Two
Jaral was worried. Their water supply was at the lowest it had been in years. Even the kanks couldn't find enough to survive. Their horrid stench filled the dry, hot air. The slaves, no matter how hard they worked, couldn't keep the area cleared of the animals' corpses.
"I knew we shouldn't have taken those animals. We have no water and there won't be a trade caravan in this area for three months. Tyr is over 40 leagues away and we can't make it with our meagre supplies. A clutch of Thri-kreen have been stalking around, trying to find a weak point in our defenses. WATER.....I need water....", Jaral's thoughts took him whence they pleased. He had passed out twice from heat exhaustion that day. He was thirsty. He hadn't had a full ration of water for over a week. He had thought of eating one of the kank for a brief period before he smelled the stench of their corpses.
The Kreen watched from without bow range. They knew that the humans would pose no threat in their current state of malnutrition. The Half-giants, however, would cause some problems. Clk'Whrr, the Thri-Kreen leader, spoke with his trusted clutchmate in their own tongue. The human spy watching them could only catch a few words, but they were enough to make him fear for his life. He had two teenage kids at camp. They held promise for the future...
Rai and Hiamen weren't afraid of anything. Their dad worked for Jaral, the notorious raider. They had the strongest raiding party in that area. They couldn't be defeated...never.
"Let's see what dad is doing"
"Okay"
They went to Jaral's tent. He saw their shadows and signalled them to enter.
"What do you two want? I'm busy!"
"Where's Dad"
"I don't know...Leave me..."
"but..."
"LEAVE ME!!"
The Two left the tent...
"Dad needs help. Jaral is hiding it. I'm tired of sitting around waiting to die. We need to get out of here!"
"But...what do you think we are gonna do?"
"Let's sneak into the bugs' camp and kill them when they're sleeping"
"We don't even know how many of them there are!"
"So..."
"You must really want to die"
"Better to die fast than to starve"
"Good point"
The Two waited until night...
The insect camp looked deserted. The Two walked straight into the center. They didn't even bother to hide. They saw a mantis warrior with three guards. They were talking...
"......attack...humans..........kill.....kids....slaves.....", Rai understood a bit of the insect language, and what he understood was enough to enrage him. He pulled out a pair of cahulaks and charged straight toward the entourage. Hiamen bared his obsidian longsword and charged also.
The Kreen weren't expecting an attack, so they had no chatchkas or gythkas (this could be considered an advantage or a disadvantage, depending upon how dangerous you consider a giant bug with four arms and a deadly set of mandibles). The Kreen were taken by surprise and were unable to react in an effective fashion. The bugs, never the less, put up a formidable challenge, breaking Rai's femur and almost killing him before Hiamen killed the last one.
Hiamen saw his brother in extreme amounts of pain and sought for a way to relieve him of it. He found none. The situation quickly became dangerous. The Kreen were returning. It seemed as though the battle at the human camp had gone the same as it had for the Two...a slaughter. The Kreen were unaware of the presence of their adversaries. Hiamen used this precious time to his advantage. He hid himself and his brother. They waited...
The Kreen saw the signs of a fight. They quickly began searching the area by jumping high into the air and looking around for someone fleeing. Others walked around and looked into any hiding spot they could find. One walked dangerously close to Hiamen. Hiamen Wished as hard as he could that the Kreen wouldn't see him or Rai. The wood that covered them was lifted and Hiamen saw the Kreen look straight at him. Hiamen froze, incapable of a response, waiting for the Kreen to sink its mandibles into his neck...but the Kreen simply dropped the wood as though it had seen nothing. It walked away.
Hiamen was amazed for a minute, but his thoughts soon turned to his brother. His leg was causing him severe pain and Hiamen wished wholeheartedly that his pain would stop.
Rai's body relaxed. He whispered to Hiamen that he couldn't feel the pain anymore. Hiamen couldn't help but notice this strange turn of events. He concentrated on mending the broken bone...the leg moved into its intended place...
Rai moved his leg, the look on his face told Hiamen...the leg was healed. With their mobility restored, the Two crept out of their hole, Hiamen concentrating hard on concealment. They were able to escape unseen.
They returned to their camp to find all the tents burning. Jaral and their father, along with two others, were alive, hidden in a collapsed structure that formerly was an armoury. They greeted their youths with much frustration and glee. Jaral and Hor (the father) were badly injured. The others had given up on healing attempts. Hiamen went to his father and concentrated. By this time he had figured out that he had some unnatural ability. The cuts on Hor's chest closed and the temperature returned to his body. He wasn't fully healed, not by a long shot, but he would survive. Hiamen used his remaining strength to heal Jaral. The group rested...the Kreen wouldn't bother to attack...four people with no water wouldn't survive for very long...
"We really need to get out of here"
"How? We have no transportation."
"I'll find some. For now...we need to leave"
"I agree"
"Me too"
"Let's do it"
"Get everything you want to carry and let's get outta here fast"
The group, despite their lack of water and food, moved surprisingly fast. The sun was almost straight up before they had to stop and get out of the heat. Hiamen showed Rai his power. Rai seemed to have some potential of his own. He was able to find water in places one would never think it would be. It seemed that the desert offered all of its precious bounty to him. They caught four erdlus from a flock of nearly twenty. That wouldn't normally be very impressive if not for the fact that there was no vegetation for leagues. The erdlus were like a fabrication of the desert itself. The group traveled for fourteen days when they finally reached a fort, Fort Fiera.
It was a small fort. It looked as though a relatively small raiding party could confront it with few losses. It was obvious from the recently slain corpses and the broken weapons that someone else had thought the same about the place. It was a surprisingly well defended fort. It had to be. It was the main restocking port along the trade route between Tyr and Draj.
"We will stop here and catch a ride with one of the trade caravans to Tyr. Maybe we can make a bit of money by serving as mercenaries"
The group slept in a small, rodent infested room. There was quite a number of the little critters in there. It was amazing that such a number could fit in such a small area. It was generally believed that they scavenged food from the inhabitants of the room. The problem would probably be fixed if someone would tell the keepers of the fort, but everyone always made much haste in their departure.
Haste was necessary in Fort Fiera. The place was filled with people. Caravans arrive and depart throughout the day, carrying with them weapons, money, and food to be exchanged in the markets of the great city-states ruled by the all-powerful Sorceror-Kings.
The sun consumed the sky. The air burned the skin like the breath of the Dragon. A caravan arrived at the fort. It looked like it had just met a host of Kreen. The caravan master and his two Half-Giant guards were the only ones left alive...barely. From the looks of it, the waterskins had been slashed and two guards injured...they were long since dead now. The three corpses dismounted and struggled the long fourty feet to the well. They paid four ceramics...all the money they could find on themselves, and filled the four waterskins that they had repaired on the return trip. They would have to sleep outside the fort's walls. They would surely die out there at night. The Tembo were notorious in this area.
"Let's offer them some shelter"
"Why?"
"They'll be in our debt"
"How much money do we have left?"
"Enough, about twelve ceramics"
"Only twelve? That's barely enough for tomorow's supplies!"
"Maybe they know some traders who will give us some work. The two Half-Giants will prove valuable allies"
"Alright...but be sure they're trustworthy"
Rai followed the group and caught them before they were cast out.
"Come with me. I offer you shelter"
"What is this? What do you want?"
"I want an ally"
"That, you can have. Lead the way"
The survivors felt their sense of hopelessness lifting as they cleaned themselves and made ready for the next day. The Half-Giants were unused to these circumstances and asked their master an inane number of questions. Finally, the master was able to sleep.
Rai woke up. He heard a familiar sound...weapons crushing bone. Rai roused the group. They were ready just in time to fend off the four muls that just entered the building. The Half-Giants took orders quite well, as they were gladiators before the master bought them. They dealt with the muls and humans while Rai and Hiamen dealt with the opposing Half-Giants. The group knew by now of the power that the Two wielded, and it was generally assumed that they would be the most effective versus the Half-Giants. One fighter held up the big guys in melee while Rai and Hiamen attacked its mind. They were quickly dealt with.
Once the Half-Giants were disposed of, the battle went quickly. Jaral's group, supported by the caravan survivors, were damn near unstoppable. The attackers broke and retreated. The defenders chased and killed as many as they could to prove a point. Despite the zealous defense, the fort sustained massive damage. The battle, unknown to the group, had started long before Rai had roused, and the defense hadn't been able to stand against the attack. Most of the structures were burned. Only the three massive stone buildings remained. These were the barracks. One hundred sixty of the two hundred troops lay slain on the ground. Fort Fiera would not survive another attack like that. Jaral knew this and decided to make this into an advantage. He approached one of the guards.
"Who do I report to about this?"
"Our commander is in Tyr. We have already sent a man"
"One man?"
"and two Half-Giants"
"Then what are we going to do about these raiders?"
"We've looked for them, but they move every day. All we find is their campfire"
"We can find them for you", Jaral indicated his group, "We have two Mindbenders with us"
"Mindbenders? Who?"
Jaral indicated Rai and Hiamen, "Them"
"We could use you here. Go find the raiders. When you return, you will be rewarded."
"We need supplies"
"Ah, yes...the fort will supply you. Talk to the man at the Reserve. It is the building over there"
"Thank you"
The group prepared for the journey. They were given an inix to be used as a pack animal. They sharpened their cahulaks and their swords, patched their armour, and made spears for someone to throw from the inix. They set off in the morning
Rai did the scouting. He had figured out how to make his skin change colour, like a chameleon. He could get really close before anyone would notice him. He had plenty of time to get a good look at the raiders' camp. He remembered it as well as he could and moved in a bit closer to listen to the guards.
"That was some fight, huh? Where'd those Half-Giants come from? Those new guys were really good! You think they came from Draj?"
"I dunno, but I'm gonna get that one with the Bard's Friend", the guard gripped his arm. There was a rag tied around it. It was soaked with blood from a wound that Jaral had given him the day before.
"Damn! It's hot! When're we goin in?"
"Lunch will be soon"
"That stupid Half-Giant relieving us today? He got me deep kank shit yesterday. He fell asleep again! Guy walked right in and I barely killed him before he took a shot at the Boss"
"The Boss'll kill him before long"
"Us too, if we aren't careful"
Rai moved out silently. Once he was out of sight and earshot, he ran back to the camp. He told Jaral what he heard and the group made preparations immediately. They moved in slowly, taking care not to be seen. When they got relatively close, they charged. Rai occupied the Half-Giant's mind so he couldn't sound the alarm.
The surprise attack was successful. The raiders couldn't organise an effective defense in time to drive back the attackers. They broke and fled within minutes of combat. Jaral's group looted the camp before they left. They found a lot of ceramics, twenty some silvers, and four gold pieces. In the leader's room, they found two metal longswords and some parchment. On it, there was a map of the Tablelands. In his dresser, they found some diamond dust, a red cloth, and sulphur, along with various robes.
"He was a witch! Damn good thing we killed him"
"...man..."
"Let's get outta here before he comes back to life or somethin'"
The group rested for a bit in the shade. After all, it was the middle of the day. They filled their waterskins in the well that the raiders had constructed. It was movable, they soon found, so they decided to move it to their camp. They were almost out of water. After four hours, the sun was no longer too harsh for travel. The group set out toward their camp.
The journey back was uneventful.
They arrived at the camp and approached Takral, the man in charge.
"You have dealt with the threat? Would you like to work for Fort Fiera on a more permanent basis?"
"How much do we get paid?"
"You and your human friends get 5 SP per month. The Mindbenders get 15 SP per month. The Half-Giants get 10 SP per month"
"Deal. It's great to work with you"
"FOR me"
"Yes, Sir"
The group was led to their quarters where they unpacked their stuff.
Should I continue this adventure or start another with another party?
Guard duty was painfully boring. There hadn't been an attack on the fort since the raiders were destroyed. After two months of nothing but watching caravans arrive and depart, the group got a bit restless. They went to their boss and asked him for leave to Tyr.
"There haven't been any attacks here for two months and we'd like to go to Tyr and maybe make some money guarding the caravans"
"We have plenty of men here to guard the fort. You can leave for two weeks"
The group made preparations for the three day journey. They used kanks to travel, so the journey went quickly.
The city of Tyr, with its beautiful gothic architecture, was almost overwhelming to behold. People crowded the streets of the marketplace, filled with the shops of elven traders dealing in metal weapons obtained by methods that one wouldn't see as 'honest', and other shops dealing in spell components disguised as decorations like diamond dust, red cloth, and coloured sand. Trade and commerce flourished in this city.
The group marvelled at this while they traveled along the streets, oblivious to the thieves stealing bits of currency out of their bags. Eventually, Rai caught one and made his clothes burn, killing the poor wretch. Rai found a gold piece worth of money and that much again in jewels on the man's body. It was more than enough to pay for the money that had been taken from them.
They found a man selling his house. He was leaving the city and wanted to get as much money as he could so he could get supplies (obviously a very long journey). The group found that the house could accomodate them comfortably, so they paid the man 5SP and helped him pack.
They unpacked their stuff and went in small groups to explore the city, each in a different direction.
Jaral and Hor walked toward the store. They took care to watch their money pouch this time. They needed supplies for a long journey with a caravan. They noticed a disturbance near the store.
"What's that?"
"I can't see. Let's move in closer"
The two moved closer and saw someone fighting off three big mul guards. The guy was small and fast...able to dodge all of the attacks thrown at him. From the looks of the situation, he had stolen something from the store, no big deal. Jaral and Hor did that all the time when they were little. The two diverted their attention back to the task at hand. It was soon redirected toward the commotion when the three guards began burning and screaming.
"A witch. Should we kill him? We might get some money for it"
"k"
The two sprinted for him. He was obviously prepared for this because he made a slight movement with his hands, causing the two to slip and fall, with loud crashing noises, to the ground.
The figure made for a cluster of residential structures so he could hide. Jaral and Hor struggled to rise, but it took them too long to maintain persuit. They went into the store.
Rai and Hiamen went straight to the Arena. They spent hours there, watching the battles. They had the honour of witnessing the Champion execute two braxat in rapid succession.
"Amazing! He killed TWO braxat at the same time! Hey, let's see if we can buy the hides and shells"
Braxat shell armour provides excellent protection against most attacks, which is why it is very expensive. The Two went to the Templar guarding the area.
"Where is the beastmaster of those braxat?"
"I don't know, kid. Scram"
Hiamen used a power that he had recently learned, Charm Person.
"Please tell us. It's not like we're gonna kill him or something"
"Alright, he's over there in that building", he indicated the directin with his spear.
"Thanks"
The Two ran into the building. Inside, there was a man playing with a ver large lizard. Anyone with any sense at all would stay very far away from something that big, but this man seemed to have no fear of it.
"Your two braxat. Can we buy them?"
"I doubt it. They cost a gold piece each"
Rai pulled out the pouch and counted "one...two" as he placed the gold in the man's hand, making as little contact as possible because of the stench of animal he exuded.
"I'd say you deal with elves, but I am afraid you might, so, kind sirs, the braxat are yours. I'll even skin them for you"
"Thank you"
The Two walked away with two new braxat shells.