Heroes of the Realm Chapter 6: Lies

The moonlit night was enough for Thayne's half elven eyes to see clearly by. He followed behind Bud easily through the dark forest, suppressing a sigh of boredom. This must be another part of the epic adventures the bards leave out of their tales, he thought. The mindless drudgery of chasing a foe through the woods.

The sun had set hours before, and soon after they had arrived at the woodworker's cottage. It took Cassandra no time to find the goblin's trail and off they went into the brush. Thayne had been expecting a battle right then and there, but quickly realized that it wouldn't make sense for the goblins to be hiding right outside the house waiting for them, nor would it make sense for them to be in the immediate area since they'd had at least a day to wander away.

How you doing?

Thayne heard the voice interrupt his thoughts and swiveled around to see where it came from. He saw Roland walking next to him, his eyes gazing at him with a half smile on his face.

"What?" Thayne asked before he was immediately shushed by Bud in front of him.

I said how are you doing? 

Thayne was shocked. He realized he hadn't heard the voice so much as thought the voice, but it still wasn't from his own thoughts. It was an outside voice talking to him inside his head. He looked back at Roland whose smile now crossed his face.

Don't bother answering. I can't hear your thoughts. 

Thayne looked somewhat relieved. He'd heard vaguely of mind readers, people and creatures with the talent to infiltrate someone's thoughts, but he'd never seen it done before. The effect was unnerving despite what Roland claimed. Thayne decided to test the theory by remembering the image of the human naked and shimmying earlier that day.

Roland's expression never changed. Either he was expecting the image or he really couldn't read Thayne's mind.

Just give me a thumbs up or thumbs down. How are you?

Thayne looked at him then held up his hand and wavered it. He then put his hands together and leaned his hands on them with his eyes closed. Thayne snorted which brought a disapproving look from Bud.

Yeah I feel ya. He messaged. If we don't find them by morning I think we should probably give up.

Thayne nodded. This adventure was seeming a lot less adventurous by the minute. He started to wonder if he had made a mistake.

Until he heard the drum beats.

***

Such revelry my love.

Roland was crouched at the edge of the clearing, with the rest of the party in various hiding places nearby. The clearing was a burned out piece of dirt with at least thirty goblins in it, most dancing around a huge bonfire. Standing on a log near the light was a goblin wearing a horses skull as a helmet, and was chanting something in the high pitched language.

Roland had never seen goblins in the wild before. He'd seen them as servants, slaves, even as sacrifices but never wild and as unruly as this. They danced wildly around the flames, gibbering loudly as they waved cruel weapons to the sky. Occasionally one would nick another in their frantic movements resulting in a brawl between the participants, usually with one dead and the victor continuing their dance around the flames.

They're are only two positions in the universe, my love. The servant and the master. 

Roland was used to blocking out the voice in his head, but the words stuck with him this time. These goblins couldn't coordinate their own dancing without getting killed, how could they have attacked the farmhouse without suffering a single casualty?

The roar cut across the field like a knife through flesh. Bud had both axes out and was running at full speed towards the nearest goblin reveler, and within an instant the creature was in three pieces. Cassandra let loose an arrow and Talesian a spell of red fire from his fingertips. Roland turned to his right to see Samantha drawing her sword , preparing to join the fray.

"Hold back," he said to her out loud, their element of surprise lost. "I don't believe we have seen the leader yet."

Samantha looked at him for a moment. "What about the one on the stump?"

Roland glanced at the creature for a second as it screeched and ran the opposite direction. "I don't know what that is but a leader it is not. Goblins are too stupid to take out a farmhouse on their own, and they're far to stupid to survive this long hidden in the Kind."

Samantha nodded and settled back down in the brush. They watched together in silence as their companions tore through the hoard.

***

Bud cut through the goblins like a farmer through a bramble patch. Each swing cutting down another of the gibbering foes. His goal had been the one wearing the skull, assuming he was the leader and could easily disband this pathetic party as soon as he took the beast's head.

It wasn't until he heard the crack of thunder that he stopped to look up. Above him a swirling vortex of clouds circled in the firelight. Bits of lightning sparked angrily near the center, like a beast snarling at its prey.

Bud saw the light flash, then heard the boom all without feeling the pain. It wasn't until his limp body hit the ground that he registered that he'd been hit, then all went dark.

***

Talesian was picking off the goblins that had survived Bud's original attack when the lightning hit. He jumped now noticing the clouds and sparks emanating from it. He'd heard that some goblin shaman could call upon the elements, but surely this couldn't be it. He just managed to dive out of the way as a bolt thundered down, knocking him to the ground and causing his hair to stand on end.

"Spellcaster!" he screamed into the chaos. "Find the spellcaster!"

A goblin ran up to him, tiny crude dagger slicing as it charged. Talesian had no time to ready a spell and only cowered at his attacker until the creature was knocked back by a wave of energy that passed over Talesian's head. Thayne stepped around him into view and offered a hand.

"Remember your place," Thayne said as he helped the elf up. "On your feet and away from charging goblins!"

Talesian barely stuttered a thank you before Thayne was running into the fray, violin poised to use his unique magic to inspire his comrades. Talesian looked up to the menacing cloud with a grimace. His priority had to be whoever conjured it or they would not survive the night.

***

Stealth was never easy in full armor, hence why Samantha never cared to employ it. Though in the chaos of the battle, with screaming goblins, spells from her companions, and now a thunderstorm out of nowhere, she could bet that nobody was listening to her clanking through the brush. Roland had gone the other way as soon as they had spotted the unusual cloud forming.

She was near the opposite end of the clearing when she saw the figure dart out from behind the tree ahead. It was only a split second, but Samantha saw a woman's face with hair nearly down to her calves peek from behind the tree just as a bolt of lightning struck somewhere on the field. As the figure turned back she locked eyes with Samantha before the light faded and the area went dark again.

Samantha had no choice. She charged the tree, sword swinging, hoping to connect with flesh in the nearly perfect dark. She wasn't surprised when she felt her sword sink a little into the tree, cursing her luck and her temper.

The next lightning bolt struck her directly in her left arm, causing her to scream in pain as she collapsed to the forest floor. She stayed conscious enough to see what looked like a wolf with yellow eyes stare at her then run into the forest.

***

Hugo watched Bud's eyes flutter open and he breathed a sigh of relief. His hands glowed with a warm yellow light as it passed over the half orc's blistered chest, slowly melding the skin back together. When the half orc tried to sit up Hugo gently pushed him back down.

"Hold still ya great piece of meat, I ain't done yet!"

"Did we... Win?" Bud asked between breaths. Breathing would be something he'd have to get used to for a little while until he was fully healed.

"In a manner." Hugo said as the light of his hands faded. "The gnome and the elves are chasing down a few that ran, but we still haven't found whoever made the firework show, and I ain't seen Lady Blacksmith in a minute, or the other human."

Hugo took a moment to look up a the scene. At least two dozen goblin bodies were strewn on the ground where they had fallen, the massive bonfire still burning brightly. The few that were still alive were being taken care of by Cassandra's twin short swords and her dog. Hugo tried to push the worry for his friend away as he knew that she was a strong lass capable of taking care of herself.

Bud sat up on his elbows, surveying the scene. "What the hells is that?" he asked as he pointed to east of the battlefield. Above the treeline a bright red symbol illuminated the sky.

Hugo's heart dropped to his stomach as he stood up and began running towards the symbol. It was Dwarven, a clear symbol used in the ancient tunnels his ancestors hailed from.

It was the symbol for medic.

***

Such a pitiful display of power, my love.

Roland watched as Hugo carefully moved his hands along the wound at Samantha's side. The burn was severe when he found her to the point that Roland thought she may be dead, until she gasped for breath and rolled over. His spell was the only thing he could think of, only a minor illusion, but effective nonetheless to get the cleric to his location.

Humans are so frail, my love.

He closed his eyes and tried to push the voice to the back of his head. This was his fault, he told himself. He had warned her about the leader and now this...

Roland checked around looking for any indication of another body, hoping that Samantha had felled the spellcaster before she went down, but to no avail. Whoever had done this had either done it from a distance or surprised the warrior.

Samantha sat straight up, eyes wide and gasped for air, like a drowning man in the sea.

"Wolf," she cried. "Wolf!"

Hugo and Roland exchanged confused looks.

"There are no wolves here," said Hugo. "Actually, why aren't there wolves here? Surely we didn't kill all that they had back at the meadow..."

"No," said Samantha as she scrambled to her feet, Hugo's hands still glowing as they healed charred flesh. "There was a wolf right here, with yellow eyes. I saw it, and her."

"A she-wolf?" asked Hugo, still confused.

"No, some sort of witch. Hiding behind that tree." she said and pointed. The movement caused her to cringe in pain and Hugo to continue his healing work on her.

Roland walked to the tree she indicated, his eyes having no trouble without light. The ground was untouched, clear of any footprints both human and wolf.

Clever witch. Hid her tracks my love.

He took a deep breath to steady himself. He had agreed with the voice once tonight. Maybe not acknowledged it, or talked back to it, but he had taken its reasoning, its guidance, and now it was gaining strength. The voice could be lying, he knew, but if it lied that decreased the chances of Roland listening to it next time, meaning they're had to be some truth to the words.

"I don't see anything," called Roland after another moment of contemplation. "I don't see anything at all."

Heroes of the Realm Chapter 5: Decisions Part 2

Gimini was not at all surprised when he walked into the tent that it was far bigger and more luxurious on the inside. He'd suspected it was why the idiot elf had insisted on staying in it rather than find a bed at the woodworkers house.

He quickly blended into the shadows near the door and took in the rooms splendor. The inside of the tent was a large hexagon with wooden floors. The middle had a sunken in sitting area for two, featuring two large leather chairs and a wood stove, though where the smoke went Gimini could only guess. On one side sat a modest but still comfortable looking bed and opposite a wash station.The roof arched into cathedral like ceilings over twelve feet above the wood floor, with pillars made from raw birch. The walls were made of intricately designed tapestries which colors shimmered in the torch light. Across from the doorway was an impressive desk where Talesian was busily writing in a large tome and muttering to himself, his pointed hat hanging on a coat rack behind him.

Gimini moved through the room silent as a shadow until he was standing beside the distracted wizard. He smiled to himself.

"What you writing there?" He asked in a loud but friendly voice.

Talesian jumped out of chair and let out a loud yelp. His quill blotted on the page as he landed on the floor and tried to recover the fractured remains of his dignity.

"What are you doing here? Are you going to rob me?!" the elf yelled, still too surprised to do anything useful.

"Maybe, I haven't decided yet." Gimini said conversationally.

"I'll report you!" said Talesian.

"Not if I kill you first." Gimini said as he shrugged.
Talesian stood up at that, his hand beginning to glow as it had earlier at lunch. "I'd like to see you try."

"Pfft, I wouldn't kill you in here," Gimini laughed. "This tent is the only thing of value you have, and I'd hate to have to clean your blood out of it."

"If you think that a peasant like you can understand the delicate magics it takes to build my sanctuary-"

"It's the top clasp on the door of the tent. when it's secure the interior is a normal small tent but when it's opened the interior becomes this obscenely decadent eyesore."

Talesian's jaw dropped, which made Gimini smile even more.

"I've seen magic items like this," Gimini continued. "It's a basic portable space concept, but of course yours is elven made, which means the quality and craftsmanship are top notch, so it would be quite valuable on the open market."

Talesian stood up straight, recovering the last of his composure. "So is this what you intend to do good sir? Steal my tent?"

"It would hardly be stealing," Gimini said. "I mean you are leaving anyway so you probably won't have any use of it."

"It would still be stealing weather I need it or not," the elf said.

"Though the part that confuses me," said Gimini ignoring the elf's logic. "Is why you would set this thing up in the middle of the day behind a perfectly serviceable tavern if you were just going to leave anyway. Seems like a lot of trouble."

"I... I hadn't found the right horse yet." Talesian said, uncertainty cracking his well practiced sneer.

"We're in a farming community Tal, the only thing they've got here are horses and produce."

"I haven't... Found one that meets my standards. A nobleman cannot be expected to ride a mere draft horse into a major city without-"

"Of course," interrupted Gimini "There is the possibility that you hadn't fully decided on leaving yet."

Talesian looked offended, a look that Gimini would've put good gold on was practiced as much as the rest of his facial expressions.

"Oh please," he said, righting the chair. "You may be an uptight magic user who thinks he's better than everyone else due to the sharpness of his ears, but I saw you yesterday against that ogre. You could've run away and nobody would've blamed you, but you stood there and fought it. I saw the look on your face too, you looked like a boy at his first time in the brothel. I bet you've never used magic against something that could actually hit you back. All those fancy spells you've got and all you've ever done is demonstrations for teachers and party tricks, but out here, away from everything, you actually get to do real magic. Dangerous, exciting, life-or-death magic. And while the snooty aristo inside you is already dreaming about your safe halls and piles of money, there's a spark in you that wants to see what else you can do, and what else is out here that you never knew about."

Talesian stuttered but no words came to him. He just stared at the gnome and tried to get anything coherent out.

"Yeah, I'll rob you, if you decide to take off I'll take this pretty tent and let you figure out your way home without it, but I don't think you will. I think that, come sunset, I'm going to see you inside that tavern, because for all your whining and prissy little problems, you are an adventurer."

***

Thayne sat on the edge of the fountain tuning his fiddle. Travel was not really good for such a delicate instrument but this little guy seemed to be holding up pretty well despite the action.

The sun was beginning to turn the sky red as it sunk into the west. The small group of children that had watched him for the last hour were starting to filter away as names were called to supper. None were brave enough to approach the half elf, and Thayne didn't mind. He was used to solitude. He liked it when he needed to think.

Bud walked through them and they scattered like leaves in the wind. He sat next to Thayne on the fountain and drew one of his massive dual axes. Silently he began to sharpen it with a whetstone produced from a pocket.

Of all the people he'd traveled with in the last day, even compared to the elf wizard, Bud intimidated Thayne most of all. Always shirtless, his muscles flexed with the simple action of sharpening, showcasing strength Thayne would never have. The half orc was a terrifying presence, as even sitting he was at least a head taller than Thayne.

"So you going?" Bud asked as though they had been talking for hours.

"Going?" Thayne replied, a slight squeak in his voice betraying his youth.

"Yeah, going. With that woman and the little bearded guy."

"You mean Hugo, the dwarf?" Thayne asked.

"Is that what he is? Huh." Bud shrugged.

Thayne wanted to ask if he'd really never seen a dwarf before but he shook the thought out of his head, choosing to focus on the question at hand. "I don't know."

"Hmph," said Bud.

"Are you going?" asked Thayne.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Thayne realized he knew nothing about the half orc. Since they'd met yesterday he'd said very little about himself.

"I've always wanted to go on an adventure," Thayne said, barely realizing that he was talking. "I dreamed of being a legendary hero that the bards sing about, someone who slays monsters and saves the world."

"Then why not go?" asked Bud, the sparks flying from his blade.

"I... Well... This isn't how I imagined it." Thayne said. "I didn't know that they're would be so much resistance. I thought we'd ride into town, the villagers would tell us their plights or a king would send us on a quest, and off we'd go to slay a monster or rescue a damsel. But in the last day I've been arrested for killing a monster in a major city, slept in a home where the owners had died in just hours before, and was then accused again of killing said owners and stealing their property. That's hardly the stuff of a bard's tale."

Bud didn't say anything but kept sharpening his axe. The occasional spark flew onto the dusty road.

"What have you always wanted?" The bard asked.

Bud stopped sharpening and examined the blade. "I don't really know honestly. I just sort of go where the wind takes me."

"Have you always done that?"

"For as long as I can remember, all year and a half."

"Year and a- what?"

Bud smiled as he stood up. "There. Now you have an even better reason to stay: To find out my story."

***

The orange sky lit the tavern as though it had the stained glass of a great cathedral. Everything was colored an orange red as though the world had turned to liquid gold.

Samantha sat at the same table she and her companions had taken breakfast, her gear ready for the evening's excursions. Next to her sat Hugo drumming his fingers.

"Have you ever seen a dragon?" She asked.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Hugo, looking confused.

"A dragon, you know, one of those big fire-breathing lizard things. You ever seen one?"

"I did once," said Gimini as he trotted down the steps. "It was a whelpling. They kept it in a freak show I visited. Thing was inside a big ol' glass jar."

Samantha looked up at him. "No I mean an alive dragon, a big one breathing fire."

"That's actually a misconception," said Cassandra following Gimini down the stairs. "Only red dragons breathe fire. Other dragons breathe all sorts of things."

"Really?" said Samantha, genuinely surprised. "What else does a dragon breathe?"

"Depends on the color," said Roland as he walked into the door. "Black dragons spit poison I think, or it's acid."

"It's acid," said Talesian following behind Roland. "Blacks spit acid and greens spit poison."

"Are we talking about dragons?" asked Bud coming down the stairs. "I saw a white one freeze a killer whale before eating it."
"Wait so there's red, black, green and white. Any others?" Samantha asked counting off on her fingers.

The others looked around, waiting for someone to speak up. The group went silent as they considered what dragons were missing, as well as companions.

"Well," Samantha said. "Shall we get going?"

One by one they left the tavern and headed to the only logical spot to start looking for the goblins-the woodcutter's house where they had spent the night. Before they were out of sight of the tavern though, Samantha turned when she heard a voice.

"Wait for me!" yelled Thayne as he ran down the road. Fiddle in one hand and pack flying wildly in the other. The group stopped as the half elf caught up.

"Glad you decided to join us," said Samantha as they started marching on. "Do you know anything about dragons?"