Tiff Ch. 03

Lyanna held her sword out in front of her, "Surrender."

"Never!" called out Nathrae, raising her weapon. Then she was aware of footsteps behind her, she quickly turned to see Rugnar swing a heavy club at her head. There was a brief explosion of pain and she suddenly blacked out.

***

There was a splash of cold water on her face, Nathrae gasped for air. She was groggy and disoriented and had a strong throbbing pain in her skull. Slowly she became aware that she was sitting upright on a hard chair. Rugnars' bearded face was in front of her. She tried to lift her arms, but they were tightly bound behind her.

"Yes, Tiff. Yer still alive...for the moment." Nathrae looked around, she was inside the shop again. The iron golem was standing nearby. She saw no sign of the human. She looked down at herself, there was bandage wrapped around her chest, she could feel the aching wound between her breasts. Rugnar put the metal pale down and stood in front of her. She stared into his eyes, keeping her expression neutral, despite her fear and confusion.

"Ye got fascinatin' eyes. I'm not used to making eye contact with you. Yer usually staring off somewhere else. That human's got what she wanted an' left. She's really shook things up here though, hasn't she? What's yer real name, Tiff?"

She just stared at him coldly for a moment, "...Nathrae Do'Vrinn."

"Nathrae. Yer a bloody good actor, aren't ye? Had me fooled all this time. I had me suspicions at first, knowing how devious you drow bitches are. I watched you closely, when you didn't think anyone was watching, and you didn't ever drop the act. So, ye were just here to report on the comings and goings of the realm for all the other drow? A spy planted right under me nose?"

Nathrae just continued to stare at him and didn't say anything.

"Come on Tiff...Nath. I've said a lot of things to you over in your time here an' you never responded. Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"

"You're a vile, filthy, stinking dwarf. You disgust me."

Rugnar let out a deep laugh, "Hahaha, yet ye let me fuck you all those times. Did ye enjoy that part? Enjoy being pimped out to all those men, too?"

Nathrae just grit her teeth and looked down at the floor.

"I certainly enjoyed it, as ye know. In a way, I wish I didn't find out about this, and we could keep going on as we have been. But there's no doubtin' things have changed now."

Nathrae looked up at him, "So what now?"

Rugnar gave her a cruel smile, "I took good care of ye, didn't I? But that wasn't you, that was me sweet Tiff. She's gone now. As for you, I'm gunna to hurt you...a lot. Then yer going to disappear. Yer drow friends will think that you deserted yer post."

"No they won't. You had better let me go now, or there will be dire consequences for you, Dwarf."

"Nah, I think it would be more dangerous If I let ye go."

Nathrae looked at him intensely, "You're wrong. Let me go now, or I will kill you."

"Heh, I'm not gunna give ye the chance, Drow."

Nathrae stared coldly into his eyes and he smirked at her. Then she spoke loudly, "Khila Sinome!" The golem turned its head toward her. "Zoltreth Alust." It took a few heavy steps toward them.

Rugnar turned to it, in confusion, "What in blazes...?!"

"Ply'uss di ellar," she commanded. Rugnar yelled out in surprise as the golem suddenly reached out and got hold of both his thick arms before lifting him off the ground.

"Gaaah! No! Put me down Jax. I command you!" he cried out in panic.

"He follows my commands now, Dwarf. There were things I got up to when you weren't looking, like altering the command enchantments on your golem." She was now very glad that she had acquired the scroll when she was in the drow city. She just wished that she could have got to the golem when she was fighting the human.

Rugnar thrashed his head about, "No! Ye can't! It's my golem. Put me down, now!"

"I gave you a chance."

"Don't do this, Tiff. I'll let ye go, I swear!"

Nathrae scowled, "My name is not Tiff! ELGG UKIL!"

Rugnar screamed as the golem pulled on his arms. They stretched and tore before they were ripped away from his bulky body. Red blood sprayed into the air as he dropped to the ground. He let out more piercing screams as he lay on the floor bleeding out. Nathrae looked down at him coldly with a splattering of blood over her face. The iron golem stood over him, holding his severed arms. Soon the mutilated dwarf stopped screaming, slumped his head and died.

***

Soon Nathrae was at the place in the tunnel where she dug out her stashed equipment. She held the communication stone in her hand and activated it. "The human prisoner, Lyanna, was sighted here at the dwarfs' shop. What happened there? How did she escape?" She chose not to report Rugnars' death right away. She needed to know what was going on.

After a brief pause, she got a response. "There was an attack from House Noqut'Tar. Rizzen chose that time to betray his house with the aid of the human prisoner. They murdered Akordia and attempted to kill the Matron. She fought them off, and the two of them escaped. The Matron demands their death. Where is she now? Was Rizzen with her?"

The news shocked Nathrae. Rizzen was the last one she would expect to betray his house and attack his mother. And to help the human woman escape. What circumstances could have possibly led to that? The news of Akordias' death was welcome, though.

"I did not see Rizzen. The human killed Rugnar, and wounded me. She got away."

There was another brief pause, and then more words came from the gem, "Report back to the house Nathrae. The Matron will not be pleased with your failure."

Nathrae growled and threw the gem against the stone wall. Her failure? It wasn't her fault. They were the ones who allowed her to escape. Now she was supposed to go back to be punished by the Matron again?

No, she decided to take a different course.

Soon she set out from Rugnars' Realm, leaving the wretched place behind for good. She had equipped the finest light-armor the dwarf had, and his best drow weapons. She knew where he had hidden his treasure, and she carried it all with her. The large iron golem fell in behind her, with its heavy footsteps.

She would track down Rizzen and the human, even if she had to follow them all the way to the surface. Even if she had to hunt them down separately. When she returns to Maeralssin, it would be with their heads. Then she would regain favor with her Matron, and restore her place in the house.

It was her opportunity to set things right, and she was not going to fail.

END