6. The fortress of Ill omen
Under the cover of night the fortress was an imposing ring of black stone. Its charcoal walls were adorned in layers of shining steel. Darkly armored guards patrolled from one end of it to the next without rest. It's gate was just as black as the wall it was built into and never opened. There was no way in and no way out.
From her perch on a tree several minutes away, Abigail tested that fact in her mind. She considered every angle of attack possible. Climbed it, snuck in through the front, and dropped in from the sky. These attempts all ended in death.
The sentries would spot her no matter where she came from. There was no safe way to climb the wall and she couldn't get above the fortress even if she was a bird. It was impenetrable.
Abigail would need inside help if she wanted the smallest chance at breaching it's defenses. Sadly, help wasn't cheap and she was broke. She wasn't even sure what money looked like here. For all she knew it could be leaves or dung, maybe both.
This uncertainty, it was annoying, and grew in intensity when Abigail jumped down from her tree. She paced from it to where the road leading to the fortress began and back. Twice she repeated her steps, then stomped in frustration. The ground beneath her echoed a hollow thud.
She stomped again and the ground echoed hollow. The pieces put themselves together in a half second. There was a tunnel beneath her, a secret path that no doubt led to the fortress.
That would be her way in. If it was safe. An ear to the ground said it was. There was no walking coming from below, only the stillness of an empty tunnel. She waited for twenty more minutes just to make sure. It was twenty minutes of pure silence.
Either the tunnel was rarely traveled or abandoned. The only way to know which for sure was to see the tunnel with her own eyes, and after a minute of digging down, she did. Cobwebs, barrels and crates covered in dust, and more than a few pieces of molded bread lay untouched. For how long, she wasn't sure. She was sure it didn't matter, though, and started in the fortress's direction.
It took thirty minutes to reach the end of the tunnel, where it was cut off by a thin dirt wall. She broke through it with a well placed punch and stepped through into what she hoped was the fortress itself.
A narrow hall of black stone lit by purple torches. The light they cast bounced off the walls and threw shadows up and down. Air stale and suffocating as she pressed on in the direction that she thought was up, and kept going that way until she reached some stairs.
The stairs led into the fortress proper. A hall of cells lit by the same purple glow.
Each one she checked as she passed them by and they were all empty. Some had a few items left behind to entertain - or haunt - their next would be guest. The best of these "gifts" was a greenish blanket in semi-good condition. All the rest were essentially trash that maybe held some sentimental value to people long gone.
Abigail passed them all by without comment and pressed on, into another hall of cells. It was mostly the same as the last, but even more sparse in terms of... Anything. There was only coldness here, and lingering scents, all foul.
This pattern repeated itself twice more before Abigail found someone who was alive, but barely. He was an old elf, hair disheveled, eyes distraught and locked into the ceiling, his face gaunt. It was the picture of prolonged despair.
She tapped on his cell. "Hey, have you seen anyone else like me come through here? A human?"
At first there was no response, then after a wheeze, he shuffled closer. "... Y... You... Talking... To me?"
She nodded.
He laughed. "Oh, I'm crazy! Almost forgot about that! Crazy! Crazy! Crazy ol' me."
She pressed a hand through the bars and a finger to his mouth. "Shhh. You're not crazy okay? I'm real, and I'm a human, have you seen someone else like me or not?"
His eyes widened. "Guards help! Help! My imaginary friends touching me! Help!" His call carried upwards, echoing in the cramped hall.
Seconds later Abigail heard the sound of clacking metal on its way down, and she sought cover. There was none. The hall was empty save for it's cells and each one was locked tight.
Down was her only escape.
She bolted back the way she came, and managed to reach the door seconds before she heard another open behind her. Two guards stepped through into the hall, dressed in all black metal armor. It had a monstrous look to it, spikes jutting out from the shoulders and painted with eyes.
Abigail assumed it was either a demoralization tactic or a warning. Either way it was working. She was frozen with fear at the sight of them and the thought that they may have seen her.
They couldn't have, could they? She made it through right as they entered the hall, and it was dark. If they had, they probably assumed she was a flickering shadow, their eyes playing tricks on them. If they hadn't they'd already have barged through the door.
Whether they had or hadn't, didn't matter. The prisoner had seen her, called for them, and was probably telling them about her right now.
It was too late by the time Abigail started running further down. The door behind her burst open, the two guards walking through it. They shot their hands out and a wave of green energy followed the motion. It washed over the entire hall in an instant and everything it touched was made slow for a few seconds.
One, two, three, four, and Abigail could move again. In that time the guards had closed the distance. The finer details of their appearance now easy to see.
The first was male, strands of blonde hair slipping out from beneath his helm, blue eyes framed with intent. His partner was a girl, hair brown to his blonde, and eyes just as intense.
As one they jumped at her. He went high, fist raised, and she went low with a kick. Abigail was too slow to react to either.
His fist connected with her jaw and she started going down. Then a foot swept her legs out from beneath her, and she hit the ground. Hard pain shot through the back of her head as one of the two pinned her and the other started placing her in chains.
It was over in an instant.
Abigail was defeated, there was nothing she could do, and they were going to throw her in a cell for the rest of her life.The thought ran through her head two times. Then, before it could a third time, she screamed with rage.
Liquid Ardin answered her call.
It was so much of it that coursed through her that it hurt. Her skin split, veins popped, and the whole world seemed to slow down. Abigail wasn't sure if it was adrenaline or pure rage, either way she didn't hesitate to use it.
With a kick that should've cracked her bones, she threw the jailers back. She watched them sail through the air and land on their feet across the hall. In that same period of time she got on her own feet and charged them like a bull.
Their arms interlocked, legs coiled together, and they became a wall.
Abigail went straight through it head first, and as she passed she swing with blind fury. Each of her fists connected with a jaw each and the walls behind them. Then she turned on her heels and descended on the female guard, her fists raining down like meteors.
She didn't stop till the body beneath her went still. It only took five seconds. They were filled with rage she'd never experienced before and pain - on both parties.
Her body, enhanced beyond her own control, screamed for her to stop. Calm down it seemed to say with every fiery bolt of discomfort. Abigail ignored it and turned her focus onto the second guard, who was laying against the wall staring up at her like she was some sort of monster.
The look of fear on his face struck her as human, and she couldn't find it in herself to pummel him to death. She settled with grabbing by the collar of his armor and pulling him close.
"I'm looking for someone very close to m-"
Her words died on her tongue as the enchantment sprawled across her body shone. It's light poured out from beneath her clothes, and Abigail started to grow.
She dropped the guard with a gasp, as her breasts began to billow out from her. They pulled her shirt tight, filling all available space, as they marched forward. Below them, barely contained in her pants, a similar scene was playing out. Her butt, hips, and thighs were expanding out from her, growing without a care.
The worst part was that it didn't feel bad. There was no pain, only a gentle warmth carried all over her skin. It felt good, better than a soak after a hard day's work.
That comfortable feeling made it dangerous. It near blinded Abigail to the growth splitting her shirt from collar to first button. A gap created by boobs close to the size of her head, with a parallel tear in her pants born from her growing bottom.
In silence she watched their continued march.
Her butt poured out the gap and embraced cold air. She blushed as her breasts popped another button and made contact with the jailer. The sides of her pants whined as her hips ate away at their elastability, and her thighs split fabric.
It stopped seconds on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction. A bigger one than she already had, at least. Then she looked at the guard.
His eyes were locked onto her cleavage, and she couldn't blame him. She didn't have that cleavage a few moments ago. To see it grow right before his eyes, it must have been quite the sight.
She let him enjoy it a few seconds longer, her own eyes lingering on his before she lifted him higher. It got his attention.
"I don't wanna repeat myself, kay? Good? Where's the old human guy in a red robe?"
The jailer blinked. "Don't. Kill. Me. He was transferred out almost a week ago."
Abigail leaned in close, breasts mashing against his chest. "What! Ugh, tell me where."
He blushed, and looked to the side. "I, uh, I don't really... I don't know. But it was to a city, I think."
She carried him over to a cell, the pain from before slowly returning. "You got a clue as to which city? Or where any of those cities might be?"
He unlocked the gate, backed into it, and locked it shut. "In the captain's quarters there's a map. He probably has the information your looking for too."
Abigail turned towards the stairs and started walking. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. And, uh, hit the captain real hard for me."