Chapter 7:
He sat in the shadows, only a small amount of light coming through the tiny window of the chamber. From what the prisoner could tell, this was a dug out basement to one of the towers of the fortress. It had obviously been used for storage recently, and he saw many signs of crates and boxes being moved. The tower held three such rooms, all small and dingy. "I wonder when they will feed us," Karle Blackdirt grunted into the dust, his lips dry and cracked.
"So, magician, you have a way out," a gruff voice asked from the storage/cell across the hallway.
"Perhaps," Karle whispered softly to Orm, the huge fighter that had been Silverblade's second-in command. Karle did not want any guards to overhear, although there were no signs that a guard had even been posted nearby. With all the activity in the keep today, he doubted there was one. The mysterious human walked around the cell looking at every nook, every cranny, looking for anything he could use.
"You will take me with you," Orm hissed.
"That would make things extremely difficult," Karle hissed back.
"I could make things extremely difficult," Orm shot back, "The moment I notice you trying to escape, I can make a lot of noise, bring the guardsmen down on you."
"You would keep me from my freedom," Karle asked, not really surprised. Orm was not a gentleman, or even civilized. He was a brute.
"I have no interest in your freedom, only my own," Orm replied in a ragged whisper.
"I may be able to manage getting your door open, since these are not tremendously well-made for prisoners. If I can do it, I will not help you get out of the keep. I have a way to get out, but I cannot bring another being with me."
"I accept those terms," Orm grunted, "Once free of this room, we split up."
Karle continued his examination. 'There is a way', he mused. The method would not even be difficult.
"I may have a way, Orm, but I will wait," Karle stated, "I am exhausted and hungry, neither of which helps me with my…abilities. I'm going to try to sleep now and I would suggest you do the same. A cover of darkness works best for what I have in mind, so it might be in the dead of night."
It did not take long before the attempt at sleep was foiled. With a clatter of chains and the raising of a stout bar, the main door of this section opened. One man with purplish skin and strange eyes, whom Karle recognized as a leader of the guard, stepped into the hall between the doors.
"My name is Arthos," he said calmly, his features unreadable, "I have a simple question to ask. We look to send a task force into the wilderness to find the lair of the humanoids and possible disrupt their operations as they have disrupted ours. It will obviously be very dangerous but could lead to the defeat of the raiders. I wish to know if either of you want a chance at vengeance against the monsters."
The silence in the rooms and corridor shocked Karle as neither of the prisoners believed the words.
"Why should I trust you," Orm growled, "You could just kill me as soon as we are away from this cell."
Arthos regarded the man through the small, barred window for a moment before turning his piercing gaze toward Karle. "And you?"
The mystic paused, thinking a moment before speaking. "I think I would enjoy a chance at dealing those creatures a little death," he said finally, calmly, "I liked Silverblade, and he was good to me."
Arthos nodded and, bringing out a large key, unlocked the door. Karle stepped out of the cell, unsure but not wanting to show a lack of confidence. Arthos shut the door, motioned Karle to follow, and stepped toward the tower's exit.
"WAIT," Orm shouted, "I will fight, too!"
Arthos turned toward the huge man and said, "I will not free you. Your first reaction was suspicion, doubt, an accusation. I will not trust trust my life to those things." Arthos and Karle walked out the door, the chains and bar set back in place even as Orm roared his rage.
Arthos rapped on the door to Eluthera's apartment. The door opened a bit then swung fully open to let Arthos and Karle into the place. The dwelling was spacious for one, but eight bodies seemed too much for the guests to be comfortable. They made a strange group: Arthos with his stoic warrior's stance, purplish skin and dark blue, crystalline hair; Cobb, the grizzled, disheveled middle aged human with darkened skin that had been in the sun more often than not; Tauron, a man taller and likely stronger than anyone else in the room; Silva, Tauron's sister who was as pale as Cobb was tanned and whose icy blue eyes stared coldly at the new arrivals to the meeting; Aseneth, with her long black and a bright smile on her face, was the most groomed and well-dressed among the gathering; Laur-Q, the humanoid rodent with more curiosity than anyone else at the Keep; Karle, with his black, shaggy, unkempt hair and basic leather clothes, a man who did not meet anyone's gaze directly, and their host Eluthera, her brown, slightly rough skin, grass-green eyes, and reddish-brown hair told of her non-human heritage. Each individual sized up the others as Eluthera offered refreshment to her 'guests'. Arthos cleared his throat.
"I'm certain you all know why we are here," he began.
There was a moment of quiet, then Karle spoke up. "I'm certain some here understand more than others. You should speak as if we are all ignorant, then we will all have the same information when finished."
Arthos glanced at the mystic irritably but, knowing he was right, began to speak further. "I have asked you all here to take part in a mission. We know that some of our fighters, at least those that fought for the castle here, have been taken alive by the humanoid raiders that have been preying on this region. Some of Silverblade's men may have been captured as well. The castle itself does not have enough personnel for a rescue attempt, and we do not know the location of the monster's lair or lairs. Our mission is to locate the lair or, if there are several, locate as many as we are able. If opportunity presents itself to rescue any of our brethren who are still alive, we will make the attempt. If opportunity presents itself to deal with some of the raiders ourselves, we will do so. We know there are goblins, hobgoblins, orcs, kobolds, gnolls, and recently we encountered bugbear as well, and humanoid groups are working together in ways they normally would not. Each of you has agreed to take part in this expedition, and each of you has certain skills or talents that will be of benefit. Simply put, we will be sneaking out of the keep so that no one knows that we are a team and that we are on the hunt. Each of you must realize that, if we come in contact with the enemy, there will be fighting and some of us will likely die.
"I will not ask you of your secrets. I know that, particularly for those that deal in magic, not all of you would wish me to know everything you can do if you could even remember everything on such notice. For tactical purposes, I must know something of what you bring to the mission. Are you better in up close combat or at range? Do you speak any languages or have had contact with any of the creatures we will likely face? Do you have any special wilderness talents that I do not know of? Eluthera?"
The woodland girl startled a bit at being called on so abruptly, but shook herself before speaking. "Well, I understand goblinoid firstly, though my actually speaking it is weak. I fight capably with my sword and fire ably with my bow. The forest is my home, where I grew from a child, so I have some…talents amongst the trees. I have some knowledge of spellcraft as well." She paused to think, then added, "Oh, and I can speak with spirits."
Silva cocked her head slightly to one side and glanced at her brother at the last bit of information. Karle raised his eyes to regard the dryad-kin. Aseneth also took notice.
Aseneth whispered hesitantly, "As in…Necromancy?"
"No, nothing like that. Not death," Eluthera assured, "Only spirits. There are many, many spirits in the world that have nothing to do with the dead. It is just a part of nature that many choose to ignore."
'What kind of a team will this be', Arthos asked himself silently. "Laur-Q, I know about your wilderness skills. I know your worth to the mission."
Laur-Q chuckled in her high-pitched voice. "Remember that I can move faster than any of you, I'm sure," she ventured, "and you've never seen me fight. You won't have to protect me."
'Likely a boast', Arthos again mused. "Is there anything I do not know about you, Cobb?"
The hunter grinned, showing gaps in his teeth. "Not much, Arthos. I'm not the huntsman Tauron is, but I have a strong back, a good arm, and a sharp sword. And I know the lay of the land around here."
Arthos nodded, looking at the younger hunter.
"Besides my fighting skill and hunting skill, my knowledge of the area compliments Cobb's," Tauron began. "I'll be a 2nd set of eyes out in the woods. If we encounter the kobolds, I should be able to speak with them. I'm strong as a horse or close to it, so I can carry extra gear if it is needed."
Silva laughed a bit, betraying her serious demeanor thus far. "He isn't boasting," she said, "I think he could carry a horse if he truly needed to!"
Arthos smiled a bit at this, and a few of the others in the room chuckled. "And you, Silva," he asked.
"You know what I offer," Silva Barador challenged, brushing her white hair to the side of her head. "I am a warrior of Bahamut, a Child of the Glacier. Of course I have been granted healing magic and mastery over other types as well. You will find me versatile, able to help in many roles. My patron granted me some very useful gifts of which I am ever grateful. I am not well-traveled, however. I may need some guidance."
Arthos glanced at the white-haired girl. "I remember that you have taken journeys during your training."
"Not like this," Silva replied, "I traveled in an entourage then, with little responsibility and with all the guardians and resources we needed for comfortable journeying. I did not set up camps or handle animals, I was an assistant and scribe to my teacher."
"We will guide you," Tauron said strongly, "or I will if no one else sees fit."
"I am afraid that I'm in a similar position," the beautiful Aseneth chimed in, "My journey here was my first, and I have little skill in the wilderness. I hope I am not a burden. I am trained in magic and I do have many useful spells. I have knowledge in things like herbalism, alchemy, and I am a student of old writings. I certainly should not be in the front of a fight."
Karle seemed to shrivel as the others turned their attention toward him. "I am one who does not wish to reveal his secrets," Karle began, staring out from under his shaggy head of hair, "I have many skills and I can fight if the need arises, but I am much, much more effective at a distance. And, from my experiences as a highwayman, I am good at seeing where I am needed most. More than once, a colleague of mine was just a moment from his demise but I saw and I intervened. And you, friend Arthos; what additional skills do you bring? If we know what you can do, we may have an idea for your skills that you do not." The mystic smiled a half smile.
Arthos returned the smile, somewhat liking the bandit's attitude. "Fair enough," Arthos stated, "Most of you do not know, I am a Stormsoul in common terms. My race is touched by elemental forces. I follow a warrior code that my family and birth city has gone by for many generations. I know small unit tactics and I know how to build and prepare defenses. For this mission my blade will draw blood against whomever we face and I will quickly devise tactics against our foes. If you truly want a secret…" Arthos held a hand up and concentrated for a moment, and sparks began to snap from his hand and dance up and down his arm. "…I have some surprises for those who think me just a common guardsman."
"Now that we have introduced ourselves," Arthos said with a wry grin, "We must discuss our beginning strategy and what kind of equipment we should bring with us. I have been given permission to use some of the castle's resources, to include packs, journeying clothes for those who need them, and basic camp gear. No comfort items unless you buy and bring them yourselves, just what we need to accomplish the mission. What are your suggestions?"
