Page 3Khyle awoke as if from a dream. His wounds not fully healed, and he ached all over. The last time he had felt this bad was when he was in training. His mentor was very hard on all of his students. To teach them to be able to fight through the pain of combat. A lesson he learned well. It was always the next day that hurt like a bitch. He had never quite gotten used to.
He moaned as he tried to get out of bed, then decided to pull the cord for room service instead. Hot food and today in bed. Tomorrow, he will figure out what to do.
She did not realize that the feeling of being watched had subsided while she was at the temple. Now that she was in the main part of the city the feeling is as strong as ever. Someone is watching me, or perhaps the dreams are making me paranoid.
Finally, the Drunken Dragon Tavern. Some wine to soothe my nerves, followed by lots of ale to deaden them.
“Kida,” exclaimed Dathan the bartender. “It’s been a long time since you have set foot in here. She thought perhaps you were gone for good.” Several of her old friends looked up as he spoke. The greetings on their faces is a welcome site. It’s good to be home.
“I’ve been traveling and earning a living that increases my skills and hopefully pads my purse, “ she responded.
“And gets the occasional sword stuck in your ass,” called out one of her friends. He had been drinking already. Her friends, Jheda, Galorian, and Dalana, all sat together at the same table as they did on the day she left.
“Bartender, bring the four of us some wine. She’s buying,” Dalana yelled to the bartender, grinning broadly.
She rolled my eyes back, smiling back. “You always know when I have gold to buy drinks with. You should allow me the chance to offer first,” she said in mock frustration.
“And wait that much longer for our drinks, I think not,” She replied.
They spent the night drinking, laughing and catching up with each other. She did not tell them the circumstances of why she came home, and they never asked. She had missed the trio more than she realized. By Kasala it’s good to be home.
Just before dawn she noticed a guy in a dark corner watching her. He had black hair and bright green eyes. Very striking looking. And he dressed well. Just after she noticed him, he paid his tab and left.
Galorian nudged her. “He’s been watching you all night. He’s been in town for almost four weeks.” Her heart almost stopped. That’s how long she had been at the temple. “He seems harmless enough. A couple nights a week, he sits in the corner, drinks a few drinks, then leaves by dawn.” She had been drunk a moment ago, those words sobered her up faster and better than any gypsy tonic ever made.
She looked out the door to see if she could follow him, but he was gone.
“Don’t worry,” Galorian said from behind her. “We can find out who he is if you want.”
She turned to face him. “I, uh, no. Not yet,” she told him distractedly. “I haven’t been myself as of late and I just came here to relax. I have really missed you guys.”
For the first time since she showed up, Galorian seemed to notice something wrong. “I saw your pain when you came in, but it seemed to melt away with the alcohol.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face and asked, “Did he hurt you some how?”
“No, not him. I have never seen him before, er, at least not that I know of.” Damn, I have said too much. “I just need some rest. I’m just jumpy,” she said as she started down the street.
He looked at her uncertainly. “Alright then,” he said as if he did not quite believe her. “Just let me know if we can help.” Galorian said something to the other two and proceeded to escort her to the temple. Like the big brother he has always seemed to be.
At the temple she assured him that she would be all right. She went to her room and fell asleep.
Wether it was the alcohol, the company of old friends, or whatever, she slept dreamless, unaware and blissful until night fell once again. Perhaps now I can delve into some serious study.
And there she spent most of her waking hours, learning. The complete rest seemed to be only a one night thing, the nightmares still present, and her appetite had not returned, but her research kept her waking mind off of such minor details. She did not notice a week pass by.
So engrossed was she that she did not notice Shovan until he touched her shoulder and startled her. “Kida.” He looked concerned, “Did you not hear me?” She shook her head in response. “You have a visitor. He is waiting for you in the main hall,” he told me.
She paused a moment to clear her head. “I must have dozed off a bit. Tell him I will be there shortly.” I have neglected my friends and they are here to drag me away. The thought made her smile.
It took her fifteen minutes to clean up a bit and change clothes. Then she hurried to the main hall. She stopped cold that it was the man from the bar. She felt herself scowling at him, subconsciously, her hand dropped to her weapon.
His face fell when he saw her. “I apologize. I did not mean to upset you. I just wanted to meet you,” he said in a slightly nervous tone. He was wearing a deep red silk shirt with black pants and a gold cord around his waist. The outfit was tailored to fit his form well. The red in his shirt enhanced the green in his eyes. He was taller than Kida by about half a head. Some of his long black hair was pulled back and braided. The length was just past his shoulders.
She said nothing. She moved a few paces closer, ready for anything. Well, almost.
He sighed. “I’m sorry. This was a mistake,” he said looking toward the ground. “Your friends told me . . .” He shrugged and then headed for the door.
She rolled her eyes and relaxed a bit. He should not have to suffer because of my paranoia. Damn, my friends. “Wait, why are you here?” she asked, looking at him more closely. “Have we met before? Not counting at the bar.”
He grinned sheepishly. “Not exactly, I came into town at about the same time you did. You looked rather worried and ran by me.” He looked deep into her eyes. “After seeing you then I just had to meet you.”
“Then why didn’t you say something at the tavern?”
He looked a bit embarrassed. “I had been trying to work up the nerve all night. Your friend kept watching me, which made it harder. And when you turned around and noticed me, he scowled at me. So I figured you two had a thing together. I made a hasty retreat, so as not to start any trouble. If your friends had not tracked me down to find out why I was there, I never would have had the chance to look into your beautiful eyes again.” Smiling, he glanced down at her sword that she was still gripping. “I assure you, Milady, I mean you no harm,” he said with a slight bow. He walked out the door and down the steps of the temple. The late evening lights did nothing to help see him after only thirty feet or so. He seemed to disappear into the darkness as if he was part of it.
As she watched him leave, Shovan walked over to me, from wherever he was hiding, and said, “Well, he seems like a gentleman.”
“Not you too, Shovan”
“I just thought you could use a little push to see that there is more than undead in the world,” he said as she huffed and went back to the library. She found it difficult to concentrate, so she decided to go to the tavern and throttle her friends.
Because her friends insisted that she should go to a party, she spent half the day looking for an outfit. She had not really bought anything new since she had been back. It was time to splurge. She settled on a white low-cut blouse with red ribbon trim and a knee length skirt to match.
The party was like most other parties, bards, entertainers, all types of alcohols and wines, a banquet table and of course there was Kida, just sitting at a table watching the charade, pretending to enjoy herself, avoiding the advances of half the guys in the place. Supposedly, I am here to enjoy myself, not for others to enjoy me. They were reminders as to why she does not go to parties, and especially why she does not get drunk in a room full of strangers.
A familiar face came into view, wearing a gold silk shirt, laced up the front, white pants and black boots. Almost opposite of what he was wearing when he talked to her at the temple. He noticed her at the same time, and started across the room toward her. He had also been joining in the festivities. By the way his walk swayed slightly, but he managed to still walk with poise and grace.
When he came within about six feet of her he said, “I have decided to introduce myself to all of the beautiful women in the place, starting with the most beautiful first. I am Xathas. And you are?”
Perhaps because of the wine, she laughed. Normally, she does not respond to even the best of lines, which she had to admit she liked his style, and something in his eyes compelled her to play along. “I am Kida, my good sir.”
“Now that we have been properly introduced. Would you like to dance?” he asked with a slight bow presenting his arm to her in a very courtly manor.
She smiled, feeling a bit tormenting, and asked, “Are you going to introduce yourself to rest of the beautiful women in the room?”
“Why Milady, it would be very rude of me to not at least dance with you before continuing with the introductions.” Still bowed, he made an elegant Gesture with his hand, leaving it extended as an invitation. “One dance, is all I ask. Then you can go back to your table, if you wish.” Her friends, who were nowhere to be found until now, were prodding her to dance with him. This all had a definite feel of a set-up. Well, I guess I will continue with the game. Besides, I am sure it was obvious that I was unhappy with what I was doing.
To her delight, Xathas is an excellent dancer. Much better than she was. So much so that he made her movements feel smooth and flowing even though she knew that she was not that good.
After the dance, he led her back to her table. It was set with a lace tablecloth, fresh-cut flowers and a bottle of chilled wine.
“Have you had enough of me or would you care to share some wine and conversation with me?” he asked with a sly grin.
She smiled and asked, “And if I say no? What would you do then?” He had her hooked, but she could not resist to tease.
“Then I will have to start the tedious task of introducing myself to the other women in the room,” he said with the same grin.
“Well, then I will just have to sit with you then.”
He wanted to know more about her. So, she told him of my parents and how she came to live at the temple. He had lost his father when he was young and had been raised by his mother. She told him of the adventuring career she had so far. Except for the last crypt. She had not even told my friends. She did not think that she should be telling him either. When he asked her what had brought her back home, she stuttered a bit and told him that she needed the break. And then asked him what brought him here. He took the hint and told me about himself. His family are merchants. His older brothers and sisters run it with their mother. He on the other hand, mostly just travels to see the world.
“Waters Edge is the latest of the many places I plan on traveling to,” he told her. He gazed into her eyes, for a moment she thought he could see her soul, and she looked away. He put his hand over hers. “I have yet to find a guide to explore this city. I would consider it a privilege if you would show me around.”
Even though she was not looking at him, his warm gaze tempted her. His eyes were enchanting, and she was falling for his spell. Wherever he was leading me, I will follow, for now.
The rest of the night was spent dancing and laughing. He had witty remarks for almost everything. He escorted her home just before dawn. She was tired, but not of him.
She became Xathas guide to Waters Edge. Not that she is a very good guide, but he enjoyed her company nonetheless. He always preferred to do things at dusk. Which was fine by her. It gave her time to study during the day. She would often meet him at one of the libraries in the city, because the Dark Library did not contain everything she wanted to know. Their meetings were becoming more frequent as the weeks passed.
Today, was one of those days they were supposed to meet. She had been researching spells and rituals for creating skeletons, zombies and mummies that priests could use. Mostly what she had found were ways that mages and necromancers could make undead and she wanted to know what the differences were. She had found a simple spell that could temporarily animate the skeletons of small animals. She was considering trying it to see how well it worked. It used minimal supplies. And she could make them fight each other to see how they attacked each other. She would also like to know what kind of commands they can follow. There would not be any harm in that. And because of the faithful of Kasala there are not any undead in or any where near the city to experiment on. So the only way she can gain any new insight is to create a few. I can only go so far with straight book knowledge. I need some practical knowledge.
“I did not know that skeletons came in the animal variety?” Xathas said over her shoulder. He had a habit of seeming to appear out of nowhere. Startling her and causing her to drop her quill, which splattered ink all over her notes.
“You are early. Are you trying to cause my heart to stop?” she asked a bit flustered and embarrassed. Trying to blot the ink at the same time.
His smile grew wide and his gaze went to the darkened windows. “How odd, you were supposed to meet me at dusk and I see that the sun has fully set some time ago. I guess that means I am early, for tomorrow.”
How could I have lost track of so much time? “How long have you been waiting for me?” she asked, eating her own words.
“Only for a few minutes. When you were not outside, I asked around as to where you were. I was hoping that you had not left yet.”
She looked at him for a moment, not sure if she should believe him or not. He had never been late, but if he wanted to be the gentleman, I guess I can live with that.
She smiled wholeheartedly. She went to put the books back and her research into her satchel. He, of course, insisted upon helping her put the large tomes back on the shelves. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed that all of the books were about undead, but said nothing. She was relieved. She was not sure how to explain why she was doing all this.
Tonight, she decided that they would walk through the Weeping Gardens. She had spent a lot of her youth here and she wanted to share the place that filled her with many fond memories. But for some reason, she kept thinking about the spell she had found earlier. She was very anxious to try it.
He seemed quite content just being with her even though we walked mostly in silence. In fact, he seemed quite bemused about it.
“I’m sorry,” she said after most of the evening was over. “I have not been much company tonight.”
“Your presence is enough company for me.” As comforting as those words were, she still doubted them. She did not doubt his sincerity. She just felt that she should be more worthy of his words.
He took her hands into his and said, “I do not wish to be a burden. If I am keeping you from your studies, I could visit you less. Or I could stop all together if it is causing a problem.” His gentle tones were a bit sad and his eyes denied his words. She realized that even though she had told him much about herself, he must have realized today, when he saw the books, that there was a part of her he knew nothing about.
She nodded her head and smiled. “I have been so wrapped up in trying to please you that I have denied you what you wanted. Which was to know who I am.” He looked a bit confused at her comment. “Meet me tomorrow at the southern gate of the city. And don’t dress too nicely. We may get a bit dirty.”
The amused look he had all night long was back, and he asked, “Where might we be going?”
“There is a small cave out that direction. Come tomorrow, and I will show you what I have been researching. And if you still want to continue seeing me after that, I will not deny you.”
The whole prospect of having him involved was both exciting and nerve racking at the same time. Exciting, for one, because it will be nice not to be alone to test her research and two, because this was to her first attempt to animate a skeleton. Having someone to share that with her would be great. At the same time, she hoped that he would not be appalled at her new fascination of undead. Although, he did not seem upset about the books, but seeing a reanimated skeleton may be a whole different story.
He bowed as he said, “Until tomorrow then.” She smiled and nodded. She watched him until he was out of sight.
“An excursion tomorrow?” Shovan asked from behind her. She nodded, still hopeful as to what the next day could bring. “Be careful, the woods outside the city still have some hostile creatures.” He paused a moment, looking unsure if he should say his next words. Then asked, “Have you ever seen him during the day?”
“He has affairs that he attends to during the day and is only available afterwards.” She turned around and looked at him. He seemed concerned. “Why?” she asked.
“Do not worry about it. It is probably just a bit of paternal paranoia.” She was not sure what he meant but he was all smiles at the moment, so she figured it was not a big deal.
It was the first dreamless night that she had, since the crypt, that did not require excessive drinking the night before. Maybe, telling him will do me some good after all.
She spent the day getting the items she needed for the ritual tonight. Her excitement had her waiting early at the gate.
She dressed in her traveling outfit with her light mace and sword strapped to her sides. She wanted to make sure that if something happened that she could defend herself. Apparently, Xathas had the same idea. He had a dagger tucked into one boot and a rapier hung from his belt. It did not don on her that he may have some fighting abilities, until she saw him just now. The weapon on his side definitely was not for decoration. It looked like it had seen its share of battles. He wore a long dark cloak, had a black shirt and pants under it. Over all he looked ready for a trip.
She looked him over, and commented, “I did not know you could fight.”
“I can’t, I just wave it around like a wild man and people run away,” he said as he walked up to her. “Now let us go see this cave of yours.”
“Well, we need to get a couple of small critters first. A couple of rabbits, or rats, or something. They do not exactly sell skeletons at the corner market,” she said a little hesitantly.
“Uh . . . Skeletons? And why do you want to buy skeletons?” he scowled.
It’s all going to come out now. If he hates me forever then, so be it. “I told you that I have been hunting undead. And that I did fairly well at what I was doing. Well, I did not fair so well at my last attempt at cleansing a crypt. In fact, all of my friends were killed. I do not know exactly what happened, but I found myself running away. I wandered for some time afterward. When I found that I had nearly wandered all the way to my home city, my mind stirred from the shock of what happened. So, I have been researching on how to defeat the damn things.” He just looked at her expectantly, expressionless, so she continued.
“The problem is, that because my faith keeps the whole area cleansed of undead, I cannot make any practical use of the knowledge I have been studying. I have only two choices. One, to go elsewhere to see if what I have learned is any good. That means a long trip there and back, which is spending a lot more time than I would prefer. Or two, animate some minor creatures and test what I know close to home.” She took a deep breath. “I have not been myself since the crypt. I have nightmares. I don’t eat much. The only way I can figure of no longer being afraid of the whole situation is to learn it to the point where I know what makes them tick, and how to defeat them. So that if the situation comes up again, fear will not control me.” She looked at him. It was her turn to look expectant.
There was a long pause before he spoke. He forced a grin. “Well, let’s go ‘buy’ you some skeletons then.” At least he is sticking around for tonight. I guess being a gentleman accounts for something. I will probably not see him after tonight. Probably for the best. At least, we may enjoy one last evening together.
They went off hunting in the woods for whatever. It seemed however the animals, stayed fairly well hidden. Normally, she does not have to hunt for her food. She preferred to bring rations along. Less hassle, and much less messy.
After about an hour, Xathas decided that it was taking too long. He looked at what she was wearing. She had a chain shirt under her jacket. “You make too much noise. The animals can hear you coming from the next valley. Sit down, don’t move, and I’ll get some animals you can experiment with.”
He practically vanished before her eyes into the woods. After about twenty minutes he came out with two raccoons and a rabbit and threw them down next to her. She jumped as a bit of blood sprayed toward her.
“What’s the matter?“ he asked.
“I don’t like the idea of having to clean blood off my outfit.”
He rolled his eyes a bit. “I don’t know of many skeletons that run around with their flesh still attached, so I guess I’ll clean them up for you,” he said, as he pulled his dagger out of his boot. Then headed over to the animals to clean them.
She thought for a moment. “Hold on.” She pulled her notes out of her satchel, and read the spell. “According to this, the spell is supposed to remove the flesh from the bones.”
He shrugged. “Alright then, let’s take them to the cave,” he said as he picked up the animals. Thank the gods, I really did not want to see the things gutted and stripped clean.
They reached the cave and set up candles and torches around the area she was going to work. The candlelight gave the cave an eerie look about it. It was cooler inside the cave than outside. It gave her a chill when as she was working. She pulled out her notes and supplies for the ritual.
She created a small circle using herbs and charcoal dust then placed one of the raccoons in it. She put a small green gem in its mouth and sprinkled the required herbs over it as she recited the words of the spell. The raccoon shuddered a bit. Then its mouth opened wide and two little boney hands reached through the mouth and tore the skin and flesh off of its own bones. She shrieked as bits of flesh went every where. I think I should have let Xathas clean the thing. Next time, I’ll remember to stand back, before I finish the spell.
“You will have to cast that spell for me next time I want boneless chicken,” he laughed. Xathas stood at the edge of the area where the light hit, assessing the situation with mild amusement. He was missed by the gore from the raccoon. He did not seem alarmed in the slightest at what she had just done. She, on the other hand, was. She did not expect it to be such a messy process. The gore it had around it bothered her. She used a stick to move the bigger chunks into a pile in the corner, so that she could concentrate better.
She watched the little skeleton pace a bit, then it looked up at her (with eyeless sockets), ready to be told what to do. It reminded her of a marionette show she saw once when she was younger. It moved about as if an accomplished puppeteer was controlling it with strings.
“Go bite him on the foot,” she ordered it. It obediently tried to obey. It charged Xathas. Before she knew what happened, Xathas pulled out his rapier, piercing it through its rib cage and pinning the thing to the floor. It clawed helplessly at the dirt to try to get at Xathas. “Stop.” And the raccoon skeleton just sat there, or at least attempted to.
“I brought the wrong weapons to fight these effectively.” He looked up at her and said, “If you were tired of my company so soon you could have just asked me to go away.” He said it with a straight face, but she caught a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“Why? This was so much more fun.” She was not as good at keeping a smile off of her face. “Besides, it gives me an idea of what kind of fighter you are. As far as your weapon goes, next time we do this you will have to bring something more effective.” I hope that there is a next time.
“Well, are you going to do the rest of them? Or are you just going to play with this one all night?” he asked, still not removing his blade from the raccoon. At least he was interested in continuing.
So, she proceeded to animate the other two. And they came to life, er, unlife just as messily as the first. The rabbit she animated as a zombie instead of a skeleton. It was not so much messy as it was gooey. And it smelled atrociously. Necromancers must have no sense of smell. How else could they put up with the stench?
They experimented with commands. She found that they could only follow simple commands. If you told it a simple command that it could not do, it would stare dumbfounded. One cocked it’s head sideways and stared at her when she told it to dance.
They also made a very lousy circus act. They do not seem to have much of a sense of balance. Xathas and she ended up in laughter when she tried to get them to stand on top of each other. Without the use of muscles they do not jump real well either. She tried to get them to jump over a stick she held at various heights. After a certain distance they could not clear the stick. Their movements are rather fast considering that they have no muscles, but the zombie rabbit was slow. She even had them chasing a hapless rat that showed up in the cave to see what was going on. The rabbit was the only one that could fit into the mouse hole, after a while she thought it wasn’t coming back. When it did come back and she could see bits of rat fur on its claws. She guessed they could make a good mouse trap. She decided she would probably have to make them out of mice to do much good though. And she was not sure that having little undead critters in her room would be all that healthy.
Then she decided to see how many she could control at once. Xathas went and found her enough animals to try. After about an hour he came back with four more rabbits, a couple more raccoons and a lynx.
She looked at him questionably when he pulled out the lynx. He smiled and showed her a rip in his sleeve. “He did not appreciate my taking his rabbit I did not know was his until he jumped me. I convince it that the rabbit was mine.”
She looked at the torn shirt, when she saw no blood she said, “Oh.”
“Before we do this,” Xathas said as she was preparing to animate the next one. “What happens when you lose control of them?” He gestured toward the corpses.
“I do not know. We destroy them, I guess, or get them to destroy each other.” She looked at his weapon remembering how ineffective it was earlier. “You could use the mace and I could try to beat them down using the hilt of my sword.”
He looked at the weapon she offered. “I think not, hold on.” He went outside the cave for a few minutes and came back with a short stick, a kind of makeshift club “This should do the trick,” he said to himself as he swung it around experimentally.
So she animated creature after creature, until it came to the point that there were so many that they would not obey her commands. And they started attacking everything in sight. Themselves, Xathas, Kida, and even the candles. It took a while to knock the numbers down, she also, found it very difficult to regain control until they had the number back down to five. She had the last five battle it out until only the zombie rabbit was left, and after it won it was hobbling around with a missing front claw and eventually fell apart from the damage it had sustained.
She felt exhausted. Animating the undead drained her. She looked around the cave. Seeing the mess that they had made and realizing that she now had to clean it up. She had to get rid of any evidence of anything that happened tonight. Most of the cleanup she could do with spells, but they still had to bury the remains.
Note to Self: Next time bring a shovel.
She looked at her clothes, they were horrible, dirty and she smelled of death, worse yet, she smelled of undeath.
“I cannot go to the temple like this. Shovan will know something happened, and I will have to talk to him about it.” She rubbed her forehead. “I would much rather avoid the subject altogether. He probably suspects something already.
“I wonder which of the inns has a decent bath house? I...”
“Kida,” he interrupted her rant. “ My friend has lent me his house while he is out of town. You can stay there and I will have the servants help you.”
“I do not think it is a good idea for me to go home with you,” she said, questioning his motives.
“Milady,” he said in his formal tone and attitude. “I would be lying if I told you that the idea of sharing a bed with you has not crossed my mind.” She smiled at that thought. It had also crossed her mind. “But that is not my intention, at the moment. It is a big house, you will not even see me once we get there. Besides, there are things I need to take care of today, after I have had some sleep.”
The thought of having servants for a day intrigued her. And finding an inn when she was already tired did not sound appealing. She took him up on his offer.
The house was nearer to the east gate. Both decided that it would be faster to go through the woods to get to that gate. They would be doing a lot of back tracking if they went in the south gate and through the city, neither of them was up to it. Both wanted some rest. It had been a long night.
The journey to the east gate of the city was enjoyable. They spoke of what they had learned in the cave with the skeletons. Xathas had to admit a small amount of respect for the undead creatures even though they were mindless they had some strength’s. Skeletons seem faster by far than zombies, but the zombies could take more abuse so would stand in a fight much longer and their attacks seemed to ignore armor better just blasting through your defenses.
“And how could you possibly know that much about undead being a merchant’s son?” Kida was curious to hear his answer even though she already suspected that he had some real world experience with a weapon beyond hunting for his dinner.
“Oh, I’ve heard stories. On one occasion, I came across some zombies that thought I would make a good addition to their troupe. I was forced to talk them out of it. I was already late for a party you see.” Xathas replied with an offhanded sound to his voice. As he talked, he held tree branches out of Kida’s way. Every part the gentleman. The path that they followed was overgrown.
Kida lost track of how much time passed as they walked along enjoying the sounds of the nocturnal animals. Kida wasn’t really paying much attention to the direction they were heading at any given time. Having to go left around a tree or right around a ravine, but she was comforted that every few minutes they could see the walls of the city, and there was a constant glow in the sky from the city lights even at night lighting the sky. The wizards of the town had created light poles that allowed you to walk in the city as safe as you would during the day. It caused the city to glow at night. She suspected that they had already circled most of the way around and were heading back to the west a bit. She was relatively secure as she walked comfortably in Xathas’ presence.
Two sharp whistles of air, a thunking noise as something contacted a tree, and a sharp pain in Kida’s left leg. “AAhh.” Kida looked down to her leg seeing an arrow protruding from it. It looked to be a hunting arrow, it was buried deeply enough she couldn’t see the tip but she could almost guess it was barbed, with red feather fletching. The entire arrow seemed a bit primitive but effective. Blood was pouring down her leg.
Xathas was drawing his rapier and the dagger out of his boot as he immediately moved off into the trees towards where the arrows came from. He could make out four shadowy shapes in the darkness using the trees as cover. He ran up to two of them as they dropped their bows and pulled out battle axes and attempted to get their shields up to bear in time. Running in with a grunt of effort Xathas pierced one of the figures with his rapier while dodging a battleaxe from the other one.
Standing a little more than six feet tall Xathas thought they were humans, perhaps some barbarians from the north way too far from their homelands. But then he caught their smell just before his rapier penetrated the first creature’s belly. Gnolls. Large and very aggressive dog headed humanoids with cunning red eyes that you could almost see to glow in the darkness. They are not very common in the area but you do hear of them sometimes, tormenting the local farmers and stealing their cows. They seem to pride themselves on their military expertise.
Kida still a bit stunned from the sudden shock of being shot, sees a fifth gnoll shoot from behind a tree about fifteen feet to the left of Xathas and his two opponents, this arrow hitting her in the left shoulder. The arrow must have a fine point on it to go through her armor like it was butter, not the barbed tips she was thinking before. “Damn you, you stinking dog faced fiends.” Kida forces out through clenched teeth as she ducks around a nearby tree for cover. She pulls the two arrows out of her with a grunt of effort. She said prayers to Kasala for healing, gripping her holy symbol in already numbing fingers. Is the glow of my magic a little dimmer? Or am I just getting close to passing out?
Xathas was surrounded by the first four gnolls as they attempt to out flank him. His rapier and dagger flash in the moonlight as he parries blow after blow of axe strikes. His feet constantly moving as he repositions himself using whatever terrain is available to help keep the gnolls off balance. One more thrust of his rapier through the first gnoll’s lung has that one falling back and to the ground with a gurgle, as it tries to voice its complaint. The gnolls are wearing scale mail armor, easy to make and fairly good at deflecting attacks. Kida wondered how the gnolls could possibly be missing Xathas since he is not wearing any armor at all. She is wearing chain mail armor and that archer has been ignoring it far too easily.
One of the gnolls starts barking orders in its dog like language. Sounds more like the yips and yaps of a puppy with the occasional growl for emphasis. That one must be the leader, Xathas thought as he turned to give that one a taste of his sword. The gnoll he turned away from, takes the opportunity to grab Xathas. Xathas is able to throw his weight just enough that the axe swings from the other two only graze each one of his arms. The apparent leader of the gnolls is wearing a studded leather armor and the other gnoll, which did not grab him, is about a foot taller than his two companions and wearing a breastplate. Very finely crafted from the looks of it. He must have stolen it from some nobleman he killed. It did not quite fit. The big gnoll with the breast plate pulled his axe back to get a good swing, but just as it came in Xathas threw all his weight to the side forcing the big gnoll to pull his swing or hit his buddy. He pulled the swing. Damn.
The dodge from the big gnoll turned Xathas so the leader can bash him in the chest with his shield knocking the wind out of him.
Kida took a chance on casting a defensive spell that would deflect some attacks away from her. But the archer was waiting for just that and took another shot into her left side disrupting the spell, causing the energies to drain away. Kida spouts a string of curses that would make a sailor blush.
Xathas threw off the grappling gnoll to bring his sword around for a thrust through where the artery in his right leg should be. By the way blood went everywhere he must have hit the gnoll just right. In a rage the gnoll tries to retaliate but Xathas has already moved making the gnoll fall face first to the ground from over extending.
Kida tried to jump in to help Xathas, landing a good solid blow on the big gnolls armor. Hopefully that will prevent the archer from being able to find his mark. The big one turned on her taking a large piece out of her left arm causing it go numb from the pain. Blood is covering the Kida’s entire left and a good amount of the ground as well. The archer is better with a bow than she had hoped. He landed another arrow into her left leg. Kida’s head started to swoon from the blood loss. They must have drained half my blood by now. We have got to get away from here before we end up as trophies hanging from their armor.
The big gnoll stepped away from Kida as she swung wildly, obviously not fighting at her best, and bellowed a sharp barking laugh at her.
Xathas finished off the one that fell, then turned his attention to the big gnoll trying to get his attention away from Kida. He only manages to glance a blow off the breastplate he’s wearing. The gnoll leader moves into a flanking position almost sweeping Xathas’ leg out from under him.
Concentrating on Kida’s left arm the big gnoll slams his axe into it trying to sever it in one mighty blow. The archer shoots at her again missing as she falls to the ground clutching her holy symbol in numb fingers. Kida, on the verge of blacking out desperately tries to speak the words for Kasala to close the major wounds she has sustained. Her vision and clarity come back in a rush as the magic’s work at sealing her flesh from any further blood loss.
Xathas started raining a flurry of sword and dagger attacks on the large gnoll keeping its attention away from Kida so she can do her healing magic. Several small cuts get through its defenses as the gnoll tries to fend off the blows, howling in pain and rage. The entire time Xathas managed to dance out the way of the lead gnolls attacks completely, fending off a swing or two with his dagger. His rapier worked the big one into a frenzy.
The big gnoll finely sick of the abuse and tried to rush Xathas impaling himself on the rapier that quickly lined up with its throat. The last two gnolls, the leader and the archer see the heavy hitter fall and decide that they no longer out number their prey and run off into the darkness in different directions.
Xathas quickly reached into his cloak somewhere and pulls out a small crossbow. It was no bigger than a toy for a child and loads a dart into it, and aims in the direction of the lead gnoll.
Kida starts casting a spell in the direction of the fleeing archer. As she finished her spell the ghostly image of a bastard sword appears in front of her wavering slightly, as if held by invisible hands, about three feet off the ground. Kida thrusts her hand out towards the running gnoll and the ghost sword obediently soars after its target.
Xathas saw a shadow cross some moon light perhaps one hundred feet away and released the bolt out of the hand crossbow, the dark figure stumbled few a couple of steps before falling down.
Kida watched her ghost sword swing at the archer chopping into trees, scything down the smaller ones as it tries to cut down the gnoll. She kept directing the sword until it winked out of existence, out of range, forcing the spell to stop pursuing the gnoll. Kida sighed and limped back to Xathas. He must have gone after the other one that ran, she thought. “Hey, don’t run off too far,” she called in the general direction she saw the gnoll running.
Xathas walked back to the scene of carnage and took a good look around. “Hmm.. Someone should teach you how to wield that sword of yours a little better.” He stated as he searched the bodies for anything useful.
“Yeah well, we can’t all have wealthy parents that think some fancy swordplay is a useful past time. The priests just kind of show us how not to cut our own hands off and call it a good lesson. Now, let me see to your wounds.” Kida quickly goes over Xathas with a critical eye. This can’t be right. She griped her holy symbol and muttered a few words. Causing the symbol’s to glow bright. She used the light to look at the cuts in his clothing and at the barely scratched skin underneath.
“What are you some kind of troll that heals without the need for spells?” she mumbled, bewildered.
“Not at all,” he replied. “I’m sure these will heal on their own though. These creatures were not very good with the weapons they were using. Although they did wreck my shirt. Shall we make our way back to town now?” Xathas gently grasps Kida’s arm and led her from the sight of the ambush, with the calm, sure walk as if he gets attacked by gnoll hunting parties on a regular basis.
Kida walked along beside him with a sense of wonder that he could just brush off such a bloody, ghastly attack as if was a pleasant party he was merely tired of and ready to retire for the evening from.
The rest of the walk back to town was uneventful, but Kida couldn’t shake the thought that Xathas did not seem phased in the slightest by the attack. During the whole fight while she was getting torn limb from limb he seemed to have only received a few minor skin blemishes. Just waves the sword and they run away indeed. Hmpf.
