Missteps V.2

Chapter Seven - Into the Settlement

With the noonday sun overhead, the group made their way out of the cemetery gates and into the settlement itself. They followed the same dirt road from the cemetery as it curved around a small bend. The buildings seemed to be clustered along the road as they lined either side of it. Most of them were one-story and had short rock hedges that separated the different properties. Further down the road, a few two-story buildings began to appear, mostly in ruin with caved or collapsed roofs. Others had been taken over by the sparse vegetation as it broke through walls. As much as the party wanted to explore their surroundings, the clouds above motivated them to find someplace that would offer safe cover.

Their heavy footfalls echoed as they trudged through the mud. On more than one occasion they’d had to catch themselves on a particularly slippery patch. In addition to turning the dirt to mud, the rain from last night had reinvigorated a mildew scent that permeated the moist air.

Deeper into the settlement, they could see that the buildings backed up right against the cliff face on the eastern side. As a consequence, some had collapsed due to falling rocks. From the road they could see one building still standing, but its roof had multiple large holes and the whole building sagged forward.

Jun cast a nervous glance up the sheer cliff-face. “What did they mine here exactly?”

“I don’t remember,” Elaine's voice was quiet as she also scanned their surroundings. “I know it was something common, but I don’t remember exactly what it was.”

"Common enough to make this place pretty unremarkable obviously." Iados commented.

“Did they carve the cliff?” Lia paused as she looked up at the imposing face. It went up for a good ten miles.

“I don’t think so,” Carric stopped next to her and looked up as well. They saw the wind dislodge a few smaller rocks, but nothing substantial. After a moment the two continued on.

The road split into two paths. One headed towards another cliff-face in the north, while the second looped around and went down a second main drive. Carric jogged up to scout the secondary street. He cupped his hands and hollered back to the group.

“I think I found another graveyard!”

“What makes you think that?” Jun yelled back as they headed towards Carric.

Carric jerked his thumb towards an area just off the road. “Lia said she was looking for big boulders.” Nestled between two buildings was a small clearing. Three large boulders were situated along the back edge, while the perimeter was lined with stones that were roughly the size of their heads. In the middle was a large pit.

“Well, it looks Dwarven.” Kerri walked over the stones and into the space.

Iados looped his arms behind his head as he followed after. “And how would you know what ‘Dwarven’ looks like?”

Kerri shrugged. “I spent some time around the Dwarves back home.”

Elaine snorted. “If I remember correctly, that time was mostly spent at parties. Parties, that might I remind you, you were mostly drunk at.” Kerri stuck out her tongue.

Lia walked past them and bee-lined straight for the boulders. Carric, Jun, and Iados went to the pit, while Ander, Elaine, and Kerri inspected the border stones.

Unlike the rest of the settlement they’d seen, the small space showed no sign of decay or mutilation. It was as if it’d been constructed only a few months ago rather than several decades.

In the pit, Carric and Iados found the remains of bits of wood and kindling. Iados borrowed Lia’s staff and used it push some of the larger debris around.

“Hold it, I think I see something.” Jun knelt down next to the pit and reached in. He pulled out a stone with Dwarven writing chiseled onto it. “Hey Lia, over here.” He waited until the elf was closer before he held out the stone towards her. “What’s this say?”

Lia wiped the stone on her clothes before she brought it close to her face. “Not sure, it’s not the neatest of writing.” She angled the stone to catch the light better. “There’s something here about ‘good wishes for the journey ahead’. It might have been part of a ceremony.”

“Then what’s it doing in a pit?” Ander asked as he and the other two women walked over.

Lia shrugged. “It might been on a body that was put in the pit. From what I’ve read, this pit would have been where the funeral pyres were set.” She knelt down and gently replaced the stone.

“You find anything on the boulders?” Carric asked.

“Nothing much, just epithets to the past leaders of the community for the last ten or so years before the settlement was abandoned.” Lia stood up. “Is it normal for a place to have two cemeteries?”

“Sometimes, but I don’t think that’s what happened here.” Elaine took a long look at the boulders. “I bet that keeping the outsiders away from this cemetery, and instead building them their own on the outskirts of the settlement, was a way for the inhabitants here to fight back.”

“I can see that.” Iados cast a nervous glance around. “Do you think there’s any zombies here?”

“If there was I’d imagine they would have popped out by now.” Ander stated. “I saw a few protection runes carved onto the smaller rocks, but they don’t seem to be working anymore.”

A crack of thunder sounded from almost directly above them. Everyone jerked their heads up, and were surprised at how dark the clouds had become. The afternoon sun was rapidly disappearing as the clouds rolled in.

The ranger frowned. “We need to find shelter.”

A streak of lightning raced out of the sky and hit the side of the cliff. Pieces of rock tumbled down. A few seconds behind the arc of light was the thunder crack.

With a renewed sense of urgency they headed off down the street. Everyone kept their eyes peeled for a place to stay. The fact that some of the buildings seemed to sway slightly in the wind was not a comforting sign. As more and more of the sun’s light was blotted out, the humans of the group (Jun and Elaine) had to rely on their companions to locate shelter.

Kerri with her half-elven vision was the first to find the cave. Its entrance blended in with the shadows coming off the cliff. She raced ahead of the others and peered inside. The inside seemed to clear, save for a large lump against the back wall.

Elaine and the other caught up with the bard. “See anything?” The cleric asked.

Before Kerri could answer, the lump began to move. She backpedaled out of the cave as the lump stood up, its form nearly reaching the top of the low ceiling. A string of curse words in multiple languages began to fall from her mouth.

Iados flattened himself across the caves outside wall and drew his weapon. He peered around the edge of the opening. He didn’t have angle to see the lump, but he could hear it. And smell it. It was not a pleasant smell.

The lump approached the opening of the cave, and as it got closer to the light, Kerri finally saw what it was.

She gulped. “Guys, it’s an owlbear!” She turned and ran back down the street, with Iados trailing behind her. Carric followed suit, pausing only long enough to draw an arrow from his quiver.

“What exactly is an owlbear?” Elaine asked as Kerri ran past her.

Kerri stopped in her tracks and titled her head in confusion. “You read an entire account of a vicious owlbear attack, and you’re just now asking what they are?”

“I thought they were similar to a black bear.” Elaine looked over her shoulder and saw Ander send a few reddish bolts of magic energy into the cave before he scurried towards them. “I’m starting to rethink that assumption.”

“Another question, why didn’t you ask what one was before now?” Carric asked.

“Honestly?” Elaine said, and both Kerri and Carric nodded. “I didn’t think we’d run into one.” Elaine gulped as she watched the feathered head of the creature poke out of the entrance. “Kind of wishing I’d asked sooner.”

Lia once again reached out her hand as green energy gathered in her fingertips. The light green rays shot out into the rocky earth under the owlbear’s feet. Everyone could hear the groan of the vines as they grew inside the cave. With bated breath they watched the weeds and thick vines circle around the large legs and paws.

For a minute the owlbear was stuck, but that didn’t last long as the vines snapped and the owlbear left the cave.

“Good effort, now run.” Jun grunted as he pulled Lia out of the owlbear’s path and towards the small group gathered down the road. His warhammer was already in his hands, and he adjusted his grip as he locked eyes with the creature’s beady black eyes. There was another crack of thunder above them.

The owlbear roared as it stood up on its back legs. The high-pitched sound reverberated off the cliffs. The creature fell back onto four legs and ran towards Jun. It swiped out at the berserker with its claws.

Jun barely managed to roll out of the way.

Iados dashed towards the action. He used the cliff wall as a launch pad to hurl himself onto the owlbear’s back. The akudaem barely managed to grab hold of the feathery fur skin of the owlbear before it began to buck violently.

Kerri watched in wide-eyed horror as her new companion was rocked violently atop the creature. She cupped her hands and sang out towards him.

"Holy crow

Keep your hold,

Cause there’s no bow

So be bold!”

A part of herself yelled for her to get the hell out of there, but a larger part wanted to see how this would end.

Next to her, Carric aimed his arrow at the creature. As he lined up the shot, he took a second to magically mark the beast. A small stylized arrow burned into view on the owlbear’s shoulder.

“I thought we were running?” Elaine asked as she also raised her weapon. She released her bolt a split second after Carric. Both projectiles buried themselves in the owlbear’s torso. They reloaded.

“Apparently not.” Ander stopped a few feet from the trio and turned back. He reached up and grasped his newly found arcane focus. Blue crackling energy swirled out from the focus and engulfed his hand. He twirled his hand over his head before he brought it down towards the creature. The energy snaked out like a whip and wrapped itself around the owlbear’s leg. With a wicked grin Ander sent a wave of blue lightning down the connection. The creature howled in pain.

Emboldened by the attacks of her compatriots, Lia also faced the creature. She threw down her quarterstaff, knelt down, and closed her eyes. In elvish, she whispered words of power that till now had just been recitations. Now she felt their power as she felt the power of nature enter her body from every angle. Her form gave off a light glow as it shimmered. The magic she called to her twisted her frame with no pain as she took a new form. When the glow died down, Lia was no longer an elf. Now, she was a large brown bear.

Bear-Lia growled and charged towards the Owlbear. She reached out with a claw and slashed down the feathered face. With a snarl, she attempted to bite as well, but her foe moved out of the way.

Jun, more than a little impressed by the show of force by the rest of the party, raised his warhammer. He swung out, but the owlbear batted it away as it zeroed in on the creature that had hurt it.

With its own blood running down its face, the owlbear took a swipe at Bear-Lia. Its claws raked across her torso, before it lunged and bit down on her shoulder with its sharp beak.

Bear-Lia roared in pain and shoved the owlbear off of her.

Ander sent another wave of blue lightning down the mystical connection. The owlbear howled again in pain. Its breaths now came in heavy gasps.

As the lightning arced through the creature a second time, Iados bit his lip as he rode out the sharp tingling that raced through his hands. He wasn’t hurt by Ander’s attack, but it did add another challenge as the akudaem tried to keep his hold on the ever-moving creature. He couldn’t even attack, as all of his attention was on not falling off and risk being trampled.

Bear-Lia readied for another attack. Her movements were clumsy, as this was the first time she’d been a bear, but she swung out like the owlbear had done before. Her claws found purchase and dug into the feathery fur. When she wrenched her claws back, a clump of bloody flesh came with it.

The owlbear reared its head back as it gave a final roar. It collapsed onto its back with a heavy thud, with Iados trapped under its girth.

The akudaem tried to squirm free, but to no avail. Jun walked over and together they managed to free him.

Jun grinned and leaned over the still prone akudaem. “So what exactly was the plan after you straddled it?”

Iados grinned back. “Distraction, though next time I think I’ll just run.” The two of them shared a laugh as Jun helped the former pirate to their feet.

As the excitement of the encounter began to wind down, heavy droplets fell from the sky.

“Anyone mind taking shelter in a cave that smells like owlbear?” Carric asked as he jerked his thumb to the cave. No one had any complaints and they headed towards it.

A second growl, this one more high-pitched, reverberated out of the cave. A second owlbear, this one slightly smaller than the first, practically fell out onto the street. It strained against a multitude of vines and weeds that had snaked around not only its legs but it’s torso as well. As it broke the final vines that had held it back, its gaze landed on the fallen form of its mate. The owlbear jerked its head up and focused its beady eyes on the party.

With a roar the owlbear bounded towards the biggest threat, Lia still in her bear form. It swiped out with a claw that raked down the brown bear’s side. With a quick burst of light, Lia reverted back to her elven form. The owlbear, unperturbed by the sudden change, reared back its head and aimed for Lia’s throat with its beak. The elf threw her arms up in protection. She cried out as the beaked maw gorged a large gash down the length of her forearm. As the owlbear came away with its bloodied beak, Lia collapsed on the ground unconscious.

As Carric readied another arrow, he moved his magical mark. The stylized arrow vanished from the body of the fallen owlbear and instead appeared on the new one. His arrow missed its target.

Elaine fired her own bolt which buried itself into the creature’s leg. It didn’t even notice.

Ander shot his hand out, and once again the blue whip arced out and wrapped itself around owlbear’s leg. It howled in pain as the electrical magic passed through the connection.

Jun charged forward, his warhammer swung up over his head. With a yell, he slammed it into the creature with all his strength. Loud snaps filled the air as several rib bones broke under the pressure.

With Jun holding the creature’s attention, Kerri rushed forward to Lia. She recited a quick word of healing to the fallen elf. Lia’s eyes fluttered open as Kerri forcefully pulled the elf to her feet.

The owlbear reared back angrily and attacked. Jun dodged the attacks, but just barely.

Iados gritted his teeth and reached to his hip for his sword. It wasn’t there. Anxiously he scanned the surrounding area, and found it a few feet behind him, the blade embedded in the ground. He ran over, grabbed the hilt, and pulled. With a crack the blade snapped, and he was left holding the hilt and a foot of jagged metal. Disgusted, he tossed the hilt aside and ran over to help Kerri moved the disoriented Lia away from the battle.

The second owlbear was considerably weaker than the first, and it only took a few more hits from Jun’s warhammer and Ander’s lightning whip for it to succumb and fall still next to its mate.

The group didn’t have time to savor their victory. The wind had picked up considerably and now whistled in their ears. The rain no longer fell in heavy droplets as it was carried in sheets by the wind. The sky was so dark that it seemed as if it was night instead of early afternoon.

“Get in the cave!” Carric yelled as the stinging rain hit his face. The party rushed to follow the order.

Jun was the first one at the cave entrance, joined quickly by Carric and Ander. Carric scanned the interior with his half-elven eyes, on the look-out for another owlbear. Jun dashed inside and swung his warhammer around, clearing the space in his own way. Ander stacked the packs that Jun and Carric had tossed aside and worked on gathering torches from them for heat.

Elaine grabbed a few feathers off the ground as she made her way to the cave. She quickly lit them, about five in total. She and Kerri worked to scatter them around the cave. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to ensure they were alone.

The last ones in were Lia and Iados, the former being carried by the latter.

“I’m perfectly fine to walk!” Lia said tersely as she was sat down next to Ander.

“Maybe, but this is faster.” He grinned and surreptitiously wiped the elf’s blood off his hands onto his pants. “By the way, I nearly fell off that owlbear when you suddenly changed. No idea you could do that.”

“I didn’t really know I could either.” Lia laughed sheepishly as Iados sat down next to her. “I’d just begun studying it when I left home. But, seeing that owlbear charge at us, something in the back of my mind told me to at least try it.”

“What else can you change into?” Iados grabbed a nearby torch and began to light it. Ander and Carric had started to make a small pit surrounded by a few rocks they’d found in the back of the cave. Kerri and Elaine passed out bed rolls and blankets. The ground in the cave was rocky and uncomfortable. Even though the magically conjured vines had disappeared, the area was littered with rock and clumps of dirt from their appearance.

She shrugged. “In theory it should be any animal that I’ve taken the time to study.” Lia was about to say something else, when Jun suddenly strode toward the entrance.

“Something wrong?” She asked.

Iados stood up to join him. His seat was taken over by Elaine who began to clean and bandage Lia’s arm. Kerri’s healing spell had healed the worst of the wound, but it was still bleeding a bit, and a large bruise had begun to form.

“What’s up big guy?” Iados asked the berserker as he came over.

Jun’s eyes were trained on the sky. He watched as a bolt of lightning streaked downward, with the thunderclap following not even a second after. “This is going to be a bad storm. We should put something in the doorway, to keep the rain out.”

Iados nodded to the owlbear corpses. “Will those work?”

Jun nodded and shed his outer jacket. “We’re gonna get wet.”

Iados laughed and removed his shirt. “I’m a pirate, a little water is nothing.”

The two ventured out, and between the two of them managed to pull one of the carcasses halfway into the cave entrance. They left room on one side for a person to get in or out, but otherwise it was effectively blocked.

“Don’t suppose you found any dry wood?” Ander asked the two of them as they joined up with the rest of the party. Camp had been made in the back of the cave, away from the cold drafts flowing in from the door.

“Didn’t even notice.” Jun removed his shirt and began to wring the excess water out. Iados did the same with his pants.

“Ever hear of privacy?” Elaine grumbled as she hid her eyes behind her hand.

Iados raised an eyebrow as he stood there in a loose loincloth and nothing else. He grinned. “Don’t tell me the healer is shy?”

“So what if I am?” Elaine barked. “I was taught that there is a time and a place for nudity. Being in a group of strangers in a strange cave did not make the list of ‘appropriate’.”

Iados looked over at Kerri with a look of bemusement.

The bard shrugged sheepishly. “I’ve tried to change her mind, but she’s pretty stuck in her ways. You’re better off just covering up.”

“Makes sense to me.” Carric said. Everyone turned to look at the ranger. He had his back to the naked men and seemed to be very absorbed in examining a piece of jerky.

“So, have the two of you never gotten naked in a public bath?” Iados wrapped up in a blanket that Kerri handed him. Jun did his best to cover up as well.

Elaine sighed. “Honestly I try to avoid them. Believe it or not, not all of us are as comfortable with our bodies as you seem to be.” She uncovered her eyes. “Anyway, we’ve had an exciting day so far. Almost killed by a floating bear skull, then zombies, and now owlbears.”

Jun laughed. “It reminds me of my last duty assignment in the military.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a bag of nuts. “The foe are more exotic though, I’ll give it that.”

“What did you usually go after?” Kerri asked as she stretched out on her bedroll. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Carric turned back around.

“Mostly bandits, though occasionally we did hunt down jaaggou packs.”

Kerri tilted her head. “What’s a ‘jaaggou’?”

“Bad dogs, very bad dogs.” Iados reached up and used the blanket to dry his hair.

Jun nodded. “’Jaagou’ refers to a dog that’s been twisted and mutated. They usually come from the north, but we haven’t been able to find out how their being made.”

“How are they mutated?” Carric asked.

“They double in size, their limbs are elongated, and their spines are stretched. They become these gangly thin creatures that will feast on any source of red meat. Most of the time they just go after cattle, but there have been cases where they’ve feasted on whole families.” The berserker sighed heavily. “Thankfully they didn’t make it to our part of the country very often.”

The group was silent after that as they all imagined the terrifying creature that Jun had described.

Iados clapped his hands. “Alright, that’s enough of that. I propose a game for us, an ice-breaker if you will. It’s something we used to acclimate new recruits on the ship. At this end of this game, we won’t be strangers any longer.” He smiled at Elaine, who rolled her eyes.

Kerri’s eyes lit up and she sat up. “Oh, what is it?”

“It’s called ‘Truth or Pay’.” Iados got a wicked grin on his face. “We all roll a die, and the highest number gets to ask a question that everyone has to answer. Whoever doesn’t answer, has to pay a coin to the pot. In the end, the person who answered the most questions gets the pot.”

“How do you know if it’s the truth though, can’t you just lie and win the pot?” Ander asked.

“Of course, but if someone catches you in the lie, then you have to pay double, and you lose the chance ask your own question for a round.” Iados explained. “Either way, you’re learning something about someone.”

Lia smiled. “Sounds fun, I’m in.” Everyone chimed in their agreement as well. Jun dug into his pack and pulled out a set of simply carved bone dice. “Alright, who’s gonna start?”