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Strikeforce | |
Page 1
Chapter 1: At the request of a child
Chapter 2: A gruesome discovery
Chapter 1: At the request of a child
It's a rather chilly winter day, he looks up and sees the sun low on the horizon and reminds himself that winter is nearly over, only a month or so left to go. Lately activity has been increasing all over town as people begin to prepare for the backlash of the upcoming war. Spirits are high as the Allied Human/Elf/Dwarf forces expect to wipe the orcs out once and for all. News from recent travelers says that ogres have practically disappeared from the valley. There hasn't been an ogre sighting in the last month or so. Vague tales of monsters terrorizing the southern corner of the valley have so far been just that...vague tales. Patrols have increased outside the city as most of the young able-bodied men have volunteered for the army and they undergo rigorous training everyday.
He looks around at all the activity finding it all just a bit unnerving. He never did like the city much, but he found that occasionally he did have to visit.
A small boy approaches him. The boy is raggedly dressed and very dirty. His mousy brown hair looks like it hasn't been combed in days. "E'scue me...um." His eyes dark around nervously before again fixing up him, "Aren't you Zraxin?"
The boy looks a little wild-eyed for a few moments holding his breath and his hand comes up as if in reflex to block and expected hit as the ranger turns to face him.
More than a little surprised Zraxin nods. The boy's hand comes down and he starts breathing again. "Yea, I thought it was you. There's this guy who sent me to fetch you. Says to tell you he's got a job that only you can handle and that there is big money for you if you want it. No robbery and stuff like that he says it's on the up and up. I know he's got money 'cause his place has got jew.." he stops suddenly looking as if he has said too much. He looks around for a moment then says, "Come on! This way this way!" He takes the rangers hand and starts pulling urgently.
"Why would anyone want a forest ranger in the middle of the city?" Zraxin's curiosity gets the better of him and he follows the boy. The boy leads him through the streets of Telor to one of the rougher neighborhoods. Drunks lay sprawled out in alleyways and under carts. The smell of filth assaults his nose as a swarm of flies buzz around their heads. He walks into an old building made of hay & wood and doesn't look too sturdy. Sensing something might not be quite right, his hands go to his sword in expectation of an ambush and he cautiously enters the doorway.
He steps through the doorway into what seems like another world. 'Magic', is his first though as he enter a huge, richly furnished room with carpeted floors. All around the room are expensive high backed-wide plush chairs, chests, rugs, and drapes. Some of the chairs even have jewels in them. The little boy says, "Sit where you want" and goes off to your right to join a group of small boys around his age. All the little boys are dirty and unkempt. As he moves further into the room, he sees the walls are all shades of purple and after a second look he realizes the shades and colors are slowly swirling around.
As he looks at the walls, a voice to his left says, "Pretty isn't it. The walls are glass, whoever lives here is fairly powerful." Zraxin turns to see a short stocky man with shifty eyes. He looks out at the glass walls saying. "I got caught in a mis-adventure a while back and got stuck on the astral plane." He nods toward the inky darkness, "That's what that is. Whoever owns this place, fished me out of that mess and placed me here. A little while ago those kids started bringing people in. I wish I knew how you got in so I can get out." Zraxin turns to point out the exit and see only another glass wall that curves up and over their heads forming a dome.
As Zraxin looks around he spots a familiar face and moves over to talk to him.
"People just appear here, there is no doorway." The little man says to himself, "If there was I'd be long gone..."
"THEN YOU'D MISS ALL THE FUN!" A loud voice booms throughout the dome. All throughout the dome there are the sounds of swords being drawn and weapons being readied. Zraxin realizes that some of those chairs had people in them. Those people are now looking around expecting an attack.
"PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN! AFTER ALL, WHAT WOULD YOU FIGHT? THERE IS NOTHING TO ATTACK HERE BUT YOU AND THE CHILDREN! AND I ASSUME YOU'RE AREN'T PLANNING ON SLAUGHTERING THE HELPLESS CHILDREN"
An image appears on the dome itself. The image shows the head and shoulders of a man whose shoulders are covered with what looks like a purple shirt with white flares extending outward from his shoulder. The area around the image turns from purple to black and they see his image more clearly. A balding wide-shouldered man with a hard face, he says "YOU ALL KNOW OF THE UPCOMING WAR WITH THE ORCS! WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW IS THAT THEY ARE PLANNING TO STRIKE BEFORE OUR ARMIES ARE READY IN THE SPRING!" His image dissolves and a map appears. From the landmarks on the map Zraxin realizes that it shows a point deep in orc held territory, "THEY HAVE A HIDDEN STRIKEFOCE HERE THAT THEY PLAN ON MOVING VIA MAGIC DIRECTLY INTO THE HEART OF TELOR!"
"I HAVE CHOSEN YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE THE BEST OF THOSE WHO HAVE NOT JOINED THE ARMIES. YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO LAUNCH A SURPRISE ASSAULT ON THIS CAMP! YOUR REWARD IN ADDITION TO LIFE AND ACHIEVING AN EARLY VICTORY FOR OUR FORCES, WILL BE ANY SPOILS OF WAR YOU MAY FIND!"
"EACH OF YOU WILL BE GIVEN A RING. WHEN YOUR MISSION IS COMPLETE, TOUCH FOUR OF THE RINGS TOGETHER AND YOU SHALL BE RETURNED HERE. WHERE THE DOORWAY SHALL BE OPENED AND YOU CAN RETURN TO TELOR!"
Something tugs at the corner of Zraxin's eye. He realizes it is daylight. He turns to see the last of the children walk though a doorway out onto the street. Just as the portal is closing the little man leaps through the doorway, a rolled up rug in one hand and a fist full of gems in the other. The rug only partially makes it through as the doorway closes around it. The remainder of the rug falls to the ground sliced clean away from the first part. The glass wall next to it looks smooth and unblemished.
The image of the man mutters something about thieves and backstabbing ingratious fools. Rather upset he says, "WELL? ARE YOU MEN GOING TO JOIN THE STRIKE FORCE I HAVE ASSEMBLED OR ARE YOU JUST GOING TO HIDE UNDER YOUR SADDLEBAGS AS THE ORCS BURN YOUR WORLD DOWN AROUND YOU?"
As his voice reverberates through the sphere, voices are raised in protestation and anger.
"Never!" shouts a man dressed in dirty leathers with a pair of short swords strapped to his back. "I'll burn every last orc village and slaughter them all with my bare hands first."
A tall amber-haired elf looks up confidently and says, "Yes I'll join this strike force. It would be my pleasure to destroy as many orcs as possible."
There is a chorus of grunts and cheers accompanying his statement.
From a small knot of men one steps forward, a tall human with short unruly dark hair and beard. With hard eyes he looks around. He speaks as if he is has to force out every word. "I speak for me men when I say I don't like being tricked. But if we get the chance to kill some orc butt and plunder their stores then I'm all for it! We could make a tidy sum selling the extra weapons to the army."
A short hairy dwarf wearing splint mail with embedded crystals that reflect the light giving him and almost ethereal apperance speaks up saying, "Name's Dorin Rockcrusher. These rings, will they activate if more than one is worn by a single person? Or do four of us have to survive this little escapade to return here."
"IF YOU SHOULD LOSE A MEMBER OF YOUR GROUP SIMPLY PLACE THE EXTRA RING ON TOP OF THE OTHERS WHEN THEY ARE PLACED TOGETHER! DO NOT WEAR MORE THAN ONE RING OTHERWISE WHEN YOU RETURN IT WILL BE IN SEVERAL PIECES!"
The dwarf nods and Zraxin notices the medallion around his neck, which is a circle, divided into four parts by a giant X. In the upper portion is a symbol of a cloud with a face. Its cheeks are puffed and it appears to be blowing wind. In the middle right portion is the symbol of a typhoon swirling above stormy waters. In the bottom portion is a picture of a mountain reaching up into the clouds. In the middle left portion is a stylized flame. The dwarf continues, "As to the Orc camp, how many orcs are we talking about? Their entire army? A few troops, who will cause havoc behind our lines, or do you not know what is in this camp?"
"THE COMPLEX IS LARGE ENOUGH TO HOUSE A LARGE NUMBER OF ORCS, BUT FROM MY OBSERVATIONS ONLY THE STRIKE FORCE IS THERE AT THE MOMENT AND I CANNOT COUNT HOW MANY THERE ARE! I'M SURE ONCE YOUR RAID BEGINS WE WILL FIND OUT QUITE QUICKLY!"
In the characteristically blunt fashion of all dwarves he asks a final question, "Will you be risking your neck along with ours?"
"NO! I WILL NOT! I AM ILL SUITED TO BATTLE AND WOULD BE A HINDERANCE! MY SKILLS LIE ELSEWHERE!"
Two men talk quietly amongst themselves for a moment before the one wearing a long sword agrees saying, "We'll go along. We don't share this unbridled lust for orc blood that the others have, but if what you say it true then we cannot allow them to do this. I am Dayal! My friend here is Pendran!" The other one carrying a large War hammer that looks much to heavy for him steps up. "We are the last of the Tempest Chargers!"
A human looks around carefully and comments, "Greetings and well met strangers. I am but a simple wizard. The wars of kings and kingdoms are beyond my humble ken. However, I can never resist a chance to gain knowledge of the arcane. I will join your strike force for that reason. What do you wish of me?"
"GOOD! GOOD! THE ORCS POSSESS STRANGE MAGIC, DIFFERENT FROM OUR OWN, PERHAPS YOU CAN FIND SOMETHING NEW TO HELP US IN OUR BATTLES."
Two men wearing the crest of a red lion on a white background re-sheathe their weapons. One is a huge man towering above and beyond everyone else in the room, looking much like a small ogre, steps forward and says, "I am Cadar deSavaric, son of Dorgath deSavaric Lord of Nashira. My brother, Laurian, and I greet you all. If by our lives or our deaths we may aid you we shall." His brother also a huge man, but much smaller than his brother looks around the room. Around Laurian's neck is a medallion with a flame symbol on it.
The second largest man in the room moves out of the shadows, only slightly shorter and slimmer than Cadar, he moves more quietly than any other in the room. With a large bastard sword strapped to his back and a battle-axe on his waist he says, "My name is Rek. I have no love for orcs, but I have heard some disturbing things lately about this war. If this place we raid is not an orc strike force but instead some harmless orc village. You will find that I can hunt you just as easily as I can hunt the orcs!"
The appearance of this person causes a gasp of surprise from the two Tempest Chargers, as well as one another pair who also introduce themselves.
A tall golden haired elf looks around and says, "My name is Zraxin, my companion here is Sivad." The man he points to looks to be a boy just barely become a man. Wearing a simple outfit of white and gray with a brown cloak the holy symbol of Gaea hangs from his neck.
A slightly overweight human with blue eyes and a small scar under the left side of his nose looks around and says, "Well met, everyone." He nods, to those before him, "I am Ralandin Meldel, also called Ralandin the Fierce. Does anyone have any ideas on how we should fare to find the camp?"
"EXCELLENT! NOW THAT WE HAVE INTRODUCED OURSELVES WE CAN BEGIN! HERE IS A MAP OF THE SURROUNDING COMPLEX." His image fades and a map of a structure appears.
"IT IS SURROUNDED ON ALL SIDES BY A FENCE THAT CANNOT BE CLIMBED AND SEEMS TO BE IMPERVIOUS FROM MAGICAL ATTACKS. IF YOU ATTEMPT TO FLY IN BE PREPARED TO FALL, BECAUSE SOMETHING CANCELS OUT THE MAGIC ABOVE THE FENCE LEVEL FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET UP! I DO KNOW THAT MAGIC WILL WORK ON GROUND LEVEL BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN THEM USE IT FROM AFAR! THE MAIN GATEWAY IS THE ONLY WAY IN! IT IS ALWAYS GUARDED BY A MINIMUM OF TWO ORCS! BEYOND THAT THEIR NUMBERS CAN ONLY BE GUESSED AT!"
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"AS YOU CAN SEE YOU HAVE YOUR WORK CUT OUT FOR YOU! IF YOU CAN EVEN CRIPPLE THE FORCES STATIONED HERE IT WILL BE WORTH IT! BUT IF YOU CAN WIPE OUT EVERY SINGLE ORC..."
A young elven female with golden eyes and raven-black hair says, "So how do we get out of here then?"
"MOVING THROUGH ORC-HELD LANDS WOULD BE DIFFICULT AND SUICIDAL WITHOUT AN ARMY BEHIND YOU! I HAVE LOCATED A PLACE DUE SOUTH OF THE CAMP WHERE I CAN TELEPORT YOU! IT IS HALF A LEAGUE AWAY FROM THE CAMP. YOU CAN MAKE YOUR WAY FROM THERE!"
The image fades out and almost immediately the group starts to disappear one-by-one until the last one is gone and the room is empty.
One-by-one the group appears in a small rocky outcrop. The temperature is drastically colder than Telor and here they can feel that winter is not quite ready to let go.
Chapter 2: A gruesome discovery
One-by-one the group appears in a small rocky outcrop. The temperature is drastically colder than Telor and here they can feel that winter is not quite ready to let go.
The wind whistles between the teeth of the stone grotto. The group finds itself surrounded on nearly all sides by weathered stone walls reaching several dozen feet up. The only way out lies through a break in the stone walls, which gives a brief glimpse of a wooded area. Another cold gust of wind blows in through the break swirling around the contained area causing cloaks to lift and swirl.
The human wizard clasps his staff tightly and whispers, "Teleport spell, very powerful indeed, may have used an item rather than a spell."
Looking around he moves to place himself amongst the center of the fighters.
Laurian looks around for a moment then shouts, "What about our horses? They have provisions and equipment which both Lord Cadar and I use in combat."
Shocked at this outburst nearly every fighter stares at him for a moment before putting their hands on their weapons and looking and listening intently. The moments drag on as the group listens to the sounds of the world around them. There is the sound of the wind whistling through the rocky outcrop the sounds of distant birds and nothing else. It is several minutes before anyone relaxes.
Dayal moves over to Laurian and says, "Friend, I don't know what you are used to but when we are this deep in enemy territory you don't go shouting anything unless it's a battle cry and they already know you're there."
Rek says, "I'll scout around and see if anyone is spying on us or sneaking around. He quickly moves his large bulk out of the break and disappears without a sound.
The man dressed in dirty leathers moves to the side of the grotto opposite the break. His eyes never leave the entrance. His entire stance indicates he still expects an attack.
Sivad turns to his companion and says, "Zraxin" nodding to the break. Without a word Zraxin moves takes up a position just inside the break he stands so still against the rock he almost blends in. Even his golden hair is hidden in the shadow of the rocks.
Laurian turns to Dayal and says, "Friends, you have introduced yourselves as Tempest Chargers. As you can see, I am a Paladin of Enerius. Which lord do you follow? We would best work together should each of our lords be known."
Dayal is taken aback at this admission. Pendran however is not. His face neutral and calm he says, "Welcome followers of Enerius. We follow the path of Obsidius, the Protector. We protect those who are weaker than ourselves."
Laurian nods and turns to the young woman and speaks in a language that is at once vaguely familiar and completely alien, though most can even somehow understand some of the words.
The woman replies in common: "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself while the wizard was bellowing. I am Asura Heavenstar. I am honored to meet the rest of you." She inclines her head, "However, I must suggest that we get moving. The sooner this is done with, the better, and right now I fear that we are in a good spot to be ambushed." She then grabs the handle of her sword. Oddly it is a two handed hilt peeking out from a long sword sized scabbard that holds the sword. She pulls out her sword quickly only to find it is a two-handed sword, which she wields easily. Even more surprising is the fact that the blade glows with a soft yellowish-white light. As she holds it the light dims, but never dies out. She favors the group with an innocent smile.
Laurian asks for the name of the wizard and the man dressed in leathers, but before either can answer his brother takes center stage.
Cadar walks to the center of the group and says, "It is important first of all," He starts, "To establish our chain of command, and allocate roles according to function and ability." Pausing for a second and looking over each of the assembled members, he seems to reach a decision. "I do not know each of your skills and abilities, but I would venture that in terms of combat training, and strategy in group warfare I have the most experience and knowledge."
The tall human with the unruly hair and his companions stare around saying nothing. Some of the men have a strange gleam in their eyes, the kind you've seen men get just before they enter a battle they've been waiting for. Others just look greedy.
Sivad looks around counting, "....fifteen, sixteen, plus me that makes seventeen."
Cadar listens intently to Sivad's account...and ponders for a moment.
Dorin looks at Cadar and says, "Bah! Cadar, if you claim to have more knowledge than people you don't know then you're stupider than you look. I don't appreciate an overgrown buffoon insinuating that I am stupid."
Dorin turns to the rest of the group and says, "As to the rest of you, lets not spend a few centuries deciding who will lead, cause you frail humans might not last that long." He chuckles quietly at his own joke.
Asura says, "I can fight, but strategy isn't my forte. I'm willing to let Cadar choose our plan of attack, at least for now, although I suggest we decide what we're going to do and do it soon. Unless the rest of you have a different opinion, of course?"
The quiet wizard looks curiously at Cadar as he tugs at his shaggy goatee. "I daresay that you may the best in a combat situation, but unfortunately right now we also need a plan of attack. We're stuck behind enemy lines with very little support and no cover. Right now there might be an entire horde of orcs eyes upon us. We need to send scouts to assay our position before we attempt to sort out the roles and plan the attack."
Ignoring the controversy brewing around him, Cadar begins to outline his plan, "Alright I suggest two divisions, first consisting of the Mercenaries, Asura, Sivad and Zraxin. The mage should join them and Asura, he is in your care in combat, look to him always."
Sivad turns to the man dressed in dirty leathers and asks, "What do you think of Cadar's statement?"
At first, the man doesn't give any sign he even hears the priest, his eyes constantly searching the opening and the surrounding stonewalls. Finally he turns to Sivad and says, "Whatever, as long as he doesn't do anything stupid and nearly get us killed...fine. But the moment he does something stupid, you'll be hard pressed to find me. I've gotten out of orc territory before."
Sivad nods at the answer and turns to the small group of men lead by the man with the unruly hair. "Do you also think he should be our leader?"
The man laughs and says, "Cadar! I've seen your kind before! Step-by-step, play by some unwritten rulebook! That's fine when you're fighting someone whose playing by the same rules, but here that will get you killed fool! You lead whomever! My men will follow me! We just happen to be going to the same place to do the same thing. Worry about your people, I'll worry about mine!" The man turns back to his group and they whisper amongst themselves occasionally bursting out in muted laughter before turning and pointedly ignoring everyone as they file cautiously out of the enclosure.
Dorin begins picking up various pebbles.
The amber haired elf faces the group. He is wearing leather he also has a long sword at his side but what catches the eye is the bow he is holding. Made of a single huge bone, it looks quite heavy and looks like it could make a useful spear if needed. "Before you start handing out duties my name is Pol. I am a Ranger. We are in terrain that is comfortable for me and I would like to offer my services to scout out ahead and watch for Orc patrols."
Dayal turns to Pendran and says, "Well..." Pendran thinks for a moment he tilts his head back and rests it on the huge head of the war hammer, after a moment he straightens back up and says, "He may be severely arrogant, but for now it seems no one else wants the job." He cocks his head to the side and says, "Plus his brother is a fellow Elementalist...it couldn't hurt."
Ignoring the arguments surrounding Cadar, Ralandin walks over Laurian, "Greetings, Sir Paladin." Ralandin fishes out his holy symbol from beneath his jacket and holds it up so that Laurian can see it. "I follow the path of the Elemental Lord Enerius. That is partially why I have my nick-name 'The Fierce'."
Cadar continues, "The second division will consist of myself, Laurian, the Elemental Paladins, and Dorin. Rek, Pol and you," He points at the man in leathers, "are our scouts, and should function as such."
He pauses for a moment then says, "I agree with Asura that this is a good place for an ambush, I suggest we move as fast and as stealthily as possible to the camp, the longer we are here the quicker we will be discovered. After we get to the camp we can figure out the best strategy to assault the gate and the fortress."
Rek returns moments later. He pauses looking thoughtful then shakes his head and says, "We are as clear as we are going to be. I found some high ground that I could safely access without being seen. Once I got up to the top, I looked around the camp is about half a league to the north of here. But...I don't think that wizard told us everything. I swear I saw a pair of orcs riding on top of some kind of flying creature and from the way it moved it looked almost like they were riding it for fun. In any case I couldn't see any patrols, in the sky or on the ground."
After hearing Rek's report, Asura says, "No patrols? Typical orc arrogance. We should still be watchful and alert. You never know when you're dealing with orcs."
After hearing about the flying creature, Sivad glances up and around before saying, "I hope there will be enough cover to hide under should we come across a patrol. Lets hope as you say they were riding for fun and not following some patrol route."
The mage says, "Fascinating, I've heard rumors that the orcs have developed the possibility of aerial warfare, but until now no one has had any proof of such. May I suggest that we seek some cover, just because our scout has failed to detect a patrol, doesn't necessary mean that there isn't one."
Laurian smiles at Ralandin, and says, "It is a pleasure to meet you my friend. Indeed, with the representatives of so many gods, we cannot help but win. Still, the gods are not always discriminating in who they choose as followers."
Cadar listens to the discussion his eyes narrowing at Dorin, but he says nothing about them directly. Then turning to the mage he says, "Yes, mage you are correct. Let's move from here as fast as safely possible. Since the mercenaries will not be of any direct use...I shall not factor them into our strategy except as a variable. Rek and the ranger seem most apt at understanding the terrain, and scouting forces that we may encounter. Rek since according to your report there are flying troops I want our bow men ready to bring down anything that takes too much interest in us fast and quietly. I would suggest that both mount and rider will have to be killed...otherwise all point in stealth is moot. Perhaps, Rek you should stay close if you see something nasty and you get discovered we have to be in intercept range. So stay within 15 minutes or so ahead of us. As for the rest of us, let's move...those mercenaries will be taking care of most orcs they come across. Forget the two divisions, we will just have the one main body, plus the scouts. Actually the fools have made our job a lot easier. We shall stay behind them so that they can encounter any patrols, etc. Using the confidence of the orc army against them, it is fair to assume that they will not expect two foray parties this deep into orc territory. So we may be able to mask our movements, and avoid any direct confrontation until we have an accurate understanding of the fortifications of the base camp, and at least a preliminary troop count."
Laurian turns and glares at Dorin. "Friend Dorin, I do not appreciate your insinuation as to my brother's intelligence or lack thereof. As a strategist, he is without peer. If you wish to make any disparaging remarks, I will be most happy to discuss them with you on the field of battle. I shall NOT allow the sullying of my family honor by anyone, be he a follower of the Lords or not."
Pendran mutters, "Tell me you *didn't* see it coming."
Almost dissmissively Cadar says to his brother, "Enough, none of us have the luxury of a conflict this deep in orc territory."
Without another word Laurian deliberately turns his back on Dorin returning his attention to Ralandin. "My friend, I shall be most honored if you would fight by my side in the up coming battle. A more worthy battle mate I could not ask for."
Dayal muses aloud, "Has it occurred to anyone that if the orcs also possess the ability to attack from the air that they may possess other abilities we don't know about as well? I mean, how long have we been fighting the orcs, but never once have we ever heard a report like this one."
Turning to Dorin Cadar says, "Dorin thank you for your comments...but remember we are in this together, none of us have time for a weak link...it will likely kill us." He then turns back to the party and asks, "Anything else I have left out?"
The man in dirty leathers says nothing, but now he is pressed tightly against the side of the wall, idly scanning above as well as the entrance.
Dorin turns to Cadar and says, "It seems that they have chosen you to be the leader, probably cause no one else wants it. I have a plan though, and since you are almost in charge I guess you should hear it."
Dorin moves closer to Cadar and speaks in a whisper, the tall man has to bend almost in half to hear what the dwarf has to say. After a moment Dorin moves away and Cadar turns back to the group.
"If there are no more suggestions, lets move. One more point, from here on in lets keep verbal communication to a minimum. Should anyone notice anything in get the attention of the main party by taping them on the shoulder, the scouts should use a crow's call to warn of any immediate danger. Voices travel very far in the forest. Those of you using bladed weapons...keep your weapons in hand, let's not have the noise of rattling steel to alert our enemies. Bow men keep arrows notched and ready, we will have only moments to bring down orc scouts if spotted."
Rek, Pol, and the man in leathers leave quickly to begin scouting the area out.
The mage falls in step behind Asura, Zraxin and Sivad.
Cadar, Laurian, Dayal, Pendran and Dorin bring up the rear.
The passageway through the rock is narrow, but straight and much to their dismay seems to be well trodden.
As they exit out they also find to their dismay that there seems to be a regular beaten path straight to the spot they were hiding in.
A quick look around reveals no orcs in the general vicinity. But there is a large open plain between them and the nearest covering, which seems to be a lightly wooded area nearly 600 yards to the north. There is no sign of the mercenaries.
Each group makes a break for the cover and despite the seemingly eternal run, they manage to make it to cover undiscovered.
They catch a glimpse of their scouts as each one signals all clear and the journey northward begins. A very short time later there is a crow's call on the right. Moments later all three scouts reappear.
Rek is furious and is almost unable to speak, he simply gestures and they follow him. He shows you a scene of utter carnage. Without a doubt the mercenaries were here.
Before them lay a large food basket crushed on its side. Cakes, cheeses, and bottles lay crushed and scattered throughout the small covered clearing. Next to the basket is the body of a young male orc dressed in a blood splattered heavy coat with a hood, though his head is an arrow apparently shot from behind.
A little further on is the body of another male orc. This one is lying on his back his right arm sliced off lying next to him. In his arm he holds...a flute.
On the other end of the clearing are the bodies of two orc females, one much older than the other. Both are pinned up against the trees by carving knives. The older of the two females oddly is still alive.
She calmly surveys the scene before her and sees them and says, "So the barbarians attack. Peace lost...so much lost." A single tear rolls down her wrinkled cheek and she slumps against the tree, the last of her energy gone.
Rek regains control of himself and says, "They didn't have to do this." The fires of hate burn brightly in his eyes.
A moment later a shadow plays over the forest canopy as a pair of flying creatures zooms northward. They distinctly hear orcs laughing.
Turning his back to the scene, Rek moves quietly into the forest and disappears like a one small shadow once joining the many others in the forest.
"I shall remember you barbarians for what you have done here today!" Says a voice from the woods. They turn to see a lone orc standing in the woods. You will not take us by surprise. We will be waiting for you. You'll see!" With a shrill whistle he calls several creatures of the forest, which appear around the edges of the clearing. "We will be waiting for you." With that he disappears into the shadows much like Rek did a moment before. Seconds after he vanishes so do all the other creatures.