no doubt only toying with him, pretending, before she would spring something horrible on him. He hoped that Arwin was keeping his wits about him and not falling under the dangerous woman's spells.

Yaz looked around. He had escaped a dungeon or two in his day. It was time to get out of here.

He shook off as much of his negativity as he could for the moment and took stock. The cell was no doubt simple and straightforward enough. Not that he could see anything because there was no light source in here and none through the window in the door. But he'd been chained up in enough of these to know there wasn't much he could do without outside help. He kicked out at the door.

The response was immediate. A long spider leg shot through the window and nailed the stone floor next to Yaz's leg. Yaz nodded to himself. Guard spider. Well, harry the guard enough, and maybe he'll bring someone in charge.

Yaz continued to kick at the door and received a flurry of stabbing leg each time. But he was in little danger as he had no flesh to penetrate. Eventually, the guard unleashed an angry torrent of incomprehensible chittering, then scampered off, doing the spider version of stomping down the stone hallway.

The guard returned a while later and opened the door. He'd brought a cheerful black gremlin who was wearing glasses and a tuxedo with a red bowtie and who was carrying a wooden torch. Voice deep and smooth, the little monster asked in a cultured, intelligent accent, "Yes? You incessantly kicked at your door earlier?"

Yaz blinked, surprised at the unexpected nature of the gremlin. "I did. Who are you?"

"Brainy. I am one of the mistress's creations. Now, what do you want?"