Chapter #22

                                    

                                          
Moving towards the breeze a hint of bluish light reveals an opening. Picking up the pace to the opening Carr sticks his head into a shaft. The breeze is coming from above along with pinholes of light. An escape tunnel.
Stepping in hesitates as his foot hits a wood floor and hears voices coming from below. Kneeling down feels the floor, immediately to the left an opening big enough for a large man.
Searching the dark for a way down feels holes in the stone, wall. Cautiously lowering a leg down rubs the wall with the foot until it finds a hole. Convinced this is an escape tunnel, eases his way down to the bottom.
Reaching the stone floor below there is a niche to the right with an inset wooden door. Voices from the other side carry through.
Peering through the cracks in the door spots the sub level guard chambers. Across the room the wooden door to the bar. Carr strains to make out the door to the pisser, but can only see the edge of it.
Not wanting to get caught down here relocates the holes in the walls and climbs back up.
Back on the wooden floor feels for other holes or a ladder. Finding another series of holes on the opposite side.
Scaling the escape shaft, the farther up the more cobwebs and bugs he disturbs.
Reaching the main level, a small opening is to the left or he can continue up. Seeing an outline of light marking a door in the opening also hears two other voices. Carr stops to check it out.
Moving barely a pace into the space he listens to the voices on the other side. They seem to be slurring their speech. Pressing an ear to the stone door recognizes the voices as Cal and Toad.
Carr grins, "ah my young friends. I wonder if they know they are sleeping next to a hidden door?" Giving him self a spine shiver thinking that an assassin could easily slip by and take them out.
Giving his head a shake steps back to resume scaling the wall.
Looking up can almost make out a trap door above allowing in thin shafts of moonlight.
Curious to see where this leads, he climbs on. As wee beasties race from the holes and over his fingers Carr grimaces but is thankful that's all that's been encountered so far.
Arriving at a larger niche in the stone notices the end is close. Deciding to see where it comes out first.
At the top he pushes up on a wooden hatch, covered in forest debris. Dirt falls to the wooden floor below.
Peeking outside, the shaft comes up the hollow of an old tree stump. Around him the dark woods of the plateau, the mine is dug into. A dozen paces to the south the ravine can be seen. Closing the hatch, he climbs back down thrilled to have found another escape route.
Stepping onto the opening of the upper-level Carr shakes out his hands and arms from being crawled on.
Looking into the opening makes out an actual crafted wall blocking the end.
Touching the crafted wall, it's smooth, almost polished. Feeling it, he comes across a central keyhole. Running his hands to the outside edges it occurs to him this is a large round stone and steel door. The masonry that incases the door is solid and perfectly fitted.
Putting an ear to the door hears only his heartbeat and thoughts, "this has got to be Dwarven made. A door like this was built for a reason. I wish I had some light."
Locating the keyhole presses his thumb against the hole. Sensing air from the other side knows the door can be locked from either side. After a quick mental debate decides to try and pick the lock in the dark.