The large complex of caverns echoed with the hustle and bustle of thousands of busy drow moving to and fro. Spear women and crossbow women drilling in neat formations with their respective weapons, slaves hauling supplies to the rapidly growing supply depots. Acolytes and Priestesses hurried about their own, far more important tasks.

The young slave hurried down the narrow drow-made tunnel that connected two natural, now significantly expanded caverns, dodging out of the way of mercenary drow from one of the allied city-states. Along one newly excavated wall, a number of smiths, drafted from the craftswomen's district of Negeemil, had set up their forges and were busy turning out spear tips and bolts, or mending armor.

About a week ago, acolytes from one of Negeemil's distant outposts had shown up outside the city bearing urgent news. A large force of goblins had overrun the border fortifications and were approaching the city! With little time before the invading host arrived, the city's armies had begun the preparations for war…

The young slave ducked around a large stone pillar, holding up the countless tons of stone and earth above them, and headed towards one of the smaller chambers. This one had been given over to the priestesses of the goddess Nege to pitch their field tents. A handful of robed drow were milling about, talking. None of them stopped the young slave, recognizing the messenger. She went down the row of tents, until she came to the right one.

"Now, let's see if you can get free…" Leh'Car jerked up as she heard the tent flap being opened. "We're just practicing some escape drills! Nothing but normal, regulation drills!" She said loudly without turning around. On the tent floor, El'Okin groaned into the leather strap between her teeth, rolling her eyes.

The messenger sighed, bowing her head. "Captain Lo'Kee requests the two of you report to her headquarters at once!" Her message delivered, the slave spun and, without another word, disappeared through the tent flap, hurrying to deliver her next message.

"I wonder what the captain wants?" Leh'Car said, untying El'Okin's gag.

"We haven't done anything…lately." The acolyte said, rolling over to let her friend untie the ropes holding her captive. She shrugged. "Least I don't think we have."

"Well…" Leh'Car said, grinning, as she helped the other drow to her feet. "Best not keep the hang woman waiting!"


Captain Lo'Kee and rest of the armies' commanders had commandeered a small side cave for their headquarters near where the priestesses and acolytes were quartered. The spearwomen on guard at the mouth of the cave let the two of them through without a word. It seemed they were expected. El'Okin wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not…

"Come in! Both of you!" Lo'Kee said, as Leh'Car and El'Okin stepped into the large canvass tent that served as her quarters and office. A stream of slaves and flunkies rushed in and out of the tent, bearing dispatches. The drow commander smiled wide, gesturing for them to sit in front of a large table covered in maps. El'Okin hid her grimace, as she took a seat. The captain looked happy to see them, never a good sign.

"I have a task and there is no woman in my command who seemed better suited for it then the two of you." Lo'Kee said, still grinning. She gestured to one of the military flunkies, who rushed over and handed her a leather satchel.

Setting it on the table, Lo'Kee pointed to one of the maps. To anyone who hadn't grown up underground, the parchment would have seemed an incomprehensible mess of squiggles and blotches, but the two drow women quickly recognized it as a map of the cavern and tunnel system surrounding Negeemil. They had little trouble converting the 2D map into the 3D array of tunnels it represented. A number of the blotches had been marked with runes, showing the staging areas where the city-state's armies were assembling. Other runes marked the most probable locations of the goblin horde.

Lo'Kees finger found one of the smaller caverns, nestled on the flank of goblin controlled territory. "Three days ago, we made contact with one of our allied states. They agreed to send a detachment of their army to aid us in repelling the goblins. With the goblins advance, however, our communications with them have been cut. According to our best estimates, they should have reached these caves by now, placing them in a perfect position to flank the goblins and destroy their rear…" She paused for emphasis.
"If, of course, they can be contacted. That is where you two come in."

She slid the leather satchel across the table towards El'Okin. "Your job is to deliver this set of dispatches to the army, instructing them how to flank the goblins." She gestured again to the map. "We've selected this as your best route to reach them without the goblins catching you." Her outstretched finger traced a small network of tunnels. El'Okin gulped, nervously. The tunnels skirted awfully close to caves the goblins had overrun.

"This is a very dangerous task, I know." Lo'Kee said, "I'm sure that I can rely upon you two to succeed." The tone of her voice said volumes about what she would do to them should things turn out otherwise.

Leh'Car smiled, standing up. El'Okin managed a nervous grin. "You can count on us, Ma'am!" They said together…


El'Okin winced as a dislodged rock tumbled from the roof of the tunnel, clattering loudly on its way down. The sound carried far, echoing up and down the narrow tunnel. She hoped there were no goblins close enough to hear it.

After a moment, the sound faded. El'Okin exhaled softly, not realizing until then she'd been holding her breath. The drow shouldered her crossbow. She'd exchanged her preferred long sword for the bolt thrower before leaving. There wasn't room to swing the long blade in the narrow confines of the tunnels and anyway, if it came to close quarters fighting, they were doomed anyway. This close to goblin controlled territory; the sounds of battle would certainly bring the horde down on them.

"Let's keep moving." She said to her friend. "The sooner we get there and deliver these
messages, the sooner we'll be safe."

"Right." Leh'Car said, holding up the map Captain Lo'Kee had given them. She muttered a short incantation, conjuring a ball of light in one hand, to let her see the parchment. "According to this, the tunnel should branch off in about fifty yards or so. We're going to want the right hand path."

Leh'Car let the light fade, plunging them into darkness once again. Silently, the drow women hurried forward, forced to move single-file in the narrow confines. The tunnel they were in had most likely begun as a natural seam in the rock. It had since then been widened, though not by much.

They'd made it about a hundred feet or so further along the tunnel, when El'Okin held up one hand. "Hang on." She whispered. "I think I hear something." The two drow crouched in the darkness, listening intently. A moment later, they heard it again, echoing up the tunnel from behind them, the sound of footsteps and the muffled voices of goblins!

"Come on!" El'Okin said, leaping to her feet. The two friends hurried, as quickly as they could up the tunnel. Behind them, the goblins shouted and rushed forward, having heard their quarry. The drow were so intent on escaping their pursuers, they almost stumbled over the second group of goblins ahead of them before realizing it.

Fortunately, the second group of goblins was just as surprised as the drow were. Leh'Car reacted first, getting off a spell. A bright light filled the tunnel, blinding the goblins. One of them went down with a bolt in his chest. There was no time for El'Okin to reload, so she settled for bashing the second one over the head with the butt of her crossbow. Behind them, a dozen or so goblins rushed forward. Behind them, the second group of goblins came into view, having caught up.

The drow women struggled furiously, but within moments, they were dragged down by the mass of goblins. Their hands were wrenched behind their backs and roughly bound with rope. The goblin hunters had come prepared to take prisoners. When the two drow complained, the goblins silenced them by gagging them with strips of torn cloth.

Nearby, the goblins were seeing to their dead in the customary manner, by stripping the bodies of anything valuable. The leader of one of the groups of goblins seized the leather satchel containing the dispatches. After opening it, he quickly barked an order to his men, excitedly. They picked their weapons back up and made ready to move.  

Two longer coils of rope were fashioned into makeshift leashes and tied around the captive's necks. When their captors tugged on the ropes, the two drow had no choice but to follow the goblins. It was that or be pulled off their feet and dragged. As they were led back down the tunnel, El'Okin glanced nervously at Leh'Car, her friend returned the glance, her own eyes wide with fear.

The tunnel widened, the further they went, and grew more crowded. Some of the caves were natural, others had been made by the drow and occupied, others had been dug out by the goblins during their advance. El'Okin and Leh'Car were forced to duck as their captors led them through the goblin sized passageways.

All around them, goblins hurried to and fro, carrying weapons and supplies in a crude parody of the drow's own war camp. Near what had to be the center of the camp, the two prisoners were dragged before a goblin seated on a makeshift throne. Judging from the ornate armor he wore and the way the other goblin's deferred to him, El'Okin guessed he was the leader of the horde.

The captives were forced to kneel, as one of the goblins ran forward. Handing the satchel to him, the two conversed for a moment in their native tongue. Waving him away, the goblin warlord ripped open the satchel and briefly glanced at the sheets of parchment. Beneath his large, bristly mustache, a wide grin split across the warlords face, baring his fangs as he read.

"Foolizh Drowz!" He said to the two in their own tongue. "You give me thing I need to conquerr yourrr zity! Thiz showz location of all your armies!" He turned to the goblins. "Go, attack now! Kill many drowz! Enzlave the rrezts!"

El'Okin and Leh'Car were hauled roughly to their feet, by their captors. "Putz them with rest the loot!" One of the goblins ordered. The two drow were dragged along another series of tunnels. Around them, the goblin host moved with increased vigor, donning armor and grabbing weapons. Bellowing war chants loud enough to shake the caverns, the horde surged forward towards battle.

Miserably, the captives were carried to a side cave, guarded by a pair of burly goblins. Inside, the cave was crowded with two dozen or so drow. They must have been the garrisons of the outposts that the goblins had overrun. Each woman had been bound, hand and foot, with cord, and gagged. A couple of them glanced up, miserably as El'Okin and Leh'Car were led past. They know, as prisoners of the goblins, the most likely fate for them was to be sold to the slave traders and spend the rest of their lives in bondage.

And most likely, that would be El'Okin and Leh'Car's fate as well. It wouldn't have been the first time, El'Okin thought, as she was made to sit against one wall, Leh'Car beside her. Their feet were crossed and tightly bound with more cord. She was uncomfortably reminded of the time they'd been sent to fight the Helghan Empire. A run in with a pair of odd warriors ended with the two of them spending almost a year toiling in a mine for the empire, before they managed to file through their shackles and escape…

El'Okin was interrupted from her musings by a terrible crashing. The series of echoing booms  rolled through the tunnels, rattling the walls of the cave. The captive drow all looked up, grunting loudly into their gags, excitedly. They all recognized the sound; a cave in, of massive proportions! It sounded as if at least half a dozen tunnels had all collapsed at once!

Outside the prison, the goblin camp was in pandemonium. Warriors were running back, shouting incoherently in their tongue, as if the sky had fallen. As far as they were concerned, it probably had. Hurriedly, El'Okin and Leh'Car went to work, untying each other's bonds. Within moments, the two had freed their hands. It was short work after that to free their feet and remove their gags.

As Leh'Car began freeing the other captives, El'Okin ran to the cave entrance. The guards had fled along with the rest of the goblin warriors. More warriors were running past her, but in their panic, they paid the drow no attention. The reason for their haste soon became apparent. El'Okin grinned as she heard the shouts of drow warriors, pursuing the routed goblins. The spearwoman ran forward, cutting down any goblins too slow to escape…


"…And, following the false deployment plans you'd so helpfully provided, the goblin warlord sent half his army right into our trap!" Lo'Kee said, grinning. The Captain had been in the thick of the fighting, her armor was battered and covered in goblin blood. "While the other half of his forces were off searching for a non-existent relief force!"

"So in other words," El'Okin said with a grimace, "What you're saying is that you deliberate sent us on a suicide mission…"  

"I had faith the two of you would pull through…somehow." Lo'Kee said offhandedly. Her tone was far from reassuring. "I've already put the two of you in for a promotion." Lo'Kee said, sinking into her chair with a sigh of relief.

"Aren't you the one in charge of promotions?" Leh'Car reminded, helpfully.

Lo'Kee smiled. "And I shall very carefully weigh the matter." El'Okin groaned…