Wes nods his head in agreement with the others. "If you think that's the best plan of action, then so be it," he says to Theun, the peasant man knowing the area better than he.
At Adrian's eagerness to get moving, Wes responds jestingly, "What's the matter? Scared of the dark?" He chuckles to himself briefly before adding, "But yeah, we should leave before it gets too late. Wouldn't want to get ambushed by any of those bandit scum when we can't even seen them."
"I'd just rather not sleep outside if I can make it to a bed before nightfall," Adrian responds. "Though it would be best to avoid being caught off guard in the darkness, yes."
With a plan in mind, you finish you breakfast, say your good byes and set off Eastwards. The village's fields soon give way to the rolling hills of the Steppe near the Red River. A dirt track is the only indication of civilisation in sight, overgrown and rarely used.
As the sun hangs low in the sky, painting it a vibrant orange and red, you near the village. "The fields should start just over this hill, then the village won't be much farther after that," Theun says, leading the way.
You ascend the small hill revealing the fields in the valley below. However, where there should be a thriving crop this time of the year, a charred wasteland lays before you, the earth blackened and the grass burnt away. "Looks like someone must've put the fields to the torch," Theun says, drawing his axe.
"Savages," Brannik spits, irritated by the sheer spite. "How many more villages must suffer the wrath of bandits and princes?" he asks nobody in particular. Stepping into one of the fields, he takes a close look at the remains of the crops, trying to judge how recent the act took place. All this food, wasted. On what? Warfare?
"Pah. This charred land has seen a couple days since being put to the torch. Let's be on our guard, anyhow," the Bull suggests. "Theun, can you lead us to the village proper?"
"Charred land seems more like the result of battle, not bandits. Outlaws have nothing to gain from destroying a food source that they could instead have stolen," Adrian responds to Brannik, as he looks over the sad sight before him. How despicable. "Let us hope whoever put them to the torch has passed through already, and not stuck around." The Gleiosian removes his sword from his hip just in case, as they move forward.
"Agreed," Brannik says with a nod. "Unless it was in spite."
The dwarf turns to his companion. "This is what happens when pretenders tarry over crowns. The commonfolk suffer. I hope this explains why I find the Hollowguard's recent ownership perturbing," he explains. "Do you understand?" I do not want her to think of me as a coward -- not when my desertion is with appropriate reason.
"Gods, think of all the people that will go hungry because this crop has turned to ash and dust," Wes says solemnly, observing the charred remains of the fields. "What use is a war over land when the land is destroyed in the process?"
"We should proceed to the village," Wes says seriously, a change from his ordinary cheerfulness. "There may be townspeople in need of our aid."
"Aye, it's not much further ahead. Should just be over the next hill," Theun says in answer to Brannik.
"I understand, and if such monsters are still about then I'll happily show them the end of my spear," Gemma says to Brannik, raising her spear slightly.
"I'm sure they'll be long gone," Chloe says. "The Bull said it's been a least a couple of days since this happened."
"Not much use at all" Theun says to Wes, starting to lead the group forward once again. "They'd rather no one benefits from the crop than their enemies."
"It's horrible" Kass says, a woman of few words as always.
You soon scale the next hill and the village comes into view, or what is left of it at least. From what you can tell, the village was put to the torch along with the fields. Most of the buildings are gone, piles of rubble, stone foundations and the odd charred frame of a wall, the only indicators that there was once a settlement here.
"Horrible," Adrian says with a sigh as the sight comes into view. Of course they'd torch the town as well. We should have known. "Well, I doubt there will be much information gathered here. I say we search the town quickly for any survivors, then move on. No use dallying in a ruin. The other villages could be facing similar outcomes if we don't move quickly."
"Gods, they really don't care for the common man," Wes utters as he surveys the ruins. To the Gleoisian man, he responds, "Well, what survivors are left could hold valuable information, be it about bandits or where those responsible for this were headed next."
"Figured as much," Brannik says, defeatedly. "As the Wind Dancer said, we should move quick. Find any supplies left over, if you can. No sense in them going to complete waste." He steps through the rubble, looking through the buildings for signs of life, supplies, or anything otherwise interesting.
The group spreads out a bit around the burnt out village and Brannik rummages through the rubble. Theun and Gemma join him but neither find anything of any use.
Your attention is suddenly alerted by the rasp of steel, the unmistakable sound of swords being drawn.
"Which King do you fight for?" A voice asks from behind you.
"Why, all three," Brannik replies cheekily to the strangers as he turns to face them. "And at the same time, none of them. Was the destruction of this village your doing?" the Bull asks in a testy tone.
Behind you stands a band of eight well armed men. They don't quite have the air of knights about them, but their weapons and armour suggest they are more skilled than a hastily raised peasant levy. One of them flies a red banner from the end of a halberd. It bears a hammer striking an anvil, an image also present of some of their shields.
"Not ours personally, although I think we passed through here after Parth," the man replies to Brannik. "What the hell does that mean anyway? You lot mercenaries or something?"
"Casualties forgotten by their lieges," Adrian says, turning to face the men as well. He casually moves his left palm over the hilt of his blade, not eager to be caught off guard by the men. "Our allegiance is to the common folk, who are currently being harassed by brigands. If you're those brigands then you can expect to become new residents of the soil beneath my feet." He says, staring down the man who had been doing the talking.
Brannik studies the banner as he listens to Adrian's response to the soldiers. The Gleiosian is certainly entertaining to be around. He's hardly afraid of being sharp-tongued.
A few of the men laugh at Adrian's mention of the common folk. "You've got a big mouth on you for someone not even wearing armour," the man replies to Adrian.
"I need no armor, my opponents tend to miss. I don't." Adrian responds, beginning to dislike the men before him. Tulrissian mockery, typical. I wonder how they like the taste of charred soil?
"It's probably unwise to test him," the Bull warns the soldier. Ignoramus. "Say, which 'crown' holds Parth? I sent dozens of humans to their Pantheon and I didn't get to see if my merits were even worth it to my former superiors."
"It's sad that you lot care less about your own people than a man not even from Tulrisse," Wes says harshly as the soldiers chuckle at Adrian's mention of allegiance.
"You should not test any of us. I don't tend to play nice with honorless louts." These men seem very sure of themselves. I'd love to change that.
"Lorkan we think. We still managed to fuck his men up good though. Fulsen's too," the man replies to Brannik.
"These aren't my people. Our people are back in the Hollow," he says in response to Wes. "She can be my people any time though," he adds, laughing as he points at Kass. Some of the other men laugh too.
Fighting under the Torinns, as their banner suggested, Brannik notes to himself. "Meagate, hm?" the dwarf replies, neutrally. "Then perhaps it's best if you continue back to the Hollow. This war is in vain, and all of the land is bleeding from it."
"Your lack of empathy is disgusting," Adrian responds, at the man's comment about the locals being 'not his people.' "The soldiers serving the other kings may be your enemies, but these farmers had no say in who their lieges swore fealty to. And yet you killed them, destroyed their homes, and - I can only assume - ravished their women," he says with a look of disgust, as the man points out Kass.
Stepping forward, Adrian continues. "I tire of speaking to you. It's clear to me you are no better than the brigands plaguing the region. Worse, perhaps." He shakes his head for a moment, glances between the men gathered, then quickly unsheathes his sword. "I promised you a new home in the soil beneath my feet, and I don't like to turn back on my promises."
Wes can't help but smile a little upon learning that his former liege holds Parth. It does not hold long, though, transforming into a grimace at the man's lack of concern for his countrymen. "Last I heard, we're all Tulrissians," he spouts back angrily.
At the man's crude words towards his cousin, Wes is infuriated, arcane flames beginning to emerge from his hands. "Don't you dare talk to her like that," he snaps harshly. Turning to Adrian, the Menoran says, "I think I'll join you in putting these men in the ground." Drawing his arcane blade, he intensely stares at his new enemies, eagerly awaiting a chance to put them down.
"This isn't entirely necessary," Brannik says to his companions, looking between them and the Hollowmen before him. "We've no need to spill more blood in a quest of virility. Besides, it would leave a poor taste in my mouth to bring harm to my countrymen."
"We still have a chance to turn in different directions and walk away from this. Everybody lives," the dwarf says to the Hollowmen.
Encounter 2
"I think your friends have made up their minds already, Short Arse," the soldier replies to Brannik. "Besides, you sound a lot like deserters. The King doesn't look favourably on deserters. I'm sure we'll get a nice amount of gold if we bring him your heads."
The man nods at his men and the two wielding halberds advance towards the party. As they get closer they assume defensive positions with their polearms extended, ready to attack.
Go: Gemma
As Gemma assumes a stance equally as cautious as the soldiers wielding the halberds, the swordsman who had been talking before charges at Adrian, however the Wind Dancer easily dodges the attack.
The others advance, two of them charging at Wes and Gemma. Both of them are overwhelmed by the attack and struck by the swordsmen.
Go: Kass, Brannik, Wes
"Sounds an awful lot like the feeling isn't mutual," Wes says harshly to Brannik as the foes draw arms. To them he'll always just be a foreigner. He grunts as one of the Hollowmen charges into him, his anger growing.
Meanwhile, Kass rushes into the fray, towards the swordsman who had attacked her cousin, unleashing a field of dark energy simultaneously. Fiercely slashing at the man with her blade, she says, "I'll never be your people."
Retaliating against his attacker, Wes chills his arcane blade and slashes at his enemy. "Here's a little taste of the chill of death."
"It takes more courage to desert an unjust war than to continue it," Brannik retorts as he loses his patience. Gemma takes a blow and the Bull growls, rushing forward into two of the swordsmen. The ground tremors at the dwarf's footsteps, unsettling the enemies' footwork and giving the Gleiosian some breathing room. With a harsh swing, Brannik slams the haft of his heavy maul into one of the swordsman's chest, knocking the wind from his lungs. "You had your fucking chance," he spits, his eyes fixed on his enemies.
Theun moves up to help Gemma, but the better trained solider easily blocks the peasant's attack. The two crossbowmen at the back of the fight loosen their bolts into the fray. However in trying not to hit their own men they fail to find their mark.
Go: Adrian, Chloe
"Just as I thought, you're all talk," Adrian says, as he easily dodges the attack of the more vocal of the men. Quickly taking in the positions of his foes, Adrian rushes towards the man harassing Wes and Kass and lands a solid blow, luring the man further into the fray as he tries to retaliate.
With the enemy soldiers clustered, he glowers menacingly towards them, his actions now speaking more loudly than his earlier words. As quickly as he had done so before, he rushes towards the man engaged with Gemma and Theun, once again landing a solid blow and shoving the man forward towards the rest of his allies.
As her lover works his own brand of magic on the soldiers, Chloë stands back and works her own. Like in the previous battle, she summons a gale of powerful winds whipping up in the middle of her clustered foes in the distance. The winds buffet them and cause them to lose their footing, greatly inhibiting their ability to advance on the party. She then steps aside a bit, leaving some more distance between her and the nearby swordsmen.
Combat Block - Chloë
- [SHOW]
With the melee quickly becoming chaotic mess, the two men with halberds finally join the fight. One gets close to Adrian and jabs at him. The weapon connects with the Wind Dancer before its owner uses its full length to push the Gleosian backwards. The other chooses to attack Brannik, bringing it down on the dwarf from range.
Go: Gemma
The swordsmen now attack once more. Adrian easily dodges as the loud mouthed swordsman swipes at him yet again. Brannik however is overwhelmed by attacks from both sides, The Bull unable to hold his defense. Kass is luckier and manages to avoid being hit by the other swordsman.
Go: Kass, Brannik, Wes
Wasting little time, Kass lashes out once more at the swordsman who had previously assaulted her cousin.
Wes, however, moves in closer to another foe and slashes at him, his arcane blade still as frigid as a winter's morn. "You lot are fools for even challenging us in the first place. This will be your end."
With blows raining down on him from to and fro, the Bull shrugs off the pain with gritted teeth. Gripping his hammer with inhuman force, Brannik whirls his massive weapon around him at lethal speed, slamming into all four of the Hollowmen surrounding him successively. The men are concussed from the maneuver, to which the Bull capitalizes on.
Brannik once again tightens up on the warhammer's haft before a hefty swing. The dwarf slams it into the ground beneath him, rupturing the earth apart and causing dangerous ripples throughout the terrain beneath the battlefield. His accuracy is startling, and the ground shatters from below in waves that vault the enemies near him into the air. The men fall to the ground in heaps, bones likely broken.
"I'm coming for you next," he promises the crossbowmen taking potshots from afar. "I will bury you with this," the Bull threatens, brandishing his warhammer with one hand as he wipes a stream of blood from his broken nose incurred from a well-placed shield slam.
Brannik's onslaught leaves most of the men dead, with only one swordsman managing to endure the Dwarf's attacks. Theun engages one of the men armed with Halberds, although the professional soldier easily blocks the peasant's attack. Meanwhile the crossbowmen, sensing the tide of battle turning against them, loosen bolts at Adriana and Brannik, both finding their mark, before backing off from the fight. The one under hindered by Chloe's magic manages to take cover behind the crumbling ruins of a house.
Go: Adrian, Chloe
"Leave those to me," Adrian says through gritted teeth to his dwarven friend, having also been assailed from the crossbowmen in the distance. Feeling confident that the halberdiers and swordsmen are nearing their hand at Brannik and Wes' hands, rushes past the other men to assault the cowardly men shooting them from afar. With ease he slams into the nearest of the two men, once more disorienting his foe and causing him to step into a position more to Adrian's liking. "My promise to you will soon be fulfilled, you can be sure of it," he taunts, as the man struggles to reload.
Back on the other side of the battlefield, Chloë attempts unsuccessfully to affect one of the halberdiers with her spells. A bit frustrated, she steps to the side in hopes of getting a better shot at him in the future.
Combat Block - Chloë
- [SHOW]
The two Halberdiers use their weapon's length to their advantage. One uses it to push back Theun, wounding the peasant in the process. The other uses it to strike from afar. He brings the weapon down on Brannik. The dwarf, already starting to show signs of fatigue from the fight, is hit with a hard blow to the head which knocks him unconscious.
Go: Gemma
As Brannik goes down from an painful hit, his mentee growls in frustration. Gemma shouts to him, waking the man from his temporary incapacitation. "Five of these bastards and seven of us. Push forward!" she cries, inspiring the others and leading a charge toward Adrian. The woman surges forward, embedding her spear in the halberdier's leg to his dismay.
Kass is overwhelmed as the dwarf downs most of the cluster of men that had previously surrounded them, but regains her focus, striking out at one of the remaining foes.
Wes, however, seeks trouble elsewhere, fading into nothing and reappearing in the middle of the ruined field. His sights set on one of the crossbow-armed men, he etherealizes once more, appearing next to the closest with a crashing boom. "Buddy, you've got a big storm coming."
Momentarily in a twilight between the real world and the dream world, Brannik snaps to as he hears the familiar sounds of Gemma's rasping voice shouting. Damnit, woman. Can't even get some shut-eye on the battlefield it seems. He hops to, with little elevation to gain from his short frame.
The halberdier and swordsman stand in front of the Bull, their weapons pointed at him, and he moves closer for effect. "You idiots," he spits. "You bring dishonor to the Hollow and the people you swore to protect. You've one last chance to run before I club your thick, fucking skulls in with my hammer," the dwarf explains as he readies himself to smash aside any of their thrusts.
Seeing his companions fall to the band of knights, one of the crossbowmen loosens one last bolt at Adrian before turning on his heels and sprinting as fast as he can. The other draws his sword and attacks Wes, but the superior swordsman easily blocks the attack.
Go: Adrian, Chloe
Seeing the Bull fall to the ground, if only briefly, Adrian rushes to help. Vanishing from view, he reemerges in a full sprint towards the halberdier squaring off against his dwarven ally. With a solid blow he catches the man off guard, and skillfully repositioning his foe between himself and Gemma. "Your friend may have fled, but you will not get the same opportunity."
As Adrian continues his bouncing between foes, Chloë once more attempts to aid from afar. However, the chaos of the battle makes it difficult for her to single out only her enemies, and once more she is of little use. Any looking her way will notice a defeated look on her face as she laments her uselessness in the fight.
Combat Block - Chloë
- [SHOW]
