Time to meet the crew. And get ready for some slaughter. Because as simple it seems to be to kill monsters on the screen, when you are standing above their slain bodies, breathing hard and every muscle hurting, eyes burning from sweat and your entire body covered in blood... not so simple any more.

Chapter 3: First Quest

Our friends, as I called the group around the for me yet nameless main character of the game, returned to the Copper Coronet about ten minutes after I had gone to bed, as I was told the next morning. Sixteen children had they freed from the slavers, together with nine women of different race and age. When I saw said women and girls next morning, Hendak explaining the situation for them, I immediately understood why they had been captured and sold as slaves.

They were pretty, every last one of them, even under the dirt and the grime and rags they were wearing. When they saw me, only dressed in a pair of pants and a loose shirt, some of them made themselves smaller, trying to become invisible.

The fact that these women, some of them did not look to be older than fifteen at best, were to be sold as sex workers made my stomach turn and my blood boil. So instead of getting breakfast like I had originally planned, I stormed back up to my room, still a former pleasure room, grabbed my new equipment and made my way down to the arena.

Though not used any longer, the place was of course still there. Perhaps Hendak could open a fighting school or something here, no need to leave the space unused. For the moment however only I was there to make use of it.

I had purchased a variation of weapons I felt were just right for me, in the back of my head there were some hazy memories about me learning to fight with different weapon types. I was able to use nearly every common one, from ax to bow to spear, but was only good with a few of them. And one of them was the one handed sword, in nearly every variation known to me.

When I had stepped onto the market on the day before, I had been overwhelmed by the broad selection of things used to kill another being with. As a major trade port you could buy nearly any weapon known to mankind somewhere in the city, and be it in a specialized shop for exotic goods.

Wearing a large shield clasped to my left arm and a slightly too heavy and too large falcata in my right, I began to work up a sweat in a series of movements which came naturally to me. The weapon was not made for any grad maneuvers, it was a killing tool made for a strong man who could hack his enemies too pieces with it. Perfect for me.

When I returned to the common room about an hour later I was a bit winded but not nearly as much as I would have thought. Apparently I was a rather fit individual. I ate a light breakfast and drank some heavily watered down ale, before returning to my room and packing my things. Oh yeah, and washing and shaving. I like my sideburns, have I said that already?

Just because I was a half-orc and people practically expected me to smell like a pig did not mean I had to do so. I like going against stereotypes, so sue me.

"Azog, I would like to have words, my brother", Hendak said as soon as I stepped into the common room again. His voice was as serious as his face and I raised an eyebrow at that, but nodded. I followed him into the small kitchen, behind the bar, and leaned myself against the counter there.

"What is it?", I asked, one hand resting on the pommel of my falcata. Other than the historical ones, which were used in the times of ancient Rome and often were hooked at the lower end, this one had a sword like pommel, a round one with the edges chamfered off.

"I have spoken with Milira and her companions yesterday when they have returned to us", he began. So that was her name, Milira. Nice to know. "So has young miss Nalia DeArnise. They will travel to her families holdings after their breakfast. I had taken the freedom and already spoken to them about your wish to join them."

Oh, that will make it easier. I hoped so at least.

"And here... take these as a farewell gift."

And with that he pushed a small bag into my hands. I opened it and found three small flasks inside of it, filled with a blue liquid inside. Healing potions.

"Brother, I thank you", I answered and gave him a broad grin. "However, I must insist on paying you back one day. To the last copper."

Instead of answering he only nodded with a grim smile and offered me his hand. I grabbed his forearm as he did with mine. I felt a bit corny doing it, like in a bad fantasy movie, but at the same time it just felt right.

When I stepped out of the kitchen my eyes were practically drawn to the large table in the back, which I had not noticed before. There sat an illoustrous, colorful group of people, six at all. The large, big rashemi berserker I was able to make out across the whole distance thanks to not only his stature, but also his loud, booming voice, telling someone about just how wise and smart his companion Boo was.

I had to grin at that. With one hand grabbing my backpack and with the other the large ax I was wielding I made my way over to the table, neither demanding their attention nor hiding from it. Nalia, who was sitting with them, was detecting me anyway and whispered something to the woman sitting next to her, a blonde, small, fragile looking individual who immediately turned her large green eyes into my direction.

"Excuse me", I said to them as I was near enough not to need to scream any longer, but far away enough so that they could draw a sword if necessary. Not that it would be necessary of course, but somehow I thought it only proper. "Might I have a minute of your attention?"

There was Jaheira, which whom I had already spoken two days prior, leaning back and studying me, and Anomen sizing me up. Though there was a slight distaste visible on his face he remained silent. Good enough for me for the moment. If he would turn out to be a racist I would earn his respect anyway, of that I was sure. Or his nose would meet my fist.

"Of course my friend", the half-elven girl in the simple tunic answered and gave me a pleasant smile, showing her perfectly white teeth. She was pretty, in a very cute kind of way, and I immediately thought she would have been a Mary-Sue in most fandoms. Here, she was the main character. "Sit down and join us. Tell us, what is it you desire of us?"

I did so, next to Minsc and a small mousy girl I had beforehand not noticed. Was that Aerie? Oh yes, hiding under her mop of corn-blonde hair and inside her robes was a small elven girl. Small even for elves. I did not spend too much attention to her, I thought she would not appreciate it. Instead I turned all my attention to Milira, the de-facto leader of the small group. "I got the impression that you are a group of individuals of good heart and a strong sense of justice. I wish to join you on your journey."

"We would not send away another strong swordarm, my good man, and Hendak had told us already that you are an experienced warrior", she answered, still smiling at me and giving me the feeling that I was the best looking man in the entire universe. I could understand why every man could fall for such a woman. High charisma I would say. "However, I feel honor bound to inform you, that I am on a quest to save a childhood friend of mine who has been captured by the Cowled Wizards."

"That sounds like an adventure worthy of tale and song. I would be pleased if you allow me to join you." Perhaps I was putting it on a bit thick but I was feeling inspired.

"Very well then. I am Milira of Candlekeep and are pleased to make your aqcuintance. What is your name my friend?"

"Azog. My name is Azog."

"Well met friend Azog!" And with that Minsc gave me a hearty clap against the back, luckily for me not strong enough to send my head against the table. Only strong enough to be felt. "I am Minsc, berserker warrior of Rashemen. And this is Boo!"

"Squeek."

I stared at the small rodent he pointed at me. Well, he did look rather cuddly.

And that was how I joined the group of the young Bhaalspawn Milira of Candlekeep. Like in any bad fantasy story I met her in a tavern and joined her party there. Not that everything was roses and sunshine from there on of course, by no means at all.

For instance Anomen, like you could imagine, was not very welcoming towards me and shot me dirty looks when he thought no one would notice, while at the same time trying to impress Milira even more than before now that there was a possible rival there. Meaning me. As if. Not I thought the girl unattractive, far from it, it was just that she was the fucking main character and thus not available if you ask me. Simple as that.

After I had been introduced to the rest of the party, Aerie had only managed a shy smile while being introduced, and eating up they immediately got to work. Which means saddling the horses, checking if everything was where it should be, making last minute supply runs and planing the route we would take. Again I had to borrow something from Hendak, meaning Lehtinan to be completely honest, as I took the best horse in the small barn next to the tavern. It had been Lehtinans personal horse I was told, though he had nearly never used it. A big, chestnut rouncey, an all purpose horse strong enough to carry me without problems and also the patience to do so for a while. With the colorful name "Brown". Yeah, talk about uninspired.

And I have no idea from where I had the knowledge that it was a rouncey and not a destrier or courser. And what those were.

I noticed that Aerie was not riding on her own but was sitting in front of Minsc, whose majestic horse was easily able to carry the small, lithe elf in addition to the bald man. Of course she would not know how to ride a horse, where should she had learned it? Which brought me to the question, did I know how to do it?

"Let's go friends, we are on a tight schedule."

And with these words from Milira we were off. As my horse, sorry, Brown did exactly what I wanted her to do, it seems I knew how to ride. It felt natural and if I just allowed my body to do what it wanted without thinking too much about, it seems that it did work out well enough. For now.

After we had left the city behind us we were nearly immediately in the green and yellow hills of the surrounding landscape. The Cloud Peaks were to the north, our left, and though the land was flat compared to the mountains there, the street we were on still snaked it's way between roving hills and sparse, light forests barely worthy to be called that.

We did not have much opportunities to speak with each other, as Nalia was urging us for haste, and so I spend my time in the saddle watching the others and thinking. Not only the city of Athkatla was bigger and more diverse than depicted in the game, my new companions were of course too. They had habits, good as well as bad ones, certain behaviors, opinions and beliefs and the whole brand of human characteristics. Or elven. You know what I mean.

In the game they just did not have the option to show it and even to develop the characters to such details. Now they were real and not just simple game characters, but breathing and thinking people.

We had ridden for about four hours and were about to leave the main trading route we had so far used, a very well developed street, when Milira called for a short pause.

"We... We can't stop now. We don't have the time... Please", said Nalia in a pleading tone to her and that was the first thing I heard from the small argument when I came nearer. I had ridden at the end of the small group for most of the time and thus had not heard anything from the few short conversations my comrades had while we traveled.

"In Helms name girl, the horses need a short rest and so do the weaker in our group!", Anomen said with his most booming voice, trying not to sound insulting. At least I got the impression. "What good can we do, when we are at our weakest once we arrive?"

I did not listen any longer but just dismounted, as had Jaheria and Minsc done before me, and used the time to stretch my legs and get the blood flowing again. Riding is very useful, but also very tiring if your not used to it. And I was not. Not really at least, though my body was trying to tell my mind that I was. What a strange situation.

As I led my horse to a small stream near the street to give her some water Jaheira approached me, also leading her horse forward. Other than me did she neither use a saddle nor reins to control her beast of burden, the white mare was completely listening to her shooting voice and her calm presence. When her horse began to drink she turned to me, approaching me with the shadow of a smile on her face.

"Azog. How does your recent injuries take the travel so far?", she asked and settled down in the dry grass next to me.

"Well enough. I don't feel them at all", I answered with a broad smile, showing her my tusks without even thinking about it. "Thank you again for healing them. I must admit, your face was a welcome sight when you awoke me from my slumber, back in my cell."

"What they had done to you and the other poor unfortunate souls was barbaric", she said with anger in her voice, her face already darkening again. Damn, now I had soured the mood. "No creature, intelligent or not, should live in such a state, for the amusement of others... treated like a toy or tool."

I nodded in agreement, not bothering to answer to that. However, then I remembered something. "When... When I was first thrown into the fighting pit... They had me fight a bear. A strong but poor creature, all scared and misstreated... I don't know what happened to him... Or her, don't know if male or female. Do you perhaps know something about that?"

"We had no choice but to release the poor animals from their fate. I would have loved nothing more than to free them, but their minds were broken beyond repair. And anyway, they attacked us, urged forward by their cruel master. We had no choice", Jaheira explained to me, her voice serious and downcast. If everyone would feel about other people like she did about animals, then the world would be without war and injustice.

"I see", I just said after a while and stood up again. I got the impression that she needed a moment for herself, something hard to come by when you are in a traveling group of adventurers. Don't ask me how I knew that, I just knew. I spend the remaining short rest with checking my equipment again, trading a few words with Minsc about the proper way to relieve a goblin of it's head and tending to the horses, before Milira called us back to the road.

If Nalia was any indication, not a minute to early. Can't blame her, really.

Anomen had been the first to notice it, a small smoke trail on sky, right in our direction. Always the catious one, at least that was my impression of her, Milira ordered a halt before we arrived at the source of said smoke and slid from her horse. "I will check it out. Be back in a moment."

And with that she was already gone, vanished into the bushes. It was really impressive how easily she vanished into the shadows even if there weren't some. I had to chuckle at my own little joke. If I had not known her to be there somewhere, I would not have believed it.

"We must hurry...", Nalia whispered to Jaheira a few yards in front of me, but loud enough for me to hear. "The sooner we arrive, the better the chances we can save my home before being overrun."

"Hush child", the druid told her with a commanding tone in her voice. "Milira knows what she is doing."

And with that the small argument was settled and silence reigned again, though Nalia still fiddled with the reigns of her horse and I'm sure if she had not sat on a horse but stood on the ground, she would have hopped from one leg to the other. Though not for long, because shortly there after our leader returned, suddenly appearing on the other side from where she had vanished, her face serious.

"A group of Orogs around a small camp fire. If we are catious we can slip past them without them notic-"

"SWORDS FOR WORDS!"

And Minsc was off, giving his horse the spores and charging into the direction of the enemy.

"Well, so much for that...", I mumbled under my breath and could not help but to sigh a bit, before following him. Now they knew we were here anyway, no sense to slip past them any longer. The others had, apparently, the same ideas and followed him too.

The small group of Orogs turned out to be no less than nine of these massive brutes, carrying large, brutish swords, axes and hammers, clad in a variation of different armors cobbled together from the gods knows where. I could see Minsc's horse break through the bushes before them, him all but jumping from the horse and charging into the fray.

Of course the big guys had already heard him and had practically awaited him, three of them welcoming him with their weapons ready and their snouts showing cruel grins. I could not really concentrate on the battle because I had to dismount myself, though a bit farther away than he had done.

"FOR GLORY AND HONOR!" Anomen already charged past me and right into the melee, riding his horse right into it, practically running down one of our enemies. And suddenly there was confusion and terror and chaos everywhere.

Brandishing my broad shield I did not really charge into battle, no battle cry or something, but more or less just jogged forward and put myself directly between an onstorming Orog and Aerie... who had trouble keeping on the mighty horse which was about to break out. I would have cursed Minsc for abandoning the small elven girl in this situation, if not for the mighty clang that rang through my shield and arm and entire body as the massive head of an oversized hammer met my shield with full force.

It fucking hurt like the nine hells, even through my chain mail and steel bracers and gambeson. I had trouble remaining standing, lowering my center of gravity and pulling all my strength together, pushing against it.

However, as mighty a hammer is, especially a two handed one, it is also a slow weapon. With a step from my right leg, which I had positioned behind me, I stepped directly into my enemies range, already smelling his foul stench and musky odor. I lashed out with my falcata, carving open his thigh, before turning my entire body back and brandishing my shield again.

He screamed, partly from pain and partly from frustration I take it, and continued to attack me with his mighty swings, I think he just tried to crush me. His bad luck, because thanks to his leg wound he was suddenly much slower than before and it was easy for me to step out of his reach, even if that reach was rather large, wait out a good moment and then throw one or two attacks at him before stepping back again.

However, luck can't hold forever, can it?

Because suddenly I heard Nalia scream behind me, I think a warning, I could not really make it out. And in the corner of my eye I saw another Orog charging at me, he must have slipped by our other warriors. A mighty swing hit my shield, stunning me for a second, and then a big sword hit my head.

Ouch.

If not for my helmet, I would have been dead, thus I thought the terrible pain running through my skull as something good. Suddenly being forced to defend myself against two enemies, I was forced into the defensive. I was only able to bring my shield between attacks and step out of the most dangerous hammer swings, being forced to wait for a good chance before I could hit back.

Thankfully, I did not work alone, even if I had kind of forgotten that. Something, somewhere, clicked and the Orog with the sword yowled in pain as a small bolt from a crossbow buried itself in his side.

Using that opening I jumped forward and swung my falcata in a wide upward arc. I had luck and found an opening between his pieces of chainmail and hardened leather, tearing open his layers of muscle and fat and leathery skin, opening his innards to the sunshine. And then I stepped beside him, bringing him between me and the hammer swinger.

The now deadly wounded orog stared at the wound I had carved into his body, as if not believing it. With a look of surprise and disbelieve on his ugly face he fell down, first to his knees and then forward. The later he mainly did because I used my whole momentum to swing my weapon around in a very wide horizontal arc and carved of his head from his shoulders with a single, massive strike.

I could not help but to grin at the sight of a big, burly and ugly body falling down to the ground, soiling the earth with his black blood, the head landing beside it. Then it hit me.

I had just killed an intelligent being.

That was not an animal, no bear or wolf or cow or something.

A feeling, thinking creature with desires, dreams and perhaps even a family. Dark, amoral ones perhaps, yes, but still...

The thought banished my smile and my good mood in a matter of a single moment and all I could do was to stare at the now lifeless body. Well, not really lifeless, because the heart seemed to still pump blood through the now missing head, though only weakly and only for a few moments.

I was only saved by a grizzly death by hammer by a well aimed shot from Milira and a barrage of magic missiles from Nalia and Aerie. Saved by a group of girls. Not so bad if you ask me, but said girls being the ones in the back.

I forced myself back into the presence and concentrated on killing the remaining enemy, simple enough now that he was bleeding from several wounds and had burn marks all over his body. In the end I plunged my blade into his face, penetrating up to the brain, killing him instantly.

Anomen had remained on his horse all the time, the only of us melee fighters to do so, making real trouble for the orogs and Minsc and Jaheira had worked well together in brining down the other enemies. We lacked a bit of teamwork, something Milira did point out, but we had come through the battle without any grizzly wounds on our side.

Still... the rest of the journey I could not help but to feel slightly numb.

The Holdfast of the DeArnise family was a sight to behold, truly. Nestled atop a high, wide hill and situated right on top of a natural stone formation it was a truly formidable fortress. Again the game graphics did not do it justice, even though they were picturing it correctly. No, the simple fact was, that the beauty of it was only to be seen in real life.

However there were some things that tarnished the beauty... Like the rubble around the place, the smoke rising from the inside and the feeling of dread hanging above it. Could be because of the bodies hanging from the battlements or the burned corpses being displayed as some sort of cruel adornments in front of the, pulled up, draw bridge.

"This is it...", Nalia began, speaking out the obvious, but stopped short as she noticed something. "Wait, there's a palisade here? Then our guards fell back and..." Her voice became more somber and downcast with every word as she realized what this must mean. I only watched her from the corner of my eyes, instead preferring to study the sight before me. "... the keep has fallen. It will be hard to save now. The palisade is to the west."

I nearly felt pity for her as I heard her voice, so downcast and defeated. Her hopes of returning in time to save her home from defilement had been crushed and I felt with her. Yet there was nothing I could do, only killing those who did it, and so I remained silent. I was only a simple swordswinger, no need to draw unneeded attention to me.

"I think you should tell me just what we are up against", Milira finally said after a few seconds of somber silence, keeping her voice level and soft. Other than me she had turned fully to our employer, if you could call Nalia that, and had put a hand on her shoulder, as if to show her that she was not alone.

"I should have told you previously, but others abandoned me when they found out", the brown haired noble girl said with a pained, sad expression on her face. I could not blame others for such an action, trolls were difficult enemies at best and downright murderous at worst. Going up against them unprepared was just short of suicidal. "We are beset by dragonspawns."

Wait a minute... WHAT?!

Surprise!

Okay, I think no one had seen that one coming, not even me. Not really.

As you may have noticed, I am a friend of realistic fighting, even in fantasy. Meaning that even a simple orc can kill a powerful mage, if his arrow pierces the mages eye. In other words, even far into the story, seemingly simple encounters will still be challenging for our heroes.