The portal closed suddenly

Thrice Prompted

Prompt One
‘The portal closed suddenly’
Word count 1,123

The portal Closed suddenly behind Fin. Like someone snuffing out a candle. One minute it was there, the dark cool guardroom of the Dwarven Elite guard, dimly lit by the torches in the sconces on the walls. Our mess mates sitting about dicing or cleaning kit. Then ‘POP’ gone.

I looked across at Fin “What happened?”

“I don’t know he just said you and Lon follow me now! And he was gone!” Fin replied

“That’s all we need, Gus running about here with no-one to watch him,” I said as I slowly fastened my pouch at my side.

“Be careful if we get caught here it will mean trouble for all of us.”

Fin smiled as he said, “I know but let’s see if it’s worth it.”

Gus was our comrade but he had a wild streak, he was too quick to find trouble and he nearly always dragged us in with him. Gus had found an old transportation device in a deep dungeon the previous week.

We had tracked a group of Goblin’s back to their den, they had been raiding our crops and had injured a young Dwarf who had been tending the fields whilst they escaped with a sizable amount of produce.

So, we had tracked them back to an old dungeon complex long since abandoned, or so we thought.

Once in the dungeon complex we followed them down into the lower depths where it soon became obvious that the place was being used by somebody. Why? We didn’t know. Who? Same answer. We continued, the place was dark, the dust of ages puffing up like little dust genies at each step.

We had heard a commotion in front and below us, a large bang and we could feel a strange sensation prickling our skin.

As we rounded a corner we found the goblins who we had been tracking, I say found, we found what was left of them.

Smoke hung in the air, the acrid stench of scorched flesh assaulted our nostrils. There were bits of what was left of the goblins spread around in various sizes of green skinned dripping offal.

They had triggered a magical defence spell. Had we been in front we may have spotted it. Part of our heritage was the innate ability to detect magical traps, especially those designed to work as traps underground. It was probably only the fact that we were so close behind them that the goblin’s had not spotted the trap.

We had exchanged glances at this point but were totally silent. We approached the door that had been trapped, all that was left was a smoking splintered frame. We passed through into a cylindrical room. Empty but for a small bunk and two chests.

One chest contained weapons, nasty things with hooks and barbed weapons designed not only to kill but to inflict pain too. Hooked knives designed to drag bits back out the wound. Small throwing knives and more hidden weapons.

The other chest was full of devices, all of them magical in nature.

We had made sure the place was empty and no-one else was lurking in the shadows and then returned and reported our findings. We were sent back on patrol and our mages took over the collection and recording of the magical items and investigation into what or who it involved.

So, we had thought that was the end of it, that was yesterday. Today Gus had called us over to show us a small metal locket of alien description. We are Dwarves we know steel and the working of precious metals this had been no item of Dwarven origin.

As Gus was showing us what he had accidently picked up I was called away to deal with a minor problem. This is what had led to the portal appearing.

I was on my way back to the guardroom and my two friends when I had seen a silver flash heard Gus shout, Fin swear and when I had turned the corner there was a glowing silver sphere floating an inch off the floor. Fin had just picked his axe up and was in the process of approaching the portal.

Fin had looked at me shouted ‘Gus!’ and jumped through the portal. I picked my weapons belt up with its twin hand axes and its pouch and followed my friends through into where we found ourselves now.

The portal closed suddenly.

Fin and myself approached the corner that Gus had just gone running round.

We find him talking to the Dwarven high mage who is stood with several lesser mages all kitted out for battle. What Gus had found was a transportation device that was linked to another. The other one the high mage had.

We were stood in the lowermost part of the dwarven stronghold in the part reserved for the mages. No-one else should be down here, we had been transported many layers below where we started.

The High Mage looked at us. “What are you three doing down here? How did you get in? These doors are sealed magically. Did you just make that portal?

“I don’t know to all three of those questions. Gus! You twat! What have you done this time?" I shouted at our wayward friend.

The High Mage, Fin and myself and all of the lesser mages turned to Gus.

“How would I know? All I was doing was going for a piss after showing Fin and yourself my new medallion. I walked around the corner as I was walking I noticed a small depression on the medallion I pressed it and WHOOSH! You saw the rest.”

“what medallion? The High mage asked as he walked over to Gus.

Gus handed the medallion over it was the twin to the one the High Mage was holding.

“Thank you, boys, I believe these are a matched pair, I also believe they are linked and together they can open a gateway. I will be taking this for examination now get out of here. Do not go far I see a lot of investigation of a certain ruin coming your way very soon.”

I looked at Gus and told him in no uncertain terms what a prize plum he was. “You dozy cretin! You know what this means don’t you? You lousy tit turd!”

“What?” he stammered back at me.

“Bloody work, you numpty! You know the fishing trip we were planning? the three of us well that is well and truly out of the question!”

“Why?”

“Because that old fart is going to have us searching those ruins for the next 6 months, that’s why! Let’s go get an ale while we can, we won’t be having many very soon.”