ONE HUNDRED TWENTY ONE
(I/C)
Brendon put away the last of his meal and then went through his back, taking out the two cracked vials. He put one in the wooden cup and then smashed it with the dagger hilt. He was muttering and griping while doing it. “So buddy,” Lannis asked, looking over, “Decided to break some glass?”
“If you must know, Big Brain,” the Scout replied, I’m making some glass shards to sling at someone later if need be.”
“Sure, sure,” the Magic User noted the angry motions Brendon was making. “And you aren’t just maybe, hitting them a bit forcefully, huh?”
Still grinding for a moment, Brendon stopped and looked up at Lannis. “What? What?”
“I’m just saying, there seems to be some pent up aggravation going on with you.”
“Perhaps, the Senor hit hit head and is acting a bit loco?” Abraxas snorted from the other side of the room, getting himself ready to rest.
Clapping his dagger down, Brendon snarled, “You know what? I’m drained emotionally.” He began gesturing around the room. “The dwarf went ballistic peeing on a skull smashed goblin then moves it around. The Fighter is having a hissy fit that the Scout,” he slapped himself in the chest with both hands, “didn’t follow some sort of rule. Lyra snatched a healing potion from my hands with a snarky response just to hand it back to me. Travis the speedy goblin was a blur stabby thing. And you Lannis? You’re just being a bit too much Lannis for me. So yeah I’m tired, dad!”
Abraxas draped his sword across his lap, eyes focused on Brendon’s. “The Senor Scout is still not understanding why the party is upset at him for deciding against them, even after this time. And now, how we supposed to siesta and discuss watches when you are tres malo? Huh?”
Lannis shrugged, “Brendon, you are being kind of a dick.”
“Get off on how I am, Lannis,” Brendon frowned.
“Si! You might get stabbed in your sleep!” Abraxas laughed and seeing the shocked look of the rest of the room, added, “Obviously a joke! I would not do this, si?”
“Holy Aine! Would the two of you just knock it the hell off? Really? Now? You’re doing this?”
Pouring the last of the glass shards into the remaining vial, Brendon carved off a piece of his elven soap and stoppered the top. “You know, forget it. My head is fine.” He rolled over, pulled his cloak up to his chin and growled, “Night!”
Abraxas took a deep breath to say something but a subtle head shake from Lyra and Lannis had him blow it out unspoken instead. “Hey,” the Magic User said, “I want to make sure we’re not bothered. So I am going to Web the door closed as well, should slow anyone who might sniff us out from getting in. Give me a hand moving some of the stuff, ok?”
While they were moving things and Lannis Webbed the door closed, Lyra checked everyone’s wounds one last time and got herself ready to sleep. “Well, tensions are high and we’re pretty stretched thin. If it means anything, I agree. I feel like we need as much rest as possible if we want to continue. That’s just my vote. We can’t go out there facing stronger foes with already staggered stamina and strength.”
“Get some sleep, Lyra,” Wyn said. “Dwarfriend and moi shall watch over first watch.”
One by one, the party fell asleep while Kovid moved the lantern away from the door area and the two of them took to listening. As the watch went on, he turned to Kovid and asked,"'ow you 'oldin' up dwarfriend?"
Kovid smiled, "Thank ya Wyn, I’m a bit sore, especially my throat, but I am alright. That was a close one though,” he rubbed his neck, “thought my number was up.”
“Oui,” Wyn agreed, “t’was close for both of us. I ees doin just fine, all tings considered. Getting stabbed is pretty awful, but tankfully we got de mageek en potions. ‘eals you right up.”
“Figures it was a fucking gob too.” Kovid turned his hammer in his hand, staring at its silvered head. “Still, it makes a good story.” He knocked on the chest of his new armor.
“Definitely glad you got sum plate back. Should help takin out more of dem gobs en hobs more easy. Nice work woth dem adjustments. Looks like it was made for you. Hope it serves you well.”
“Thanks Elf-friend,” he clapped Wyn on the shoulder, “We make a pretty good team, all of us, don't we?”
Wyn shrugged but nodded his head, “I’m enjoy in’ de journey we be on. It’s an intestin’ place dis castle... dough sometimes Wyn wonders iffin de Academy picked out memba dat would wanna fight each other on purpose,” he pointed to Brendon and Abraxas at opposite sides of the room. “Hmm, I don’t tink anyone would believe dat de dwarf en de elf get along betta den some of dem humans, eh?”
“You can say that again.”
Time passed (WMC: White 4, White 2, Grey 1) but it was some 2 to 3 hours into the watch that the two of them heard footsteps at a distance in the hall. “Shh,” Wyn whispered, ear to the portal listening. (Result: Green 4, # Appear: Red/Black 4, >Hear Noise: Yellow 16)
“What is it?”
“Slow. 3…4. Bare feet. Light.” The group listened as the figures came closer and then paused outside the door briefly before continuing on. They waited, hearing whoever it was go on and seemed to stop at the next door briefly before moving on again. Eventually there was nothing to be heard but Wyn and Kovid stayed on high alert for the remainder of the watch (at least an hour and a half) before accepting the fact that whatever and whoever it was, kept going.
Eventually they woke up Abraxas, filling the fighter in on what was happening. Kovid relit the lantern for the big man and gave him another vial of oil, “For when the lantern runs out.”
“Go, rest,” he said.
“Monsieur,” Wyn asked, glancing at the sleeping Brendon, “There will be no problem?”
Abraxas sighed, “No, Senors. It is obvious that Senor Braindum and I do no see eye on eye, and we will never be amigos, but I wont let meself be dragged into fight with him. He seems…angry more so these last few days…er…hours. I think he needs the rest.”
“Good man,” Kovid said yawning, “Wake us if something happens.” The elf and dwarf went to sleep and that left Abraxas alone keeping watch.
As the time went on, he shifted a chair over in the corner so he could have a view of both doors out of the upper Barracks. Sighing, he withdrew the Wooden carved dog and puppy that had been found in Travis’ room, trying to get a feel for its craftsmanship.
As he ran his fingers over the piece, he let his mind wander, eyes pointed at the doors. “Who made you?” he whispered, “What hand did it, Senora Doggo? Dwarven? Elven? Goblin? Kobold?” He sighed, fingers tracing the cuts and nicks in the wood. “So many manus touched you, Senora. You were at one point hidden in a block of wood, si? A block. Unshaped. Uncultured. A world of possibilities. What else did you almost become?”
Wiping his face with his free hand, he continued to whisper to the carving. “I am like you, si? What else could Abraxas become? At the beginning of all of this, I was like this once, a solid block. My work at the dock, it shaped me, made my life is be what it be.” He studied the back of his scarred and callused hand, “Losing that, I am now on an adventure, something I never aspired to. The carving of me, it has been more deliberate, harsher, less over time and more aggressive. Every fight, every choice, every path we follow carves me down.”
His hand clenched, knuckles showing white for a bit before he could force himself to relax. Once calm, he looked at the carving again, thumb running idly over the smiling puppy. “You, Senora Doog, you were not a piece made idily. You were made with el purpose. A dog and her pup. A child with their parent. A loving connection between two beings.”
He smirked, “And you were yet found with Senor Travis, murdering spy, si? Why him, was he the maker of you, Senora? Was this made by a doting parent for their child? A caring child to express their love for their parent? What was the relationship? Can a creature that loves, enough to carve this symbol of their devotion, be evil?” He brought it up so he could stare into its face, eyes clouded with concern. “Who made you?”
“Follower of Corfard,” he scoffed, “Some ‘Goblin God’? All of us, we have seen Kobold’s, Grilljerks, with mastery of undeath, and there is a different ‘God’ - Nergal - they serve as well. And yet, Grilljax still followed under Corfard. He had majiks that were more powerful than anything our own party could do,” his voice dropped to a whisper and he made the sign to ward off the evil eye, “raising the dead.”
He shook his head, “And those scal'ed Adepts, they also had majik that was of a level of some of our party. Corfard can not be just a simple Majik user, he has to have some sort of true majik mastery to command the minds and sway hold over all those under him. To proclaim him a God - that insinuates a power level well above those that serve.”
The Fighter worked his jaw, teeth clenching, “He was able to get into my thoughts. From who knows how far away. But even with all that ‘power’ - he still tried to persuade mis amigos through me to just leave.” His broke into a sardonic smile, “He is definitely afraid of us, of what we are capable of as a group. Corfard the Craven, Corfard the Cowering, Corfard the Dead. These are the names he will go by once we return victorious from this expedition. Crown in hand, Corfard laid to eternal unrest.”
(WMC: White 5, Red 6, Steel 5) The watch passed without issue. He filled the lantern at one point when it finally ran low and finally yawning about 1:30 in the morning, nudge Lannis to awaken. "H'okay, time to get up. Necesito dormir. Suerte Bueno amigos."
Getting himself to bed after telling the Magic User what he had seen and what Kovid and Wyn had heard, Abraxas settled off and finally slept. Lannis awoke Lyra and Brendon, catching them up to speed. For the first hour they three of them were on alert (WMC: Red/Black 1) when Brendon hissed for them to be quiet as he walked to the door, head tilted.
“What?”
“Someone coming. Douse the lantern.”
Lyra turned the wick low until the fire guttered out and Lannis and Brendon were near the door, bow and rod ready. (Result: Steel 6, # Appearing: Red/Black 4, >Hear Noise, Black 20 – Critical failure) Whatever it was was slow, heavy, and methodical in its walk. It almost sounded like a trudge. There was also a smell, faint and of corruption. Whatever it was was walking from south to north, and there were a few of them. “Defiler,” the two of them heard one of the creatures say, where a few seconds later, there were three more voices echoing the same thing, “Defiler."
“Guardians?” Lannis mouthed and Brendon motioned him to be silent.
“Searching for Corfard,” one of them said voice getting fainter as it walked north and away. “Searching for Corfard,” came the answering replies.
Once they were safely gone, Lyra shook her head, “We do not want to be fighting them.”
“Why’d they come here?” Brendon wondered. “Did they lose Corfard?”
Lannis shook his head. “I think the opposite, Corfard sent them to wander the castle, ordering them to look at his request.”
“And looking for us,” Lyra muttered.
“But they don’t know where we are.”
“Yet.”
The rest of the watch (WMC: Red/Black 3, Red/Black 2) was without issue and Brendon told Lannis and Lyra to study and pray until finally the watch was over and the rest of the group woke up. Wyn spent some time studying his own spells and the group broke their fast and felt good and ready for the day’s activities (Lannis heal 2, Lyra heal 3, Wyn heal 1, Brendon heal 2, Kovid heals 5)
Time now is 6:30 AM (DAY 4)
(OOC)
Ok! Lannis, let me know what spells you have picked for today. Group is rested, hp back, and it’s a new day. Where are we going and what is the plan, and how are we going to get there? We had 2 WMC checks come up positive but the enemy listen check was very poor and both of them walked on by.
Revised Character Sheets for the new day will follow.
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