Missteps V.2

Chapter Five - Company

The next day started rather peacefully. The group ate a simple breakfast of berries and porridge, made from the grains Ander had brought in his rations. They broke up their campsite and headed out without any issues. Carric kept a sharp eye out for tracks or other signs of life that might be hostile. A few times he did come across footprints, both human and animal, but for the most part they were several days old. Even so, the experienced Guide stayed alert as he led the way down animal trails.

By late afternoon the group had neared the base of the mountain. The lush forest they’d been traveling through had started to thin. They all found themselves having to skirt around large boulders in their way over the small hills and rocky outcroppings as they skirted around the mountain towards the Southeast. Carric explained that the settlement had been at the mountain’s base, so luckily they didn’t have mountain climbing in their future.

They came across the same small stream again, and this time they followed it upriver.

“You know, according to some of the locals, back in their grandparent’s days this stream used to be a river. They say that it came out of the mountains, and flowed just a mile or so around Rocklyn.” Carric explained.

“What happened to it?” Lia looked mournfully at the small stream now. It was just barely wider than it was deeper, and it didn’t seem to be very deep.

Carric shrugged. “The locals say it’s been this way for years now. Like the settlement, the river became more town legend than actual fact.”

“Do you think the two are related?” Kerri asked as she picked up a stone and attempted to skip it in the water. It plopped into the water. “Maybe the settlement was abandoned because the river dried up?”

“Just as likely as anything without any facts.” Jun paused for a moment and scanned the ground for a more suitable skipping rock. As he did, something caught his eye. “Hey, how big was this settlement?” He suddenly called out towards Carric.

“Not very big, only about forty or fifty inhabitants.” Carric stopped and turned to look at Jun, who now knelt down on the ground and brushed dirt away from a stone with his hands. “Why do you ask?”

"I think we’re following a road.” Jun stated. Everyone moved back and crowded around him.

“I’ve been taking us down game and hunting trails, but nothing I’d call a road.” Carric knelt down next to Jun and pointed out the wide dirt trail that they were currently following along the stream. Vegetation sprouted along more than just the sides.

Jun didn’t answer as he pulled out a small knife and used to pry a piece of stone out of the ground from the edge of the trail. It was a perfectly square piece of pale stone with writing that was just barely visible on one side.

“I doubt that occurred naturally.” Iados commented as they all gaped at the stone. “Any idea what it is? I mean, besides being a stone?”

“I think it’s a Dwarven roadblock.” Jun blew on the side with the writing.

Iados coughed and fanned the air clear in front of him. “How do you know what a Dwarven roadblock looks like? Better yet, what even is a roadblock?”

“It’s a particular cut of block that Dwarves use to outline their roads before construction is finished.” Jun explained as he passed the rock over to Carric. “A few years back, a team of Dwarves rebuilt several of the roads around my home. Once the road is complete, the roadblocks are buried underneath to provide stability. The more sophisticated blocks are spelled to repel floods or sewage.”

Ander’s ears perked up at the mention of ‘spelled’. “Let me see it.” Ander held out his hand for the stone, and Carric obliged. Ander cradled as much of the rock in his hands as he could. The rock which looked small in Jun’s hand, was almost bigger than both of Ander’s. He began to mutter to himself as he traced patterns on the rocks surface with his thumbs. After a couple of minutes, Ander gasped and dropped the rock like it was hot.

“That is definitely spelled.” Ander grumbled as he rubbed his hands. “Whoever spelled it was powerful. They did not want someone prying into it.” Ander held up his hand that had a red blister on the palm. “The spell bit me.”

Lia knelt down and hesitantly tapped it with her finger. When it didn’t bite her, she picked it up. “Could you tell what the spell was?”

“It felt like a warding spell.” Ander explained. “It was probably designed to ward people away from the trail. If this road is headed to the settlement, then they didn’t intend for just anyone to walk in.”

“If these roadblocks are meant to be covered though, doesn’t that mean that this road is unfinished?” Iados asked as he watched Lia stand back up and inspect the writing on the side of the stone. “Why would they just leave these out here? Why not take them with them?”

Carric shrugged. “Why did a whole settlement vanish and a large river be reduced to a stream?” Carric hung his head and he crossed his arms. “This place better have something in it worth all this mystery, especially if magic’s involved now.”

“Not sure if it helps, but I can read this writing.” Lia stated. “It reads like an order form. ‘Spell of Deflection, 200 year duration – Block 37’.”

Ander nodded. “Blocks like these must have been meant to surround the whole settlement. Would certainly explain why no one’s stumbled on to it for all these years.”

“The settlement’s only been missing for a hundred years, not two hundred.” Iados pointed out.

Ander tapped his chin. “It could be that something happened to break the spell barrier. Usually on a spell like this, it’s not just a singular point that’s needed but a whole line. If you only deflect from one point, then a person could still go around. That’s why a whole line of magic would be needed. The spell could also have been in place for much longer for than the settlement’s been missing and it’s just naturally breaking down.”

Carric sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. “Either way, this would explain why no one’s stumbled across the place before. Not to mention the havoc a spell like this would put on the local wildlife.”

Ander shook his head. “The fact that’s still a clear animal trail for us to follow, is more evidence of the spell either wearing off early, or wasn’t fully completed” Ander took off his pack and held it open towards Lia. “Let me carry it, and I can look at it more tonight, see if I can find anything else out.” Lia tossed the stone in.

Once the stone was stowed away, the party continued. Everyone scanned the ground around them for anymore stones, but to no avail. The sky above them darkened as time passed, it wasn’t just from the setting sun. Storm clouds gathered above them as the wind picked up. The smell of rain became heavy in the air.

Carric increased their pace, and soon enough they found a ruined circular building with visible holes into the shadowy interior. The stream curved around the building. Up ahead just about thirty feet beyond the structure was a bridge that was nearly four times the length of the stream’s width.

“Hopefully the roof isn’t as bad as the walls.” Carric muttered.

Jun grunted in agreement. “Why don’t you and Iados check and see.” He turned towards the girls. “The rest of us should spread out and make sure we’re alone here. I’m sure animals at the very least have used this as cover before.”

Lia nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” She and Kerri headed for the bridge, while Carric and Iados peeled off and headed towards the structure. Ander and Jun kept an eye on the area around them, and one on the storm.

With the wind in their ears, Iados and Carric walked into the structure. They were careful to step around the remains of the long-rotted wooden door. The stonework around the doorway had crumbled away on both sides, and directly across on the other wall was a hole just big enough for a man to walk through.

Two hooded figures came out of the shadows as they walked in. One was a human woman with brown hair, and the other was a large bald male. Both of them had swords strapped to their waist.

Outside, as the girls passed the structure and made it halfway to the bridge, movement caught Kerri’s eye. She turned to look, and found a motley dressed group huddled next to the stream. Just as Kerri shot out a hand to stop Lia, one of them looked up and saw them. He gave a short whistle to his companions, and they all turned to look. All four of them dropped their waterskins on the ground as they pulled out weapons. Two of them unsheathed their shortswords, while the remaining two readied their short bows. The four of them all seemed to be human, and they all had a malicious gleam in their eyes as they stared down the two women.

The two inside the building both pulled out their own shortswords and slowly advanced. The woman pulled down her red hood.

“Well well, and here I was thinking that our coin purses were a bit light.” She pointed towards Carric’s belt with her blade. “Hand it over, and you and your friend here can leave in peace.”

Carric shook his head. “Yeah, I’m not gonna do that.” He and Iados pulled out their own swords.

The woman shrugged. “Have it your way.” Red Hood sprinted forward and took a swing towards Carric. Carric blocked the swing. He attacked and left a gash in his opponent’s shoulder.

The bald guy dashed towards Iados. The akudaem was slow to bring his sword up. Iados was stabbed in the gut, and collapsed on the ground with a cry of pain.

Outside, Jun paced as he passed his warhammer back and forth in his hands. With the storm above them, and the knowledge that bandits were prevalent in the area, he wanted to be ready if they had to fight over this ruined piece of crap.

Iados’s cry reached his ears and he immediately headed for the door. All it took was the sight of Iados on the ground, for Jun’s body to start to hum with berserker rage. He ran in and barely stopped before he swung out with his warhammer. With a juicy thwack, the warhammer connected with the man’s head, and his now-lifeless body was thrown into the wall.

Red Hood swung out at Carric again, who blocked it just as easily as before. Out of the corner of his eye she saw her companion hit the wall. Her eyes went wide. She dodged another of Carric’s attacks, then turned and ran out a large hole in the back wall.

Outside, Lia and Kerri readied their weapons as they stepped back towards the direction of Jun and Ander. At first, the bandits didn’t seem to be in a rush as they advanced menacingly towards the two females. Their paces picked up once the sounds of a battle began to filter out from the structure.

Kerri spared a glance over her shoulder. “Hey! We’ve got company over here!”

"Are they friendly?” Ander ran over. “Obviously not.” Ander brought his hands up and began to cast a spell. He conjured a bubble filled with a boiling green liquid. With a grunt, he hurled the bubble towards the encroaching bandits. Two of the bandits screamed out as they writhed from the pain of the acid bubble as it splashed onto them.

With wide-eyes, a small male in a green hooded bandit, dropped their bow and took off in a run around the back of the building.

The two acid victims, a male in a blue hood and a woman in a black hood, set their sights directly on Ander. Blue Hood, his eyes still stinging, brought up his bow and fired, but missed. Black Hood, her hood and beak prominently now pockmarked by the acid, rushed at the halfling. Ander did the sensible thing and ducked when the bandit swung out wildly.

Lia threw out her hand and sent a thick green cloud towards Black Hood. The cloud completely encased her and she began to cough and sputter, but stayed on his feet.

Kerri took on the remaining bandit, this one in a brown hood. “What’s with the hoods? They meant to cover up your ugly mug? You must be extra ugly if only a poop-colored hood would help.” Kerri laced the words with barbed magic, and she smiled as anger and pain filled the bandit’s scarred face. Kerri readied herself for an attack while she sang out towards Ander.

“Though you are small,

You sure can maul.

Fling those spells,

And hear their yells!”

Ander took a quick glance at where the girls were. Satisfied that they were out of range, he brought his hands up. A fan of fire spread out from his hands towards Brown and Black Hoods. Black Hood took the brunt of the blast. Her body still smoldered as it collapsed on the ground. Brown Hood, who was further back, cried out as the flames licked at him.

“A little warning would be nice!” Kerri yelled out over her shoulder. She could still feel the unnatural heat of the fames as they’d roared past her.

“The whole point was to surprise them!” Ander yelled back as Blue Hood fired at him once again. Unlike his companions, Blue Hood had been far enough back to escape the fire. The halfling hissed as the arrow left a deep gash in his left arm.

Brown Hood ran off towards Ander. He brought his sword up, and with one swing took the halfling down.

Lia glanced over at the fallen body and quickly whispered words of healing. The words were carried on the wind straight to the halfling. Once the words were out of her mouth, she gripped her quarterstaff in both hands and brought it straight down on Brown Hood’s head. He dropped.

She didn’t pause to savor her victory. She dashed over to the awake and groggy, but still prone wizard. She hooked her arms under his and dragged him out of sight from the archer. As they moved, Lia spared a glance into the structure. She did a double take as her eyes focused on Iados’s prone form on the ground. Not even the pretty syntax of the elvish language could disguise the curse that escaped her lips.

As Kerri recovered from her brush with fire, she watched Red Hood emerge from the back of the building. The female bandit yelled out a curse-laden retreat. Kerri wasn’t alright with that. She ran up till she was only an arm length away from both of them. She planted her feet and thrust out her hands as she yelled out. Her words were drowned out as a thunderous boom resonated with the shockwave that escaped her body. Red Hood rode out the tremendous force and stayed on her feet. Blue Hood wasn’t so lucky. He was thrown back ten feet, across the stream, bow still in hand.

Carric, who’d been just about to follow Red Hood out of the hole, was suddenly glad he hadn’t. Quickly, he sheathed his sword and pulled out his own bow. Carric sent an arrow straight through Red Hood’s back into her heart. The bandit gave a short jerk before she collapsed face first in the dirt.

Blue Hood across the stream readied his bow and sent an arrow into Kerri’s arm. Carric turned his bow on him next, and caught him right between the eyes.

Green Hood, who had decided that the stream wasn’t a safe place to be, had circled the building. Through yet another hole in the ruined structure, he saw a lone enemy standing in the shadows inside. With his sword drawn, the short bandit jumped over the short wall and attacked. He let out a big belly laugh as he hit and sliced into his opponent’s arm.

Jun, his vision still tinged red, calmly turned to see who had hit him. With a smile, the Barbarian brought his warhammer up and hit the smaller creature in the side. Green Hood swung out, and attempted to hit again, but Jun just batted it away with his warhammer. Jun swung out once more and hit once again. The bird-like creature stumbled back and fell back through the hold he’d entered in. He didn’t stand up back up.

Once the last of the threats had been put down, Lia ran over to Iados and laid her hands on his chest.

Ander hurriedly stood up and started to wipe off the dirt he’d accumulated after having been so rudely dragged by Lia. “Any more of them?” He called out.

“We’re good.” Carric’s voice yelled back from around the structure.

Ander nodded, to himself as Carric couldn’t see him, and started the looting process.

Inside, Jun rounded on the newly conscious Iados. “What did I tell you?” Jun roared as he dragged the akudaem to his feet. Lia tried to say something, but Jun waved her off with his warhammer.

Iados didn’t answer. He kept his head down and refused to meet Jun’s eyes. He attempted to break Jun’s hold on his arm, but Jun held firm.

“Get some armor.” Jun hissed, before he let go and left the room. Lia followed.

“If it’s any consolation, I don’t think you need armor.” Ander’s voice called through the hole Green Hood had disappeared through. “I’ve seen some Vigneron monks fight, and from what I’ve seen, armor only hinders them.” Ander crawled through the hole and headed towards the body of the bald bandit.

Iados sighed heavily and slid down the wall. “I’ve never really worn armor, not even as a pirate. With armor, a fall in the water could kill you, and usually I was up in the rigging anyway.”

“How long have you been on dry land?” Ander dug out a rigid green feather from inside the bandit’s tunic. Something about it intrigued him as he sat on the ground and inspected it further.

Iados shrugged. “A few weeks now. I needed to put as much distance between the sea and myself, so I’ve just kept moving. Heard about the settlement and thought someone might pay for whatever might be there.”

Ander nodded, but kept most of his attention on the feather. “So, you really haven’t had a chance to fully accustom yourself to dry land again?” He reached into his bag and pulled out a small leather-bound book. A long string of leather tied it together as bits of paper stuck out at all angles from the pages. “I remember the Vigneron monks talking about how they needed to center themselves. They’d meditate or do these slow movement exercises. They said it really helped them. Maybe you could try that?”

“Hmm, that’s actually a good idea.” Iados grinned. “Thanks, now, what’s that?” He pointed to the feather.

“Not sure yet.” Ander stated as he flipped through the book one-handed. He switched to a second book after a couple of minutes. This one seemed to be just a collection of loose pages all sandwiched inside a worn leather cover. He handed the feather to Iados, and used both hands to flip the pages. Iados almost got whiplash just from watching Ander’s head as it would go up from the book to the feather. Eventually the akudaem moved the feather lower to the floor. After a few more minutes of this, Ander’s hands stopped and his eyes widened as he read the page.

“What is it?” Iados scooted closer to the wizard. He craned his neck as he tried to look at the page in question. In addition to a large block of text, some designs that looked like the feather were scrawled in the margins.

“It’s a magic token.” Ander announced as he stared from the page to the feather and back.

“What’s that?” Iados asked.

“Well, it’s a token that has a one-use power.” Ander took the feather back and nestled it on the page in question before he closed the book. “If I’m reading this book correctly, this one should be a Tree Token.”

“And a Tree Token does what?”

“Just what the name implies, it summons a tree, an oak to be specific.” Ander grinned and stowed the book in his pack.

Iados stood up. “What’s so great about an oak tree?”

“A great deal, from a nature standpoint.” Carric answered as he climbed back in from the hole on the other side. “You two almost done in here?”

“Yep,” Ander stood up. “I just need to check the other bodies outside and we’re good.”

“Jun and I already did so.” Carric answered. “I found about 10 copper, he found a few silver and a potion. Lia and Kerri looked at it and they’re pretty confident it’s a healing potion.”

“That’s awesome.” Ander said.

“What’d you pull off the others?” Carric pointed down at the dead bandit next to them.

Ander shrugged. “A few silver, a little gold.”

Carric knelt down in front of the halfling, and looked him right in the eye. “You’ve spent nearly ten minutes in here for a few silver?” Carric’s eyes were hard as he stared into Ander’s, all the while keeping a smile on his face. It unnerved the halfling.

“There was a bit more than that.” Ander finally admitted.

“Good.” Carric clapped his knee and stood back up. He led the way out the front door, and Iados and Ander straggled behind. The girls and Jun had already gathered.

“Find anything cool?” Kerri held up the vial of dark red liquid as an example.

Carric nudged Ander with his elbow when the halfling hesitated. Ander sighed, before he pulled his loot out of his pockets. Some of the coinage escaped, so Iados knelt down and offered his cupped hands for use. In total the Halfling had about 40 copper pieces, 10 electrum pieces, and in a very nice leather pouch was 4 platinum pieces. Ander also told them about the magic token, but didn’t bring it out.

“Wow,” Kerri reached out and picked up one of the platinum pieces. “Where do you think they picked these up?”

“I’m more concerned with if there’s more bandits around here.” Jun jerked his head towards the closest corpse. “Wonder if they’re part of the group from yesterday?”

Kerri shrugged. “I doubt it, personally. These guys here all have hoods, and there was a distinct lack of hoods on the group yesterday.”

“I agree with Kerri.” Carric sighed as he reached up and scratched the back of his head. “Pretty sure these guys were part of the Hooded Rascals.”

Lia snorted. “‘Hooded Rascals’, really?”

Carric held up his hands. “That’s what they call themselves. They’re one of the more recent groups to come into the area recently, and known to be some of the most violent.”

“What other groups are in the area?” Lia asked.

Carric stroked his chin. “Not sure. There’s been so much influx lately, that’s it hard to keep up. Ever since the war ended, the lands outside the seven cities have become dangerous as the bandit gangs kind of took over. Then because of the gangs, a lot of people flocked to the cities, because the cities had standing guards or military.”

“What about the village we were in just a day ago? Rocklyn?” Kerri asked. She cast an eye over at Jun and Ander as they worked to try to divide the total loot. Neither of them smiled as it seemed Ander tried to haggle unsuccessfully for a larger cut.

Carric turned and faced the bard directly. “There are villages strewn here and there, don’t get me wrong. However, the war wiped out many noble lines and left so many baronies and territories in limbo. The villages can only really rely on themselves, for safety and survival. Guides like me help groups like you navigate to and from the cities and villages safely.”

“It’s so different from the Nydag Empire.” Jun pocketed his share of the contested loot. “There, there’s not a scrap of land that’s not under the control of a Lord or the Emperor.”

Kerri shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t even imagine a whole noble line being wiped out. Back home there are dozens of family that have lasted for decades or even centuries.”

“My Uncle likes to say, ‘Don’t ever presume you know how the world works, until you’ve been to every inch of it. Even then, a land can change so much in the blink of an eye.’” Lia recited as Ander passed over her share.

Iados stretched his arms over his head. “After being a pirate, I’m pretty used to the idea of no-man’s land. No one can own a sea, no matter how much they try.” Iados grinned. “What they can own, is their ship, and their crew. That’s what matters, because that’s what’ll keep you alive.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, until a crack of thunder sounded off in the distance.

Carric looked up at the dark clouds that had quietly moved in. “We should find some shelter, I have a feeling it’s going to be a rough night.” A cold breeze blasted through them as if to reinforce the sentiment.

“What’s wrong with this place?” Iados gestured at the structure behind them.

Carric raised an eyebrow. “You means besides the holes in the walls and fresh corpses?”

Iados crossed his arms. “We can move the corpses, and at least this place has a roof.”

Carric reached up and rubbed his eyes. “How many times were you hit on the head? You do realize that with holes that big in the walls, the fact that it has a roof is irrelevant.”

“So we’ll just put up some of our blankets to block the rain.” Iados grinned.

Kerri rolled her eyes and turned her attention towards the storm clouds as Carric explained how they’d need their blankets. In the corner of her eye, she saw a small ball of white light in the forest. She turned towards the trees, and watched the same ball bob up and down as it headed towards them.

“Guys, what’s that?” She pointed towards the light.

Everyone turned to look. Jun readied his warhammer, as Carric nocked an arrow in his bow.

“Who’s there?” Jun roared.

“A friend.” A soft feminine voice said from behind the light. A dark brown-skinned female with auburn hair gathered into a tight bun walked out of the foliage. She wore chain mail that covered her arms and ended just above her knees, and in her addition to her pack she carried two weapons: a mace and a light crossbow. The light came from the tip of a stick she carried. Around the wrist that held her makeshift torch was a silver bracelet with a golden charm on it. “It’s about time I caught up with you.”

“Elaine!” Kerri cried out as she ran towards the woman. They hugged. The armored woman wagged a finger in the bard’s face.

“You were supposed to wait for me at the Inn.” Elaine admonished.

“I know, and I’m sorry! I just didn’t know how long you were going to be, and the party was ready to head out. How did you find us?”

“I prayed and headed in the general direction the barkeep told me.” Elaine said with a chuckle as she was led over to the rest of the group with Kerri.

“And you got here in one piece?” Carric asked, eyebrow raised.

“I trusted in Vowil to guide and protect me.” Elaine said as she laid a hand on her mace. “Besides, I’m actually pretty good at following footprints.”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Ander asked.

Kerri grinned. “Everyone, this is my friend, Elaine. She’s a cleric of Vowil.” Kerri went around and introduced everyone to Elaine. “She left home with me when I was asked to leave.”

“You mean when you were kicked out,” Elaine corrected. Kerri didn’t respond.

“So, you’re from Liratha as well?” Lia asked.

“Not originally. I grew up here in Marblebroke, in Osthom.” Elaine explained.

“I grew up in Osthom as well.” Carric visibly relaxed. “I left shortly after the Orc attacks.”

Elaine nodded. “I left a couple of years after. I traveled to Liratha and joined the Church there. That’s where I met Kerri. She was part of a show put on at the Palace that the Church was invited to.”

Lia raised up her hand. “Can you remind me what domains Vowil is over? I’m familiar with the name, but I’m drawing a blank on the rest of it.”

“Vowil is the goddess of life, sun, and the mortal soul. She’s pretty big here in Marblebrooke and Liratha.” Elaine explained.

Lia nodded. “In Stonepine we tend to follow more nature-based gods, though there’s probably a small shrine to Vowil somewhere.”

“Ok, this is nice and all, but shouldn’t we be worried about the storm?” Iados pointed up at the dark clouds. “If we’re not going to camp here, then where are we going to go?”

“I actually found a cave not too far back from here.” Elaine pointed behind her. “I was getting ready to camp there myself, but then I heard the sound of fighting this way. Thought I’d check it out and see if anyone needed my help.”

“Could have used you a few minutes earlier, but oh well.” Carric shouldered his pack. “Lead on.”

“What about him?” Elaine pointed over to the body that was just a few yards away. “Does he need healing?”

“He’s too far gone for that.” Jun said. “We don’t really have time to move the bodies if we want to beat the rain.”

Elaine set down her pack. “There is always time to honor the dead, no matter who they were.” She set off towards the body and started to drag it over to the structure.

Behind her back, Carric and Jun shared an exasperated eye roll. They quickly loaded the bodies into the structure. Elaine suggested that they dig graves, but Jun was quick to shut that down due to no shovels.

As fat drops of rain started to sprinkle down, Elaine gave a quick prayer to Vowil, asking her to deliver the souls of the fallen into the waiting hands of her niece, the goddess Anawallane. The moment she was done, Kerri pulled her friend away and urged her to lead the way to the cave.

Ten minutes later they all arrived at the cave. On the way, Carric had everyone to pick up firewood, otherwise a fire would be impossible. Not two minutes later, the fat drops became a torrent.

Carric went to work trying to start a fire, but the wood was too damp to catch.

Ander sighed heavily. “Well, looks like we’re having cold rations for dinner.”

Elaine lit up some of the group’s weapons so that they’d at least have light in the small cave. As the group chewed on hard tack and nuts, they caught Elaine up on what she’d missed out with the battles so far, as well as what they’d found out about the settlement.

“Actually, I did some research on the settlement.” Elaine explained as she dug out a book from her pack. “Kerri and I stopped briefly in Osthom and I managed to find some personal accounts from survivors.”

Lia’s eyes widened. “Survivors? What did they have to survive?”

Elaine opened the book to at a dog-eared page. “According to the account, the settlement itself had been there for about fifty years, when suddenly a Dwarven Priest came to town. He took control of the local mine and began renovating it. He brought with him about a dozen followers, all of them magic users, as well as some slaves. They forced the townspeople to work for them and basically took the whole settlement over. It was nearing winter, but the inhabitants weren’t allowed to prepare. Part of the renovation involved diverting an underground river that supplied the town with fresh water.”

“That explains what happened with the stream.” Kerri said.

“And these people sound like the type who’d be able to enchant that stone we found.” Ander added.

“Did the account say why they renovated the mine?” Lia asked.

“No, that was kept secret. The inhabitants were only used for manual labor. The Priest and his followers were careful not to give anything away.” Elaine explained. “Anyway, it all fell apart the day the owlbears attacked.”

“Owlbears?” Iados asked. “Aren’t they usually solitary?”

“Yeah, but the area had become deprived of resources, and winter was approaching. There were about five or so owlbears that came into town, and they were all hungry. It was a massacre. The Priest and his followers locked themselves in the mine, leaving the inhabitants to fend for themselves. The account I read was from a couple who had hid under a home for three days, listening as the creatures dragged their friends and neighbors back to the caves.”

“Well, that’s one mystery solved.” Kerri said. “Owlbears are the reason the settlement was abandoned.”

“Unfortunately, we have a whole other problem. That Priest and his followers locked themselves in the mine. Who knows what spells they put up for protection when they were down there? Who knows if they ever even got out? We’ll need to be on our guard the whole time we’re down there.” Jun advised. No one disagreed. “Now, let’s go ahead and get some sleep. Watches of two, with one of three.”

Iados held up his hand. “I’d like to be on third watch.”

“Kerri and I can be on third watch as well.” Elaine volunteered. Kerri opened her mouth to say disagree, but then changed her mind.

“I’ll take first watch again,” Lia said.

“I’ll go ahead and join her.” Carric volunteered.

“Then that just leaves me and Jun, again.” Ander muttered as he stood up and got his bed roll out and spread. Jun rolled his eyes and spread out his bed roll as well.

Elaine leaned over and whispered something to Kerri, who nodded. Elaine grabbed her pack and headed back towards the far end of the cave.

“Hey Lia?” Kerri called as she walked over to the elf. “Before you go on watch, would you mind helping Elaine and I? She needs help taking off her armor.” Kerri held up the blanket she’d snatched from her bed roll. “Would you mind holding up a blanket for us? Elaine’s got to change some of her clothes too and she’s a bit shy around strangers.”

“No problem.” Lia smiled and followed Kerri towards the back of the cave. It only took a few minutes for the two females to remove the armor.

“Thank you,” Elaine said as they rejoined the group and spread out their bedrolls. She was now dressed in a simple brown robe and pants

“Anytime.” Lia smiled and pulled out her Quarterstaff as she settled back against a wall near the entrance.

“Do we know how far back this cave goes?” Carric asked as he settled down. Elaine grabbed a nearby rock, mumbled a quick word, and the rock glowed with a bright white light. She then pitched the rock towards the back of the cave. It sailed for about fifteen feet before it hit the back. As far as anyone could see it was clear of any threats.

“Thanks,” Carric said, and Elaine nodded before she settled down and drifted off. Once everyone was asleep and it was quiet, Carric turned to Lia.

“So, do I get a conversation like Iados, or do we just sit here in silence?” He asked.

Lia laughed. “Depends on the context of the conversation.”

Carric grinned as he started to check his swords for damage as he cleaned them. “Tell me about Stonepine.”

Lia’s smile dropped. “Why do you want to know about Stonepine?”

Carric didn’t even notice. “Never been, and it seemed like an easy topic.” He finally looked up and saw the almost frown on the elf’s face. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

The elf sighed. “I’d rather not, if you don’t mind. I didn’t leave under the best of circumstances so I’d rather not think about it.” She looked outside the cave opening. The two of them were seated so close that every once in a while a droplet would angle in and hit them. “Instead, why don’t you tell me about the flora and fauna around here?”

"Sure.” The two of them spent the rest of their watch doing a nature compare and contrast. The other watches were also quiet.

Iados, during his watch, had taken up position in the back of the cave. He left the watch to the girls, and instead concentrated on his meditation. As his body moved from position to position, his mind flashed back to when he’d learned the movements as a child. Back then, the slow movements only bored him and he’d spent a lot of time trying to get out of them. Now as an adult, he could better see their importance. On the sea he’d had to always be ready to move with the rocking of the waves, which meant his body had to be fluid. On land, that same fluidity didn’t translate as his movements were exaggerated. The exercises taught to him by the monks retrained his body to the stillness of the earth.

By the time he finished, the rest of the party had been woken up and preparations for the coming day had started. Lia, Elaine, and Ander all prepared their spells for the day, in their own way. Lia sat near the entrance and meditated with the morning sun on her. Elaine kneeled near her, also in the sun, and whispered prayers to her goddess as she cradled her bracelet and charm in her hands. Ander meanwhile, sat with his spellbook in his lap and studied as he nibbled on hard tack. Iados got pulled into breaking down the small campsite with Kerri, while Carric and Jun left the cave and scouted outside. Carric tried to catch anything for breakfast, but came back empty-handed. Within an hour of waking, the now slightly larger group was ready for whatever the new day would bring.