"Are they ...more evil then Freiki?", asked the blue hair girl inquisitively.
"Yes...",replied the large half elf in an irritated voice.
"Are they...more evil then Uncle Baal ?", continued the girl as she played with her hair. Her long claw like fingers twirled around her hair accidentally revealing short twisted horns. She didn't seem to mind though, there was no one around to notice.
"No...of course not", sighed Sarin. Uncle Baal or Baalphzon radiated one of the most evil auras he had ever encountered. The most evil of course was the hag queen Myleka. Sarin would have destroyed her "uncle" if he could, but it was beyond his power.
"Are they...more evil then your girl friend?" , giggled Sharliss.
Sarin blinked, he was expecting more mindless chatter from the young woman, but the last question threw him off guard. "Girlfriend? I don't have a girlfriend. Who are you talking about?", asked the half elf.
"Aunt Dahana of course! ", teased the tiefling girl.
"I went on one date with her...I didn't even realize what she was till afterwards. ", sputtered the half elf, getting more annoyed with the girls comments.
"But you're a paladin! You should have been able to detect evil or something.", laughed Sharliss.
Sarin grew red, his chins seemed to vibrate in anger,"How was I suppose to know she's a hunter devil , I thought she was just some celestial with black wings, who hangs out with your "sister" . Look...half your whole wacky family and their buddies radiate evil. Some due to their blood or heritage, others ...well who knows. I just know their a mad bunch. ...crazier then House Thrune of Cheliax, probably nuttier then the D'ambersville of Averigoine. "
Sharliss smiled and kicked her feet out happily while staring at the paladin. She acted like the cat who ate the canary. The paladin in return , continued watching the dark mountain. The tiefling tried to gain the half elf's attention but Sarin ignored her.
"You know...", continued the tiefling , but the half elf paid her no attention.
Sharliss was annoyed but just raised her voice, "You know... you're more a member of that "whole wacky family", then I am. I'm just adopted. While you're one of father's long lost grandsons. He has a knack of finding obscure relatives, you now. "
Sarin's concentration was finally broken by the last comment, "He's not my grandfather. He's just some guy, who's the father of some other guy who had an affair with my mother years ago. Any relationship we have is purely coincidental.", growled the half elf.
Sharliss feigned disappointment at the paladin's statement. "Don't be like that. Fetch is a good hearted person. I would think a knight like yourself would love to have a patron like him. He's the high cleric of Rawk, gods fear his passing, demons do his bidding."
Sarin shot her a disapproving look , "You sound like that Zax idiot , you silly girl. Despite his virtues, we both know Fetch is an idiot. He's a half rate hero that stumbles through one adventure after another. He would have been dead if it weren't for the company he keeps. For Linel's sake girl, the man doesn't even know what a feat is , or what his god looks like or represents. "
"So mean!", said the girl , enjoying the game once again. "He has a big heart, and endless courage. That's all that is important to me."
"A big heart eh? Do tieflings find big hearted souls tastier?", chuckled the half elf.
Sharliss seemed genuinely shocked at the paladin's last comment. She folded her arms and fumed in silence.
"So ...are they more evil then Aunt Dahana?", she said at last in a serious tone.
"1 is 3 aren't. " , said Sarin with a frown, "That's what worries me."
The girl considered his statement. "So 1 greater outsider, and 3 other evil presences who are greater then a lesser fiendish creature."
"Yeah, that's my guess. One of them have been following us for awhile now. About a day after we left Helamar. It seems to be a scout, since its rendezvous with his fellows. ", said Sarin grimly. "I think this caravan has too many guards for them to attack outright, but there are too many wagons, they might attempt to pick off stragglers, or abduct a few merchants."
"You're going after them tonight , aren't you?" asked Sharliss timidly. Despite her teasing and his annoyance at her, she worried about her guardian. "Maybe you should tell the others? Maybe Zax or the Kirgi guy could help."
Sarin chuckled,"Those guys are fools. Money hungry fools . We would have been better off striking off on our own. I'm going to warn them , but I won't ask for their help to hunt our stalkers down. They would only get in the way."
Sharliss agreed. The pair continued to ride on their wagon for a few minutes in silence. Then the tiefling finally spoke. "Can I come? I have spells now. I won't get in the way. I can help." She knew his answer already, but she had to ask.
The half elf smiled, and grasped her head in one meaty hand and messed up her hair. It seemed inappropriate for him to do that to a young woman, but she was still a little girl to him. "Of course not. You'll stay with the wagon. Hide in your little world if you have to."
The tiefling sighed, "Take Freiki at least?"
Sarin nodded, he could use some help , but he would not endanger Sharliss . Her pet thought, would suffice.
Sharliss smiled as the half elf accepted her last suggestion. "One more thing...are they ...more evil then me?", she asked with a grin.
"So far so good.", thought Zax as he rode his horse around the caravan. Halvor was correct , this job was pretty easy. All he was required to do , was to throw his name around to attract merchants to the caravan, and to ride around to placate them with his presence. All the hard work was done by the others. Zax wasn't completely useless though. His skills as an animal handler and an informal diplomat made him "seem" useful to the expedition.
The trip to Heldann was relatively straightforward , save for a few cheering crowds. The caravans through the once busy town had stopped in the last year. The idea that the pass through to Grom City was once again open brought hope to the people of the border town.
In the short time he had been in the caravan , Zax had gotten to known some of his companions and fellow travelers. Although Halvor appeared to be a northern knight, in reality he was just a local wannabe that aspired to knighthood. From Veb or some other backwater he heard. Zax wasn't sure his exact combat capabilities, but he was skilled at the administration duties of the caravan.
Petrus was definitely a soldier of some sort. He had that military air to him that Zax recognized from his own time in the army. Technically he was still in the military reserves, but the tiefling applied a prodigious use of gifts and grafts to avoid his duty. While Halvor ran the caravan, Petrus was in charge of the small day to day details. He set up the watches, distributed supplies , and rounded up the stragglers . As well as being a soldier , Petrus appeared to have some sort of magical skill as well. Zax saw him summon forth an armored ebony skin woman on occasion to do some heavy lifting for him. Judging from its fierce warlike appearance, the tiefling was sure it was used for more then just manual labor.
Zax saw little of Kirgi, he saw him briefly in the morning but afterwards he was normally up ahead scouting . That was fine with Zax though, although he found Kirgi's company pleasant, dwarves in general were people that the tiefling shunned. There was no telling when he would grab an axe and go on a "horn hunt".
Most of the travelers were very receptive to Zax. Most signed up , based solely on the false presumption that the tiefling would save them from harm. Zax knew better though. That's why he made sure he took his fastest horse. If there was any real danger, he would be the first to make a run for it. Hopefully the slower wagons would provide a distraction to any pursuers. Most were merchants, there were 2 families that wished to relocate to Grom city, and a strange curious couple. The couple appeared to be minor nobles of some sort, a fat half elf and an odd blue haired girl. He wasn't sure if they were a couple or siblings. Zax forgot the half elf's name, but gave him the nickname of "Chins" for obvious reasons. The girl, Sharliss, waved at him constantly when his horse approach, she claimed she met him before, but that was a common occurrence for Zax. As a celebrity and hero, he was use to such associations. He probably passed her on the road once, and this star struck fan instantly took that as some sort of bond . Not that Zax minded the attention. From her appearance, the girl was obviously rich and was probably the most attractive woman in the caravan. If she wasn't constantly at Chin's side, he probably would have attempted to woo her.
As the tiefling mused over the fetching young woman, he noticed that the half elf was not present . "Perfect! ", he thought. "Now's my chance to show her my charm."
Zax rode up to the young girl's wagon . The dark dressed beauty smiled at his approach. Zax returned the smile and was about to say something witty but a familiar voice interrupted his efforts.
"Lord Zax ! Come quick! ", cried Kirgi.
Zax inwardly frowned at the dwarf , but showed a smile instead."Kirgi! Good to see you. How goes your patrols?" , the tiefling said , ignoring the dwarf's distress.
Kirgi shook his head,"Terrible! We have to find Petrus and Halvor right away!"
The dwarf's voice seemed to cause whispers amongst the rest of the caravan. Zax waved at them to settle them down and knew something was wrong. He quickly followed the dwarf as they rode to the front of the caravan to meet with Halvor and Petrus.
"What's this all about?", asked Petrus coolly. He made a patting motion to indicate to the dwarf to quiet down.
Kirgi understood and took a second to compose himself. "We're being followed . Four dozen or so humanoids, they scamper off when I try to approach them though. Could be goblins or maybe kobolds. "
Petrus nodded , "The half elf was correct after all, he told me that there was evil presences in the mountains near us. "
Halvor scratched his head, "Four dozen huh? That's a lot of critters. Why don't they attack.", the knight asked , oblivious to the danger they represent.
"Lots of monsters?", repeated Zax. This wasn't what he was expecting. He was expecting a couple or half a dozen at the most, not 50. He wondered if now was a good time to run away.
Petrus shrugged, "Perhaps they are awaiting for more reinforcements , or more likely they doubt their ability to defeat us. I am assuming they are hoping for stragglers to ambush."
Kirgi nodded, "We scouted this area fairly well last time , I don't think there's too many more goblins or kobolds to join them in this region. Assuming they are goblins, they might attack us anyways. Their courage is fleeting, but they are a pretty stupid bunch. "
Halvor smiled,"Maybe they need to be deterred a bit more directly. Maybe we should just give them what they want."
Petrus and Kirgi both returned their leaders grin and stared at the tiefling. Zax didn't notice their gazes as he was too busy contemplating how best to run away.
Zax hated this plan, but he saw no opportunity to escape. At least not immediately. He considered hiding in his wagon and feigning sickness but that would probably be futile . He envisioned the big knight dragging him out kicking and screaming. Riding his horse away was also out of the question. At least for now. There was no way Zax would run deeper into the mountains and the goblins were blocking his exit behind him. Zax knew if he was to run , it would have to be during an attack. He needed something major to distract the beasts and his companions.
The tiefling sat glumly in the wagon. The plan seemed plausible enough. Their wagon would go slower then the others. It was easy enough to tie a piece of wood to a wheel to slow its progress. It would pretend to breakdown in a clearing , and then the guards would pretend to shortly debate on whether to leave the "wounded". Zax would protest and stay with the wagon to fix it. Hopefully attracting the goblins or kobolds or whatever the critters are to attack. Unknown to their attackers, Halvor and company would be waiting for the attack from cover. It seemed like a good idea to the tiefling except the part where he would have to play the helpless merchant.
Petrus assured him it would be safe. Infact he even had his summoned servant accompany him to play the role as his wife. An eidolon or something. Zax thought the summoner would have been a better husband, but Halvor was worried about exposing the magician to attacks. The tieflings inflated reputation however made him an unlikely choice to be the bait for the ambush.
The tiefling weighed his options carefully. He still had some potions he might be able to use. Would it be better to use them now? Run from his comrades and bear the weight of shame? Or use it later and slip away in the heat of the battle. The plan seemed workable, but there was no guarantee their pursuers would attack. They could most likely evade them and attack the main caravan , it was their territory after all. If he slipped away now, he was still stuck in the middle of this god forsaken monster land. The best case scenario would be if his comrades won, and Zax remained hidden and out of danger in the fray. He would emerge at the end, splash some blood on himself, perhaps clubbing a wounded goblin to show his prowess and no one would be the wiser . Except perhaps the eidolon creature.
Zax wondered how much the creature was aware of its surroundings. Zax has seen summoned creatures in the army before. Celestial dogs, and fiendish wolves were most commonly used. They appeared to be canines but they really weren't . They didn't behave or act like real animals at all. The tiefling wondered if maybe this eidolon creature of Petrus would behave the same way.
"So...nice weather, we're having.", asked Zax coyly trying to evoke a response.
The black skin woman , remained emotionless as it sat next to him in the decoy wagon. Despite the spare clothing given to her , she was clearly not human. Although at a distance her ruse would suffice. Zax heard that some humanoids had poor day vision, maybe his pursuers were one of them.
"Hello? Anyone there?", said Zax hoping for another non response. If he was correct, then his plan could succeed. This creature was clearly created for battle, and it seemed unlikely it would "rat" him out to his comrades .
The eidolon remained quiet and the tiefling breathed a sigh of relief. So far so good. First sign of trouble he would drink one these potions he bought. He had several utility escape elixirs he purchased . Some that would render him invisible, some that changed his appearance , others that let him levitate. A simple invisibility potion should suffice.
"Money well spent", thought Zax smugly, as he recalled the volume discount he managed to negotiate with that nice alchemist Dimitri. The merchant had such a wide selection and competitive prices, he wondered why he wasn't busier.
Zax noticed they had entered the clearing Kirgi had indicated to him to stop at. He saw no signs of where Halvor and the others were hiding, and briefly considered to continue .
"No , better stick to the plan.", the tiefling thought. At least stick to his own plan, Zax chuckled nervously.
The wagon stopped as plan, and Zax cautiously exited the wagon to examine the wheel. He cursed as he began waving to the wagon infront of him to stop. The other merchant played his part and yelled for him to abandon the wagon , but Zax protested that he would exact repairs soon. He would catch up with them shortly. Some guards yelled at him to rejoin the group, but Zax paid them no heed. All according to plan.
"You're a good actor.", said the Eidilon coolly.
"Thanks. ", smiled Zax. A second later his blood ran cold. The creature beside him was more sentient then he realized.
"Err...you play the merchant's wife role well . Forgive me, we haven't been properly introduced. I am Zax , Zax the humble hero, and you are ...miss? .", the tiefling said with a bow. Zax was caught unprepared but the quick thinking tiefling didn't show his surprise. The creature was definitely feminine , maybe he could use the old charm on her , or at least position her between the monsters and himself. If she fell in battle , it didn't matter if she would blab to her master.
"Adria.", the creature replied while scanning the terrain behind them. Although obviously intelligent, it definitely wasn't behaving like a human or even humanoid, at least to Zax's experiences. It showed little to no emotion and the tiefling can tell it seemed detached to her surroundings.
"BRREEEEEEE YARRRRRKKKK!", screamed an army of voices , shattering Zax's thoughts. The tiefling's blood froze, as he looked and saw what looked like a hundred goblins emerge from the terrain behind them. Zax had seen goblins in the army before, but only when they were dead or prisoners. The benefits of working supply. He never faced one in battle.
"Screw this, Halvor and his gang can be goblin food for all I care.", he thought to himself. He was going to wait to see how the battle fared, but his plan accelerated in the face of this horde of creatures. He quickly uncorked his potion and drank the bubbly concoction. He smiled and waited to turn invisible , he looked at his hand and saw no change.
"Hmm, maybe when you're invisible you can see yourself.", he thought curiously.
A goblin ran straight at him, with its make shift blade ready.
"Strange...that goblin is acting like it can see me.", he thought with growing nervousness.
Before the beast could impale him, Adria smashed its head sideways with her ebony fists. The creature's neck snapped instantly as it cartwheeled like a rag doll away from her side blow.
Adria stared at Zax, seemingly oblivious to his invisibility."Time to earn your keep, hero."